“Wh…… What the hell are you talking about? Why should I do that?!”
“Is there a reason not to? You said you didn’t want to date. That’s why I’m not forcing you to date me.”
“But you’re saying we should sleep together!”
“Dating and sex are separate things. Didn’t you enjoy yesterday?”
“I didn’t enjoy it!”
If he’d really enjoyed it, he wouldn’t have spent the whole day grinding his teeth with an aching body, nor would he have had to change clothes in the bathroom. When he snapped back like that, Ray Jun made an expression that looked deeply regretful and apologetic.
“Got it. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“…….”
Just what kind of common sense did Ray Jun have? Kang Siwon was so flabbergasted he lost his words and just thought to himself. And why was he so persistent? Did he not even consider the possibility that there wouldn’t be a “next time”?
What could he possibly be thinking in his daily life to make such a proposal? Maybe it was because he was an open-minded foreigner. But Macau was part of the Confucian cultural sphere too…….
Since he was a gyopo, perhaps his sensibilities were a bit different. Just as he was about to reach that prejudiced conclusion, Ray Jun tilted his head slightly with a fresh smile.
“Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Xie Wei.”
……Wrong. This wasn’t a problem of cultural differences in upbringing. Kang Siwon completely overturned his earlier hypothesis and reached a new conclusion.
It was just that the human being called “Ray Jun” himself was the problem.
* * *
[Ju Xiang] 6 o’clock parking lot
After checking the brief message that had arrived, Kang Siwon frowned slightly. Ju Xiang had the dog-like talent of only contacting him on his days off. Of course, since he would have checked his work schedule before contacting him, it was natural if you thought about it.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling today. It was because Ju Xiang’s attitude had become noticeably sharper recently. He had always been blunt and pessimistic, but at some point, that sensitivity had reached its peak. Right, it was probably from the time when he hadn’t been able to dig up any decent information.
But there was nothing Kang Siwon could do about it. The lack of information worth digging up was because Sovereign’s parasite-like customers had stopped their activities, so what could he, just a mere cage staff member, do about it? That was clearly the same for Ju Xiang on the surveillance team as well. So naturally his irritation would increase.
The clock was already pointing to 5:40 PM. It was a time he couldn’t postpone any longer. Kang Siwon reluctantly got up from the sofa.
Before leaving the dormitory entrance, he looked around the empty interior. He felt strangely empty. It must be because the noisy Ray Jun wasn’t there. But if he had been there, he would have pestered him with questions about where he was going, so it was rather fortunate that he was absent.
Kang Siwon took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Ju Xiang’s car was parked in a corner of the lot. He took a short deep breath and knocked on the passenger window. Soon Ju Xiang unlocked the car door.
“Hello.”
“What’s good about it?”
Ju Xiang retorted childishly. Kang Siwon sat in the passenger seat without any response. The car door closed, and abusive language immediately poured out.
“You fucking bastard, I prettily fabricated your identity and put you in the cage room, so shouldn’t you at least bring back something? You’ve come up empty for the second week? What the hell are you doing right now?”
“……I’m sorry. There weren’t any people who fit the conditions.”
“Are you sure you didn’t just not look properly? Or wait, are you rebelling right now?”
“No.”
“Then why are there no results, no results!”
The conversation returned to square one. Kang Siwon swallowed his sigh and lowered his head. Seeing that, Ju Xiang twisted his lips and then smacked Kang Siwon on the head.
“Let’s do this properly, okay?”
“…….”
“Hey, I didn’t stick you in Sovereign to play around and eat for free. Did I expect you to bring back three or four things when I ask for one? At least you should do what you’re asked to do, what you’re asked. You need to produce results for there to be a next time, you bastard.”
Apart from the humiliation of being hit on the head, Ju Xiang’s words were utterly absurd. Even though he knew that with unreasonable people like Ju Xiang, saying ‘yes, yes’ would end the situation quickly, he welled up and couldn’t stay quiet.
“What results am I supposed to produce?”
“What?”
“What the hell am I supposed to dig up? I’m following orders without even knowing what the task is, so how am I supposed to produce results? If you’re going to be like this, at least tell me the criteria for what kind of work I should be doing and how.”
“This bastard is uselessly talking back and acting up!”
Ju Xiang roughly struck Kang Siwon’s head again. His head reflexively bowed, but Kang Siwon immediately raised his head and looked straight at Ju Xiang. Not liking that look in his eyes, Ju Xiang raised his voice.
“Hey man, can’t you tell the size just by looking? There are suspicious cases, you know! Like, people who exchange chips in weird ways, or guys who don’t play games in private rooms but sit there for hours! Dig out even one of those things!”
“There weren’t any of those either. In the first place, I’m not even a dealer, so how would I know whether they’re playing games or smoking cigarettes in the private rooms?”
“Ha, this bastard really…….”
