67
“Yes, boss. Beer. Yes, I understand. I’ll drop off the goods tonight and go. Yes.”
It’s been 4 years since he started doing alcohol delivery. He’s become familiar with most of the business owners in Juhang. The place that ordered on his way home from work was Hwanhui Karaoke. It was run by a pot-bellied male owner, and for a karaoke place with few rooms, it had a lot of alcohol orders. Just two days ago, he had delivered quite a bit of beer there too.
Taein, who had turned on the speakerphone and written “Hwanhui Karaoke Beer 4” in case he forgot, expressed his gratitude to the boss.
“Thank you, boss. Yes.”
When he first started this job, he didn’t know how hard it was because of the territorial behavior. He heard dozens of times that he was a young punk who chose this job just thinking about alcohol. Since it was a system where you made money according to the contracts you secured, it was natural to receive checks from existing employees.
Taein came to choose alcohol distribution because of a hyung he happened to get to know. When he was staying in a motel room, Taein was either working part-time or stuck in his room. He had also run into that hyung by chance while going to work. At first, that hyung was only kind to Taein.
Wouldn’t alcohol delivery be better than restaurant work? Since it’s money for every contract you secure, it depends on what you do, he said, recommending the job. At that time, Taein had no money and no leisure. It wasn’t that he chose restaurants because there was no work he could do – if the conditions were good, he was always thinking of changing jobs.
So he rode the hyung’s truck and visited the alcohol warehouse. Since it was his first time, learning the job with his eyes and body was the priority. After about a week of such time, he knew roughly how the work went. Still, he couldn’t rashly rent a truck. That was all money too. For now, he decided to travel together and share profits as the hyung suggested, and with that money, he planned to get his license and rent a truck.
Taein was past 4 months pregnant at that time. He needed to have surgery as soon as possible, but the money wasn’t accumulating. Even the motel life of paying 8,000 won a day was a burden to Taein. He tried to quickly earn money to move into even a studio room, but the speed of accumulating money was too slow. He could endure one month, but the motel environment was too terrible to live for two or three months. Cockroaches that appeared once a day, spider webs hung in places his hands couldn’t reach, and the bed sheets were so dirty that Taein bought a mat for 3,000 won and spread it on top to sleep.
As such life repeated, instead of gaining weight, Taein lost 4 kilograms, and only his belly kept growing.
Even wearing a loose hoodie, his swollen belly showed depending on his movements. You might not notice with a rough look, but if you watched carefully, it was a body shape that could raise suspicion. And the first person to have that suspicion was the hyung.
‘Taein, don’t take this the wrong way. Are you perhaps an Omega?’
‘Why?’
It was the first time he’d received such a question in Juhang, so Taein became defensive from the start.
‘No, I want to help with what hyung can help you with.’
From Taein’s perspective, the hyung’s situation wasn’t good either. He did okay work but seemed to be chased by creditors, so there seemed to be almost no money left over. Yet he was splitting money with him. When such situations came to mind, Taein gave up being more defensive. He couldn’t be harsh to a hyung who was helping him for no reason.
‘No. It’s okay. I’m grateful just that you’re working with me.’
‘So, you are an Omega, right?’
That day passed like that, but the hyung asked Taein similar things repeatedly the next day and the day after that.
‘You seem to be an Omega.’
‘It’s my first time seeing one. Kind of interesting.’
‘You have a baby in your belly too, right?’
‘You’re only twenty years old, where did you make a baby?’
The words gradually mixed with frivolity, which was unpleasant, but if he didn’t answer, that was that. Whenever the hyung said such things with a laugh, Taein would look elsewhere or pretend not to hear.
It was about a month after working with the hyung like that. Taein had a subtle knack for work, memorizing contract places, boss faces, daily order quantities, and such. He also handled unloading alcohol easily. On days when orders were particularly high, he had slight muscle pain, but otherwise there were no problems. At this rate, it seemed like he could achieve his planned goals smoothly. Escaping the coughing motel room, getting his license, having surgery.
If that incident hadn’t happened, he really could have done so.
Due to the nature of alcohol delivery, there were often gaps in time. The hyung would park the car near Dog Alley and go outside each time. It was to do business with the owners of Dog Alley establishments that only handled expensive alcohol. Taein had also followed him down to the basement several times, and one of those stores was Jang Heungcheol’s <Jam>. The sign clearly said JAM, but everyone called that place ‘home’ or ‘Jang Heungcheol’s place.’
