#16

“Why would you go into the club?”

Taking the child, Tennessee didn’t go through the front door he usually used, but circled around to the back of the building. It was the back door where the emergency exit and staff entrance were located, including the food ingredient deliveries. He already knew the passcode.

After passing through a hallway where several plastic containers were stacked, the sound of club music, shaking the walls like thunder, could be heard from afar.

Tennessee turned away, thinking that if he took the child to the office, he’d get an earful from Megan. There was a private space where Megan occasionally had one-night stands or spent time. It was half-warehouse, and unlike the interior of the club, it was shabby.

Opening the door, Tennessee frowned upon discovering a familiar face. It was Megan. In a space where the walls and floor were raw cement, a sofa sat alone, and Megan was smoking marijuana there.

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“I was too distracted to pick up.”

He knew the space was crude, but it was shabbier than he remembered. Walls that looked like they could collapse at any moment, and a musty smell. Moreover, there were traces of living here and there.

“What’s with the kid?”

Is that actually a kid? At first, I thought it was a child’s corpse. After saying such a stupid thing, Megan approached quickly.

“Who is it?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“You know minors are banned here, right?”

“They aren’t the type to cause trouble.”

Megan clicked her tongue and shook her head. To Megan, Tennessee was an incomprehensible existence anyway, so she chose to give up quickly. It was easier if she remembered that the only predictable thing about Tennessee was that he was unpredictable.

“If the kid pees on my sofa, it’s your responsibility.”

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

Unaware of the child’s chilled expression, the two adults were absorbed in their conversation.

“Wait here.”

Tennessee pointed to the sofa.

“Yes, thank you.”

Tennessee looked around the gloomy warehouse. The incandescent light flickered on and off repeatedly, and it felt as if the sound of rats could already be heard. The musty smell of mold mixed with the scent of cannabis.

And yet, the words he hears are thank you.

“Why did you call me?”

“Because of the documents.”

Megan, who had been rummaging through the sofa and a shabby wooden table, sounded annoyed.

“I think they’re in the office.” At those words, Tennessee immediately stood up. He didn’t forget to gesture to the child sitting quietly on the sofa.

“You must be quite comfortable for someone who shouldn’t have the luxury.”

Megan blurted this out as she watched Tennessee grab the child’s wrist. Just as Tennessee was about to respond, Megan’s phone rang loudly.

“Damn it. Fucking hell.”

Muttering curses, Megan waved her hand.

“Stay there, I’ll be right there.”

At Megan’s words, Tennessee left the warehouse. Even though he hadn’t been there for long, he could breathe fresher air once he stepped outside.

Circling back the way they came, Tennessee led the child to the small office.

Sitting in the chair, the child stared blankly at Tennessee.

He had a cigarette in his mouth, but for some reason, he wasn’t lighting it. Looking up at Tennessee, the child turned their gaze to explore the office.

Tennessee clicked his tongue while the child did that and put his phone away. Not having the luxury. What did that mean? Waiting for Megan, who had disappeared after dropping such a bombshell, was making him restless.

“I’ll stay—”

“—here.”

“…….”

Getting more outspoken by the minute.

Leaving the child in the club office, Tennessee stepped out into the hallway. Just as Tennessee, who was crossing the long hallway, was about to turn the corner—

“Ah.”

As he stared at the person he bumped into, the woman greeted him. It was a woman he had spent the night with. Her name was,

“Kaelen.”

“I know.”

Kaelen wore an awkward smile. Since Tennessee remained silent, the woman spoke first in a friendly manner.

“You’re here today too?”

“I have someone I know here. What about you, Kaelen? I heard you don’t work under Megan anymore.”

“……I also have someone I know.”

Kaelen was wearing a sleeveless top today as well. A lotus and Vishnu were drawn long across her arm and collarbone. One of the three highest gods of Hinduism.

When Tennessee’s gaze reached her chest, Kaelen turned around to show the Brahma on her back.

And at that moment, the child, who had peeked their face out from behind the office door, was utterly appalled.

That sinful man hadn’t just stayed up all night and come back, but he was hitting on another woman!

He told them to stay here, so they had stayed quietly. Closing the office door, the child felt tears welling up in their throat again, their mouth twisting. Tennessee shouldn’t do that.

‘Stay here.’

That was what he always said. As if it were troublesome to bring a dog along. Treating them like a piece of luggage.

“If it’s okay……,”

Kaelen was about to speak, brushing her hair back with her index finger.

“Daddy.”

The sound that should not be heard at this hour, especially in a club office, drew the gaze of the two adults back to the hallway.

It was the child. Identifying the source of the ‘Daddy,’ Tennessee rubbed his forehead, and a massive earthquake was occurring in Kaelen’s pupils.

“Daddy. What are you doing here?”

“Daddy……? Oh—you had a child?”

“…….”

