BBK Ch 6

“Ugh, it’s hot, so hot.”

As soon as I got out of the car, I felt burning stares. Gyuoh shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up. Silhouettes were plastered against the windows of a shabby three-story building. Feeling the weight of gazes mixed with vigilance and curiosity, he grabbed the box of energy drinks from his side.

Thud. The figures clinging to the windows disappeared as he closed the car door. Gyuoh shuddered involuntarily and stepped into the entrance of the dilapidated building. It seemed to have been a shopping arcade originally, as various business names were written on the stairwell walls. Humming and reciting the shop names one by one, he quickly reached the third floor.

“Is this it?”

He peered through the old glass door, a table tennis paddle sticker half-peeled off. Beyond the dust-covered glass, he could see large men standing with puffed-out chests. The corners of his mouth curled up simultaneously.

“Seeing them acting all tough, I guess this is the place.”

Gyuoh grabbed the handle without hesitation and pulled the glass door open. The first guy he locked eyes with recognized him immediately.

“Who is it? It’s you?”

“How have you all been?”

Gyuoh gave a casual salute with his fingertips. As he did so, he scanned the faces of the men inside. Although the memories were hazy, most of them were familiar since they had been with Seongtak for a long time.

“It felt wrong to come empty-handed after all this time.”

He placed the box of drinks on a blue table that looked like it had been stolen from a convenience store. A chilling silence fell, broken only by the clinking of bottles within the box.

“Don’t you offer a guest a chair here?”

“Hey.”

One of the guys with some seniority gestured with his chin. A bulky figure in the corner hesitantly dragged a plastic chair and dropped it thud at Gyuoh’s feet. They weren’t exactly friendly, but they weren’t entirely hostile either. With this attitude, he might be able to persuade them with words. But how long would this attitude last? Gyuoh glanced around the room as he perched on the chair.

“I saw the construction company changed and thought, ‘No way,’ but you’ve already reached that level?”

“That’s how it is. You never know with life, do you? Won Gyuoh, who used to get bossed around by you guys, is now even handing out business cards.”

He curled his thumb and middle finger, then flicked them open, his fingertips hitting the drink box. Thump. At the relatively loud sound, everyone’s eyes focused on one spot. A stiff business card with Gyuoh’s name embossed in silver was tucked into the edge of the box.

“It’s expensive, so I only brought one. Let’s share it.”

He added playfully, wrinkling his nose. Several pairs of eyes naturally shifted to Gyuoh. He deliberately dusted his tracksuit pants, which he had worn for a casual look. One of the men, staring intently at his every move, asked in a raspy voice,

“Considering our past relationship, you’ll give us a generous amount, right?”

“You’ve already had the market appraisal. We’ll match that, of course.”

“Hey, if we were going to be satisfied with just that, we wouldn’t have messed with you in the first place.”

The man, scoffing, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his inner pocket. He offered Gyuoh a cigarette.

“Greed breeds disaster. Don’t you know that even after experiencing it?”

Gyuoh placed the cigarette filter between his lips, his smile still lingering. He tilted his head slightly and looked down. When he didn’t hear the sound of a lighter after a while, he glanced up at the man.

“Aren’t you going to light it?”

His words were muffled by the cigarette, but the man seemed to understand. He chuckled, holding an opaque red lighter. Then he flicked the lighter on. Click. The end of Gyuoh’s cigarette ignited.

“This is a new approach. The companies that came before you all groveled, trying to please us.”

“And because you treated them like that, the compensation kept going up, didn’t it?”

These guys had been gradually increasing the compensation demands. If there was any sign of compliance, they’d raise it a bit more; if it seemed like it would be met again, they’d sneakily raise it further. This had been going on for over a year. The compensation was now 50 percent higher than the initial appraisal.

“We have to make a living too, don’t we? So many of us were left with nowhere to go after Seongtak collapsed overnight.”

The man continued, staring intently at Gyuoh.

“Makes me think I should have joined your side. It seems like you guys are rolling in dough.”

The man cleared his throat and spat. Gyuoh chuckled at the lump of phlegm that landed near his feet.

“You drive a nice car too. You’re doing alright, aren’t you? Throw in a little extra.”

“Extra? How much?”

“Fifty percent. Just add that much, and we’ll back off quietly, for old times’ sake.”

Did he think Gyuoh wouldn’t know that this was the highest amount they had demanded so far? Gyuoh took a deep drag of his cigarette, hard enough to sting his cheeks. As he exhaled, a plume of smoke dispersed, obscuring the man’s face.

“Did we have that kind of past relationship?”

Gyuoh didn’t take his eyes off the man until the smoke cleared.

