TE Ch 11

“Learn the passcode.”

Hongju slowly pressed the numbers on the door lock. 989796. After pressing the star key at the end, he made sure Doksa was watching properly.

“Yes, yes, Hongju.”

Doksa nodded. Unlike the other gambling house employees, he had a gentle way of speaking. Instead of the usual careless calls like “Hey,” “You bastard,” or “Hongju!”, he always addressed him politely as “Hongju.”

Unlike the other employees who had already confirmed his age and started speaking informally, Hongju didn’t ask Doksa any questions.

“Let’s go in.”

Hongju went in first. As soon as he entered the hallway, he saw unmade bedding. The smell of instant noodles that hadn’t been cleaned up and the smell of kimchi with the lid open mixed together and stung his nose. Neither Choi Gun nor the thug were particularly tidy, so cleaning the house was entirely Hongju’s responsibility.

Annoyed, Hongju stomped his feet as he entered and pulled back the blackout curtains, opening the window. Through the square window, he could see the snow-covered ground and the wheels of parked cars.

“It’s nicer than I expected.”

He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it was a relief that he seemed satisfied with this sight. Hongju tidied up the most obvious things and continued to show Doksa around the house. It wasn’t much of a tour, just pointing things out from where they stood.

“This is the bathroom, and you can leave your laundry there.”

“Do we clean together?”

“Whoever has time can do it. We go grocery shopping once every two weeks, but we mostly eat instant noodles.”

“Oh, I like instant noodles.”

His speech was interrupted by interjections, but Hongju didn’t react and just continued with what he had to say.

“Put your stuff there.”

All he had brought was a bag and a shopping bag. Doksa took a clean suit out of the shopping bag without even taking off his coat. He said Koo Bbing had bought it for him with the signing bonus. Koo Bbing had bragged about it so much that he had memorized how much he paid for it and how to wash it.

“I’ll take a shower first. It takes a while for the hot water to come out.”

“Ah. Okay, then.”

Leaving Doksa behind, he entered the bathroom, which was very cold. When he turned on the faucet, ice-cold water poured out. He left the water running and checked his reflection in the mirror. The bruises on his body, which had seemed to fade, were starting to turn purple again, and his split lip and swollen cheek were a mess.

“I thought it was getting better.”

Hongju closed his eyes tightly and splashed water on his body. His whole body became damp and cold. All his sighs were washed away with the cold water.

He came out of the bathroom, roughly drying his hair with a towel. Doksa was on the phone, wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

“Now? Ah, I’m going to wash up and go to sleep.”

The laundry basket was almost full. He’d have to do laundry when Doksa was done showering. Hongju tossed his laundry into the basket and pulled down all the clothes that were stiffly hanging on the drying rack.

“If the water’s okay, can I go with you tomorrow?”

Judging from the way he was talking, it seemed like he was talking to Koo Bbing. Hongju’s hand, which had been folding a towel, paused. He started to listen in without realizing it.

“Aigoo, go for the five-bright.”

Doksa ended the call with a playful remark and got up.

“Koo Bbing’s playing a game at this hour. At some swimming pool? Construction site? That’s what he said.”

“It’s a gambling den in the next town.”

The bankrupt sports center had been deserted since it closed down. It was a desolate and eerie place, making it a good spot for gamblers to gather in groups.

“Taking money from those poor old guys. Ugh, I’m going to take a shower.”

Hongju just nodded and continued folding the towel.

Click. The bathroom door locked, and soon after, the sound of water could be heard. Hongju, who had been folding and unfolding the same towel, quietly got up. He carefully opened the chest pocket of his padding jacket and took out his cell phone. The screen lit up a few times before it finally turned on. He quickly went to the text message inbox.

[He went to gamble. At the Bada Sports Center building.]

He typed the message with an unfamiliar hand and started to delete the trace. Then, a text message arrived on the screen, which was set to silent mode.

[Lolol]

He was tilting his head in confusion when he heard a vibration. Was it Doksa’s phone? Hongju, quietly trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, hurriedly fumbled through his padding pocket. The cell phone Manager Yang had given him was vibrating.

“Hello.”

– Fuck, why aren’t you picking up? You’re so damn slow. Where are you?

Manager Yang and Koo Bbing would call him out of the blue like this to check his location. It was as if they had installed a tracker on him; if he gave the wrong location, they would immediately start cursing him out. It was the same now. They had only waited for a few vibrations, so why were they so annoyed?

“I’m at the dorm. I was folding laundry.”

– Is he with you? He didn’t go anywhere else, did he?

His gaze turned towards the bathroom. The sound of the hairdryer inside had died down, and Hongju lowered his voice.

“Yes. He’s showering, but he should be out soon.”

– Keep a close eye on him. If he does anything strange, contact me immediately, and pick up the phone quickly. Got it?

“I got it.”

He pressed the end button with an irritated hand.

“Huuu.”

Still, he had to stay alert to avoid making mistakes. Hongju sighed, holding both cell phones and looking down at them.

Now that the smell had mostly dissipated, he closed the window he had left open and took out another blanket and pillow. In the meantime, Doksa came out of the bathroom. He took his cell phone out of the pocket of his shorts and tossed it onto the blanket. The screen was damp. Did he take it with him to the shower? Hongju tilted his head and placed the new pillow at the far end.

“You can sleep there. The thug will be back in the afternoon, so close the curtain when you sleep.”

