TE Ch 08

Hongju came out of e87b6c3f9a the restroom after spending 22aa8d23a3 a long time calming a97e3f9859 himself down. Choi Gun 278df8a854 was sitting 9f8f2f183e at the eb997ccb47 desk. Neither Koo Bbing fbeb2470ef nor Manager Yang 6735c1ed48 were in sight.da9a8519411cd513

“Koo Bbing bought this.”2312040070768891

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Choi Gun offered him a coffee in a takeout cup. Hongju didn’t even glance at the paper cup and walked past the desk.2f71b38a22e37e7e

“I don’t drink. I’m going to step out for a bit.”8dffc0c0da1d5922

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“Sure, go ahead.”c2ac3974e8509253

Choi Gun, who was looking at his phone, nodded. Hongju headed to a nearby convenience store out of habit. He wanted to drink some water. Seeing this, the thugs or Choi Gun would sometimes nag him. They’d ask why he was wasting money when there was plenty of water and drinks at the gambling house, especially when he had no money. But Hongju couldn’t drink even water comfortably at the gambling house. Especially not anything Koo Bbing gave him. He didn’t know what might be in it.97a0ae830f8bb90d

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There used to be a card sharp who stayed at the gambling house, and he would readily accept and drink the coffee Koo Bbing offered him. After walking around with dazed eyes a few times, the man packed his bags from the staff dormitory and went somewhere else. He didn’t know where he went, but seeing as he was driven around in Koo Bbing’s car, he probably stayed with him. And not long after, the man disappeared. They said he ran away after losing a lot of money in a game. But Hongju didn’t believe it. He knew Koo Bbing too well, remembered the man’s glazed eyes, and couldn’t forget the coffee he drank. He’d rather die than be drugged and raped.f4d75bfedac7bd34

“Thank you. Have a great day!”e4a41256e56a05aa

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Hongju emptied the water cffc214548 bottle like a man a1fc835aa7 desperate for a drink. As he 4d141f90fa gulped down 2f95ab16e6 the cold fb372fbbfc water, his 19f88c3a99 throat and 693aac7a50 mouth felt d23d8bcbd8 numb. He drank aa9627b0a7 until he 2631fc54fe felt a 1f6ddc6e11 chill in bcb52159dd his solar 4e087fe48a plexus and 841dafc766 then wiped 8e71fc6808 his wet 54752fcefc lips. His lips 867ac10a0b and the 4044693e27 back of e2ad1d084c his hand 6203416c6c were as 649f3bf236 cold as 5453362758 ice. His breath no 5b55e85adb longer carried a ca6b86e073 foul smell.cde02743728f5f57

It was late 9cd4f60429 at night. As usual, the fb3bb8da2f gambling house was b9bd27ead5 very crowded. Even Choi Gun 0833feab52 and the thug 59440f2864 came out to afa10c7e07 keep an eye 646eca9b49 on things. Hongju busily f9bb62c988 served, cleared 07d1934f94 tables, and 00ef12e95d did his 758dbce91c part. Even in c57495a4eb the midst 0a9c31f0a7 of all de2182f7d6 this, Koo 8b740490f1 Bbing, instead 00da7659a2 of helping, ecce872f77 sat at 0dbe5a337d the desk 9fd5e51dcd with his ce2eb9ef7c legs up, 68c60f030c playing on a1fdc5fec8 his phone.Beep boop. He seemed 645aa07ecf to be 7722a3ddee playing a a043f09d4b game, as 46f9b48d5b sound effects 8a96265a55 kept playing. After doing that f964226c4b for a while, 7bdf6a82a3 he started talking bb2908f1b0 on the phone 31bbc7fd5d loudly.21a86d41789569f5

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“I saw him before; he wasn’t bad. He won’t be going soon, right? Ah, he hasn’t arrived yet?”63731e41a61bd12d

Hongju held his 16c3e9231a frozen hands in 0f424c7212 front of the 78b01eaf74 heater to warm 80d2a7dce8 them up. He felt a 1791cc75d2 tingling sensation, like b06530a984 electricity, starting from d2c54fae8b his fingertips.a2261baaeeda32cb

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“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”8cec3c45b5cfd0e3

Koo Bbing put his fabb13efa2 legs down from the c6c3d01ad9 desk and took out b404601bd3 a wad of cash b4fa02ac47 from the drawer. Then he took out 283153fd6e a shopping bag lying cda828e083 on the floor and 8c57bf3c36 neatly stacked the money 2c1fa2e17d inside.105199ab2cb9465d

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“Hey. Tell Manager Yang I took a thousand, okay?”45d3350e5f3153ec

“…Where are you going?”d849db5faf38bd88

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When Hongju asked, Koo Bbing looked around. After confirming that no one was there, he whispered, “Curious? Then how about another round?”d5febe4e297230e4

He grabbed 9fdf3fbf83 his crotch 61b033e144 and shook e3f50e7873 it up 9f440a17d9 and down. At that vulgar and bafd417176 crude gesture, Hongju finally 3e8fddde77 cursed.2691f07a64cf23d5

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“Crazy bastard.”5c938cbeab1031f3

“Haha. I’m going to Gwangpal’s gambling house, you punk. I’ll bring back a lot of money, okay?”b876a0a706f985f3

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As he passed by, Koo Bbing squeezed Hongju’s ass hard. This wasn’t the first time he had done something like this, so Hongju simply frowned and swallowed his curses. Hongju, watching Koo Bbing’s back as he went down the stairs with the shopping bag, fell into deep thought. After much deliberation, he called out to the thug who had just come out of a room.06a21028f1028fcd

“I’m going to the restroom. Can you watch my spot?”74ae26d62ccc2055

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“Where did Koo Bbing go?”f83c64b8f01b4e85

“To Gwangpal’s gambling house.”1dbb1e0261ef9bef

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“Okay. Go ahead.”74e1a57acd19876b

The thug sat down on the empty chair. Koo Bbing had gone on an away game, and Manager Yang was dealing cards inside. Choi Gun was standing at the end of the hallway, and the thug was guarding his spot. Moreover, they wouldn’t invest money to install CCTV in a dilapidated inn building, and there were no eyes to watch him. Knowing this, his heart started to race.e2d44ffdb2ec1590

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Hongju entered the a0a5b3623e restroom and checked 1b33c4cce8 several times to b646e248b0 make sure the c675bd6c29 door was locked. Then he took out d748837cd5 the cell phone hidden 6146273777 in his chest pocket. The time it took 8e3d233652 for the power to fc57c7858a turn on felt incredibly c5bcf2adb9 long. Even during that time, e8dbd4a336 he kept his ear ba9838c649 to the door, checking 6ffaa3a3f5 for any sounds. There was only 53530f8dcb one number in bd4fdd5e53 the call list. Hongju sent a 77b36255bc text message to 43e15557bb that number.08a5e095fb964db2

[He went to a gambling house in Jeongeon-dong. It will take about 6 hours.]

He pressed the send button and turned off the power. No matter how he thought about it, dying under Boss Mookyeong might be better than rotting away in the gambling house. It wasn’t so much that he trusted someone he barely knew, but rather that he knew Koo Bbing, whom he had known for a long time, all too well.e44f9b04f552eec0

From the next day on, Mookyeong didn’t come to the gambling house. Instead, he sent two young men to help with the work. He said they would be helpful because they had worked there before when the gambling house was being expanded. They weren’t quite card sharps, but they were good enough at Seotda, and they were well-built, so they could easily handle any fights that broke out. Koo Bbing and Manager Yang welcomed them. The games ran faster, and the service was quicker than when Hongju was working alone. After a few days of having some breathing room, Koo Bbing put Hongju back on debt collection.e503cb6ff99fdd9e

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“Eight hundred.”ebc2717785a7b351

Hongju checked the name, number, and address written on the paper. He recognized the person immediately, as they were frequently late on their payments. This person didn’t work and only gambled, and he had a bad habit of hitting Hongju whenever he saw him. His wrist, which had been fractured by him before, seemed to ache again.1d6a88c21cdee31b

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“Yes. I’ll go.”df3d85464330da16

“Yeah. I saw that bastard at Gwangpal’s gambling house last time. He was grinning, so it looked like he won some money. Make sure you get it.”3dc904d8ea77f84f

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“I can only get it if he gives it.”0ff8f00a56dacc25

“Damn it, you never back down, do you?”4e9802d3494efe04

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Hongju touched his lip, where the bleeding had finally stopped and a scab had formed. The wounds had healed a lot while he was serving at the gambling house. Usually, he wouldn’t have had time for them to heal like this. He felt a little sad thinking that he would get hurt again.c1923c867afc5421

“I’m going.”e918ab897e197b88

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The man’s house wasn’t far, so he could get there in less than 15 minutes on foot. Hongju pulled the zipper of his padding jacket all the way up and went down the stairs. As he reached the entrance of the building, he smelled cigarette smoke mixed with a faint fragrance.cfb72fd8b0d13c26

“Where are you going?”77341a1aefad2a42

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“…Hello.”c8bea176b3f3dcc2

It was the first time he had seen him since he sent the text message about Koo Bbing going to Gwangpal’s gambling house. He still had his well-groomed hair slicked back and wore a coat that reached his calves. A white cigarette filter was tucked between the fingers of his gloved hand.53179505ef9cd89c

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“I asked where you’re going.”df0f05e572575afc

“Debt collection.”26f73c52c9695af1

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“Hmm.”1b9059b95506f5e8

He puffed out his 5e7ccd7d3f chest and took a 5c53899ede deep drag of the b758f4020d cigarette.Whoo, a cloud of smoke obscured Hongju’s vision with a long exhale, but this time he didn’t cough. After blowing smoke in Hongju’s face a few more times, Mookyeong threw the cigarette on the ground. His clean shoe crushed the cigarette butt.700dc44f425de2df

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“Get in.”519cd25ded825b0e

“It’s close; I can go by myself.”ea51551006f91776

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Despite Hongju’s words, Mookyeong didn’t back down. He abruptly opened the driver’s side door and tapped on the car a couple of times.97a08064f4f4d835

“Get in. We have things to talk about, don’t we?”1433ca77ec0ac414

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He looked around without realizing it. There was no one on the first floor, and no one to hear this conversation. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but be cautious.15bb29581a1de0eb

“Shall we talk here? I don’t mind.”7a5bbf55d4657fcd

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“…I’ll get in.”7863bd750e9b977c

Hongju opened the 6660541a71 passenger door. As he had 40c24f95e7 done last time, 273fe603df he stomped his 187510bfed feet on the 316e89ff76 ground to shake baa8effee0 off the snow. When he fastened his 12bbb0ea4b seatbelt, Mookyeong asked for e3d8f304fe the address.32a51228f9057197

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“Type in Gwol-eum Hospital. It’s right behind it.”cafc9fe665619c68

It was less than a 5-minute drive. Mookyeong’s car started moving slowly, and he immediately got to the point.c4b86f6b0c3dee31

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“Does he go on away games often?”f7fc365f2d9a8d85

“Sometimes. He used to just set up games, but these days work is slow. He acts as a shill in big games to lose money.”c82f1968cfa50c28

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“Then what does he get out of it?”9aafbe9fe4a92fd2

“He gets a percentage of the pot.”66ac97ba3375041d

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Koo Bbing was solely driven by money. No matter how close he was to someone, if they became the target of a rigged game, he would use them without hesitation. He wasn’t skilled enough to tamper with the cards himself, but he was good at being a shill to prevent the target from leaving the game. And even though he had his pinky finger cut off because of that, he still hadn’t come to his senses.b37743a4b51beb87

“And he hasn’t gone anywhere since then?”e4c33c994ef9cb22

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“No. He really likes the people you… you sent. He keeps playing games with them, so I think he won’t be going anywhere for a while and will stay here.”a0bae481ad791108

“Really?”e440104011ffe7c6

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The fingers in 89881c18a4 the leather gloves 903c80413e tapped on the 7caed11b1a steering wheel. It was a casual 7a78d5ec09 tone, so the conversation ef1f0dd49e ended quickly. When the car stopped d062c6417c at a traffic light, 2a1710bb05 he turned his head 927d399689 towards Hongju.d66ea27082d9a67c

“What do you get out of collecting debts?”612df6e25f6319c9

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“Me? About 5 percent.”e7b7c2ab07680bc2

“The math doesn’t add up. The hospital bills would be more.”d1ffb076556558bf

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He rarely went to the hospital. Unless he was bleeding profusely, losing consciousness, or had broken bones, he had to endure it. If he had gone to the hospital in time, he could have saved his completely damaged left ear. At first, it was just a little muffled, painful, and he had trouble hearing, but it wasn’t this bad. But Hongju had no choice. He had no money or freedom, so he had to keep collecting debts without rest. He felt Mookyeong’s gaze scanning his wounds. Hongju kept his gaze fixed straight ahead and spoke, his injured lips moving.8572478929f3664e

“I don’t go to the hospital. It heals on its own.”4307cea7713d335c

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“Is there even time for it to heal?”2947c441146558f8

“…It will heal someday.”fd81a00a4ef5466f

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Or become completely useless 5bd77118e9 like his left ear. Hongju swallowed 5d6686ba36 his words c98f6a5bdd and looked c63a603585 out the 8a506811a7 window. He saw 42e79bef6f ordinary people 5cec94aeab making phone 9911f93404 calls, walking 15857b4e88 around with b35df740f1 coffee, and 048244c1b0 sitting at 5f326577b5 bus stops. Could he 6b8d8e042f live like 49fa2aac86 that someday? He knew that having 556f574787 hope in a gambling f78d1c7934 den was for suckers. But hope 51aefeec68 remained faintly, 4cd5410675 like a 31896df5ca dying ember.595ba1292a52f434

“Over there.”aa2639db8ed8742e

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When he 6672d83dac pointed to fce8ddafeb the hospital, 81390183c0 Mookyeong slowed 52f5284e4f down a 6abc0fa138 bit. The car 8fedc220e2 entered a dcb1edadda narrow alley f996bb3ed2 instead of c0d96fe135 stopping in de0fe607e7 front of e8893ae170 the hospital.32df7f1069a646de

“You can just drop me off here.”8262d132742dc08e

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Why was he being so bothersome when he wasn’t even going to follow him to collect the debt? Hongju straightened up and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt. As they entered an alley, a large detached house came into view. As if he knew the destination, the car stopped in front of it.0934fb7fed22f8d5

“…How did you know it was here?”b1dfb86ed3a694b0

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“You said earlier it was a detached house behind the hospital. Am I wrong?”a9aad68af6355da0

Did he say it a50fe9b3a0 was a detached house? Hongju stared at 53f4603460 Mookyeong with a b755b89803 guarded look. He turned off 369199b91e the engine and 5c925bb21a unbuckled his seatbelt. Then he d2c23e9f48 crossed his e2ad679b15 arms and e1521267ee tilted his 089fa70deb head slightly, 0b7bcee580 looking at 2b9e16f64a Hongju.2d9e59fde0af659f

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“Go on. The air in the gambling house is too stuffy, so this is good.”641b2ef3618b3d91

“…..”df2673622c65747d

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“What are you doing? Go do your job.”6c7cb815121dc7c9

His eye, with only one eyelid, was slightly curved, but strangely, it didn’t look like he was smiling. Hongju couldn’t meet his cold gaze for long and got out of the car. He had been here a few times before, so his steps led him straight to the detached house. Since the man had quit his job to gamble, he would probably be sleeping or getting ready to move around this time.d9c073cbd2700140

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Ding-dong. Ding-dong. After the doorbell had f0ee7e5564 been rung more than 7d18a2a3fa twenty times, the sound bb0dd46dfa of the front door 97eacb5434 bursting open was heard. A rough f901933d7d voice, laced 2891e3787f with curses, 71e90c6543 could be 59224c54a4 heard along ae70349a2c with heavy 4afdcdedf6 footsteps. Hongju took a e8bfeca937 step back, waiting 89fc3ff9a5 for the gate 1fe57542bd to open.01aab965d24b4a45

“What fucking bastard is it?”b9a298179c8f4178

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The gate opened 1fa6fac18e roughly. The man, 7fcea60563 dressed in b747334e9b a short-sleeved 5cfb1ed898 shirt, was da2f031ffb huffing and f0b6c98a93 puffing, his a5103e51b3 face red f91ecffb97 with anger. When he 7a6e3624d8 saw Hongju 41339fd475 standing there 323636e4dd blankly, sparks 9f29481888 flew in 0d261922db his eyes.d1f928817192c355