NB | Chapter 4

The man was Kim Sungmoon, the president of the loan company Loanron. He insisted on being called “President,” but in the office, he was openly called “Hyung-nim,” and he didn’t really try to hide his background.

He always wore flashy patterned shirts that fit snugly, with a couple of buttons undone, as if to boast about his Alpha physique.

His subordinate, unlike him, had a bulkier build with more fat than muscle. But even that was intimidating to most people, and his punches, though slow, packed quite a punch.

Woohyun brushed his hair back, trying to block his view. He was willing to sacrifice his sight just to avoid looking at these guys.

Kim Sungmoon grinned and asked, “Made a lot of money today?”

Woohyun thought of the envelope of money in his coat pocket. It was the interest and principal he had to hand over to the man. He had scraped together the amount by adding the remaining balance in his account and the pay from a day job, but he was still short by 30,000 won.

He hadn’t expected the telecom company to deduct the phone bill before he could withdraw cash, which was his mistake. These guys and those guys all act like the nicest people when lending money but are ruthless when collecting.

Of course, it was all due to his own stupidity for mixing up the dates.

As he pulled out the envelope from his coat lining, Kim Sungmoon gestured to his subordinate. A thick hand snatched the envelope away.

While they checked the amount, Woohyun’s eyes caught the gold necklace around the man’s neck. He remembered it being just a pig’s neck the last time they met, so it must be new.

Damn, what’s with that luxury logo? It’s obviously fake.

Despite Woohyun’s anxious heart, the cash was being counted smoothly. Kim Sungmoon, unaware of the shortfall, casually lit a cigarette and spoke.

“Our eldest, working hard to earn money.”

If he knew how hard it was, he wished he’d just leave him alone, but speaking out would only invite a punch. Woohyun hesitated for a moment. If he was going to get hit either way, maybe it was better to just act on his temper.

The gold necklace tilted its head after counting the money. Then, as if thinking he might have counted wrong, he started over from the first bill. Meanwhile, Woohyun, who had loosened his cheek by sweeping his tongue inside, calmly spoke.

“I’m short by 30,000 won.”

“What?”

“The phone bill was deducted before I could withdraw cash, so I’m short by 30,000 won…”

“So, Seo Woohyun, you’re saying your phone bill is more important than your parents’ debt?”

“This guy’s a real ungrateful brat, Hyung-nim.”

The gold necklace laughed and pointed fingers as soon as he realized it wasn’t his mistake.

“Hand over your wallet. You didn’t stash anything away, did you?”

Kim Sungmoon’s words were followed by a hand reaching out as if to grab his waistband. Strong but slow. Woohyun instinctively turned his body to avoid it.

“This bastard!”

The gold necklace’s face turned red with embarrassment as his hand flailed in the air. It was Kim Sungmoon, who had been smoking quietly, who stopped him from foolishly reaching out again.

“Seo Woohyun.”

As soon as Kim Sungmoon said his name, he raised his palm. This was the moment Woohyun had been bracing for. Unlike before, he stood still and offered his cheek.

Thwack! The sound of the slap was so dull it was hard to believe it came from a palm.

If he hadn’t reflexively closed his eyes, his eyeball might have popped out. His ears rang with a drum-like sound, and his vision blurred.

Staggering back a few steps, Woohyun shook his head briefly to regain his senses. He swept his tongue inside his mouth to check for any cuts, but he only felt swelling.

Fortunately, his eardrum seemed intact, and there was no taste of blood.

That slap probably knocked off 10,000 won. These guys, as if advertising their gangster origins, sometimes used violence to settle debts.

They called it generosity, but it felt no different from being treated as a punching bag. At least today, the shortfall was only about 30,000 won.

Kim Sungmoon, casually rotating his wrist, gestured to the gold necklace. The thick arm rummaged through Woohyun’s pocket and took out his wallet. This time, Woohyun had no choice but to stay still. What was more unpleasant than having his wallet taken was the touch of another’s hand on his body.

The gold necklace, more enthusiastic about collecting than his boss, rummaged through the worn wallet as if to tear it apart and pulled out a bill.

“There’s a 5,000 won bill.”

Kim Sungmoon waved his cigarette-holding hand dismissively.

“Hey. Leave that. He needs to eat tomorrow.”

“But still…”

“I said leave it. You should have some pity seeing an Alpha looking so scrawny. Honestly, you should stop eating so much… What’s that? Let me see.”

“This?”