“Okay. But isn’t it a bit cramped for three people? The thug guy is pretty big.”

“We just sleep there for a bit, so it’s not uncomfortable.”

Hongju pressed the start button on the washing machine and then lay down on the outermost blanket. After some rustling, Doksa turned off the light and drew the dark curtain. Hongju stared at the black ceiling and slowly blinked.

“I’m not going to sleep here every day, just once in a while.”

If that was the case, it would be more comfortable to rent a room at a motel. But he didn’t want to make small talk.

“Oh, okay.”

After that, Doksa tried to talk to him a few more times. Hongju’s voice, which had been giving half-hearted replies, gradually faded. He was either feeling relaxed after leaving the gambling house, or the medicine he had taken earlier was finally kicking in, making him drowsy. In his fading vision, he saw his deflated padding jacket. His gaze landed on the black stain next to the zipper, caused by cigarette ash.

“…..”

What did Mookyeong’s reply earlier mean? He hadn’t been able to reply properly because Manager Yang had called. He closed his eyes, thinking about it.

The thug, who had said he was going to see his girlfriend, ended up staying out all night, and Doksa left, saying he was going to a sauna. Hongju headed to the gambling house alone in the late afternoon.

More snow had accumulated overnight. He could feel the cold through his thin sneakers, making his feet numb. He was hurrying to escape the cold when he stopped at the entrance of the gambling house. He quickly scanned the parked cars.

“…..”

Mookyeong’s car wasn’t there. He didn’t know if he hadn’t arrived yet or if he wasn’t coming at all. After looking around once more, Hongju stomped his feet at the entrance. The clumps of snow stuck to the soles of his sneakers turned black and scattered on the ground. The muddy water that followed Hongju’s footsteps up the stairs gradually faded.

“Hongju, you’re here? Why are you alone?”

“Doksa said he was going to a sauna, and the thug will be here on time. He didn’t come home yesterday.”

Sitting side by side, Koo Bbing and Manager Yang observed Hongju’s every move with strange smiles. Feeling uncomfortable under their gaze, Hongju frowned and ruffled his hair.

“What are you looking at?”

“Who’s asking about him? What about Boss Mookyeong?”

“How would I know?”

He glared fiercely, making the double eyelids on his swollen eyes even more pronounced. Koo Bbing, as if he didn’t care about Hongju’s feelings, chuckled and reached out. His chapped hand suddenly grabbed Hongju’s ass. His groping hand gradually moved inwards.

“Get your hand off me.”

Smack! He roughly slapped the hand away. Koo Bbing inhaled through his teeth and put on a stern face.

“Tsk, you punk. Are you this stiff in front of Boss Mookyeong too? When he touches you, you should say, ‘Please touch me more,’ and spread your legs for him.”

“Are we finally going to benefit from Hongju? Are you finally repaying the kindness of raising you since you were a snot-nosed kid?”

The two were in perfect sync. When Manager Yang cackled, his gold tooth gleamed, and Koo Bbing let out a phlegmy laugh.

“Tsk. Shall we make a deal? The guys he sent to help out are enough to keep the gambling house running.”

“Boss Mookyeong seems to have expensive tastes. Sometimes you crave something cheap after eating expensive food. Isn’t that it? I doubt he’d really open his wallet for a guy.”

He didn’t want to hear any more of the lewd talk about him. If he said anything here, it would only provoke the two of them.

“Is there any debt to collect?”

“Ah.”

Manager Yang went into the inner room and came out with something. A poorly written IOU and an ID card. On top of it was a Post-it note with the debtor’s name, address, and contact information.

“Two hundred. It’s their first transaction, so maybe they got the due date mixed up. They might pay right away, but anyway, go.”

Without answering, he looked at the address with a look of slight boredom.

“I’ll be back.”

Hongju left the gambling house, avoiding their still-unpleasant gazes.

As Manager Yang expected, the debtor paid the money right away. He said he had been stuck at an internet cafe for a few days and didn’t realize it was the due date. He even bought Hongju a warm coffee and apologized. It was obvious that he was new to the gambling scene and had just gotten his hands on some money. Hongju didn’t even engage in conversation and just took the money and turned away.

When he returned, Mookyeong’s car was parked in front of the gambling house.

“He’s here now.”

Hongju stopped at the entrance and stomped his feet as usual. As he walked up the crumbling stairs, he heard faint sounds. It was the voices of Mookyeong and Koo Bbing.

“…or not?”

Because his hearing wasn’t good, he couldn’t hear the conversation fully, but it was definitely them.

“…..”

Hongju stopped and leaned against the railing. For some reason, he had a feeling that he shouldn’t go out there right now. He held his breath and covered his left ear. He could hear the voices a little more clearly with his one good ear.

“He’s not that bad.”

He scratched his split lip, trying to listen. He should have been groaning in pain, but only faint breaths came out from between his lips.

“He’s all bruised up now, but he’s the face of our gambling house, you know? He’s got a pretty face, and he’s young!”

So, they were going through with it, after Manager Yang talked about selling him earlier. At the subtle and lewd suggestion, Mookyeong responded with a laugh.

“This isn’t a bar or a brothel. What are you going to do if I like him?”

“If our boss is interested, I’ll give him a good price. Buy him cheap, and fuck him silly, eh?”

His pronunciation was slurred from his cackling laughter, but it sounded like he was clearly saying he would ‘give him cheap.’