Boundless Love

6.

Simple home-style cooking, the kind an ordinary family would eat. Even then, he wasn’t sure if he could cook well since he hadn’t cooked recently. Haseo bravely entered the mart pushing a cart.

It looked more upscale than the neighborhood mart, but ultimately it was still just a place that sold things. Straightening his shoulders that wanted to hunch, he made a round through the mart. However, Haseo’s cart remained empty.

“Insane! How can prices be like this!”

Even if he could understand the prices of manufactured products, the other ingredients were beyond Haseo’s common sense. The zucchini that cost 1,000 won at the neighborhood vegetable store or market was 4-5 times more expensive here. Looking at the zucchini with trembling hands, he saw it was labeled as organically grown.

Organic! That word that makes prices jump more than double just by being attached! Haseo gently put the zucchini back down. Then he asked Park Dongsu who was sticking by his side.

“Is it possible to know what ingredients are already at the house?”

If there was anything at home, he planned to somehow cook with that. But the answer was cold.

“There’s nothing. You should assume there’s no rice or seasonings either. I’ll carry the groceries, so please choose comfortably.”

I’m sorry, but I can’t choose comfortably. How can zucchini cost this much? Actually, it wasn’t just the zucchini. Onions, potatoes, even perilla leaves had price tags different from what he imagined. Yet people passing by easily grabbed these expensive items.

‘I need to make a decision.’

With trembling hands, Haseo put zucchini, potatoes, onions, and other vegetables in his cart. He also added expensive rice with a name too long to remember, and various seasonings. At the tofu counter, after some deliberation, he chose one in the 3,000 won range, which was relatively cheaper.

There were even tofu blocks costing over 5,000 won. After filling the cart and standing at the checkout, the receipt showed tens of thousands of won.

“Do you have any points?”

When the clerk asked, Haseo looked back at Park Dongsu, who shook his head. Have you ever seen such crazy people! Spending tens of thousands of won on groceries but not even making a point card? Haseo immediately registered for points. He wanted to use the card owner’s number, but since he wasn’t there, Haseo used his own number for now.

‘Was all this really necessary?’

A late dose of harsh reality hit him, but he quickly overcame it. As he neatly packed the groceries into boxes, Park Dongsu easily lifted them.

“Couldn’t you just use the delivery service?”

When Haseo pointed to the sign posted in the mart, Park Dongsu shook his head.

“Director-nim doesn’t like strangers visiting.”

I wish I could be a stranger too. Thinking this, Haseo slowly followed Park Dongsu into Choi Mujin’s house. The house was still spacious and nice, but had a somewhat cold feeling to it.

“Where should I put these?”

“Please put them down in the kitchen.”

Since they had bought so much, now they needed to organize everything. Haseo opened the large refrigerator first to take care of the perishable fresh foods. And he couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Wow.”

The refrigerator was almost completely empty, and among the few things there, only unfamiliar brands of bottled water and alcohol were edible. One shelf was densely packed with expensive, strong liquors alongside bottled water.

There was nothing else edible.

‘Well, what did I expect from a house that doesn’t even have rice?’

The entire morning was spent organizing the kitchen. For a kitchen without food ingredients, it was fully equipped with cooking tools. Some showed signs of use. Since Choi Mujin didn’t seem like someone who would cook for himself, perhaps someone in a similar position to Haseo had used them.

While Haseo was busy moving around, Park Dongsu left the house. This happened before Haseo could ask where he was going.

‘Is it okay to leave me alone in the house?’

What do they think I’ll do? Haseo thought this while glancing at the door Park Dongsu had left through. But then he spotted CCTV hanging from the ceiling and became docile again. Of course. They had something to rely on, which is why they left Haseo alone.

“No, that’s not the important thing right now.”

The urgent matter was to make food with the ingredients they had bought. It was fortunate that Choi Mujin liked Korean food. Haseo had never tried making what people commonly called Western food. Having grown up with his grandmother, he hadn’t had many opportunities to encounter such dishes.

‘Though I’ve eaten discarded ones from the convenience store.’

Haseo carefully recalled the dishes he could make: doenjang jjigae, gochujang jjigae, fried eggs, seasoned bean sprouts, braised radish without fish, fried zucchini, stir-fried fish cakes, and so on. All ordinary, unremarkable foods.

“Is this really okay?”