Ju Xiang said with his teeth clenched.
“Hey, if you’re going to be like this, just quit. You think I don’t know you don’t want to work? Just looking at your death face, it’s all obvious, you bastard. If you’re going to be like this, pull out right now and pay back the 3 billion with your own strength. Ah, there’s probably interest accumulated by now. It might not be 3 billion anymore?”
“…….”
“Or should I contact the guarantor right now? Would you like that?”
“No.”
In an instant, Uncle Gyucheol’s face flashed through his mind and he immediately answered. He was the one who would stop by and feed him even once when his father was away from home for three or four days. Just as he had taken care of him, now it was time for him to protect Uncle Gyucheol.
At Kang Siwon’s compliant answer, Ju Xiang, who had become somewhat calmer, continued as if coaxing him.
“I’m saying this for your sake, bastard. If you can’t produce results like this, it’s not me but the higher-ups who’ll flip out. Then you might have to go to an even harsher position.”
“…….”
“Let’s do well. You know, your memory is at least useful. Next time, just memorize the entire settlement data. Anyway, if there’s anything you can dig up, report it right away. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Even to the forced coercion, Kang Siwon answered silently. Ju Xiang waved his hand dismissively as if there was nothing more to say.
“Get out.”
Kang Siwon silently opened the car door and got out. The cold air of the underground parking lot brushed against his cheek.
“……Fuck.”
He spat out a curse as he walked. While heading toward the elevator, Kang Siwon mulled over what Ju Xiang had just said.
Since his memory was at least useful, next time he should just memorize the entire settlement data, and he should dig up something…….
If he set his mind to it, it wasn’t impossible. Depending on how he thought about it, it was entirely possible, but the outcry of “why should I” kept trying to come out. If only he hadn’t been tied up by his father’s debt, if only Uncle Gyucheol hadn’t stood as guarantor, Kang Siwon wouldn’t have needed to obediently follow the Baeksa Faction’s orders to that extent. He wouldn’t have to make the assumption that innocent people might shed bloody tears because of information he carelessly passed on.
“……Does it matter?”
He suddenly muttered to himself.
In the first place, if you don’t do shady things at the casino, you won’t become a target, and information won’t be leaked because of it. No one forced them to play tricks with chips, so whatever the Baeksa Faction does to them, isn’t it all their own doing? Maybe it was just self-rationalization, but…….
His head was throbbing so he couldn’t continue the thought. This bastard and that bastard were all fucking awful. The Baeksa Faction, the VIP customers, Ju Xiang—all of them were irritating and nauseating. He couldn’t even stand himself because he was so disgusted.
When he got on the elevator, he saw a man reflected in the mirror. The area under his eyes was dark and his lips were dry. A face that was clearly sharp from exhaustion at a glance.
Since when had he been wearing this face? It felt unfamiliar, as if looking at a stranger.
Kang Siwon gently caressed his own cheek in the mirror. The touch on his fingertips was cold.
Right, let’s just think about myself.
He pledged to himself like a vow. Come to think of it—no, without even needing to think—he himself was the weakest in the food chain. He wasn’t in a position to worry about or care for anyone else.
If the Baeksa Faction committed murder as he had initially feared, then he would have to reconsider, but until then, there was no need to pretend to be moral.
I should just think about my survival first, Kang Siwon concluded.
* * *
Returning to the dormitory, Kang Siwon immediately buried himself in bed.
His life pattern was already a mess due to the three-shift rotation, and with all kinds of stress piled on top of that, his eyelids closed on their own. He had no more energy to pay attention to anything else and just wanted to escape into sleep.
He tumbled into a deep sleep without even dreaming, and when he woke up again, it was completely dark outside the window. It seemed night had fallen.
Instead, fluorescent light was seeping through the crack under the door. That light, tinged with a soft orange glow, looked warm, so Kang Siwon sat up as if drawn to it.
He left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. Perhaps sensing the presence, Ray Jun, who had been absorbed in something in front of the gas range, turned around.
“Ah, you’re up?”
Ray Jun, discovering Kang Siwon, smiled brightly. At that face, brighter than the fluorescent light, Kang Siwon frowned slightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Cooking. You slept without eating, didn’t you? There were no traces.”
“That’s true, but…….”
“I haven’t eaten yet either, so I prepared something for both of us. I feel bad about always mooching off you.”
While the thought was appreciated, somehow it didn’t seem reliable since he’d never seen him cook before. When he approached and checked, it seemed he was making tomato and egg fried rice. Aside from spilling rice grains around the burner, which was bothersome, since it was an easy dish, there seemed to be no particular mistakes.
“It’s almost done. Sit down.”
“……Yeah.”
Somehow it felt dazed, as if dreaming. Maybe it was because the drowsiness hadn’t completely cleared yet. Kang Siwon sat down at the dining table as told.
