-Mine is very simple. You benefit, too.
“So I’m asking what you want me to help with.”
-I entrusted something to a friend. You just have to bring it back. Simple, right?
“You entrusted money to a friend?”
Noel raised an eyebrow.
‘Is he stupid?’
Why would anyone entrust money to a friend?
There was a good place called a bank here.
-Right. I was on my way to get the money when I slipped in the rain, hit the back of my head here, and died. Like an idiot.
The middle-aged man turned around.
A sunken dent in his head, which had not been visible from the front, came into view.
-See it?
“I see it. But why didn’t you put it in the bank? It must be money you earned illegally.”
-No, no. Not at all. It’s money I earned fair and square. Whenever I got paid, I always took it in cash. That feels better, doesn’t it?
“Getting paid feels good no matter what.”
At Noel’s answer, the middle-aged man laughed loudly.
-That’s right! Money is great! The day after I died, my wedding anniversary was coming up in a few days, you see? My wife had grumbled so much last year that I wanted to give her a surprise gift. Something like that. I’m no good at picking things out. They said there’s something where you put cash in and, well, press a button, and it shoots out.
A deep longing lingered on the middle-aged man’s face as he kept laughing.
“But mister.”
-What?
“Do you trust your friend?”
-I do. He’s like one of my own fingers.
“Then why didn’t he return it to your family after you died?”
At the question Noel brought up casually, the middle-aged man answered as if it were obvious.
-Because I asked him to keep it until I came to get it.
“But you’re dead. Was there really any need to do that?”
Noel pointed things out one by one.
He did not want to do anything meaningless.
“What if he already took it? What if he’s using it himself?”
There were good people, but he knew down to his chilled bones that there were more bad people than good.
Once one had been betrayed until sick of it, one came to accept that the color of the world was terribly dull.
“Even then, my share is there, right?”
He had to receive what he was owed.
No matter what world it was, money was necessary to survive, and this place was the same.
-Of course. I saw your power. Would I lie?
“Good. You won’t lie. You wouldn’t want the afterlife to become painful.”
Noel warned the middle-aged man.
He could put a leash on him so he could neither pass on nor do anything but remain by his side.
There were always plenty of ways to torment someone.
***
“Yeong-hyeon. Steel yourself, and if you ever get anxious or have bad thoughts again, make sure you call your uncle. All right?”
Do Shin-hyeon.
He said he was his uncle.
He was the only person who had visited while Yeong-hyeon was hospitalized.
From what he heard from Yeong-hyeon, the two had been close since childhood.
That man had led the family funeral, and the hospital bills and other small matters had already been handled.
Noel had wondered how he handled things so quickly, but apparently, he was a lawyer.
He was capable.
“Yes. I understand.”
Though the words directed at him were not meant for him, Noel answered with as much care as possible.
‘Because he bought me a cell phone.’
As soon as he was discharged, they bought a new cell phone.
That uncle did.
He seemed to have a lot of money.
“Yeong-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
Noel answered while looking out the window.
Shin-hyeon glanced at Noel.
“Should Uncle sleep over for just one night today? Hm? You like console games, don’t you?”
“You’re busy.”
“No. Uncle isn’t busy at all. Really.”
The panic in his voice was painfully obvious.
For some reason, Noel thought of his own father.
His father had been like that, too.
Noel’s gaze deepened.
“Uncle.”
“···Y-yeah?”
“I’m not the only one who’s sad. You’re sad, too. So you don’t have to pretend you’re okay.”
At Noel’s sudden, direct words, Shin-hyeon bit his lip.
His nephew, who had always seemed as if he would remain immature forever, had suddenly become an adult.
‘···He is an adult now. Even so.’
Shin-hyeon gripped the steering wheel tightly.
When he heard that Yeong-hyeon had jumped, he thought the sky was breaking apart.
Before being the child of his beloved older brother, Yeong-hyeon was his beloved nephew.
He had watched over him and cared for him since he was a baby.
He simply loved him.
Perhaps it was because he had no wife or children of his own.
Perhaps it was because he would have none in the future, either.
“···Yeong-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
“I have no one but you, too. So tell your uncle··· everything.”
His older brother had died, his sister-in-law had died, and his nephews had died.
He could not understand why such a tragedy had come to them.
How many times had he blamed himself, thinking he should have gone on that trip he had turned down because he was busy?
“Uncle.”
“···Yeah.”
But he could not let everything go completely.
He still had a nephew who had survived.
He had to endure.
“Do you know where the accident happened?”
Noel asked casually.
