Yang’s Master Chapter 3.2 - Monsoon in the Alley

“Why does the mister buy so much salt all the time?”

“It’s because I’m trying to ward off bad luck.”

“Where did you learn to ward off bad luck with salt? If throwing salt actually worked, you wouldn’t have run into that snake bastard in the first place.”

There was nothing wrong with Linda’s sarcastic words. Yang Euijoo childishly thrust the money at him, demanding the salt quickly, and then returned home, groaning as he hugged the sack filled to the brim with salt.

Then, while salting a dried fish for a late lunch, Yang Euijoo belatedly remembered that he had not returned the matchbox he had picked up at Linda’s general store.

Linda hates it when people have sticky fingers. Yang Euijoo decided to return the matches whenever he had a reason to stop by the general store and tossed them somewhere on the living room table. Along with the sound of the matchbox rolling away, an appetizing smell filled the house. Yang Euijoo nibbled on the grilled fish with his beer and waited for someone to come for medicine.

Soon, as if it had read its owner’s mind, a bell rang. At the urgent sound, Yang Euijoo put down his beer bottle and opened the window.

“Mister.”

A frail voice called for the owner of the pharmacy. Brown curly hair was visible under the hat she wore. It was the customer Cheon Yeomyung had been so eager to hear about.

It was raining harder outside than when he had returned carrying the salt. The woman, wearing an oiled raincoat, lit up as if she had seen a savior the moment she saw Yang Euijoo appear in the small window. Yang Euijoo knew this woman. She was the woman Cheon Yeomyung had asked about. A woman who worked at the Red Door. He swallowed the fish he had been chewing on like rubber. A fish bone he had failed to pick out got stuck in his throat.

“Mister, it’s been a while.”

A blue bruise was visible on Mei’s face as she greeted him in a friendly manner. Yang Euijoo was about to ask if the cripple had hit her again, but stopped himself. Anyone who worked as a prostitute could be hit at any time. The men got broken bones and the women got bruises. There were plenty of vicious clients who resorted to violence. Yang Euijoo sighed, immediately thinking of Du Shanchong.

“Wait, I’ll get you the ointment.”

“Just a moment. It’s not that medicine.”

Mei stopped Yang Euijoo, who was about to grab the plaster. Mei, who had let her long hair down to forcefully hide the bruise on her face, cautiously rubbed the tip of her foot on the wooden step. The damp step was soft, as if it were rotten to the core. The man’s face, visible in the small window, was hard.

“Um… Mister, I only heard this from the unnies, so I’m just asking, but…”

Mei, who had been stammering hesitantly, carefully wrapped her hands around her stomach and asked in a small voice.

“Do you also have medicine to… get rid of a child?”

Yang Euijoo was about to say something but fell silent. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her to get lost like he did with other customers. This kind of thing was common. Tragedy was closer than the waves.

“No, I’m sorry. Please just pretend you didn’t hear me.”

Mei said, unable to even look at Yang Euijoo. She was still trying to hide her belly. Her body wasn’t even properly visible under the raincoat she wore, yet she trembled as if she were afraid of someone’s gaze.

The sound of the rain was louder than her frightened voice. Yang Euijoo looked down at Mei. He didn’t like the sight of her wearing a worn-out raincoat because no one would even give her a decent umbrella, nor did he like the sight of her head bowed low, unable to lift her face as if she had committed a crime.

This damned street, I’ll escape it no matter what. Veins bulged on the back of Yang Euijoo’s hand. After debating several times whether to slam the small window shut, he finally made a look of resignation.

“…Yew.”

Mei’s head shot up. Yang Euijoo forced his gaze away from the woman’s gaunt face.

“Try drinking yew tea with ash mixed in.”

“Mister.”

“It’s not a sure thing. I just heard about it a long time ago, and it could fail.”

This was a method used on ships. The passengers in the cabins wouldn’t care, but for the crew sleeping below deck, such terrible things would sometimes happen. Just like that time Yang Euijoo had pushed someone into the deep sea. Yang Euijoo’s mother had also known about using yew. She had taken it, but the child had been born anyway.

Perhaps that was why the born Yang Euijoo had gray hair and eyes, like the yew ash his mother had consumed.

“Yew, you said yew…”

Mei murmured. She looked desperate, as if trying not to forget the word. Mei’s real age was younger than Yang Euijoo’s. For a woman who had just become an adult, with nothing to her name and making a living with her body, pregnancy was nothing short of a disaster. Yang Euijoo felt a little sorry for being a worthless fraud. If he were a real pharmacist, he would have given Mei proper medicine instead of telling her about superstitions and folklore.

“Should I give you a piece if you don’t have any?”

“Yes, yes…! Please!”

Mei looked at Yang Euijoo intensely, as if he were a savior. Unlike the crazy woman who roamed the streets, the woman’s gaze was so naive and pure. It made his stomach churn. Yang Euijoo ignored Mei’s insistence on paying and forced a piece of yew he had at home into her arms.

Mei went back, holding the yew preciously in her arms in case it got wet from the rain. She didn’t even notice the water leaking from her raincoat, its oil-cloth layer almost completely worn off, soaking her hair and shoulders, her face just filled with relief.

