PM Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Tastes good.”

“Right? It’s really good.”

Whether he had completely forgotten who brought him here, or was just pretending to forget, Heeseong looked proud, as if he’d made the dish himself.

Daesik gave a crooked smile and nodded as if to say sure. In truth, he wasn’t all that fond of Chinese food, but he answered that way regardless.

Seeing the boss eat too helped ease the bit of tension still lingering in Heeseong. With that, he went back to focusing on his food.

Maybe it was because it had been so long, but everything tasted even better. It felt like it had been nearly twelve years since he last ate sweet and sour pork. When his cycle approached, meat often smelled too gamey for him to stomach, but this place had no such odor. It was clear the kitchen here knew what they were doing.

On top of that, even though it was technically a Chinese restaurant, they had everything Heeseong said he wanted. It seemed like a Chinese restaurant in name only, since they also served Western and Korean dishes. He ate some of the pizza on the table, sank his teeth into a hamburger, and had a bit of the pork cutlet too. Even though he didn’t eat all that much, he was already full.

His stomach couldn’t keep up with the demands of his appetite. Heeseong stared down at his bulging belly with regret. Still, the fact that he could take the leftovers home was some consolation.

“Full?”

“Yes, a bit.”

Heeseong’s response was soaked in visible regret.

Daesik slowly looked over everything Heeseong had eaten. It wasn’t bird-feed small, but he’d only nibbled a bit of each dish. How could he not even finish half? Do omegas have smaller stomachs by default? At first, he thought Heeseong might be pretending to eat lightly, but quickly dismissed the idea—there was no reason for him to fake something like that.

Daesik immediately called over a staff member and asked for the leftovers to be packed. Heeseong’s eyes sparkled and his cheeks puffed out. Judging by the look on his face, he was already thinking about enjoying the food tomorrow.

At least when it came to food and money, he didn’t seem to be lying. Most likely, the only lie was about how he ended up here.

As the dishes were taken away to be packed, Heeseong looked thoroughly satisfied—like a squirrel content after securing a stash of acorns. With a sense of fullness and pride, he watched his rations for the next day being safely prepared.

Heeseong’s twinkling eyes flicked over to the boss. Definitely a good gangster. In Heeseong’s mind, the boss had been promoted from “good gangster” to “amazing gangster.” That was a major promotion in just one short mealtime.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door.

“Excuse me.”

A pleasant baritone voice asked for permission before the door opened. Heeseong’s face instantly lit up—he assumed it was the packed food. Daesik lifted the corner of his lips as he glanced at the sparkling-eyed Heeseong.

A man in a black turtleneck and dress pants walked through the open door. Heeseong blinked wide-eyed when he saw him. The man carrying the food bags wasn’t the same staff member from earlier.

He had thick, wavy hair and a kind, gentle appearance. He was just as tall and broad as the boss. The man placed the food bags down on the table.

Heeseong blinked again at the man, then reached for the paper bag handles, carefully collecting them like a squirrel gathering its nuts. Daesik shifted his gaze from Heeseong to the man.

“Long time no see, Director Jang.”

“Yes, it has been a while.”

The man greeted Daesik politely. Even someone as oblivious as Heeseong could tell they weren’t in a strict hierarchy—it seemed the man was simply being courteous. He then placed a small document envelope on the table.

“That thing you asked for before.”

“You finished fast.”

Daesik nodded as if used to it and slipped the envelope into his coat. Heeseong, only half-listening while peeking inside the food bags, sat up properly when he heard himself mentioned.

“This is our employee.”

Hearing the boss gesture toward him, Heeseong sat up straight. The man gave him a gentle smile and a small bow.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Chiwon.”

“Oh, um. Hello.”

Heeseong bowed slightly, blinking. Though the man had a soft and kind impression, something about his presence felt oddly intimidating, and Heeseong shrank back a little.

“I guess we’ll be seeing each other often.”

“Uh… yeah…”

The meaning behind the man’s words was unclear, and a question mark floated across Heeseong’s face.

Daesik chuckled at the sight. Apparently, his business partner Chiwon had misunderstood something upon realizing Heeseong was an omega. Still, Daesik didn’t bother correcting him. Instead, he brought up another topic—one that had been lingering.

It was about the guy who’d been nosing around both Taebaekgwan and the motel lately.

“Is that prosecutor still coming around?”

“He’s in the room next door right now.”

“Looks like the prosecutor has a lot of time on his hands.”

“He won’t last much longer anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Jang Chiwon answered casually. Daesik agreed, the corner of his lips curling up.

Whatever scent that prosecutor had caught wind of, he was no different from the rest. Daesik gave a slight nod and turned to Heeseong.

“If you’ve checked everything, let’s go.”

As Daesik stood, Heeseong quickly got up too—his hands loaded with bags of packed food.

Chiwon and Daesik stepped out first, and Heeseong followed close behind. Just as he stepped into the hallway, a voice laced with amusement rang out.

“What kind of secret are you sharing like that? Now I’m curious.”

At one end of the second-floor hallway, a man was leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette. He wore a navy suit and had a sharp, tense appearance. His neatly styled hair and piercing eyes only intensified that impression.

Heeseong froze in place for a completely different reason than when he’d seen the boss or Chiwon. Sensing his panic, Daesik gently placed a hand on his shoulder and explained in a low voice.

“Why are you so scared? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Daesik said it like it was nothing, but Heeseong still felt a pang of guilt. It wasn’t now, but it would be something he was about to do.

The boss didn’t know what Heeseong had planned, and that made him feel a little guilty too. After all, it was something bad involving a guest staying at the boss’s motel. As Heeseong sank into thought, Chiwon stepped forward and politely addressed the man.

“Smoking isn’t allowed inside. Please smoke outside.”

“No thanks.”

The man blew cigarette smoke directly into Chiwon’s face.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Even someone as oblivious as Heeseong could feel it.

Chiwon’s smile deepened for just a moment. At that, Daesik tugged on Heeseong’s arm.

“Looks like they’re about to fight. Let’s go.”

Heeseong agreed wholeheartedly and followed Daesik quietly.

“Hold on, you there.”

But the man immediately stopped them. His gaze, which had been fixed on Chiwon, now turned toward them. Chiwon’s smooth smile froze ever so slightly.

“What’s the matter, Prosecutor?”

Daesik twisted his lips at the sudden irritation he felt. It was obvious the man wasn’t calling for him—he was clearly staring at the dazed Heeseong. And that was what bothered Daesik the most.

“Not you. Him.”

“M-Me?”

Heeseong blinked and pointed a finger at himself. Wait, what? I wasn’t even doing anything… With a confused look, he glanced at the man, who narrowed his eyes.

“Are you being threatened?”

Heeseong blinked again, unsure what the man was even talking about. He’d suddenly called him out, and now he was asking something totally strange.

Heeseong knew the boss was a gangster, of course. But to him, the boss was a surprisingly decent guy who had fed him and even given him a job when he had nowhere else to go. He was on a completely different level from the thugs who used to beat him up all the time.

In Heeseong’s eyes, the boss looked like a country gangster who did little else aside from running a rundown motel in a quiet rural town. So the question—whether he was being threatened—sounded totally absurd. What nonsense. The people who actually threatened me weren’t even him.

“No? I’m an employee. The boss bought me food.”

Even though he wasn’t the one being misunderstood, Heeseong felt oddly wronged. Shaking his head firmly, he answered with conviction. The man’s face twisted into something strange.

“The boss is a good guy… why are you saying that?”

Heeseong’s tone as he asked back was full of scolding, as if to say, “He’s a good person—why are you judging him like that?”