1.1 That Neighborhood (2)

Rini reached deep into his pocket, pulled out a small bag of snacks, and held it out over the windowsill. When he called out, “Seoul,” the head that had been tilted toward the sky finally returned to its place. Rini beckoned with his hand. It looked exactly like someone feeding a pitiful animal trapped in a zoo.

“Thanks.”

As Geum Seoul took the snacks, Rini smiled. Rini’s face, brightening radiantly, was pale and pretty. Blinking, Geum Seoul stuffed the snack bag, which was only half the size of his palm, into his own pocket. The atmosphere had returned to normal.

“Noki? I think they said they were looking for that one who ran away. Apparently, they’re paying rent to stay here for a few days. They said if things are resolved well, they’ll even open up a place to sell gemstones…”

“If you get on the good side of Iljang Trading, your life is set. That son of a bitch Park Gil-pyeong is the only one hitting the jackpot. He doesn’t even come around much in the summer. But didn’t you, like, leave a few items on tab with Chief Choi down there?”

Ah. As if finally understanding why Park Gil-pyeong was jumping for joy, Bunhong reached out over the window and flicked away some grey ash.

“He said he’d pay extra. If he likes them.”

“You actually have something to give?”

At those words, Rini nodded and, with a slightly flushed expression, pulled a pouch from his trouser pocket. Inside were about five gemstones, each no larger than half a pinky nail. Judging by the saturation and brightness, they were deeper than the ones Rini usually made.

“Oh.”

“I hope that person likes my gemstones. It would be even better if he came to see my face…”

There was excitement in Rini’s voice. After stretching his neck to get a good look, Bunhong stood up straight and shifted his gaze away from the deep blue sky where the sun had long since set. Concrete walls, newspapers plastered haphazardly to prevent mold growth. On the faded paper, a celebrity’s face was printed, smiling brightly unauthorized copystyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]alongside a headline like ‘Actor Lee Je-shin, Grade A Smile.’ They said Lee Je-shin was a Grade B-3 Omega, but with that look, the descriptor ‘Grade A’ seemed fitting.

“Sigh, if I’d been born like that, my life would’ve been a breeze.”

Bunhong chewed over the words he often repeated. Perhaps Rini might catch the eye of the new guest and get out of here. He didn’t think that bastard Park Gil-pyeong would let him go easily, but if there was enough money, who knew. I’m jealous. With a bitter expression, Bunhong held a cigarette to the corner of his lips and took a deep drag of smoke.

They said the probability of an Omega having a constitution where tears turn into gemstones was less than 10 percent. The moment they cried for the first time after birth, the color and type of gemstone they produced became known. Grade D or F went without saying, and it was only from Grade C that they could even be called gemstones, though those were too common now. Grade B prices varied wildly depending on the detailed level attached, and Grade A, which only existed up to level 5, was out of the question entirely.

They were rare existences, countable on one hand globally. In this country, only two had appeared in history. Even then, after news broke that the last one had died 20 years ago, even the rumors about them had vanished. People said the nation’s luck had declined from that point.

While the personal information of those capable of producing Grade A Gems was kept secret, other stories floated around. Bunhong had heard them a few times. They said that as soon as a Grade A is born, high-ranking officials all rush to them. That truly sounded like a story from another world.

However, Bunhong didn’t believe that living this way was a problem of gemstone grade.

Concentration of wealth. It was a difference that was too obvious and boring. If you were born into a wealthy family, even if you received a poor grade, it wasn’t uncommon to pay off a ton of bribes to avoid registering as a Manifested or to hide it entirely and live a normal life. Also, from something he heard at an auction house last time, there was a wealthy Omega launching a brand using products made from Grade F gemstone powder to create a buzz.

If you were born into a poor family, even a Grade B was a field of hell. The fate of a Jewel Omega, who became the goose that laid golden eggs for their family, was ten times out of ten miserable. The idea that the government provided subsidies if you self-reported was only applicable if you were born in a hospital decent enough to afford it.

