KTSR | Chapter 19

The rumors about Kwon Hyeongdo’s cock spread so vividly because the reason was simple. Kwon Hyeongdo would go out practically half-naked and, with his amazing skills, track down the lazy lackeys who were slacking off, then make them bring his car back for him.

At first, the underlings didn’t recognize Kwon Hyeongdo, but they couldn’t handle his relentless cursing. Suddenly, in the pouring rain, while they were contemplating whether to put a fish head or squid on the stove, they were abruptly kicked out to do hard labor. During that time, Ijin saw everything, even the outline of Kwon Hyeongdo’s underwear.

“Ya, that executive director fucker is really crazy.”

More than one person was clicking their tongue in amazement.

“He’s not just crazy. Honestly, isn’t the executive director’s car a piece of shit? How much trouble did we go through just to get that one car out? That fucker must have shat his pants, right? I thought his asshole would tear open.”

The thugs clicked their tongues in awe while pointing at a junior who was stuffing his cheeks with cream bread. The guy, who hadn’t even swallowed the bread yet, spat out crumbs while adding, “I didn’t shit myself, but I almost did.”

Ijin, chewing on glass noodles that had been blown up by the wind, agreed with the thugs this time. That guy was not in his right mind. He came back after a while, and he had gone through all that trouble. No wonder he was covered in red mud all over his body. He had gone to a comic book room famous for its saunas, wearing clothes that were still wet, claiming he was going to wash up. Kim Jaeman asked Ijin, not even noticing the mess of the office covered in mud.

“Hyung, have you tried the coffee at the comic book room? It’s to die for. Seriously, even in winter, I can’t give up their iced coffee. There’s no place that brews coffee as well as there.”

…Kim Jaeman, who was just talking about coffee, wasn’t normal either.

“Why would he run out naked like a mad dog for no reason? He wanted to establish discipline. I think what’s down there, he used it like a weapon.”

“……”

The focus shifted back to dick talk so quickly. It’s no wonder people say that the piece of flesh between a man’s legs is actually a brain.

While Ijin was struggling to chew the glass noodles that were so hard they felt like they’d make his teeth bounce out, the underlings who had gathered for a late dinner, having let the seniors eat first, all fell silent.

The restaurant door didn’t fit well, letting in a cold breeze, making everyone shiver in the dead of winter. The only good thing about that was that even the thugs, who had no manners, didn’t slam the door shut with a bang, bang.

There stood Kwon Hyeongdo by the door.

“Shit… he’s no gentleman.”

Someone in the group muttered. There was no way there would be a gentleman among these thugs in the first place.

Kwon Hyeongdo walked leisurely towards them, either knowing or not knowing that they had been noisily talking about him. He clearly looked like he had just washed up. His eyes were languid, having just come from a bath after the hard labor. His hair was slicked back with only half-dried water, so it kept slipping out of place.

“Eh, sausages, huh.”

Kwon Hyeongdo, in a friendly tone, rummaged through the pile of vegetables mixed with ketchup and flour sauce. There was no way any sausages would be left.

The underlings, watching his every move, hurriedly stuffed sausages into their mouths or gathered what little they had received. If it were any other senior, they’d be throwing plates, demanding to know which pig bastard ate them, threatening to rip open bellies to check before making them spit it out.

But Kwon Hyeongdo just kept pushing his hair back, focusing only on serving the next side dish.

“Huk.”

When he turned around, one of the underlings made a surprised sound.

“Executive Director, hello! Good evening!”

“Good evening! Hello!”

The one who was somewhat quick-witted and could almost be considered on par with the seniors stood up and bowed deeply.

His bow was so deep that his forehead almost touched his knees. Kwon Hyeongdo barely paid any attention to this grand display.

Seon Ijin, thinking it was all for show, just swallowed the glass noodles he had been carefully chewing.

Among the guys standing as densely packed as a bean sprout steamer with shaved heads, Seon Ijin was impossible to miss. Kwon Hyeongdo had traveled all over the country but had never seen anyone as noticeable as Seon Ijin. They say he’s a flaw in the jade, but for Ijin, it was the opposite; he was the jade within the flaw. Cracked, broken, and dirty as it might be.

Kwon Hyeongdo walked towards Ijin with a smirk. As he passed by, the guys who had been almost bowing to the back of his head straightened up one by one.

