TWELVE 30

Lately, every time I thought of Gi Seoin, my stomach churned. Whenever that happened, I deliberately tried to immerse myself in other tasks. As if trying to help me, the orders came in without pause today, for which I was grateful.

“Oh, damn it.”

Seo Yeona, who had reflexively bowed as the door opened, hissed quietly under her breath.

“The nuisance is here.”

“Ah, of all times…”

Yoon Kijun cut off the end of his sentence, but both Seo Yeona and I knew what came next. To think the king of nuisances would appear “at the exact time when neither the owner nor Lee Dami—the dedicated nuisance disposal squad—was here.” The man was Kim Junghwan.

“The owner said if he acts like that again, he’ll be permanently banned from the membership,” Seo Yeona whispered. I also nodded, as I had heard the same from Lee Dami.

“He’s been acting like a jerk to Mr. Seungkyung lately, right?”

“Yes, a bit…”

“I really don’t know why he’s like that.”

Kim Junghwan possessed various nuisance skills, and among them was picking out the newest staff member at the bar to cause a scene. Unfortunately, the person with the shortest career at Benwood right now was me, and I already had a history of being targeted by Kim Junghwan twice.

The first time, Lee Dami had blocked him in the middle, and the second time, the owner stepped in and cut him off as soon as Kim Junghwan started his “bully the rookie” skill.

Since his nuisance acts had ended in vain both times, there was a high probability the bastard was biding his time.

Having to worry about a nuisance on one side and Gi Seoin on the other was agony. My luck was foul today. No, let’s not conclude that it’s bad luck just yet. There was a chance today might flow more smoothly than I feared.

“Excuse me, Manager Woo Seungkyung?”

Damn it… even a ghost would shake its head at a guy like this.

I clenched my molars, put on the brightest expression I could manage, and approached Kim Junghwan. I resolved to suggest that we remove the name tags from the uniforms once the owner recovered.

“Did you call for me?”

“Oh my. For some reason, you’re coming over quite promptly today?”

“Is there something you need?”

“Why? If I say I need something, are you going to tell on me to the owner?”

Yes, I will. I’ll tell on you and wipe your name off the membership list.

“…If there is something you need, I will help you.”

“There is something I need.”

Kim Junghwan tapped the sofa next to where he was sitting.

“Sit here and serve me some drinks.”

“I apologize. According to Benwood’s principles, staff members are not allowed to sit with customers…”

“Just do as you’re told and stop talking so much. Is calling me ‘Customer, Customer’ all you can do?”

“I am truly sorry. To ensure all customers can have a pleasant rest, we must follow the principles…”

“Hey, hey.”

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.

“Why is a bastard working in a bar pretending to be so noble anyway?”

Kim Junghwan poked my groin with the toe of his shoe.

“Bastards who act elegant in places like this usually sell their bodies as a second job; you do that too, don’t you? Which host bar do you work at?”

“Customer.”

I gritted my teeth as I stepped back to avoid his foot.

“This is inappropriate.”

“What’s inappropriate? It’s fine when the older ladies grope you, but it’s inappropriate for me to brush against you for a second? How much do I have to give you for it not to be inappropriate?”

Kim Junghwan stood up abruptly and rummaged through his wallet. Soon, he pulled out several bills and threw them at me. It shouldn’t have hurt to be hit by paper, but my chest throbbed for an instant.

“I know guys like you well. Vermin who have nothing but a decent face and a cock, crawling under skirts to make a living. Want more money?”

More bills hit me and fell.

“How is it? Good, right?”

My gaze also headed downward. I felt like I couldn’t manage a smile anymore.

“Take it all. You’re dying of joy, aren’t you?”

A shame I had never experienced in my life struck me.

“What are you doing not picking it up? Is money so easy to make that you don’t know its value? Hey, do your parents even know you live like this?”

I see. The reason my chest ached wasn’t because of the bills, but because of the shame.

“Or,”

Or,

“Do you not have parents?”

Or maybe it was because of the rage.

I raised my gaze and stared at the man.

“Oho? You’re not lowering your eyes?”

In a sarcastic tone, I spoke in a voice small enough for only him to hear.

“Even if I lower my eyes, it’s still you, you balding midget bastard.”

“Wh… wha, what! What did you just say…!”

Kim Junghwan’s eyes rolled back and he raised his hand.

Good.

I couldn’t stand seeing this kind of human coming in and out of Benwood to torment people anymore. Therefore, in order to definitely strip him of his membership, a significant incident was necessary.

Kim Junghwan’s hand flew toward my cheek. Yoon Kijun, unable to watch any longer, rushed over and grabbed the man’s arm. However, the man resisted violently and even raised his hand against Yoon Kijun.

The man’s profanities, the sound of Seo Yeona calling somewhere, and the shocked murmurs of other customers erupted all at once. It was a scene of carnage.

“These fucking uneducated beggars, who do they think they’re…!”

