#37

The pastor asked the congregation to give a round of applause for Tae-heun. He then blessed them, saying that meeting like this was fate. He suggested they meet often in the future, joking that young people don’t come back after their first visit, perhaps because I’m not as handsome as Brother Tae-heun. He was quite a cheerful man, and it was easy to understand why he had so many followers.

The time for offerings approached. The pastor’s wife, holding the offering box, began collecting donations from the front row. Some put their money in envelopes, while others simply dropped in cash. There were even a few who tossed in coins. Each time someone contributed coins, the pastor’s wife stared intently at their face, as if to remember who they were.

The man and the child placed a white envelope into the offering box. Tae-heun contributed three ten-thousand won bills. Kwon Yong-jun didn’t donate at all, while the youth leader pulled out two crumpled one-thousand won bills from his pocket. The pastor’s wife’s expression hardened each time the amount was small. If she couldn’t manage her expressions like that, what could she expect? Tae-heun clicked his tongue.

“Brothers and sisters, let’s all head to the annex for lunch!”

The pastor shouted loudly after the service. The church quickly became noisy. The elderly called out to each other, trying to find out who was missing.

The young people, including Tae-heun and the man, numbered six, while the youth group consisted of the child, the pastor’s son, a boy who looked about the same age as the child, and a girl who seemed to be in middle school. The child’s favorite, Sister So-jin, didn’t seem to attend church.

“Uncle, let’s go.”

The child called out to Tae-heun. The man walked ahead alongside Kwon Yong-jun and the youth leader.

“How much did you give?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your offering.”

“Five thousand won.”

“Are you crazy?”

Tae-heun scolded.

“Why?”

“How do you have money to donate five thousand won?”

“My dad said it was for the lessons he teaches me.”

“What’s so special about studying?”

“It’s not just studying; he also gives us dinner. There are so many side dishes.”

The child said innocently.

“How much does your dad give?”

“Fifty thousand won.”

“Every week?”

“Yes.”

“Damn.”

Tae-heun muttered under his breath.

“Uncle! You can’t curse in church!”

The child scolded him seriously.

“Sorry. Let’s go.”

Tae-heun didn’t know much about the man’s income, but judging by his living conditions, it didn’t seem like he earned much. There was also the testimony of the grandmother at the supermarket. Yet, this man donated a whopping two hundred thousand won to the church every month. That was certainly not a small amount.

Teaching the child was a means for the pastor’s wife to gather church members. Providing meals after worship served the same purpose. Most churches operated this way. Eating together, having refreshments, and engaging in volunteer activities, taking care of children, the elderly, and the disabled—these were all essential courses for gathering congregants. The man, who didn’t seem to understand this well, must have felt grateful for the pastor’s wife teaching and caring for his child, which was likely why he was overextending himself.

The pastor’s wife, whose expressions and attitudes changed according to the amount of the offering, was not being unnecessarily kind to the man and the child. The man likely didn’t know how to receive back what he donated, like VIPs do. Just thinking about that made Tae-heun feel sick.

“Thieves, they’re all the same.”

Tae-heun muttered to himself again, and the child pinched his hand.

“I got it. Sorry.”

He immediately apologized.

“Ji-hye, can I ask you something?”

“You asked me yesterday.”

“Just one more.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you like church? Do you enjoy the worship?”

Tae-heun asked the child before leaving the sanctuary. The child hesitated to answer the question. Tae-heun pointed to the large cross and said, “You have to be honest. God is watching.”

After a long pause, the child finally replied.

“My dad likes it.”

“But you don’t?”

“…Yes.”

“Me too. Let’s go.”

Tae-heun held the child’s hand tightly and shook it back and forth. The child smiled brightly.

“Does the pastor’s wife treat you well?”

“Yes. She treats me very well.”

“Is studying manageable?”

“Just okay.”

“You don’t like studying, do you?”

“It’s not that, but I like sports more.”

The child seemed to have been waiting for Tae-heun’s question and began to boast about his athletic skills. He said he always came in first in the races during sports day and that he was the best at taekwondo. The child also shared how he went to the Kukkiwon in Seoul with his taekwondo instructor and fellow students to take a promotion test.

The man who had been walking ahead was now waiting alone for the child. He watched closely as the child held Tae-heun’s hand. If his gaze had been cold, he would have let go, but it was warm. The way the man looked at the child was always like that. It was almost enviably affectionate.

“Did you wait for me?”

