Midday Guest Chapter 4

Upon seeing the black Carnival, Yiwon flinched and froze in his tracks. With a rattle, the door opened, and Kim Sunwoo, dressed in a flashy patterned shirt and suit trousers, made his appearance.

“Hey.”

“…Hello.”

I bowed in greeting and reluctantly approached. The air conditioning must have been on full blast, as the frigid air spilling out at his feet was overwhelming.

“For fuck’s sake.”

Kim Sunwoo frowned while fluttering the hem of his shirt.

As one could guess from his attire, which was unbuttoned enough to reveal his chest, and the tattoos visible beyond it, Kim Sunwoo belonged to the organization that managed this district—specifically, he worked in the moneylending business.

With a face as benevolent as a saint when lending money, yet a villain reincarnated from hell when collecting it. His sharp, fierce impression and fists like stone were exactly like the modifiers attached to his name.

“At least you’re still alive.”

“…….”

“Why aren’t you replying to my messages, making a man come all this way?”

The sender of the messages, Kim Sunwoo, looked up at Yiwon. Having sought him out at Haeundang since early morning, his expression did not look particularly pleased.

“Seeing that phone in your hand, it doesn’t look like it’s broken. Did you seriously ignore only my contact?”

“I saw it at such a late hour. I was just about to…”

“Where is this piece of shit trying to lie to me.”

An empty shop, neglected buildings. Silence flowed through the street, quiet because it was early morning. Kim Sunwoo tilted his head and stared intently at Yiwon.

“When you get a message, reply immediately. Don’t send me on a wild goose chase from the break of dawn.”

“…Yes.”

Snake-like eyes scanned Yiwon. Not wanting to face him even for a moment, I lowered my gaze to the ground. Then, Kim Sunwoo lightly kicked Yiwon’s shin with his shoe to draw his attention back.

“Where are you coming from so early?”

“The supermarket.”

“What did you buy?”

Kim Sunwoo snatched Yiwon’s shopping bag and let out a wheezing laugh, saying, Oh, ice cream.

“Man, this brat bought a nice variety. Hey guys, come out and have one each.”

Kim Sunwoo tore open a Nougat Bar and put it in his mouth. While he ate it messily with a slurp-slurp sound, his employees, who were riding in the black Carnival with him, came out and grabbed an ice cream one by one. Yiwon tried to stop them, but it was no use.

Then, he opened a Coke and drank it straight from the bottle. With the manners of a pig, he let out a belch right in front of Yiwon’s face, then crumpled his face and spoke.

“You have money to buy snacks. I guess you’ve put together all of this month’s interest.”

“…….”

“This brat doesn’t even answer when someone is talking to him. Huh?”

A hand as large as a pot lid pushed against Yiwon’s shoulder. Thump, thump, the rough touches hit him painfully.

“It’s food for the guests.”

“Guests or whatever, it’s none of my business. Did you get the money ready?”

“…I’ll give it to you.”

“You’ll give it to me?”

The moneylender, who had been talking to Yiwon, gradually stepped further out of the car. Whether he was getting angry while speaking, his expression became even more menacing.

“What do you mean, ‘I’ll give it to you’? So, do you have the money or not?”

“…….”

“Answer me properly. Man, this brat is so damn sluggish, oh, damn it.”

“…I’ll give it to you on the scheduled date.”

“There are two days left.”

“I can give it to you.”

“Fine, let’s wait and see.”

The empty shopping bag flew at Yiwon’s face. After being robbed of even the chocolate he had agonized over buying, he felt a little dejected. He had put it in the shopping bag fearing it would melt if put in his pocket, and now he wondered if he should have just put it in his trousers instead.

Still, he stood there silently without saying a word. It was because he knew well that bowing his head in apology, letting them take what they wanted to take, and getting hit a few times when a fist flew would make it end faster.

Slurp, Kim Sunwoo, who was noisily rolling the ice cream stick in his mouth, clicked his tongue and suddenly asked.

“Hey, but.”

“Yes.”

When Yiwon replied and slightly raised his head, Kim Sunwoo tilted his head and muttered.

“Why hasn’t your mom been seen lately?”

“…….”

“Did she go?”

He then pointed his finger toward the sky.

“Is there no insurance money or anything like that?”

Yiwon clenched his teeth and caught his breath. She is perfectly fine in the hospital. Those words rose to the tip of his throat, but he endured them. If he mentioned it and they happened to visit the hospital, that would be a nightmare in itself.

“Oho.”

Watching Yiwon’s expression, Kim Sunwoo spat out a curse and shouted.

“Why the fuck is this brat opening his eyes like that?”

