HPK 33

“Then I will see you next week.”

The employee handed over the card and receipt with a friendly smile. Wooseung received the card with a dazed feeling.

“Is there a problem?”

“Huh? Ah, no. Thank you.”

The employee asked, perhaps finding it strange that he was just standing there with a foolish expression. Wooseung dazedly said his thanks and walked out of the dental clinic. Even after getting on the elevator, he stared blankly down at the card for a while. It really went through.

A cool breeze blew as he came out of the building. His hair, with no product in it, fluttered pleasantly. It still felt unbelievable as he put the card and receipt into his wallet.

It had been a 50% chance. While paying, a part of him had thought that Taejung might have given him a card with no balance as a joke. But the payment went through without any problems.

Wooseung took out his phone. Taejung had only told him to use the card, but nothing else. Was it because this was his first time using someone else’s card? He felt like he should inform the card owner that he had used it. Of course, the payment details would have already been sent via text message…

Wooseung hesitated for a moment, then looked for Hoonyeong’s number. He hadn’t saved it separately, so he had to scroll down quite a bit in his recent call history.

[I paid at the dentist with the card the President gave me]

He was about to send it as it was but added a smiling emoji with a sweat drop at the end. Since he did not know Taejung’s number anyway, he figured that if he told Hoonyeong, he would pass the message along. He certainly felt less indebted after sending it. Wooseung held his phone tightly in his hand and crossed the crosswalk.

Even by the time he arrived at the establishment, there was no reply.

He opened the door, relieved by Hyojun’s text message saying Hyungho was not in the waiting room. He had been tormented by Hyungho all weekend, as if being chased by a vicious loan shark. He had not been deterred by Wooseung’s claims of not knowing and kept coming to him to ask when the President would arrive. It seemed he did not believe the words ‘I don’t know’ at all.

He would bring coffee, or sometimes he would offer the soft-boiled eggs that Wooseung often bought and ate. Wooseung felt burdened and did not accept them, and they invariably ended up going to Chanil.

‘Just tell him.’

Chanil had chattered nonchalantly while munching on a soft-boiled egg. Chew, chew.

‘I don’t know either. Really.’

‘Hmm. Is that so?’

The funny thing was that Chanil also did not believe Wooseung’s words. It was obvious how the story of what happened in the room that day had spread among the hosts, even without seeing it. Judging by how they firmly believed he was sponsored.

“Where’s the coffee?”

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

He handed over the drink he had bought on his way to work at Chanil’s request, and then he saw Hyungho in a corner of the waiting room. Wooseung immediately shot a look at Hyojun, his eyes demanding to know what was going on.

“No, he just got here. Really, just now!”

He pleaded, his eyebrows drooping as if to show he was being wronged. The tension in his shoulders, which had eased in relief, tensed up again. Fearing he might even make eye contact, he turned his back completely and sat down.

“I was so shocked too. He suddenly walked into the waiting room right after I sent the text.”

Hyojun lowered his voice, glancing towards where Hyungho was.

“I saw him getting chewed out by Kim Jungoh in the bathroom earlier. That’s why I sent you the text right away.”

Wooseung too had unintentionally witnessed Hyungho getting smacked on the back of the head by Kim Jungoh several times. And also being cursed at by another madam hyung after being caught loitering in front of Room 7.

Anyway, he had hoped not to run into him today, but seeing how things were starting, it seemed today’s luck was not on his side.

He was sighing internally when the waiting room door opened. The noisy space was instantly enveloped in silence. Soon, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Yoon Wooseung.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Wooseung all at once.

“What is it?”

“Hey, him, him. Ah, why, that time…”

The sound of whispers, as they watched Hoonyeong, traveled through the air. Wooseung corrected his awkward posture and slowly took a step. With every step, gazes and whispers followed him. Among them were Hyungho’s. He had shot up from his seat at some point and was now glaring at Wooseung with wide-open eyes.

Hoonyeong tilted his body slightly without saying anything else. Thinking it meant he should go out first, Wooseung awkwardly passed through the gap in the door that he held open.

Click. As soon as the door closed, Hoonyeong took the lead. Perhaps because they both knew the destination well, there was no mention of where they were going.

“Um, by any chance, the text message…”

Wooseung tentatively started, glancing at him as they walked down the hallway. He was afraid that it might be because of the card payment at the dentist.

“Did you see the text message?”

