Rust - Chapter 20



Only Krnovel

RUST -20

Maru’s anger rose to the top of his head at Naru’s words.

I wondered what on earth this was. I wondered why I had been working so hard up until now.

“Then what should I do? Should I just go to college like Mom said and go? My family is completely ruined, and no one, not you, Dad, or Mom, is making any money. Should I just pay for my tuition and go?”

Naru shouted at Maru’s words.

“That’s right! If you had just continued studying in high school, you could have gone to Korea University! Why don’t you go to Korea University and tutor? You went to a little-known university to get a scholarship, and then quit that. If you were going to do that, why did you go to a university like that? If you were going to quit after one semester and join the military, and quit after being discharged, why did you go to a university like that to get a scholarship? You gave up on going back to school and did it. Do you know how much your parents suffered watching you slaughter a cow?”

“What if you’re suffering? Will your life get better if you do that? What will change if you feel sorry? Whoever it is, you have to do something, settle down, and stabilize your life first. Why did I do that?”

“Why are you doing that! Isn’t that just to make you feel better? You’re doing it to make you feel better! I sacrificed for my family! I’m the eldest son! I’m paying for my younger sister’s tuition! Is it because of my family? Have you asked your family? Have you talked to your mom and dad about it? You make the decisions you want to make, and do whatever you want. Have you even asked me?”

Maru’s head started to throbbed from high blood pressure.

“So what you’re saying is that I do whatever I want because I like it and then I brag about it and show off?”

“Or what? If not that, then what? Why are you ignoring what I told you to listen to, whether it’s the company or the gangsters? Dad, Mom, if you thought about my family, shouldn’t you have negotiated with those people?”

“Ah- Really-”

Maru was speechless.

“What did I say? Those people said they would pay you over 200 million won a year. They also said they would give you a bonus. They said that if you worked for 3 years, you would have enough money to live on after paying for your mom and dad’s hospital bills and medicine. But they killed all the people there. What are they doing?”

“foreign country···.”

Before Maru could even finish saying the word ‘foreign’, Naru shot back.

“You want me to run away to a foreign country? What about my father who can’t move? What about my mother who is in a drug treatment center? You want me to just leave her here and run away whether I die or not? What about me who struggled to get into the Korean University College of Music, spending all the money my brother sacrificed and earned like blood, and now I’ve won one competition, but I want to give up on school, my friends, and my dreams and run away to a foreign country, avoiding gangsters or companies who might show up at any time, and live like that for the rest of my life?”

Maru was just going crazy and delirious.

“Do you know what those people are telling me to do? If they tell me to do killer things like killing people, then do that? To live as a human butcher from now on?”

“You said so! You gave up your life and worked for your family. You said it was because of your family, that you sacrificed yourself for your family? Then why didn’t you ask me to negotiate for your family’s sake and spare your life? You didn’t do it because you didn’t like me. You killed people because you didn’t like me. You didn’t kill people just now, did you?”

Maru was moved by Naru’s words.

“Yeah. I did it because I hated it. I wanted to be free by killing those bastards who took my family hostage and tried to turn me into a butcher. I wanted to save my family. I wanted to save you!”

“You’re a bunch of people who are going to kill so many people to get revenge on the company. What are you going to save? Who are you going to save? Can you save your dad or mom right now? Are you saying that you can save them? Didn’t you just do it without thinking about the consequences because you were so excited about killing people? Manager Hong said that. That’s the kind of person you are. He said you have to be managed by force. I didn’t think it was possible, but he was right. No? No!”

Mr. Hong, the dog-like manager, couldn’t communicate with Naru because he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“So what? What do you want me to do?”

Naru, not minding Maru’s tired voice, continued to shout loudly.

“What can I do after doing whatever I want and killing everything I want to do? Live however you want, oppa. I’ll live with Joohyun unnie.”

“Oh Jin Pharmaceutical’s Na Ju-hyeon? President Nao Jin’s daughter?”

“Yes. Chairman Naojin’s only daughter, Najuhyun, when did Ohjin Pharmaceuticals become the Ohjin Group? If you go with her, you’ll be protected by the security guards there, so it’ll be okay.”

“Are you out of your mind? Haven’t you heard rumors about Chairman Naojin or the president? Don’t you know that there are rumors about that guy and minors, or rather students?”

