“A labor contract? When did I ever write such a thing?”
“You signed it when your debts were transferred! Don’t you remember?”
The boss went on a rampage, accusing Sehwa of turning a decent employer into a wicked one. Sehwa squinted his eyes and watched the boss’s performance. Yes, it was a performance. A genuinely angry boss didn’t behave like that. He was doing it on purpose.
“Look at this.”
A thick ledger was tossed onto the table. Sehwa frowned and picked up the old bundle of paper. Unfortunately, the boss threw it in the direction of the drugs pile, so the white powder fell through the worn and yellowed paper like crushed bone.
In that old ledger, Sehwa’s entire life was written. It contained everything, from the money borrowed from his father, which he had never seen before, to all the debts he had accumulated, the promissory notes he had borrowed to send Sehwa to hell, all piled up neatly.
“What is this for?”
Struggling to hold back the urge to tear up the ledger immediately and ask, Sehwa asked, and the boss laughed and tapped his lapel.
“Go to the very back.”
Since this was the house where Sehwa most recently moved his enemies, there was a document stating that all bonds were transferred to the president of this house. How much debt will be repaid in the future and how will it be repaid? There was also a brief handwritten memorandum and settlement details. Sehwa’s stamp was carefully stamped next to the amount repaid each month. I wrote down the amount clearly and accurately in case something went wrong later, and made sure to mark it in the box to avoid any misunderstanding.
“Did you see it?”
As Sehwa had recently transferred most of his debts to this house, there was a document transferring all his claims to the owner of this place. There were also handwritten statements and settlement details of how much debt to pay in the future and how to pay it, with Sehwa’s fingerprint carefully imprinted next to the amount he had paid so far, making sure there was no room for misunderstanding.
“See it?”
As Sehwa watched the decreasing amount on the document, he felt a lump in his throat. The boss laughed cheerfully and chimed in while Sehwa silently stared at that page.
“See what?”
“No, not there. In front. No, a couple more pages. Yeah, there. There.”
When the page with the handwritten statement was turned, the boss clapped his hands. Right there.
“What is this?”
“Yes. But why…”
“Look here.”
The boss tore his mouth to his ears and pointed to a part of the contract.
“All additional income obtained from customers, in parentheses, additional transaction fees, the cost of goods used, tips, and so on, in parentheses, closed, should be settled after deducting the deposit to the house.”
“But… why?”
“What’s the matter? You took the money from Lietunant Kim first, didn’t you? You didn’t give it to me first.”
“Taken money? What do you mean?”
“Anyway, you received the money first and then sent it back to the house, right? Strictly speaking, that’s a violation of the contract. Don’t you agree?”
“What does this mean…”
Sehwa couldn’t believe the boss’s ridiculous excuse. Of course, he was aware of such a condition. It was added to prevent internal fraud and ensure that any proceeds were reported according to the rules. Sehwa had always followed this practice. Since the time he had seen a friend of the same age embezzle about 500,000 won and die as a result, Sehwa had been very careful with money. Of course, he occasionally pocketed small tips while discreetly wiping his mouth, but he had never touched large sums like transaction fees.
“But you told me to do it that way.”
However, when dealing with Lieutenant Kim, the boss took the initiative and said there was no need to follow the rules. He had advised not to leave any traces of money exchanged between the illegal house and Lieutenant Kim, to make sure it was as convenient as possible for Lieutenant Kim.
“More than anything, Lieutenant Kim has repeatedly confirmed the amount every time he paid, so what are you talking about now?”
Every time he received payment, he made sure to talk to Lieutenant Kim on the phone. He was a tough man, who even asked for formal proof from Lieutenant Kim, despite promising to be considerate. Yet now, what nonsense was he talking about? He had thoroughly checked Sehwa’s bank account, as well as the lodging, frequently visited places, and even searched to see if there was any embezzled money.
“No, I was thinking about it when I was sleeping yesterday. Honestly, without witnessing the transaction firsthand, how can I trust these documents? You might have played a prank, for all we know.”
“Boss!”
“After Maejo picked up the construction this time, I thought about it carefully. It seemed odd. You’re not the only one selling drugs, and even if you were dealing with a Lieutenant, you can’t just pocket this much money.”
