Gutter Chapter 10.1

When Yeonjo woke up, the day had already dawned long ago. His whole body ached and felt heavy, as if he had been thoroughly beaten. As his mind began to clear, the memories of the previous day, submerged in sleep, began to surface one by one.

He vaguely recalled the excited image of Boss Gu on top of his limp body, almost as if he had passed out at the end.

“…My scarf.”

As Yeonjo sat up, he noticed his red scarf lying on the floor. When Boss Gu had forcibly taken it off and thrown it yesterday, it had stretched and frayed, becoming unusable.

He sighed involuntarily. How was he going to fix this? If anyone else saw it, they would definitely tell him to throw it away; it looked beyond repair. Yeonjo picked it up and put it in the drawer where he kept his few clothes.

Then, wrapping himself in a thin blanket, he went out to the living room. Boss Gu seemed to have gone out, as Yeonjo was alone in the studio apartment. As promised yesterday, a wad of crisp cash was scattered on the dining table. Seeing the five million won made his mouth feel bitter.

Fortunately, it was Yeonjo’s day off. After washing up, Yeonjo took the money and went straight to the hospital to see his grandmother. Despite hesitating for several minutes at the hospital entrance, his grandmother, as always, was delighted to see him. It was as if his fears had been unfounded.

Whenever his grandmother mentioned Hanwook, Yeonjo flinched inwardly but pretended not to care, smoothly changing the subject of conversation.

Although he was aware of the awkward glances from the hospital staff, as long as his grandmother treated him the same, he didn’t care about such things. Worried that she might now see him, her non-biological grandson, as a burden, he ended up talking more than usual. Today, Yeonjo even took care of all the menial tasks in the hospital room, tasks usually done by the hospital staff and caregiver.

The hospital staff only watched Yeonjo with complicated expressions, not engaging him in friendly conversation or sharing snacks like they used to. Still, Yeonjo steadfastly spent time with his grandmother.

After completing the visit, Yeonjo left the hospital room and returned directly to his studio apartment. Due to the aftermath of the previous night, his body was sore and ached, making him unable to stay awake any longer. He was hungry and his stomach ached, but the desire to lie down and rest took precedence.

After sleeping like the dead and waking up again, it was already time to go to work.

Despite lying down for a long time, his body was not light; instead, his head throbbed and his muscles were stiff, as if he had just come out of cold water. Boss Gu seemed to have stayed out all night, as the studio apartment looked the same as the day before.

Yeonjo took some painkillers and managed to get up and prepare for work. He couldn’t skip work due to illness because he would have to pay a penalty for absence. Besides, today was his long-awaited payday.

While driving to work, Yeonjo overheard a subordinate casually mention that, as expected, Boss Gu seemed to be very busy. It was better for him to be constantly busy. There was nothing good to be gained from encountering him in this cramped place. It would be troublesome if he was caught and asked for sex again.

“Cha Yeonjo, go into Room 2, ventilate it, and collect the carpet. Some jerk threw up there yesterday, and the smell won’t go away. Sigh.”

As soon as Yeonjo entered the store, the manager, with a tired face, instructed him.

“Yes.”

“And tell the rest of the guys to come and get their paychecks as soon as they arrive.”

“What about me?”

Yeonjo asked, widening his eyes in bewilderment.

“It’s payday today, so I should get mine too…”

“What are you talking about? Your paycheck?”

The manager scratched his neck and leaned against the counter. Yeonjo was frustrated because he couldn’t understand his indifferent reaction. Why was he acting as if Yeonjo wasn’t entitled to the paycheck everyone else was receiving?

“Have you already forgotten the contract we signed last time?”

Wondering if he was referring to the contract signed in the office, Yeonjo asked urgently.

“Why?”

“The fourth clause of the contract states that debts are to be paid off first.”

“…So I can’t receive my paycheck because it’s all going towards paying off my debt?”

“Of course.”

Yeonjo, momentarily speechless, froze for a few seconds.

“But how can you take my entire paycheck?”

The manager shrugged, his face firm, as if dealing with an unreasonable customer.

“That’s why you should have been careful when signing the contract.”

“Even if the contract prioritizes debt repayment, it didn’t say anything about taking my entire paycheck.”

“What did I tell you? I advised you to be a little more… accommodating.”

“…….”

“This is what happens when you’re as stiff as a wooden board. Tsk tsk.”

He scolded Yeonjo for lacking flexibility. Then he told Yeonjo to hurry up and collect the carpet and dismissed him.

Yeonjo couldn’t argue any further because it was stated in the contract and turned around in disappointment. However, no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed incredibly unfair. If he didn’t get paid, how was he supposed to live? If things continued like this, what was the difference between working for free for several months?

Perhaps it was due to his poor condition and the shock, but his clouded mind wouldn’t clear.

“Hey, don’t slack off just because you didn’t get paid. Clean properly. An important person is coming later, so mop even the hidden spots. That guy may not seem like it, but he’s quite picky. Kyungsik, you too, stop slacking and get into the kitchen.”

“Ugh, alright, alright. The boss gets super sensitive on the days he has to pay tribute.”

A waiter named Kyungsik, who had arrived at almost the same time as Yeonjo, grumbled in a voice low enough for the manager not to hear.

“He acts tough and disrespects the guy who comes to collect because he’s young. Does he think we don’t know he’s actually scared shitless and grovels behind his back?”

When Yeonjo turned his head, Kyungsik, catching his eye, chuckled as if amused.

“Right?”

“Ah… yes.”

He then passed by Yeonjo. Normally, Yeonjo would have immediately realized that the ‘young guy who comes to collect’ was Boss Gu, but with his mind completely blank, he mechanically nodded without understanding what was being said.

Driven by the manager’s nagging, everyone worked twice as hard as usual to clean the store. One good thing about being a waiter was that they had to constantly move and didn’t have time to be distracted by other thoughts. However, the fact that he hadn’t received a single penny still gnawed at him. He would have to talk to the manager about it again after work.

As he finished cleaning, prepared the rooms and the kitchen for opening, customers started pouring in. Yeonjo couldn’t just run away or stop working because he hadn’t been paid, so he guided customers to their rooms, took orders, and ran errands as usual.

There were more customers than usual today, making the air in the store stuffy. The cigarette smoke they exhaled made his vision particularly hazy. As soon as he had a moment, Yeonjo escaped into the restroom. The window was open, making the air in the restroom more pleasant than in the rooms.

As he leaned against the sink, washing his hands and catching his breath, the closed door clicked open. Thinking it might be a customer, Yeonjo turned off the faucet and straightened up.

“Uh…? Are you… Teacher Cha Yeonjo…?”

As Yeonjo was about to leave the restroom, the person who just entered called his name. As Yeonjo’s eyes widened in surprise, the other person approached him with a smile.