“What about the rumors? No matter how bad the rumors are about that person, would you do something as bad as my brother who just kills everyone he meets?

“Damn it- I’m going crazy!”

“Why? Can’t you do as you please? Is it hard for you to cosplay as a good brother, a good son, and a normal person? How on earth can you kill someone like that? Is he really my brother? Is he the brother I know?!”

Maru felt a pounding in his chest. His head was throbbing. His chest felt tight.

“Yeah. It’s all my fault. So what do you want to do? You want to live with Na Ju-hyeon? What do you like about her that makes you want to live with her? If you don’t go abroad with me, you’re going to take the entrance exam for a Korean university here. Your dad is in a nursing home and your mom is in a center, and you’re going to live alone and take the entrance exam? What if those guys come looking for you?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I said I’d live with Joohyun unnie.”

“Why is Na Ju-hyeon living with you? Why would she do that?”

“Joohyun unnie took care of me like a real sister. Since last time, I refused to live with you in the apartment near Joohyun unnie’s school because of my mom. My brother sent my mom to a drug treatment center, so if I live at Joohyun unnie’s house, I can stay there under the protection of a bodyguard.”

Maru wanted to go crazy, go crazy, and jump around.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh fucking shit, he swallowed the curses and swallowed them. The gangsters that Maru experienced were no joke. Even if you exclude Director Choi, Director Baek, and Ms. Kim, the gangsters in Workshop 4 were not the kind of masses you see in movies.

If I had to be specific, it was something like special forces? Mercenaries? Something like that. Would those guys be so scared of civilian bodyguards that they avoided them? The equipment in the underground storage was the same. They were guys who could easily kidnap Naru or Joohyun if they wanted to.

“Whew- Naruya, seriously- how could I have done that…. Even private security couldn’t stop them. My brother really risked his life to get you out. Korea University is good, but let’s go abroad. You said you wanted to go abroad and establish your identity, and get your eyes and nose fixed a little, didn’t you?”

“······.”

“You should get your hands dirty and go to a foreign university. Mom and Dad know a detective here, so if you give them information, the police will protect you. So let’s just leave for the rest of us. We can make ourselves foreigners and come to Korea to see Mom and Dad. We can treat Mom’s addiction and take her abroad. We can take Dad to a university hospital. That’s all. So please, listen to me.”

“······.”

Naru curled up like a bug and sobbed without answering. It was embarrassing to shoot high-frequency sounds without distinction between up and down like before, but it was also dizzying to just squeeze out the juice like now.

“Do you really want your brother to become a human butcher and go around killing people? Would you like to make money by killing people?”

“······.”

“Ah- Don’t cry. Are you really not going abroad?”

“Don’t go! I’m not going!”

Naru, who was holding back tears, suddenly screamed.

“Then what do you want to do?”

“I told you. I’m going to be with Joohyun unnie!”

Boy, really, I’m going crazy. Maru is rotten to the core.

It was a dolphin sign again. Is this the ‘woman’s word’?

Since my younger sister is a girl, does she speak in a language that only girls can understand?

Should I ask Ms. Kim to interpret for me?

Maru became mentally exhausted.

Is it this hard to have a conversation with my younger sibling who is in the third year of high school?

Is it because of the generation gap? I’m 24 too.

There was no time for this. I was planning to evacuate Naru as quickly as possible and go abroad within a day or two. But if I just kept wasting time like this, there would be no answer.

“No, but why is that Na Ju-hyeon with you…. Okay, regular bodyguards can’t handle those gangsters. They’re not just any gangsters, they feel different. They’re really dangerous guys.”

“That’s why I told you. You should consider it as saving me and negotiate with those people. I told you to think of Mom and Dad and give up! That’s the way to save your family. Why did you do that when you were feeding your family? You do whatever you want and use your family as an excuse. Did your family ask you to kill all of those people? Did I ask you to kill all of them? No.”

Maru took a deep breath. It was not something that could be explained in words.

“Okay. Just do what I say. If your brother hadn’t gone there, don’t you know what would have happened? Do you know what I’m doing?”

“No, no! Why are you doing whatever you want, oppa? Do what you want, oppa. I won’t leave Korea where my dad and mom are.”

The floor was turned upside down.

“Kid, twins- You’re going to die like that. It’s not like you’re just going to die···.”

