PAX 24

I immediately remembered the Porsche that had been sitting in the yard of “Chorok,” buzzing, before driving off. I stared at Ahn Yutan.

“Was it you?”

Ahn Yutan, who had been focused on bundling together the weeds and tree branches he was holding and tying them with a blade of grass, chuckled.

“What?”

“That time, inside the car.”

“What car?”

“The purple car.”

Just then, the sound of an engine was heard. I turned around to see a white Bronco approaching.

A white guard got out of the driver’s seat of the car that had stopped next to us, nodded briefly at Ahn Yutan, and walked toward the Plaza Building.

As I watched his back, I felt Ahn Yutan approaching. The moment I looked forward, something dry and rustling was thrust into my chest.

“A dating gift.”

I looked at the bundle woven from weeds and branches, then stared at Ahn Yutan as he got into the driver’s seat. Soon, the passenger window in front of me rolled down.

“Get in.”

Ahn Yutan’s face was infinitely nonchalant.

“Can’t you stop… doing things like that?”

My breathing was a bit frantic as I spoke, trying to hold back my irritation.

“Doing what?”

“Using people around me to send warnings.”

Ahn Yutan squeaked with laughter.

“Hey, who does things like that? I’m not some third-rate gangster.”

“You are doing that right now, you third-rate gangster piece of shit.”

I realized my voice had grown louder and shut my mouth immediately. I felt like I could feel my pulse beating wildly at the side of my neck.

In the darkness of the car, Ahn Yutan rested one arm on the steering wheel and stared at me quietly for a while. Then, he turned his head forward.

Soon, the passenger window rolled up and closed, and the car engine turned off. With a click, Ahn Yutan got out of the car and closed the door. With his eyes squinted slightly under the sunlight, Ahn Yutan walked around the front of the car toward me. The small sound made by his titanium prosthetic leg grew closer bit by bit.

Let’s just die, fuck.

I dodged the punch Ahn Yutan swung and slapped him across the face with the bundle of weeds. Immediately after a short groan, his foot flew at me. As I tumbled backward, did a roll, and stood up, Ahn Yutan was already right upon me. We took turns hitting each other in the face, stomach, and sides. I grabbed his waist, pushed him hard, pinned him against a tree trunk, and grabbed his throat. My hand was immediately knocked away, and my head whipped around. I latched back on and delivered two blows to his face.

“F-fuck!”

I was kicked in the shin and stumbled, then was kicked in the stomach and went flying. As soon as my back hit the car, Ahn Yutan’s foot flew at me again, so I quickly dodged to the side. With a crunching sound, the car body shook violently.

I tangled with the lunging Ahn Yutan, and we fell to the ground, rolling over and over. I grabbed Ahn Yutan, who had climbed onto my stomach to swing punches, threw him off, climbed on top of him, and beat him. I was kicked and sent flying backward, but as he lunged, I kicked him and lunged again. We rolled around almost embracing each other, punching each other’s sides or pulling at each other’s hair.

Then, at some point, we pushed each other away and collapsed, lying flat on the ground. I felt soaked to the bone in sweat from head to toe. What with the mixture of sweat, blood, snot, and saliva, and dirt and grass clinging to my entire body, I was a complete mess.

I gasped for air and looked at the sky. Because of the heat rising from the burning hot ground, I felt like something being baked. Is this how it feels to lie inside a crematorium furnace? I’d already be dead, so I wouldn’t know anyway. Mom and Dad wouldn’t really throw me in while I’m alive, would they? Surely, it wouldn’t go that far.

“Is that Mister also small?”

Ahn Yutan asked, sniffling while rubbing his nose.

“You like small things, don’t you? That’s why you’re dating that Mister, right?”

I sighed once and wiped under my damp nose, too.

“We’re not dating.”

“Just fuck-buddies?”

“Not even that.”

I sat up and shook my head. Dust and grass scattered.

Ahn Yutan turned to lie on his side toward me, propping up his head with his arm.

“Those dumplings there were good.”

I didn’t reply and dusted off my body here and there. Then, I glanced over, and Ahn Yutan’s gaze was fixed on my ankle.

As Ahn Yutan reached out, I pulled my leg back. The tip of the knife attached to the inside of my combat boot was caught precariously on the tip of Ahn Yutan’s finger, pulled out, and floated into the air.

