NON 8

Only after sending the email to the student I tutor did the tension finally drain from my body.

“Ha, ah…”

The day had been too long. I wanted to go home just like this, wash up with warm water, and fall asleep. Sighing at my heavy body, Yeongin boarded the bus approaching from afar.

.

.

Bang, bang—!

Unlike my wish to wash and sleep, Yeongin, who had passed out as soon as he got home, was woken up by a knocking sound. My body stiffened and the back of my neck grew rigid at the sound of the door being knocked on as if it were about to break.

Who is it? It’s not even 7 o’clock yet…

It was when a flustered Yeongin was holding his breath and hunching his body. The name “Landlady” popped up on his phone.

“Ah…”

Now that I thought about it, it was already the 21st. When he hurriedly got up and opened the door a beat too late, the landlady’s face, deeply furrowed with a frown, came into Yeongin’s view.

“Student. Why aren’t you answering your calls?”

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

“You didn’t ignore them on purpose, did you?”

To the landlady, who was looking at him with suspicious eyes, Yeongin shrugged his shoulders, waved his hands with a startled voice, and said.

“No, it’s not that. I came home too late yesterday and it slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”

I meant to send the money yesterday, but I fell asleep as soon as I got home, so I couldn’t send it. A flustered Yeongin bowed his waist and offered his apologies once more.

“Ha, never mind. Hurry up and deposit the rent for last month and this month. I have bills to pay too, what am I supposed to do if you’re like this?”

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of a heavy sigh, Yeongin’s head sank lower and lower. In the bank app he entered with trembling hands, he saw that the balance remaining was only 5,500 won.

‘Eh… Why is the money… only this much?’

Normally, there should have been 500,000 won, but Yeongin’s pupils wavered at the balance that didn’t even reach 10,000 won. When he hurriedly checked the withdrawal history in a panic—there was a record of money leaving his account yesterday afternoon.

“…Yunji Hospital.”

If it was Yunji Hospital, that was the hospital where his younger sibling was admitted. Seeing the record that the money had been withdrawn from an ATM there, Yeongin stared at his phone screen with a dazed, blank face.

“Student, what are you doing? I told you I’m busy!”

“S-sorry. Just let me make a quick call, and I’ll give it to you right away. I don’t have the money right now. Please wait just a moment.”

Watching the landlady, whose brow was twisted in frustration, Yeongin—after reading her mood—bowed his head like a sinner, turned around, and called his younger sibling.

As the ringing went on and Yeongin bit his lips with an anxious face, the moment the landlady opened her lips to call him from behind, a click sounded and his sibling’s voice came through the receiver.

“Yeongwoo, it’s hyung.”

— Hyung!

The feeling of relief at his sibling’s bright voice lasted only a moment; Yeongin spoke quickly.

“Yeongwoo, did you happen to lose the card hyung told you to use in an emergency?”

— Ah…

Yeongin, whose sibling’s voice dimmed in an instant, bit the inside of his cheek and let go of his lips.

“By any chance… did Father come to visit?”

— U-un. Yesterday, Dad said he was going to buy a drink for a moment… and asked to borrow it. Did I do something wrong, hyung?

At his sibling’s question, which was mixed with tears, Yeongin shook his head and comforted the child.

“No. It’s okay. Hyung just asked because I was curious. Yeongwoo, are you listening well to what the teachers say?”

— Yes! I didn’t even cry at all when I got my shot yesterday. I’m really brave, hyung!

His one and only younger sibling was his everything. Yeongin smiled faintly at his sibling’s brave voice and said.

“Hyung will earn lots of money and bring you lots of presents when I come. You can wait ten nights, right?”

— Yes! I can wait. In the meantime, I’ll listen to the teachers well and eat all my meals and take my medicine! Hyung said that’s the only way you’ll come. Right?

“Yes. That’s right. Our Yeongwoo is such a good boy.”

Yeongin, who had been listening to the excited child’s voice, hurriedly pulled the phone away at the sound of a “hem” clearing of the throat behind him.

“Yeongwoo. Hyung has to go work now. I’ll call you again later.”