‘He’s not coming here, is he?’

Ijin, although aware of Kwon Hyeongdo’s approach, pretended not to notice. However, his hand trembled as he tried to lift the stiff fishcake.

As Ijin had feared, Kwon Hyeongdo sat down in front of him. With his arm hung over the chair next to Ijin, Kwon Hyeongdo began to eat the heaping pile of rice without a word, the smell of strong skin lotion emanating from him.

“How much of the ledger have you sorted?”

“Less than half.”

Kwon Hyeongdo casually took side dishes from Ijin’s tray. It was the last sausage Ijin had managed to save. What a petty thief.

“Do some typing practice. Like ‘Counting Stars,’ ‘When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom.’ You know, stuff like that.”

“……”

“Speed it up. Will the race happen this week with the rain?”

Kwon Hyeongdo spoke in a way that made it hard to tell who he was asking.

A thug at the next table hurriedly swallowed his soup and answered.

“We’ll lay down new dirt.”

That wouldn’t solve the problem of the track being as soaked as a sponge. Ijin had raced a few times right after bad weather; it was unplayable. The risk of horse injuries also skyrocketed. What they meant by laying new dirt was just sprinkling some flour on top to absorb moisture.

Ijin was already despairing at the thought of running on that muddy track.

The track at the Colosseum had short straightaways and many corners. Since they turned right, it was advantageous for right-hoofed horses like Clover, but the frequent fog in the damp weather made acceleration difficult at the corners. If dirt got into a horse’s eyes, it could lead to accidents, and the slope just before the finish line was prone to slipping, posing a significant risk to both jockeys and horses.

So, they should do more than just sprinkle and cover with dirt.

Ijin swallowed his rice in frustration.

Seeing Seon Ijin’s rapidly changing expressions, Kwon Hyeongdo lit a cigarette indoors without hesitation.

“Can you give me one? You look like you want to stop me.”

Instead of answering, Ijin buried his head and gulped down the spicy soybean paste soup.

“Why does our popular jockey dislike me? I’m popular too.”

Kwon Hyeongdo asked, feigning hurt. When Ijin gave him a look of disbelief, he grinned, saying, “Ah, just talking to myself.” How ridiculous.

The thugs around them burst into laughter, trying to curry favor. It felt like one big show. Ijin stood up and bowed his head.

“I’ve finished eating, so I’ll head out first.”

But Kwon Hyeongdo stretched out his leg, pulling Ijin’s chair back.

“Sit. The boss hasn’t finished eating yet. Where are you going?”

“Where’s the boss? I don’t have a boss.”

“If you work in the same office as me, I’m your boss.”

“But this isn’t an office, is it?”

This guy’s tongue. This guy’s temper.

Ijin bit his tongue, realizing his mistake.

He wasn’t always this confrontational without reason. Though he heard he was arrogant because he had something to rely on, Ijin knew he had nothing to fall back on. To escape this place with Clover, he had to endure.

…But this time, it was too late.

Kwon Hyeongdo looked at Ijin with interest. The atmosphere around them had turned tense in an instant.

“Then, senior who’s been in the dining hall longer, please take good care of the junior who’s shy in this place.”

Kwon Hyeongdo, not minding the tense atmosphere at all, rested his chin on his hand, smiling.

“……”

Ijin couldn’t push it any further. He sat there like a sack of barley, having put down his chopsticks.

“Everyone else, if you’ve eaten, go out and get to work.”

“Yes, Executive Director!”

It seemed that the titles like ‘boss’ or ‘team leader’ which carry weight in society gave these small-time thugs a sense of superiority over the old-fashioned terms like ‘brother’ or ‘younger brother’. Despite Kwon Hyeongdo giving them nothing, they listened well.

After everyone left, only the two of them remained. Kwon Hyeongdo stuffed his cheeks full, chewed, and swallowed before throwing a sarcastic compliment at Ijin.

“How can you be less perceptive than those guys?”

“……”

“Is it just your natural lack of manners?”

“Seems like it.”

This time, Ijin answered honestly out of resignation and annoyance.

“It seems that way. I just can’t help it.”

Try living with these guys who can’t talk without cursing and throw punches before words. Even a saint would give up on being virtuous.

Ijin mocked gloomily, thankfully this time only in his mind.