Ahn Yutan, who had snatched the handle of the knife, immediately laid me down and climbed on top. A lukewarm blade slid under my chin.

“You had a weapon, so why didn’t you use it? Does fair play put food on your table?”

The sweat that had flowed from Ahn Yutan’s face dripped onto mine. I stared at that face, with even his eyelashes soaked in sweat.

Was it for the sake of fair play? Or did I simply not have the room to pull out the knife? I don’t remember well. It does feel like I hadn’t even thought of using it at all.

Ahn Yutan only moved his eyes to scan my face, then pressed the blade against my skin and slowly slid it over to one cheek. Goosebumps rose along the path where the blade had passed.

Just as the pressure he was applying to my cheek seemed to lift slightly, the tip of the knife moved closer and closer to my eyes. Keeping my head stiffly fixed, I stared straight into Ahn Yutan’s eyes.

“I’ll let it slide. I still need both of my eyeballs for now.”

Ahn Yutan, who had pulled the blade away, slapped my cheek once and stood up. When I touched my stinging cheek with my palm and pulled it away, a long, smeared streak of blood came off.

“Get in. We’re not done yet.”

Ahn Yutan, who went to the side of the car, returned the side mirror that had been bent at a strange angle to its original position, looked it over roughly, and went to the driver’s seat. Soon, the engine started.

I stood up, shook my hair and body here and there again, and went to the car. I could see a dent and a footprint around the passenger side mirror.

How much does Ahn Juik really know about his own son?

Perhaps Ahn Juik wanting to keep his position as the Chief of the Guardians for a long time isn’t just because he is greedy, capable, and still in his prime, but because he thinks he can never pass it down to a son like this. Because even to anyone, Ahn Yutan is clearly not an appropriate person to become the head of any organization.

Then, if someone were to ask if Ahn Juik is an appropriate head, well, I don’t know about that. But at the very least, I can tell that the residents of the Nagon District will become even more exhausted when Ahn Yutan is the head.

Could it be that Ahn Juik sent his son to Seoul instead of raising him in the Nagon District because he wanted to stay as far away from such human scum as possible?

As I climbed into the passenger seat, Ahn Yutan pulled away immediately. My knife was tucked between the visor above the driver’s seat.

I wonder if he’ll return that after a few days, too. Surely he wouldn’t jerk off to that, right? If he does, I plan to throw that away, too.

I resigned myself and leaned back against the seat.

“Where are we going?”

“My house.”

Ahn Yutan, who happened to be rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, said in a stuffy voice. His tone was so peaceful that I thought I had misheard. Surely not. It can’t be. Seoul is about a 2-hour drive from here.

Or does he have a separate house he bought and lives in around here? He might be referring to that house.

After hesitating for a moment, I asked to be sure.

“Where is it?”

“Seoul.”

Fuck.

Should I jump out before we enter the highway? Should I suggest stopping at a rest area and then run away?

But even if I run away, it’s one-time anyway. It’s just escaping from this car heading to Seoul; it’s not escaping from Ahn Yutan forever.

I resigned myself again. For now, I’ll do as he says and hope I can properly secure transportation back to the Pachulso.

Then, I suddenly looked at Ahn Yutan’s legs. I wondered if the car had been modified in some way so he could operate the pedals with his left foot, but the position of the pedals was normal. And operating the pedals with his right foot, which was a prosthetic leg, looked natural.

Well, he beats people to a pulp with that thing without any issues, so operating pedals would be nothing.

“What are you looking at, you sexual harasser?”

I turned my gaze away at Ahn Yutan’s words.

“Apologize.”

“Sorry.”

Ahn Yutan giggled.

“You’re hot-tempered. You’re hot-tempered when you sexually harass, and you’re hot-tempered when you apologize.”

I don’t know what he’s talking about.

“As a reward, we’re playing word chain. You start.”

I don’t want to.

I already know that saying that is useless. I don’t know why that’s a reward, either.

“Fatigue (Pigon).”

“Condyloma (Gonjireum).”

I thought for a moment.

“I lost.”

It’s actually a relief that it ended quickly.

“Okay. 1 to 0. Take off your clothes.”

I stared at Ahn Yutan.

“What clothes?”

“Take them off one by one. Every time you lose, one thing you’re wearing.”

“Why?”

“The rules of the game are like that, so what do you mean why?”

“Who sets rules like that while playing word chain?”

“I do.”