PAX 9

Kitae-hyung finished by applying tape to the end of the bandage.

“Thanks.”

Though it doesn’t seem like I’ll be going to the hospital.

“Can you lend me some clothes and shoes?”

Kitae-hyung looked at my body for a moment.

“But why did those thugs strip off your clothes and shoes?”

“To humiliate me, I guess.”

“Did you feel humiliated?”

I shrugged, leaving it for him to decide.

“Since I had a raincoat and was wearing a helmet, I suppose it wasn’t too bad.”

Having reached his own conclusion, Kitae-hyung tucked the box under his arm and walked toward the door.

“I’ll leave the clothes in front of the door.”

“Okay.”

After Kitae-hyung left, I washed the rest of my body, carefully avoiding the bandaged area. For a moment, I thought about whether I should tell Kitae-hyung the truth about what happened since I’d received his help, but naturally, that was out of the question. Dragging in a civilian like Kitae-hyung wouldn’t be right. There will be an opportunity to repay the help I received today, one way or another.

After tidying up the bathroom and opening the door, the things Kitae-hyung had brought were on the table next to the door. I put on underwear, a shirt, and pants, and put on socks. The shirt’s sleeves were long, which was good for hiding the bandaged area well.

“Wear those black sneakers.”

Kitae-hyung, who was watching television in the living room, pointed toward the entryway.

When I put on the sneakers, the size was a bit big, so they clattered loosely. I sat on the ledge of the entryway, untied the laces, and tied them again more tightly.

“Did you eat dinner?”

Kitae-hyung asked.

“Yeah.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner today. Still, I didn’t feel like eating anything at all.

“Did really only one customer come today?”

I asked, as it suddenly crossed my mind.

“No. A group came and went. There was a tour, remember?”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

“I’m going now. Thanks.”

“Hey, take care of yourself. And make sure to go to a hospital.”

I waved and went outside.

In front of the darkened ‘Chorok,’ as I was putting the folded raincoat into the luggage box, I looked around. The road disappearing into the darkness. The pitch-black mountain behind the Chorok building. Aside from the sound of insects and the birds crying through the night, it was silent.

Could Ahn Yutan or Ahn Yutan’s gang be watching me from somewhere deep in that darkness? Or, would they not approach me again until the 24 hours he told me to rethink pass?

I started the engine, pulled onto the road, and rode off. I glanced briefly at the clock on the dashboard, then realized it was ambiguous which time exactly that 24 hours was supposed to start from. From the moment I was blocked by the Porsche? Or the moment Ahn Yutan appeared riding a beat-up bicycle? Or the moment I opened my eyes on the street, stripped of everything?

Furthermore, I don’t even know the exact time for any of the three. If it were the first case, it would be around 2 PM tomorrow, and if it were the last, perhaps around 7:30 PM tomorrow evening.

Actually, I don’t know why I’m even calculating this when it wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.

Anyway, Ahn Yutan will ask the same question again after 24 hours, but I don’t really know what kind of answer I’ll be able to give then.

🎈🤍

“Why is Seongshin home so late?”

As I was getting off the bike, Dad opened the screen door of the entryway and came out. I hesitated for a moment about whether to take off my helmet, but eventually took it off.

“There was a fight.”

“Oh?”

Dad, eyes wide, ran over in an instant.

“What does that mean? With whom?”

Dad took my face in his warm hands and inspected it here and there.

“Not in the Nagon District, but I went far out… I just got into a dispute with some street kids in that neighborhood.”

“Oh, my… What about your body? Is anything broken or anything like that?”

Dad let go of my face, stepped back, and scanned my body.

“My bones are fine. But my clothes were a bit torn, so I bought these to wear and went to a sauna to soak my sore muscles, and that’s why I’m late.”

“Did the issue with the fight get resolved well?”

“Yes. It was just one of those staring contests while walking down the street.”

“I see. That could have been a big deal. It’s a relief it ended like this.”

Dad looked up at me and smiled.

