Murim Login - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 87
“Achoo!”
Splatter!
My Elder Brother Jin Ho, now wearing noodles and grains of rice, calmly wiped his face with a wet tissue.
“If you don’t like something, say it with words. Words.”
“It’s not like that. It just suddenly came out.”
“Stop making excuses. You look even worse now.”
I’m serious. Instead of answering, I rubbed my nose.
Who could possibly be cursing me?
‘Now that I think about it, there is one person who fits the bill.’
Im Chang-su had more than enough motive—he was overflowing with it. Still, he was the Santa Claus who’d gifted me four billion won, so I could happily accept a few curses from him.
‘I half-expected it, but surprisingly, he kept his promise.’
I recalled the text message I’d received this morning. The banking app notification on my smartphone reported every deposit and withdrawal without fail.
[4,000,000,000 won has been deposited into Jin Tae-kyung’s account 110-***-***.]
If there was a minor incident, it was that Jin Ho discovered it first. My mistake was leaving my smartphone in the room when I went to shower.
“You’re a guy with plenty of money—what’s this about eating ramen?”
“You talk a lot. I even put beef in it. You don’t like beef ramen?”
“Man, that’s not what I’m getting at.”
Clang! Jin Ho set his spoon down roughly.
Of course, it wasn’t because he wanted to say something—his stomach was just full.
“You’ve got four billion won in your account, so why are you eating ramen in a Gosiwon? That’s what I mean.”
“What’s it to you? It’s my choice.”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
“Besides, the money only arrived an hour ago. I don’t know what to do with it yet, so just be quiet.”
I’m pretending to be fine, but truthfully, I’ve been dazed since earlier. I’d worked as diligently as an ant to earn money, but where I spent it was always predetermined.
Then suddenly, a fortune fell from the sky.
Four billion won was money that could accomplish many things. Many thoughts inevitably followed.
“Why do you have so many worries? There must be something you wanted to do first when you got money.”
Something I wanted to do first….
‘If there’s one thing, it’s that.’
Slurp. I sucked in the last noodle and stood up from my seat.
Before leaving the room, I didn’t forget to say one thing to Jin Ho.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Don’t forget to wash the pot. I’m heading out.”
“Hey, hey!”
* * *
“Huh?”
At the entrance door, Ha-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? I had a feeling when I saw the intercom screen.”
“…If it’s not real, what is it?”
“Hmm. Graphics?”
“Is that what you say to your older brother after so long?”
“What are you talking about? You were just here the day before yesterday.”
Right, that’s true. In real time, it hasn’t been that long.
The time differential is so vast that I often lose track myself. I asked while removing my shoes.
“What were you doing?”
“Studying.”
“Speaking of which, what about school? It’s a weekday.”
Ha-yeon answered in a nasal voice.
“My fever’s at 39 degrees. I made it through second period before leaving early. Besides, summer break starts tomorrow anyway, so we’ve just been doing self-study for a while now.”
“You’re already on break? Wait, you left school early, and you’re still studying?
Somehow she seems even more impressive than a peak-level master. Strangely, whenever I was seriously ill at school and came home after leaving early, the sickness would vanish completely.
With a fever of 39 degrees, and she’s studying? Do we have different DNA?
“There is no end to learning.”
Leaving Ha-yeon’s words—which sounded like something a student advisor would say—behind, I stepped into the living room. Aside from the two of us, there’s not a trace of anyone else in the house.
“Where’s Mother?”
“The Bank.”
“She answered as if she’d been waiting for that question.”
“Really?”
“Did Mother tell you to say that?”
“Huh? What?”
Whoever she takes after, her acting is naturally convincing. If I hadn’t known the truth, I would have been completely fooled.
‘I should have told her sooner.’
A bitter smile escaped me before I could help it. Ha-yeon grabbed me as I turned back toward the entrance.
“Where are you going?”
“To find Mother.”
“There are dozens of banks around here. Let me make you something to eat. She’ll be back soon anyway.”
“It’s fine. She’s not going to the bank.”
“What?”
“The Mart Intersection Restaurant. Right?”
The strength drained from Ha-yeon’s hand.
“…You knew?”
“Yeah. For a while now.”
“Mother asked me to keep it secret.”
“I know that too.”
“Older brother, do you have to go?”
It’s Ha-yeon’s long-standing habit—whenever she makes an important request, she always adds “older brother” at the beginning.
“I’ll be back soon.”
I ruffled Ha-yeon’s hair and stepped out through the entrance.
In the descending elevator, I lingered on the warmth still lingering in my palm. Even as my forehead burned with fever, I understood why he continued studying.
* * *
A person’s registered name is singular, but the names by which they’re called throughout life are many. Kim Jung-hee, now exactly fifty years old this year, was no exception.
“Ma’am, two more servings of grilled pork belly, please.”
“Yes, just a moment.”
These days, the name she heard most often was “ma’am.” Before that, it had been “Ha-yeon’s mother.” And before that, “Tae-kyung’s mother.” Names she could no longer hear once the children grew and her work consumed her.
The one person who had ever called her by her true name had long since departed this world.
‘Jung-hee.’
The man she met at twenty-two was tender and compassionate. During those turbulent times of upheaval, two strangers who met in a shelter fell in love in an instant.
It was a happy marriage. As years passed, he still called her by her name.
‘Jung-hee.’
Sometimes she felt embarrassed hearing her name spoken in front of others and asked him about it.
‘Why do you only call me by my name? Other husbands call their wives “so-and-so’s mother,” “dear,” “woman.” Everyone does it that way.’
‘Does it bother you?’
‘No, it doesn’t bother me. I’m just curious. We’re getting on in years, after all.’
