2. Eventually (1)

A pitch-black night. Dim lighting leaked out from an old house sitting solitary in a mountain thick with ancient trees. Suddenly, a humid breeze brushed past Mu-won’s nape as if clinging to it.

Looking down from a low hill, Mu-won smoked a cigarette with an irritated face. Thanks to the cloudy weather since morning, the mountains were no different from a sauna. Even Mu-won, who wasn’t particularly affected by the seasons, had undone two buttons of his dress shirt.

The flat land surrounded by forest was barely 50 pyeong. On the dirt ground cleared of vegetation, there stood a single structure—hardly worthy of being called a house—consisting of planks and a vinyl greenhouse to expand the space.

In the backyard of the building, which was closer to a warehouse than a house, fierce dogs on leashes growled, and in the front yard, three black vans capable of carrying several people were lined up horizontally.

Looking at them reminded him of the “fluff-ball” who had treated the long cut on his side. The fluff-ball, who seemed like he would be clumsy at anything, wasn’t particularly gifted at medical treatment either. With incredibly awkward hands, he had applied medicine to the wound on the flank and even asked if he should apply a bandage.

As expected, the skill he used to plaster disposable bandages all over his own backside hadn’t gone anywhere. Despite that, Mu-won had silently offered his body to the boy who asked if he could check for other wounds. It was quite amusing to see him exercise extreme caution just to apply a single layer of ointment and one bandage.

Jae-un, who was particularly sensitive to the heat, was sweating profusely beside him, rolling up his sleeves as far as his shoulders. He had long since thrown off his thin summer jacket, and the handkerchief he always carried was already soaked through with sweat. Being in the mountains made it slightly cooler, but the air that clung to him without respite was unpleasantly humid.

Jae-un, who had been glancing at his Hyung to see if he was alright, widened his triangular eyes upon discovering a handsome face with a slight smirk. Mu-won, who always seemed bored with life, was surprisingly prone to smiling. However, those smiles were usually empty. Especially the deep smile that appeared when he was grilling or crushing an opponent—that couldn’t be called a smile even as a figure of speech.

He remembered seeing that smile recently. A smile that actually resembled a smile. Namu. That brat. The ‘tangerine massage’ employee. The name was one thing, but that dizzyingly beautiful face was not easy to forget. It was a good thing he was a guy. Anyway, Jae-un recalled the smile that occasionally flickered across Mu-won’s bored face whenever that brat did something foolish in front of his Hyung.

Soon, a question occurred to Jae-un. Not being one for complex thinking, Jae-un voiced his question exactly as it came to him.

“Hyung-nim, about that kid from ‘Tangerine Massage’.”

Mu-won, still looking down at his feet, exhaled cigarette smoke. Knowing that this was permission to continue, Jae-un added his question.

“Is that kid perhaps the bait?”

“Why?”

When a question returned instead of a sneer, Jae-un confirmed the fact that the ‘Tangerine Massage’ kid was indeed the bait. Tsk, even if time was short, to use someone like that. Scratching his head with a skeptical face, Jae-un answered worriedly.

“Hyung-nim, I had a hunch when I saw you hold the teacup that kid bought, even though you don’t put anything in your mouth given by others outside.”

As per his Hyung’s intention, the brat who looked like he should be given a pacifier had fallen for him completely just because he took his side once.

“The kid is so dim-witted that I’m really uneasy.”

“That’s why I chose him.”

“Huh? I’m not sure what you mean.”

Extinguishing the ember in his portable ashtray, Mu-won answered without even looking at the bewildered Jae-un.

“Because he’s stupid.”

“Pardon?”

At the unexpected answer, Jae-un’s mind raced.

“Someone like that is so insignificant that no one suspects them, and they wouldn’t even dare think of betraying someone else.”

He wasn’t asking for much; he was just a disposable tool for short-term use. Namu just had to do as he always did. Not sharpening his edges, listening well to orders, enduring patiently, and if he absolutely couldn’t take it, hiding in a corner to wipe away his tears alone—remaining exactly as he was: stupidly kind and docile.

“Ah… as expected of Hyung-nim.”

Tsk-ing inwardly, Jae-un was able to cleanly shake off the lingering feeling of discomfort that had clung to him like residue. As expected, his Hyung was not the type to give even a speck of his heart to some brat.

“Let’s get to work.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

Putting on the jacket he had been carrying under his arm, Mu-won wore a black shirt again today. Because if blood splattered, it was too conspicuous if it wasn’t black.

Mu-won’s movements as he descended the slope were light. Jae-un, who couldn’t bring himself to wear a jacket because of the heat, cursed the shitty weather and followed behind Mu-won.

The direction they headed was the backyard where the dogs were tied. The dogs, who would bark fiercely at any human—whether it was their owner, a guest, or an intruder—didn’t even show their teeth upon seeing Mu-won and Jae-un.

It was worth the effort of taming them by visiting over the past few days. Feeling inwardly pleased, Jae-un scattered some expensive treats he had prepared and followed Mu-won into the darkness.

* * *

A wind saturated with moisture blew. Namu, who had taken out his summer clothes from the six outfits he owned for all four seasons combined, cooled himself by fluttering his top.

Jeong-gon, for whom summer was poison, complained while fanning himself with his hand, and President Yoon, who had dressed up in a tight-fitting short-sleeved checkered shirt, was sweating so much that his back and neckline were soaked, not knowing what to do with the heat.

“What is with this weather.”

“It’s fucking hot, damn it. President Yoon, how much further do we have to go? I’m gonna steam to death—”

“We’re almost there, so just bear with it. Namu is bearing it just fine, so why the hell can’t you stay still for a second, Jeong Jeong-gon?”

“Ah, then why don’t you just escort Namu alone?”

If it were up to him, he would have, but Namu was unexpectedly stubborn. He said he couldn’t accept something as expensive as beef for free. He said the CEO of Tangerine Massage told him not to meet guests outside. Every time Namu gave a detailed refusal, President Yoon only became more eager.

Although they proudly hung a sign claiming to be a wholesome establishment, anyone who had spent even a short time in this neighborhood, in this industry, knew that ‘Tangerine Massage’ provided second and third services. Even a novice who had just stepped in would know it better than anyone after rolling around for a few months—or more accurately, once they were caught in the grip of ‘Tangerine Massage.’

Namu was currently on the verge of being caught. President Im, who would have watched Namu’s potential through the Manager’s eyes, would soon reach a conclusion and package him in some way to put him on the market. Before he was officially put on the market, President Yoon wanted to be the first to devour that young thing.

The protests of the Manager and President Im were an afterthought. President Yoon was solely obsessed with prying open that luscious backside and thrusting his cock inside. The tightness of a hole receiving a member for the first time, and the bright red blood that seeped out every time he forced his way in, were the ultimate aphrodisiacs for President Yoon.

Though he had played hard to get, the fact that Namu followed along as if reluctantly showed that he wasn’t entirely naive. According to what Jeong-gon had said after being handed some cigarette money, Namu was a complete virgin with no experience in either hole, and was so pressed for money due to debt that he would take a cock for as little as ten thousand won.

The moment he heard that, the plan was set. There are some who, if you buy them something delicious and coax them slowly, will spread their legs wide with pleasure. Those who are loose by nature. Those who are squeezed by reality. Namu was exactly that type.

A kid who had rolled all the way down into a massage parlor in the notorious back alleys of Gamgyul City couldn’t be expected to hope for much. He probably didn’t even know what “much” was. Just as one might not know that beef is graded from top-tier to off-grade.

Before long, the surrounding scenery was becoming even more sordid. Jeong-gon, who had been following behind President Yoon while still spitting curses in the steamer-like heat, was appalled by the obvious intention. He hadn’t even hoped for top-tier. He thought they’d at least go to a decent charcoal grill house, even if it was only grade 2. Seeing them crawl into the corner of a motel district, it seemed Namu wasn’t even off-grade to President Yoon.

That’s why he made them walk for thirty minutes under the scorching sun on such a hot day. All while driving a fucking expensive car that didn’t even suit him.

Fuck, he just can’t stand the thought of letting a whore in his car. This bastard who’s going crazy because he hasn’t fucked that whore yet. A pathetic prick who calculates the price of pussy with a discount.

Looking at President Yoon’s shaggy hair, drenched in sweat, Jeong-gon shuddered and stole a glance at Namu. He wondered if Namu knew why they were coming here or if he was oblivious. His face, slightly flushed from the heat, looked even more vacant than usual today. To Jeong-gon, Namu was literally an idiot, a pushover.

“Namu, Namu.”

“Huh?”

Walking a couple of steps behind President Yoon, Jeong-gon acted friendly toward Namu, who was sticking close to his side. Despite the heat making his white cheeks turn red, there wasn’t a hint of irritation on Namu’s face as he looked back at Jeong-gon. He even gave a slight smile. Seeing that face under the scorching sun for the first time in a while, it was the kind of look that would make anyone swallow their saliva; he was the type to get fucked over anywhere, even if it wasn’t by President Yoon.

Since he was going to get fucked anyway, Jeong-gon wondered why he couldn’t benefit from that face too. Although President Yoon was disgusting, he wasn’t a violent man. Either way, a disgusting pervert was better than a violent one, so President Yoon wasn’t a bad first partner. He even wondered if Namu should be grateful to him for providing protein and pocket money to help with his difficult circumstances.

“What’s the deal between you and that Hyung?”

“Who?”

Fearing Namu might grow suspicious of the atmosphere, which was different from the massage alley, Jeong-gon quickly struck up a conversation. Namu, who had been absentmindedly scanning the unfamiliar surroundings, turned to Jeong-gon at the question. As expected, the way he immediately focused on Jeong-gon rather than his surroundings just made him look stupid.

“Three snakes.”

“Ah.”

“Huh? I’m asking what’s up. Why the hell are you sucking up to him, even spending your own money on a teacup? Why does a kid who gets beaten because he has no money spend money on something like that?”

“It’s nothing… He’s just a customer.”

“Are you and that customer in that kind of relationship? The day you said you were getting treatment in the procedure room, were you actually fucking…?”

Jeong-gon, who had been whispering so that President Yoon wouldn’t hear, suddenly scowled. He then abruptly brushed away the hand that had covered his mouth and made a gesture as if spitting.

“Hey, I’ll be friends with a beggar, but I won’t even share a table with a whore, so let me tell you now, alright?”

“It’s really not like that.”

Namu’s face turned red instantly, and he denied it vehemently, waving both hands. How could someone like him? Besides, that customer was a man.

“Absolutely, absolutely not, so don’t misunderstand.”

“Then why are you trying so hard to look good for him?”

“…Because he’s cool.”

At Namu’s hesitant answer, Jeong-gon, who had been bewildered, suddenly gave him a suspicious look.

“Are you doing this because you want to ‘live the life’ too?”

“Huh? Wh-what’s that?”

“I’m asking if you want to join a gang and be a thug.”

“Huh?”

Jeong-gon let out a smirk as he carefully scanned Namu, who looked bewildered by the unexpected question.

“Forget it. Someone like you wouldn’t last half a day—no, not even an hour—before being kicked out. You’d either run away pissing yourself and working your ass off, or…”

Jeong-gon waved with a smile to President Yoon, who was looking back to see if they were following, his expression one of pure mockery.

“…you’d be thrown in as a fuck-toy for the gang house.”

“I’m okay.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to be a thug or ‘live the life.’ So the thing you’re worried about won’t happen.”

Jeong-gon realized it now. That these words weren’t sarcasm, but sincerity. Namu had accepted Jeong-gon’s bullshit as some sort of heartfelt advice and concern.

He was a brat with absolutely no eye for people and zero intuition. Thanks to that, Jeong-gon’s daily life had become a tiny bit more comfortable lately. But whenever he looked into those clear eyes, like a child’s, Jeong-gon occasionally felt a sense of unease.

“Anyway, sorry about that day.”

“Me too. I’m sorry I misunderstood you.”

“Is that so? If it was a gift, you should have said so sooner. I was planning to use it for a bit and then give it back.”

“Yeah, sorry. I thought I put it in the drawer, I didn’t know it was left out.”

Jeong-gon’s excuse and explanation—that he thought it was okay to use because it was left out instead of in the drawer—was a lie. Jeong-gon had known exactly what the teacup was for and where it was when he secretly took it. He had stolen it.

But this idiot believed that ridiculous lie without question. Because he knew Namu would be so easily fooled, Jeong-gon had put it out in plain sight, regardless of whether he was caught stealing it.

Stupid brat.

“Anyway, what about that teacup? Since it’s been used, you can’t give it as a gift. And I can’t see where it went.”

At the subtly probing question, Namu, who was fluttering his shirt, shook his head.

“It’s okay.”

“What do you mean it’s okay? You spent a huge sum of 5,000 won to buy that.”

It wasn’t something the person who stole it knowing the price should say, but Jeong-gon was beyond brazen; he was confident.

“I don’t need it anymore.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I said I don’t need the teacup anymore.”

To be precise, it was no longer necessary. Namu’s customer had said he wouldn’t touch anything given by others. Yet, he had used it once. He had even recognized it as a gift without any explanation. For Namu, that was more than enough.

“Still, tell me next time.”

“Brat, I said I got it. You’re so damn clingy about the past.”

Jeong-gon, who had been rebuking him with a trivial attitude, stopped walking. Namu, who stopped behind him, looked up. In front of them stood a dilapidated all-you-can-eat Hanwoo beef restaurant. President Yoon, who had entered the door first, smiled broadly with a greasy face, gesturing for them to come in.

It was to the point where Namu didn’t know if the meat was going into his nose or his mouth. It wasn’t just because Namu, holding the tongs and scissors, was preoccupied with grilling the meat. Once again, a hand slid out and held a large wrap in front of Namu’s mouth. As expected, it was too large for Namu to eat in one bite.

Stopping mid-cut, Namu looked at President Yoon, who was sitting pressed right up against him. From President Yoon, who had been uncomfortably close since they sat down, an unpleasant smell wafted.

Cheap cologne, bathhouse soap, cigarettes, mix coffee, sweat, and the smell of raw meat. It was enough that Jeong-gon, sitting opposite, occasionally frowned and subtly covered his nose. Namu, who had dealt with foul-smelling customers more than a few times, looked around upon seeing the beads of sweat on the bridge of President Yoon’s nose. He wondered, ‘Is he very hot?’

The all-you-can-eat place, about 80 square meters, was dim despite it being 2 PM. It was because sunlight barely entered, and the lighting was weak. The old air conditioner, which occasionally coughed as it ran, failed to do its job.

With the steamer-like heat outside, the closed door, and the heat from the grill, the shop provided no indoor advantage, and there were only three or four tables of customers. An old man drinking alone with charred meat as a snack, three young women in comfortable clothes with no makeup, two middle-aged men in dirty work clothes, and Namu’s table.

Those who were emptying liquor bottles and chatting loudly from broad daylight also had flushed faces, whether from the heat or the alcohol. A rattling fan scattered the few hairs on the old man’s head. The fan, which likely hadn’t been replaced since the opening, had grease-stained dust stuck to it like glue.

Feeling somewhat suffocated, Namu looked straight ahead, and the lettuce wrap was pushed in front of his nose again. Namu, leaning his face back slightly, quickly flipped the meat that was about to burn. Then, he carefully declined President Yoon’s kindness.

“I’m okay. Please eat first, CEO.”

“Now, now, when an elder gives you something, you say ‘thank you’ and eat it.”

Unable to withstand the persistence of President Yoon, who complained that his arm was getting tired, Namu reluctantly opened his mouth. Again, he had to open his mouth to the limit. A hand, which he didn’t know if it had been washed after visiting the restroom, crumpled the large wrap and pushed it deep into Namu’s mouth. His cheeks, flushed from grilling meat over the fire, bulged as if they were about to burst.

“My, you eat well. You don’t even be picky and just take whatever is given to you. Namu, why are you so tiny as a booger?”

A hand that had been slowly stroking his side since some time ago slid down and patted Namu’s buttocks. Namu, preoccupied with chewing and swallowing the wrap that reached his throat and induced a gag reflex, and grilling the meat, didn’t notice the touch. It was partly because President Yoon’s touch was skillful, but also because Namu was so used to being touched by others. Regardless of the type, Namu was not sensitive to physical contact with others.

“Jeong-gon, you eat some too.”

Jeong-gon, who gave a vague nod with slurred pronunciation because he was chewing a half-remaining wrap, emptied his beer glass. He simply couldn’t bring himself to eat because it was so revolting. The beef, which he wasn’t even sure was actually Hanwoo, was rubbery and thin, like sliced pork belly.

What a petty human being.

No matter how much he intended to fuck and dump him for a cheap price, the man was fucking pathetic. And Namu, who followed him happily and grilled meat for him without even realizing he was being molested, and Jeong-gon himself, who had coaxed him with a few pennies—they were two peas in a pod.

Namu was a strange kid. He made the ordinary Jeong-gon into a total thug, and also into a very good friend. Being next to Namu made Jeong-gon feel like a complete piece of trash, and also like a twenty-year-old brat who knew nothing of the world. That made Jeong-gon feel unpleasant and uncomfortable.

It wasn’t that he was particularly bad. It was natural to act like him to survive. But Namu wasn’t like that. Namu, who was an orphan with debts and a chronic illness, should have been the one acting more tenacious and sly. Instead, by pretending to be clean, kind, and innocent, he made the people around him look like bad people. How long would that last in Gamgyul City?

“Namu, do you really not want a glass of beer? Or soju? Should I mix some somaek for you?”

“I have a reservation later. I can’t drink. I sneaked out without the Manager knowing, so it’ll be a disaster if I’m caught.”

“And it’s okay to go back smelling strongly of meat?”

“Ah.”

Namu, who hadn’t thought of that, buried his nose in his sleeve and sniffed. As if he could smell the scent embedded in the clothes just by doing that in a meat restaurant. Jeong-gon, who snorted because he was so idiotic, emptied another glass of beer.

“Let’s see. Shall the CEO have a smell?”

“Huh?”

As soon as the slithering President Yoon, who had moved even closer, finished speaking, he buried his nose in the nape of Namu’s neck.

Huu, I’m gonna die.

Forget the smell of meat, the fresh sweet scent made his cock feel like it was going to stand straight up. President Yoon, who wanted to rub his throbbing cock inside his pants immediately, suddenly scowled. It was because Namu, startled by the breath on his neck, slowly pulled his upper body back.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah…”

President Yoon, barely suppressing a curse, kindly curled up his lips, which were glistening with meat grease. Namu, flustered by the atmosphere that had suddenly turned strange, looked at Jeong-gon as if asking for help. Jeong-gon, who had just emptied his beer glass, was just watching the fire from across the river. At the look that asked why he was making a big deal out of nothing, Namu wondered if he was being oversensitive.

