Chapter 8-1
by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25
“Are you there, unnie?”
It was a few days later that Sun-young went to find Bong-rim.
The deadline for paying the rent was approaching, and Dae-cheol was still the same every day, saying he would reduce the number of injections.
There was no hope of curing the illness.
There was no one to share such discussions with.
Moreover, when at home, Dae-cheol would fuss about needing his injections at the right time, leaving her helpless.
She thought that if she wasn't home, Dae-cheol might have no choice but to reduce the number of injections.
With that thought, she went to find Bong-rim, her only friend with whom she could confide.
“Who is it?”
Bong-rim only spoke from inside the room without opening the door much.
“It's me.”
As Sun-young stepped into the hallway and looked towards the inner room, she smiled to herself.
“Guess who I am?”
Bong-rim, peeking out with her head through the half-open door, shouted.
“Oh my, is that you, unnie? It's been so long since we met that I even forgot your voice.”
“Who else would I be? Come in quickly.”
Bong-rim rushed out and pulled Sun-young's hand to bring her inside.
“I was supposed to come earlier, but I couldn't.”
Sun-young sat down on the floor mat that Bong-rim had almost knocked her onto.
“Oh, I have something to say. You said you would come and see me…”
“By the way, I heard that Subok's father is back home?”
“That's right.”
Sun-young's face began to redden slightly.
“So, did you bring him back?”
“No, I don't know how, but he came to find me.”
“So it seems you're living together again?”
“Living together? No, he's using a different room.”
“Is that so? Do you have to be in the same room to be considered living together?”
Bong-rim's words carried a hint of disdain.
“No. I have decided to keep my body clean while I live in this world.”
“I only think of him as a benefactor and a poor person.”
“There is no relationship between us, nor do I have such thoughts.”
“Really?”
Bon-rim hesitated for a moment as if he did not understand the meaning of those words and then asked.
“But did you really become a drug addict, as we talked about before?”
“Of course.”
“How did you end up like that?”
“They say I got sick while trying to cure my illness, but I didn’t ask in detail.”
“What happened to the wife you lived with?”
“I don’t know that either. I heard she is still around.”
“Then is your illness gradually getting better?”
“What do you mean by better?”
“They said it could be cured in two or three months, so I was thinking of checking in on you during that time, but it seems to be getting worse.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Indeed, it’s a big problem.”
“In the meantime, all the money I saved from sewing has disappeared, and I’ve even been kicked out of my house, so I don’t know what to do.”
“Does that illness hardly ever get better? But why were you kicked out of your house?”
“It’s someone else’s house, so I have to pay rent. I haven’t been able to pay for four months until this month, so how can that be?”
“I set the deadline for the day after tomorrow, and if I can’t pay by then, I agreed to vacate the house, but I have no way to gather even a penny, so I have no choice but to be evicted.”
Sun-young's face showed a worried expression.
“That shouldn’t have happened. You said the rent was seven won a month, right?”
Bon-rim asked with concern.
“Yes.”
Seeing Bon-rim worry about the rent, Sun-young felt a bit of hope.
“Then the rent is relatively cheap. These days, seven won for a four-room house is unheard of.”
“If you miss out on such a house, it would be a big deal.”
Bong-rim seemed to be thinking about something.
“That's true. If we get kicked out of that house, can we even find a room, no matter how cheap or expensive?”
“First, if we can prepare for three months, we can manage to live while gradually paying it back, but we need to find a way to gather twenty won.”
“I came to find you because I was so frustrated that I thought I might as well talk about it.”
Soon-young observed Bong-rim's expression.
“Oh dear, that's right. When you're feeling frustrated, it's always refreshing to talk to someone, even if it's just to vent.”
“But how can we do that? If I had money, I would return it, but I don't.”
Bong-rim blinked and then looked at Soon-young.
“Hey, brother.”
“Yes?”
Soon-young's heart swelled again, even though she guessed there wasn't much to expect.
“Even if we prepare for three or four months now, what are we planning to do afterward?”
“If you are living alone like before, it wouldn't have come to this.”
“If it's just a temporary hardship, it will gradually get better, and even if I have no money, I would return it somehow.”
“But you can't rely on someone who uses opium. It would be the same even after ten years.”
“It's like pouring water into a sieve. There has to be an end to it.”
“So, as I said before, don't think like that and change your mindset.”
“What good is changing my thoughts? I should be living grandly in a big house…”
Bong-rim seemed excited but pretended not to notice Soon-young's gaze.
“How can I change my thoughts?”
“What do you mean by change? Didn't I say it before?”
“Regardless of anything, just get married. What sin have you committed to be stuck behind an opium addict?”
“If that happens, you might end up using a mat later.”
“If you have the will, you can find a proper place even today.”
“So don’t say anything more and just do that.”
“If you end up supporting an opium addict, let’s cut ties with each other.”
“I don’t even want to talk to an opium addict.”
Bon-rim felt a surge of emotion for no reason.
Sun-young couldn’t help but think about this once again at this point.
When she first started taking care of Dae-cheol, she thought he could be cured in two or three months, so she intended to look after him at least during that time.
However, based on her experiences during that time, it seemed that he couldn’t be cured easily and was getting worse.
There was no hope of retrieving that, and if things continued like this, she couldn’t know what would happen to her own situation.
As Bon-rim said, she would eventually end up using a mat, so she couldn’t ignore her future.
Moreover, just a few days later, she ended up sitting on the street, so she couldn’t help but ponder Bon-rim’s words.
However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t remarry elsewhere.
She couldn’t kick out Dae-cheol, who would immediately be unable to even get a sip of water if it wasn’t for her.
It was impossible to pretend not to know and escape to another place.