“Are you on speaking terms with Daddy?”

The child was eleven, an age where they would soon become a middle school student. However, because of their small stature, they looked younger than their peers.

Such a child called Tennessee, dragging their pronunciation as if sleepy. Moreover, because they had recently cried, their nose and the area around their eyes were red.

Good grief. What a ridiculous joke.

Running his hand through his hair again, Tennessee reached out to the child.

“Come here.”

The child dove into his arms.

Kaelen wore an awkward smile. It was a gesture indicating she would be leaving now.

“Kaelen.”

Holding the child, Tennessee called her.

“Do you have someone you know around here? There’s nothing here but the office.”

The woman smiled. However, Tennessee did not miss the way the corners of her mouth stiffened faintly for a brief moment.

“I’ve been caught. Actually, I saw Tennessee coming.”

“I entered through the back door.”

“But you came from the parking lot, didn’t you?”

Tennessee stared at Kaelen, who smiled naturally. With a smile that was ambiguous, she turned around. Watching her brown hair scatter, Tennessee entered the office while holding the child.

“……I’m sorry.”

The child apologized immediately.

To the child, adults were merely frightening and dog-like beings. They had never truly expected solace from them. It was the same when they were scolded. The child feared the punishment that would follow, not the scolding itself. But now it was different. They found themselves walking on eggshells, worrying if Tennessee would be disappointed because they had impulsively caused a scene.

Glancing up at Tennessee, the child took a small breath. He was frighteningly expressionless. Having lived a long time reading the room, the child immediately grasped the atmosphere.

He wasn’t angry right now. Something had gone wrong.

The child’s blue eyes wavered. They wondered if they had made a huge mistake, or if something else was happening.

“Tennessee?”

Tennessee didn’t answer. He was quickly organizing his thoughts.

Tennessee thought the woman’s words didn’t add up.

She said she came to the club because she had someone she knew. When asked, she explained that she actually came in because she saw Tennessee, not someone she knew. She saw him in the parking lot and followed him in? If that were the case, it didn’t explain why she came to the club in the first place.

“……Tennessee?”

It had been subtle since their first meeting. On the day Tennessee met her, it was the day female strippers came for the men. There was a part of it that couldn’t be explained simply by sexual preference.

The feeling was strange. It was a chilling intuition he had felt once before.

To reassure the child, Tennessee stroked the child’s head. The thin, dark hair brushed lightly through Tennessee’s fingers like a breeze. The child’s heart, which had been racing, spasmed wildly before returning to normal.

In the midst of this, the office door burst open.

“Damn it, Megan.”

“Tennessee.”

Tennessee already had his gun aimed. If he hadn’t confirmed it was Megan, he would have shot. Skipping unnecessary words, Megan rummaged through a drawer and pulled out documents.

“But seriously, what is that kid?”

Tennessee ignored the question as if he hadn’t heard it, but Megan was persistent.

“Are you planning to go around with that kid? Or are you going to hide them?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“It’s not my business, but if you go around distracted by a child, I have no intention of doing this kind of work for you. A diminished you is useless.”

That was something Tennessee would have said to Megan. However, her words were annoyingly logical.

He still hadn’t decided what to do with the child. Since he couldn’t just stand by and watch, the child’s existence had become quite a problem.

Because he had a pre-arranged hideout, Tennessee hadn’t originally intended to stay at a hotel. Then he decided to stay at the hotel for just one day, but how many days had it already been?

Tennessee wasn’t unaware of this.

What is this, some kind of vacation?

If he was going to hide, he had to hide properly. The police had already visited once because of a commotion. Since it was just an older brother and a younger brother, and not a normal family, it was a combination that would stick in people’s minds. Normally, he should have gone into a concrete hole immediately after that incident.

He should have trained his body, gathered information, maintained his firearms, and waited for the right time. But,

‘Tennessee, let’s eat.’

The thought occurred to him that the hideout was not a place he could go to with that child.

The facility was crude, and the hygiene was abysmal. With no windows, let alone sunlight, and surrounded by nothing but weapons like rifles, it was not an environment suitable for bringing a child. That was why he had ended up lingering awkwardly at this hotel, spending a vacation that wasn’t really a vacation. If things had truly gone wrong and someone were tracking him, this kind of response was not wise at all.

Was it because of the child? A corner of his mind had rusted and turned soft. It won’t be a big deal. Nothing will happen; there’s no need to go that far. Vain thoughts and faint hopes were surfacing. This time, Megan was right. Wandering around distracted was like walking around with one’s heart exposed.

Not a place to bring a child? Get a grip.

Shaking his head, Tennessee shifted his gaze to the child. A screw had come loose. It was an undeniable fact. The child had become a hindrance to him. Whether the child died right now or was kidnapped to be used as a drug mule was none of his concern.

Tennessee finally made his decision.