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1. A Hooligan with a Story <3>
“What, too tough for you?”
“Not really.”
“That’s good.”
“……Actually, it really is.”
“Whatever, just forget about it.”
“What do you mean whatever? I’m a thug, kicked out of school for fighting.”
“You also think that you’re a thug that got kicked out of school for fighting?”
“Well, other people will think that at the least.”
“You care so much about what other people think, and you went and did that?”
Changgong’s head fell.
“……I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
“Kiddo, you lower your head too easily.”
Seungjeong awkwardly wet his lips.
He wasn’t content with the situation either.
His son was full of regret. That’s why he didn’t plan on adding to that by admonishing him, but a few words came out before he realized what he was saying.
“It’s impossible not to care about what others think. But, even I used to order people around with my chin. If I cared about what others thought, would I be able to go out and work at the construction sites? Now that you’ve been expelled, it feels like the end of the world, doesn’t it? It feels like everyone is laughing at you. Far from it. Nobody thinks you’re special. You’ll be forgotten within 4 days. Just believe me.”
“……You really think so?”
“I’ve been through all this, too. Blew all the money I saved at age forty, got fired, lost the house, I was one step away from becoming a hobo. Can you even imagine what it feels like for your whole life up to forty to just disappear?”
“……”
“I’m telling you now that you’re a bit grown up, but I really wanted to die back then. But, seeing your face, I just couldn’t. If I went off and died, what would such a young kid like you do. Live, at least until this little kid can take care of himself. That’s how I lasted these past ten years. Thinking back now, it may have been a difficult situation, but it was nothing to die for.”
“……”
“Getting kicked out of school, it’s only a bit embarrassing for now. More than a couple people lost their family and wealth, falling to rock bottom at the age of forty, fifty. Compared to that, you’re still a baby. You’re not even twenty yet. It’s laughable from my point of view. You just tripped a little. Just get up and dust yourself off.”
“……”
Changgong felt himself calming.
Had his father’s words always been this helpful?
“Kid, sit up straight. You’re father’s right behind you, so what’s the worry? You can fall as many times as you want. I’ll always pick you right back up.”
“……”
“Don’t lose your confidence over this. It’s hard for your father to see you lose confidence. You’re the only thing I have going for me.”
Changgong’s eyes stung and soon filled with moisture. He slowly let out the breath that he had been holding.
Even when everyone in the world criticizes me, my father’s still on my side.
“You crying?”
“Who’s crying?”
“If not, whatever.”
“Father.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I won’t ever get into fights again.”
“It’s fine if you know. But since we’re already talking about it, let me just make one thing
clear. This situation is completely your fault.”
“I know.”
“I have an idea of why you did it, but that’s not what you should have been doing. Also, you have to earn money honestly. Would you like it if I brought stolen money home?”
“……”
“I’m sure you understand, so I won’t say anymore.”
-……and continuing on recent news. A fight broke out at a bar in the Incheon area on the 18th. With broken bottles as weapons, it is said the fight was as intense as gang violence. It is reported that there was a high schooler involved.
The news flowed out of the television. It was about the fight that Changgong had started last weekend.
Seungjeong clapped his hands and yelled.
“Hey kid! Look, look! It’s you over there!”
Changgong replied, surprised.
“Why’re you being so loud about it? It’s nothing to be proud of.”
“If not now, when will you ever come out on TV again. Everybody, look! That fourth fool with his hat on low, being dragged out by the police, that’s my son!”
“What are you doing? Stop, please!”
“HAHAHA! I don’t know whose son that is but he sure is good looking!”
“God, really?”
2. To the Fighting Gym <1>
Just as Seungjeong had said, the shock from being expelled faded within 4 days.
Changgong secretly went out to a labor office and started doing manual labor. He couldn’t waste his time doing nothing at home.
He had no skills, so the only thing he could do simple tasks like moving the cement bags or digging. Fortunately, he was pretty fit and could keep up with the other workers.
“Let’s eat!”
The head of the group shouted.
The workers threw away their tools as if they had been waiting and swarmed into the open area. About 20 or so people gathered around on the ground and ate.
“So how old are you, kid?”
A tan middle aged man questioned Changgong.
“Twenty.”
He lied appropriately. Telling people that he got kicked out of school was still a bit embarrassing.
“Seeing as your skin is so white and clear, it hasn’t been long, huh?”
“Yes, it’s my first day.”
“Out of all the job out there, why this hard labor?”
“The pay’s good.”
“Gosh, you really don’t know anything, mate. This work shaves the life off you. See, without this job we wouldn’t be able survive, yeah, but you have so much ahead of you. You can’t go rotting in a place like this.”
Changgong just smiled, having nothing to say.
He felt a little bitter.
These men were doing this work because they had nothing else. Wouldn’t my father have survived all these days like thinking that, too?
“Learn a skill. Maybe welding or something. If you want to make money, you have to do something like that.”
“They don’t teach you a skill for free. I heard that welders don’t easily give out their knowledge because they’re scared of having their work taken from them.”
“That’s why you gotta suck their asses hard! Until shit is dripping off of your tongue. Us ignorant fools are soft on the inside, so if you can just get in it’s easy.”
“Jeez, why’re you talking about shit while we’re eating here?”
An older man who had been drinking his yukgaejang soup grumbled.
“Anyways, whatever you do, save up when you’re young so you don’t struggle when you’re old.”
“I will.”