Then he suddenly jumped down from the car and slapped Yiwon’s cheeks repeatedly.

“Because I treat you nicely, you don’t know how scary people can be.”

It would have been enough if he hadn’t said those things from the start, or if he had said he was sorry for making a mistake, but every time something like this happened, Kim Sunwoo used his fists, swore, and got angry.

“…Ugh.”

From the heavy impact that flew in an instant, Yiwon lost his balance and was pushed back. As he stood there alone clutching his forehead, the ice cream stick, wrapper, and plastic drink bottle flew one after another, hitting Yiwon before falling.

“It’s hot enough to die, yet you’re making me blow my top since morning, fuck.”

“…….”

“You said two days with your own mouth.”

Kim Sunwoo raised his hand high over his shoulder in a threatening gesture.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“…Yes, two days.”

Kim Sunwoo squeezed his body back into the black Carnival. Fortunately, it seemed he was going to leave it at that for today.

“See you on the deposit date. Got it?”

Spitting out the warning, Kim Sunwoo drove away with a vroom.

Yiwon licked his lips with an expressionless face. There was a fishy taste of blood.

It was better than them coming to the house and smashing everything, but his heart still ached at the thought of the money. Wouldn’t it be better to let him save even a penny more so he could pay back the debt? That thought occurred to him, but that was all. There was no way he could understand the way those guys thought in the first place.

My twenty thousand won. Yiwon muttered to himself as he shook out the shopping bag that had fallen and rolled on the ground.

The street that was once bustling was now filled only with a quiet stillness. He looked into the shops that were sporadically missing, giving off a desolate atmosphere. The spots where people who couldn’t endure Kim Sunwoo’s harassment had given up their commercial spaces and left caught his eye anew.

“…Ah.”

The muggy heat made him feel suffocated. Yiwon pressed his hand over his eyes. Not yet. First, I’ll use next month’s living expenses, and endure a little longer. Let’s think about it then. He wiped his face with his hands and took a deep breath.

Fluttering the hem of his T-shirt, he moved his steps. He went back to the supermarket and bought the same items. Except for the Watermelon Bar and the chocolate he had bought for himself.

Mister Kim at the supermarket said nothing. It seemed he had watched everything that happened on the road.

Yiwon was waiting for the calculation to put the items in his bag, but Mister Kim, unable to wait a moment, slammed the items into a plastic bag and forced them into his arms. He looked exactly like a person trying to chase away the misfortune that had walked into the house.

Yiwon just bowed his head and stepped outside. He wasn’t surprised, nor was he hurt. Because he had always lived this way.

He caught his breath in front of the supermarket for a moment.

He meticulously checked the cars parked on the two-lane road to see if the moneylender, Kim Sunwoo, remained. He had been robbed once, but he didn’t want to be robbed a second time.

In the meantime, he saw a new, unfamiliar car that had arrived.

It was a design that would make even someone who knew nothing about cars look back at least once. It was the largest and most elegantly shaped black body of any sedan he had seen in his life, and the wheels connected beneath it shone like jewels, making his eyes sting.

Why is a car like that in Yonggung-ri?

The sedan was parked in front of the Yonggung-ri Tabang. The Tabang, which usually started business in the afternoon, was for some reason welcoming guests with its glass doors wide open since early morning.

A person who exuded a different aura all on his own between the wooden blinds hanging at the entrance, the gaudy wallpaper, and the old tables caught his eye.

Yiwon recognized the person at a glance.

It was the person who had come to Haeundang last night chasing the intruder.

The man, sitting askew on an old chair, was smoking a cigarette with one arm draped over the backrest. He looked ahead occasionally and lowered his gaze to flick away the cigarette ash.

Every time he smiled while talking to someone, a dimple appeared, and that sight was incredibly striking. To the point where Yiwon stood on the street for a long time staring blankly at that scene.

The high bridge of his nose, the slightly upturned corners of his mouth, and the sharp jawline drew a sculpted profile. It was a face that revealed a two-sided beauty—bold yet delicate, rough yet smooth.

He seemed to be a person with an image so intense that one could never forget it once seen. He was a person who was perfectly handsome, not just in appearance but even in atmosphere. While those thoughts were coming to him,

“…….”

“…….”

His eyes met the man’s across the road. As he let out a gasp of surprise, he felt a sting near his mouth. Instinctively, he poked out his tongue and felt his split lip. Ah, a groan escaped him involuntarily.

The man tilted his head while harboring a smile. With a cigarette held in his hand, he gripped the liquor glass placed on the table.

Had I been staring too blatantly? That thought only came to him belatedly. While they were at a standoff, unable to break the gaze entangled in an intangible line, his face flushed hot.