Merry Christmas Y’all
* * *
As soon as he returned to the dorm, he went straight to the kitchen with only his shoes off. After washing his hands in the sink, Kang Siwon took out flour and immediately started kneading dough.
“You’re back?”
He didn’t even hear Ray Jun’s greeting, who’d gotten off work earlier. Kang Siwon just kept his mouth shut and silently pounded the flour dough.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack.
A dull sound rang out each time he struck the dough with force. Ray Jun, who’d been watching, clicked his tongue.
“It’s killing the sound. I could record this and use it as sound effects for an action scene in a movie.”
“……”
“What on earth happened, Xie Wei. Is there someone you want to beat up?”
That was correct. Not even just one person. Instead of answering, Kang Siwon crushed and mashed the dough while muttering in a low voice.
“Crazy perverted bastard… What’s so good about a guy with the same thing…”
“Ah, you’re talking about Feng Tao. I heard the rumors, but is he still hitting on you?”
“…You heard too?”
Kang Siwon stopped kneading the flour and asked. Ray Jun shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah. But don’t worry too much about it. Everyone thinks you’re pitiful for being targeted so annoyingly.”
“……”
It seemed like something he said to console him, but it wasn’t comforting to Kang Siwon at all. Because given the casino’s nature, dirty talk would obviously be going around behind his back anyway. Even if there were people who pitied him, being sympathized with was equally unpleasant and hurt his pride.
“Why the hell doesn’t anyone stop that perverted bastard? Does he spend hundreds of billions at the casino or something?”
“He’s Director Feng’s son.”
“I know he’s some internal director’s son, but there should be a limit to causing trouble. At this point, he should’ve been banned from entering long ago.”
“Whose son he is matters that much. Sovereign is tightly controlled by the board of directors. Among them, Director Feng’s influence is quite significant.”
“So I have to keep taking it just because that little shit has his eye on me?”
Kang Siwon struck the dough even more roughly to vent his anger. Ray Jun, who’d been leaning against the sink watching, clicked his tongue.
“Wow, I don’t know what you’re trying to make, but it’s really going to be chewy…”
“Why the hell is he clinging to a man like me in the first place? What can guys even do with each other? Ugh…”
As Kang Siwon grimaced, Ray Jun muttered as if to himself.
“Guys can do everything with each other too.”
“What?”
“Xie Wei, do you hate gays by any chance?”
“That’s…”
Kang Siwon, who was about to thoughtlessly say ‘I hate them,’ hesitated. Thinking about it, he hated that perverted bastard, but didn’t particularly have feelings one way or another about gays themselves. It would be more accurate to say he’d never even thought about it. Moreover…
“……”
The memory of kissing Ray Jun suddenly came to mind.
Right, he didn’t know what all guys could do with each other and how far, but kissing was definitely possible.
Kang Siwon kneaded the dough silently for a moment.
For Ray Jun, it must have been unavoidable—kissing him to hide him from the guards—but actually, ordinary guys like himself wouldn’t have even thought of the quick thinking to kiss another man no matter how urgent the situation. Even if they’d thought of it, putting it into action was another matter entirely.
Ray Jun, who’d so nonchalantly pressed their lips together and even undressed him… could he possibly be gay?
It seemed so plausible he wondered why he hadn’t thought of that possibility until now. Unlike ordinary men, Ray Jun was clean-cut and handsome, and took good care of himself, didn’t he? Most of all, he was as pretty as a celebrity.
Kang Siwon, who’d turned his guess into complete certainty, observed Ray Jun’s mood. He didn’t seem particularly offended, but you never know. He might have been hurt by his thoughtless remark.
Ahem, Kang Siwon cleared his throat and spoke.
“I… I didn’t curse him for being gay. It’s because that bastard keeps clinging even though I openly dislike it. That’s why I’m pissed.”
“Hm? I know that. But?”
Ray Jun tilted his head slightly as if asking, ‘Why are you bothering to explain that?’ It was actually a somewhat cute gesture for an adult man to make, but seeing how it didn’t feel out of place at all, he really did seem to be gay. Kang Siwon spoke while unnecessarily reading Ray Jun’s mood.
“…Just saying.”
“How bland.”
Ray Jun chuckled and added kindly.
“Anyway, just hang in there a little longer. Employees who’ve worked in the high-stakes betting zone for a long time said Feng Tao is originally like that. When he fixates on someone, he clings persistently, then quickly moves on to someone else. It’ll be resolved soon, so don’t worry too much. It must be really hard though…”
His heart softened at the gentle comfort. Kang Siwon sighed and finished kneading the dough. Thinking with a somewhat calmer head, it seemed he’d taken his temper out on Ray Jun for no reason.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“It’s fine, what’s this much? You can talk anytime you’re having a hard time. We’re roommates, aren’t we?”
