61.
Choi Mujin looked at Haseo, whose body was tense with nervousness. It would be easy to tell him right now that it wasn’t like that, that he loved him, not Seo Jaewoo. If he heard those words, Haseo would find more stability than before. Despite knowing this, he didn’t feel like saying it.
A person who has never been properly loved is like a greedy hungry ghost. Choi Mujin wanted Haseo to be more restless, to suffer more while looking only at him. He wanted him to devote all his emotions to him without being told he was loved. Whether it was love or hatred. So he didn’t say the words Haseo wanted to hear.
“The strawberry latte is pretty good.”
At Choi Mujin’s words, Haseo visibly deflated. The emotion of despair was so close he could almost touch it, and Choi Mujin unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth. Though he quickly concealed it, Haseo didn’t see.
“Do you want to try some?”
At this casual offer, Haseo shook his head.
“I already know what it tastes like.”
“We eat things precisely because we know what they taste like.”
As he pushed it toward him, Haseo reluctantly put the straw in his mouth and sipped. Even that gesture looked cute, and Choi Mujin suppressed the desire rising within him.
‘This is good.’
He enjoyed spending time alone with Haseo immensely.
Next to the department store was a building under construction. Though it was surrounded by walls due to the adjacent commercial activity of the department store, occasionally workers could be seen coming out to take breaks. The department store would complain about this, but there were always people who would do things despite being told not to.
Mr. Lee, a worker at the construction site, was one such person. He had taken off his outer clothing, tied it around his waist, and squatted outside the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. Some passersby frowned at him, but he didn’t care. Why should they care if he wanted to smoke?
Mr. Lee was that kind of person by nature. Shameless and arrogant. From small things like cigarette smoke to money, he had no qualms about causing trouble for others.
‘Still, there was a time when I lived properly.’
There was a time when he tried to earn money with a wife and child. Of course, that didn’t last long, and like a moth drawn to flame, he ran back to gambling.
‘It’s hard to quit, you know.’
Just a little more, just a little more. There were many times when he felt he could win money, but he had no luck. So he took money from home and, when that wasn’t enough, incurred debt. His wife couldn’t seem to bear it.
“Not only do you raise your hand against me, but you also steal money?”
His wife screamed in a frenzy and lunged at Mr. Lee like a madwoman. But it’s not easy for a woman to defeat a man. That day, Mr. Lee raised his hand against his wife. After being hit for the first time, she had a blank expression before tears began to fall.
“Well, you shouldn’t have done something to get hit!”
Mr. Lee shouted back angrily. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel sorry, but he didn’t want to appear weak to his wife. After this pattern repeated, one day, his wife left home and never returned. Unlike his wife, who cooked, cleaned, and earned money, the remaining son didn’t know how to do anything. Because he cried frequently and was bothersome, Mr. Lee decided to leave home.
Anyway, it was a monthly rental in a poor neighborhood, so there was no deposit to reclaim. He felt a bit sorry for his son, but he figured things would work out somehow. In this day and age, who would let a young child starve to death? Whether he went to an orphanage or was taken by his mother, he would live well.
Afterward, Mr. Lee lived as he pleased. He earned daily and squandered it, sticking to gambling dens. He borrowed money there, and the debt slowly grew. Around that time, the gambling circles said they wouldn’t lend any more money to Mr. Lee.
“Just one game, if just one big win came…”
As he sighed and exhaled cigarette smoke, he saw two men walking side by side in front of him. One was surprisingly large in stature, and one was small. The smaller one’s face somehow looked familiar.
‘Why is it familiar?’
After tracing his memories, he belatedly realized. The young man who looked young resembled his now-absent wife’s face exactly. That wretched woman was truly beautiful. He had put in a lot of effort to seduce and live with her. That was the first and last time he had made such an effort in his life.
‘Is that really my son?’
Mr. Lee examined the young man carefully again. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be living quite well. Additionally, his face didn’t show signs of hardship. Looking at the man beside him, he thought he understood the situation.
His wife had also worked as a prostitute for men before meeting Mr. Lee. She said it was unwanted work, but she was popular and made decent money in that line. Putting his son in that context seemed to fit.
‘Well, nowadays it’s an era where people even sell their bodies to men to make a living.’
