Keep Kim's Secret

Part Two

I was walking up the long stairs of the old building with an unexpected
visitor, trying to figure out what would happen next.

After the revealed problems and difficult responsibilities, I could no longer withstand the pressure of Minjae.

Because of the sudden loss of income, I couldn't have been able to support
Minjae, my family, or even myself.

Emotionally exhausted, I took the last step back and stopped at the black metal door.

With heavy hands, I immediately put the heavy box on the ground and
opened the door.

The admiration of rebellious Minjae seemed to give me strength. Despite he didn't know where he was going, the new shelter still made him happy like a child for whom one piece of candy equaled the world's happiness.

"It will be a bit of a mess. I couldn't clean up because of work." I muttered
Embarrassed, I put the unknown child in front of me and pushed him forward as soon as I opened the door.

As soon as I entered the house, the seemingly imperceptible smell of plaster came to me like a loyal friend.

Exhausted from an emotional and unexpected day, I turned on the light
easily. I quickly took off my clumsy shoes and guided the little guest into the living room.

"Seagulls!" Amazed Minjae shouted immediately, as soon as he saw my still sculptural, unfinished work placed in one corner of the studio-type house.

He threw down the packets in his hands and ran towards it.

"Be careful, it's very heavy, and it'll hurt you if it falls over," I warned Minjae like a prudent mother, I took the packets given by the salesman
from the floor and placed them on the kitchen table.

The kindness of the unknown bearded man was still a well-forgotten old one for me.

During the twenty-eight years of unpleasantness, that man was the
first to offer me a helping hand.

"Expulsion request." The words spoken by Minjae's tongue broke me.

Frightened, I immediately gave up on the vegetable and turned to him with wide eyes.

"Gyeong is this your paper?" The curious Minjae handed it over to me the paper and looked at me like a little hero.

"You are a good boy, Minjae."I forced a smile on the child prepared for praise and looked at the new document with widened eyes in fear.

To Sol Gyeong.

Ms. Sol I would like to inform you that the contract for the house has
expired. The monthly tax is still unpaid.
That is why I'm informing you to pay the bill within the next seven working
days, otherwise you will have to vacate the apartment.

Owner: Mary Stewart

I still didn't have the money to renew my contract because of Soobin's latest
attack. Time was running out I couldn't change anything.

Even though I could go back home to Mom and Soobin at any moment, I didn't want to.

I didn't want to give up my only achievement, once reaching for the
starry peaks.

I didn't want the stress of looking for a new job to be the cause illness of for the last of my family members.

"Gyeong, why do you have an empty fridge?" Disappointed Minjae's voice
forced me to ignore the endless problems of adults and switch to a small parasite.