Kang Hyunsik. Commonly known as Manager Kang — a lowlife loan shark bastard. He was one of the main villains in the story, the one who saddled the naive protagonist with an enormous debt and sold him off to the alpha couple.
He was the kind of guy you shouldn’t associate with — someone who starved, beat, and put the protagonist through all manner of awful things.
“What do you mean, ‘ah’ — get up right now, you little shit. Do you have any idea how much legwork I put in today just to track down one person like you?”
Siyeon had been staring blankly at Manager Kang when Manager Kang’s face twisted with fury and he snatched Siyeon up by the hair. The grip was so brutal it felt like his entire scalp was about to be torn off — his eyes stung with tears.
“I told you to stay put. Of all days, you pull this on the day I’ve got an important client to meet?”
“Ugh, gh…… ow…….”
“Don’t even think about trying anything clever. Just follow me quietly.”
Manager Kang ground his teeth and yanked Siyeon to his feet. No — he couldn’t let himself get dragged away by Manager Kang like this. It was obvious he’d be put through all the same horrors as in the original story before getting sold off to that couple.
“W-wait! Hyung!”
He refused to have his life ended by the schemes of some flat, paper-thin villain — so Siyeon decided to at least make a small fight of it.
“I’ll follow you quietly, so…… can I stop by the bathroom first…….”
“Oh, what is this now — what kind of stunt are you trying to pull. Just go a little at a time as we walk.”
“No! It’s the other kind! Ow, my stomach…… my stomach…….”
Siyeon put on a full performance — clutching his stomach and groaning — and it seemed Manager Kang couldn’t quite tell whether it was true or not.
Watching him narrow his eyes and glare, Siyeon thought just a little more and he’ll buy it. Sensing his opportunity, he started hamming it up and moaning loudly.
“I…… think I need to go to the bathroom right this second……. If I end up going in my pants right here, won’t that be a bit of a problem for you too, hyung.”
“Shit, what do you mean your stomach is suddenly…….”
Manager Kang’s face crumpled like he’d been handed the most ridiculous situation imaginable as he muttered a low curse. Siyeon moved his hands to his waistband, as if to say he’d go right then and there if Manager Kang didn’t let go of his hair.
“Ugh…… it’s coming out! Hyung, am I doing it right now? Hm? I’m really going right here?”
“This little — pretty face like that and you’re pulling the most disgusting shit.”
It was plain as day that it was a trick — but he seemed to be hesitating over whether to risk it being real.
“Fine, you little…… I’ll let you go, so come out within 5 minutes.”
When Siyeon kept pressing him, Manager Kang held off for a moment, then reluctantly allowed him to use the bathroom.
Clichés are clichés for a reason. The excuse of a desperate bathroom emergency had worked perfectly. He’d also slipped the Saimdang note away without Manager Kang noticing, so if things got difficult he could always just take a taxi.
Heart swelling with the thought of escape, Siyeon began searching the inside of the bathroom for any exit he could quietly slip through. He figured it would go just like in any movie or drama — wriggle out through the bathroom window and make a run for it — but……
Damn, no wonder he let me in so easily.
He’d thought escape was a sure thing, but inside there was nothing but a small ventilation fan. Caught off guard by the situation not going as expected — but only for a moment — he figured he had to push through this obstacle with whatever he had, even if it wasn’t ideal.
Siyeon called out words like ‘status screen’ and ‘ability window’ with great conviction. He looked around tensely, but of course, nothing happened. He tried switching up the word combinations a few more times just in case, but the results were……
Standing alone shouting what amounted to incantations at the wall of a public restroom — it was just embarrassing.
Forget it. Giving up here isn’t the Hong Siyeon way.
How could someone with no family ties, raised in an orphanage, have adapted easily to society? Siyeon himself had experienced his fair share of unjust treatment and bullying for no reason — not unlike the protagonist. In fact, most of his life had been one hardship after another.
Even in that miserable orphanage.
Even when he first entered school.
And when he was expelled from high school against his own will.
Bang —!
Having made up his mind to do something, Siyeon kicked open the firmly shut door of the cleaning supply closet. It seemed incredible that those scrawny legs could produce such force — but when the mind was desperate, it seemed even the impossible became possible.
