Episode 33
“Brother, we have arrived.”
I must have slept soundly.
It was only when Ha-young shook him awake that Si-hyeon came to his senses.
“Haam… really?”
Sihyeon yawned and stretched.
When I looked outside, it was definitely the city center when I left, but I saw a mountain covered in clouds.
“Thank you for your hard work, Hayoung.”
After saying that to Hayoung, I got out of the car, rubbing my eyes.
“Hmm, good.”
There was an earthy smell that was hard to smell in the city. Because it was so rural, there were only a few households living there, so there wasn’t a single person on the street.
Woof woof.
The dog barked happily. It was a family of Poongsan dogs that my father had adopted and raised. I heard that a baby was born about a month ago, and two plump albino babies were looking at me with curious eyes.
“Hey, it’s been a long time since I last saw you, so you shouldn’t bark happily. So, will you protect the house with me?”
Sihyeon smiled and petted her father’s Poongsan dog.
The Poongsan dog waggled its tail. They said it was originally a native hunting dog, but it seemed like it was too gentle and was brought here.
“Ayu, it’s cute.”
Before she knew it, Hayoung had approached the cubs and was taking out her smartphone and taking a video with an expression that said she couldn’t resist because they were so cute.
“Are you guys here?”
It seemed like my mother came out the door at the sound of the dog barking.
“Yes, I’m here. I’ll be in right away.”
Sihyeon answered.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Father, we are here.”
My father, who was sitting in his room reading the newspaper with a magnifying glass on, looked up.
“Uh, okay. What is that?”
My father asked when he saw the items Sihyeon was carrying.
“I bought some red ginseng. I hope it will help you recover.”
“I’m fine now. Only you guys who work have to eat that.”
“Both Hayoung and I are young. Please make sure to eat it, Dad.”
Sihyeon placed the red ginseng box in a corner of the room and sat down. Hayoung also sat next to me.
“How are you feeling?”
“I heard you’re fine.”
Sihyeon looked closely at her father. His scar remained, but the wound on his head seemed almost completely healed. His scarred face also returned to its original appearance.
But the vision also knew. The problem is not trauma.
Crime victims have something to say. He says he can’t sleep well at night and suffers from unbearable stress. There was even a paper that showed that crime shock destroys the victim’s brain.
My father’s wounds on the outside have healed, but his insides are probably still charred. While Sihyeon was wondering for a moment how to bring up the topic, her mother came in with refreshments.
“Eat some of this.”
“Yes, I will eat well.”
Sihyeon picked up a tangerine.
Hayoung also peeled a tangerine and chewed it.
My mother sat next to my father.
“…I heard about my father.”
Sihyeon finally opened her mouth first. She had already told Hayoung that she would take the initiative in talking to Hayoung, and her younger brother also knew.
“What are you talking about?”
“Father, I heard you were scammed.”
Si-hyeon heard that the father wanted to hide it from his children, but he thought it was not an issue that could be ignored, so he spoke directly.
“….”
My father said nothing and had an extremely heavy expression on his face. He didn’t even reprimand his mother for talking nonsense. No matter how much she asked her children to keep it a secret, she must have known that she was not the kind of mother who would not talk about such matters.
The atmosphere became heavy as my father remained silent. Both his mother and younger brother were only watching his father.
Sihyeon did not avoid it and looked straight into his father’s eyes. And he waited. Until his father’s mouth was opened.
“Whoa….”
My father sighed. And then he finally broke the silence.
“Yes, no shame.”
“There’s no need for your father to feel that way. Is it the fault of the person who cheated or the person who committed the fraud?”
Sihyeon spoke in a strong voice.
What I felt while working in prison was that there were too many fraudsters. Most people who looked fine turned out to be fraudsters if you look at their criminal records. If you go out, you won’t even think of yourself as a criminal. I once overheard them talking among themselves.
-What did the fraudster do wrong? The guy who got hit is a fool and a fool.
That was one of the most exciting moments while working as a prison guard. In court, such people pretend to atone and say they are truly reflecting. They are doing things to get even a little less punishment.
The problem was that it wasn’t just criminals who thought this way. From voice phishing to small-scale second-hand sales fraud, there was always a response that asked whether people were being scammed by such methods rather than blaming the fraudsters. It even occurred to me that in a society where such people exist, over 200,000 fraud crimes occur every year.
“You’re right. Dad, stop saying things like that and walk around with your head held high. If you show that you’re weak, only criminals will like it.”
Ha-young helped Si-hyeon. Her mother conveyed the same message to her father through her eyes, although she did not speak her words.
“…Yeah, sure.”
The father seemed to understand the family’s sincerity and answered that way. Seeing his father’s reaction, Sihyeon spoke next.
“Thank you for understanding what I said. But Dad, I heard you were looking for a job.”
“I intend to do so.”
“I will pay your living expenses. You can farm and enjoy life as you originally intended.”
“That’s not possible.”
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This time, my father spoke clearly.
