Chapter 19

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Foul Mouth
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"Look, you can't just ask for a refund now..."

"I'm paying three hundred fucking thousand a month for two rooms. And what? I have to listen to some drunk old man, the air conditioner stinks... Do I really have to live in a shithole like this? Huh?"

As Taeseo roared, An Yuna's uncle, who had been about to say something, snapped his mouth shut. An Yuna just stood there, flustered and unsure what to do.

"Well, even so, right now..."

"Fucking hell, then come check the AC filter right now! Are you going to check it or not? Huh?"

"I'll-I'll check it right away."

At Taeseo's outburst, An Yuna hurried past her uncle and into the building. Taeseo started to follow her, then stopped and spat on the ground.

"Fucking hell. If that AC isn't fixed, I swear to God, I'm packing my shit and leaving."

This wasn't his usual way of speaking, but Taeseo made his voice extra coarse, ensuring An Yuna's uncle could hear every word.

For some reason, the F-bombs were rolling right off his tongue today.

"There are plenty of places to stay over at the Namgyeong construction site. I'd rather sleep there, for fuck's sake."

An Yuna's uncle said nothing to Taeseo as he swaggered away, his hands shoved in his trouser pockets.

Sensing the man fuming but unable to retort, Taeseo let the corner of his lip curl into a smirk.

* * *

An Yuna, her face pale, entered Taeseo's room and inspected the air conditioner.

Her heart had clearly sunk, wondering where on earth she would find the money to fix it in her already tight situation.

She picked up the remote and repeatedly turned the wall-mounted unit on and off before aiming the vent toward her face and sniffing the air.

The breeze from the AC ruffled her tied-back hair, sending loose strands fluttering.

The cool air soothed her flushed cheeks, which had been burning red from rushing to the convenience store right after work.

He wanted to let her stand in the cool air, even for a moment. He wanted to watch her standing in front of the air conditioner a little longer.

After about three minutes in front of the AC, An Yuna tilted her head.

"I've been sniffing this whole time, but I don't smell anything."

Taeseo had been about to tell her the AC wasn't broken, but seeing her like that, he changed his mind.

"What are you talking about? The smell is awful. There must be something wrong with your nose."

"Really?"

An Yuna stood in the breeze for a while longer, then pulled over a dining chair. She climbed onto it, opened the cover of the wall-mounted unit, and checked the filter.

"The filter looks clean, too..."

It was time to end the act. Taeseo stood behind her, hands clasped behind his back, and spoke.

"Actually... the air conditioner is fine."

"What?"

"There's no smell. It's working perfectly."

An Yuna turned to look at Taeseo, her expression one of utter confusion.

"But you just said it was broken..."

Taeseo was about to retort, *So I should have just watched you get hit?* but he held his tongue.

Not only would it look pathetic to brag about saving her, but he was planning on handing her uncle a large sum of money anyway.

Not the paltry 600,000 won in monthly rent, but the calculated price for 400 pyeong of land at one million won per pyeong. He planned to give that money to her uncle and leave this godforsaken country town.

He didn't want to deceive her by giving the impression that he was looking out for her.

An Yuna stared at Taeseo, and soon, the answer dawned on her.

"Ah... you did it to save me, didn't you? Because my uncle was about to hit me..."

As if all the tension had drained out of her, An Yuna stepped down from the chair. Then, looking exhausted, she plopped down onto it. She seemed relieved that the air conditioner wasn't broken.

It was ridiculous how she was working two jobs and managing these studio apartments, yet still trembled at the thought of paying for a broken AC. Taeseo teased her.

"Sitting down in someone else's room without permission?"

"Just for a moment. I'm so relieved the AC is fine. I'll just sit for a second and then leave."

Having concluded that Taeseo had saved her from her uncle, An Yuna's face looked much more at ease.

Sitting on the chair, she blinked her wide eyes and looked at the dining table behind Taeseo.

"Looks like you were about to have dinner."

"Yeah. I was on my way out to buy some instant rice."

"Oh, right. More importantly, I haven't paid you for the hospital bill from yesterday. How much was it? I'll transfer it to you right away."

Seeing Yuna take out her phone to transfer the money, Taeseo spoke.

"Forget the money. Just bring me a couple of bowls of rice later."

The medical bill was just over 20,000 won, and it felt petty to ask for it back. To him, 20,000 won was basically pocket change, an amount he could write off as a good deed and forget.

"But instant rice costs next to nothing. The hospital bill must have been much more."

"I said forget it. Just bring me the rice."

Still, An Yuna stubbornly held onto her phone. Taeseo changed the subject.

"Anyway, what do you do if the filter starts to smell? Do you replace it?"

Yuna turned her head to look at the wall-mounted AC unit, following Taeseo's gaze.

"You can buy a brand new one to replace it, but this is a reusable filter. Usually, you just take it out, scrub it with a brush, let it dry, and put it back in."

"Really? Then you can rest here for as long as it takes to clean a filter."

