Chapter 9: What Do People Live By? (1)
After Yi-An exchanged a passionate farewell with Simba, he returned to Grant’s log cabin.
“Give this to Instructor Lenox,” said Grant.
“This is…?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”
After eating the warm food that Grant’s wife had served, Yi-An was resting contentedly. This was when Grant held out a letter to him.
Grant continued, “Thank you. I’m grateful to you. The other farmers are too.”
“I just did what I was supposed to do.”
“You are already a warrior.” Grant laughed loudly.
After promising to meet again in the future, Yi-An and Grom decided to head back. Yi-An was tired after releasing his tension and eating to his heart’s content.
As Yi-An and Grom headed toward Orcrox Fortress, they looked at each other.
“Today…” began Grom.
“Shall we call it a day?”
“Yes, it’s getting late.”
It was past midnight in the real world.
“We finally had a worthy adventure in this game.”
“Yes, indeed. My orc life is going well thanks to you, Yi-An-ssi.”
Grom thanked Yi-An. If it hadn’t been for Yi-An, Grom wouldn’t have been able to complete this quest and would have died instead.
“Will you be on tomorrow?”
“Yeah, if nothing else is going on.”
“Then, let’s see each other again tomorrow.”
Yi-An and Grom smiled as they bumped fists. Within moments, they began fading and eventually disappeared as their connection to the server ended.
***
“Yi-An-ssi, did something good happen?”
“No, does it look that way?”
“Yeah, you keep smiling. Did you get a girlfriend?”
Yi-An was amused by Han Yeo-Ri’s interrogation.
“See, you’re smiling again.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Are you sure? You’re acting suspicious…”
Yi-An couldn’t stop smiling as he recalled his adventure with Grant and Grom. The three orcs built a strong friendship after defeating the mutant wolf.
He reminisced the scenes of the wolf flying in midair from Grant’s attack and Simba slaughtering the wolves with an undying spirit. Yi-An was completely captivated by Elder Lord and the orcs’ charms. He hummed a song while anticipating what his next adventure would be.
Suddenly, Yi-An’s cell phone rang. It was his sister, Yi-Yoo. She should be listening to a lecture right now.
Yi-An picked up the call, wondering what it could be about.
“Yes, hello.”
“Oppa…!” Yi-Yoo’s tone was frantic.
“What’s going on?”
“Oppa. Um, right now, I’m…”
Yi-An’s face hardened when he heard the following words.
“…at the police.”
“Why?”
“Umm…”
After he heard the gist of what happened, Yi-An took off his apron.
“Yi-An-ssi…?”
“I’m going out for a bit. Can you take care of things around here?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Please.”
Yi-An left the café, got into his car, and stepped on the accelerator. He headed to a police station near Yi-Yoo’s university. Then he went inside and looked for Yi-Yoo, who discovered him first and rose from her seat. She had a sullen look on her face.
Yi-An hugged her and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…”
“You aren’t hurt anywhere?”
“Yeah… I’m okay…”
“That’s all that matters.” Yi-An ruffled her hair.
Yi-Yoo smiled quietly.
When Yi-An turned his head, he saw two men sitting down. Both of their faces were a mess. One of them got up and introduced himself to Yi-An.
He said, “Hello, sir. I’m Yi-Yoo’s friend, Park Jung-Tae.”
“I heard about you.”
Yi-An and Park Jung-Tae shook hands.
“And he is…” Yi-An glimpsed over at the man sitting inches apart from Park Jung-Tae. “Is it him?”
The man smirked at Yi-An and then lowered his head.
Yi-An asked Yi-Yoo, “What did that man say to you exactly?”
“To me? He said… let’s grab a meal. I said I had plans, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He muttered to himself, ‘She’s acting like such a snob.’”
Yi-An raised his eyebrows. “And then…?”
“I didn’t say anything. But then Jung-Tae, who was next to me, started defending me, and they got into an argument…”
It then escalated to a fist fight.
Park Jung-Tae lowered his head with embarrassment.
Yi-An let out a sigh. “Who threw the first hit?”
“It was almost at the same time…”
There were often moments like these when sparks flew and triggered the escalation of verbal conflicts into physical fights.
Yi-An scrutinized the faces of the two men. They seem to have exchanged similar blows. It was quite obvious that they hadn't learned proper hand-to-hand combat and just thrashed around without inflicting serious injuries.
Yi-An couldn’t help but laugh at their scuffed-up faces.
Yi-Yoo poked Yi-An’s side and said, “Oppa, you shouldn’t laugh.”
