PAHO 38

Unable to hide his complicated expression, Gwon Jongdae hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. He shot up from his seat and said.

“W-well then, I’ll be going now. Please rest.”

Nam Gyeonhwa watched Gwon Jongdae leave before he could even stop him, then moved the plastic container and spoon from his lap to the table. To think that was his only reason for coming, he felt sorry for the man who was being hassled with such trivial errands despite being an aide, while at the same time, the demand, which was as good as a one-sided notification, was baffling.

First of all, seeing as the message was delivered through Gwon Jongdae, it meant that the deep consideration Na Taebeom had mentioned a few days ago had in fact been concluded as an acceptance. His intention to bring him to Wiryeonggwan under the pretext of registering his residence was probably nothing more than a simple impulse, so he didn’t want to think deeply about it.

However, even without Na Taebeom’s proposal, Nam Gyeonhwa also needed a temporary place to stay in Nakdo. As Gwon Jongdae had pointed out just a moment ago, this medical center was not a general hospital that handled long-term hospitalizations, but merely a facility prepared for tourists and athletes who came to watch the matches.

The fact that he had been able to stay at the hospital with Haejin until now was purely thanks to the insistence of Yeo Eunjae, who was the center director. It was a case that was practically unimaginable in a normal hospital system, so he was lucky.

Perhaps because he ate something warm, his body felt a little hot. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been fanning himself with his hand after loosening his collar, got down from the bed at the sudden rustling movement. He stared at the silhouette reflected on the curtain, then slightly lifted the fabric, and a startled Haejin stood pressed against the wall.

“Haejin, what are you doing there?”

Even though he was clearly caught, Haejin held his breath, pretending not to know, and then finally smiled as if embarrassed.

“Just. I wanted to see your face, hyung.”

“You did? Then you should have called me when you came.”

“I was afraid you were sleeping, hyung.”

At the obedient answer, Nam Gyeonhwa smiled and opened his arms. He had expected him to jump into his arms, of course, but Haejin took a step back.

“No, the doctor said you’re sick, hyung.”

“I’m all better.”

“But you don’t know for sure. You always told me to be careful just in case, even when I said I was okay, so you have to keep your promise too, hyung.”

Unable to refute the logic, Nam Gyeonhwa swallowed an awkward laugh. Fearing that Haejin might touch the stuffy air in his room from being sick for several days, Nam Gyeonhwa held out his hand instead of hugging him.

“Shall we go for a walk to the front entrance?”

Haejin nodded and held his hand tightly. His hand was so small that he could only barely grasp his middle to pinky finger, but even that small palm area was a comfort.

“You know, hyung.”

Haejin, who had been trotting along, opened his mouth.

“I wonder if Mister Yongsik is doing well?”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who had caught his breath at the forgotten name, smiled broadly.

“He’s probably doing well.”

“I hope the mister and grandma haven’t forgotten me.”

“I’ll pass on your regards later, hyung. Okay?”

At the firm answer, Haejin didn’t feel relieved but instead drooped his head sullenly. They were already at the entrance of the medical center. The yellowish artificial light hanging from the high ceiling, which looked to be at least ten-odd meters high, sparkled like the moon. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been quietly looking down at the round crown of his head, crouched down.

“Haejin, it must be really hard for you to live here.”

There was no way it wasn’t hard. It must be frustrating to live in a hospital in an already unfamiliar place. He had expected him to mumble his answer, but contrary to his expectations, Haejin shook his head.

“It’s not hard at all.”

“It’s not hard?”

“Yeah.”

“…You don’t miss the house in Mangmae?”

“I miss it a little, but I like being with you more than being at home alone, hyung.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who couldn’t easily open his mouth at the artless answer, carefully lowered his body.

“Actually, something came up with me, hyung, so I think I’ll have to stay here for a while. So I’m looking for a house.”

“A house? A house for you to live in, hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“…Then I guess I have to stay in the hospital.”

Meeting the inky black eyes that had clouded over like wild grapes, Nam Gyeonhwa brushed aside the hair stuck to his forehead.

“What are you talking about? You have to move with me too, Haejin.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Was there ever a time you didn’t live with me, hyung?”

He would have to discuss outpatient treatment with Yeo Eunjae, but if possible, he wanted to live outside the hospital until he had to enter the medical center. As he might have to part with Haejin in as little as half a year, he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

“Haa.”

Stopping in the middle of a steep staircase, Nam Gyeonhwa wiped the sweat from his chin. Perhaps because it was an alleyway created by remodeling an underground air-raid shelter and parking lot, he had gotten the address wrong several times and had gone up and down the stairs countless times. Straightening his back, he took out the Post-it note he had crumpled in his pocket. Judging by the map the real estate agent had drawn, it was somewhere around here.