Mei’s running gait was unhesitating as she sprinted down the wet street. Watching Mei’s small footprints get erased by the downpour, Yang Euijoo recalled Cheon Yeomyung’s order. He couldn’t understand why a man like that would be curious about the misfortune of a woman covered in bruises.

Still…

Yang Euijoo forgot his hunger and pondered. He had taken Cheon Yeomyung’s money several times. Instead of being a gentlemanly lover to Yang Euijoo, Cheon Yeomyung had blatantly demanded information on customers related to the Red Door. He had a feeling the man wasn’t digging into their pasts for any good reason. If I hand it over, it will be the same as snitching. If I don’t, I’ll be the one to die.

He weighed how much of Cheon Yeomyung’s mercy he could buy with his position as a lover. Compared to a handful of mercy, Yang Euijoo’s value was miserably light. After reaching a conclusion that even he himself found ruthless, Yang Euijoo got up.

He was going out a lot today. It was rare for him to go out even once a day, but he had already opened his front door and gone outside twice. He gave up on even taking an umbrella and ran through the pouring rain to the dental clinic located across the street from his building.

There was a patient at the dental clinic who had braved the fierce rain. Both Dr. Chui and the patient seemed unaware that Yang Euijoo had arrived, due to the loud noise of the machinery.

The cavity-ridden patient, feeling the pain of his tooth being drilled without anesthesia, ended up punching the elderly Dr. Chui. The dentist, who had been yelling at him to just bear with it while holding the whirring drill, and the customer, who had spectacularly failed at dental hygiene, began to raise their voices. Yang Euijoo chose to slip inside and use the telephone rather than mediate between the two of them.

Cheon Yeomyung had taught him how to make a call before. He had drawn a picture on a large piece of paper to show him how to use the rotary dial. He had even shown him the telephone at the hotel, telling him this is what it was like. Yang Euijoo picked up the telephone, which was a bit old and dirty but not much different from what he had learned, and dialed the number he had memorized, one digit at a time. With a click-clack, a signal began to ring from the heavy telephone.

Once, twice, three times… after Yang Euijoo’s finger had bent five times, the trrr sound that had been chirping like a cricket disappeared.

—Hello.

At the deep, sunken voice, Yang Euijoo slowly opened his mouth.

“Hello, I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Cheon Yeomyung.”

The voice on the phone was neater and clearer than usual. It was different from the person who usually gave short, cocky answers as if he couldn’t be bothered to speak. Maybe this is how he used to talk when he worked on the ship. Alone in the bedroom of his spacious, clean, comfortable mansion equipped with the latest air conditioning system, Cheon Yeomyung, who had been enjoying the long monsoon rain, focused on the voice coming from the receiver with a pleasant feeling.

—Could you please put him on?

“It’s me, speak.”

—Ah.

Yang Euijoo’s voice instantly became insolent upon realizing who was on the other end of the line. Treating his own lover like a low-life customer buying cheap medicine. Cheon Yeomyung didn’t dislike it.

—The person you asked about came to buy medicine a little while ago.

“Who was it?”

—Mei…, the woman.

“She came to buy medicine? How did she look?”

—She had a bruise on her face.

“Anything different from usual?”

Cheon Yeomyung wasn’t interested in such trivial injuries. Not yet? Should I wait a bit longer? He tapped his thigh with his finger and waited for Yang Euijoo’s answer.

—She asked about abortifacients, but I’m not sure if that’s what it was…

After hesitating, Yang Euijoo finally spat out a secret, as if confessing. Ah. Cheon Yeomyung inwardly let out a short exclamation of admiration. To hear the news that Quan wasn’t impotent like this, what a blessed event. Cheon Yeomyung couldn’t hide his joy and, covering his mouth with his hand, smiled broadly. His genuinely smiling face was so beautiful it was almost holy, but there was no one there to witness it directly.

At the end of the fleeting view, Cheon Yeomyung, his face now cold, praised his current lover’s contribution.

“I really like you, mister pharmacist.”

—I don’t.

Yang Euijoo mumbled, slurring his words so they were barely audible, and quickly hung up the phone. But I’m being sincere. Cheon Yeomyung, disappointed that his heartfelt comment, made with all his effort for the first time in a while, was treated as less than chewed gum, coolly glanced at the receiver. In the meantime, Linlin, who had heard the phone ring in the drawing-room, approached.

Peeking her face through the large door, Linlin called out to Cheon Yeomyung.

“Boss. Who was it? The direct line rang…”

“The mister pharmacist.”

“Ah.”

Linlin quickly shut her mouth. He was Cheon Yeomyung’s officially declared latest lover. He was also the poor lover who had been gobbled up in just a week because of a bet. Linlin recalled Yang Euijoo’s terribly ill-fated face and quickly prayed to the gods. In Linlin’s opinion, there was nothing to be gained from getting involved in such a tiresome love affair. Especially not the boss’s love life.

“Why did he call? Did he get beat up somewhere again?”

It seemed he had been typecast in Linlin’s mind as someone who always went around getting beaten up. Hearing the rather unfair misunderstanding that Yang Euijoo might have felt aggrieved by, Cheon Yeomyung did not rebuke Linlin.

“Quan’s mistress is pregnant.”

“Really?”

A rather dramatic surprise colored her cute face. Quan, the boss of the Hongryong, was on very bad terms with the Byeokhae. They had originally been the established power in Yirang, but they had lost their strength as Cheon Yeomyung gradually expanded his territory.

