RGE Ch 3

That wasn’t forcing a good kid down a bad path.

It was just checking if they were in a tough spot, and if they were struggling to make ends meet, making sure they didn’t starve by occasionally buying them a meal. And while eating, the thought of a drink might naturally arise. And as they got closer, slipping them a bit of pocket money wouldn’t be a big deal. That’s how everyone became like brothers.

Jang Beom suddenly pictured Yiwon’s face, shyly smiling and calling him “hyung” (older brother).

Fuck. He felt like he was going to have a nosebleed.

He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without taking care of himself in the bathroom. A strange, persistent stinging in his chest made him squeeze his eyes shut.

“Jeongmin, I’m sorry. But honestly, we weren’t that close, were we?”

They had simply gotten along reasonably well, Jeongmin being such a sociable guy, until Jang Beom dropped out of school in his freshman year and moved to Seoul. The fact that Jeongmin was the only guy in town as big as Jang Beom had also played a part.

While teachers and students alike averted their gazes in his presence, Jeongmin had treated him without reservation. That’s why Jang Beom, upon returning to his hometown after 17 years away, had sought out Jeongmin and visited him in the hospital.

“The, uh, high school friend of the boss who’s hospitalized in a coma?”

“Yeah, his younger brother. Find out everything you can.”

Ending the call, Jang Beom pressed his forehead with his fist, still clutching his phone.

He really wouldn’t touch him. He just wanted to act like an older brother in place of his old friend. Like offering an umbrella to a kitten caught in the rain. Like not being able to turn on the air conditioner all summer because a family of birds had built a nest under his outdoor unit.

Woo Yiwon was just that pretty.

Ꮺ ۰ ͙⊹

The best thing about the two-story villa where Yiwon lived was the rooftop.

Open to all residents, it was equipped with a barbecue grill and a wooden platform. While Yiwon grilled meat and vegetables, his mother sat on the platform and fed Haeju wrapped pieces of meat.

Yiwon brought over a plate of cooked meat and set it down next to the stew, saying, “A friend of my brother’s visited him at the hospital today.”

“Jeongmin’s friend? Who?”

Now that she mentioned it, he hadn’t asked for the man’s name. Yiwon recalled the man’s appearance and said, “He said he was a high school classmate of my brother’s. He also came to Dad’s funeral ten years ago. He’s incredibly tall, like two meters. And also… oh, he’s handsome.”

“Was it Beom?”

His mother pursed her lips, seeming surprised by her own words.

She looked as though she had inadvertently recalled someone from long ago and was lost in reminiscence. Since his mother knew him, the man must have really been Jeongmin’s friend.

“Is his name Beom?”

“Yes. Jang Beom, I think. He came to our house for dinner once. I remember him because he was as tall as Jeongmin.”

Jang Beom. The name somehow suited the man.

His mother continued, her expression thoughtful, “Jeongmin said he went to Seoul before graduation, following his guardian. I hadn’t heard from him since, but he did come to your father’s funeral. When I was settling the accounts, I saw he had given a condolence gift of 300,000 won. Jeongmin was very grateful. Jeongmin had just finished his military service and didn’t even have enough money for groceries that day.”

Yiwon dejectedly placed his chopsticks on the table.

He had been completely unaware. Things weren’t great now, but they weren’t struggling to eat. Yet, back then, Jeongmin had always brought home whatever Yiwon wanted, regardless of their situation.

“Thanks to that, we were able to fix your piano and buy you paints. Remember?”

He remembered buying paints with Jeongmin at the art supply store. It was a professional-grade watercolor set, extravagant for a child.

He had been proud when his classmates were impressed at school, but more than that, he had been captivated by the vibrant colors. He had been happy to finally be able to capture the beauty he saw onto canvas, just as it appeared to him. It had been his first experience of that kind.

He suddenly felt sorry for being wary of Jang Beom based on his appearance.

‘He seems like a good person.’

If Jang Beom’s “see you again” wasn’t just a polite farewell, he would be sure to be more respectful next time. Yiwon took a large bite of rice and resolved to do so.

This resolution wavered the very next day.

Ꮺ ۰ ͙⊹

9:30 PM, closing time for the barbecue restaurant where Yiwon worked.

He was making his rounds, checking for any last orders at the tables where customers were finishing their meals, when the small bell on the restaurant door chimed.

