Chapter 811: An Unwelcome Reunion

Empty soju bottles and discarded clam shells began to pile up.

“You know, back then, there was this older brother, Mu-hyeok. What was his name? You know, the one who used to bully the kids in the neighborhood and extort their money…”

Jung Jin-seok, a little drunk, mumbled about a childhood memory.

Myeong-su paused while pouring the soju and replied.

“Who? Han-cheol?”

“Ah, that’s right. Han-cheol hyung.”

“Hyung? He was a thug.”

“Who is that?”

I had never heard that name before. Myeong-su chuckled and explained.

“Don’t you remember? He was a year ahead of us. Lived next door. That bastard used to steal money and beat up the neighborhood kids. It was probably when we were in junior high? Even I’m barely remembering it now.”

Junior high… for me, after my regression, it felt like a distant past.

It was a story from less than twenty years ago for them but for me, it felt like decades had already passed.

The fact that I couldn’t remember it, no matter how hard I tried, meant that it wasn’t a very important event.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

“Wow, this guy really is a bad dude! You beat him nearly to death and now you don’t remember? I thought you were gonna kill him back then. Don’t you remember me getting hurt while trying to stop you?”

What? I hurt Myeong-su?

That meant I must have been seriously out of it, but I have no memory of that at all.

“If I was that angry, I should have remembered… I don’t know.”

Even during my rebellious phase, there were only a handful of times I beat someone to the point of near death.

“See, the one who did the beating never remembers. Even my memories are hazy now, but I think that bastard attacked me first. He also stole a lot of money. When you found out, you lost it and went after him.”

“Well, it sounds like he had it coming.”

Then and now, if someone messed with Myeong-su, I would have taken action.

Hyeon-seong quietly nodded in agreement. Despite their bickering, they were still good friends.

“But why bring up that bastard all of a sudden? It’s ruining my appetite.”

“Ah, that hyung came back to Yeongdo. They say… they say he got out of jail…”

“Figures. A guy like that never changes. Man, this is really killing my mood.”

Myeong-su spat in disgust and picked up his glass again.

I raised an eyebrow at Myeong-su’s reaction. For someone as good-natured as him to dislike someone so much was unusual.

He even forgave the guy who dragged him away back in high school.

I tried to recall who it was, sifting through my hazy memories as I fiddled with my glass.

I must be getting old. Unable to remember, I asked Hyeon-seong who was listening quietly.

“Hyeon-seong, do you remember?”

“Yeah, I remember. I wasn’t there but that event was pretty famous.”

Myeong-su, annoyed by the topic, snapped at Jung Jin-seok.

“Jin-seok, why are you bringing him up all of a sudden?”

“No, I saw it with my own eyes. I followed Mu-hyeok hyung everywhere after that. I just suddenly remembered it.”

“Oh yeah, you became a devoted Kim Mu-hyeok follower from then on? A snot-nosed kid who followed Mu-hyeok around calling him hyung, hyung!”

Myeong-su’s teasing made Jung Jin-seok’s face turn bright red.

“Hyung! When did I ever have snot running down my face? It never happened.”

“What do you mean? I remember everything. It definitely happened. Right, Mu-hyeok?”

I nodded. My memory of Jung Jin-seok was of a snot-nosed kid.

“Even Mu-hyeok hyung is agreeing with you?”

“Oh my! Mu-hyeok, this kid is glaring at you now that he’s grown up.”

“No, it’s not like that! Why are you doing this, Myeong-su hyung?”

Jung Jin-seok waved his hands frantically, shocked by Myeong-su’s joke.

“It is! I saw everything. Even Mu-hyeok hyung is agreeing with me!!”

“Ah! Hyung!”

Enjoying the reaction Myeong-su chuckled and continued to tease Jung Jin-seok.

“What’s so funny that your laughter can be heard outside? Oh, here, eat this too.”

The charcoal fire had long died out and most of the appetizers were gone.

At that moment, the Ajumma placed a plate of sashimi on the table.

“Jin-seok, eat slowly.”

“Mom! I’m not a kid, not in front of my hyungs…”

The Ajumma smacked him on the back and said.