When people get too angry, it seems they can’t speak at all. Sehwa touched his forehead and closed his eyes. Unfairness, infuriation, all sorts of emotions surged up, making him feel dizzy. All he could hear was the sound of his own shallow breathing. It was so stifling, so frustrating… He even wondered what it would be like if Ki Tae-jeong were here now, to the point of thinking such thoughts. At least he needed Sehwa. Even if it was just to get his hands on Lieutenant Kim’s fault.
“I was so irritated that I was going to claim all the fines as written there, but well… What can I say? Considering the fact that Director Kim paid off your debt, and the time we spent together as a family… If you pay only 5% of the transaction fee, we’ll consider it as if it never happened. Originally, you know we deduct 30% for the house, right?”
The boss rummaged through his jacket and pulled out an old calculator.
“Let’s see, if we round down, it’s… 37.8 million.”
“What did you say? 37.8 million?”
“The fee is deducted every day, and there’s also delayed interest on top of that. Your dealings with Lieutenant Kim’s payment have been going on for over two years now.”
Sehwa stuttered and flicked the abacus in his head. It was absurd, but it was a possible amount. It was absurd, but it was a possible amount. When interest accrues on the commission, the next day it adds interest to that amount again, and the day after that, it adds interest to the entire sum… and that’s how loansharks operated. He’d rolled and tumbled through life because of those damn interest rates, and he still couldn’t pay off the debt.
“Ha…”
It was so ridiculous that he couldn’t help but burst into a bitter laugh. Somehow, when he said he would stop, it seemed like they would agree without resistance. It seemed there was such a trick. If he paid off the debt, they would immediately push him into new chains. Just when he was swollen with dreams, they would throw him back into the mud puddle.
“But still, be thankful. If it weren’t for Lieutenant Kim, there would be no way to get the money anyway. We could have just kept you locked up and only accepted customers until you died.”
“…Do it again.”
“Do what again?”
“Let’s do the calculation again accurately.”
“What?”
“If you look at it that way, you have to properly settle the commission for the deals I arranged with the clients who came to me, including the intermediary fees. Here it is. When expanding new business outside of the assigned duties with the help of the main house, we will express our gratitude by separately settling 10% of the transaction amount.”
It wasn’t that Sehwa didn’t know about this clause. He had told the accounting clerk, even the higher-ranking manager several times. However, what came back was a subtle hint to shut up, and worse, sometimes it was a beating. No one paid attention to what he said, so feeling scared and disheartened, Sehwa eventually gave up. However, he hadn’t failed to receive the money he was entitled to from the clients, at least the portion of the intermediary fees from the prostitutes, despite not getting the full amount the house should have provided. He had been proud of his skill in quickly reducing debts, thinking that was enough.
But with this damn bastard coming out so brazenly, Sehwa couldn’t take it anymore. He wouldn’t have been so angry if they had told him he couldn’t leave because there was more money to repay when he first said he was going to quit. But now, after Ki Tae-jeong had paid off his 200 million won debt, this damn boss belatedly came and talked like this, turning Sehwa’s insides upside down.
“How can you really talk back so confidently!”
“Why? Let’s do it according to the contract, shall we? And let’s talk straight. What? Can’t you afford it? How much money have I earned for you all this time…!”
Before he could finish speaking, the boss slapped Sehwa hard on the cheek.
“This bastard, after I’ve been treating him so well, where does he get the nerve to open his eyes like that! Huh?”
The force of the blows was such that with each word the boss uttered, it felt like something was cracking with every breath.
“Are you and I the same? Are we?”
“Fuck, what’s the difference?”
“What? Fuck? This bastard is swearing at me right now?”
Sehwa spat out what was gathered in his mouth onto the floor. He thought it was saliva, but it turned out to be sticky blood. Perhaps he got hurt during the loud shouting. But so what? It was just a bit of a tear in his mouth. Sehwa pursed his lips in a grimace, his face swollen as if it were a display of injuries.
“No, I haven’t finished yet. 37.8 million? Sure, I’ll pay. If I pay, it’s settled. So, the money I earned, let’s recalculate the interest on the intermediary fees that I should have rightfully taken in the first place.”
“This bastard is still…!”
This time the boss threw a punch. Sehwa didn’t even flinch. If he’s going to hit it, let him hit. Sehwa was standing looking straight at the large jewels hanging from the thick gold ring.
“Boss.”
Suddenly, a hallucination-like voice echoed. Soft but powerful, with a deep and low tone.
“What brings you here?”
It was Ki Tae-jeong.
