[228]Unfinished work 3
“This was originally a wooden warehouse, but it has changed to this way through continuous maintenance work. It’s a long time ago, but I still remember it. The scent of dirty wood. The smell of rice sacks drying up and the brown pit that has turned yellow. I made money from there.”
The grandfather was already immersed in memories while touching the building covered with concrete and bricks.
“It is windy. President. Please go inside.”
The manager of the Sunyang Group History Museum rushed out after receiving a call, and was restless as he stood next to his grandfather who was exhaling white breath.
This is because on days when you catch a cold, the head office issues an unholy order. Although the salary is not high, it is a low-key position where you do not have to worry about losing your salary as you barely manage the building. You will want to cling to it until you are old and unable to move.
“That person is so… Wait a little bit. It’s to check if you’re doing the right thing or not. The day I find even one crack in the wall of a building, I’m sure I’ll be very scolded.”
“Aigoo, Chairman. Don’t you know how much I cherish this place, where I live? Even if my grandchildren get hurt, I don’t blink an eye, but I make all sorts of fuss when I find a spider’s web here.”
The head of the history museum wiped the wall of the building with his hand and held it out in front of his grandfather.
“Look. Isn’t that all just a little dust? There is not a single spot left.”
“Heh, yes. Thank you for taking good care of me.”
Grandpa tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“Let’s go in.”
The sound of grandfather’s shoes echoed in the empty room.
We stopped in front of an old black-and-white photo of smiling middle-aged men in old-fashioned suits.
“…This is when Sunyang Textile first achieved $100 million in exports. Now you and I both have 100 million dollars, but at that time it was a really great achievement.”
There were also photos of bulldozers and excavator construction workers working pickaxes.
“Do you know what this picture is?”
“Isn’t it the Gyeongbu Expressway?”
“right. Isn’t it a great history that started with a special order from the president? It was a time when construction and civil engineering companies were in a frenzy. The construction was hurried like a running race with who finished the project first. So that the president can be seen. haha.”
Photos capturing the shining moments of the past continued.
“This is a picture of the water pipe used during the construction of the Libyan aqueduct. It’s such a ridiculous business.”
The Libyan Aqueduct is an aqueduct that pumps groundwater from the southern Sahara Desert to supply water to cities on the northern Mediterranean coast.
The total construction cost of this super-large project, which is to supply 6.5 million tons of water to the northern Mediterranean coast by burying a huge water pipe with a total length of more than 4000 km across the desert and underground, reaches a whopping 30 billion dollars.
The grandfather continued to explain one by one, searching for memories of the past through photos and souvenirs.
A refreshed expression as if he were at the scene, a smile that flowed non-stop, and half-closed eyes. It looked like a burning torch, not a extinguished candle.
Like a curator at an art museum, the grandfather explained in detail the anecdotes related to each photo and his emotions at that time, then sat down in a chair placed against the wall.
“How are you? Doesn’t it make sense to see it like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“The growth of Sunyang.”
“It’s not plausible, it’s great.”
“no.”
“yes?”
“All of that is fake. haha.”
Are you fake? What else could this mean?
“Let’s see… where was it? Ah, it must have been ‘Korean-Japanese trading company’. It’s a company that’s hard to find now, but rumors say that they’re on the verge of achieving $100 million in exports for the first time. I wanted this to be a big deal. First, I wanted to be me. So I made a fake document and announced it to the media.”
They said it was fake, so I thought it had a different meaning. Whether everything is futile or focused on a pointless battle for first place…
I never thought it was a lie.
“It made headlines because the reporters paid for the rice cake and asked me to take good care of it. I made a lot of noise, so everyone assumed it was like that and accepted it.”
“I’m sure there are still export customs documents left? If you check that…”
“Oh, that’s what I found out right away. The government is also in trouble, but what can we do? Because of the symbolism of exporting 100 million dollars, the people are proud of it as if it were their work, but there is no reason to hold the candle against it. The president also exported and exported and lived on his lips… Uh heh heh.”
That won’t be all. It is obvious that he would have gone unscathed by scattering huge amounts of money here and there.
“The Gyeongbu Expressway speed battle was a poor construction, so it was repaired later, and the Libya Great Waterway construction was left behind, and I was in vain.”
It was not a remorseful voice, but a bright voice reminiscent of fun memories.
“But what about this view of history now? Does it look like a symbol of success?”
“It’s not like, it’s a symbol.”
“okay. It is a symbol of success that goes hand in hand with the history of the Korean economy. The process was tattered here and there, though.”
Grandpa held my hand tightly.
“How are you? Do you have the confidence to continue expanding this view of history?”
“no. This place has to stop right now. This is my grandfather’s memorial hall.”
Grandpa opened his eyes at the unexpected answer.
“why? Don’t you have the confidence to grow bigger?”
“Children grow up quickly until they become adults. But when you reach adulthood, your height stops and your size stops growing.”
“Is the Sunyang Group a grown-up now?”
“Look at Korea’s economic growth rate. It was big enough. Health care is the priority so that you do not get sick and do not wither.”
“so? Are you going to do your best to protect it? Hey!”
Grandpa’s hand hit the back of my head.
It was a touch that had little time left to live, but it was quite spicy. I said, touching the back of my head.
“Soonyang just needs to keep his health. Instead, another seed must be planted to sprout and grow into a giant tree. It will be the second cruiser.”