He hadn’t even done anything to harm them, yet they treated Cheon Yeomyung like an enemy. It was said that especially after Cheon Yeomyung had kindly advised Quan to his face, saying things like “aren’t you going broke because stupid bastards are trying to run a business,” they would go so far as to cut out the tongue of anyone who even delivered news of the Byeokhae.

After that, the two would snarl at each other whenever they had the chance. Cheon Yeomyung, who wanted to dry up Quan’s lifeline, decided to dig into Quan’s past and snatch away his child. He had thought that the poor mistress wouldn’t meekly tell the ill-tempered Quan that she was pregnant, and would surely try to get rid of it like this, and his premonition had hit the mark precisely.

Linlin, who was munching on an egg tart that Yizarang had bought, widened her eyes. Cheon Yeomyung held the disconnected receiver with a cold expression on his face. Seeing his happy face, a sight she felt she hadn’t seen in three years, Linlin felt goosebumps rise all over. She swallowed the egg tart with a gulp and asked.

“The mister pharmacist told you? How did he know that?”

“He said she tried to get abortifacients from the pharmacy. Bring her here quickly before the woman does something stupid.”

“Mmm.”

Linlin rubbed the toe of her black, low-heeled shoe on the soft carpet. She had a slightly troubled expression.

“Will the Hongryong side really care about a child a prostitute has?”

“They will.”

Cheon Yeomyung walked over to the tea table, sat in a chair, and leaned his head back. The man, who was in a good mood, spoke languidly, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

“Do you think Quan is in a position to be picky about the legitimacy of his bloodline right now? Besides, unlike my father, that bastard takes great care of his own flesh and blood.”

Isn’t it funny? Hearing the boss’s voice as he laughed out loud, Linlin pouted her lips.

“It’s not funny at all.”

It really wasn’t funny at all. A storm of blood was about to blow. After semi-forcefully sending out the teary-faced Linlin, Cheon Yeomyung opened the book he was reading again. However, his glittering golden eyes were not reading the words.

“What a shame, I find it funny.”

Cheon Yeomyung thought of his lover. No matter how he thought about it, he seemed to have good luck with lovers.

Yang Euijoo had no way of knowing whether Mei had succeeded in her desired outcome by drinking water boiled with that damn piece of wood mixed with ash. However, when rumors spread throughout the streets less than two days later that a prostitute from the Red Door had run away, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. Yang Euijoo, who was buying some meager side dishes from a street vendor, heard what the merchant said and ended up asking over and over again.

“She really ran away?”

“Mister, are you hard of hearing? I said she ran away! Anyway, I knew it when the cripple started hitting her every day. It’d be stranger if she didn’t run away when he tormented her like that.”

The merchant, peeling a corn husk, spat on the ground and cursed the cripple. Yang Euijoo remembered Mei, who had trembled while trying to hide the wound on her cheek. Mei was not the type to run away. She was timid and passive.

“Are you sure she really ran away? The cripple could have locked her up in a warehouse after torturing her again.”

“Didn’t you see the cripple running around like a madman? That bastard is always like that. He should’ve treated the girls a little better.”

Ignoring the merchant muttering to himself, Yang Euijoo staggered back home. The guy with the gold tooth, the first one he had snitched on, was dead. What about Mei? There were no prostitutes who weren’t in debt. Since they were girls who ended up selling anything and everything because they had no money, he wasn’t confident that she hadn’t touched Cheon Yeomyung’s money. Yang Euijoo thought about looking for Cheon Yeomyung right this instant, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. What right did he have?

In the end, time dragged on sluggishly. After about a week of persistent rain finally stopped, Yang Euijoo at last resolved to go out. Yang Euijoo washed up roughly, came out, and threw on a t-shirt and shorts. The awkwardly large and baggy clothes had the effect of making the wearer look somewhat stupid, but since there was no mirror in the smokestack house, Yang Euijoo left the house without being able to check his appearance.

The low summer heat had not yet subsided, so Yirang was much more crowded at night and dawn than during the day. Today, too, the roadside was bustling with people who had come out for a late dinner. Yang Euijoo scratched at a mosquito bite and went outside. He silently watched the people sweating profusely, seeing the bastards who insisted on eating skewers on this dirty street, gathered at the food stalls.

They say in some countries, the snow never melts all year round. That must be strange. Yang Euijoo thought of the snow that would sometimes fall on the ship crossing the sea and circled around to avoid the gray smoke. A few children ran past in a group on the crowded road. In their hands, they fearlessly held smoking cans. It seemed they were playing with burning pieces of wood as toys. Sparks flew from the can, which had a few holes punched in it, and fell to the ground. Yang Euijoo stomped out the sparks with his shoe for them and then, shuffle, shuffle, moved his steps with difficulty, enduring the heat.

“A beer here.”

He had no appetite, no will to eat anything. Yang Euijoo said as he plopped down on an empty chair at a stall. The stall owner took a beer out of an icebox filled with ice water and placed it in front of him with a thud. The beer bottle’s label was soggy and peeling from the water, and water dripped from it.

“More?”

“Isn’t there anything a little sweet… this.”

