PSY CH 33

After Arin left, the women who had been whispering among themselves began to show more interest in Jooyoung.

“So, what’s the relationship between Arin and you?”

When Jooyoung didn’t answer, one of the women shamelessly laughed and said, “I mean, you two are always together, so I was curious.”

“We’re friends.”

At Jooyoung’s indifferent reply, the woman widened her eyes in surprise. A fleeting emotion passed over her eyes, which had been sparkling with curiosity.

“Ah, friends… Got it.”

The woman awkwardly smiled, as if to say she hadn’t shown any interest, and turned her back, sitting down. Words like “Hyunju’s mom,” “affair,” “family,” and “bloody tears” could be faintly heard, and from just those words, it was easy to infer the conversation they were having.

“…”

Jooyoung put on his headset and played music. When he turned up the volume, the women’s voices faded away.

Though Jooyoung only moved between the pawnshop and the lodging house, he was well aware of the rumors circulating in the neighborhood. Someone’s son got divorced, someone else’s husband raised his hand, and this time, the police even came. The people who came to the pawnshop often excitedly shared these kinds of stories without being asked.

That’s the way small neighborhoods work. The only entertainment was the gossip passed from mouth to mouth.

Jooyoung didn’t add anything to the rumors, but he didn’t criticize them either. However, there was always something puzzling whenever he heard the rumors about Arin.

“Anyway, Young, don’t get too close to her. You’ll just get dragged into bad things.“

The perpetrators and victims were clearly divided. And in that division, Arin was always the perpetrator. The criticisms toward the man ended with the word “deadbeat,” but the descriptions of Arin were much longer. A woman who seduced an innocent man and destroyed a family.

“…”

The women, who were still whispering with their heads together, appeared in the reflection on the glass. They kept glancing this way while pretending not to. Jooyoung knew he was part of the gossip as well. The blatant interest was impossible to ignore.

“Don’t do anything that’ll stir up trouble in the neighborhood.” 

Suddenly, Dohyun’s words came to mind. Thinking about it, he had previously mentioned that Jooyoung had helped Arin for some other reason. He’d implied there was no other reason for him to interact with Arin, as if it was the only explanation.

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

But if this was what was meant by “stirring up trouble”…

Jooyoung would likely continue to stir the still water in Maeyang, whether he wanted to or not. The only thing he feared was whether it would upset Dohyun.

***

The arcade was filled with the usual acrid smell of cigarette smoke. People hunched in front of the constantly changing game screens, puffing away on cigarettes. A few others had even pushed chairs together and were lying sprawled out. It was a far cry from the usual arcade scene.

Dohyun was sitting in an office chair behind the counter. His left hand held his phone, but he wasn’t really doing anything. His thumb swiped the screen up and down several times before stopping at the letter “B.”

[Bae Jooyoung]

While obviously, the number had changed, Dohyun had never once deleted Jooyoung’s contact information. Even when he blocked the number, he never once considered erasing it.

Almost a decade had passed. It was enough time to meet someone and break up. Plus, Jooyoung had a pretty appearance and came from a wealthy family, so it was no surprise that people were constantly interested in him.

But thinking about it and facing the reality were two different things. Seeing the mark on Jooyoung’s fourth finger honestly… he was shocked. Given Jooyoung’s age, it wasn’t that unusual.

Where was the frustration and unease he was feeling coming from? He should have felt pleasure in thinking about how he could laugh at the situation of the person who had fallen to the place he was in. But something felt lacking, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Dohyun continuously thought about it, but the answer didn’t come easily.

“Arin hasn’t been coming to work lately, right?”

At that moment, a rough voice, mixed with a cough, broke his train of thought. Mr. Kim from the hardware store tapped the arm of the man sitting behind him and spoke.

“She isn’t that thick-skinned. How could she still show up after all that mess?”

“If you want to make money, you have to be tough.”

Mr. Kim waved his palm in front of his face, then lowered his voice and said meaningfully.

“I heard she has at least ten million in debt just from Madam Choi.”

“TEN MILLION???”

The man widened his eyes in surprise.

“Even I didn’t need that much money when I was young.”

“Arin has, what, four or five younger siblings?”

“What about her parents?”

“You don’t know that? She worked at the factory, and then… she… you know, this.. she lost all of these.”

Mr. Kim shook his head while showing his fingers spread apart.

“Anyway, she’s borrowed from everywhere and there’s no more place to get money, so she crawled under Madam Choi’s wing.”

“Even so, her life’s so unlucky.” 

The man clicked his tongue. Mr. Kim briefly checked the game screen, which was continuously progressing, then pulled his chair in and sat down.

“You know Young, right? That pawnshop old man’s grandson. I saw him right here the other day.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Dohyun, who had been ignoring the conversation until then, had his ears twitch for the first time. His thumb, which had been swiping the screen from bottom to top, also froze.

“Oh, I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s pretty stubborn.”

Mr. Kim crossed his legs and nodded. He said it was impressive how Jooyoung had stepped in and stopped that whole mess. And seeing how, since then, he had walked around with Arin without any hesitation, it seemed like he wasn’t as innocent as he looked. It was hard to tell if the man was gossiping or praising Jooyoung.

Jooyoung, who had already often been the subject of local gossip, became even more of a topic after that day. His calm demeanor, acting like nothing had happened, made it all the more so. In a closed-off neighborhood like theirs, such behavior was a perfect trigger for rumors.

“Well, he’s not living here anyway, so what’s there to be self-conscious about?”