“You got into trouble while drunk just the other day! If you cause trouble again, I’m disowning you!”

“Ah! Mom!”

The Ajumma chuckled as she went back to the kitchen.

All the customers were long gone and other store’s signs were starting to dim.

“Some places are closing already. Do they not do business late anymore?”

Wasn’t it still early? Confused I asked Jung Jin-seok.

“Ah, business isn’t as good as it used to be. When we were running a food stall on the gravel, we’d stay open until sunrise. These days, most places close around 1 AM. We probably would have closed already too if you guys hadn’t come.”

I nodded and threw back the soju. The bitter taste felt even more bitter today.

“I see. Things have changed a lot here.”

In my previous life, I hadn’t come back to Busan after moving to Seoul.

In this life, except for going to the market with Grandma, I haven’t made a point of going anywhere.

So I hadn’t noticed how much my old haunts had changed.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I hadn’t paid any attention to it.

“Is there anything difficult going on? There used to be a lot of thugs around here.”

“Oh no, things are much different now. What was it? The Dong-soo faction? They’ve taken over Busan and apparently don’t demand protection money anymore.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

A pleased smile crept onto my face at the mention of the Dong-soo faction.

It was ironic that an organization bearing Dong-soo hyung’s name had brought stability, but Yeongdo was infamous for its rough reputation, so much so that gangster movies about Yeongdo were a national hit.

“Aren’t we keeping the shop open because of us?”

“No way! Mu-hyeok hyung can drink here even if we close the shop.”

Even so it seemed too late. I looked at my wristwatch and saw that it was already past 1 AM.

“Anyway we should probably get going.”

“Get going? Let’s drink more. There’s nothing to do at home. I can’t even go anywhere with this body…”

Myeong-su trailed off with regret. Hyeon-seong also nodded in agreement.

“Me too. There’s nothing to do at home.”

“Hey! What do you mean you have nothing to do? You have to look after your kid, right?”

……

Hyeon-seong just emptied his soju glass in response.

He then slammed the empty glass hard on the plastic table.

The heavy sigh that followed displayed the weariness of a father burdened with childcare. Since they shared the responsibilities, days off like this were precious.

“Mu-hyeok hyung, let’s drink a bit more? It’s been a while since I got to drink because of you.”

Even Jung Jin-seok wanted to have another drink.

I had no choice but to nod and say.

“Alright, then close up the shop and come back. Tell your mother to go in.”

“Yes, Hyung!”

Pleased to hear that we were going to continue drinking Jung Jin-seok yelled as he got up.

“Mom! Mom! Go inside and sleep. I’m going to drink with Mu-hyeok hyung and I’ll clean up later.”

“Really?”

“There won’t be anymore customers and the other shops are closing too. I want to close up and drink with a peaceful mind.”

The Ajumma, after thinking for a moment, took off her apron and smiled.

“Alright, I’m going. Drink responsibly.”

“Come on, Mom. Would I ever act up in front of Mu-hyeok hyung?”

The Ajumma shot a glare at Jung Jin-seok before coming out of the kitchen to give us some instructions.

“Mu-hyeok, I’m going inside now. If Jin-seok acts up, give him a whack.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of Jin-seok. You should go in, Ajumma.”

“Alright, it was nice meeting you. Come visit again next time.”

The Ajumma took a thick coat from the coat rack as she was headed toward the door.

“Don’t take money from them, Jin-seok.”

“Yes. I’ll consider it my treat.”

At that, Myeong-su jumped up from his seat in surprise.

“Oh no! That’s a dangerous thing to say. I’m a politician now remember? Accepting drinks freely could cause big trouble later on.”

Myeong-su took out his wallet and pulled out all the cash inside to give it to the Ajumma, stuffing it into her coat pocket.

“That should be about right. If there’s any left over, we’ll just use it to drink more.”

“Oh no, that’s too much.”

Even at a glance it seemed like a lot more than what we ate.

The Ajumma seemed to know this as she waved her hands dismissively.

Myeong-su grabbed the Ajumma’s hand as she tried to take the money back.

“Keep it. It could really become a big problem. Right, Mu-hyeok?”

