Finding the Ring (2)
Finding the Ring (2)
"What's going on? I'm starving."
"Look at this."
"Why are you suddenly looking under the sink......."
Jeong Hwan-yi and Lee Min-ho, who had been staring at me like I'd lost my mind worrying about my wife, started checking under the sink themselves.
Even though they'd been watching from a distance, they must have spotted the box, because they were shining their phone flashlights straight at it.
A hint of excitement crept into their faces.
"Th-that's an accessories box, isn't it?"
"Could the rings really be in there? Hurry up and pull it out!"
Imagining A-ra's smile at their urging, I grinned and reached for the box.
But something was in the way. Pulling it straight out looked a little tricky.
How should I put it? It felt like someone had deliberately fixed it in place.
It seemed meant to be used while secured there, not taken out.
"Seong-hwan-a, move aside."
"Uh... yeah..."
I handed over the phone I was holding.
Jeong Hwan-yi crawled deep into the cabinet under the sink.
How does someone that big fit in there? In some ways, that was more impressive than the box itself.
"Looks like it's secured with bolts?"
"Then what do we do..."
"I saw a toolbox in the front door drawer earlier. Go get that."
"Ah... okay."
That's right.
Jeong Hwan-yi liked collecting tools, too.
He once told me to look forward to it because someday he'd build me a desk with his own hands.
Compared to him, Lee Min-ho and I didn't even know what a bolt really was, so we just set the entire toolbox down next to Jeong Hwan-yi.
Jeong Hwan-yi smiled wryly at the sight, then picked up a hexagonal tool and crawled back in.
"Think you can get it loose?"
"Hmm... there's a small spray can that says WD-40 next to you, right? Spray some of that in."
"Okay."
Still, I knew what this spray was.
Isn't it the stuff you spray on rusted or stuck bearings?
It seemed a little different from lubricant.
Anyway, same general effect.
As soon as Jeong Hwan-yi grabbed it, the sound of spraying—chik, chik—was heard.
And then clattering and rattling followed.
It seemed to be fastened extremely tight.
"Hoo... looks like some kind of bond was applied to this."
"Hmm... then what do we do?"
From what I gathered, a bolt was basically a round screw.
In short, the situation was that someone had applied instant adhesive into the screw groove, turned the screw, and fixed it so it would never come out.
"This won't work. Should I break the bolts?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Pass me the grinder."
Jeong Hwan-yi pointed to a tool with a round saw blade attached.
Looked like he planned to grind the bolts down with it.
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine. I'll just cut a shallow groove and then smash it with a hammer to snap it."
Since just hearing about it meant I understood nothing, I handed over the grinder.
Lee Min-ho dragged the extension cord over from somewhere.
Once the cord was connected, the mechanical whine you'd hear at a dental clinic started up in a hurry.
And a deafening noise rang through the house.
"Ugh, that's loud."
"It's cutting through metal. Can't avoid the noise."
"It's not going to suddenly explode, right?"
"No gas pipe, and it's not a wood-frame house. You worry too much."
Well, that was true.
Maybe I was overreacting.
It was just that this place was so precious to A-ra.
The deafening noise went on for a long while, then fell silent as if it had never been.
Then Jeong Hwan-yi came out, grabbed a chisel and hammer from the toolbox, and went back in.
This time, I heard heavy hammering—thump, thump—and then a sharp crack reached my ears.
That was probably the sound of the bolt, or whatever it was, snapping.
After that, three more cracks rang out.
Four bolts in total, driven into both sides.
"Hoo... it's over."
Jeong Hwan-yi was drenched in sweat.
He'd come out holding the box, so I took it from him.
I couldn't tell whether it was light or heavy for a jewelry box, but there was definitely something inside.
All of this must be A-ra's parents' belongings.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to check?"
"Is it okay if I check first?"
"What if you tell your wife you found the rings, and then you open it and there's nothing there?"
That would be killing A-ra's hopes twice over.
The sense of loss she'd feel after getting her expectations up would be beyond words.
She might even come to hate me.
"Then... shall I open it?"
"Hey, let's eat first."
"Yeah, I'm dying of hunger here too."
It had already been at least fifteen minutes since we started working, so the food must have gone cold.
The stove was probably off, at least.
"Okay, let's eat first."
I was hungry too, so I tidied up the tools, placed the box next to me, and sat at the table.
As expected, the jjamppong and broth had cooled, and the tangsuyuk had gone soggy.
***
"Ugh... I'm stuffed."
Cold and soggy or not, it was delicious, so we ate every last bite.
