Kim was sitting behind the wheel. He looked again at the first address in the list.
For a moment, his gaze locked on himself in the rearview mirror. The silence of the car was heavier than the sound of the street.
He took the tool backpack from the back door of the van. After asking some passers-by, he found the way and went to the first address.
He stopped in front of an old and dilapidated house.
Worn walls, a cracked window.
He recognized the house. He came here just a few months ago.
A bitter smile sat on his lips; A smile like a hidden wound.
He pressed the doorbell, which hung half-detached from the wall.
[Ding dang]
Mrs. Kang, a middle-aged woman with a tired face and a look full of anticipation, appeared. Seeing Kim, a warm smile appeared on her face.
"Hello Mr. Kim... welcome. Come in."
Kim bowed his head slightly.
"Hello, ma'am... Ladies first."
He entered the house after Mrs. Kang.
The smell of the building's age and heavy silence filled the air.
"I haven't been able to use the washing machine for weeks. Every time I turn it on, it seems to be walking. Can you believe it? It walks around the house!"
Kim smiled silently and went to the laundry with her.
"One time it moved so much that the plug jumped out of the socket!"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure it doesn't move from here."
"While you fix this, I'll bring you some tea."
Kim nodded and said thanks wordlessly.
He turned on the cordless drill and screwed the washing machine's legs into the ground.
Mrs. Kang brought a glass of tea.
"Please test it, ma'am, let's see if it still moved."
"Thank you, Mr. Kim... you drink tea while I test. pale tea - large glass. The one you always love."
"Exactly... thank you ma'am."
Kim bent his head a little and brought the tea cup close to his nose and sniffed.
The heavy voice of Mr. Kang came from the room. An elderly man with slow steps and a disturbed mind, he looked more like a lost child than an old man.
"You can't work for free every time! This is how you will go bankrupt, man, like me... Then you won't even have food to eat... Look at yourself! You are as thin as dry wood!
Kim didn't react. He just slowly bowed his head.
"Where's my food, honey? Let this skinny man eat, get strong!"
Mrs. Kang came forward quickly.
"Darling, don't talk like that. don't be rude the food is in the fridge."
A soft smile spread across Kim's lips.
"I promise to eat with you next time I come"
The old man's eyes sparkled, but before he could say a word, his wife covered her mouth with her hand.
"That's enough, Darling. The washing machine is fixed. Go get your dirty clothes."
Mr. Kang walked into the room with a childish smile. Miss Kang sighed.
"It's been like this for a while now …... Maybe it's the signs of old age".
Kim opened the refrigerator door. Empty shelves and some empty dishes were in front of his eyes.
He shook his head as a sign of regret and closed the refrigerator door in a whisper.
"How can I eat here… when you don't even have enough food for a single day?"
The sound of the washing machine echoed through the air. Mrs. Kang had a happy smile on her face.
Her old, cracked hands could no longer scrub the clothes.
The thin skin of her fingers was tearing like thin paper and the void of strength of the past years screamed in her movements.
Mrs. Kang sighed deeply every time she looked at the pile of dirty clothes; A sigh that sounded more like a quiet defeat than everyday weariness.
"By the way, Ms. Kang, where is Mr. Min's house?"
Mr. Kang hears Kim's voice in the distance and shouts.
"When you go out, on the left. Two alleys up. Ask anyone, they'll show you."
Kim picked up the backpack and bowed respectfully. The husband and wife escorted him to the door.
As he walked away, the old man's voice rose again.
"Honey! So where is my food?"
"Inside the fridge... the usual fridge"
The old man entered the house ahead of her and went to the kitchen.
Mrs. Kang was still standing at the door, her eyes fixed on Kim's fading shadow.
When she entered the house, she saw the old man standing in front of the fridge and his shoulders were shaking.
"Honey... how are you? What's wrong"
There were tears in the old man's eyes. The woman stood next to him and they both stared at something in the fridge: a wad of cash.
The old man muttered with a breathless sob.
"He did it again... this time inside the refrigerator - we have three children, but none of them come to us... they don't even ask if we are alive or dead. Why?"
The woman's tears flowed down her eyes, but a bitter smile sat on her lips.
And she hardly sits on the chair.
"Honey... we only have two children... two".
The old man took the bundle of money, put it on the table and sat next to his wife.
They both looked at it with tears in their eyes, as if a burden had been lifted from their shoulders for a moment.
It was mid-afternoon and Kim was standing in front of another house.
A teenage girl who was passing by recognized him and nodded respectfully.
"Hello Sir"
"Hi. This is Mr. Maine's house."
The girl pointed to a house on that side.
"Not this one…that one"
"Thank you"
Kim pressed the bell several times, but no sound was heard.
A shout came from inside the house.
"Wait...who's that? I'm here"
...
The sun had come a little lower when the husband and wife saw him off with a smile and gratitude.
It is as if a burden has been lifted from their shoulders.
