A Chairman Who Has No Regrets - Chapter 54



Only Krnovel

Taesu, the guy who was loading newspapers on his bicycle, looked at me.

“Why did you ask me about my life?”

A blunt question.

There was also a bit of caution.

Still, he’s a little more friendly to me than the other guys.

The time that has accumulated over time must have had an effect.

“I have something to do there.”

“okay?”

“Uh, if you don’t have anything to do, let’s walk around together.”

The guy tilts his head.

It’s as if he’s asking why you’re coming over. Now he’s even showing a little bit of caution. Did he really not want to reveal his poverty that much?

“What are you coming for?”

“There’s a little boy named Chang-Hyeon. I want to look after him.”

“Ahhh- three siblings?”

It seems like Taesu knows the kids too. His guard is getting a little lighter.

“Do you know them?”

“Oh, I know. Adults like kids because they’re good and cute.”

“Do you know the house too?”

“uh.”

“That’s good, I didn’t know which house you lived in.”

Taesu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said.

“Okay, then I’ll go to your house by 9 o’clock?”

Guy, you’ve improved a lot since you were kind first. Yeah, you can develop your social skills little by little like that.

“Oh, would that be okay?”

“See you later.”

“Okay, good luck.”

The guy pedals hard with his now-fresh legs and races down the alleys of Sanggye-dong, where the darkness still lingers.

A fast-moving bicycle.

It would be nice if all his wrinkles would fly away in the blowing headwind.

It’s hard once, but it’s easy twice, three times. It will continue to go fast and the wrinkles will fade. The younger you are, the faster you learn, right?

“let’s go.”

I too turned around and started running again. I wished that the blowing wind would blow away my worries and thoughts, but am I too old for that to happen?

I don’t know how to fulfill my mother’s wish at all.

first night.

So, just like the day I started living this new life.

I got a runner’s high.

Dopamine is released, making me feel much better. That’s why I feel like handing out newspapers. Even if Taesu grabs my leg and tells me to come out, I feel like I have a good reason to come out.

“Whoa!”

As I climbed the hill without thinking, the sun began to rise little by little.

This sunrise scenery is just like the first day.

It’s beautiful and nice to look at.

I think I understand a little bit why my mother likes Sanggye-dong.

Squeak.

My last delivery location.

The front door of Hwang Dong-soo’s house opens and his uncle, Mr. Choi, comes out.

“You little punk, are you working hard today too?”

He compliments me as he notices the sweat on my forehead.

“Yes, because it’s exercise and I like it.”

“Yeah, yeah – you’re doing well. You’re really – looking good these days. Dong-soo has become so diligent, I wish it could be like this.”

“Yes, we will deliver together often.”

The man nods his head and takes out the milk I had put in and hands me one. He is the man who now gives me milk three or four times a week.

“it’s okay.”

“Drink, exercise is important, but eating is also important.”

The corners of the mouth go up.

Because I can feel that he really cares about me. After only a few weeks of delivering newspapers and milk, I feel like the kindness I didn’t really feel the first day has deepened even more.

“I’ll drink well.”

“Guy- Okay, by the way, when will Kang be on TV?”

“It will come out next weekend.”

“I will definitely check it out since my brother-in-law is bragging so much about it.”

“Yes, come in.”

“okay-”

The old man goes in.

I looked at the milk, feeling thirsty, and soon turned my steps inside the house.

Early morning.

I don’t have to go to school so I can sleep in, but my little sister is already up and washing up.

“Are you here?”

“uh-”

It’s a habit now.

I took off my top and lay down on the cement floor.

My little sister also has a habit of doing it.

Sprinkle cold water on my back.

“Did you bring milk today too?”

“Uh- Mr. Choi.”

“I don’t know why you always order milk when you give it to others.”

“I know.”

“Well, thanks to that I can go to the bathroom in the morning and it’s nice.”

While drying my body with a towel, my younger sister poured a carton of milk into a small metal cup. Before I knew it, that milk had become a drink that was often served at our family’s breakfast table.

Better than drinking milk alone.

Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that it tastes better when you’re with someone.

“Shut up.”

I put my coat back on and went into my room, where a simple breakfast table greeted me again today.

“Are you going in the morning?”

My mother asked me a question as I was just taking a bite of rice.

“Ah- yeah, with Taesu.”

“Oh my, that’s good. Taesu lives over there, right?”

“Oh, I heard that he knows the house of the three siblings there.”

“Okay, take care on your way back.”

