Chapter 2: 2 A Job Offer
Jungsu pushed himself up and down, balancing all his weight onto the fingers of his left arm as his legs stood straight up in the air. After finishing the hundredth rep, he kicked his legs down and stood up, deciding he'd need to go on his daily run. He'd already mapped out the areas he wanted to see and other noteworthy areas that could be useful to him. While he already knew how to get to these places, the body's memory was not to be underestimated. It would help him the most if he were in a dire situation.
As Jungsu ran at a light jog, he could only see a couple of elderly people slowly setting up shop. It was currently 6:30, Jungsu had expected more people on the streets by now, but it was surprisingly empty. As he ran into an empty alley, he jumped up onto the wall with one leg, then pushed and landed on the other until he successfully ran up the wall. As he stood on the roof he carefully ran across on light feet, hunching over so as not to be seen. He sped up as he neared the end of the roof and launched himself across to the next houses. If anyone were to see him, they would certainly have thought a tiger had jumped across the roof.
As he ran on the shingles of the roof, he observed the area and noted that everything seemed normal. He squinted his eyes when he glanced into the bedroom of a woman who seemed to be dancing while holding onto a picture frame. As her eyes turned towards him, he quickly jumped down from the building.
The woman, or rather the girl, Kim Yuri, narrowed her eyes as she looked out the window in search of something. She was wearing an old pair of sweatpants and a pink bra as she clutched the picture of her favourite idol to her chest. Her silky black hair dripped down her back as she moved towards the window and pulled the curtains. Shrugging her shoulders she started singing again and placed the picture frame next to her bed.
Jungsu was weirded out. He didn't know South Koreans liked to dance so early in the morning. It seemed unusual to him, but what did he know of their culture.
As he continued running, he decided he'd traveled far enough for today. Continuing on ground, he soon arrived in front of a store that had men's clothing hanging on the sides and a rack in the middle full of t-shirts. Jungsu looked at the prices of the t-shirts. They were each 15,000 won. Looking into his wallet and considering the weather, he decided he didn't need t-shirts. He picked up one sweatpant, two zip up hoodies, and a woolen jacket, the total coming to 70,000 won. Although it hurt him to let go of the money in his hands, he decided that stealing was not an option. The woman at the counter looked at him smilingly and stared at him with big eyes. She'd even given him a 10,000 won discount.
Exiting the shop after promising the woman he would come back, he left the shop with his wallet lighter than before. He'd need to find a job fast. But he wasn't sure who would hire him considering he'd never had a job before-
"You're hired. You can start working today, in fact, now would be good." The man said, looking at him eagerly. Jungsu was shocked at how easily he'd managed to find a job. He had simply walked into a convenience store and asked the man at the counter if there were any openings.
"Yes, I can work starting now." Jungsu nodded his head and Mr. Kim, the owner of the convenience store, clapped his hands together in satisfaction.
Handing him his uniform he started explaining the gist of what he had to do. Jungsu being a fast learner, quickly understood and memorized his duties.
"Great! Then you can call me when you need any help. I live nearby so it won't be a problem."
Before he could leave, Jungsu stopped him and asked, "Do I have to wear a mask?" There was a box of masks under the counter and Jungsu couldn't help but wonder if he had to wear one while working.
"No!" The man shouted, taking Jungsu aback.
"I mean, no, that's not necessary at all. It would be better for you if you didn't. And for me." The man quietly said the last part but Jungsu heard it and was perplexed by what he said. How would it benefit him?
"Bye then! Make sure to restock if there are less than three items on the shelf."
Jungsu bowed and waited in silence, not knowing what to do until then. He decided to open his phone and look at the news. There were many cases of drug reports, robberies, and drunk driving. There were one or two cases of assault but Jungsu knew that less than half of the women who were assaulted ended up reporting. The system was never in favour of the weak, nor would it ever be.
