Kwon Taejung arrived at the parking lot and the parking agents, as if it was urgent, started rushing from here and there. The parking agents stood as politely as they could and Kwon Taejung, wordlessly, reached out their hand. Unfortunately, the men didnโt understand what he implied with ease, so they got flustered.
โCan you give me the key?โ
At his irked tone, a car key was finally placed in his hand. Kwon Taejung beelined among the parking agents who had bowed and pressed the button on the car key as the light on the black car standing in front of them blinked.
โGet in.โ
Kwon Taejung opened the door to the passenger seat and tilted his head. He clearly looked like a thug. Seeing the parking agentโs face stricken with fear once they saw him, it was clear that he was more famous than expected. Can a thug be that famousโฆYigyeom thought to himself as he saw Kwon Taejung climbing into the driverโs seat.
โSeat belt.โ
โ….Yesโฆโ
Yigyeom stretched the seat belt and held it away from him so that it didnโt touch his wet uniform and looked towards the driverโs seat.
โ….My clothes are wetโฆso I think I am going to keep this here.โ
โYou want to take your clothes off?โ
โ…Huh?โ
โIf your clothes are wet, you can take it off.โ
Kwon Taejung seemed to be teasing yet genuine at the same time. Yigyeom looked at him unable to answer and only pressed his lips on the seat belt held in his hand. Kwon Taejung laughed at seeing Yigyeom like that, bent his body towards the passengerโs seat, and pulled the belt to buckle it instead.
โIt would be okay to head for home, right?โ
โ…Yesโฆโ
The steering wheel moved smoothly and the car left the parking spot. Yigyeom looked at the parking agents from the window, who were standing in a line, bowling deeply down to their waist and Yigyeom unconsciously bowed his head.
โ…โ
Kwon Taejung did not speak until the car left the parking lot and entered an unknown road. Yigyeom felt quite awkward and took out the phone from his pocket, turned it on, and stared at the screen. There was nothing to see on the phone but looking at an empty screen seemed better than doing nothing.
โDo you meet Goo Daebom often?โ
Yigyeom looked up from the screen, as he heard his voice piercing through the silence and towards the driverโs seat. It wasnโt a pleasant question but rather than the atmosphere staying awkward, it was better to roll questions like that.
โ…We donโt often or sometimes. Just once a month or soโฆโ
โDoes he come to find you?โ
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The nuance of the question sounded a little strange. What other business would a private lender have with a debtor? It was definite that there would be no future if the debtor failed to pay back and Yigyeom already said multiple times how weak I felt whenever he came by but he didnโt ask the question looking for a rehearsed answer. So Yigyeom couldnโt reciprocate his question.
โ….I donโt know how I should answer.โ
โIt would be okay, to be honest.โ
โ…He hears about how much debt I have left, and says that he would kill me if I try to run awayโฆand says that it would be better if he could sell me off.โ
โHe said the same to me earlier. That you are a beta who has the perfect face to put on sale but since you came out on the broadcast, he couldnโt do so. That bastard is a really crazy one. How he shamelessly talks about selling people or whateverโฆโ
โI thought you were close but I was surprised to know that you met him for the first time today.โ
โHey, Yigyeom. I fuck, I have a fucking standard. Even if it wasnโt for you, there was no reason for me to meet him. Fuck, how dare such a lowlife meet me?โ
Even among the gangsters, they were concerned about standards and ranks. Yigyeom sighed and darted his eyes at his phone which started vibrating. On the small screen, he could see the name Kang Jihoon so he turned his body sideways and carefully received the call.
โHello? Yes, hyungโฆyes, I had a situation so I left first. Ahโฆright. My bag and clothesโฆyes, please take care of them. Yes, sorry.โ
Since that man dragged him out of the banquet hall, he forgot his bag and clothes inside the locker. He requested Kang Jihoon to take care of the bag and hung up the call.
โWho? Your boyfriend?โ
โ…We work together at our part-time jobs.โ
โAh, your hyung. I thought you two were dating. You donโt talk like that with me but you were pretty sweet to that guy.โ
Kwon Taejung stopped the car at the red light and turned his head slightly and looked at Yigyeom, who was fumbling with the seatbelt across his body. When their eyes met, he recalled the time when their bodies were glued together behind the pillar, and thinking of that, his ears went red.
โHow long have you known that hyung of yours?โ
โ…It’s been about a year.โ
โThen, if you spend a year with me, will you talk like that with me?โ
โ…โ
โPrettily.โ
Kwon Taejung spoke incomprehensible words well. Yigyeom couldnโt find an answer to a question he hadnโt heard of until that day and like an idiot, he could only have his mouth agape.
