PAHO 75

As cell phones became widely commercialized over several decades, public pay phones, which could really only be found as decorations in public institutions, were surprisingly seen quite often in various places in Nakdo. Nam Gyeonhwa, standing in front of a pay phone, fiddled with the top of the number pad a few times before finally dialing a number. Along with a notification that an additional fee would be charged for connecting to an external line, the connection tone rang for a long time before a sound was heard from the other side.

Yes, this is the car center. The voice on the call, which was slightly raised due to the habit of tilting the mouthpiece up to his mouth, the mumbling speech, and even the raspy tone were all very familiar. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had caught his breath again, slowly opened his mouth.

“Mister, it’s me. Gyeonhwa.”

As soon as he identified himself, a cough erupted from the other side. After some bustling noise, the voice became clear.

─ Gyeonhwa? Is that really you, Gyeonhwa? Huh? This isn’t some AI-recorded phishing thing, is it?

“It’s not phishing, it’s really me.”

Only then convinced that it was Nam Gyeonhwa, Jo Yongsik poured out a torrent of words. Questions filled with concern about his absence, asking where on earth he had been and why he had disappeared without a word.

In particular, Jo Yongsik asked about Nam Haejin a couple of times. He even felt a great deal of guilt at the news that Jo Yongsik’s elderly mother, who was already showing mild signs of dementia and mistook Nam Haejin for her deceased grandson, was muttering in front of the gate day and night in search of her lost grandson.

“Haejin and I are both doing well. We’re in Seoul right now. I don’t think I can go to Mangmae right away, but I’ll definitely come to see you later.”

He started coughing in the middle of speaking. Are you okay? At the worried question, Nam Gyeonhwa cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“Yes, I have a cold so my throat is a little bad. Anyway, please tell grandmother not to worry too much either.”

─ I don’t know what on earth is going on. It’s, it’s not something serious, is it? Those guys who were looking for you, they didn’t try to harm you, did they?

The guys Jo Yongsik was referring to were Min Chanyoung and Gong Myeongho. Two people who were part of the S1 Recycling security team. It would be correct to say that he had been harmed, but there were many concerns about frankly confiding in Jo Yongsik, to whom he was already indebted in various ways, about the events that had transpired. For example, wiretapping or surveillance. If word were to leak out, Jo Yongsik could also be in danger. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been holding his tongue, cautiously opened his mouth.

“More importantly, mister, about that two million won I borrowed from you before.”

─ Oh, forget it. What’s borrowed money in a situation like this. It’s not urgent, and if you’re not in a position to, don’t pay it back and just put it toward Haejin’s hospital bills.

“No. I will return the money. In fact, I think it would be safer for both of us if you were in the position of pressing me to pay you back.”

─ What do you mean by that? It’s safer if I have to press you to pay me back?

“By any chance, recently, did anyone, come to the car center or anything like that? Like a customer who left a strong impression.”

─ We, well. I’m not sure. I mostly deal with regulars. In the first place, the only people who come all the way to a country town to get their car fixed are city folks on vacation in the valley, and even then, these days they’re all affiliated with insurance companies, you know. No, more importantly, why do you ask? Are you really sure nothing is wrong?

“Yes, for now. I can’t tell you the details right now, but I’m telling you so you can be careful too, just in case. If anyone comes looking for me, please just get angry and say that bastard ran off with my money.”

A tone sounded, indicating that the basic call time had been exceeded. I’ll call you again next time. Nam Gyeonhwa, who hastily ended the call with a goodbye, let out a sigh. Judging by Jo Yongsik’s reaction over the phone, it didn’t seem like Samwon had started poking around at the innocent Jo Yongsik just yet. Won Hyunsung also hadn’t come looking for him since their last contact, so was it possible that Samwon was also still uncertain? He didn’t know what would happen in the future, but for now, since he had asked Jo Yongsik not to react, he could only hope that nothing bad would happen to him.

“Ah, I forgot to ask about the motorcycle…”

A moment too late, he was reminded of the motorcycle he had left in Mangmae and smacked his lips. It was his beloved ride, which he had picked up for a cheap price when it was about to be scrapped, a military motorcycle that he had lovingly wiped, polished, and replaced parts on. By now, stray dogs had probably taken it, or it was left abandoned somewhere in the apartment complex, rusting.

Since coming to Nakdo, unless he was getting a ride in Na Taebeom’s car, he had walked most distances, and there were times when he missed the mobility of a motorcycle. Just yesterday and today, it felt quite tight to spend an hour walking to the Special Police Unit headquarters for training. As he was contemplating looking for an electric bike rental as a compromise and about to pass through an alley, a group of people loitering inside caught his eye. He would have normally just passed by, but a banner that suddenly caught his eye forced him to stop.

[Drastic Cell Phone Sale, On-the-spot Activation Possible]

It was clearly an illegal stall that bought old cell phones that were 5 or 6 years old from a factory and resold them to tourists, but what caught Nam Gyeonhwa’s eye was not the phrase ‘drastic cell phone sale’. He recalled the moment when the woman at the counter of the adult PC bang he had visited before had mentioned in passing the sale of burner phones by the stray dogs of Hyeonrae-dong’s back alleys.

“Welcome. Here to get a cell phone activated?”

The man who was peeling off a serial number sticker greeted Nam Gyeonhwa cheerfully. Nam Gyeonhwa picked up one of the decent-looking cell phones, examined its surface, and then looked at the man.

“If you answer one question for me, I’ll buy this right away.”

“That’s a strange condition. What is it.”

