Chapter 7-2
by Han Yong-un
“Who are you looking for?”
Sun-young asked in a voice that was almost trembling.
“I’m looking for the owner of this house.”
“Why is that?”
“Are you the owner?”
“Yes, I am the person living in this house.”
“I came from Dabanggol.”
“From Dabanggol?”
“Yes.”
“No matter where you came from, if you’re looking for the owner, you should look for them outside the door. Do you just walk into someone’s house without saying a word?”
“That sounds reasonable. But I came in because I had a good reason.”
“What reason is that?”
“If you came from Dabanggol, you should understand, right?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
Sun-young’s expression was displeased.
“You don’t know?”
The man looked fierce and even bulged his eyes.
“If I don’t know, I’ll say I don’t know. So, have you ever seen me before?”
“Whose house is this anyway?”
The man stepped closer to the door of the adjoining room.
“Why is that?”
Only then did Sun-young realize what the man was there for, and she felt deflated.
“Why do you say that? Is this house one that you bought with money and live in, or is it a rented house?”
“It’s a rented house.”
“Even if it’s a rented house, there are various kinds. Is it a jeonse house or a wolse house?”
“It’s a wolse house.”
“If it’s a wolse house, did you agree to pay the rent monthly? Or did you agree to pay once every year or two? Did you decide to live for free without paying any money? What on earth is going on?”
The man’s expression grew even more menacing.
“What do you mean by that? We agreed to pay the rent monthly.”
“If you agreed to pay monthly, have you been paying monthly?”
“I’ve always paid well until now, but I couldn’t pay for a few months due to circumstances.”
“You mean you couldn’t pay for a few months?”
“I think I couldn’t pay for about three months.”
“Why didn’t you pay for three months?”
“It's not that I didn't want to pay, but I couldn't due to unavoidable circumstances.”
“Even if you have unavoidable circumstances, that's your issue, not the landlord's. In today's world, you can't even be a month late on rent, yet you haven't paid for three months and shamelessly say you just came into the yard. Why does a person who claims to be so principled not pay the rent for three months?”
“That's not something you should say. It's not like the person who used to collect the rent is someone I know well; it's someone I've never seen before, so how would anyone know? That's why it is as it is. Please don't take it the wrong way.”
Sun-young spoke with an apologetic demeanor.
“Are you talking about Kim Seon-dal, the one who used to come around?”
“I don't know. Whether it's Kim Seon-dal or someone else, I only know their face; how would I know anything else?”
“That person seems to have visited your house often and was quite friendly with you. They only cared about your circumstances and didn't collect the rent, so I came instead. Why does it have to be that person for it to matter?”
“Oh, how ridiculous. What do you mean by that? How can that person be close to me, and what circumstances are you talking about? If they came to collect money, they should just talk about the money; why say such things? Don't look down on me just because I don't have money.”
Sun-young's expression became slightly sharper.
“Are you determined to nitpick on others' words like a petty person? Since you're saying a lot, I'm saying a lot too. According to you, if someone comes to collect money, they should just take the money and leave; what else is there to talk about? Just hand over the money. I'm a busy person too, so I need to get going.”
The person brushed off the dust from their hands and looked at the distant sky.
“That's not something you should say. So please stop. I will arrange the rent soon, so just bear with me for a few days.”
Sun-young had no choice but to borrow from that person, as she couldn't do anything about the demand for immediate payment.
“No. Why would someone like you, who is so particular about things, not pay someone else's rent for three or four months? I can't wait any longer, so pay up right now.”
The person stood there, holding one leg and coughing dryly.
“How can I pay money I don't have right now? Even if the world is tough, I will manage to pay you in a few days, so don't worry. Although I am in a difficult situation, I am not someone who would skip out on someone else's rent. I have never missed a month before. I always paid on the last day of the month. Recently, I have had unavoidable circumstances that led to this situation. I am worried that I should be paying the rent every day. I'm sorry, but please bear with me for just a few more days.”
Sun-young showed a pleading attitude.
“Yes, we roughly understand that. But you, you lived alone before, right?”
“Yes.”
“You are not alone now, are you?”
“I am still alone.”
Sun-young looked at the person with a strange expression.
“What do you mean by alone? Everyone knows. And what is there to hide about that? It is natural for a widow to remarry. However, I won't speak ill of others, but among all the men, why did you choose such a high-class yangban?”
The person looked at Sun-young with a seemingly amused expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
Sun-young felt deeply embarrassed by the person's tone and wanted to scold him immediately. However, she couldn't bring herself to do so and simmered with frustration inside.
“Then where is there a higher high collar than that? If you don't know, at least a few won should be spent every day for such a high collar, but where could such a high collar be? Aren't you also unable to pay your rent because of dealing with that?”
The person was speaking under the assumption that Sun-young had recently acquired a husband from the opium den.
Sun-young understood the meaning of those words.
Even though she knew it was extremely rude for a man she had never met to say such things to another man's woman, she thought it would be pointless to argue with him, considering not only that he was pressing for money right away but also his character.
However, her heart was quite troubled.
Sun-young was blushing and hesitating, not knowing how to respond appropriately.
Just then, Dae-cheol, who had gone to take opium, entered.
Dae-cheol and the man looked at each other.
“Are you the owner?”
The man asked bluntly.
“Why do you ask?”
Dae-cheol replied as he stepped onto the floor.
“I'm asking because there's something to ask about.”
“If you are the owner, then you are, and if not, then you aren't.”
“What does that mean? If you are the owner, then you are, and if not, then you aren't; what kind of nonsense is that?”
The man spoke as if to provoke.
“No, my dear. Whether I am the owner or not, what does it have to do with you, and why can't you ask nicely instead of rushing in as if to pick a fight?”