โYou are not answering me again.โ
โYou can just answer what I’m asking you. If you are going to talk prettily to me or not.โ
โ…Uh, but I havenโt talked prettily ever. Just that hyungโฆsince I know him so I speak with him comfortablyโฆโ
Yigyeom stopped talking and while Kwon Taejung started driving again, he took a glance of him secretly. He didnโt know what he should call that man, so worrying about that, he couldnโt continue speaking.
โ…With Chiefโฆstillโฆwe donโt know each other well, you are a difficult person as wellโฆโ
โWhy am I difficult? I am pretty simple.โ
The man looked at Yigyeom who averted his eyes and lowered his head and laughed at him. As expected, he was a much better person than the manager in charge before.
Kwon Taejung didnโt use violence, he looked after his grandfather and he didnโt tell him to get out of the demolition village, and honestly, he was grateful. But he didnโt agree that he was simple. But whenever Yigyeom saw him he couldnโt figure him out, whether it was his actions or words, he couldnโt understand any of it.
โFrom now, if we see each other every day, we will get close. It doesnโt make sense if we donโt, given that you are going to play around with me every day.โ
It wasnโt something that he said that they meant to see each other because they live in the same place and would end up crossing paths sometimes but they would have to purposefully meet. Kwon Taejung who proposed to play around together every day, Yigyeom listened to it, while absentmindedly tapping around on the screen of his phone with his fingertips.
Earlier, he couldnโt grasp whether Kwon Taejung was teasing him or was sincere. Everything he said seemed like a joke but then again, it all seemed genuine.
โWhen should we meet tomorrow?โ
โTomorrow?โ
โI told you to play with me. If I go to the gym tomorrow, I think Iโll be done by 10.30.โ
โ…I have work tomorrow.โ
โI told you Iโll pay you.โ
The car entered the dim demolition village. Since there was a streetlamp, the surroundings were brightly lit compared to the exceptionally dark Daramdong. The alleys were weary and brightened by the absence of some street lamps. The car couldnโt enter the narrow alley and thus parked at the entrance. Yigyeom loosened the seat belt and turned halfway toward the driverโs seat.
โ…You helped me today, and even escorted me homeโฆthank you so much.โ
โIt would be a pity if I leave you here.โ
โ…โ
โI will take you to your house.โ
โNo. I can go there by myself.โ
โItโs because I still have some things to say.โ
Kwon Taejung got off the driverโs seat and passed around the front of the car and came to the passenger’s side and Yigyeom who broke off from his trance opened the door.
Outside the door, Kwon Taejung arrived already and grabbed the door open. With small movements, Yigyeom exited the car and stood in front of the well-groomed man and tried to cover the large wine stain on his uniform with his hand for no reason.
โYigyeom.โ
โ…Yes?โ
โDo you know why I come to this disgusting place every day?โ
From where the light was a bit dim, Taejung began to walk towards the place where there was distinct light and tossed a crushed can that was rolling on the floor, with his shoes. The can rolled somewhere and bumped into something, the loud noise of the commotion filled that alley.
โI come to see you. It might seem like a joke. You want to say, there he goes again, right?โ
โ…โ
โI wanted it to be a joke as well, or a tease as well, but sorry to say it is not either.โ
โ…โ
โIt is up to you whether you want to spend the rest of the three months putting up with me or being locked up somewhere.โ
โ…Locked up?โ
Yigyeomโs shoulders shrunk when he saw Kwon Taejung saying scary words so casually. There were about three steps left to the house but it felt like nothing could be solved within that distance.
Yigyeom looked at Kwon Taejung who stopped in front of his house. Yigyeom stood still and pursed his lips. The street lamps that were always blinking illuminated Kwon Taejung as if it was waiting for him all along.
โWe are here.โ
โ…Are you going to lock me up?โ
โIโm tired. I will stop talking here. There are still three more months left so letโs take it slow. Whenever we meet, I will answer whatever you are curious about one by one. How is that?โ
โ…โ
โEven though it seems like we have a lot of time on our hands, it isnโt so. It is a very short time for something to disappear without a trace. So you have to do your best to play with me.โ
Yigyeom faced the eyes that seemed serious and trembled within. Kwon Taejung came close to Yigyeom who was shivering and patted his head gently like he did at the banquet hall.
โPlay with me until the demolition. Until everything crumbles down completely.โ
It was Yigyeomโs first time listening to Kwon Taejung threaten him with such a friendly voice that he couldnโt even realize it was a threat. Kwon Taejungโs voice, his laughter, and his relaxed voice and gaze, the streetlamps did not suit his intimidating self.
โShould we grab lunch tomorrow? What do you want to eat?โ
โ…โ
โThink about it. I will come around 11. Letโs meet here.โ
…. I felt kinda threatened… But not really… However it felt serious…while being kinda hot
???ยฟยฟยฟ I’m confusion
And that is good suspenseful romantic storytelling!
Thanks, finally they start a friendship relationship
Thanks ๐