To begin with, the machines used to appraise gemstones were extremely expensive and strictly managed by the government, so there were many districts that didn’t have them. If a child was born outside a hospital due to poverty and their tears turned into gemstones, there was a high probability that the child’s life was a mire from the very start.

“Seoul. How much did you earn today?”

“Five hundred won from Grandmother Jin-hae.”

“You actually got it all from that stingy grandmother?”

“If I wait, she does give it all.”

“You’re something else.”

Bunhong’s gaze turned toward the two people conversing softly in low voices. He was one thing, but those two had quite the fates as well. This place gathered only the Manifested in the worst of situations among Omegas born into poor families. This neighborhood had been poor since the time of their parents’ parents, back when the buildings were still intact.

Rini was born here. Since he was a Grade B, one of the highest in the neighborhood, he lived like a human being, receiving the money Park Gil-pyeong gave him after selling the gemstones at auction. While it was common for old men or widowers to look at him with filthy eyes or harass him under the pretext of buying gemstones, they didn’t dare do anything openly shitty because Park Gil-pyeong was there.

That was why the Jewel Omegas continued to stay in the filthy second-floor rentals. Park Gil-pyeong gave them a pitifully small amount of the sales proceeds and was a perverted piece of trash who only cared about himself, but they might face even harsher treatment elsewhere. In other places, no matter how low the grade, there were plenty of losers who would beat them or collect gemstones through vile methods to sell, and if an Omega fell into the hands of a pervert who had completely lost it, there was no bottom to the abyss.

At least Park Gil-pyeong didn’t lock the Omegas up; as long as they supplied enough gemstones for him to sell, he left them alone in the rooms of this roofed building. Although he would try to touch a thin Omega with a flat stomach whenever a new one arrived, he was a bastard with more greed for money than sexual desire, so after violating them once, he wouldn’t touch them a second time. He believed it was more profitable to have them raise their grade by a few levels and sell one more gemstone than to stress them out until they ran away. Furthermore, his intuition for business was uncanny, and his method of handling each Jewel Omega he brought in was ghost-like in its difference.

They said there used to be discrimination based on secondary gender in the past, but that had now become a thing of the past, so Jewel Omegas born into ordinary families lived normally. As mentioned before, the misery of this world stemmed from a long-standing source. The moment either parent judged that their child could become a source of income, peace became like a cheap newspaper torn by a single drop of water.

Bunhong himself was like that. The bastard who was his father was a mediocre Alpha, and although he was a civil servant who could barely make ends meet, as soon as his child hit Grade C-5 at age nine, he pinched the child’s cheek and frequented auction houses with the resulting tear-gemstones. And now, at twenty-three, Bunhong was here. He had spent the money he got from selling gemstones he’d been coaxed into producing, but when the supply became difficult, he was beaten, and when his grade dropped again because of it, he was sold instead of paying off the debt.

Even so, his fate didn’t even rank among the most tragic in this village. At least I’m thinking of saving money and getting out of here. Bunhong’s gaze drifted to Geum Seoul.

Geum Seoul was a Grade D Omega. Was it exactly Grade D-9? He couldn’t remember well, but there was no need to. A grade like that wasn’t even worth calling a gemstone; it was just a pebble that would crush if hit once with a hammer. Waste that was more a hassle to clean up. Trash no different from a clump of dust rolling in a corner the moment a tear fell from the body and began to harden. Not to mention the value, it was a nuisance that required shaking out the pillowcase after crying because it was useless.

Born useless like that, Geum Seoul was an errand boy doing odd jobs in this neighborhood. He was the only Omega in the building who didn’t have to give gemstones to CEO Park, but in exchange, he took on all the chores. Cleaning, of course, as well as laundry, cleaning up after others, and even taking the brunt of Park Gil-pyeong’s physical abuse was his share.