The sweet lunch break ended, and the work began again. Changgong stretched his arms in the air before walking towards the pile of cement.
***
Five days passed since Changgong started working at the construction site.
On the first day, it seemed that his arms were a little sore, but not anymore. His clean skin tanned a bit, and he looked quite like laborer. Not that there’s anything good about looking like a laborer.
He was still doing simple tasks but now that he had been working a few days, he understood orders right away. He got good enough that he could joke around with the older men  between tasks.
The people who work honestly are fools, right?
Well, it was when Changgong had finished working and was coming out of the office with his daily pay.
“The great Changgong Lee is doing construction work?”
Changgong looked towards the voice.
“Dongwoo.”
It was his senior, Dongwoo Choi. The thug who had wrapped Changgong’s hands in bandages before.
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean what’s up, you’ve been ignoring all of my texts so I followed the gossip until it lead to you directly here.”
“I broke my phone then.”
“Oh…… right.”
Dongwoo laughed awkwardly and pat Changgong on the shoulder.
“So, how’s work?”
“Really tough. It’s not called hard labor for no reason.”
“Yeah, so have you eaten?”
“No.”
“I’m getting hungry so why don’t we go get a bite. I have some things to say.”
“I have nothing to say, though.”
Changgong bluntly stated.
He had no hard feelings for Dongwoo. But he didn’t want to get involved with thugs anymore.
Dongwoo had a look of bitterness and sighed.
“I know what you’re feeling. But was there anything I could have done? I’m on the bottom rung, too.”
“I understand. I don’t spite you or anything. I just don’t want to do that sort of work anymore.”
“It’s not like that. Have I ever made you doing bad jobs? I told you not to do this one. That you’d see blood.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Dongwoo was different from the normal thugs.
Before he was a thug, he was a friend from the neighborhood. He always looked out for Changgong no matter what he did. Changgong had pestered Dongwoo do get him into the thug life, but Dongwoo had always warned Changgong even as he gave him jobs.
“Let’s just talk first. Clear up the misunderstandings. You can tell me everything you wanted to, too.”
“……”
“No? Should I just go?”
Changgong scratched his head.
“You’re buying, right? I’m going to get something expensive.”
Dongwoo laughed.
“You said you’d get something expensive and you pick gamjatang?”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to eat a whole pig.”
Dongwoo and Changgong had gone to a nearby gamjatang place and had only been chatting. Girl talk, money talk, what to do about the GED, etc.
The important talk didn’t come out until they were finishing up their gamjatang.
“You said you had something to say.”
Finally, Changgong started the conversation.
“Yeah.”
Dongwoo drank a shot of soju and started talking.
“First, I’m sorry that things turned out this way. I had no idea that Jinho was the one to tip off the cops.”
“It’s in the past, don’t worry about it. I didn’t get any blood on my hands in the end, anyways.”
“Here.”
Dongwoo took out an envelope and passed it to Changgong.
“What is this?”
“Money for your phone. Jinho told me to give it to you.”
“Jinho did?”
There was 500,000 won in the envelope.
Dongwoo may have said it was from Jinho, but it was most likely Dongwoo’s money. Changgong had already been transferred 300,000 won for the job. If Jinho was going to pay him for the phone, it would have been then.
“I know I should refuse, but I’ll thankfully take it. We’re having a really hard time lately.”
“Bastard, what do you mean thankfully? It’s your money.”
“Well, but still.”
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Changgong gobbled up his gamjatang.
“How much do you make a day for hard labor?”
“After taking off the commission charge, 63,000 won.”
“Let’s see…… If you work 6 days a week, you’ll make about 1.65 in a month.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t you want to try a real job instead of this?”
“Hey, I told you that I don’t want to do any of that anymore.”
In the end, Dongwoo was a thug. He had brought the topic back to this. Changgong rejected the offer right away.
“Dude, you have to listen to Koreans until the end. It’s a real and honest job this time.”
“What is it?”
“A gym. 5 days a week for 1.3 a month.”
“What would I do at a gym?”
“Taking care of the equipment, cleaning, laundry, and stuff like that. I don’t know the details either. So, you interested?”
“And there’s no connection to thugs?”
“None. It’s a clean job.”
“……”
Changgong put down his spoon and crossed his arms.
Honestly, he had to think about it.
The monthly pay was lower, but if you considered the days of work, it wasn’t that different. And, he had more days off. Plus, it would be cleaner inside.
More than that though, it was embarrassing when a girl passed by while he was doing construction work. He wouldn’t have to worry about that with this job.
But still, he had just gotten used to the job and didn’t really want to have to start a different one.
“Think about it and call them if you want it. Tell them I introduced you.”
As Changgong continued to think, Dongwoo handed him a business card.
“Team Fighting Spirit? What kind of gym has a stupid name like this? Do they raise fighters?”
“It seems that they do a variety of things, but their focus is on mixed martial arts.”
“Mixed martial arts?”
“You know, you see it on TV occasionally. SFC (Super fighting championship) and stuff.”
Changgong looked at the business card again.
Now that he thought about it, Korean athletes did occasionally enter the SFC. Not that their results were any good.
“Does this gym have SFC fighters, too?”
“I don’t know about that. Anyways, think about it and give them a call if you’re interested.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Be thankful if it turns out okay. Let’s eat, it’ll get cold.”
Dongwoo and Changgong swallowed up their gamjatangs.
“Can I add another bone?”
“Sure.”
“While I’m adding that, what about a line of soondae?”
“……”