TE Ch 09

“You’re back, you motherfucker. I said I’d pay, didn’t I? Fuck, you’re bad luck.”

“You won money at Gwangpal’s gambling house. I know. Pay up.”

“…What?”

The man, looking flustered, stepped over the gate. He was quite large. Not as big as Mookyeong, who was waiting in the car, but he was tall for his age and had a thick build. His gruff voice continued to spew out profanities. He also kept roughly shoving Hongju’s shoulder.

“You bastard, did you do a background check on me? Fuck, you still haven’t learned your lesson even after getting beaten up!”

A hand the size of a pot lid struck Hongju’s cheek. He felt a tingling sensation first, and then it felt like he had been burned. Then, something warm flowed between his lips. Before he could even check if his lip was split or if the inside of his mouth was torn, he was hit several more times with a strong fist.

“Ugh.”

Hongju stumbled backward. Then the man stepped forward and grabbed Hongju’s hair. He forcibly held his head up and slapped him three or four times in a row. Slap, slap. With each cracking sound, Hongju’s cheek turned a darker shade of blue.

“Ptooey. You’re so unlucky. I said I’d pay, why are you following me around like a beggar?”

The man spat on the ground near Hongju’s feet and turned around. Hongju wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand and took a step. He grabbed the man’s hair as he was about to go through the gate and pushed him against the wall. Because he was so large, Hongju stumbled more, but he still managed to stop the man.

“Ah, fuck!”

The man rubbed his arm where he had been hit and glared fiercely.

“Who’s the beggar? Pay your debt.”

His blood-soaked lips curled up. His teeth were also stained red, making him look ghastly, but the man was fixated on the word ‘beggar’ and cursed as if he was having a seizure.

“You, fuck…!”

The large palm landed on Hongju’s face several more times. His eyelid, which had finally started to go down, began to swell again.

“You crazy, psycho bastard, why do you keep coming here?”

This man had done the same thing last time. Every time he rang the doorbell, he would rush out furiously, and after being harassed for a few days, he would throw the money at him as if he was sick of it. Why was he hitting him when he was going to pay anyway? Was it just to vent his anger? It seemed likely. Hongju let out a chuckle.

“I, I won’t come if you p-pay.”

“Shut up, you fucker!”

This time, a solid fist struck Hongju’s jaw. He felt extreme pain, as if his bones were twisting, and Hongju finally fell to the ground. Luckily, there was a lot of snow, so it wasn’t bare ground.

“Kegh, ugh.”

When he coughed, saliva mixed with blood splattered. Ptooey, Hongju spat out the sticky blood and looked up at the man, gasping for breath. He was stomping his feet as he entered the gate. The palm of his hand, which had been resting on the snow, felt cold. Bang! The sound of the man slamming the front door shut was loud. He had to ring the bell again to call the man out. But he couldn’t get up right away. Every time he breathed, he felt a lot of pain in his side and under his jaw.

“Haa, ha.”

Hongju opened his mouth and regulated his breathing. Just as the taste of blood started to make him feel sick, he heard the sound of someone stepping on the snow, and then a handkerchief fell on his lap. The expensive-looking piece of cloth was familiar to Hongju.

“Are you putting on a show because I’m here, or do you always collect money so crudely?”

He sounded amused, as if he found the situation funny. Hongju clutched the handkerchief tightly and struggled to get up.

“You have to be just as crude with crude people.”

Mookyeong stood a step away with his arms crossed. Hongju held out the handkerchief to him.

“It’s okay. He’ll probably hit me again anyway.”

It meant that it was useless to wipe the blood. If this happened three or four more times, he would probably pay the money, though not all of it.

“Is this the method Madam Koo taught you? It’s just like him.”

Why was he suddenly talking about Koo Bbing? Hongju, who was about to take a step to ring the bell, looked at Mookyeong. He was looking down at the ground. On the snow, which had turned black in places from people walking on it, blood dripped and soaked in.

“…What?”

“It’s too crude.”

He muttered to himself. Since he didn’t say anything else, Hongju was about to turn around. But Mookyeong grabbed his shoulder first. He forcibly turned Hongju around and wiped the area under his nose and his lips with the handkerchief. The rough touch grazed his wounds, making him wince, but Mookyeong didn’t care. After roughly wiping off the flowing blood, he tucked the handkerchief into the gap in Hongju’s padding, which was zipped up to his chin. He could smell a pleasant scent when the handkerchief brushed under his nose.

“I was curious about your undamaged face.”

Mookyeong muttered and scratched his eyebrow. The fingers in the leather gloves moved sluggishly, as if he was contemplating something. Hongju pressed his throbbing cheekbone with the back of his hand and looked down. The handkerchief, awkwardly tucked under his chin, fluttered in the wind.

“Wait in the car for a bit.”

“Why?”

“At this rate, when will you get the money? You won’t be able to pay it off until you’re old and dead.”

Mookyeong waved his hand dismissively. Hongju hesitated, unable to easily back down. Then, Mookyeong pushed him, patting his shoulder. What was he going to do? If something went wrong here, he would be the one to take the blame. Despite his distrustful expression, Mookyeong was insistent.

“Don’t get in the way; just get in the car.”

Finally, Hongju took a hesitant step. It was only a few steps to the passenger seat, but he looked back several times. Each time, Mookyeong stood still with his arms crossed, looking at him.

“…..”

Whatever, he brought this on himself. Hongju, who had been hesitating, got into the passenger seat. Unlike outside, the inside of the car was quite warm. He pulled out the handkerchief tucked around his neck. The handkerchief, with its elaborate pattern, was covered in blood. He felt blood dripping from his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to use the handkerchief.

“It looks expensive.”

He was worried that Mookyeong might ask him to buy a new one since it was ruined. He looked around the car, but he couldn’t find anything suitable to wipe the blood with. So, Hongju roughly wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his padding jacket and looked up. Mookyeong stood in front of the man’s house gate. He was so tall that his head stuck out above the iron gate. He pressed the doorbell a few more times with his gloved fingertips, and soon the gate burst open. Unlike before, this time the man rushed out with a broken wooden club. He seemed surprised to see Mookyeong and backed away. When Mookyeong said something, the man’s face instantly contorted.

“You bastards!”

His shouts could be heard all the way in the passenger seat. Hongju felt uneasy for no reason. If Koo Bbing found out that his money source had gotten beaten up while trying to collect a debt for him, he wouldn’t stay still. Boss Mookyeong might even charge him for the hospital bills. Maybe… he should have just taken the beating himself. Hongju shifted in his seat, gripping the passenger seat handle as if he was about to jump out any second.

Just then, the man swung the club widely, and Mookyeong easily dodged it. It was too light a movement. It wasn’t just the man who was surprised. Hongju also stopped pulling the handle and stared at Mookyeong. He dodged the club and fists a few more times, then, seeing an opening, pushed the man against the wall. He didn’t back down, pressing his arm against the struggling man’s neck. Only when the man’s face turned red and his veins stood out did he step back. Mookyeong kicked the man, who had fallen to the ground, in the head. The man fell back, spitting blood. After that, the violence continued relentlessly. A couple of passersby glanced at them in surprise.

“He said he wasn’t a gangster.”

How could someone who wasn’t a gangster be so naturally skilled in fighting? He remembered the way Mookyeong had looked at his battered face with curious eyes. He had seemed so far removed from violence… Hongju clenched the handkerchief tightly. Mookyeong grabbed the man by the collar, lifted him up, and put his arm around his shoulders. Maybe it was because he had been hit a few times and had come to his senses, but the man’s shoulders were slumped. The two of them walked side by side through the gate and into the house. It had been a long time, but Mookyeong still hadn’t come out.

“…Why isn’t he coming out?”

If he hadn’t seen him swinging his fists earlier, he would have worried that he was getting beaten up inside. Should he go in? He was worrying, holding his throbbing cheek, when Mookyeong came out of the gate with a light step. Not a single hair was out of place. However, he wasn’t wearing his gloves anymore. With each step he took towards the car, his coat fluttered.

“The bastard was stalling even though he was going to pay.”

As soon as he got in the car, he took out a wad of cash from his coat pocket. Then he tossed the bundle onto Hongju’s lap. The stack of fifty-thousand-won bills felt heavy.

“Check if the amount is correct. That bastard, ah…”

He chuckled, stopping mid-sentence.

“I looked like a real gangster just now, didn’t I?”

It wasn’t your words that were the problem, Boss Mookyeong; it was your actions. He probably didn’t realize it himself.

“…Are you really not a gangster?”

“Yeah. I’m not.”

He just gestured for him to hurry up and count the money. Hongju carefully put down the handkerchief. He took the wad of cash with his chapped hands and counted it.

“It’s correct, eight hundred.”

“Do we need to go anywhere else?”

Only then did Mookyeong fasten his seatbelt and start the engine. Hongju’s gaze landed on the reddened knuckles of his hand.

“No. Not today.”

“Then we’re going to the gambling house?”

“Yes.”

Hongju nodded and fastened his seatbelt, following Mookyeong’s lead.

“See. There’s no one who helps you as well as I do, right? If you keep sending me messages, I’ll help you like this.”

Because he remembered the way he had beaten up the man, even his playful smile didn’t feel the same as before. His words also started to sound more like a threat than just casual talk. It wasn’t just Hongju’s imagination.

“So, if you betray me and do something else…”

“…..”

“You’ll end up like that bastard. Got it?”

Mookyeong whispered and lightly tapped Hongju’s swollen cheek a couple of times. Every time his warm palm touched his skin, it stung. Hongju’s eyelashes fluttered. He realized that collecting the debt for him wasn’t to help him, but to intimidate him. He couldn’t return the handkerchief he had been holding and just fidgeted with it until they arrived.

When he entered the gambling house with Boss Mookyeong, Manager Yang was the first person he saw. Manager Yang’s expression, as he checked the collected money, was not good today. Had something happened in the meantime? If only there were more places to collect debts from, he could have been out and about. Hongju sat down in an empty chair with a displeased look on his face.

“Are the guys working well?”

“They’re doing great.”

They talked a few more words about the two employees Mookyeong had sent. Manager Yang seemed to be in a bad mood throughout the conversation. But Mookyeong didn’t seem to care. He casually dusted off a corner of the desk, sat on it, and crossed his legs. He was wondering if it was because he didn’t have his handkerchief to sit on, when at that moment, an agitated Koo Bbing entered the hallway.