#33

The not-so-large market had narrow paths. It was impossible for two tall and big men to walk side by side, so they walked one in front of the other. The man stopped in front of a shoe store displaying boots similar to the ones he wore.

“I’ll throw away all my sneakers.”

That was the first thing he heard in the house. He said he would throw away all his sneakers. The ladies and the house owner, Mr. Jang, all lamented the white Nike sneakers that Tae-heun wore.

The shoe store owner quickly came out and asked for his size.

“285. I can also wear 290.”

“Oh my, you have quite big feet. But anything above 280 has to be ordered separately.”

“What about sneakers?”

“We don’t have those either. We might sell one or two pairs of 280 a year. What are you going to do? If you want to buy, I can place an order for you.”

When Tae-heun turned to the man, he nodded.

“Since we’re ordering anyway, please order sneakers as well.”

Tae-heun added.

“What kind should I get?”

“I just need something comfortable for the fields.”

“Something that doesn’t slip.”

The man, who had been standing a step back, chimed in.

“Let’s see, the boots come in increments of 10 millimeters, so let’s go with 290 for those and 285 for the sneakers?”

At the shop owner’s question, he looked back at the man.

“Make that 290 for both. I wear thick socks, so a larger size will be more comfortable.”

The man advised.

“Did you hear that? Please order both in 290.”

The owner went back into the store and brought out an old notebook.

“Please write your contact information here. I’ll call you as soon as they arrive.”

Tae-heun completely switched places with the man and asked him to write it down. The man took the pen and wrote his name and phone number.

“How much is it?”

The man asked.

“28,000 won.”

“Can you give me a discount of 5,000 won?”

He said it as if he would never agree to a discount, but the man spoke casually.

“Oh come on, if I discount that much, there’s nothing left. 28,000 won.”

“23,000 won.”

“Come on, that’s not possible. 27,000 won.”

“24,000 won.”

“Ugh, then just give me 25,000 won. I really won’t have anything left.”

The owner sighed deeply and took 30,000 won from Tae-heun’s hand. He returned 5,000 won in change, saying, “This is really a good deal.”

“Thank you. I hope you sell a lot, sir.”

The man greeted energetically.

“The owner is really generous. Please contact me as soon as the items arrive.”

It was only a 3,000 won discount, but Tae-heun felt excited and gave a thumbs up to the shoe store owner.

“I didn’t know Ki-beom could negotiate prices; I see him in a new light.”

At Tae-heun’s words, the man scratched the back of his neck. His face had turned red.

“What size does Ki-beom wear?”

“75.”

The man looked down at his feet and answered.

“That’s just right. I wish I had Ki-beom’s shoe size. In this country, it’s hard for someone with big feet like mine to live. I always have to order shoes that fit. I might find my size at Nike or Adidas, but for dress shoes, I have to get them custom-made.”

Tae-heun chatted away, speaking to the back of the man’s head.

He could have turned around at any moment, but the man didn’t look back even once as they walked to the clothing store. Then he strode into a sock shop. Without asking Tae-heun, he picked up a bundle of white and black socks that came up to his shins. Twenty pairs cost 10,000 won, and the man paid for them.

After that, he turned his steps confidently again. He stood in a place that could either be a clothing store or a bedding shop, where clothes were piled up like a street vendor in Namdaemun.

“Do we really have to buy from a place like this?”

“I’ll pick for you.”

The man skillfully rummaged through the pile of clothes and picked out two black and white cotton t-shirts, a checkered long-sleeve shirt, and two pairs of dark cargo pants.

“Check if they fit at the waist.”

“No way, why do these pants have so many pockets?”

It was a style that Tae-heun really disliked.

“Just give me jeans like Ki-beom wears.”

“Jeans are too hot.”

“Then why does Ki-beom wear them?”

“Because of the rash. If I wear thin pants, I sometimes get a rash.”

The man replied in a defeated tone.

“Let me see those pants.”

Tae-heun reluctantly took the cargo pants and held them up to his waist. The size was perfect. He thought to himself that he had a good eye for this.

“Pick something for Ki-beom too. I’ll buy him an outfit.”

At Tae-heun’s suggestion, the man picked a black t-shirt without hesitation.

“Pick some pants too.”

“I’m fine.”

“Choose while I’m offering to buy. Don’t regret it later. Let’s see, this one looks good.”

He picked out a pair of dark jeans from the pile. After flipping the waistband to check the size, he handed it to the man. He chose the same size he wore.

“Is it right?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it.”

Tae-heun took the t-shirt and jeans from the man and handed them together to the store owner. The owner neatly folded the clothes and put them in a large plastic bag while taking the money. There was a lot of change.

“The young men are so handsome that I gave you a bit of a discount.”