“Yeah, Mom.”

A simple breakfast that I savor and eat slowly. Now, my taste buds have become so Korean that greasy American foods feel horrible.

Today, when I finished my last meal, my mother, who had gotten up first, came back into the room and spoke.

“I packed lunch boxes in a furoshiki, so give them to the kids when you go to Changhyun’s house.”

My mother, who always waited for me to finish eating, got up first.

I felt a little dissatisfied with my mother’s hard work, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.

Because I could see a little bit of anticipation on my mother’s face.

“okay-”

My older sister, my younger sister, and my mother.

At the same time, the sight of the three mothers and daughters going out was so enviable. I suddenly felt the desire to be among them.

“Tsk.”

It’s a shame, but today isn’t my day, so I’ll have to endure it. But I console myself with the fact that I’ve decided to go grocery shopping with my mother tomorrow.

After finishing getting ready to go out, my mother went out the front door carrying the lunch box she had lovingly packed.

Maybe it’s because it’s almost 9 o’clock.

“Huh? You were with me?”

Taesu is seen climbing the hill.

“Oh, I just got out.”

“let’s go.”

“okay.”

The guy and I started going back down the hill we came from.

It’s the same road I walked with the guys from Sanggye-dong when dusk was falling, but walking it after the sun rose brightly gave me a new feeling.

Darararak.

Even the sound of the bicycle wheels turning sounds pleasant.

“Is your bike very worn out?”

Words blurted out after walking for a long time.

That guy is so quiet.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s still a little desolate.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

“okay?”

“I inherited it from my father.”

The sound of the wheels rolling was unusually loud. Was it because there were rusty spots here and there?

I glanced at the old iron bicycle that looked much older than me and Taesu. The guy’s words were certainly not a lie, as traces of time were visible here and there.

“Let’s go now.”

The steep slope of the hill led to a flat road suitable for riding a bicycle, and we started riding our bicycles toward 172 Sanggye-dong.

The closer you get to it.

The scenery changes drastically.

From houses made of stone and cement to increasingly houses made of wood.

Soon, houses with thin iron or plastic roofs began to appear, and houses that had previously been made of wood also began to appear.

When it rains, it leaks.

I’ve heard stories of houses where, when it snows, the water freezes on the new ceiling.

Glance, glance.

I feel like Taesu is constantly being conscious of me.

It’s not shameful to be poor.

I realized that too late.

Taesu must be in the process of realizing it now.

“hey.”

“uh.”

I called the guy like I was a guy, and he answered like a guy.

“In the past, I was talking about this.”

“uh.”

“My family lived in a guesthouse.”

It might have been a bit out of the blue.

The guy takes a long time to decide what to say while pedaling.

“What is that?”

That’s the word I thought about for a long time.

I answered with a chuckle.

“Just like that.”

“okay.”

Does that guy know how hard it is to live in a motel room? As the shantytown scenery passes by, memories of the past keep flashing through my mind.

That dire poverty, perhaps.

I guess it will never be forgotten.

Even though decades have passed, I still remember that time clearly and vividly.

Squeak.

The bicycle stopped.

“It’s here.”

I looked in the direction the guy was looking. I could see a small wooden house about three square meters in size. There were similar houses all around.

Between the trees, you can see holes here and there in the packed dirt. I wonder if that house is actually doing its job of blocking the cold winter wind.

It might be worse than living in a guesthouse.

Knock knock.

He knocked on the wooden door and shouted.

“Are you-”

I wait a moment, but there is no sign of life inside.

Knock knock.

“Are you-”

I knocked and called a little louder, but as expected, there was no sign of life. I thought about applying a little more force, but soon gave up. I was worried that the door might break.

The shack where the three siblings lived was in a slightly worse condition.

As expected, it didn’t seem like a good environment for children to live in.

“Tsk.”

I don’t think my mother would be too happy to hear that the guys haven’t met yet.

Maybe I should stop by here for a few days, like on my way to work.

As I quietly put down the lunch box my mother had packed for me, the grandmother from next door pops her head out along with the loud sound of a hinge.

“who is this?”

“Hello, Grandma.”

At Taesu’s greeting, the boy recognizes him and opens the door wide and comes out.

“Kekekeke- It’s Taesu.”

An old lady speaking with a loud cough. She doesn’t look very healthy.

“Yes, Grandma. Do you know where the three siblings went?”

“Yeah, it’s Changhyun.”

“yes.”