“Wow, it really is Teacher Yeonjo!”

“…Mr. Joowon?”

Yeonjo, having immediately recognized him, blurted out his name. Joowon was a former customer from the riding stable, the one who had first suggested the bar to Yeonjo when he was desperate for money.

Joowon’s face brightened as Yeonjo remembered his name. He scanned Yeonjo, dressed in his waiter uniform, from head to toe with a lopsided posture. The strong smell of alcohol emanating from Joowon’s breath suggested he had been drinking heavily.

“It’s been a while, Teacher. Waiter? You work here?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t go to the place I told you about last time?”

As Joowon came uncomfortably close, Yeonjo backed away with an awkward smile. Not wanting to explain all the details of the past to him, he gave a vague answer, and Joowon continued in a voice laced with amusement.

“You know, I went to Phoenix a few times just in case. You weren’t there, you were here….”

“Things just worked out this way. Ah, and… thank you for helping me out when I needed the money back then.”

“It wasn’t a large sum, it was nothing. Teacher Yeonjo, why are you so thin? You must have gone through a lot.”

Noticing Yeonjo’s discomfort, Joowon kept a reasonable distance. Seeing him stumble slightly due to intoxication, Yeonjo briefly wondered what would happen if he fell. Despite the slippery restroom tiles, Joowon maintained his balance fairly well.

“Maybe working at the riding stable and earning a decent living would have suited you better, Teacher….”

“That would have been difficult. There was Mr. Lim’s situation to consider, and my circumstances were complicated in many ways.”

“Ah, right. I heard that the owner there is opening another riding stable?”

Noticing that Yeonjo, whom he had met after a long time, wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation, Joowon relayed the news about the new riding stable. Only then did Yeonjo’s gaze, which had been fixed uneasily on the floor, meet Joowon’s directly.

“He’s opening a new riding stable?”

“Yes. Mr. Lim isn’t doing it all himself. An acquaintance of his owns quite a bit of land in the countryside, and I think he’s planning to try various businesses there. I think the owner is going to help him out, like managing the horses and such. You know, running a resort for wealthy people with a golf course, riding stable, water sports, and the like.”

“Ah…”

“So, I think he wants to call you back, Teacher Yeonjo, once he builds the new riding stable there. You had quite a few customers you were in charge of.”

At the mention of Mr. Lim wanting to call him back, a flicker of emotion crossed Yeonjo’s previously impassive face.

“How did you know about that?”

“I overheard him talking on the phone in the break room.”

“I see.”

However, it wasn’t relevant to him right now. Working at the new riding stable Mr. Lim was opening would ease his mind, but it wouldn’t help him pay off his debts at all. His grandmother needed to stay in Seoul for treatment. If he went back and forth between Seoul like before, he would only become a burden.

“But Teacher, why did you change your phone number? I couldn’t reach you… It’s a shame. If I hadn’t come here, I might never have seen you again…”

“Um, I’m really sorry, but I’m still working. I think I need to go back now.”

Feeling that the conversation would go on endlessly if he let it, Yeonjo interrupted and grabbed the restroom doorknob. As another customer happened to enter, Joowon readily nodded.

“Can’t be helped. Work hard, Teacher. It was nice seeing you.”

“You too, Mr. Joowon… Enjoy your time here. Goodbye.”

Bowing his head, Yeonjo quickly returned to the hallway. Another employee pushed him, asking where he had been and telling him to go straight to the room where he was called.

Yeonjo started moving busily again, going back and forth between rooms, serving drinks, and clearing tables. He felt a weight in his heart, even though he had done nothing wrong. Of all people, he had to run into Joowon here.

Joowon had only asked how he was doing, but Yeonjo felt uncomfortable facing him. He felt a little embarrassed, wondering if he had been overly wary of someone who seemed genuinely happy to see him after a long time.

“Cha Yeonjo! These snacks! When you go out, take the Johnnie Walker Blue Label and glasses to Room 9.”

“Yes, I’ll be right there.”

As instructed, Yeonjo quickly loaded a large serving tray with the bottle of alcohol, snacks, and glasses. As he crossed the hallway and entered Room 9, he made eye contact with Joowon, who was sitting on the sofa, talking with his companions.

He had anticipated that he might run into Joowon again since he was a customer here. Yeonjo calmly placed the tray on the table. He was slightly nervous that Joowon might suddenly talk to him, but upon seeing Yeonjo, he only acknowledged him with a brief nod and returned to his conversation. Relieved, Yeonjo finished setting up and left the room.

Meanwhile, the staff area, including the kitchen, was in chaos, as if the important guest the manager had mentioned had arrived.

“What the! We’re short on napkins and plates for the rooms! How did the waiter team prepare for opening?”

The manager, inspecting the kitchen, shouted at the waiters nearby. Yeonjo put the tray and glasses he had just collected into the sink and looked around. Then another waiter behind him shouted.

“Sir! I wiped the plates and put them on the shelf earlier!”

“You idiot, those are all chipped on the edges, we can’t use them in the rooms.”

“Then what do we do?”

“What do we do? We go to the storage room and get them, of course.”

“When are we going to find them all…”

“It’s not like we’re completely out. Just rummage through the boxes and get the spares. As fast as you can.”

“What are you doing, bro? Aren’t you going?”

The youngest waiter playfully nudged Yeonjo’s shoulder. Yeonjo nodded and headed towards the storage room without complaint.

The storage room was narrow and poorly lit, remaining dim even with the lights on. It was quite bothersome to have to check each box piled haphazardly to retrieve napkins and plates. Yeonjo realized belatedly that this was why they had pushed him to do this.

He started checking each box, pulling them out from the bottom, when he suddenly heard the heavy storage room door open behind him. Still crouching, Yeonjo turned his head.

“Mr… Joowon?”

He thought it was a staff member, but the person who entered the storage room was Joowon, whom he had encountered earlier.

“Teacher Yeonjo.”

“Do you need something? Why are you…”

Yeonjo stood up, looking at him with a mixture of bewilderment and unease. Why had he come here when he should be in his room?

Joowon’s pupils were dilated, as if he had gotten even more drunk. As he closed the door, only the two of them were left in the storage room, filled with miscellaneous boxes.

“W-what are you… doing?”

“No, I came out to go to the restroom, and I saw Teacher Yeonjo come in here.”

Yeonjo managed to force a smile, trying to appear calm.

“The restroom is in the opposite direction. You were there just a moment ago.”

“I know where it is. I just followed Teacher Yeonjo.”

“Why did you follow me?”

Joowon chuckled. He scratched his cheek, pausing as he chose his words.

During the silence, Yeonjo stared at the closed door. It wasn’t locked, and Joowon was drunk anyway. Even if something happened, he could just push him away and run out. So, it wasn’t a situation to be overly afraid of.