“These kids… At least nothing serious happened.”
“What do you mean nothing serious happened?”
“No one died or incurred permanent injuries.”
“Quit being silly. We are at a police station. Jung-Tae won’t go to prison, right?”
“Everything is alright.”
With this level of injury, they would probably seek a settlement from both sides.
Yi-An looked at the man in question and said to Yi-Yoo, “The guy who did that to you… You said he’s your senior at school. Does he usually act like that?”
“Sometimes… He would bother me, but I didn’t pay much attention to him. It’s something I’m kind of used to…”
Yi-Yoo laughed as Yi-An raised his eyebrows.
“What? A lot of guys ask me for my number when I go outside. Right, Jung-Tae?”
“Uh… yeah…” Park Jung-Tae responded with a grim look.
Yi-An couldn’t help but laugh. So, that’s what was going on. Although Yi-Yoo was involved, it was a conflict between Park Jung-Tae and the senior. Since their injury levels were similar, it would probably end as a settlement. Even the police officer in charge said so.
Yi-An spoke to Park Jung-Tae. “Thanks for fighting on Yi-Yoo’s behalf. But even if you get into an argument, you shouldn’t use your fists.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
“If that senior keeps bothering you, just call me.” Yi-An gave his business card to Park Jung-Tae.
Park Jung-Tae’s eyes perked up when he saw Café Reason on the business card.
“Ah, you’re the café owner?”
“Yes, do you know the place?”
“I heard the girls talking about it… They said the owner is really…” Park Jung-Tae smiled as he looked at Yi-An. “…kind.”
“Come by sometime.”
Suddenly, the police station was filled with noise.
A middle-aged man was walking toward them. He had an oily face and walked with an arrogant gait.
He screamed, “Sang-Ho, where are you? Sang-Ho! Yang Sang-Ho!”
Yi-An had a bad feeling about this.
The senior who had fought with Park Jung-Tae stood up.
“Yang Sang-Ho! Ah, you stupid fuck. Why are you getting beaten up? It’s embarrassing.”
“Father…”
“So, where’s the guy? Is it you?” the middle-aged man said while pointing at Park Jung-Tae. “You were beaten up by a guy like this?”
“…”
“Who is she? Is she the woman you were talking about?”
Yi-An’s eyebrows twitched.
“Well, since you guys both hit each other, we should reach a settlement. Actually, nevermind, should we fuck them over? I can give a call to the chief of the National Police Agency.” The middle-aged man smirked as he held up his phone. “Hey, you over there. Are you the guardian? Whose guardian are you? Why are you a young dude? Do you have no parents?”
The police officer in charge returned at this moment. Having heard the commotion, there was now an extremely displeased expression on his face.
“Sir, please take a seat. Do you mind lowering your voice?”
“How can I lower my voice? You better be prepared to face the consequences of making a busy person come all the way here.”
“Please compose yourself.”
Yi-An, who had been watching the scene, tapped Yi-Yoo’s back lightly.
“You should go back to school.”
“Oppa…”
“I will take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
“But…”
“If your grades drop due to attendance issues, I won’t give you any allowance.”
“Ah… oppa.”
“I will look after Jung-Tae too. Just go.”
Yi-Yoo nodded, but she couldn’t help but glance over uneasily at the middle-aged man.
Yi-An placed a hand on Yi-Yoo’s head and grinned.
He said, “Jung Yi-Yoo.”
“Yeah.”
“You know there’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Yeah…”
Yi-Yoo’s brother, Jung Yi-An, always took care of everything.
When she was a kid, if she told Yi-An about kids who were bullying her, they’d stop within a few days. If she lost something, Yi-An would find it. If she wanted to eat something, Yi-An made it for her.
Even when she had felt like there was no hope after their parents passed away and left them debts, Yi-An had told her to believe in him and smiled. He then became a soldier, paid off their debts, and sent her living expenses. When she was concerned about job prospects, he had encouraged her to enroll in college and paid for her tuition.
Now, even after returning to Korea after seven years, Yi-An was still the same. He always said he would take care of everything and smiled.
Yi-Yoo could only nod as usual. “Thank you, oppa…”
“If you are grateful, you should help out in the café.”
“That’s a different story. It’s exam season.”
“Then do well on your exams.”
“Of course.”
Yi-An ruffled Yi-Yoo’s hair. Then Yi-Yoo said goodbye to Park Jung-Tae. Her eyes lingered on them as she left; she didn’t feel comfortable leaving.
When the middle-aged man saw that Yi-Yoo leaving while he was on his phone, he started a fight again.
