PAX 13

I should have asked which hospital he was staying at, or if I could visit, but in the end, I didn’t ask. It was because I was certain the answer would be that they would take good care of him, so I shouldn’t worry about such things and should just focus on managing the Pachulso. And if I heard that answer, my suspicions toward Mom and Dad would only grow larger.

Even if it were true that it was the Ahn Yutan gang who made Yonghee that way, it didn’t mean that the suspicion toward Mom and Dad, which had been slowly growing for the past two years, would cleanly disappear. Unless, perhaps, I saw with my own two eyes that Yonghee had truly recovered and returned.

But I don’t want that. I don’t want to harbor doubts about Mom and Dad, and I don’t want to suspect them.

So, Yonghee must return. He must be recovering right now just as Dad said, and he must be okay. After receiving proper treatment, he should come back to the Pachulso sitting in the backseat of Mom and Dad’s car.

When Yonghee returns, what kind of story will he tell me about that incident? If I mention the appearance of those black-and-white guards, will he say that he met them too, and that he was beaten by them? Or did Ahn Yutan beat him personally?

I still don’t know how many subordinates Ahn Yutan has. I don’t know if he just goes around acting like a king with those two, or if he has quite a few people behind him, which is why he acts so recklessly without looking ahead.

If Ahn Juik found out that his son was taking a few guards and wreaking havoc on the Pachulso, what would he do?

Of course, he would never find out. I wouldn’t tell anyone. I’m not stupid enough to go around blabbing about a “secret summit between seconds-in-command.” Above all, I don’t have a plan yet, so I have to keep my mouth shut.

But who was the person who slid that note into my room last night? Does that person also know about the “secret summit between seconds-in-command”? How did Ahn Yutan approach them and turn them to his side?

Throughout my time at the Pachulso in the morning, I even scrutinized the faces and behaviors of the family members I passed. My head feels like it’s going to explode just from the issues with Mom and Dad, and now, all of a sudden, the entire family feels like strangers to me.

How will Mom and Dad handle this? Will they conduct a neighborhood inquiry as soon as the recovered Yonghee returns to the Pachulso? Will they even try to find out who beat Yonghee to that state, or at least search for any witnesses?

No. That is not Mom and Dad’s style. They will probably…

“Hello, hello.”

I heard a squeaking sound drawing near and looked back. Ahn Yutan was riding a bicycle toward me.

That piece-of-junk bike was indeed beyond repair—this time, it was a couple’s bike with two seats. Ahn Yutan was in the front seat, and the white guard was in the back.

Still wearing those shorts. I was dazzled by the sunlight reflecting off Ahn Yutan’s titanium knees. I didn’t know if it was because of the glare or just Ahn Yutan himself, but regardless, I couldn’t help but frown.

“Hey, if you see someone, say hello. You have a sour face the moment you see me, how rude.”

Ahn Yutan stopped in front of me. I nodded silently without a word.

“No, wait. It was just a sour face because you got beaten up.”

Ahn Yutan, who was laughing sneeringly while pointing at my face, had a face that was just as sour. Both corners of his mouth were split, and there was a large, angry bruise stretching from one cheek to the area around his eye. The fact that I had managed to land a few hits on that mug gave me some comfort.

“So, did you get home alright? It was our first date, and I couldn’t even drop you off.”

I didn’t think there was a need to answer, so I stayed still.

“Is your arm okay? It didn’t rot, did it?”

I looked at my left arm and then back at Ahn Yutan.

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry even if it rots and you have to cut it off. These days, things like that are handled well.”

Ahn Yutan lifted his right foot once and put it down. There was a small click sound.

“Shall we make the second date a bit more wholesome? Get on the back.”

I looked in the direction he gestured. The white guard sitting in the back seat quickly got off.

I stared for a moment at the seat with the jagged, torn edges. Where on earth did he find such a bike that was screaming to be put out of its misery? And a couple’s one at that.

“Get on. Let’s talk.”

I looked at Ahn Yutan.

“Let’s just do it here.”

Ahn Yutan smiled, hee-hee, while facing me, then reached out to the side. The white guard standing nearby pulled a gun from his pocket and firmly placed it in his hand.