He had said he didn’t call Namu out with any ulterior motives. President Yoon was different from the people who had molested Namu until now. He had said he felt proud and sorry for Namu, who was suffering at a young age, and wanted to buy him some delicious meat; that he asked if Namu thought everyone in the world was a pervert; why all those perverts only clung to him; that it was a sign of excessive self-consciousness; and that he should fix the habit of making anyone a pervert just because he had a decent face. Namu naturally recalled Jeong-gon’s advice, telling him not to be mistaken, as such a misunderstanding would be a huge rudeness to President Yoon.

Because he felt sorry for misunderstanding Jeong-gon, he had sneaked out in secret from the Manager, and he felt like he was being unnecessarily sensitive. He didn’t want to make things difficult for Jeong-gon, who had secretly taken him out thinking of him. Namu, who quickly lowered his guard, returned his upper body to its original position.

“I-it’s just that the CEO’s breath touched my neck.”

“Ah—is that so?”

“Yes, I’m very ticklish.”

“The CEO thought Namu did that because he hated me.”

He did hate him, but Namu, unable to explain exactly why, spoke while tightly gripping the tongs and scissors.

“N-no, it’s not that. It’s not that I hate the CEO.”

“Our Namu speaks so prettily, doesn’t he?”

President Yoon, smiling with his wrinkled eyes curving, ruffled Namu’s hair.

“Oops, the meat’s going to burn. You should flip it quickly, right?”

A damp breath touched his ear. It felt as if all sorts of smells emanating from President Yoon were rushing in. Namu tried hard not to show his discomfort. The palm that rubbed his shoulder, saying he was working hard grilling the meat, slid across his forearm, side, and thigh. It felt strange, but thinking about it, it wasn’t that strange.

The man next door in the neighborhood where he used to live, the supermarket lady, the hardware store grandfather, the briquette shop uncle—every time they saw Namu, without fail, they would stroke his hair, pinch his cheeks, or pat his buttocks and send him away with a piece of candy or a tangerine.

They said he was pretty, kind, and admirable. Whenever they gave him something, Namu would wait until his grandfather returned and share it half and half. No, he gave a bit more to his grandfather, whose eyesight was dim.

His grandfather wasn’t particularly affectionate or benevolent. His speech and actions were rough, but he had never once laid a hand on Namu. Very occasionally, when he drank, he would stare at Namu for a long time before falling asleep from the alcohol.

Did Grandfather like meat too?

Days when even a fried egg made it onto the table were days of feasting.

Back then, Grandfather…

“Hey, I’m going to the restroom.”

“Huh? O-oh.”

Namu, who had finished the meal without even knowing how he’d eaten, took out two pairs of sneakers and one pair of dress shoes from the shoe rack. Jeong-gon, who said he’d go to the restroom before leaving, went inside, and President Yoon, with a toothpick in his mouth, was taking out his wallet in front of the counter.

Watching the payment happen right before his eyes while having been fed for no reason made Namu feel very awkward, and he tapped the floor with the toe of his sneaker.

“What are you doing here? You’re in the way of the customers coming and going, let’s go outside.”

“Yes, CEO.”

Having finished the payment, President Yoon grabbed Namu’s forearm and left the meat restaurant. The hot air settled on Namu’s cheeks and neck as he followed out instinctively. President Yoon, who had already begun to sweat like broth, fanned himself with an irritated face.

“Where’s that brat Jeong-gon?”

“The restroom.”

“That brat, he should have taken care of it beforehand.”

President Yoon, realizing that Jeong-gon had actually cleared the way for him, scanned Namu while calculating in his head that giving him about 20,000 won more would suffice.

Shorts and short sleeves. His body, where every exposed part looked soft, was unexpectedly clean. The whip marks he had carried since his first month were faint, looking as if at least four weeks had passed.

Did he stop paying off debts with beatings?

If President Im had changed the usage, it was lucky that the date was set for today. These days, there are many precocious kids, so it’s not easy to take a virgin’s first time, and he didn’t know when he’d get a chance to taste it before it was put on the market.

Silencing the kids would only take a few pennies, and even if President Im complained later, he could just play dumb. As a rule, no scars are left in a cock-hole, and kids like Namu were tight-lipped. Even if he were caught, what could they do to a regular like him? At most, they’d just mutter a few curses.

“Namu, where are you going now?”

The subtly asking President Yoon was now standing in front of Namu. Following the hand that pulled him toward the shade because it was hot, they ended up in a narrow and dirty restaurant alley.

Although he had avoided the stinging sunlight, it was a struggle to breathe, as the coolness was replaced by a foul stench. Moreover, President Yoon’s body odor was right under his nose, causing Namu to instinctively step backward. However, before he could even take a full step, he was blocked by the wall of the restaurant.

“Hmm? What are you going to do now?”

“The… bathhouse.”

As Namu retreated, President Yoon stepped closer, his hot breath reaching the crown of Namu’s head. Namu, reflexively hunching his shoulders, barely managed to answer. Perhaps because it was an alleyway where the sunlight didn’t reach, President Yoon’s face, which wore a friendly smile, looked even darker.

The first thing to touch Namu’s body was a tube-shaped belly. President Yoon, whose stomach protruded exceptionally, was notorious in the massage alley as ‘Dog CEO.’ He was called ‘Dog CEO’ because he turned into a dog whenever he drank. That nickname, which Namu had dismissed as an exaggeration, suddenly flashed through his mind.

How much did the CEO drink? Is his neck that red just because it’s hot?

Namu couldn’t continue his train of thought. President Yoon’s voice dropped from above his head.

“Bathhouse?”

“Yes… I feel like I smell like meat.”

“Right, the fact that you got some meat from me is a secret from the Manager and President Im, right?”

President Yoon, who had encouraged him by saying they could meet secretly, eat quickly, and head back, was now talking differently as he looked down at Namu as if he were about to bury his nose in him. Standing at nearly 180cm, President Yoon could easily corner Namu.

“Do you even have money for a bathhouse, Namu?”

It seemed the rumors that he was a debtor had spread throughout the neighborhood. Or perhaps he just looked shabby and destitute. They say poverty isn’t something to be ashamed of, but Namu found himself blushing. It wasn’t because he was ashamed of his poverty. He was suddenly ashamed of his own behavior—following along and lying to the Manager just to get some meat.

“Want the CEO to give you some money?”

“Pardon?”

“Or do you want to go to a motel with me? We can get a room, wash up, wash your clothes, and you can suck my cock under the cool air conditioner.”

“What…?”

Namu thought he had misheard. Unable to even think of refusing, he looked up at President Yoon. President Yoon’s grinning face was reflected in his wide eyes. Due to the backlight, his features weren’t clearly visible. However, the sticky gaze directed at him was vivid.

“Uh…”

“If you’re looking for that bastard Jeong-gon, give it up. That piece of shit bolted a long time ago.”

President Yoon, clinging to Namu like a tick while Namu remained dazed trying to process the situation, finally buried his nose into the dark crown of Namu’s head. He let out a long, groaning breath. Meanwhile, something that had grown stiff poked at the area around Namu’s navel. Namu didn’t even have the presence of mind to realize what it was.

“You smell good, Namu. You’re so soft, and it’s not a milky scent, but a faint smell of chestnut blossoms. My cock has been going crazy since a while ago; how are you going to take responsibility? Hmm?”

“C-CEO.”

“Yeah, that’s right, Namu. Hng, fuck. Look at this skin, the feel, the smell. Haap, hup— hup.”

Now burying his nose completely in Namu’s neck and sniffing aggressively, President Yoon thrust his hips upward as if mounting. Something that was undoubtedly his genitals rubbed wildly around Namu’s navel. President Yoon was in a state of excitement so intense that his vision was nearly blurring.

Namu knew all too well what happened and what was done to someone if they provoked a person who had lost their mind to lust like this. Furthermore, President Yoon was much larger than Namu. So, instead of roughly pushing him away and resisting, he tried another method.

“CEO… y-you shouldn’t do this outside.”

“Huuu, Namu, Namu. Uh-fuck. You little slut, running around seducing innocent CEOs.”

To President Yoon, who was already excited to the brim, Namu’s voice was nothing more than fuel to the fire. Eventually, President Yoon, who had been thrusting his hips like a dog in heat, let out a moan—“Huuuugh”—and his body shuddered. The area around Namu’s navel became damp. The front of President Yoon’s pants, unable to hold it in, was also damp.

“C-CEO. You can’t do this…”

The smell of President Yoon, which was worse than the foul stench of the alley, made Namu’s head spin, and the sticky bodily fluids clinging to him brought up a wave of nausea. However, Namu did not push President Yoon away violently. He tried to coax him away with soft words.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of being beaten by President Yoon right now. It was because he feared the aftermath he would have to handle alone if he resisted recklessly and President Yoon got even a small scratch, leading him to go and cause a scene with the Manager or President Im of the massage shop.

“CEO, please… don’t do this here.”

Namu’s lips trembled as he pleaded. Unaware that this was stimulating President Yoon even further, Namu continued to flutter his lips before suddenly freezing. Perhaps his breath stopped for a brief moment.

“The weather in this neighborhood is crazy, just crazy, Hyung.”

In the middle of May, temperatures dropped below freezing, and from early July, it became as humid as sitting in a sauna, pushing the discomfort index to the max. With occasional rain falling, it was absolute torture for Jae-un, who was weak against the heat.

Mu-won, having finished descending the narrow stairs, let out a short laugh as he put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Why don’t you just take a vacation?”

“Where would I go, leaving you behind, Hyung?”

Wiping his fogged-up glasses, Jae-un followed and stood beside Mu-won. Two months had already passed since they arrived in Gamgyul City. During that time, Jae-un had failed to adapt to the weather that shifted from May to July. Even Mu-won, who rarely complained about anything, occasionally frowned at the hot and humid weather.

“The weather is shit; how about a sauna, Hyung?”

Instead of an answer, the sound of a lighter clicking was heard. Jae-un, putting on his glasses, watched Mu-won’s reaction; although Mu-won habitually kept a cigarette in his mouth, he rarely lit it.

No particular emotion could be read from the handsome face that made Jae-un feel proud just by being associated with him. Jae-un was about to look across the street following Mu-won, who was silently exhaling a long stream of smoke, when he straightened his gaze at his Hyung’s voice.

“Just bring the car around. It’s hot.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

Jae-un, who usually walked to the parking lot with Mu-won, seemed strangely pleased by the instruction and moved his heavy body quickly. Mu-won preferred to act personally or together rather than ordering his subordinates to do everything.

Although he said it was for convenience, Jae-un occasionally felt hurt, wondering if he wasn’t trustworthy enough. Then, whenever he was actually given a task, he would finish it with a hum of excitement. This was true no matter how trivial or miscellaneous the task was.

As the humming Jae-un disappeared behind the host club building, Mu-won, who had inhaled the cigarette filter, slowly exhaled. Smoke like cumulus clouds scattered around him. 3 PM. In a neighborhood where the population moved more at night, midday was as leisurely as the countryside.

Among the scenery that hinted at how noisy the street must have been overnight—trash bags surrounding the tangled utility poles, a flowerbed that had served as an ashtray, lined-up drink cups, and various pub flyers stuck to the road like gum—there was a worn-out meat restaurant.

[All-you-can-eat Beef: 19,900 won per person]

To the left of the meat restaurant, which occupied the first floor of a five-story building, was a six-story building centered around a ‘Karaoke Bar.’ Mu-won, staring at the alley between the two buildings, began to walk. As he leisurely crossed the narrow road without a traffic light, he looked as if he had neither purpose nor direction.

Namu, who had been resisting weakly, stopped moving at some point. Not only that, but he let all the strength leave his body and lowered his head. Naturally, Namu’s head ended up buried in President Yoon’s chest, and hot breath was showered all over his neck.

Thinking it was just a playful act, President Yoon grinned and, unable to control his excitement, began to lust after Namu indiscriminately.

He roughly pulled down the short-sleeved T-shirt and buried his face in the pale, exposed shoulder. Just as President Yoon, who tried to nibble on the soft, downy flesh with his yellow teeth, rubbed his throbbing cock against Namu’s stomach again—

“CEO.”

A voice flying in from behind made the hair on his neck stand up. The deep bass, which forcibly dragged the reason out of the lust-blinded President Yoon, wasn’t particularly cold or aggressive. It was simply a voice that pierced straight into his mind, making the back of his neck stiff.

Even so, President Yoon tried to ignore the voice. An unknown danger signal gripped the back of his neck, but he couldn’t simply cut off the desire that had been interrupted just before he could take a bite.

Now, he just had to grab the hair of Namu, who was curled up almost like a pill bug, and sink his teeth into that luscious flesh.

“CEO?”

That was until the indifferent, almost bored voice dragged President Yoon’s reason back once more. Fuck, who the hell is this?

The fear that had been swallowed by his interrupted desire returned the moment President Yoon spun around and came face-to-face with a dark-skinned man.

“If you’re going to fuck, you should go to a motel.”

Due to the backlight, the man’s silhouette was entirely black, and his size couldn’t be taken in at a single glance. To President Yoon, that black mass looked as giant and threatening as a house-sized tiger.

“W-who the hell are you?”

President Yoon’s reflexive shout was neither bravery nor bravado. It was merely a frail scream let out by a fear that had penetrated his marrow. Whether the sunlight had shifted or the man had moved, the dark contours of his face slowly revealed themselves.

However, what made President Yoon lose his will to fight wasn’t the wall-like physique or the terrifying face. It was the eyes sunken beneath the brow bone. Those dark eyes that didn’t smile in the slightest, even as he pulled up a sharp, slight grin.

Looking down at the terrified President Yoon, Mu-won erased the hint of a smile and flicked out the cigarette. After landing the remaining butt accurately into a pile of trash bags, he answered the question with a face devoid of any amusement.

“A passerby.”

As if that single word were a punch, President Yoon let out a sound like a slaughtered pig—“Hieek”—and stepped backward. Thanks to that, Namu, who was behind him, became sandwiched between the dirty alley wall and President Yoon. Namu, whose face was pressed against President Yoon’s sweat-soaked back, seemed unable to even breathe.

With both hands shoved in his pants pockets, Mu-won tilted his head. A small head was glimpsed over President Yoon’s greasy crown. Like a bird-brain who thinks they’re hidden just by burying their head, Namu had his eyes tightly shut and was shrinking his body as much as possible.

His flushed cheeks must have been completely squashed against President Yoon’s back. Namu was resisting with all his might. Not President Yoon, but Mu-won.

“I-I don’t know who you are, but d-don’t meddle in o-others’ business.”

For some reason, Mu-won’s pressure—or perhaps his interest—waned slightly. The shrewd President Yoon finally found a tiny bit of courage and tried to talk back, but Mu-won didn’t give him a single glance. As if President Yoon didn’t even exist, he looked only at the small head.

“If you have no business here, I told you to g-go on your way!”

President Yoon, who had been shouting with some unknown courage or bravado, suddenly turned pale. Eyes that glistened even darker in the sunlight turned toward President Yoon.

In those narrow pupils, there wasn’t a speck of a threatening element to intimidate President Yoon. Nevertheless, President Yoon trembled like a mouse caught in a trap. Looking down at President Yoon, who looked as if he might wet himself at any moment, Mu-won spoke nonchalantly.

“I wondered if he was someone I knew.”

“I-I don’t know someone like you…!”

“Not the CEO.”

“W-what does that…?”

“That fluff behind the CEO.”

Mu-won’s gaze, which had detached without regret, fixed once again on the area beyond President Yoon’s crown. Namu, sandwiched between the wall and President Yoon—who was flailing like a pig afraid of being slaughtered—had become even flatter.

Even then, Namu kept his head low and never once looked up. Specifically, he didn’t look at Mu-won. Namu was pretending not to know Mu-won. That fact piqued Mu-won’s interest.

“Do you not know me?”

President Yoon, looking up at Mu-won who was suddenly talking to the person behind his back, stepped aside, pushed by that indifferent aura. Thanks to that, Namu’s curled-up body was half-revealed. Looking back and forth between the still-motionless Namu and the man who looked like he could swallow Namu in one bite, President Yoon’s face suddenly became anxious.

Was he acquainted with this gangster? How long has it been since he arrived that he already has a sugar daddy… this green brat. Virgin my ass, he’s a total rag. Did that son of a bitch Jeong Jeong-gon lie to me? Wait, if this gangster really is his sugar daddy…

A pale President Yoon tried to sneak away, but it remained only an attempt. The man, with his back to the alley entrance, was subtly blocking the path.

President Yoon’s face became drenched in sweat that leaked out like sap. Completely ignoring President Yoon, who was fidgeting like a dog that needed to poop, Mu-won straightened his tilted gaze.

“Do you need help?”

“……”

It was President Yoon who reacted as if jumping at Mu-won’s question.

H-help, my foot! I didn’t even know this brat had a sugar daddy. If I had known, I would never have fallen for it. The one who lured me out was this green brat! President Yoon, who wanted to vomit these words out like fire, couldn’t let a single word slip.

Looking down at Namu’s exposed white neck, Mu-won curled his lips into a grin. The atmosphere, which was the complete opposite of the definition of a smile, sent shivers down President Yoon’s arms.

“Or, were you in the middle of business?”

“……”

Mu-won, who stared at Namu—who remained so motionless it was frustrating to watch—for a while, let out a short laugh.

He had meddled, unlike himself, because Namu looked troubled, but it seemed Namu had been caught while trying to make some extra money by acting seductive. Recalling Namu, who had smiled shyly with a face of pure innocence, Mu-won took a step back.

After rotting away for two full years before getting out, his instincts had grown dull. An easy target was easier to open up. If he was loose with his heart, wouldn’t he be loose with his body? A kid who stripped easily even in front of him wouldn’t be picky about who he rolled with.

A kid who could endure being beaten to a pulp for money wouldn’t have refrained from doing other things. Namu, who was stuck to the back of the nauseating President Yoon, suddenly looked like a worn-out kid.

He’s got a strong stomach.

Tsk.

I was going to try and score some points this time.

Somehow feeling deflated, Mu-won left the alley with an even more bored expression.

Just as his trembling legs were about to give out, Namu was grabbed by the collar. Namu was slapped across the face. Perhaps his arm strength had increased from catching fish, but even though he was hit with a palm, the sound—thwack, thwack—rang out exactly five times, sounding almost like punches.

The loud humming of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit mixed with President Yoon’s panting. Namu, barely standing by leaning on the arm strength of President Yoon who held his collar, didn’t let out a single moan. He only let out faint breaths, like an ornamental fish in a broken aquarium.

Blood from his burst nose flowed down President Yoon’s forearm. President Yoon, who had been raising his hand repeatedly in anger, paused. Namu’s limp state was unusual. With a face that said Fuck, I’m screwed, President Yoon looked around and narrowed his eyes.

This bastard is playing with me. A loose slut who even has a sugar daddy, acting this dramatic—!

Namu, who got beaten every day to pay off debts, was a local celebrity in the massage alley. Even in a commercial district where people were busy overlooking most illegalities because they had their own secrets, Namu’s situation was frequently used as a topic of conversation over drinks.

