Chapter 18: Money is the Priority for Now, But… (4)

“What happened?”

Startled, I asked, but the girl just shook her head.

“I’m not entirely sure, but the lady of the house said she stole some money.” “Money? Are you serious?”

My sister… stealing money?

“Well, that’s what the lady says. I wouldn’t know. Anyway, I heard something about her buying a coat secretly with the money and getting caught. By the way, how do you two know each other?” “······.”

My fists clenched so hard they trembled. Rage boiled over at the realization that the coat I had gifted her—a gesture of care—had become the very reason she was branded a thief. Then, the girl, sensing my mood, spoke up cautiously.

“Um, I don’t know if this helps, but yesterday I overheard the lady arguing with her son. It sounded like the son was actually the one who took the money. But the lady said since a girl with no money had such a nice coat, she must have stolen it from somewhere regardless…”

“Argh, seriously!”

My patience snapped. I pushed past the girl and stormed into the house.

“Oh my! Sir, you can’t go in there!” she cried, chasing after me, but it was useless.

Hearing the commotion, the mistress of the house opened the door and stepped into the yard.

“What is all this racket? Huh? Who are you!” “So you branded her a thief because of a coat and just kicked her out?” “What?” “You worked her like a dog for five years, and that wasn’t enough? Did you trade your conscience for scraps?!”

The woman’s eyes flared with fury.

“What are you babbling about? You look like nothing but a brat! Are you Jeong-suk’s pimp or something?!” “Gosh, I can tell exactly what kind of person you are just by the way you talk. I can only imagine how much my sister suffered here.” “Oho, so you’re the younger brother. Well, it makes sense that the brother of a thief would act like this. Get lost before I call the police!” “The thief is your son. My sister was framed.”

The woman gritted her teeth, her whole body shaking with indignation.

“Who are you calling a thief, you lunatic?!” “Your son! And that coat she has? I bought it for her. Does it hurt your pride so much to see someone poor wearing something nice? You heartless people. You should feel sorry after exploiting her for five years!” “Why you!” “I’ll be watching to see how long you ‘good people’ thrive. Ptu!”

I spat on the ground and walked out. Behind me, the woman screamed like a banshee.

“You crazy bastard! Stay right there! I’m calling the police!”

I didn’t care. From inside the gate, I could hear her wailing as if she were the victim.

“Oh, the injustice! Neighbors! Listen to this! This madman…”

Why was she calling the neighbors? I saw people passing by, slowing down to peer in. Then as now, there was no better entertainment than a fight.

But where did my sister go in this freezing weather? All she had was the 5,000 won I gave back to her. Even if she had a little more, it wouldn’t change much. I knew she wouldn’t have gone back to our hometown. She knew better than anyone that if the eldest daughter, who was supposed to be settled in the city, suddenly returned, our mother would worry herself sick.

She had to be staying somewhere nearby. I searched until late afternoon, but I failed to find her.

From the next day, I spent every spare moment wandering the neighborhood where she used to live, hoping to run into her. Without cell phones, aimlessly walking the streets made it nearly impossible. Honestly, if I were her, I wouldn’t just be wandering around in this cold. She had to be staying somewhere temporary. An inn, perhaps?

I started visiting nearby inns, describing her appearance and asking if a woman fitting the description was staying there. I checked a few registers when they said someone similar was there, but it was never her.

Having wasted too much time, I eventually headed back to the studio. For some reason, the seniors were all exchanging wary glances, and loud voices were coming from Teacher Park’s office. It sounded like someone was berating him.

“No, this just isn’t right! How could you do this!”

It was President Kim from Goryeo Books. He was usually such a mild-mannered man; I was surprised to hear him so angry. What on earth had happened? Then, Teacher Park’s voice drifted out.

“I feel sorry about that as well.”

Sorry? Did something go wrong with the manga?

“Being sorry doesn’t solve the problem, does it?” “······.” “Good grief, Teacher Park. You promised me! You said you’d give the sequel to us.” “I never promised to give it to you. I only said I would consider it.”

I could guess the situation now. It seemed the sequel was being moved to another publisher. But that was strange. The only other option was Hapdong Publishing. It certainly wouldn’t be Ddaeng-cho Books, which I was considering for Iron X; they were far too small for him to take such a risk.

“But of all places, Hapdong?! Why?!”

So it was Hapdong. When did things change like this? Did Teacher Park meet with that President Lee separately during our group dinner? Come to think of it, he had been going out frequently lately, and his time at the studio had dwindled.

“Regardless, it is my fault. I am sorry for that.”

Teacher Park just kept repeating his apologies. I suppose he had nothing else to say after accepting such a lavish meal and then betraying them at the last moment.

After venting his anger for a long while, President Kim stormed out of the office. He stood there huffing in excitement before shouting one last time.

“Hapdong… I don’t know how much money they shoved in your face, but you will surely regret this! Those people have no sense of morality. Once their monopoly starts again, it’s artists like you who will suffer the most!”

