MORE 9

Siyul’s mouth hung open, then he shut it. He had nothing to say. Honestly, even he would find it hard to readily trust someone like himself. An underdog of society who sold petty, portioned drugs—it was only natural that there wasn’t a shred of trust to be found.

“It’s the truth. I’ll bet my balls on it.”

Lacking money, a car, or a house, this was the only thing he had. It was a serious statement intended to show his resolve, but the person on the other end of the line burst into laughter loud enough to rattle the receiver. The laughter—”Hahaha”—sounded hearty yet strange, similar to the man’s. For some reason, Siyul’s other ear itched, so he tugged at his earlobe.

That’s fine. Since you don’t have money, what can I do? You’ll have to pay with your body.

“…Excuse me?”

Terrified that the man might be of the same ilk as the pig, goosebumps raced down his spine. Whether the man understood Siyul’s misunderstanding or not, he added, his voice still brimming with lingering laughter:

Do you like drinking?

Even after hanging up, Woo Hyunse chuckled like a child for a long time, wondering what was so funny. Thanks to that, the quiet office had a brief moment of vitality, though there were only two people there: Woo Hyunse and Park Hae-jung.

“Are you planning on running a charity project?”

Park Hae-jung, who had been listening to the call in silence, spoke up. Woo Hyunse lowered his phone, let out an “Hmm,” and looked up. A smile was plastered on his handsome face. Looking only at his upturned lips and crescent-moon eyes, he looked as benevolent and kind as a sage painted in a masterpiece.

Woo Hyunse was a strange person. Leaving aside his looks—which were so striking that anyone would turn to look at him at least once—the discrepancy between his expressionless face and his smiling one was substantial. When his lips were set in a line, he was cold as ice, but when he smiled, he looked like a good-natured person. Thus, his first impression was usually good, but… well. Since Park Hae-jung had been watching his true nature for a few years, he prided himself on knowing at least a little of what lay inside.

“A charity project, you say.”

A beat late, Woo Hyunse gave his answer. He had furrowed his brows, but a faint smile still clung to his lips. “As an adult,” he continued.

“Let’s call it guiding a lost lamb onto the right path.”

Hae-jung sneered silently to himself. He was a man who, if he found a lost lamb, would neatly strip it of its meat, bones, skin, and fur before its owner even arrived, yet he could wag his tongue so brilliantly. He was a talent who should have jumped into politics after his adoptive father early on, rather than being a merchant; it was a mystery why he was letting that God-given talent rot in self-employment.

“Isn’t the friend who called the one you were talking about? The one who grabbed the Representative’s pants and vomited last time.”

He was a person who stood out in many ways. A fair-skinned Beta who sold drugs at a club owned by the Representative. They were called ‘Herma’—a word derived from Hermaphrodite—and it was an Omega aphrodisiac. It was secretly in high demand because it was said that regardless of gender, if you ate it, you’d be leaking like an Omega in heat.

But it was a synthetic drug of poor quality, and the Representative had gone through some trouble when one of the club’s VVIPs nearly died from taking it. While they were trying to root it out and exterminate it completely, that friend was the one they caught. Ordinarily, the Representative’s personality would have been to take him to a warehouse, comfortably start from his fingernails and toenails, trample him, and then find the kingpin to crush him—but for some reason, he had let him go.

Then again, he was just a kid, not even through his first shed of downy hair, so he wasn’t worth destroying. With his big eyes brimming with tears and snot running down his nose, he looked so pathetic that even a heartless person would be swayed. The messy face, smeared from crying, reminded him of a puppy caught in a downpour or a kitten with eyes swollen from crying.

Of course, it was impossible that the Representative’s heart was swayed by such trivial tears. It was just that the kid was incredibly lucky that day.

Even though he should have been thanking his ancestors, the kid had fearlessly shown his face at another club. Then, he had told an unbelievable lie, claiming it wasn’t him. At that point, he’d truly believed the kid’s luck had run out. But the Representative had only let out a deep sigh and merely taken away the kid’s ID.

And then, the third time. Even though the kid had done his business on the Representative’s feet, not only did he not punish him, he just took his number and let him live. There was no other explanation than that the kid must have saved his country in a past life.

“Do you like that kid?”

“Didn’t you hear? He said he’d bet his balls. He’s a guy, so what’s there to like or dislike?”

“It just seems like you’re treating him well.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You, Representative.”

“Hmm,” Woo Hyunse said, crossing his legs and taking the kid’s ID card out of a drawer. The ID photo looked even younger than the face he had seen a while ago. The gaze peering through his bangs looked dazed and sleepy, and his cheeks were plump with baby fat.

