Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Scene 7. How About Malta?
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The characters, events, and places in this story are works of fiction and may differ from reality.
Scene 7. How About Malta?
Unlike Kang Man-dong, who paced restlessly outside, Yu-hyeon hadn't taken a single step out of their lodging.
When asked if he felt cooped up, he’d replied, "It's dangerous enough outside your front door, and this is a country we don't even know. Imagine how much more dangerous it is out there. I'll just stay inside."
And so he spent the entire day glued to the news.
The news reported on the nearby house that had burned down, the body found inside, and the items discovered in the basement, suggesting that Jang Man-ho and his group might have been a criminal organization.
When his father gave him a puzzled look for his peculiar behavior, he'd said, "This is how I studied English back in Korea, too. Though it was English broadcasts back then."
Kang Man-dong nodded without saying much.
It was because Yu-hyeon had done almost all his studying with books and educational programs.
"Sigh. Still, I wonder why Mr. Jang hasn't called."
Yu-hyeon turned his head at the sound of his father's sigh.
"Don't worry too much. Like you said, Dad, something must have come up that he can't talk about. He'll call tomorrow."
"Yeah. You're probably right. You saw him too. Mr. Jang isn't an inconsiderate person. Something he can't talk about must have come up suddenly."
Kang Man-dong nodded at Yu-hyeon's words, as if trying to hide his anxiety.
"Dad."
"Yeah, son."
"What are you going to do if he doesn't call tomorrow either?"
"I'm telling you, he'll call."
"That would be great. But this isn't Korea; we can't just wait around indefinitely. And there's the issue with our lodging here."
At Yu-hyeon's mention of their lodging, Kang Man-dong's expression soured even more.
The place Jang Man-ho had arranged was literally just a place to sleep. It didn't serve meals, nor were there any restaurants nearby.
If not for the snacks they'd packed in their bags, they would have starved all day.
Kang Man-dong sighed again, as if he couldn't understand how things had suddenly gone so wrong.
"Who do you think your dad is? I'm the man who traveled every corner of South Korea with nothing but my bare hands. France? People live here, too. Even if a problem comes up, we can solve it if we chase it down. So. Don't worry and just trust your dad."
Seeing the anxious look in his son's eyes, Kang Man-dong spoke loudly, as if to tell him to cast his worries aside.
*Oh, Father. You got stabbed in the back by Jang Man-ho precisely because you chased after things so blindly.*
If this were Korea, would any of this be a problem? To put it bluntly, you could solve everything just by visiting the local government office.
*But this is France. You can't speak the language. And even if you could, you wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of the documents Jang Man-ho claimed to have filed.*
The words "You can't solve the problem that way" rose to the tip of his tongue, but Yu-hyeon simply nodded as if he trusted his father.
And so, another day passed.
"That Mr. Jang, he's really something else. If something comes up, it's common courtesy to at least call. What is he playing at?"
Kang Man-dong, who had been saying things like "Urgent matters can come up in life" and "Mr. Jang would never do this, let's just wait a little longer," found his expression growing increasingly grim as time went by.
"Son."
"Yes."
"You said there are a lot of scammers in France?"
"Yes. Not just scammers and pickpockets, but also violent criminals who kidnap tourists, rob them, and kill them. There's even a warning about it. Here."
Yu-hyeon held out his smartphone screen to Kang Man-dong.
Kang Man-dong scrolled up and down the screen as if to check for himself, but Yu-hyeon pointed with his finger and said, "Right here."
"Hmm... It's all in French."
*It might be Konglish, but you still know some English. Of course I had to show it to you in French.*
The part he claimed had the warning was just an ordinary news page.
The content was filled with useless things like "Long live French tourism. France is the best, France is number one..."
"Son."
"Yes."
"By the way, do you know how to speak French?"
Kang Man-dong tilted his head, looking at Yu-hyeon.
"I'm good at studying, you know."
"What does that have to do with speaking French?"
"It means I'm good at studying foreign languages, too. I looked into French as a hobby while learning English. I wouldn't say I'm fluent, more like I can read the context with a few words. Honestly, once you look into it a little, all languages are more or less the same."
"Really?"
"Yes. In Korean, we can communicate with just a few sounds like 'Eh? Eh. Eh! Eeeh! E~~~h.' You can think of foreign languages as being similar."
"Really?"
"Yes. Something like that."
"Wow! That's my son, all right. This is why you're my boy. So smart, so smart!"
Kang Man-dong let out a happy exclamation, then began stroking Yu-hyeon's head over and over, as if he could die from affection.
"Son!"
"Yes, Dad."
"I never had much attachment to this place anyway, but now even that little bit is completely gone."
*Oh, he's finally made a decision!*
"So, son, where do you want to live?"
How about Malta? I hear it's a really great place to live.
***
At Yu-hyeon's mention of Malta, Kang Man-dong said he would consider it positively for now. But, as if he still had lingering attachments, he had Yu-hyeon lead the way and visited the immigration office in person.
As he checked on the status of his application with Yu-hyeon's help, Kang Man-dong's face twisted into an indescribable grimace.
"There are no registered documents?"
Kang Man-dong was so enraged that his hands trembled.
"The deposit... My money. My blood, sweat, and tears that I slaved away for, hoping to spend it with dignity!"
