Later in the evening, Jae-hee couldn’t sleep after meeting Jung-hoo. She thought he would ask for more details, but surprisingly, he gave her his business card and only took her cell phone number. The business card said, “Yoon Jung-hoo of the legal team of YS Group.”
She had heard the name of the company that everyone knew when she was in high school. The beloved youngest son of YS Group. Since such a son went to a general high school, there was no such fuss. There was always a bodyguard waiting for the driver in front of the school gate.
“Ah…”
Jae-hee hurriedly put the business card deep in the desk drawer when she saw how much she swept the corner with her finger and now the tip of the gold-plated business card was folded. It was already 3 a.m. The midwinter wind rattled the thin windows. One could get used to that sound, but each time, someone seemed to be trying to open the window, so one had to get up and check it several times.
A cold semi-basement room with no warmth.
It would have been better if Jaewon was here.
The doctor recommended that he be hospitalized for about three or four days because there may be a problem that isn’t externally visible. She thought it would be a good time to stop by the hospital early in the morning and deliver the necessary items to Jae-won and go to the factory.
She lay down on the electric pad to sleep for more than an hour. She couldn’t sleep and just tossed and turned around. The floor was warm, but the air was cold because of the wind. It has been five years since she moved here. When she first found a place where only two could live while paying off her debt, she felt like she was going to fly. She had lived with this cold every winter, but this winter was quiet. She wondered if her body has adjusted to this house. Jae-hee curled up and put the blanket over her head.
“Junghoo, Yoon Junghoo.”
She liked the feeling of breathing on the lips when she pronounced “hoo.” The last letter of his name rolled around her lips and escaped like a sigh. She said the name after a long time. Quietly, like a spell.
“It’s Junghoo.”
She still liked the feeling.
Jae-hee buried her face in an old blanket.
On a sunny day, whenever she had time, she washed it but, the smell of mold from the semi-basement permeated quickly. Three days ago, the blanket she washed on a fine day started to smell again. Quietly she closed her eyes and thought about how much savings she had left now and how much it would cost to debtors next month.
The cell phone alarm went off when she was thinking about Jae-won’s hospital expenses and Jung-hoo’s repair expenses, which she didn’t know the exact amount for.
The day went by so fast. She wished there were 48 hours a day. Then she thought she could pay off her debt a little faster and get out of this semi-basement. Jae-hee, who woke up with meaningless thoughts, lightly warmed up her stiff body by stretching.
‘Oh, I forgot to put on a compress.’
If she microwaved a towel with a little water on it and put it on her wrist, it was still okay that day. She completely forgot because she met Junghoo. The refrigerator water was so cold that she put it outside, but she missed the cup while drinking barley tea, which was no different from the refrigerator water.
Similar to the convulsions in the hand, the grip strength had weakened a lot. The parts factory will reopen next month, so she should go to the hospital after finishing the kimchi factory work. Jae-hee hurried to get ready for work, soothing her empty stomach with cold barley tea.
It was around lunchtime when she got a call. She was about to eat within 30 minutes and start working again, but just in case, she went to the changing room and looked at her cell phone, and the name “Yoon Jung-hoo” was stamped on it. She had saved his number yesterday and there were four missed calls.
Jae-hee called because she looked at the clock once and thought she still had about five minutes.
– “I’m Yoon Junghoo.”
“Hello, this is Min Jae-hee.”
_”Why are you being formal?”
She didn’t know how long it has been since she had talked to an unfamiliar person on the phone. She answered the same thing unknowingly to the sound of “Yoon Jung-hoo,” not “Hello.”
“You called. What can I do for you?”
– “I got an estimate. I wanted to talk to you face to face.”
“Tell me by text. I have to go in right away.”
– “Where are you going when you’re not done talking to me? It’s not something to talk about by text, so let’s meet and talk. What time will it be over?”
Originally, the work would finish at 5 o’clock today, but the president and the working team leader told her to work overtime until 8 o’clock because she had gone early yesterday.
“It ends late. Around 8.”
-“I’m at work by then. Come to the company. Did you see my business card?”
“If I go there, it will be past 10 o’clock. Just text me.”
-“Okay. I’ll text you then.”
Jung-hoo retreated neatly. It caused Jae-hee’s mouth to open slightly. The case was closed. She almost called his name out and said something to him.
That’s how he hung up the phone. And soon after, the cell phone pinged in the palm of my hand.
-「” Everything needs to be changed except for the car door. 98.79 million won… 」
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https://aistea-translations.carrd.co/
