Moving People
“Long time no see, Eun-young noona.”
“It’s nice being able to contact you freely now. Did you get a cell phone?”
“It’s a long story...”
“And don’t call me Eun-young anymore. I changed my name. You’ll have to get used to it, even if it feels weird. Wouldn’t want you slipping up somewhere.”
“Ah... got it. I’ll be careful. What’s the new name?”
“Anna.”
“Anna?”
“It’s a bit unusual. But when I started dealing in foreign currency, I needed a foreign-sounding name, so I used it and ended up making it official when I changed my name.”
“Pretty name. Anna noona? Anna? What should I call you?”
“Since it’s a foreign style, just Anna...”
Anna seemed a little embarrassed about her new name and quickly changed the subject.
“So, what’s up that you’d want to meet over the phone? I finished setting up the corporation like you said, exchanged everything into foreign currency, and I’ve been waiting for your call. Is it time to start now?”
“Not yet. Do you have a car, Anna?”
“Yeah, I figured I’d need one, so I got one. Why? Did I spend too much?”
“You’ve gotta spend on what’s necessary. Good job. There’s just a place we need to go together.”
“Huh? A date?”
I laughed off Anna’s playful remark.
“Not much of a date, but... there’s somewhere we have to go.”
Maybe she read the seriousness on my face, because Anna stopped joking and headed to her parked car.
We’d met early, taking into account how quickly the winter sun sets, so by the time we reached the mountain I directed her to, it was already pitch black all around.
“Isn’t it too dark? I can barely see ahead.”
“Just pop the trunk and wait.”
“What?”
With a thunk, the trunk opened. I made a deliberate rustling noise from the mountain as I pulled two black bags out of thin air.
The bags weren’t light, but my strengthened body lifted them effortlessly into the trunk.
Clunk.
The sudden weight sank the rear wheels deep into the ground. Startled, Anna got out of the car and stared at me in surprise.
“What the hell? Why drag something this heavy all the way out here to stuff in the trunk? You’re not...”
I cut off Anna before she could spiral into wild thoughts and unzipped one of the bags.
Ziiiip.
The bag was stuffed to bursting with crisp blue bills. With two such bags, Anna just gaped at them, speechless.
“You... what... what the hell is all this money?”
“Investment capital.”
“What?”
“The majority shareholder putting in funds for the corporation to operate, right?”
“Who dumps investment cash like this in the middle of the night, in cash?”
“You don’t know because you don’t run in those circles, but there are plenty who do.”
“Fine, say that’s true. So now we move forward with the plan you outlined?”
“Not yet... There’s something we need to find first.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a big building in Samjeong-dong full of venture businesses. I figure we scout around there, and in about a year, we make our move.”
“Didn’t you say that incident you mentioned blows up in about five months, big enough for the whole world to know?”
“We wait for the fruit to ripen.”
“You’re colder than I thought.”
“I never said I was a good person.”
“You’re a good person to me. That’s what matters...”
Anna brushed off my words with a playful grin and asked,
“So, how much is it?”
“About 800 million won.”
“What?”
Anna yelped louder than she meant to, then glanced around cautiously before whispering,
“You’re just handing over this much money like it’s nothing? What if I run off with it?”
“Then that’s on my judgment of character. And you know as well as I do—if you invest like I told you with the info I have, you’ll make way more than this. Giving that up...”
“Don’t say it so casually. Seeing this cash is making my heart race and my hands shake like I’ve got tremors.”
“Pardon?”
“Where’d this money come from? I told you I changed my name to Anna. And I’m not even Korean anymore—I’m American. Once I finish what you asked, I might not even be in Korea. And you’re just...”
“You got American citizenship too?”
“Through investment immigration. Full citizenship change.”
“Smart move.”
“Huh? You’re not worried?”
“Nah, it’s probably for the best.”
“What?”
“You needed foreign currency anyway. And it’s not like you have fond memories of Korea.”
“True. I took all my cash for the investment immigration, got citizenship in the US, changed to a foreign name, and exchanged it all there into foreign currency.”
“This money isn’t dirty. That’s what you’re worried about, right? You prepared for a new life, but illegal stuff scares you off investments.”