“No, no. Arin’s situation and this are different.”

The man made a gesture like he was hitting his left palm with his fist, laughing. Thick foam dripped from between his yellow teeth.

For a moment, Dohyun unknowingly gripped his phone tightly.

“Hey, hey, their levels are way too different. They don’t match at all.”

Mr. Kim let out a disagreement while tilting his head back. He went on with a story that Dohyun didn’t know, about how even though Jooyoung’s maternal family wasn’t well-off, his paternal family was really rich, and when Miyoung got married, the whole neighborhood was buzzing.

Mr. Kim ran a hardware store, but most of the time, he left it to his brother-in-law and lived in the arcade. After a failed attempt in the signboard business, he had come to Maeyang, his wife’s hometown. Perhaps it was because he had a good rapport with people, but despite his relatively short stay, he was well-connected. He knew the neighborhood better than the locals.

So, it wasn’t surprising that he had a story about Jooyoung. After all, other than Mr. Kim, there were plenty of people who gossiped about Jooyoung. The town was small, and there weren’t many new faces, so the attention that Jooyoung, an outsider, attracted was almost inevitable.

“But who knows. They’re both young, good-looking—it could happen in the blink of an eye.”

“Yeah, Arin’s been with old men all this time, and now she meets a young one, no wonder. She must’ve made up her mind to go after him.” 

“But I’m not sure if Jooyoung can handle it. His waist is so thin, I don’t know if he can really shake it well.”

Mr. Kim mimicked shaking his waist, holding out his hands into the air. The screeching sound of the chair being moved was followed by bursts of laughter.

“From behind, you wouldn’t even know if he’s a man or a woman.”

“It’s not like he accidentally knocked someone down. But then you’d freak out when you see what’s between his legs.” 

It was the usual crude talk, the kind that came up when men gathered. However, it was rare for the target to be a man like it was now.

“…”

Dohyun’s face, which had grown cold, reflected irritation and confusion—emotions he hadn’t even realized he was feeling. Was it that Jooyoung being seen in a sexual light by others bothered him? Or maybe… 

He couldn’t tell if it was because he realized in that moment that, at some point, he had started seeing Jooyoung that way, too.

The uninvited fantasies that kept resurfacing and the lingering sensation at his fingertips made his stomach churn, as if a long-hidden mistake had been exposed.

Ding, with the clear chime of a bell, the glass door opened. Hangyeol, wearing a loose basketball tank top, yawned as he walked in.

“Oh, Hangyeol’s here.”

Hangyeol nonchalantly nodded as a greeting before heading straight to the counter. He hummed a tune and gave a small nod, clearly in a good mood. Resting his arm on the counter with his chin, he spoke in a lively voice

“Hey, Hwangdo, you wanna grab a drink today? Let’s make Gae Junwoo pay for us. That guy made a ton of money recently.”

“…”

“Hwangdo?”

Dohyun, lost in thought, was slow to respond. The lingering thoughts that had been cluttering his mind dispersed, and the irritation he felt showed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What about the store?”

“I’m just gonna slip out of it.”

Hangyeol rested his chin on his arm and grinned mischievously. 

“By the way, did you hear what Jooyoung-i hyung said the other day?”

It was clearly not something that should’ve been funny, but the amusement in Hangyeol’s voice made Dohyun’s discomfort grow. 

“That hyung’s so funny, isn’t he?”

Despite Dohyun’s cold reaction, Hangyeol continued blabbering away, oblivious to his mood. His carefree chatter about Jooyoung, a person he didn’t even know well, felt ridiculous to Dohyun, and yet it also irritated him.

Then, suddenly, Hangyeol snapped his head back as if something had caught his attention. He had overheard Mr. Kim and the other man’s conversation about Jooyoung.

“Wait… I’m close with that hyung.” 

“Eh? You’re close to him? Really?”

Hangyeol fully turned around to face them, his posture sharp with interest.

“Yeah, we’re close.”

“Dohyun was always so distant with him, but, Hangyeol, when did you become close with him?”

“Well, I’ve always been pretty sociable.” 

Hangyeol’s light response earned him a laugh from Mr. Kim. “Yeah, your social skills are impressive, no doubt.” 

“Still, don’t get too close. Your parents will worry.”

“Worry?”

Mr. Kim noticed the change in Hangyeol’s tone and, as if to smooth things over, waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

“I mean, it’s not that Jooyoung has a problem… It’s just…”

“…”

“Because of Arin, the ladies around here aren’t too happy. I’m just worried it might spill over to you guys.”

Hangyeol’s expression visibly soured.

“What do you mean, spill over?”

Mr. Kim glanced at him warily and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Well… it’s just…”

Mr. Kim quickly fumbled for words, and his companion, who had been chatting with him, tapped his arm. With a nod, they gestured toward the outside. Mr. Kim quickly got up from his seat.

“Oh, right. You guys want a coffee? Yeah, I was just thinking a sweet cup would hit the spot.”

With that, he hastily made his way toward the door. 

The sound of the doorbell jingling echoed, and silence soon settled in the room. Hangyeol, still staring at the door, muttered with a pout.

“Why did they lump him all together with Arin? Hyung was just helping.”

“…”

“They don’t know anything…”

It struck Dohyun as odd. Hangyeol used to be all ears for the rumors Mr. Kim brought in, but now, he seemed upset with Jooyoung as the topic. 

At that moment, Dohyun felt a deeply unpleasant sensation, like an invisible hand scratching at his ribs.