M 220

Side Story 3 Episode 23

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Ugh. First Lieutenant Park thought that launching a helicopter to visit Mr. Song wasn’t a great idea, but he was in a position where he had to do as he was told, so he simply acknowledged the order.

It was true that Ki Tae-jeong had changed from before. He barely touched the cigars he used to smoke like water, and he avoided using the shockingly vulgar language as much as possible. “Shit,” well, that couldn’t even be considered swearing. How should he put it, his tone itself had softened? Of course, this was only when compared to ‘before’… He must be trying his best so that he wouldn’t make a mistake in front of his rabbit-like spouse and fox-like son at home.

However, Ki Tae-jeong was an outstanding soldier, and he still thought like one more than anyone else. He believed that the most efficient way to solve a problem was to use any means necessary, and the hardships of ordinary citizens that inevitably occurred in the process were not particularly important. Rather than Ms. Song being shocked and fainting, First Lieutenant Park’s suggestion of using a vehicle instead of a helicopter, which could trigger Ms. Song’s trauma, would not be taken seriously by Lieutenant General, for whom the madam’s meal was a crucial goal.

“Ms. Song’s location has been confirmed. She is currently running a small restaurant in 4-Hwan, and the business hours are from 5 PM.”

“Good. Prepare immediately.”

“Yes.”

Still, according to General Oh Seon-ran’s assessment, Ki Tae-jeong wanted everyone to die except for Lee Sehwa and Lee Hae-rim, so in a way, he seemed better than other higher-ups…

“First Lieutenant Park. What are you doing?”

Ki Tae-jeong’s eyebrows finally rose sharply. First Lieutenant Park, who had been more flustered than usual due to his somewhat sudden order, quickly regained his composure and pressed the emergency call button. Well… in a way, it was an emergency situation. The Lieutenant General’s mind would be at peace only when the madam’s meal problem was solved, and then peace would come to the military, so that was the way to serve the country.

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Chop, chop, chop. The sound of chopping vegetables echoed cheerfully. With Ms. Song’s skillful knife work, neatly trimmed vegetables piled up in the basket.

“Boss-nim? Is our boss-nim here?”

“Oh, did Mr. Lee come?”

“Of course, I have to come to see our boss-nim, who else would come!”

Ms. Song stopped chopping vegetables and hurriedly ran out to receive the invoice. Mr. Lee was an employee of a company that supplied miscellaneous items such as packaging containers and napkins to the restaurant. Even though he acted silly while calling her boss-nim, boss-nim, he had gangsters behind him, so he couldn’t be treated carelessly.

“So, this is the item list for this month?”

“Yes, yes. Can you sign here?”

“Okay. Wait a minute.”

That’s how business is in the back alleys. Even if it’s her store, it’s not entirely hers. She had to pay membership fees for the birthdays of the union leader and association president, whom she had never even met, and she had to purchase various items from the gangs who came and went to manage the district like Mr. Lee, even if there was a brand she wanted to use.

Of course, this was only an option, not a requirement. It wasn’t like she was trying to run away with debt, and it wasn’t like the store owner had just freely expressed her opinion, so they couldn’t just come to someone else’s business and cause a ruckus because she didn’t listen to them.

However, if she alone went against the unspoken rules of this neighborhood, she would obviously be harassed in various ways and forced to close her business in less than a month, so Ms. Song was living in relative compliance. There were times when she couldn’t even straighten her back in someone else’s store and had to pay off debts she had never even incurred, so this was nothing compared to that.

She had her own house, where she could comfortably lie down and warm her back, even if it was shabby, and this store was also in her name, so Ms. Song was fully satisfied with her current life. No, satisfaction was not enough. This was like heaven.

“Oh, Mr. Lee. Did the price of tissues go up again?”

“Oh dear. I’m sorry, boss-nim. I heard there’s a high-ranking person behind that company. They’re just insisting on receiving this price, so what can I do?”

“…Okay, then.”

Massaging her neck, which was stiffening for no reason, Ms. Song finished signing the delivery confirmation. No matter how much time passed, she couldn’t help but feel chills down her spine whenever she heard the words ‘high-ranking person’.

“But I secretly brought some extra stuff! I saw that our boss-nim uses a lot of packaging containers?”

Mr. Lee made a fuss, saying, “Wait a minute!” and brought two large boxes from outside.

“What’s all this? Are you giving it as a service?”

“Yes. Because our boss-nim is a valued customer!”

Of course, that was inevitable. She didn’t delay payments, and she didn’t have the risk of running away with debt. If something went wrong, they could just take over Ms. Song’s house or store, so from the management company’s point of view, there was no better prey, no, customer, than her.

“Okay, thank you. By the way, Mr. Lee. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Oh. It’s always like that.”

“I was going to eat braised spicy chicken before opening today. What should I do, should I give Mr. Lee a bowl too?”

“Oh, I’d love that.”

“Okay. I’ll even stir-fry rice for you after you eat.”

“Yippee!”

Mr. Lee shook his body excitedly, saying he was excited. Ms. Song clicked her tongue, saying what was wrong with him, but the reason why she couldn’t treat Mr. Lee carelessly, no matter what, was because she was reminded of the son she had buried in his heart a long time ago.

This was not something she could control with her own will. Not only Mr. Lee, but whenever she saw kids of similar age, she would have futile thoughts like, ‘If that kid was alive, he would be around that age,’ so she concentrated only on preparing the chicken to erase the distracting thoughts. Today, Sehwa suddenly came to her mind for no reason. Was it because she heard about the high-ranking person earlier…?

Even if he was well-off, would he be over twenty? She felt sorry and admirable for the young man who was struggling to pay off his debt, and he also thought of the unfilial son who had left before his parents, so she was worried about Sehwa from the beginning.

Later, she learned the real story of why that handsome young man had hidden in 2-Hwan, and he also went through his own hardships in the process… but it was all in the past anyway.