BB 1

Humans are far too simple creatures. If you put on a moderately kind smile and flatter them just right, they give you their heart and their trust. I wonder what weight is carried in a heart handed over so easily. I’m sick to death of such infinite lightness, but Gyu-oh realized at a pretty young age that life becomes much easier when you use that to your advantage.

He had lived his life acting sociable while always drawing a line around himself. He pretended to be interested while never actually involving himself in other people’s lives. He pretended to want a give-and-take relationship, but in reality, he had no expectations. He was used to living that way; it was far more peaceful for the mind.

However, life does not always flow in the direction one desires.

—Oh, oh no! The office door is about to break right now!

Bang, bang! Threatening sounds mixed in, loud enough to swallow the urgent voice. Crack! The noise of someone violently pounding on the door had been going on for a while, and it sounded like it had finally given way. Soon, the man let out a small, startled gasp.

—Gasp!

The man often said that thugs were suckers for a few fancy words, that they were nothing more than stupid vermin.

But look at him now. Terrified of the thugs beyond the door, he was hiding himself under the desk like a frightened rat. Moreover, he was begging for help from someone he considered to be nothing more than stupid vermin.

“You really shouldn’t trust people so easily. Sigh.”

I wonder why such a smart person failed to realize that. Gyu-oh let out a sigh laced with mock pity.

—Ugh, damn. I thought the door opened. Wha—what?

If only they hadn’t messed with us while we were trying to start the construction quietly and by the book. No, if only he hadn’t been lured in by Gyu-oh’s words, things wouldn’t have ended up like this. Truly, humans are simple creatures, easily deceived by greed and granting trust to the smallest favor. Gyu-oh clicked his tongue softly and spoke in a calm voice.

“Just talking to myself?”

—If you ca-can’t come, then at least your subordinates, huh? Are they not there? You’re all connected, right, huh?

Gyu-oh swallowed a rising laugh at the desperate, breathless pleading. After clearing his throat with a fake cough, he mimicked a voice that sounded genuinely distressed to anyone listening. Interspersed throughout his words was the incongruous sound of him chewing gum.

“Oh dear, what to do? My great-grandmother passed away, so I’m keeping her vigil. It was a peaceful passing, but as her great-grandson, it’s my duty to see her on her way—”

—Ah! Wh-where is that! Is it far?

The man screamed, cutting him off.

“Ah.”

That almost blew my eardrums out. Because he had the phone wedged between his shoulder and cheek, Gyu-oh hadn’t been able to prepare himself; he winced, squinting one eye. However, he quickly regained his composure and finished tearing up the documents in his hand. Pop, pop. The sound of wooden planks in a drum can burning and popping continued. In his field of vision, grayish-white smoke and crimson flames flickered.

“It’s far. Was this Busan, or was it Mokpo?”

Of course, in reality, it was less than twenty minutes away by motorcycle. But there was no need to give the man hope.

—Wha—what?

Gyu-oh pushed the gum he had been chewing to the tip of his tongue and blew. The inflated bubble finally popped with a bang, spreading a faint scent of grape.

“I said it’s far.”

—When the fuck did you crawl all the way there, shit.

Unlike the man, who was acting frantic, Gyu-oh remained nonchalant throughout the call. He simply focused on finely shredding about thirty pages of documents and tossing them into the fire. They were things his side had used to lure the man in, and no matter how fraudulent the documents were, it wouldn’t be good if any traces remained. After tossing the last scrap of paper into the drum can, he shook his hands clean.

Bang! Crash! Dull sounds of destruction echoed again over the phone. At this rate, the door handle must have broken. He could gauge the situation just by the sounds.

—Aaaah! Oh, what do I do. Shit, I can’t even jump down!

Despite the rambling that conveyed the urgency of the situation, Gyu-oh remained relaxed. He gripped the phone he had been holding against his cheek and leaned over.

“That’s not a bad option. Is there nowhere to hide?”

—You crazy bastard, do you think there is? Is there no other way!

The man snapped at Gyu-oh’s insincere attitude. Picking up the motorcycle helmet he had set on the ground, Gyu-oh straightened his upper body with a little “heave-ho” grunt. He slung the helmet over his shoulder, holding it by the edge of his fingers.

“I don’t know. I’d love to help, but my great-grandfather says he’d be lonely going to hell alone. He caused so many accidents that he can’t go to heaven.”

—What? You—you said great-grandm—mother?

“Ah?”

Gyu-oh, who had been walking away from the blazing drum can, came to a dead stop. He tilted his head, tapping his back with the helmet hanging from his fingers. If the man had been in front of him, he probably would have thrown a punch at such an annoying gesture.

“Did I say that?”

Beyond a bashful chuckle, a thunderous roar of a door breaking was heard. The man’s screaming followed.

“Anyway. They aren’t even alive, so what does it matter if it’s a grandmother or a grandfather?”

—Shit, let go! Get out of the way!

The clatter and noise were incessant. Perhaps the phone had fallen to the floor, as ear-piercing noise mixed in.

“Go learn a thing or two from the thugs you looked down on, Mr. Kim.”

Crunch. The sound of something being stepped on echoed. Then, a familiar voice flowed through the phone.