“….Jog your memory a little. Why wouldn’t we?”

The man frowned, waving his hand. As the smoke cleared quickly, his scrunched-up face became clearly visible.

“…….”

Strangely, seeing that greedy face reminded him of Minho. Lately, Minho had been having trouble sleeping again, his eyes were bloodshot, and he wore his glasses often. He’d be really exhausted if he had to get involved in this too.

Despite that, Gyuoh had a feeling that Minho would be joining this mess soon. It was a hasty thought that came to him only three minutes after arriving, but Gyuoh’s intuition was rarely wrong.

After about an hour of fruitless conversation, he left the building. As he got into his car and drove away, stares from the windows followed the back of his car.

“They’re awfully interested.”

A tired voice resonated softly inside the car. Only after completely leaving the dreary neighborhood did Gyuoh bring the phone to his ear. Minho’s voice came through immediately, as if he’d been waiting.

―Why are those bastards being so difficult?

Minho spoke in a disbelieving tone, having heard the entire conversation. Tsk, Gyuoh clicked his tongue in response.

“I don’t know. They’re crazy with inferiority complex.”

As Minho said, the guys had been sneering throughout the conversation. They barely discussed the redevelopment compensation; the topic was almost entirely about Gyuoh.

They taunted him, saying that the guy who used to run errands for them and get scolded all the time was now making money but didn’t understand how things worked. They mocked him for wearing fancy clothes and watches, asking if he couldn’t even use a calculator. They showed no willingness to compromise and seemed focused only on Gyuoh’s appearance.

―They’re determined to get a big payout.

“Exactly. Fuck, should I have walked? They were bitching even about the car.”

Normally, he would have ridden his motorcycle, but Minho had confiscated his keys, forcing him to take the car. He had chosen the most unassuming car, the one furthest from his usual taste, but it only seemed to fuel their jealousy.

―Judging by their behavior, they would have reacted the same even if you’d gone completely naked.

The calmly delivered voice seemed to ease his tense nerves a little. Gyuoh changed lanes without hesitation. His destination shifted from home to Minho’s company.

“Should I go completely naked next time? Scare them shitless so they can’t even open their mouths?”

―Don’t be ridiculous.

“Why not? Didn’t you hear them? They told me to fuck off. I’ll just actually fuck off and show them.”

He had little motivation for anything other than work, so he had to joke around like this. Fortunately, Minho responded with a chuckle, but his voice was still laced with fatigue.

―Why would you expose yourself in front of others?

Then why do you expose yourself to strangers? He clearly left last night saying he had an appointment past midnight. He must have gone to meet some random asshole. That’s why he hated it when Gyuoh followed him.

There was no smell of alcohol this morning, which meant he had definitely done something instead of drinking. How could someone like that tell him not to expose himself? A sassy retort rose to the tip of his tongue, but he suppressed it.

“Ahem, hmm.”

After learning about Cha Minho’s secret, Gyuoh couldn’t help but worry about him. The Minho he knew was lonely and vulnerable, despite appearing otherwise. He acted like he had built strong walls around himself, but in reality, he needed someone to lean on more than anyone. The complete opposite of Gyuoh.

Minho always seemed to crave something stable, but Gyuoh never imagined he was coping with strong alcohol and one-night stands. It was Minho’s way of life, his own choice, and Gyuoh tried to tell himself not to worry about it, but he couldn’t help it.

He couldn’t shake the arrogant thought that maybe his presence could help. Of course, he didn’t mean he would shoulder all of Minho’s burdens.

―Anyway, get some rest now.

“Alright.”

The call ended abruptly. But Gyuoh only accelerated towards his predetermined destination. He could have gotten there faster on his motorcycle. He thought with a tinge of regret.

“….Hmm.”

Naturally, he recalled the situation where Minho had taken his motorcycle keys yesterday.

He had been obediently staying in the office until midnight, so Gyuoh thought he was finally going home. But Minho suddenly announced he had an appointment and left Gyuoh behind without a second thought. So, Gyuoh quietly followed him on his motorcycle. But something felt strange. The black car, which Gyuoh expected to head to a nearby hotel, was going in the direction of his house.

‘….’

There are no hotels near my house. Or is he going to that asshole’s house? Is he really going to risk following him home even though it’s just a one-night stand? That hyung is seriously obsessed with sex. Gyuoh deliberately slowed down, maintaining a discreet distance.

He couldn’t believe it, but Minho’s car entered his apartment building’s parking lot. Is he hooking up with someone who lives in my building? Did that person have the looks for it? As confusing thoughts raced through his mind, Minho slowed down in front of the motorcycle parking area and got out of his car.