Kim stared at the address paper thoughtfully. He drew a line on the first and second address and immediately moved to the third address.
…
It was almost evening. Kim came out of the second floor of an old building.
He had a dark plastic in his hand.
He walked toward the next address.
The dark shadows of the buildings fell on his face.
A calm and cold smile sat on the corner of his lips.
A smile that was both from satisfaction and from the heavy sadness that was pressing on his shoulders.
Untying a knot of people's problems gave him peace...
but just like that, a strange and vague sadness filled him.
At the end of a narrow and damp alley, an old man was sitting bent over on a piece of stone and leaning against the wall.
He looked at the passers-by, his gaze locked in Kim's eyes.
"Hello man... Do you know where Mrs. Chong's house is?"
The old man could not talk. He was mute.
He stared at Kim and only nodded his head [NO].
"Thank you"
Kim took a few steps away, but paused and turned back.
"Have you eaten?"
Again, the old man shook his head as a sign of [NO].
Kim gave the old man the dark plastic bag he was holding—the food from the last house.
"Come on man. Eat... eat well".
He continued on his way without saying anything, as if a cold and silent shadow was moving in the alley.
...
Hanje-ho, a 7-year-old boy playing in the alley.
Kim approached him slowly.
"Hello. Do you know where Mrs. Jung's house is?"
Hanje-ho looked at him in surprise.
"She's my mom."
"Ok, go tell mom that Mr. Kim has come".
The boy ran into the house.
"Mom! Mr. Kim is here! Mr. Kim is here."
Mrs. Jung came out.
"Hello, Mr. Kim. Welcome. Please come in."
She guided Kim to the living room and pointed to the old TV set on the wooden table.
"It's been broken for so long... it doesn't show anything. Without entertainment, one really goes crazy."
Kim said calmly and coolly:
"Okay, don't worry. I'll fix it."
Hanje-ho came closer.
"Sir, did you come to fix our TV?"
"Yes"
"Do you think it will be fixed?"
"Yes"
"So, I can watch anime again?"
"Hundred percent, little man."
Mrs. Jung took her son's hand and wanted to take him outside.
"My son..."
Kim said with cold and piercing calm.
"No problem, ma'am. Let it be easy... he won't hurt."
"Sir… can you make the TV in color? My friends all watch color anime."
Kim stared at the boy with a calm and cold look, then looked at Mrs. Jung.
"Please give me a glass of water".
Mrs. Jung hurried to the kitchen. Kim turned back to the boy.
"Where is your father"?
Hanje-ho without even raising an eyebrow.
"Mom says he died".
Kim looked around Mrs. Jung had not returned yet.
"When did he die?"
"I don't know sir... I never saw him".
"So... what does mom do?"
"My mom is a good cook, sir. She cooks for rich people... You should eat her food once."
When Mrs. Jung heard her son's voice, she quickly entered the hall.
He gave Kim the water and took Hanje-ho's hand to lead him out of the hall.
"Don't bother Mr. Kim. Let him do his job."
But Hanje-ho stopped.
"Mom, I didn't do anything. Let me stay... I want to learn to fix it myself if it breaks again."
Kim smiled slowly and coldly and pointed at Mrs. Jung.
"Let him stay...no problem, ma'am. I like to spend time with the kids".
"How old is your child?"
"I'm not married yet".
Mrs. Jung smiled and nodded.
"Oh… I hope you get married soon and have lots of kids around you... What about a fiancé?"
"Yes... 10 years".
"Wow. 10 years?! That's a long time... Why didn't you get married?"
"Anyway... please leave me and this little man alone, we have some manly talk."
Mrs. Jung accepted with surprise and a little doubt and went to the kitchen.
Kim looked at Hanje-ho.
"Well little man, how old are you?"
"7 years sir"
"What would you like to do in the future?"
"Judge… no, no! Lawyer"
"Well done... but you know it's very difficult?"
"My mom said, but I'm very strong, sir... like a tiger."
Kim bowed his head slightly.
"Your name was Hanje-ho, right?"
"Yes sir"
"Okay Mr. Ho... let's make a contract. "
"What is the contract?"
"It's like a promise. A very strong promise that no man should ever break."
Hanje-ho took a step closer with seriousness.
"I am very strong sir"
Kim put her hand on the boy's hand and they made a promise
"Promise that you will definitely become a lawyer. I also promise to give you a color TV as a gift today."
"I promi... What!?"
Hanje-ho froze for a moment, his eyes widened.
"Color TV?"
"yes"
"Promise...promise...promise...I promise! A much more manly promise than men!"
Kim smiled and squeezed the boy's hand a little.
"Then don't say anything to anyone. This promise is between you and me. We are two strong men who made a very strong promise to each other. From now on you are a small and polite man... from now on you are the man of this house... you study at home and help your mom. You have to study a lot... a lot"
Hanje-ho had tears in his eyes. But he made himself appear strong. He choked his sobs.