—Chief?

The title was something Gyu-oh still wasn’t used to, and it felt awkward every time he heard it. Squinting one eye and chewing his gum, Gyu-oh replied.

“Yeah. Make sure to take a nice photo of Mr. Kim’s face.”

—Yes, sir. Starting the cleanup.

“Good work.”

With that short response, the call cut off.

“Seriously, there’s a reason why some people are more educated than others.”

Whether it was a great-grandmother or grandfather, even Gyu-oh hadn’t fully remembered, yet the other man had caught it. Well, since he was that smart, it made sense that he became a civil servant and had the brains to embezzle slush funds.

Gyu-oh left the abandoned factory with a light step. The flames blazing in the drum can were still flickering crimson. The grayish-white smoke emanating from it followed Gyu-oh like a shadow.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the factory, he immediately called the person who appeared most frequently in his call logs. The signal didn’t even last for two rings.

“It’s cleared~!”

—Okay, good job.

An indifferent voice returned, as always. It had been a long time since Gyu-oh felt hurt or offended by it. That was how long Won Gyu-oh and Cha Min-ho had known each other.

“Hyung, are you still at the office?”

—Yeah. No matter how much I do, it never ends.

The mindless movement of Gyu-oh’s jaw, which had been chewing gum, slowed down. He could bet that Min-ho had skipped meals and sat at his desk all day. Despite saying that, he was the kind of person who would be anxious if he couldn’t look over one more character of a document.

—You go home.

Gyu-oh pushed the heavy iron door. Since it was too much for one hand, he pushed it shut with his shoulder and then slid the bolt. A sharp, metallic screech mixed into his response.

“Ummm, yes sir for now.”

—…Hang up.

The call ended after a concise conversation. Now that the report was finished, his heart felt light as a feather. Gyu-oh picked the chewed gum with his finger and stuck it to the handle. As he rubbed the grape-scented lump of gum, it stuck viscously. Then, humming a tune, he climbed onto his motorcycle.

“Whew.”

He blew the dust off his helmet and pressed it firmly onto his head. While fastening the helmet buckle and awkwardly leaning forward to get into position, his humming didn’t stop.

Come to think of it, I’m hungry too. Maybe I’ll ask Hyung to have a late-night snack. He probably skipped meals, so I should buy something filling. He’s as picky as his looks, so it’s not easy to match his taste. He accelerated, thinking of a menu to satisfy his hunger.

Vroom! With a loud roar, the motorcycle shot forward. The wheels, scratching the ground fiercely and kicking up dust, left no trace behind. Meanwhile, the papers shoved into the drum can had all turned into black ash.

Knock, knock. Without waiting for the meaning of the knock, he swung the door open. In the dim office, only a single lamp illuminating the desk was turned on. Gyu-oh brightened the dark space, lifting the pizza in his hand high and shaking it slightly.

“Ding-dong! Are you Mr. Do Min-ho?”

He locked eyes with Min-ho, who squinted at the sudden brightness. With his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tie draped over his shoulder, and his glasses perched on top of his head, he looked quite ridiculous, but his sharp eyes looked very sensitive.

“You’ve got the wrong address.”

“Why is Hyung a ‘Cha’? ‘Do’ would be much more pizza-like.”

Despite the following nonsense, Min-ho only gave a small smirk. Leaning back in his chair and pressing his eyelids, he slowly looked up with one eye.

“Why pizza at this hour?”

“I could tell just by your voice. I figured you’d be stuck to your desk skipping meals again.”

Entering Min-ho’s space without hesitation, Gyu-oh opened the pizza box. A savory, greasy smell wafted from the pizza, which still held its heat.

“I had bread. Someone from the first floor brought it.”

Since Gyu-oh also frequented the first-floor cafe as if it were his own home, he knew the bakery menu by heart. There wouldn’t be anything there that could actually fill a stomach. They sold sandwiches, but by his standards, they weren’t enough for a meal.

“That’s a snack.”

Gyu-oh stood in front of the small sink attached to the inner area. Because it was a bit low, he leaned over uncomfortably and lathered soap on both hands. Just as the fragrant bubbles were making him feel good, an indifferent voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Start eating. I’ll just finish this.”

Gyu-oh stopped rubbing his large hands to create foam and stared into the mirror. Beyond it, he saw Min-ho pulling down his glasses to wear them properly. Seriously, that man deserves to be called a work demon.

“Hey, let’s eat together. It’s not like they give you more salary for doing that.”

“I’ll be done soon.”

“….”

If it’s going to be done soon, can’t he just eat first? Unaware of his own slightly furrowed brow, Gyu-oh stepped forward with his hands still covered in foam. Drip, drip. Small clumps of foam fell to the floor every few steps.

As he approached the desk, the dry eyes that had been staring at the papers shifted to Gyu-oh. Ignoring the questioning gaze, Gyu-oh grabbed Min-ho’s hand with his foam-covered ones.

“Hey.”

Holding Min-ho’s hand firmly as he tried to pull away, Gyu-oh winked.

“Uh-huh, honey. You want to wash together? Got it.”

Whispering playfully, he pulled Min-ho up from the chair. Perhaps because he was flustered, Min-ho followed him quite obediently.