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Chapter 96: Expanding into Chuncheon (1)

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Before leaving for Chuncheon, there was one matter Han San had to settle first.

You may remember the person Pi Sun-dae brought along on Hangawi itself.

[ Someone named Ham Byeong-cheol says he's looking for the sajang's Madam Grand Sajang? Says he's from Wonsan. ]

The day after Chuseok, that Ham Byeong-cheol sat in the guest room, grinning with easy familiarity as he opened his mouth.

"San! Don't you remember me? I changed your diapers when you were a little baby. You were this tiny back then, like this much, see?"

Ham Byeong-cheol was twenty-seven.

He was a man from Wonsan, Ham Ssang-sim's nephew on her side of the family. In other words, Han San's older maternal cousin.

"Ha. I talked your ear off about it yesterday too, but you, who were so tiny, have grown up this fine... What a grand house you've got here! Your cousin hyung is thinking of going out and making something of himself in Busan or Gyeongseong. Couldn't you spare me a little money, hm?"

"Byeong-cheol, you! How many times must this aunt tell you? Is San someone who exists to give you money!?"

Ham Ssang-sim's face flushed as she scolded her nephew.

As people in Sebeom Valley had heard through the grapevine, her family back home had been fishermen in Wonsan. In her grandfather's day, they had been little different from local gentry.

The problem was that they had had too many children.

A large family was a source of strength, but when it came time to divide the inheritance, it became the root of disputes.

Just two generations down, the family had split into main branches that inherited many boats and lesser branches that inherited few. Even within those branches, the children divided into those who could work a boat and those who could not.

The former could keep fishing, but the latter faced a bleak future. And with each generation, there were more of those children with nowhere to go.

Ham Byeong-cheol was one of them.

Ham Ssang-sim had followed her husband here around fifteen years ago, so the last time she had seen Ham Byeong-cheol, he had been twelve. Even then, he had a reputation for having a sharp nose for money.

‘Where did he hear that San makes good money now...?’

The more she thought about it, the more her insides burned.

She had watched several branches of her birth family collapse because one person earned the money while another took credit for it. That was why she could barely lift her head before her son now.

Ham Byeong-cheol, for his part, was unfazed even under those looks. Every time he saw the tidy guest room, the snacks set out for him, or the broad yard, drool practically ran down his buck teeth.

And Han San?

Arms folded, he watched Ham Byeong-cheol in silence.

‘Mother seems to think this man came because he heard I make good money.’

But she was wrong.

‘Because this man came in my previous life too.’

Typhoon 3383 had affected Wonsan as well.

The breakwater had collapsed, the pier had been wrecked, house walls had blown away, and several boats had overturned completely.

[ Oh, Byeong-cheol. What are we supposed to do now? ]

[ The main branch might hold out for a while, but that boat was all we had... ]

Without anyone asking, he had poured out every little detail of his family's circumstances, even imitating his parents' voices. Then he broke down sobbing and said,

[ Aunt! Things have turned out this way, so what good is there in me staying in Wonsan? If I'm to somehow get the family back on its feet, shouldn't I go to Kaesong, Gyeongseong, Busan, somewhere like that?

But all I've got right now is these two balls between my legs, and nobody's buying those... I was just heading south without a plan. Then it was Chuseok, and I was hungry, and lonely beyond words... Then I remembered my aunt was in Gangwon, so I came looking for you.

But when I got here, Aunt's house had been hit by the typhoon too, and there's hardly a spot left whole... I'm ashamed to ask, but I really, truly, am I the sort of person who asks favors like this?

Please, please, help this nephew just once! I'll pay it back, I swear! ]

And so he borrowed five won, money that had been precious beyond measure to the Han family then.

[ Thank you so much! This Byeong-cheol is a man who never forgets a favor he's received! ]

Ham Byeong-cheol left after loudly declaring as much.

The next year, the Great Flood of the Gap-sul Year came.

Another four years passed. Han San, struggling along by pulling a rickshaw to feed his younger sibling, took on a long-distance fare that brought him to Chuncheon.

After passing the entrance to Chuncheon, he saw a four-way intersection and an inn right there. While setting down his passenger's luggage in front of it, he locked eyes with a man in a suit.