Looking at the menu written crookedly by hand, Yang Euijoo pointed his finger at a dessert made with taro and fruit stewed in sugar and coconut milk.

“What kind of crazy bastard eats dessert with alcohol?”

The stall owner cursed at the customer’s taste but bent down to make what he ordered. Yang Euijoo ignored the familiar culture of Yirang, where they didn’t know how to treat customers, and opened the beer bottle. He hastily pressed his lips to where the foam was bubbling up and tried to swat a mosquito that was relentlessly attacking him, failing as a matter of course.

“Why’s a young pup like you so feeble.”

The owner, seeing his flailing gesture, chuckled with a tsk tsk and swatted the annoying mosquito in one go with his thick palm. The long makeshift table wobbled from the strong force, and complaints erupted from here and there.

“Stop your whining, you bastards!”

The owner shouted loudly, then slammed a bowl of tangsui down in front of Yang Euijoo and walked away. Yang Euijoo stirred the cold coconut milk once with a spoon made of folded paper and took a bite. It was bland, as if they had added a lot of water, but Yang Euijoo didn’t even have the energy to pick a fight and just ate it listlessly.

The beer and the sweetly stewed taro went well together, as it turned out. The coconut milk is bland, but they stewed the taro well. After diligently chewing and eating the chewy taro and downing all the beer, Yang Euijoo put down some crumpled bills and stood up.

“Leaving already?”

The owner openly showed his displeasure at Yang Euijoo, who was getting up after just one bottle of beer.

“It’s hot, I don’t want to be in front of the fire.”

Yang Euijoo, now not even wanting to talk, ignored the owner’s calls and dragged his heavy legs. He was wearing fairly short clothes, but he couldn’t tell if the breeze blowing on the street was cool, and the sea breeze from the port was full of the fishy smell of salt.

“Where are you going?”

Someone struck up a conversation with the lone-walking Yang Euijoo. A very annoyed Yang Euijoo answered curtly.

“What’s it to you?”

“That’s too harsh.”

“Hey, it’s hot as hell, stop talking to me and get lost.”

At this point, it was almost an invitation to a fight, but instead of getting angry, the man became more persistent and pestering.

“Is it that hot? Isn’t it a bit cool today?”

“Your eardrums and your senses don’t seem to be in their right mind, how about you visit the shop next to the antique store?”

“Why there? What do they sell?”

“The undertaker at that place will burn you up good, without leaving a single bone fragment.”

Without understanding why he was even answering, Yang Euijoo replied half-heartedly, staring at the dark and bleak path ahead. Then, the voice that had been loitering behind his back burst out into loud laughter, Pffft.

“Trying to send your young lover off so soon?”

Yang Euijoo’s steps, which had been striding straight ahead, came to a halt. He suspected he was hearing things because of the heat and whipped his head around. In the dim alley, where it was hard to find even an electric light, was a familiar figure. His face was filled with an expression that said he was having the time of his life.

Yang Euijoo mixed his anger at himself for not recognizing that voice with his anger at Cheon Yeomyung for having so much fun teasing people, and said just one thing.

“What’s with your tone of voice?”

“Sounds like the kids these days, doesn’t it?”

“What the, fuck…”

He usually spoke in a slow, low tone, pretending to be refined, but today he suddenly spoke in a short, cheerful manner, so he hadn’t even imagined it could be Cheon Yeomyung. Seeing that smug face that held not a shred of respect, Yang Euijoo’s remaining patience finally evaporated.

“Seeing you, there’s really no reason to go to school.”

“Why is that?”

“Because even if you go, you can’t even introduce yourself properly.”

At the prickly remark, Cheon Yeomyung burst into laughter again.

“Sorry. If you were offended, I apologize. Cheer up.”

“It wasn’t particularly something to be offended about.”

It was a childish thing to pick a fight over, anyway. Cheon Yeomyung tapped the shoulder of Yang Euijoo, who had turned his head away as if exhausted, and stood side by side with him. It was a surprisingly thin outfit, considering the man who used to wear a suit even in midsummer. He hadn’t slicked his bangs back with pomade, and he wore a loose white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, fastened to his pants with suspenders. Only the leather gloves that covered his wrists were the same as usual.

“When did you get here?”

“Around the time you ordered beer?”

“…You were here then?”

“Yep.”

It was so surprising it was marvelous, how he could have been watching from somewhere without a hint of his presence. Looking at the face that couldn’t possibly be inconspicuous, Yang Euijoo shook his head. It was better in many ways for the man to come and go stealthily than to appear openly and make the streets completely deserted, turning them into an eerie ruin. Cheon Yeomyung abruptly held out the object he was holding in one hand to his lover, who had given up on arguing early on.

“…What is this?”

“A flower.”

As if asking if he’d never seen a flower before, Cheon Yeomyung answered, his lips pulling up prettily. Yang Euijoo almost snapped back, You think I don’t know what a flower is? but he barely held it in. He had something to ask Cheon Yeomyung today, so he was trying his best to be polite.

“I know it’s a flower, but why are you giving it to me?”

“Roselock told me, ‘Are you going on a date without even buying flowers?'”