“Why is that woman leaving? Isn’t she involved in the case?”
“…”
“What? What are you looking at?”
Park Jung-Tae was surprised. The moment Yi-Yoo left, Yi-An’s expression changed. Park Jung-Tae couldn’t see any trace of a smile on Yi-An’s face now. He had heard that the owner of Café Reason always wore a gentle smile on his face, and he had been greatly comforted by that smile when they met.
Now, Yi-An looked like a totally different person.
Jung-Tae recalled what Yi-Yoo had said in passing, “My brother used to be a soldier. He served in the Middle East and Africa.”
The images of her brother that didn’t seem to fit together now all made sense.
“You, you, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Stop spewing nonsense,” responded Yi-An.
“How could you speak to me like that? Are you fucking crazy? How old are you, you brat?!”
The police officer in charge tried to stop him. “Now, now, can everyone stay calm and quiet ‘til we get things settled?”
“Did you just hear what this brat said to me? Who is your boss? Do you know who I am? I’m friends with the commissioner of this city. Who do you think you are?” The middle-aged man searched his wallet and took out his business card. “I run a big company. You…”
“Aren’t you fucking embarrassed?” Yi-An approached and used his height to look down at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man flinched and dropped his business card.
“How are you not ashamed of yourself?” asked Yi-An.
“Y-Y-You, this…”
“Aren’t you embarrassed to act like this with your son around?”
“How dare you talk to an older person like this?”
The police officer intervened, “Now, now, everyone, please calm down…”
He inserted himself between the two men to stop them from getting closer to each other. As he made contact with Yi-An, he couldn’t help but flinch.
The police officer was someone who worked out a lot and was accustomed to physical interventions, so he was able to easily push away the middle-aged man. Yet, Yi-An didn’t budge; the police officer felt as if he was pushing against a huge slab of rock.
The officer examined Yi-An in surprise.
The middle-aged man complained angrily, “Call the person in charge here. Forget about a settlement. We are going to sue!”
Park Jung-Tae’s face turned pale. He hadn’t informed his parents about the situation because their family wasn’t well off. He had no knowledge of the law, but he knew they couldn’t afford to proceed with a lawsuit. However, the middle-aged man seemed to have a lot of money. Park Jung-Tae was worried the middle-aged man would hire an expensive lawyer and use his connections to make him the culprit. That’s what always happened on television.
Yi-An interrupted his string of thoughts when he said, “Jung-Tae.”
“Yes.”
“I will take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
Yi-An picked up the middle-aged man’s business card from the floor. The man was fervently talking to someone on the phone. Unlike his previous arrogant self, he was pleading with the person on the phone, asking them to make his son seem like the victim.
As if trying to make himself heard, he repeatedly said, “Let’s play golf next time. Drinks are on me.”
It was a sickening sight.
“Hey, you over there,” Yi-An called out to the senior who had fought with Park Jung-Tae.
“…” The senior raised his head silently with an ambiguous expression on his face.
He felt conflicted. He had his faith in his parents’ power and connections, but he was ashamed by how his father exhibited them.
“Did you apologize to Yi-Yoo?”
“…”
“Are you going to apologize to Yi-Yoo?”
The senior’s eyes wavered, then he lowered his head again. Yi-An waited for an answer.
When the senior raised his head, his face was covered in oil and greed like his father’s.
“Why would I?” he said.
“…”
“You guys are screwed, so be ready to bow your heads.”
Yi-An burst out in laughter. “That’s not something to be proud of.”
“What the fuck are you saying?”
“You’re following your father’s footsteps even though you’re embarrassed by him.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Look carefully.” Yi-An pointed at those around them.
The police officers and civilians in the station wore expressions of contempt on their faces.
Yi-An continued, “They are disgusted by your father.”
“You asshole.”
“One day, those expressions will be directed toward you.”
The middle-aged man got up boastfully as his call ended.
He said, “Do you know who I just talked to? He is…”
Yi-An ignored him and approached the officer in charge.
The officer in charge looked stumped. He was contemplating the potential scenario that these poor guys would be facing. The middle-aged man’s behavior was expected from those who had power. It was a world where the innocent were sacrificed due to the evil deeds of others. The officer in charge pictured a scenario in which the student Park Jung-Tae would be in deep trouble.
“Officer.”
“Yes.”
“Can I make a phone call as well?”
The officer looked at Yi-An. He was impressed by how the guardian of the girl remained calm no matter what. There was a sense of dignity in Yi-An’s composure.
“Yes.”
The officer hoped for an unexpected outcome in this scenario.
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