Ten million won. That was the amount his father had given Jang Man-ho. It was an advance payment for consulting on the entire process—including Man-dong and Yu-hyeon's immigration paperwork and submission—and for help with settling in.
"This... is there no way to get it back? If we report it to the French police..."
Yu-hyeon shook his head.
"Dad, let's just consider it a bite from a mad dog. This isn't a matter concerning their own citizens. It might be different if our immigration papers were at least filed, but you and I... we're just tourists who entered on a tourist visa. Even if we asked for help, we'd have to contact the Korean embassy, not the French authorities... and that could make things even more complicated."
Jang Man-ho is a con artist! So, get my money back!
The moment they said that, it was obvious the police investigating the fire and Jang Man-ho's gang would come swarming. And if they weren't careful,
[Immigration Scam, Victims So-and-so! The Truth Behind Immigration Culture.]
The day an article like that broke, their lives would become exhausting. France may have a developed media culture dating back to the revolution, but it was also a country with a massive tabloid culture.
He didn't want to get dragged into an issue like that.
More importantly, given what he'd done at that house, there was a part of him that was secretly nervous.
That was why he'd stayed cooped up in their lodging without moving.
*'If the girl I rescued from the basement decides this is her chance and says, 'Over here! I know all about it!' then my second life will get tangled up right from the start.'*
Father. For these various reasons, that option is an absolute no.
Please, just give up on that money.
"Ha, damn it. Son of a...! Ah, son. Dad wasn't swearing. I was just annoyed, so it was, uh... what do you call it? Onomatopoeia? Something like that."
Kang Man-dong, who always tried to use nice, proper words in front of his son, looked startled after swearing without realizing it.
"I know. Onomatopoeia."
Yu-hyeon smiled as if it were nothing.
"Anyway. Son."
"Yes."
"If going to Malta is going to be like this too..."
"No. I know all about that."
"Huh? How?"
"While you were looking into France, Dad, I did some studying of my own."
"Hey! Then you should have said so from the beginning!"
"Who was it again that made the decision and handed me a plane ticket?"
"..."
Kang Man-dong turned his head with an awkward expression.
"By the way, Dad."
"Yeah, son."
"Do we have a lot of money?"
"Huh?"
"You planned on coming to France through investment immigration, right? That doesn't come cheap."
"Well... I guess there's enough to settle down and live comfortably? But why?"
"We have to get into Malta through investment immigration, too."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. That's right."
"So... how much money does it take?"
"So... how much do you have?"
"Hey, how much it costs is more important than how much I have."
"No, it's not. I need to know how much you have so I can plan accordingly."
The same words were repeated between the son trying to pry open his father's wallet and the father who didn't want to show him what was inside.
"..."
"..."
The two looked at each other with awkward expressions.
"Son."
"Yes, Father."
"Hey, I told you to call me Dad."
"Yes, Father."
"You little brat. Are you rebelling?"
"Yes, Father."
"..."
Silence fell between them again. As the awkward atmosphere continued, both father and son's stomachs rumbled at the same time.
*Grumble. Rumble.*
"We've been starving all morning checking documents. Should we get something to eat?"
"Yeah. My head's getting dizzy, probably because my blood sugar is low."
"Dad."
"Yeah, son."
"From now on, just trust me."
"That sounds awfully familiar."
"It's what the father who was busy getting scammed left and right used to say all the time. 'Just trust me!'"
"..."
"I think it's my turn now."
"Something like that. Why bother taking turns?"
"If I get scammed, too, I'll pass the baton back to you then, Father."
"When you talk, son. Do you always have to twist the knife in my heart like that?"
"I was about to become an illegal alien and an international lost child because I trusted you... You have to at least take this much."
"So prickly. Call me Dad."
"First, tell me how much you've prepared for the immigration fund. Then I'll call you Dad plus Papa."
"Hmm..."
"What's it going to be?"
"Do we really have to do this?"
"I need to have at least a rough idea of your capital to make a plan. I won't count the coins. Just tell me the first number."
"The Malta immigration info first. Then I'll talk."
Kang Man-dong, guarding his wallet to the very end, proposed a negotiation.
"An annual income of over 13 million won. You need documents to prove it."
Kang Man-dong rummaged through his bag and held out a piece of paper.
"These are proof of comprehensive income tax for the last three years."
Yu-hyeon took the document and his eyes widened in surprise as he checked the contents.
"You earned this much?"
"Are you looking down on food trucks?"
"No. I'm just saying I'm surprised."
Kang Man-dong's annual income fluctuated between 70 and 90 million won.
"What else? What should I show you?"
"Fixed assets. That is, you need to have at least 70 million in the bank."
This time, too, Kang Man-dong handed over a document.
"It's a balance certificate from the Korea Exchange Bank."
Yu-hyeon looked back and forth between the document and his father's face.
"You have 300 million won."
"Ahem. You think I would decide to immigrate without a penny to my name? I may have been a traveling salesman, but I earned a decent amount of money. What else? What else do I need to prove?"
"It's not about proof. You have to make a donation of about 60 million, and either establish a company in Malta or purchase real estate worth about 50 million."
"It seems like what's in the KEB account alone should be enough."
"Yes. It's more than enough."
"Alright, now do it."
"Huh? Do what?"
"You said you'd call me Dad plus Papa."
"Umm..."
Calling him Dad was cringey enough, but saying Papa, Papa at this age...
This is... unexpectedly painful.