#117

He left room 401 and went to 501. As soon as he entered, he locked the door and took out the laptop bag he had placed under the bed. He had put the envelope he received from Jo Young-ae inside. The envelope contained various bills and overdue notices, but documents like loan agreements or lease contracts were missing.

According to the Helper, the man hadn’t turned to loan sharks yet. The only loan he had was from the Nonghyup, a first-tier financial institution, and he had invested all that money in Kwon Il-taek. He had been fooled again like an idiot.

Was there anything he had overlooked? He scanned the overdue notices and bills again. Among them, the truck overdue notice stood out. It seemed to have the proper form, but upon closer inspection, it was sloppy. It was his mistake for not checking properly, being too busy trying to pay off the overdue amount.

Tae-heun checked the sender. It was a used car dealership located in Hanju City. The Man, who couldn’t afford to buy a new car from a dealership, must have bought the truck from that used car dealership through someone’s introduction.

The truck the man bought was a 1997 New Porter, released in January of that year. A search revealed that it cost around 7 million won even when it was first released. Even with insurance and other options included, the new car price didn’t reach 10 million won.

The the man purchased this truck in December 1998, and even if depreciation wasn’t considered, it should have been at least less than 7 million won or a similar amount. However, the principal and interest that the man hadn’t paid for six months amounted to a whopping 3 million won. This meant the interest rate was quite high. It was close to the interest he charged when he was a loan shark. The feeling wasn’t good.

Who introduced him to buy the truck here?

Tae-heun immediately picked up the motel phone, entered the used car dealership’s number, and pressed the call button. After about five rings, a young woman answered the phone.

This is Hanju Best Used Cars. How can I help you?

Her voice was youthful. He could hear the sound of her chewing gum.

Tae-heun deliberately spoke in a clumsy manner, saying that he had bought a used truck there and was paying the principal and interest every month. Then he said he wanted to know how much he had left to pay.

Please tell me your name and resident registration number.

The youthful voice said cheerfully.

“Yoon Ki-beom, 680526.”

Just a moment. 6805, what’s after that?

“26.”

Yoon Ki-beom, 680526. What’s your address?

“Hwangmu-eup, Dongjam-ri 88-1.”

Hwangmu-eup, Dongjam-ri 88-1.

The employee repeated Tae-heun’s words and put down the phone, saying, “Just a moment.” The sound of typing was loud.

Over the phone, he heard a thick voice asking, “Who is it?” The employee casually replied, “It’s a customer who bought a truck here, he’s wondering how much principal and interest he has left to pay.”

Then he heard the sound of the phone being picked up.

15.6 million won.

“Excuse me?”

I said, you have 15.6 million won left to pay.

What a bunch of sons of bitches.

“No, I bought it on December 3rd, 1998. I was a few months behind on payments, but I paid off all the overdue amounts. And you’re saying I still have 15.6 million left? How did you calculate that amount?”

I don’t know, sir. That’s what it says on the documents.

“What’s the principal amount, then?”

7 million won.

As expected, he bought it for almost the price of a new car.

Okay, let’s say that’s because the Porter is popular in rural areas. But how can the remaining installments be 15.6 million when he bought the car for 7 million? There was more than just high interest rates involved.

“What about the interest?”

Uh… just a moment. Uh… I’ll transfer you to the President.

With these words, the melody of “Für Elise” began to play on the phone.

The the man started falling behind on payments in January of this year, for a total of six months. The principal and interest for those six months alone amounted to 3 million won. Before that, he had paid 200,000 won each month for 12 months. That alone was 2.4 million won. In other words, he bought a 7 million won truck and paid off 5.4 million won, but the remaining balance to be paid was 15.6 million. If you subtract the remaining principal of 1.6 million from 15.6 million, the interest alone was a whopping 14 million won. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh.

Tae-heun looked for the receipts he had received for paying the Man’s truck installments and interest. The plausible-looking overdue notices only stated the amount to be paid, with no explanation of how that amount was calculated. Instead of an explanation, there were threatening phrases.

Tae-heun had been part of a company that nonchalantly issued even “body relinquishment agreements.” He never thought he would see those phrases again on an overdue notice issued in the Man’s name, after leaving the company and throwing away the name Lee Seon-jae. He thought he would never experience such dirty, petty, and vicious acts again.

I was surprisingly naive. Me.

He scoffed and stared intently at the representative’s seal on the overdue notice. His insides were boiling.

