PSY CH 10

The arcade was bustling even in the middle of the day. Elderly folks with nothing to do, day laborers with no gigs lined up—they all sat in front of the noisy machines, mashing buttons without pause. The ashtrays were piled high with yellow phlegm and cigarette butts, and acrid smoke curled up from the cigarettes gripped between their fingers.

“Damn, how can eight came out of that?”

Hangyeol tossed his phone aside and clutched his head in disbelief. On the screen: a baccarat table, a female dealer in a red qipao^[1], and the message “Your balance is too low to continue playing.” 

“I lost it all, huh.”

He’d gone all-in thinking it was his last chance—and lost everything. Hangyeol slumped in his chair and spun around lazily. He tapped the floor with his foot, glancing sideways at Dohyun. Dohyun wore a faintly annoyed expression, staring off somewhere in the distance.

“…”

Hangyeol drummed the armrest with his index finger, then couldn’t hold back the question bubbling up.

“Hey, what’s going on with you and that pawnshop guy? You two seem kinda weird.”

A subtle shift flickered across Dohyun’s otherwise expressionless face. His brow twitched slightly, like a hill being drawn in one smooth line. Hangyeol grinned. 

“Oho, something’s going on, huh?”

Dohyun straightened up from leaning on the counter and took off his cap. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back before jamming the hat back on. His eyes still lingered on the arcade floor, saying nothing. 

“That hyung called you Dohyun.”

“…”

“So what’s going on between you two, huh? Huh?”

Hangyeol scooted his chair closer, practically bouncing in place, eager to drag the truth out of him. Dohyun looked down at him and shut it down with a flat: “None of your damn business.” Then he checked the time and grabbed his duffel bag from under the counter. 4 p.m.—time to hit the gym.

“Wow. Hwangdo! Are you playing hella hard to get?”

Hangyeol stood up to follow, still clinging to his curiosity. With his hands stuffed in his pockets and a cocky swagger, he nagged, “C’mon, tell meee.” But Dohyun remained as tight-lipped as ever.

They handed the counter off to Mr. Kim, the hardware store owner and resident king of the arcade, before stepping outside. Just like the inside was bathed in flashy neon, outside the summer sun blazed down in full force. Heat shimmered up from the asphalt.

Dohyun pulled his cap lower. The sunlight hitting the back of his neck stung.

“Oh, hey. It’s Lee Arin.”

Hangyeol craned his neck, having spotted someone. Across the street, Arin was walking closely beside a man—someone who looked easily twice her age, maybe even old enough to be her father.

“Man, her life’s a total trainwreck too.”

Hangyeol walked backward, clicking his tongue. His voice dripped with a secret disdain and sneer.

“…”

Dohyun, who had been walking straight ahead, turned slightly to glance back. Arin and the man were getting into a parked car. The tint wasn’t very dark, so the interior was clearly visible.

Normally, he wouldn’t have cared at all…

“Isn’t it a knock off?”

That time, he’d gone to the pawnshop to return a clean container. He’d heard something strange from inside and found himself stopping to listen before he could even think. His plan to just drop the container and leave had vanished instantly.

“It’s authentic.”

A calm lie, delivered in that signature composed voice.

And 500,000 won.

Usually, pawnshops lend about 70% of a used item’s market value. That way, even if the borrower defaults, the shop could sell the item without taking a loss. But if the item was a fake, the borrower risked nothing by not paying the money back. The shop would be stuck with a worthless item and take the entire loss.

“…”

Dohyun stared through the glass at Arin, who was smiling brightly. His eyes lingered especially long on her pretty face. 

***

A little after 5 p.m., an unexpected guest showed up at the pawnshop.

“Do you not like coffee?”

Clink, clatter—the sound of ice cubes in the cup drew Jooyoung’s gaze upward. He looked at the woman holding out the drink, gesturing as if to say, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to take it?”

He hadn’t really believed it, but she really was handing it to him. He had no idea why she’d suddenly shown up with coffee, but he accepted it anyway.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

The woman spun around and plopped down on the old sofa across from the counter. The leather was ripped in spots, exposing yellowing foam beneath. Most customers just came in, did their business, and left. So, she was the first to actually sit down.

