Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Just Because You've Eaten Your Years Doesn't Make You an Adult.
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"It's already this late. I need to get home quick and make those chopsticks. Let's go, Sangjin."
"Yeah, the bus stop over there goes straight home. Hurry up."
As they walked, Sangjin subtly tested the waters with Woojin.
"Hyung, you not gonna buy a car?"
"A car?"
"Yeah, now that you're the company rep and all, it'd be better to have a car than rely on public transport everywhere, right?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
What man wouldn't be interested in cars, especially Woojin?
He'd just never had the means to care before.
"Yeah, you handle it however, hyung."
Screeech–hiss–
The familiar sounds rang out as the bus doors opened, and the brothers tapped their cards on the reader.
–Beep
It was a weekday afternoon, so the bus was pretty empty.
Woojin and Sangjin naturally took the very back seats on the left side.
Sitting there, both brothers suddenly flashed back to the old days at the exact same moment.
Sangjin chuckled and said to Woojin,
"Hyung, sitting here brings back memories."
"Fuck, don't even bring it up. Even now, it's a shitty memory. Or wait, maybe it turned out for the best?"
The brothers hadn't even mentioned what memory it was, but they could guess each other's thoughts perfectly.
Seven years ago, winter.
December 25th.
It was a white Christmas, with fresh snow blanketing the world in excitement.
The whole world overflowed with joy and love, but not for the two brothers chatting in an alley near the orphanage.
Woojin grabbed Sangjin's shoulders firmly and pleaded,
"Sangjin, listen to hyung. I'll be gone just one year, then come back for you, okay?"
Despite Woojin's persuasion, Sangjin had no intention of backing down. His face was set with unbreakable resolve.
"No way! Fuck! You're trying to ditch me too! Waaah! Hyung, I won't go to the PC bang anymore. I'll study hard. Don't leave me. I can't live alone!"
Woojin rubbed his face with both hands, looking exasperated at his sobbing brother.
"Haa... You're driving me crazy! Stop crying, you punk! Why would I ever ditch you? I'd die before I abandoned you! I just want to make some money so you can live comfortably! How do you not get that, you idiot!"
Fourteen-year-old Sangjin sniffled at his frustrated brother's shout.
"Hic... I don't need it..."
"What?"
"I said I don't need it! I don't need you suffering alone just to make things comfortable!! You don't get it!! What I need isn't money! Hic... sob!"
Woojin's head rang at Sangjin's words.
'Fuck... what the hell did I just say to him?'
Woojin knew he wouldn't have pushed this hard without his brother.
His one and only family.
His life had been a desperate struggle to hold onto that fragile bond until adulthood.
Now that he was old enough for proper jobs, his greed to earn money and let his brother live normally had led to these cruel words.
Thankfully, seeing Sangjin's tears made Woojin realize his mistake right away.
'This is my selfishness. Not what he wants. That kid who never even cries...'
Sangjin didn't cry. He never had, even as a little kid.
Seeing how his brother panicked at tears, Sangjin had hidden his feelings from a young age.
So he'd lived imitating adults in everything. People liked that.
They said he was mature for his age, no trouble at all. That's how Sangjin survived, burying his true heart.
But to fourteen-year-old Sangjin, his brother was parents, friend, and world all in one.
If he didn't speak his truth now, he'd lose him forever. For the first time, Sangjin wailed openly.
"......"
A long silence followed.
Big fluffy snowflakes piled on the brothers' heads and shoulders.
So pure and plentiful, they blanketed the ground, turning the world white wherever they touched.
And from somewhere, carols drifted in.
[Whether sleeping or waking, grumpy or playful, Santa knows everything~♪]
The cheerful melody clashed brutally with their situation.
After a long, wordless ponder, Woojin clenched his fist.
"Stop crying. Santa won't bring presents."
"......"
Woojin brushed the snow from Sangjin's head, calling him in a gentle, low voice unlike before.
"Sangjin."
As he called his brother, Woojin looked straight into his face.
The baby fat not fully gone from his cheeks, Sangjin looked up at Woojin with clear eyes, chest heaving.
"It'll be fucking tough. Way harder than the orphanage. You'll do all the cleaning, dishes, laundry yourself. And there'll be days you starve when money runs out—not just one or two."
Woojin gently brushed more snow from Sangjin's head.
"Still... wanna come with me?"
"Yeah."
Sangjin's answer took less than a second—no, not even 0.1.
In the end, Woojin ruffled Sangjin's hair like a puppy's and said,
"Fuck... you're better than me. Let's go. If we die, at least we won't be lonely."
Only then did Sangjin wipe his tears and grin at his brother.
"Right. Even death, together."
"You punk... who said anything about dying? We'll live fat and happy."
"You just said if you drop dead, we drop together."
"You always gotta nitpick every word."
The tear tracks still stark on Sangjin's face stabbed at Woojin's heart.
'Yeah, I just need to work harder. I have to get Sangjin out of this dogshit poverty.'
A week later, the brothers left the orphanage together.
With their 5 million won independence settlement as deposit, they barely snagged a tiny villa studio.
The brothers boarded the bus.
Just like now, they sat silently in the very back left seats, preparing for their new start.
Woojin chuckled at his reflection in the bus window.
Completely different from back then.
That choice had led to this moment.
"Good job."
Sangjin knew exactly what Woojin meant.
"......"
That's what brothers are.
Embarrassed, Woojin looked out the window and said,
"Thanks for holding me back that day, punk."
"......What're you saying."