Sihyeon walked a little closer to her father and sat down.
“Why not?”
“You can mind your own life. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“I have enough money to pay living expenses to my parents.”
“Now is the time to save every penny. You will already turn 30 next year. When are you going to save up money, when are you going to get married, and when are you going to buy a house? Do you think I don’t know that the salary of a civil servant is obvious?”
“….”
Sihyeon was silent for a moment.
I wasn’t planning on telling my parents that I was a hunter. It was obvious that my parents would be worried because it was a dangerous job, but I didn’t want to make them worry. If they knew that he was also working two jobs, they would be more concerned.
So I was even more embarrassed. I had more income than the average civil servant, but I couldn’t tell the truth.
At that time, Hayoung said.
“I’ll give it to you. You know that I’m doing well these days, right? I probably earn more than twice as much as my brother. I don’t feel burdened by paying my parents’ living expenses.”
“You should also save up for wedding expenses.”
“Even if I pay living expenses, I still have enough left over to save up for wedding expenses.”
“Whew.”
My father sighed briefly. Then he made an expression filled with complex emotions. He seemed to be thinking a little and then opened his mouth again.
“Let’s talk openly and honestly.”
Si-hyeon and Ha-young looked at their father’s attitude seriously.
“Yes, Hayoung, I know that you have a good income. Even if you give me living expenses, it might not be a big burden. But that’s true. I don’t want to receive money from my children. I didn’t raise you all that hard so that I could be treated well by my children.”
“….”
“I only wanted one thing. If my children could live a better life than me, that would be enough. I never graduated from high school and worked as a factory worker my whole life, but you should graduate from a good college, get a good job, and live a good life.”
“….”
It was my first time hearing this. His father was not the type of person to talk about his true feelings so seriously.
“I was extremely worried when Hayoung told me that you were dropping out of college and starting a webtoon or something. But in the end, you persevered and went your own way and I was so happy when I heard that you were successful. You don’t know how happy Sihyeon was when you passed the civil service exam.”
My father continued.
“It is enough for me to see you like that. This father still has enough energy to live with your mother. So don’t worry and live your lives. When you get older and can no longer work, then I will need your help. “I will gladly accept it.”
Sihyeon was worried about how to answer. Because he heard his father’s firm sincerity. I felt like I couldn’t move my hard heart. When I looked at my younger brother, he had the same worried expression.
“Why don’t you just accept it today?”
My mother intervened.
“What? What have you heard so far?”
“We have to think about the kids too. We came all the way here and it’s embarrassing for them….”
“no way.”
“I am, and you are also a stubborn person.”
My mother shook her head as if she had raised both hands and feet and left the room.
“You understand me, right?”
“I understand what your father feels, but….”
“done.”
The father interrupted Sihyeon.
“If you truly care for your father, rather than giving him money, make sure you all succeed in your respective fields. I have no time left as long as I can see you succeed.”
“Father, I have already succeeded….”
Sihyeon raised his hand to stop Hayoung from saying what she was saying.
“I understand. I won’t bring this up any more. Instead, I hope that your father will not be intimidated by the fact that he was scammed and will live proudly.”
“I will do so.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Why did my brother back down? If he were his personality, he would have stayed up for three days and nights to somehow convince my father.”
Hayoung asked on the way back.
“You saw it too. My father’s heart is so firm.”
“That’s right, though.”
“I’ve seen my father since I was young, but this is the first time he’s said something like that. Since he’s doing something like that, we have to respect his doctor.”
Sihyeon looked out the window with thoughtful eyes.
Success… .
I am someone who usually doesn’t show it, so this was the first time I knew that my father wanted his children to succeed so much. He felt like he had one more reason to succeed.
‘How far can we go?’
Sihyeon asked a question in her mind that she didn’t know the answer to.
◈ ◈ ◈
My steps on the way to work were lighter than usual.
Today was the day I officially became a teacher. There were already three Rose of Sharon buds on the work uniform.
Good, good.
It was the joy of promotion that can only be enjoyed a few times in a lifetime. I wanted to enjoy at least one day to the fullest.
The moment Sihyeon steps into the outer gate with a happy face.
A message appeared.
[Poachim is very happy when your rank increases. He is willing to give you one of his skills in celebration.]
[Active skill ‘The fearsome jailer’s loud roar’ appears]
‘Okay, this is it.’
It was as expected. Poachim, who was in a good mood, sent a gift to congratulate him on his promotion.
Sihyeon slowed down and opened the status window. First, I checked my status on the top right corner.
Only one number and one letter changed, but the feeling was completely different.
Level 8.
Yeah, it felt good. Smiling, Sihyeon checked her skills.
This skill has a really long name. For some reason, just looking at the name of the skill, it seems like it will have a great effect. But on the other hand, the naming sense seemed a bit cheap, so it seemed like it might be a flashy skill.
Sihyeon opened the detailed skill window with a somewhat nervous mind.
fantasy,