“Thank you.”

The man bowed his head in appreciation. Suddenly, a playful thought struck him.

“Sir, who do you think is more handsome between the two of us? No matter how I think about it, it’s me, but this friend insists he’s more handsome.”

At Tae-heun’s silly question, the owner smiled brightly and began evaluating their looks, saying, “Both are handsome in different ways.”

“The fair-skinned gentleman looks pretty like a gisaeng’s husband, and the dark-skinned gentleman looks like a quiet type, just like Dol-soe.”

“Dol-soe? Hahaha. Ki-beom, what do you think about being called Dol-soe?”

He slapped the man’s arm while bursting into laughter. The man, with his face turning red, mumbled and walked briskly back the way they came.

“Let’s go together. Why are you going alone?”

Tae-heun smiled broadly and quickly followed the man.

“Dol-soe, heh heh. Have you ever heard that before?”

He asked, speaking to the back of the man’s head.

The man shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve heard I look like a gisaeng’s husband so often that it doesn’t bother me, but Dol-soe is a bit much, right? But it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. It gives off a sturdy vibe, and it seems like he would be good at night work. Ah, who was it? Right, Byeon Gang-soo. Isn’t he the typical Dol-soe style? But that doesn’t quite match Ki-beom’s image. Ki-beom is too handsome to be Dol-soe.”

Tae-heun, who was excitedly chatting away, called out to the man at the entrance of the market.

“Ki-beom! Shall we buy some tteokbokki? I think Ji-hye would like it.”

At the mention of the child, the man stopped.

“Let’s also get some fried food and odeng.”

The man’s face, which had returned to its original color, turned back to look.

Tae-heun picked up freshly fried shrimp tempura and offered it to the man while grabbing some for himself.

“Three servings of tteokbokki, and for the sundae, give me two servings mixed with intestines and lungs, and one serving of odeng, please. For the fried food… Ki-beom, what kind of fried food do you like?”

The man, who had been chewing on the shrimp tempura, swallowed what was in his mouth and replied.

“Squid and shrimp.”

“I like vegetable tempura. Don’t you eat vegetable tempura?”

“Not really.”

The man’s expression when he said “not really” looked a bit sulky. It seemed he was still holding onto the teasing from earlier.

“Sir, give me four pieces each of squid and shrimp tempura, and two pieces of vegetable tempura. And please give me a lot of broth for the odeng.”

Tae-heun ordered cheerfully without caring, then took a ladle and filled a paper cup with odeng broth, handing it to the man. The man accepted it quietly and slurped it down. It seemed he was also feeling the effects of a hangover.

“This broth is delicious. Sir, please give me one more serving of odeng.”

After placing the additional order, the two stood side by side and drank another cup of broth. A little while later, they received two black bags. The man took the shopping bag containing clothes from Tae-heun’s hand.

It was a hot day, and both the man and Tae-heun were drenched in sweat from shopping in the narrow market.

“Do you only drink instant coffee?”

Tae-heun pointed to a coffee shop near the cold noodle place and asked.

“I drank a lot earlier.”

“Then Ki-beom can have iced tea or a parfait. I think I need to drink a refreshing Americano.”

“Are you not full?”

“I have a separate stomach for coffee. Let’s go.”

The man reluctantly followed him to the coffee shop. Although it was called a coffee shop, it seemed to have once been a traditional tea house, as the chairs and decor were quite similar. The air conditioning was pleasantly strong.

Since it was just after lunchtime, there were hardly any customers. A few regulars were chatting and laughing with the lady owner.

Tae-heun settled down, and the man sat across from him.

“I’ve already spent more than a day’s wage.”

The man said with concern.

“It’s okay. It’s normal for initial costs to be high when starting anything, right? And seeing how much Ki-beom earns, I think I’ll be able to earn that much soon too.”

“Are you going to keep working?”

He asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. I find it rewarding and enjoyable.”

“By the way, is the repair on the upper floor not finished? Brother Dae-ho said he would work there.”

His tone was very cautious.

“Oh, the repairs are done, and I worked there yesterday. But it’s not like there’s work every day.”

He seemed skeptical.

“I’m serious. Even if I look like a slacker, I work really well when I do. Yesterday, I worked for seven hours straight without even going to the bathroom.”

“Then you should rest when there’s no work. If you follow me around and get hurt, it’ll just be a hindrance to your important work.”

The man hit the nail on the head.

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

If he ended up getting sick from doing unnecessary things, it would only be his loss. He knew that, but still, he enjoyed working alongside the man. Even though it was only half a day, life felt fun. It wasn’t just about barely getting by; it was genuinely exciting, to the point where he felt time was slipping away too quickly. If he had been alone, he would have been staring blankly into space.