Woojin knew he'd regret it forever if he'd gone alone that day.
Sangjin added quietly,
"Me too."
With that, the brothers fell silent.
Immersed in the bittersweet old memory after so long, they headed home, each lost in their thoughts.
The next day, after Sangjin went to school.
Woojin headed out in the morning and signed the office lease.
Everything went smoothly.
The round-faced, friendly real estate lady walked him through every detail he didn't know, and after confirming with Sangjin via text, Woojin finalized the office contract.
The office owner was a nice-looking middle-aged guy.
"Heh heh, takes me back to my young days. I was hustling everywhere, renting an office to start my business."
That's probably how he owned this office now and made money in real estate.
To avoid embarrassing the nice guy, Woojin tossed a question.
"Wow, business must've boomed after that? Bought offices like this and got rich, huh?"
"Nah. It tanked."
"???"
Woojin blinked in confusion at the unexpected answer.
"Heh heh, don't sweat it. Somehow, I scrape by."
As the man spoke amiably again, Woojin found an opening.
"Ah, so even after failing, you kept at it and succeeded in the end?"
"Nope, tanked again after that. Second one was a total wipeout."
"......"
Curious now, Woojin asked something else.
"Then how'd you get this office...?"
The man's serious face softened into a kindly smile at the question.
"Oh? That's what you were wondering, young fella? Land prices shot up—big time."
"Pardon?"
"Back when I was a kid, I had this worthless plot in the countryside—no good for farming or selling. Then they built a road and buildings right at the edge of my land. Got a nice chunk of compensation."
Woojin was speechless at the absurd story.
But the man gleamed with fervor, leaving one lesson before departing.
"Young fella. Life's about that one big hit. So don't give up—work hard. Use the office however; no hard feelings. Take care~."
And with that, the "one big hit" man went on his way.
As Woojin stared blankly, the man suddenly turned back, pumping his fist downward.
Woojin mimicked it reflexively, mumbling,
"Ah, yes... one hit..."
The office owner left with a satisfied smile.
"Ho ho, what a fun guy, right? Woojin, what about housing?"
Woojin snapped back at the real estate lady's words and replied,
"Ah, that. I'm looking to lease a place too."
The lady clapped delightedly.
"Right!? No need for a villa. Yes! Which one caught your eye? The one you can move into right away?"
"Yeah, but there's a problem."
"Huh? What problem?"
It was the current lease.
Woojin didn't get along well with their villa landlord.
"Um, ma'am. I don't know much—mind if I ask something?"
"Sure, what is it? Ask away."
"Well, it's like..."
Back home, Woojin let out a big sigh.
"Hoo! Alright. Let's do this."
Then he made a call.
Riiiing–
[Hello? Woojin, what's up? Got this month's rent already.]
"Ah, granny, hope you're well? Been a while since I called."
The voice belonged to the owner of their 5 million deposit, 500k monthly rent villa where Woojin and Sangjin lived.
[Cut the crap. What's the point? I'm busy.]
Her rudeness was as sharp as ever.
Who knew what kept the stay-at-home granny so busy, but it suited Woojin fine.
He got straight to it, as she wanted.
"Our lease ends next month, right? We're moving out. Ending the contract. Return the 5 mil deposit on move-out day."
The granny startled at his words.
[What!? You tell me now? Who's gonna find the next tenant?]
"You find the next tenant, granny. We're leaving right at lease end—no issue for us."
Angry at his response, she raised her voice.
[What bullshit is that? Don't make me laugh—find a tenant before you go! Otherwise, no deposit back! I cut rent 100k out of pity, and this is how you repay?]
'Pity my ass.'
The place was 100k cheap because it was a dump.
600k places had proper wallpaper, solid windows, frames, boiler, bathroom, shower—everything intact.
Theirs? Nothing worked from day one.
"Granny, withholding it's a crime. Better return it quietly if you don't wanna go to the station. We notified a month early—fulfilled tenant duty. Plenty of time left to find someone, right?"
No way this shithole got a tenant quick.
To lure one, she'd have to gut-renovate.
Fix a place this trashed? Cost more than it's worth, guaranteed.
She knew that, which is why she let the brothers stay at the discount.
Even two years back, she'd tried hiking rent to market rate.
When Woojin said they couldn't afford it, she "generously" kept it the same.
[Quit the nonsense and find a tenant! You pay the broker fee on move-out too! Trying to scam people? You orphans!?]
'Ha? Granny's crossing the line.'
But this was within expectations.
For this moment, he'd gotten crash-course tutoring from the real estate lady earlier.
Woojin recalled their chat.
– So the landlord's kinda weird, huh?
– Yeah, didn't notice as kids, but house is crap, contract's shady. Obvious she'll hassle on exit...
– Hmm, got it. Do this, Woojin.
Woojin took another deep breath and spoke.
"Listen, granny. This call's being recorded. Keep up the insults, and I won't stay quiet."
[What!? You little shit! Talking back to an adult!? What'll you do? Try me!]
Woojin's eyes sharpened.
He switched to speakerphone, pulled up the memo app with notes from the real estate pro, and fired away.
"Granny. Civil Code Article 623: 'The lessor shall deliver the object to the lessee and maintain it in a condition suitable for use and benefit during the lease.'"
The granny's voice cracked with panic.
[Wh-what? What the hell's this punk saying!?]
Just because you've eaten your years doesn't make you all adults.
The world has folks worth emulating like the real estate lady—and ones like this.
Time to strike back at the scum who'd exploited their youth and poverty.