Master Joo Ji took a scrap of paper from the drawer of a small table and handed it to Young-hoon.
The paper simply had a phone number written on it.
“What is this?”
“You know Yoon Bosal, right?”
Yoon Bosal was the one who offered the most tributes at the temple each year.
Despite being born into a local wealthy family and living a life of comfort, she frequently visited the temple because of issues with her children.
“Of course, I know.”
“It’s someone Yoon Bosal introduced. They are running a business in Seoul and looking for people. I got their contact details.”
“What?”
Young-hoon couldn’t help but be surprised, not expecting Master Joo Ji to have thought about his employment.
After all, he was someone who usually didn’t discuss worldly matters.
Of course, he knew all this was for his own good.
It was because he feared his determined heart might waver.
“They said it’s in Seoul. Go and meet them.”
Moreover, it was Seoul.
“Seoul? Isn’t that scary? All kinds of temptations of the world must be gathered in Seoul.”
“You spent all your youth evading your destiny. Are you planning to keep avoiding it even outside?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Young-hoon calmly put the paper in his monk’s pants.
Master Joo Ji, looking over the clothes Young-hoon was wearing, said,
“Buy some new clothes too.”
“Do you think I would go for a job interview in these clothes? I’m not that naive.”
“Ha ha… right. You’re not a kid anymore… Now, go.”
Young-hoon stared at Master Joo Ji’s face for a while, then quickly got up and bowed to him.
He silently thanked the Master, who was accepting the bow in silence.
“Thank you for making me a person all this time.”
“I am sorry for a lot of things.”
Worried that his reddening eyes might be noticed, Young-hoon quickly left the temple, carrying some underwear and a bankbook the Master had kept for him, and descended the mountain.
He took a bus to downtown and activated a cell phone.
He had once bought a cell phone, complaining, ‘Why can’t I have a cell phone like everyone else?’ He didn’t have anyone to call and preferred PC games over mobile games, so he ended up selling it secondhand in less than a year.
Therefore, he wasn’t very excited or moved when he activated his new phone.
He just thought, ‘Am I really becoming a part of this world now?’
When he arrived in Seoul by KTX, it was 10 PM.
He went to the Dongdaemun Market, which he always wanted to visit if he went to Seoul, and bought some casual clothes and a suit for work.
It was amusing to see the look of surprise on the clerk’s face when he said he was buying a suit in monk’s clothes…
After enjoying the happiness of a late dinner with pork belly and soju alone, he slept at a nearby motel and arranged his belongings at a boarding house the next day.
Then, with a trembling heart, he dialed the number Master Joo Ji had given him.
“Who is this? Ah… I see. Okay. So, you’re coming? We are in Myeongdong…”
He thought about what kind of company would be in Myeongdong, known as the shopping paradise, and when he went to the address in the text, he saw a sign saying Myeongil Building between the tightly packed buildings.
“Is this the place…
They said it’s on the fourth floor…”
He climbed up the narrow stairs of the old building, which didn’t even have an elevator, and there was just one company welcoming Young-hoon on the fourth floor.
[Myeongil Finance]
Even for Young-hoon, who was experiencing the world for the first time, the nature of the company was clear from his knowledge gained through TV and the Internet.
“A loan company… It seems Yoon Bosal didn’t know what kind of company she was introducing. But fate is indeed cruel. Is there a better job than this to test me.”
Young-hoon took a moment to catch his breath, then opened the door and went in.