Tae-heun asked. It was a joke, but the man was startled, feeling embarrassed.

“No, I was waiting.”

The child let go of Tae-heun’s hand and ran over to the man. The man took the child’s hand.

“No, I was waiting! Ki-beom, tell him who you were waiting for.”

When Tae-heun teasingly asked, the man’s face quickly turned red.

“Let’s go. The food is getting cold.”

“But you have to answer the question.”

The man wouldn’t answer, and the answer was obvious.

“What’s the main dish?”

“There’s a bit of everything.”

“Is there meat?”

“Yes. Bulgogi.”

“That’s decent. It’s worth the offering.”

At Tae-heun’s words, the man turned to look back.

“Uh, you donated thirty thousand won earlier, that’s too much. Next time, just give five thousand won.”

The man advised in a small voice. It was ridiculous who was worrying about whom.

“And what about you, Ki-beom?”

The child stood next to the man, looking up at Tae-heun with his finger on his lips.

“No, let’s go. If we want to eat thirty thousand won worth of bulgogi, we need to hurry.”

The annex was a temporary building right next to the sanctuary, with only a frame and a ceiling. It looked like it could collapse with just one storm, but because it was so open, it didn’t feel cramped even with many people gathered.

People filled the folding tables and chairs. Kwon Yong-jun called the man and the child over, saying he had found a seat. The remaining seats at the eight-person table included the village head, who hadn’t been seen during the worship service. The village head was already piling rice onto his tray and eating with the youth leader.

The child quickly dashed to the food area and grabbed a tray. The man cautioned, “Go slowly. Don’t fall.” It was a voice too soft for the child to hear.

The bulgogi was already more than half gone. Tae-heun laughed as he watched the child fill his tray with meat. The man only took just enough food to satisfy him. In addition to the bulgogi, there were various fresh vegetables for wrapping. They all looked fresh, likely donated by the congregants. Tae-heun greedily piled bulgogi onto his plate and loaded up on the vegetables and soybean paste. He passed on the side dishes since there was nothing he particularly wanted to eat.

He sat across from the man, pushing Kwon Yong-jun aside.

“Eat some meat. I think I was too greedy. There’s a lot.”

Before touching the bulgogi, Tae-heun transferred some to the man’s tray. The man tried to refuse, but since it was already on the way, he just said, “Thank you.”

“But it’s hard to see your face, Yong-jun. What do you usually do on weekdays?”

Kwon Yong-jun hesitated for a moment at Tae-heun’s sudden question.

“I work, I guess.”

“What kind of work?”

“Various things. I help with farming a bit.”

“Come on. Just looking at your hands shows you don’t do any hard work.”

When Tae-heun bluntly pointed it out, Kwon Yong-jun’s expression hardened, perhaps feeling offended.

“Did I say it too directly? I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m genuinely curious. I’m just hanging around here. But I’m going crazy from boredom. I must have been so desperate that I followed Ki-beom to work in the melon greenhouse.”

When he spoke in a pleading tone, Kwon Yong-jun relaxed.

“I’m mostly in town. I play games at the PC bang and do some research on things I need. I also drink coffee at cafes.”

“By yourself?”

“No. I have a friend who runs a business in town. Unless there’s something special, I’m usually with him.”

“Ah. I’m envious. It’s nice to have a friend you get along with nearby.”

“Yeah, well. It’s not that close.”

Kwon Yong-jun mumbled while glancing at the man, who seemed uninterested in the conversation.

“If it’s okay, next time take me and Ki-beom along. We can eat and have a drink. I’ll cover the costs, so just call me anytime.”

“Sure.”

It wasn’t just a polite remark. He was genuinely curious. Kwon Yong-jun was the only person the man could call a friend. Tae-heun wanted to know if the man was shy even in front of Kwon Yong-jun, and what trivial things they did together when they met.

Before long, Kwon Yong-jun relaxed his guard and began asking Tae-heun various questions. It seemed he had received some incorrect information from the youth leader, as he aggressively inquired about real estate speculation, including apartments and commercial buildings. Tae-heun, being almost an expert in that area, mixed in some jargon, answering some questions directly while stalling on others.

While talking with Kwon Yong-jun, the man didn’t even glance over. He quietly ate as if he were a person who wasn’t there.

The child, having nearly finished his food, watched closely as Tae-heun and Damas conversed, excluding his father. He seemed anxious. Who was he feeling jealous of? Tae-heun was curious.