“It seems I’m the only one happy to see Teacher Yeonjo. You seem uncomfortable every time we meet.”

Joowon complained, sounding hurt, to Yeonjo, who couldn’t hide his awkwardness.

“Well, I didn’t leave the riding stable on good terms, so honestly, it’s not exactly comfortable.”

“Ah, right. I understand. But I was just wondering how you were doing after you left.”

“…….”

“Are you really not going to give me your phone number, Teacher?”

At his repeated request for his contact information, Yeonjo avoided Joowon’s obvious gaze, feeling embarrassed.

“That’s… going to be difficult. I’m sorry.”

“Then, are you really not considering going back to the riding stable? I told you, Mr. Lim will be looking for you soon.”

“It’s a little… awkward to go back after causing so much trouble and leaving like that…”

“Why? The owner will need your help after he takes charge of the new place, he’ll be short-handed. Oh, and Mr. Lim changed his number too. Aren’t you curious?”

“Mr. Joowon, I….”

“You said it last time, that your family member was sick. But I heard the surgery went well.”

“…Who told you about that?”

Yeonjo had personally mentioned that his family member was sick, but he had never told Joowon about the outcome of the surgery.

“Teacher Yeonjo is famous at the riding stable. Everyone must have heard about it one way or another.”

“…….”

“So, what I’m saying is, you’re not going to be a waiter forever, Teacher Yeonjo. Your health is weak, the air here is bad, and you work nights. I saw you coughing earlier. Are you feeling okay these days? I’m really worried.”

Yeonjo, who had been racking his brain on how to persuade Joowon to leave quietly, was taken aback by his concerned tone.

He knew he had to end the conversation and quickly find the items and leave. However, it had been so long since he had met someone other than his grandmother who remembered and cared about his health, that he couldn’t bring himself to tell Joowon to leave. Yeonjo, starved for this kind of human concern and affection, unknowingly nodded at Joowon’s words.

“Really? You look too thin.”

“I’m… okay.”

“…That’s good to hear. Anyway, if you’re not planning on working here forever, wouldn’t you need a stable job after saving up some money? I still go to the riding stable when I have time, so I’ll talk to the owner if I see him. If Teacher Yeonjo is okay with it, that is.”

He persuaded gently. Had he been mistaken about Joowon being drunk? If it weren’t for the occasional slurring of words and the smell of alcohol, he would have seemed perfectly sober.

Moreover, he had accurately pinpointed Yeonjo’s concerns, making his offer even more tempting. He couldn’t continue this job forever, even after his grandmother was discharged from the hospital. He needed to find another job, but the problem was that Yeonjo had no significant work experience or education.

“Then… I’ll ask you for a favor if I need it later. But I’m really okay for now.”

After much deliberation, Yeonjo answered cautiously. Joowon smiled, as if he had expected this response.

“Alright. Then give me your number so I can contact you later, Teacher.”

Seeing no further grounds for refusal, Yeonjo reluctantly gave him his phone number.

“And I think they said there will be a dormitory at the place Mr. Lim will be running this time. They’re building it along with the main building.”

“Oh.”

“It’s in the countryside, but since the business is large-scale, they’re also running a shuttle to the bus terminal. The owner still feels bad about letting you go so suddenly, Teacher Yeonjo. If you ask for his help, he’ll definitely take you back.”

Listening to Joowon, Yeonjo felt a strange sense of hope rising in his chest. If there was a shuttle to the bus terminal, it would be easier to take his grandmother to the city or Seoul for hospital visits. More than anything, if there was a proper dormitory, it would be more comfortable than before, and he could save on rent.

Yeonjo, who had no intention of being at Boss Gu’s mercy forever, felt like he had found a raft in the middle of a vast ocean. Moreover, a remote countryside with only a bus terminal and no train station… Even Boss Gu wouldn’t be able to find him if he deliberately hid in such a place, would he?

Joowon, having saved the number Yeonjo gave him, put his phone away with a satisfied look.

“Here’s my business card. Keep it.”

He took out a business card from his wallet, which identified him as a dentist, and handed it to Yeonjo, who accepted it hesitantly.

“Then I’ll… get back to work. I really need to go now.”

As Joowon was about to close his wallet, he caught sight of some cash. He raised his blurry eyes and fixed them on Yeonjo.

“Teacher Yeonjo, by the way… are you a little hard up these days?”

“…….”

“Seeing the bills reminded me. Teacher Yeonjo used to be crazy about this.”

Yeonjo suppressed a sigh and shook his head. He had expected this kind of conversation to come up, so he wasn’t surprised.

“I don’t do that anymore.”

“Oh, you don’t drain the pipes anymore? It’s been a while.”

“Mr. Joowon.”

“Look, I have cash. I happened to bring a lot with me.”

Yeonjo pushed him away as he tried to get closer. However, whether due to intoxication or lack of control, Joowon’s strength was firm. He pushed Yeonjo against the wall, burying his face near Yeonjo’s collarbone, and inhaled.

“Mr., Mr. Joowon. Please stop this. I told you, I don’t do that anymore.”

“Why?”

“This isn’t the riding stable… I don’t do that kind of thing anymore…”

“I regretted a lot after Teacher Yeonjo left like that. I kept thinking I should have treated you better. Sometimes I missed it so much I even tried meeting men. Men sucking is definitely not bad. I’m not satisfied with my wife….”

“Please move. There are people outside, why are you doing this?”

He was worried that if he pushed or hit Joowon with all his might, he might collapse. If it were the restroom or the hallway, it would be different, but the storage room had many shelves with sharp corners, and he was afraid that Joowon might get seriously injured if he fell. Indeed, there were several nails sticking out from the walls.

“You’ve seen my wife at the riding stable a few times, right? Sigh, she has such a prickly personality, not at all gentle and yielding like Teacher Yeonjo. She thinks she’s a princess.”

Joowon, who had been rubbing his nose against Yeonjo’s collarbone, lifted his head and met Yeonjo’s eyes. Looking at his unfocused pupils, Yeonjo thought he was almost out of his mind. He wondered how they had managed to have a coherent conversation just a moment ago.

He didn’t think Joowon had drunk that much in his room. He was bewildered by how intoxicated and unreasonable Joowon had become.

“Can’t you just do it once, since it’s been a while? Teacher Yeonjo, you’re fucking amazing at sucking dick.”

“If you don’t move, I’ll go out and call for help.”

Yeonjo said firmly, pushing Joowon again. Fortunately, this time he stumbled back a step.

“Help? Call for help?”

However, with a hardened expression, Joowon aggressively lunged at Yeonjo again.

“What you’re doing is obstruction of business!”

“Oof!”

Yeonjo finally kicked Joowon’s knee and grabbed the doorknob. Joowon, staggering as he tried to regain his balance, seemed to have hit something on one of the shelves on the wall and suddenly groaned, clutching his temple.

