The Unbelievers

Chapter 70

The manager sighed heavily, as if for someone to hear. Kim Dongjun was equally surprised by the unexpected words. Eunseong also looked at him perplexedly.

“I hired you without checking anything because I urgently needed someone as the year-end was approaching. Just stay until I find someone else. I won’t ask or question anything, really. Just don’t cause any problems and leave quietly.”

“…If you do this so suddenly…”

“You think I made this decision suddenly? Put yourself in my shoes, would you hire a part-timer like you if you felt uneasy? This place already has a lot of incidents happening. You think we installed so many CCTVs for no reason?”

The manager expressed his disgust, genuinely disliking things getting complicated. Losing the job meant not only unemployment but also losing a place to sleep and eat. Moreover, the money was gone too. With literally no money, there was nowhere to go.

“Manager, it’s my fault. I should have taught Eunseong better. I don’t know if the money was lost or what happened, but you said before that his situation looked pitiful. He probably has nowhere to go right away, so you can’t just suddenly tell him to quit like this.”

“Dongjun, are you defending him even though you’re being accused of theft? How are you going to survive in this harsh world if you’re so soft? Kids like this need to learn a hard lesson to come to their senses. Don’t you dare glare at me with those big eyes.”

“Eunseong, apologize to the manager. Quickly.”

“…”

“Hurry!”

Dongjun scolded Eunseong harshly, like an adult scolding a child. Eunseong was biting his lips hard.

He felt wronged, angry, and frustrated. His situation of being stuck with nowhere to go was depressing, and he also felt resentful towards himself for being so stupid. Various emotions suddenly overwhelmed Eunseong.

If he had stayed quietly at home, he would have left Korea before winter ended and would now be starting a training program in England where London Eye could be seen. From a beggar to a prince, from a prince back to a beggar, and now he had become even worse off than a beggar. It was all Eunseong’s own doing.

“…I’m sorry,” Eunseong apologized helplessly.

“Sorry my foot, just quit. I hate getting headaches. Post a job ad and get rid of him quickly.”

“Manager, please don’t be like that and give him another chance. He didn’t know better. He won’t do it again.”

“What do you mean he won’t do it again? There are people who never cause problems, but there’s no one who causes problems just once. Have I been in this business for only a day or two?”

The manager seemed genuinely unwilling to listen no matter what Dongjun said.

“Then I’ll take responsibility.”

“What?”

“If any problems arise because of Eunseong, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll be responsible for teaching him well.”

Dongjun, who seemed like he would never take Eunseong’s side even if pushed, pleaded with the manager on his behalf.

Eunseong looked at him quizzically. For a very brief moment, he considered the possibility that Dongjun might not have stolen the money, but the thought quickly vanished. If it wasn’t him, there was no one else who could have taken it, and judging by his attitude so far, it was certainly him who had taken it.

“Oh, Dongjun. How can you be so kind? Why are you taking responsibility?”

“How can we kick him out in the middle of winter when he has no money? He probably has nowhere to go.”

“Am I running a charity? Should I take in everyone who has nowhere to go?”

Though his words were gruff, the manager’s attitude had softened somewhat due to Dongjun’s persuasion.

The manager glanced at Eunseong. At first, he thought he had found a good employee for the busy season, as Eunseong was diligent, did his job well, and had a good impression.

Eunseong was staring blankly at the floor with his eyes lowered, lost in thought. The manager spoke in a tone as if he was being very generous.

“Alright. I’m doing this because I trust you, Dongjun. Make sure there’s no more trouble like this again.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, manager.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

Dongjun nudged Eunseong’s side. Eunseong reluctantly bowed his head and thanked him.

With an expression of reluctance but resignation, the manager left.

Eunseong warily looked at Dongjun, whose intentions were hard to guess. Dongjun’s face, expecting gratitude, looked smugly at Eunseong.

“You heard what the manager said earlier, right? If you cause problems again, you’ll really be fired next time, so be careful.”

“…”

“Watch the counter for a bit. I’ll be right back after going out for a while.”

