A Chairman Who Has No Regrets - Chapter 35
Only Krnovel
The Chairman Who Doesn’t Regret Episode 35 – The One Who Will Win (4)
The next day.
I stretched happily in the refreshing morning and made my bed.
“Oh my, our number one is awake?”
Since yesterday, the word “first place” has been on my mother’s lips. Last night, I said with certainty that I was first place, and she said that. Well, she bragged about being first in the class before, and now she’s first in the whole country, so she must be happy.
The results of the contest have not yet come out, but David and I were confident. I had already made no mistakes on the test. In addition, English is something that comes out naturally as if I was breathing, so there is no way I would lose in an English contest.
“Oh, Mom.”
“Are you going out today too?”
“That’s right.”
“Our number one, take care on your way back safely-”
“yes-”
He answered forcefully and headed to the newspaper distribution center.
Kim Gyu-il was also there today.
“Hey! You’re here?”
The guy greeted me warmly, and I waved back in return. Hong Tae-soo, who was loading newspapers onto his bike, glanced at me and hurried to get ready without saying a word.
Kim Gyu-il shook his head awkwardly between me and Hong Tae-soo and handed me a milk bag and a newspaper.
“Please take care of me.”
“uh-”
I think I’ll be a little sad if I don’t do the newspaper and milk deliveries after doing them for a few days. Actually, I was pretty sad yesterday, Sunday.
While I was making my last milk delivery, I ran into Mr. Choi, an old bachelor, who is Hwang Dong-su’s uncle.
“Oh my! Sanggye-dong’s number one!”
“Hello, sir.”
I guess the whole neighborhood heard about what happened yesterday. It’s not that small of a neighborhood, but it feels really small. Well, it’s strange that there wasn’t any rumors about what happened yesterday morning.
“Okay! Two bottles of milk today!”
“thank you for this food.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sometimes, you should help your classmate study too.”
“Yes, if you have any questions, I’ll be there anytime.”
“As expected! The pride of Sanggye-dong!”
I don’t know when I became the pride of Sanggye-dong, but I nodded roughly. The old man smiled happily and left, and I also turned my steps toward home. By the way, I received milk today. Dong-su’s family must not be so well off. I think his uncle is also generous, just like my mother, despite his poor circumstances.
Is this what you call love?
Now that winter is starting to get really cold, I feel a little warm somewhere in my heart. I think I was the coldest in this neighborhood. That’s why I didn’t sweat much in the summer.
“Oh my – our number one is here?”
As soon as I opened the door, I burst out laughing at my mother’s words.
“Wash up quickly, quickly, Mom has heated up the water.”
I nodded, put down the milk, and took off my top. The bucket on the oil stove was filled with steaming hot water. I hesitated for a moment, but I was able to make up my mind when I saw my little sister coming out of the door.
“Hey, spray it.”
Swish!
Little Sister’s smash hits her back before the water.
“The word ‘Ajuya’ is stuck in your mouth, right? Huh?”
“Mom! My little sister is the number one fan!”
“Swish! I’m going to die.”
He frowns and raises his fist, but it doesn’t seem threatening at all. I snicker and lie down on the cement floor, and my little sister lifts up the red bowl.
“Cold water?”
“Oh, cool.”
Choaack, choaack.
My sister pushes my back with her small, round hands.
“Refreshing.”
“Ugh, you look like an old man.”
“Ugh.”
“Hey, aspiring filial son.”
“Uh, why.”
“What are you going to be?”
A random question.
Didn’t I say a few days ago that I’m going to be a filial son? That’s why you’re calling me a filial son right now.
“I told you I was being filial?”
Swish!
Oh, my back is about to fall off.
“Not that! If you can be number one in the country, you can do whatever you want.”
“yes.”
“Can anyone be a filial son? Huh? You have to be a judge, a prosecutor, a doctor, and things like that to be a filial son.”
Well, professional jobs are eternal steady sellers. But, I don’t really have any interest in those mere professional jobs. After all, they have clear limitations.
“You, be a doctor.”
“doctor?”
“Yeah, and you make a lot of money, right? You can treat your family when they’re sick. How great is that?”
It’s not like this is the first time my little sister has recommended something to me. I glanced at my little sister while drying myself with a towel. There was envy in her gaze as she looked at me.
“I wish I was a doctor.”
“huh.”
“why?”
“My dad.”
I was shaking my head and it suddenly hardened.
The story of that person I forgot.
My father is someone I don’t even remember. He passed away when I was two, so it’s natural that I don’t remember him, but I wonder if my younger sister is any different.
“What, Dad.”
“They said he died because there was no large hospital.”
How many times has something like that happened in those days?
“That’s why I thought it would be nice to have a doctor at home.”
My older sister was thinking about that. Being a doctor is one of the most extreme jobs. I wonder if she knows that.
“Then you do it.”
“what?”
My little sister’s eyes widened and she was embarrassed at what I said.
