Chapter 11: Destiny is Inevitable (1)

It was well past lunchtime, and I was sitting in a Chinese restaurant, devouring a bowl of jajangmyeon. As it turned out, the 1,000 won Teacher Park Chul-min gave me was more than enough. After paying for the public bath, the milk, and this bowl of noodles, I had only spent about 400 won. I knew 1,000 won was a decent sum in this era, but its purchasing power was even greater than I’d anticipated.

This meant Teacher Park was being quite generous with me. Was he really anticipating my story that much? Right now, he and Ki-chul are probably discussing the script. I wonder what they decided? What if they read it over and realized it wasn’t as good as they first thought? Or what if it just doesn’t fit the trends of this era?

Star Five. By the standards of the future I came from, it’s a tacky title, but who knows what people think now? The story itself is just a remix of things I know to create a decent bit of entertainment. I’m not expecting a masterpiece; I just want the studio to stay afloat. I need a place to stay for a while, so please, let things run smoothly until then.

I’m 19 years old. I’ve been exempted from military service. There’s plenty of time and opportunity to grow.

After finishing my meal, I stepped out of the restaurant and looked around. I wondered if there was anything else to eat. I should have ordered the large portion. I wasn’t usually this gluttonous, but maybe it’s the young body or the general atmosphere of the times—I’m constantly hungry.

Well, since I have money left, maybe I’ll grab some red bean bread or tteokbokki nearby. I wanted to buy something for Go Ju-bong, but there are too many eyes back at the studio. I guess I’ll have to eat alone. As I was debating between the street bakery and the snack bar, a crowd of kids in school uniforms rushed past.

Some of them piled into a worn-out shop: a comic book room (manhwabang). I have some memories of these places from the late 70s, and it looked much the same. Kids were huddled together on backless benches along the walls, with a coal stove burning in the center. In the dim light, seeing them completely immersed in their comics felt strangely heartwarming. There was even a black-and-white TV in the corner.

Glancing at the shelves, most were single-volume books. I saw many familiar art styles—blatant copies of Japanese manga. I remembered hearing that in this era, you couldn’t legally import Japanese manga, but there was a loophole where “re-drawing” them was considered acceptable. Many people made a fortune through those dubious methods. I wondered what kind of people came up with such laws. Feeling a bit bitter, I stepped back out.

I was about to turn toward the bakery as originally planned when—

“Oh? Yi-chang!” “······?”

Someone called my name. I turned around to see a young woman acknowledging me. Who is she? While I stood there looking bewildered, she practically ran toward me, set down her grocery basket, and grabbed my hands tightly.

“To think I’d run into you here! What are the odds, really?”

She spoke with such delight that her eyes started to well up. Did she know the original Park Yi-chang? Since I didn’t know our relationship, I just gave an awkward smile.

“Y-yeah. I guess so.”

She looked around the same age. A girlfriend? Who are you? Talk fast so I can figure out how to react.

“You’ve grown so much in just a few years. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Again, who are you? Noticing my expression, she frowned.

“Have you already forgotten your sister after just a few years?”

Sister? An older sister? For real? Now that I looked closer, she did resemble Park Yi-chang a bit. From the diary, I knew the family consisted of a mother, a younger sister, and an older sister. I recalled seeing a note about the older sister going to Seoul a few years ago to work as a housemaid. She’d been sent off while their father was still alive. Back then, many girls from the countryside went to the cities to work as maids just to survive. The pay was almost non-existent; they basically worked for room and board. If they were lucky with their employers, they might get a dresser or some furniture as a wedding gift later on.

Anyway, what was her name? Ah, Park Jung-sook. She should be 21.

“Why are you staring like that? I guess you really are happy to see me.” “Yeah.”

At my reply, she beamed.

“Always so blunt. That hasn’t changed. You aren’t going hungry, are you?” “No.” “Where are you staying? What do you do?” “I live nearby. I’m a manga artist’s apprentice.”

She looked shocked. “Really? You’re working under a real artist?” “Yeah.” “You always wanted to draw manga so badly. That’s wonderful. Truly wonderful.”

Her face was full of genuine joy. So this is what family feels like.

“Ah, well…” It wasn’t exactly a grand career yet.

“When you were little, you used to brag about becoming a famous artist and buying a huge building.”

That surprised me. “I said that?” “Don’t you remember? You’d say that every chance you got and get a beating from Father. He’d say a brat who couldn’t even work the fields properly was talking nonsense.” “······.”

I was stunned. He had the exact same dream as me. Maybe that’s why I ended up in this body.

“I hope your dream comes true one day. Then I can finally brag about my brother.”

She laughed happily. Looking at her, I asked, “What about you, Sis? What are you doing?”