His situation was loud, but it was also because Namu had no connections, no background, and no power, making him an easy target. Because there was no one who would make a fuss or retaliate just because someone said the wrong thing or had a bad habit of hitting a kid like Namu.

Looking pretty and like he couldn’t even afford thin porridge, he had somehow built up a tolerance for pain from being beaten around, as he managed to open his eyes even with a bloody nose. President Yoon, who had been terrified when Namu went limp like water-soaked cotton, suddenly raised his hand convulsively upon meeting those eyes looking up at him.

“CEO…”

That was until the blood-stained lips called him. President Yoon, flinching at the frail voice, soon glared and swung his hand, thinking, This brat is acting seductive again. Before that, a hand reached out and grabbed President Yoon’s wrist.

It wasn’t so much a grab as it was a cling. Namu, clinging to the arm of President Yoon who held his collar, trembled and pleaded.

“Please… stop…”

“You little fuck?”

“Stop… hitting me.”

Physiological tears flowed down the cheeks that had swollen bright red. President Yoon’s cock suddenly hardened at the arrogant attitude. Simultaneously, pushing his lower body forward, he slammed Namu against the wall.

“And if I stop hitting you?”

“……”

“You little shit. You think I don’t know you conspired with Jeong Jeong-gon to stab me in the back? Fuck, a virgin? If a piece of shit like you is a virgin, every slut in Gamgyul would jump at me saying ‘I’m a towel!'”

“Ugh.”

The hand that had been slapping his cheek suddenly gripped Namu’s crotch. At the reckless kneading, Namu couldn’t hold back a moan, and his thighs instinctively clamped shut.

“Just how much were you planning to bleed me for? If I, fuck, had actually fallen for a piece of trash like you, how much were you going to rip off, you little shit?”

Thud— The force of his collar being shaken slammed the back of Namu’s head against the restaurant wall. Dizziness clouded his vision. His head spun, and as he barely clung to his fading consciousness, Namu opened his trembling lips.

He wanted to explain. He wanted to tell him it was a misunderstanding. He thought that if he told the truth, President Yoon would stop being angry.

“It’s not like that, CEO.”

President Yoon, who had made his own crotch stand stiffer by rubbing against Namu’s soft penis, didn’t listen to a word he said. He simply panted like a dog in heat—huff, huff, huff—and began to suck on Namu’s ear.

When Namu twisted his head to avoid it, the man tightened his grip with both hands. Choked by the hand on his collar and feeling his testicles pulled by the hand gripping his penis, Namu let out a shallow breath. Tears streamed down his face. The places where he’d been hit and his testicles, being kneaded like dough, hurt terribly. It was hard to breathe because he was being strangled.

“Fuck, why are you crying, Namu? Huh? Did you want my cock that bad? Were you afraid I wouldn’t even pay you for the sex if I found out you weren’t a virgin, so you put Jeong Jeong-gon in front of you? Huuup. Fuck, your tongue feels like it’s melting. Namu, Namu. Do you want to come suck my cock every day? I’ll give you ten thousand won every time you do it. I’ll even feed you meat once a week. And if you give me your back hole too? Thirty thousand won per fuck. Where else would a little slut like you get this kind of money? Huff, huff. You’re amazing, Namu. Fuck, huup! So soft. Fuck…”

“Kkeup… I… it’s not… kkeu… eu… I… don’t… sell my body.”

“Where did you learn to lie every time you open your mouth, Namu? Huff, huff. You think I don’t know you go around selling your body every week to pay off your debts? You probably spread your legs while getting beaten. Huuuk. Spreading your back hole wide open…”

Talking to himself and excited to the limit, President Yoon rubbed the head of his cock wildly against Namu’s thigh. His foul-smelling tongue sucked on Namu’s ear and licked up his swollen, red cheek. Blood rushed to Namu’s face as he was strangled.

Sucking and rubbing his tongue all over the crimson face, President Yoon finally shuddered, his sweat-soaked body trembling. After two spurts, thin semen soaked President Yoon’s pants as if he had wet himself. As they struggled, Namu’s shorts were pulled up, and the urine-like semen was smeared across his exposed white thighs.

“Kkeup, kkeu-uk.”

As the sound of Namu choking and gasping reached the ears of the delirious President Yoon, his limp cock stiffened once more. It had been worth taking the expensive medication before coming here. Desperate to ram his cock into that back hole, President Yoon used the hand that had been crushing Namu’s testicles to yank his pants down. The thin underwear was stripped off in one go.

“Fuck, this fucking thing, fuck…”

Looking down at Namu’s lower half, which only had a light dusting of peach fuzz, President Yoon’s eyes turned bloodshot. The stimulation rushed to his head, and it felt as if lightning were flashing through the folds of his brain. Reason be damned, he wanted to crush that cotton-like penis and shove his own cock into that tiny back hole right now. Driven by instinct, the crazed President Yoon acted immediately.

At that moment, a large hand gripped President Yoon’s hair. After tossing aside the wig that slid off, the hand gripped the back of his head again.

“Aaaagh!”

Before President Yoon’s scream could even end—thwack, thwack, thwack!—his exposed forehead was slammed into the restaurant wall. Thick, muscular forearms rippled menacingly every time a thwack sounded. Veins bulged on the back of the hand gripping the hair, but the one-sided violence did not stop.

President Yoon made a sound like a frog’s belly bursting. His face, quickly becoming blood-soaked, began to lose its shape. Even so, the hand gripping the back of his head didn’t stop slamming him into the wall, which was now stained with blood. It was a mechanical motion, devoid of excitement, satisfaction, or pleasure.

Thump— President Yoon collapsed onto the floor, covered in blood. A gurgling, choking sound of bloody phlegm mixed with the noise of the outdoor AC unit like static. Mu-won flicked the tangled hairs off his fingers as if shaking off something dirty and glanced over.

Namu, slumped on the floor, was looking up at Mu-won. His eyes were filled with terror. It was a gaze Mu-won was familiar with. After all, it wasn’t easy to remain composed after witnessing a person being ground down like a piece of meat right before one’s eyes.

Though the reaction wasn’t surprising, a flicker of displeasure crossed Mu-won’s eyes. He shouldn’t be afraid of me already. Tsk. Clicking his tongue lowly, Mu-won wiped the blood from the back of his hand on his jacket and leaned down.

Even kneeling on one knee, his eye level was far above Namu’s. The eyelashes of Namu, who was leaning against the wall as if crumpled, trembled faintly. The pale eyes beneath them also rippled with tiny tremors, the blood vessels burst.

Unbothered, Mu-won searched the inside of his jacket and pulled out a handkerchief. When he tried to wipe the nosebleed that was still flowing, the small body flinched. Mu-won did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he used his other hand as well.

“Ut.”

A large hand gripped the narrow chin. It wasn’t enough to render him immobile, but for Namu, who had been beaten until his cheeks were bursting, it was a grip strong enough to bring tears to his eyes. Drip— The colorless handkerchief wiped away the blood that flowed instead of tears.

“Heuk…”

Even as Namu groaned in pain and broke into a cold sweat, Mu-won did not let go. Leaving the continuously flowing sweat alone, he wiped away the blood, which had been his original purpose. Mu-won’s expression was peaceful as he pressed firmly on the bridge of the nose until the bleeding stopped. The fact that he hadn’t breathed heavily once after turning President Yoon into a pulp revealed a glimpse of a daily life accustomed to violence and blood.

“Kkeuk…”

Mu-won paid no attention to the sound of Namu trying to stifle his sobs. With skilled hands, he simply wiped the blood smeared across the tiny face, combed through the disheveled hair, and straightened the clothes. Throughout the process, Mu-won’s shadow covered Namu.

Without realizing it, Namu found himself hiding within that shadow, blinking his blurring eyes and swallowing hard. His eyes stung. Yet, Namu couldn’t take his eyes off Mu-won, who was taking care of him without even glancing at him. Because he was terrified.

Mu-won, who had been tidying Namu’s clothes, slowly pulled his hand away. The short-sleeved t-shirt, which had slipped down to the shoulders, had a stretched-out neck that was beyond repair. Thanks to that, the handprints on the clearly exposed neck began to rise slowly.

Those were hands that handled raw fish. In his excitement, President Yoon could have snapped that thin neck with the same hands. He probably didn’t even realize the danger.

Moving his gaze to the red, swollen cheeks, Mu-won finally locked eyes with Namu. As if that were a signal, Namu’s clear eyes welled up.

“Cu… customer…”

The way he held back tears wasn’t special. Kids this age usually tried only to hide their tears and emotions. Not knowing that their insides were transparent. They struggled like that.

It was just that Namu was a child who was naturally bad at hiding his emotions, so it stood out. It was obvious just by seeing how terrified he was over something like this. But it had already happened. Also, Namu was the type who could be easily soothed if one tried.

Hiding his inner thought that this had become a nuisance, Mu-won stood up. As he brushed the dust off his knee, Namu’s gaze followed him up. Not only that, Namu tried to push himself up to stand, but he collapsed back down. The strength had left his legs.

There was no help for Namu, who kept collapsing like a newborn calf. Having let go, Mu-won remained indifferent throughout, as if he had finished his task. His expression was hidden in the shade. As Mu-won looked as if he were about to turn around, Namu, who had been trying to stand, hesitated. Mu-won’s eyes, hidden in the shade, turned precisely toward Namu. Only those eyes, pitch black, were clearly visible.

“No matter how desperate you are for money.”

His voice was calm.

“Wouldn’t it be better to be picky about which customers you take?”

It was hard to read his emotions.

“Our poor Mr. Namu. If you want to sell that body of yours for a long time.”

With every word Mu-won spoke, the color drained from Namu’s face. A gaze like an unbreakable thread followed the back of Mu-won as he turned and eventually left the alley, before finally dropping to the ground.

‘Our Mr. Namu, what a pitiful person.’

In Namu’s vision, wandering the dirty street, the scattered bloodstains caught his eye. At the end of them lay the pulped President Yoon. Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Namu crawled toward President Yoon.

“CEO… CEO…”

Unclear pronunciation leaked from his swollen mouth. President Yoon, who had been beaten into a stupor, was unconscious. Turning even paler, Namu shook President Yoon with trembling fingertips.

“CEO, CEO.”

However, President Yoon’s face was seriously crushed, and he showed no signs of waking up. Namu’s teary eyes rolled frantically. Unable to look away from President Yoon’s face, which looked like it could never be okay again, Namu fumbled through his pants pockets.

He couldn’t feel his phone; he must have dropped it somewhere. After searching several times, he reflexively began searching President Yoon’s clothes. Fortunately, he found the phone in the pants pocket.

119, 119, 119…

Muttering as he touched the screen, Namu suddenly scanned his surroundings. In Gamgyul City, a blind spot for security, looking for a CCTV camera was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The alley, where dilapidated shops lined up like chipped bowls, was the same.

Relieved without realizing it, Namu fumbled with the screen again. He blinked his blurring eyes quickly to secure his vision, but his fingers kept slipping. Perhaps because there was blood on his hands, stains appeared on the phone. When he finally lit up the screen, the password entry window appeared.

Ah.

Namu paused for a moment, his mind tangling like a broken spool of thread. Belatedly remembering the emergency contact method, he pressed the button. Before long, the ringing stopped and the other side answered.

“I… this is 119, right…”

He stumbled because he didn’t know the exact address, but the report went smoothly. As Namu performed first aid on President Yoon as instructed by the operator, both of his hands soon became soaked in blood.

“Kkeu-ok, kkeok, kkeu-eo-eo…”

Every time Namu’s hand touched him, President Yoon thrashed like an electrified catfish and let out a scream along with foam. With a pale face, Namu moved his fingertips, his eyes occasionally going blank before regaining their color.

‘Our Mr. Namu. Do you like being beaten?’

‘Is that why you sold your body for money?’

‘There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re just using your own body as you please.’

Mu-won’s voice, pouring out unexpectedly, pierced Namu like a sharp awl. Flinching every time he was stabbed in some unknown place, Namu suddenly looked around.

Because it was a damp place where the sun didn’t reach, the dirt ground was muddy. Discovering footprints stamped there, Namu hurriedly reached out. With blood-stained hands, he smeared the large footprints. They were the footprints Mu-won had left.

‘There must have been a reason.’

‘Don’t worry about what I said.’

His eyes grew hot. His eyes stung with the feeling that he had ruined something. Leaving behind President Yoon, who had received clumsy treatment, Namu crawled along the footprints, covering the muddy ground.

Namu, who had been meticulously erasing the traces from the inside of the alley to the outside, stopped only after a clean shoe tip blocked his path. Thinking that 119 had already arrived, he stopped abruptly and slowly tilted his head back.

Frowning at the sweltering heat, Mu-won put a cigarette in his mouth for the second time today. Outside the alley, it was still quiet. The morning in a city where people specialized in nighttime work rather than daytime always started late.

A few people in shabby, light clothing walked along the sun-drenched road. In their hands, they carried convenience store bags or bath bags.

A bead of sweat finally rolled down his spine, unable to withstand the midsummer humidity. Standing at a crosswalk without a traffic light, Mu-won’s hand, which was lighting a lighter, began to slow down at some point.

He paused in thought. Was there any particular reason to waste this opportunity just because he felt a bit disgusted? After a brief thought, Mu-won turned back, having already tucked the lighter into his jacket.

Jae-un, who had parked his pickup truck on the opposite side of the road, looked puzzled. Mu-won, who had vanished while he was pulling the car over, suddenly emerged from a shabby alley and came to a halt.

Seeing him take out a cigarette, Jae-un wondered if something unpleasant had happened, but Mu-won snapped the cigarette and turned around again. He stepped right back into the alley he had just come out of. Sensing something strange, Jae-un reflexively tried to follow him but stopped.

If he needed him, he would have called him since he was right in front of him. He had long since learned Mu-won’s tendency to be uncomfortable with excessive loyalty and the protection of his mood. Changing his mind, Jae-un leaned his massive body back against the equally massive truck.

The look on his face, wondering if anything could possibly happen to his Hyung, soon distorted into irritation. The suffocatingly sticky and humid heat clung stubbornly to his well-developed frame.

Standing at the entrance, Mu-won could see clearly into the alley.

President Yoon, sprawled out like a slaughtered pig. The peach fuzz, who had searched for a phone and then hurriedly looked up at the buildings. The peach fuzz, who, after confirming there were no CCTVs, felt greatly relieved and struggled to support his injured body to report and provide first aid to the bastard who had committed violence against him.

Namu, who was a complete wreck, crawling and overturning the dirt ground to erase the footprints that were clearly Mu-won’s. The fluffy peach fuzz was now covered in blood and dust. Namu, who had been wriggling while crawling on the floor in a filthy state, froze as if having a seizure in front of Mu-won’s feet.

Perhaps mistaking him for a police officer or a paramedic, his rigid body trembled. Unable to endure the noisy silence of midday for even a single minute, Namu lifted his gaze. As Namu’s head tilted back, pale brown hair flowed down over his ears.

Namu’s vision was blurry. That’s why he didn’t recognize Mu-won standing tall in front of him at first glance. Only after blinking his eyelashes, tangled with sweat and blood, a couple of times did he accurately recognize Mu-won.

Eyes blacker than darkness looked down at Namu as if pressing him down. Mu-won looked silently at the face where bruises were beginning to rise on the swollen spots, and a small spark traced a trajectory following his fingertips. Finally lighting the cigarette, Mu-won exhaled a long cloud of thick smoke.

Standing with the sun behind him, Mu-won’s face, which had been hard to see, became even blurrier because of the hazy smoke. Namu felt a little sad about that.

“Cu… customer…”

Namu couldn’t even hear his own ridiculous pronunciation.

“It’s… not.”

As the filter and the spark drew closer, a heavy silence descended. Namu looked up at Mu-won, who stood by as if he were a stranger, and shook his head.

“I… didn’t… take money from Young-eok.”

It was a fact that wasn’t particularly important to Mu-won. Whether those words he desperately squeezed out were true or not, Mu-won didn’t care. What he wanted now was Namu’s favor. That heart that easily gave in if one just tended to a single scratch. It was an opportunity to completely tear it away and take it.

Mu-won’s large shadow shrank as if crumpled. Squatting in front of Namu, Mu-won pressed the cigarette out on the dirt ground.

“Why did you call 119?”

“…I thought… he might die.”

“Do you hate it when people die?”

Namu, who looked blankly up at Mu-won, who asked as if a completely obvious fact were a matter of preference, nodded. The nosebleed, which he thought had stopped, flowed again and split his lips.

“Yes.”

“Why did you look for CCTVs?”

Since he wasn’t looking for an answer, Mu-won didn’t give Namu a chance to open his mouth.

“Were you afraid my thug behavior might have been recorded?”

There was no more handkerchief to wipe or press the blood. Without deep thought, Mu-won grabbed Namu’s top. The t-shirt, pulled up as if his collar were being grabbed, covered Namu’s bridge of the nose. The grip pressing down was strong enough to snap Namu’s windpipe instantly if things went wrong. It was a strength starkly different from his refined appearance.

“So, did you crawl on the floor like a bug and personally erase my footprints for me?”

He saw everything…

“Mr. Namu.”

Namu, who didn’t know what to say and could only let out thin, wheezing breaths, had his eyes tremble at the voice calling him.

“I’ll ask again.”

“……”

“Want me to help you?”

Mu-won’s patience was not long. Looking down at Namu, who didn’t utter a word, he smiled as if stepping back. The hand blocking the nosebleed let go. There was no blood pouring out in the meantime. This time too, Mu-won stopped Namu’s nosebleed with a simple gesture.

As Mu-won slowly stood up, Namu’s head tilted back as far as it could go. The hand that had been gripping the bridge of Namu’s nose now held a cell phone. There was no trace of a smile on Mu-won’s face as he dialed a number. The smile from moments ago felt like a mirage.

“Gamgyul City, Block 19.”

Mu-won’s voice, spoken as he habitually lit a cigarette, settled into Namu’s muffled ears. It was the place where President Yoon had been recklessly scribbling.

“Come and clean this up.”

Namu’s heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open. Having finished the short call, Mu-won flicked his lighter. The flickering light illuminated his straight bridge of the nose and deep-set eyes. It was an effect created by the layers of shadows cast over the alley.

“…….”

Mu-won skillfully inhaled from the filter and turned his back at an angle. He seemed completely indifferent to the sprawling President Yoon or to Namu. His attitude was nonchalant, as if he had just finished some tedious chore.

Almost out of the alley, Mu-won quickly vanished from Namu’s sight. This was because Namu’s upper body, which he had barely been holding up, finally collapsed. His cheek fell powerlessly, burying itself in the damp dirt. Since it was where he had been hit, a stinging pain bristled. However, relief reached Namu before the pain did.