Why is that woman, whether her name is Roselock or Roserock, spouting such nonsense about someone else’s love life? Yang Euijoo cursed Cheon Yeomyung’s subordinates, who were seriously too interested in other people’s romantic affairs, and snatched the small bouquet of flowers from his hand. Out of courtesy, he sniffed it with a sniff sniff, but it was too hot and he had no appetite, so he couldn’t tell if the smell coming from his nose was the suffocating, fishy smell of the summer sea or the fragrance of flowers.

“Thank you very much.”

Yang Euijoo gave a cliché response and immediately tossed the cumbersome flowers from his hand to the side. Cheon Yeomyung just laughed, even after seeing the bouquet he had taken the trouble to bring get thrown to the ground less than a minute after being in his lover’s hands.

“You didn’t miss me?”

“Yeah, well.”

Yang Euijoo answered indifferently, the words ‘Did you eat the heat for dinner?’ written all over his face. Soon, the two naturally started walking toward the smokestack house. Cheon Yeomyung’s thoughts were impossible to read, and Yang Euijoo was so preoccupied with how he should bring up the story about Mei that he didn’t notice the silence between them.

“Should I have bought something cold instead of flowers?”

“That would have been better, I suppose.”

There were no streetlights on the street. The faint electric light seeping out from between the legally erected buildings illuminated the street instead.

Yang Euijoo, who had been walking silently side by side with Cheon Yeomyung, opened his mouth with a blank expression.

“The phone call I made.”

His slippers, which completely exposed his toes to the outside, tapped against the dry ground, tap-tap-tap.

“How did you do it?”

The deep gray eyes asked, vaguely looking down. Just then, a rat with fur of a similar color to his hair ran into the sewer, a piece of walnut stolen from somewhere in its mouth.

“Ah.”

Cheon Yeomyung tilted his head slightly. Yang Euijoo was always unexpected. He pretended to be observant but wasn’t, he seemed to have no morals yet he would question moral matters. He seemed materialistic, yet he held no expectations, thus satisfying Cheon Yeomyung’s expectations.

“If you’re curious, do you want to go see?”

“What?”

“Alright, let’s go see.”

Cheon Yeomyung turned his steps, which had been heading towards the smokestack house. Yang Euijoo was led by Cheon Yeomyung, feeling the flesh on the back of his hand, which was held firmly by a hot leather glove, being seared. The man’s face, as he advanced unhesitatingly toward the outside of the alley, was so overly innocent that he seemed not to know what he had just said.

“Where are we going now?”

Cheon Yeomyung did not answer. Yang Euijoo asked again.

“This isn’t Yirang.”

“She’s not in Yirang, so of course it wouldn’t be, right?”

“Are you saying you got Mei out of Yirang?”

Yang Euijoo roughly shook off Cheon Yeomyung’s hand and raised his voice. Cheon Yeomyung looked at his lover who had ruthlessly flung his hand away.

Why is he getting angry? Cheon Yeomyung raised his head and looked at the sky. It was overly dark and he was a little tired. Should I have just rested today? But his subordinates had nagged him relentlessly. You have to see him at least once a week. Are you going empty-handed again? If you keep just sleeping and then showing up, you’ll be dumped soon. They were so noisy. The lucky mister pharmacist, who had won the favor of his subordinates for the sole reason that he didn’t blatantly demand money, had a darker expression than the night air.

He said he wasn’t even close to the prostitute, so why does he care? Instead of sighing, Cheon Yeomyung answered as he wished.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yang Euijoo’s expression wavered. As expected, a prostitute under the surveillance of a pimp couldn’t have escaped that place on her own. Hadn’t Yang Euijoo also sacrificed his entire life to get off the ship?

“What did you do to Mei?”

His voice was cracked. Cheon Yeomyung let out a short, dry laugh.

“You suspect me.”

“How can I not?”

“Is my image that bad?”

At the incredibly innocent question, Yang Euijoo felt his spirits plummet. The one with the worst image in Yirang wasn’t Du Shanchong, nor was it the government that had decided to completely ignore the poor and illegal immigrants, it was Cheon Yeomyung. The Byeokhae had always had a dirty image, but since Cheon Yeomyung became the boss, its image had become not just tattered, but a complete rag. Before that, a crazy bastard who stuck corpses on poles couldn’t possibly have a good image.

Yang Euijoo looked at Cheon Yeomyung, whose thoughts were impossible to read. It was surprising that a bastard who sold drugs and people couldn’t grasp his own image. But, then again, his appearance was such that he could afford not to care about such things. Today, he looked like a young artist. He seemed like he might have studied abroad in France, or England. Whenever a breeze like a goddess’s breath blew from the summer night sea, sweeping through his beautiful black hair, his golden eyes sparkled.

However, Yang Euijoo was not a fool who would chew on a poison mushroom just based on looks. He told him the truth frankly, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Very bad.”

Some people treated him not as a person, but as a snake.

“I think I’ve lived a good life…”

Cheon Yeomyung shrugged, making a very subjective claim. Yang Euijoo followed behind Cheon Yeomyung, who started walking again. The man, as if he didn’t like Yang Euijoo following behind him, deliberately stopped, wrapped an arm around Yang Euijoo’s shoulders, and they stepped forward side by side.

“That woman, she’s Quan’s mistress.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you heard of Quan? He’s a bug-like businessman who does business similar to mine. He’s the boss of the Hongryong, but looking at what he does, it’s better to call it Hongchong, not Hongryong. Bug-like bastards.”

