Heewoon looked at the slippers placed next to his feet with a stiff expression. He wore the slippers, and Sel Kangwoo returned to his original spot on the sofa.
Settled on the sofa, Kangwoo relaxed comfortably, while Heewoon looked down at the tip of his foot peeking out from the slippers, regulating his rough breaths.
Neither of them moved until there was a knock on the door a while later.
“Have a seat.”
Pressing Heewoon’s shoulder, who reflexively almost stood up, Kang-woo went to the door. The sofa was facing away from the door, so Heewoon remained seated as a staff member set the food down on the table.
“Thank you.”
Heewoon heard the staff member’s voice, wondering if they had been given a tip. The door closed. The sound of slippers being dragged drew closer, and Seo Kangwoo walked past him, leaving a different scent than usual.
“I ordered some snacks.”
Kangwoo moved the elegantly decorated cheesecake in front of Heewoon. He also placed fruits and what seemed like orange juice within Heewoon’s reach.
Heewoon stared at those foods, lips pressed tightly together. Then, Kangwoo put ice into a glass and asked softly.
“Would you like some alcohol too, Sunbae?”
“Yeah.”
In response to Heewoon’s answer, Kangwoo snickered and poured dark amber liquid into the glass. It seemed to be a type of whiskey. Heewoon received the glass and downed the smooth liquid straight into his mouth. It felt like his throat was burning, causing his nose to scrunch involuntarily.
He emptied the glass in one go and Kangwoo refilled it promptly. Then, Kangwoo furrowed his brows slightly and said.
“If you make drunk antics, I’ll throw you out of the window.”
Heewoon nodded silently. Kangwoo made a quick glance at the color of Heewoon’s face, then he refilled his glass again, and they started their meal.
Occasionally, Kangwoo sipped his whiskey to quench his thirst. In the spacious hotel room, there were only the sounds of slicing food and the clinking of ice. All of the sound was from Kangwoo.
Heewoon, who had been keeping his head down, finally spoke after a while.
“You…”
But his words still flowed out calmly.
“You made me get fired.”
Heewoon’s voice might have quivered a bit.
The hand that was slicing food stopped. Blood oozed from the cut surface of the meat. Kangwoo looked up, gazing at Heewoon, and asked softly.
“So?”
Heewoon bit his lip tightly, staring at Kangwoo who wasn’t denying anything.
“This happened because of you, so you should take responsibility.”
After he spoke quite firmly, Kangwoo watched Heewoon while taking a sip of whiskey. Without taking his mouth off the glass, he slowly downed the whole thing. He slammed the empty glass with only ice cubes left down on the table.
Tak-
Heewoon clenched his fist at the sound of the glass bottom hitting the table. Seo Kangwoo refilled his glass again. Heewoon’s gaze followed the elongated hand. The amber liquid danced and clinked as his elongated hand swirled the glass.
“You’re wrong about something…”
A slow voice flowed out.
“The way you said that is wrong.”
Kangwoo lifted his head. The moment his cold gaze met Heewoon, the chills made shivers run down his spine. With a demeanor that matched his gaze, Seo Kangwoo continued.
“Right now, you’re in a position to ask me for a favor.”
Heewoon took a shallow breath.
With Heewoon’s stiff expression, Kangwoo picked up his fork and knife. He leisurely continued his meal.
After a while, Heewoon, who had been frozen and staring intently at the table, stood up. Kangwoo didn’t even spare him a glance. Heewoon clenched his fists.
Heewoon endured each heavy step and kneeled by the table. Only then did Seo Kangwoo give him a short glance, then he continued eating, seemingly indifferent.
Until Kangwoo finished his meal, Heewoon remained kneeling in his place. His legs gradually grew numb. The fists on his thighs kept trembling.
Seo Kangwoo threw the napkin down onto the table. The breeze caused by the thick fabric slightly ruffled Heewoon’s bangs.
“Do you think I’d like it if you do this?”
There was a trace of pity in Kangwoo’s tone.
Heewoon bowed his head deeply. His tightly clenched fists continued to shake.
His life, which was already a mess, had deteriorated to the point of severe recently. He had considered the many incidents that happened three years ago and the hardships that followed as the lowest point in his life. He thought there couldn’t be anything worse than that, and that only better times were ahead. That’s what he had thought.
But he was wrong.
What he thought was the bottom turned out to be thin air, and he was now rapidly plummeting downward. His descent was so fast that it was useless to even hope that things wouldn’t get worse.
Heewoon lifted his head, lips tightly pressed together. Under the orange lighting, the shadows shaded Kangwoo’s handsome face, which was observing him like a specimen. Heewoon opened his mouth.
“There’s a sum of money that I need to pay every month…”
His voice choked, so he cleared his throat before continuing.