“Ah, fuck…. Did I take too many pills?”

He muttered to himself, then covered Yeonjo’s hand on the doorknob.

“What are you going to do if you call for help? I’m going to say Teacher Yeonjo started it.”

“That’s not true.”

“Look at this. Don’t you see the blood from the scratch on my forehead? Who do you think people will believe?”

Joowon pointed to the wound, lifting his bangs dramatically. He was bleeding from a scratch he got from the edge of a shelf. It wasn’t a big wound, but because it was bleeding, it could look serious depending on how he presented it.

“Can Teacher Yeonjo afford to cause trouble here? You need to earn money.”

“Please, Mr. Joowon…”

“I’m even offering you money, so why are you being like this? It’s not like I’m asking you to do it for free.”

Breathing heavily, he traced Yeonjo’s plump, pink lips with his fingertips. Even in the dim light, Yeonjo’s lips looked soft and inviting, like a perfectly ripe fruit.

“Teacher Yeonjo, you need to get that job at the riding stable later. Do you really want to make a scene here?”

Joowon whispered, pressing down hard on Yeonjo’s shoulders, just like he had at the riding stable.

His knees buckled involuntarily under the pressure on his shoulders. Perhaps due to his poor physical condition, he felt particularly weak today. Looking down at Yeonjo kneeling, Joowon panted.

Yeonjo debated whether he should push him away and leave right now.

‘Hey, don’t slack off just because you didn’t get paid. Clean properly. An important person is coming later, so mop even the hidden spots.’

He suddenly remembered what the manager had said before the store opened. Judging by the hurried footsteps of the waiters passing by outside, the ‘important person’ seemed to have already arrived. If he made a scene here, as Joowon suggested, the store would definitely not look favorably upon him.

And to escape and disappear from Boss Gu and get a job later, he needed the riding stable owner’s help… If he pushed Joowon away now and parted on bad terms, he could easily imagine what Joowon would tell Mr. Lim at the riding stable. If that happened, he would lose his only support, so it didn’t seem like the right course of action. No matter how he looked at it, Cha Yeonjo was the one at a disadvantage.

Quickly thinking through the situation and reaching a conclusion, Yeonjo resignedly placed his hand on Joowon’s waist.

“There, see how nice it is when you’re obedient. Ah…. This is so fucking hot, damn it.”

With lust-filled eyes, Joowon grabbed Yeonjo’s hair and rubbed his pale face against his groin. Even before he properly touched him, his cock was already hard.

“Quick, quick, take it out. You go crazy sucking dick, don’t you?”

Joowon urged him on with vulgar words. For some reason, Boss Gu flashed through his mind. It was only for a brief moment, but his hesitation vanished without a trace. Yeonjo pulled down Joowon’s pants and underwear and immediately took his cock into his mouth.

“Oh, fuck… Haaah.”

Pre-cum already coated the glans, and a fishy smell wafted into his nostrils. Wanting to get it over with quickly, Yeonjo opened his mouth wider and took the cock deeper. Joowon shuddered and moaned at the hot, soft sensation in his mouth.

“Ah, yes. Heuk… This is it. Haaaah.”

He pressed down on Yeonjo’s head, forcing him to take it all the way to the root. As the man’s dark pubic hair brushed against his nose and philtrum, Joowon muttered incoherently, watching with satisfaction.

“Fuck, this is the taste. There’s no one who can suck this good, Keuh, Ah.”

He moved his hips quickly as if he were fucking a hole. He felt nauseous, but perhaps because he had become so accustomed to Boss Gu’s size, the cock thrusting haphazardly into his mouth felt much smaller. Even though Joowon’s was also above average size.

Yeonjo tightened his lips and gently stroked the underside of the shaft with his tongue, trying to make him cum as quickly as possible. Joowon’s breathing became more ragged, and he spewed a constant stream of vulgar curses.

“Mm, Ugh…, Heut. Chup.”

The sound of the saliva-soaked cock moving in and out of his mouth echoed in the storage room, and Yeonjo became anxious that someone passing by might hear. He wished it would end quickly.

“Keuhuk!”

Just then, Joowon thrust his cock all the way into Yeonjo’s mouth and came deep down his throat.

“Huk, Huff, Huff…”

“…….”

“Doing it after so long… Haah, that was amazing. You’re a real temptress.”

Joowon moved his hips slightly, his softened cock still inside Yeonjo’s mouth. Yeonjo grimaced at the taste of semen on his tongue, waiting for him to let go.

“I can’t, fuck. Suck it one more time.”

After a while, Joowon pulled his cock out of Yeonjo’s mouth and pleaded, rubbing his wet glans against Yeonjo’s lower lip.

“No. I really need to go…”

“Aah. I need to pay Teacher Yeonjo. Just take this and suck it one more time…”

Joowon fumbled with his wallet, pulled out some bills, and thrust them at Yeonjo.

Clank. Just then, the storage room door opened.

The light from the hallway streamed into the dim room, along with a large figure.

The door wasn’t locked? Yeonjo turned his head towards the entrance in a daze. He was horrified when he saw the man standing there.

“What the hell is this.”

A deep, guttural voice, like that of a beast, drifted into the storage room like fog. At the same time, the manager’s voice echoed from afar.

“Oh, there’s no need for you to look for him yourself, sir…! I’ll find him. I sent Yeonjo on an errand a while ago, so he should be back soon…. Huh?”

Before the manager could reach the storage room, the door slammed shut.

“Wh-who is it? Barging in like that.”

“…….”

While Joowon, clutching his pants, fussed over the man who had entered the storage room, Yeonjo sank to the floor. He felt as if he were being crushed by the large shadow cast by the dim light.

Why was Boss Gu here?

With ominously calm eyes, Boss Gu looked back and forth between Yeonjo and Joowon. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he kicked Joowon in the stomach.

“Keuhuk!”

The grown man’s body lifted into the air and then collapsed limply. As if his body were made of paper.

“You… wh-who, Keuk, who… ughhh.”

Yeonjo looked at the fallen Joowon with terrified eyes. Clutching his stomach, Joowon made strange gurgling sounds as if he couldn’t speak. And then he started foaming at the mouth.

Yeonjo recoiled in horror at the grotesque sight. He knew Boss Gu was strong, having been hit by him countless times, but he was never this brutal. Had Joowon been unlucky enough to be hit in a vital spot, or was he already unwell?

“Where do you think you’re going. You stay put.”

He warned without even looking at Yeonjo, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He calmly locked the storage room door and walked towards the pathetically collapsed Joowon.

“Aaagh! Aah, Kyaagh!”

Joowon screamed as Boss Gu’s heavy footsteps approached. Boss Gu, unfazed, effortlessly grabbed him, lifted him up, and punched him.