It had been a pointless act. Even if he hadn’t made a scene, the situation would have been easily handled. He had only stepped in impulsively because the scene was too disgusting to ignore; the guest had no intention of killing President Yoon.

It was a relief. A relief….

Mu-won, now on his third cigarette, took a couple of puffs before dropping the long cigarette to the ground. He crushed it with the sole of his shoe and looked back into the alley. Namu was lying face down less than five paces away. Whether it was pride or something else, the fact that he didn’t ask for help until the very end was indescribably pathetic.

Who does he think he is?

Mu-won, recalling how Namu had tried so meticulously to erase his own footprints even while dying, stepped forward. He nudged the small, limp body with the tip of his toe, as if Namu had finally passed out. Namu didn’t budge. Only then did Mu-won bend his waist and effortlessly lift the body—which wasn’t even a mouthful—and tuck it under his arm.

He was already as light as a tuft of down, making Mu-won frown instinctively, wondering if the boy even ate. Jae-un’s eyes widened when he spotted Mu-won crossing the roadside with his long strides.

“Hyung-nim?”

The reactions of a few pedestrians they encountered while crossing the narrow road were not much different from Jae-un’s. Looking horrified as if they had seen a corpse, they immediately looked away, branding Mu-won—who looked like a gangster at a glance—as the perpetrator or a murderer. Compared to them, Jae-un’s reaction was mild.

“Uh… did you do this, Hyung-nim?”

Just how disobedient was he? No matter how it was, how much did you beat that tiny brat?

“Tsk….”

Reading the thoughts clearly displayed on Jae-un’s flat face, Mu-won spat out a curse and opened the back door of the pickup truck. He tossed Namu, whom he had been carrying under his arm, into the back seat and closed the door, then—thwack—he kicked Jae-un in the shin.

“Ow, I’m dying!”

Mu-won snatched the car keys from Jae-un, who was grimacing in pain, and climbed into the driver’s seat. Rolling down the window, he gestured with his eyes toward the alley to the still-complaining Jae-un.

“Go see the cleanup.”

Jae-un, who hadn’t actually been kicked that hard, immediately stopped his fussing and composed his expression. The word ‘cleanup’ had helped him judge the situation quickly.

* * *

A familiar scent brushed the tip of his nose. Following the smell, the whirring sound of an air conditioner touched his hearing. Frowning, Namu woke up and pushed his eyelids open.

As Namu waited patiently for his blurred vision to clear, a single tear slid down his temple. It was a byproduct that had gathered in his swollen eyelids while he slept.

“…….”

After some time, a ceiling that was unfamiliar yet somehow recognizable filled his vision. The yellowed wallpaper bore the marks of the owner’s indifference and the passage of time. An incandescent bulb hanging solitary in the center brightened Namu’s view further.

His entire body throbbed as much as his face, which was likely swollen like a steamed bun. Still, relieved that nothing seemed broken or cracked, Namu carefully pushed himself up to sit.

His last memory was the back of the guest turning away from him. Namu knew that he hadn’t fainted or collapsed, but had fallen asleep. Memories deleted as if they had been cut out and pasted back together; a mind that had become that clear. It was a symptom of narcolepsy.

The swelling and bruising on the cheek where President Yoon had hit him had spread across his entire face, making his eyelids uneven. Namu could guess his condition through sensation alone. Having been beaten often was an experience in itself. It helped at times like this.

Still, when he was younger, it had been nothing more than corporal punishment and power struggles among peers, so while it was hard, his heart wasn’t uneasy. Being beaten to pay off a debt was incomparably more uncomfortable. He hadn’t known what that discomfort was, but during his conversation with the guest, he realized it was shame.

‘So it’s “payment-based violence”?’

The guest seemed to dislike such things. Selling one’s body for money. Paying off a debt through shortcuts rather than honest labor. A young brat trying to make money the easiest way possible.

Though the guest had said he had his reasons and told Namu not to worry about what he’d said, it wasn’t because he truly didn’t care, but because he was a good person and was being considerate. His decision to intervene in the alleyway commotion, despite being displeased by it, was likely for the same reason.

That was why Namu liked the guest. More accurately, he liked his visits. Even if they were just a masseur and a guest, the fact that he knew him. In Namu’s world, there were many people who didn’t even bother to pretend to be virtuous, and those who considered honest brutality a virtue were common. Even if the guest’s consideration had been hypocrisy or a facade, Namu was grateful. To Namu, even that was an extravagant kindness.

When his vision finally cleared, the room he looked around was old and shabby. There was a grid-patterned clothes hanger on the wall, a faded fan mounted slightly above, and an old air conditioner and a round analog clock hanging opposite.

Seeing ‘Gamrotang’ written under a wall calendar with large printed numbers, it seemed to be an inn room attached to a public bathhouse. The room rate was probably a fraction of other inns. Having rented a monthly room at an inn for a short while before moving to ‘Tangerine Massage,’ ‘Gamro Inn’ felt unfamiliar yet inevitably recognizable to Namu.

He probably… is a gangster, right?

Namu, staring at the floral curtains that served no purpose other than blocking the window, lowered his gaze. A pleasant scent wafted from the thin blanket that must have covered him while he slept.

It was the scent he had smelled on the guest. He had thought it was perfume or shower cologne, but it was the smell of soap. The kind of soap commonly found in inns or public baths. The same soapy scent came from the thick mattress beneath his hips.

Why did I only realize now? It was something that was also at the massage shop.

Slowly lying back down after barely pushing himself up, Namu pulled the blanket up to his chin and buried the tip of his nose in it. The violent aura emanating from the guest, who looked like a respectable entrepreneur or a well-educated intellectual, naturally came to mind. Just as the scent coming from him was a common soap, it was very incongruous.

Seeing him stay in a place like this, he doesn’t seem to have much money. Yet he gave me a tip of 100,000 won…. Is that why he can’t come often? I wouldn’t mind if he didn’t give tips, as long as he came often. Even a 30-minute course instead of the VIP course would be fine, as long as he came every day. If I were the owner of the massage shop, I wouldn’t have taken any money.

The fact that he always wore the same clothes, too. The cigarettes he smoked weren’t expensive domestic ones. Once he became aware, Namu began to dwell on the small details of the guest he hadn’t noticed before, and three snakes with wrinkled bridges of their noses flickered before his eyes. Seeing that he had snakes on his back instead of a tiger, it was clear he wasn’t from The Center.

‘The punks in Gamgyul City all flock to draw tigers on their backs just to copy the guys from The Center.’

‘I’d rather close shop than take those kinds of guys. Ugh, those punks.’

The Manager, who said there were no real gangsters in Gamgyul City, only ignorant thugs or trivial punks, told him not to associate with them except when working. Namu didn’t know exactly how gangsters, thugs, and punks differed, but even without the Manager’s warning, Namu knew they were dangerous. The people who stripped him and beat him every week were of that sort.

“…….”

It had been four weeks since he had been summoned by them. The Manager played dumb, and the massage shop owner remained secluded. Rather than relief at not having to be dragged away and beaten every week, the burden and anxiety over the daily increasing interest were greater.

They said if he went once a week, they would deduct 6 million won from the weekly interest and principal. For six months. Namu hadn’t known there were watches that expensive in the world. It was also his first time meeting someone who used such a watch as a mere pastime and charged the cost of its repair as a “beating fee.”

He should have been more careful.

It was Namu’s mistake that had ruthlessly shattered the watch worth over 100 million won. While collapsing during a narcoleptic seizure, he had dumped a basin of foot-bath water over a male guest sitting on the sofa. Furthermore, as the guest tried to avoid Namu, who was falling toward him, the watch face hit the edge of the table and shattered with a crack.

In truth, Namu had already fallen asleep before he even heard the sound of the watch breaking. It wasn’t a mistake, but an accident. An accident foretold by his chronic seizures. Therefore, no matter how much Namu prepared and was careful, it was an accident that was bound to happen. As always, it happened in a direction and form that Namu could never have imagined.

Facing the 100-million-won watch he had broken, Namu felt as if he would faint. 100 million. It was a number Namu couldn’t even imagine. The one who mediated between the male guest, who demanded immediate payment, and Namu, who woke up late from his seizure, was the massage shop owner, Im Chang-seok.

The owner of the wristwatch, who said he enjoyed games, accepted President Im’s mediation, saying he happened to need a whipping boy. Namu had no choice.

Because of his seizures, Namu wasn’t hired by small businesses, let alone small self-employed shops. He couldn’t even dream of dangerous construction sites or factories with machinery. He never once thought of hiding his illness to get a job. Since he didn’t know when or where he might collapse, he couldn’t put his own life, let alone others’, at risk.

He lived by barely finding jobs through an acquaintance’s acquaintance, and then another acquaintance. It was mostly work guarding a counter. Jobs at motels, jjimjilbangs, or gosiwons—where it wouldn’t hurt anyone if he collapsed at any time—were usually short-term part-time jobs that didn’t even pay minimum wage.

Namu was always strapped for cash and hungry. Seo Su-yeong, who felt sorry for Namu after he was fired from being a gosiwon manager, introduced him to ‘Tangerine Massage.’ Seo Su-yeong was a Hyung he had become close with in a fam where he had stayed for two months half a year ago.

He had actively supported bringing the ill Namu into the fam, helped him adjust, and saved him from danger several times. Carrying Namu on his back when he fell asleep on the street, or whisking Namu away when he was about to face something terrible inside the fam. He was a truly grateful person who took care of Namu, who had no connections, like a real younger brother.

Until then, Namu had been poor, but not a debtor. So, he emptied the small amount of money he had saved and registered for a massage training center. Aiming for an association certification rather than a national one, he completed a 3-month course costing 2 million won and obtained the certification. Seo Su-yeong was the one who helped him through that process. He took care of Namu far more than any blood relative ever had.

I miss him.

Namu, curling his body further, let out a small sigh of longing for Seo Su-yeong.

I hope he’s doing well.

After getting a job at ‘Tangerine Massage,’ he had lost contact with Seo Su-yeong. He heard news of him—who had changed his phone number and deleted his messaging apps—with difficulty from a younger brother who had stayed in the fam with them.

‘He says he’s doing construction. Ji-young just happened to run into him and said they only exchanged brief greetings. Anyway, how are you doing, Hyung? Ji-young was wondering. I was wondering too. Less than a month after you guys left, our fam broke up too.’

After they left.

Even though he tried not to recall it, the sunken memories floated easily through his mind.

‘Are you crazy?’

‘Fuck, stop pretending to be nice. You hypocrite.’

The cause of the conflict between the fam leader and Seo Su-yeong that day was also Namu.

‘No matter how uneducated and rude you are, let’s keep some standards, Lee Won-seong, okay?’

‘Standards, my ass, you piece of shit. You think this is a charity center? I’m trying to feed a brat who can’t even earn his own keep, and you’re fucking with me?’

In the two-room apartment under the name of the leader, Lee Won-seong, there were fifteen children. Except for Lee Won-seong and Seo Su-yeong, they were all minors. Among them, the ‘brat who can’t even earn his own keep’ was only one person: Namu.

As usual, Namu was left alone in the two-room apartment while everyone else went out to earn money. It was because of a seizure. In the morning, while changing clothes, Namu, unable to fight the drowsiness, drifted off to sleep, and Lee Won-seong brought a man in his 40s into the room. He was a man buying sex. It was Seo Su-yeong, who happened to return home just in time, who saved Namu, who had almost sold his body while asleep.

Furious at the failed deal, Lee Won-seong threw a punch at Seo Su-yeong. Seo Su-yeong, who didn’t open his mouth until the end even while being unilaterally beaten, took Namu and left the fam that day. It was also him who got Namu a job as a gosiwon manager after leaving Sacheon-dong, where the two-room apartment was. Namu always felt grateful to him for taking care of him, a complete stranger, to an incomprehensible degree.

As he recalled, his lower jaw, which had been severely beaten when he jumped in to stop the two of them, throbbed, and Namu let out a groan as he unconsciously tried to rub it. “Ow….”

Ah.

Then he suddenly snapped back to reality. He had intended to bury his nose in the soap-scented blanket for just a moment, but he had ended up settling in and lying down properly.

Manager….

He should have checked his phone as soon as he opened his eyes, but acting as if a screw had come loose in his head was a symptom that often appeared after a seizure. He hurriedly searched his pants pockets for his phone, but felt nothing. As he reached out beyond the mattress to grope the floor, Namu paused as he pushed himself up.

Uh.

Suddenly finding himself in a kneeling, prostrate position, Namu lowered his head. He wondered why it felt cool below, and realized he wasn’t wearing underwear. The only thing he was wearing was a short-sleeved T-shirt that didn’t even fit his size. Flustered and forgetting to look for his phone, Namu flinched and looked to the side.

He felt a presence outside the door. Soon after, the brown wooden door, with paint peeling off in strips, opened. It must have been oiled, as there was no noise of the joints clashing.

“…….”

“…….”

Their eyes met. Mu-won, who entered while leaning his upper body to avoid the low doorframe, scanned Namu’s posture once before fully stepping inside. Only then did Namu remember his state and try to compose himself, his shoulders jumping at the sound of the door closing. The closed door was hidden from view by Mu-won’s bulk.

“Gu, Guest….”

Mu-won, who placed the plastic bag he was holding on the low table, showed his back as he took off his jacket. The black jacket was hung on the built-in hanger, which had nothing else on it.

It looks hot….

There were no traces of sweat on the black dress shirt clinging to his broad back.

Ah, it’s because it’s black….

That’s why it didn’t show. As Mu-won took off his dress shirt, thick beads of sweat rolled down his spine. Perhaps because of the sweat, the snake scales seemed exceptionally vivid and alive. When the man unbuckled his belt and tried to take off his pants to wash, a startled Namu averted his gaze. He then pulled the blanket over to cover his lower body. He was used to seeing a man’s upper body, but not his lower body. Especially not in a place that wasn’t a workspace.

Where did my clothes go….

He guessed his clothes must have been a mess from rolling on the floor while being beaten by President Yoon.

That was his only set of summer outing clothes.

Namu, who spent the time thinking of other things until Mu-won’s presence moved away, suddenly hiccuped. It was because of a word Mu-won threw over his shoulder as he entered the bathroom attached to the room.

“I bought this for you, Namu-ssi, so eat it.”

The bathroom door closed, cutting off the end of the sentence, and the sound of cool water followed. As with any such inn room, there was absolutely no soundproofing.

Brushing, shaving, showering. Namu, who could follow Mu-won’s movements through the sounds coming from behind the door, naturally found himself focusing. When the sound of water finally stopped, Namu, regaining a sense of reality as if waking from a dream, blushed.

Like a pervert.

The guest would have been displeased if he had known. Namu, who tried to scatter his thoughts even though it was late, pulled the blanket to carefully hide his lower body and looked at the plastic bag.

Something he bought for Namu-ssi.

Thump. It felt as if something had flicked the inside of his chest. His pulse seemed to quicken, and his face felt even hotter. Unable to pinpoint the cause, Namu shook his head and took one last careful look around the cramped inn room. It seemed he would have to scour the alleyway to find his phone. He didn’t want to go back there, but a phone was a necessity for survival.

‘Do you want to “survive” that badly?’

Jeong-gon’s words suddenly flashed through his mind.

‘Do you want to join a gang and become a thug?’

Was that what Jeong-gon wanted?

‘If you’re looking for that bastard Jeong-gon, give it up. That piece of shit bolted a long time ago.’

Namu didn’t believe President Yoon. If that had been his intention from the start when he bought him meat, he could have easily lied to Jeong-gon as well. Ah… he had to call Jeong-gon too. Perhaps Jeong-gon was running around sweating, searching for him, in place of the Manager who had to stay at the counter.

Once that thought occurred to him, Namu shuffled backward on his backside to get off the mattress. There was a small vanity table next to the TV. Just as he was about to pick up the light-green telephone sitting on it—clack—the bathroom door swung open.

Searing heat poured into the room along with a cloud of steam. Namu, who had reflexively looked back at the bathroom door, spun around in a hurry. Mu-won, wearing nothing—not even a pair of underwear—was walking out while drying himself with a towel.

Ugh…

In a fleeting glance, Namu saw a python hanging from the guest’s crotch. And it wasn’t even erect. More than that, something else completely captured Namu’s attention. On the thigh, right next to the thick growth of pubic hair, a long, thick scar was etched like a relief carving.

He really must be a thug. Seeing the numerous large and small scars all over his body, it seemed his skills and affiliation weren’t particularly high-tier. For some reason, Namu felt upset and sorry.

“The phone was broken, so I threw it away. I booked the massage parlor with a ticket for you, Namu-ssi.”

“Wh… what?”

Namu, who had been nodding out of habit, startled and looked back. Fortunately, the guest had already pulled on his pants. His upper body, still glistening with lingering moisture, shimmered under the incandescent light. Namu quickly lowered his head after locking eyes with a snake-like tattoo winding over the man’s left shoulder. What wasn’t fortunate were the guest’s words.

“We… we don’t have things like tickets at our shop.”

Mu-won, who managed to hear the voice that was practically crawling into his throat, replied while pulling on a short-sleeved T-shirt.

“Right. Then let’s just say I bought the night.”

“Pardon?”

“A massage from Namu-ssi.”

Before he knew it, Mu-won had stepped closer and snatched the receiver that was still in Namu’s hand, setting it back down. Caught between the vanity and Mu-won, Namu instinctively hunched his shoulders. But before he could even do that, Mu-won stepped back, making the gesture pointless.

“Want me to buy you something else?”

“Pardon?”

Sitting at the table, Mu-won lowered the air conditioner temperature and gestured with his eyes. It was a plastic bag that looked untouched.

“Eat, even if you have no appetite.”

Namu was faster than Mu-won, who was about to take the food out himself.

“N-no. I’ll… I’ll unpack it.”

Mu-won pulled his hand away, allowing him to do so, and lightly brushed back his damp hair. His forehead was fully revealed. Seeing the wet strands of hair precariously clinging to each other, Namu suddenly found himself with nowhere to look. He thought Mu-won would have been better off as an actor or a model rather than a thug, a profession he seemed to have no talent for.

“Wow.”

Inside the black plastic bag was hot samgyetang. It was the source of the savory aroma he thought had been drifting in through the cracks of the window. Enticed by the samgyetang—a dish he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten—Namu opened the lid hesitantly. No matter how he looked at it, the samgyetang filling the opaque plastic container was a single serving.

“G-guest… do I… eat this alone?”

“Yes. Only you should eat, Namu-ssi.”

After answering curtly, Mu-won took the newspaper that was lying neatly on the vanity. Namu watched Mu-won sit comfortably and flip through the pages, then lowered his gaze. The samgyetang, filled to the brim but not overflowing, was still steaming.

Did he only buy one bowl because it’s expensive? I’m not even hungry.

The moment he thought that, his stomach protested with a loud growl. Mu-won, still not taking his eyes off the newspaper, added a comment.

“It’s hot, so scoop the chicken out separately first.”

“…….”