"No, I couldn't... I have to get to my shift at the convenience store."

"If you don't listen, I'll really ask for a refund and move out. Just stay put for a bit."

Taeseo left An Yuna in the room and went straight down to the first-floor convenience store. He grabbed two bowls of instant rice, some sesame ramen, a can of tuna, and a strawberry-flavored soda, then went to the counter.

An Yunho was manning the counter. He was standing there with a sullen look on his face, clearly annoyed that Yuna had gone upstairs instead of coming straight to the store.

"Ring me up."

At Taeseo's words, An Yunho looked at him with displeasure.

"I said, ring me up."

"What the hell? You've got some nerve. Do I know you or something? Why are you so damn rude every time I see you?"

"Haven't you heard the customer is always right?"

"That only applies to actual customers, not assholes like you."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Yeah? I'm twenty-eight. Respect your elders. I'm older, so I'll speak informally. Got it? We're on casual terms now, right?"

"Ha. Unbelievable."

If An Yunho hadn't been so prickly, Taeseo would have kept Yuna for a reasonable amount of time and sent her back. But seeing the kid scan the items and slam them down on the counter with a sour face, he decided to keep her upstairs for as long as possible.

"Give me a plastic bag, too."

"Ah, shit, I already swiped your card... Hey, you're supposed to ask for that *before* you pay."

"An Yuna gives them to me for free."

"That's because she's breaking the law."

"Then go ahead and report her."

An Yunho, looking dumbfounded, pulled out a plastic bag and charged for it separately.

Taeseo took the card An Yunho handed back, one side of his mouth crooked in a smirk, and gestured with his eyes toward the items on the counter.

"Bag it."

That finally broke An Yunho's composure.

"Ah, fuck. You're really something else."

"You want me to file a complaint with corporate about you swearing at customers?"

"Ha, wow, seriously. What the... Ah, fuck."

An Yunho muttered curses just under his breath as he put the items in the plastic bag.

"Excuse me."

As Taeseo watched with a taunting grin, An Yunho's father—An Yuna's uncle—hesitantly approached him.

"What is it?"

"I'm the owner of this building."

The building owner was An Yuna's grandmother. Taeseo had checked when he signed the lease; the owner's name was Kim Kkotnim. And yet, this man was claiming to be the owner.

There are people who think their parents' property is their own, and An Yuna's uncle was one of them. A sneer formed on Taeseo's face.

With a personality like that, pushing him to sell the land to Namgyeong would be a piece of cake.

"I saw earlier that there seemed to be a problem with the air conditioner..."

Since the studio was his source of income, he seemed curious about what the problem was.

Taeseo, still planning to keep An Yuna upstairs a bit longer, answered in a swaggering tone.

"Damn right. You have no idea how bad that AC smells. You should be grateful I'm not demanding you install a new one."

Knowing the man was unreasonable, Taeseo put on a blustering act. Despite this, An Yuna's uncle didn't seem particularly offended.

"Right, the air conditioner... but, um..."

He seemed to have something else to say to Taeseo.

"What is it?"

"From now on, I was hoping you could pay the rent through my son here, not through Yuna. Um... you pay in cash, right?"

*Of course*, Taeseo thought, replying nonchalantly.

"Why go through your son?"

This was an opportunity.

"Rent is due in ten days. Come get it yourself."

His negotiation target was walking right up to him and extending a hand.

"I'll have the rent ready in cash. Oh, and give me your business card if you have one."

At Taeseo's mention of cash, the man's face lit up.

"That would be great, thank you. But I don't have a business card, what should I do...?"

"Then on the day rent is due, I'll contact you through your son here. 600,000 won isn't chump change. I should hand it over in person."

"You'll really give the rent money to me...?"

Looking at the man who seemed ready to sell his soul for 600,000 won, Taeseo gave him a bright smile, unlike any he'd shown before.

"I don't enjoy seeing people fight over money either. To be honest, I'd rather just pack up and leave..."

At the mention of leaving, the man waved his hands in the air as if to stop Taeseo.

"I wasn't thinking about the tenant's perspective. I'll be more careful from now on. Please make sure to contact me on the 15th of next month. Okay?"

With this, An Yuna's uncle wouldn't threaten or lay a hand on her anymore. Plus, Taeseo now had a way to contact his negotiation target. It was killing two birds with one stone.

"Yeah, sure. I'll do that."

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."

He bowed repeatedly to Taeseo, then went to the drink cooler, grabbed a bottle of soju, and left the store.

Meanwhile, An Yunho had bagged Taeseo's purchases and held out the bag.

Taking the bag, Taeseo mustered all his energy for one last foul-mouthed remark as he left the store.

"Ah, fuck. That damn AC. Fuck, I don't know if just washing the filter will get rid of the smell."

This was to keep An Yunho from pestering An Yuna to come down quickly.

"Ah, fuck..."

Spitting out so many curses in a row made his mouth twitch.

Taeseo pressed a hand to his trembling lips as he set foot on the stairs leading to the second floor.