Yang Euijoo’s steps froze at the sudden information. Cheon Yeomyung did not wait for Yang Euijoo. The man firmly grabbed his stumbling body as his steps got tangled and said various things as they entered a building not far from Yirang. It was a story about how bad the relationship between Hongryong and Byeokhae was, and what he had said to Quan, the boss of Hongryong. Only after that did Cheon Yeomyung talk about Mei again.

“The woman the mister told me about is one of Quan’s mistresses. That old man gets turned on by women who look pitiful.”

It was a disgusting thing to say. Yang Euijoo’s face wrinkled at the words that felt like they were rotting his ears. Seeing Yang Euijoo make a face as if he wanted to vomit the beer he had for dinner, Cheon Yeomyung’s lips twisted.

“I was just going to watch for a bit, but she’s carrying Hongryong’s child… You think I’d just leave that be? I had to bring her over right away.”

“You took her?”

“I brought her here with the information you so kindly gave me, so I don’t know why you’re angry.”

Cheon Yeomyung threw a sharp accusation that felt like it was tearing at his flesh. Yang Euijoo sucked in a breath at the pain of a forgotten wound being dug up. As if he no longer wanted to soothe the confused man, Cheon Yeomyung grabbed the back of Yang Euijoo’s neck and forcibly made him stand with his nose practically pressed against a certain door.

“Let go of me, you son of a bitch!”

“Be quiet. The whole hallway will hear you.”

“What did you do to her?”

“What did I do? Anyone who heard that would misunderstand.”

“So they won’t misunders…!”

Suddenly, a small voice reached the ears of the shouting Yang Euijoo.

“Who is it?”

A thin shoulder draped in a shawl was visible through the slightly open gap of the door. Beyond the shoulder, a small but clean room was visible. The room was bright, and the window was very large. Mei’s complexion was better than the last time he had seen her. She had a hand placed on her noticeably swollen belly. The bruise on her cheekbone was a faint trace, and the one-piece dress draped over her thin body smelled of laundry detergent. Yang Euijoo forgot that he had been about to spew curses at Cheon Yeomyung and wore a dazed expression.

“Mister pharmacist!”

Upon seeing Yang Euijoo, she smiled like a flower and welcomed him happily. The freckles sprinkled like jewel powder on her cheeks sparkled. The person who had not smiled once since she first came to the pharmacy to buy plaster was smiling. Cheon Yeomyung gently pushed the back of Yang Euijoo, who was standing frozen in front of the door, and sent him inside, closing the door behind them.

“Miss, how are you feeling today?”

Cheon Yeomyung greeted Mei in a smooth voice. Far from being afraid of Cheon Yeomyung, Mei’s cheeks flushed red.

“Thank you for your consideration. I slept very soundly. So much so that I wonder if I’ve ever slept like this in years…”

“That’s a relief. When you first came, you were trembling so much, it was a pitiful sight.”

“I was a little surprised then, but now I feel like this might be the only stroke of luck in my life.”

Cheon Yeomyung talked with Mei familiarly, as if this wasn’t his first time in this room. Yang Euijoo, still unable to understand the situation, just blinked his eyes several times. On behalf of Yang Euijoo, who was standing there with a bewildered face, Cheon Yeomyung prepared tea himself.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No, there isn’t. Everyone is so kind. It’s all thanks to my benefactor’s help.”

“On the contrary, I’m grateful you’re doing well here. Thanks to you, I can rest easy.”

Only Yang Euijoo couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Seeing his lover’s face, which seemed to be full of questions, Cheon Yeomyung pointed to an empty seat with his finger. With an attitude that seemed to say, just shut up and drink your tea for now, Yang Euijoo suppressed the rising questions within him and plopped down on the chair.

As if she was truly happy to see Yang Euijoo, Mei shed her slightly shy demeanor and held his hand tightly. The small, slender woman’s hand was warm and soft.

“He said you were the one who contacted him. Thanks to your kindness, mister, my life was saved. Thank you so much, I’ll repay this kindness for the rest of my life.”

“What are you, talking about.”

He had thought it was snitching. He had believed that Mei’s life would be fucked, or at any rate, that she would face something terrible. Just like most of the humans who had caught Cheon Yeomyung’s interest and resentment.

“We came at such a late hour, you must not be able to rest properly.”

Cheon Yeomyung tapped the table, tap tap, as if cutting off Yang Euijoo’s thoughts. Mei, who was smiling a happy smile he had never seen before, caressed her belly again.

“Not at all. The doctor said I need to move around for the baby to grow up healthy.”

“That’s not wrong. My mother also walked around very energetically when she was carrying me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. That child will grow up as healthy as me. Personally, I hope the baby takes after the beautiful miss.”

The Cheon Yeomyung who was talking to Mei seemed like a stranger. He never lost his smile and kept Mei entertained the entire time. His sweet talk and compliments made him seem like the world’s greatest playboy. Moreover, he didn’t show any attitude of looking down on or scorning Mei for being a prostitute. Mei giggled like a little girl at Cheon Yeomyung, who called her “miss.”

Mei chattered about what she did today, how she wanted to do prenatal education, and wondered if the baby would be a girl or a boy. The entire time he listened to Mei’s happy imagination, Yang Euijoo became less and less talkative.