Yeong-hyeon had said he could not remember.
Noel did not know whether it was the shock or whether he truly had no memory.
But to keep his promise, he had to go to the place where the accident had happened.
“······.”
Silence flowed between them, and Shin-hyeon breathed quickly.
Then he pulled the car over to the shoulder.
“···Why there?”
“I want to see it.”
“Not yet. You can’t. If you go··· something terrible might happen!”
Shin-hyeon raised his voice.
-Uncle··· seems a little anxious?
It was as Yeong-hyeon said.
The anxious one was not Noel, but Shin-hyeon.
“Uncle. Have you been sleeping?”
“······.”
“Have you been eating?”
“······.”
“The one something terrible will happen to isn’t me. It’s you. Your body will break down like that.”
Shin-hyeon could not find a single word to say against the words that pierced his ears as if spoken without much thought.
That child now seemed like a different person.
He did not speak like that.
He did not make that kind of expression.
Was he really Yeong-hyeon, or had the shock changed him?
“I don’t want to lose you, too, so sleep well and eat well.”
But at Noel’s faint smile, those doubts vanished from Shin-hyeon’s mind.
‘That child is··· trying to change.’
Did he not know now that the past could not change?
Yeong-hyeon had simply realized it more quickly.
Shin-hyeon smiled, too.
“I will. Just as you said, Yeong-hyeon, I’ll sleep well and eat well.”
As he started the car again, Shin-hyeon spoke with a smile.
“Still, Uncle will sleep over. Your arm is a bit uncomfortable right now, isn’t it? You know this uncle of yours makes incredible food, right?”
Noel openly showed an annoyed expression, but Shin-hyeon was too busy setting off.
***
“Mister. This is the place?”
Even when he looked left and right, it looked like a factory.
After entering the apartment with Shin-hyeon, Noel had barely managed to send away the man who insisted on sticking to him like gum, then came here.
-···Yeah.
The middle-aged man hesitated.
It felt strange.
He had definitely been unable to leave the hospital, but with that student’s power, he had become able to come out.
However, he could not leave that student’s surroundings.
Still, if he could at least see the outside, how was this not heaven?
“Why? What’s the problem?”
-···No, well. I happened to hear it earlier when you were in the car······.
“Ah, it’s fine.”
Noel cut him off sharply.
He had no reason to be comforted.
The one who had jumped was Yeong-hyeon, not him.
-Young man. Life is long. I mean it. If I had not died so pointlessly, I would have lived until I was smearing shit on the walls.
“You do look like you would have.”
Noel laughed lightly.
-···The two of you are twins, right?
The middle-aged man cautiously brought it up again.
Their faces were identical.
What else could they be but twins?
“Something like that.”
At Noel’s answer, even Yeong-hyeon nodded.
He seemed to agree that there was no need to give any other answer.
-But one of your names is pretty unusual. Did only one of you live abroad?
“Mister. Don’t cross the line.”
-All right. I got it, so do not glare at me like that. I have no intention of crossing the line, either. I’m just a little excited because it has been so long since I came outside.
The middle-aged man smiled broadly.
“So what do I have to do? There has to be more payment for the amount I’m moving around myself.”
-Ah, of course, of course. Who would want to do meaningless work?
The middle-aged man pointed forward.
It seemed he was telling Noel to go inside.
-Go in and find a person named Kim Jung-ho.
“That’s it?”
-You just have to say the words I give you.
“That’s all?”
-That’s all.
“Fine.”
Noel nodded roughly.
He strode into the factory.
Everyone was busy working.
‘I can just go in a bit and ask.’
That was certainly what he had thought, but the moment Noel’s feet moved, he met several gazes.
Because he had lived in a situation where he never knew when he might be reported, he was sensitive to gazes.
He knew this was not a situation where he needed to flee, but his entire body instinctively sharpened.
“Student?”
Someone called out to him.
“Yes.”
“You don’t seem to work here··· Are you looking for someone?”
At the somewhat hesitant manner, Noel wondered why.
Why was he making that kind of expression?
“Yes. I’m looking for Mr. Kim Jung-ho. Is he here, by any chance?”
“Kim Jung-ho······. Plant Manager Kim Jung-ho?”
“That should be him.”
At Noel’s firm words, cries of “Oh dear” burst out all around.
-The atmosphere is strange. That bastard was recognized here, at least.
The middle-aged man spoke.
Were they not treating him as if he had caused trouble?
“···Um, by any chance, what is your relationship with him?”
At the employee’s question, Noel thought briefly, then spat out his words.
“A relationship entangled through money.”