Crack! A sickening sound of bones breaking echoed. After a few more blows, Joowon’s eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

Thud, thud. Blood dripped from Boss Gu’s black-gloved fist onto the floor. Seeing the sticky red liquid staining the concrete floor, Yeonjo finally snapped back to reality. Thinking that something might happen to Joowon if he stayed like this, he rushed towards Boss Gu without thinking.

“Stop it! What if he really dies?”

Boss Gu, who had grabbed the unconscious, limp body by the collar and lifted him up, raised his fist but stopped upon seeing Yeonjo blocking his way.

“Get out of the way. You could have gotten hit.”

Boss Gu’s brows furrowed. He might be mistaken, but his slightly trembling eyes seemed surprised. It felt strange that he, who had beaten Yeonjo countless times, seemed concerned that he might have been accidentally hit by the fist aimed at Joowon.

“Is that important? Are you trying to kill him? He’s already unconscious!”

Perhaps because he had finally spoken, he unconsciously slipped into informal speech. Yeonjo didn’t notice his own tone, and Boss Gu didn’t seem to mind. He seemed annoyed only by Yeonjo’s attempt to stop him.

“Fuck, why? Were we interrupting your good time?”

He threw Joowon down and strode menacingly towards Yeonjo. Thud! Joowon’s body landed heavily on the concrete floor. Despite the considerable impact, Joowon didn’t move.

Yeonjo stiffened, his breath catching in his throat as he heard Boss Gu’s ragged breathing close by. He was afraid that Boss Gu would raise his hand and strike him.

“…That’s not what I meant, he’s completely unconscious.”

“Or wasn’t the fucking I gave you last time enough?”

Yeonjo momentarily forgot what he was going to say. He shook his head vehemently.

“N-no….”

Yeonjo’s shoulders trembled as he looked at Joowon, lying limp, foaming at the mouth and covered in blood.

As Boss Gu raised his hand, Yeonjo reflexively turned his head and shielded his face with his arm.

Ah, he’s going to hit me.

“Bullshit.”

“…….”

Boss Gu pulled down Yeonjo’s arm and grabbed his chin. He turned Yeonjo’s tearful face towards him and stared intently, then clenched his jaw upon seeing the dried white semen on his lips. The veins in his thick, powerful neck stood out prominently.

“There are so many ways to piss me off.”

He let go of Yeonjo and went back to Joowon, kicking him hard as if to vent his anger. Joowon’s body was already limp like a corpse. Yeonjo cautiously tugged at his clothes, fearing that further assault might cause serious harm. But Boss Gu didn’t stop kicking.

Thump! Thwack! Crack. There were several sounds of something breaking.

This time, Yeonjo desperately grabbed and pulled Boss Gu’s arm. However, he only confirmed the overwhelming difference in their strength; Boss Gu didn’t budge.

“Please stop now! What are you going to do if he really dies?”

“I don’t care if he dies.”

“Are you, are you really crazy? No. This is murder.”

When Yeonjo wrapped his arms around his waist and blocked him with his body, Boss Gu finally stopped. He took a moment to catch his breath and then roughly pushed Yeonjo away. Then he started smashing the things in the storage room instead of Joowon.

The sound of breaking plates and furniture filled the room as he swung his arms and legs in a fit of rage. As if that wasn’t enough, he kicked Joowon again. Even unconscious, Joowon’s bloodied torso convulsed, as if in pain.

“You really!”

“Answer me. Who is this bastard?”

Having finished venting his rage, Boss Gu questioned in a sinister voice. He didn’t look at Yeonjo, instead bending down to search Joowon’s pockets. Finding Joowon’s dropped wallet, he carefully examined its contents, including his ID.

Yeonjo was anxious about when Boss Gu might suddenly snap again. No matter how quickly he thought, he couldn’t bring himself to lie, knowing it would be exposed.

“It’s better to confess with your own mouth.”

Boss Gu’s patience was running thin. At his threatening words, Yeonjo finally opened his mouth.

“He’s a customer… from my old workplace.”

“Were you spreading your legs for other bastards at the bar back then too?”

“N-no. It wasn’t that kind of place.”

“So you were doing this kind of thing even though it wasn’t a place that sells bodies.”

“…Sometimes.”

Telling him the truth felt as difficult as coughing up a boulder. Boss Gu, with an impassive expression, took out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply, his cheeks hollowing.

Watching the tiny flame at the tip of the cigarette burn bright red, Yeonjo swallowed hard. His heart was racing so fast that his vision blurred.

“Did this bastard force you even though you said no?”

“…….”

It was a vague question. Although there were various circumstances, strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely forced. He could have refused and run away, even though it would have caused a scene in the store. Moreover, if he said it was forced here, Boss Gu looked like he might just wring Joowon’s neck, so he couldn’t easily answer.

“Speak while you still can.”

He warned quietly. His chilling low voice made Yeonjo feel as if he were choking, as if Boss Gu were gripping his throat.

“He didn’t force me.”

Crash!

As soon as he answered, Boss Gu crushed a glass shard on the floor with his heel. Yeonjo bit his lower lip, watching the glass shatter beneath his foot.

While he was afraid of him, he couldn’t understand why Boss Gu was so angry. Hadn’t it been Boss Gu who had made him work at the bar in the first place? Although he had recently been working as a waiter, it was also Boss Gu who had pressed him to pay off his debts and forced him to sign that unfair contract. Boss Gu was partly responsible for the reason why Yeonjo couldn’t outright refuse Joowon.

Was he angry because it was something he hadn’t allowed? Come to think of it, he had only been having sex with Boss Gu recently, so he had no choice but to be mindful of him.

Boss Gu, leaning against the wall, stared intently at Joowon’s business card between his fingers. Then, his smooth, black hand rummaged through the rest of the wallet. Noticing the wad of cash, Boss Gu’s gaze lingered on the money scattered on the floor before turning to Yeonjo, as if prompting an explanation.

“I needed money… for my grandmother’s treatment.”

“Filial piety at its finest, my ass.”

He scoffed, exhaling cigarette smoke. Yeonjo coughed repeatedly, his throat irritated by the acrid smell. His stomach ached with nervousness.

Boss Gu, still leaning against the wall, beckoned Yeonjo closer. This time, it seemed like he was really going to hit him, so Yeonjo froze, unable to move, as if rooted to the spot. He didn’t want to end up like the half-dead Joowon.

“D-don’t hit me.”

“What?”

“Don’t hit me….”

“Huh, after what you did.”

When Yeonjo didn’t obey his order to come closer, Boss Gu strode towards him. And then.

Slap!

“Ugh!”

“Don’t hit me. Don’t push your luck too far.”

Boss Gu’s thick hand slapped Yeonjo’s cheek. The force was strong enough to turn his entire body sideways.

Slap!

“Aagh!”

“I’m barely holding myself back from killing both of you.”

With the second slap, Yeonjo couldn’t withstand the force and stumbled back. He staggered and barely managed to regain his balance. He tasted blood, as if the inside of his mouth had been cut.

Yeonjo’s hand, clutching his cheek, trembled. Boss Gu looked down at Yeonjo, tears welling up in his eyes, and said,

“Wipe the cum off your lips.”

And he took a drag of his cigarette. His face throbbed with pain, but the only consolation was that Boss Gu didn’t seem inclined to beat him as badly as he had beaten Joowon. Yeonjo hurriedly wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“Sir. Do you have any instructions for me?”

Just then, Boss Gu’s subordinate knocked from outside. He was probably waiting nearby, having heard the commotion from the storage room.

Yeonjo looked at him anxiously. Should he take Joowon to the hospital? But what if he was dead? It was difficult to tell if Joowon was in a treatable condition. His face was covered in blood, and the exposed parts of his arms and abdomen, peeking through his clothes, were bruised black and blue.

Boss Gu calmly extinguished his half-smoked cigarette on Joowon’s forehead.

“What are you doing…!”

Sizzle. The sound of burning flesh echoed. Yeonjo gasped at the cruel sight, his voice trailing off.

Boss Gu tossed the extinguished cigarette on the floor and opened the locked storage room door. The subordinate standing outside entered and calmly assessed Joowon’s condition.

“Take him out.”

“Yes, sir.”

As if he had handled such situations many times before, the subordinate expertly scanned the hallway and made a phone call. After finishing the call, he lifted Joowon and said to Boss Gu,

“I’ll call someone to clean up the bloodstains later.”

“Do as you see fit.”

Just like that, the subordinate quickly left the storage room. As Joowon was being dragged out, a piece of paper fell out of his pocket. It was a business card with Mr. Lim’s name from the riding stable printed on it. Startled, Yeonjo quickly glanced at Boss Gu. His gaze was fixed on the doorway, so Yeonjo quickly picked up the business card and put it in his pocket.

A few seconds later, the storage room door closed, leaving only Boss Gu and Yeonjo inside.

“You’re… not taking him away to kill him, are you?”

“Worried? Seems like you two got close.”

The lack of inflection in his flat voice, laced with anger, sent a chill down Yeonjo’s spine. He felt his heart pound, wondering if Boss Gu had noticed him secretly pocketing Mr. Lim’s business card. His throat tightened with the fear that he might actually be beaten to death if he provoked Boss Gu any further.

“I-it’s just a customer from work….”

“You treat your asshole customers with such utmost care, don’t you, fuck.”

Even though he knew it was best to keep his mouth shut, the image of Joowon’s upturned eyes and dark bruises flashed before him, and his lips moved on their own.

“It’s a matter of life and death. Just tell me… where you’re taking him.”

“Why do you want to know? Are you planning to go nurse him and suck him off for more money?”

“That’s not it… At that rate…”

He might die. Unable to finish the sentence, Yeonjo closed his mouth.

“He might die.”

Boss Gu said nonchalantly and took out his phone to call someone.

“That can’t happen.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask.”

“I’ll take care of it. If you’re not concerned about that dentist’s well-being because you’re so fond of him, stop provoking me. Testing my patience won’t do you any good, Cha Yeonjo.”

“…….”

In that short time, Boss Gu had somehow learned about Joowon’s personal information, including his marital status, perhaps through his phone call.

“I’m already holding back a lot.”

“Sir, it’s taken care of.”

The subordinate, having quickly returned, knocked on the door again. Boss Gu flung the storage room door open.

“Clean up the rest. Cha Yeonjo, you follow me. And don’t even think about coming to work.”

“…….”

“You said you sucked him off because you needed money for your grandmother’s hospital bills. I’ll give you that money.”

He grabbed Yeonjo’s arm and dragged him out. Yeonjo stumbled along, forced to keep pace.

The patterns on the floor of the store hallway made his head spin. Boss Gu’s stride was much longer than his, making it difficult to keep up. The grip on his arm was so tight that Yeonjo felt a vague fear that he might never be able to escape.

He wanted to shake him off. But Yeonjo had neither the strength nor the justification to do so. Even though he knew Boss Gu was desperate to drag him into ruin, even though he acutely felt that Boss Gu was an incredibly dangerous man, he had to stay by his side.

How contradictory his reality was.

🚬

Their footsteps echoed and mingled in the hallway of the studio apartment. Boss Gu, standing in front of the entrance, quickly unlocked the door. Watching his back as he entered the living room without giving him a moment to breathe, Yeonjo shook his captured arm.

“Let go, it hurts.”

Only then did Boss Gu’s grip loosen. Yeonjo rubbed his freed arm and cautiously observed him.

The atmosphere in the car on the way back from the store had been so tense that he had expected to be hit or forced upon as soon as they arrived. Contrary to his expectations, Boss Gu roughly threw off his jacket and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, gulping it down as if trying to calm his boiling rage.

“No wonder I couldn’t find you at the store. You’re really something.”

After emptying the bottle, he tossed it into the sink. The loud clang heightened the tension between them.

Yeonjo stood silently, waiting for his anger to subside. In fact, there was nothing else he could do.

Boss Gu took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a drag and exhaling several long plumes of smoke, he placed one hand on his hip and stared intently at Yeonjo. His menacing gaze seemed to say, ‘Should I kill him or let him live.’

His nerves were on edge, unable to predict Boss Gu’s next move, and the accumulated exhaustion from everything he had experienced today finally crashed over him. He felt his energy drain so rapidly that he had to support himself by gripping the dining table.

Everything had been a struggle from the moment he opened his eyes today. Despite it being payday, he hadn’t received a single penny, and he had run into Joowon by chance. His mouth and throat, violated by Joowon, stung, his face ached from where Boss Gu had hit him, his arm throbbed from his forceful grip. The sight of Joowon collapsing from the beating had also been quite a shock.

Lowering his head, Yeonjo stared blankly at his feet. He couldn’t believe all of this had happened in a single day.

Silence fell over the studio apartment. Rubbing his aching arm, Yeonjo murmured as if sighing.

“I think you’ve gotten too strong.”

Boss Gu, standing with a cigarette dangling from his lips, scoffed.

“You’re weaker than a child.”

His gaze crawled over Yeonjo’s pale face and body.

“You’re so weak because you’re a picky eater. A five-year-old eats more than you.”

“…….”

His voice was full of disapproval. Yeonjo stared at Boss Gu, wondering if he was serious. He dismissed the fact that Yeonjo couldn’t eat in the countryside as mere pickiness. And Yeonjo felt incredibly wronged by such treatment.

Didn’t he realize that Yeonjo had a severe case of taste blindness? Yeonjo swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

“What was your relationship with that wimp? Be specific.”

Boss Gu flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray on the dining table. It seemed he wasn’t satisfied with the explanation Yeonjo had given in the storage room. As Yeonjo pondered and was about to speak, a sharp, unfamiliar pain, like being stabbed with a long stick, pierced his lungs.

“Keuk.”

The pain was so intense that he couldn’t breathe properly. Yeonjo clutched his chest and coughed. Then something warm surged up from his throat.

Cough, cough, hack! Keuhuk. He tried to suppress it, but the coughs wracked his body. Bright red blood splattered on the floor like spray paint.

Yeonjo stared at what he had coughed up with wide eyes. He had coughed up blood before but from hitting his mouth when boss Gu hit him in the face, but this blood was clearly from deep inside his throat

“Haa, haa, haa.”

Gasping for breath, Yeonjo wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Then pain spread through his lungs and throat again, and his body began to convulse. This time, more blood mixed with saliva came out.

“Cha Yeonjo.”

“What answer do you want? Even if I tell you… what will change?”

Gripping the table, Yeonjo managed to answer. He stumbled to the sink and spat the remaining saliva and blood into the basin.

His head throbbed. His vision swam, and he felt too weak to take even a single step. He felt his strength drain with every exhale.

As Yeonjo swayed, about to collapse, Boss Gu swiftly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“I can’t even hit this thing.”

He threw his cigarette into the sink and steadied Yeonjo’s body. He then turned Yeonjo’s head towards him.

“Let me see how badly it’s split.”

Boss Gu assumed Yeonjo’s gums were bleeding from the impact of the slap, but that wasn’t the case. As he tried to check inside Yeonjo’s mouth, Yeonjo flinched and shook his head.

Seeing him struggling as if he might pass out, Boss Gu tightened his grip on his thin frame.

“If it’s serious, I’ll call someone and take you to the hospital…”

“Let, let go of me…”

Yeonjo murmured, his face pale. Boss Gu was saying something, but he couldn’t hear properly. His vision whited out, and for a few seconds, he couldn’t see or hear anything.

Boss Gu’s expression twisted at the clear rejection. At the same time, there was a knock at the front door.

“Do whatever the fuck you want.”

Cursing under his breath, he let go of Yeonjo and turned around. He opened the door and left without even grabbing his jacket.

🚬

—I thought he was a bit cold and too young to care whether your grandmother was sick or not, but I was surprised. That student, Hanwook, visits quite often.

“How’s grandmother?”

—She’s beaming, of course. But why does your voice sound like that, Yeonjo? Do you have a cold?

“Ah. I think it’s because I slept with the window open last night.”

At the caregiver’s question, Yeonjo, holding his phone, cleared his throat. He sat up in bed and pulled a tissue from the table. Boss Gu’s semen from last night was leaking between his legs. Yeonjo bit his lower lip, unable to bear the sight of his own state.

“Anyway, so you’re saying Hanwook visited grandmother yesterday too?”

—That’s right. Maybe it’s because of the bond they formed when he was a baby, but he’s quite affectionate towards her.

“…….”

—By the way, aren’t you coming, Yeonjo? You’ve been busy lately, you haven’t been to the hospital in over a week.

Unable to tell her the truth that he was confined, Yeonjo made an excuse about work, as he always did.

“I’m too busy with work. I’ll come when I have some time.”

—If it’s because of work, there’s nothing you can do. Don’t be upset about it. The hospital staff are being too much. You’re the one paying for the hospital bills, nursing care, medicine, and treatment.

“…….”

—Does all that come for free? It’s an amount that most salaried workers can’t even dream of affording. Anyone with a brain can do the math. And yet, they treat you like that, making it so awkward just because you’re not her biological grandson… Even a biological grandson wouldn’t do this. Don’t you think so?

“Haha. I guess so.”

A wry smile touched Yeonjo’s lips.

—Anyway, your grandmother lost some weight, so she went for a checkup today. I’ll tell her to call you back when she returns.

“Yes, please.”

After ending the call, Yeonjo threw the semen-stained tissue into the trash and went into the bathroom to wash up. The warm water gradually relaxed his stiff muscles. As usual, Boss Gu was out, so he was alone in the studio apartment.

He felt groggy, probably because he had been woken up by the call from his grandmother’s caregiver. She said that Hanwook visited the hospital quite often. It was unexpected, considering how he had acted like a complete stranger during their first meeting. It was depressing news for him, but a happy one for his grandmother, so it was good. Since he was currently confined to the studio apartment and couldn’t go to the hospital, it was better than nothing that Hanwook was visiting frequently.

Yeonjo lathered his body with soap, his face clouded with worry. Red marks were scattered across his skin. Boss Gu’s doing. Contrary to his wish to wash them all away with the water, the traces he left remained on his skin.

After showering, Yeonjo came out wrapped in a towel, opened the living room curtains, and habitually checked below the window. As expected, Boss Gu’s subordinate was standing guard at the entrance of the studio apartment. To keep an eye on him. Not only at the building entrance, but also right in front of his door, subordinates took turns standing guard.

It had been several days since he had been dragged here from the store by Boss Gu. He couldn’t keep him locked up forever. He felt suffocated, unable to fathom what Boss Gu was thinking.

Tired of just sitting around killing time, Yeonjo wandered around the rooms and living room looking for chores. He realized he hadn’t done laundry in several days. He needed to wash the bedsheets, and if he looked, he could probably find some of Boss Gu’s clothes too.

His own underwear and pants, which were in a mess, also urgently needed washing. He didn’t have many to begin with, and Boss Gu kept ruining or ripping his clothes every time they had sex, leaving him with almost nothing intact. Especially his underwear.

After loading the washing machine and starting it, Yeonjo realized he had no underwear to wear. He had Boss Gu’s spares, but he didn’t want to wear them, and they were too big anyway.

It wasn’t right to be without underwear, was it? Yeonjo irritably put on a shirt and pants and walked to the front door. He pulled the doorknob, and as expected, it was locked from the outside.

“Excuse me, can I just go out for a bit?”

Yeonjo shouted through the gap in the door.

“I don’t know, get permission from the boss.”

The subordinate in the hallway retorted curtly. It was the expected response, so Yeonjo quietly returned to the living room. If he asked the subordinate, he would probably get him some, but he didn’t want to explain that his underwear was ruined because their boss kept ripping them off every time he undressed him.

He considered going without underwear and just wearing pants, but he gave up after less than an hour because it was too uncomfortable.

Yeonjo finally picked up his phone and called Boss Gu. He only answered after the third try.

“Can I go to the mart for a bit?”

—Hang up.

Boss Gu hung up resolutely, as if it were out of the question. Feeling defiant, Yeonjo pressed the call button again. He could hear wind noise and the faint rumble of men’s voices, indicating Boss Gu was outside.

“Buy me some underwear when you come back.”

This time, Yeonjo went straight to the point, afraid he would hang up again. Boss Gu rarely answered his calls, and he didn’t know when he would be able to connect again.

“I have nothing to wear.”

—Wear mine.

“They’re too big.”

—I’ll buy some on my way in.

Yeonjo found this conversation strangely amusing.

“Do you even know my size?”

—I touch and fuck you all the time, so of course I do.

“What the…”

He was so flustered that he was momentarily speechless.

“A-anyway, don’t forget to buy some.”

Yeonjo awkwardly informed him and unilaterally hung up. And then he immediately regretted it. He worried that Boss Gu might call back and yell at him.

“He won’t be angry that I hung up first… will he?”

Fortunately, Boss Gu didn’t call back. Relieved, Yeonjo continued with his chores. He hung the laundry, changed the bedsheets, and diligently cleaned to pass the time. He even cooked, since the refrigerator was full of ingredients.

Boss Gu didn’t return to the studio apartment until late that night. Since he had never specified when he would be back, Yeonjo assumed it was normal and went to bed early.

And the next morning, someone started banging on the door early. He had been unintentionally woken up early two days in a row.

“Who is it?”

It couldn’t be Boss Gu, so it must be his subordinate. Yeonjo rubbed his swollen eyes and walked to the door.

“Hey, I’m coming in for a sec.”

“Why so suddenly…”

Without waiting for Yeonjo’s reply, the subordinate unlocked the door and flung it open. He shoved a black plastic bag through the gap.

“You said you needed underwear?”

“…….”

“The boss told me.”

The subordinate smirked, a lewd expression on his face. The oiliness of his dark face made Yeonjo feel disgusted. He quickly snatched the bag and closed the door without a word. He heard the subordinate muttering something about him being prickly.

Why did he make his subordinate do this? Did that man have no consideration or common sense?

Grumbling to himself, Yeonjo returned to the living room and put the underwear in the washing machine. While the washing machine was running, he lay down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

He still felt drowsy after waking up. His body felt heavy, as if his muscles were knotted. He hadn’t coughed up blood again since the incident, but his condition remained poor.

Yeonjo had been suffering from interstitial lung disease ever since he inhaled toxic fumes while entering the burning building that day. The damage to the cilia in his mucous membranes due to bronchial constriction made it impossible for him to do any strenuous work that left him breathless.

He thought it had improved after careful management for a long time, but it seemed to be getting worse recently due to constant strain. He hadn’t been taking his medication regularly either.

Yeonjo winced at the stinging sensation in his throat and lungs. He knew he needed to go to the hospital, but he wasn’t sure if Boss Gu would allow it. Besides, he didn’t want to add to the already tight budget for his grandmother’s hospital bills. Money. It was always about money.

Even though he tried not to think too deeply, distracting thoughts crept into his mind and stirred them up. Aside from his own health, what would happen to his debt if he couldn’t go to work like this? What was Boss Gu thinking, what was he planning by confining him like this? And what had happened to Joowon after he had collapsed from the beating…

Thinking about Joowon naturally brought back the image of Boss Gu throwing punches in the storage room. The sickening crunch of bones had been so vivid, yet Boss Gu hadn’t flinched, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he beat Joowon to the brink of death.

Yeonjo still couldn’t quite believe that the man named Gu Muncheon and Rags were the same person. He seemed to retain a few traces of his former self, but he now looked so fierce and his physique had grown so much that it was difficult to recognize him unless he looked closely.

‘You can’t take a single step out of here without my permission.’

‘If you run away. Where do you think you’re going?’

He was particularly sensitive to the mention of Yeonjo running away. He could now somewhat understand what Boss Gu must have been thinking all these years after they parted ways fourteen years ago. He must have resented Yeonjo to death for abandoning him there and running away. Enough to never forgive him.

‘Hy-hyung. D-do you kn-know wh-what fl-flower this i-is?’

The image of the boy, his face flushed red from standing under the scorching sun for so long, holding out a flower, was as vivid in his mind as a freshly taken photograph.

‘He-here, hy-hyung, t-take it.’

‘If y-you l-like it, I’ll g-give you m-more n-next time.’

The boy’s innocent, halting voice, the flower he had offered, the sweltering summer weather…

What about Boss Gu? Would he want to erase those memories? Perhaps he had already forgotten about such times, leaving only hatred for him. He still wondered if he shouldn’t have brought the boy with him when he left the orphanage, if his decision back then, as a child, had truly been the best one.

No, at least he shouldn’t have left the boy alone in that single room on the day of the fire. If he hadn’t, both of them might be living better lives now. Hadn’t he ruined everything?

He didn’t know. Their relationship had never been normal to begin with, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was becoming more twisted as time went on. The more time he spent with Boss Gu, the more frustrated and afraid he became, unable to understand him.

It could have been a mere whim, but it bothered him that Boss Gu, who would resort to violence without hesitation, had shown a hint of concern, telling him to go to the hospital if his injuries were serious. He had previously condoned Yeonjo working at the bar, but now he seemed to intensely dislike the idea of Yeonjo being intimate with others.

Had he developed a sense of possessiveness in the meantime? If so, it was a somewhat understandable change. Rags had always been fixated on him since they were young. Perhaps it was an old habit he couldn’t break. Although it was a far more dangerous and precarious obsession compared to that of the child from back then.

“Cough, Ugh, Cough, cough!”

A fit of coughing, almost a seizure, pulled Yeonjo out of his rambling thoughts. He clutched his chest and coughed for a long time, as if he had choked.

The studio apartment felt stuffy, despite cleaning, perhaps due to its age. Even though he couldn’t see it, he suspected there might be mold hidden somewhere beneath the furniture or flooring.

When his coughing didn’t subside easily, Yeonjo hurriedly drank some lukewarm water. After a few more minutes, he finally managed to stop coughing.

His esophagus and chest burned. After enduring the pain for a while, Yeonjo, now calmer, lay back down on the sofa, exhausted. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment and fell into a deep sleep.

🚬

‘N-no!’

Perhaps because it had been a while since he had thought about him, the boy appeared in his dream.

He dreamt of brushing the boy’s teeth in the shared bathroom of the orphanage. For some reason, the boy hated brushing his teeth.

Looking back now, it was perfectly normal behavior for a child, but at the time, young Yeonjo couldn’t understand. A task that could be completed in five minutes would always turn into a ten or twenty-minute ordeal because the boy would stubbornly refuse. It was incredibly tiring.

But if Yeonjo didn’t do it, the boy wouldn’t brush his teeth himself, and there was no one else to do it for him. Brushing the boy’s teeth had naturally become Yeonjo’s responsibility at the orphanage.