PSY CH 43
by Lulu“It’s because I rarely have to write my own name…”
Jooyoung answered with a slight smile towards the woman, “Yes, Lee Jungsook, you wrote it correctly.” He returned her ID card and reminded her again about the interest and repayment dates.
The woman nodded silently and listened, still with a somber expression. Her face remained unchanged even when she received the money and counted it, one bill at a time.
“I’ll make sure to deposit the interest on time, every month. Please, don’t sell it.”
She made sure to emphasize it once more before leaving.
“…Okay.”
“Then, thank you for your service.”
She gathered the money into her bag. And when she left, her retreating back looked so small. The oversized clothes made her thin frame even more pronounced.
Jooyoung realized she was wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants, which seemed out of place for the summer season. Beneath the sleeves, her arms were covered in blue and yellow bruises. Her hand that received the money and pen was covered in scratches. The wounds were especially concentrated on the back of the hand.
She was probably wearing long sleeves in this over-30-degree weather to hide the scars on her body.
***
“That lady is famous.”
Arin said, cracking open a popsicle.
Since Jooyoung returned her laundry a while ago, Arin had finally visited the pawnshop on her own, for the first time in a long while. She had mentioned that she was getting things in order, and her complexion had noticeably improved. After everything that had happened, she used to look anxious from time to time—but now, none of that remained.
“Famous, you say?”
“Yeah, she’s known for living like that.”
Although Jooyoung had suspected it, hearing the woman’s story through Arin’s mouth was more tragic than he had imagined.
“Everyone in the neighborhood knows her. She even gets beaten in the streets.”
“…”
“Her husband’s a drunkard. He beats her whenever he drinks. Oh, I saw him kicking her right in front of the bath house not far from here the other day.”
Arin pressed on her popsicle, letting it slightly melt to make it easier to eat. Jooyoung was somewhat shocked by the part about her getting kicked as well. The woman was so thin and small that even a light touch could make her fall. Kicking someone like that didn’t seem like it would just leave a bruise.
“Did you not call the police?”
“Do you think they’d come?”
Arin shook his head with a frown, as if Jooyoung were asking something naive.
“The police around here don’t care about that stuff. Everyone knows each other.”
“…”
“And that lady isn’t the only one getting beaten around here.”
Jooyoung slowly nodded his head.
“But… will you really be okay without seeing a doctor in that condition?”
Arin suddenly asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just a fatigue. I feel a bit better after taking some medicine.”
Jooyoung had taken some painkillers, which he always carried with him, and while the effect wasn’t magical, it did ease the chills he had been feeling.
“Still, you should go to the hospital—”
“I’ll go later.”
His voice was gentle, but there was an oddly firm line, as if saying not to ask more. Arin pouted her lips.
“If I’d known, I would’ve brought you something warm.”
“You didn’t know I was sick.”
“Still…”
Jooyoung didn’t understand why Arin looked so disappointed. It made sense that Arin didn’t know he was sick since she’d suddenly dropped by. But Arin had often gotten upset in unexpected ways before, so Jooyoung didn’t think too much about it.
At that moment, a screeching sound came from the metal door scraping the floor. Usually, he left it open for ventilation, but with Arin there, he kept it closed. The door was now opening.
Dohyun appeared on the other side.
“Uh?”
Dohyun seemed surprised to see someone other than Jooyoung. He stopped, still holding the doorknob, and looked at Arin sitting on the couch.
Arin, too, seemed startled. She quickly turned to Jooyoung, silently asking with her eyes. But Jooyoung didn’t have any answer to give her.
“…”
“…”
After a short silence, Dohyun took a step forward. With a thud, the door closed, and an awkward tension filled the small space. Dohyun headed straight to the counter.
Knock, knock. He tapped on the door. Jooyoung slowly rose from his chair, swallowing hard. His fingertips had gone stiff from the tension. He hadn’t expected to face Dohyun so soon, and he still didn’t know how to act around him.
Dohyun knocked again since Jooyoung had remained frozen in place. Reluctantly, Jooyoung walked over and opened the door. Dohyun stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a shopping bag.
“Can you take my call?”
“…”
“How’s your body?”
When Jooyoung didn’t answer, Dohyun asked again.
“How’s your body?”
“…I’m fine.”
He was about to snap back, asking what the point was in caring now, but with Arin in the room, he held back and gave a neutral response instead.