There was a disposable side plate inside the plastic bag. After hesitating, Namu gripped the chopsticks and scooped out the chicken submerged in the center. The chicken filling the side plate was slightly larger than an adult man’s fist. It seemed much smaller than Mu-won’s fist, though.

“Guest…”

While cooling the chicken on the plate by fanning it with his hand, Namu called out to Mu-won, gauging his reaction. When their eyes met as Mu-won glanced over, Namu strangely found himself smiling. Namu liked Mu-won a bit more for the way he responded immediately, without ignoring or avoiding his call. A genuine smile, not a forced one, tickled the corners of Namu’s mouth.

“Let’s eat together.”

Mu-won looked away, acting as if he hadn’t heard.

“I can’t eat all of this by myself…”

The sound of a page turning echoed. Hesitating, Namu summoned his courage once more. It was true that it was too much for one person to eat. Above all, he didn’t want to leave behind the samgyetang the man had gone through the trouble of buying with his own money, nor did he want to eat alone in front of someone. Namu wanted to share it.

“Let’s eat together, guest.”

“Are you asking me to split a meal in half with you right now?”

“…Ah.”

The man had said he didn’t put anything in his mouth that was given by others. Of course, Mu-won had bought this himself, but for someone who wouldn’t even touch a gift, the idea of sharing a bowl with a spoon was unthinkable. Only then did the memory return; Namu’s eyes rolled as he whispered softly.

“I haven’t touched it yet, so you can eat it all, guest.”

Faced with Namu’s unexpectedly persistent and futile persuasion, Mu-won folded the newspaper and plopped it down on one side of the table.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Pardon?”

“If it’s uncomfortable to eat alone in front of someone, I’ll leave the room.”

“N-no, it’s not that. I just… I thought you might be hungry too. And this is your house, so if anyone should leave, it should be m-me.”

Mu-won stared blankly at Namu, whose plump lips—as swollen as his face—were moving rapidly. Internally, Mu-won scoffed. He didn’t know what misunderstanding the boy had, but this fluff-ball was doing nothing but fluff-ball things. The misunderstanding was surely trivial.

“Does it not occur to you at all that I might have eaten outside?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s 2 PM. Normally, that’s when lunch is over. Unlike Namu-ssi, who slept so soundly he wouldn’t have known if someone carried him away, missing his meal.”

Oh—right.

Reflexively turning his head to look at the clock hanging behind him, Namu’s mind raced. He then turned back to Mu-won, his lips, crusted with scabs, twitching.

“By any chance, what is the date today?”

“Two days.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I bought two days of Namu-ssi’s time.”

“…….”

“If you hadn’t woken up today, I was going to buy one more day.”

W-where did he get the money?

Unconsciously scanning the shabby inn room with caution, Namu became restless. His lips parted more than ten times without a word coming out. Mu-won, waiting for him to speak just one more time, slightly raised an eyebrow.

“G-guest. As I told you before, and last time, our shop is not that kind of establishment. We d-don’t have tickets. We don’t sell full days. Even if we did…”

“Even if you did?”

Namu stopped mid-sentence, unable to hide his embarrassment.

If I say it’s expensive, will it hurt his pride? Did the Manager really rent me out for a full day? I wonder how much he sold a non-existent course for… The Manager is great in every other way, but he’s ruthless when it comes to money.

“Namu-ssi.”

Prompted by the subtle pressure, Namu spoke up with difficulty, though he still didn’t know what to do.

“H-how much did you buy me for?”

“Buy you?”

“Yes. I didn’t even know there was a 24-hour course.”

“Aha.”

A look of genuine interest turned toward Namu. Because he was wearing clothes that didn’t fit, his shoulder line was exposed, while the short sleeves covered his wrists. Perhaps because of the air conditioner, the fine hairs on his pale skin were standing up. The way he had clumsily wrapped his lower body in the blanket to cover himself was equally awkward. It was obvious he hadn’t even considered who had washed him, dried him, and changed his clothes.

“Do you know what a ticket is?”

“Pardon? Yes… outcall prostitution.”

“Did you do tickets too, Namu-ssi?”

“Pardon? Oh, no. I…”

“Professional beating services, tickets, and even private outcalls. Does your Manager know you’re running around doing that?”

It was easy to tell that “running around” referred to his meeting with President Yoon.

“T-that’s…”

“If you get caught doing business without the permission of the person managing you, it won’t end with just a beating, will it?”

“G-guest.”

As expected of a thug, Mu-won was well-versed in the inner workings of that world, and Namu’s eyes filled with worry.

“H-how much did you pay?”

Looking at Namu, who was obsessed with the price, Mu-won spoke candidly. Since a lot of money was usually skimmed off the top, it was a natural psychological reaction to want to know the selling price.

“50.”

Namu’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale.

“5… 50?”

Namu looked incredulous. Then, with a face that seemed to hope he had misheard, he asked again.

“500,000 won?”

Mu-won wondered how much was being skimmed for him to react like that.

“Then two days would be 100… G-guest… the most expensive course at our shop is 150,000 won…”

Perhaps feeling hurt that he was considered “cheap,” Namu’s light brown eyebrows, pale as his hair, furrowed. He dropped his head, revealing the crown of his head. His hair was so thick and dense it looked like a wheat field before harvest. Even under the gaze staring intently at him, Namu only looked down at the samgyetang in front of him. Mu-won’s voice reached his ears.

“It’s all cold. Eat.”

“…….”

Why is he being so nice to me? For two whole days, I haven’t provided a 10-won service, let alone 1 million won’s worth, because I was passed out sleeping. And he even bought me expensive samgyetang.

‘If you hadn’t woken up today, I was going to buy one more day.’

Suddenly remembering that phrase, Namu snapped his head up and hurriedly stood up. As the clumsily wrapped blanket fell away, his pale legs were revealed. Fortunately, the hem of the T-shirt covered his knees, preventing the exposure of his genitals. He acted as if he were either unaware of his state or had completely forgotten. Mu-won watched silently as Namu suddenly jumped up and made a fuss.

“I-I should be going now.”

“Like that?”

“Pardon? Ah, a-ah… my clothes, the clothes.”

“Sit.”

“Guest…”

“Unless you’re an exhibitionist, sit back down, Namu-ssi.”

Of course, he wasn’t an exhibitionist. As soon as Mu-won pointed it out, Namu realized his state and reflexively grabbed his T-shirt. Gripping it near his thighs, he tried to pull down the shirt that wouldn’t stretch any further. If this were a sales technique, he really needed more practice.

His face, red with a blush, was marked with mottled bruises where it had been swollen like a balloon. It was strange. Despite being so emotionally open, he didn’t cry. Regardless, Mu-won didn’t pay much attention to that awkward gap.

“Your eye for choosing guests is terrible, your way of handling them is abysmal, and now you lack basic manners?”

“G-guest.”

Mu-won’s tone wasn’t particularly coercive. It was just a subtle shift in pitch, but Namu felt the intimidation and knelt. Leaving the thick mattress aside, he knelt on the bare floor and looked up at Mu-won with a face that looked deeply apologetic.

“How long did I say I bought you for, Namu-ssi?”

“…T-two days.”

“Isn’t punctuality basic for a service job?”

“T-that’s true… guest.”

As if to cut Namu off, Mu-won deliberately looked down at his wristwatch. It was a silver watch with a round face. It was almost identical to the watch Namu had broken, but the color was different. That 100-million-won watch had been gold. The silver watch on Mu-won’s wrist was elegant, but it didn’t look like it cost 100 million. However, because Mu-won was wearing it, it looked even more luxurious.

“There are still four hours left until the two days are up. Are you trying to get a free ride?”

“N-no. It’s not like that, guest. Absolutely not… I was worried you’d have to pay more if the time exceeded. I haven’t done anything. Like you said, I’ve basically had two days for free, so I didn’t think it was right for you to pay an overtime fee.”

Explaining with a panicked face and waving his hands, Namu grimaced slightly. The scab that was almost healed cracked due to the vigorous movement of his mouth, and blood seeped through. Unaware of this, Namu continued to speak desperately.

“I’ll make sure to keep the four hours. I’ll massage you without missing a single second. And I’ll make up for the time you missed while I was sleeping whenever you have time. O-of course, only when you’re available. I’ll just make one call to the Manager. That you’re not extending. That he doesn’t need to take payment for another day.”

As Namu tried to shuffle on his knees toward the vanity where the phone was, a deep voice stopped him.

“Sit properly.”

“Pardon…? G-guest…”

“Whether the time exceeds or not, I’m not going to cheat you out of money, so just sit here.”

“I-it’s not that…”

Looking like he was on the verge of tears, Namu looked back and forth between the phone and the table Mu-won pointed to, then sat back down.

“Eat.”

“I have to give you a massage…”

“I bought your time, Namu-ssi, so if you really want to do something, just quietly do as you’re told.”

“M-my time?”

“What, did you think I bought your body?”

Namu’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, as if a fire had been lit. Seeing the redness spread from his neck to his shoulders, it seemed his entire body was heating up.

“T-that was absolutely not it, guest.”

“What is it that you think it was?”

“Pardon? Uh… that is.”

Namu, who had been about to shake his head hurriedly, paused. After hesitating for a moment, wondering what to say, he spoke cautiously.

“By any chance, do you also need someone to take a beating for you?”

Mu-won stared at Namu, who had asked the question with complete sincerity, and smiled thinly.

“Namu-ssi, didn’t you say you hate getting hit?”

“Pardon? Yes…”

“Either that was a lie, or you’ve gone and incurred more debt in the meantime.”

“I didn’t lie.”

Whether he felt more wronged by being called a liar than by the words that followed, Namu’s expression was quite stubborn as he shook his head.

“I’ve… never lied to you, guest.”

Mu-won laughed lightly. It was a hollow laugh, but Namu, captivated by Mu-won’s smiling face, didn’t notice.

“I don’t care whether you lie or not, Namu-ssi.”

Of course, it was natural for a guest to feel that way about a mere masseur. Still, Namu felt upset without even knowing why he was upset.

“What I’m interested in right now is how long you’ll keep disobeying me. That’s it.”

“I… disobeyed you, guest?”

The face asking that, as if it were impossible, almost looked bold. There was a thin line between boldness and brazenness, and to Mu-won, it was a tedious and familiar attitude.

“Sit properly and eat.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Namu understand Mu-won’s meaning and look down at the now completely cold samgyetang. Neither the boiled chicken that had been steaming nor the scorched rice porridge that had smelled savory were emitting any heat.

“Shall I say it one more time?”

“N-no. I’ll eat.”

Looking back, it seemed he had heard the command to eat more than four times. The same went for the command to sit properly. Just as the guest said, Namu was terribly bad at listening. Realizing this, Namu crawled on his knees to the table, which had now become his dining table. His hands, marked with scratches here and there, picked up the spoon.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“Pardon?”

Namu, who was about to take a spoonful, looked at Mu-won.

“Don’t kneel. Sit comfortably and eat.”

“Yes… guest. I will.”

Until he was cast out from the group called family, being told to “sit properly” meant kneeling with a straight posture. If he raised both hands high, the corporal punishment was complete. He had done it because it was a habit, not because he was trying to ignore the guest’s words. Swallowing the thought that it was a relief he hadn’t raised his hands, Namu’s lips twitched as if making an excuse.

“I-I misunderstood… I wasn’t trying to ignore what you said, guest.”

Mu-won neither scolded him nor particularly responded. He simply confirmed that Namu had the spoon in hand and reopened the newspaper he had set aside.

“…….”

Even after picking up the spoon, Namu kept gauging Mu-won’s reaction, and only after a few more minutes did he begin to eat.

Wow.

It was much more delicious than he had expected. The porridge, which had cooled to a moderate temperature, didn’t irritate his sore mouth, making it easy to eat. As he swallowed the porridge, savoring the savory and salty taste, Namu tilted his head inwardly.

Why doesn’t it hurt that much? I got beaten until my vision went white… Is it because I slept for two days straight?

His face wasn’t as swollen as he expected, and his wounds seemed to have healed faster than before. The bruises and scratches on his arms and legs weren’t as prominent as they had been. It seemed the saying that sleep is the best medicine was true.

“The meat, too.”

“Yes…”

I thought he didn’t care, but when Mu-won, whose eyes were still fixed on the print, pointed it out, Namu began to move his chopsticks diligently. He tore off small pieces of the lean breast meat, which was more savory than the tender flesh, and put them in his mouth. He ate as if he were being scolded or chased, but it had been a very long time since he’d had such a delicious meal. He felt inexplicably happy, a silly smile creeping onto his face. That was why he didn’t stop eating, even though his lips, where the scabs had been torn, stung. However, it was just as he was glancing at Mu-won, feeling uneasy about eating alone.

“Hyung-nim, it’s Jae-un.”

The brown wooden door opened along with a husky voice. Contrary to the voice, the door opened softly, almost politely.

Jae-un glanced back and forth between Namu, who had frozen with his chopsticks in hand, and the Samgyetang, which had been dismantled like a corpse in five pieces, before bowing politely to Mu-won once more.

“CEO. I have something to tell you for a moment….”

Understanding this as a signal for him, the unwelcome guest, to get lost on his own, Namu quickly put down his chopsticks and tried to stand up. But Mu-won was faster.

As Mu-won set the newspaper on the floor and stood up, the room, which could easily accommodate three or four grown men, suddenly felt cramped. Combined with Jae-un’s bulk standing outside the door, it felt as if he were trapped in a cave with no exit.

While Mu-won searched for cigarettes and a lighter in his jacket, Jae-un cleared the way by setting down several paper bags he was holding on the floor. As the half-open door widened, Namu felt as if he could finally breathe.

“Sit comfortably.”

Mu-won tossed a word to Namu, who was once again standing in an awkward, half-bent posture as if being punished, and left the room. Outside the closed door, the sound of their presence gradually faded. Namu, who remained silent until he could no longer feel them, finally relaxed his stiff body and sat on the floor. He sat cross-legged, the most comfortable position.

Suddenly, a black ashtray placed on one side of the dressing table caught his eye. They could have just told him to leave. He felt grateful to the guest who had volunteered for the trouble of going all the way outside. Of course, it was likely not out of consideration for him, but rather a chance to get some fresh air. Still, Namu liked it.

“He’s asking to be put into the dormitory.”

“Directly to you?”

“Yes. He was flattering me every time he visited, and as expected, he wanted something.”

Jae-un, who didn’t lose his manners even while smoking with his Hyung-nim, covered his mouth with one hand and exhaled a puff of smoke.

“What does he think he is?”

“He’s clearly just some gangster brat.”

Standing in the inn’s parking lot, Mu-won curled the corners of his lips and exhaled smoke. Through the scattering smoke, the Gamgyul streets beyond the low wall were clearly visible. It was a landscape where poverty and lawlessness were evident at a glance. Having intentionally settled at ‘Gamrotang’ considering the geographical characteristics and convenience for two months now, Mu-won could memorize the streets of Gamgyul City even with his eyes closed.

“What should we do, Hyung-nim? He doesn’t seem to have any potential.”

Reports on recruiting new recruits into the organization didn’t always reach Mu-won. The reason he was bringing it up now was that the subject was someone around the ‘bait.’

“High school graduate. Mother runs a restaurant in town, father does manual labor. One older brother, one younger sister. Other than having a sturdy build, he has no particular talent, so he’s suitable for use as a meat shield. He’s thick-headed, too.”

Watching Mu-won, who was silently puffing on the filter, Jae-un added slyly.

“Should I just give him some ‘education’ and kick him out?”

“No.”

Mu-won crushed the cigarette he was smoking against the low wall and tossed the butt into a blue trash can.

“Put him in Dongbaek-dong. And leak a rumor that he’s a nepotism hire.”

Dongbaek-dong was the worst neighborhood even on the outskirts of The Center, a place that did business catering to perverts. Many of the guys managing it were the type to blindly lead with their fists or knives, so it was common for recruits to flee without lasting a single day. Understanding exactly what Mu-won meant by putting Jeong Jeong-gon in such a place, Jae-un smiled with a somewhat mean expression.

“Yes, I will do as you command, Hyung-nim.”

“Is he eating properly?”

“Should I just leave him to the kid inside?”

Namu was so wretchedly unlucky that it was almost pitiful—looking like that and suffering from such a rare disease—but to Jae-un, he was nothing more than an annoying brat. Above all, in a world where people lived and died by a hair’s breadth, many were superstitious, and Jae-un was no different.

The saying that some people bring bad luck didn’t exist for nothing. His Hyung-nim, who didn’t believe in superstitions, was impressive, but in Jae-un’s heart, he wanted to remove that unlucky brat from his Hyung-nim’s side immediately.

“He seems to have come to his senses, so should I move him to a massage parlor? A hundred a day, my ass. Who doesn’t know that tickets are 10 or 20 at most? Where does he get off overcharging? His audacity is damn offensive, Hyung-nim.”

Furthermore, the brat he had borrowed by spending 2 million won wasn’t even pulling his weight; instead, he was wasting someone else’s money on expensive supplements and Samgyetang. Of course, to Mu-won, that amount was mere pocket change, but it was true that spending money that didn’t need to be spent was a waste.

“Jae-un.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

“I’m feeling lazy about everything these days.”

“H-Hyung-nim…!”

Mu-won looked back at Jae-un, who was horrified as if he had just been told he was terminally ill, and smiled thinly.

“Let’s handle things quietly. Without splashing blood everywhere in a messy way.”

“Yes! Yes, Hyung-nim! Of course!”

“Let’s go back in. The kid must be finished with his meal.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

It couldn’t be that he had stepped away just so the boy could eat in peace. His Hyung-nim, renowned for being ruthless, never let a single smile go for free.

Right, he had said he had something to report, and he wanted to smoke. Fuck, if it were anyone else, they would have put down their spoon and bolted outside on their own, but that unlucky brat had no sense and was incredibly slow.

Like attracts like, indeed. Overlapping the image of Jeong Jeong-gon, who had bowed servilely to get on his good side, Jae-un tried to hide his displeasure as he followed Mu-won. Even if they were just brats to be used and thrown away, sending them off gently would be the best way to reduce the number of knife wounds he might receive in the future.

“Ah, hello.”

“Yeah. Are you feeling more awake now?”

“Yes…. D-did you eat?”

“You want to share? Forget it. There’s a line of people stretching for miles, desperately hoping the CEO would buy them even a single drop of alcohol; who would he share that precious thing with? You brat, you don’t even know how blessed you are.”

“Ah… no. I know. I know very well how precious a meal bought by someone else is.”

“No, it’s not just because someone else bought it, but because our CEO bought it, the meaning is different….”

Namu, protesting softly with a cowed face, and Jae-un, raising his voice saying he was damn slow to understand, both shut their mouths at the same time. Mu-won, who had been delayed by a phone call on the way back, was opening the door. “Hyung-nim.” Jae-un bowed his head slightly, and Namu greeted Mu-won with an awkward face.