At words that could appear in an example of proper human relations, Kang Siwon momentarily forgot his anger and was impressed. How could he be so thoughtful? Though he’d been experiencing nothing but unlucky incidents in a row since setting foot in Sovereign Casino, becoming roommates with Ray Jun was definitely good fortune.
Reminded of this, his muddy mood improved a little. He muttered to himself that at least he had good roommate luck.
“So, what are you making with this?”
“Sujebi.”
“Sujebi?”
Ray Jun asked back at the unfamiliar food name.
“It’s a soup dish where you tear flour dough and put it in… Anyway, there’s something like that. I’ll show you.”
“Oh, sounds good.”
Kang Siwon picked up the dough and headed to the gas range. Ray Jun followed behind him like a baby duck.
He boiled the anchovy broth he’d prepared a few days ago and tore pieces of dough into it. Ray Jun seemed to find that interesting and muttered.
“It’s like throwing coins into a pond.”
“Want to try?”
“Yeah.”
Ray Jun quickly washed his hands and picked up the flour dough. He tore the dough and plopped it into the soup. He tended to tear the dough a bit thick, but since Ray Jun seemed to be enjoying himself, he let it be.
“This is fun. There was a dish like this. You said it’s sujebi, right?”
‘Sujebi’—it was pronunciation so accurate you’d think he was Korean. Kang Siwon realized anew that Ray Jun’s linguistic sense was excellent.
“Yeah.”
“You know how to make so many dishes, Xie Wei. You really are an all-purpose chef.”
“It’s a hobby.”
Actually, he just knew it well because it was familiar Korean food. Kang Siwon suddenly wondered if he should have made something else. He probably wouldn’t think he was Korean just because of sujebi, but it would have been better to be careful. Here, his identity was a Canadian gyopo.
But he’d also often made dishes like curry, pasta, oyakodon, and nasi goreng, so there was no reason to avoid only Korean food. In any case, the sujebi was cooking well. When he added julienned carrots and onions, it looked even more appetizing.
“It’s done.”
It would have been perfect with zucchini. That was the only regret. Unlike Kang Siwon, Ray Jun was purely impressed.
“Wow, it looks delicious.”
“Ray Jun, can you pass me the pepper?”
He truly finished the dish after sprinkling pepper. Soon, Kang Siwon sat at the dining table facing Ray Jun. Ray Jun, who ate a spoonful of sujebi with a face full of anticipation, sparkled his eyes.
“It’s chewy. So this is what Xie Wei’s anger tastes like.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Xie Wei’s anger is delicious.”
He seemed genuinely curious about what anger tasted like. Kang Siwon kicked Ray Jun’s leg. As if it didn’t even hurt, Ray Jun just giggled.
“What are you going to make next, Xie Wei?”
“I don’t know. I’ll make whatever I feel like at the time.”
“Whatever dish it is, put happiness in it if possible. Not anger. Got it?”
“…I’ll try.”
He answered vaguely since it wasn’t something up to him. Just imagining the stress after going to work already made his stomach burn. But as if that answer was enough, Ray Jun nodded.
Kang Siwon chewed and ate the sujebi. This piece was particularly large and irregularly shaped. It was definitely the dough Ray Jun had torn.
* * *
[Manager Park] Regarding exchange records from the 15th, identify cases where the same person exchanged more than 3 times within 30 minutes. Report if exchange purpose is unclear.
Before going to work, Kang Siwon turned off his phone as soon as he checked Manager Park’s message. He was sick and tired of carrying out these instructions now.
For half a year, he hadn’t refused even once when it came to what the Baeksa Faction ordered. Worried harm would come to Uncle Gyucheol, he’d followed dutifully with the feeling of having his own flesh carved away. Every day was suffocating, and it seemed like his lifespan shortened day by day, but still, he’d endured with the single hope that he could be free after two and a half more years.
But perhaps because he was exhausted, pessimistic thoughts also arose about what the point of all that was. Even if he escaped Sovereign Casino, the sin of having participated in crimes wouldn’t disappear.
“Good morning.”
“Hi, Xie Wei.”
Even while exchanging greetings with colleagues after arriving at work, his heart felt uneasy for no reason. These were people who clearly knew he was receiving courtship from an internal director’s son. According to Ray Jun, other employees also felt sorry for him, but he didn’t know what the truth was. He kept worrying about what they might be saying behind his back secretly, whether they were looking at him strangely even now.
Then, someone knocked on the counter.