Yiwon turned his head towards the door with the polite smile he only wore at work. “Ah, I’m sorry, but we’re closed for the…”

He trailed off, staring at Jang Beom standing in the doorway.

The moment he saw Jang Beom, Yiwon gulped involuntarily and thought,

‘He is a good person, right?’

A different but equally black, rough-looking suit from yesterday. A flashy gold watch that looked like he’d walked into a local jewelry store and asked, “What’s the most expensive thing here?” A muscular, imposing figure, and fierce eyes.

Yiwon wasn’t the only one frozen by Jang Beom’s appearance.

A sudden silence fell over the customers, who had been cheerfully chatting and enjoying their drinks. The remaining customers at the three tables, for some reason, looked slightly more subdued, silently staring at the sizzling grills before starting to gather their belongings.

The owner rushed out from the kitchen, greeting Jang Beom with a practiced smile.

“Oh, I apologize. We’re only open until 10 PM.”

Jang Beom, his gaze fixed on Yiwon, reached into his inside jacket pocket. He took out five 100,000 won bills from his wallet and slapped them down on the counter.

The owner beamed a genuine smile.

“Please, come in.”

Jang Beom sat down in the now empty restaurant.

Yiwon set the basic side dishes on Jang Beom’s table and added charcoal to the grill. He brought out the ordered samgyeopsal and soju, and was about to start grilling the meat when Jang Beom took out a cigarette and said to the owner, “Boss, since you’re closed, can this kid eat with me?”

“This is a non-smoking establishment…”

Jang Beom, seemingly ignoring Yiwon, lit his cigarette.

The owner, emerging from the kitchen with steamed eggs and soybean paste stew, said to Yiwon,

“You know this customer? Oh, then of course you should eat together. Yiwon, sit down. Don’t worry about cleaning up and have a comfortable chat with the customer.”

“I’m sorry,” Yiwon apologized, glancing at Jang Beom’s cigarette. The owner hated the smell of cigarettes, even if customers smoked outside.

The owner finally noticed Jang Beom’s cigarette, following Yiwon’s gaze, and cried out, “Oh!” with a devastated expression. Then, with utmost politeness, he said,

“I’m so forgetful. I’ll bring you an ashtray.”

Yiwon somehow resented the owner’s hurried retreat to fetch an ashtray.

Jang Beom placed a soju glass across the table and filled it. Then, to Yiwon, who was hesitating, unsure of Jang Beom’s intentions, he said in a flat, emotionless voice, “Sit. Let’s talk.”

Yiwon took off his apron and sat down.

Jang Beom, who hadn’t broken his intensely uncomfortable stare, suddenly extended his large right hand. When Yiwon looked at him with a puzzled expression, he jerked his chin towards the tongs and scissors in Yiwon’s hand. Yiwon awkwardly handed them over.

Jang Beom started grilling the meat with the tongs and scissors, getting straight to the point. “You took out a loan from a loan shark.”

He didn’t know how Jang Beom knew, but it was true. Although he hadn’t borrowed the money himself, Yiwon was responsible for repaying the 20 million won debt in his mother’s name.

Three months ago, the bank loan secured by Jeongmin’s house had unexpectedly been refused for renewal. Even after selling the house and moving to the current semi-basement apartment, they were short of money.

It was absurd to repay a bank loan with a loan shark debt, but they had thought they could repay it quickly. 20 million won wasn’t a small amount, but it wasn’t impossible to repay.

Of course, the fact that they had resorted to a loan shark was stressful for Yiwon. Anticipating a lecture, he asked dejectedly,

“How did you know?”

“Do you even know how dangerous that is?”

As expected, Jang Beom pointed the tongs at Yiwon and scolded him.

Of course, Yiwon knew the dangers of loan sharks. But he hadn’t agreed with his mother thoughtlessly.

The company his mother had borrowed from, “Comet,” had been recommended by a former colleague of Jeongmin’s. It was supposedly a third-tier financial institution, not a typical loan shark, and it was said that even ordinary students or housewives could borrow small amounts in emergencies without any problems as long as they kept up with the interest payments. Since a detective had said so, it seemed trustworthy.

Seeing Yiwon’s uncomprehending expression, Jang Beom hardened his already fierce features and threw the tongs and scissors onto the table.

“Forget it.”

He pulled an absurdly thick white envelope from his inside jacket pocket and tossed it onto the table. “Go pay it back tomorrow.”