By Zephyria 
From that day on, Jjangja visited the sashimi restaurant every chance he got. He came and went as if it were his own home. It felt as though the threshold would wear away soon.
“Hey, give me some food.”
Then, as if he had something stored there, he would call Eun-myeong and demand food. It was maddening, especially since Eun-myeong was busy enough to die.
However, fearing that Jjangja might harass the other customers if he refused, Eun-myeong obediently threw some ramen into the spicy fish stew and served it.
Jjangja ate whatever was put in front of him and drank soju recklessly. He was such a thug that he never paid a single time.
Not only that, but he was often drunk and picked fights with other customers whenever he had the chance. It was as if he collected every bad habit possible and made a living out of them.
“You shitty little piece of trash, you ignoring me?”
Even now, he was clutching a customer, threatening him by claiming his father was the most successful fist-fighting gangster in the neighborhood and asking if he knew who built this shop.
“Hyung, stop it.”
Eun-myeong quickly tried to stop him. He struggled desperately to pry Jjangja’s hand off the customer’s collar.
“Why is this person acting like this, exactly?”
The customer asked, sounding bewildered. His eyes, visible behind his glasses, were shaking violently with fear.
All the customer had done was mention that the shop looked older than expected. But suddenly, Jjangja had flared up and clung to him.
It took the uncles who worked at the shop rushing in to finally restrain Jjangja.
“I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry.”
Eun-myeong bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely to the customer.
“Next time you come, I’ll definitely give you some scallops on the house. I’m really sorry.”
The customer brushed off his clothes, muttering that he’d seen everything today. Then, he hurried out of the shop as if escaping.
While not quite as tall as the man, Jjangja was still sufficiently tall. He was thin, but his shoulders were broad, and he gave off a strangely decadent vibe. It was the feeling of a human who lived as if there were no tomorrow.
Because of that, it was impossible not to be intimidated. Eun-myeong fully understood the customer’s feelings.
However.
Jjangja’s delinquent behavior didn’t stop there.
“Fuck, I have to go play billiards with the guys but I’m out of cash, you dog.”
Eventually, he even tried to help himself to the cash in the register. Unable to take it anymore, Aunt Jeong-hye let out a piercing scream.
“You son of a bitch, where do you think you’re putting your hands!”
She came out with a broom and began whaling on Jjangja’s back. The customer with glasses had been quite large with a thick belly, yet even he had avoided Jjangja in fear; however, the aunt dealt with him mercilessly.
“Has this old woman finally gone crazy! What, you bitch?”
For Aunt Jeong-hye, she had reached her breaking point after enduring it for so long.
Because of that time bomb Jjangja, the shop was on the verge of ruin. Even now, as the atmosphere turned chilly, customers were glancing at each other and slowly getting up to leave. It felt as if the sound of the shop’s revenue plummeting could be heard from somewhere.
“Jjangja Hyung.”
Eun-myeong feared that Jjangja, who acted like a bastard regardless of age or gender, might even lay a hand on Aunt Jeong-hye. Terrified, Eun-myeong quickly stepped in front of his aunt.
“Stop it already. This isn’t your family’s house anymore.”
It was the maximum amount of courage Eun-myeong could squeeze out. At that, Jjangja immediately lunged toward Eun-myeong.
“You feeling a bit too comfortable lately?”
A rough hand painfully grabbed the hair at the back of Eun-myeong’s head.
“This piece of trash beggar has been acting up since last time, not knowing his place.”
Jjangja raised his fist. It was something Eun-myeong had already expected the moment he decided to oppose him. Thinking he was about to be hit, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Clink, the sound of the shop door opening echoed. The atmosphere inside the shop cooled down strangely.
Without realizing it, Eun-myeong sniffed the air. Then, he slowly opened his eyes. This scent, could it be…
“What is going on here?”
The voice that followed confirmed his suspicions. As they say, “hope is a dangerous thing”—it was indeed the man.
“What’s with this old fogey?”
Jjangja shook Eun-myeong’s hair out of his hand. Then, shoving his hands into both trouser pockets, he tilted his head to the side.
“Old fogey, huh.”
The man took off his jacket from his upper body and removed the cigarette from his lips. As always, using only his middle finger and thumb. He was wearing a dark brown vest that tightened his chest, and perhaps feeling stifled, he reached for one of the buttons.
“Baby used to touch Mister’s cock so freely, did he learn the taste of a man in the meantime?”
Under his hand, the button popped open as if it were being torn off. Eun-myeong’s face flushed hot, and he quickly shook his head.
“No, it’s not like that….”
“What the fuck are you talking about, is the old fogey senile?”
Jjangja, already enraged, became frantic. Unable to control his temper, he lunged at the man and grabbed him by the collar.