It was Ham Byeong-cheol. He seemed to have made a fair bit of money with that slyness of his. One hand was tucked into his coat pocket, while the other held a fine pocket watch that he examined.

[ Hyung! Byeong-cheol hyung! ]

Twenty-three-year-old Han San swallowed his pride and asked for help the moment he finished his job.

I have to raise my sibling, Han San said. My sibling is smart, and I want to send them to school, he said. The flood, the Great Flood of the Gap-sul Year that came the year after Byeong-cheol hyung left, what had happened to his parents during it, Han San told him all of it, kneeling right there in the street of Chuncheon with everyone watching.

Ham Byeong-cheol listened to the very end. He clicked his tongue several times, as if he found it pitiful.

Then, letting out a long sigh, he said,

[ Right. My aunt helped me too. What's received ought to be repaid. ]

Ham Byeong-cheol opened his wallet. From a wallet filled with ten-won bills, he selected four one-won notes and two fifty-jeon coins, then handed them over.

[ Here. I borrowed exactly five won from Aunt back then. I've repaid every last bit of it. ]

[ ... ]

[ Live well. ]

Ham Byeong-cheol closed his wallet, pulled his coat close, and returned to the inn. Han San could see the relief in every step he took.

That day, that night, Han San stood for a long time in front of that Chuncheon intersection inn.

The thought suddenly came to him that it was true enough.

Yes, Byeong-cheol hyung had borrowed five won back then. That much was true. So Ham Byeong-cheol had only repaid five won, that thought kept circling his mind.

There had been no agreement that he would pay interest, either. That thought kept going around and around in his head. Yes, while tightly clutching those five won, he kept telling himself nothing was wrong, that even these five won were desperately needed right now.

That night, after returning to Inje, he opened his fist. He straightened the four bills crumpled into the shape of his grip, and the two dented coins, one by one.

The money flattened out, but something in his mind remained crumpled beyond repair.

Han San had not known then where that feeling came from.

Only that, from then on, he expected nothing from anyone.

‘So that was it.’

Now that he was living life a second time, Han San suddenly understood.

Why he had been touched when Chuk Hong-cheol had deliberately brought back his change and insisted on placing it in his hand.

Why Broker Jang's willingness to sell him a putt-putt boat at a low price had moved him.

Why the sincerity Imok, leader of the Inwang Gang, had shown in his past life had sunk so deeply into him.

Why, when he realized Ayame's goodwill hid no ulterior motive, warmth had spread through his heart.

That was why.

Han San let out a quiet laugh.

‘The teacher who taught me about life has come.’

Of course, all that had happened in his previous life.

The regressor who had bared his teeth each time he encountered old ill-fated ties like Go Tae-chon and Kim Tae-yang had gained a fair bit of maturity over the six months since his return.

So there was no hostility in the way Han San looked at Ham Byeong-cheol.

If anything...

‘Labor!’

And labor from a genuine fishing family from Wonsan in Hamgyeong Province, at that!

‘The thing I was confidently preparing to conquer Chuncheon was in need of Wonsan hands at precisely this moment.’

To borrow an expression from the wuxia novels Han San often read, he had not dared ask for it, but it was exactly what he had wanted.

"Byeong-cheol hyung!"

Han San smiled brightly at Mr. Five Won, who was grinning with his buck teeth on full display.

"Giving you some money isn't a problem, but what do you plan to do after taking it? Busan, Gyeongseong, those cities are all money-eating hippos, aren't they? Your money will melt away in no time, and then you'll be charging at things bare-handed again."

"Uh... that's true. So I was..."

"Don't do that." Cutting him off, Han San unfolded his arms. "Let's do something bigger."

Ham Byeong-cheol's eyes widened.

"Bigger?"

"Go to Wonsan, gather every relative who's got nothing in their hands, and bring them here. Anyone who's fished before gets preference as an experienced hand! Even if they did something else, it doesn't matter whether they're old or young, so long as they'll work honestly without cutting corners."

"Ah, no, my son..."

Ham Ssang-sim's mouth fell open. She had been mortified enough that her nephew had come here to cling to them. Wasn't her son now saying he would bring in every member of her birth family?

‘No matter that I'm his mother, I have some shame. I can't possibly...’

Han San stopped her with a glance before she could object. Ham Ssang-sim hesitated and closed her mouth. Ham Byeong-cheol's mouth opened as wide as a washbasin.

