Beyond that, if sympathy was felt, it would be a slightly better case. If emotions of being troubled by hearing unnecessary stories were detected, Yiyoung also felt a bit awkward. With Chahyun, it wasn’t easy to distinguish which.
If he had to judge, he looked angry. This was another new reaction he hadn’t seen before, so he didn’t know the reason. Yiyoung didn’t wonder long and earnestly requested:
“So don’t keep being curious about me and coming to find me. What will you do if I end up insisting I can’t break up with Chahyun-ssi?”
It was just words to scare Chahyun, but they weren’t completely insincere either.
Before, he had hoped for that, but now he was afraid he might fall in love with Moon Chahyun even by a slim chance.
Now it wasn’t simply because of the gap in status. He didn’t want to like someone who spoke and acted so selfishly anymore. Yiyoung, who was originally soft-hearted, got hurt especially easily by people he liked.
Yiyoung echoed back the warning Chahyun had given him at the sky lounge.
“I don’t want to become someone who troubles Chahyun-ssi.”
Only then did Chahyun make an expression of suddenly coming to his senses from being lost in other thoughts. He seemed to recognize that those were words he himself had said to Yiyoung. Then by now he should understand what was being said.
Yiyoung sighed lightly and gulped down the Kahlua milk. For some reason, the coffee-milk-flavored alcohol wasn’t very sweet. As he set down the glass he’d emptied in one go on the bar table, the desk clock beside it caught his eye. Yiyoung turned the clock showing 10:03 toward Chahyun’s side and said:
“We’re closed.”
“……”
Chahyun glared at Yiyoung with an angry face as before, then soon got up from his seat. After the last customer left, Yiyoung sat blankly for about 20 minutes before closing the shop and coming out.
***
Yiyoung checked the reply Ki Taeseong had sent only after boarding the bus.
[Trash:
When are you coming?
Fuck this bastard even changed the house locks
Hurry the fuck up and get here
Work my ass
What kind of money do you make from that shitty bar part-time job]
9:46 PM
It seemed he’d have to see Ki Taeseong today after all.
Yiyoung put his phone in his pocket without replying. He got off the bus hoping that Ki Taeseong, who didn’t have very good patience, had left in the meantime. As he climbed the alley of the hillside slum, his heart pounded from accumulated stress.
Disappointingly, a man with a familiar build was standing in front of the house gate.
A man with a lean and threatening physique of 192cm read Yiyoung’s presence and turned his head to show a pale face. After taking a long drag on his cigarette filter, the man exhaled smoke and said:
“Long time no see? Has it been half a year?”
Ki Taeseong, 32 years old. Mom’s lover, 16 years her junior. Occupation: thug.
He didn’t know exactly what work he did now, but the tattoos clearly visible under Ki Taeseong’s short-sleeved t-shirt spoke for his occupation. From shoulders to wrists, the irezumi filling both arms densely was not a tattoo done for style even to Yiyoung who knew nothing. Ki Taeseong had the same tattoos ten years ago when Yiyoung first saw him.
Suddenly Yiyoung wanted to ask Mom the question Chahyun had asked him at the whisky bar.
‘Why does Mom date trash like Ki Taeseong?’
Ki Taeseong did treat Mom well. Ten years ago, Ki Taeseong, who had been a henchman for a low-quality private loan shark, had pursued a 38-year-old unmarried mother with a high school son quite fervently.
Mom, who always said she would never love any man other than Yiyoung in the future, hadn’t even glanced at the 22-year-old thug who was in charge of her at the time. However, by whatever means, the love that began when Ki Taeseong resolved Mom’s 150 million won private loan and retired from the underworld continued to this day.
Of course, to Yiyoung he was a thorn in his side. Over the past ten years, Ki Taeseong had lived as Mom’s cute kept man, eating meals and receiving spending money. Not only that, but Mom had also cleaned up accidents Ki Taeseong had caused several times under the pretext of business. That naturally included money Yiyoung had earned.
Mom’s imprisonment was also due to unwittingly helping Ki Taeseong’s ‘business.’ Although he couldn’t get a detailed explanation no matter how much he pressed, Yiyoung was certain that once Mom was indicted first, she had taken the blame for some of Ki Taeseong’s charges.