Kim Junghwan, having eventually knocked Yoon Kijun down, approached me. His kick struck my abdomen. I rolled on the floor just like that. Thinking this was the moment, the man who climbed on top of me swung both fists recklessly.

Yoon Kijun rushed at the man again, but he couldn’t completely stop him. I didn’t block or counterattack; I just stayed still and took the beating. It’s sad, but when you have no money, you have no choice but to be a pacifist. And I wanted to continue working here. Whatever the reason, if I used violence against a customer, I wouldn’t be able to do that.

At first, a heavy pain spread only through the parts where the fists landed, but as the beating continued, my entire body throbbed at once. I just closed my eyes. I wished I could just faint. I’m exhausted, I’m sick of this…

“Aaaah!”

Just then, the weight of Kim Junghwan pressing down on me suddenly vanished, and a scream pierced my ears. Had Yoon Kijun finally exploded? He was about to debut. I had to stop him.

My eyes, which I had closed by my own will, didn’t open easily. My whole body was uncomfortable. I barely pushed myself up and finally managed to lift my eyelids. Even then, Kim Junghwan was screaming like a dying pig. And the person punching him, Yoon Kijun…

It wasn’t him.

The moment I recognized him, I sprang up and clung to the guy.

“Gi Seoin! Don’t do it! Gi Seoin…!”

I cried out that name over and over. Gi Seoin seemed like he couldn’t even hear my voice. With an expression like a man waging a war, he sat astride Kim Junghwan and relentlessly struck the man’s face.

“No!”

I grabbed his collar, pulled him, and screamed like a drowning person, but it was no use.

“Stop it, Gi Seoin, stop…!”

Please.

Gi Seoin shouldn’t be like this.

Gi Seoin was a person who shouldn’t be involved in such an incident.

In the end, the misfortune for Gi Seoin caused by me, which I had dreaded, unfolded before my eyes.

“Stop it, Seoin, please, Seoin…”

I wrapped my arms around Gi Seoin’s waist.

Only then did Gi Seoin stop all those actions he should never have done. He stood still like a machine that had stopped working. Terrified by the silence he created, I crawled toward his front.

“Se… Seoin, Seoin…”

Gi Seoin looked down at me. A glimmer of light flared in his eyes, which had seemed to be covered in pitch-black shadows.

“Seoin…”

I reached my hand toward his face. Only after seeing my hand hanging in the air did I realize I was trembling pathetically. I ultimately withdrew my arm before touching him.

Gi Seoin, who was staring at me, bit his lower lip.

Both I and Gi Seoin had collapsed.

Unable to face him any longer, I bowed my head. I could see his hands. His elegant hands. Those white, clean hands that looked like they had never seen the sunlight were red with blood.

“Gi Seoin…”

My lips, as if broken, kept pronouncing that name relentlessly of their own accord. The other words lingering on my tongue were swallowed, as I couldn’t dare to spit them out.

“Seoin, Gi Seoin.”

What are you going to do…

Because of me…

If it weren’t for me, Gi Seoin’s hands would have been innocent forever.

If only it weren’t for me, you…

“Police. Stand up.”

“We should call an ambulance for this one, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah, call one. Now, stand up. You all have to go to the station.”

“Sorry, but those who witnessed the situation, please stay in your seats.”

“Hey, I told you to stand up.”

“Who is the person in charge of the shop?”

“Let’s get up, come on!”

“Who is the person who did the hitting? Ah, this person.”

“I told you to stand up!”

“…No!”

I stared at Gi Seoin and grabbed the hem of the pants of the police officer who was fiddling with handcuffs.

“No, it’s all because of me! He did nothing wrong…”

“Ah, I get it, so let go. You can talk about the details at the station… Hey! Just get them all up!”

“Yes, sir. Oh, oh. He’s standing up. He should have done that from the start.”

“Now, the staff member… Mr. Woo Seungkyung? You have to come with us.”

“Just, just I can go. I’ll do everything…”

“That’s not possible.”

“Look, he did nothing wrong. It was between that man and me…”

“I’ll listen to your story there, so let’s go quietly for now.”

“…”

Gi Seoin moves away. I tried to stand up but fell back down. My legs were shaking. A police officer supported me. There were police officers on both sides of Gi Seoin too. To anyone’s eyes, it looked like they were dragging away a criminal. It shouldn’t have been like that.

Did I finally ruin your future?

The guilt that has tormented me for a very long time to prevent me from settling for you laughs uproariously and ruthlessly.

See.

Gi Seoin and Woo Seungkyung do not belong together.

If it hadn’t been for me, you would have finished your sweet drink and left the bar in your still-stiff suit. You would have ridden in a car that suits you with someone who suits you, and returned to a tall, clean house like your life.

‘Seungkyung, tell me. You won’t abandon me, right?’

You were wrong, Seoin.

The thing I should have abandoned was not you, but my selfishness and lingering attachment.

Failing to do so until the very end, I dragged Gi Seoin into my messy reality.