“Don’t worry too much and just rest comfortably until you give birth. The mister pharmacist was very worried about you too, miss.”

“Of course. I’ll write in my diary every day thinking of you, mister.”

Mei, who said she had started learning to write, spoke while proudly showing off her diary written in crooked letters. Yang Euijoo couldn’t say anything as he looked at Mei’s happy face. Her clear face now looked its proper age. Seeing Yang Euijoo sitting blankly in the chair, unable to even drink the tea that had been so kindly poured for him, Cheon Yeomyung gave a bitter smile. He decided to end this boring and ridiculous play instead of continuing it.

“The mister seems a bit tired, so we should be going now. You get some rest too, miss.”

“Take care on your way out.”

Cheon Yeomyung, who smiled at the beaming Mei, turned his back, taking Yang Euijoo with him. The smile gradually faded from the man’s ever-smiling face. Slowly, like grains of sand being blown away by the wind. And soon, only a doll-like face with no emotion remained.

The cold face that seemed to have been voided of emotion tapped the black t-shirt with messy lettering on it. The yellow letters were a bit crumpled, so “Fuck” looked more like “Fk.” Anyway, I’ll have to tell him to throw this shirt away. Looking at the t-shirt that didn’t seem good for his image in many ways, Cheon Yeomyung commanded.

“Go to the next room. It’s been tidied up.”

When he opened the door right next to the room Mei was staying in, a room with a similar atmosphere to the one he had seen in Cheon Yeomyung’s mansion appeared. Shadows of light were cast from the elegantly curved chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The rose vines drawn on the wallpaper were beautiful, and all the furniture was carved without a single plain spot.

He slowly looked around the room, which was completely different from its ordinary exterior. A tea table, a desk with a telephone and a lamp, and a bed as ornate and large as the chandelier. It seemed to lack nothing for a person to live in.

“This place is…”

“My building.”

How many buildings did he own under his name in Hong Kong? As if proving that wealth begets wealth, Yang Euijoo entered the room that exuded the aura of a tycoon and saw the high-end carpet that didn’t match his shabby slippers and dust-covered toes. The carpet was a color that felt too reverent to step on with his feet. When Yang Euijoo stopped walking in front of the bright beige carpet woven with glossy fur, Cheon Yeomyung made a puzzled expression.

“Why?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Instead of taking off his shoes, Yang Euijoo stepped onto the carpet with his dirty slippers. A jet-black footprint was left clearly on the carpet, but Cheon Yeomyung, as if it didn’t matter at all, also stepped onto the carpet with his dress shoes. Since his shoes, which had walked all over Yirang, were just as dirty, the two left their respective footprints as they entered the room and sat facing each other at the tea table.

This time, he didn’t pour tea. Instead, Cheon Yeomyung opened the lid of a small porcelain bowl and offered one of the things inside to Yang Euijoo. It was a round-shaped chocolate. Various patterns were drawn on the appetizingly colored chocolate. After hesitating, Yang Euijoo picked up a chocolate with a simple lattice pattern drawn in white.

The chocolate was sweet at first, but as soon as the hard outer shell popped, bitter and strong whiskey flowed out from inside. Yang Euijoo, who had thought it was just an ordinary chocolate, frantically blocked the whiskey that flowed out from between his lips with the back of his hand.

“Are you perhaps doing this on purpose?”

Sure enough, a voice that grated on one’s nerves was heard. Yang Euijoo couldn’t even properly savor the sweetness of the chocolate he had eaten in a long time and swallowed it with a gulp.

“On purpose? Of course it was a mistake.”

“Why? You could do it on purpose.”

“I’m saying, would a sane person do it on purpose…”

His words were cut off in the middle. The small tea table, which seemed like it would be full with just two teacups, was not much of an obstacle. The rosewood table couldn’t withstand the weight of a body filled with muscle and no fat, and wobbled. Cheon Yeomyung, who pressed down on the slightly lifted table leg with his foot to fix it to the ground, gazed at the lips where the trace of spilled golden whiskey was clearly left. The wet lips twitched, tense from the unfamiliar situation.

“Thinking something like this.”

“…”

“You could do it, couldn’t you?”

He couldn’t answer the question. Something sweet interlocked. His mouth was filled with sweetness as if he had eaten only sweet things. Yang Euijoo felt as if it was Cheon Yeomyung, not him, who had eaten the chocolate. A tongue that slowly licked up the whiskey spilled on the corner of his mouth roamed the mouth where traces of chocolate clung. It was a kiss that seemed to melt all the tension built up in his body.

The hand that had been holding the table moved to Yang Euijoo’s head. Yang Euijoo closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of fingers combing through his hair. The sticky sound was similar to when they had sex. The man who had sucked on his wet lips persistently explored Yang Euijoo’s narrow mouth as if searching for chocolate. Only after licking even the breath that had been in his throat did Cheon Yeomyung pull back with a satisfied face.

Yang Euijoo, with one side of his hair pressed down, gasped for breath. His lips, noticeably swollen from just a short kiss, trembled slightly. Cheon Yeomyung smiled as if wincing and gently pressed his lips with his thumb, then returned to his seat. The temperature that had become heavy in an instant became light. Cheon Yeomyung took out a bonbon chocolate and put it in his own mouth. Cheon Yeomyung did not spill any whiskey.