“…”
His mouth remained dry from the nervousness. Maybe it was because Dohyun was standing so close that he could almost feel his scent, but the memory of the previous night naturally came to mind. Jooyoung bit his lower lip, trying to shake off the lingering image in his mind.
Dohyun tilted his head slightly to the side and scratched his eyebrow with his index finger. Without further explanation, he set the shopping bag down.
“Answer the phone when I call.”
After saying what he wanted to say, Dohyun turned and left without another word. Arin watched him exit the pawnshop, but the moment Dohyun was out the door, Arin quickly straightened up.
“What’s that about?”
“…”
“Oppa, you know Hwang Dohyun?”
“Just… we were close when we were kids.”
Recalling that Jooyoung had mentioned he spent his childhood in Maeyang, Arin nodded thoughtfully.
“When you were kids, huh…”
Seeing Jooyoung’s confused expression, Arin shrugged his shoulders.
“Those guys did something shady, you know.”
“Those guys?”
“You know, Jung Hangyeol and his group.”
Now that Arin mentioned it, Jooyoung remembered the group that had cheered like it was a fun spectacle while Arin and the woman had been arguing on the street. Dohyun and Hangyeol had been there too. It seemed likely that the “group” Arin was referring to was them.
“I know it’s funny for me to be saying this, but…”
“…”
“He still hasn’t kicked his habit of acting like a delinquent, and just seeing him still hanging around in a group like that—it’s honestly so predictable.”
“…”
“It’s hilarious how he wears long sleeves just to act tough.”
Arin said as she nearly drank the almost melted ice cream.
“Don’t you think he probably has tattoos? Something like Irezumi.”
But Jooyoung didn’t respond to Arin’s words. He was lost in thought, suddenly remembering Dohyun’s scarred arms.
Given the circumstances, he had brushed it off before, but it struck him now just how many scars there were. From light abrasions to deeper cuts, even what looked like burn marks.
Windbreakers or anoraks. Even on days when the temperature was well over 30°C, Dohyun always wore long-sleeve tops. Sometimes he wore shorts with matching sets, but the top was always long-sleeved. Just now, he had been wearing a loose-fitting windbreaker.
Jooyoung had just assumed that Dohyun wasn’t affected by the heat. He’d never really thought much about it. He had never been curious enough to ask why Dohyun wore long sleeves, or if he was hot.
“By the way, what did Dohyun give you something?”
Arin suddenly asked, leaning her neck forward.
Jooyoung snapped out of his thoughts, his gaze drifting to the shopping bag that Dohyun had left behind.
***
Even after 6 p.m., the sky remained as bright as midday. Jooyoung stood in front of the adult arcade, the shopping bag still in his hand.
How long had Jooyoung been standing there? Suddenly, the door swung wide open. A rush of cool air from the air conditioner, mixed with the scent of cigarettes, hit his nose.
“Eh? Jooyoung-i hyung?”
The one who stepped out was Hangyeol. He looked surprised to see Jooyoung standing by the door. But when he saw Jooyoung’s pale face, he quickly began to fuss.
“Are you sick, hyung?”
“…”
“Did you go to the hospital? You should, you know? Ah, you didn’t go to that Lee Hanchul’s clinic, did you? That guy’s a quack!”
Jooyoung felt a bit light-headed from the flood of words coming at him.
“If you go down towards the terminal, there’s a clinic open, you know? You should go there instead. Ah, you don’t know where it is? Should I take you there?”
Jooyoung showed him the pharmacy bag hanging from his wrist.
“I was just on my way back from the pharmacy.”
“You need a shot!”
Hangyeol nagged him like an old man, making Jooyoung smile faintly. He turned toward the door Hangyeol came from and asked.
“Is Dohyun inside?”
“Hwangdo? Yeah, he’s here.”
Hangyeol nodded enthusiastically, then, without warning, opened the arcade door. A gust of cool air from the air conditioner flowed out, and Jooyoung could see the long row of arcade machines and the counter in front.
“Ah…”
Reluctantly, Jooyoung stepped inside. The arcade was as usual—quiet but with just the right amount of noise. Men sat here and there, hunched over with cigarettes burning in their hands.
“Dohyun, Jooyoung-i hyung is here!”
Dohyun, who had been staring at a monitor, looked up. Seeing Jooyoung enter with Hangyeol, he furrowed his brow slightly, clearly surprised.