We hit the jackpot. It must have been a really high-end restaurant. A set of silver tableware was emerging from the debris.
Everything we checked was silver. I rolled up my sleeves and started sorting them out. My face became increasingly black as ash covered my body, but I couldn't help but smile.
"Hyung, this is really silver, right?"
"I think so? I hope it is."
Maru and I excitedly sorted through the tableware. Not only were there utensils, but silver plates as well. I wasn't entirely sure if they were silver, but my intuition was tingling, giving me a good feeling.
After an hour of sorting and polishing them with a damp cloth, we weighed them, and they amounted to a whopping 20 kg.
"Wahahaha! This is amazing! Should we run to Myeongdong and sell them right now?"
"But how much is silver worth?"
"I don't know either. Don't silver necklaces cost tens of thousands of won? This much should be worth tens of millions of won, right? Right?"
"I guess so? Hyung, congratulations. This is a real jackpot. When you get the money, buy a car first. There's no rule that says the CEO has to drive a 1-ton truck all the time, right? Go for a sleek sedan."
"Should I? I'll think about the car later. First, I need to buy gifts and visit my family. I haven't been home in a while, and I miss my sister."
"It's still early. Why don't you go to Myeongdong, sell them quickly, and then visit your family?"
"You're right. That's what I'll do."
The jewelry wholesale center in Myeongdong was bustling with people even though it was a weekday afternoon. The display windows of the shops, lined up like stalls, were filled with golden rings and necklaces.
I felt the weight of the silver tableware in my backpack and started looking for a store specializing in silver.
There weren't as many stores specializing in silver as I expected, so I had to go further inside to find one. I straightened my shoulders and pushed through the crowd, standing in front of the store.
"Welcome. Are you looking for something?"
I looked around and asked the employee,
"Are you the owner? I have something to sell, and it's quite a lot."
"Yes, I'm the owner. Then come in and let's take a look."
I followed the owner behind the display counter and placed my backpack on the floor, unzipping it.
My heart pounded. Would anyone see? What if someone saw me selling a large amount of silver and followed me to cause trouble?
"It's a silver tableware set. That's quite a lot."
"Right? And just so you know, this isn't stolen goods or anything. I bought it legally through an auction, so there are no issues. I even brought the auction documents if you want to see them."
As I reached for the documents, the owner said,
"No, that won't be necessary. It's okay. Let me take a look."
He took out three or four pieces of each type of tableware—spoons, knives, plates—and examined them under a microscope.
It was my first time seeing jewelry appraisal, so I watched with curiosity. He scratched the plates and spoons with a knife he had, nodded, and took out something that looked like an eye drop bottle from under the counter. He dropped a single drop onto the plate.
It fizzed and corroded with a hissing sound. After a while, the owner finished his inspection and asked,
"It's silver. 925 sterling silver. It contains 92.5% silver. Are you selling all of it?"
I shouted with joy internally but desperately suppressed it and said,
"Yes, I'm selling all of it. Please give me a good price."
The owner took out a scale, placed a basket on it, and I poured the contents of my backpack into it.
As it fell with a clattering sound, I was horrified. Was it okay to handle it so roughly? What if someone heard the sound and noticed? I was lost in all sorts of imaginary scenarios when the owner showed me the reading on the scale.
"It's 20.354 kg. You see?"
It was a precision scale that displayed the weight down to the gram. As expected of a specialized store, I thought, when the owner said,
"Based on today's market price… Yes, I'll buy it all for 3,500,000 won."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.
"How much did you say?"
"3,500,000 won. You can check other stores if you want, but I'm offering you the best price. Are you selling?"
I was devastated. 3.5 million won wasn't a small amount. I bought it for 1 million won and made a profit of 3.5 million won just from the tableware, so it was a huge profit. But after dreaming of tens of millions of won, I felt empty.
"I didn't know silver was so cheap."
I went to several other stores in denial, but the first store had offered the most reasonable price.
The first owner, who had probably seen many people like me, explained that the cost of silver necklaces and rings was negligible.
It was mostly the image of silver as a precious metal and the labor cost that determined the price. The actual raw material cost of silver was 180 won per gram, and a necklace only weighed a few tens of grams. The material cost was just a few thousand won.
I was so embarrassed that my face turned red. I had been acting all cautious, worried about being suspected of handling stolen goods, even preparing the auction documents.
"Well, it was a good experience."
Still, it was an interesting experience. It was my first time participating in an auction, and I got to handle a hefty amount of silver. Regardless of the price, it was still precious metal. No one in the Park family had ever carried 20 kg of precious metal like me.
"Let's forget about it and prepare to go home. What should I buy?"
I bought two cosmetic sets for my mother and sister and a suit for my father. I stopped by the supermarket near my house and bought a generous amount of A+ grade Korean beef and a lot of pork belly for later.
It was almost 6 p.m., so I should be able to arrive before my father got off work. As I was driving, I saw my younger sister walking home with her friends when I was almost home.
I almost rolled down the window and called her name, but then I remembered I was driving a truck.
'She's in eighth grade, a sensitive age. I should just go home quietly.'
I felt a little embarrassed even thinking that. I kept telling myself to be confident, but I was ashamed to think about how my family would react if they knew I was running a junkyard. They would definitely disapprove and tell me to find a different job, since it wasn't a common occupation.
"Well, it's fine. Things will be different when I become more successful and make a lot of money. Until then, it's a secret."
