MORE 8

‘I need to go to the bathroom too.’ 

‘You go when the hyung-nim comes.’ 

‘I feel like my bladder is going to burst.’ 

‘Piss right here then. I heard Omega dicks are that small? Let’s take this chance and have a look.’

One guy giggled and held an empty bottle up to Kwon Yuwon’s crotch. The other guy already had a knife with the blade out in his hand. Knowing that if he moved wrong here, it would only cause unnecessary trouble, Kwon Yuwon just clenched his fists tightly.

He picked up his phone to try and call someone, but the man snatched it away by force and smashed the corner against the edge of the table. The phone, its screen spider-webbed with cracks, was thrown straight into an ice bucket. It was written in their glistening eyes that if he even opened his mouth to say anything, they would grab onto it as an excuse to destroy him.

Kwon Yuwon kept his mouth shut and checked his surroundings. He planned to crack their heads open with a whiskey bottle and bolt if things went south. He memorized the locations of the bottle and the exit, waiting for an opening.

Time ticked by anxiously. The anxiety that something terrible was about to happen to Siyul if he delayed any longer reached its peak. Just at the moment he decided he would get out of here even if it meant killing these bastards, a miracle occurred—knock, knock. A man with a build similar to the door frame opened it and stepped inside.

‘I apologize, customers, but your reservation time is up. Please vacate the seats for the next customers.’

The voice was quite polite, but the content was essentially telling them to get the hell out. Naturally, the men’s reaction was not good.

‘What, you fucker?’ 

‘Is there a person named Yuwon here?’

Kwon Yuwon stood up hesitantly. The man looked at Kwon Yuwon’s face as if verifying it, then stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

‘I ask for your understanding once more. Your reservation time has ended, so please get up and leave.’

The voice, which didn’t carry even a sliver of apology, was closer to a command than a request. The men frowned menacingly and stood up. One guy grabbed a whiskey bottle, and the other held his knife. The giant let out a low sigh, unheard by the others, and unclasped his hands from behind his back.

With a crash, all the dishes on the table fell to the floor, but the disturbance was brief. The giant easily subdued the two men like he was twisting a child’s wrist. He entrusted the guys who were writhing on the ground to other big men and looked at Yuwon.

‘Please wait a moment. I will guide you out the back door shortly.’

Listening to Kwon Yuwon’s story, Siyul’s eyes sparkled for a moment. The man, Woo Hyunse, hadn’t lied. He had safely protected Kwon Yuwon.

“So that’s how I got out safely. I was afraid those bastards might be tailing me, so I spent the whole night driving around in circles and couldn’t come home. As for contact… my phone was broken, so I couldn’t.”

It made sense now. Siyul grinned only after hearing the whole story. He was grateful to the man, and relieved that nothing had happened to Kwon Yuwon.

“Then is everything okay now?”

Seeing Siyul smile so brightly, Kwon Yuwon couldn’t help but follow suit as if he had no choice. He knew a mountain of problems to solve was piling up, but he didn’t want to show it in front of Siyul.

“Yeah. So don’t worry. You shouldn’t go wandering around anywhere for the time being, either—keep a low profile.”

“Okay.”

As if finding Siyul cute, Kwon Yuwon messed up his hair. Siyul buried himself in the other’s arms, saying he didn’t care if his hair became a bird’s nest. It was just a huge relief that Kwon Yuwon had returned without a single scratch.

After that incident, the deals were cut off completely. The pig, being as petty as they come, ignored Kwon Yuwon’s contact as if in retaliation. Kwon Yuwon tried his best to restore the relationship, but it was impossible. One day, he returned with his face turning beet red, drinking a whole bottle of straight soju—a kid whose alcohol tolerance was usually half a bottle at most.

‘Someday, I’m definitely going to stick a grenade into that fucker’s belly.’

He spat that out, burning with rage. Even when Siyul asked if something happened, Kwon Yuwon would just mumble curses, his lips sealed tight regarding the question. Siyul had no choice but to guess: The pig must have set some very, very disadvantageous conditions.

The trade strike, which he thought would end in the short term, lasted longer than expected. Since they had sent a significant amount of money to the orphanage with every income they earned, the money they had on hand hit rock bottom quickly. The next month’s rent was becoming an urgent issue.

Siyul glanced at Kwon Yuwon. He was huddled in the corner like a social recluse, staring only at the cheap phone he’d newly purchased. He hadn’t slept properly, so his under-eyes were sunken, and his hair, which was always neat, was slick with grease because he hadn’t washed it.