“Keuk- You know that place over there where all the men are gathered to say that it’s a countryside?”

“yes.”

“They must have gone there to help their father.”

“Ah- thank you.”

What does this mean?

What are you trying to hide?

As my grandmother went back in, I lifted the bundle and asked.

“Do you know where it is?”

“Oh, was it last week? There was a gathering of neighborhood uncles.”

Following the guy’s guidance, we arrived at a place adjacent to Dang Hyeon Stream.

Land! Land! Land!

Phew, phew.

The sound of pickaxes and hammers hitting the ground begins to disturb your ears.

In this cold winter, such work would not be easy. The men, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold of the winter wind, took off their coats and revealed their gaunt upper bodies as they diligently erected thin pillars and covered them with large tarpaulins.

“There it is, over there.”

When I looked at the place Taesu pointed to, I saw the three siblings sitting huddled together, digging the ground with small hoes.

Just then, a young boy named Chang-Hyeon raises his head and recognizes me, his eyes widening.

“Huh? You’re the number one hyung!”

The little sisters who were nitpicking at the boy’s words also looked at me, and the man who was handling a thin iron pipe near the boys also looked at me.

“Brother! Why are you here?”

The guy’s innocent question makes me laugh.

“Chang-Hyeon came to check if you are doing well.”

“I’m working really hard!”

The guy who said he would protect his sisters confidently speaks while sticking out his dirty fingernails.

“Yeah, it looks like that.”

A man who was looking at me with very wary eyes blocked Chang-Hyeon’s path and asked.

“Who are you?”

“Hello, I am the son of Kang’s Restaurant.”

When I mention his mother’s restaurant, the wariness in his eyes softens.

“Oh, really? How are you, ma’am?”

“Yes, I am well.”

“Yeah, why here?”

I suddenly held out the bundle.

“I guess my mother was just curious about Chang-Hyeon.”

A man staring blankly at the bundle I held out to him.

“Are you Chang-Hyeon’s father?”

He nods his head.

But he doesn’t accept the bundle I offer him. Does his conscience and remaining pride prevent him from accepting a helping hand?

I think I know that feeling.

“Last time, Chang-Hyeon gave me money in advance but didn’t take it.”

“huh?”

“I must have made a mistake. He doubled the amount. My mother was really worried and told me to bring it to her right away.”

Pretending not to be able to win.

He takes the bundle.

Then he held it tightly in Chang-Hyeon’s hand and said.

“Here, go home and eat it with your sisters. Dad will be home soon.”

“Wow- Yeah! Dad’s coming soon too?”

“okay.”

Chang-Hyeon left the place quickly with his sisters with a clean smile on his face. The boy’s father spoke to me stammeringly.

“Tell the lady I said thank you.”

“What? I get paid to do this.”

He chuckled.

“But what kind of construction are you doing?”

At my question, the shadow that had briefly disappeared from his face returns.

“There’s talk of demolishing the shantytown.”

“ah···”

“Well, they say it’s because it spoils the cityscape… I was wondering if it would be okay if we put up a screen.”

You asked a pointless question.

I feel uneasy, as if I heard something I shouldn’t have heard.

Gulp.

In Changhyun’s father’s stomach.

A cry of hunger is heard.

“Hmm, then tell the lady and go quickly.”

He was urging me to leave, embarrassed. I nodded and turned around. Right now, my presence to him. His presence to me must be equally uncomfortable.

“Go ahead, see you tomorrow.”

Greetings from the guy Taesu.

“you?”

“Rest your body a bit, and check if your leg is better before you go for a test.”

The guy walks up and picks up the remaining pickaxe.

I left the place in a hurry.

Their hardships, Taesu’s attitude, and the sight of the three siblings’ backs kept tempting me.

So my steps became faster.

“Phew.”

As I ran out of the shantytown, I saw an empty bus stop.

It was completely different from the bus stop I had seen the first day; I couldn’t find a single person.

It may be because the time zone is different and it is not the time when students are coming and going, but for some reason, the appearance of this bus stop looks exactly like me in my previous life.

Squeak, squeak.

A bus stop sign that is so shabby and old that it looks like it could fall off at any moment flutters in the wind, making an unpleasant sound.

It’s almost as if he’s asking me if I remember the promise I made on the first day.

That sign fluttering in the wind.

Why does it seem like the nine-tailed fox disguised as a beautiful woman is wagging its tail?

This is a delusion.

Remember the promise from the first day.

That promise to never regret it.