However, since the man was significantly taller, Jjangja’s face was practically tilted upward.
“Why would I choose something like that over perfectly fine women?”
Eun-myeong’s inner thighs trembled. He knew he had to stop them, but his body simply wouldn’t move. His scalp tingled, and the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end all at once.
“Who the fuck are you making into a gay bastard?”
The pupils within the man’s eyes shifted sharply. He looked down at Jjangja as if gauging something. His black pupils glowed like a cat’s eyes.
“Do you know who I am? If my father finds out, you’re fucking dead….”
“I see.”
The man let out a suggestive sigh, as if he had realized something. Jjangja’s vulgar sentence was cut short.
“You’re the brat the sashimi restaurant owner spawned, aren’t you?”
“What, spawned?”
The man, who treated the person like a piece of fish, curled his lower lip. A strange amusement flickered in his eyes.
From what Eun-myeong had observed of the man so far, he knew that wasn’t just a smile. It was a clear sneer. Terrified that the man was finding this situation interesting, Eun-myeong lunged forward like someone whose button had been pressed.
“Hyung, please….”
Eun-myeong moved his feet as if possessed. Even as his steps tangled and the strength left his knees, he forced himself toward Jjangja. He quickly grabbed Jjangja’s thin forearm.
“Jjangja Hyung, please stop….”
“Where do you think you’re touching me, you beggar!”
Jjangja raised his fist and slammed it—thwack!—right onto Eun-myeong’s forehead. It felt as if his brain were being crushed. Eun-myeong staggered. It hurt so much that tears welled up.
“Ugh!”
Eun-myeong was thrown to the side. As he lay collapsed on a table and looked up, he didn’t know why the frowning face of the man caught his eye before the menacing expression of Jjangja.
“Is this brat acting up because he hasn’t been hit enough lately?”
As if deciding he needed to vent his anger, Jjangja raised a liquor bottle and smashed it hard against the edge of the table. Crash! The glass bottle shattered with a sharp sound.
Screams erupted from the surroundings. The shards, sharp as crocodile teeth, emitted a cold silver glint under the electric lights.
Now he’s really going to get hit.
Eun-myeong squeezed his eyes shut.
However, no matter how long he waited, no pain came. Instead, a tremendous scream erupted from the front.
“Aaaaagh!”
At that horrific sound, Eun-myeong flinched and slowly opened his eyes.
“Why is this brat so lacking in manners?”
Jjangja’s head was jerked back, making his unnervingly pointed chin stand out. The soju bottle fell from his trembling hand and shattered on the floor with a clink. Glass shards scattered everywhere.
“Let go, let go, you son of a bitch!”
Wondering why he was reacting like that, Eun-myeong saw that the man was clutching Jjangja’s hair. The scalp looked bright red, as if it were being torn away. It looked almost like a piece of red sashimi.
“Son of a bitch?”
The man, with a cigarette between his lips, let out a short, dry laugh. Then, he pulled out the cigarette and pressed the glowing red ember onto Jjangja’s forehead.
A sizzling sound of the ember being crushed was heard.
“Aaaagh!”
A terrible scream rang through the shop.
“Fuck!”
Released, Jjangja clutched his forehead and staggered. The man calmly put another cigarette in his mouth. He threw a silver lighter onto the ground.
“Light it.”
He kicked the crocodile Zippo lighter with his shoes with a clack. The lighter spun around and stopped right against Jjangja’s foot.
“Aagh, it hurts so fucking much!”
But as if he didn’t have time to feel that, Jjangja continued to throw a fit, slamming his fists onto the table. His cell phone slid out of his pocket, and his shoes were nearly knocked off.
“W-what should I do….”
Eun-myeong dragged his feet back in fear. His body trembled violently. What should I do, should I call the police….
A slight crease formed between the man’s brows.
“Did you not hear me?”
He pulled up his suit trousers covering his thighs and lowered his gaze by bending his knees.
“I told you to light it, you shitty bastard.”
He spoke slowly, resting his elbow on his thigh.
“Do I need to drill another hole in your head for it to start working?”
As if his patience were reaching its limit, the man pressed his thumb against his eyebrow. He seemed to be pushing his temper down inside.
“Pick up the lighter and come here. This is the end of me being nice.”
Jjangja, who had been screaming in agony, crawled toward the man on all fours like a dog.
With trembling hands, he flicked the lighter. Click, click, click. After several failures, the flame precariously caught.
“Yes, just like that.”
Fuuuuu, as the man inhaled the cigarette, he furrowed one eyebrow.
“You can do it well.”
Pretending to pat him on the back for a job well done, he slapped Jjangja’s cheek a couple of times with his thick hand. The sound of the slaps sliced through the air.
Jjangja’s hand shook violently. The strength had completely drained from him. Soon, the lighter bounced away from his hand.