What if he gets angry after eating and asks why I made such things? Haseo scratched his head and then took a deep breath. After thoroughly washing his hands, he picked up a knife.

‘Let’s try whatever we can.’

Haseo firmly cut the zucchini placed on the cutting board.

* * *

Choi Mujin was watching Haseo busily moving around in the kitchen. He had set rice in the rice cooker found inside and started diligently making something. The sight reminded him of Seo Jaewoo from the past.

“Director-nim.”

While he was intently looking at the CCTV screen, the man standing in front of him spoke. Known to everyone as Secretary Ahn, he usually conveyed messages from the chairman of Isaac Finance.

“Yes, Secretary Ahn. What is it?”

“The Chairman asked me to inform you. He says that Toho Construction’s movements have been concerning lately, so please be careful for the time being.”

“Ah, them.”

Toho Construction was a company similar to Isaac Finance. A gangster who rose from the bottom had taken over a failing construction company with a sponsor. That’s how things typically worked in this field.

Construction companies often had close relationships with gangsters who used their fists. There was much they could do with just their fists: driving out residents who refused to leave redevelopment areas, cleaning up after sponsors when needed. Of course, they couldn’t do it openly.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t Toho Construction say they were going to establish a finance company before?”

“They did, but it doesn’t seem easy. Well, what would someone who used to run loan sharks and swing pipes know about the finance industry? They seem envious that our Isaac Construction has established itself well and succeeded in finance too. But they lack the brains.”

Secretary Ahn had been financially supporting the chairman since he was a student, seeing his potential. He helped him graduate high school and even sent him to university. He also looked after his impoverished family, so his loyalty to the chairman was significant.

“They’re troublesome, always trying to interfere with us despite their limitations.”

“Yet we should stay quiet?”

“The chairman is currently pursuing an important business venture. We’re fine, but they often cause problems and can’t clean up properly afterward. There’s no need for us to get involved and suffer losses.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, Secretary Ahn left Choi Mujin’s office. The chairman often proclaimed that Toho Construction’s president was greedy, but he himself was no less so. Despite already having enough to live without wanting for anything, he constantly sought more.

‘Well, now that things have come to this.’

He would have to stay quiet for a while. Still, with an interesting fellow who had rolled into his hands, it wouldn’t be boring. Choi Mujin put down his tablet and rose from his seat.

If he left work now, he could arrive just in time for dinner.

* * *

Haseo exhaled in relief as he looked at the completed dishes.

“I-I finished everything.”

Choi Mujin’s dinner time was 6 PM. Since Haseo couldn’t protest about why he ate so early, he had to adjust to the schedule. There were various difficulties during the cooking process, but he overcame them.

‘Because I want to live!’

And just as the clock struck 5:50 PM, he heard the sound of the door opening.

Beep.

Choi Mujin entered through the opened door. He was wearing a tight-fitting black suit that suited him so perfectly that Haseo found himself staring blankly. With the addition of the leather gloves he always wore, he exuded a dangerous charm.

“Oh, you’re back?”

Haseo awkwardly bowed his head to Choi Mujin. He nodded slightly and immediately headed to the inner room. When he came back out, he had removed his jacket.

“I rushed back because I was so hungry.”

Choi Mujin sat at the table and smugly pulled up the corners of his mouth.

“I-I see.”

“Is the meal ready?”

“Yes? Yes! I’ll set the table right away!”

Haseo moved quickly to fill the table. He placed the ttukbaegi containing doenjang jjigae and arranged side dishes around it. Then he completed the table by serving a heaping bowl of steaming white rice.

‘I did my best.’

But he wasn’t sure if Choi Mujin would be satisfied. Haseo looked at him with a tense expression.

“Why is there only my meal?”

“Pardon?”

“Lee Haseo-ssi doesn’t seem to have had dinner either. Please join me.”

I might choke while eating. He didn’t want to sit and eat together, but Haseo had no choice but to do as Choi Mujin ordered. He scooped another bowl of rice and sat across from Choi Mujin. It was a choice made from wanting to be as far away as possible.

NOTES: 

ttukbaegi – A Korean earthenware pot used for cooking and serving stews. 

doenjang jjigae – A Korean soybean paste stew. 

gochujang jjigae – A Korean red pepper paste stew. 

Director-nim – Honorific title for a director position (nim is a respectful suffix).