“Let’s have a chat.”

The voice of Ahn Yutan, who was aiming the gun at me, was soft and gentle.

I kept my mouth shut and climbed onto the back seat.

Ahn Yutan reached behind, turned his hand, and jammed the gun into the waistband of his pants. It was right in front of my nose. If I just reached out, I could have snatched it right away and pointed it at the back of Ahn Yutan’s head.

“Hold on tight, honey.”

Ahn Yutan started pedaling. I reached out and quietly grabbed the handlebars attached under the front seat.

While I pedaled along with him, my gaze kept lingering on the grip of the gun sticking out above Ahn Yutan’s pants.

“It’s exercise, and it’s good for you. You probably never get to use your thigh muscles because you’re always riding that motorcycle the engine does all the work for. A man is all about his thighs. You know that, right?”

The bicycle circled the pond. The white guard was sitting on a bench covered in grass in the distance, watching us.

Every time Ahn Yutan’s two legs moved in turn, the gun stuck in his waistband wiggled slightly as well.

It occurred to me that there was clearly no ammunition in that gun. He must have left it right there in plain sight just to see what I would do. The moment I snatched it and caused a scene, I would be the only one looking like a fool.

Did he think of me as such a thoughtless and naive person? My pride was slightly hurt by that fact.

“How is your boyfriend?”

Ahn Yutan asked, so I quickly looked at the back of his head.

“At first, he resisted a lot, so it was a bit of trouble. He fought back a bit, too, you know? Was it when he got hit in the head? He collapsed flat and got quiet. So, the hits he took after that probably didn’t hurt much.”

He was talking about Yonghee.

“But is a small one your preference? I stripped him and was startled because his dick was seriously small.”

I stared at Ahn Yutan’s back, which was heaving while he laughed.

“No, seriously. Hey, tell me honestly. Do you like that? Yours isn’t small. Don’t you keep comparing them? Or no? Ohhh, is the comparison the point? I guess you get more turned on because you feel superior when you’re with him. Am I right? That’s why you’re dating him, right?”

I quietly lifted my feet that were pedaling into the air.

Ahn Yutan, who had been giggling to himself, suddenly threw the bike aside and jumped off. I was tossed aside along with the bike and barely managed to regain my balance.

“Am I the only one riding a couple’s bike now? Dammit, you’re so fucking selfish.”

That psycho bastard…

I wiped the sweat from my face with the hem of my t-shirt and suppressed my annoyance, when suddenly there was a bang, and the rotten wooden head of the mascot bear standing on one side of the park flew off.

I looked at the bear’s remaining torso, then at the gun in Ahn Yutan’s hand, and back at the bear.

So… there was ammunition in it.

While I stood the bike up and tapped the dirt off the seat, Ahn Yutan shattered the bear’s torso and the wooden statue next to it—I couldn’t tell if it was a raccoon or a dog—to pieces. Perhaps because they were old, they crumbled into powder.

“Look at that. Isn’t it better without them?”

Ahn Yutan waved the hand holding the gun toward the spot where only the remains of the wooden statue were left.

“I suppose so.”

I stood obediently next to the bike, like a driver waiting with the rear door of a limousine held open.

“Because of those things, the atmosphere here was fucking eerie. It felt like ghosts would appear if you saw them at night.”

It wasn’t just because of those things; this place itself is just eerie. Furthermore, especially today, with a person like Ahn Yutan here.

“Take the wheel.”

Ahn Yutan, who approached me, gave me a nudge toward the front.

I held back a laugh and climbed onto the seat. He is one fucked-up guy. Just a moment ago, he was displaying a gun in front of someone’s eyes while showing his back, and now, after shooting up the furniture, he wants to sit behind me.

“Let’s go.”

Ahn Yutan, sitting in the back, tapped my back affectionately. I started moving.

“Where should we go?”

I asked, feeling like a real limousine driver.

“Just cruise around leisurely. Wherever the wheels take us.”

So I did exactly that. I rode around, crushing the knee-high grass with a crunch, and even passed between the dense trees. Every now and then, my left arm would throb, and my back, facing Ahn Yutan, would itch.