Unregistered identities, including foreigners, can move in, and with the condition of not writing a lease agreement, the usage fee is 5 million won a year. The house he lived in in Mangmae was a narrow single room in a ruined apartment in a fairly remote area even within the county, but it was much more comfortable compared to when he was moving from inn to inn. Once he had a house, he could register at the public health center and receive treatment, albeit at long intervals, and he didn’t have to worry about being a burden.

He was well aware from the news that due to the successive rise in real estate prices, the market price of the underground special district closest to Seoul was comparable to satellite cities like Pangyo or Gwangmyeong. However, hearing about it and actually experiencing it were worlds apart.

He had spent the whole day going in and out of real estate offices, but the thousand in cash he had on hand was nowhere near enough. The rooms presented as good listings were all ridiculously expensive. On the other hand, the houses that matched his deposit were difficult to describe even as poor. It was common for the stench of the sewer, which he hadn’t noticed much while wandering around Nakdo, to be overpowering, and there were also coffin-like rooms with no windows and moldy, blackened wallpaper. Even for such places, he was told that people were lining up to move in the blink of an eye.

If he were alone, he could somehow endure a windowless room or the stench of the sewer, but with Haejin, he couldn’t. The house in Mangmae wasn’t in a great environment either, but it was a palace compared to the messy rooms he had seen in Nakdo. How could Haejin, with his already weak bronchial tubes and lungs, live in a moldy and smelly house? It would be better to ask Yeo Eunjae to let Haejin continue to stay at the medical center.

So, he was about to return to the medical center for the time being when the real estate agent urgently chased after him. He said a good listing had just come up, and the room in the photo he showed him was just as he said, good. It had a bathroom, and even a small veranda.

When told that if he wanted to sign the contract, a partner would be waiting at the address, Nam Gyeonhwa took the Post-it note without a second thought. After wandering through winding paths, he arrived at a square, single-story house that was clearly different from the outside. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean, like a neatly made set from a drama.

To offer a house like this for a deposit of a thousand, it was clear that either it was haunted by a vengeful ghost or the landlord was hell-bent on ripping him off. Intending to at least go inside and think about it, the front door swung open before he could even press the doorbell.

“You’re Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa, right? I was waiting for you after my husband contacted me. Come on in. Before someone else takes the room.”

“Ah, yes.”

Dazedly stepping over the threshold, Nam Gyeonhwa’s eyes widened at the scene of the room before him. It was a wider and better house than he had seen in the photo. It was neat, clean, and uncluttered. It was even decent compared to the houses he had seen with leases of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands.

“Is this house really fifty a month with a thousand deposit?”

“That’s what I’m telling you. You’re really lucky. Very occasionally, there are landlords who are very generous. Since living in Seoul is so tough, they put it out, ignoring the official price, saying let’s let young people starting out in society live in a decent house too. Of course, because of that, they tend not to write up a contract. Actually, lease agreements aren’t that important in Nakdo. What’s important is paying the money on time, using the place well, and returning it well.”

“Yes. That’s true, but I still can’t believe it. I’m wondering if there are any problems.”

“Oh my, with a house like this, can’t you just ignore a problem or two and live here? Oh, but that’s not to say there’s a big flaw in the house. You saw the alley on your way here, right? This is the wealthy village in Nakdo. The wealthy village. There are cases where couples who couldn’t get into Pangyo or Bundang get good loan conditions and come here.”

There was some exaggeration, but it was definitely a good enough house that he could close his eyes and ignore a problem or two. The agent went out to the veranda and opened the curtains wide.

“You see those buildings over there? That’s the private elevator that connects to the surface of Myeongdong. It’s a bit tight these days because of the blockade, but the department store is close, and if you go up, there’s a surface train station, so you can get on and go straight to Gangnam by car, zoom.”

Nam Gyeonhwa stared at the view outside the window beyond the curtain. Suddenly, a building caught his eye. Was Wiryeonggwan that close?

“What do you want to do? It’s a listing that came out suddenly today, so if you don’t decide, I have to show it to someone else.”

At the abrupt question, Nam Gyeonhwa took a breath. It was clear that he couldn’t get a house like this with the money he had now.

“This house, I’ll take it.”

“Excellent choice. Hmm, but since this house is being dealt with directly by the landlord on the condition that no documents are left behind, you can finalize the conversation when the landlord arrives. I’ll send you the receipt for the commission later.”

“So, do I meet the landlord at the real estate office too?”

“No, here. Hmm, they said they’d be here soon when I contacted them earlier.”

The moment the agent was about to check his phone, beep beep, the sound of the front door lock being released was heard. The agent, who had hurried to the entrance at the sound of someone, clapped his hands and beamed.

“Oh my, Director, welcome.”