“What time do you close? Mind if I hang around for a bit?” 

Jooyoung checked the clock.

“We close at six… but sure, go ahead.”

There were still thirty minutes left.

The woman sat cross-legged and leaned back against the saggy cushion. Sipping her coffee, she glanced around the pawnshop. Her gaze didn’t exactly show any curiosity.

“How old are you, anyway?”

The moment her eyes met Jooyoung’s over the counter, the woman asked. 

“Twenty-five.”

“Oh, you’re older than me. I’ll call you oppa, then.” 

“Sure, whatever makes you comfortable.” 

“Then oppa, you should speak informally to me.”

It didn’t feel like they were close enough for that, so Jooyoung just smiled and said nothing. Thankfully, the woman didn’t press the issue.

“I’m Arin. Lee Arin.”

After a sip of coffee, Jooyoung replied, “I’m Bae Jooyoung.” His eyelids had been heavy moments ago, but the cold coffee helped shake off the drowsiness a little.

Arin nodded, not particularly interested. 

“Bae Jooyoung…”

She repeated his name under her breath. Then, in a suddenly sharper tone, she said, “But hey.”

“Be honest with me… you did that because I looked pitiful, didn’t you?”

“…”

“Come on, who gives out that kind of service? At a pawnshop, of all places.”

Jooyoung looked up from the ledger and glanced at Arin. After a brief hesitation, he decided to be honest.

“It wasn’t because you looked pitiful.”

“So would you do the same if it was someone else?”

“…”

“See? Thought so.”

Jooyoung tapped his pale fingers firmly on the desk. He wasn’t sure what kind of answer Arin was fishing for, but he chose to speak plainly. 

“It’s because 500,000 won isn’t a huge amount of money to me.”

“…”

“And… it seemed like you had your reasons.”

Arin leaned back against the wall and stared straight at him. The cup between her legs swayed back and forth without meaning. 

“That’s kind of annoying, you know?”

Her blunt comment made Jooyoung chuckle.

“I work at the Viking place in the basement.” 

“…”

“You know it, right?”

Clink, clatter—the sound of ice colliding echoed faintly beneath Arin’s low voice. 

The building that housed the pawnshop had two entrances—one at the center and one at the far-right end. Most customers used the central door, since the one on the right only led underground. 

And in that basement… was Viking Karaoke.

[Unlimited refills: beer + soju + snacks / Ladies always on standby]

After 5 p.m., a glowing LED sign lit up at the entrance. The colorful lettering on a black background was more than enough to catch people’s attention—too much so, even.

“Ah.”

That was when Jooyoung realized why her face had seemed familiar. 

“You said you wouldn’t go into that bastard’s room!”

“Is this really the time to argue about that?!”

When Jooyoung was alone in the pawnshop, he’d occasionally hear shouting through the window. At first, he’d peek out, curious. But when it happened too often, he stopped caring. He’d just shut the window whenever a fight was about to break out again.

Arin was the woman who’d often been seen yelling outside the karaoke bar. Her waist-length hair wasn’t something easily forgotten. 

“Huh? You really don’t recognize me?”

“I didn’t at first… but now I remember.”

“Jeez.”

Arin let out a snort. Whatever she found amusing, soft chuckles kept slipping through her lips.

“Can I drop by sometimes?”

She asked in a casual, almost routine tone. There wasn’t any real anticipation behind it.

Jooyoung studied her for a moment before replying.

“Yeah. You can come by.”

Arin pouted slightly, then turned her head abruptly and sipped her coffee while staring at some random spot on the wall. 

“…”

Jooyoung suddenly thought—maybe she was younger than he’d assumed. That offhanded “Can I drop by sometimes?” sounded oddly like a child trying to hide their hope behind a nonchalant question. 

She’d probably stop showing up after a few visits, anyway…

Jooyoung quickly dismissed the thought. It was nearly 6 p.m. Time to wrap things up and close the shop. 

However, Jooyoung’s thought was proven wrong.

Arin started showing up at the pawnshop every single day.