#174

The man showed interest.

“You said he looks exactly like Yoon Ki-beom?”

For the first time, emotion surfaced in his voice.

Was it surprise, or fear?

Kim Young-ja found it hard to gauge.

“Yeah, there was a the child.”

She couldn’t remember his name.

What was it?

Shim? Or Shin?

The the child looked exactly like Yoon Ki-beom, but he had no presence at all. He was much smaller in height and build than Yoon Ki-beom, so even though they were the same age, he looked like a younger brother several years younger.

Kim Young-ja remembered that Yoon Ki-beom had been particularly fond of the the child. He had said, “He looks like my younger brother,” or something like that. He sat with the the child beside him, showing him the photo album he had brought, telling him all sorts of stories about the neighborhood he lived in, his family, neighbors, and friends. Of course, he only did that in the early days of his admission, and later he didn’t even acknowledge him.

Unlike Yoon Ki-beom, who had a family, the the child was an orphan. He was a so-called founding member, having been there since 1979 when the Galilla Orphanage was first established.

From the beginning, Galilla Orphanage was one of the orphanages that encompassed all ages, from newborns to nineteen-year-olds. Of course, before Kim Young-ja became a nurse, the newborns and elementary school students had already been sent to other orphanages.

The tiny the child finally grew taller in the summer of his seventeenth year. He was also handsome and had no health problems, so he should have received at least a Grade 2, but he was still a Grade 3. Dr. Choi had decided so, and Kim Young-ja had no choice but to follow.

The reason the the child received a Grade 3 was, ironically, because he looked too much like Yoon Ki-beom, who was Dr. Choi’s favorite. Dr. Choi identified himself with Yoon Ki-beom, and no one else could come between them.

As a Grade 3, the the child should have gone to the factory, but he was summoned by the vice director, Kim Sung-hwan. Kim Sung-hwan, like Dr. Choi, began his own Special Activities with some of the Grade 3 children.

Those children were treated well in their own way. Instead of going to the factory, they could go to school, and they had enough pocket money. They also often received gifts from Kim Sung-hwan, such as new shoes or new clothes. But none of the children showed any signs of liking it. They emanated a unique, gloomy atmosphere.

I would have been the same.

To do Special Activities with that pervert, ugh. Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps.

The the child finally received a Grade 2 late, at the age of eighteen. He finally began to participate in real Special Activities.

Kim Young-ja remembered how beautiful the shy and quiet the child’s dick was. Not only was it big, but it was also very well-shaped. Unlike the pubic hair of other boys, which grew haphazardly, his pubic hair was neatly trimmed, as if it had been groomed, and the length and amount were just right to be arousing. She remembered staring at it for a long time, wondering how it could be like that.

The the child, who was being given a physical examination by Kim Young-ja, was blushing all over and kept his head down.

His virginity was probably taken by Dr. Choi’s wife.

That was the first time Kim Sung-hwan had been so angry. Kim Sung-hwan, who never showed his emotions, expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that the the child had been promoted to Grade 2 and sent to Special Activities without his permission. It was the first and last time he stood up to Dr. Choi. He acted like he was going to kill him, so the director and Kim Young-ja were very surprised.

In any case, the the child left Kim Sung-hwan’s hands and came under Dr. Choi’s management. Dr. Choi still disliked the the child, but surprisingly, the the child was popular. Unlike Yoon Ki-beom, his shyness and timidity were rather a factor in his popularity. Besides, he had a nice thing and was gentle. Yes, he was gentle. Just like the man in front of her. It was only natural that he received love calls from female customers.

“I wanted to fuck him too.”

Kim Young-ja laughed. She thought it was so foolish of her to say that.

She didn’t know why she had so much to say in front of this man. It was partly because there was no one else to listen to the turbulent life of Kim Young-ja, the human being, but also because she thought that Kim Sung-hwan or Dr. Choi had sent him and that he knew something about her, so she wanted to be more honest.

“You don’t look anything like him, but your vibe is similar.”

Kim Young-ja said.

It was true. He didn’t look anything like the the child, but there was something about this man that reminded her of the the child. His vibe was different, and even the air he exuded was different, but still.

Ah, she remembered his name.

Yes, that’s right.

The the child had been abandoned in front of a pioneering church in a slum in Seoul on a day when it was pouring rain. He was less than a month old, a real newborn, abandoned without even being wrapped in a blanket, without a name.

