PM Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Daesik waited until Heeseong finished all of his ice cream, and only after seeing him set down his spoon did he rise from his seat. Heeseong stood up as well and followed after him.

After leaving Taebaekgwan, the worries that had temporarily subsided while eating resurfaced in Heeseong’s mind, and he let out a quiet sigh to himself. At that moment, Daesik suddenly spoke.

“Let’s stop by somewhere for a bit. Got it?”

“Yes.”

The car carrying Daesik and Heeseong drove on for quite a while. Even after a long time had passed, all that could be seen outside the window were mountains thick with grass and trees.

Heeseong stared blankly at the trees flowing past like waves, until he eventually began nodding off.

When Heeseong’s head, which had been pointed toward the window like a puppy’s, tilted to the side, Daesik, who had been watching, covered his mouth slightly and chuckled.

‘That fish-brained idiot, seriously.’

He had seemed a bit down, so Daesik wondered what he was thinking about, but it turned out he was just falling asleep. Shaking his head, Daesik supported Heeseong’s wobbling head with his hand and gently leaned it against the seatback.

Just then, the car came to a stop. They had parked in front of an electronics store in the middle of downtown. Thinking about how gloomy Heeseong had been, Daesik planned to let him choose a refrigerator himself, one to stock with snacks he liked. Of course, Heeseong, knowing nothing about this, was completely out of it, nodding off.

Noticing how quiet the car had become, Kyunghoon parked in the outdoor lot and looked at Daesik through the rearview mirror. Daesik pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Kyunghoon nodded and got out of the car. Quick to read the situation, he headed straight into the store, understanding what Daesik wanted him to do.

Left alone in the car, Daesik quietly began watching the sleeping Heeseong.

Heeseong was completely out, asleep without a care in the world. His timid gaze and gloomy mood seemed to have vanished into sleep, leaving his face clear and untroubled. The only thing covering his face, which was as white as a rice cake and bright enough to make the dim car feel illuminated, was his heavy-looking glasses.

The glasses, large and thick compared to his face, had slipped down slightly. Carefully, in a way that didn’t suit him, Daesik removed them, revealing Heeseong’s bare face.

“Ha.”

Seeing his uncovered face, Daesik lifted one eyebrow crookedly and let out a small scoff. Even with Heeseong’s eyes closed, it was obvious at a glance that they looked at least twice as large without the glasses.

He looks better than I thought. I figured he’d look better without them, but not this much.

With the thick frames gone, his smooth nose bridge, long eyes, and neat eyebrows flowed together as if drawn. Add to that his plump, cherry-like lips. He looked like a finely detailed sketch made with a thin brush, or a carefully carved piece of soft ivory.

After quietly admiring him, Daesik clicked his tongue inwardly. It was a shame his eyes were closed. If those perpetually moist, shimmering eyes were visible, he would definitely be worth looking at. No, maybe more than just worth it. He might be even more to his taste than expected.

Narrowing his eyes, Daesik lifted the corner of his mouth smoothly. A sudden thirst stirred inside him. He wasn’t into touching people while they slept, but he felt faintly stirred, so he lightly shook his head.

At that moment, his phone vibrated softly.

Checking the screen, Daesik clicked his tongue, glanced once more at Heeseong, set the glasses beside him, and stepped out of the car.

Thud.

The car door closed quietly, and in the now-silent interior, only the soft sound of Heeseong’s steady breathing filled the space.

Some time later, Heeseong woke up from his deep sleep. What stirred him was the loud noise coming from beyond the window. Drunken patrons from a nearby bar in the outdoor parking area were passing by, shouting noisily.

Opening his bleary eyes, Heeseong realized a beat later that his vision was blurry.

“Uh… my glasses….”

As he fumbled around, his hand caught on something. He immediately recognized it as his glasses and hurriedly put them on. Only then did he realize that he must have dozed off while worrying.

Embarrassment made his face burn.

Idiot. Falling asleep while worrying.

His face flushed, Heeseong didn’t even have time to wonder why his glasses were off before panic set in. He had just realized that he was alone in the car.

Neither the manager nor the boss was anywhere to be seen.

Where did everyone go…?

Left alone, Heeseong hesitated and cautiously looked around, then flinched in shock. The scenery outside the window was unfamiliar.

Up until he had closed his eyes, all he had seen were mountains filled with trees and grass, but now outside the window was a brightly lit city filled with tall, flashy signs. It looked nothing like where the motel or Taebaekgwan was, or even the town where they had eaten noodles. His heart dropped hard.

His mouth went dry, and his fingertips began to tremble. Heeseong hurriedly turned his head, scanning outside, but the boss was nowhere to be seen, and the surroundings felt utterly foreign.

Faced with the reality of being left alone in an unfamiliar place, fear slowly began to rise from his gut.

Just like when he’d been caught by them.

Worried about his brother, who had suddenly stopped responding, Heeseong had been on his way home when he was grabbed by them. He’d been locked up in a quiet warehouse like this, without knowing why, for a long time. Only after he’d been exhausted by thirst and hunger did the warehouse door finally open.

And then he was kicked violently, without warning.

W, where is this?

Panicking, Heeseong couldn’t even think to contact anyone on his phone.

Bars and restaurants were visible outside the window, but Heeseong, already gripped by fear, found even that terrifying. The first place they had taken him after pulling him out of the warehouse, when he nodded in response to their question of whether he wanted to see his brother, had looked just like one of those bars.

On the outside, it had seemed like an ordinary bar, but inside were people covered in blood and screaming everywhere. There, they had even tried to sell Heeseong.

‘If you want to see your brother, work here, or do us one favor. What’ll it be?’

They told the terrified Heeseong that he had to choose one of the two if he wanted to see his brother. Heeseong chose the second option. Of course, after hearing what it entailed, he immediately regretted it.

Remembering the past and gripped by fear, Heeseong quickly came to one conclusion.

I have to get out of here fast. If I don’t, they’ll realize I haven’t done anything yet…!

That was the moment Heeseong opened the car door with trembling hands and hurried out.

“Ah…!”

A shrill, unfamiliar voice rang out. In Heeseong’s startled vision, he saw a strange man tumble over.

“W, who….”

“Hey, you fucking idiot, shouldn’t you watch where you open the door?!”

The drunken man, his face red, shouted angrily. He had been laughing after relieving himself while sneering at the expensive cars, and on his way back, he’d stumbled into the door Heeseong opened and fallen over.

“Fuck, you bastard, aren’t you going to apologize? Huh?!”

Spitting out curses, the man bulged his eyes and sprang to his feet.

“I fell because of you!”

The enraged man thrust his palm toward Heeseong and shouted aggressively. The fact that Heeseong had stepped out of such an expensive-looking car was more than enough to set him off.

Perfect timing, you fucking bastard.

Twisting his lips, the man’s eyes gleamed. He looked naïve enough. He could squeeze him dry for medical expenses.

“I’m hurt, so what are you gonna do about it? Huh? What are you gonna do…?!”

Listening to the man’s tirade, Heeseong flinched and shrank his shoulders. For a split second, he couldn’t tell whether the man was connected to them or not. Panicked and frightened, his thinking wasn’t functioning properly.

Seeing Heeseong hesitate and show fear, the drunkard took it as encouragement and grew even louder. He spat thick phlegm onto the ground and waved his hand.

“You fucking piece of shit, if you hurt someone, you have to take responsibility!”

“I, I’m sorry….”

Trembling, Heeseong lowered his head and apologized. The man’s loud shouting made the fear he already felt balloon out of control. Terrified, Heeseong didn’t even know what he had done wrong or who the man was, but he kept apologizing over and over.

If he didn’t, he’d get hit.

“Hey, saying sorry fixes everything? Does it?!”

The drunkard finally shoved Heeseong’s shoulder hard, again and again. With each rough push, Heeseong’s body lurched violently.

The drunk, gritting his teeth, was about to shove the cowering Heeseong even harder.

Suddenly, thud, his arm was grabbed.