Dongjun got up without waiting for Eunseong’s reply. It was Dongjun’s shift now.

Eunseong finally realized why Dongjun had taken his side. Knowing Eunseong’s situation of having nowhere to go, he intended to use him as he pleased. He also knew that Eunseong couldn’t complain to anyone and was in no position to seek help. He had already calculated that Eunseong couldn’t quit this job.

∞ ∞ ∞

As the new year passed, Eunseong became an adult. He watched the live broadcast of the New Year’s Eve bell ringing at Bosingak while sitting at the motel counter.

Eunseong felt like he had lost his mind or soul, not just money. The difference between his state of mind when he had some money and now when he had nothing was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

Eunseong worked for over twenty hours a day. Accumulated fatigue led to frequent mistakes, and each time he had to endure harsh words from the manager or Dongjun. His self-esteem hit rock bottom and was being trampled on, but he had nowhere to go. He couldn’t protest even though he wasn’t receiving fair treatment.

One day, he overheard Dongjun talking to his mother on the phone, saying he had solved his tuition problem. He spoke confidently, saying there was no need to worry, that he had taken care of everything. Happily chatting, he quickly ended the call when he noticed Eunseong. Flustered, he explained to Eunseong, who was just staring blankly, that he had received a scholarship.

After being caught on the phone, Dongjun’s harassment and unfair treatment intensified. He knew better than anyone that Eunseong had nowhere to go and desperately needed this job. He was a person who knew well how to exploit the weak.

“Eunseong, sorry, but can you cover from 3 o’clock? I have an appointment and need to leave early.”

“…You’re going to do whatever you want anyway.”

“It hurts my feelings when you talk like that. Well, if you don’t like it, you can quit. Want to quit? I’ll tell the manager. We can always find someone else.”

“…”

“Try to eat well. Your face has lost a lot of weight. I’m counting on you, then.”

The only form of resistance Eunseong could muster was biting his lips tightly. He had thought that nothing in life could be more painful than being beaten by his father since childhood, but this overt and emotional harassment made him feel so mentally drained that he thought physical beatings might be preferable.

Amidst his grueling life, he occasionally remembered the childish whims he had indulged in within the safe and sturdy fence Yoo Siwoon had built for him.

Was that why he had come to like him?

Was it because he had someone to lean on and depend on for the first time, experiencing such things for the first time, that he had fallen for him without any resistance?

Back then, Siwoon had managed to find him just a day after he ran away, but now he couldn’t find him, or perhaps he no longer had the desire to do so. After all, Siwoon had no obligation to seek out and protect someone who had said they didn’t want him anymore.

Eunseong listlessly reminisced about Yoo Siwoon. Now it all felt like a dream, and he couldn’t even clearly picture Siwoon’s face as he used to. The time he had known him, the time they had spent together, it all felt like a lie. It was as if the very existence of Yoo Siwoon was just his imagination.

“Dongjun’s always been good with numbers. If he was the type to cause money problems, he would have been skimming off the top, but there hasn’t been any issue so far, right? Manager Hwang, who argues over even 10 won with me, wouldn’t have stayed quiet. We do cash business too. Are you sure the money was really lost?”

“…”

Eunseong no longer had the energy to speak. He didn’t understand why Dongjun was going this far, but he had even relayed his version of events with Eunseong to the restaurant owner who provided their meals, twisting it to his advantage. Eunseong was gradually realizing that if he had to get mixed up with someone bad, he had gotten mixed up with someone truly terrible.

“How could he have told such a lie?”

“…I must have been mistaken,” Eunseong muttered weakly.

He wished it really had been a mistake. If he had made a mistake and angered Dongjun, and if Dongjun was justifiably angry because he had been falsely accused, if it was just that, then perhaps his heart wouldn’t feel this heavy.

The only comfort was that he was still working, and if he could just hold out until payday, he could move to a goshiwon.

Eunseong was planning to quit this place as soon as he received his pay. It would be nice to recover the stolen money and clear up people’s misunderstandings, but he had already given up on that. He had been unable to let it go until now, but after giving up, he felt rather relieved.