Chapter 9 – What People Live By (1)
The trio had a warm farewell with Simba before returning to Grant’s cabin.
“Please deliver this for me.”
“This…?”
“It has been quite a while since I’ve last seen Instructor Lenox.”
As Grant’s wife fed them warm food, Grant held out a letter.
“Thank you again for what you’ve done, the other farmers appreciate it as well.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“You’re already a warrior,” Grant laughed out loud.
They promised to meet again and left Grant’s house. Their tension filled bodies finally relaxed. As they walked towards Orcrox Fortress, Ian and Grom looked at each other.
“Today…”
“Shall we call it a day?”
“Yes, it’s late.”
Right now, it was dawn in reality.
“We finally had an adventure in the game.”
“That’s right. Thanks to Ian, I think my life as an orc is going well.”
Grom thanked him. Without Ian, he wouldn’t have been able to complete this quest, and would’ve died.
“Tomorrow as well?”
“Yes, if nothing happens.”
“Then let’s meet again tomorrow.”
Ian and Grom smiled and bumped fists. Within a moment, their appearances blurred as their connection to Elder Lord was terminated.
***
“Boss-nim, did something good happen?”
“No, does it look that way?”
“Yes, you keep smiling. Did you get a girlfriend?”
Ian smiled at the inquiry.
“Look, there’s the smile again.”
“It’s nothing.”
“What? Something is strange…”
Ian was thinking about his adventure with Grant and Grom. They got rid of the mutant wolf and formed a fierce relationship between men. A smile appeared as he recalled Grant’s final blow to the werewolf and Simba’s indomitable will against the wolves. Ian had completely fallen for the charms of Elder Lord and the orcs.
He hummed as he imagined his next adventure.
Suddenly, Ian’s phone rang. It was his little sister, Yiyu, who should’ve been listening to lectures at school at this time. What was so urgent that she would call him at this time?
“Yes, hello.”
–Oppa…!
Her voice was urgent.
“What’s going on?”
–Oppa, you see… Right now I am at…
Ian’s face stiffened at Yiyu’s following words.
–The police station.
“…What for?”
–That…
Ian roughly heard the situation and took off his café apron.
“Boss-nim…?”
“I need to go out for a while, so please look after this place alone.”
“What’s going on?”
“Please.”
Ian left the café.
He got in his car and stepped on the accelerator, driving towards the police station close to Yiyu’s university. Ian went inside and found Yiyu, who got up as she saw him. Her expression was grouchy. Ian hugged her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes…”
“Are you uninjured?”
“Yes… I’m fine…”
“Then it’s okay.”
Ian ruffled Yiyu’s hair, causing her to quietly laugh. He turned his head and saw two men sitting down, both of their faces looking like a mess. One of them got up and greeted Ian.
“Hello. I am Yiyu’s friend, Park Jungtae.”
“I’ve heard the story.”
Ian shook hands with Park Jungtae.
“And there…”
He looked at the man sitting apart from Park Jungtae.
“That person?”
He scowled at Ian and looked away.
Ian asked Yiyu, “What exactly did he say to you?”
“To me? Just… let’s have a meal today. Girls always agree when I promise to take them someplace expensive… He muttered.”
Ian raised his eyebrows.
“So you?”
“I stayed quiet, but Jungtae was next to me, and they ended up arguing…”
Fists ended up flying. Park Jungtae bowed his head like he was ashamed.
Ian sighed.
“Who struck first?”
“Almost at the same time…”
There were such moments. Just before a physical conflict, their eyes would meet and sparks would fly before they pounced at the same time. Looking at their faces, both of them seemed similar. It seemed like they thrashed around without actually knowing how to fight. There were no serious injuries or aftereffects.
Ian laughed as he looked at their faces. Yiyu poked Ian’s side.
“Oppa, why are you laughing?”
“They are truly kids. Still, I’m glad that it wasn’t a big deal.”
“This isn’t a big deal?”
“Nobody is dead or maimed.”
“Please don’t say such scary things, this is the police station. Won’t Jungtae go to jail?”
“It’ll be fine.”
An agreement would be reached by both sides. Ian looked at the men.
“The words he said to you… As a senior, is he usually like that?”
“Sometimes…he flirts, but I don’t care. It isn’t uncommon.”
Ian raised his eyebrows, causing Yiyu to laugh this time.
“What? Don’t you know that I get several phone numbers from men whenever I go outside? Right, Park Jungtae?”
“Uh…well…”
Park Jungtae answered with a gloomy expression.
Ian started laughing. So that’s what happened.
Park Jungtae and the other man were fighting over Yiyu. The level of injuries were similar, so it was likely to end with a mutual agreement. That’s why the police officers cleared a space for them to talk.
Ian told Park Jungtae, “You fought because of Yiyu, so thank you. Still, in the future, don’t swing your fists, even if there is an argument.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
“If that senior continues to bother you, then contact me.”
He handed Park Jungtae his business card. Park Jungtae’s eyes widened as he saw the name ‘Café Reason.’
“Ah, are you the boss here?”
“Yes. Do you know of it?”
“I heard the girls saying good things… The boss…” Park Jungtae smiled at Ian and continued, “He is kind.”
“Come visit sometime.”
Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the police station.
A middle-aged man was walking this way. There was oil on his face and he yelled as he walked, “Where is Sangho? Sangho! Yang Sangho!”
Ian had a bad feeling. The senior who fought Park Jungtae over Yiyu stood up.
“Yang Sangho! Hey, you stupid fool. Why did you get beaten up? You’re a disgrace to my name.”
“Father…”
“Yes, where is your opponent? Is it you?” He pointed to Park Jungtae. “You were hit by this child… Aish, you screw up.”
“……”
“What was it about? This woman?”
Ian’s eyebrows twitched.