“When I asked you to spare my life, you killed a person, but you can’t stand to see me die? You said you knew a detective, right? You said Mom and Dad would be okay? But why me? Why do I have to go abroad? I know a detective, so why do I have to go? It was a lie, right? You were going to run away by yourself, leaving Mom and Dad behind, right? That’s why you’re trying to drag me along by force.”

“You crazy bitch, listen to me, oppa! Mom and Dad can’t move right now! I’ll stay, so you go first. Please!”

“No! No! I don’t want to go! You just won the competition, and you’re just about to get into a Korean university, but you’re abandoning your mom and dad, abandoning all your relationships, where are you going? I can’t go. I can’t go! If you force me, I’ll report you to the police. I’ll report you as a murderer!”

Ah- I really don’t know what to do. Maru raised his head. It felt like he would break the handle if he exerted too much force. He took a deep breath. Phew- He felt a little calmer as he took shallow breaths.

“Whew- Okay. I lost.”

“Why are you scared when I tell you to report me?”

“Keep your mouth shut. Don’t nitpick.”

As the life energy rose from Maru’s entire body, Naru curled up in a corner, groaning. Maru wondered, “Why did I do this? What am I supposed to do?” Hyun-ta was coming. How much time had passed?

Maru pulled out a black plastic bag from behind him. It was a plastic bag filled with 50,000 won bills. Maru pushed the plastic bag toward Naru, who was crouching down.

“You were weak too, weren’t you? Manager Hong said that you and your mom were weak.”

“······.”

“They say that if you take that medicine in moderation, your senses will become more sensitive and your motor skills will improve? Did you win the last competition in September after taking the medicine?”

“······.”

“Whether you doped or not, if you get caught using drugs, not only will you not be able to get into Korean universities, you’ll be sent straight to a rehabilitation center. What kind of Korean universities are they? What kind of dreams are they? The moment you get involved with those guys and start using drugs, your dreams and your Korean universities are all over.”

Naru lowered her head further.

“Reporting to the police? What if a female student who was kidnapped by strange men reports it? What would the police do first when they are in chaos with the drug investigation? Wouldn’t they start with a blood test? If a person who took drugs reports it, would the police believe it? If they test it and the drug component is detected, they would say that it was because they were weak and saw things.”

“······.”

“So there’s nothing to be afraid of if you report me. It’s not like you’re annoying me and telling me to do whatever you want.”

“······.”

“I think I made the best choice I could. I admit that the best I could do might not have been the best for my family, as you said. I also admit that I might have had a sense of pride as the eldest son, and a sense of sacrifice, as you said. But I really wanted to protect my family, and I wanted to save you. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to get blood on my hands.”

“······.”

“But, after listening to your story, I realized that I was wrong. What can I do? I was wrong all along… I’ve done whatever I wanted, just as you said. Now, I’m going to ask for your opinion for the last time. Are you really not going to go abroad with me?”

Naru nodded without answering.

“Say it. Are you going with me? Or are you not going?”

“I’m not going···.”

Huh- Maru nodded after taking a long breath.

“Okay. I got it. The amount in that envelope is probably less than 200 million won in cash. Don’t put it in the bank, but keep it in cash and use it. The moment you put it in the bank, you know what will happen if you think about it, right?”

“······.”

Naru was just burying his head without answering.

“I’m going to get rid of my cell phone soon, so you won’t be able to contact me for a while. I won’t be able to contact you until I go overseas and open a new account. It’ll be hard to contact you urgently, but I’ll check my email once a week, or at the latest once every two weeks, so please contact me by email. And lastly, I’ll tell you that what happens from now on is your own responsibility. From now on, you have to take responsibility for yourself. That’s all I can do for you. That means that no matter how you live or die, it’s your responsibility.”

“······.”

“No matter what you do, think carefully before you do it, and if the police or anyone else asks you about me, just say you don’t know. After I was discharged from the military, I lived independently, and I come here a few times a year and just leave and say I don’t know how you’re doing… That’s the truth. Yes. I’m sorry for being this kind of guy.”

“······.”

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Maru watched Naru get into an Apple taxi near the city through the rearview mirror.

Naru sits in the backseat, holding the backpack she bought at a nearby store tightly in both hands.

Naru didn’t look back until the taxi started moving.

It’s a matter of the account.