“Sorry... I said helping you start your new life with the money I gave was as far as it went. But I can’t lie.”
“Thanks for being straight with me. And this money’s clean. It’s a long story—wanna hear it?”
“Sure. I don’t quite believe it, but since you’re the boss... let’s hear it. Sit down first.”
Ziiiip. Thud.
We closed the trunk and got back in the car. I gave her a brief rundown of what happened while she was away.
Ugh... sob...
“N-noona? I mean... Anna? You don’t have to cry like this...”
“How could I think you just won the lottery big and gave my sister and me a chance... I didn’t even know what you were thinking or planning... I...”
“It’s not that bad. And yeah, I did think you could take the money and start fresh.”
“Even after your dad died and things got tough, you still wanted to help us.”
“I see it as money you earned for me...”
“What nonsense is that?”
I can’t tell her about Dae-baek-gong...
“I think of it as lottery winnings from doing good deeds. So the money from that should go back to those involved.”
“I...”
“We’re both doing good by each other. No need for guilty thoughts. This investment capital? It’s from my maternal grandpa’s inheritance. Didn’t know he’d buried cash.”
“How’d you know?”
Dae-baek-gong told me as compensation...
“Grandpa told me before he passed. I forgot in the chaos, but I checked on a hunch, and there it was.”
“So...”
“I’m still a minor, so investing it myself is tricky with the age thing...”
“Can’t tell your mom either?”
“That’s the big one. If I just blow through Grandpa’s inheritance cash on my whim, how’d she feel? Even if it’s just cash.”
“Sneaking around to spend it is fine, though?”
“What if I turn it into ten times as much and bring it back?”
“Sounds just like something a gambler would say...”
“My investment’s a sure thing.”
“That building?”
“Yeah. Pricey now, but in a year—no, five months—it’ll hit the market as a fire sale.”
“How can you be so sure?”
I saw it in the future: an 8-billion-won building going for 800 million, loans frozen, total regret...Can’t say that.
“That’s my investment secret.”
“Fair enough. I get it. I’ll look into it as best I can. If that exact building doesn’t pop up, something similar’s okay, right?”
“Yes. As long as it’s in that direction. If there’s money left after the building, grab any fire-sale apartments or houses there too.”
“Got it.”
“But... Anna, didn’t you say you wanted to open a café?”
“Yeah.”
“Then going to America...”
“I’ll start a coffee shop chain there and expand to Korea. Koreans prefer foreign brands over local ones anyway.”
“Impressive...”
“What? My idea...”
“Your vision’s so broad, you’d have succeeded in business even without me.”
“Wha—don’t flatter me like that, I might... uh...”
It was a dark mountain road, but my enhanced eyesight pierced the gloom. I saw Anna’s face flush but pretended not to notice.
“It’s late—Mom’ll worry. Can you drop me off?”
“Still in that alley? You got inheritance, all this cash—why not move right away?”
“Looking into it. But people are fickle. Went in because it was cheap, now that I’ve got money, I’m attached and can’t leave easy.”
“That’s what they call sentimental. You seem cold sometimes, but you’re soft.”
“Am I? Guess my resolve isn’t firm yet...”
“I break out in hives around rigid types, so don’t talk about resolve.”
“Huh?”
“Sure, you need strong will in life, but stubborn bullshit that drags everyone down is just a nuisance. Live adjusting to each other. People with incomprehensible pigheadedness? Ugh, hate even thinking about it.”
“Anna... did you know someone like that?”
“My mom.”
“...”
“No need to get that rigid. It’s easier to talk about now. Even when I begged her to divorce and leave, she wouldn’t budge. ‘How’s a woman alone with a kid gonna survive in this harsh world without a house or money?’ she’d say. I couldn’t take it and left myself, but Mom never took a single step out on her own. Life has no one right answer, but forcing your ‘right’ on others is a burden too.”
“Anna... you okay?”
“Yeah... we all live like this. We’re here. I can’t squeeze into that alley—get out here.”
“Sure. Drive safe.”
“Yeah. Next time, I’ll bring good news. Jackpot news.”
“Okay...”
Watching Anna’s determined figure drive away into the night, I found myself lost in thought.
Is there a right answer in life?