Free Web Novel“Thankfully, it was something I could deal with. And it wasn’t something I did alone either. I, Myungsoo, and even the government all stepped in together, so it was possible.”
“Even so......”
He continued to cry endlessly, never letting go of my hand.
Now, fragments of long-faded childhood memories began to surface.
In those memories, Uncle Byeonggeun was a man with the face of a mountain bandit and a massive build.
Unlike the dependable Uncle Byeonggeun of those days, who laughed heartily, the man standing before me now—with his hair streaked with gray—felt small and frail.
It was the change brought by the passage of time.
“How can you keep crying on such a good day? That’s not like you at all.”
Holding Uncle Byeonggeun’s hand warmly, I guided him toward the market’s central plaza.
The market vendors and their families were all gathered there.
They clapped and welcomed me. Applause echoed across the wide plaza.
“Muhyuk! The pride of our market! Kim Muhyuk!”
Wow, this is embarrassing. I didn’t say anything, just smiled awkwardly.
Then a man stepped forward. It was Kim Mugil, whom I had met in Iraq.
“Uh...... thank you for saving my life.”
Hesitating and glancing around, he offered his gratitude.
He was still timid, but compared to when I’d met him in Iraq, he seemed far more stable both mentally and physically.
“It’s nicer to meet you here than when we met in Iraq. I heard you graduated from the same middle school as me. To be honest, I don’t remember you. Still, if you’re my school senior, feel free to speak casually.”
“No. You saved my life. How could I.......”
Kim Mugil trailed off, watching the eyes around him.
This probably wasn’t his true self. Anyone bold enough to go on assignment to a war zone like Iraq would surely have courage and confidence.
“It’s really fine. If you keep acting like that, it just makes Uncle Byeonggeun uncomfortable. To me, he’s more than just a neighborhood uncle. So please, speak comfortably.”
Uncle Byeonggeun, who had finally stopped crying, chimed in from the side.
“That’s right, Mugil. That’s fine. Think of him as your real older brother.”
“Next time. I’ll do it next time, Dad.”
With people’s attention focusing even more on him, Kim Mugil replied in a voice that seemed to crawl into itself.
I didn’t push him any further.
“Still, you look much better than the last time I saw you. Back in Iraq, you really...... well, you didn’t look great.”
“Ah. Home really is the best. Going all the way to Iraq trying to make money for nothing. All I did was worry my parents and the people at the market......”
“That happens. You must’ve had a hard time even after coming back to Korea, right?”
When he first returned to Korea, public sentiment had been favorable.
But rumors drifting in from the United States turned the tide toward criticism.
Because of that, not only Kim Mugil but Uncle Byeonggeun suffered quite a bit.
Broadcasters, reporters, even ordinary citizens showed up, making it impossible to run the shop.
Worried about causing trouble for the market, Uncle Byeonggeun had reportedly closed his bicycle shop for a while and gone into a sort of self-imposed seclusion.
“It was something I expected. That’s why I said what I did at the press conference, but......”
Kim Mugil sighed, clearly worn down by everything he’d endured.
His trembling hand reached out and tightly gripped Uncle Byeonggeun’s hand.
Looking at them like this, they really do look alike. Watching the two quietly, I spoke.
“Things will be fine now. You quit the company, right? Ah, no—actually, even if you hadn’t, it would probably be going under soon anyway.”
After learning the full story, President Yoon Changho had used every bit of authority at his disposal to demand a thorough investigation into Cheongseong Trading.
If they had reported the kidnapping to diplomatic authorities immediately, things wouldn’t have escalated this far.
Seeing the President’s anger, the National Tax Service launched a special tax audit, and prosecutors dug into whether there had been any preferential treatment when Cheongseong Trading secured contracts to supply military goods to Iraq.
Once the prosecution and tax authorities decided to tear something apart, any company short of a major conglomerate was bound to collapse.
“I quit. I heard that when they demanded ransom, the company didn’t even report it to the government and instead tried to haggle it down somehow. I worked there for a long time, too.”
Having that done by a company he’d served for years made the sense of betrayal all the deeper.
Kim Mugil didn’t hide those feelings at all.
