KTSR | Chapter 17

“Seon Ijin will work in the executive director’s office starting today.”

Bbang, who had come to convey the work, spoke while leaning on his cane. Even though the weather was not bad, seeing Bbang use a cane suggested it might rain today.

Ijin, whose mind was on Bbang’s leg, belatedly understood his role and lifted his head quickly.

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“Me? Really, me?”

“Yeah. Really you going, or fake me going?”

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“I can’t go. I don’t want to. I’d rather clean up horse dung. No, I’ll clean the toilets!”

The thought of being in the same space as that man made him shiver with distaste.

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If only his protests could work, but in a place where illegality was a virtue, words were unlikely to have any effect.

“Seon Ijin, come for work.”

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Bbang beckoned with his hand.

Since Bbang rarely got angry, Ijin bit his lip.

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As he approached, Bbang swung his cane, hitting Ijin’s calf. His knee almost buckled. It was burning and then icy cold.

That was Bbang’s mercy, it ending in one hit.

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“Want another one?”

“…Still, no.”

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Ijin was quite stubborn.

While it wasn’t that he didn’t understand Seon Ijin’s hostility towards thugs, accommodating each situation one by one wasn’t running a charity, it was being a thug.

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“Stop making a fuss here; if you have to make a fuss, go make it there. What are you doing? Not moving?”

Bbang growled fiercely.

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Ijin bit his lip hard.

Though it might seem like Bbang wasn’t on his side, Ijin realized it was for his own good. And his not causing more of a fuss was also out of kindness towards Bbang.

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Ijin, feeling defeated, headed towards the container.

Inside the container, to block the draft, the windows were covered with thick, gaudy blankets, creating a strange light. The yellow light of the bulb, filtered through the blankets, turned red, making everything look cheap beyond description.

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And in that cheapness, there sat a man who seemed to have been born from vulgarity but crafted to be as flamboyant as possible.

The man was wearing sunglasses indoors. With his arms crossed and his legs on the desk, his length was considerable, so the chair was pushed against the far wall.

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“Oh. You’ve come?”

The glasses guy, who seemed to have his head stuck in the monitor, stood up at the sound of footsteps.

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“Come here.”

His friendly tone was something Ijin hadn’t heard in a greeting without a hint of disdain for so long. Ijin nodded and sat across from the glasses guy, facing him diagonally.

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“The boss is sleeping. He was up all night yesterday.”

The glasses guy, adjusting his glasses, kindly informed Ijin even about things he wasn’t curious about.

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“Oh. Okay.”

Then, realizing the familiar term, Ijin checked if he heard it right.

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“By ‘boss,’ you mean the executive director?”

Using such an unsuitable term for a thug like the executive director made Ijin feel itchy as if he had hives. He scratched his arm, feeling genuinely itchy.

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“Yes. He went to bed really late yesterday. He must be tired.”

From the short exchange, Ijin could tell they were close.

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“You guys seem close.”

Ijin asked cautiously.

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“We’ve just been together for too long.”

The glasses guy laughed it off as if it was nothing, but that only highlighted their closeness. Ijin decided not to speak carelessly about the executive director in front of the glasses guy, who was wearing a checkered shirt again today. Not that he intended to in the first place, but knowing they were close made him even more cautious.

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“So, when we went out late last night to fight, the water was… ugh, not good. The boss was so annoyed.”

“Oh. Okay.”

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Ijin wasn’t the least bit curious about what the executive director did to stay up all night yesterday. He wouldn’t have been even if he had died yesterday.

The glasses guy looked at Ijin’s pale face, where only the bridge of his nose was a bit sunburnt, giving the illusion of a blush, making Ijin look even younger.

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Ijin also glanced at the glasses guy from time to time.

He looks normal… which means he’s peculiar here. There were no normal people like this here. Ijin felt a bit relieved inside. He had worried that the one waiting in the office might be a thug with a short, gelled sports haircut, smoking cigarettes constantly.

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Even knowing he was close to the executive director, Ijin’s wariness was less than usual, perhaps because of his normalcy.

“I’m Kim Jaeman.”

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Ijin stared blankly at the hand extended to him before shaking it. In this environment, an extended hand usually meant violence was about to follow, so the greeting from a civilized society felt unfamiliar.

“I’m Seon Ijin.”

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“Oh, I’m glad someone like you came. When do these people even wash? My nose feels like it’s rotting from the smell of gel, spray, and smoke. Oh, I don’t sleep here, just come and go. I stay at the Jeonggwan Motel in town. Have you been there? It’s pretty clean, and the bathwater is so smooth, it’s amazing. Want to go together next time? There’s a great soup place next door that really clears your stomach.”

“……”

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The glasses guy, or rather Kim Jaeman, spoke incredibly fast and a lot.

Ijin was momentarily overwhelmed but nodded in response.

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“Do you like it here? I’m glad.”

“Here? Like it? If it weren’t for the boss, I definitely wouldn’t have come.”

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Kim Jaeman was disgusted. “Boss.” Could that be the executive director’s name? Ijin glanced at the executive director. Despite Kim Jaeman’s chatter, he didn’t move an inch.

