Diamond Dust - 13

The interior wasn’t particularly sophisticated, but it had a comfortable and unique atmosphere. The music was at a reasonable volume and well-chosen, and the drinks were cheap. Despite these positives, the place didn’t attract many customers, likely because it wasn’t an Instagram-worthy spot, as Juhan’s brother and Yuni’s sister had explained.

It had already been two weeks since Juhan had helped with the VIP opening of Phantom’s new exhibition.

For a few days afterward, he felt like he was floating, as if he had visited another world. But as he busily juggled working at a moving company and assisting a teacher, reality gradually set back in.

Golden Alpha, paintings worth ten million won each, champagne parties with pretty finger foods that were too beautiful to eat… the sense that such a world really existed somewhere began to fade.

Yuni contacted Juhan through the teacher on Wednesday. The invitation to grab a beer with his brother on Saturday was unexpected, but he welcomed it.

After finishing his moving job, he went home, took a shower, and hurried to the meeting place. The weather had warmed up enough that sweat began to form on his forehead, making it feel like summer was approaching.

When he met up with his sister and brother outside, they were much more friendly, and soon they were calling each other Yuni Noona and Juhan Hyung instead of Yuni-ssi and Juhan-ssi.

With French fries topped with melted cheddar cheese and draft beer in front of them, Juhan Hyung was retracing his steps to memories from three years ago.

One of the two cats living in the bar jumped onto the empty chair next to Juhan Hyung. It was a long-haired Persian, and it was very affectionate. Stroking the cat’s back, Hyung continued his story.

“Afterward, I went to a nearby café and laid everything out, from our past to the present. It took about two hours, I think? The way Baek Yuni asked questions so meticulously and calmly made me feel like I was consulting a lawyer to sue that bastard.”

Because the two seemed so alike in style and looked so comfortable together, Juhan had assumed they had known each other long before working at Phantom. But that wasn’t the case at all.

After that, the two teamed up, came up with several revenge scenarios, and carefully selected one to execute. The stalker had sent the materials he had sent to Juhan Hyung’s parents directly to the director of the academy where he worked.

“One of that bastard’s fixed duties was to deliver the day’s mail to the director while reporting on the academy’s situation when the director arrived late in the afternoon. So he ended up handing over the materials he had used to stalk me, which he had sent to my parents, directly to his boss. I can just imagine him trying to talk about the student enrollment rate while his boss, who was almost twenty years younger, trembled while looking at the captured messages begging to be treated like a dog in bed, just like before….”

Hyung paused his story and gently rubbed his cheek against the cat’s cheek.

There was no need to hear how the middle-aged director, who was probably quite conservative, had reacted to such sordid content.

“You really shot yourself in the foot, didn’t you? If that stuff comes to our place, my outing will happen. If it goes to that guy’s place, his outing will happen. We chose the company over our homes. I’ve learned very clearly, thanks to Baek Yuni, that a knife used to hurt someone else can turn into a self-harming tool.”

“He probably felt the same way on that Monday morning.”

Yuni noona said this while drinking beer with her elbows resting on the table.

“If someone makes another person cry, they should be made to shed tears of blood in return. No matter how long it takes, no matter how much effort it requires, even if my whole life is consumed in the process… I’ll never let anyone who messes with me get away with it. That’s my principle.”

Hyung said something that could sound a bit scary while gently rubbing his nose against the tip of a cat’s nose, speaking in a cutesy voice, “Right, Cushy?”

I was curious about what happened to the stalker afterward, though I could somewhat predict it. If a man in his forties was outed at work in such a way, what would follow was obvious. His family might be shocked and cut ties with him, keeping it quiet from others, but society wouldn’t be as forgiving.

“Are you feeling sorry for him?”

Hyung’s guess was wrong.

I was just thinking about how cleanly an incident, with a clear target for revenge and resentment, could be concluded. I shook my head.

“I think it was a clean ending.”

“You’re pretty cold-hearted, despite your appearance.”

Hyung said this with a playful grin, a mischievous villainous smile that suddenly overlapped with the image of Phantom’s CEO.

We all ordered another round of beer. It was their third beer and my second.

“That was the beginning of me and Baek Yuni. If it wasn’t for her, I might have found that guy and blown up at him, maybe even ended up with a criminal record. My parents wouldn’t have paid any settlement money for me back then. Well, not that things have changed much now.”

Hyung made a bitter face as the foam from the new beer clung to his lips.

“But, you know, it turns out that Yuni had already escaped from that 1.5-pyeong gosiwon long ago. She was already doing well, earning a big salary at Phantom, even though she was working hard because of a staff shortage.”

