Winter Season Chapter 49

It was a bit ironic that he had ended up staying in such a luxurious officetel when he was someone who had fallen into debt because he lacked a mere thirty million won. At the same time, the thought that the money, which felt like shackles to him, would be nothing more than pocket change to Seunghyeok made the sandwich and cheap canned coffee inside the plastic bag suddenly feel bothersome.

When he returned to the officetel, the sound of water was leaking out from the bathroom. Though he had bought them without much thought, once he placed the plastic bag on the high-end marble dining table, he worried that Seunghyeok might not even touch a cheap convenience store sandwich.

Just as he was fiddling with the plastic handles, debating what to do, the bathroom door opened and Seunghyeok appeared with wet hair.

When their eyes met, Seunghyeok twitched an eyebrow. He looked back and forth between the plastic bag and Yihyeon before speaking in a puzzled tone.

“What’s this?”

His sharp features remained unchanged, but perhaps because of his damp bangs, his impression seemed calmer than usual. Yihyeon hesitated for a moment, then lowered his eyes and began taking the items out of the bag.

“There was nothing to eat in the refrigerator.”

After taking out the plastic-wrapped sandwich and canned coffee, Yihyeon clenched his fist pointlessly, feeling awkward with his empty hand. Seeing this, Seunghyeok let out a hollow laugh and turned his head.

“I guess you won’t starve to death anywhere you go.”

“There’s some for you too.”

It was Yihyeon’s small voice that caught Seunghyeok just as he was about to dry his hair and go into his room. When Seunghyeok turned around, Yihyeon pushed a sandwich toward him.

Seunghyeok’s expression turned subtle as he looked at the items placed in front of him. However, Yihyeon, not seeing that look, simply took his own portion and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?”

Seunghyeok quickly grabbed Yihyeon as he was heading toward his room. Thud. As Yihyeon turned his head at the gripped forearm, the scene of Seunghyeok shaking off his hand yesterday naturally flashed through his mind.

Is he saying it’s okay for him but not for others, or what?

As Yihyeon slowly twisted his arm while facing him with a look of bewilderment, Seunghyeok’s gaze finally drifted toward his own hand. As if realizing it late, he suddenly frowned and quickly released the arm he was holding. Yihyeon stroked the freed arm with his other hand and spoke calmly.

“You probably don’t want to sit across from me and eat.”

“I don’t have to tell you to eat before you go, right? We aren’t exactly in a position to sit across from each other and do that.”

Seunghyeok narrowed his eyes as he recalled a sentence he had definitely spat out before.

Nothing had changed since then, but seeing the pathetic sight of Yihyeon taking food into a room made it feel like he was being avoided, which grated on his nerves. He picked up the sandwich placed in front of him and spoke in a dry tone.

“Forget it, just sit.”

Yihyeon glanced at Seunghyeok, looked once at the closed door, then turned around and pulled out a chair. Sitting face-to-face, the two of them tore open their respective sandwich wrappers without making eye contact.

“…”

A heavy silence flowed, so quiet that the sound of chewing and swallowing food could be heard. While Yihyeon wasn’t the type to be uncomfortable with silence, it was true that this situation was awkward.

Lifting his eyes for a glimpse, he saw Seunghyeok chewing and swallowing the cheap sandwich—which had empty edges—with a look of familiarity. It felt strange to have Seunghyeok not saying anything to scrape at his nerves, so Yihyeon opened his lips first.

“It’s Christmas.”

“…”

“Aren’t you meeting a lover?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it was an excessively private and personal question to ask Gu Seunghyeok. He regretted saying it. However, contrary to his inner thoughts, Yihyeon’s outward expression remained indifferent. Seunghyeok, who had lifted his head, gave a short snort.

“A lover for a gangster? Please.”

Yihyeon’s hand paused at the title “gangster” that Seunghyeok used to refer to himself. It seemed like the first time he had heard him say it so directly. Although it couldn’t be true, the voice sounded almost self-mocking, causing Yihyeon to squeeze the innocent can tightly. The coldness transmitted through his palm was chilling.

“That was a good meal.”