“You did the right thing. For now, it’d be best to rest and stabilize yourself. After going through something that big, you need time to calm your mind. Ah, and......”
I glanced toward Uncle Byeonggeun and continued.
“Once you’re feeling better, contact this place.”
I handed him a business card.
“What is this......?”
Kim Mugil asked, looking confused.
The card I’d given him belonged to the HR manager of Jungwoo Construction.
“Don’t ever do anything dangerous again. If you contact them, you’ll be able to get a job. The salary will probably be higher too.”
“This is Jungwoo Construction’s HR manager’s card?”
“Yes. I heard Jungwoo Construction will have a lot of work in Iraq and Afghanistan going forward. Since you lived in Iraq, you should know the situation there to some extent. You speak English and some Arabic too, right?”
Kim Mugil answered, still dazed.
“Yes. But my Arabic is only at a conversational level.”
“That’s more than enough. Jungwoo Construction happened to be looking for people, so I recommended you. There’ll be a simple interview, but someone like you will pass without trouble.”
At that moment, Uncle Byeonggeun, who had been listening, snatched the card away.
When he saw the name Jungwoo Construction printed on it, his eyes widened.
“Jungwoo Construction? That Jungwoo Construction I know, Muhyuk?”
“Yes. Unless something unexpected happens, getting hired won’t be a problem. I know someone there, so I talked to them through that connection.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“......Muhyuk. Muhyuk. I’m really, truly grateful.”
Uncle Byeonggeun’s eyes filled with tears again as he bowed deeply.
To the elders of the market, a major conglomerate was a dream workplace.
Even if they themselves hadn’t been properly educated and had grown up rough on the market streets, they all desperately wanted to send their children to good schools and good jobs.
But in reality, it was hard for a dragon to rise from a small stream.
“Please don’t make such a big deal out of it, Uncle. I just mentioned it. Jungwoo Construction needed someone to handle Iraq-related matters, and the timing lined up well. I didn’t really do much.”
“How can you say that? Jungwoo Construction is one of the top conglomerates in Korea!”
“I’m serious. You remember Dongsu-hyung, right? Some of his juniors work at Jungwoo Construction. I just talked to them through that connection. This is all possible because your son is capable—he’s good at English and knows some Arabic too.”
Even a hedgehog finds its own baby cute. Praising Kim Mugil eased Uncle Byeonggeun’s expression a little.
Turning my gaze back to Kim Mugil, I said,
“Don’t ever go to dangerous places like Iraq again. Uncle Byeonggeun and the market folks worry about you. Jungwoo Construction might recruit people to go to Iraq, but don’t apply. Understood?”
Kim Mugil nodded vigorously, clenching his fist.
“Yes. I’ll never leave Korea again.”
“That’s a good decision.”
Grandma had been watching my conversation with Uncle Byeonggeun with a pleased expression.
We’d more or less finished talking, and just as I was thinking of looking around and greeting others, Myungsoo appeared.
“The son of Busan! The pride of the market! Lee Myungsoo has arrived! You weren’t all having fun without me, were you?”
Shamelessly praising himself as he entered, Myungsoo spotted Uncle Byeonggeun and me and came straight over.
“Uncle Byeonggeun, why are your eyes so swollen?”
“What are you talking about? They’re not.”
“Oh, come on. They are. You cried, didn’t you? They say men get more tears as they age. Looks like you’re getting old, Uncle.”
“You little punk!”
Dodging Uncle Byeonggeun’s swipe, Myungsoo snickered and lightly slapped my shoulder.
“You’re alive? With no news, Grandma thought you’d died.”
“Cut it out. I already got scolded enough.”
“Ah, I should’ve seen that. I’m late.”
After greeting Grandma as well, Myungsoo led Grandma and me into the crowd.
“What do you do on a feast day? We start by having a bowl of makgeolli each! ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Everyone, grab a bowl!”
Myungsoo’s parents shook their heads as they watched him.
But the market people seemed satisfied with his hosting, smiling as they lifted their metal bowls.
Even as the makgeolli sloshed inside, Myungsoo raised his bowl even higher.
“Wishing everyone at the market long lives and good health!”
And just like that, the lively market feast began.
* * *
A few days passed since we came down to Busan.
After eating breakfast with Grandma, I sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV.
