TE Ch 12

Every time he ran his tongue over the inside of his torn mouth, he tasted the coppery tang of blood. Mookyeong just let out a low laugh instead of answering. Perhaps interpreting his silence as hesitation, Koo Bbing started to speak more earnestly.

“Hongju’s remaining debt is a little over 2 billion, you know? Since it’s Boss Mookyeong, I can let him go for 2 billion, no extra charge.”

A sudden, chilling silence descended. It was the kind of silence where the shouting and laughter coming from the inner rooms felt particularly loud.

“…..”

Boss Mookyeong knew exactly how much debt remained. Hongju had even told him it was around 1.4 billion. At Koo Bbing’s blatant lie, Hongju felt himself tense up without realizing it. What would Mookyeong say? His frozen right ear felt cold.

“He’s surprisingly expensive.”

“His old man ran off with the debt 14 years ago. Ah, it’s been 15 years since the new year, hasn’t it? We clothed and bathed and raised that snot-nosed kid. Even without calculating that, that’s how much is left.”

“Hmm.”

Mookyeong took a long breath. Hongju could hear the creaking of a chair, so he must have leaned back.

“Why are you suddenly pushing the calculation so hard? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“Because you seem interested. I… Ugh, I didn’t want to say this, but.”

As his voice got quieter, Hongju’s breath hitched. Was it because he instinctively knew what Koo Bbing was going to say? Hongju squeezed his eyes shut and focused all his attention on the sounds coming from inside.

“He gives amazing head. The strength is different, you know? Even with just his mouth, he can make you cum two or three times. He’s a natural-born cocksucker.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Sometimes, when I’m horny?”

Koo Bbing’s ‘sometimes when I’m horny’ moments happened three or four times a week. For Hongju, those were hellish times, each 5 or 10 minutes filled with disgust and pain. He couldn’t tell anyone, couldn’t ask for help, so he endured it alone, silently. He consoled himself by saying it was a way to reduce his debt.

“Ah. So that’s why you were groping and touching him like a perverted old man?”

Hearing his own shame being talked about like this made him want to bite his tongue off.

“It’s like giving a little tip in advance, you know, since you never know what might happen. As you know, he’s a bit stiff?”

A gruff laugh followed. What, what was so funny? He only had one good ear, so why did he hear it so clearly?

“He is a bit stiff.”

“That’s ’cause he’s a virgin. Ah, his mouth might be worn out, but his ass is brand new, you know? I thought about trying it a few times, but I practically raised him since he was a kid. I just couldn’t get into it, you know?”

Koo Bbing started to hit on him around the time the young man who was a card sharp disappeared. He probably used to satisfy his sexual desires through that man. Koo Bbing, whose lower half had grown restless, noticed the easy target, Koo Hongju. Since he could use the debt to control him, it didn’t take long for him to unzip his pants. 

The playful groping of his ass and thighs became more and more daring, and he even subtly suggested that he could reduce his debt by half if he lived at his place. Hongju’s eyes, which had been staring at the floor, started to turn red.

“With the way you beat him up, who would have an appetite?”

Koo Bbing didn’t miss the opening Mookyeong gave him and threw out even cruder bait.

“I was planning to feel him out a bit before taking him down. What can I do if he keeps doing things that make me want to hit him?”

The shameless remarks continued. His disgusting laughter made Hongju’s empty stomach churn as if he were hungover. Koo Bbing excitedly started to add more.

“Boss Mookyeong might not know, but opening up a guy is so delicious. You might think it’s disgusting, but close your eyes and just ram it in once, and even something that’s not there will stand at attention, you know?”

Why was he whispering like it was some secret and important information? A dry laugh escaped Hongju’s red lips.

“Is Madam Koo a homo? Homos usually go for looks.”

“Tsk! What homo? I just do it sometimes when I’m bored. Oh, just thinking about it makes it throb.”

Hongju’s feet moved a few times in place.

“Ah.”

“Then I guess I shouldn’t take him down until Boss Mookyeong has had a taste.”

Mookyeong just chuckled and didn’t say no. He probably knew that was the attitude that would entice Koo Bbing. Hearing the disgusting conversation was making him feel even sicker. To prevent the conversation from continuing, he deliberately made noise as he walked up the stairs.

“Sucking is definitely… Oh, you’re here? That was fast.”

Koo Bbing looked quite flustered. Hongju took a deep breath, glaring fiercely at Koo Bbing. I want to kill him, the bastard. All kinds of dangerous thoughts ran through Hongju’s mind as he let out a low sigh. He threw the wad of cash he had put in his padding pocket onto the desk. His hand was very rough.

“Did he pay right away?”

“…..”

“Must be a newbie. He probably doesn’t know how good it feels to hit our Hongju yet.”

Koo Bbing crossed out the name written in the ledger and wrote ‘Hong’ next to it. It was a mark indicating that Hongju had collected the debt. Then he pocketed the collected cash. Not putting it in the safe meant he was going to skim some off the top.

“Well then, I’m going to head out for a bit, okay?”

