“How did you…?”
“I wrote it directly in the self-introduction letter. Oh, didn’t you say you’re not scared anymore? Image training?”
The man’s fingertip touched Hakyung’s resume.
It reminded him that he had written about his biggest life crisis and how he overcame it.
His fear of seawater had been the greatest crisis, and to overcome his phobia, he had been consistently practicing image training, which had significantly reduced his fear of seawater.
Hakyung was surprised by the man’s speed reading, and at the same time, thought, “That’s a lie…” After all, aren’t self-introduction letters supposed to be like novels? He had just written it that way, being true to the style.
Since Kim Taeyoung was already a candidate for the position, he thought it didn’t matter if the resume or self-introduction was half-hearted, but he still wrote it with real sincerity.
In short, Hakyung was still afraid of seawater.
Very much so.
It happened when he was about six years old.
Hakyung had gone to the mudflats with his family to dig for clams.
It was so fun to turn over the soft mud, and clams as big as his fist would roll out.
So, as a young child, he could spend hours digging for clams.
He got so focused on digging that he didn’t notice the seawater that had receded earlier, starting to come back in from a distance.
While his family had already left the mudflats and were sorting the clams they had collected, Hakyung was the only one left, still focused on the clams.
He could hear the adults shouting from a distance, but a child absorbed in fun wouldn’t pay attention.
Even though the seawater brushed against his ankles, he didn’t change his crouching position.
Having been born as a member of the “Gangdolphin” tribe, he instinctively knew how to play in the water, so he didn’t think much of the danger.
The adults, who had been calling him from outside the mudflats, were slower than the incoming tide, which soon engulfed Hakyung.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Hakyung fell forward, still in the position he had been in while digging for clams, struck by the waves.
He tried to straighten up and move, but the relentless waves made every effort useless.
It wasn’t easy for the little child, who had been playing in the calm river and streams, to break
through the constantly incoming waves.
It was only then that Hakyung and his family realized something was wrong.
As the adults rushed over, Hakyung was already submerged in the seawater, his eyes closed, overwhelmed by fear.
How much time passed?
Just when he thought he had been completely swallowed by the seawater, he opened his eyes and saw nothing but a blue sky.
What was going on?
The young Hakyung looked around in confusion.
“Gang Hakyung! Are you an idiot?!”
It was then that he heard a sharp voice from the side.
It was Kim Taeyoung, who lived next door.
He had come to dig clams with him but had stayed under the parasol, not wanting to go into the mudflats.
Now, he was soaked, running around wildly.
Still disoriented, Hakyung rolled his eyes. Kim Taeyoung, frustrated by his cluelessness,
shouted again.
“Do you know you almost drowned in the sea?”
“Uh, uh! Right, I was scared!”
“Ugh! Fool, idiot.”
Kim Taeyoung’s words, full of disdain for Hakyung, poured out.
Despite this, Hakyung couldn’t say anything. Just like he said, he had been a foolish Gangdolphin who fell into the sea while digging for clams.
After enduring Kim Taeyoung’s harsh words until he cooled off, Hakyung timidly asked.
“Then, Taeyoung, did you save me?”
“What…?”
“I was completely submerged in the sea. Didn’t you pull me out?”
For a moment, Taeyoung kept quiet at Hakyung’s innocent question, but then he nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! I pulled you out of the water. See? I hate salty water, but I got soaked because of you!”
Kim Taeyoung pointed to his wet clothes with a smug air, carrying the arrogance typical of a
savior.
The family that had rushed over later scolded Hakyung, but Kim Taeyoung just stood there, looking nonchalant, not saying a word.
But that was fine.
Just standing there, with his feet on the ground and breathing, Hakyung felt incredibly happy.
It was from that moment on that Kim Taeyoung became the savior of Hakyung’s life.
From that day, Hakyung had unconditionally treated him well, to the point where he would pretend to die if he asked him to.
During school, he ran errands for him, did his minor assignments, summarized exam material, and even brought him correction notes.
After graduating, Kim Taeyoung started extorting small amounts of money from him, using pocket money as an excuse.
He would also go to the shop where Hakyung worked and make a scene about needing the latest luxury items every season.
