TYS Ch 2

A loud cracking sound echoed violently from inside the house. Even over the deafening cries of cicadas, Seungwan could clearly make out the noise.

“AGH—! Stop, stop, please stop!”

“Stop what?”

Inside, the gangsters who had tried to do whatever they wanted to Seungwan were now the ones screaming. Out of nowhere, an unknown man had appeared, dragged Seungwan out of his own house, and locked the front gate. Now, unable to go back inside or leave entirely, Seungwan sat by the fence with his hand clamped over his mouth, listening to the sounds of destruction for the past thirty minutes.

It had already been half an hour since the man had pulled Seungwan out of the chaos, telling him to stay put because they had something to discuss. Seungwan had briefly entertained the idea of running, but when the man glanced at him, it became clear—there was nowhere Seungwan could go that he wouldn’t be caught. Under that scrutinizing gaze, his already weak resolve completely withered.

Who the hell was this guy? Seungwan’s best guess was that he was yet another debt collector. But judging by the sounds coming from inside, he was far more skilled than the ones before him. How had a petty gambling addict like his father ended up crossing such a dangerous person? The men inside were screaming their lungs out, and the next person in line to face that man was Seungwan himself. He wasn’t confident he’d fare any better.

“Hurry up and do it with each other. Don’t force someone who doesn’t want to—stick to people who are up for it. Hurry up, aren’t you doing it?”

“This is crazy. Please, stop. I was wrong, really.”

“Come on, hurry it up.”

The man never raised his voice, and his tone remained calm. Yet, the gangsters inside were screaming in terror. Their voices trembled even more than Seungwan’s had when he had been lying on that sticky wooden floor, his cheek pressed against it and his pants halfway down.

“You don’t want to? See? If you don’t want it, then don’t do it to others either.”

“Hey, seriously. Please, stop…”

The thugs, who had stormed in so confidently earlier, were now shaking. What the hell was happening in there? Seungwan slowly rose to his feet, standing on tiptoe. His curiosity about what was going on inside only grew.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Ah…”

However, before he could peek in, the gate suddenly swung open.

The man stood there gripping the doorknob, watching Seungwan as if he were some strange sight. His sleeves were shoved up past his shoulders, making his shirt look like a sleeveless top, probably because of the heat.

Feeling awkward, Seungwan wiped the sweat from his forehead, damp from standing under the blazing summer sun, and bit his lip.

“You see that truck over there? Go wait inside. It’s too hot out here in the sun.”

The man held out a key as he spoke. The truck key in his large hand gleamed, worn smooth from use. When Seungwan hesitated, the man gave his hand a little shake, urging him to take it.

In the end, Seungwan had no choice but to accept it.

“Go on now. The cigarette smoke is too strong.”

Then, he waved his hand. From his dialect, Seungwan guessed the man was a local, but beyond that, he had no way of knowing anything else. He hesitated. There was blood on the man’s knuckles, but since there were no visible wounds, it was clear the blood wasn’t his.

“Turn on the air conditioner and wait inside. It’s too hot to just sit around.”

“…Okay.”

Seungwan answered quietly and turned away. Behind him, the metal door clanged shut once more. He walked toward the truck the man had pointed out, got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and then moved over to the passenger seat. At first, the air conditioner blew lukewarm air, but soon enough, it began to cool the cabin. Unlike the sunlit area near the house, the truck, parked under a large jujube tree, was noticeably cooler.

The man’s truck wasn’t exactly new, but maybe thanks to good engine maintenance, it ran smoothly, without a hint of vibration, even with the air conditioner on. Because of that, Seungwan found himself zoning out, staring blankly at his house’s gate.

He could no longer hear any sounds from inside, yet he couldn’t look away. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the gate finally opened and the man stepped out.

Half-dozing from the sudden release of tension and momentarily forgetting his situation, Seungwan suddenly straightened up and watched him. The man walked toward the truck with steady steps alone. No one else followed.

