Thud.
The identity of the paper that had dropped into his hands became clear soon enough.
“The promissory note that bastard wrote. And the contract showing you as the guarantor.”
Munyeong couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. Why were those things in his hands……
“Why would those be…….”
“Why else. Because I paid off that debt.”
“……What?”
Munyeong shot to his feet, his face stricken, his hands trembling.
“Why…. Why would you…….”
“You don’t have to look that moved. I didn’t just pay it off out of the goodness of my heart.”
“…….”
“Because I took that debt for myself.”
“…….”
“Which means — that freeloader’s debt, your house that was put up as collateral, and every last thing you own — it’s all in my hands now.”
Munyeong let out a stunned exhale and couldn’t continue. He had no idea what to say first in a situation like this.
“Don’t go thinking I’ll just hand your house and everything else back to you without conditions.”
If he had transferred the debt to himself as Yeon Haejeong said, that meant Yeon Haejeong was now the creditor.
“…Then… what am I supposed to do……?”
It meant that as the creditor, he wanted something in return. Munyeong asked slowly, his expression blank, and Yeon Haejeong looked back at him with a pondering face, dragging a hand along his jaw as he watched him languidly.
“For now, work.”
“What kind of…….”
“At my place.”
“…….”
“As you can see, it’s obscenely big and I can’t manage it on my own.”
“…….”
“Live here and work. I’ll pay you a wage, and I’ll deduct a portion toward the interest as well.”
“……Is that… all there is to it?”
“One more thing.”
“…….”
“Same as before — if I need you, come out right away. Just do it exactly like you used to.”
For a creditor holding someone’s debt over their head, the conditions were far too easy. And besides, what kind of loan shark also solves your housing problem on top of everything else? Munyeong still couldn’t make heads or tails of his behavior, and his mind remained foggy.
“Why…. Why would you go that far for me……?”
On the surface it might look like Yeon Haejeong was leveraging the money to get Munyeong to work for him — but in reality, it was entirely an act of consideration. From paying off the debt in his stead, to deliberately attaching conditions precisely because he knew Munyeong would never accept just having his house and everything returned to him freely. And on top of that, the conditions themselves were almost too generous for someone in Munyeong’s position.
Living in a place like this and all he had to do was clean the house. As hard as things had been, it was a thousand times better than being chased around by loan sharks. Just yesterday he hadn’t known where to start or how to begin again. It had been so overwhelming — overwhelming enough to make his head ache, to make him want to turn away from reality altogether. But now……
Now, in a single moment, this person had resolved everything, and he couldn’t help but feel grateful. Even with conditions attached, it was nothing compared to what he had been dreading. He had gone back to the place he’d been abandoned and even ended up sleeping on the street.
……Thank you.
Grief crept up on Munyeong without warning, and he couldn’t stop the tears from rising. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d cried in his life — but perhaps it was the alcohol, because his emotions had swelled beyond what he could contain. On top of that, the fact that he had quit his job swearing he would never get entangled with Yeon Haejeong again, that he would stop having feelings for him — and yet here he was, once again receiving help from him — made him feel utterly weak. Endlessly feeble, and so pathetic he was ashamed to even look at him.
Munyeong wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before the tears could fall. Then, pressing down on his trembling voice, he pushed the words out.
“……Sorry.”
He wiped at the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, but he couldn’t stop the tears. The betrayal from his one and only friend, the helplessness he’d felt no matter how desperately he’d lived, all the things he’d held back for so long — it all came pouring out. It had been too hard. If he was being honest, seeing Yeon Haejeong again had made him happy too. In the dreary, damp reality of his everyday life, Yeon Haejeong had always been something different. The only escape from his bleak routine. But he knew how it would end, and he knew someone like him had no business wanting more — which was why he had run. Because he was afraid of wanting too much.
“What are you — why are you crying……!”
Yeon Haejeong’s flustered voice rang out. He rushed over and hesitantly examined Munyeong’s deeply bowed face.
“Oh for — why are you crying! A grown man.”
“……Sorry.”
Yeon Haejeong let out an exasperated sigh and carefully took Munyeong’s face in his hands.
“…Crying, of all things….”
He slowly lifted Munyeong’s face and looked down at the tear-streaked mess with creased eyes. Damn, this is annoying……
Seeing him cry like that twisted something strange inside Yeon Haejeong. He had never seen Munyeong cry before. All that bullying at school, all that humiliation — and he’d never once cried through any of it. Seeing him now, all grown up, weeping like a child — it made something churn in his gut like indigestion, and the back of his throat went hot.
“Are you a child or something?!”
Yeon Haejeong raised his voice and scrubbed at Munyeong’s face with his sleeve.
“Even a kid — a k-kid wouldn’t cry like this.”
“……Sorry.”
Still grumbling, Yeon Haejeong set his sleeve aside — careful not to irritate the skin — and used his hand instead to gently wipe the corners of Munyeong’s eyes. In that moment, the swollen eyes and completely flushed face came into full view right before him. ……Even like this, he’s kind of cute. He quietly noted this to himself and let out an embarrassed, hollow cough.
“…There’s nothing to thank me for. You have to work it off, remember?”
“……Yeah. I’ll work hard……”
“Th-that’s right. You’d better.”
“……If there’s anything you need done…… just tell me.”
“What do you mean just tell you everything.”
“Just…… I’ll do it all.”
“Good grief. Do you even know how dangerous it is to go around saying you’ll do anything?”
Munyeong sniffled and looked up at Yeon Haejeong with an innocent expression. That face that knew nothing — it looked foolish, but he didn’t find it unpleasant. Yeon Haejeong let out a helpless laugh he couldn’t suppress, like a sneeze, and then carefully wiped away the last teardrop hanging from Munyeong’s chin.
“You can’t just quit this time whenever you feel like it. Keep that in mind.”
He looked down at him gently as he said the words in a tone of mock threat. At his terrible tenderness, Munyeong let out a deflated little laugh. Then he slowly nodded his head. It was still a night that felt like a dream.