At this point, even the adults who had initially encouraged Hakyung to treat Taeyoung well started to intervene, saying it had gone too far.
But Hakyung didn’t mind a little discomfort.
If something had gone wrong at that time, it wouldn’t just have affected him but his family’s lives as well.
To Hakyung, Kim Taeyoung was more than a lifesaver; he was like a god.
Even though he was genuinely disappointed in him now, after this incident, he didn’t know how things would turn out from here on.
Since that day, the sea had become a source of fear, so much so that even while sleeping, Hakyung would wake up terrified at the thought of it, and he avoided going anywhere near the shore.
He couldn’t just write the truth in his self-introduction letter, though.
That’s why he had added a little MSG… but to have it be used against him like this was truly
unfortunate.
Sweat started to drip down as the man’s piercing gaze seemed to see right through him.
Hakyung, feeling nervous, blurted out something he hadn’t been asked.
“Umm, this is just pure curiosity since I’m going to be working here, but…”
“What are you curious about?”
“Maybe… are the people in the office… sea people? If so, do they have to visit the sea regularly? Should I accompany them?”
Hakyung, who was from a river-dolphin tribe, didn’t need to worry about hydration; tap water was enough for him.
But he had heard rumors that sea-born people needed to visit the sea from time to time for replenishment.
If that was true, it would expose the lie in his self-introduction letter, and he’d lose his high salary of three million won a month.
He hadn’t even started the job yet, and it would be such a waste.
If that was the case, Hakyung was ready to start training in saltwater from that very day.
Maybe the man could feel Hakyung’s tension. After a brief pause, he shook his head.
“Why would you need to accompany them?”
“Ah, I see…”
Relief was visible on Hakyung’s face, and the man smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
He then waved his hand as if signaling him to leave.
As he quickly bowed and turned to leave, he suddenly called out.
“Wait a minute.”
“Why? What now?” This time, Hakyung flinched when the man grabbed his arm once again.
He seemed so fickle.
Hakyung took a deep breath and turned around, trying to keep his composure.
“Yes?”
“I think the address is wrong.”
“Address?”
“You’re not commuting from this address, are you? You should be putting your Seoul home address.”
Hakyung’s heart skipped a beat.
Of course, he didn’t have a Seoul home address.
The conditions Kim Taeyoung had given him when he called him to Seoul were lodging, office work, a five-day workweek, guaranteed paid leave, and overtime pay.
It sounded like a dream come true.
So, why would he think about finding a place to live?
He had just brought a few clothes and a laptop with him.
Today, he was planning to go to a jjimjilbang (Korean spa) with just 20,000 won, and starting tomorrow, he planned to stay at the jjimjilbang with the money in his bank account.
He hoped that once he started getting paid, he could at least move into a small goshiwon (a cheap dormitory-style room for students).
His mind was busy spinning that hopeful scenario.
When Hakyung didn’t respond for a while, the man clicked his tongue.
He felt like he’d heard that sound before. Hakyung’s shoulders shrunk.
“Well, it’s not important. I just wanted to ask if you’d be interested in using the employee dorms our company provides.”
“Dorms…?”
“Yeah. The rooftop room upstairs.”
The man pointed upward with his thick, long fingers.
Following his finger, Hakyung looked up and down quickly, nodding vigorously.
“I’ll take it! I’d love the dorms!”
“Great. Wait here for a bit.”
Gone was the trembling Hakyung who had been afraid of the thug-like atmosphere.
In this space, only Hakyung, the new employee on the verge of starting his dream job, existed.
Hakyung’s eyes sparkled as he pushed his hat down, embarrassed to show just how much he liked the idea.
Ding dong!
The bell rang again, and a different employee entered, much bigger than the previous one.
“The new cleaner will stay in the rooftop dorm. Geowong, show him around.”
“Uh…?”
“The rooftop dorm…?”
Geowong, who looked confused, quickly noticed the man’s furrowed brows and immediately adjusted his posture.
“Oh! Yeah, of course! Dorm! Let’s go! Cleaner!”
Suddenly, as if it had just occurred to him, Geowong shouted “dorm!” and gently pushed Hakyung’s back, guiding him forward.
He felt Geowong’s firm hand on his back, as solid as a rock.