The two large portions of tangsuyuk were taken care of nicely—they each polished off a whole one.
Which meant I was the only one who ate lightly here.
"So the era of romance really is over... even Chinese restaurants send food in disposable containers now."
"Collecting the dishes costs them that much in labor. Delivery fees are crazy expensive these days."
Come to think of it, they did charge a delivery fee even though it was a Chinese restaurant.
Was it 2,500 won?
So even Chinese restaurants take delivery fees now.
Times really are changing.
"So... shall we open that box?"
Lee Min-ho pointed at the box, looking curious.
I was dying to open it quickly and check if the rings were inside too, you know.
"But I'm still nervous. If they're not in there, I think I'll be too crushed."
"Hey, if they're not in here, we're never finding them."
"Yeah, they're probably in there."
With their reassurance, I placed the box on the table.
As expected after being left unattended for so long, it was covered in dust.
Not just dust—the metal powder and shavings that had scattered earlier when the grinder cut through the iron were stuck to it as well.
"Hmm... we do need a key after all."
"Seong-hwan-a, don't you know how to pick locks?"
"What on earth do you take me for..."
He didn't seem too thrilled with the label 'a man who knows how to pick locks'.
Which meant we couldn't open it after all.
We'd have no choice but to go to Seoul and get it opened.
"Of course I can pick it."
"What?"
An unexpected answer came out.
Jeong Hwan-yi headed to the front door where the toolbox was and came back with three pins and a box of matches.
And for reasons unknown to me, he also brought a hammer.
"Hey, this jewelry box is also a keepsake, so handle it gently."
"Isn't the ring the higher priority?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
Compared to A-ra's parents' wedding rings, a jewelry box was something I could sacrifice easily enough.
But people always regret it later when they give things up one by one.
So I wanted it handled as carefully as possible.
"Alright. I'll go put the hammer back."
"Thanks..."
"What's with the 'thanks' between us... you brat."
Jeong Hwan-yi smirked and patted my shoulder.
I was just grateful to Jeong Hwan-yi for accepting all these various conditions without a single complaint.
"Hey, what about me?"
"Lee Min-ho, you too. Thank you."
Since he'd gone through the trouble with us, I should give him the same thanks.
After all, hadn't he come all the way from Seoul to Gimhae with us?
"But since this is a small box, there doesn't seem to be any special gimmick."
"Lee Min-ho, you know about that kind of stuff?"
"Even though I look like this... my family is in construction..."
"Sorry."
His family's construction company runs various businesses, not just interior design.
Among them was apparently a company that handles things like electronic door locks and keyed padlocks.
"One time while walking around my dad's company, I saw the inside of a padlock that was mounted on the wall."
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Usually, a lock is made so that when you insert the key, the bottom pins and driver pins have to line up exactly with the shear line for it to open."
Simply put, the reason every key had different heights and shapes was because the inside of the keyhole was shaped accordingly.
If you put a different key into the keyhole, the shape wouldn't match, the bottom pins wouldn't align with the shear line, and it wouldn't open. When you insert the exact right key, the bottom pins align perfectly with the shear line without obstruction, allowing the cylinder to turn, and the door opens.
"But this keyhole doesn't have any driver pins or a shear line."
"Then..."
"That means it's designed to open just by turning it."
Lee Min-ho bent one of the pins Jeong-hwan had brought earlier into an L-shape.
Then he shoved it into the jewelry box's keyhole and wiggled it around until it caught on something inside.
"Oh, got it."
And then a small click.
He did have to use a little force to pull the pin back out, but the box itself was undamaged.
"See? That's the latch, right?"
"So you just turned this..."
The moment I opened the box, the first thing I checked wasn't the ring. It was the inside of the keyhole.
Seems Lee Min-ho had rubbed off on me.
"Seong-hwan-a, isn't this it?"
"Huh?"
Jeong Hwan-yi had gently lifted out a small ring box.
What is this, a matryoshka? Was it going to keep coming out without end?
"That looks like the one."
"Su-surely it's not just an empty box, right?"
"Nah, no way."
Saying there was no way, Jeong Hwan-yi handed the box to me.
In that moment, my breathing quickened, and an immense tension washed over me.
To come all this way and barely find it, only for the box to be empty....
"Please...!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened the ring box.
Jeong Hwan-yi and Lee Min-ho said nothing.
Could it really be empty?
"A-ra-ssi is going to love this."
"You're about to receive some proper love, man."
The two of them patted my shoulders.
And when I opened my eyes, a pair of rings were nestled neatly inside the box.