By Zephyria 
His body felt heavy and sunken, like cotton soaked in water. A warm sensation poured over his entire body. It was dazzling beyond his eyelids. Had morning come?
Slowly, Eun-myeong fluttered his eyes open. Then, out of habit, he looked at the spot beside him. Before he knew it, he was alone in the room.
…Was it a dream?
He felt certain that the man had been holding him until last night. He remembered the feeling of his ribs being squeezed so tight it felt suffocating.
Eun-myeong blinked slowly, dazed. Dust motes of sunlight clung to his eyelashes, shimmering one by one. His mind was so hazy that he couldn’t easily tell if it had been a dream or reality.
Eun-myeong looked down beneath his knees. The mattress touching his rounded kneecaps was clearly sunken. This must have been because the springs couldn’t withstand the man’s massive frame and had given way slightly.
Moreover.
Eun-myeong closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath, sniffing the air. The man’s distinct scent was definitely lingering in the air. It was the scent of a very dense blue forest, but it had a raw, wild edge to it.
Additionally, the man used to spray rose perfume on his suit like an accessory, and combined, they created a scent that stimulated the primitive nerves.
It wasn’t a dream. Eun-myeong’s cheeks puffed out as he let out a smile full of relief.
Once relief found him, the problems he had been pushing aside began to intrude upon him one by one.
Jjangja had threatened him, and in the end, he hadn’t been able to give him the medicine. He had stupidly ended up trapped in the fish crate. Why on earth had the door closed then? Had it been pushed by the wind or the waves? The weather had been very poor, after all.
Regardless, he was now truly a dead man in Jjangja’s eyes. He’d be scolded to death. Jjangja might beat him black and blue with his fists or kick him.
Sigh. A heavy feeling pressed down on the back of his neck. Eun-myeong let out a low sigh. His smile had vanished without a trace.
…Besides, how on earth did the Boss know and save him?
Eun-myeong truly thought he was going to die helplessly. Driven into an extreme situation, he had been seized by extreme delusions. Whether the darkness opened its maw to devour him or a storm raged and swallowed him whole, it felt as though he wouldn’t be able to survive with his sanity intact.
‘Will he be very angry?’
The corners of Eun-myeong’s mouth drooped gloomily. He had been told so many times not to go around doing foolish things at night.
The man hated things that were bothersome or annoying. Yet, not only had Eun-myeong—who owed a great debt—suddenly disappeared, but he had also been… smelling strongly of fish…
‘I-I hate it, please don’t go.’
He had clung to the man’s pant legs, begging him not to go, saying he hated it so much. Like a beggar pleading for alms. Come to think of it, he really was a beggar. The misery was indescribable.
Eun-myeong gripped the blanket tightly. Why did he always end up showing the man his absolute lowest point? His weak, powerless self… no different from an ant living on the ground.
He didn’t know what expression to wear or how to face him when he returned. Eun-myeong looked toward the door. He both hoped and hoped not that the man would open that door and come back in.
Step, step. The sound of shoe heels echoing in the hallway was heard. As they say, speak of the devil; Eun-myeong started and bolted upright from the bed.
Soon, the man entered the room. Eun-myeong stepped to the side, fidgeting with his robe.
“The dirty little puppy is finally awake.”
He looked down at Eun-myeong as if looking at an irredeemable troublemaker. Though he couldn’t be described as having a good personality in any sense of the word, he had never once been angry at Eun-myeong.
Not knowing how he might punish him only added to the fear. Eun-myeong hunched his shoulders like a piece of scrap paper. He kept his eyes fixed on the hotel rug.
The man muttered tonelessly.
“Time to fill that belly of yours, right?”
The man sat at the table, tucking his tie inside his shirt.
Mealtime was incredibly quiet. It was so suffocatingly silent that Eun-myeong felt his throat tighten. He wished the man would say anything at all, but the man simply kept his gaze fixed on Eun-myeong.
He wondered why the man sat him at the table but didn’t pick up his own utensils. He simply sat with his thick arms crossed tightly over his chest.
…W-what should I do.
Eun-myeong didn’t have the confidence to meet that gaze. He knew it was better to get the beating over with quickly and that he should apologize first, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
After searching for the right timing, Eun-myeong eventually succumbed to the pressure and quickly scooped up some rice and shoved it into his mouth.
Hwah, hwah. He chewed slowly because it was too hot, blowing out breaths of air.
Separate from the terrifying situation, the bean sprout soup was a masterpiece, with the broth tasting deeply of green onions. Not to mention, when he took a big scoop of the solids, the crunchy bean sprouts were a delight, and the small bits of soft, chewy squid were a real treat.
‘Even in this situation, it’s really delicious….’
Eun-myeong carefully placed salted squid on top of the steaming white rice and ate it. Meanwhile, his eyes darted around. He stole glances at the man, not missing a beat. His plump cheeks continued to chew.