Myeong-su winked at me and I nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Ajumma. It is a big deal if a politician is seen drinking on the house. So don’t worry about it, you can keep it.”

“But it’s too much…”

The Ajumma mumbled, after checking the money in her coat pocket.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Myeong-su joked.

“Hey, both I, Mu-hyeok, and Hyeon-seong are all doing well in Seoul. You were going to give us free food because you remember us from when we were kids, right? Just take it as payment for that. Go inside, Ajumma. We’ll finish up and leave.”

Myeong-su pushed the Ajumma gently towards the door. The Ajumma reluctantly nodded as she buttoned her coat.

“Alright, come visit often. I’ll give you lots of service.”

“Okay. I’ll stop by when I’m in Busan.”

“Then see you next time!”

The Ajumma went to open the door, when it happened.

“Ajumma, where are you going?”

The Ajumma froze.

“Are you closing already? Where do you think you’re going?”

A group of men pushed past the Ajumma and barged in.

“What’s this? There were still customers? Oh?”

The man who pushed the Ajumma recognized Myeong-su, his face twisting into a smirk.

“Well, well, isn’t this our Lee Myeong-su assemblyman? Do you remember me?”

……

Myeong-su didn’t answer, as if he recognized him.

But the man just chuckled even more nastily.

“You’ve gotten successful and forgotten about me. Wow, can a guy like me even live like this? Don’t you think so, guys?”

“Yeah! Hyung. But who is it?”

“Don’t you know? Lee Myeong-su. He used to follow me around… He became a National Assembly member.”

“Really? A National Assembly member? You had a National Assembly member you knew, hyung? No way.”

“Hey! This guy is looking down on me!”

The man raised his hand as if to hit the subordinate who was acting out.

“Oh no! Hyung, we’re about to close for the night. Please come another time. I’ll give you service next time.”

Jung Jin-seok quickly stepped forward to stop him as the atmosphere turned strange.

“What’s this? Jung Jin-seok, do you want to die? Take your arm off him.”

At that, Manager Ma and the bodyguards, who were sitting at the table next to us, rose and looked towards me.

I shook my head and made a small hand gesture under the table, wanting to see how things would unfold.

Reading my signal, Manager Ma and the bodyguards sat back down.

The man glared down at Jung Jin-seok with fierce eyes.

Jung Jin-seok wasn’t small either, but he looked small compared to the man.

“Oh no! Hyung! Next time! Next time!”

Jung Jin-seok desperately tried to stop the man.

“Alright, come next time. Ajumma’s a bit tired today. If you come next time, I’ll just give it to you for free…”

The Ajumma came back into the shop, blocking the man as she spoke.

“My son and I are both embarrassing me. Look here, you. Have you forgotten who I am?”

“I know. I know. How would I not know you?”

“But you shouldn’t be treating me like this!”

The Ajumma flinched as the man raised his voice.

Jung Jin-seok pushed the Ajumma back, blocking her from the man.

“What’s this? You wanna fight? Didn’t you get beat enough last time? Do you want another round today?”

I made eye contact with the man.

The man, who seemed confused, looked at me. When he recognized me, he roughly pushed past Jung Jin-seok and Myeong-su and walked over to me.

Manager Ma and the bodyguards rose from their seats and blocked the man.

“Hey! You’re Kim Mu-hyeok, right? Get out of my way!”

The man yelled and tried to push past Manager Ma but Manager Ma didn’t budge.

“Manager Ma, let him through.”

Manager Ma turned to look at me. His face looked worried as he tried to say something.

“Boss, but…”

“Let him through.”

At my command, spoken twice, Manager Ma and the bodyguards stepped aside.

The man, with a triumphant expression, came up to me and said.

“Hey, Kim Mu-hyeok! Do you recognize me?”

“No way. I don’t have any memory of a guy like you.”

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out who he was.

At my indifferent words, the man’s smiling face turned as savage as a demon.

“Hey! I’m Han-cheol! Jeong Han-cheol! Stop pretending! I’ve been waiting for this day.”

The man causing the ruckus was Jeong Han-cheol, the man Jung Jin-seok and Myeong-su had been talking about earlier.