— It has been announced that Medvedev, the chief of staff known as a close confidant of the Russian President, will be visiting South Korea. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this visit is to discuss the construction of oil and gas pipelines linking Siberia, North Korea, and South Korea.
The Russian tsar moved quickly.
Less than a week after our agreement, he decided to send Medvedev to Korea as a special envoy.
I’d already been contacted, and the Korean government was in the process of coordinating the schedule.
— According to a key Blue House official, discussions during this visit may also include the Eurasian Transcontinental Railway, in addition to the pipeline and gas pipeline projects. The Eurasian Transcontinental Railway is a core pledge of President Yoon Changho......
The Eurasian Transcontinental Railway was premature.
Even if South Korea, North Korea, and Russia reached an agreement, it wasn’t a project that could simply move forward.
Japan demanded an undersea tunnel linking Korea and Japan, and the United States took a negative stance toward the Eurasian railway.
With so many countries involved, negotiations were taking place behind the scenes.
It was a major project that might not even begin within President Yoon Changho’s term.
And yet, for some so-called key official to leak that information to the press.
“Even the Blue House can’t keep its mouth shut.”
“What? Muhyuk, what’d you say?”
At my mutter, Grandma called out to me, pausing mid-dishwashing.
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“Hungry again? Want me to bring you some fruit?”
“Grandma, we just ate...... I’m going to burst.”
“Oh. I’ll peel an apple for you.”
I’d barely managed to finish the mountain of rice she’d piled up, and now she was already trying to bring out snacks again.
I really am going to burst. Knowing she wouldn’t listen no matter what I said, I refocused on the news.
— Next up. Former Progressive Party Chairman Kim Seokjin, who recently left the party, has taken his first step toward founding a new political party.
After Kim Seokjin, the leader of the Progressive Party’s largest faction, left the party, lawmakers known collectively as the Kim Seokjin faction began resigning one after another.
Talk of political realignment was shaking South Korea’s political landscape.
— Since leaving the Progressive Party, former Chairman Kim Seokjin had shown little movement. However, yesterday he leased space in the Central Building in Jongno District and opened an office. According to former Assemblyman Jeong Seokwoo, known to be a close associate of Kim Seokjin, he stated during a press briefing that a founding members’ convention for the new party would be held soon. A founding members’ convention is the very first step required to establish a political party......
Compared to other countries, South Korea’s party formation procedures were complex, with relatively high barriers.
The stated reason was to prevent indiscriminate party creation, but the result was a structure that made it difficult for minor parties to proliferate.
— With no one knowing how far the signal flare of political realignment fired by former Chairman Kim Seokjin will spread, Progressive Party chief spokesperson Kim Hyunwoo strongly criticized Kim Seokjin. Let’s hear it.
Commentaries from the chief spokespersons of both the Progressive Party and the Centrist Party followed.
The Progressive Party did not relent in its sharp criticism of Kim Seokjin.
The Centrist Party also tried to belittle the formation of Kim Seokjin’s new party, speaking as if it were no big deal.
But neither party could afford to ignore Kim Seokjin as a figure.
The political life he had led was practically synonymous with South Korea’s political history.
With the conservative party, which had formed one pillar of the political system, collapsing ingloriously, and the progressive party, which had formed the other, splitting in two, Kim Seokjin’s influence was bound to be greater than anyone else’s.
‘They said the approval rating for a party that hasn’t even been founded yet was over 20%.’
Yesterday’s poll had included Kim Seokjin’s prospective party in its party-approval survey.
In that poll, Kim Seokjin’s party—still not even officially launched—had garnered over 20% support.
It might have been a convention effect, but even so, a 20% approval rating for an unlaunched party underscored just how much weight Kim Seokjin carried.
Organizing my thoughts, I turned off the TV.
“All done, Grandma? Let’s get ready and head up now.”
I spoke to Grandma as she came out after finishing the dishes.
“Has it gotten this late already? Wait just a moment. I’ll get ready and come right out.”
A short while later, Grandma emerged in her going-out clothes, carrying only light luggage.
We were heading up to Seoul together for her health checkup the next day.
Taking her bags, I headed to the car with her. The vehicle carrying us began its slow drive toward Seoul.
