The Sixty-Year-Old’s School Trip (2)
Two men, appearing to be in their late thirties or early forties, began their pitch. They didn't look particularly menacing; in fact, they wore rather oily, ingratiating smiles. "Now, everyone! Is there anyone here who doesn't use a watch? I didn't think so. That’s why we’ve brought these watches for you today!"
The watches were packaged in small, transparent plastic bags. However, it was hard to get a good look at them, as the men were constantly moving, gesturing, and adding dramatic flair to their performance, never letting the watches stay still for a second.
"Let me tell you about these watches—they are the crème de la crème of luxury! The original retail price at department stores is 500,000 won, but our company has launched a 'Civilian Consumption Promotion Event,' allowing us to offer them to you at a bargain price."
The pitchman continued with great enthusiasm. "But do we sell them to just anyone? No! Out of everyone on this bus, we will draw only five lucky winners! Those five will get a 500,000-won watch for a mere 10,000 won. Here, take your raffle tickets!"
After skillfully distributing the tickets to the students, the men added their final flourish. "Now! Who will be the lucky protagonist to take home this top-tier luxury watch sold at YK Department Store?"
At that moment, Jinsu spoke to Yoon-gi in a fairly loud voice. "Yoon-gi, does your department store carry those watches?"
"No."
At Yoon-gi’s shrug, the eyes of all the classmates turned toward him. Naturally, the two strangers did the same.
"You kids must be too young to know, but this is a watch that really sells for 500,000 won at YK Department Store……."
"Do you know better than the owner of the department store, mister?"
"Huh……?"
For a split second, the men began to look at Yoon-gi with a bit more scrutiny.
"Could it be……?"
At the man's words, Jinsu nodded. "Yes. The Chairman of the YK Group is right here. Are you going to lie to him?"
Won-hee, who was sitting nearby, chimed in. "Hey, why did you tell them? I wanted to see them get dragged off to Namyeong-dong."
Namyeong-dong was the headquarters of the ANSP. At the mention of it, the men’s faces turned deathly pale.
"I, I am terribly sorry!"
The men were so terrified that they simply threw the watches aside and bolted off the bus. After all, who would ever imagine that the chairman of YK Department Store—the only place in Korea that handled actual luxury goods—would be riding on a school bus?
"Sweet, free watch." Jinsu hummed a tune and picked up one of the watches the men had dropped.
"You're actually going to wear that?" Won-hee chided, but Jinsu just snorted as if it were no big deal. "Why not? A watch is fine as long as it tells time."
The watch was strapped to Jinsu’s wrist. However.
"Whoa, did your wristwatch just turn into a wall clock?"
Watches sold in such places were usually cheap, shoddy items that would be lucky to have a wholesale factory price of 500 won. Still, for the strap to break the moment he put it on was a bit extreme.
"Eh, I'll just put it on my desk later." Jinsu stuffed the broken watch into his pocket, and seeing this, the other classmates started picking up watches one by one. Jinsu was the epitome of frugality. While Yoon-gi’s mere presence had solved the scam on the bus, there were, as expected, victims among the students who had stepped outside.
"Hey, where did you buy that?" Jinsu asked a male student who had just walked in with a wide grin.
"Oh, this? Jealous? I bought it really cheap!"
"Where, what is it, and how much did you pay?"
As he grew older, Jinsu had become much smarter. While he hadn't lost his innocent demeanor, the density of his knowledge had increased significantly. Thus, Jinsu questioned his friend using the five Ws and one H.
"I was coming out of the restroom when some guy called me over. He said his company went bankrupt and he had to clear out the inventory, but he called me over specially because I looked like a good person. See? I do look like a good person, don't I?"
Jinsu sighed at his friend’s low-density response. "Yeah, sure. So, what is it?"
The friend opened the box. "It’s wild ginseng extract. He said my parents would love it. There are 30 packs, and I only paid 10,000 won. It’s wild ginseng! Wild ginseng!"
"Sigh, as if it’s actually wild ginseng."
"It is wild ginseng!"
"I’m telling you, it’s not. Hey, logically speaking, would anyone sell wild ginseng extract for 10,000 won?"
"He told me he was selling it to me specially because I looked like a good person!"
Just as the confrontation seemed about to escalate, Yoon-gi quietly tapped Jinsu’s arm with his finger. At the same time, he handed him one side of his earphones. Jinsu took the hint and stopped the conversation with his friend. A moment later, Yoon-gi spoke.
"It’s a miracle you didn’t get kidnapped."
In the 70s and 80s—no, even up until the 90s—kidnappings on the highway were a very real occurrence. They would lure people into a van under the pretense of having good merchandise, then lock them inside. Buying trash on a highway rest stop for 10,000 or 20,000 won was a trivial matter compared to the crimes that were rampant back then. Now, with so many dashcams at highway rest stops, such things were unthinkable.