While scouting, their eyes met almost instantly. At that, Eun-myeong blurted out words as if he had been slapped.
“Boss, I’m sorry, I must have been so dirty. And I smelled.”
Eun-myeong’s face turned red as he poured out the words.
“I disappeared without a word, and you had to come look for me.”
Eun-myeong owed the man a very large debt. He wondered how shocked the man must have been when he suddenly vanished. Even he felt heartbroken when a house that was already falling apart was ruined overnight.
The man, let alone him, must have felt the same. Eun-myeong, who possessed an excessive amount of empathy, deeply empathized with the feelings of the person who had ruined his own home.
“And I just… clung to you, saying I didn’t want to be left alone.”
It was then that the man, who had been listening in silence until now, reacted. Slowly, the arms that had been entwined like a python loosened. The man leaned his upper body toward the table.
“Ah.”
That? The man muttered nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t even given it much thought.
“Yeah, you were dirty. Smelled like fuck. Scruffy like a stray dog.”
At the following words, Eun-myeong cast his eyes down. He felt insanely embarrassed and ashamed. Especially since he felt a deep sense of disgust in the man’s words. Then again, he would have felt the same way.
“I’m sorry. Even if it were me, I think I’d feel bad holding onto food waste.”
The smell of fish was truly pungent, like a stab to the back of the head. If it got on one’s hands, the lingering scent would probably stay for days. He had smashed his face into the man’s suit in such a filthy state.
His memory was faint, as if wrapped in plastic, but he felt like the man had tried to push him back once. …How annoyed must he have been? Besides, he had even stolen the man’s lighter.
His appetite vanished instantly. The hand holding the utensils dropped. He truly felt like hiding in a mouse hole.
Then, amidst the shame, a curiosity suddenly reared its head.
“But how did you know where to come?”
Fearing that the man might have noticed something, Eun-myeong clenched his fists in anxiety.
“Everyone was dropping anchor because of the storm.”
Yes, Eun-myeong nodded obediently.
“And someone said they saw some idiot crawling toward the shore.”
Ah, I see. Eun-myeong looked down. He wondered how anyone could have seen him when it was so dark. Whoever it was, they were truly a grateful person. Eun-myeong gave a small nod.
What a relief. It seemed the man hadn’t noticed anything.
Eun-myeong smiled slightly. He was relieved that he hadn’t been scolded too harshly.
The next day.
The usual doctor came to the hotel and examined Eun-myeong. After inserting a needle containing nutrients into Eun-myeong’s arm, he muttered that he needed a few days of stability. Cold sweat was trickling down the doctor’s face. It was because of Mister Bear, who was sitting on one side of the sofa like a robot. The man was gone, and Mister Bear was keeping watch instead.
“Doctor, here.”
When Mister Bear took a large amount of money from his wallet and handed it to the doctor, the doctor bowed 90 degrees, saying, “Thank you!” and hurried out of the room.
“Thank you. I’ll pay for the medical bills—”
As Eun-myeong muttered that he would definitely pay the medical bills, Bear cut him off.
“Take this.”
Bear handed him a paper bag.
“What is this?”
“The Boss sent it, so open it.”
That was the only explanation. Eun-myeong looked at the paper bag with a blank face. It looked like there was a small box inside.
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
“Yes.”
As Eun-myeong muttered softly, Bear turned his back, which was as wide as a playground. Since it was his first time having such a long conversation with the man’s subordinate, Eun-myeong stared blankly until he left, fascinated. No matter when he saw him, his physique was incredibly massive.
Only after he was finally alone in the room did Eun-myeong look down at the paper bag.
What is this?
He took out the box and examined it from various angles.
Looking closely, it was a cell phone. Moreover, even to someone like him who knew nothing about electronic devices, it looked very fancy. It was clearly very expensive.
Not knowing what to do with it, he held it still for a moment and then carefully turned on the power. The screen turned white, and before long, it began to vibrate wildly. Zzzing, vrrr. The small machine trembled in Eun-myeong’s hand. He carefully pressed the call button and brought it to his ear.
“Hello?”
Eun-myeong spoke as if possessed. From the other end, he heard the sound of lips parting with a tsup.
—From now on, you answer my calls in one second, just like this.
“Yes.”
Then the call ended. Perhaps because it was his first time making a call with such an expensive-looking cell phone, it felt incredibly novel and unbelievable.
Was it really okay for him to receive this? Something so expensive. His mind was hazy.
Holding the cell phone, Eun-myeong looked out the window as if entranced. A pale full moon hung over the night sea. Over it, the events of a few days ago overlapped. The moonlight that had pierced through the darkness that seemed ready to swallow him whole.
The moonlight he looked up at descended upon Eun-myeong’s small chest.
His heart felt strange and peculiar, as if he were floating on a cloud. Was it from then? That something in his chest began to stir….