Chapter 44
The next morning, my family had a small incident as my mother found a small tattoo on my father’s chest after he washed up. Of course, he said that he didn’t know anything about it and called his colleagues who drank with him to piece together what happened the night before. Mother almost burst into tears, saying that father was cheating on her, and I didn’t know what to do.
After my father managed to go to work, I tried my best to console her. We headed to Myeong-dong for lunch, and her mood got better as we walked arm in arm in the crowds even though we didn’t talk much. I even bought her a butterfly-patterned red hairpin when she stopped at a street seller selling accessories. I said that I had some pocket money saved, and she said while touching the hairpin, “Thanks, son. I’ll treasure it. Hanging out with you reminds me of the old days because we haven’t had much time together since you got into middle school. We always spent time together until last year, right?”
“Do you feel better now?” I asked.
She replied, “Don’t say anything. It’s so embarrassing that I can’t even talk about it.”
“Well…Father can make a mistake. Just let it slide once,” I responded.
“How could he choose that ugly thing for a permanent tattoo?” She frowned.
I said helplessly, “It’s a tiny one and no one can really see it. It won’t be noticed at work.”
“Your father is respected by others at work, but he’s such a cheapskate. That’s why he chose such a tiny one even when he was drunk.”
Then, my mother suddenly laughed as if she remembered the insignia on father.
“Do you know, son? Tattoos are pretty expensive. Oh well, no. You shouldn’t know that,” she said.
Thinking of the price of the Revival insignia, I inadvertently burst out laughing. Mother seemed to be surprised to see me smile.
“Ah~ It’s so nice to be out with my son,” she smiled.
“How’s your work at the curtain shop?” I questioned.
She answered, “I’m just fooling around with nearby housewives. Your father is always late and you are off playing on your own, so I need that time.”
“Let me know if it gets tiring,” I said.
She looked at me and started laughing. “Why? Are you going to feed me?”
“I’m serious,” I responded.
“I have no idea how I gave birth to such a great son. I’ll never go through it again,” she said.
“...”
“Son.”
“Yes.”
She looked at me and smiled. “You don’t need to worry about it. Your father has a stable job and works hard. Oh, do you know the company he works for? It’s called Jeon-il.”
“Why would I not know it? It's where Father works,” I replied.
“It’s the best in our country, and if not, we could always open a grocery store.”
Mother looked up at me with her arms folded.
“You’ve grown…a lot. Oh yes, son!” she suddenly said.
“Yes?”
“Did you make lots of friends at Bible school?” she questioned.
I answered easily, “Yes.”
“You’re not lying, right?” She asked again.
It was true, but I couldn't introduce them to her since they were all foreigners.
“Bring them home sometime with Seong-Ho,” she said.
I forced a smile and nodded.
***
As I’ve said before, Seong-Ho was an imaginary friend that only existed in my brain. I needed my dungeons to be like that, something that existed only for me but didn’t endanger the world. I decided to disguise the dungeon on the hill as a psychiatric ward. A religious cult seemed better at keeping secrets and people away, but the consequences would be serious if problems arose.
I didn’t have to worry too much in the past. Back then, to civilians, dungeons were not much different from Chernobyl, so I just had to post a sign that said a dungeon had appeared. Then, everyone would run away before the Awakened and soldiers appeared.
However, things were different now. I had to plan to build a mental hospital, then establish a relevant corporation, and hire a person as a puppet administrator. I also had to consider the villagers’ safety under construction codes that would pass inspections.
However, walls were a must even if the enclosed area was smaller since we had to keep monsters inside. As a result, I gave up on the walls that were supposed to surround the hill, and the wall circling the facility was modified to be as tall as possible. As for the puppet administrator…
***
The puppet administrator had to own a medical physician’s license, and the individual’s family was supposed to not have any knowledge that would make them doubt the corporation's property. I could go through the broker to make the list, but I couldn’t trust any of them.
Frankly speaking, I didn’t trust anyone but a few because betrayal was routine when money was involved. Those who seemed harmless always sold someone out for a few hundred thousand won, and they often risked their lives for that.