“There it is! If nothing else, this will do…….”
Siyeon grabbed the damp mop. He dunked it a couple of times in the toilet bowl and wrung it tight with both hands — and just having something that felt like a weapon seemed to calm the trembling that had gripped him up until now.
At this point…… it’s all or nothing.
It was a trashy novel anyway, so what did it matter. To deal with unhinged people, he had no choice but to be even more unhinged himself. Decision made, Siyeon burst out of the bathroom without a moment’s hesitation.
His target was, naturally, Manager Kang — who stood in front of him with that crooked posture of his.
“Get lost, you lowlife bastard!”
“Ugh, you little — mmph!”
The size difference was significant, but in a street fight, the one who throws the first punch always holds the advantage. It was a truth he’d learned firsthand in the past — so Siyeon started laying into Manager Kang with everything he had.
Whack — CRASH!
Smashing the toilet-water-soaked mop square into his face sent Manager Kang stumbling, knocked off balance.
“What kind of idiot would go along quietly with someone like you?!”
“Ugh…… ughhk!”
While Manager Kang was flailing around, Siyeon drove his foot hard into the man’s center of gravity — and watched the massive body crumple.
It was a dishonorable move between two men, but what could he do. The odds were entirely against him — this was not the time to be picky about methods.
Having confirmed Manager Kang was down, Siyeon dropped the mop and immediately broke into a run.
“Try coming after me and see what happens! Next time I’ll burst both your balls!”
Of course, he didn’t forget to send one final brutal warning on his way out.
First, I have to get away from here. As fast as possible…….
He’d struck Manager Kang in a vital spot, but he had no idea when the man would shake it off and come after him. He’d planned to hail a taxi outside the terminal, but whether the timing was off or not, there wasn’t a suitable car in sight.
“Fuck! Hong Siyeon! You little shit, know that you’re dead when I catch you!”
Sure enough. In the brief moment he’d hesitated, he could see Manager Kang in the distance, limping after him. It seemed the pain from getting hit where it counted hadn’t worn off yet.
His pace was slow because of the limp — but from the looks of it he was heading for his car, which meant getting caught was only a matter of time. Panic rising, Siyeon bolted out of the terminal and started sprinting down the road.
“Hah…… ha……. No, if I get caught here…….”
But no matter how far he ran, there was nowhere to hide. It was an eight-lane road — crossing to the other side would require putting his life on the line.
Just then, he spotted what appeared to be Manager Kang’s van making a U-turn out of the terminal, and Siyeon had to make a decision.
Keep running in place and get caught by Manager Kang — or shut his eyes and make a break for the other side of the road. Without a second thought, Siyeon chose the latter.
“Damn it — what sin did I commit in a past life for this!”
Siyeon waited for a gap in the traffic and began carefully crossing the road. It was one harrowing moment after another — but luckily, he’d made it about halfway across.
The moment he lifted his foot to cross the remaining half, a blaring horn pierced his eardrums and he felt a flash of headlights.
HOOOOOONK —
No…… at this rate!
Siyeon’s legs gave out and he stumbled backward, landing on his backside. Would it have been better to have just gone quietly with Manager Kang rather than die a pointless death like this? If it had come to this, he might as well have seen the faces of the alpha couple — who were practically the root cause of everything — at least once.
Staring at the flashing lights, every kind of thought swept through him like a montage.
The very moment he thought this is it — I’m going to die, — true to a novel tagged with #trashy — a car screeched to a halt right in front of him.
“Are you insane? What are you, trying to get yourself killed?!”
A man who looked absolutely beside himself stumbled out of the driver’s seat. He was raging and hollering — clearly shocked out of his mind by Siyeon suddenly darting into the road.
He wanted to apologize and say it was his fault — but Siyeon himself was so stunned he couldn’t get his mouth to work.
His heart felt like it was about to leap right out of his chest, and he could only open and close his mouth wordlessly — when a second man stepped out of the car and held the driver back.
“Hold on — let’s check on them first.”
The man who stepped out of the large van after the driver was tall enough to stand out even from a distance. At this late hour of the night, the fact that he had sunglasses on and a cap pulled down low was deeply suspicious.
What’s this one’s deal.