“···Oh dear.”
At those words, the employee openly let out a long sigh.
-Student···? If you say it like that, won’t that friend be misunderstood?
“It’s true, though.”
“···Huh?”
“Nothing. Could you guide me to him?”
“Team Leader isn’t in today.”
The employee took a notebook from his pocket, wrote something down, tore off the paper, and held it out.
“You’ll be able to meet him if you go here. If you meet him, could you tell him that his leave will be over soon, so please come back quickly?”
“Well, that isn’t hard. But did someone else come looking for Mr. Kim Jung-ho?”
***
-···The police.
The middle-aged man remained serious the entire time.
They said the police had come and gone over an issue involving his friend.
They did not know the details, and after that, he had taken leave and stopped coming to the factory.
-It seems your friend has gotten caught up in some kind of, um, incident?
Yeong-hyeon tried to soothe the middle-aged man while gauging his mood.
-That cannot be. There is no way that friend would······.
‘Noisy.’
Noel checked the address written on the note.
He had expected him to be at a bar, but he was in a park.
Why was he doing this here?
In this cold, he was drinking something with hollow eyes.
The closer Noel got, the more he could smell alcohol.
‘So he is drinking, after all.’
Noel stood in front of the middle-aged man.
“You’re Mr. Kim Jung-ho, right?”
When Noel mentioned his name, he lifted his head.
Kim Jung-ho looked Noel up and down.
His face had not yet shed its boyishness, and he had a bandage on his head and a cast on his arm.
There were small wounds visible, but that was not important.
Someone like this was not the kind of person who would be involved with him.
“···What is it?”
His voice was full of annoyance.
“It’s nothing much. I came to receive an item.”
Rather than answer, Jung-ho stared at Noel.
Hah.
He let out a long breath.
“Student. When have I ever seen you······.”
“Mr. Seo Sang-won says he’s going to give that money to his family now, so he wants it returned.”
“······.”
Jung-ho stood up just like that.
He stared at Noel with blank eyes.
“······What are you?”
“What do you think?”
Hah.
Jung-ho snorted.
“I don’t know what information you heard before coming here, but that money was given to me by that friend. So I absolutely cannot hand it over······.”
“Why is Mr. Kim Jung-ho holding it? Wasn’t that what Mr. Seo Sang-won was going to hand over on his wedding anniversary? Since Mr. Seo Sang-won is dead, shouldn’t you return it?”
When Noel asked with a relaxed smile, Jung-ho’s eyes shook.
“How··· do you know that?”
“Is that important? I received Mr. Seo Sang-won’s request, so return it now.”
Noel held out his hand and shook it.
“It’s exactly 4.15 million won. Do not let even a single coin slip.”
His wedding anniversary was April 15.
He said the amount was matched to that.
“······.”
When Jung-ho fell silent, Noel looked at him as if he had expected this.
-Hey. What’s wrong with you?
Sang-won smiled awkwardly.
-Is it because I died so suddenly? Come on, you punk, you’re sulking. You’re sulking.
“···I can’t give it to you.”
At the words that came out of Jung-ho’s mouth, Sang-won froze.
-······Hey. What is seriously wrong with you?
At the unexpected situation, Yeong-hyeon began watching their moods.
“Why not?”
Noel asked directly.
“Do you know the police came after that bastard Sang-won died?”
“No. How would I know that?”
“Sang-won died after saying he was going to meet me. I got treated like a suspect and dragged to the police station all the time. People at work whispered, and Sang-won’s family looked at me like··· like I was a criminal. Me! Me, when they had known me for so long!”
Jung-ho grabbed his own head with trembling hands.
“······And after all that, you want me to return the money? Sang-won gave that to me before he died. It’s mine. Got it? It’s mine! If that’s not true, then bring me proof.”
Hearing the strange emotion in Jung-ho’s voice, Noel looked at Sang-won.
He looked shocked.
‘This is why you shouldn’t entrust money to a friend, no matter how close you are.’
He had thought there might still be exceptions.
“What do you want to do?”
Noel raised the corner of his mouth toward Sang-won.
At Noel’s sudden informal speech and changed expression, Jung-ho followed his gaze.
“If you give me an additional fee, I can help. Want me to?”
Who was he talking to?
Around the time Jung-ho’s confusion deepened, Noel’s gaze changed.
He looked like another person.
“You rotten bastard! You whoreson piece of trash!”
At the curse that slammed down so refreshingly, Jung-ho’s eyes widened.
Was that not one of Sang-won’s favorite insults?
How did that student know it?