Yeongin, who hung up with a heavy face, stared at the landlady, who was tapping her hands as if asking what he was going to do, having clearly overheard his conversation.

“Landlady. I have a situation, so… can I give it to you next month? I will definitely give it to you next month no matter what happens. I’m really sorry…”

“What? A student shouldn’t do that. You’ve already eaten through your entire deposit. You said you’d pay this month last month, what trust do I have to keep not receiving rent for three months? If you end up running away in the middle of the night like that, what am I supposed to do?”

As the landlady got angry, telling him to move out if he was going to be like this, Yeongin hung his head low. If he had known it would be like this, he would have deposited the rent in advance when he received his paycheck. He hadn’t known his father would suddenly appear. As Yeongwoo squeezed his eyes shut while thinking of his stupid past self—

“Wait a minute. Look at that, isn’t that money on the floor?”

“Yes?”

“It really is money!”

Yeongin’s eyes turned to where the landlady’s finger was pointing, and 50,000-won bills came into his view. It was the payment he had received in exchange for sucking Dogeon’s member yesterday.

“Ha…”

A hollow breath burst out. To think that money would be used this way. At the landlady’s words that she had to go quickly, Yeongin knelt on the floor and picked up the dropped money. 1 million won. As he matched the money exactly to the amount he needed right now, the words Dogeon said yesterday came to mind.

‘No. You’ll find me again.’

After the landlady, who had received the money, left, Yeongin, left alone, buried his face in his palms and muttered to himself.

“No… I won’t.”

🍇🌊

“I’ll end today’s lesson here.”

Yeongin, blinking his bloodshot eyes, closed the book and spoke as he handed over the assignment for the next class.

“Teacher. But my mom told me to say that today will be the last tutoring session.”

Yeongin, who had been busily packing his bags for his next part-time job while giving homework, straightened his head at the unexpected words. The child handed over the printouts he had received from Yeongin and continued.

“I decided to go to an academy starting next week. They said there’s a teacher there who is good at picking out expected past exam questions.”

“Ah…”

It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up with academies that taught professionally. Yeongin nodded with a regretful face as he looked at the student who had delivered the news that he would be quitting, following two others last month.

“Is that so. I understand. You always work hard, Yejun, so I’m sure you’ll be able to get into a good university. Contact me later if you need my help.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Yeah. I was grateful for your time too.”

Yeongin, who stroked the head of the student who bowed his head, slowly exited the house.

“1,214,000 won.”

Including the 500,000 won received for tutoring today, this was the money currently remaining in his possession. Even if he could somehow resolve the rent with this, he was worried about Yeongwoo’s hospital bills.

Is continuing school just my own greed, after all?

He had wanted to graduate as quickly as possible and earn big money, but in this situation, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps he should stop all his studies and start by earning money first. Yeongin took a step with a heavy heart, thinking of his younger sibling who had not been in good condition lately.

Who is it?

Ascending the stairs, Yeongin furrowed his brow while staring at the back of a man standing in front of his door.

Did he come to the wrong place? It was when Yeongin was hesitating due to a feeling that he didn’t want to run into him, even by coincidence.

The man, who had been making a loud noise as if on a call with someone, hung up as if he had spotted Yeongin. Chewing gum loudly and standing in a crooked posture, he approached Yeongin and asked.

“Are you Ha Yeongin? You look pretty, just like I heard.”

“……Who are you?”

“You’re Ha Jinsu’s son, right?”

He had a large tattoo on his arm, and a luxury clutch bag was tucked under his armpit. The impression of the man, who was decked out in necklaces and bracelets hanging all over his neck and wrists, was exactly that of a loan shark. Yeongin’s face began to turn pale.

“I came to collect the interest. Bank transfer? Or cash? Do whatever is comfortable for you, student.”

“Interest? What are you talking about?”

As if he had anticipated his question, the man took out a document and presented it in front of Yeongin. Guarantor of the debtor: Ha Yeongin. Yeongin’s pupils wavered greatly as he saw his own seal stamped next to his name.

“I—I never stamped this. I know nothing about this…!”

He had never made a seal like this, nor had he ever seen the document. Yeongin shook his head, breaking into a cold sweat. It was something he knew nothing about.