“How was it, seeing that? Do you feel a little more at ease?”

Even though he was eating a softly melting chocolate, for some reason it wasn’t as bitter as a moment ago. Cheon Yeomyung asked, licking the chocolate that had melted onto the tip of his leather glove. Yang Euijoo rolled his eyes, mulling over the unpleasant sensation of the man left in his mouth.

He pondered for a short time. What to do. What attitude to take. And then he immediately decided on the order of things to do.

“…I apologize for the unpleasant misunderstanding.”

“Hmm.”

“But, it was understandable to misunderstand, wasn’t it?”

Insubordinate eyes that refused to be broken looked at Cheon Yeomyung.

“I heard about Peter, too.”

“That was a bastard who didn’t know his place and tried to touch you. Why would I, of all people, be jealous of such a pretty miss?”

It was a ridiculous story. Looking at the crazy bastard who said he was selective about his jealousy, Yang Euijoo lost the energy to even argue. The man’s morality was so ambiguous it was just annoying.

“Did you really think I would be abusing her?”

Cheon Yeomyung asked with an amused face. Yang Euijoo’s gaze belatedly dropped, like someone confessing their guilt.

“She didn’t run off with my money, nor did she ruin my business. And I’m a very kind man to women and children. Do you know ‘ladies first’?”

Ah, to lovers too.

Cheon Yeomyung beamed and gave a wink that could bewitch a person. At the utterly slick attitude, Yang Euijoo finally let out a sigh.

At the exhausted expression, as if he had given up, Cheon Yeomyung’s fingers tensed. Seeing the sulky fingers wrinkling his pants, Yang Euijoo bit his lip. From the lips that had been robbed of all sweetness by the earlier kiss, there was no taste. Only the mixed scent of the perfume Cheon Yeomyung used and the cigarettes he always carried was all he could feel.

“Euijoo-ya, are you still so suspicious of me?”

Cheon Yeomyung tapped his knee, thump thump, and lowered his voice. To Yang Euijoo’s ears, it sounded like the roar of a rock being struck. It was a wicked hand gesture, as if he believed he could be broken with just that one word.

Suspicious. Yang Euijoo wanted to affirm it, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget Mei’s happy expression. She wouldn’t have been able to smile like that if she were in Yirang. Without Cheon Yeomyung’s help, Mei wouldn’t have even been able to get out of Yirang. Mei, who had to sneak out, watching for others, just to buy medicine, had not suffered a tragedy because of his betrayal-like phone call.

That gave Yang Euijoo a sense of relief.

“I admit the first button was fastened a bit clumsily, but the rest was fine, wasn’t it?”

We get along quite well…

He remembered the smile he had when he said he bought flowers because his subordinate had chided him. Cheon Yeomyung was the only clean thing on that dirty street. For a moment, there was the scent of flowers in the alley that should have smelled foul. Even though he had thrown it away, he hadn’t gotten angry, but had just smiled as if he was grateful for accepting it.

Yang Euijoo said nothing and reached out, carefully sweeping up the hair that covered Cheon Yeomyung’s forehead. The smile blooming on his face gradually colored his entire being.

Cheon Yeomyung got up from his seat and came over to Yang Euijoo’s side. Then, he lifted Yang Euijoo’s hand, which was limply draped over the armrest of the chair, and respectfully pressed his lips to it. He even lowered his body himself, to be on the same eye level as Yang Euijoo. It felt similar to when they had walked side by side in Yirang.

“I’ll buy you flowers again.”

Cheon Yeomyung relentlessly spewed out words that could bewitch a person.

“You don’t have to be scared.”

He had learned that things that are too sweet are poison. His mother, who had had Yang Euijoo by accident but had loved her son well enough, had taught him so. Holding her young son’s hand tightly, the pale, thin woman had whispered not to forget that the love spoken by the rich is surely a lie. The whisper became Yang Euijoo’s conviction.

And now that conviction was taking a different course, returning like an arrow. The man, whose appearance was as sincere and full of faith as if he knew no sin, whispered.

“I know how to love someone too.”

At the same time, Linda’s words flashed through Yang Euijoo’s mind.

That bastard is a snake.

He knew it even without Linda telling him. On this messed-up street, the faithful were actually atheists and blasphemers, and the human full of faith betrayed and stole more meticulously than anyone. If so, what were the chances that a human who claimed to know love actually knew love?

It’s a lie. Yang Euijoo was certain. But who could condemn this sincere face as a lie? Seeing the pale face flustered, unable to give any answer, Cheon Yeomyung gently stroked his ash-gray hair. The dark ash-gray hair, as if wet with water, became disheveled against his black glove like a sandcastle swept away by a wave.

If only he were an ordinary man, if only we had met on the ship, then would I have believed in a short encounter, pretending to be a fool? Yang Euijoo, unable to avoid the beautiful eyes gazing at him full of affection, lowered his eyes.

“…Okay.”

The man’s hand touched his thin back. He had been eating a lot more lately, but there was no sign of him gaining weight. Should I feed him some nourishing food? Cheon Yeomyung tapped the shape of his bones that seemed to cling to his fingertips and lifted the shirt with the offensive phrase. Yang Euijoo, even knowing that Mei was in the next room, did not stop Cheon Yeomyung from taking off his clothes.