DS Ch 3

Eun-myeong’s shoulders slumped. He regained his composure and looked around the room, which was in complete disarray as if a storm had swept through. Dirty shoeprints covered the floor, and everything was turned upside down, from the closet to the dining table.

What could be happening to his sister? Why were these gangsters looking for her?

The Eun-joo he knew would never harm anyone. She considered causing trouble a sin and regarded others’ possessions as precious, even a single grain of rice.

“…”

His sister… Where could his sister have gone? It would be good if she ran away like the gangster said, but if something bad happened…? He felt a shiver down his spine

“…Ah.”

What should he do? Eun-myeong walked around the house nervously. He was picking at the hangnails next to his fingernails.

Finally, he lay flat on his stomach on the dirty floor. He reached his fingers into the dark crevice under the wardrobe, but there was nothing there. He even opened and closed the refrigerator door, climbing onto a chair to inspect the top of the fridge.

Nothing. His sister’s trace was nowhere to be found. There were no signs left, not a single one.

This was his sister, who always told him whenever she went somewhere, even if it was to the bathhouse on the weekend or to the grocery in front of their house to buy ramen. Anxious thoughts permeated his skin, pricking at his chest. His heart raced nervously.

“… I need to go to a raw fish restaurant.”

As his thoughts kept trying to go in a bad direction, Eun-myeong hit his temple with his fist a few times. He quickly unfolded his knees and stood up. If it wasn’t at home, maybe there was a clue left at the workplace.

Since he was stupid anyway, there was nothing he could gain by squatting like this and just thinking about it.

* * *

Eun-myeong walked quickly. As he strolled along the beach in the early morning, the distinct salty smell of the sea pierced his nose, and the moisture clung to his cheeks like spiderwebs.

Soon, he spotted the restaurant in the distance. It was bustling even from a distance. The restaurant, known as “The King’s Fishery,” where his sister and he worked, was one of the most famous places in the area, drawing many customers.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

“Oh, Eun-myeong!”

Hyo-jin, who was in the middle of serving, widened her eyes. Her short bob hair swayed.

“What brings you here?”

There was a welcoming smile on her face as she approached, rubbing her hands on the apron. She was inquiring why he had come to work on a Wednesday, the only day off he had each week. Eun-myeong shrugged his round shoulders.

He observed her reaction, rolling his eyes as if to assess what she understood. She didn’t seem to have noticed that something was amiss. Her complexion didn’t reflect any awareness of the death of the boss.

Eun-myeong didn’t forget and looked at the behavior of the people at the raw fish restaurant. Everyone seemed to be busy working. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief as the atmosphere was no different from usual.

“Uh, yeah… I left something in the break room.”

Eun-myeong answered vaguely.

“I’m sorry, Noona, I’m in a hurry right now, so I’ll find it quickly.”

“Oh, sure, sure!”

He rambled, trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. If he let the conversation linger, he might reveal something suspicious. Then, he turned on his heel and swiftly headed down the narrow corridor beside the restrooms.

Once inside the room, he carefully closed the door, blocking out the noise from outside.

The space was rather small, about the size of a single room. The window was too small and only let in dim light. On one side, there were lockers for the staff. The cabinet his sister used was locked with a padlock.

‘What should I do…?’

Upon closer examination, the padlock seemed very old and ready to pop open with just a little push. Eun-myeong discreetly brought a green laundry pin from the counter. He gently tried to slide it under the padlock. With a soft click, the padlock gave way quite easily.

With a nervous heart, he opened the door. It creaked with a rusty sound.

“…”

Worn-out clothes, old slippers, adhesive plasters, even hair ties – everything was shabby and completely worn out as if the clothing collection bin had been transferred there.

Eun-myeong held on to the worn-out clothes and then put them down. As he removed them one by one, there was a notebook buried and hidden inside. It was his first time seeing the diary.

He carefully picked it up and flipped through the first page.

[January 8, 18 snow crabs, 38red crabs, 15 king crabs]

“What is this…?”

There was an address next to it, likely for delivery. While the restaurant was famed for its crab because it was filling, there was no apparent reason to separate and note down the quantities of crabs like this.

Eun-myeong flipped through a few more pages. The thin sheets of paper flipped one after another.

[July 9, 112 snow crabs, 41 red crabs, 79 king crabs]

.

.

.