They must have abandoned him, thinking he would die. But the the child survived, unfortunately. Unfortunately. Kim Young-ja had definitely said that to the the child.

‘You’re so unlucky.’

How did she know the the child’s story? She had never been curious about the circumstances of the children in the orphanage, so she had never asked, but Kim Young-ja wondered why she knew so much about the the child’s circumstances.

She almost mistook herself for having a secret relationship with the the child. That was absolutely not the case. She suddenly thought that it might have been nice if it had been.

When she thought about it, Kim Young-ja felt a sense of intimacy with the the child. Perhaps she had some affection for the the child, unlike the other boys and girls.

The the child was surprisingly kind. He was a very affectionate the child. And he was really good at imitating other people, which made the people around him happy. The the child was the only child in the orphanage who made Kim Young-ja laugh.

The the child was so shy, but he imitated comedians perfectly, and he imitated the speech patterns and habits of popular talents and movie stars, which was amazing.

From Lee Ju-il to Shim Hyung-rae, from Ahn Sung-ki to Park Joong-hoon, the spectrum of imitations he could do was very diverse. Of course, he also imitated Dr. Choi, as well as the director and vice director. He probably imitated her in front of her.

The the child had a special talent for perfectly copying the atmosphere that everyone, regardless of gender or age, exuded. A talent that made people exclaim in admiration.

Was he dreaming of becoming a voice actor? No. Was he dreaming of becoming an actor? No. The the child’s dream was.

“Really?”

The man’s words interrupted her thoughts.

The man in front of her seemed to be pleased that she said his vibe was similar to the the child’s.

“Lee Ju-il imitation. I want to see it.”

The man muttered to himself.

“It was amazing. This Kim Young-ja laughed so hard I grabbed my stomach.”

Kim Young-ja replied.

She missed it. She missed those days so much. Looking back, it was a truly beautiful time. When she was managing the children as the head nurse, when she was the center of attention of many men. She wanted to go back to the time when she bought luxury goods with the monthly salary and generous bonuses she received every month. She even received the respect of the girls in the orphanage, whom she had never liked, whom she had only envied and hated. There were many girls whose dream was to become a ‘nurse’ because of this Kim Young-ja.

‘I want to be like the head nurse.’

She wanted to see Dr. Choi again. He must have aged gracefully.

‘Head Nurse, you are beautiful today.’

She wanted to get back together with the handsome and mature Dr. Choi. She felt like she could really do well this time.

It wasn’t too late yet.

She was only fifty-two.

Even now, when she dressed up and went out, most people thought she was around forty, so Kim Young-ja was taking good care of her skin and body.

She regretted the money that man had taken, but there was still some left. Enough to start over. Enough money to go somewhere where Kim Sung-hwan could no longer chase her.

Yes, let’s leave this narrow country. Let’s start over there.

Kim Young-ja was filled with new dreams. She wondered why she had been so stubborn about staying in Korea. She could go anywhere if she had money, she could do anything if she had money, but her vision was too narrow. She had let fear eat away at her.

She realized a lot thanks to this man.

“How old was the the child when he left the orphanage?”

The man asked. His voice was even filled with affection.

“Usually they stay until they’re nineteen, but he was still there even when he was over twenty.”

It was clear. The the child was still in the orphanage when Yoon Ki-beom broke into the orphanage.

But why did the the child stay there?

She tilted her head.

After Yoon Ki-beom left the orphanage, when Dr. Choi went crazy, the boys and girls who were the same age as Yoon Ki-beom voluntarily left the orphanage.

Kim Sung-hwan also let the nineteen-year-olds leave and never tried to get them back. But the the child stayed in the orphanage. When Yoon Ki-beom came back to the orphanage with Na Jin-soo and his cousin when he was twenty, the the child was definitely there.

“He stayed? Did he get a job there or something?”

The man asked, as if surprised.

“Well, he must have stayed because he had something to do.”

She couldn’t remember at all what the the child did at the orphanage.

If it hadn’t been for this man, she would have completely forgotten that the the child had stayed in the orphanage until he was almost twenty.

Why did he stay?

Kim Young-ja thought for a while and stared at the man in front of her. The man in front of her seemed to be lost in thought, just like Kim Young-ja.

“Do you know him?”

Kim Young-ja asked.

The man neither affirmed nor denied.

“I wasn’t going to say this, but I was really good to him, even if I didn’t treat the other children well. Ask him. It’s true.”

Kim Young-ja appealed.

If she did well, she might be able to seduce this man.