“Let’s go in. Go and rest quickly. Our son must be exhausted.”

“Oh, the money I collected today.”

I gave Dad the things I took out of the luggage box.

“I asked Jongyun to report it earlier today; you received it, right?”

“Yes, I received it well.”

“Where is Mom?”

I peered inside the room that used to be the counter when this was an actual motel. Now, it is the room Mom and Dad use.

“She’s in the backyard. What about dinner, Seongshin?”

“I ate. I’m going upstairs.”

“All right. Get some rest.”

I ran into a few family members while going up the stairs. Some passed by without paying any mind, while others were surprised by my appearance. To those who demanded an explanation, I told them I’d gotten into a dispute with street thugs in another city. Because I had to keep stopping and going like that, it took some time to get up to the third floor.

Room 308. The moment I entered my room, my tension finally snapped. I had been on high alert, nervous that someone might inadvertently grab or touch my left arm.

I stood in front of the door for a while, then went to the mattress and lay down. Perhaps because the tension had released, all sorts of places began to ache along with my left arm. I curled up on my right side and touched my left arm quietly. I could feel the tightly wrapped bandage, and for some reason, it felt a bit hot.

“Just in case, make sure to go to even a small clinic tomorrow. If it goes wrong, you might have to get this arm cut off.”

Kitae-hyung’s words came to mind. As I drifted into a drowsy sleep, I imagined myself with my left arm cut off. I pictured myself attaching a titanium arm in its place and fighting Ahn Yutan. If I blocked his fist with my titanium arm, Ahn Yutan would hurt like hell….

“Seongshin.”

At Mom’s voice, my eyes snapped open.

“Yes.”

I sat up.

Mom opened the door and came in.

“I heard you fought, Seongshin. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. It was nothing much.”

The scent of grass came from Mom, who had approached closely. I could see dirt on both of Mom’s knees, illuminated by the light leaking in from the hallway. It seems she had been doing something in the garden.

Mom cupped my head in both her hands and scanned my face.

“How many were they?”

“Three.”

I briefly considered inflating the number a bit, but suppressed the urge.

“If you look like this, those three must be unable to even come to their senses by now, right?”

“Of course.”

Mom giggled.

“Right. You must be tired. Sleep. Mom’s leaving.”

Mom stroked my hair and then my back in turn. Tension rose within me again as I instinctively tensed my left arm.

“See you tomorrow.”

Fortunately, she didn’t touch that side; she patted my right shoulder, and Mom went outside.

I stared at the door Mom had closed as she left. Light from the hallway was entering through the rectangular gap in the door.

Should I tell Mom and Dad about what happened with Ahn Yutan and discuss it? I had agonized over it countless times on my way home, but it seems I eventually decided not to. Seeing how smoothly the lies flowed out, anyway.

If I were to tell Mom and Dad, I couldn’t avoid revealing that the client is Ahn Yutan and the target is Ahn Juik’s half-brother. And if it concerns Ahn Juik, there is no way Mom and Dad would accept that request.

The contract killing requests that sometimes come into the Pachulso are jobs in other cities, not the Nagon District. So far, no Nagon District resident has ever requested such a thing. The residents probably don’t even know the fact that we do such work.

If a resident were to pay for such a request, Mom and Dad would obviously do it, but if the target were Ahn Juik or someone who would harm Ahn Juik’s interests, they wouldn’t do it.

Even if they have never said it like that, I just know that’s how it must be. Do not touch Ahn Juik.

So, the Pachulso’s motto of “we do everything as long as you pay the fee” is not the truth. To be more precise, it is “we do everything as long as you pay the fee, but within the line of not touching Ahn Juik.”

It’s not that I don’t understand. Because Ahn Juik is like a king in the Nagon District.

The reason the Pachulso group can freely come and go in the Nagon District is probably because we take on all the tasks that need the help of outsiders, but the more essential premise is probably the part where Ahn Juik and the two heads of the Pachulso do not offend each other.