"Yes sir"
"Now sit here while I go and come back soon"
"Yes sir"
Kim picked up his backpack.
"Mrs. Jung, I'm going to get something and come back soon. Please don't go anywhere until I come back."
"Okay"
Kim stops in front of the TV store. He enters immediately.
…
He comes out of the store a short time later. He carefully picks up a large smart TV and places it in the van. His gaze stays on the dark glass of the store for a moment; He sees his own image in the glass, the image of a lonely man who carries the burden of other people's lives.
Does anyone have a right to him?
Has he ever committed a sin that calms himself like this?
…
it is sunset the sky is half gray. Kim enters Mrs. Jung's house with a TV.
Mrs. Jung and Hanje-ho are nailed. They do not say a word.
"Mom... Color TV. Color..."
The boy's eyes sparkle. His voice trembles, as if he has touched a distant dream.
"Mr. Ho, can you help me?"
"Yes sir"
The boy takes his small and trembling hands to the box; He pretends to be helping, but all he gives is childlike excitement.
"Kim quietly puts away the old TV; Dust and fatigue have been sitting on it for years. In its place, he installs a new and shiny device."
…
The color TV turns on. Hanje-ho sits, mesmerized, staring at the screen.
Mrs. Jung choked back her sob. She wiped her tears silently so that her son wouldn't see.
"I can never repay you for this favor... Thank you Mr. Kim. I will work harder... I will return your money."
Kim lowers his head slightly. A bitter shadow sits on his smile.
"There's no need. This is a manly promise between me and little Mr. Ho. We men will take care of it ourselves... right, Mr. Ho?"
The boy doesn't even blink. His mother's voice brings him to himself:
" Sweetie, Mr. Kim was with you."
"Yes… yes…"
Kim is Calm, but firm.
"Hanje-ho... don't forget your promise."
"Yes, sir... promise, I promise...I do."
Mrs. Jung bows, pays his respects.
"You made my son happy and us too. Thank you so much..."
Kim takes a deep breath. His voice trembles a little:
"Please, Mrs. Jung… don't embarrass me any further. Rest assured; fate will eventually show its kind side to you too. Just a little patience… a little more patience."
Suddenly the boy runs towards Kim. He jumps and grabs his neck tightly with both hands.
"Thank you, sir! Now I can tell my friends..."
Kim closes his eyes and for a moment he smells the smell of childhood, the smell of innocence. But it quickly breaks free. The boy quickly returns and sits down in front of the TV.
Kim leaves home.
The sky is dark.
It stops in front of the last address. Just at that moment, the sound of the phone's vibration shakes the body of the van.
Incoming call: [My love]
"Honey. How are you?"
"Hello, my dear. How are you too? There was no news from you today... It is clear where you are? What are you doing?"
Kim gives a faint smile.
"Honey, calm down... I even forgot your first question! Hahaha..."
"Where are you, Mr. Kim?"
"Old neighborhood."
short silence Sun-hee's voice is filled with concern.
"Dear … why did you go there again?"
Kim stares at the window for a moment. Dark street, damp smell, rotten walls...
"I haven't visited them in a few weeks. Mr. Lee had an order... he called in the morning."
"Dear… believe me, I'm proud of you. I'm so happy that I can finally live under the same roof with you."
"Oh. Honey… What?" Kim paused. Words swirled in his mind.
"Under the same roof? You and me… together?"
"Yes, dear. So, who?"
"You said let's live? You mean... life together?"
"Yes, my dear. Do you doubt it? Hahaha..."
Kim's voice trembles.
"You mean... we're getting married?"
"Does it have another meaning?"
"Ms. Park Sun-hee… now is not the time to joke. I'm too tired… this joke is not good at all."
"Honey, I'm serious."
Kim closes his eyes. His heart beats fast.
"I mean... Your father agreed? He finally agreed? Really? How did he agree?"
"Yes dear. He said he will talk to you first. Then you will come again to propose to me."
Kim laughs hoarsely.
"If it takes a thousand times, I'll still come to propose to you. I'm totally ready for your proposal. Hahaha..."
"Mom said that dad wants to go on a trip abroad. When he gets back, he'll let you know so you can talk to him."
A wave of doubt and darkness filled Kim's being.
"Which country?"
"I don't know."
He looks at the mirror. He sees his own face; a heavy shadow sits on his eyes. he doesn't say anything.
"So, let's have a drink tonight in our honor or… let's have dinner."
"No drinks… but dinner, okay."
"I'll send you an address, honey. Memory Restaurant. It might be busy. Go and sit down until I come. Tell Mr. Hyun-ho that I am Mr. Kim's fiancée. Be sure to tell him. He's giving a special table… a special dinner… just for two."
"Alright dear. So please remember… don't be late, again."
For a moment, a deep smile appeared on Kim's lips; A short and shaky smile.
"Yes, definitely Honey."
For the first time, destiny showed him its bright side; However, Kim still didn't trust that smile.