Traveling the Country
A twenty-day trip around the country. It was wonderful. I was happy. I saw a world I had never seen before, experienced things for the first time. I watched how different people lived, exposing myself to various environments and cultures. I guess this is why people need to travel.
Traveling made me realize what I lacked. More than anything, it was experience. This trip opened my eyes. There was so much of the world I didn't know. I tried so many new things. For starters, I flew on an airplane. I never thought I'd board one in my entire life, but there I was. Since I didn't have anyone around to play that old prank about taking your shoes off before boarding, I didn't make an idiot of myself. For once, I thought having no friends was a blessing.
Jeju Island was great. Except for the black pork belly that cost twenty thousand won a portion and was mostly fat. I went there fully prepared to get ripped off, but they wouldn't even seat me because I was dining alone. A blessing in disguise, really. Jeju was a bizarre place. People actually pay this much to eat this? A simple bowl of noodles cost over ten thousand won. Grilled hairtail was over fifty thousand, and raw fish was priced at 'market rate.' Some restaurants outright turned me away the moment I said I was alone. I never imagined a world where people would refuse to sell you food when you were standing there with cash in hand. How novel. Yes, traveling was definitely the right choice.
When leaving Jeju, I took a ferry instead of a plane. That was another first. The ship was massive. It was mind-boggling that something so colossal could actually float on water. Seeing it in person was entirely different from watching it on YouTube; it felt truly majestic. The interior was even more astonishing. Aside from the passenger cabins, it had a food court, a convenience store, a karaoke room, an arcade, a cafe, and all sorts of other amenities. An elevator inside a ship? It was a total shock. At this rate, they'll be putting water parks on these things. An even bigger shock was blowing thirty thousand won on a claw machine just for fun. I couldn't stop myself.
Arriving in Mokpo, I spent the night exploring the city and eating. Since they were famous for soy-marinated crab, I had to try it. People called it a 'rice thief,' and I quickly understood why. I was a hostage taken by that thief. I loved every second of being held captive. New places, new foods. The local dialects, though technically Korean, were so thick they were hard to understand, making me feel like I was in a foreign country. I loved that feeling so much that I started taking intercity buses, buying tickets to whatever city caught my eye at the terminal.
I traveled through Yeosu to see its night sea, then on to Jinju, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongju, and Pohang. From there, I passed through Andong, Samcheok, and Gangneung before finally returning to Seoul. In those unfamiliar places, I rode buses, subways, express buses, and the KTX. I visited famous landmarks and ate local delicacies. But after more than twenty days of constant movement, boredom slowly began to creep in. What had seemed so fresh and exciting at first started looking more or less the same. And it was brutally hot.
I kept thinking how nice it would be to have a car. It was a lesson I had learned the hard way ever since Jeju. I needed a car. At the very least, I needed a driver's license. In Seoul, not having a car wasn't an issue, but the moment I stepped outside the capital, life became incredibly inconvenient without one. A car wasn't just for getting around; it could also serve as a place to rest. In a sweltering summer like this, a car was an absolute necessity. In a pinch, I could even sleep in it. And who knows? It was highly unlikely, but maybe I'd get a girlfriend someday. Yeah, let's get a driver's license. And then buy a car. I made a firm promise to myself. That was how my trip came to an end.
I had spent quite a bit of money, but it was well within my budget. Besides, I actually made some cash along the way. I had bought a fresh giant octopus on a whim and kept it in my Inventory. While passing through a market in Andong, I overheard a middle-aged woman lamenting that she couldn't find a fresh octopus for her family's ancestral rites. I sold it to her on the spot, which helped cover some of my travel expenses. She was absolutely thrilled, marveling at how incredibly fresh it was.
The trip brought me to a single conclusion: there was still so much of the world I didn't know. Therefore, I needed to travel more and experience more. If a country as tiny as ours had so many distinct regional cultures, I couldn't help but wonder what lay beyond our borders. How would different climates, religions, and cuisines expand my horizons? Realizing this alone made the entire journey worth it.
I signed up for a driving school. Fuck, why is this so expensive? It cost a whopping one million won. It was so pricey that I wanted to ask someone to teach me instead, but there was no one who would lend a car to a guy like me, let alone waste their time on me. And it wasn't like I knew anyone with a driver's license anyway. Gritting my teeth, I paid the tuition.
Around that time, my depressing birthday passed. I was officially over eighteen now. I was an adult, legally independent of anyone else. I could live my own life. While I hated birthdays, I was glad I would no longer hear people telling me to bring my parents whenever I tried to get things done. There were no legal hurdles to getting my license either.
The driving school tried to teach me all sorts of things, but I couldn't understand why they made something so simple so complicated. Don't you just drive and park? I didn't get why they kept telling me to align my shoulder with the line, or to turn the steering wheel when the curb appeared in the side mirror. Charging a million won for this... they were all thieves. Once I made a fortune, I should open a driving school too. I wanted to be a thief, too.
Before I knew it, school was back in session, and the second semester began. My life remained largely the same. I went to school in the morning, and after school, I would stop by the mart. But instead of heading to the boxing gym afterward, I started a part-time job. Food delivery. As soon as I got my license, I bought a motorcycle and started delivering food.
The restaurant owners loved me. The reviews were stellar, with customers raving that the food arrived looking like it had just come out of the kitchen. Of course the reviews were great—I was using my Inventory to deliver them. I worked from 8:00 PM to midnight, but there were times I struggled to make even a hundred thousand won. Whenever that happened, I couldn't help but think back to my ice cream business. If I had just pushed through the summer vacation, I could have easily made thirty million won. Still, this quiet, ordinary life wasn't so bad. I especially loved the motorcycle. I didn't have to walk everywhere anymore.