“You’re a stray dog, right? Do you happen to know someone among your members named Kim Hankyeol?”

At those words, the man stopped what he was doing and blinked his eyes. A mixture of wariness and curiosity was evident in his gaze as it swept over him.

“Why are you looking for Hankyeol?”

A woman in the back poked her head out and interjected. Judging by the way she called him without his last name, they seemed to be quite close.

“I got to know him because he was a client before. I have something urgent to tell him, and I was wondering if I could contact him.”

“Unfortunately, you can’t contact him right now.”

“Would it be difficult for even a few minutes?”

“Well, even if we had his contact information, it would be difficult for both of us to just give it out. It’s our principle to protect the personal safety of the members within our territory.”

Personal safety. In other words, it meant that he couldn’t at least be seen openly in Nakdo. Was the aftermath of that attack last time really that significant? Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been silently contemplating, shook the cell phone.

“Then I’ll buy this cell phone, so when it’s possible, tell him to contact Nam Gyeonhwa here. That way, his personal safety will be protected, and you’ll make money too. It seems like killing two birds with one stone.”

If they refused even this, he was planning to temporarily put on hold his search for Kim Hankyeol. If it were simply for information, he could just look for someone else, but Kim Hankyeol was someone whose face he already knew and, at the same time, was a party who had directly seen and heard the scene of the attack that day. Therefore, there would be important clues that could only be obtained from Kim Hankyeol, so if it wasn’t Kim Hankyeol, there was no reason to look for someone else. The woman, who was staring blankly at Nam Gyeonhwa with her arms crossed, opened her mouth.

“…It can be used for fifteen days, and it’s three hundred thousand won. Cash only.”

Considering the average price of burner phones traded on the market, it was an absurdly expensive amount. It must have included the fee for connecting him with Kim Hankyeol. I’ll have to do a big loading and unloading job over the weekend. Nam Gyeonhwa took out the envelope he used as a wallet and counted the money. He had brought plenty of cash in preparation for a situation like the last one.

As soon as he held out the wad of bills, the woman snatched it away, counted the money meticulously, and then nodded at the man. The man, who typed something into a laptop, soon handed Nam Gyeonhwa a prepared guide and a cell phone box.

“The instructions for use are written on the paper. If you want to continue using it after fifteen days, you have to change the SIM card, so you have to come to us. If you return the device in good condition, we’ll give you back fifty thousand won.”

Nam Gyeonhwa nodded, put the cell phone in his pocket, and turned around. Are you really going to contact him? We can just ask him if he knows him. The whispering voices gradually faded. He was sure that he would be contacted within a few days.

As tourists flooded into Seoul and Nakdo ahead of the Autumn Festival, the entertainment district, which had been quiet during the day, became so crowded that it was impossible to distinguish between day and night.

Despite it being close to midnight, the lights of the underground city still seeped in through the window, so Nam Gyeonhwa closed the blackout curtains to block the light and pulled up his mask at a sudden burst of coughing.

The cold, which he thought he would get over lightly, perhaps because he had relaxed after getting a two-day leave, did not go away even after two days. Yesterday it was just a cough, but after a nap, a fever had risen in his body, making it difficult to even stand properly.

“Hyung…”

Haejin, who was in the room, peeked his head out through the crack in the door. His eyes were full of worry, as if he had heard the coughing. At his posture, ready to open the door and come out at any moment, Nam Gyeonhwa waved his hands.

“You don’t have to come out. Hyung, I’m fine.”

“But hyung, you keep coughing.”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to come out.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who suppressed a cough, waved his hand. Even if it wasn’t a contagious cold, he had been sleeping separately and wearing a mask at all times for the past two days, worried that it might affect Nam Haejin’s bronchial tubes.

“Go to sleep.”

At the firm instruction, Nam Haejin reluctantly closed the door. Only after confirming that he didn’t open the door again did Nam Gyeonhwa sit on the sofa and catch his hot breath. Even if he took his medicine on time, he would only feel better for a short while, and his whole body felt languid and drowsiness would come over him frequently, making it difficult to even take care of Haejin.

He wanted to ask Yeo Eunjae to look after Nam Haejin even for a little while, but he couldn’t just leave him at the already busy medical center like a daycare center, claiming personal reasons every time. If not that, then would it be possible to explain his situation to Choi Jiyu and ask her to stay with Nam Haejin for a little while? He could stay outside in a motel or somewhere during that time. He let out a sigh as he continued his blank thoughts. Either way, he ultimately needed someone else’s help.

“Hah.”

Nam Gyeonhwa lay down and placed his arm over his forehead. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had caught a cold. He thought he had been sick once when the flu was going around at the orphanage. Nam Gyeonhwa was naturally healthy, but when he caught contagious epidemics like the flu or COVID, he would suffer severely. When was it? It was probably Christmas Eve. He was so sick he couldn’t even open his eyes, and the priest who was saying his nightly prayers had foregone preparing for the Sunday morning mass and taken him to the emergency room. The taste of the ice cream he had bought him on the way back to soothe his sore throat suddenly lingered in his mouth. Was it melon flavor?

His vision swam from the simmering fever. Nam Gyeonhwa, who was tossing and turning, caught his breath. It’s cold. No, maybe it was hot. Click. He didn’t even hear the sound of the door opening, and a shadow stretched long over Nam Gyeonhwa, who was lying there gasping. Is it Haejin?

“Hyung is really, fine.”

The moment he faintly opened his eyes at the cool outside air brushing against his cheek, a palm touched his forehead. At the same time, the tears that had welled up in his eyes flowed down past his ears.