By Zephyria 
But when he stepped outside, the room was empty. The man had vanished without a trace. Only the acrid scent of cigarette smoke remained, stinging his nostrils.
The tension snapped. Only then did Eun-myeong let his shoulders slump. He approached the sofa and sat down, pulling his knees to his chest.
…What should I do now?
Should he call his Noona and let her know? But how on earth was he supposed to make a call…?
Eun-myeong looked around the room. A telephone sat on the bedside table. Would it be okay to use that? Eun-myeong slowly lifted the receiver and then set it back down. Still, hearing the ring-ring signal, it seemed the phone was working.
Should he try contacting her? But what if that phone connected directly to the man…?
His thoughts flowed sluggishly. A quiet space of contemplation. Eun-myeong’s eyelids grew heavy. The strength gradually left his neck. He tilted his head to the side, burying his ear against his shoulder.
“…….”
At some point, he drifted off to sleep without realizing it. It was because the tension he had been gripping so tightly in his body had slowly dissolved.
He woke up to the sound of a knock—knock, knock.
“Room service.”
It was a woman’s high-pitched voice. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but bright daylight had already settled against the window.
“Guest, room service is here.”
Amidst his daze, he heard the knocking once more. Eun-myeong cautiously rose from the sofa. As he slid the door open with a wary expression, a tray laden with food entered.
“I have the room service you ordered ready for you.”
LA galbi, steamed monkfish, duck meat, and various other Korean dishes. The tray was piled with foods he had never even received on his birthday.
…And. And, piled neatly to one side, were steamed buns—completely out of place with the rest.
“…W-why is this for me?”
Faced with a luxurious spread for the first time in his life, fear struck him before joy could.
“You are Lee Eun-myeong, correct?”
Eun-myeong gave a small nod. The employee gave him a pretty smile.
“These are the foods ordered for Mr. Lee Eun-myeong.”
Is she seriously telling me to eat all of this? Having just woken up, Eun-myeong’s face, already flushed with heat, turned an even deeper shade of red.
“We also have massages, gym access, and dog grooming services prepared, so please feel free to give us a call at any time.”
The well-dressed woman smiled brightly. It was the first time in his life he had received such a gentle smile from someone so sophisticated. He suddenly felt ridiculous and embarrassed by his own appearance. He probably looked incredibly clumsy and obviously poor. Eun-myeong dropped his gaze.
“…T-thank you.”
He thanked her awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Then, please enjoy your rest.”
The employee spoke softly and turned away. The click-clack of her shoes pierced his ears. Soon, the door closed with a thump behind her. The door opened and closed much more easily than he had expected.
…Is there no one in front?
Eun-myeong approached on tiptoe. He tried turning the door handle. Contrary to his expectations, the door opened immediately with a click. Just as he felt something was off, his eyes met someone’s. It was a man in a black suit.
“Please go inside.”
A gold necklace hung around his neck, and a tiger tattoo was vivid on the nape of his neck. There was even a long scar across his cheek. He didn’t need to ask to know the man’s profession. Thug, gangster… As soon as those words entered his mind, Eun-myeong hurried back into the room.
“…….”
The door closed with a thud.
Could it be that this person is guarding me? Eun-myeong stood blankly, enveloped in silence. What should he do now? Overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, he drifted back to the sofa and sat again, pulling his knees to his chest.
In the midst of the silence, a small commotion occurred in his stomach—grumble. Eun-myeong cautiously shifted his eyes to the table. His large pupils reflected the glistening food.
…Is all of this really for me?
Eun-myeong slowly rose from the sofa. A sticky, sliding sound echoed from the tough leather.
Every single dish had a glossy sheen. A savory aroma wafted to the tip of his nose. The meat, dripping with juices, was particularly eye-catching. So that was LA galbi. He had heard of it, but this was the first time he had seen it in person. Eun-myeong secretly licked his lips. The texture looked tender; it seemed like it would be delicious.
“…….”
Yet, the reason he couldn’t easily reach for the food was that he knew it was a luxury far too great for him.
Nothing here belonged to him. Not this room, not the robe he wore, nor the sofa he sat on. Everything looked so expensive and precious that he was terrified he might accidentally scratch or damage something.
He would rather go home. Even though Bear had knocked over the wardrobe, ripped all the wallpaper, and peeled up the flooring, making it a mess, Eun-myeong knew.
That was where he belonged.
Something dirty, clumsy, poor, and insignificant. Even if others called it trivial, that was what gave him comfort. Once again, his stomach roared. He felt a trembling in his lower abdomen.
“…Ah.”
The only thing here he felt he could eat was the steamed buns. He felt that even if something happened later, he could pay for at least that much. Gulp, Eun-myeong swallowed at the appetizing sight.
