TE Ch 05

The next day, and the day after that, Mookyeong came to the gambling house. All he did was occupy the heater and idly waste time. The desk was already cramped, and sitting side-by-side with such a large man was incredibly uncomfortable. 

Unable to bear it any longer, Hongju asked why he kept coming here, and Mookyeong replied, “How much do you think I invested? Can’t I keep an eye on things?”

His tone was utterly matter-of-fact. Koo Bbing even cleared out a room for Mookyeong to rest in. How much money was changing hands at each table? It was a special treatment, even at that cost. He didn’t know how much Mookyeong had invested, but judging by how Koo Bbing and Manager Yang couldn’t say a word to him, it seemed he had lent them a hefty sum.

Hongju considered it a relief. He wouldn’t have to sit uncomfortably with the restless man anymore, and he wouldn’t have to be bothered by the nonsense he spouted. However, Mookyeong kept seeking out Hongju at every opportunity. He asked him to turn up the heater, to buy him a hot Americano, and this time, he even called him to move the table towards the window. Hongju, dusting off his hands after moving the table and chairs, turned around. Mookyeong had been standing behind him with his arms crossed the entire time.

“I’m really busy right now. This kind of thing… you can do it yourself, can’t you?”

“I could, I guess? I just don’t want to touch it and get some disease and die.”

So, it was okay if he got sick? Hongju stared at him incredulously. Mookyeong chuckled and placed a handkerchief on the chair. The way he crossed his legs and sat on it was extremely refined.

“…..”

He was indeed an incongruous presence in the old, run-down space.

“Go on.”

He waved his hand as if he was done. Hongju turned around immediately. It was clear that he would call him again soon. But he couldn’t ignore him. After all, this man was the gambling house’s lifeline. If the gambling house did well, there would be more work, and if his salary increased, he could pay off his debt faster. Hongju let out a small sigh as he crossed the threshold.

After letting Mookyeong inside, Manager Yang took over the desk again. Manager Yang, flipping through the ledger, spotted Hongju and gestured to him.

“What did Boss Mookyeong say? What did he have you do this time?”

“He asked me to move the table closer to the window.”

What was so funny? Manager Yang burst into laughter, cackling. He even lifted the eyepatch covering his left eye to wipe away tears.

“Crazy bastard. You keep catering to Boss Mookyeong’s whims, okay? If this place goes under, how are you going to pay off your debt? You don’t have any skills, you’re uneducated, and you’re not selling your body. Huh?”

He annoyingly tapped Hongju’s bruised cheek. Hongju swatted his hand away fiercely and lowered his voice.

“Are you sure this guy isn’t really a swindler?”

Even if it was for surveillance, he really did nothing but stay holed up here all day. Where did he get his money, and why did he suddenly decide to invest in Koo Bbing’s gambling house? Was it not suspicious? But Manager Yang immediately crushed Hongju’s doubts.

“Damn it, we already checked everything out. He’s just some rich kid. A sucker, in two words. Do you know how much that guy dumped into this place?”

“…How much?”

Manager Yang held up two fingers. He wouldn’t be groveling for just 20 million. So it had to be in the hundreds of millions.

“200 million?”

“Tsk, 2 billion.”

“What?”

Hongju’s eyes widened. How could it cost that much to set up a new gambling house?

“Did you know him before?”

“Just knew him by name, that’s all.”

It was more than the debt he’d been dragging around for 15 years. He invested such a huge sum in a gambling den he just happened to know of? No matter how he thought about it, it seemed strange. Hongju tilted his head. Then, Manager Yang scanned their surroundings. His voice was lowered, as if he was sharing a secret.

“We’re going to bring in professional card sharps and really get this place going. Install cameras, have people watching the tables properly, and set up tables with devices. If we’re going to do it, we have to invest properly and expand. What’s 200 million gonna do about that?”

So, they were going to set up the games even more seriously than before. Raise the stakes, bring in pros.

“We’re going to take over all the land around here. Then we won’t have to worry about some damn department store or whatever coming in, right? They won’t be able to bring in excavators to tear down the building. And we’ll raise your salary so you can pay off your debt faster, huh?”

Manager Yang’s one eye gleamed, saying it was an easy spot to catch passersby and they couldn’t give it up. Hongju, however, was fixated on the idea of paying off his debt faster. His remaining debt was now about 1.4 billion. He had never even touched that money, and he could barely remember his father’s face, who had lost it all. He had entered the gambling house as collateral for a loan and had been beaten while working hard to pay it off, yet that much still remained. Would the day ever come when he could pay it all off? If his salary increased, could he get out of here even a day sooner?

“Where’s Madam Koo?”

It was Mookyeong’s voice. Hongju instinctively started to get up, but realizing he wasn’t the one being called, he sat back down.

“Uh, I’m right here.”

Koo Bbing, who was just coming up the stairs, answered. He used to throw a fit when other people called him “Madam.” It seemed he had gotten used to the title “Madam Koo” now. He approached, his eyes fixed on his phone. He was holding the phone with his large hands and tapping away busily. Hongju wondered if he was even pressing the buttons properly. He was having such silly thoughts.

“I need to borrow your punching bag.”

“…Hongju?”

Koo Bbing and Manager Yang’s gazes turned to Hongju. Hongju, rubbing his still-bruised cheekbone, blinked.

“There’s a guy who borrowed money and isn’t paying it back. I was thinking of calling some thugs, but I heard this guy’s got a good tolerance for pain.”

He was looking at Koo Bbing with a smile. Koo Bbing looked troubled, his eyes darting around. Right now, Hongju was the only one who could handle things. If he left, Manager Yang or Koo Bbing himself would have to step in.

“Why? You can’t?”