“If Phantom hadn’t been growing so rapidly then, we wouldn’t have made you go through the interview. Ah, timing…”

After Hyung’s seemingly unjust complaint, Yuni noona followed up with a playful sigh.

In the meantime, other tables had emptied out, leaving only us and the owner’s acquaintances at the bar near the entrance. They seemed to be making some kind of bet, as sudden cheers and groans erupted from their corner. Startled by the noise, the cat pricked its ears and burrowed further into Hyung’s arms.

I took a few sips of beer, looking down at Hyung’s dry hand softly stroking the cat. Since moving to Seoul, I had come to appreciate the comfort and reward of a can of beer after work, but today’s beer had a different taste.

Returning to the starting point of the story, I asked a question that had been on my mind throughout the revenge tale.

“What happened to the boots?”

“The boots? Ah… those boots.”

Hyung grinned and lifted his right leg higher than the table. The sudden movement startled the cat, making it leap from the chair and disappear into the back of the bar.

“I’m not someone who goes back on my word.”

Yuni noona proposed a toast.

The clink of three glasses over the cold fries seemed like a celebration, though I wasn’t exactly sure of what.

“So, Ihyun, would you like to work officially at Phantom?”

“What?”

Hyung suddenly brought up the idea after downing more than half of his beer, as if trying to shake off the lingering memories of the past. From the seat next to me, I heard Yuni noona sigh.

“Is sticking a ‘so’ in front of everything enough? You said you’d bring it up, so I trusted you, but I knew this would happen.”

“Why? Didn’t it sound natural? I explained how I met you and ended up working at Phantom. Doesn’t it make sense to ask you to work there next?”

“Let’s not talk about it.”

Hyung raised his eyebrows and pouted, looking aggrieved. Instead, noona began speaking in her characteristic fast but calm tone.

“Phantom’s work is tough, but it’s one of the best places in the industry. Actually, most galleries have worse working conditions than Phantom. It’s not uncommon for galleries our size to have just one employee. As our gallery grew, we increased our staff, but we feel that it’s time to hire again. We’d like you to join us.”

“I appreciate the offer. It seems like you think highly of me. But I’m not experienced, so I’m not sure if I’d be of much help…”

When I heard through my teacher that the two wanted to meet me privately, I was both surprised and pleased. However, I also doubted how much ability I could bring to a professional space like a gallery.

“Actually, the director suggested I try working as a live-in helper.”

“A live-in helper?”

“Yes, I haven’t made a decision yet, but I think that’s what I’ll do.”

It was Wednesday when the teacher made the live-in offer to me.

After passing on the message that Yuni and Juhan wanted to meet me, the teacher offered to drive me home and suggested moving in with them. It was probably a suggestion made out of consideration for my situation. The teacher didn’t deny it either. Ultimately, it was a choice between being indebted to Morea and Mr. Lim or to the teacher.

“Then it’s even better! If you move into the manager’s house, you can work at Phantom while also doing helper work!”

“Hey, if Ihyun starts working at Phantom, he’ll have to commute every day and work late hours. How is he supposed to handle being a live-in helper on top of that? Do you think housework is that easy?”

“I’m also living alone, doing my laundry, and taking out the trash on time. Baek Yuni… you really have an ulterior motive.”

Despite Yuni’s scolding, Juhan smiled broadly for some reason. It was a mischievous smile, but it had a sly undertone.

“What?”

“You’re just jealous because Ihyun will be living at the manager’s house.”

Yuni stared at Juhan silently for a moment before shaking her head.

“I should have just let you go to jail back then.”

The offer to work officially at Phantom honestly stirred my heart. Working at a moving company or as a helper at the teacher’s house suited me and made me feel at ease, but there was no excitement in it. Those jobs allowed me to retreat deeper into myself, which was why I found comfort in them.

But at Phantom… there was anxiety.

It felt like someone was pulling me out from where I was crouched in the wet sand on a beach, placing me on the unpredictable waves.

I knew it was a time when I needed to make some choices. I couldn’t continue living as I had, sleeping behind sliding doors with a couple who loved each other so much that they even attempted to escape, and working hard to clear my mind with physical labor.

“Adding another person doesn’t necessarily mean the workload will decrease immediately. Depending on who joins, the work might even increase, and if the personalities don’t match, it can be stressful… That’s why we’ve been postponing hiring someone. But I think we’d enjoy working with you. Just think about it. If you think it might work, let us know, or tell the manager.”