‘What does age matter? I love Jung-hee more than I love Tae-kyung’s mother, so that’s how I call you.’
‘Why do you say such things in front of the children?’
‘Huh? Mom’s face is all red. Do Mom and Dad wrestle in the morning too? I thought you only did it at night.’
‘…Tae-kyung, go to bed early tonight.’
Parting came sooner than expected. Without warning, a Gate opened in the middle of the city, and two children lost their father. She lost her husband. The one person who had ever called her by her true name.
“Ma’am!”
Kim Jung-hee snapped back to attention. A middle-aged woman with a perm and gaudy earrings was glaring at her.
“Oh, yes. Restaurant Owner.”
“What were you doing that you couldn’t hear me calling?”
“I apologize.”
“The grill plates? Are you done with the dishes?”
“Well, that is…”
My hands had stilled while my mind wandered elsewhere. The Restaurant Owner checked the sink and her eyes widened.
“Ma’am, is this how you’re going to work?”
“…”
“Honestly. If I was going to do this myself, why would I pay good money to hire you? Right?”
Kim Jung-hee hung her head low, while the other kitchen staff pretended not to hear the Restaurant Owner’s voice and continued their work.
‘Good money? She works me during the busiest hours at minimum wage.’
‘If she had any sense, she’d accept her age. Even with all that makeup caked on, she’s clearly no match for Jung-hee. She’s just taking it out on her.’
‘And she’s not even watching the counter properly. How many orders did Jung-hee take while she was off playing around?’
There was much to say, but it had to remain unspoken. The kitchen ajumma who had dared to defend Kim Jung-hee was fired last week.
“How else am I supposed to leave my shop unattended?”
“…I apologize.”
“Your son’s a Hunter, isn’t he? He must make decent money. Why come all the way here and cause trouble for someone else’s business? Oh, he’s an F-grade Hunter, so the pay’s not much?”
In that moment, a sneer formed at the corner of the Restaurant Owner’s mouth.
Kim Jung-hee’s lowered head rose slowly.
“Boss. That’s an overstatement.”
“What?”
“You overstated things.”
“Are you saying I spoke wrongly just now?”
“Yes.”
The Restaurant Owner found himself at a loss for words at this unfamiliar response. Her eyes, always quiet and gentle, now held a profound, icy depth.
“I’d like you to apologize for what you just said.”
“Ap, apologize?”
“Right here. Right now.”
“Wh, what? What did I say that was wrong? That woman’s son is an F-grade Hunter, isn’t he!”
“Is rank really that important?”
“Of course it is. What use is an F-grade Hunter? You need someone like my son to make real money and have women lining up. This restaurant too….”
“Your son, a D-grade Hunter, opened it for you. I know. I’ve heard it hundreds of times over.”
The staff members, who had been listening intently, found themselves nodding unconsciously. The Restaurant Owner’s boasts about his son were a daily routine they heard multiple times.
His salary, the size of his apartment, what car he drives, and how filial he is—so much so that he even opened this restaurant as a pastime for his mother—these stories came up so often that even the regular customers had grown tired of them.
“Then you understand well. I do this as a hobby, but that woman’s different, isn’t she? She works in the kitchen because her son’s earnings aren’t enough, right?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Kim Jung-hee continued calmly.
“My Tae-kyung has been upright since childhood, never once causing his parents worry. He’s working hard for his family even now. Money? We earn enough.”
“That’s all just an excuse.”
“An excuse? That’s money my son earned risking his life. How could I, as his mother, accept and spend it?”
“Woman, are you saying this to me?”
“It’s a matter of perspective. And since we’re on the subject—when will that remarkable son of yours show his face?”
“Wh, what?”
“I’ve been working here for over a year now, and that filial son hasn’t visited once. He doesn’t even call, does he?”
In the kitchen, now silent as a tomb, the Restaurant Owner’s face flushed crimson as his eyes widened.
“A useless wretch like you dares to….”
The staff could anticipate what came next. Along with the Restaurant Owner’s machine-gun barrage of curses, the word “fired” would surely follow.
Yet none of them could have predicted Kim Jung-hee’s response.
“Watch your mouth. You pathetic bastard.”
“…!”
“…!”
It was as if a bomb had detonated. A deathly silence fell, and eyes trembled in disbelief. Everyone in the kitchen questioned their own ears.
‘What did I just hear?’
‘Did Jung-hee just curse? Unbelievable.’
Kim Jung-hee, always gentle and quick to smile. She who had never spoken a harsh word, even to the Restaurant Owner who constantly provoked her, now stared at him with eyes as cold as ice.
“Wh, what? What did you just say!”
“I said you’re a pathetic bastard. You wretched scum.”
“Y, you wretched scum?!”
Before the shock could fade, the second bomb dropped. The Restaurant Owner’s cry—a piercing wail—echoed from the kitchen into the dining hall beyond.
“Did someone just curse?”
“You heard it too? I think someone just called someone a bitch.”
“What’s going on? Are the staff fighting?”
The murmur swelled. Customers and employees alike—every eye in the restaurant turned toward the kitchen.
Thud. Thud.
A large young man in a cap. No one noticed when he’d entered, or how long he’d been standing there. Not until he began moving toward the kitchen.
“S-sir. Your order, I can—”
The young man smiled faintly at the male employee who rushed to block his path.
“It’s fine. I’m not here to order.”
“But still, right now—”
“Excuse me.”
Thump.
A gentle push—yet the sturdy employee staggered backward and fell. The young man shoved the half-open kitchen door aside without hesitation.
And then…
“Mother.”
I stood face to face with the person I loved most in this world.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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