“Well, I guess it’s about time he grew up. Like you said, a charity project doesn’t seem too bad.”

Even though the photo was blurry, the mole right under his eye was clear. Should I poke it with my index finger next time I see him? Woo Hyunse poked the photo with his fingertip. He’d only intended to touch the mole, but because his finger was thick, it covered the whole little face in the photo.

Hae-jung looked at Woo Hyunse without expression. The sparkle in his eyes seemed familiar. He searched his memory for where he might have seen it, and finally, it hit him.

The look in the Representative’s eyes now was similar to the look his nephew gave when he discovered a new toy. It seemed the man in front of him had found a new toy to play with to relieve his boring, listless daily life.

Siyul looked back and forth between the address he had been given and the sign. The address Woo Hyunse had given him was correct. He was trembling, unable to figure out what kind of scheme it was for him to ask if he liked drinking, but the man had said there was a place he knew, so he should go there and work.

For Siyul, it was a grateful thing. He had been failing every part-time job interview he went to, anyway. Whatever the man’s true intentions were, he had at least obtained a job.

The shop was on the 6th floor of the building. Perhaps because he had come early, the door was locked. Siyul scanned the interior of the shop through the glass on the door. The entrance atmosphere was similar to the place where he’d had the drinking session with the pig, but the interior decor was different. Most of all, there was a small stage attached to the wall. Beside a large piano, which he’d only ever seen in movies, there was also a stand microphone and a chair.

He leaned his face in close because he couldn’t see well, and his breath fogged up the glass. He stretched his sleeve to wipe it off and looked again, when someone suddenly popped out from inside.

Gasp! Siyul recoiled, startled. The woman on the other side of the glass widened her eyes, then quickly opened the door.

“It’s not opening time yet… Oh, are you by any chance Kwon Siyul?”

“Ah, yes. I am Kwon Siyul. Um, Woo Hyunse…”

He struggled with what title to attach to his name. He seemed to run a club, but he owned a bar, too. He was torn between Representative, President, or Director, but the woman opened the door, stepped aside, and told him to come in. Siyul entered timidly.

The woman offered Siyul a seat. Siyul sat in the chair and straightened his back stiffly.

“I heard from the Representative that you were coming. Have you ever worked at a bar before?”

“No.”

He had left the orphanage and worked at convenience stores and done one-day labor, but this was his first time at a bar. Siyul glanced sideways at the bar behind the woman’s shoulder. One wall was packed with liquors he’d never seen before. The only alcohol Siyul knew was beer, soju, and the cheap whiskey his hyungs would show off when they were posturing.

“You’re not coming here as a bartender anyway, so that’s fine. You just have to handle the chores. There’s a lot to take care of, you see. Can you do some heavy lifting?”

“Yes. I’ve done part-time labor jobs, too.”

Siyul answered quietly. Standing at attention, he placed his two clenched fists on his thighs like a proper interviewee.

“I’m the manager here. My name is Kang Jiwon. Nice to meet you.”

Kang Jiwon held out her hand. Siyul jumped up like a spring, bent his waist in half, and shook her hand with both of his.

“But what’s your relationship with the Representative? Just a junior you know? He’s not the type to introduce people like this, so I’m curious.”

Kang Jiwon, who had been laughing brightly at Siyul’s disciplined greeting, asked with a smile. Siyul was just at a loss for how to answer. Should he say they were a debtor and creditor, or that they were nothing at all?

“Well, somehow… we got to know each other coming and going.”

He had blurted out what he thought was the safest answer, but Kang Jiwon seemed unsatisfied, waving her hand and saying, “What kind of answer is that?” Still, she didn’t probe further.

“Siyul, you can start from tomorrow. I’ll let you know about the schedule in detail tomorrow. What’s your shirt size?”

“Ah, I wear a Large.”

“Really? You look slimmer than that.”

“I tend to wear them a bit big.”

As he answered formally like a trainee, Kang Jiwon giggled. Afterward, she told him she was done and he could go. She said she had already received his number from the Representative in advance. After receiving Kang Jiwon’s number, Siyul left the shop.

Even after riding the elevator down and exiting the building, he felt dazed. It felt as if he’d been sucked into a strange world and returned to his original one. Siyul tilted his head, thinking, How strange. When he looked back, the shop was still stuck in its place.

In any case, he was starting work tomorrow. Siyul pulled his hoodie down low and pulled the strings on both sides tight. Can I do well? He wasn’t confident. But he had family to support and debts to pay.

Siyul soon exhaled a puff of air through his nose. Damn it, there was nothing he couldn’t do.