DS 140
Side Story#5
It was only for a fleeting moment. In the time it would have taken others to barely finish urinating, Eun-myeong had vanished. Looking at the sofa on one side, the clothes he had worn were lying there. Touching the pockets, the cell phone was still there as well.
‘Boss.’
A subordinate who followed Eun-myeong around approached. The man had instructed him not to show his face while the man was present, but now that Eun-myeong was gone, he appeared.
He reported that Eun-myeong was heading toward the parking lot but was currently wandering lost in the food court. Following the report, the man went down to the first basement level.
Yes, there. Eun-myeong was standing in front of the escalator.
Twitching his head here and there, standing among the passing crowds like a lost fish. Unable to move his feet, yet unable to collapse on the spot.
With a face full of fear, his eyes were darting around frantically. In an unfamiliar and frightening environment, Eun-myeong had no idea what to do and kept bumping shoulders with people.
‘I’m sorry….’
The man looked intently at that face, which looked as if he had lost his parents.
How pitiful and endearing that face was.
‘Boss.’
Then, amidst the crowd, Eun-myeong spotted the man, whose head stood tall above the rest. Various emotions flickered across a face that had been submerged in despair: relief, longing, tenderness, and something like blind affection. Eun-myeong hurried over and threw himself deep into the man’s arms.
‘I thought you disappeared.’
Perhaps out of shock, the nape of his neck was already damp with sweat. Tears shimmered in his eyes, and at that sight, the man felt a pain as if his heart were being torn apart.
‘I guess I really can’t do anything without you, Boss….’
As Eun-myeong rubbed his cheek against the man’s chest, blaming his own foolishness, the tenderness and loveliness that welled up in the man’s heart were indescribable.
‘What on earth am I to do with you?’
If Eun-myeong so much as fluttered his eyelashes a few times, the man was confident he could give him everything. He had the wealth and power to take him wherever he wanted to go and put any food he desired into that mouth immediately.
If Eun-myeong only wished for it, the man vowed he would never leave Eun-myeong’s side for a single moment.
After that day, whatever realization Eun-myeong had reached, he began to study with sparkling eyes.
He started digging into books, and recently, he barely passed the middle school equivalency exam. The man slaughtered a whole Hanwoo cow to throw a party. He gave all the expensive and prime cuts to Eun-myeong and distributed the rest to his subordinates.
Since he said he would also take the high school entrance exam, he would naturally turn his eyes toward university.
Soon, he would realize how many young and sparkling things there are in the world.
Then he would realize just how dazzling and lovely a being he himself is.
Right now, he might be curled up in a blanket like a silkworm cocoon, held in his arms, but by then, he would likely say he wants to spread his wings and fly.
If he were to snap and break those wings to keep him by his side like this, an indescribable satisfaction would fill his body, but…
Eun-myeong would never open those small, soft lips to tell him he loves him ever again.
Thus, the man folded away his crude desires. He held Eun-myeong carefully in his arms, as if he might break if touched recklessly.
Just how violently the man fought against the impulses that surged a hundred times a day—
Eun-myeong would never know.
How could he be so pretty and cute? Like my own organ.
The middle finger stroking the cheek trembled slightly. Having become a cripple did not fit the man’s high aesthetic standards. His body, which had throbbed as if it had lost something, only stopped convulsing after it was recovered. The traces of having sliced his fingers like diced radish and reattached them, unable to bear the pain, were still vivid.
“Boss, your finger….”
Eun-myeong’s face turned gloomy. His eyelashes trembled, and sadness reflected in his sparkling eyes. He wrapped his hand preciously around the man’s hand and gently caressed the middle finger.
“Does it hurt when I touch it like this?”
He even frowned slightly, as if he were the one in pain.
“No.”
Even though he said so, Eun-myeong looked at the man’s finger as if it were something pitiful. To the man, it was a funny thing. For Eun-myeong, he would have cut off his own limbs or ripped out his entrails. If asked to pluck out his eyes, he would give them.
As long as he didn’t leave his side.