Looking at this, romance and love were troublesome for everyone, not just Yiyoung.
In any case, Yiyoung felt the mother and son had more than repaid their debt to Ki Taeseong. Ki Taeseong glared at Yiyoung and jerked his chin toward the house gate.
“Open the door.”
“Just say it here.”
Yiyoung answered while firmly shoving both hands into his outerwear pockets as a sign of refusal.
“You’re going to ask for money anyway, aren’t you?”
Of course, Yiyoung had no intention of giving Ki Taeseong a single ten-won coin. Mom believed without doubt that Ki Taeseong was a good man, but Yiyoung didn’t. To Yiyoung, Ki Taeseong was a burden in life.
Ki Taeseong burst into a coarse laugh and threw the cigarette he’d been smoking to the ground.
“Ha…… Fag, still as rude as ever.”
Suddenly with a fierce face, Ki Taeseong walked toward Yiyoung with heavy steps. As a man nearly twice his size approached, Yiyoung inevitably shrank. Still, he struggled desperately not to step back. Ki Taeseong, who had gotten close in an instant, pressed hard on the side of Yiyoung’s forehead and threatened:
“Did you forget your place while I wasn’t around? Want to get beaten to come to your senses?”
Getting hit by Ki Taeseong did hurt. But he’d rather get beaten than have money extorted. Even while shrinking in fear before Ki Taeseong, face drained of color and eyes trembling, Yiyoung retorted:
“I’m telling you again, I don’t have money. I have even less money to give to hyung.”
“What did I say I’d do if you lied to me?”
He’d said he’d beat him until dust came out on a rainy day. Of course, it was just talk—Ki Taeseong was mindful of Mom so he generally didn’t hit Yiyoung, but when his nerves were really rubbed wrong, he raised his fists.
But now Mom, the only person who could stop Ki Taeseong, wasn’t here. Ki Taeseong was a person who’d even beat up police when he flipped out.
Ki Taeseong lowered the hand that had been pushing Yiyoung’s head, hesitated briefly, then got to the point.
“You’re making some money these days, right? Who was it, anyway some hot idol’s song. I heard you made that?”
He’d deliberately even used a stage name, but somehow he’d found out. Now he saw—the reason Ki Taeseong had stopped coming to Yiyoung’s house for six months after Mom went to prison and then contacted him again was that. As expected, there wasn’t a single good thing that came from attracting others’ attention.
Ki Taeseong muttered in a tone of having seen all sorts of things in life.
“When you were young, I thought you were just doing useless nonsense. I guess even a worm has the skill to roll?”
In fact, Ki Taeseong had nearly thrown a fit when Yiyoung said he’d go to music school despite their poor circumstances. He’d also been displeased with Yiyoung wasting time on street performances. The reason was that the son was making Mom suffer by going around doing useless things.
Perhaps because of that, Ki Taeseong continued awkwardly, as if embarrassed to ask Yiyoung for a favor.
“Anyway, so what I’m saying is.”
Yiyoung’s fists trembled in his pockets, angry in advance at the words that would follow.
“If you have money, give me 30 million won. I’ll pay you back with interest.”
Yiyoung’s jaw dropped. No matter how shameless, he’d expected him to ask for about 3 million won at most, but 30 million?
Moreover, he’d never seen Ki Taeseong pay anyone back money before. Unable to hold back, Yiyoung widened his eyes and raised his voice:
“I said I don’t have money to give to hyung!”
“Fuck…… This pipsqueak. Lower your voice, won’t you?”
Ki Taeseong frowned all over his face as if his ears hurt from the sharp shout echoing through the alley. Then he clicked his tongue once and glanced at Yiyoung. Ki Taeseong placed an absurdly thick and solid arm on Yiyoung’s shoulder and strode toward the house gate, saying:
“First, listen to what I have to say. If this business succeeds, I’ll really end my unemployed life and live properly.”
“You expect me to believe that? Let go before I call the police!”
Yiyoung tried his best to resist by putting strength in his legs, but was dragged along pathetically easily. Soon thrown down in front of the house gate’s lock, Yiyoung trembled with his right hand braced against the iron door to keep his face from hitting it and rambled:
“I really will report you. If you go to prison, you won’t be able to visit Mom, is that okay?”