Mookyeong, putting his phone in his coat pocket, leaned his upper body slightly. He even bent his back to stare intently at Koo Bbing’s face. It was a question, but the atmosphere was closer to a threat.

“…Hey. Of course, you can. Take him. Hongju’s got a knack for persistently collecting debts. Haha.”

“Right. You were bragging so much, I got curious.”

Manager Yang pushed Hongju’s back, telling him to get up quickly. As he hesitantly stood up, Mookyeong silently led the way.

“Hurry up and follow him, hurry!”

Koo Bbing urged in a low voice. Hongju reluctantly started walking. The stairs were a mess because of the heavy snow. Unlike Hongju, who slowed down his pace, worried about getting his sneakers wet, Mookyeong went down to the lower floor without hesitation. Black muddy water splashed on the worn-out toes of his sneakers, but Mookyeong’s dress shoes remained clean until they left the building.

“Get in.”

Mookyeong’s car was right in front of the building. Hongju had seen the car when he came to work. A thug had made a fuss, saying it was one of only a few in the country, so he remembered it.

“Shake off your shoes.”

Mookyeong, in the driver’s seat, pointed at Hongju’s sneakers and added briefly. Embarrassed, Hongju stomped his feet on the ground. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the handle of the back seat. Mookyeong then rapped sharply on the car’s body. His eye, with a single eyelid, turned towards Hongju.

“What the fuck, did you hail a taxi? Get in the front.”

“…Yes.”

He had done it because he thought it would be uncomfortable to sit together. A wave of embarrassment washed over him. He bent his cold fingers and opened the passenger door. Hongju sat on the edge of the seat with both legs outside the car. As his worn-out sneakers knocked together in the air, clumps of dark snow fell off. After repeating the same action a few times, he sat up straight. Then, feeling a gaze from the side, he glanced over. He added an explanation to Mookyeong, who was staring at him.

“It’s clean now.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

A reply mixed with a dry laugh came back. The inside of the car was incredibly luxurious. It didn’t have the headache-inducing smell of Koo Bbing or Manager Yang’s cars. The sound of the wheels rolling was quiet, and the seat was warm. It was a world away from the hallway of the inn where he had endured with just one heater. The car carrying the two men sped along the narrow, snow-covered road.

“Where are we going?”

“Would you know if I told you?”

So, he was just supposed to follow orders and come back? Hongju’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“I might.”

At that, Mookyeong let out a scoff. Hongju was about to retort but closed his mouth. Silence quickly filled the car. At first, the silence was comfortable, but as the air grew heavier, Hongju felt a strange tension. When they were at the gambling house, Mookyeong had bothered him by engaging in idle chatter. Why wasn’t he saying anything now? He sat up straight, gripping the seatbelt tightly. 

The seat, which had been comfortable and warm earlier, was now incredibly uncomfortable. He rolled his eyes and quickly scanned his surroundings. The car was heading towards a more and more remote and secluded area. The car entered a snow-covered field where not a single footprint was visible, and Hongju sensed that something was going wrong.

“…We’re not going to collect money right now, are we?”

“Why? You think I’m going to bury you or something?”

It was his usual light tone, but there wasn’t a trace of laughter. Hongju swallowed hard, trying not to show it. His chapped lips felt parched. Because his left ear was deaf, it was hard for him to catch the sound of Mookyeong’s small movements.

“I’m not a gangster. I told you, I don’t do such vulgar things.”

Despite saying that, Mookyeong pressed hard on the accelerator. The car carrying the two men sped across the snowfield at breakneck speed. Before Hongju could even process his shock, his body leaned back against the seat. A frozen lake gradually came closer. The tendons on the back of Hongju’s hand, tightly gripping the seatbelt, stood out.

“…..”

He knew it, this bastard seemed like a swindler. Did he have a grudge against the gambling house? Then why did he bring him instead of Koo Bbing or Manager Yang? He had such questions, but funnily enough, as he saw the dark lake getting closer, he felt a strange sense of liberation. Just then, screech! The car came to a rough stop. His slender body, strapped in by the seatbelt, shook. 

Hongju leaned forward, panting slightly. When the engine stopped, everything became quiet. Only the sound of his rapidly beating heart and the sound of him swallowing dryly echoed loudly in the car.

“How long have you worked there?”

“…..”

Hongju remained silent. Mookyeong clicked his tongue and reached out roughly. He grabbed Hongju’s hair and forcibly pulled his head up. Hongju’s vision was still filled with the dark lake. It was so close that it seemed like one more roll of the wheels would send them in.

“Koo Hongju.”

“…..”

“I know everything, I’m just asking to confirm. Don’t try to be smart. It doesn’t look like there’s any more room on your face to get hit. Let’s not make things difficult for each other, okay?”

The grip on his hair was so strong that he felt a tearing pain in his scalp. Hongju’s chapped lips moved. Despite his racing heartbeat, his voice was incredibly calm.

“What are you?”

“What am I? The money-filled sucker. Just answer the question.”

Mookyeong shook his hair again roughly. Hongju’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear. Once again, Koo Hongju had become collateral.

“15… years.”

“The remaining debt?”

It was just like when he first met Mookyeong. The violent way he forced open his mouth and poured in alcohol. He had forgotten about that in the past few days while they sat side by side and engaged in idle chatter. This was Boss Mookyeong’s true self. His head was still uncomfortably tilted back, so he just looked down. His gaze lingered on the lake with floating pieces of ice.

“About 1.4 billion.”

After uttering the amount he had never even touched, his mouth felt bitter. The hand that had been tightly gripping his hair finally let go. Hongju straightened his stiff neck, which had been bent back, and looked at Mookyeong. He was leaning back, holding the steering wheel. He was almost lying down, but his gaze was fixed on Hongju.