Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: First Greeting
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Jin-seong actively stepped up to resolve the issue and clear up the misunderstanding with the villagers, but no one would reveal the source of the rumors.
The villagers' closed-off attitudes left Jin-seong increasingly frustrated and exhausted.
His genuine efforts to approach them warmly had long since shattered against the cold wall of the village.
Meanwhile, Park Deok-su decided to slightly change his approach at this point.
He was worried that pushing too hard might cause Jin-seong to completely cut ties with the village.
He approached the elders and began gently nudging them.
"Elders, even so, that young fella came to our neighborhood. If we keep shunning him like this, it won't do us any good, right?"
"No, Deok-su, you're the one who started saying from the get-go that he made his money the dirty way, and now what are you trying to pull?"
Park Deok-su chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"Aw, come on~ that's that, and this is this. Think about it, elders. If he's gonna live here anyway, when we have events, we can get him to chip in some donation or development fund money and ease him into village affairs. It's all profit for us, ain't it?"
The elders regarded him with half-doubt.
"But what's good about getting tangled up with someone who makes dirty money?"
Park Deok-su smiled as he persuaded them.
"If his money's good, that's all that matters—what else counts? Just have him generously donate to events, stamp his face in the village records, and keep him at arm's length after taking the cash. No loss for us, right?"
The elders exchanged contemplative glances.
"Alright then, let's try it. Get him involved in village stuff and collect some money when the time comes."
Park Deok-su bowed his head with a bright smile at their words.
"Yes, elders. I'll ask for your help on this."
After the elders left, Park Deok-su's lips curled up in anticipation just from his own imaginings.
'Now, how much can I squeeze out under the guise of donations or development funds?'
With pleasant fantasies in mind, he headed home.
Before long, his thoughts were filled only with expectations of Jin-seong's reaction and the huge sums of money it would bring him.
In fact, Park Deok-su handled all the big and small affairs of the village.
From purchasing agricultural products to tackling the dirty jobs the village needed, he had earned thick trust among the residents.
To them, he was a reliable pillar they could lean on.
But Deok-su exploited that trust to line his own pockets.
He colluded with the agricultural cooperative employee who bought the village produce, undercutting the purchase price and splitting the difference with him—taking unfair profits on the regular.
The villagers had no clue and actually believed Deok-su was sacrificing for them, working tirelessly for the village.
He also siphoned off bits from the various subsidies and development funds sent from the city to the village.
Since no one knew, it was easy money as far as Deok-su was concerned.
A few days later, one of the village elders was turning eighty, and the villagers decided to gather for a celebration banquet.
Jin-seong was relaxing comfortably in his newly built home.
Suddenly, he got a call from the security guard at the front gate.
"Yes, what is it?"
The guard's voice came through.
"Chairman, there's an elderly gentleman here to see you. What should I do?"
Jin-seong found the situation a bit puzzling.
He wondered why some old man would suddenly come looking for him.
"I see. Hm... let him in."
He didn't have anything pressing anyway, and he was curious what the elder wanted.
Jin-seong planned to invite him inside, offer some tea, and hear him out comfortably.
"Got it, Chairman. I'll bring him over."
About five minutes after the guard's response, the elder slowly walked into Jin-seong's house. He was a familiar face from the village, someone Jin-seong had bumped into once or twice.
Jin-seong greeted him politely.
"Hello, sir. What brings you here? Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable."
The elder glanced around Jin-seong's massive house, inwardly marveling.
'What kind of house is this grand? Like a palace or somethin'.'
He muttered to himself.
Entering the reception room Jin-seong guided him to, he was even more impressed.
The long table, luxurious chairs, and spacious, pristine area overwhelmed him.
The elder sat down, cleared his throat awkwardly, and cautiously spoke.
"Ahem, yeah. I came 'cause I got somethin' to say to ya..."
As the elder trailed off, Jin-seong smiled and said,
"Yes, sir. Have some tea first and take your time. What would you like?"
At Jin-seong's kind question, the elder seemed a bit more at ease.
"Yeah? Then not coffee—somethin' warm, whatever ya got."
Jin-seong got up, went to the kitchen, prepared a cup of green tea, and returned.
Steam rose invitingly from the elegant teacup.
The elder sipped the thoughtfully prepared tea and looked satisfied.