“Well, you both hit each other, so we can come to a mutual agreement. No, will that be enough? Should I call the police commissioner?”
The middle-aged man bragged as he raised his phone.
“Is that your guardian over there? That baby? Or that woman? Is that young man related to you? No parents?”
At that moment, the police officer in charge came back. His expression was heavy due to the disturbance.
“Oh, Guardian-nim. Please sit there quietly…”
“I should be quiet? I am a busy guy, yet I came all the way here, got it?”
“Calm down, yes?”
Ian, who was watching the scene, knocked on Yiyu’s back.
“Go back to school.”
“Oppa?”
“Don’t worry, I will handle it.”
“Still…”
“Don’t you know that you won’t receive your allowance if you’re absent from school?”
“But…”
“I’ll take care of Jungtae, so go.”
Yiyu nodded. However, she couldn’t help looking at the middle-aged man with an uneasy expression. Ian placed his hand on Yiyu’s head and grinned.
“Jung Yiyu.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you know that I can solve things?”
“Yes…”
That’s right.
Her brother, Jung Ian, always solved her problems, no matter what happened.
When she was a child, she told Ian that children were harassing her, and they became quiet after a few days. Ian found her lost items and cooked whatever she wanted to eat.
After their parents passed away, she was uneasy about their inherited debt. However, Ian just smiled and told her to believe in him, and he dealt with it all alone. He became a soldier and paid off the debt, providing her living expenses and paying for her university tuition fees.
Seven years later, when he returned to South Korea, Ian was unchanged. He always solved her problems reliably. That was why Yiyu was forced to nod.
“Oppa, thank you…”
“If you want to thank me, help out at the café.”
“That is too much. Don’t you know that it’s the exam period?”
“I hope you do well on the exams.”
“Look forward to it.”
Ian ruffled Yiyu’s hair.
Yiyu said goodbye to Park Jungtae. Someone glanced at her as she left. It was the middle-aged man talking with someone over the phone.
“Why is that girl going? Isn’t she involved?”
“……”
“W-What is that look?”
Park Jungtae was surprised.
Ian’s expression changed the moment that Yiyu disappeared. He seemed like someone who always smiled gently. That was the story he heard about Café Reason’s boss. A warm hearted man who was always smiling, making the customer feel stable the moment they saw Ian.
But that smile was erased the moment that Yiyu left. Now he looked like someone else.
‘My brother, he was a soldier. He used to fight in the Middle East and Africa.’
The words that Yiyu had said popped into his head. The conflicting images were now merging together.
The middle-aged man cried out, “You, you, why are you staring at me like that?”
“Don’t talk anymore.”
“Are you talking to me right now? Are you crazy? How old are you, you brat?!”
The police officer in charge said, “Both of you, please calm down.”
“Didn’t you hear what that brat said to me? Your boss, who is it? Do you know who I am? I am someone who eats with the police commissioner, understand? Hey.”
The middle-aged man searched through his wallet and pulled out his business card.
“I am a person who runs a company, you…”
“A brat who doesn’t even know shame.”
Ian approached. As Ian looked down at the man, he flinched and dropped his business card.
“Don’t you know shame?”
“Y-y-you, this…”
“Don’t you feel any shame when you look at your child?”
“Talking impolitely…”
The police officer inserted himself between the two of them.
“Now, now, calm down…”
The police officer flinched. He easily pushed the middle-aged man, but Ian didn’t budge. It felt like he was pushing against a large rock. The police officer glanced at Ian with surprise before sitting both of them down.
The middle-aged man regained his bravery.
“Call your boss here. Now, there’ll be a lawsuit, instead of an agreement!”
Jungtae’s face became pale. His situation at home wasn’t good, so Jungtae hadn’t told his parents. He had no knowledge of law and couldn’t afford to proceed with a lawsuit. The middle-aged man seemed to have a lot of money. Just as he saw on TV, the middle-aged man would use an expensive lawyer and his connections to turn Jungtae’s life upside down.
Then Ian said, “Jungtae.”
“Yes Hyung.”
“I’ll resolve it, so don’t worry.”
Ian picked up the business card that the middle-aged man dropped.
The man was talking with someone on the phone. He was disguising his son as a victim and asking the person to solve it. The man made all sorts of promises like, let’s play golf next time, he would buy them a drink etc.
It was sickening.
“You over there.”
Ian called out to the senior who fought with Jungtae over Yiyu.
“……”
The senior raised his head. It was an ambiguous expression. His belief in her father along with the shame of the situation appeared on his face.
“Did you apologize to Yiyu?”
“……”
“Apologize?”
The senior looked down as he shook his head. Ian waited for his answer.
Once he raised his head again, his face resembled his father who was oily and greedy.
“Why?”
“……”
“You should be prepared to bow deeply in apology, along with that brat.” The senior exclaimed.
Ian started laughing, “That isn’t pride.”
“What nonsense are you saying?”
“You are ashamed of your father, but have decided to follow his actions.”
“Don’t speak nonsense.”
“Look.”
Ian pointed around. All the police officers and civilians had expressions of contempt on their faces.
“They are watching your father with that disgusted expression.”
“You asshole.”
“Later, those expressions will turn to you.”
The middle-aged man finished his call and got up.
“Do you know who I just called? That person…”
Ian ignored him and turned to the officer in charge. The police officer had a distressed expression on his face.
He was obviously disgusted at the actions of the powerful, but it was a world where innocent people would be sacrificed. A scenario where the student called Park Jungtae was in trouble was painted in his head.
“Inspector-nim.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be back after a phone call.”
The cop looked at Ian. He, the man who was the guardian of the girl who caused the fight, was consistently calm. He felt something dignified in that attitude.
“Yes.”
He expected a possible reversal of the situation.