“Oh, you! Did you forget already? I’m a maid. A maid! It’s been over five years now. When Father forced me here saying it was a family he knew, I cried for days. But I’m used to it now. I heard things got even harder at home after Father passed, though.”

Suddenly, she scrunched up her nose and glared at me.

“But do you know how worried I was when I heard you’d suddenly left home? Every time I call home, Mom is sighing because of you. She was terrified you’d died in the street somewhere.” “I might have.”

The life at the studio was certainly hard enough for that.

“Is this a time for jokes? I couldn’t sleep for days worrying about you.” “······.”

So Park Yi-chang’s sister had been a housemaid for five years. I remember playing at a wealthy friend’s house in elementary school and seeing the “maid unnies.” Back then, I just thought of them as people who worked there. Now that the roles are reversed, it feels so different. Even though she’s not my biological sister, my chest felt tight. But this woman was only worried about me.

“Where do you stay?” I asked. “Over there.”

She pointed to a detached house nearby. It wasn’t huge, but it looked like a solid middle-class home. Actually, in this era, a house like that meant they were quite well-off.

“How is it there?”

She smiled slightly. “Look at you, worrying about me. You really are an adult now.” “I’m much taller than you.”

Ugh, why did those childish words come out? But she just giggled and nodded.

“Yes, yes, I know.” “What about your pay?” “Pay? Who gives a maid a real salary? But they give me a little bit here and there. And the food is good, so I’m healthy.”

She flexed her arm proudly. “I’ve gained a lot of weight, which is probably why you didn’t recognize me.”

This is “gaining weight”? How thin was she before? Still, I was glad she had a resilient, bright personality. She’s so young, yet she’s looking out for her brother.

She suddenly looked down at her grocery basket and gasped.

“Oh, my goodness! I lost track of time talking to you. I have to get back right now.”

She grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the house she’d pointed out.

“Come with me for a second.” “Why all of a sudden?” “Just follow me.” “I’m asking why!” “Stop nagging!”

How is this woman so strong? Even if this body is weak, it’s a bit embarrassing for a grown man to be dragged down the street by a woman.

“Let go first.” “I can’t. You might run away again.” “I’m not going to run away, seriously!”

I forced her hand off my arm. She turned and nagged again.

“Then follow me. If you run, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.” “Just lead the way.”

She laughed and nodded. “Alright then.”

She walked ahead, but didn’t forget to keep glancing back. I told her I wouldn’t run, but she clearly didn’t trust me. Apparently, the old Yi-chang didn’t listen to his sister much.

Yet, I was starting to feel a sense of familiarity, as if she really were my sister. If I’d had an older sister, would it have felt like this? Having a family all of a sudden isn’t so bad.

She stopped in front of the gate and turned to me. “Wait here for a moment.” “I thought we were going in together?” “Are you crazy? How could I do that?”

I’d hallucinated that she was going to say, ‘The masters aren’t home, let me cook you something delicious.’ She frowned at me and spoke firmly.

“Got it? Just wait here. Do not run away.” “Am I a criminal? Fine, just go in.” “Good boy.”

She opened the gate with a key and went inside. Immediately, a sharp, middle-aged woman’s voice shrieked from within.

“What took you so long? Can’t you move any faster?!” “I’m sorry, Ma’am.” “Hurry up and prepare the snacks! It’s almost time for Seok-cheon to get home from school!” “Yes, Ma’am.”

Sigh. A wave of irritation washed over me. It would be unpleasant to hear even if it were a stranger, but as long as I’m in this body, she’s my sister. It made me even angrier. I wanted to march in there and give that woman a piece of my mind, but in my current situation, that would just be empty bravado.

A moment later, the door opened and my sister hurried out. She shoved something deep into my jacket pocket.

“What’s this?” “This… if there’s something you want to eat, buy it. Don’t go hungry, okay? And when you have time, send a telegram home. It’ll ease Mom’s mind. Promise me.”

A telegram? I have no experience with those. Do I have to go to the post office?

The woman’s voice screamed from inside again. “What are you doing? Get in here now!” “Yes! I’m coming!”

She smiled at me one last time. “I have to go.” “Yeah.”

She disappeared inside, followed inevitably by the woman’s shrill voice.

“You’re always so slow! What am I supposed to do with someone like you?!” “I’m sorry. I’ll get it ready right away.” “Hurry!” “Yes.”

My heart felt heavy knowing she’d lived like that for five years. I pulled out the envelope she’d put in my pocket. Inside were ten 500-won bills. 5,000 won. In terms of value, it was a significant amount. She couldn’t possibly be in a position to give away that kind of money easily. It might be everything she’d saved.

My heart ached. The eldest daughters of this era really had it hard. I can’t just sit around anymore. I need to get things moving.

Wait… even if I wanted to send a telegram, I can’t. I don’t know the address.