Calming his breath, he stood in front of the store phone. Yeon Cheonguk fell into urgent contemplation.
Where should I call?
A number he could press? A number worth pressing? A number he had no choice but to press?
No. None of those were right. He knew this was an absurd and presumptuous thing to do. If the other person found out, they’d sneer at him.
—If you’re going to act pitiful, at least get down on your knees properly. What gets solved by just acting prideful?
But was it the feeling of wanting to grasp at straws?
In this urgent moment, was this truly the only existence that came to mind that could help?
He couldn’t understand at all why he thought this. It was almost an unconscious reflex.
With trembling hands, Yeon Cheonguk pressed the dial buttons.
018-***-7918.
It was that number he’d recited so much when borrowing manga that he’d memorized it.
—Ring… Ring…
It was the default call connection tone without a custom ringtone set. The signal tone rang long. Hwang Jegu didn’t answer the phone. While waiting until the end, he was anxious whether the boss might come in or something might happen outside.
Eventually the voicemail guidance came on and he put down the receiver. Thinking he might answer if he called once more, he pressed the redial button.
It was the second call, but this time too the connection tone continued long. Yeon Cheonguk, who’d been biting his thumb, gave up and hung up the phone.
‘Are you crazy, Yeon Cheonguk? What are you planning to do by calling this bastard?’
Click. He put down the phone in its place and regained his reason.
Wouldn’t calling the police be more helpful in many ways? Even if the whole situation became known to his girlfriend and the store staff…
‘Seolyun High’s Jo Seongmo’ would be called ‘that guy who’s drowning in debt’. He’d be sorry to embarrass his girlfriend in front of her friends, but… right, maybe it would be better to have everything exposed.
Then he wouldn’t have to secretly distribute flyers with his cap pulled down low, and he could confidently skip night self-study and supplementary classes.
So what? It’s just that I couldn’t avoid misfortune like you all did.
They sat in their seats for about 20 minutes. Occasionally they burst into rough laughter and spat out mild curses. Otherwise, fortunately or not, they didn’t cause any other trouble.
However, Yeon Cheonguk became more anxious as time passed. The bastards were deliberately draining Yeon Cheonguk’s blood. Like predators enjoying watching their prey slowly die. They were enjoying their leisure after strangling their sacrificial lamb by the throat.
If they planned to bring up the main point while leisurely finishing their drinks and leaving… should he make the first move now instead?
His mind snapped awake. Washing his face dry with clammy, cold hands, he first calmed his heart that was racing like a coward’s.
Think of a method. A method…!
While he was wracking his brain, a small commotion was heard from outside.
“Can’t you hear me? I’m full, so let’s take out one shaved ice.”
“Where did the part-timer here go?”
Threatening voices were being heard from the third-rate thugs’ table. Yeon Cheonguk quickly went out to the hall.
“I’ll go.”
“No, I’ll go…”
Yeon Cheonguk pushed the boss back and rushed to the table. Because the bastards raised their voices, Kim Yuyoung’s group was also looking at the outer tables.
Rushing to the table, Yeon Cheonguk displayed quick wit in the moment.
“…I’ll try calling my father.”
He pretended to know the contact even though he didn’t know where his father was. The thugs’ expressions changed.
“As expected, the son knew.”
“But here… quietly… please leave. And still order the shaved ice.”
“……”
“We have a one menu item per person rule. Even high schoolers spend a few thousand won each, so if adults don’t set an example, it’s difficult for us running the business.”
At the sight of Yeon Cheonguk rolling his eyes around while saying everything he needed to say, the thugs snickered.
“This kid, he’s that type. Four-dimensional.”
“Fine. Then bring one more cherry parfait instead of shaved ice. This is delicious.”
It seemed to be sincere, as a parfait glass with only cherry stems remaining sat at Kkakdugi’s spot. Yeon Cheonguk was inwardly relieved. He even sneered at them inwardly, idiots, as he picked up the empty glass and turned around. However, Kkakdugi grabbed the elbow of Yeon Cheonguk who was about to leave his seat.
“Where are you going? You need to take ahjussi’s phone.”
“…?”
“Make the call with this and come back.”
…Damn it, he wasn’t just a plain idiot after all. Kkakdugi held out a black flip phone with an ‘M’ logo.
The tension he’d barely calmed down revived. He’d planned to call 112 but instead found himself driven into a dead end.