Around the third time “Für Elise” played, a man who seemed to be the President answered the phone. It was the same man who had asked who it was earlier. In a polite but thug-like tone, he asked, “President, what can I do for you?”

“Well, uh, the interest seems too high.”

Tae-heun deliberately spoke in a clumsy manner.

Oh, is that so? Let’s see. I’ll take a look for you.

The melody started playing again. This was their way of draining the other person’s energy. It was also our way.

Tae-heun immediately hung up the phone. He wasn’t someone to talk to on the phone. He had to see what kind of guys they were with his own eyes. That’s how he could assess the situation.

It was a dangerous thing to do. It was completely different from meeting the people the Helper had sent. If, by any chance, even a one in a million chance, he ran into a familiar face, he would be screwed. But he couldn’t give up.

I’m just going to see who they are, I won’t handle the aftermath myself, I’ll leave it to the Helper no matter what. He justified his actions.

He immediately went over to room 401 and opened the closet. No, there was a limit to deceiving them with clumsy clothes or disguises. That was too naive. The most certain thing was to make it so they couldn’t recognize his face. Like the Man, like the Eagle Five Brothers he had beaten to a pulp this morning.

Tae-heun threw off the expensive shirt and suit pants he was wearing and headed to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror in his underwear. His face, tanned from the morning’s work, had a pretty reddish hue as if he had applied eyeshadow. His arms and neck, where the skin was starting to peel, were unsightly, though.

With this pretty face, I should be going on dates to seduce men. Tsk.

It was a waste, but there was no choice.

Tae-heun looked at his face in the mirror from various angles, estimating where to inflict self-harm. He was confident in self-harm. It wasn’t something to be proud of, but he had once developed a taste for it. So he knew better than anyone where and how to hit to make it noticeable or not, and what would be most effective. That’s why experience is important. He smiled.

First, he punched his right eye socket with his fist. He hit it hard enough to make a sound, at an angle that wouldn’t damage his eyeball but would be very noticeable. Soon, his eyelid was torn. His thin, white skin was helpful in situations like this. Even one hit looked like three or four hits. He wiped the blood flowing from his eyelid and then brought his clenched fist under his chin.

This is going to hurt a bit.

It was a place he usually didn’t hit even when self-harming. Whew, whew. He caught his breath. He tilted his head from side to side to prepare himself. He had to hit it properly because he could potentially dislocate his jaw. He adjusted the angle and then put strength into his clenched fist. Then, without hesitation, he punched upwards.

Thwack! It made a very satisfying sound. He saw stars and the sky spun around.

Shit. It hurt more than he had imagined. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been properly hit by anyone since becoming Chief. Even Uncle or the VIPs who caused trouble when drunk only slapped him on the cheek at most.

At the same time as the pain, heat rose in his lower abdomen. He finally felt like he was warmed up. Without hesitation, he moved on to the next course. This time, he punched his right cheek. His lip burst with just one hit.

He looked in the mirror. Blood flowed from his burst lip. His right eyelid had also swollen up in the meantime. As a result, his clear vision became blurred. When he looked closely, the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes had also burst. It was definitely the area where the effects appeared the fastest and most effectively. He was satisfied.

He didn’t like his undamaged left face, so this time he raised his left hand. It was definitely weaker than his right hand. It didn’t swell up as much as he thought it would. To other people, this much would probably look serious enough, but what Tae-heun wanted was for his parents to not be able to recognize their own child. Tae-heun raised his left hand again. He punched his left face as much as he wanted. Blood splattered everywhere. It felt like his teeth were loose.

He stared at the mirror again. Perfect. It was really perfect. Not just his parents, he himself wouldn’t be able to recognize himself. He was very satisfied.

Tae-heun turned on the faucet in the sink and washed off the blood. When he gargled with water in his mouth, it stung terribly. Shit, shit. He couldn’t help but curse. The cracked sink was soon filled with bloody water.

His face was enough. Fights often broke out at funerals, so he had plenty of excuses. However, it would be good to have some gray hair. And it would be nice to have a glass of Makgeolli, if possible.

He dried himself with a towel and chose a dress shirt and black suit pants to wear from the closet. He wore something that was quite out of fashion, but didn’t look too cheap. Then he went to a supermarket near the motel. Everyone he encountered was startled and avoided Tae-heun. He had heard the words “you’re handsome” more than a hundred times even when he was wearing work clothes, but no one said those words to Tae-heun now.