Jungsu looked up from the corner of his eyes when he heard the door opening and a quiet tune playing with it. It was 10:15 now, and Jungsu was expected to work until 5. He heard chatter as a group of girls hovered near the chip bags. They appeared to be in high school, though clearly, they were skipping classes right now. Their uniforms were altered in different ways, displaying some of their rebellion as they chewed on gum and scrolled through their zphones.
As Jungsu kept scrolling, one of the girls spotted him, her mouth dropping open a second later. She elbowed another girl causing her to snap at her and ask, "What?"
Pointing towards Jungsu, she mouthed "Look."
The girls turned to look at Jungsu who was leaning against the counter on his forearms while scrolling on his old model phone. They held their breaths as his skin appeared to be glistening in the sunlight that came through the windows. His skin was pale and smooth, appearing like marble. His nose was tall and perfectly sat upon his face, while his brows sat heavily over his uptilted eyes. His hair, though seemed to be a mess, was long enough to brush against his sharp jaw. He was beautiful, but he could not be called pretty because he was too handsome for that. He had a dangerous aura that made everything about him seem intimidating. His shoulders were broad, while his frame was muscular, yet lean enough to appear graceful and rigid.
They stood in silence for a couple moments before Jungsu raised his eyes and met theirs. They all felt their hearts skip a beat as his dark eyes connected with theirs.
Jungsu frowned as he saw three girls simply staring at him.
"Can I help you?" He said in a low voice that grated on their ears. They all turned away at once and picked up random items on the shelves.
Jungsu brushed off their weird behaviour and continued to scroll. As he read an article connecting drug distribution in Korea to North Korean spies, he heard the group of girls placing their items onto the counter. Jungsu quickly placed his phone down and scanned each item quickly, placing it into a bag.
"Your total is 20,000 won. How would you like to pay?" He looked at them in question. The girl in the middle with light brown hair, handed over some cash silently without looking at him.
Jungsu took the money and handed back the change, his fingers brushing against the girl's, causing her to jolt in her spot.
Before they left, the brown-haired girl said, "Oppa."
Jungsu was startled as he'd never been referred to as that.
"Do you work here everyday?"
Jungsu nodded his head, a bit hesitant to give his reply as he didn't know what her motive was.
"Okay, see you tomorrow!" She smiled at him and then left quickly with all the girls, giggling quietly.
Jungsu glanced down at himself looking to see if he had anything on his shirt. He even smelled himself for any odd scent, but nothing seemed to be out of order.
He soon forgot about the incident once other people started rolling in, some treating him very kindly, some simply staring at him, while others refused to look him in the eyes.
As the clock turned 5:00, Jungsu took off his uniform and placed it inside his locker in the backroom. A part-timer had come to take over his shift and appeared to be shocked when he saw him. Lee Hyung-min, the part-timer was a college student around his own age, seeming very plain and simple in appearance, but very boisterous in his personality.
After shaking Jungsu's hand for an extended period, he said,
"Wow! God can be so vengeful to some yet so generous to others."
Jungsu didn't know what the man was referring to but couldn't help but agree with what he said as he now sat alone in his small apartment, chopping some vegetables he'd bought on his way back. Jungsu didn't believe in God though, because no matter how hard he'd prayed, it still hurt just as badly and he was still alone. He'd learned to stop praying and to simply endure. And even if there was a God, he figured they must have hated him.
He sat down and ate in silence, thinking about his day and the people he had seen. They'd all seemed so simple and kind that he couldn't help but feel strange in their presence. It made him want to push them away and run further and further till he reached the end of this country. While he felt conflicted by their kindness, he felt disturbed by their inquisitive nature.
Jungsu heard a thud resonate through the hallway and got up to see what it was. Opening the door he saw an old lady had dropped her bag of vegetables and was hunched over trying to reach for them. As if sensing his presence, the woman's eyes shot towards him.
"Well, don't just stand there, help me, young man."
Jungsu cautiously walked towards her and bent down to pick up the onions on the ground. Placing it in her bag, he got up and looked down at her.