“Doctor, I will do it because you told me to do it.”
“Hey, what am I.”
“Why? With your grades, you can go to any medical school.”
I’m not sure exactly, but I think so.
If Seoul National University Medical School is difficult, aren’t there many medical schools below it? I saw in the newspaper this morning that Seoul National University’s cutoff score for admission was 304 points, so your score should be enough.
The little sister was deep in thought.
“But come to think of it, this kid has been calling me ‘you, you’ since morning!”
My older sister raises her hand and runs towards me.
I quickly opened the yellow wooden door and shouted.
“Mom! My sister is the number one fan!”
“Oh my! These guys are so noisy from the morning breeze!”
“He keeps saying ‘hey, Mom!’”
“Didn’t you say ‘hey’? Didn’t you say ‘you’?”
“That’s really killing me!”
Swish! Swish!
Eventually, my sister and I both get smashed by our mother and struggle to touch her back, which is hard to reach.
Oh, I guess I should do some flexibility exercises too.
“One or two days! One or two days? Hurry up and wash up and eat!”
My little sister pursed her lips and went back to the kitchen, and my mind was filled with images of her worried face.
The prize money for the contest is probably a few tens of thousands of won, and I wonder how much the prize money for the scholarship quiz that will be given out in three weeks will be. I think it will probably require quite a bit of money. If we are to solve our problems, we need to solve them.
**
Lunch time.
widely.
Today, I put down my lunch box across from Hong Tae-soo.
“Oh, really.”
Hong Tae-soo lets out a deep sigh and stares at me intently. The Sanggye-dong children who had gathered around me were poking spoons into their lunch boxes.
“I won’t eat it, you little ones!”
Hong Tae-soo yells, but the kids don’t care. I’m the same.
“Hey, Tanaka! Why on earth are you doing this to me?”
“I told you it was an investment. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Ah!”
The guy is kicking the seat again today.
What a stubborn and proud guy. He needs to realize quickly that his pride is useless.
Kim Gyu-il spoke to me as I moved the spoon diligently.
“Hey, puppy.”
“uh.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop messing with Taesu? Looking at him today, I think he’s going to get really worked up soon.”
A snicker escaped.
Hwang Dong-su said, “I wonder if you interpreted my laughter differently.”
“Hey, class president. Don’t you know that guy is good at fighting?”
“Do I need to know?”
“Oh, as expected.”
Hwang Dong-su nods his head.
Kim Seong-hak intervened.
“When he gets angry, it’s hard for us to stop him.”
The guys seem to be worried that I might get hit by Hong Tae-soo.
“That won’t happen.”
The children tilt their heads.
I didn’t care about it, cleaned up my empty lunch box, and headed to the tap.
Hong Tae-soo is roughly washing his face and filling his stomach with tap water. He spots me and frowns again.
“Hey, are you following me here?”
“Is your boat full of water?”
“It’s none of your business.”
I nodded, turned on the faucet, and took a sip of tap water.
“It smells like blood.”
There seemed to be no reason to drink tap water instead of the barley tea in the kettle in the classroom. Of course, the amount of barley tea was limited, so it would be difficult to drink it alone.
“Are you going to take medicine?”
What could be so upsetting?
It’s not that I don’t know what he’s thinking. I’m sure I’ve had moments like that myself. I guess I just keep looking at him. I spoke to Hong Tae-soo, who had grabbed me by the collar.
“Let go.”
“Are you crazy? Do you think I can’t beat you up just because you helped pay my hospital bills? I’m Hong Tae-soo!”
A guy who screams and yells like crazy. To me, his screams sound exactly like the howling of a bear caught in a trap.
“Do you have a lot of money?”
The guy flinched at my question.
“People with no money don’t use their fists recklessly.”
“This kid is real!”
The guy raises his fist.
“I’m reporting this to the police right away.”
“what?”
“I’m going to sue you right away.”
“Are you back?”
“If you are confident in paying the settlement amount, then report it to me.”
“under-”
Suddenly, the strength in the guy’s hands goes away.
I knew full well that he had no intention of hitting me in the first place. I didn’t see any such venom in his eyes.
“Are you a loser?”
“what.”
“Is it embarrassing to get food?”
“······”
“Is it a shame for your mother to sell pens?”
The guy grabbed me by the collar again.
“Do you really want to lose?”
“Why is a mother who works hard to feed her children being treated like a fool? You, who are trying to treat her like a fool, are treated like a fool even more.”
“What do you know!”
puck.
His hand touched my face.
They said it was pretty good, but it hurt quite a bit.
The pupils of the guy who hit me were trembling violently. I don’t know why he’s acting so carelessly when he’s so surprised. He doesn’t even have money.
“Stop fighting the world, you crazy idiot.”
“what?”
“Why fight so hard when you’re going to lose anyway?”
Kim Gyu-il, who had come over before I knew it, lifted me up and yelled at Hong Tae-soo.
“Hey you crazy kid! Why are you hitting your friend!”
Hong Tae-soo turns his head and looks at the ground.
“Are you okay, class president? I thought it would happen sooner or later.”
With Hwang Dong-soo’s help, I got up from my seat and stared at Hong Tae-soo. He couldn’t even meet my eyes. Why would such a heartless guy fight the world like that? Feeling so guilty for hitting a person.
“I told you? I’m suing, there’s no settlement.”
Hwang Dong-soo tilts his head.
“What is that? Is it suet? Is it sesame oil?”
Jo Sang-geun intervened.
“Ah, sesame oil. Bibimbap tastes good.”
Kim Seong-hak suddenly frowns.
“Hey, you idiots, sue me! Report me to the police or something. Saying there’s no agreement means I won’t forgive you and will punish you!”
Kim Gyu-il dissuades me.
“Hey, Jeon Kang. Why are you doing such a thing? It was just a little fight between friends.”
Kim Gyu-il, who had been staring at me, brushes back his hair and approaches Hong Tae-soo, who is staring at the floor.
“Hey, Taesu. Apologize, kid. Why are you making a fuss with your fists when you can just say it with words?”
The guy’s expression is complicated.
“Oh, I have to go to the police station right after school.”
He turned around, saying something loudly.
Kim Seong-hak, Hwang Dong-su, and Jo Sang-geun stick close to me.
“Hey, what’s wrong with the class president-”
“Hey, Kang-ah, hold on, hold on. Huh?”
“Um, Jeon Kang. Do you want some bread?”
Those guys are brave.
“What are you doing, kid? He’s a total idiot. He’s a total idiot. If you do it, you’ll do it!”
Well, I was that kind of person.
It’s true that he was the kind of person who would do anything, but it seems like that guy Kim Gyu-il understood me better than he looked.
“Oh my god···”
Thud thud.
I hear the sound of sand crunching behind me. Soon, a wet hand is placed on my shoulder.
“why?”
“sorry···”
Hong Tae-soo was apologizing without looking into my eyes.
“Are you really sorry?”
“Oh, sorry.”
“I can’t feel it at all, honestly.”
“Hey, what’s wrong, class president?”
The kids must have sensed that the atmosphere between me and Hong Tae-soo was not normal, so they stopped me again.
In fact, I could sense the sincerity in Hong Tae-soo’s eyes. He must be feeling really sorry right now. His eyes were filled with a deep sense of guilt for hitting me. That’s why he must be so embarrassed that he can’t even look at me.
“How can I feel it?”
I took a thousand won bill out of my pocket. It was the allowance my older sister gave me because she was happy about me saying I would win first place last night.
“Buy me some bread.”
Hong Tae-soo frowns.
The other Sanggye-dong kids also become very nervous and swallow their saliva.
“Hey, Kang-ah, that’s a bit much though.”
Kim Gyu-il dissuades me.
“You don’t like it? Go to the police station?”
Hong Tae-soo bites his lower lip and snatches the bills from my hand.
“certain.”
“Um, two?”
“okay.”
The boy runs quickly across the playground toward the school gate. Why are you picking on me when you can’t win, my son? I’m just as hard to beat as the world.
Kim Gyu-il taps me on the shoulder.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? To your friend.”
I know what Kim Gyu-il means, so I let out a snicker.
“That’s because we’re friends.”
“What are you talking about, someone asked their friend to run an errand for them?”
“Then what? Go to the police station?”
“kid.”
Kim Gyu-il sighs and scratches his head as if it’s complicated. By the way, the inside of my gums are slightly torn, so it stings. I can’t even remember the last time I got hit by someone.
The kids were moving their lips, but they couldn’t talk freely. In those days, if a problem arose, it was almost always suspended or expelled. And the original country’s character wasn’t Tanaka. He would tattle if he got into trouble.
So the kids in Sanggye-dong must be keeping an eye out for it.
“Gasp, gasp.”
Hong Tae-su, who soon ran across the playground and back to the water tap, caught his breath with a flushed face. He was holding two pieces of bread in his hands.
The Sanggye-dong kids shake their heads and frown. They probably know that their friend’s pride has been crushed.
“peel.”
Hong Tae-soo holds the bread bag with both hands, trembling. It is the cream bread, the biggest hit of Lip Sam Foods, with holes in the large bread the size of the palm of one’s hand and pure white cream inside.
The guy bites his lower lip hard and tears open the bag of bread and hands it to me.
“You eat it. Will it be okay with water?”
Hong Tae-soo opens his eyes wide.
The children also looked at me with strange eyes, wondering what was going on.
“The change is for a Sharpie. Tell your mother that I’ll put it to good use.”
The guy looks back and forth between the cream bun and me with trembling hands.
If you feed him well from now on, he will become a better soccer player later. Is investment really value investing? I don’t know if this is a way to invest in your heart. If the Sage of Omaha were around, I would have asked him.
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