“Get permission from your boss for a moment. Call with this where ahjussi can see, got it?”
Kkakdugi said this while scrunching up his broad face.
“From now on, hyung will only watch you, okay?”
A body like a wrestler, a closely shaved hairstyle, pockmark-like scratched scars sitting all over his face finally properly came into view. Especially the two lines of scars protruding on his right cheek seemed to have newly healed not long ago.
Of all things, Sharp’s <Sweety> was flowing from the store speakers. It was a sweet and bouncy pop song. Yeon Cheonguk walked next to the counter gripping the Motorola phone while briefly indulging in escapism.
*Splash splash, after seeing you for the first time, thump thump I fell for you*
*I didn’t know what to do*
He playfully asked the boss for understanding and opened the phone. The LCD screen displayed the carrier name, battery level, today’s date and time, and the wallpaper was a fighting message saying let’s go to the finals, Republic of Korea.
*Meeting you for the first time was luck for me*
*In this boring boring world, I need your touch*
Yeon Cheonguk stood at a crossroads of choice. Should he pretend to press more phone numbers while pressing 112?
He could feel Kkakdugi’s persistent gaze reaching his profile. His lips turned pale blue and both legs started trembling.
At that moment, a breeze suddenly brushed past his face and Yeon Cheonguk raised his head.
The door opened forcefully. Gazes gathered from everywhere at the entrance of a new group of customers.
Why?
How?
Why is that bastard here?
Such questions were a luxury.
Just as the main part of the sweet background music was starting, Hwang Jegu stood at the very front of the group entering the store.
*Again smoothly you wait and come to me*
*You’re so sweet to me*
He lightly looked around inside the store. With just a brief shift of gaze, the air inside changed considerably.
Do birds of a feather recognize each other? The gaze of Kkakdugi, who’d been glancing at the new customers, lingered long on Hwang Jegu. It was a movement as quick as survival instinct.
There was no time to hesitate. Yeon Cheonguk closed the phone and waved his hand toward Hwang Jegu. With a face that was very glad to see him.
“Jegu… no, Your Majesty!”
He smiled brightly but the tremendous tension wasn’t released. Yeon Cheonguk’s lips trembled slightly. Hwang Jegu’s gaze took one look at Yeon Cheonguk’s pale fingertips, took one look at the flip phone, then went far away.
“Sit over there…”
Hwang Jegu completely ignored Yeon Cheonguk who was recommending the window seat and passed by. Walking leisurely, he sat at a table in the middle of the hall. Today the crutch was nowhere to be seen. The friends who entered with him also followed him and sat on the sofa.
The seat Hwang Jegu chose was the table diagonally across from the seat the thugs had occupied.
Inside Canmoa, the atmosphere changed from a teenagers’ playground to suddenly noir. Of all things, soft pop was flowing out, making the sense of incongruity comedy-level.
Yeon Cheonguk put the phone in his pocket as he approached the table. After showing his hands together toward Kkakdugi meaning to wait just a moment, he took out the order pad. The thugs who’d been monitoring Yeon Cheonguk bit their straws with deflated faces.
However, Kkakdugi was still persistent. While concentrating his attention on Yeon Cheonguk, he sent a threat.
“Kid.”
“Yes? I’m taking an order…”
“Are you the only part-timer here?”
“……”
“Don’t play tricks, bring the phone as is, sit right next to me, and call right now.”
Yeon Cheonguk momentarily couldn’t hide his face that had turned deathly pale. He was blinking his eyes dropped to the order pad looking for words to reply when.
“Ahjussi.”
At the voice heard from below, Yeon Cheonguk froze like ice. Hwang Jegu belatedly entered his field of vision. He was glaring sharply at the diagonal table.
Cra… crazy bastard…
It wasn’t only Yeon Cheonguk who froze. Kim Yuyoung and her friends with wide eyes on the swings that had stopped swaying, other customers sitting in window seats, even the boss hyung. Everyone had become ice sculptures, only blinking their eyes.
Hwang Jegu didn’t stop there.
“Why are you looking for a coffee shop register here?”
“……”
The tension dominating his body now began to change into fear. Yeon Cheonguk’s mind grew distant, struggling to think about the reality unfolding and what would unfold next.
The thick flesh of Kkakdugi’s nape twisted into several lines. Kkakdugi slowly turned around. At the menacing side glance stabbing in, Hwang Jegu was responding with light irritation.