Fortunately, Geum Seoul was quite resourceful. Everyone here was poor, so even if they asked him to do a single laundry errand, they [stolen content]weren’t in a position to pay him Read on Read BL Novelsregularly. In such cases, he would coax them into giving him something else instead of money, kindly defer the payment, or act just as brazenly as the shameless people, standing tall in front of their doors for hours.

Because he did all sorts of menial work, he was in a position to be easily ignored, but regardless, Geum Seoul busily poked around everywhere. He navigated the old, dilapidated abandoned village so well that he could be seen in the narrow alleys from morning until night.

‘Grandmother! I’m only going if you definitely give it to me this time.’

Geum Seoul speaking through a waterproof tarp. Geum Seoul carrying a large laundry bag. Geum Seoul passing by like an arrow on a quick errand. Resident of the alleys 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, he was a natural presence to the villagers.

Click. When the clock in the hallway pointed to 8, Geum Seoul, who had just finished hanging the laundry and gathering the dry clothes, stood up. Even on this hot day, he wore long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and an outer garment, a sight that made one frown just looking at him.

When asked why he dressed like that, he said it was because of a sun allergy. He said his face was fine, but if other parts of his body were exposed to the sun for too long, rashes would break out. It didn’t make much sense, but since he’d been like that from the moment he first appeared in the neighborhood until now, no one really questioned it anymore. The shabby long-sleeved, long-pants attire was simply one of Geum Seoul’s original looks.

“Where are you going?”

Rini asked Geum Seoul, who, instead of entering the building after finishing the laundry, was climbing down a wooden ladder. A small answer, ‘Going for a walk,’ seemed to be heard, but since he was a kid who was always busy on his own, Rini didn’t ask further. Since he wasn’t in a position to pity others, Bunhong didn’t think of Geum Seoul as pitiful. Everyone in this village had a tragic fate.

Tap.

Coming back outside the building, Geum Seoul walked diligently along the path. Even looking back, the two people leaning on the windowsill were no longer visible.

Screech. Screech. Within a minute, no inhabited houses were in sight. Despite it being a narrow alley devoid of people, with grassy fields on both sides teeming with insects making strange noises, it was a clear path to Geum Seoul. Normally, he would have just passed through quickly and diligently, but today his face was full of caution. Moreover, he even minimized the sound of his footsteps.

Crack!

As if in response, a loud rupturing sound suddenly echoed. A clear human presence. Startled, Geum Seoul narrowed his shoulders and tilted his head toward the source of the sound. In the alley lined with dilapidated [stolen content]class="wm-strong" style="position:relative;display:inline;">[visit our site]houses that looked ready to collapse, the end was a vacant lot where the temporary roof had been swept away during the last heavy rain. A human presence was being heard there.

“Ha… what should I do?”

Geum Seoul stood still and pondered for a moment. Under a yellow light on the other side of a sparsely standing, half-destroyed wall, the presence of people flickered. His destination was beyond that, and there was no place to hide and pass through. Then again, if he pushed through the shoulder-high weeds, he might suffer all night from being bitten by ticks.

In the end, he decided to go around, following the wall remaining in the vacant lot, which served as a reminder that it had once been a building. Having spent 20 years mastering the art of quietly erasing his presence, he was confident. Let’s just get past quickly. He crouched lower and approached, silencing his footsteps. Sweat trickled down his back.

“Nahan, why are you doing this to me? Huh? Where, where did I do something wrong?”

Leaning his back against the wall, Geum Seoul pressed his hand to his chest. He recognized this voice, gasping for breath and stuttering. His heart thumped. It would be better to pass quickly, but curiosity bit at the back of Geum Seoul’s head, and he peeked his head over the wall.

“I heard you’re the one who brought him here.”

It was the same man who had brought Noki yesterday. Was his name Lee Dae-chang? He didn’t know the details, but he knew he occasionally visited the auction house and that Gil-pyeong called him ‘CEO Lee.’ Bleeding from his forehead, the man was on his knees, and another man stood right in front of him. And five or six people were lined up along the wall.