Noticing that he was heading for the passenger side instead of the driver’s seat, Seungwan hurriedly opened the door. But the man reached out, closed it again, and tapped on the window, signaling for him to roll it down instead. Seungwan fumbled for a moment before pressing the button to lower the window.

“Go back inside. Hyung will be back after running an errand.”

“Where…”

The fact that he referred to himself as “hyung” was strange. Telling Seungwan to go inside was strange too. But what bothered Seungwan the most was that he said he was going somewhere. More than the fact that he said he’d be back, Seungwan was curious about where exactly he was going. It felt even stranger, considering how he had previously warned him, “Do you think I won’t be able to chase you if you run away?” Yet now, his tone was surprisingly gentle.

“Don’t get out of the car. You see that van over there? Once hyung drives off in that, then you can go inside the house. It’s fine now.”

“……”

Without answering any of Seungwan’s questions, he simply said what he wanted to say.

Seungwan had been about to ask him what exactly was going on, but before he could, the man had already turned away and started walking. As Seungwan opened his mouth, debating whether to get out and follow him, he saw the man suddenly shout something toward the inside of the gate.

Almost immediately, the men who had been inside began coming out one after another, like sausages strung together. Their faces were swollen, and one of them already had a bluish bruise forming. As they staggered forward, the man followed behind them, glancing back at Seungwan.

Go inside.

He mouthed the words silently. Even though they were far apart, Seungwan understood exactly what he was saying, and that fact surprised him.

Soon after, the man got into the van that the gangsters had arrived in and drove away from Seungwan’s house with them. Seungwan leaned back against the seat and let out a sigh. He had no idea what had just happened, but one thing was clear—the man had pulled him out of an explosive situation.

But why? Having rarely received kindness for free, it was only natural for Seungwan to be wary. He worried that if he let his guard down too soon, the man might turn out to be an even bigger loan shark, trying to claim his father’s debt for himself. But even after a long time had passed, the man never came back.

By now, it was the time when everyone was heading home for dinner. With no sign of the man or the van, Seungwan had turned off the truck’s engine, rolled down the window, and dozed off, slumped over inside. That’s when someone gave his cheek a small tap.

“Did you run out of gas? Why aren’t you using the air conditioner? I told you to go inside the house.”

“Ah…”

The man stood outside the truck, resting his arm on the passenger-side window frame as he stared straight at Seungwan. At the brief scolding, Seungwan blinked at him before finally asking.

“…Who are you?”

“You’re just asking that now? You fool.”

The man chuckled before moving around the hood of the truck toward the driver’s seat. As Seungwan sat there, waiting for the man who had disappeared for so long, he had already resigned himself to the idea that his future was about to be sold off to yet another debt collector.

His first concern was his job. Among all the people who criticized him for lacking perseverance as a contract worker with only a high school diploma, Manager Song had been the only one who believed in him. If he got fired simply for not showing up without even submitting a resignation letter, he would feel ashamed.

If he had been bought along with his father’s debts, whoever took him would no doubt put him to work somehow, whether that meant being locked in a small room and forced into prostitution or sent off to work on a fishing boat. Either way, his situation was unlikely to improve. Keeping his job would be out of the question. He had actually tried hard at work, and the thought of losing it like this left a cold feeling in his chest.

“Here we go.”

The man climbed into the driver’s seat, holding something in his hand. It looked like a document envelope. He placed it between them and spoke.

“Hurry up and pack your things.”

“…Pack what…”

“Your stuff. You can’t live in that house anymore. Those gangster bastards already have your address.”

The man was still smiling. Judging by the way his eyes naturally curved, he seemed like someone who smiled often. Seungwan stared at him for a moment before finally stepping out of the passenger seat and heading inside.

As expected, he really was being sold off. At least they were letting him pack his things. In a daze, he thought about that while gathering what he needed. The bankbook he had hidden from his father. The uniform he wore at the agricultural cooperative, in case it might come in handy. A few pieces of clothing and some underwear, all stuffed into a paper bag.

His only backpack had been torn apart by the thugs, so this was the only option he had left. As he packed, his hands paused on a thin album containing five photos he had taken with his mother.