Koo Bbing got up as if he were running away. Then he patted Mookyeong’s shoulder as he passed by. Mookyeong looked down at his right shoulder where he had been touched and then spoke.

“I’ll think about Madam Koo’s deal.”

“Deal? Oh, yeah! I’ll give you a good price, so think about it. Okay?”

He made a circle with his left hand and stuck his right index finger in and out of it. His half-closed eyes scanned Hongju. The disgusting gesture made him feel nauseous. Koo Bbing hummed as he went down the stairs. Only when the sound faded did Mookyeong speak.

“Look at your eyes.”

“I was just thinking I wish he would drop dead right now. Can you tell?”

“Haha.”

Mookyeong threw back his head and laughed. His Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.

“If he dies now, you’ll have to pay me back. I’m not even going to make you collect debts, so how are you going to pay me back?”

“…..”

“With your virginity, Koo Hongju?”

Did he realize he had been eavesdropping? Hongju felt embarrassed and pathetic. He had been caught sucking a guy’s cock. And now he knew the reason why he was radiating murderous intent at Koo Bbing. His chest felt tight. Hongju took a short breath.

“I don’t care who you suck off. You just need to do what you’re told.”

Mookyeong shrugged lightly. Hongju chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to suppress his rising emotions.

He had been mistaken for a moment. He had said he would help him, but Mookyeong was no different from Koo Bbing. The violence he had used to collect the debt for him was probably to instill fear in him. He might even be serious about considering Koo Bbing’s deal. Card sharps and rich guys were the same – a breed not to be trusted.

“I understand.”

Instead of sitting in the empty chair, Hongju grabbed a trash bag. He had become uncomfortable with the idea of sitting with him. Click, clack. Mookyeong kept opening and closing the lid of his Zippo lighter. A bright red flame flickered and then disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Hongju spent the entire dawn busily going back and forth in the temporary gambling house. He did tasks he wasn’t asked to do and ran errands for the gamblers. Unlike usual, he even took over the cards for someone who had left their seat. Hongju, who had been filling in, left the room only after the owner of the seat returned.

He looked around the still-noisy hallway. Manager Yang was sitting in the chair where Koo Bbing usually sat.

“Are you quitting? Hey, a tapeworm needs to eat pine needles to fill its stomach.”

Koo Bbing, who had gone out earlier, had brought back news of a big game. He had been making calls here and there, saying he needed to find a card sharp to play in the game, but now he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t have gone to find a player himself. Just as he was about to ask Manager Yang about Koo Bbing’s whereabouts, he took a slow step.

Thwack! He thought he heard the sound of fingers snapping and turned around. Mookyeong, with just his head peeking out from a room at the end of the hallway, beckoned him with his hand. He hesitated and turned, and Mookyeong went inside as if telling him to follow.

“Madam Koo is nowhere to be seen. And he’s not answering his phone.”

Hongju, who had just come from the game, wouldn’t know.

“I’ll go ask.”

“Hey.”

Hongju, who was about to turn around to ask Manager Yang, stopped. It was because of the strong hand pulling on his shoulder. The grip was so strong that Hongju stumbled.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Mookyeong frowned and lightly tapped his cheek with the back of his hand. The feel of the cold leather was chilling.

“You’re looking to stretch your legs in a comfortable place because I said I’d help you out, huh?”

Mookyeong’s lips were curled up as usual. He wasn’t yelling or cursing. But Hongju felt an immense pressure from him. It was coercive and cold, just like when they first met.

“Do you really want to sell your virginity to me?”

“…..”

The tapping on his cheek became more and more intense. The bruise that remained on his bluish cheek gradually started to turn red again.

“Looks like you’ve gotten a taste for sucking Madam Koo’s cock. But you shouldn’t forget what you’re supposed to do.”

Hongju glanced at the threshold. It was at the end of the hallway, so there probably wouldn’t be anyone coming and going, but he still couldn’t let his guard down. Only after confirming that there was no shadow near the door did he answer.

“I was running errands for a bit, so I couldn’t keep a close eye on him.”

“Who gave you permission to get distracted? You can’t do business like this.”

The tapping on his cheek continued relentlessly.

Slap, slaaap-! The sound of his palm hitting his cheek continued. The swelling on his cheek, which had barely gone down, started to heat up again. Despite the intensifying touch, Hongju endured it without making a sound.

The hand that had been raised in a wide arc slapped his cheek one last time. Slap! His head turned to the side, and his hair fell over his face. Mookyeong clicked his tongue and curled his fingers into a fist.

“Do I have to put a price on you again for you to listen, is that it?”

Hongju straightened his head and looked at Mookyeong. The way he frowned, the sound of him clicking his tongue, the way he dusted off his hand that had touched his cheek. The temperature was different from the moment he had whispered to him while handing him the phone.

“Anyway. Once people get a taste of money, they all go crazy. They get greedy like this and then they fuck up.”

What if he said he wanted to call the whole thing off? He couldn’t lose that deal, which had barely given him some breathing room. Hongju suddenly felt a sense of dread.

“I wasn’t asking for more money!”

He reached out in a hurry and grabbed the hem of his coat.