DS 14

But when he came out, the room was empty. The man was already gone. Only the acrid smell of cigarette smoke remained, stinging his nose.

The tension suddenly drained away. Eun-myeong finally relaxed his shoulders. He approached the sofa and sat down with his knees together.

‘…What should I do now?’

‘Should I call my sister and let her know? But how on earth would I make a call…’

Eun-myeong looked around the room. There was a phone on the side table. He wondered if he could use it to make a call. Eun-myeong gently picked up the receiver and put it back down. At least it seemed to be working, as he heard a dial tone.

Should he try to contact someone? But what if it automatically connected to the man…

His thoughts flowed slowly. A quiet space of contemplation. Eun-myeong’s eyelids grew heavy. His neck gradually lost strength. He tilted his head to the side, resting his ear on his shoulder.

“……”

At some point, he unknowingly fell asleep. It was because the tension he had been holding in his body slowly released. He woke up to a knock on the door.

“Room service.”

It was a woman’s high-pitched voice. He had no idea when he’d fallen asleep, but bright daylight was already streaming through the window.

“Sir, room service.”

In his dazed state, he heard the knock again. Eun-myeong carefully got up from the sofa. With a wary expression, he cautiously opened the door, and a tray full of food was brought in.

“I’ll prepare the room service you ordered.”

LA galbi, braised spicy monkfish, duck meat, and various Korean dishes. The tray was loaded with food he had never received even on his birthday.

…And. And there was a modest pile of steamed buns on one side, completely out of place.

“…W-why are you giving this to me?”

Fear preceded joy at this lavish spread he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

“Are you Mr. Lee Eun-myeong?”

Eun-myeong nodded slightly. The staff member gave him a pretty smile.

“These are indeed the foods ordered for Mr. Lee Eun-myeong.”

‘Surely they don’t expect me to eat all this, right?’

Eun-myeong’s face, already flushed from just waking up, turned even redder.

“We also have massage, fitness, and dog grooming services prepared. Please feel free to call anytime.”

The well-dressed woman smiled brightly. It was the first time in his life he had received such a warm smile from someone so elegant. He felt silly and embarrassed about his appearance. He must look extremely naive and poor. Eun-myeong lowered his gaze.

“Th-thank you.”

He thanked her awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Then, please rest comfortably.”

The staff member said softly as she turned around. The click-clack of her high heels echoed in his ears. Eventually, the door closed behind her with a thud. The door opened and closed much more easily than he expected.

‘…Is there no one in front?’

Eun-myeong approached on tiptoe. He gently turned the doorknob. Contrary to his expectations, the door opened immediately with a click. Just as he was feeling uneasy, his eyes met someone’s. It was a man in a dark suit.

“Please go back inside.”

A gold necklace around his neck, and a largetiger tattoo on his nape. There was even a long scar on his cheek. He didn’t need to ask to know the man’s profession. Gang… ster. As soon as the two syllables entered his mind, Eun-myeong quickly went back into the room.

“……”

The door closed with a thud.

‘Could he be someone guarding me?’

 Eun-myeong stood blankly, enveloped in silence. 

‘What should I do now?’ 

Feeling helpless, he staggered back to the sofa and sat down with his knees together again. Amidst the silence, gurgle, a small commotion arose in his stomach. Eun-myeong carefully shifted his eyes to the table. The glittering food was reflected in his large eyes.

‘…Is all this really for me?’

Eun-myeong slowly got up from the sofa. A sticky sound came from the tough leather sofa. Each dish gleamed with a glossy sheen. A savory aroma wafted to his nose. Especially eye-catching was the meat dripping with juices. So that’s LA galbi. He had only heard of it but had never seen it in real life. Eun-myeong secretly licked his lips. It looked so tender, he thought it must be delicious.

“……”

Yet he couldn’t easily reach for the food, knowing it was too extravagant for him. Nothing here belonged to him. Not this room, not the robe he was wearing, not the sofa he was sitting on. Everything looked so expensive and valuable that he was afraid of damaging anything.

He’d rather go back home. Although it was now in worse shape after the bear had knocked over the wardrobe, torn off all the wallpaper, and exposed the floor, Eun-myeong knew. That was what suited him.

Dirty, clumsy, poor, insignificant things. Even if others found it worthless, that’s what gave him comfort. Once again, gurgle, his stomach growled. His lower abdomen seemed to tremble.

“…Ah.”