Having picked up various bits of information while frequenting gambling circles, Mr. Lee was well-versed in such matters. And the moment he made that assumption, a thought crossed his mind.
‘Is there any way I can benefit from my son?’
Mr. Lee licked his lips and quietly rose from his seat. He was going to confirm if it was indeed his son. The tall man standing beside the youth turned his head and looked at him. His deeply sunken eyes gleamed eerily, as if he would tear Mr. Lee apart at any moment. It was so frightening that he unconsciously shrank back and sat down again.
Thus, the young man who might have been his son disappeared from Mr. Lee’s sight with the man.
Choi Mujin only turned his gaze after seeing the shabby-looking man sit back down. He wanted to avoid any unpleasant incidents, especially when he had finally gone out with Haseo.
“So where did you say this restaurant was?”
When he spoke, Haseo, who had been fiddling with his phone, pointed ahead.
“We need to walk 4 more minutes in this direction. Then turn left.”
“Didn’t you say 4 minutes earlier too?”
In response, Haseo made an aggrieved expression.
“That’s what it says here!”
The two, having left the café, decided to have a meal before returning to the villa. So Haseo was using Choi Mujin’s phone to find a good restaurant. He said it was a famous Japanese ramen shop that he wanted to try.
“I’ve never had ramen before.”
Unlike instant ramyeon, ramen was more expensive, so he couldn’t casually spend money to try it. How could Choi Mujin remain indifferent after hearing that? He had to feed him. Although Haseo was focused on the phone, walking side by side like this felt like a date.
‘Something I’ve never done before in my life.’
Choi Mujin let out a low laugh. But Haseo, focused on finding the way, didn’t notice.
‘But…’
Suddenly, the face of the man he had seen earlier came to mind. It was a face aged by the ravages of time, but not unfamiliar. And before long, Choi Mujin recalled who he was.
‘Haseo’s father.’
A man who had disappeared after becoming addicted to gambling and wandering around. He had heard that creditors were desperately looking for him due to significant debts, yet here he was in the heart of Seoul. The debt was incurred illegally, so it hadn’t reached Haseo yet, but it seemed better to deal with it preemptively.
The issue was how to handle it.
“Turn left here, I can see it!”
Haseo looked up from the screen with a triumphant expression. When Choi Mujin habitually stroked his head, he smiled brightly, his eyes turning into crescent moons. It was peak dining hours, so there was a line in front of the shop, but that was fine. Choi Mujin stood in line with the self-conscious Haseo.
“The line is moving quickly though.”
Would Haseo love his father, a man who hadn’t properly cared for his child since he was young? They say parents and children are inseparable, but Choi Mujin was skeptical of that. It was because his own parents were hardly parent-like. But that didn’t mean he thought Haseo would be the same.
‘I wonder if there’s a way to find out.’
Some people give love even knowing the other person causes them pain. Even now, Haseo wasn’t experiencing complete peace with Choi Mujin, yet he had given his heart, hadn’t he?
“It’s our turn.”
Choi Mujin nodded as he looked at Haseo, who was carefully tugging at his arm.
“Welcome!”
With a hearty greeting, they sat down and were presented with menus. There were only two types of ramen, gyoza and fried rice as sides, and carbonated drinks and beer for beverages. Still, Haseo examined the menu with a serious expression.
“Why don’t we just order everything?”
If there was leftover food, Choi Mujin could eat it.
“Should we?”
Already knowing this from several previous meals, Haseo immediately ordered from the staff. In reality, even ordering everything wouldn’t be that much food. Considering how much Choi Mujin usually ate, it was even more so. The ramen arrived shortly.
The noodles in broth made from pork bones were quite delicious. Haseo seemed to enjoy the ramen as well, eating with wide, round eyes.
“Eat slowly.”
When Choi Mujin wiped something from the corner of his mouth, Haseo looked embarrassed.
“If you want more, just order.”
“Then just one more order of gyoza.”
The gyoza, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, disappeared in an instant. Haseo vigorously ate through the newly arrived gyoza as well. Since his body never seemed to gain weight, it was pleasing to see him eat well. Choi Mujin focused more on ensuring Haseo ate than on his own meal.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