“Is the executive director’s name… Hyeongdo?”

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Kwon Hyeongdo. It was a name too well-crafted for a mere thug.

“Yes. Kwon Hyeongdo. Anyway, if I didn’t come down here, they’d ask for my kidney instead, so… I got caught by him when I was handling accounts in the gambling den.”

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Kim Jaeman laughed “hehe” while sharing his bizarre background. Ijin’s liking for Kim Jaeman dropped significantly.

Still, he didn’t feel hostility… At least, the conversation without swearing was welcome.

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Meanwhile, Ijin felt his energy being drained by Kim Jaeman’s non-stop chatter and turned towards the monitor. Only then did Kim Jaeman give him some work. The document had numbers, presumably amounts, with one or two-digit numbers beside them.

“You just need to sort those out. The smaller numbers are the visit counts, and the numbers with ‘zzi’ in parentheses in the notes, write them in the notes section.”

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“‘Zzi’…”

Ijin, pondering for a moment, compared it with the adjacent numbers before looking up to ask.

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“These are VIPs. The ‘zzi’ are the betting agents they send in their place.”

“Wow…”

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Kim Jaeman’s eyes widened in admiration.

“How did you know that? Have you seen this ledger before?”

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“No. Just… by intuition.”

“You’re really quick on the uptake. That’s right. But don’t mention this anywhere, especially not to the C.C. guys.”

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“Even though it’s a business relationship?”

Though he’d never have to deal with them, Ijin asked out of pure curiosity.

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“Well…”

“Jaeman, how is that quick thinking? If you’re quick, you’d pretend not to know even if you do, act like you’re not curious even if you are.”

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Thud, thud, the sound of Kwon Hyeongdo’s heavy walker boots hitting the plywood floor echoed.

“There’s no need for you to be curious about that, Seon Ijin. Just do what you’re told.”

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Kwon Hyeongdo said smugly. His chin rested on his hand, sunglasses pushed up on his head, and sleepiness still lingered in his eyes. Today, he was wearing an Aloha shirt, with mud or something staining the white tank top underneath, leaving marks on his chest and arms.

“Jaeman, what if you go around spilling my name like that? It’s an expensive name.”

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“Oh. Did I say your name?”

Kim Jaeman seemed to forget what he was saying because he talked so much. Ijin started to doubt if this guy could handle a computer. Maybe he got caught while gambling in a house rather than on a computer? Since the executive director was from the house, it wasn’t an unfounded guess.

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Two years in hell was enough to make Ijin suspicious of everything around him, even things he didn’t know himself.

As Ijin looked at Kim Jaeman with skeptical eyes, Kwon Hyeongdo approached. His heavy footsteps, considering the boots, seemed rough; his shoes were covered in mud.

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Kwon Hyeongdo leaned his chin on Ijin’s desk, blocking Kim Jaeman from view due to his large frame.

“What’s my name?”

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“Don’t you know your own name?”

Seon Ijin snapped back.

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Kim Jaeman burst out laughing, “Pfft.” Kwon Hyeongdo chuckled as if amused and asked Ijin again.

“Do you think I asked because I don’t know my name? I’m asking if you know it.”

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“Kim Jaeman told me.”

“So, what did he say it was?”

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Kim Jaeman looked at him reproachfully, but it was him who had spilled the beans.

“Kwon, Hyeong, Do.”

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Ijin pronounced each syllable distinctly. It felt like burping up a still-wriggling eel, each sound resonating in his throat.

“Seon Ijin.”

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Ijin grimaced at being called like the team leader used to.

“Keep it a secret. Only the boss and, um, Ppochi know my name here. Besides them, it’s just you and Kim Jaeman, the glasses guy.”

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“……”

“If people start calling me by name, should I beat up him, or you?”

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“…Huh?”

Kwon Hyeongdo, who opened the desk drawer across Ijin’s body, asked again. His hand, rummaging, was full of crackling mint candies. His large hand had already emptied half the bag in an instant.

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“Why can’t I say your name? Are you afraid people will be even more scared of you?”

“What?”

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Kwon Hyeongdo burst into laughter, “Uhahaha.” Perhaps because of his size, his laugh was loud too.

He poked his temple with his index finger.

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“Why would I need to scare people? I don’t need such cheap tricks.”

His eyes sparkled. They were filled only with pleasure and enjoyment. Ijin found the candy suspicious. If it wasn’t some kind of drug, eyes like those would be hard to come by. If they were always like that, well, he was just what people thought, a scumbag.

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“People are scared when they don’t know much about me. The unknown is always more terrifying.”

“Like the rumors that you eat human flesh and tear people’s mouths apart?”

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At that moment, a candy was popped into Ijin’s mouth. Crazy bastard! This must not be just candy. As Ijin jumped up in panic, Kwon Hyeongdo watched him like a dog that had foamed at the mouth. He tossed candies into the air and caught them, eating three in rapid succession before asking again.

“Where did you hear such rumors?”

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Ijin’s spine chilled at that moment.