Looking at his state, it would be a long time before he returned to normal. Ever since they were young, whenever Kwon Yuwon felt things weren’t going his way, he would occasionally bury himself in a cave like that for days. Siyul wasn’t too worried, knowing he would crawl out on his own eventually.

However, the situation wasn’t good enough to just sit around and suck his thumb. If they waited a little longer, both of them would end up as beggars. The only thing he could rely on was himself. At least until Kwon Yuwon returned to his senses, he was the head of this household.

He jumped straight into the job market. But the world wasn’t that easy. It was as if “unskilled” was written on his face; strangely, he was rejected at every interview he went to. Even if he waited after they said they’d contact him, if he reached out first, they all just told him they had found the right person.

For a Beta who was a high school graduate, an orphan, and whose resume only had a line or two of experience, reality was this cold.

On his way home from an interview—he’d lost count of which one it was—Siyul stopped by a park for a while. Though his heart was filled with dark storm clouds, the weather was annoyingly nice. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the breeze hitting his neck was cool. The world was colorful and beautiful, with the trees welcoming autumn, changing into red and yellow clothes. Only his life was pathetic, unlike the weather.

“Hah, life…”

He lamented, but he couldn’t give up here. Siyul sat on a bench, rubbed his face vigorously to pull himself together, and picked up his phone. He planned to apply for even a one-day moving labor gig. It would be hard, but surely he, a guy with all limbs intact, could handle one job using his body.

He filled out the form and was about to press submit when the screen suddenly changed, and a person’s name appeared at the top. Seeing that name, Siyul was so startled, as if a caterpillar had dropped onto his hand, that he threw his phone into the air. Even after hitting the ground, the phone kept ringing away, perfectly fine. The name on the screen didn’t disappear either.

It was a precious piece of equipment, a model already out of season and not even done with its installment payments. Siyul hurriedly picked up the phone, blew the dust off, and wiped the screen with his sleeve. He desperately hoped he had misread the name, but Woo Hyunse—the name that he couldn’t forget even after hearing it only once—was stuck right there.

“Ah, shit…”

He didn’t think he’d contact him.

If I don’t pick up, won’t he just hang up? Maybe he dialed the wrong number? Siyul waited for the call to hang up on its own, his legs shaking. Eventually, the bell stopped. Relief washed over him, but seeing the phone ring again not even seconds later, he hung his head in despair.

He had no choice but to pick up. His ID card had been taken, and either way, he was under the man’s thumb.

“Hello.”

His voice was dead. It was laced with tension. If he had business, he should have just texted; did he really have to demand a call like this? Grumbling inwardly, Siyul kicked the bare ground with the toe of his sneaker.

You’re picking up? I didn’t think you would.

The guy who called twice just to make sure he picked up was saying something truly detestable. “Why?” Siyul replied, sounding blunt but trailing off at the end.

You need to pay for the dry cleaning.

“How much is it?”

The pants are fine, but the shoes… I heard those can’t be restored.

“Ah…” Siyul covered his face with one hand. The amount he’d vomited that day had been extraordinary. Since he had turned his stomach inside out and emptied it entirely, he could understand if the leather on the shoes was ruined and unsalvageable. Remembering the shoes that had an unusually high sheen, Siyul let his shoulders slump.

“Then…”

I have to buy new ones. How much was it again? As far as I remember, about…

Hearing the price of the shoes that followed, Siyul’s mouth hung wide open. For Siyul, who only ever wore sneakers that cost less than three bills at the market, it was a price he couldn’t even dream of approaching. “Liar,” he blurted out without realizing it, and the man replied, “No way,” and said if he couldn’t believe it, he would send the evidence.

“Are you serious?”

Why would I waste my time lying to you?

The man emphasized. Even if it was a lie, he had sins to atone for, and he was terrified of what the man might do, so he had to pay. Even though they were talking like nothing had happened now, Siyul clearly remembered the man’s words and actions from their first meeting.

His stomach felt as if the man had already poured a spoonful of concrete into it. Rubbing his belly in a circle, Siyul pleaded over the phone.

“Could you please let it slide just this once? I don’t have a single penny to my name right now.”

That’s also troublesome for me. They were a pair I cherished.

“It’s not that I won’t pay you, it’s just that I’m struggling right now. Work has been cut off, so I don’t even have money to eat right this second. But I promise I’ll pay you back, even if I have to go work in a factory.”

And why should I trust you? What if you run away after telling me you’re going to a factory?