Kim Young-ja gave the problem solver in front of her a pitiful look. The look that always worked on the the child.

“Mister, please save me. Huh? You don’t have to go this far.”

She could see the man smiling. No, he seemed to be troubled. After all, similar things resonated with each other.

“It’s all in the past. I’ve paid the price for my sins, and I’m still paying for it. Huh?”

“What’s the the child’s name?”

So he didn’t know the the child.

She was a little disappointed, but she didn’t give up hope.

“If I tell you his name, will you let me go?”

The man readily nodded.

What the hell was this man? Now she was curious about everything.

It was certain that either Kim Sung-hwan or Dr. Choi had sent him, but he had quite a bit of information about the orphanage. Kim Sung-hwan and Dr. Choi wouldn’t have given that much information to a errand boy. They knew how dirty their deeds were, so they were secretly hiring people, weren’t they?

Could he be from Galilla? No, no. That could never be. If there had been a the child with such a pretty lower face, no matter what his actual face looked like, this Kim Young-ja wouldn’t have forgotten him.

“Name? Aren’t you going to tell me?”

The man asked back. There was impatience in his voice.

“If I tell you his name, will you save me?”

Kim Young-ja didn’t miss the opportunity. She needed a definite answer.

The man nodded his head vigorously.

“Then untie my hands first.”

At Kim Young-ja’s request, the man immediately took out a knife and cut the rope that bound her hands.

Her hands were free. At this point, she could easily escape after this man left.

“Thank you.”

“Name?”

She could tell him his name as much as he wanted. Kim Young-ja said the the child’s name out loud.

Then the man called out the the child’s name after her. He smiled awkwardly, as if he felt awkward even after calling it out. His smile was very attractive.

Kim Young-ja also smiled.

Now this nightmare was over.

She was relieved.

At that moment, she was hit on the head with something blunt and collapsed.

Her vision was spinning. She was dizzy. Blood was flowing down her cheekbone. Kim Young-ja screamed as hard as she could. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe this situation.

“Son of a…bitch.”

That bastard broke his promise. Son of a bitch. But the words didn’t come out as a sound. She, who was said to have the eyes of a shaman and could figure out a person without any effort, had made a mistake.

That bastard was not the same kind as the the child.

He was a devil. A different kind of devil from Kim Sung-hwan and Yoon Ki-beom.

Kim Young-ja lost consciousness.

* * *

This woman must never live.

She didn’t deserve to live, to enjoy expensive and good things, to eat delicious food.

Tae-heun boldly broke the promise he never intended to keep in the first place. He laid her back down and properly tied her hands behind her back. He bound her tightly so she could never break free.

“Young-ja, try to survive.”

Kim Young-ja screamed. She couldn’t contain her anger and wailed.

Then she finally spat out a curse, “You son of a bitch.”

“Only doing what Young-ja deserves.”

He grinned and sealed Kim Young-ja’s mouth with duct tape.

Kim Young-ja wailed.

Tae-heun slowly rose from his spot and climbed out of the ceiling. As his foot touched the floor, the sound of crystal shards breaking under his shoe echoed.

The Man’s shoes, the special shoes that turned the normal Tae-heun into a cripple. He stood on the floor with those shoes and closed the door leading to the ceiling.

This house deserved to burn. Compared to what they had done, Director Kim Young-ja had passed away too peacefully. The Director’s Husband and children would be thriving, feeding off the blood and sweat of parentless boys and girls, and Kim Sung-hwan would also be living well somewhere with his family, thanks to the embezzled wealth.

Tae-heun abandoned his initial decision to end it here. The next targets were Deputy Director Kim Sung-hwan and Dr. Choi, Choi In-ho. He was the Man’s lover, so he deserved to deal with at least those two. Well, even if he didn’t, it didn’t matter.

He poured one can of gasoline intensively into the master bedroom. He placed the remaining two cans in the kitchen and living room. Then, he lit a lighter and threw it into the master bedroom.

Whoosh!

Flames soared with an unrestrained sound.

Tae-heun fearlessly sat on the sofa and watched the fire. The flames, saturated with gasoline, burned the master bedroom well. The air conditioner helped the flames spread widely. He sat on the sofa until his face felt hot, then left the house with regret. He made sure to lock up properly.

The rain had stopped in the meantime.

Tae-heun stumbled towards the car, his shoes crunching on the mud. Unlike the Man, he limped with his left foot. With every step, the world tilted to the left.

175 – Chapter Title Without Number