He turned to leave, muttering under his breath.

“I totally misjudged him. Damn it.”

As soon as he left, everyone stared blankly in his direction. Shim Kyung-chul was the first to speak.

“What? The sequel is going to Hapdong? Then what happens to Dong-mun?” “Won’t it be okay? It has nothing to do with him,” Heo Dong-soo replied.

Shim Kyung-chul nodded. “Right? Dong-mun didn’t do anything wrong.”

Lee Ki-chul, who had been silent, cut in. “It’s not that simple. The problem is that President Kim now holds a grudge against our Teacher—and Dong-mun is the Teacher’s disciple.”

The mood in the room darkened instantly. Just then, Teacher Park stepped out.

“What are you all doing? Get back to work on your manuscripts.”

Everyone shuffled back to their seats and began drawing. The Teacher caught my eye and frowned slightly.

“Come in. We need to talk.”

I sat down in his office. He took his seat at the desk and spoke with a serious expression.

“Did you hear?” “Yes. The gist of it.” “Right. Well, as you heard, I’ve decided to hand over the sequel to Hapdong Publishing instead of Goryeo.”

I didn’t really care. I’d heard that Hapdong’s monopoly had ruined the industry, but honestly, the current “duopoly” with Goryeo wasn’t much better. Collusion was still happening.

“Just keep that in mind. We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow. My head is a bit of a mess right now.”

He grabbed his bag and left. What a dynamic day. I was exhausted.

The next day.

I was back to circling the neighborhood where my sister had lived. As I passed the house again, I heard that distinctive, sharp voice from behind the gate.

“You people! Coming here in pairs—what are you even saying?! I don’t need any of this, get out of my house this instant!” “I’m sorry, but… I just need to take my things.”

Wait? That’s my sister’s voice. I had looked everywhere for her, and here she was. I rushed to the house. The gate was open. I could see my sister’s back, and standing opposite her was the “Witch,” screaming with a contorted face.

“Didn’t you hear me? I threw all that trash away! Now get out!” “You threw it away?” “Yes, I did! It was all just rubbish anyway!”

Seriously, that woman had a gift for making me angry. I dashed inside and grabbed my sister’s wrist.

“Sister, let’s go. Why would you come back to this dump?”

She jumped in surprise. “Yi-Yi-chang.” “What?! A dump?! You people are really out to get me today, aren’t you? Are you trying to give me a stroke?!”

I wish, I thought. But people like her always lived a long time because they lacked the conscience to feel guilt.

“I fed you and housed you all this time, and this is how you repay me? You ungrateful girl!”

Unbelievable.

“You’re a shameless woman who used her as s*ave labor for free,” I spat back. “What!” “I could sue you for defamation. You framed her for a theft she didn’t commit and kicked her out. I don’t know much, but you could end up behind bars for this.”

I didn’t know much about the laws of this era, but the mention of jail time made her look genuinely rattled.

“You… you…”

She was fuming, but clearly uneasy.

“I was going to sue, but I’m too busy right now. Consider yourself lucky.”

Her face turned a mottled shade of purple. Ignoring her, I led my sister out of the house.

“There’s no point talking to people like that.” “But…” “She said she threw your stuff away. Just give it up.” “······.”

My sister’s shoulders slumped in resignation.

“Where are you staying now?” “······At an inn.” “An inn?” “Yeah.”

She spoke with a hollow expression.

“Let’s go there first. I’m just glad I found you.” “Glad? I don’t even know how I’m going to live now.”

After five years of being treated like a servant, she had become like a caged bird, terrified of the world outside.

“Let’s just get to where you’re staying.” “O-okay.”

Just then, someone called out to us.

“Um, excuse me… Miss? Sir?”

We turned around to see the young girl who had replaced my sister. She looked around nervously and approached us.

“Um, I saved all of your things, Miss.”

My sister’s face brightened instantly. “Really?” “Yes. The mistress told me to throw them away, but I set them aside just in case. I’ll bring them out at 6:00 AM tomorrow, so please come by and get them then.” “T-thank you so much.” “It’s nothing. We’re all in the same boat, we have to help each other out.”

She gave a small smile and hurried back to the Witch’s house. My sister let out a huge sigh of relief.

“I’m so glad she didn’t throw them away.” “What was it? Something important?” “I was in such a daze when I was kicked out that I only grabbed the coat. But those are things I’ve cared for over five years… it broke my heart when she said she threw them out.”

This was an era where everything was scarce and precious; that’s why she reacted that way. As I walked with her toward the inn, I spotted a street stall selling shoes. Instinctively, I looked at her feet. She was wearing rubber shoes (gomushin).

Rubber shoes in this weather?

“Let’s buy you some shoes first.” “Oh, I’m fine.” “Come on. Just wear them. If your feet are uncomfortable, you’ll be tired all day.” “These are good shoes. My feet aren’t uncomfortable at all.”

Despite her protests, I bought a pair of sneakers and practically forced them onto her feet. Then, I led her back toward the inn.