"I, I can do that!?"

"Of course you can."

"Ah... b-but there are quite a lot of people... Just the travel expenses for them to get all the way here would cost..."

"Ah, that's fine. They can come loaded onto a boat."

Han San swept his eyes around once, then smiled.

"I have a putt-putt boat, you see. Carrying a dozen or so people is nothing. It can make trips back and forth while handling a few other things along the way."

"A boat...!"

A putt-putt boat, at that!

How much had Ham Byeong-cheol envied the main branch that owned two putt-putt boats? Yet his eighteen-year-old cousin was saying he owned one himself.

"I'll do it! Of course I will! Just trust this hyung!"

Han San smiled at Ham Byeong-cheol as he nodded his head again and again, then took bills from his pocket and handed them over.

They were five crisp one-won notes.

"W-what's this money for?"

Han San gave no explanation.

"My boat is in Sokcho. Go along with the ox carts carrying my people back and forth. Those carts leave from Inje."

"Oh, San! No, Sajang-nim!"

Ham Byeong-cheol quickly accepted the money and tucked it into his pocket, then beamed with his buck teeth showing.

"Thank you so much! This Byeong-cheol is a man who never forgets a favor he's received!"

"Yes, yes. I know that very well."

Han San saw Ham Byeong-cheol out with the same smile on his face.

As soon as the guest left, Ham Ssang-sim hurriedly opened her mouth.

"Oh, San... This mother of yours..."

"Come on, don't say things like that."

"But still..."

"Mother."

Han San waved away all her protests and apologies, then grinned.

"Forget that. There is one real mission I can only ask of our House of the Taste Magistrate's Madam Grand Sajang. Something only Mother can do..."

"A, a mission?"

Ham Ssang-sim blinked.

"Yes, so..."

Han San lowered his voice and explained the mission. Ham Ssang-sim's eyes widened as she listened.

"That? Ah... right, that's right. Back in this mother's hometown, they do make it and eat it that way... But can it be done here in Gangwon?"

Han San nodded. The regressor knew it could be done with absolute certainty.

"Yes. Being up in the mountains, it'll be a little different from Wonsan, but it'll turn out much better.

Let's see. Daegwallyeong[1] is a little far, but somewhere high nearby should work. Once November comes, the temperature here drops sharply, doesn't it?"

Sebeom Valley lay in Seorak. If one unfolded a map, the name Yongdaeri would leap right out.

"From what I saw earlier, that cousin Byeong-cheol of mine seems to have a bit of a slippery streak."

"That child is a bit sly..."

"Right. So, Mother. When Byeong-cheol hyung brings your family from back home, keep them properly in line and take charge of the work I told you about."

Looking into his mother's eyes, Han San added,

"Whether my Chuncheon business succeeds or fails rests in Mother's hands."

Ham Ssang-sim straightened her back.

She was glad she could play a part. She was glad her son had given her a reason to help her family back home. More than anything, she was glad her son trusted her.

Ham Ssang-sim puffed out a strong breath.

"Leave it to this House of the Taste Magistrate's Madam Grand Sajang, my son!"

Han San grinned.

He left the work his relatives on his mother's side would do to his mother, then took care of a few more minor matters.

The days passed.

"Now it's really finished!"

With every preparation in place, Han San headed for Chuncheon.

October 7th, 1933.

Chuncheon.

Though three days had passed since Hangawi, the city was still steeped in its lingering mood. Mist rising from the Soyang River gently brushed around people's feet as crowds from all over Gangwon formed long lines.

Among them was the entire party from Han's Myriad Commerce.

Several of the Chuk Brothers who had come along pulled the ox carts. Im Baechil helped the Chuk Brothers while looking around, unable to close his mouth.

And Han San?

Standing at the head of the group, he glanced at an inn.

The very inn at the four-way intersection where, in his previous life, he had come pulling a rickshaw, met Ham Byeong-cheol, received five won, and stood alone for a long while.

This life, he passed that place with people he could trust at his side, pulling ox carts piled high with goods.

Within a few steps, the inn fell behind him.

And the regressor moved forward.

Footnotes:

[1] Daegwallyeong is a high mountain pass in Gangwon known for its cold climate.

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