“If I don’t pay it, those people will come to our house. My mom’s not well, so if that happens, she might collapse from shock. I have to give her living expenses too, so I really need some money.”
His voice cracked a lot towards the end. He had spoken forcefully, but his voice trembled weakly at the end.
Haa-. Kangwoo let out a deep sigh.
“Who said I want to hear that?”
Heewoon bit his lip. He had zero idea of what Seo Kangwoo wanted.
The money is due tomorrow. No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t figure out a way to get the money. The memory of his broken housewares and his shocked mother collapsing kept flashing in his mind. It made his head aches.
“T-then… what do you want to hear?”
Heewoon looked up at Kangwoo’s indifferent face. For a moment, there were two silhouettes, then they merged into one. Heewoon blinked. Something damp stained the back of his hand.
“You should think about that yourself, Sunbae.”
Hearing Kangwoo’s curt words, at last, the tears in Heewoon’s eyes flowed down his cheeks.
Watching Heewoon tightly clench his lips and let his tears stream down, Kangwoo lowered his upper body. His arms were on his knees as he silently watched Heewoon crying.
“Huft…”
Hee-woon rubbed his eyes harshly as Kangwoo watched him without saying anything. When he opened his mouth, a sob burst out involuntarily. He swallowed it back, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
“K-Kangwoo.”
“What?”
“I, I only have 6,200 won with me.”
“…”
One of Kangwoo’s eyebrows raised up. Heewoon quickly wiped the tears from his cheek and blurted out amidst his crying.
“Hufttt… N-no. When I came here, I took the b-bus… so I’m left with 3,600 won…”
Kangwoo, who had been calmly watching Heewoon crying with his head down, let out a dry laugh. He straightened up his bent back.
“Woo Heewoon.”
“Y-yeah.”
Heewoon lifted his head. His face was entirely flushed and tearful. Kangwoo gestured at him, and then Heewoon stumbled on shaky knees towards Kangwoo.
You really crawl well. Kangwoo muttered with an amused tone. That resonated strangely in Heewoon’s ears. Trembling with fear, Heewoon said.
“N-no, nevermind. I’ll just talk to those people and explain my situation. I’ll just find another job…”
Kangwoo snorted, making Heewoon surprised and shut his mouth.
“You’re going to cry tearfully in front of those bastards?”
Heewoon was confused by Kangwoo’s absurd tone. Clicking his tongue, Kangwoo lifted Heewoon’s chin as he watched Heewoon seemingly lose it.
As Kangwoo entered Heewoon’s field of vision, he sighed. It seemed like Kangwoo was giving in to Heewoon.
“Who’s the person that Sunbae should be hanging onto now?”
Staring blankly at Kangwoo, Heewoon groaned.
“…Y-you. It’s you.”
At this, the corner of Kangwoo’s mouth lifted softly. He placed his hand on Heewoon’s head, almost praising him. You keep acting stupid, so I’ll tell you this.
“Try saying, ‘Kangwoo’.”
Heewoon’s lips twitched.
“K-Kangwoo.”
“Yes?”
A low response came back. The large hand on his head moved gently up and down. Seo Kangwoo’s gaze locked onto Heewoon’s, staring intently as if urging him to speak more.
Heewoon took a shaky breath and said.
“…Help me. Please. I’m begging you…”
If you help me this time, I promise I’ll be really good. I’ll listen to you well, and… I won’t lie…
He could feel tears streaming down both sides of his face. He was laying out pitiful words even in his own ears. He was clinging on to the person who had caused this situation, pleading desperately. The situation felt like an extension of a nightmare.
“That’s right. You have to say it prettily like this.”
Heewoon trembled and looked at Kangwoo. Kangwoo’s mouth curved gently. As he wiped Heewoon’s tears, he said tenderly.
“It makes me unable to refuse a plea like that.”
Seeing hope dawn in Heewoon’s tearful eyes, Kangwoo smiled contentedly. His palm became damp with Heewoon’s tears. Kangwoo cupped Heewoon’s cheek and whispered softly.
“Remember this carefully.”
I’m helping you, Sunbae.
Seeing the deep smile, Heewoon realized. The strange premonition that had kept him from using the card was coming true.
“How much do you need?”
“Ah… uh, I need 1 million won to give to my mom for her living expenses, and 2 million won to pay off the debt.”
Fearing that Kangwoo might change his mind, Heewoon quickly explained. Kangwoo, who had been listening calmly, tilted his head.
“For you?”
“Yeah?”
Heewoon asked confusedly at Kangwoo’s words. His round eyes were fixed on Kangwoo. Kangwoo pressed the teardrops at the corners of his eyes and said
“You only have 3,600 won, right?”
As the gentle voice came out from his lips, they curved slightly.
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