“W-welcome back.”

“Yes, I’m back.”

Responding simply, Mu-won came out after washing his hands in the bathroom. Namu liked him even more because Mu-won, who looked incredibly clean, wasn’t just clean on the surface.

“You said you know how precious a meal bought by someone else is, yet you left all this?”

“Ah….”

It seemed he had heard the conversation with Jae-un on the way in. Truly, this was a place where soundproofing was nowhere to be found.

“Are you finished?”

“A-ah, no. I’ll, I’ll eat more. I-I can eat it all.”

Namu shook his head vigorously to show Mu-won, who was asking while sitting across from him, and gripped the utensils he had put down. However, blocked by a hand that suddenly reached out, Namu could no longer eat.

“Throw it away.”

“Pardon…?”

It was Jae-un who reacted immediately to Mu-won’s word and swept the disposable containers on the table into a plastic bag. Jae-un was quick for his size, but it was also because Namu reacted slower than usual.

“There’s quite a bit left, CEO. Can I give it to the mutt?”

The mutt was a stray dog that had taken over the inn’s yard at some point.

“The inn’s dog is living in luxury today thanks to Mr. Namu.”

“…….”

Namu, who stared blankly at Mu-won even until Jae-un, having received permission, left, slowly shook his head.

“A-ah, no. Guest. I really can eat more. I was going to eat more….”

“I’m not charging you for the meal, so just drink water.”

Mu-won, holding a plastic bottle from the tray, poured water into a tangerine-patterned mug. On the water bottle with a green cap, ‘Gamgyul Soju’ was written in the same green. Even so, it was clear it was an old bottle, with scratches and peeling here and there. It seemed the guest had his own standard of cleanliness for guests.

“T-thank you.”

Since it was water given by an adult, Namu reflexively reached out with both hands to receive it and then bowed his head in greeting.

“Do you usually have a small appetite?”

“…Yes.”

Namu, his eyes widening at the unexpected question, nodded belatedly. His thin hair swayed with the movement of his head.

“It’s not that I’m sick. I just fasted often since I was young, so my stomach naturally became small. B-but I do snack often….”

“What kind of snacks?”

“Uh… candies and jellies… and things like yogurt.”

“What a taste.”

“Pardon?”

As if he hadn’t heard the questioning voice, Mu-won turned his gaze and swept up the paper bags all at once. They were the paper bags Jae-un had set on the floor as soon as he opened the door.

One might have been interested in the paper bags, each containing something unknown, but Namu couldn’t take his eyes off Mu-won. Mu-won, unpacking the smallest bag, willingly responded to the fervent gaze directed at him.

“Why?”

“I think you smile surprisingly well, Guest.”

Namu, whose lips parted as the words escaped, soon became flustered and waved his hands.

“Uh, th-that. By ‘surprisingly,’ I don’t mean it in a bad way. It’s because you’re very handsome. Uh, you’re like an adult, you’re composed, and… you’re very cool….”

“Trying to pay off a thousand-nyang debt with a single word. Is that what you’re attempting?”

Again, Namu shook his head so hard his hair flew.

“No, Guest. I-I’ve thought you were cool from the start. I’ve liked you from the start, Guest.”

“…….”

For a moment, silence lingered in the room where only the sound of the air conditioner ran. It was just as Namu, surprised by his own words, tried to take back the water that had already been spilled.

“How long are you going to keep your ass bare?”

“Pardon?”

Namu’s face turned bright red, reacting as if he had heard something obscene. Mu-won placed a box of underwear, which he had taken out of the smallest paper bag, on the table.

Only then did Namu realize once again that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and he scrambled back twice on his knees. Even so, it was a distance that Mu-won could reach in a single stretch of his arm.

Namu, who didn’t have the presence of mind to realize that, pressed down on the T-shirt that barely covered his thighs, pulling it down to his knees. The result was even more disastrous. Because he forced it down to cover his knees, the round neckline stretched out, exposing both shoulders.

“I suspect.”

“Y-yes?”

“That you really do have exhibitionism.”

“A-ah, no…!”

A box of underwear was thrown in front of Namu, who was denying it with a face as red as blood. The box of three, thrown by Mu-won’s hand, quickly moved from the table to the floor in front of Namu.

“Put them on. Unless you want to show off your white dick to Chief Jo.”

“…….”

Namu, who had received too great a shock, gasped for air.

“T-that I’m wh-wh-white… that… how…?”

“Who do you think washed you, changed your clothes, and gave you a place to sleep when you were collapsed on the street?”

Even his gasping lips froze.

“You didn’t have hair in your armpits either; do kids these days manage that part too?”

“M-manage? Why would kids these days manage th-there….”

There was a hint of amusement in the gaze directed at the innocent Namu. A momentary dry expression flickered, but it disappeared so quickly that Namu didn’t quite notice.

“D-do you like it when people manage there, Guest?”

Mu-won, who laughed as if the random question was amusing, asked back.

“Is this a preference survey? I don’t get hard for young ones.”

“Pardon? Ah, no! No! It’s n-not a preference survey or anything like that… B-but, Guest. If they’re not young, then… uh… do you get hard for m-men too?”

“Put on your underwear.”

At Mu-won’s single word, Namu, who had jumped up and denied everything with his whole body, finally became quiet at the low-dropping voice. Not just his face, but every visible inch of skin on his arms and legs was bright red.

I must be crazy….

Namu, who hit himself in the head a hundred times internally, lowered his head deeply.

“I’ll… wear them well.”

Expressing his gratitude in a discouraged voice, he backed away toward the bathroom. Soon, he ducked into the bathroom in a hurry—lest Jae-un enter, or lest he be seen by Mu-won. The amusement vanished from the black eyes watching the incredibly restless Namu.

How tedious.

Jae-un, who had returned after finishing his tasks, fanned himself and looked around the room. Then, noticing the presence in the bathroom, he stopped searching for Namu.

“Does he have to go to the bathroom after eating just a little bit?”

“Underwear.”

“Ah.”

Jae-un, who had gone back and forth to the inn room for various errands over the past two days, nodded with a knowing face. Whenever Namu, who had bad sleeping habits, kicked off the blanket and rolled around, the single T-shirt he wore would roll up to his chest.

Every time that happened, the reason Hyung-nim tidied his clothes and laid him straight under the blanket wasn’t because he was kind, but because of his clean personality. To Jae-un, who had caught glimpses of the white dick and clean armpits while coming and going, he looked even more like a brat; how much more so for his Hyung-nim?

Just then, Jae-un frowned upon seeing Namu coming out of the bathroom.

“Uh… h-hello….”

“Are you going to greet me every time you see me?”

“Ah….”

“What are you doing not scurrying over here? The CEO spent money that didn’t need to be spent to buy these for you to wear; if you have any shame, you should bow your head and say thank you.”

“Pardon? Ah… yes…! T-thank you…!”

At the shouting of Jae-un, who had returned after feeding the dog, Namu hurriedly bowed his waist, and a snicker erupted from above his head. Namu, looking up with a puzzled face, found Jae-un snorting.

“Brat, so scared.”

“Ah….”

It was strange that Jae-un, who clearly didn’t like him, wasn’t particularly eccentric or violent. The gangsters Namu knew were all moody types who flared up at the slightest thing. Perhaps because the guest was a good person, Jae-un, who always accompanied him, had been positively influenced. No matter how he thought about it, Namu felt that both of them would suit other jobs better than being gangsters.

“What are you doing not putting them on? Do I have to personally change you now?”

Jae-un, who seemed like he would have a loud voice and an impatient personality, surprisingly moved slowly, like a quick-witted bear. Namu, who reflexively caught the clothes thrown at him, tried to say thank you, but dropped his gaze. Denim shorts and a white short-sleeved T-shirt. They were new clothes with the tags still attached.

‘The CEO spent money that didn’t need to be spent to buy these for you to wear.’

“…….”

It was exactly as Jae-un had said. It was natural for him to dislike Namu. It must have been irritating to see his CEO waste money taking care of a kid he didn’t even know. Namu desperately wanted to decline, but he couldn’t. If he did, not only Jae-un but also the guest who had shown him kindness would likely get angry.

His grandfather had also told him that one should not carelessly reject the kindness of others. He said that if you’re grateful, you should just do better in proportion to that gratitude. He said to receive it gratefully and do your best to return that gratitude.

“T-thank you. I’ll… wear them well.”

Namu, bowing his waist as if burying his nose in the floor, took the tightly held clothes and headed for the bathroom.

“Are you a maiden? Do you want to keep going back and forth and making me dizzy? I already know you’re experienced, so stop acting innocent and just change here. Don’t fuss around like a dog that needs to pee.”

Flinching at Jae-un’s remark, Namu rolled his eyes and checked the atmosphere. Jae-un, with his arms crossed, was glaring, and the guest was just watching quietly, as if watching a fire across the river.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Namu, bowing his head as if chased by the gaze, walked to the furthest spot—the window with the curtains drawn—and hesitantly stood with his back turned.

In truth, Namu wasn’t acting like a maiden, nor was he experienced, nor was he acting innocent. Feeling a bit wronged, he grumbled internally while changing his clothes.

Because he had pulled it down so much, the T-shirt, which now not only covered below his knees but was about to slip off like a stretched-out undershirt, was removed. Goosebumps rose as the air conditioner’s breeze touched his bare skin. Shivering, Namu quickly put on the white short-sleeved T-shirt. It was the moment he bent his waist to put on the shorts.

“Namu, you’ll have to change your underwear again.”

“Pardon?”

Confused by the words, Namu snapped his bent waist upright and looked back. Jae-un, who had been taking something out of a paper bag, also looked at Mu-won. Ignoring them, Mu-won gave a light gesture and pulled another small box from the paper bag. It was a box of three pairs of underwear, just like the one he had thrown to Namu earlier. He hadn’t just bought one box, but two. And they were VYC—brand name.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Mu-won looked at Namu, who was standing there blankly despite the gesture, and flicked his fingertips once more. Before Jae-un could snap at him for not listening to Hyung immediately, Namu moved. Almost reflexively, Namu walked as if running and stood before the table. The only thing separating him from Mu-won was a small coffee table. Mu-won lightly pushed the table aside and patted his own thigh.

“…….”

Namu didn’t understand the meaning right away. Or rather, he did understand, but he was confused as to whether he had understood correctly. Namu looked down at Mu-won—who, even while sitting, wasn’t much shorter than him—with eyes full of apprehension and asked.

“Do I… lie down there?”

“Do you want to lie on the floor?”

“N-no. But… why?”

“There’s blood on your underwear.”

“What?”

Unconsciously covering his buttocks with both hands, Namu whipped his head around to check his underwear, but that was impossible. Come to think of it, his underwear did feel a bit damp. He had thought it was just cold because of the air conditioner. Above all, these were new underwear. Brand name underwear a guest had bought for him to wear.

“I-I’m sorry….”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“But you just bought them for me….”

Mu-won looked at the nearly sobbing Namu and reached out with the hand he had been gesturing with to grab his wrist. Having grown accustomed to Mu-won’s touch after seeing him a few times, Namu followed obediently without even being startled.

“Are you… going to apply medicine?”

“Do you think it’ll hurt if I touch it?”

“It’s not that….”

Namu seemed to hesitate, pulling his lower body back, but before he knew it, he was lying face down across Mu-won’s thighs. The thigh muscles, which felt tighter because Mu-won was sitting cross-legged, pressed against Namu’s soft stomach through his thin t-shirt. However, Namu didn’t have the capacity to feel that sensation. He felt embarrassed to be lying with his stomach on Mu-won’s legs like a child. And he felt sorry.

“My butt… is dirty….”

“It probably isn’t.”

“Why… are you saying something so ridiculous….”

“Who do you think has been washing you, dressing you, and applying medicine for the past two days, our Mr. Namu?”

At the question that was practically an answer key, Namu shrugged his shoulders and lowered his gaze. Mu-won’s thighs were so thick that even with his head bowed, his forehead didn’t touch the floor. Staring blankly at the yellow linoleum, Namu hesitated before speaking.

“I didn’t get hit on my butt by President Yoon.”

“Right.”

The moment Namu spoke, the underwear wrapping his plump, soft buttocks was peeled away like a peach skin. More bothered by Mu-won’s response, which showed he didn’t believe a word, Namu spoke again.

“I really didn’t. That day, President Yoon… said he would buy me meat…. Ah—!”

A high moan rang out as two thick, long fingers pried apart the tightly pressed butt cheeks. Blood that had pooled inside the cheeks flowed down along the perineum. A faint yellowish bruise remained on the perineum, which should have originally been ivory. Even while trembling in pain, Namu couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“I… I wasn’t on duty. Really, guest. Please, b-believe me.”

“Spread it yourself.”

At the voice falling from above, Namu complied. He reached back with the hands he had been keeping near his chest and spread his own butt cheeks. It was Jae-un who handed the disinfectant and ointment to Mu-won.

“Kid. Do you just go around offering your asshole to everyone?”

Jae-un, who had sat beside them to look down at Namu’s buttocks as if supporting Mu-won, frowned.

“It’s so ragged that even a common rag wouldn’t be this bad.”

At the insensitive remark, Namu’s entire body turned red, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Being seen by a guest was fine, but Jae-un was different. Imagining Jae-un sitting side-by-side with the guest, staring at his buttocks like a spectator, made him so ashamed he wanted to crawl into a hole.

Whether that feeling dominated his body or not, Namu tried to crawl forward slowly, barely suppressing a scream. Mu-won, whose hand easily gripped Namu’s thigh with room to spare, instantly pulled the escaping body back into place.

“It’s hard to apply medicine if you squirm.”

“B-but….”

“Spread it more. Blood has pooled.”

Biting his lip hard, Namu used his trembling fingers to spread himself wider. The soft flesh was crushed, and his fingertips turned red.

As Jae-un had said, the state of Namu’s anus was alarming. If it was this bad while healing, the expression ‘ragged’ wouldn’t have been an exaggeration immediately after the injury.

“Ah…!”

As the blood was wiped away with an alcohol swab, Namu flinched and tightened his anus. The butt cheeks he had worked so hard to spread stuck back together like glutinous rice cakes.

“I-it hurts… guest….”

“Stop whining, you brat. You offered it until you became a rag, and you didn’t expect this much?”

After rebuking him in a displeased tone, Jae-un spoke politely to Mu-won.

“CEO, please stop now. Personally treating a young kid’s torn asshole… if the boys find out, I might get stabbed.”

“Do I have any other ‘boys’ besides you?”

It was a simple question, but Jae-un immediately realized his mistake. Mu-won was currently in a situation where he had been demoted to Gamgyul City—a place no one wanted—with only Jo Jae-un by his side. No matter how naive the kid in front of him seemed, he had to watch his words. Still, Jae-un, who had survived tenaciously by Mu-won’s side through sheer intuition, didn’t make the mistake of apologizing in front of the kid.

“Put strength back into your fingers.”

“…….”

“Spread more, Mr. Namu.”

Ashamed, in pain, and dizzy with a fever rising through his body, Namu could barely process Mu-won’s voice. He nodded and put strength into his fingertips, spreading his cheeks again. It felt more painful than before, and Namu let out a whimpering sound.

“G-guest….”

“I’m going to disinfect, stop the bleeding, apply medicine, and dry it.”

Beads of cold sweat formed on Namu’s small forehead.

“You can bear it, right?”

“Y-yes….”

As Namu nodded, promising he would, cold sweat dripped onto the floor. The anus, which had been red, swollen, and torn from being hit with a switch, had healed steadily over the past five weeks. That’s why he thought it was all better, so Namu was a bit surprised when it suddenly bled. He wondered if the recovery was slow because he had been hit too much and too often, or if he had treated the wound incorrectly and caused it to fester.

“But, guest….”

“Yes.”

“I-I treated that part myself. It’s already been five weeks since I was hurt. It’s been fine until now, so I thought it was healed. I really didn’t know it would suddenly bleed today.”

“Spread properly. I can’t see the folds.”

As he spoke, Namu’s fingertips, which had loosened, tightened again.

“Guest…. I’m serious. For five whole weeks, I haven’t shown it to anyone. I haven’t offered it to anyone except for professional beating services. Even that was five weeks ago. Of course, professional beating is also selling my body, and I’ll have to keep selling it in the future, but….”

“Mr. Namu.”

“Yes, guest….”

“You don’t need to make excuses to me.”

“W-why?”

“Once you’ve sold your body once, selling it a second or third time is easier. Being a gangster is the same.”

“Guest….”

“So you don’t have to explain in detail. Don’t try so hard to prove it. When your first time was, how many times you sold yourself and where, what and how much you’ll sell in the future. Those things aren’t important, and no one is curious.”

“Then…?”

“They’ll only look at Mr. Namu’s utility and value.”

“Do you… do that too, guest?”

“Is there any reason I wouldn’t?”

“Is it because… I’m nothing to you, guest?”

Before Namu could finish his question, Mu-won pushed a thick finger between the anal folds. “Ah—!” With a slender moan, the small body stiffened.

“Relax the folds.”

“Y-yes…. Hng….”

Barely swallowing the pain, Namu took several shallow breaths and relaxed. His flat stomach repeatedly pressed against and lifted off Mu-won’s thigh. Cold sweat dripped onto the yellow linoleum. With nothing to cling to, Namu put more strength into the fingers spreading his buttocks. His face, which had quickly become damp, could no longer be held up, so he leaned it against Mu-won’s thigh. He had no choice.

“Spread again, Mr. Namu.”

Whether it was his fingertips or his buttocks, sweat had caused him to slip. At the calm voice falling from above, Namu wiped his palms on his thighs and spread his cheeks to the sides once more.

“C-can you see well now?”

“The inside and outside of the folds are dry. I’m going to put in a finger with plenty of ointment.”

“Aa— ah…!”

Before he could even prepare, a thick finger dug into the folds. While gasping in pain, Namu kept his fingers firmly spreading his cheeks. Even soaked in ointment, the rough, calloused finger swept around the inner wall.

The already narrow folds gripped Mu-won’s finger tightly. It was only one knuckle’s depth. Just that one knuckle digging in made Namu struggle immensely. Mu-won didn’t distinguish whether that reaction was real or fake. Honestly, he had no need to know, nor any curiosity.

“G-guest….”

He could just shut up now, but because Namu couldn’t seem to close his mouth, Jae-un was getting irritated. Jae-un, who had been listening quietly and finally couldn’t take it anymore, glared, but his irritation didn’t last long.

“G-guest washed me, dressed me, let me sleep, and even treated me….”

Lying in a posture that was shameful to anyone, Namu was trembling, his anus spread wide by his own hands.

“I’m nothing to the guest, and I’m nothing to him… but he took care of me for two days.”

To anyone listening, it was a plea to become something to Mu-won, to become an important person.

“Can’t I be someone who repays him…?”