If Eun-myeong continued to rustle in his arms like this, the man felt he could throw away his entire fortune. With eyes bloodshot like a gambler, he understood 100—no, 1000 percent—the hearts of the sick who put their entire life savings into a gamble.
However, he concealed his own inner thoughts, which smelled gloomy and musty.
“If you want, we should go anywhere, anywhere at all.”
Pulling Eun-myeong deeper into his embrace, these were the only words that escaped his lips.
Pigs are symbols of indolence and laziness, and lately, the man called Eun-myeong that whenever he had the chance.
…You piggy, you little honey-pig, you golden piggy bank, shall I roast you over a fire and eat you?
But while he spoke that way, his hands were constantly trying to feed Eun-myeong.
A while ago, he had sent a subordinate directly to Jeju Island to buy two boxes of Hallabong oranges, and he personally peeled the ripe ones, giving each segment to Eun-myeong one by one.
He was surprised by how sweet and sour they were. The taste awakened him, and saliva pooled in his mouth. Was there truly something this delicious in the world?
‘Is it that tasty? You’re just drooling like a baby.’
It was that teasing tone again. Yet, his gaze was as tender as melted honey.
‘You should try some too, Boss.’
Unable to eat something so precious alone, Eun-myeong offered half. With saliva pooling in his mouth, he swallowed hard. The man, claiming he didn’t like sour things, let Eun-myeong eat all but one segment.
Is it okay to be this foolishly happy? Eun-myeong felt as if he were being domesticated.
Thinking back to the disgraceful scene at the department store recently, he felt embarrassed. Without him, he couldn’t even find his way like an idiot.
This cannot go on. A husband with no capability isn’t attractive. He had to become a smart and diligent person.
So, after gathering his courage, he ventured out. A thick fur jacket softly wrapped around Eun-myeong’s neck and cheeks. The Boss had bought it for him; despite being thick, it was very light, and wearing it felt just like being covered by a blanket.
Carefully, with a clatter, he opened the large door and stepped out.
“…….”
The air was far colder and drier than in Gyeryong Bay. The road unfolding before his eyes was certainly unfamiliar. He didn’t have a specific destination for today. He decided to just walk wherever his feet took him and wandered aimlessly.
Seoul was vibrant everywhere. Since Christmas was approaching, everything was sparkling. And people were rushing diligently to make a living.
People selling roasted sweet potatoes, children begging for toys, people collecting donations for the underprivileged….
Among them, what naturally caught Eun-myeong’s eye the most was—
“Ah, my professor is the absolute worst. A total old fogey. I stayed up all night because of the assignment.”
“Let’s go grab some beers.”
They were university students of his own age. Even after the group passed, Eun-myeong remained in that spot for a long time.
…I’m so envious. I have no friends and no connections. At this rate, I’ll really become a fool who only knows the Boss.
Then how burdened would the Boss feel?
Eun-myeong thought he should try to make friends somehow. However, worrying if he could do it well given his lack of social skills, he let out a sigh.
“Hello?”
There were people who struck up a conversation while he was walking.
“Yes?”
Eun-myeong blinked. His eyelashes fluttered. The ones who spoke to him were two people with friendly smiles, and their eyes looked truly clear.
“You look like a student?”
Ah, no, or perhaps they looked completely empty; it was very strange. It felt like they were looking at him, yet not at the same time.
Why are they talking to me?
“…No, I’m not a university student.”
Eun-myeong hunched his shoulders in caution. He saw the men, who had been following slightly behind, tilting their heads.
“We are students here at Seoju University, and we’re offering free vocational aptitude tests.”
“An aptitude test?”
“Yes, yes, we help you find out which profession you have a talent for.”
It was very welcome news. Eun-myeong’s face brightened instantly. How could they offer such a thing for free? People in Seoul are much kinder than they look. Eun-myeong felt sorry for the suspicion he had held for a moment.
“Would you like to go to a nearby cafe for a bit?”
Eun-myeong fell into thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, yes.”
And so, he entered a nearby cafe with them.
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