The only thing he could eat here were the steamed buns. He could afford to pay for these later if anything happened. Gulp, Eun-myeong swallowed at the appetizing appearance. Steam was rising from the round, white steamed buns. He wanted to try just one, just one steamed bun…

He carefully picked up a steamed bun. It was still warm. He put it in his mouth. The soft red bean paste melted in his mouth. It was so delicious it made his nose tingle.

How could it be so sweet and tasty? It tasted like the steamed buns he used to eat at the orphanage. They would serve special treats on Saturdays, and steamed buns were Eun-myeong’s favorite. Other snacks didn’t fill him up much, but with this, he could easily make it to dinner after eating just one.

When he left the orphanage, all he had was just 1 million won. That’s when his sister came to Eun-myeong and asked him to live together. She said she had saved some money, and an old man in the neighbourhood was selling his house cheaply because he was moving to Seoul where his children were, so they could buy it.

It was small, old, and dirty, but it had two rooms and even a living room. Although the water would freeze in winter and they would drip with sweat in the summer heat… Still, Eun-myeong was happy. Our own house. He couldn’t believe he had his own space where he could eat comfortably and sleep peacefully. It felt like a dream. Though poor and humble, it was the first house he and his sister had scraped together to get… Who would have thought they’d lose even this home to return to…

His eyes slowly reddened. He quickly wiped them with the back of his hand. There was no use in getting sentimental. Eun-myeong stuffed the remaining steamed bun into his mouth and chewed vigorously. He chewed for a long time. Even after swallowing, he exhaled, “Haa, haa,” from the warm sensation.

“……”

As his stomach filled a bit, his mind seemed to work more slowly. But where had the man gone? Could he have found out something more from the notebook?

His chest felt tight and stuffy. He picked at a hangnail. His finger had turned red and stung, but Eun-myeong was too anxious to notice.

Sitting here doing nothing only made him more anxious. Come to think of it, he had never rested comfortably for even a day. He was either at the store or weaving cast nets. He desperately missed the unfinished net at home. He should have brought it with him… He was in desperate need of even a small amount of money.

“…Sigh.”

Then something suddenly occurred to him. Ah, right, my money… Eun-myeong approached the door. There were clothes strewn about like a snake’s shed skin. He reached into the pants pocket and found damp money.

‘My precious money.’

 It was merely 58,000 won in total, but after getting paid for the cast net and buying two packs of ramen… Plus, he had lost the coins. Looking at the clothes, he saw they had gotten quite dirty from rolling on the street. And he only had three sets to last through fall and winter.

‘I should at least wash these.’

Eun-myeong put his underwear and socks in the bathtub. He turned on the faucet, and hot water gushed out. To save on water bills, he deliberately kept the flow weak and diligently scrubbed the laundry by hand.

The robe gaped open as he knelt, and his pressed Achilles tendon turned red. Ignoring this, he soaped and washed everything thoroughly, then hung it on the towel rack. He didn’t forget to drape the shirt and pants over the bathtub.

“…Oh.”

Then Eun-myeong fell into thought again. What should he do with the man’s clothes? They would spoil if left like that.

After some deliberation, unlike his own, he carefully picked up the incredibly soft shirt and brought it to the bathroom. He scrubbed it diligently and kneaded the pants thoroughly as he washed them.

“Huff…”

The clothes were so large that he broke into a sweat. Eun-myeong rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. His sweaty bangs fell away, revealing the fine hairs along his hairline. It was hair that easily tangled, as fine as a chick’s down.

Finally—

“……”

Eun-myeong held the man’s underwear in his hands. His forehead flushed red for no reason. He remembered how the thick, forest-like pubic hair had extended into the underwear.

It was incomparably larger and wider than his own. He could understand why the man had said something about his dick being small when he saw Eun-myeong’s underwear. Eun-myeong shuddered and shivered. He diligently hung up even the sleek black underwear in the bathroom before returning to the room.

“……”

The man still hadn’t returned. Perhaps he wouldn’t bother coming this way since someone was guarding outside.

Eun-myeong gulped. He walked carefully to the side table. He glanced at the door, but there was no sign of anyone. Cautiously, he picked up the receiver. His heart pounded as he pressed each button one by one.

Thump, thump, thump…

After pressing the last number, he finally heard a dial tone.

That’s when he sensed something. He heard faint music from outside. Could it be a ringtone? Startled, Eun-myeong quickly put down the receiver and stood up. As he stepped back, he bumped into the side table with a crash.

“Uh, ah!”

The orange vase on the side table shook violently, then shattered on the floor with a sharp crash. Eun-myeong helplessly looked down at the scattered pieces.

Soon, the hotel room door opened. A large build, tanned skin. It was that man. A cold silence settled in the room.