"Come on now, drop me off, my house is just around the corner."
Jungsu walked slowly behind her as she slowly hobbled towards her door. Struggling to place her keys inside the keyhole as her hands shook, she cranned her head to look up at him.
Gently taking the keys from her hands, Jungsu turned the keys and pushed open the door.
Her house appeared new and larger than his own and was quite bright as well with clean walls and green plants.
As she walked inside first, Jungsu followed after her and placed her groceries on her countertop. Turning to leave, he was stopped by a hand on his hoodie. Jungsu had felt her hand coming towards him, however, nothing would ever prepare him for the feeling of discomfort that followed.
"Do you live alone?" The old lady asked.
Jungsu turned around and looked into her smiling eyes, nodding his head in agreement.
"You look young, I hope you are eating nutritious meals. It's hard to stay nurtured as the seasons change. Come, help me cut the vegetables."
Jungsu felt conflicted as he glanced down at the wrinkled hand dragging him forward. To break free would be considered rude at this point, however, so he obediently followed. Belatedly he recalled the food on his table. He knew how to make a nutritious meal. Perhaps not the tastiest, but then food did not need to taste good to fuel the body.
The grandma handed him a knife and placed some onions in front of him.
"Now chop them up roughly."
Jungsu clenched his jaw as he thought this must've been a part of the grandma's scheme to get him to chop the onions. Pursing his lips, Jungsu peeled the outmost layer of the onions and began chopping quickly, closing his eyes so as not to feel the stinging sensation that always brought about a string of tears. He remembered having his eyes rubbed with onions once as part of his training. He couldn't remember the last time he had willingly eaten an onion after that, childish as it may have been.
"You are quite good at this!" The grandma said. She took the cutting board from him and dumped the onions into a container. Pouring a sauce she had stored in the fridge over them, she closed the lid and placed the container back in the fridge. Then she handed over a cabbage, carrots and mushrooms and placed them on the cutting board in front of him.
"Here chop these next." She said.
Jungsu was flabbergasted as he went to open his mouth to ask the reason why his onions were not even being used, but he kept quiet once she turned around to mix some other ingredients into a pot.
Quietly, he took the vegetables and began cutting them expertly. Though he couldn't make tasty food, one thing he did know how to handle was a knife. After he was done, the grandma sent him to sit down at the table. Waiting in silence, he listened to the slow shuffling sounds of the grandma moving around in the kitchen.
Time passed quickly, and Jungsu was given a steaming bowl of rice cakes. Cautiously, he looked at the red-coloured soup and picked up his utensils. He didn't smell or see any poison in the bowl so he decided to take a bite. As he placed it in his mouth, a multitude of flavours burst in his mouth. It was a little sweet and also very chewy. And very spicy. Jungsu grabbed the glass in front of him and chugged down the water. Breathing heavily, he looked up at the grandma who appeared to be laughing at him. Jungsu pressed his lips together as he heard her quiet laughter. She must have purposefully made his spicy, but he couldn't figure out what she would get from that.
"You must have very little tolerance! I thought young people loved spicy food."
Jungsu shoved another spoonful in his mouth and chewed quietly. Though it was spicy, he couldn't help but eat more.
"It's very good." Jungsu said, breaking his silence.
"Of course it is, I made it!" The grandma cackled as she saw the tip of Jungsu's nose turn a bright shade of red.
Soon, the meal was completely done, and Jungsu started cleaning the dishes. It was partly because he didn't like leaving anything he'd used dirty, but also because he didn't feel comfortable leaving his fingerprints on someone's dishes.
After he'd cleaned, Jungsu bowed and said, "Thank you for the meal."
The grandma smiled at him, reaching up to pat him on the cheek.
"You're a good boy. Don't run into any trouble, okay?"
"Yes." Jungsu said in a daze, feeling the warmth she'd left behind on his cheek.
Long after she had closed the door, Jungsu stood there in silence.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone