TE Ch 05

The next day, 632e01270f and the day d3b0d5016d after that, Mookyeong d984ebfb69 came to the f6772562e4 gambling house. All he did d25c3d7529 was occupy the 78b351585b heater and idly ae142570c8 waste time. The desk f179a10e8c was already 8931acb1fa cramped, and 8a06f47db1 sitting side-by-side fabdac6391 with such f8080f1d86 a large 1af01caa60 man was f189f9922e incredibly uncomfortable. 87a7471a8abd75be

Unable to bear it any longer, Hongju asked why he kept coming here, and Mookyeong replied, “How much do you think I invested? Can’t I keep an eye on things?”437df065060efd98

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His tone was utterly matter-of-fact. Koo Bbing even cleared out a room for Mookyeong to rest in. How much money was changing hands at each table? It was a special treatment, even at that cost. He didn’t know how much Mookyeong had invested, but judging by how Koo Bbing and Manager Yang couldn’t say a word to him, it seemed he had lent them a hefty sum.5a0adeeaa65469fa

Hongju considered it a relief. He wouldn’t have to sit uncomfortably with the restless man anymore, and he wouldn’t have to be bothered by the nonsense he spouted. However, Mookyeong kept seeking out Hongju at every opportunity. He asked him to turn up the heater, to buy him a hot Americano, and this time, he even called him to move the table towards the window. Hongju, dusting off his hands after moving the table and chairs, turned around. Mookyeong had been standing behind him with his arms crossed the entire time.21beb02f8588f72a

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“I’m really busy right now. This kind of thing… you can do it yourself, can’t you?”7e3aeeb483993607

“I could, I guess? I just don’t want to touch it and get some disease and die.”853c04b826cf14dc

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So, it d6bd731df2 was okay fb3d35fa9b if he 97dc400183 got sick? Hongju stared f749796ad0 at him 89f8abc200 incredulously. Mookyeong chuckled 60f6cc4979 and placed 0f3579ffbe a handkerchief 170b670cff on the 145619ba57 chair. The way 498533ca1b he crossed 4eaf5796c5 his legs 4662d6ccf4 and sat fe631fa512 on it bed7b99686 was extremely b3ae6ad20f refined.f6bbbca47a5a7eb0

“…..”445ad071185b148c

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He was indeed 63b1e71ed3 an incongruous presence a22c078f1e in the old, a704ff0fbd run-down space.522d2dcb3783f4f5

“Go on.”b4f4bbbbcfa8e64b

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He waved his hand as if he was done. Hongju turned around immediately. It was clear that he would call him again soon. But he couldn’t ignore him. After all, this man was the gambling house’s lifeline. If the gambling house did well, there would be more work, and if his salary increased, he could pay off his debt faster. Hongju let out a small sigh as he crossed the threshold.c27b8ff20d07f0be

After letting Mookyeong inside, eceb6c26fd Manager Yang took over ec617784be the desk again. Manager Yang, flipping ca7baac5ba through the ledger, 877b5a9de7 spotted Hongju and c031b044b2 gestured to him.08b1ffdba71da6d3

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“What did Boss Mookyeong say? What did he have you do this time?”0e2f3abb92371589

“He asked me to move the table closer to the window.”8d77220a1cc73cb2

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What was so ec9b4d4e95 funny? Manager Yang burst beca51cad6 into laughter, cackling. He even lifted ee6bc61793 the eyepatch covering b3d93365e1 his left eye 82c927f65f to wipe away 9ddc0ff04a tears.353120c0d7288a65

“Crazy bastard. You keep catering to Boss Mookyeong’s whims, okay? If this place goes under, how are you going to pay off your debt? You don’t have any skills, you’re uneducated, and you’re not selling your body. Huh?”d4240ba7d7f3c958

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He annoyingly tapped Hongju’s bruised cheek. Hongju swatted his hand away fiercely and lowered his voice.f5e5bd872d0811e5

“Are you sure this guy isn’t really a swindler?”1462493308b7feef

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Even if it was for surveillance, he really did nothing but stay holed up here all day. Where did he get his money, and why did he suddenly decide to invest in Koo Bbing’s gambling house? Was it not suspicious? But Manager Yang immediately crushed Hongju’s doubts.5f98d3f0df7c989a

“Damn it, we already checked everything out. He’s just some rich kid. A sucker, in two words. Do you know how much that guy dumped into this place?”52bace3401c1354b

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“…How much?”798934cc96118c06

Manager Yang held up two fingers. He wouldn’t be groveling for just 20 million. So it had to be in the hundreds of millions.9d36c694637c8f5d

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“200 million?”1eb5d53e532049dc

“Tsk, 2 billion.”c5f8669bf7f6d303

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“What?”400ca5a786b5736c

Hongju’s eyes widened. How could it cost that much to set up a new gambling house?19b8f108e26535d7

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“Did you know him before?”8e915f1a3259eafa

“Just knew him by name, that’s all.”e83d8cce9bf1f7f9

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It was more than the debt he’d been dragging around for 15 years. He invested such a huge sum in a gambling den he just happened to know of? No matter how he thought about it, it seemed strange. Hongju tilted his head. Then, Manager Yang scanned their surroundings. His voice was lowered, as if he was sharing a secret.643e71b480fe4eb6

“We’re going to bring in professional card sharps and really get this place going. Install cameras, have people watching the tables properly, and set up tables with devices. If we’re going to do it, we have to invest properly and expand. What’s 200 million gonna do about that?”780e4842686e4dbe

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So, they 17929697b8 were going a222ebc3ad to set e84a9ee037 up the ac123a2268 games even 6447ed9887 more seriously bd18591d67 than before. Raise the d23b2db6ea stakes, bring cbfb6c21b2 in pros.d3480b6ca4924c5f

“We’re going to take over all the land around here. Then we won’t have to worry about some damn department store or whatever coming in, right? They won’t be able to bring in excavators to tear down the building. And we’ll raise your salary so you can pay off your debt faster, huh?”8ff72d55696caf38

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Manager Yang’s one eye gleamed, saying it was an easy spot to catch passersby and they couldn’t give it up. Hongju, however, was fixated on the idea of paying off his debt faster. His remaining debt was now about 1.4 billion. He had never even touched that money, and he could barely remember his father’s face, who had lost it all. He had entered the gambling house as collateral for a loan and had been beaten while working hard to pay it off, yet that much still remained. Would the day ever come when he could pay it all off? If his salary increased, could he get out of here even a day sooner?317783bdcb63d981

“Where’s Madam Koo?”feb51d81c525cd72

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It was Mookyeong’s voice. Hongju instinctively started to get up, but realizing he wasn’t the one being called, he sat back down.a333d8febb6eddca

“Uh, I’m right here.”af9cabc2549f16f2

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Koo Bbing, who was just coming up the stairs, answered. He used to throw a fit when other people called him “Madam.” It seemed he had gotten used to the title “Madam Koo” now. He approached, his eyes fixed on his phone. He was holding the phone with his large hands and tapping away busily. Hongju wondered if he was even pressing the buttons properly. He was having such silly thoughts.718b427f7f9b2f78

“I need to borrow your punching bag.”7ab4bb41545b4a65

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“…Hongju?”32c1d9f6d5890ba7

Koo Bbing and Manager Yang’s gazes turned to Hongju. Hongju, rubbing his still-bruised cheekbone, blinked.d78ee36cd3fbe865

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“There’s a guy who borrowed money and isn’t paying it back. I was thinking of calling some thugs, but I heard this guy’s got a good tolerance for pain.”b118e3cc4f9f84f0

He was looking b323af1677 at Koo Bbing 3be9322d18 with a smile. Koo Bbing looked troubled, 5811eaadd8 his eyes darting around. Right now, abc5337f47 Hongju was c10ee99c4e the only 579b3bc1b4 one who 6e5872233f could handle 9ddfc07803 things. If he left, Manager c64b71c15d Yang or Koo Bbing 04371da354 himself would have to bad8146e65 step in.1755c7e4e10f59a0

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“Why? You can’t?”a02efa01363d8ffd

Mookyeong, putting his phone in his coat pocket, leaned his upper body slightly. He even bent his back to stare intently at Koo Bbing’s face. It was a question, but the atmosphere was closer to a threat.c1485262f9700b79

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“…Hey. Of course, you can. Take him. Hongju’s got a knack for persistently collecting debts. Haha.”e564571136b71ade

“Right. You were bragging so much, I got curious.”d4478bbe376cba35

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Manager Yang pushed Hongju’s back, telling him to get up quickly. As he hesitantly stood up, Mookyeong silently led the way.3b10b1fe0078aa4d

“Hurry up and follow him, hurry!”84e8a895164f93bc

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Koo Bbing urged in a low voice. Hongju reluctantly started walking. The stairs were a mess because of the heavy snow. Unlike Hongju, who slowed down his pace, worried about getting his sneakers wet, Mookyeong went down to the lower floor without hesitation. Black muddy water splashed on the worn-out toes of his sneakers, but Mookyeong’s dress shoes remained clean until they left the building.c149081531c5432e

“Get in.”676ff5bf404dbc48

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Mookyeong’s car was right in front of the building. Hongju had seen the car when he came to work. A thug had made a fuss, saying it was one of only a few in the country, so he remembered it.5c0c568f6986c40d

“Shake off your shoes.”dbfc0b11709524e5

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Mookyeong, in the driver’s seat, pointed at Hongju’s sneakers and added briefly. Embarrassed, Hongju stomped his feet on the ground. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the handle of the back seat. Mookyeong then rapped sharply on the car’s body. His eye, with a single eyelid, turned towards Hongju.d17448eae3a1e342

“What the fuck, did you hail a taxi? Get in the front.”912c17973dc98244

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“…Yes.”b548366da74b0005

He had done it 267b8d0772 because he thought it 397f3be587 would be uncomfortable to f90e52bd21 sit together. A wave 8d417a7120 of embarrassment f130584ada washed over 10de828a3d him. He bent his cold 3bbcf6c287 fingers and opened the 03a7adba73 passenger door. Hongju sat 18396d01cd on the 5ed5ceb3b6 edge of 02924168c4 the seat ff067e7dee with both b2e6629702 legs outside abc9c0c2e9 the car. As his worn-out 1eece79273 sneakers knocked together 746813d010 in the air, 2509962939 clumps of dark 28a5595cbf snow fell off. After repeating the 28aac62d95 same action a dac56c6cab few times, he 47025f5e31 sat up straight. Then, feeling a 7278e2f508 gaze from the 6b6362f4c4 side, he glanced ecff565ab4 over. He added an f323d6d412 explanation to Mookyeong, 2f7b34d65f who was staring ba721c5082 at him.e6d0cdcfa24f8c8b

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“It’s clean now.”436557dfb69dde2c

“Yeah, I saw.”436a73ebbbd9b8fe

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A reply mixed with a dry laugh came back. The inside of the car was incredibly luxurious. It didn’t have the headache-inducing smell of Koo Bbing or Manager Yang’s cars. The sound of the wheels rolling was quiet, and the seat was warm. It was a world away from the hallway of the inn where he had endured with just one heater. The car carrying the two men sped along the narrow, snow-covered road.99f58e46d160a795

“Where are we going?”b6e57f58f9ae1ce7

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“Would you know if I told you?”2de722afbfb8aa79

So, he was just supposed to follow orders and come back? Hongju’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.8247b446b78c3a3f

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“I might.”f46990d71d09b7ec

At that, Mookyeong let out a scoff. Hongju was about to retort but closed his mouth. Silence quickly filled the car. At first, the silence was comfortable, but as the air grew heavier, Hongju felt a strange tension. When they were at the gambling house, Mookyeong had bothered him by engaging in idle chatter. Why wasn’t he saying anything now? He sat up straight, gripping the seatbelt tightly. 50547ea7ef0f6f8f

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The seat, 4b27ceb6d1 which had d2e2e5372f been comfortable 15a6d6c918 and warm 04f5ca56e0 earlier, was 49db0695d1 now incredibly d5abea449f uncomfortable. He rolled his eyes 207334731e and quickly scanned his cbfc02d370 surroundings. The car was heading f7383d8c99 towards a more and c710acc3ff more remote and secluded 33079cb99c area. The car a06ee06534 entered a e4ade0137b snow-covered field 1618a3402e where not 43837eaa0b a single 0dfbc10478 footprint was 33120a33cf visible, and 9006e65e5c Hongju sensed e215a96904 that something db66dce0b0 was going 5789629e95 wrong.3ee1121ad5f275fc

“…We’re not going to collect money right now, are we?”818ee3f54ca1c4a6

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“Why? You think I’m going to bury you or something?”d085ab4a751f2932

It was his usual light tone, but there wasn’t a trace of laughter. Hongju swallowed hard, trying not to show it. His chapped lips felt parched. Because his left ear was deaf, it was hard for him to catch the sound of Mookyeong’s small movements.04fc4f174615ba74

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“I’m not a gangster. I told you, I don’t do such vulgar things.”d0d3ab654f0e94e7

Despite saying that, Mookyeong pressed hard on the accelerator. The car carrying the two men sped across the snowfield at breakneck speed. Before Hongju could even process his shock, his body leaned back against the seat. A frozen lake gradually came closer. The tendons on the back of Hongju’s hand, tightly gripping the seatbelt, stood out.982e5c8112a4d422

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“…..”dfdac3db12040690

He knew it, f88fd092e4 this bastard seemed 0d40d41a24 like a swindler. Did he have a c1cd587349 grudge against the gambling fc221039d8 house? Then why did he 1e8a1d281c bring him instead of ec8b5749e6 Koo Bbing or Manager 01b8993184 Yang? He had such ddd35d1190 questions, but funnily 6cf7bd9806 enough, as he d4a2eaf0b8 saw the dark d7b5602234 lake getting closer, 5c63e4032c he felt a 0182b626a0 strange sense of 118b295ecd liberation. Just then,screech! The car 14ac860da7 came to 8990a58e89 a rough 066b1a32e6 stop. His slender body, 3d38a9a406 strapped in by c7f4d5a2f5 the seatbelt, shook. a40afae52a30c3a1

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Hongju leaned 6254cc9d9b forward, panting 4e0e6a263d slightly. When the engine 53e2c8042e stopped, everything became b1ece0940b quiet. Only the sound 47ebe86b23 of his rapidly bbbfcca678 beating heart and c99058bfc4 the sound of 6e48bc2c99 him swallowing dryly ac763a8c17 echoed loudly in 50a99f389c the car.30a2697361135f0d

“How long have you worked there?”8253d4efa66e1a4b

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“…..”066c16d106a256e1

Hongju remained silent. Mookyeong clicked his tongue and reached out roughly. He grabbed Hongju’s hair and forcibly pulled his head up. Hongju’s vision was still filled with the dark lake. It was so close that it seemed like one more roll of the wheels would send them in.370ff2916c4cfc8a

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“Koo Hongju.”14980b3acdf81391

“…..”a3af02e2922df3b0

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“I know everything, I’m just asking to confirm. Don’t try to be smart. It doesn’t look like there’s any more room on your face to get hit. Let’s not make things difficult for each other, okay?”3be542b644a6c0d7

The grip on his hair was so strong that he felt a tearing pain in his scalp. Hongju’s chapped lips moved. Despite his racing heartbeat, his voice was incredibly calm.61a28c3ac0e9268d

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“What are you?”43b3ed38acd311c3

“What am I? The money-filled sucker. Just answer the question.”51a985749185513b

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Mookyeong shook his hair again roughly. Hongju’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear. Once again, Koo Hongju had become collateral.d0adb15093ed7341

“15… years.”296abce0a0e65acd

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“The remaining debt?”9579faacd9a6bb34

It was just like when he first met Mookyeong. The violent way he forced open his mouth and poured in alcohol. He had forgotten about that in the past few days while they sat side by side and engaged in idle chatter. This was Boss Mookyeong’s true self. His head was still uncomfortably tilted back, so he just looked down. His gaze lingered on the lake with floating pieces of ice.d2c720a653ba6e90

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“About 1.4 billion.”4daa2fd29be715d9

After uttering the e63f14168e amount he had 6e53559a0e never even touched, b2731b5229 his mouth felt e4d5dc50dc bitter. The hand that 0c9ca11c1d had been tightly 5458751a49 gripping his hair 190b92c691 finally let go. Hongju straightened his stiff 00d208d6da neck, which had been 00c20e9470 bent back, and looked cb2368d0da at Mookyeong. He was efe78e6813 leaning back, 1ce8164ba7 holding the f381ef6602 steering wheel. He was 7e7685414d almost lying 58c009a708 down, but 208305fab1 his gaze 69313faeca was fixed fc1ace9967 on Hongju.cf8cbf0987b30e72

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