'Well, this fella at least knows his manners.'
He took another sip, relaxed, and gathered his thoughts.
"Yeah, ya moved in but ain't properly greeted folks yet, right?"
The elder cleared his throat again and looked at Jin-seong.
"Yes, sir. The neighbors seem to have some weird misunderstanding about me, so it's been frustrating."
As Jin-seong carefully broached the topic, the elder shrugged.
"Yeah, that's 'cause ya didn't greet nobody at first and all. We're havin' an eighty-birthday bash this time—a village event. Ya gotta come. Livin' in the same neighborhood means joinin' these things without fail to build a good rep. That's why I came special-like."
"Ah! Is that so? Of course I'd join an event like that. When is it?"
Jin-seong perked up and asked back, and the elder nodded.
"Yup~ Day after tomorrow, so show up, greet folks, eat good, show yer face to the neighbors, and that'll do it."
"Yes, sir. I'll definitely be there. But one thing I wanted to ask—there seem to be bad rumors about me. Do you know where they started?"
The elder paused for a split second, stared at Jin-seong, then averted his gaze.
"Well... dunno? Young fella suddenly moves in with this fancy place, so rumors fly, right? Come to the event and clear it up then."
Jin-seong felt a twinge of suspicion at the elder's slippery dodge but responded positively for now.
"Yes, sir. Got it. I'll make sure to be there on time."
The elder smiled contentedly at Jin-seong's reply.
"Yeah~ Oh, and skip stuff like green tea—er? Our local specialty's jujubes. Drink jujube tea for that burst of energy and all the benefits~ Village grows tons of 'em, so buy some from the locals. That's the neighborly way, helpin' each other out, yeah?"
The elder slyly pressured Jin-seong to buy jujubes, and Jin-seong smiled lightly and went along.
"Yes, sir. I understand perfectly. I'll buy plenty from now on."
As the conversation wrapped up, the elder stood, stretched his back, and waved to Jin-seong.
"Alright, I'm off~ See ya at the event day after tomorrow!"
The elder strolled out leisurely, and Jin-seong followed to see him off politely at the door.
"Yes, sir. Take care."
Thus ended the conversation between Jin-seong and the elder, and his visit sealed Jin-seong's attendance at the village event.
Jin-seong steeled himself, hoping to clear up the misunderstandings with the villagers at the event.
The village event arrived quickly.
The day before, Jin-seong bought gifts for the elder celebrating his eightieth.
He got a fancy yanggaeng set, a box of black garlic tonic said to be good for health, and prepared an envelope with about 200,000 won as pocket money.
The village hall wasn't far, so he walked there leisurely for some exercise.
The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful.
Strolling the narrow paths with rice paddies stretching out on both sides soothed his mind.
After about ten minutes, the small, shabby village hall came into view.
The savory smell of frying jeon and lively laughter already spilled out.
'Looks like they're already here.'
As Jin-seong approached the hall, he smiled and greeted the villagers.
"Hello, nice weather today. Hello?"
The villagers hesitated at first upon seeing Jin-seong but welcomed him warmly, thanks to the event.
"Ya came? Yeah, first time greetin' proper-like~"
"Young fella can't miss a village doin', now can he."
The elder who'd visited two days ago was sipping makgeolli off to the side and grinned brightly at Jin-seong.
"Yeah~ Comin' to the event like this—how nice. Heh heh heh."
Jin-seong smiled back and bowed politely.
"Yes, sir, thanks to you."
While he busily laughed and greeted the elders, Park Deok-su stepped forward and bellowed to kick off the event.
"Alright~! Our Grandma Choi Soon-ja turned eighty this year! Everyone, give her a big round of applause~!"
At Deok-su's booming voice, the villagers burst into laughter and applause.
"Soon-ja's eighty now? Still young~"
"Darn, time flies!"
In the warm, jovial atmosphere, Park Deok-su called out loudly to Jin-seong.
"Eh~~ And the young fella who just moved to our village came to say hello, so let's hear it! C'mon, you there, young man—step on up~!"
All eyes turned to Jin-seong in an instant.
Unprepared, Jin-seong froze for a moment but soon stepped forward with a bright smile.
The villagers' gazes mixed curiosity and wariness.
Jin-seong relaxed, adopted the most courteous demeanor, and opened his mouth.