“Another cruiser…”
“Yes. Oh, of course, the amount of manure needed to grow must be added by the sheep.”
A hand landed on the back of his head again. It wasn’t that spicy this time.
“Why are you skipping Sunyang money? Fertilize and water with your money. A man with a lot of money!”
Looking sideways at the expression of the grandfather sitting next to him, he was smiling.
Are you satisfied with this?
“Let’s get up. Shall we go eat hangover soup when we’re hungry?”
“Aren’t you tired? Get some rest…”
“I slept all day yesterday. What is there to be tired of? Come on let’s go Here’s how to do good seonji haejangguk. It’s worth eating.”
When he came out, medical staff rushed to help him.
“are you okay. I can control my body. You guys are going out too, so let’s go together. I’ll treat you to a bowl of hangover soup.”
* * *
As soon as I emptied a bowl of hangover soup and went outside, the pale dawn light began to shine.
“Should we go up now? Also, I have to take a long car ride. Shall we go to a hot spring and get some rest?”
“It is still far. I have a place to stop by.”
“Oops, I forgot. You said you had someone to say hello to, right?”
“okay. It’s not too far from here. Let’s start right away.”
“Isn’t it too early to visit?”
“I’m old, so I can’t sleep in the morning. It is an inspiration to wake up before dawn and eat. are you okay.”
It’s called inspiration, so it’s not a hidden woman. Who is it?
I drove on the highway for about an hour.
The place I arrived at was not a completely rural area, nor was it a small or medium-sized city, but a rural area that could be found anywhere.
I entered such a small village where rice fields, plastic houses, and orchards spread out, but paved roads, not dirt roads, spread all the way to the front of the house.
Seeing that the lights were already turned on in each house, it seemed that they were preparing for farming from dawn.
The place we arrived at was a pretty nice hanok, which is hard to find in the countryside. The wide yard overlooking the low fence was covered with a well-maintained lawn, and the house, which consisted of the main building and the annex, was gorgeous enough to notice that it was made of high-quality materials.
A gray-haired old man was watching us over the fence, perhaps because he had already heard the sound of the car.
“Hey. What are you doing without opening the door even after you see your brother coming?”
“Why are you marching so loudly from dawn? You can wake up everyone in the neighborhood.”
He opened the door with a grunt, but he couldn’t hide his delight.
“Did you sleep this morning? Shall I ask you to prepare rice?”
The grandfather held the hand of the old man who greeted him in a harsh Gyeongsang-do dialect.
“I had a bowl of hangover soup. Bring me lunch later.”
“Come on, let’s make a phone call. It’s time to eat, so I’m going to buy Mandako and stay there? You can come and sleep.”
Following the old man who seemed sad, the grandmother came out and greeted the grandfather.
“Aigoo, Chairman. What’s the matter so far? It’s really been a long time. Oh, are you really crazy? Just wait for a bit. I’ll stop eating and prepare breakfast.”
“Thank you. Since you came to sleep, let’s stay together. Would you like some tea?”
“Still, you have to eat a spoonful of rice. How many young men are there? I will prepare quickly.”
Grandma ran to the kitchen without saying anything.
“Jesu is still the same. haha.”
“The horse is Myso. Son of man, if it’s my words, you won’t even listen to shit, are you sure? I just do whatever I want to do. Stop entering. It’s windy.”
The old man said to the people who came with him.
“Go to that annex and warm up your hands and feet. Leave the boiler on so it will be warm.”
When everyone looked at Grandpa, they screamed out loud.
“Isn’t the landlord saying it’s okay? What are you doing?”
Grandpa nodded and everyone went inside the house.
“But who is he? Son Jan-gyo?”
“okay. He is the youngest in our family. Say hello to Do-jun.”
I bowed in front of the old Gyeongsang-do governor, stood up, and bowed my head a little.
“This is Jin Do-jun. little grandfather.”
He looked a little surprised as he lay down on the icy grass without hesitation.
“Uh hmm… there are a lot of things that young guys are cheap on. Is it your brother’s bloodline?”
“Noisy. cold. Let’s go in quickly.”
Seeing how they expressed their delight, it seemed that the two of them were not in a normal relationship. Who is it?
* * *
As colorful as the outside of the house was, the inside was also unusual. Even hanging scrolls with elegantly written calligraphy, ceramics that look like antiques.
If it’s not fake, this old man must be rich. The fact that the house where two elderly couples live is so big and neat is proof that there are people who do housework.
Sure enough, it wasn’t the grandmother from earlier that brought the refreshments, but a young woman in her thirties.
It was clear that she was not a daughter or a daughter-in-law, judging by how she just bowed her head and left. If it was blood, they would have said hello.
“Cha iso. It’s the Chinese tea that my brother sent me last time. The taste is quite good.”
“I?”
When the grandfather tilted his head, he immediately furrowed his forehead.
“So it is. Aizen is a kind enough person to take care of things like this. You ordered things under Bona Mana.”
“Whoever sent it, I bought it with my own money. Complaining without saying thank you…!”
After the two of them took a cup of tea, I took a sip too.
I felt like my body was melting when I drank hot tea.
The old man stared blankly at me as I knelt down and sat down respectfully, then turned to my grandfather and asked.
“Have you been to Yado Delco? To Gunsan?”
Grandpa responded with a nod of his head.
“Is this the guy who played with two uncles with one cruiser card? You look smart, though.”
He is not a retired old man living in the countryside.
Who is it?
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