70.
After forcing down all his food, Haseo abruptly stood up from his seat.
“I’m done eating, right?”
Mujin didn’t seem to have finished his meal yet, but who cared? If he stayed here any longer, he felt like he might die. Fortunately, Mujin didn’t seem intent on staying either and quietly put down his chopsticks. Haseo quickly organized the dishes and headed to the return area.
On the way, he inevitably faced his mother again but deliberately turned his head away. Still, his footsteps inevitably slowed. Because of that lingering attachment. But no matter how slowly he moved, the distance to the tray return area was short to begin with. There was a limit to how long he could hold out. Finally, Haseo pushed in the tray and turned around. At that moment, the restaurant door opened, and a child came running in.
“Mom!”
The child ran straight to Haseo’s mother and shouted.
“I got 100 points at school today!”
Chattering excitedly with a happy expression, the child looked bright. The clothes were neat, and the exposed cheeks and the backs of the hands were plump with flesh. Haseo stared at the child for a while before returning to Mujin.
“Let’s go.”
“Shall we?”
Mujin got up and followed Haseo.
‘What an incomprehensible person.’
He suddenly suggested going to an amusement park, but it was actually to let him meet his mother. But it seemed he hadn’t made prior arrangements with his mother. If he had, she wouldn’t have shown such an ambiguous attitude.
“Don’t you want to see more?”
To Mujin’s question, Haseo answered firmly.
“No.”
Perhaps due to indigestion from the forcibly consumed food, his fingertips were cold and his stomach churned. A headache was coming on as well, but Haseo tried not to show it. In that state, he left the restaurant and walked for quite some time.
There wasn’t any particular destination in mind. Haseo just walked and walked. Then suddenly, he found himself in a plaza. Cheerful music flowed among the gathered people, and soon after, characters danced joyfully as they passed through the crowd.
The long procession was so beautiful and sparkly that Haseo stared at it blankly. When he was young, there were times when he wanted to see this with his family.
‘Yes, there were such times.’
Haseo watched the procession until the end. Though a considerable amount of time had passed, his mother didn’t come looking for him.
After the character parade ended, Haseo and Mujin left the amusement park and got into the car.
“You don’t look well.”
Mujin naturally placed his hand on Haseo’s forehead. He was burning with fever.
“You should tell me when you’re sick.”
At this natural admonishment, Haseo nodded weakly.
“Yes.”
He thought about saying something about his mother whom he had met today. But Haseo didn’t mention her, neither during the drive to the hospital nor after the examination. He only occasionally looked at Mujin with an unreadable gaze. After completing everything and returning home, the sky had already darkened.
As Mujin passed through the entrance and into the living room, Haseo, who had been quietly following behind all this time, leaned against his back. Wondering if he had collapsed from illness, Mujin tried to turn around, but Haseo’s hand fidgeted and slipped between Mujin’s clothes.
“Haseo?”
Calling his name in confusion, a small voice came back.
“Yes.”
Mujin naturally took Haseo’s hand and turned around.
“If you’re sick, you should rest.”
“I got an IV drip. I’m fine.”
“Still, they must have told you to rest properly today.”
As he gently brushed up the hair covering Haseo’s forehead, he saw eyes wet with moisture. They were eyes with many things to say, but Haseo kept his mouth shut as before. Then he pulled away from Mujin and went upstairs.
‘This feels strange.’
Originally, Mujin had no intention of showing Haseo his mother. After all, she was someone who had abandoned her child and left—was there really a need to show her? Haseo seemed to want that too. But somehow, it kept bothering him. So today he sought out where Haseo’s mother worked, and the result was the current situation.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have shown him.”
He didn’t like seeing Haseo in distress. But on the other hand, he also thought: If someone isn’t loved by anyone, wouldn’t they need someone to lean on? And currently, the only person Haseo could lean on was Mujin.
They say love is beautiful, but to him, love was this ugly. Mujin chuckled softly and followed after Haseo. He intended to help him, as he still couldn’t properly take care of himself.
Unlike usual, Haseo entrusted his body to Mujin without any resistance. He remained docile even as Mujin wiped his face with a wet towel and changed him into pajamas. He fed Haseo porridge and medicine, then tucked a doll into his arms and put him to bed. Haseo blinked his eyes and soon fell asleep.