Woohyun, who had been ignoring their chatter, also turned his gaze to the wallet. The business card he had tucked deep inside was now out. It was the producer’s card he received at the shoot today.

“Vanilla Bean… Lee Byungho…”

“What’s a producer, Hyung-nim?”

“Director, you idiot. Producer is director in English.”

“Oh, Hyung-nim! You’re so smart.”

The gold necklace scratched his chubby cheek and gave Kim Sungmoon a thumbs-up. They were having a good time. Woohyun muttered under his breath.

“But why do you have this guy’s card?”

Here it comes.

Woohyun turned his head away, avoiding the gaze of the man with a sneer and a cigarette in his mouth.

“It’s nothing.”

“Woohyun, you know it’s nothing for me to dig into someone’s background, right?”

The rough hand flicked the corner of the card. If it had been a business card from a labor office, it wouldn’t have been strange. But he seemed to have already guessed why a production company’s card was in Seo Woohyun’s wallet.

“Be honest with me. Did this guy offer you something good? Promised to make you a celebrity?”

Kim Sungmoon thought he seemed smart only because the guys he hung out with were such blockheads. But being smart probably meant having good instincts rather than being educated.

It felt like he could hear the faint sound of a calculator in his head. The situation was unfolding similarly to when he was dragged to the Loanron office one day and handed a debt repayment contract for his father’s debt.

Woohyun tried to snatch the card while Kim Sungmoon was distracted, stamping out his cigarette. But Kim Sungmoon was quicker to dodge.

“It’s not a money-making offer.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

The young Alpha, barely an adult, had no professional skills and little education, so there weren’t many jobs he could do. But when it came to physical work, it was a different story. Kim Sungmoon hadn’t hesitated to try to sell him to a business, but Seo Woohyun had insisted on working on a boat instead. A place where, if he wanted to escape, he’d have to jump into the sea.

Recalling that time, Kim Sungmoon smiled slyly at Seo Woohyun. He knew how fierce the eyes hidden under that hair were. He couldn’t forget the look in Woohyun’s eyes when he welcomed him back at the port, alive and not dead. Eyes that seemed to have caught people, not shrimp or squid, were just madness.

“I’ve told you repeatedly. If you just tame your temper, you could live off your looks.”

“…”

“You’re still looking for your brother, right? You said you stopped working on the boat because you never know when he’ll contact you.”

“…”

“If you show your face around, maybe your brother will see it and reach out.”

The sting on his slapped cheek made Woohyun flinch unconsciously. Kim Sungmoon seemed to think it was because Woohyun was tempted, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

“I don’t get why you keep choosing the hard way when there’s an easier path.”

Kim Sungmoon seemed to think Woohyun was searching for his brother out of some petty family love, but that wasn’t really the case. After all, they were only half-blood, and his brother had been running away since high school, eventually taking off with the house deposit while Woohyun was away. What was there to love about that?

Sometimes he thought, if he disappeared, Kim Sungmoon would find Seo Minhyun, just like he found him to repay his father’s debt after he ran away.

In truth, he wasn’t even sure why he was looking for his brother anymore. Before hitting rock bottom, they had a decent sibling relationship, and maybe he thought if his brother wasn’t around, he’d be so resentful of repaying a debt that wasn’t his that he’d end it all.

Maybe he just wanted to find comfort in the fact that he had some kind of connection, even if it was a crappy life and a crappy family. To be more honest, he wondered if they could ever live like a normal family.

Someday. To Woohyun, that word was a hopeful one, suggesting that if he pushed through the fog, he’d see land. Of course, the reality was that even if he could see the land, reaching it was another matter.

Maybe that’s why. If he really wanted to find his brother, he could have hired a detective, but he didn’t. It wasn’t because he was too cheap to pay a few bucks for a service when he was already buried in debt. He just felt sorry. Seeing his parents leave behind debt and disappear, and his brother working himself to the bone day and night, he figured his brother must have felt his life was bleak too.

Though it was infuriating that he left to find his own way, maybe it was better for both of them not to see each other. His anger towards Seo Minhyun hadn’t fully subsided. So if his brother did appear before him, he’d probably want to drag him down into the abyss with him like a vengeful spirit.

“So, are you doing it or not?”

“…”

“If you don’t think you can succeed as a good actor, at least find a rich sponsor. You could pay off your mom’s hospital bills quickly. I think you have a knack for it.”

Even without hearing the end of his sneering laughter, Woohyun knew what he was going to say.

If you don’t like it, go work on the boat again.