Chapter 7

Chapter 7

This Is a Service (2)

In the past, I never even glanced at lottery tickets. I had never bought one either.

My life had been too harsh to live believing in the luck that heaven bestows.

‘Huh?’

Compared to what I bought, it was quite weak, but there was clearly another lottery ticket with shimmering golden light.

“I’ll buy one more. This one!”

And so I bought two housing lottery tickets with golden light circling around them.

“Jeong-hyeok!”

Mother came hurrying after me in a fluster.

I stuffed the lottery tickets into my pocket and bought a bag of chocolate from the next newsstand.

“Jeong-hyeok, Mom was really surprised. Suddenly getting off the car··· hmm?”

I popped a piece of chocolate into Mother’s mouth.

Mother, who ended up receiving and eating the chocolate unexpectedly.

The nagging went right in, and a sweet fragrance wafted out.

“I was so, so hungry.”

At the extremely childlike answer, Mother’s expression also softened.

Mother stroked my head.

“Well done.”

“Is Mom hungry too?”

I put another piece of chocolate into Mother’s mouth.

Mother smiled gently.

When Mother and I returned to the jeep hand in hand like that, getting along well,

“Hey, kid. Why did you suddenly······ ugh!”

I stuffed a handful of chocolate into the mouth of Uncle Cheol-gu, who had been preparing a bombardment of nagging.

The uncle had to mumble while making all sorts of faces.

Would someone who drinks coffee black like the sweetness of chocolate?

“Uncle, this is a bonus.”

If there’s something received, there must also be something repaid accordingly.

“This is a service.”

I whispered softly in Uncle Cheol-gu’s ear and slipped one housing lottery ticket into his pocket.

It was a lottery ticket with a plain gold border, clearly different from mine that was brilliantly sparkling all over with golden light.

“At least use it as pocket money.”

“Well, well?”

Uncle Cheol-gu checked the housing lottery and laughed, saying he was dumbfounded.

Because he realized that my real purpose wasn’t the chocolate.

“This damn cunning kid, really······!”

But this time, Uncle Cheol-gu couldn’t stretch my cheeks wide.

Because I had already loaded my mouth full of chocolate and finished preparing for battle.

What would happen if I continuously fired saliva-covered chocolate inside the expensive jeep?

Go ahead and try if you want!

No one will be able to stop me!

* * *

While going home, I thought carefully.

‘The forced demolition was decided because land prices near Guro Station are soaring due to the success of Subway Line 1 development, right?’

Guro Station began operations as a regular station with the opening of the metropolitan subway in ’74.

After that, it grew rapidly along with the city and established itself as a major transfer station for the metropolitan wide-area subway as the branching station of the Gyeongbu Line and Gyeongin Line.

It has been reborn as a transportation hub to the extent that the Guro Vehicle Depot is located there.

Moreover, because industrial complexes are lined up, the shanties of factory workers sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

‘On top of that, the Asian Games will soon be held in Korea. The government is currently beautifying the cityscape with eyes blazing.’

When the U.S. President visited Korea in ’66, the shantytown on Namsan was caught on the TV screen.

Government officials started urban landscape beautification because it was embarrassing to show foreigners.

Redevelopment in Seoul proper began in earnest, and the demolition of unauthorized slums was accelerated.

‘On top of that, with the Gangnam development and apartment sales boom in the 70s, U-gwang Construction stepped in. Because building and selling apartments here would make money.’

The military regime pushed urban development projects centered on Gangnam development in the 70s.

To induce population movement, they relocated major government agencies including the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor’s Office to Gangnam.

They also pushed for the relocation of prestigious high schools called the Gangnam 8th School District.

In that way, Gangnam development succeeded.

Apartments sold out completely as soon as they were built, to the extent that new terms like lottery wife and premium emerged.

People witnessed the phenomenon of apartment prices and land prices soaring, and construction companies turned their eyes to places where they could redevelop with little money, that is, shantytowns and slums.

‘If that happens, the people in the shantytowns will be driven onto the streets.’

32% of Seoul housing in the 70s were shanties.

‘With a tiny bit of compensation money, there’s nowhere to go. How much have house prices risen these days.’

With the success of Gangnam development, a real estate frenzy began blowing across all of Seoul.

The land in Jamsil that was 400 won per pyeong in the 70s approaches 400,000 won in the late 80s.

In just over ten years, it jumps a full 1,000 times.

‘People who were forcibly demolished in the 70s–80s even had their temporary shanties torn down and really dug tunnels to live in.’

I glanced down at my pocket.

The housing lottery I bought earlier was still emitting golden light.

“We’re here. Let’s get off.”

Before I knew it, we had arrived in front of the house.