Steam was rising from the round, white steamed buns. Just one, he wanted to try just one, just one steamed bun…
He carefully picked up a bun. A warm heat still lingered. He put it in his mouth. The soft red bean paste melted inside. It was so delicious it made his nose tingle.
How could it be this sweet and tasty? It tasted like the steamed buns he used to eat at the orphanage. On Saturdays, they would have special treats, and steamed buns were Eun-myeong’s favorite. Other snacks didn’t fill him up much, but with this, he could easily last until dinner after eating just one.
When he left the orphanage, the only money he had in his possession was a mere one million won.
That was when his Noona told him to come and live with her. She said she had saved a bit of money, and a grandfather in the neighborhood was selling his house cheaply because he was moving to Seoul to be with his children, so they could buy it.
It was small, old, and dirty, but it had two rooms and a living room. Although the water froze in winter and he dripped with sweat from the heat in summer… Eun-myeong was still happy. A home of their own. He couldn’t believe he had his own space where he could eat comfortably and lie down to sleep. It felt like a dream.
Though it was poor and shabby, it was the first home he and his Noona had scraped together to afford… To think he would lose even the home he could return to…
His eyes gradually reddened. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Getting sentimental like this would leave him with nothing. Eun-myeong stuffed the rest of the steamed bun into his mouth and chewed vigorously. He continued to munch for a long while. After swallowing, he exhaled a warm breath, huu-huu.
“…….”
Now that his stomach was slightly full, his mind seemed to start working more clearly. But where on earth did the man go?
Could he have found out something more from the notebook?
His chest felt tight, as if something were lodged there. Pick, pick, he tore at a hangnail by his fingernail. It was already red and stinging, but Eun-myeong was so anxious he didn’t even notice.
Sitting here doing nothing only brought anxious thoughts. Come to think of it, he had never rested comfortably for even a single day. He was either out at the shop or weaving cast nets. He felt a desperate longing for the half-finished cast net at home. He should have brought that with him… He was dying for even a single penny.
“…Phew.”
Then, something flashed into his mind. Ah, right, my money… Eun-myeong approached the door. There were clothes lying about as if a snake had shed its skin. When he slid his hand into the pants pocket, he found damp money.
His precious money. It was only fifty-eight thousand won, but that was because he had bought two packs of ramen after receiving payment for a cast net… Moreover, he had even lost some coins.
Looking at the clothes, they were quite dirty from rolling on the street. He survived autumn and winter with only three sets of clothes.
‘I should at least wash these.’
Eun-myeong put his underwear and socks in the bathtub. When he turned the faucet, hot water poured out abundantly. Fearing the cost of the water, he intentionally kept the flow weak and diligently scrubbed the laundry by hand.
Because he was kneeling, the gap in the robe opened, and his pressed Achilles tendon turned red. He didn’t mind; he scrubbed them well with soap and hung them on the towel rack. He didn’t forget to drape his shirt and pants over the edge of the tub.
“…Oh.”
Then Eun-myeong fell into a dilemma again. What should he do about the man’s clothes? If he left them like that, they would get ruined.
After pondering, he carefully picked up the shirt—which felt incredibly soft compared to his own—and brought it to the bathroom. He scrubbed it thoroughly and kneaded the pants clean without missing a spot.
“Huff….”
The clothes were so large that he broke into a sweat. Eun-myeong wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. His sweat-soaked bangs swept aside, revealing the fine hairs along his hairline. They were thin, like a chick’s down, and tended to tangle easily.
And finally.
“…….”
Eun-myeong held the man’s drawers in his hand. His forehead turned red for no reason. He remembered how the pubic hair, thick like a black forest, extended right into the drawers.
The girth was truly incomparably wide and large compared to his own. He felt he now understood why the man had said his dick was small.
Eun-myeong shuddered, a chill running through him. After diligently hanging the sleek black drawers in the bathroom, he returned to the room.
“…….”
The man still had not returned. Perhaps because there was someone guarding the outside, he wasn’t bothering to step back in.
Eun-myeong swallowed hard. He walked softly toward the bedside table. He checked the door once, but there was no sign of anyone.
He cautiously lifted the receiver. As he pressed the buttons one by one, his heart hammered in his chest.
Thump, thump, thump…
As he pressed the final digit, the ring-ring sound finally echoed.
It was then. He sensed a presence. Faint music could be heard from outside. Was it a doorbell? Startled, Eun-myeong quickly set the receiver down and stood up. In his haste to step back, he crashed into the bedside table, pushing it over.
“Ugh, ah!”
The orange jar sitting on the table shook violently and then—crash!—it hit the floor with a sharp sound and shattered. Eun-myeong looked down helplessly at the fragmented pieces.
Soon, the hotel room door opened. A massive build, tanned skin. It was that man.
A cold silence descended upon the room.