“A labor contract? When did I ever write such a thing?”
“You signed it when your debts were transferred! Don’t you remember?”
The boss went on a rampage, accusing Sehwa of turning a decent employer into a wicked one. Sehwa squinted his eyes and watched the boss’s performance. Yes, it was a performance. A genuinely angry boss didn’t behave like that. He was doing it on purpose.
“Look at this.”
A thick ledger was tossed onto the table. Sehwa frowned and picked up the old bundle of paper. Unfortunately, the boss threw it in the direction of the drugs pile, so the white powder fell through the worn and yellowed paper like crushed bone.
In that old ledger, Sehwa’s entire life was written. It contained everything, from the money borrowed from his father, which he had never seen before, to all the debts he had accumulated, the promissory notes he had borrowed to send Sehwa to hell, all piled up neatly.
“What is this for?”
Struggling to hold back the urge to tear up the ledger immediately and ask, Sehwa asked, and the boss laughed and tapped his lapel.
“Go to the very back.”
Since this was the house where Sehwa most recently moved his enemies, there was a document stating that all bonds were transferred to the president of this house. How much debt will be repaid in the future and how will it be repaid? There was also a brief handwritten memorandum and settlement details. Sehwa’s stamp was carefully stamped next to the amount repaid each month. I wrote down the amount clearly and accurately in case something went wrong later, and made sure to mark it in the box to avoid any misunderstanding.
“Did you see it?”
As Sehwa had recently transferred most of his debts to this house, there was a document transferring all his claims to the owner of this place. There were also handwritten statements and settlement details of how much debt to pay in the future and how to pay it, with Sehwa’s fingerprint carefully imprinted next to the amount he had paid so far, making sure there was no room for misunderstanding.
“See it?”
As Sehwa watched the decreasing amount on the document, he felt a lump in his throat. The boss laughed cheerfully and chimed in while Sehwa silently stared at that page.
“See what?”
“No, not there. In front. No, a couple more pages. Yeah, there. There.”
When the page with the handwritten statement was turned, the boss clapped his hands. Right there.
“What is this?”
“Yes. But why…”
“Look here.”
The boss tore his mouth to his ears and pointed to a part of the contract.
“All additional income obtained from customers, in parentheses, additional transaction fees, the cost of goods used, tips, and so on, in parentheses, closed, should be settled after deducting the deposit to the house.”
“But… why?”
“What’s the matter? You took the money from Lietunant Kim first, didn’t you? You didn’t give it to me first.”
“Taken money? What do you mean?”
“Anyway, you received the money first and then sent it back to the house, right? Strictly speaking, that’s a violation of the contract. Don’t you agree?”
“What does this mean…”
Sehwa couldn’t believe the boss’s ridiculous excuse. Of course, he was aware of such a condition. It was added to prevent internal fraud and ensure that any proceeds were reported according to the rules. Sehwa had always followed this practice. Since the time he had seen a friend of the same age embezzle about 500,000 won and die as a result, Sehwa had been very careful with money. Of course, he occasionally pocketed small tips while discreetly wiping his mouth, but he had never touched large sums like transaction fees.
“But you told me to do it that way.”
However, when dealing with Lieutenant Kim, the boss took the initiative and said there was no need to follow the rules. He had advised not to leave any traces of money exchanged between the illegal house and Lieutenant Kim, to make sure it was as convenient as possible for Lieutenant Kim.
“More than anything, Lieutenant Kim has repeatedly confirmed the amount every time he paid, so what are you talking about now?”
Every time he received payment, he made sure to talk to Lieutenant Kim on the phone. He was a tough man, who even asked for formal proof from Lieutenant Kim, despite promising to be considerate. Yet now, what nonsense was he talking about? He had thoroughly checked Sehwa’s bank account, as well as the lodging, frequently visited places, and even searched to see if there was any embezzled money.
“No, I was thinking about it when I was sleeping yesterday. Honestly, without witnessing the transaction firsthand, how can I trust these documents? You might have played a prank, for all we know.”
“Boss!”
“After Maejo picked up the construction this time, I thought about it carefully. It seemed odd. You’re not the only one selling drugs, and even if you were dealing with a Lieutenant, you can’t just pocket this much money.”