It was the same here, and there were things I needed to handle in secret. I was dealing with tasks related to dungeons by myself, and I had kept files on the involved parties in case an issue came up.
Mr. Choi of Il-ju Construction was the same, and so was the alcoholic in front of me. He was a man full of traces of having wasted his life, and he smelled of alcohol at noon.
“So, how much is it?” he asked.
“I’ll pay you a million won a month,” I replied.
“That’s too cheap for someone with a doctor’s license. Don’t you think so?” He questioned.
I answered, “Can’t I speak directly to Dr. Yang? I’d like to talk to him face to face.”
“Ah fuck. You can just talk to me because I’m his son. That old man can’t even talk or act on his own. I’d be glad if he didn’t poop everywhere. Anyway, four million is too little. Fuck, no,” he said.
I responded, “Mr. Yang In-Ho, we’ve just met for the first time, and we’re in the middle of a deal.”
“You’re too young to talk like that to me. How much can you give me?” he asked peevishly.
“Stop talking to me like that.”
I didn’t even need to raise my voice.
He frowned as if he had misheard me, but he discovered something in my gaze. His eyes shook, and the air froze for a moment. We looked at each other for one second, and he drank water with a look of annoyance. Then, he looked at me again while wiping his mouth with his dirty sleeves.
He grumbled, “I’m just asking you to pay for the old man’s diapers.”
“I’ll give you five million. If you keep talking, then no deal will be made,” I responded.
“Five is not enough!” he yelled at me.
I knew this would happen. As soon as he shouted, I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him toward me. His ugly face was right in front of me. I didn’t care about his odor, but he should not look at me as if I was someone intimidated by his blustering. I didn’t care if he saw me as a gang member or I was doing something for them as long as he didn’t look for me again after today. Well, he wouldn’t even be able to find me anyway.
I squeezed his neck with my fist by the collar while the other hand was pulling the back of his head. His face quickly turned pale as the cafe owner just blinked at us from the counter. I let him go and pushed him back. He bumped into an old couch, then coughed as he touched his neck. I waved at the owner to say that everything was fine.
Cough, cough, cough.
He was still sitting on the couch even though he had been handled roughly. He seemed to be used to this treatment as this was appropriate for dealing with someone who was a coward.
An old doctor with dementia and a worthless son. They were the only members left of the family because the doctor’s wife had passed away a while ago, and the son didn’t get married even though he was turning fifty. It was difficult to find such people again.
“W…when will you…give me the five million?”
He asked after he got back some air while avoiding my gaze.
I replied, “I’ll pay you immediately from tomorrow until Dr. Yang’s death. So, it’d be better for you to spend some on your father’s health care instead of wasting it all on your alcohol. You will want the money for a long time.”
“Well, that’s up to me…” he mumbled.
“Whatever, that’s up to you. I won’t see you again after today. If we ever meet again, then, Mr. Yang In-Ho,” I said.
He was looking at my hand on the table.
I continued, “It won’t be for a good reason."
I took out a pen from my pocket and threw it at him.
“Write down what I say. Make sure you prepare both yours and Dr. Yang’s. Twenty copies of the family register, twenty copies of identity card with citizen registration number, twenty certificates of seal impression, registered seal impressions, twenty ID photos, twenty copies of driver license, bankbooks, passports, and…”
He didn’t know why he also had to prepare for his documentation.
A week later, a local daily newspaper featured a small article.
「A mental hospital is established in Hwa-seong
A neuropsychiatric hospital specializing in patients without family or friends, who suffer from mental disorders, is under a process of establishment. It will be over one million square feet in area and has a total of five floors. It can take in up to two hundred patients and will provide inpatient care for those with neuroticism and mental disorders.
Dr. Yang, the director of the New Hope Medical Foundation, has said that the hospital will be closed to the public, but the hospital treatment system will allow patients to receive treatment step by step based on their symptoms.
Since 1992, it’s become necessary to establish more psychiatric wards due to an increase in the number of patients who do not have enough medical facilities to go to as these hospitals are not profitable, but it has been delayed as some medical communities have been opposed to the idea.
The medical professionals who are against the plan of the establishment are concerned that psychiatric wards would become asylums…」
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m