"Well…… I guess so. But still, it’s annoying."
To Jinsu’s reply, Yoon-gi asked the friend, "Are those people still there?"
The friend shook his head. "No, he sold me the last one, saying he was giving it to me specially, and then they immediately got in their car and drove onto the highway."
At the friend’s still-innocent expression, Yoon-gi gave a bitter smile and nodded. "You’re a filial son. Your parents will love it."
"Right? Hehehe."
The friend returned to his seat, and Jinsu, watching him, said to Yoon-gi, "Is that stuff going to make people sick?"
"Probably not." Yoon-gi shrugged and continued. "Wild ginseng definitely isn't in there. It’s probably just cheap herbs like jujube or bellflower root boiled down and heavily diluted. Because if they used 'something strange,' it would be more expensive, and if someone got sick, the police would start investigating it as a poisoning case. You probably won't have any trouble from eating it."
At Yoon-gi’s extremely realistic assessment, Jinsu nodded with a slightly surprised expression. "That’s true."
Won-hee, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, pointed out the window. "There are more victims coming."
As students entered the bus like conquering heroes, clutching their fake health supplements, Yoon-gi shrugged. "It’s going to be quite tiring to carry those around on a school trip. That’s the part I feel sorry for."
Even though this was clearly his first school trip, Yoon-gi radiated the aura of an old man who had seen it all. Well, his actual age was sixty, after all.
***
If you know anyone in their 20s or 30s, ask your parents where they went for their honeymoon. Half will say Gyeongju, and the other half will say Jeju Island. For those with a bit of money or those willing to push themselves to enjoy the mood, Jeju Island was the standard, while those in more dire circumstances chose Gyeongju—that was the unwritten rule for honeymoons in the 80s.
As such, Jeju Island during this period was always bustling with couples on their honeymoons. Then, in 1989, as overseas travel was liberalized, couples began choosing foreign destinations instead of Jeju. Interestingly, it was in the 90s that Jeju Island school trips became popular. In short, regardless of the reason, Jeju Island has consistently been a popular tourist destination from the past to the present.
What does that mean? It means that promotional activities under the guise of "tours" existed during this period as well.
"Now, students! This is a chance to show filial piety to your parents! Let me tell you about Omija—it’s good for your eyes, good for your stamina, and good for your health in every way! Plus, it tastes great! You there, student, come out and try some!"
An Omija vendor called a student over and handed them a cup of water mixed with Omija extract.
"How is it? Delicious, right?"
The student didn't answer. Instead, they wore a look of surprise. A look that said it was truly delicious. Seeing that expression, the other students started clamoring for the Omija extract themselves.
"What is it? Did those two rig it?"
At Jinsu’s words, Won-hee frowned and scolded him. "Do you think that’s even possible?"
"No, but there’s no way Omija extract could taste that good. I’ve tried Omija extract at my relative’s house before."
"Was it bad?"
"It was just sour."
At the word 'sour,' Jinsu’s face—not just his eyes—contorted. It was natural for one's lips to pucker and facial muscles to stiffen at the thought of something sour, like a lemon.
"That’s probably a different kind than the Omija extract sold in stores." At Yoon-gi’s words, Won-hee and Jinsu focused their attention on him.
"“Huh?”"
"The Omija extract in those barrels likely has a lot of sugar mixed in, or maybe some honey. There’s no guarantee that what’s in there is the same product as what’s sold in stores."
Jinsu and Won-hee’s jaws dropped at Yoon-gi’s remarkably cold-headed judgment. No matter how much one learns in school, it’s hard to know the realities of society. In that respect, Yoon-gi was head and shoulders above Jinsu and Won-hee.
'Well, there’s no need to interfere, is there?'
He would have intervened if things had crossed the line, but nothing that egregious occurred before they arrived at the lodging. Since interfering unnecessarily might ruin the atmosphere of the school trip the kids had built, Yoon-gi simply enjoyed the trip itself. Thanks to that, even upon arriving at the lodging, the students were all in high spirits.
At Choi Deok-bae’s words, which were filled with memories, Yoon-gi asked with curiosity.
'Is that so?'
'It must have been a very difficult era.'
'Indeed.'
'Are you sending them back, by any chance?'
'I can subtly feel your resentment toward the royals.'
Yoon-gi felt intrigued by the unexpected past of Choi Deok-bae that he had suddenly learned about. Choi Deok-bae, who had been speaking until this point, suddenly asked Yoon-gi as if he were curious. Yoon-gi looked out the lodging window at the Jeju sea and replied.
'Not really? The ground is too weak to build industrial facilities, and the raw material transport costs are too high, so it’s meaningless.'
'Jeju’s tourism industry is doing well even without me touching it, isn't it? Besides, I’ve already bought the land in Jeju anyway.'
Hearing Yoon-gi’s answer, Choi Deok-bae spoke again in a subtle tone.