. . .
I went to school. I didn't feel like walking, so I rode my motorcycle. I parked it near the school and walked in, but it seemed Yang Jeongwon had spotted me on his way. No matter how much I thought about it, that bastard was no iljin. He was far too diligent and observant for a bully. The moment I stepped into the classroom, he called out to me. And here I thought he was going to keep pretending I didn't exist, like he had been doing lately.
"Hey, is that motorcycle parked out there yours?"
"That? Yeah."
"Where'd you steal it from?"
"Steal what?"
"How else would a dirt-poor loser like you get something like that? You must've stolen it."
What was wrong with this guy today? Did he eat something bad? Why was he picking a fight out of nowhere? Did he take up some martial arts over the break? Was he trying to test his new skills on me? Now that I looked closer, he did seem to have built up a bit of muscle. Well, responding to a provocation with a provocation is only proper etiquette.
"Why? Are you jealous that a 'dirt-poor loser' is riding a motorcycle you don't even have? Want a ride? Just don't hold my waist. That's gross."
"You crazy bastard! Hey, are you out of your mind? Have you lost it?"
"Why are you calling me crazy when I just offered you a ride? Shouldn't you say thank you first? Are you the type to repay kindness with hostility?"
"You fucking piece of shit, watch your mouth."
"What a weirdo. I offered a ride because you looked like you wanted one, and you just swear at me. You'd better watch that foul mouth of yours, or it's going to bite you in the ass later. Be careful."
"This motherfucker..."
"If you're so jealous of my bike, go beg your daddy to buy you one. That's your specialty, isn't it? Running to your dad to tattle the moment something happens. I heard the only thing you've managed to learn in your eighteen years of life is how to tattle to your father. Word on the street is you don't even know your ABCs yet."
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Yang Jeongwon threw a punch. But seriously, this guy was an idiot. I had explicitly told him last time not to leave his shoulder so wide open before punching, and he still hadn't fixed it. If you're this stupid, you should just give up. What a waste of training. I couldn't let a punch like that land. Giving him unearned encouragement wouldn't make him improve; it would just be like a drug, leading a teenager down a path of delusion. I lightly dodged and threw a quick one-two. Tap, tap. I didn't put any power behind it. It was just a friendly reminder: Hey, there's a fist here. It wouldn't hurt, but it would feel incredibly humiliating. I had kept my hand open and slapped him with my palm. Like a bitch-slap.
Yang Jeongwon's face flushed bright red from the slap. He looked absolutely livid. His entire body tensed up. He threw another punch, pouring all his strength into his fist. I told you, putting that much tension in your body stiffens you up and ruins your punch. His learning ability was seriously pathetic. Where on earth did he learn to fight? He needed to start over. Maybe I should recommend my boxing gym. Dodging his overly tense fist once again, I threw a short hook. Still no power behind it. Tap, tap. Then another one-two. Jab, jab, one-two.
At first, I was just dodging and throwing simple one-twos, but this actually felt like a decent workout. Since I was already at it, I decided to use this as a boxing practice session. I hadn't been able to go to the gym lately because of my delivery job. Yang Jeongwon was such a tsundere, giving me this perfect opportunity and his precious time. Truly, he was the only one in this school who cared about me.
Yang Jeongwon tried to dodge my punches, but he couldn't manage it at all. Actually, instead of dodging, he tried to throw counterpunches to hit me. The best defense is a good offense? Where did he even pick up that nonsense? Even if you're attacking, you have to keep your guard up. He was leaving himself completely wide open. Left with no choice, I threw another one-two, a hook, and an uppercut. I was starting to get out of breath. Time to take a break. I sat down on a nearby chair. A boxing match is decided during the rest periods—how much stamina you can recover in thirty seconds. After resting for thirty seconds, I walked back over to Yang Jeongwon, who was still standing there dazed.
"Time for Round 2, right?"
One-two. Hook, cross. One-two, jab, jab, one-two. One-two, body hook, hook. Jab, body hook, cross, one-two, step back, one-two. Ah, fuck, I shouldn't be getting this excited. But I was. Was this the thrill Yang Jeongwon felt when he used to beat me up? The sensation vibrating through my knuckles was exhilarating. I continued to unleash a barrage of boxing combinations on him. If he had eyes, surely he was learning something from this. I wasn't beating him up. I was merely teaching him the techniques he lacked.
My heavy breathing told me another three minutes had passed. Time flew by much faster than I expected. When I was sparring in the ring and getting beaten up, time dragged on forever. But when I was the one doing the hitting, it was over in a flash. I sat down on another random chair. Once I stopped punching, Yang Jeongwon finally let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. But when the thirty seconds passed and I stood back up, his face turned pale.
"Round 3. You know boxing matches go up to twelve rounds, right?"
"You crazy bastard, that's for pros!"
He screamed, tears practically welling up in his eyes. I hadn't intended to go this far, but since I had already warmed up, I might as well finish the job. I needed to engrave this lesson so deeply into his body that he would never dare raise his head against me again. Because I had let him off too easy last time, we ended up in another scuffle like this. I had to make sure he could never even look me in the eye again. I wanted him to instinctively tuck his tail between his legs the moment he saw me. Having spent years as a bread shuttle and an outcast, I knew exactly where to hit to cause the most pain, misery, and terror. Today, I was going to share all my expertise with him. Seriously, where else would you find a friend as great as me? I was teaching him boxing and sharing my life hacks. He should be eternally grateful. Time for a lesson.