Quite a lot of people, from children to the elderly, were gathered closely in the landlord’s front yard.

There was only one reason they were gathered like this on a Sunday afternoon.

Because the landlord’s grandmother’s house, the richest in our neighborhood, had a black-and-white television.

‘They came to watch the housing lottery drawing.’

The shantytown where forced demolition will soon proceed.

For people with nowhere to go and no money, the only hope is the luck of the housing lottery.

The first prize is a full 10 million won!

A huge sum that can buy a newly built apartment in Gangnam falls.

“Oh my, Jeong-hyeok’s mom!”

The neighborhood people welcomed us as we got out of the car.

“I heard you almost had a big incident yesterday? Is your body a bit better?”

“I heard the story. You were taken away because of coal gas?”

“They say many people suffer from aftereffects of coal gas. Hurry inside and lie down. We’ll look after Jeong-hyeok.”

Mother smiled gently and conveyed her thanks.

“I’m fine. Thanks to your concern, I’m unharmed. Thank you so much for helping yesterday.”

Everyone added a word noisily.

“I heard Jeong-hyeok ran around barefoot to save his mom?”

“She survived thanks to her son. I don’t know how capable he is.”

“It’s really fortunate that you came back healthy.”

“Come on, everyone, applause to celebrate Jeong-hyeok’s mom’s safe return!”

The neighborhood people clapped all at once.

We smiled awkwardly and kept bowing.

In that way, we were able to return noisily to our single-room house.

“Jeong-hyeok, sit and wait for a moment. Mom will prepare the meal right away.”

My heart pounded.

Mother’s home-cooked meal after a full 45 years!

Mother’s cooking taste, which had become so old that even the memory had blurred······.

“Ugh!”

I had remembered it as the childish side-dish complaints of my childhood.

But I can clearly say this much.

My memory must have been beautified over time.

“Mom, water!”

Salty! Spicy! Bland! Tasteless! Greasy! Fishy!

No, what kind of side dishes are making such unique claims each?

What on earth did you do to the food!

“Wow, our son is eating well today. You must have been really hungry.”

Please don’t smile so proudly like that!

Right now, I’m just forcing down three spoonfuls of rice.

Ha, life······.

Munch munch. Slurp.

Yes, what else is filial piety.

If our Mother smiles, that’s filial piety.

Even though it’s not chemical, biological, and radiological training, why are tears coming out while eating rice.

Clatter. Clatter.

I scraped the rice grains stuck to the bowl with a spoon and asked.

“Mom, about our Dad.”

Mother put down her utensils.

She examined my expression for a long time, her expression quite stiff.

But I deliberately pretended not to know.

“You know. Yesterday Mom was taken to the hospital, she almost died, why aren’t you contacting Dad?”

“Jeong-hyeok, Dad is······.”

The silence lengthens again.

“Did Dad abandon us?”

“It’s not like that.”

Mother gulped down water in one go and said with a sigh.

“Dad went to the Middle East to make a lot of money. He can’t come because he’s laying roads and building buildings there.”

Dispatching overseas construction workers due to the Middle East construction boom became very prevalent in the 80s.

It was famous for Daewoon Construction rising to the ranks of chaebols overnight with overseas construction orders.

But right now, it feels a bit early for the Middle East construction boom to fully kick off.

‘Does she not want to tell me properly?’

Which chaebol second generation would be laying roads and building buildings in the Middle East right now.

If not that······ hmm. There is something I can guess.

“Mom, what’s our Dad’s name?”

Before Mom could answer, a noisy sound came from outside.

The kids shouted loudly from the landlord’s front yard.

“Now it’s the first-prize numbers!”

“Group 1!”

The group drawing was over.

“Get ready~ Shoot!”

The next six-digit numbers were done by throwing darts.

“2!”

The kids shouted along in loud voices.

Because the screen was too small for the people sitting in the back to see the numbers.

The kids sitting in the front seats shout them out loudly.

“4!”

“9!”

Wait!

I took out the housing lottery from my pocket.

‘Group 1, 2, 4, 9······.’

The kids outside called out the remaining numbers.

“Gasp!”

The more they did, the more my hands trembled.

Because something that had never happened even once in my life was happening.

“Jeong-hyeok?”

How much must it have been that Mother, who had been sitting with her head deeply bowed and a serious expression, approached looking puzzled.

Mother also looked into the housing lottery trembling in my hand together.

Eventually, Mother also made the same sound as me.

“Gasp!”

Mother’s and my eyes met in the air.

Pupils that looked like an earthquake had occurred.

“F, first prize······!”

Prize money of 10 million won!

It was the price of one apartment in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam.