The House of Three Chapter 2.1

It was close to lunchtime, and the roads in the middle of Seoul were unusually congested. Whether there had been an accident somewhere, the cars were packed together in a traffic jam, a scene that was frustrating just to look at.

As if the situation wasn’t already irritating enough, what in the world was that?

The truck driver, who had been smoking a cigarette with his hand out the window, casually glared at the next lane.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The EDM music, loud enough to be blaring in a club, was turned up so high that the thumping beat was reverberating not only outside the car but was also spreading throughout the entire congested road.

Anyway, there are so many damn bastards these days. The man, flicking the cigarette butt he was smoking into the adjacent lane, even spat on the ground.

Let me at least see the face of whatever guy it is, he thought, slightly lowering his head, but it wasn’t long before he hurriedly rolled up his window. At that, Mr. Kim, who was sitting in the passenger seat, cackled and threw a joke.

“What, is he a psycho? I’m telling you, kids these days are scary. Don’t go picking a fight for no reason.”

“Fucking bastard. Look at that damn face of his…”

“What’s he like? Let me see the psycho too.”

“Ah, don’t look out! Who was the one just telling me not to pick a fight! Just fasten your seatbelt properly, you old man.”

As the car in front began to inch forward, the man quickly stepped on the accelerator and drove the truck forward. Dammit, what an unlucky bastard. He muttered a curse for no reason and glanced at the vehicle reflected in his side mirror.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

At the same time, that unlucky bastard was the only one having a good time in the middle of the gridlocked road. He was a man who looked somewhat delinquent, stylishly wearing a pair of sunglasses he had recently bought and bobbing his head to the steady thumping beat.

He stopped following the beat and suddenly looked up at the sky, letting out an “iya,” an exclamation of admiration, and left a comment.

“The weather is fucking awesome.”

Afterward, he hummed along to the lyrics of the song and even blew a bubble with the gum he was chewing, but in reality, the sky was gloomy, as if it would pour rain at any moment.

The cars stopped around the man would roll down their windows, thinking, ‘What kind of psycho opened a club in the middle of the road?’ but as soon as they confirmed who the owner was, they were busy pretending to look elsewhere.

But then, some courageous fellow suddenly appeared, cutting in front of the man’s car.

The man, who had been swaying to the beat with a swagger, spotted the vehicle that cut in without even using a turn signal and slammed on the brakes.

“That son of a b—!”

He didn’t forget to express his temper at the same time.

Hooooonk—! Honk, hooooooooonk—!

The sharp sound of the horn blared several times along with the magnificent beat. Even though the car that cut in came to an abrupt stop, the man didn’t stop, continuing to slam on the horn and spewing a stream of curses.

Hoooonk, honk! Perhaps his anger didn’t subside even after honking and honking. Muttering son of a bitch, bastard, he finally took off the sunglasses he was wearing and placed them on top of his head.

As he was doing that, he saw the driver of the car that had cut in front kick open his driver’s side door and get out.

The fucker got out as if he was in the right, even though he had just shoved his car’s head in without so much as a turn signal. As if to establish dominance, he puffed out his bony shoulders and approached with a swagger, and the man who was taking in the whole scene muttered in disbelief.

“Wow, what a fucking fascinating world this is. A little anchovy bastard is crawling all over a place where humans live. Hey, hey? It’s walking?”

The anchovy, who had finally reached the front of the car, poked a finger in his ear once at the loud music and then knocked on the window.

“Hey, get out. Fuck, get out here.”

For an anchovy, he was so brave. Faced with such an openly provocative attitude, the man’s chest heaved as he let out a scoffing laugh.

Ah, seriously. Why is my life so spectacular and fun? Every moment is an event. An event.

Muttering to himself, the man undid his seatbelt and revealed himself as he forcefully swung open the driver’s door.

Thwack. He deliberately pushed the anchovy, who had been stuck right against the window, with the door as he got out, and then lightly stretched his body, which had been stiff from sitting for so long. The way he shoved his hands into his pants pockets, slowly rolled his shoulders, and spread his legs to shoulder width to naturally adjust his tight crotch was strangely threatening.

The anchovy, who had been standing there full of bravado waiting for the driver to get out, was now at a loss for words at the startling sight.

A height and build that would easily surpass 190cm, formidably broad shoulders and chest, and a threatening physique that was clearly visible even through the thick material of the shearling jacket he was wearing. Wouldn’t anyone freeze up if they suddenly came face to face with such a man?

Atop that body, packed solid with muscle, was a handsome face to match. His appearance, which would draw gazes anywhere with its overflowing masculinity, was perfect without a single tiny flaw.

His eyebrows were as dark and neat as his distinct features, and his jaw, with its thick lines, was sharp without any sense of dullness. On top of that, his wide-set eyes created an atmosphere that was not just fierce but cold.

The man was quite unique. It wasn’t that he stood out simply because he was handsome. Looking at his intimidating physique would make anyone instinctively hunch their shoulders, and the delinquent air and tough aura that broke through his excellent looks were enough to make the other person feel cowed.

He seemed to be well aware of what kind of body and what kind of looks he possessed. And he knew how to use it, like a privilege, better than anyone else.

Grinning, the way he pulled up the corner of his mouth in front of the intimidated opponent was exactly that.

“What.”

“Pardon…?”

“You told me to get out. All pissed off like that. Not just to get out, but you said, ‘fuck, get out here,’ didn’t you.”

Unfortunately, the man had no intention of cutting any slack for the guy who was already cowering and backing away. It might be a different story if the opponent were a woman, an elderly person, a child, or an Omega.

If he caught a bastard like this, it meant another fun event would be held today. The one who started licking his lips was none other than this man, Cha Gyojin.

The cars, which had been crawling along like slugs anyway, started to glance this way one by one now that there was a good spectacle. Perhaps gaining some courage from those stares, the flinching anchovy began to speak.

“Well, you suddenly started honking and getting angry…”

However, it was at the level of a whine, as if he were throwing a tantrum at home. The way he feebly puffed out his shoulders and flinched, trying to appear on par with Gyojin, was utterly pathetic.

This is a complete and utter loser of a bastard.

Gyojin, having assessed the man in that short time, clicked his tongue, tsk. His anger had been boiling when he was slamming his fist on the horn, but in an instant, not only had it subsided, but it was now bordering on boredom.

An event can only proceed if the levels match.

Ugh, for fuck’s sake. Gyojin, who was looking down at the man with eyes full of pity, suddenly bent his waist and offered his ear.

“What the hell are you mumbling about. Can’t you speak louder? I can’t hear you because your dick is too small.”

“No, it’s nothing. Ahem.”

“What do you mean it’s nothing. Heh? Look at this bastard? Come here, come here.”

The man, sensing a real crisis, tried to quickly back away, but Gyojin was faster. He grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and dragged the lightly yielding body towards the back of the trunk. Then he shoved the man’s head in front of a sticker he had neatly applied as soon as he bought the car.

[Be Careful! No Honking! Our Precious Child is On Board!]

It was a picture of a cute child character waving its hand and a safety message. Gyojin shook the scruff of the man’s neck in his grasp and warned him.

“Can’t you see this? My kid is on board. Huh? What would you have done if my kid was in here.”

“I’m, I’m sorr…”

“Don’t drive like you have no manners. Unless you want to see yourself die in a traffic accident.”

“Yes, yes. Sir. I will always be careful, and be careful again when I drive.”

Heh heh, the man, breaking out in a cold sweat and forcing an awkward smile, bowed his head repeatedly. Having completely lost interest in the man’s boring attitude of just apologizing, Gyojin stopped giving him any more shit.

The cars that had stopped to watch also started to lose interest one by one as the matter ended anticlimactically, and began to speed away. It seemed the blocked road had cleared up.

Gyojin also returned to his original spot, with his arm slung over the man’s shoulder. Despite it being their first meeting, he acted without any hesitation, lightly poking the man who was completely hunched over.

“Have you ever raised a kid?”

“No. Not yet.”

“You look like an Omega at a glance.”

“I, I’m not an Omega. I’m a Beta.”

“Bullshit. You look like an Omega who doesn’t sell well.”

Gyojin, who was openly staring at the man’s lower body, made a face as if he genuinely couldn’t believe it. The man, suddenly treated as an Omega, frantically waved his hands, pleading his case.

“It’s really not true. I’m a Beta, and I’m married and have a wife.”

Seeing him raise his voice again after shrinking back, it seemed his pride, pathetic as it was, had been hurt. For a man to jump like that just because someone poked at that a little.

Gyojin opened the driver’s door as if he didn’t need to hear any more. There was only one thing to say while looking at the man with pitying eyes.

“Then stay cooped up at home and cook for your wife. Don’t fucking come out in broad daylight with your car and act all cocky.”

Thud!

With those last words, he slammed the door shut and fastened his seatbelt. The man, who got upset just from being told to cook for his wife and not even from a stream of curses, stood there right on the spot. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to knock on the window and call Gyojin out again like before, so he just stood there rigidly, as if in defiance.

“Hasn’t that guy come to his senses yet?”

Hah, Gyojin let out a hollow laugh, rolled down the window, and spat out.

“Move your car, you bastard. You want me to call a tow truck for you?”

As he threatened him, scrunching up the space between his eyebrows, the man who had been standing silently ran off as if his feet were on fire.

As soon as the man got into his car, Gyojin pressed the horn, urging him to move. Honk, hoooonk. The man’s vehicle, chased by the piercing sound of the horn, gradually moved away.

Once peace returned after the brief commotion, Gyojin muttered, showing he was upset.

“Why is the world doing this to me? What? He’s married and has a wife? Is he making fun of a guy who’s raising a kid alone without a wife? Fuck, I can’t live like this, I’m so miserable.”

The only thing that could soothe this sorrow right now was music. Gyojin turned the volume he had lowered back to the maximum and placed the sunglasses he had put on his head back onto the bridge of his nose.

Thump. Thump. Thump. It was just as he was bobbing his head again to the beat that vibrated through the car and was about to step on the accelerator.

The music suddenly cut off and a phone’s ringtone began to sound.

Gyojin, who had frowned out of habit, immediately smoothed out his fierce expression as soon as he confirmed the name displayed on the navigation screen.

[Son’s 1st Grade Homeroom Teacher]

“Homeroom teacher? Haa, that Cha Cheonghyeon, that little bastard, again.”

He muttered to himself for a moment, then hurriedly accepted the call before the ringing could stop. Then, before the other person could even say ‘Hello,’ he offered a polite greeting.

“Yes, Teacher. How have you been?”

Unlike his gangster-like demeanor, using all sorts of profanity towards the man he had just picked a fight with, his tone was polite. Still, it was a manner of speaking that couldn’t quite erase the gangster-like impression, but Gyojin was trying his best to look like a ‘guardian.’

Perhaps that effort was recognized. Instead of the loud music, the teacher’s gentle voice flowed from the car’s speakers.

—Yes, Father. How have you been? This is Cheonghyeon’s homeroom teacher. Is it possible for you to talk right now?

“Yes, it is. Please speak comfortably.”

Though he answered that way, Gyojin’s insides were in turmoil. A wave of unease washed over him; it seemed it wouldn’t be good news.

—Thank you for readily making time for me, Father. I didn’t call because of a major issue. It’s just that many parents are often curious about how their children are doing in their school life, so I sometimes contact them first like this.

Yes. You always work so hard. Gyojin answered with sincerity and scanned the road conditions with his eyes.

Fuck, why is there nowhere to park. He barely managed to hold back the curse about to escape his lips and turned the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, the teacher was going on and on with praises for his son. Father, our Cheonghyeon, you know. He never misses the ‘lunch king’ sticker every month. He eats his meals diligently without leaving a single scrap of food. And you have no idea how passionately he participates in physical education classes. Perhaps because his growth rate is superior to his peers, he’s good at all sports…

He had hoped to hear some praise about his son doing well in his studies this time, but all he heard was that he ate well and ran well. Gyojin shook his head from side to side but ended up thinking, ‘Right, as long as he eats well and plays well, that’s enough.’

The teacher, who had been pouring out a torrent of praise for a while, finally got to the point about five minutes into the call. Ahem, she cleared her throat slightly as if embarrassed and carefully broached the subject.

—Our Cheonghyeon is a really kind and lovely student. But, if there’s one tiiiny little thing I find unfortunate, it would be that he frequently clashes with his friends? Ha, haha. I know you are busy, Father, but if possible, it would be great if you could pay a little more attention to this matter…

All that lengthy praise must have been a cushion to deliver these words. Gyojin, who had received such calls more than once or twice, knew it at once.

He finally let out a big sigh and yanked the steering wheel. As he pulled over and stopped on the shoulder of the road, the car coming up behind him honked once, honk.

Normally, he would have immediately rolled down his window and stuck his face out, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury to do so now.

—Actually, today, Cheonghyeon scribbled on a friend’s drawing, and that child was very upset. I guided them so they could reconcile well, but if you could provide guidance one more time at home, our Cheonghyeon would be able to get along better with his friends, right, Father?

“Yes. As his father, I must educate him properly. That’s right.”

He didn’t know how shameful this was for a father. Whether it was due to his apologetic feelings towards the teacher or his rapidly rising blood pressure, Gyojin felt a tightness in his chest and unbuckled his seatbelt.

He looked up at the ceiling as if holding back his anger, stretched his neck with a crack, and tried his best to regain his composure.

“I have nothing to say, as I am always so sorry, Teacher.”

—No, no, Father. There’s no need to feel so sorry… I just mentioned it in passing, hoping you could pay a little attention. Uh, I am taking care of Cheonghyeon as much as I can at school, so I don’t think you need to worry too much. Our Cheonghyeon follows the rules well, is good at sports, and is so lovely.

“That brat does follow the rules well, right? I may not know about other things, but I’ve drilled it into him not to make mistakes in that area.”

He wasn’t particularly moved by the comments about him eating well and playing well, since that was the same at home and outside, but his eyes lit up at the praise for following the rules. Gyojin’s face brightened as if nothing had happened. Since his son was so disobedient, he would call him over for punishment every once in a while, and it seemed to be paying off at school.

As he let out a satisfied chuckle, the teacher also laughed awkwardly, ha ha. Before the mood could die down, Gyojin added another word.

“I will properly educate him today so that he doesn’t treat his friends carelessly either.”

—Oh my, thank you for saying so. If you scold him too sternly, the child might get upset, Father. Please speak to him gently.

“Yes, of course. Gently.”

He answered with a friendly smile, even though it wasn’t a video call. Like a broad-minded parent who could gently persuade and educate his child.

Unfortunately, that smile did not last long. As soon as he hung up after saying, “Have a good day,” Gyojin scowled with all his might.

“This son of a bitch…”

Gently, my ass. A curse flew out as soon as the call ended. How many times had he received a call like this? Gyojin seriously wanted to give his son a good knock on the head.

Last week, he got a call because his son got hurt jumping down the playground stairs; two weeks ago, it was because he was particularly unable to concentrate in class; and going back further, the day after the entrance ceremony, it was because he had fought with a classmate.

Thanks to that, Gyojin, who never knew how to bow his head to others, had no idea how many times he had uttered the words ‘I’m sorry’ in the past few months.

That wasn’t all. How much had he paid in hospital bills and hush money to the parents of the children he fought with? To make matters worse, he got tangled up with a particularly difficult parent and had to suffer for several weeks.

It had been a month since he had firmly warned him that he wouldn’t let it slide if he caused trouble one more time, and it was just yesterday that he had clenched his teeth and gently persuaded him to behave properly at school.

And yet, his son, who had been boasting about doing so well, had finally caused him to receive a call like this.

“Hah, this little bastard, seriously, what is he going to become when he grows up?”

Gyojin threw the seat back and took off the sunglasses he was wearing, tucking them into his chest pocket. He took a deep breath that was like a sigh and pondered what he should do with his son.

Should I use the rod today? Or should I try to persuade him one last time?

It was around the time he fell into a deeper thought, wondering what the teacher’s ‘gently’ could possibly mean.

Vvvt. Vvt. The phone in his pocket vibrated several times. Thinking it might be the teacher, Gyojin hurriedly checked the message, and his expression gradually soured.

At the top of the screen, the name ‘Lee Seowon’ was displayed. In the chat room below, fat speech bubbles were filling up in real time.

Lee Seowon
When are you coming home?

We may not be in an official relations
hip but I’d like you to pay me some
attention

At least for Chairman Baek’s sake, you
could treat me a little better, can’t you

I haven’t seen the kid for the past few
days and the house is quiet, so I’m
going crazy from loneliness

It seemed today was just an unlucky day. Gyojin skimmed over the endlessly transmitted speech bubbles half-heartedly and then deleted the chat room itself.

“Going crazy from loneliness? Bullshit. Does a lonely bastard go around on a department store shopping spree, acting like a tyrant?”

Tsk tsk, he clicked his tongue and stared pitifully at the chat list where Lee Seowon’s name had disappeared. There were plenty of curses he wanted to say, but Gyojin didn’t bother. He was tired of getting annoyed by the daily messages, and today, there was one line among the speech bubbles that uniquely bothered him.

The line about not seeing the kid for the past few days, and so on.

Without further delay, Gyojin called that ‘kid.’ A moment later, a name he had saved with countless hearts next to the words ‘My Son’ filled the navigation screen.

Gently. Gently. As he repeated the words to himself as if brainwashing himself, the dial tone continued for a long time.

Gyojin, who had been maintaining his composure to the sound of the piano, gently closed his eyes the moment the dial tone cut off with a click.

—Hello?

That uniquely innocent voice already seemed to be grating on his nerves.

“Son, did you scribble on your friend’s drawing today?”

Asked out of the blue, the child paused for a moment before answering nonchalantly.

—I said sorry, and, uh, my friend forgave me. But Dad, can you give me 50,000 won to buy tteokbokki?

Today, too, the only one whose chest was about to burst was Gyojin. What? Tteokbokki? Tteokbokki? It was dumbfounding. No, it was so dumbfounding that his head was throbbing.

Rubbing his temples and thinking, ‘Wow, this is really, driving a person crazy again,’ Gyojin took a deep breath. He might lose his temper with others, but he couldn’t show it in front of his own kid.

“My dear son, is tteokbokki the problem right now? You try that nasty habit of bullying your friends again starting tomorrow. I’ll just crush you, the moment you make another family’s kid cry, you’re going to die by my hands first, Cha Cheonghyeon.”

—Hmph… He said my drawing was weird first!

“What’s that? Did I tell you to make excuses right now? Did you do wrong, or not? Will you bully your friends from now on, or not? Answer me, quick.”

If he were a middle schooler, he would have taken a switch to him and disciplined him like catching a rat, but the opponent was an elementary schooler, a first grader at that. So, he had to educate him peacefully with words as much as possible.

The problem was that this kid wasn’t one to listen to words. Hearing him grumble after a little scolding, it was obvious that he was probably counting grains of sand on the ground and not paying attention.

The child, who disliked being reprimanded as soon as he answered the phone, kept his mouth shut and held out. Gyojin patiently waited for about another minute. It was generous to say he waited; in reality, it was like a battle of nerves with a child.

This won’t work with nice words.

Gyojin, who becomes endlessly lenient with his son, could not tolerate this kind of stubbornness.

“Cha Cheonghyeon. Should Dad turn the car around right now? You won’t regret it? It just so happens there’s something in the car that’s perfect to use as a switch.”

—Ah, I get it. I won’t do it next time. Really, I won’t do it!

Would it kill him to listen the first time? A proper answer only came out after he resorted to threats like this.

Gyojin rubbed his eyebrows with a troubled hand and muttered. While complaining, ‘Ah man, raising one son is so damn hard,’ he didn’t scold the child any further.

Scolding once was enough. It was Gyojin’s nature to dislike saying things twice. It was his ironclad rule that if someone didn’t listen after he said something once, he would make sure they never needed to be told a second time.

“Right, leeeet’s just try to live nicely, shall we? By the way, what happened to your dad’s card that you’re asking for 50,000 won.”

—I left it at home.

“Ask Uncle Dongjae to buy you tteokbokki later. Get some allowance too. But don’t buy anything weird with it. That slnime or lime, whatever the fuck it is, you know Uncle Dongjae shaved off all his hair because of that, right.”

—Ah, really. I said I get it! But Dad, am I going to be at school all day tomorrow too? The after-school classes are no fun! There’s not a single fun comic book in the library either! I don’t want to be at school.

It was just when he was about to wrap up the call. The child, who had been answering obediently, started whining about not wanting to be at school. It was something he had been hearing every other day lately.

For Gyojin, who was raising a child alone while working a rough job, it was a difficult topic. To keep the child, whose classes ended early, occupied until he got off work, he inevitably needed the help of academies.

He had sent him to various places like piano and cooking classes, but the restless child caused problems everywhere, and after hopping from one academy to another, the places he finally settled on were the school’s after-school program and a Taekwondo academy.

But now, to hear that he was getting tired of even that gave him a headache.

“For fuck’s sake, how much money have I poured into that damned school, and they don’t even have a single comic book?”

Gyojin, who was cursing the school instead of scolding the child, soon ended up saying, ‘No, it’s all my fault.’

He was anxious about letting him go straight home after school because there was some crazy bastard sitting there. Tsk…

Gyojin, who was deep in thought, tapping the console box, tok, tok, with his fingertips, opened his mouth as if he had made a decision.

“Then tomorrow, after school, you can go to Dad’s place. Hang out with Uncle Dongjae for a bit and have dinner before you go.”

—Okaay. I get it.

“Okay, son. I love you.”

—…

“Hey, I said I love you. The nerve of this kid, ignoring his old man.”

—Okaay, me toooo… Hang up!

He was just like the kid he was, with no affection and overflowing with mischief. Not even knowing what a big decision his dad had made to tell him to go to the shop.

Looking at the disconnected screen, Gyojin recalled the events of a few months ago.

It was the day he took his son, Cheonghyeon, to the shop after the entrance ceremony. The little guy had picked so many fights with the older and taller boys. He was worse than most troublemakers, so the performers and waiters had a hard time all day.

It was a complete disruption of business. One performer, who was already suffering from depression, even wiped away tears and pleaded. Sir, please do something about Cheonghyeon, he had said.

In the end, Gyojin had to close up shop for the day. It was awkward in front of the employees, so he had to pay for drinks and appetizers on his own card and even throw a lavish company dinner. When he got home, he scolded his son sternly, and he couldn’t even speak to his sulking son for several days.

He had vowed never to take him to the shop again after that. But that’s how things are with people. They don’t always go as planned.

Sitting up in his chair again, Gyojin let out a deep sigh in the silence.

Even though the call had ended, the phone continued to vibrate. Looking at it, new messages from Lee Seowon were pouring in as if on fire. In the newly created chat room, plump speech bubbles must be piling up.

“Acting up.”

His head was about to crack open as it was, so why did people keep provoking him like this.

Gyojin threw the phone, which was buzzing nonstop, into the back seat.

Thud!

The phone hit the seat, bounced off, and fell to the floor. There was a fairly loud noise, as if the screen had cracked, but he couldn’t care less.

🌿

Heeyoung hastily moved an unfamiliar bottle of alcohol with an English label onto the serving cart. He also diligently placed the appetizers that would be set on the specially made marble table. The morning would usually come quickly when he was busy working, but the Friday night, when customers poured in, felt incredibly long.

As he pulled the serving cart and entered the room, a boisterous noise could be heard. It was mostly the low-class profanity of young, immature but money-rich customers, or the voices of middle-aged men who had left their wives at home and come to a place of entertainment.

It was an environment he could never get used to, no matter how many times he saw it, but Heeyoung served like a machine, pretending not to see what he saw and not to hear what he heard.

“Ah, fuck, those bastards in room 5 called again. Heeyoung, you go. I have to take this out first.”

“…Yes.”

The waiter’s job was not that difficult. It was all about bringing out food according to the order, cleaning the tables neatly, and doing a few odd jobs. It was enough to just comply with a ‘yes’ to what he was told, just like now.

But for some reason, it was hard to spit out an answer right away today. If it hadn’t been for the call from room 5, he would have nodded his head immediately.

The customers in room 5, who had swarmed in as soon as the shop doors opened, were mere office workers, but from the man who seemed to be a department head to the subordinate employees under him, their tempers were foul. From the moment they entered, they were giggling amongst themselves, exchanging low-quality jokes, and once they sat down, they began their full-fledged troublemaking.

Even when choosing the performers, they had apparently openly mocked them, saying this one’s body is like this, and that one’s eyes are ugly. It must have been bad if the performers who weren’t chosen came out spewing curses.

It was the same for waiter Kim Hyeongseok, who had first set up room 5. After hearing something inside, he fumed for a while before saying a word. That he was sick to death of a bunch of bastards who wouldn’t even spend money swarming in and acting so disgustingly. He even spat, ptooey, into the trash can.

After that, whenever a call came from room 5, Hyeongseok would subtly slip away and pass the job on to Heeyoung. The other waiters were the same. Once they noticed that troublemakers were sitting in room 5, they would make up work that didn’t exist and leave their posts whenever the call bell rang.

Heeyoung, who had been in and out of room 5 for the sixth time already, was on the verge of exhaustion. He always worked cheerfully, but he was human too. This time, he wanted to avoid facing the troublemakers and tried to slip away like the other employees, but…

Knock, knock.

“Excuse me.”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t cunning enough to smoothly escape the situation, nor did he have the guts to spit out a plausible lie, so he ended up entering room 5 again.

“Oh, the pretty one is here? Did you run over here with your little butt on fire to get some pocket money?”

“…Is there anything you need?”

“Look at him being shy. So cute. Hey, uh, we spilled some alcohol so the table’s a mess, pretty boy. My pants are wet too.”

As soon as he opened the door, Heeyoung was greeted by a middle-aged customer whom the men called ‘Department Head Kim.’

The man, holding a performer tightly against his plump side, unabashedly reached out and touched Heeyoung as well. The touch, patting his butt with a giggle, was incredibly unpleasant.

At first, he had handed him a 10,00-won bill as a tip and stroked his shoulder. The second time, he had looked Heeyoung up and down with a disgusting gaze, saying he had a pretty face and body for a Recessive Omega. After that, he had fondled his hand, and this time, it was his butt.

Unable to bring himself to swat away the pig-like hand, Heeyoung had to subtly move his body away or hurry out of the room. After all, they were customers, and he was just a mere waiter.

Haa, Heeyoung swallowed the sigh that was about to escape through his clenched teeth and brought over tissues and a cloth. On the table, glasses of alcohol, seemingly intentionally knocked over, were scattered everywhere.

“I will clean it up right away.”

“No, no. Take your time. And can you wipe my pants too?”

“…”

It was as he was absorbing the dripping alcohol with a tissue and wiping it again with a cloth. The man, who had been quietly watching him clean, gestured to his crotch with his eyes. The area around his pants zipper was bulging in a way that was so grotesque it was hard to look at.

Momentarily at a loss for words, Heeyoung didn’t know what to do, and the performer next to him quickly grabbed a tissue and started wiping the man’s crotch.

“Oh, sir, I’ll wipe it for you. Are you very wet? You’re not damp, are you?”

It was professional of him to not stop talking, as if deliberately trying to captivate the man. The atmosphere was on the verge of freezing over, but it was a great relief that someone had stepped in before the situation could worsen.

The man, distracted by the performer’s strange touch, did not cause any more of a scene. As the pretty Dominant Omega pretended to wipe his crotch while groping here and there, he became slack-jawed and was busy saying, “Oh my, oh my.”

Heeyoung took that opportunity to quickly slip out of the room. As his startled heart pounded, the butt that the man’s hand had brushed against tingled unpleasantly. It felt as if tiny insects were swarming all over his butt.

Horrible.

Unable to stand it any longer, he brushed his butt, pat, pat. Even after trying to erase the trace in this way, the awkward feeling remained. The old face of the man with sagging cheeks, his vulgar voice sexually harassing him, kept coming to mind, and his expression naturally crumpled.

As he returned with weary steps, Hyeongseok, who had just come back from serving, glanced at Heeyoung.

“Heeyoung. You go take a break for a bit. You don’t look so good.”

“Is it okay? You must be tired too, hyung.”

“I have a conscience too. I’ll take all the calls for 10 minutes, so go rest and come back.”

Hyeongseok, who seemed to feel sorry for having passed the troublemakers onto his younger colleague, pushed Heeyoung’s back, telling him to rest even if just for a little. Normally, Heeyoung would have refused, saying he was fine, but exhausted as he was, he nodded as if he had been waiting for it.

“Then I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”

“Yeah, yeah, go rest.”

He left the hallway without any lingering attachment and opened the door with the ‘STAFF ONLY’ sticker on it. Since it was the busiest time, the break room was relatively quiet. Heeyoung looked for an empty sofa, planning to just close his eyes for 8 minutes.

It was just as he was making his way towards an empty spot in the corner.

Fling!

Before Heeyoung could even take three steps, the bathroom door inside the break room swung wide open with a loud noise.

It was something he could have just ignored, but Heeyoung froze on the spot. A very strange and bizarre scene that he couldn’t believe was unfolding before his eyes.

“Hey, what’re you doin’? Let me join. Is this a game? Hey, are you guys ignoring me right now?!”

“Ah, stop it. Why is he here again…?”

What popped out of the bathroom was none other than a child. A small child whose head barely reached Heeyoung’s waist.

A kindergartener? No, seeing as he spoke well, he was probably around the first grade of elementary school.

The child, who came out playfully flicking the water from his hands at the performers, naturally blended into this unsuitable environment. The way he stuck his face into the group of performers looking at their phones and chattered away about something was even quite bold.

It was a sight that Heeyoung couldn’t comprehend. Why in the world was that child in an entertainment establishment like this?

What was even stranger was the attitude of the employees. As the child spoke to them, they started to leave their seats one by one, muttering, ‘Ah, he’s here again.’ As if he were a child they knew well…

“Hey! Why are you leaving without me!”

“Don’t follow me. Ah really, I said don’t follow me, okay?”

“Hmph, you guys are gonna do something fun by yourselves, aren’t you. Right!”

As the performers left as if being chased, grabbing their cigarette packs, the child threw a tantrum, swinging his tiny fists. Seemingly upset that the performers wouldn’t play with him, he also showed off the kicks he seemed to have learned in Taekwondo, going hmph, hmph, and darted around the break room frantically.

Heeyoung followed the child’s form with wide eyes. Every time his eyelids blinked down and up, his sense of reality returned and his head cleared.

The dorm, and the shop. It had been a month of continuing a shabby life, going back and forth between only these two places. He had tried to act cheerful all this time, but his mind, which hadn’t been aired out, was just as murky as a sky filled with yellow dust. Having left the normal world and been buried in a rotten society, it was, in a way, a natural phenomenon.

But the suddenly appeared child had cleared the dark clouds in his mind.

Looking at the innocent child, he was suddenly reminded of his half-brother who had passed away so unfortunately.

He was a quiet and timid child with few words, but when it was just the two of them, he would smile sweetly.

Heeyoung added that clear face to his memory and naturally reminisced about his past daily life. The first thing that came to mind was a shabby semi-basement room. It was a scene of him sharing ramen with his younger brother at a table with all the paint peeled off.

It was an environment where it was hard to get by day to day, but it was more ordinary than now, and they were days when he could feel a small, simple happiness.

Heeyoung missed his previous ordinary daily life.

If he ever settled this life and returned to his daily routine, he would first visit his dead brother’s grave, and after that, he would continue his efforts to become a kindergarten teacher.

The flowers he had left at the grave before coming here would have probably all withered. He should also bring some snacks his brother liked and a small toy. And talk to him so he wouldn’t be bored.

And he would work hard to escape the semi-basement one-room apartment. If he saved up a penny here, a penny there, a little at a time, a day would surely come when he could get a small, cozy house and live without worries.

As he thought that, he could feel life filling his listless and tired body. Thump. Thump. The sound of his heart beating echoed loudly throughout his body. It felt as if the blood throughout his body was circulating quickly, raising his body temperature.

For the first time in a long time, Heeyoung felt alive. It was thanks to that child who had suddenly thrust his face into the filthy radius of his life that he was able to remember his brother for a change.

“Why are you leaving! I’m gonna tell on all of you to my dad, you hear?!”

“…”

“Hmph…”

He snapped to his senses after his eyes met the child’s. Heeyoung stared at the child, whose cheeks were puffed out in a pout, and then took a step.

He didn’t know how he got in here, but an entertainment establishment was no place for children. So where did this child come from? Did a customer bring him, or was he the child of an employee working here? He couldn’t know anything, but it seemed best to find his guardian and send him home safely first.

Should I ask his age first, or his name? Heeyoung slowly recalled how to deal with a child in a situation like this. Was he pulling out the knowledge he had learned in the past one by one from his memory?

“Oh? Our Cha Cheonghyeon, when did you get here? You should have come to this uncle first if you were here.”

Before he could even speak to the child, the manager appeared.

The manager, who opened the break room door, smiled as soon as he spotted the child and greeted him warmly. Seeing him deal with the child without being flustered, it seemed the guardian was inside the shop.

“Did you eat? I can tell you ate. Your cheeks are so chubby.”

“Don’t grab my cheeks whenever you want! Ah, le-let go!”

“I told you to call me uncle, not you.”

“You fat pig!”

The manager, who had trapped the small body between his legs, playfully stretched his cheeks, and the child, who fiercely slapped his hand away, huffed and puffed just like before. He seemed a little ill-mannered, but the way he acted like a child his age was quite cute.

Heeyoung, without realizing it, twitched the corners of his mouth and reached out his hand. He wanted to give a gentle smile, but the muscles around his lips spasmed unattractively, resulting in an awkward expression.

Did that expression look scary? The child, who was glancing this way, went hmph and quickly hid behind the manager’s legs.

Well, it was rare for a child to smile brightly at a stranger. It was natural for them to be scared if a stranger suddenly approached or spoke to them. Heeyoung avoided the child’s gaze so as not to make him uncomfortable.

He decided to let go of his worries about where the guardian was and how to send him home. Seeing the child, who knew how to show wariness towards a stranger, comfortably accept the playful teasing, it seemed he was quite close with the manager.

The manager also seemed to think nothing of the child being here. He was relieved, thinking that he would surely be returned to his guardian safely when it was time to close.

The short 10-minute break ended in a flash. He had only been secretly watching the child bickering with the manager, but the 10 minutes had flown by like 1 minute.

And the moment the long hand of the clock pointed exactly to the number 9, the walkie-talkie in his ear turned on with a crackle. After that, Hyeongshik’s annoyed voice pierced his ear.

—Heeyoung, stop resting and come out. They’re only looking for you in room 5. Those troublemaker bastards.

The manager also turned his head towards him, as if he had confirmed Hyeongshik’s voice. He gestured with his eyes as if to say, “Hurry up and go,” so Heeyoung jumped up and left the break room.

“Cha Cheonghyeon, you want some fruit?”

“No. Uncle, make me some tteokbokki.”

“Hey! You said you ate tteokbokki and came!”

“Make it!!”

His steps were heavy today for some reason. It felt as if the child’s voice coming from behind him was tightly constricting his ankles.

It was as if it was holding him back, saying that if he opened the door and went out, he would face the miserable reality again, so he should just stay here.

But Heeyoung couldn’t stop walking. It was a bitter thing.

When he closed the break room door and came out, the corners of his mouth that had been spasming were set in a straight line. Heeyoung lifted his head and stared blankly at the wall made of smooth marble. As he got a little closer, his shabby figure was reflected on the mirror-like shiny surface of the wall.

“…”

The Heeyoung beyond the marble had a particularly tired face today. The smile he had held, however awkwardly, was gone without a trace.

“Heeyoung, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and go to room 5. They’re making a fuss, telling me to bring you.”

“…Yes.”

Even when he tried to force himself, it was hard to muster up the energy as usual. Heeyoung walked slowly like an animal being dragged to a slaughterhouse, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.

His hands, pale from the loss of blood, were as cold as a corpse’s. He clenched that hand limply and knocked on the door of room 5.

Knock, knock.

“Excuse me.”

Could he ever feel that warmth filling his listless and tired body, and that hope welling up again?

An unknown lingering attachment remained. He thought he was handling this situation well on his own, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Heeyoung missed his previous normal life. He wanted to scream, “Please get me out of here,” and reach out his hand.

“Pretty boy. Ah, why did you only come in now. Here, come sit next to me for a moment. Hmm?”

But sadly, what awaited Heeyoung was not salvation, but only a fall.

🌿

The troublemaker customers who had swarmed in as soon as the place opened were dead drunk by the time it was close to midnight. What was that alcohol anyway. Every single one of them had a flushed red face and a slurring tongue.

While they were getting wasted on alcohol, Heeyoung had to open and close the door of room 5 twenty times.

The man called Department Head Kim persistently tormented Heeyoung, ordering him to bring wet wipes or chopsticks instead of alcohol and appetizers. When he quietly brought what was ordered, he would say, ‘Pretty boy, thank you?’ and sweep his shoulder or butt with a clammy hand.

That kind of sexual harassment had not stopped until just now. The moment he placed a bottle of beer they had ordered on the table, the man, who had been testing the waters, groped between Heeyoung’s buttocks with his middle finger.

When the surprised Heeyoung flinched, he let out a hoarse laugh as if coated in oil and said.

‘You said you weren’t a performer. But you’re an Omega too, right? What do you say, should I treat you real nice?’

He was a guy who just couldn’t understand human words, no matter how many times he politely refused.

Heeyoung grit his teeth and endured the indelible shame. If he had his way, he would have wanted to spit in the man’s dirty face, but all he could do was drop the polite smile he had been holding.

‘Sir, I have told you several times, but I am not a performer. I’m sorry.’

And then he recited the line he had spat out ten more times like a robot and left room 5.

Perhaps his pride was hurt because the waiter he had been eyeing up remained stiff until the end, the man no longer pressed the call bell. Only then could Heeyoung finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After that, it was normal. Guiding customers who came in, setting up tables, and cleaning up the spots where customers had left. He was so busy running around that he didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom.

It was after midnight that the customers’ orders began to dwindle. Heeyoung, who had returned after finishing the last serving, timidly spoke to Hyeongseok, who was sitting and resting.

“Um, I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

“Go ahead, go ahead.”

It wasn’t that he urgently needed to go; he just wanted to wash his face with cold water. His eyelids had become heavy because the work was harder than usual and he had tossed and turned last night.

Heeyoung, rubbing his tired eyes, headed towards the staff restroom. He thought that while he was washing his face, he might as well use the toilet and then stop by the break room to grab a snack.

“…but!”

“…you crazy?!”

A human voice could be faintly heard from the direction of the restroom, which should have been quiet. It would be one thing if it were the customer restroom, but the staff restroom should have been empty at this time, which was truly strange. Was the manager dragging someone off to scold them again?

Heeyoung, who was walking slowly down the hallway, frowned deeply at the ominous feeling that crept up on him for no reason.

“You son of a bitch, how dare you talk back to an adult, you ill-mannered brat!”

A hoarse, low voice coated in grease. A slurred pronunciation from a twisted tongue. The owner of that disgusting voice he had heard to the point of being sick of it today was standing in front of the staff restroom. Was his name Department Head Kim?

He stood there, blocking the restroom entrance, with his pants zipper not even properly pulled up. His face was red and blue from whatever had angered him, strongly resembling an enraged goblin. The voice he was yelling with was as loud and noisy as thunder and lightning.

More than that, the sight of him spewing curses like ‘ill-mannered’ into the empty air was the most bizarre.

Is he talking to himself because he’s drunk?

Heeyoung, who didn’t want to get any more involved with the man, gave up on going to the restroom and quietly turned around. It was at that moment.

“You hit me first, mister! And you stepped on my toy!”

From behind the man’s bear-like body, a child’s sharp voice rang out.

In an instant, Heeyoung’s steps, which had been turning to walk away, came to an abrupt halt.

That was definitely the voice of a child. At this hour, and in the staff restroom of all places, there was no reason for a child’s voice to be heard.

Heeyoung, who felt puzzled for a moment, soon took a sharp breath, gasp, as a memory flashed through his mind.

Could it be, that child I saw in the break room?

The clear pronunciation and the sharp, piercing voice for a child were similar to that child’s. In fact, it was right to assume it was definitely that child. As a silent conviction took hold, goosebumps spread from the tips of his toes and the back of his neck grew cold.

“If you don’t apologize, I’m gonna tell my dad everything! Apologize!”

“You’ve been chirping away without an ounce of fear since a while ago, you little brat! Who are you to tell me to apologize or not?!”

Should I go get someone? Heeyoung, who was rolling his eyes and pondering, turned on his heel as soon as he heard the man’s voice, which rang out thunderously even outside the restroom.

It took less than ten seconds for him to stride towards the man with determined steps. It was an act done without even a moment’s hesitation. It was because the man’s arm was raised high as if to strike someone.

To think that as an adult, instead of protecting a child, he would try to push him around with force and threaten him. It was worse than when he had groped his butt with a dirty laugh.

“Stop it, sir! What do you think you’re doing to a child right now!”

Heeyoung, who deliberately pushed the man’s body and ran into the restroom, first hugged the huffing and puffing child. Just in case the man swung his arm, he wrapped the child’s entire body with all his strength and squeezed his eyes shut, and an incredulous breath burst out from above his head.

“Who are you? Do you scumbags think you can treat a customer who comes all the way here to spend money like dog shit!”

“It might be a different story for the staff, but to do this to an innocent child…”

“That little brat bumped into me first and talked back with no manners, so I was just giving him a word of advice as an adult, and what? The child is innocent? Are you kidding me? Who are you treating like a criminal right now, you fucker. Are you ignoring me?!”

Crash!

The man, who was shoving his face forward and yelling, kicked a bucket that was in the corner. As the loud noise rang out, the flinching child started to squirm again, breathing heavily.

He writhed, ugh, ugh, as if he would dash towards the man at any moment, so Heeyoung, though trembling, had to hold the child’s body even tighter.

He himself was so scared, but perhaps because the child was still too young to know any better, he seemed to have no fear. Fear and terror soon filled Heeyoung’s eyes.

Seeing drunkards was a daily occurrence, but this was the first time he had been caught up in a fight with one. Moreover, since the opponent was the customer who had persistently sexually harassed him, it was only natural to be scared.

Nevertheless, Heeyoung tried hard not to lose his mind. He had to try to remain calm as usual, calming his pounding heart. If the child hadn’t been involved, this small disturbance would never have happened in the first place.

“I’m not, not ignoring you. I’m just saying that it’s not right to get this angry at a child…!”

His plan was to first calm the man, who couldn’t control his emotions because he was drunk. It was just as he was deliberately using a soft voice and continuing to speak in a steady tone.

Far from calming down, the man grabbed Heeyoung, who was being rude to a customer despite being just a waiter, by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Heeyoung, who lost his grip on the child and was dragged away by the man’s hand, let out a gasping sound and struggled with his feet.

“Cough! S-Sir, this…!”

“Huh? This, isn’t this the one who was playing so damn hard to get?”

The man opened his half-closed eyes blearily and scanned Heeyoung’s entire body. Realizing it was the waiter who had acted stiff in the room and hurt his pride, his temper flared, and he even shook the scruff of the neck he was holding.

Heeyoung couldn’t even put up a fight and just let out painful coughs. The child, who was watching this with his own two eyes, seemed to get scared belatedly. His feisty attitude was gone, and he had become a fragile child, stomping his feet.

“Hey, that’s your brat, isn’t it? I knew it the moment I saw your face. You fucking slut. How dare you lecture me when you’re working in a place like this after popping out a kid?”

The higher the level of profanity spewing from the man’s mouth, the more anxious Heeyoung’s heart became. From a while ago, words inappropriate for a child to hear were flying around.

As his eyes met the child’s, which were wide with surprise, a hot, pent-up anger seemed to surge up from within him.

“Don’t talk like that, and this… let go!”

Heeyoung, who struggled powerfully, was able to break free from the man’s grasp with difficulty. The first thing he did after pushing away the pig-like arm and finally getting his two feet on the ground was to soothe the child and send him away.

“You were very surprised, weren’t you? It’ll be okay. Hey, do you want to go stand far away?”

Even when he tried to persuade him to go far away, the rigid child just stared up at Heeyoung. It was as if he were closely observing Heeyoung’s eyes, nose, and mouth, as if he had discovered a strange animal. His sparkling eyes were as pure as a child’s.

“There’s a limit to how much you can ignore a person, do you want to die?!”

“Qui, quickly! Go quickly, kid. Go straight to the manager. Hurry!”

As the man started to act up again, Heeyoung, feeling rushed, gently pushed the child’s back. When the frozen child began to move his feet, he stood protectively in front of him, wary of the man.

But that was the problem. As he openly treated him like a criminal and evacuated the child, the man, feeling offended, scrunched up his face and charged towards them.

“You fucking things! You dog-like things! Treating a person like an idiot right in front of their eyes!”

Crash!

“Ugh… Waaaaah!”

“You little rat bastard! Where do you think you’re running! How dare you!”

The man pushed Heeyoung’s body aside and kicked at the child. If Heeyoung hadn’t braced himself with his two legs, a truly terrible scene would have unfolded.

The threatened child fell backward and burst into sorrowful tears. At the same time, the precariously standing mop fell over, and the miscellaneous items placed on the sink all fell at once, creating a loud noise.

Then, the child, who was hit on the head by a detergent bottle, opened his mouth wide enough to show his uvula and began to wail.

In an instant, that siren-like cry stimulated his nerves and completely turned Heeyoung’s mind upside down. As he squeezed his eyes shut, trauma-like scenes flashed through the spreading blackness of his vision.

‘Waaah, hyung, it hurts, hyung. Haaaah…’

‘You useless little brat! All you do is fucking cry and freeload off of meals, you fucking thing!’

‘Dad! Calm down. It was all my fault. Heemin, don’t do that to Heemin. Please…!’

His younger brother, crying as if he would stop breathing at any moment, his father, throwing plates and yelling, and himself, trying to calm his father’s anger by shielding his brother with his whole body.

As the child’s ear-splitting cry was overlaid on that terrible memory, an unspoken emotion lodged in the center of his chest began to swell rapidly.

Heeyoung, who clenched his two fists tightly, opened his eyes wide. He didn’t care that the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes were bursting from glaring so fiercely at the man.

“Hwaaaaaaah!”

“Stop your fucking noisy crying, shut that mouth!”

His intention had been to send the child away safely and then quietly soothe the customer and send him back. But he couldn’t stand to watch any longer.

“Why are you harming a child who did nothing wrong, you piece of trash…!”

Heeyoung, who shot out like a bullet, grabbed the man by the collar and pushed his huge body back.

A bastard worse than a beast. A bastard who bullies a young and weak child, frequents establishments like this, and sexually harasses waiters, a bastard who is a waste to even be called a beast.

He couldn’t bring himself to curse because the child was there, so he muttered the worst words he could think of.

The man, who was momentarily flustered when the docile Heeyoung suddenly rushed at him and started a fight, soon regained his composure and began to mercilessly strike Heeyoung’s head.

Thwack, thwack! Even as he was battered on the head until it felt like it would burst, the hand that was stuck to him like a leech, squeezing his collar, did not let go.

“Go! Go quickly! You’ll get hurt if you stay here!”

“Hic, hwaaaah…”

“Hurry, okay? Kid, go quickly.”

Heeyoung, who was blocking the man with his whole body, cried out pleadingly. After he raised his voice several times to urge him on, the child finally got up sluggishly and ran away.

Not long after, the scene of the small body quickly passing through the hallway and disappearing far away came into view.

As he watched that retreating figure, his heart felt relieved and the strength drained from his hands. The man, who had been pushed out into the hallway, seized the opportunity to shake Heeyoung off and kicked the beer boxes that were neatly stacked against the hallway wall.

“You fucker!”

Crash!

The tall stack of beer boxes collapsed all at once with a single kick from the man. The beer bottles that fell helplessly burst and shattered with an ear-splitting noise.

The hallway floor was a complete mess afterward. Large and small glass fragments were scattered everywhere, and between them, a yellowish liquid flowed.

Perhaps not realizing how big the situation had become, the man, who had forgotten his anger and was just blinking his eyes, became angry in turn.

“If, if you hadn’t talked back, we wouldn’t be in this mess. How dare you two, uh, to an adult!”

“…Son of a bitch.”

“What? What did you just say. You slut-like thing, calling a customer a son of a bitch?!”

As they say, the one who farted gets angry first. The man glanced around, worried that he might be asked to pay for the beer, and then raised his voice. When he spat out a curse at that disgusting sight, the collar-grabbing started again.

Crunch! Heeyoung unhesitatingly stepped on the glass fragments and fought back against the man. The more he cursed and defied the man, the more his pent-up anger subsided, and his head and insides felt clear. When he swung his fists, albeit awkwardly, he even felt a dizzying sense of pleasure.

“Who are you to call me a slut. You trash who threatens a child! And, you’re the slut, aren’t you. Touching, groping, and harassing someone who says no!”

“Th-this bastard has gone crazy!”

As the fight between the two escalated, the manager and a few employees came running from the end of the hallway, out of breath. They were all approaching with pale faces, as if they had heard the sound of the beer boxes collapsing. Behind the manager was the child, who had somehow stopped crying and had his eyes wide with a fierce glare.

“What is all this about. Hey, fuck… Sir, sir? Please calm down for a moment.”

“Let go of this?”

“Hey, why are you being like this. Hey, Lee Heeyoung! You get away too! Sir, sir! Come this way, okay? For a moment, come this way, come over here.”

The manager boldly intervened in the fight and stopped the two. As eyes began to watch and someone started to break up the fight, the man, who had strangely become emboldened, showed even more violent behavior than before. And he spewed all sorts of dirty words.

That slut-like Omega bastard dared to talk back when he couldn’t even discipline his own brat. A torrent of verbal abuse poured out, saying that things like him needed to be beaten to a pulp in front of their kid to come to their senses.

The manager, startled by the word ‘kid,’ even broke out in a cold sweat as he tried to placate the man. Realizing he couldn’t do it alone, he sent an urgent glance to the employees. At that, the employees who had been blankly watching quickly got the hint and firmly grabbed the man’s arms.

As the commotion grew, customers from other rooms came out and glanced this way with dissatisfied eyes. The performers tried hard to divert those customers’ attention, and in the meantime, the man was busy causing a disturbance, showing off his loud voice. The whole place was in a complete mess.

The manager, who had been separated from the man, finally ran his hand through his disheveled hair in frustration and shouted.

“Ah, fuck, business is over for today. Hey! Call the boss, quick!”

🌿

A street densely packed with entertainment establishments. It was dawn, when the alley that had been as quiet as a dead mouse during the day began to come alive, showing off its dazzling neon lights.

The street was filled with people who had emerged from being steeped in alcohol since early evening. They shouted for a third round, a fourth round, and roamed the glamorous alleys with staggering bodies.

“Hey, President Jeong. I’ll be treating for the full course today. Don’t you worry!”

“Look at this guy. Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Not at all. You’ve come all this way, you have to see an Omega before you go. You have no idea how pretty the male bastards are.”

At this dawn, the sight of the street bustling with drunkards was a peaceful scene for them. No one rebuked them even if they shouted at the top of their lungs, and if they just opened their wallets, pretty Omegas would cling to them and act cute, so the drunkards all walked around with their heads held high, as if they were the masters of this street.

“Ahem, then to my regular place… Heek!”

The one called President Jeong was no different. Just as he was turning his steps to act like the owner at his regular shop, he spotted a car rushing towards him and fell on his butt.

Vrooom!

The car, which had narrowly avoided the person, did not slow down and sped on before coming to a sudden stop in front of a building. Not only President Jeong, who had fallen on his butt, but everyone walking around was murmuring and glancing at the sleek car.

Regardless, Gyojin, who got out of the shoddily parked car, started walking without even closing the driver’s side door. Someone from behind shouted, ‘Hey, you bastard, don’t you drive properly!’ but he had no time to turn around for such nonsense.

Every time his large dress shoes stepped on the ground and strode forward, the hem of his black cashmere coat flapped impressively.

Gyojin, who was walking looking only forward like a person with a clear purpose, boldly passed through the entrance of ‘Ignis.’

The first person to greet him was Park Seohun, an employee who had been working at Ignis for 8 years. Seohun, who was standing at the entrance biting his nails, bowed his head deeply as soon as he spotted Gyojin and came running out.

“Sir…!”

Why did you only come now. Seohun, who couldn’t bring himself to spit out the rest of the sentence, looked up with moist eyes. He had done it in hopes that he might get a pat on the head, but Gyojin only held out his hand with an annoyed look on his face.

Realizing early on that it was a long shot, Seohun obediently placed the bill pad he was holding in his left hand onto Gyojin’s palm. At that, as if he had been waiting, he began to check the amount neatly printed on the stiff paper.

Ones, tens, hundreds… After counting only that far, he scrunched up his neatly shaped eyebrows.

“Why is the receipt for the bastards who made a mess so short.”

Tsk, he clicked his tongue as if there was nothing more to see and threw the bill pad towards Seohun. Gyojin, who had checked the receipt as soon as he arrived, turned his gaze a beat later and scanned the disheveled interior of the shop.

The entrance wasn’t that much of a mess, but from the hallway onwards, it was a complete disaster. The yellow liquid that soaked the floor was now flowing all the way to the end of the hallway, and the unique pungent smell of beer permeated the entire shop.

Seeing that state, a curse naturally slipped out. The situation was more serious than what he had heard from Seohun over the phone. Not only was business over for today, but he would have to mobilize precious external manpower to clean the shop until morning came.

Ah, for fuck’s sake. This is a headache… It was just as Gyojin was spitting out the irritation that had risen to the tip of his chin without bothering to hold it back.

“Dad!”

Cheonghyeon, who came out of the break room door, called out ‘Dad’ in an unusually gloomy voice and came running. He must have shed some tears, as his appearance was quite messy.

His eyes were swollen and his hair was a mess. At the sight of his son, who looked like he had been through a lot, Gyojin showed his upset feelings without filtering them.

“Are you okay? Let me see. This son of a…”

Grabbing his son’s small chin in one hand, he turned his face this way and that. He glared as he meticulously checked from head to toe for any injuries, and Cheonghyeon, feeling a sudden surge of sorrow, began to tattle.

“Dad, some fatso tried to hit me, so I fell. Uh, and things fell over where you wash your hands, so I got hit on the head with some kind of bottle!”

He had been holding it in well, but he seemed to have gotten sad seeing his father. As Cheonghyeon pointed to his head with both arms and made a tearful face, Gyojin patted his fluffy head reassuringly, as if to say it was okay now. It was a rather affectionate touch, but his expression afterward was the opposite.

He hadn’t heard that his kid had fallen and been hit by something. After hearing the story he hadn’t confirmed on the phone directly from his son’s mouth, his blood pressure slowly began to rise.

Gyojin gently pushed aside the sniffling Cheonghyeon and crossed the hallway. The manager, who still didn’t know he had arrived, was in room 5, soothing the customer who had made a mess. The door was wide open, so he could clearly overhear the voices flowing out.

“Sir, I know you must be very upset. Yes.”

“You guys are the biggest business in this area, you know. And you treat your customers like this?”

As the manager repeatedly offered apologies, the man, with a puffed-up neck, pointed his finger and sneered. From the looks of it, he wasn’t the type to proudly present his business card anywhere.

A tight-fitting suit on a plump body, sagging cheeks, and a confident look despite his shabby appearance. The size was obvious at a glance.

The shop is running well.

Gyojin immediately decided how to deal with the troublemaker customer. The standard was how long the number printed on the receipt was. Unfortunately, the amount the man had charged was below the standard. In other words, he wasn’t a customer, but a bug that could be wiped away without any issue.

Gyojin, who came out leisurely, calmly flipped the open sign hanging on the automatic door. From now on, customers who came here would see the sign that said ‘CLOSED’ and turn back.

If he had kept it open, he would have made a good profit. To think that he had to close up shop on a Friday dawn, his mood was completely ruined.

“Leave the door open and all sorts of scumbags crawl in and act like it’s their own home. Anyway, for fuck’s sake…”

The have-nots are always worse. Gyojin, who was muttering to himself as if complaining, passed by the beer boxes that had been cleared away at the entrance and picked up an empty bottle. The place his steps were headed was, of course, room 5.

He shooed away the employees gathered in front of the room with an annoyed gesture. The employees, who turned around to see who it was, spotted Gyojin standing there like a grim reaper and were busy quickly making way.

The manager, who had quelled the commotion and started to soothe the customer, was sweating profusely. Judging by the twitching of his forcefully lowered eye corners and mouth corners, it seemed this tantrum had been going on for quite some time.

Gyojin strode into the room and grabbed the manager’s scrawny body, pushing him behind him. The manager, who was suddenly grabbed by the rough hand, stared at Gyojin with wide eyes.

When, when did he get here. It was just before he, who was only moving his lips, could utter the ‘S’ of ‘Sir.’

Crack!

The beer bottle, which struck the troublemaker customer’s head with a heavy thud, broke in half. Gyojin, who had walked in nonchalantly and pushed the manager aside, had swung the beer bottle he was holding in his hand.

The employees couldn’t hide their shock at what happened in the blink of an eye. It was only for an instant, but the hard beer bottle had accurately struck the man’s head and shattered into pieces.

First, glass fragments that broke like pieces of honeycomb scattered, and then dark red blood dripped onto the floor. It was a sight that was unbelievable even after witnessing it with one’s own two eyes.

“Ugh, fuc…”

The man, who was attacked out of nowhere, grabbed his head with both hands and let out a rough breath and a groan. Even though a person was injured in front of them, no one stepped forward. The employees watched Gyojin’s expression and quietly held their breath.

However, Gyojin, who had just smashed a stranger’s head, was composed. Not only was he standing with his shoulders held high as if he had done something perfectly natural, but he even threw the half-bottle of beer left in his hand onto the floor.

Thud!

The rest of the beer bottle that was thrown down broke with a thud. The helplessly scattered glass fragments were pushed all the way to the front of Heeyoung, who was kneeling in the corner.

“……!”

What in the world was all this situation? Heeyoung, who couldn’t get a grip on his dizzying mind, flinched his shoulders. Brown glass fragments were scattered right below his knees.