I parked the truck in front of my house and waited for my sister. After a few minutes, she emerged from the alley a block away. Her friends must have gone home, as she was walking alone.
"Hey! Park Hwa-young!"
Hwa-young looked up at my voice and smiled brightly.
"Hey, second brother. It's been a while!"
She walked towards me quickly and said excitedly,
"What brings you here? You never call or visit. Mom will be so happy to see you."
"I had some business nearby, so I stopped by. Here, help me with these."
I took out various things from the passenger seat of the truck and handed them to Hwa-young.
"Whoa, what's all this? Beef! Wow! Beef! Are you doing well, oppa? What's with the truck?"
"Yeah, it's a company truck."
"Company? You got a job? Wow, that's awesome!"
"Something like that. I'll explain later. Let's go inside."
I carried the bags with Hwa-young and went up to our apartment on the second floor. Hwa-young unlocked the door, and we saw our mother preparing dinner. Without looking up, she said,
"Hwa-young, you're home? Good work. Come on in."
"Mom, look who's here."
Our mother turned around and said in surprise,
"Oh my, Sol! It's been so long! Come here, my son."
She took off her rubber gloves and hugged me.
"It's been a while, Mom. Has it been six months?"
"It feels like it's been longer! You should call more often and visit home. I'm going to forget what my son looks like!"
"I'm sorry. I've been so busy with work that I couldn't come. But I brought all this…"
At that moment, the door opened, and our father came in.
"I'm home. Huh? Sol? You remember that you have a home here? Why is it so hard to see my son's face?"
"I'm sorry, Dad."
Our father was happy to see me and was about to say something when our mother said,
"Honey, don't stand there at the door, come in. I'll cut some fruit."
Our mother brought out the fruit, and I gave my family their gifts.
"This is a suit for Dad. This is for Mom. And this is for you, Hwa-young. It's cosmetics."
"Wow, how did you know my suit was worn out? Thanks, I'll wear it well."
"Oh my, cosmetics. Thank you, son."
"Yay! I got cosmetics too!"
I felt good seeing my family happy.
"And Mom, this is Korean beef and pork belly. I bought a lot, so you can eat it for a while. Let's grill the beef tonight."
"Oh my goodness. Our second son really went all out. This is great. Did you hear the news and come?"
Her sudden words made me wonder if there was something special about today, but I couldn't think of anything.
"What news? Is there something special about today?"
"Your brother said he's bringing his girlfriend over for dinner tonight."
My mood instantly soured. Of all days, my brother was bringing his girlfriend over.
"Is he getting married or something?"
"I think so? Your father and I were so curious."
She glanced at me cautiously.
"Are you… still awkward with your brother?"
"It's been a while since we last saw each other. It's normal for brothers."
I said that, but it wasn't just awkwardness between me and my brother. It wasn't just indifference; I despised him.
From his personality to his actions, there was nothing about him that I liked. He was vain, extravagant, and spent money recklessly. And where did that money come from? From our parents, of course.
He lived like a spoiled college student until he graduated and somehow managed to get a decent job at a mid-sized company. But he was such a good-for-nothing son that he still asked our parents for money every month, even though he was earning a salary.
I was in the business of recycling trash, but he was beyond recycling; he was just pure waste.
"Anyway, what time is he coming?"
"He said he'll be here at 7."
'If he's coming at 7, it means we'll be having dinner then. Should I wait… or should I just leave? I don't want to see his face. But my parents and sister are so happy that I'm here after such a long time, it's hard to leave. What could possibly happen?'
In the end, I decided to wait and chat with my family.
"Are you still working construction?"
My father asked, and my mother was also curious, listening intently from the kitchen.
"No, I quit about six months ago. I'm running a small business now."
"You're running a business? Where did you get the money? You're not doing anything illegal, are you?"
"What kind of illegal work would I do? I started a small business with the money I saved up, and it's enough to make a living."
"Okay, what kind of business is it?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
I just brushed it off. We continued catching up and chatting, and before I knew it, it was 7 p.m.
"He should be here by now."
He seemed to be late. As always, there wasn't a single thing about him that I liked. If he had made an appointment to introduce his girlfriend, he should keep it. If he was going to be late, he should at least call.
He was so pathetic. Of course, I wasn't any better, not having contacted them for almost six months.
As it neared 8 p.m. and my family was starting to get hungry, the doorbell rang. My mother opened the door, and my brother entered with a woman.
"Mom, Dad, we're here. This is my girlfriend, Han Go-eun."
"Hello, I'm Han Go-eun."
She was quite cute. My parents greeted her warmly, and my brother, who was beaming, noticed me and said,
"Oh, hey! Park Sol, it's been a while. I think it's been almost a year."
"…Yeah, something like that."
He pointed at me and said to his girlfriend,
"That's Park Sol, my younger brother. Remember I told you about him?"
"Ah, the one you mentioned… Nice to meet you, I'm Han Go-eun."
I could imagine what he had said, but I decided to let it slide. After the greetings, the table was set. As the food was being laid out and the beef was brought to the grill, my brother said,
"Wow, you even bought beef for my girlfriend's visit?"
"Sol bought it for us to eat when he came home today. Let's enjoy it."
My mother said as she placed the meat on the grill, and my brother looked at me and said,
"Where did you get the money to buy all this? Are you sure you can afford it? Is construction work paying that well these days?"
A vein popped on my forehead.