He had never actually seen a person named Jang Heungcheol. Since they said he was the person with the most money in Juhang, he just thought ‘I see.’ To Taein, Jang Heungcheol was close to a phantom. Maybe someone just spread rumors like that for the store’s mysterious image. He was a person so unrealistic that he could think such thoughts.
He was lost in such thoughts that day too, when the hyung drove toward a construction site about 5 minutes away from Dog Alley. A commercial building showed only its skeleton, and the first floor was full of stacked wooden boards. He looked to see if there were stores nearby, but the surroundings were all dark. Distant streetlights were all there was. Until then, Taein only had good feelings toward the hyung. He was only grateful for the hyung’s kindness in trying to help him despite being poor. Sometimes he said bland and strange things, but that level was something men could exchange with each other.
‘Hyung, why are we here?’
The hyung lit a cigarette inside the car that he usually only smoked outside. He opened the driver’s side door to let the smoke out, but he smoked inside the car. Even to Taein’s question, the hyung only slightly lifted his head, and only after finishing his cigarette did he reveal his true intentions.
‘Taein, want to sleep with hyung?’
‘What did you say?’
‘Is it too sudden? But if you got pregnant at that age… you must have given it to many people….’
The hyung sometimes thoughtlessly blurted things out, but when he blurted out even such words, Taein became incredulous.
‘Hyung, what are you talking about?’
‘What do you mean what. I’m telling you to give it to me too….’
It wasn’t threatening talk or words with weight. In an absurdly light tone, the hyung continued talking.
‘If you can’t give it to me because I have no money and only debt… hyung would be very disappointed in you….’
‘I don’t even know why I should hear such words. Ah. I’ll get out first.’
He groped to the side to find the handle, but couldn’t get out of the car because the hyung grabbed his left arm. True to a hyung who had done physical work for 10 years, his grip strength was tremendous. Even with the door raggedly open, he couldn’t get his body outside.
‘Ah, hyung. Let go. What are you doing?’
‘Ah… if you come out like this, it’s disappointing… how many things have I done for you… you’re a slut anyway, so I’m just saying I want to eat some too….’
‘I’m not like that, fuck!’
In the end, he even shouted while glaring at the hyung, but the hyung showed no sign of surprise. He only put his index finger to his mouth, making ‘shh, shh’ sounds. White light pierced through the car window then. Round flashlight beams illuminated the truck. Since it was near a construction site, someone seemed to be patrolling. Taein didn’t miss the light that entered the truck and kept hitting the front windshield.
‘Here! Please save me! Here!’
Then the light got closer and closer as someone walked over. It wasn’t one person, but the sound of two or three people walking together. The hyung finally grasped the situation and let go of his hand. Taein immediately pushed the door and jumped outside. Outside the truck stood three men. Still shining their light this way.
‘What is it?’
‘Thank you.’
‘For what.’
Taein lifted his head and looked at the man standing in the middle. Although the light was directed toward him, he could see the face outline a little from the afterglow. The man appeared to be in his 50s, and his hair was neatly slicked back. It was a face that exuded class regardless of age. He had seen quite a few wealthy people while doing alcohol delivery, but this was the first person who looked this imposing. The man who had been illuminating Taein’s urgent face with light casually threw out a word.
‘You smell. Are you an Alpha? Omega?’
A pregnant Omega’s body scent changed according to the gender of the fetus in the womb. The stronger the Alpha blood in the seed, the more the Omega’s body scent leaned toward Alpha. Taein looked at the man who was frowning and sniffing, then turned his head at the sound from beside him.
The hyung who had gotten out of the driver’s seat was calling for him, shouting ‘Hey!’ At the same time, the flashlight beam also tilted toward the hyung.
‘Hey, move that light away…’
The hyung made an annoyed face at the light pouring on him. But that was only for a moment. A car from behind came this way, appropriately illuminating the surroundings. The hyung, who suddenly looked surprised, bowed his head to one of the three men.
‘Oh my, boss. No, what brings you here… you weren’t here when I passed by earlier.’
‘Who is this bastard?’
The person called boss looked at the man beside him and asked.
‘Ah, seems like an alcohol seller.’
While words were being exchanged, five strong men got out of the car. They took things out of the trunk and also threw shovels and sacks on the ground. Taein’s eyes naturally went that way, but the boss showed no more interest in the hyung’s identity. He just turned his eyes back to Taein and asked the same question he had asked before.
‘Hey, what are you? Are you an Alpha or Omega?’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