During the time Haseo slept, Mujin usually took the opportunity to work. Lately, there were many more things to worry about.
Neither Chairman Jang nor Toho Construction would think that Mujin would remain unaware of this matter forever. Yet they were joining hands, which suggested they had confidence. It wasn’t an incomprehensible action. After all, Mujin had quietly followed Chairman Jang until now. Plus, Mujin’s visible influence within the company wasn’t as significant as one might think.
The more one doesn’t know, the more vulnerable they are to danger. Just look at Chairman Jang.
“More than that, annoying things are increasing these days.”
Both Toho Construction and Chairman Jang showed excessive interest in Haseo. Even Chairman Jang’s wife, who had agreed to join hands with Mujin, did the same.
‘I need to catch this once.’
For that, bait was needed. He was reluctant to use Haseo as bait, so there was only one option left: Lee Jeongin, Haseo’s father. He was already a man swayed by money and gambling. With just a little incentive, he would make excellent bait.
That’s how fearsome addiction is.
* * *
After finishing his meal and shutting himself in his room, Jeongin looked at the playing cards in his hand and shook his hand lightly. They were just cards bought from a convenience store, but having even these gave him some peace of mind.
“Ah, I want to play a round.”
Having unconsciously blurted out these words, Jeongin immediately slapped his mouth with his hand. Then he listened at the door, but no sound came from outside. Well, given that he couldn’t leave anyway, they probably wouldn’t grab him just for saying this. Originally, the person who had caught him like a rat for being a gambler was that woman, Seo Miso, not Park Dongsu who was outside now.
‘How did it come to this?’
Jeongin chewed the inside of his mouth and swallowed a sigh. He wanted to deal cards. And he wanted to hold onto his cards, gauge the other players, and anticipate victory. Good hands didn’t come often, but when they did, it was a jackpot. Tens of thousands of Won could become hundreds of thousands or millions.
He had only experienced it a few times in his life, but once he hit a jackpot, even bigger money awaited Jeongin. At gambling houses, those who achieved a certain level of profit were allowed to enter the VIP section. More money moved there than outside.
With some big shots sticking around to gamble, a successful win would bring in even more money. Hitting a jackpot there could mean holding millions in his hands. If only that could happen. Jeongin grinned as he caressed the playing cards.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock.
“Yes, yes!”
Hurriedly stuffing the cards into his pocket and standing up, the door opened.
“W-what is it?”
Even though he wasn’t doing anything wrong, seeing Park Dongsu made him feel intimidated for no reason. The man just looked so menacing.
“From now on, you can go out once a week.”
“Go out?”
Jeongin’s voice rose.
“Ah, no. What does going out mean exactly?”
“Since you’ve been behaving well, they’ll let you out for one day a week. Choose either Saturday or Sunday. And no matter when you go out, be back by 8 PM.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll definitely abide by that!”
Answering excitedly, Jeongin belatedly realized one thing: How would he get out of here? Even if he borrowed a car to leave, he had no money to spend.
“Each time you go out, you’ll be given 100,000 Won.”
As if reading his thoughts, Park Dongsu mentioned the money first. Instantly, Jeongin’s expression brightened.
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”
Park Dongsu closed the door again, as if he had finished what he had to say.
‘Let’s see.’
100,000 Won. 100,000 Won! Jeongin mentally listed places where gambling was possible with small amounts of money. Somehow, if he could multiply the money and pay off his debt, he might be able to gain freedom. It wasn’t difficult to come up with an excuse to gamble.
That’s how Lee Jeongin had always been. He snickered as he fondled the playing cards in his pocket.
Several days later, when Saturday came, Park Dongsu kept his word. Jeongin received 100,000 Won and came down from the mountain.
He wasn’t driving the car himself.
“Hey, if you try any tricks or run away, you know what happens, right?”
Seo Miso was at the wheel. Jeongin smiled awkwardly and bowed repeatedly.
“I absolutely won’t run away.”
“Then call when it’s time. I’ll come pick you up.”
Seo Miso frowned and dragged her finger across her throat. Then she turned the steering wheel and drove away. Once the car was no longer in sight, Jeongin’s body finally relaxed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