“…”

“The text message…”

Hoonyeong ignored Wooseung’s voice even after hearing it. Did he not feel it was worth answering? Quickly losing his nerve, Wooseung could not ask a second time.

In an instant, they crossed the hallway and turned the corner. Hoonyeong opened the door to Room 7 and looked down at Wooseung as if telling him to go in. His own foolish face was reflected in the downward-cast eyes. As soon as he hesitantly stepped inside, the door slammed shut. Slam. Wooseung observed Taejung, who was sitting in the seat of honor, then slowly moved his feet.

Incongruously, the sound of crashing waves could be heard from somewhere. And cheerful background music too. It was the sound coming from the game console in Taejung’s hand.

“Ah, fuck.”

He, who had been shaking his leg with a serious expression, suddenly spat out a fierce curse. The hand that put down the game console was extremely rough. Wooseung, who was still standing, debating whether to sit diagonally or next to him, blinked his eyes like a frightened calf.

In that moment, his eyes met Taejung’s. Startled, he plopped down on the sofa, and it turned out to be the diagonal seat.

Taejung casually rested his arm on the back of the sofa and crossed his legs. In the meantime, cheerful music continued to flow from the game console that had not been turned off. His gaze drifted there unconsciously.

Some character was floating in the sea after falling in. It was a game he remembered looking up a few times before because he had wanted to play it. It was a game where you farm, fish, and build relationships with the residents, and you needed a specific console to play it. The console alone cost over 300,000 won, and you had to buy the game chip separately. It was something Wooseung could not even dare to dream of.

“You texted Hoonyeong.”

It was Taejung who pulled him out of his thoughts. His lips curved, and a mischievous air settled on his handsome face.

“Ah… Yes.”

His heart sank, thinking that what was bound to come had finally come.

“I, I paid at the dentist with the card the President gave me. I thought I should let you know, at least through the department head, so, that’s why I texted him.”

His words naturally became faster, and disorganized sentences came out incoherently. His tongue stiffened, causing him to even stutter foolishly.

“I got the receipt too. Should I give it to you? Ah, but my bag is in the waiting room…”

“Choi Hoonyeong gets a text from you, and I just get the payment details from the credit card company.”

“…”

“Isn’t this a situation where another guy is taking credit for something done with my card?”

Taejung let out a bitter laugh and said, “Am I wrong?”

“…I just told him to let you know that I used the card. I didn’t say thank you to the department head.”

“Ah, you didn’t say thank you to Hoonyeong?”

It seemed he had only heard about it from Hoonyeong and had not seen the text message himself. Wooseung let out a sigh of relief and nodded his head rapidly.

“Anyway, the things you do are so damn ridiculous.”

Taejung rubbed his jaw below his ear with his palm and chuckled softly. Chuckle, chuckle. Then, he abruptly held out his opposite hand to Wooseung. When he remained still, not understanding what it meant, he added a short word, “Phone.”

“Ah…!”

He took out his phone from his back pocket and held it out.

“You have to unlock it before you give it to me.”

Taejung kindly informed him, so he hurriedly unlocked it and handed it over politely.

He fiddled with Wooseung’s phone while resting his chin on his hand. Wooseung did not know what he was doing, but since he had nothing to hide, he waited quietly.

“Here.”

Before long, he placed the phone down in front of Wooseung. He tapped the screen with his index finger, tap, tap, and then gestured with his eyes.

[New Contact

First Name

Last Name

Company

—mobile > 010—9XXX—XXXX

+add phone number]

As he stared blankly at the screen, Taejung said in a voice tinged with laughter,

“Save the name as whatever you want.”

“…Yes.”

Wooseung cautiously held the phone and thought about it. Seeing his slightly furrowed brow, Taejung teased him.

“You know it’s no fun if you save it as bastard, fucking bastard, son of a bitch, or something like that, right.”

“…I don’t save it as things like that.”

“I don’t save it as things like that~.”

Taejung deliberately dragged out the end of his words, playfully mimicking him. Wooseung glanced at him while slowly typing ‘President’. Then, he naturally called the number he had just saved.

Taejung’s phone, which was on the sofa, vibrated. Taejung, who had lowered his head to check his phone, looked back at Wooseung with a ‘no way’ expression.

“It’s my number.”

Seeing that Taejung had confirmed it, he immediately ended the call.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell as he said nothing. Wondering if he had made some kind of mistake, Wooseung’s heart, which had calmed down, began to pound again. Thump, thump.

“Hah…”

Taejung let out a sigh as if in disbelief.