Tsk, Jae-un clicked his tongue unconsciously. Watching a moth dive into a fire without knowing it was a furnace made him feel bitter. He hadn’t treated the kid as a human since he was just bait to be used and discarded anyway, but seeing this was occasionally uncomfortable.

To be precise, it was the sight of someone not just giving their heart to Mu-won, but being ready to pour it all out. However, no one ever received that much heart back from Mu-won. Friends, colleagues, bosses, opposite sex—Mu-won approached them if necessary, used them easily, and cleaned them out completely.

This stupid brat was just another simple tool to be used and discarded in the same way. A role as insignificant as a speck of dust, so replaceable that he just used the first kid who caught his eye. A wretched tool that no one would notice—or care to notice—even after being used and thrown away.

Yet, in exchange, they had their lives ripped out or lost their lives. Every tool so far had been the same. The end for those who harbored even a shred of affection for Mu-won was always consistent.

In the end, Jae-un changed his mind slightly. What was the point of being sharp with a kid who might soon be dead or missing? Treating it as an act of charity for a pitiful soul, he suppressed his irritation and disapproval. To Jae-un, Mu-won was a great and respected Hyung, but he was also a consistently ruthless man.

* * *

“Is your body okay? Can you really start working from today?”

“Yes, Manager. I can work.”

Giggling, Namu carefully took off his clothes. The Manager, watching him with displeased eyes, clicked his tongue.

“I knew that man President Yoon would cause a big accident one day.”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? I heard President Yoon got drunk in broad daylight and beat you up? I heard there was a bit of a scene while President Cha tried to stop him. He said he’d keep you with him while resolving it. Did President Cha say anything?”

“President Cha? My… guest?”

“Do you only have one or two guests here? But yes, the guest you’re talking about is the one. Three snakes.”

“Ah…. He’s a… CEO?”

“Do you think so? We just call him that to keep him in a good mood. He’s obviously just one of the many thugs overflowing in this neighborhood, so don’t get entangled with him just because he’s being nice. Keep your head straight. Got it?”

Judging by his build or the aura he gave off, it was clear he wasn’t a simple thug, but it wasn’t as if there weren’t thugs in this neighborhood who looked decent on the outside. Moreover, a snake tattoo. That meant he had no proper connections in The Center. Even if he could fight well, the end for those who wandered without roots or a group was obvious.

Either they’d act out trusting their fists and be found as a corpse one day, or be thrown to pigs in pieces.

Surviving as a lone wolf without an organization was impossible anywhere. Even a neighborhood corner store paid protection money every week to third-rate thugs to beg for safety; those who didn’t want their pie taken wouldn’t tolerate such amateurs for long.

The Manager, who said it would be bad luck to get entangled there, narrowed his eyes.

“Namu, stop.”

“Yes?”

At the Manager’s restraint, Namu, who was standing awkwardly, literally froze.

“Did you buy new underwear? No, let’s see. Take out the clothes you just took off too.”

The Manager, who had been happily pouring out the nagging he hadn’t been able to do while standing at the entrance of the dressing room, suddenly stepped inside. His hand was hesitant as he whipped out the outing clothes Namu had neatly folded in the locker.

“These are new?”

The Manager’s gaze sharpened.

“New underwear, new clothes. Don’t tell me your shoes are new too?”

Staring at Namu, who couldn’t answer readily, as if interrogating him, the Manager eventually found the sneakers neatly placed in the shoe rack. Slap—slap—Namu took the hits to his back without showing any pain, but the Manager’s gaze was not kind.

“Namu, tell me straight. Where did all this come from? Where do you have the money to buy things like this?”

The quick-thinking Manager reached a conclusion before Namu could even answer and smacked his back once more.

“What’s going on between you and President Cha? Is it true President Yoon beat you? Don’t tell me you received all this as ‘beating money’?”

Though the touch was quite fierce for someone worried, Namu didn’t avoid it and took it quietly. It didn’t hurt that much, and he didn’t want to do anything that seemed like talking back to the Manager, who was raising his voice out of concern.

“Is it President Yoon or President Cha? Or both? Namu, aren’t you going to answer honestly?”

But this time, he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut. He wanted to clear up the Manager’s misunderstanding, which suspected not only him but also the guest.

“It’s not like that, Manager. I-I didn’t receive it as beating money.”

“If it’s not that, how on earth are you wearing such expensive things?”

“A-a guest. No, President Cha bought them for me.”

“Why would President Cha do that for you? Why would he spend money for no reason?”

“Uh…. President Yoon…. I think my clothes and shoes got ruined while I was being hit by President Yoon. So. He said he couldn’t send me back naked, so he bought them for me….”

“Namu.”

“Yes… Manager.”

“Namu…!”

“Yes….”

Startled, Namu looked up at the Manager. The Manager’s eyes, usually smiling, were now cold and hardened. Even when he was angry, the Manager usually had a smiling face, but today was different.

“What have you been doing for the past two days?”

“What?”

“Whether it’s President Yoon or President Cha, what the hell have you been doing outside for two days!”

Namu reflexively shrugged his shoulders at the erupting roar and parted his lips. Soon, realizing what the Manager’s question implied, he shook his head vigorously.

“I didn’t do anything, Manager. I really didn’t…. I just slept for two days. Just slept….”

“What, you brat?”

“M-Manager….”

Namu, who had been staring blankly at the Manager exploding in anger with a face he’d almost never seen before, soon came to his senses. Just as he was about to offer another excuse, the Manager, with a fierce gaze, preempted him.

“What did I tell you when you first came here?”

Since he had heard so many things, Namu couldn’t pick out just one and simply racked his brain. Naturally, he couldn’t keep up with the Manager’s speed.

“I told you our shop is a wholesome establishment. I said I wouldn’t let it slide if you got caught selling your body on your own. I said if you got caught doing something reckless, I’d make sure you couldn’t even set foot in Gamgyul City. Namu, did you sell your body to those bastards? Did you go around offering your body and getting beaten up just to get some new clothes, new underwear, and new shoes! Did you get used to it because you kept doing professional beating? Does offering your body while getting hit by anyone suit your aptitude…. By any chance, you—!”

Suddenly, the Manager’s eyes flashed, and he grabbed Namu’s forearm. In his confusion, Namu didn’t even realize it hurt as he was helplessly pulled by the Manager’s hand. The Manager’s goal was clear.

“M-Manager…!”

Pressing Namu’s back, where his bones were palpable, against the wall, the Manager pulled his underwear down to his thighs. He grabbed one side of the exposed buttock, pulling it wide, and thrust a finger deep into the anus buried in the mound.

“Ah…!”

Namu couldn’t help but scream. But to the Manager, Namu’s scream was barely audible. The Manager’s aggression was intended as a crackdown.

While the entire Gamgyul area was in turmoil, more than eight gambling dens had been shut down consecutively over the past five weeks. He had been irritated by Namu’s complacency, as the boy hadn’t been called for over a month despite barely paying off his debts with the money he earned from being beaten. He intended to pick a fight and force Namu’s senses awake, lest he harbor any stray thoughts.

The hole was loose. Something slimy, as if semen had been pumped inside, dampened his finger. This cute little brat hadn’t just been getting beaten. In a sudden flash of rage, the Manager began to stir his inserted finger recklessly.

“Ah-! Ah, it hurts, Manager…! Ugh…!”

Even while whining in pain, Namu didn’t push the Manager away or struggle; instead, he tightened his anus. That only added fuel to the fire. It felt like a protest, as if he were claiming he wasn’t some loose rag and that he had truly only ‘slept’ for the past two days, which made him even more resentful.

Where did he get the nerve to play such games?

“Aaah…! Ma, Manager…! Ugh…”

Quickly realizing that screaming was useless, Namu bit his lip and endured the pain. The finger that had been stirring the inner walls carelessly was just as reckless when it withdrew. A piece of the outer skin, which had been dangling after a scab fell off, was pulled out by the Manager’s fingernail. Blood stained the Manager’s glistening index finger.

“How do you explain this?”

“…”

Drenched in cold sweat as he endured the pain, Namu slowly pulled up his underwear. He bit his trembling lips to keep them still and swallowed hard. Something hot slid down his throat.

“Namu. I’m asking how you explain the blood coming out of your backside.”

“T-that’s…”

With a hiccup, Namu wiped the cold sweat with the back of his hand and rubbed his burning eyes.

“The last time I was called… I was hurt from being beaten then.”

“You call that an explanation? There are a thousand places to hit, why there? You’re saying it tore because you were beaten? Then what do you call this—this semen that came out of your hole? How do you explain the folds of your hole that were so loose they swallowed my finger whole!”

“I-it’s not semen…”

“If it’s not semen, then what?”

“The guest… I mean, CEO Cha… while he was treating me… he applied ointment. Yes, it’s ointment. It’s not semen, it’s ointment, Manager.”

“Since when does CEO Cha do something as nice as applying medicine to your backside?”

Stuttering but trying his best to explain the situation, Namu looked up at the Manager, who still didn’t believe him.

“He bought me underwear, so I changed… and blood stained those underwear…”

“Why did he buy you underwear, and why did you change in front of CEO Cha? Do I have to ask every single detail before you’ll tell the truth?”

Namu shook his head. Then, he tried to explain calmly.

“He said my underwear was unusable. Because I didn’t wake up due to the seizures, he said he had no choice but to undress me, wash me, and put me to sleep. He said he couldn’t leave me naked forever… and since the things I was wearing had already been thrown away, he bought me new ones.”

The Manager narrowed his eyes, glaring at Namu as if trying to dig through his insides. Sensing the silent command to continue, Namu spoke again. A bit of blood seeped into his lips, which had been treated with ointment.

“T-the guest doesn’t like men. Chief Jo also told me not to act coy since I’m a guy… There was only one room, so I changed while the two of them were there. Manager… I-I think the guest just felt sorry for me… and wanted to send me away quickly because it was a hassle.”

As Namu watched the Manager’s anger gradually subside, his own trembling began to fade. Namu hated people who got angry. To be precise, he hated and feared adult men who were angry.

“Namu.”

“Yes… Manager.”

Feeling a surge of emotion now that the Manager seemed like the person he knew, Namu barely managed to answer and wiped his lips. Since the scratch wasn’t deep, the bleeding stopped with a single wipe.

“I told you clearly, didn’t I? If you don’t keep your wits about you in Gamgyul City, you’ll get robbed blind.”

“Yes.”

“Have you already forgotten that CEO Im and I worked our asses off to clean up the mess when you caused an accident and broke a 100-million-won watch as soon as you arrived?”

It was CEO Im and the Manager who had coaxed and soothed the guest who had threatened to demand 100 million won immediately. Under CEO Im’s thunderous command—asking what he had done right to be so stubborn and telling him to get on his knees and beg—Namu had followed orders, half out of his mind. It was a compromise barely reached after coaxing, soothing, and begging on his knees.

The guest with the 100-million-won watch had told him to sell his body if he couldn’t pay immediately. While shouting that a scrawny thing like him wouldn’t even fetch 100 million won even if all his organs were harvested, the man gulped down the expensive liquor the Manager had provided.

Only when the massage shop CEO and the Manager teamed up were they able to calm the 100-million-won guest, and Namu was able to pay back the debt in the best way possible. He had received help from CEO Im and the Manager that he could never fully repay in a lifetime.

“If you keep being this scatterbrained and let yourself be pushed around by guests, you’re going to ruin your life. Do you think I’m exaggerating?”

“N-no.”

Dismissing Namu’s answer as a mere formality, the Manager shook his head with a grave expression.

“It’s strange. All the bastards who roll down to this place seem to have to taste it to know if it’s shit or soybean paste.”

Looking down at Namu with an inexplicably bitter face, the Manager let out a deep sigh. Sensing that something else had happened besides his own situation, Namu clenched his trembling hands.

“Well, I guess that’s why they rolled down here in the first place.”

Sighing heavily and rubbing his forehead, the Manager kicked aside the clothes and shoes cluttering his feet and left the small room that served as both a breakroom and a dressing room. Watching the clothes and shoes being stepped on and pushed aside like trash by the Manager’s toes, Namu moved quickly.

Keeping an eye on the Manager, who was already outside the door, he hurriedly picked up the clothes and shoes, slid them gently into his locker, and closed the door. Then, he quickly pulled on the pink shorts that served as his uniform and treatment wear.

He rushed out of the small room before the Manager could urge him on, asking what was taking so long. Sure enough, the Manager frowned, about to call out to Namu for not following immediately.

“I was… changing my pants.”

There was no point in saying more. Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, the Manager stepped back behind the counter.

“Jeong Jeong-gon won’t be coming in starting today.”

“What?”

“That brat insisted on becoming a gangster after all.”

“…”

Reading the worry in the Manager’s voice, which sounded drained despite the harsh words, Namu approached cautiously.

“That ‘life’ or whatever. He was thrilled that he got in as a low-level thug, so he packed his bags and bolted.”

Since Jeong-gon always talked about ‘the life,’ ‘sitting on a pile of money,’ and ‘success’ as if it were a habit, it wasn’t surprising at all.

“Gangster my ass. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t die a dog’s death after being thrown in as a human shield.”

“…When did he leave?”

“He’s been absent without leave for two days since the day that incident happened with you and CEO Yoon, and then he packed up and left yesterday. Said something about passing out after drinking during the day.”

Scanning Namu with suspicious eyes because he didn’t seem surprised enough, the Manager needlessly fiddled with the cash box.

“Did Jeong-gon say anything to you?”

“…No.”

“He left without even telling you? I thought you two were getting along since you’re the same age.”

“…”

Namu had nothing to say to the clicking Manager. His last memory of Jeong-gon was his back as he turned away, saying he was going to the restroom on a day that was as humid as a sauna and blindingly sunny.

“According to Jeong-gon, you and CEO Yoon disappeared while he was in the restroom for a moment. Is that true?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Did Jeong Jeong-gon really not know that CEO Yoon was beating you like a dog?”

Namu avoided the Manager’s eyes, which didn’t hide his frustration at how to deal with such a simpleton, and dropped his gaze to his feet.

‘Hey, I’m going to the restroom.’

‘If you’re looking for Jeong-gon, give it up. That bastard bolted a long time ago.’

Closing the cash box full of cash, the Manager looked intently at Namu, who stood there showing only the top of his head.

Though he seemed easy, Namu was the type to keep his mouth shut. Even if asked, he wouldn’t give the desired answers about why he had been with CEO Yoon that day, what actually happened, or why Jeong Jeong-gon was acting that way.

However, there were things that could be guessed without hearing them. CEO Yoon, who loved whoring, was more sincere about sleeping with men than women and preferred young, pretty things like Namu. Jeong Jeong-gon was an expert at playing along to secure his own gain, and manipulating someone like Namu would have been a piece of cake for him.

CEO Yoon, who would salivate and linger whenever new kids arrived, would poke around and, if lucky, get a taste of the inside before washing his hands of it. CEO Yoon’s connections played a part in people turning a blind eye to that nasty habit. Of course, the bundles of cash he secretly slipped to the Manager also played a large role.

It must have been Jeong-gon who egged on the already bloodshot CEO Yoon, and it must have been Namu who followed along without knowing he was being deceived. This was predictable and likely to happen.

The unsettling part was the new figure, CEO Cha. A semi-gangster type you might see once anywhere in Gamgyul City. Not a thug, a hoodlum, or a mobster, but someone you’d likely bleed if you touched him carelessly. Such a man was lingering around Namu under the pretext of massages.

The possibility of it being an overreaction couldn’t be ruled out. Namu had made ten regulars within a month of employment and was continuing to make more. CEO Cha could simply be one of the guests who had come to appreciate his touch. Seeing how he played tricks on an innocent kid under the guise of treatment, he might be a pervert like CEO Yoon, despite his appearance.

However, something felt strangely off to the Manager. It was a suspicious time, and due to the consecutive closure of gambling dens, the gangsters were all as venomous as a disturbed hornet’s nest. He felt the need to tell CEO Im before he ended up taking the fall alone.

Since he couldn’t just barge in based on suspicion, he planned to get insurance from CEO Im first and then make inquiries. To do that, completely separating Namu from the man wouldn’t be helpful. He had to keep them moderately connected while monitoring the situation, and if necessary, pull Namu out.

Perhaps it was a relief that it was such a time. If they were sent out periodically and their tails were caught, the Manager and CEO Im wouldn’t be the only ones in trouble.

“Namu, don’t have any stray thoughts. Just work diligently, pay off your debt, save money, and think about leaving this neighborhood.”

His voice had become much softer.

“Don’t think about ruining your life by acting out because you’ve been swept up in some delusion like Jeong-gon. Don’t give your heart away like a reed just because someone is a bit nice to you and end up losing everything. Understand?”

“Yes…”

Lifting his gaze at the soothing tone, Namu answered obediently with a clumsy smile.

* * *

Namu was incredibly busy, taking over the guests of Jeong-gon, who had quit without even giving time to find a replacement. By the time he finished with the last guest—he didn’t even know how many it had been—the day was completely gone.

Having moved back and forth between the treatment rooms for 24 hours without a wink of sleep, Namu barely leaned his body against one side of the small room. Rather than being tired from lack of sleep, his entire body ached from the constant physical exertion. It felt like the symptoms of a severe cold.

Sitting with his back against the wall, Namu blew on the teacup held in both hands. The teacup, which he thought he had lost because he couldn’t see it, had been found on top of the water purifier. It had been a gift for a guest, but the now-unnecessary cup had become Namu’s. Even though it ended up being neither a gift nor anything special, Namu liked this cup. Because a guest had recognized its value.

Drinking the cooled green tea, Namu finished the nearly cold tea in one gulp. He washed the cup, wiped the moisture with a clean towel, and opened his locker.

Namu placed the teacup on one side of the locker where his few belongings were neatly organized and looked at the shoe compartment. The toe of the neatly placed sneakers was slightly crushed. It was a mark he hadn’t noticed because he had tidied up in a rush during a very brief break.

The denim shorts and short-sleeved T-shirt placed on top of his few pieces of clothing were also slightly wrinkled. He tried to straighten the toe of the shoe, but it didn’t work as intended, so he needlessly brushed away non-existent dust. Then, he placed a heavy book on top of the wrinkled clothes. He thought this might have a pressing effect.

Hesitantly fingering the soft fabric, Namu let go with a lingering look. He closed the locker door and entered the small room, where a bamboo blind served as a partition. There was no separate key for the locker. The Manager, who said they had gotten rid of them because previous employees lost their keys so often, had pointed to the CCTV fixed to the corner of the ceiling.

‘Everything is being recorded, so don’t even accidentally open someone else’s locker. Of course, I trust you all, and I’m sure you trust your colleagues, but it’s better to prevent discord between each other in advance.’

The Manager, speaking with a kind smile, had been standing before Jeong-gon, Teacher Choi, Teacher Kim, and Namu, who had just started his first day. Since then, it wasn’t as if things had never gone missing. However, the Manager never actually played the CCTV recordings in front of everyone as he had threatened.

In the room that served as both a breakroom and Namu’s lodging, an electric blanket that had never been removed since it was laid down was stuck to the floor. Though he was at an age where he could chew through rebar, Namu, who had worked all day without a single break, stuck to the floor like the electric blanket.

Around 8 PM. Namu was alone in the darkened room. Teacher Choi and Teacher Kim had already entered the treatment rooms to receive guests. Since it was a peak time, Namu should have been receiving guests too, but thanks to the Manager’s consideration, he was able to have a brief break.

However, there was no knowing when he would have to receive a guest again. ‘Tangerine Massage’ had many guests for its size, and quite a few regulars. If the Manager, who was currently guarding the counter, entered a treatment room, Namu would have to receive guests again.

Since the break was of unknown duration, Namu tried to sleep exactly as he was stuck to the floor. He was in a state where he would have fallen fast asleep the moment he closed his eyes, but strangely, his mind only became clearer. He opened his closed eyes. The familiar structure of the room appeared in his vision, which had adapted to the darkness. After fidgeting for a while, Namu took the phone out of his pants pocket.

It was one of the items in the paper bags Jae-un had brought in bundles to the inn room. The paper bags Jae-un had placed on the floor that day were of various sizes. Those various paper bags contained underwear, short-sleeved T-shirts, denim shorts, white sneakers, and a phone.

‘I sweated buckets in the midsummer sun buying these on the CEO’s errand.’

While Mu-won was treating Namu’s buttocks, Jae-un, who had been fussing beside them, had handed him the phone. Jae-un’s gaze, which had been threatening as if he wouldn’t let it slide if Namu waved it away out of politeness, had softened considerably. Rather than wondering about the reason for his change in attitude, Namu felt relieved.

Meanwhile, he couldn’t readily accept the brand-new, shiny phone. An unintentional standoff followed briefly. Unlike Jae-un, who looked as if he would force it into his hand at any moment, Mu-won simply watched while wiping his wet hands.

‘T-thank you.’

Eventually, pushed by the atmosphere, the phone he had accepted with both hands glowed in the darkness of the small room. The background on the screen was a default photo of an aurora. The Manager didn’t know about the existence of the new phone. It was distinctly different from the folder phone he had used before, so he would recognize it immediately.

He recalled the Manager’s worried gaze, earnestly advising him that the way to leave this field quickly was to avoid associating with people like the guests. In truth, Namu didn’t exactly understand the meaning of ‘this field’ that the Manager spoke of. Living had always been a difficult task for Namu; was the Manager referring to an environment even worse than that?

‘That ‘life’ or whatever. He was thrilled that he got in as a low-level thug, so he packed his bags and bolted.’

Jeong-gon’s dream was to enter an organization, succeed greatly, and make a lot of money. Therefore, the Manager’s words were likely true. Namu, who had been staring at the phone until the light went out, touched the screen again.

A bright light illuminated Namu’s face. Without further hesitation, Namu pressed the keypad. He had memorized Jeong-gon’s phone number. He was the first friend of the same age he had made after entering society. And Namu was good at memorizing numbers.

Jeong-gon didn’t answer. Thinking that a lot of time had passed, he checked, but it was only slightly past 8:15. Instead of calling, Namu left a text.

Jeong-gon

Jeong-gon, where are you now?

There was no reply to the message either. The phone slipped from the fingertips of Namu, who had been patiently waiting for a response. The sound of Namu’s deep sleep mingled languidly with the nighttime noise drifting through the walls.

* * *

‘Crazy, just crazy. This weather is insane.’

Namu was the only one who reacted to Jae-un’s grumbling as he followed behind, constantly fanning himself with his hand.

‘What? Why? Why aren’t you looking where you’re going? You’re going to trip again.’

Namu glanced back at Jae-un in response to the reprimand before looking straight ahead. The winding alleyway leading from ‘Gamrotang’ to the flat ground came into view. Realizing once again the high elevation and steep incline of ‘Gamrotang,’ Namu put more strength into his steps.

If it hadn’t been for Mu-won grabbing him by the scruff of the neck the moment he left ‘Gamrotang’ earlier, Namu would have likely tumbled and been seriously injured. Recalling that spine-chilling moment, Namu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The alley was so steep that he wondered if it would even be possible to go up and down when it snowed, and it was narrow enough that two adult men walking side-by-side would be a tight fit. Consequently, Namu, walking in a line with a large man in front and behind him, saw a broad back reflected in his eyes.

Because of the slope, Namu was standing at least 10cm higher, yet Mu-won’s back was still far above Namu’s eye level. A completely black back. Mu-won was dressed as usual: suit pants, a shirt, a jacket, and dress shoes. Neatly trimmed hair. Even his copper-colored nape, which didn’t look as thick as it actually was because of its length, was entirely dark.

Seeing as he wore the same clothes every day even in the middle of summer without seeming hot, it was clear he had as few clothes as Namu did. Jae-un, who was fussily dusting off his shirt collar behind them, also wore the same or similar outfits every day.

Recalling their financial situations, Namu suppressed the swelling feelings of gratitude and apology. No one would find it pleasant if he made those feelings obvious. Vowing to be more careful, Namu slightly lifted his gaze.

A sudden daytime breeze carried Mu-won’s scent. It was a cool soap fragrance faintly mixed with the smell of sweat. Without realizing it, Namu looked up intently at Mu-won’s nape. One would expect beads of sweat to have formed, but Mu-won’s nape remained dry, as if he alone were experiencing autumn.

He had heard there are people who naturally don’t sweat much. Thinking that his client was one of them felt somehow mysterious, and even that seemed cool. Or perhaps, because he was wearing black like before, the sweat stains were simply invisible. Curious, Namu’s gaze lingered on Mu-won’s nape.

The client was handsome even down to his nape. How could someone be like that?

Blushing unconsciously, Namu was startled by his own reaction and stealthily looked away. A single flower was peeking out from a crack in the wall with a bright face. It was a purple morning glory.

Pretty.

Looking down to be careful of his footing lest he trip, he noticed a dandelion that had pushed through the stone pavement. The breeze brushing past his nape was humid. Mu-won’s soap scent mixed with the excessively damp summer air. Namu didn’t want to forget this air, this scenery, and the fragrance calmly permeating his heart for the rest of his life.

* * *

It was Teacher Choi who shook Namu awake from his deep slumber.

“Namu, are you going to sleep forever? Wake up! Mrs. Oh is here, your regular.”

“…Yes.”

Barely pushing up his heavy eyelids, Namu sat up.

“Ugh, it’s so hot. That piece of junk is supposed to be an air conditioner.”

Teacher Choi, who was particularly sensitive to heat and had just finished three consecutive sessions, complained while constantly fanning herself even under the air conditioner blasting cold air.

“Namu, did you really not know that Jeong Jeong-gon quit?”

“…No.”

The answer came late because the question was thrown at him before he was fully awake. Finding that short pause suspicious, Teacher Choi scanned Namu blatantly and then dragged over a fan, pressing the high-wind button.

“No matter how young he is, this is too much. How can he just slip away without a plan? It’s like he’s trying to screw people over. Just as you’d expect from someone uneducated. Haa— I was supposed to go out with my family tomorrow, but now it looks like I’ll have to cancel everything.”

Namu, feeling as if he were the one at fault due to the complaints and reprimands—whether they were soliloquies or grievances—watched her reaction. Teacher Choi, who had claimed the spot in front of the fan, turned her back abruptly and raised her voice. She wasn’t saying it to him directly, but she was clearly giving him the cold shoulder.

“Anyway, I heard President Yoon from the raw fish restaurant is hospitalized? They say it’s a 20-week recovery; how on earth did he end up in such a sorry state? Do you know anything?”

Namu, who had been quietly tidying up to leave, was caught by the sudden question.

“Word is he got beaten half to death by some gangsters. He got pummeled unilaterally. I heard you were there too, Namu? What exactly happened? How did you get entangled with some gangster bastards? Then again, why would a gangster need a reason to hit someone? You’re just a green kid; do you have no fear, thinking you could hang out with those kinds of thugs?”

Though she asked as if she didn’t know, the rumors surrounding President Yoon and Namu had already spread throughout the shopping district. A love triangle involving President Yoon and some drifting gangster over Namu. Due to the Manager’s crackdown, the people in the district and the massage shop employees kept their mouths shut, but it was different behind Namu’s back.

A slut who pretends to be kind and innocent but uses her young, pretty face to muddy the waters of the neighborhood—that was the reputation Namu had acquired over the last three days.

The source of the rumors was, naturally, President Yoon. He claimed a precocious brat had seduced him, or that Namu had conspired with some dim-witted gangster to swindle him. He spent more energy slandering Namu, whom he had hit, than the man who had actually beaten him.

The people in the district were well aware of President Yoon’s eccentricities. Yet, the reason they listened to his claims wasn’t for any special reason.

It was because President Yoon had settled in Gamgyul City before Namu, was an adult with a solid foundation, and held significant influence within the district. It was simply easier and safer to criticize Namu, who was young, naive, and had rolled into Gamgyul City without a guardian.

Above all, the massage shop Manager subtly took President Yoon’s side. As if waiting for Namu’s reputation to plummet, the Manager cleverly lent weight to President Yoon’s claims. The Manager, who was practically his guardian, had essentially set the stage. Chewing up a target who couldn’t fight back regardless of what happened often provided vitality to a bleak daily routine.

Namu, who wasn’t fully aware of those behind-the-scenes details, wanted to clear up the misunderstanding about Mu-won above all else.

“He didn’t do it for no reason.”

“What?”

Teacher Choi, who had been chatting lightly as a way to relieve stress, looked bewildered by the unexpected response. The look in Namu’s eyes as he gazed at her was so gentle that it was even more absurd.

“The client was trying to help me…”

“Mu— Namu! What are you doing, why aren’t you coming out! The lady is waiting!”

Namu, who had been speaking of Mu-won, fell silent for a moment at the Manager’s voice coming from the counter.

“Namu!”

At the second call, Namu left the room as if being led by a ring through his nose, but he finished his interrupted sentence.

“It happened because of me. The client did nothing wrong.”

It was as if he were saying to curse him instead. Teacher Choi let out a hollow laugh as she watched Namu leave after saying such bold things.

That arrogant brat…

Feeling a surge of anger, wondering if he was now ignoring her in that way too, Teacher Choi was about to pour out a bucket of curses but clicked her tongue and turned away. It was because the thought finally occurred to her that she was arguing with a child.

“She’s waiting, get in there quickly.”

The Manager, glancing sharply at Namu as he hurried out, threw a reprimanding word his way and pointed toward the secluded hallway. It was Room 1, primarily used by Oh Mun-ju, Namu’s regular.

In the room with an ondol floor instead of a standing treatment table, it wasn’t just Oh Mun-ju waiting for Namu. Oh Mun-ju lying face down on a floor-style treatment table, and two assistants each holding one of her twin children. Thus, five people occupied the largest treatment room, waiting for Namu.

“Ah, hello.”

Namu, entering after pulling back the dense bamboo blind—which was thicker than those in other rooms—bowed politely. The two assistants, each holding a soundly sleeping child, responded with smiles.

Hello to the twins, too.

1 AM. After greeting the babies with only his eyes so as not to wake them, Namu approached the treatment table on his knees.

“Ma’am. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Did you fall asleep again?”

“Yes… Ah, it wasn’t a seizure. I just rested for a bit.”

Since all the regulars knew about Namu’s chronic illness, it wasn’t something he could keep secret. In particular, he had a history of having one seizure in front of Oh Mun-ju.

“Is working day and night like that actually rewarding?”

“Yes. I like it because many people visit.”

“Tell me if you want me to report this to the Labor Office. It’s not too late.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“This kid is treating it as a platitude again. I’m telling you, I can get you a really good lawyer.”

Namu gave a bashful smile at Oh Mun-ju’s joke-not-a-joke and sat closer to the treatment table, carefully removing her gown. The gown, which had only been covering her, slid off without any hindrance.

Oh Mun-ju’s bare back was fully exposed under the yellow incandescent light. On the back of Oh Mun-ju, who preferred wet massages over dry ones, wide dark-blue bruises were still spread today.

Namu acted as if he hadn’t seen them. He checked the supplies the Manager had prepared while he was lagging and sat at the head of Oh Mun-ju’s table.

“I will begin the treatment.”

“Yes— go ahead.”

Rather than scolding him for being late, she responded playfully, and Namu could feel her relaxing her body. Namu, who warmed his cold hands by gripping the heated massage stones, began the treatment with a heart full of gratitude.

After completing the three-hour course, Oh Mun-ju handed Namu a 50,000 won bill today as well. It was for cigarette money and errand fees. Even the Manager, who rarely sent Namu out, let him run errands for Oh Mun-ju without a word. From the Manager’s attitude, Namu could tell that his regular was no ordinary person.

Of course, the Manager’s attitude, which was beyond polite to the point of being cautious, wasn’t the only hint. The two assistants and the twins who always accompanied her. From her soft way of speaking to her behavior, expensive clothing, and subtle fragrance—Oh Mun-ju exuded what people call ‘class.’ It was almost strange that she frequented ‘Gamgyul Massage’ instead of an expensive spa.

‘I sleep better when you do it.’

Namu acted with tact. He didn’t wonder why a noblewoman like her visited such a shabby massage shop, the cause of the bruises she bore every time she came, or the reason she visited irregularly without an appointment.

It was Oh Mun-ju who first mentioned that she slept better. As she held the cigarette Namu had bought for her on an errand and inhaled deeply through the filter, she didn’t smell like the typical cozy scent of babies. There was only a fragrant, sweet scent faintly mixed with the smell of tobacco.

‘Do they take a commission from the tips too?’

‘How much?’

‘They’re all just pure thieves.’

It was Jeong-gon who answered her questions. In fact, Oh Mun-ju shared more conversations and was closer with Jeong-gon than with Namu. Whenever they happened to meet when there were no reserved clients, Jeong-gon would welcome her with both arms raised as if it were a family reunion.

Jeong-gon’s jokes often made her laugh. Despite that, her requests were limited to Namu. Jeong-gon expressed his disappointment in front of her as often as he told jokes.

‘I like pretty kids.’

Whenever she said that, Namu would occasionally get a kick in the butt from Jeong-gon, who claimed he liked being pretty. Each time, she would let out a small laugh.

‘Give all the money left over from buying cigarettes to Namu as an allowance.’

Even though she said it intentionally in front of the Manager, the commission was still deducted without fail. The Manager treated her with extreme courtesy but did not respect her.

After finding out that the commission was still being taken, she reduced the tip from 100,000 won to 50,000 won. Then she had him buy daily necessities with the remaining money from the cigarettes. Things like toothpaste, lotion, and shower supplies soon ended up in Namu’s arms.

After hearing that those were used communally, Oh Mun-ju no longer cared about the whereabouts of the tips. She simply gave him 50,000 won and asked him to run errands. Namu handed over 80% of the change—which served as both the errand fee and the tip—to the Manager and kept 20%. He was glad to be able to keep even that 20%. Namu felt a bit ashamed of being so materialistic.

Oh Mun-ju would smoke three cigarettes in a row every time and then shower at the massage shop. The remaining cigarettes became the property of Jeong-gon or other teachers. The Manager, a non-smoker, did not take a share of the remaining cigarettes.

‘You can’t smoke because you have no money? No wonder your skin is so good.’

She always smoked at the back gate of the shopping district. It became natural for Namu to wait beside her until she finished her cigarettes.

Sometimes she didn’t say a word, and sometimes she said a few; she wasn’t the talkative type. It wasn’t that she lacked social skills like Namu, but simply that she was quiet, so the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

No, she wasn’t interested in Namu. Only an internalized anxiety held her nerves tightly. It wasn’t that she made it obvious or failed to control her emotions. It was simply that Namu had experienced that same anxiety for half his life, so he recognized it naturally.

His regular, who more often than not visited abruptly without an appointment around 1 or 2 AM, visited ‘Gamgyul Massage’ up to two or three times a week. The beautiful woman was elegant and dignified. And every time, she bore the marks of abuse.

‘I heard Mrs. Oh lives being beaten?’

Namu hadn’t said a word, but the massage shop employees already knew everything.

‘I heard someone caught a glimpse in the dressing room, is it true? You see her every day, so you’d know.’

In front of Namu, who kept his mouth shut because he had nothing to say, Jeong-gon chuckled.

‘If she likes pretty kids that much, she should just go to a host bar. Does she look for cost-effectiveness even in a man’s touch? Seriously, the rich ones are the worst. She has a bag worth hundreds of millions and clothes worth thousands, yet a measly 50,000 won tip? Strictly speaking, it’s not even a tip, it’s an errand fee.’

Jeong-gon waved his hand, saying that making regulars like that was just tiring without any real gain. Yet, he earnestly told Namu to make sure to hand her over to him if she ever got tired of Namu.

‘No matter what, I’m better because I can actually communicate. Don’t you think?’

Namu agreed with the confidently smiling Jeong-gon. He was also very envious. If he had been more tactful and observant, he could have made the clients feel more comfortable and happy. Then he could have received more tips and saved more money. Instead of thinking about working harder, he often secretly swallowed the greedy thoughts that would be embarrassing if discovered.

The twins and the nanny, who had been sleeping soundly throughout the treatment, and Oh Mun-ju left the shop. Dawn was already breaking. Namu, coming out of the restroom after washing his hands, stealthily took out his phone.

There were no missed calls or texts. He considered calling Jeong-gon again, who hadn’t replied even after checking the message, but decided against it.

‘He was so excited about getting in as a low-level mobster that he packed his bags and bolted.’

A newcomer is always cautious and mindful of their every move anywhere. Of course, the sociable Jeong-gon probably wouldn’t be like that. Namu worried that he might be a hindrance or a nuisance.

He’ll contact me once he’s adjusted.

Muttering to himself, he unconsciously looked at the shiniest phone he owned. Startled by the sound of someone outside the door, he quickly put it in his pocket.

His heart pounded. He thought he was startled because he might be caught by the Manager. Since being caught by the Manager was inevitable anyway, and he planned to confess before that happened, there was no need to be this startled. Pressing down on his racing heart, Namu opened his locker.

‘I sweated buckets in the midsummer sun to buy this on the CEO’s errand.’

The clothes and sneakers he had worn only once that day caught his eye. Perhaps because he had pressed them down with heavy books, the wrinkles seemed to have smoothed out a bit. The toes of the sneakers also seemed to have regained their shape. He knew his heart was racing from surprise, but he didn’t know why it wouldn’t slow down.

Namu stared into the locker for a long time until he calmed down. Then, before he was fully composed, he closed the locker door upon hearing the Manager’s call. Leaving the dressing room with quick steps, Namu rubbed his flushed cheeks.

Next time she comes, I’ll do even better for her. I’ll do my best so she doesn’t dislike me or get tired of me.

The sound of Namu’s footsteps, as he made his vow, echoed lightly on the quiet hallway floor.