The small sandwich was gone in an instant. Seunghyeok crushed the finished coffee can with one hand. Seeing him about to get up first, Yihyeon spoke hurriedly.

“…I’m going to go out for a bit later. I have to pack clothes to wear to work tomorrow, and there are some things I need to bring.”

Instead of an answer, Seunghyeok clicked his tongue indifferently and lifted his wrist to look down at his watch.

“Then come over to the office when you’re done. Let’s talk business.”

Talk business. It was a phrase that made Yihyeon’s heart pound just hearing it. It was also a moment where it sank in that the event Seunghyeok had mentioned was not far off.

When Yihyeon nodded, Seunghyeok stood up without hesitation and went into his room.

“…”

Left alone, Yihyeon put down the half-eaten sandwich and stared at it blankly. The ham and lettuce remaining in his mouth somehow felt scratchy. He barely managed to swallow what he was chewing and parched his throat with the canned coffee, the bitter taste remaining on his tongue for a long time before disappearing.

By the time he had returned to his house—which still smelled of burning—to pack his clothes and anxiety medication, the heavy snowflakes that had been pouring down when he started out had turned into slushy sleet.

Because he hadn’t brought an umbrella, half-melted snowflakes landed on his clothes and hair. Yihyeon had no choice but to take a taxi instead of the bus and gave the driver the address for Seunghyeok’s office.

As he entered the building, noisy voices began to drift down from the second floor. When he reached the fourth floor and opened the iron door, the sight of large men having a boisterous drinking party was revealed.

“Oh, oh-oh. You’re here?”

It was the characteristic casualness of gangsters, acting familiar just because they had seen his face a few times. At any other time, he would have ignored them or avoided their gaze, but there seemed to be no reason to break the good atmosphere. Yihyeon entered silently, only giving a nod in greeting.

“Is Gu Seunghyeok… inside?”

Since he still couldn’t find an appropriate title, he asked while trailing off. A man sitting in the corner scratched his head.

“Ah, the hyung-nim received a call a bit ago and seemed to go out somewhere. Why don’t you sit for a bit until he comes?”

Just in case, he tried calling Seunghyeok, but he only received the automated message saying the phone was turned off. Since the situation forced him to wait until he arrived, Yihyeon reluctantly sat on the edge of the sofa.

“Hey, what did you say your name was back then? Don’t just sit there, have a drink!”

It was natural for attention to shift to Yihyeon once he took a seat. This was because Seunghyeok rarely let anyone from outside the organization into the office, let alone saw them frequently.

Even though Yihyeon seemed to have no connection to this world whatsoever, the fact that he was frequenting the office was something the organization members found curious.

“…It’s Kwon Yihyeon.”

When he answered in a small voice, a glass mixed with a strange ratio of soju and beer was placed in front of him. Because the gazes of the people directed at him were burdensome and sitting there idly felt awkward, Yihyeon picked up the glass and drained it in one go without hesitation.

“You don’t look it, but your personality is quite refreshing!”

The man who heartily patted Yihyeon on the shoulder pulled some dried snacks that were sitting over there toward Yihyeon. Yihyeon simply bowed his head silently and put an almond coated in seasoning into his mouth.

“No, damn it, I’m telling you those bastards picked the fight first back then! We were just drinking quietly at the bar!”

“Drinking quietly, my ass. How would those bastards even know it was you guys to pick a fight? You must have given them a reason first, you punk.”

After briefly hovering with curiosity at Yihyeon’s appearance, the men began to raise their voices again while emptying the glasses in front of them.

Yihyeon was on guard at the loud voice coming from one side, but everyone else—except for the one speaking—looked unbothered as if they were used to it. Someone sitting in the corner threw a peanut at them, telling them to knock it off.

Because someone quickly tilted a liquor bottle whenever a glass was empty, the amount Yihyeon was drinking was gradually increasing. The disorganized and noisy atmosphere continued.

While various conversations flew through the air, Yihyeon instinctively paused and listened whenever he heard the word “hyung-nim.”

“Anyway, what happened to that nineteen-year-old kid who came in back then?”

“Ah, that Irezumi kid? The hyung-nim ordered it, so we sent him back to school via his teacher, didn’t we?”

“Was it you who went to the police substation back then?”