The one questioning CEO Lee was the man who had been talking with Park Gil-pyeong this morning. With a face that was somewhat kind yet unkind, as before, he flicked a pinch of his t-shirt. He also wiped the beads of sweat from his hand with the back of his hand.

“I told you. I mean, really, he was sleeping in front of my house first. But, well, he looked like a Jewel Omega. Huh? I just hit him a few times and dragged him here, that’s all.”

CEO Lee looked quite aggrieved. He was explaining earnestly to men who looked like sons much younger than him, spitting and waving both hands, but the man remained motionless with his hands on his hips. Perhaps the flicking of his shirt hadn’t been enough to relieve the heat, as irritation settled on his face.

Rustle.

Did they catch that person and bring him here? To find Noki? Geum Seoul blinked [Read [visit our site]on Read BL Novels]his sweat-slicked eyelids rapidly.

They really were gangsters who beat people.

Having come here as a child, his memories of this neighborhood were now stronger, but he had lived in another village back when his mother was alive. That place was also an abandoned village, but it was larger than this one, and Geum Seoul still vividly remembered how terrifying the gangster who guarded that neighborhood was.

At least here, there were no such people. To be precise, it wasn’t a neighborhood with enough people for such bastards to come and reside. Rather, the guests who came whenever an auction was held often exuded a more murderous atmosphere.

‘That, Iljang Trading…’

Choi Suk-jin’s voice flickered through his mind. Iljang Trading was famous enough for even Geum Seoul to know. They said they were very scary people. Then, if he were caught watching secretly…

Let’s stop looking. Geum Seoul crouched low again and walked along the wall. Moving while hunched over on such a hot day was so difficult that his thighs began to ache and he started to run out of breath. The smell of dust was thick because of the weeds that rose to his calves.

He wanted to escape this place quickly. He still had many things to do and wanted to let today pass just like this. After walking halfway while looking only ahead, he leaned his back against the wall again. The voices of the men beyond the wall drifted over along with the heat.

“If not you, then what, did a sewer rat smuggle him out?”

“No, I’m telling you, just ask Park Gil-pyeong! I’m truly wronged.”

This wasn’t the first time something like this happened. Of course, it wasn’t common, but every few years, someone would run away or people would come looking for them. The latter was mostly for money. And those who ran away usually did so because they had saved money, found another hope, became pregnant, or thought anywhere would be better than here. Probably for those reasons.

Geum Seoul had no intention of running away. Other people living here earned pocket money by selling food and drinks or providing convenience whenever auctions were held periodically, and Geum Seoul earned a few hundred won by doing errands for those villagers.

There was nothing else he could do. He lived by eating, buying medicine, and surviving with the money he saved that [visit our site]content">stolen contentway. There was no reason to leave. Besides, sometimes his mother…

Forcing the thoughts rushing into his mind to disappear, he gripped the hem of his clothes tightly. This was no time to be idling. Just as he slightly straightened his hunched back.

Thump.

“…”

His lifted face was completely swallowed by a pitch-black shadow. As if waiting, the man who stepped out from the corner and blocked Geum Seoul’s path was…

“…Ah.”

He opened his mouth. He knew instantly. The person in front of him now was the handsome man Rini had mentioned.

Slide.

He might not even be human. In this chilling moment of being caught while hiding, he didn’t know why such a thought occurred. Perhaps it was because it was a beautiful face he had never seen before. Even though orange light was seeping through the curved wall, the jet-black hair reflected a bluish tint. Or perhaps it was because of the pupils that were a vivid, matching color. In the moment Geum Seoul blankly lost focus, the man, standing crookedly with both hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets, smiled gently and opened his mouth.

“Hi, little rat. Going to eat some cheese?”

It was a voice as wonderful as his face.

Swoosh.