When people get too angry, it seems they can’t speak at all. Sehwa touched his forehead and closed his eyes. Unfairness, infuriation, all sorts of emotions surged up, making him feel dizzy. All he could hear was the sound of his own shallow breathing. It was so stifling, so frustrating… He even wondered what it would be like if Ki Tae-jeong were here now, to the point of thinking such thoughts. At least he needed Sehwa. Even if it was just to get his hands on Lieutenant Kim’s fault.
“I was so irritated that I was going to claim all the fines as written there, but well… What can I say? Considering the fact that Director Kim paid off your debt, and the time we spent together as a family… If you pay only 5% of the transaction fee, we’ll consider it as if it never happened. Originally, you know we deduct 30% for the house, right?”
The boss rummaged through his jacket and pulled out an old calculator.
“Let’s see, if we round down, it’s… 37.8 million.”
“What did you say? 37.8 million?”
“The fee is deducted every day, and there’s also delayed interest on top of that. Your dealings with Lieutenant Kim’s payment have been going on for over two years now.”
Sehwa stuttered and flicked the abacus in his head. It was absurd, but it was a possible amount. It was absurd, but it was a possible amount. When interest accrues on the commission, the next day it adds interest to that amount again, and the day after that, it adds interest to the entire sum… and that’s how loansharks operated. He’d rolled and tumbled through life because of those damn interest rates, and he still couldn’t pay off the debt.
“Ha…”
It was so ridiculous that he couldn’t help but burst into a bitter laugh. Somehow, when he said he would stop, it seemed like they would agree without resistance. It seemed there was such a trick. If he paid off the debt, they would immediately push him into new chains. Just when he was swollen with dreams, they would throw him back into the mud puddle.
“But still, be thankful. If it weren’t for Lieutenant Kim, there would be no way to get the money anyway. We could have just kept you locked up and only accepted customers until you died.”
“…Do it again.”
“Do what again?”
“Let’s do the calculation again accurately.”
“What?”
“If you look at it that way, you have to properly settle the commission for the deals I arranged with the clients who came to me, including the intermediary fees. Here it is. When expanding new business outside of the assigned duties with the help of the main house, we will express our gratitude by separately settling 10% of the transaction amount.”
It wasn’t that Sehwa didn’t know about this clause. He had told the accounting clerk, even the higher-ranking manager several times. However, what came back was a subtle hint to shut up, and worse, sometimes it was a beating. No one paid attention to what he said, so feeling scared and disheartened, Sehwa eventually gave up. However, he hadn’t failed to receive the money he was entitled to from the clients, at least the portion of the intermediary fees from the prostitutes, despite not getting the full amount the house should have provided. He had been proud of his skill in quickly reducing debts, thinking that was enough.
But with this damn bastard coming out so brazenly, Sehwa couldn’t take it anymore. He wouldn’t have been so angry if they had told him he couldn’t leave because there was more money to repay when he first said he was going to quit. But now, after Ki Tae-jeong had paid off his 200 million won debt, this damn boss belatedly came and talked like this, turning Sehwa’s insides upside down.
“How can you really talk back so confidently!”
“Why? Let’s do it according to the contract, shall we? And let’s talk straight. What? Can’t you afford it? How much money have I earned for you all this time…!”
Before he could finish speaking, the boss slapped Sehwa hard on the cheek.
“This bastard, after I’ve been treating him so well, where does he get the nerve to open his eyes like that! Huh?”
The force of the blows was such that with each word the boss uttered, it felt like something was cracking with every breath.
“Are you and I the same? Are we?”
“Fuck, what’s the difference?”
“What? Fuck? This bastard is swearing at me right now?”
Sehwa spat out what was gathered in his mouth onto the floor. He thought it was saliva, but it turned out to be sticky blood. Perhaps he got hurt during the loud shouting. But so what? It was just a bit of a tear in his mouth. Sehwa pursed his lips in a grimace, his face swollen as if it were a display of injuries.
“No, I haven’t finished yet. 37.8 million? Sure, I’ll pay. If I pay, it’s settled. So, the money I earned, let’s recalculate the interest on the intermediary fees that I should have rightfully taken in the first place.”
“This bastard is still…!”
This time the boss threw a punch. Sehwa didn’t even flinch. If he’s going to hit it, let him hit. Sehwa was standing looking straight at the large jewels hanging from the thick gold ring.
“Boss.”
Suddenly, a hallucination-like voice echoed. Soft but powerful, with a deep and low tone.
“What brings you here?”
It was Ki Tae-jeong.