[August 13: 221 snow crabs, 128 red crabs, 129 king crabs]

Most of the entries followed a similar pattern. Even in August, when it wasn’t crab season, the quantities increased. The delivery addresses were scattered all over the country – Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Cheonan, and so on.

What on earth was this? It was utter confusion. Eun-myeong carefully closed the notebook and tucked it inside his hooded jacket.

Eun-myeong carefully closed his sister’s cabinet door and stared at the name written in small letters, Lee Eun-joo.

His older sister had been working at this seafood restaurant for over five years, and her belongings consisted of only these few items. It made his heart feel heavy for no apparent reason.

“…”

He walked out of the room with damp eyes. When he found his shoes again and put them on, he realized how hastily he had left, wearing slippers without socks.

Eun-myeong hurriedly put on his slippers and shuffled throughout the restaurant. Various scents overwhelmed his senses despite the short distance. There was a mixture of scents in the air, and he could even smell the old metal tables. The nose of a mere Omega like him was exceptionally sensitive when it came to sniffing out scents

As he continued walking, he suddenly came to a halt.

“Uh…”

His round eyes caught something at the entrance. Amid the chaotic blend of scents inside the restaurant, something pierced through and entered his nose. This fiercely intense scent was undoubtedly…

A warning signal blared like a siren in his head. He knew he had to avoid it right away, but like an elk facing a fast-moving car, Eun-myeong ended up frozen in place.

The door creaked open.

A massive figure entered, pushing aside the curtain. He was almost the size of a door itself, and Eun-myeong was sure he had seen this gigantic bear-like man in the yard.

Following closely behind was the man from before. The shabby overhead lights cast their glow on him as he walked forward. His suit, worn like armor, gleamed like the smooth luster of a black lion’s fur.

“Look at those people…”

With shoulders wide as a door, hair cropped extremely short, a black suit that reeked of displeasure, and thick gold necklaces hanging around his thick neck.

Anyone could tell they belonged to that world. People involuntarily hushed their voices and cringed, their throats tightened. The bustling restaurant was now silenced.

Eun-myeong stiffened.

How many of you are here?”

Hyo-jin, who had been frozen in place, moved like a robot and approached them.

“Two.”

The bear held up two fingers, and Hyo-jin guided them to their seats.

“Please, have a seat here.”

Even though it was a four-seater table, the space appeared cramped due to their immense size. Eun-myeong remained standing as rigid as a rock.

“Uh… What would you like to order?”

As Hyo-jin asked cautiously, a few words were exchanged at the table.

“Isn’t this the pale-faced Eun-myeong?”

Hyojin glanced back and looked at Eun-myeong. A look of bewilderment was evident on his face. She then approached Eun-myeong.

“Eun-myeong, do you know this person?”

She whispered. Eun-myeong couldn’t bring himself to respond and simply looked in the direction of the man. He hadn’t made direct eye contact with the man, but he could still tell. The man was looking at him.

“He’s looking at you…”

Hyojin seemed to be flustered with this situation. 

“Should I remind him that you’re on your day off today?”

“No, Noona…”

The man had undoubtedly been watching him from the moment he entered the restaurant. He must have known that Eun-myeong worked here.

“I’ll go.”

Eun-myeong received the menu from Hyojin. 

The one-minute journey to the man’s table felt like it stretched on forever, like a stick of taffy. An intense scent wafted into his nostrils, growing even stronger by the second. A thick, rich scent. His legs trembled.

“C-Customer, wh-what can I get you…”

He stood in front of the table with great effort. He still couldn’t make eye contact. Eun-myeong stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on the man’s waist.

The thick leather belt was tightly cinched around the man’s sturdy waist. Below that, his thighs were inflated like tires, causing his suit pants to strain and stretch to their limit.

“If you order crab, you’ll get a free bottle of soju…”

With each customer’s arrival, Eun-myeong mechanically recited the usual phrases. The man pulled a single cigarette from his pack and put it in his mouth.

The bear-like figure in front of him quickly lit it with the lighter. He raised an eyebrow as he took a drag on the filter.

“Free…”

“Baby.”

The gentle voice that came from up front cut through his words.

Eun-myeong slowly raised his head. His gaze moved deliberately, passing through the man’s tightly stretched shirt and reaching the two unbuttoned buttons on his collar. A silver necklace was visible.

Afterward, cigarette smoke billowed out.

“You met this uncle again.”