PM Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Heeseong tilted his head as he held the now silent phone. The anxiety that had gripped him from the customers’ foul language at the counter quickly vanished, replaced by curiosity.

Daesik, who had been waiting patiently, spoke the moment Heeseong put the receiver down.

“Next time, don’t be scared and speak firmly.”

At this rate, how could the kid manage to work? The strange thing was that it didn’t annoy or bother Daesik in the least. His gaze on Heeseong grew more intent.

“If they keep pushing, just say the boss told you so.”

“Yes…”

His reply was obedient, but his expression looked anything but reassured. He was blinking repeatedly, clearly trying to figure something out. It probably wasn’t because of what Daesik had just said—more likely it was because of that phone call from the guest room.

“Where was the call from?”

“Room 506. They asked to extend their stay. And… they said to prepare the same stuff as last time, but I didn’t get to tell them I’d check and call back.”

“They’re just talking about setting up a job. No need to call them again.”

Oh, so that’s what it was. Heeseong nodded, understanding now.

Daesik, watching him nod, reached out and grabbed a pen from the holder. Then he pulled out a sticky note from the drawer and began jotting something down as he explained.

“Calls will come from the guest rooms or the basement. You just need to tell the difference between those two. Anything from the rooms—aside from extensions—should usually be referred to the basement.”

It seemed like explaining it wasn’t enough, so he wrote it down himself. Peeling the sticky note off, he stuck it just below the memos Heeseong had posted on one side of the counter.

“For most stuff, just answer them, write it down, and let me know later. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Heeseong nodded quietly as he looked at what Daesik had written. It was much neater than what he’d written himself. Wow, even the boss’s handwriting is cool. Compared to his own bubbly letters, the straight and tidy script looked more mature and intelligent. Heeseong couldn’t help but envy the nice handwriting as he carefully read the note.

While he was reading, Daesik continued.

“Just tell me or Kyunghoon. He’s the guy who brought the sandwiches. Got it?”

“Yes.”

So the guy who brought the sandwiches is named Kyunghoon. Since he was a kind person, it seemed like a good idea to remember his name. Heeseong, who felt thankful not only to the one who bought him food but also to the one who brought it, thought Kyunghoon must be a good gangster too. Of course, if Daesik was such a generous and kind gangster, it only made sense his subordinate would be too.

Kyunghoon, who had only run a simple errand, was now gaining points in Heeseong’s eyes just by association.

The crowd of customers had disappeared and things quieted down again, but unlike earlier, Heeseong felt a bit down. Remembering how flustered and clumsy he’d been earlier put a damper on his mood.

He’d tried to do well, but somehow things hadn’t gone smoothly. Whenever people shouted or rushed him, Heeseong got more nervous and made more mistakes. Even if he didn’t want to, it just happened. Blaming his own clumsiness, he drooped his shoulders.

As Daesik sat back at his desk and looked through some papers, he glanced over at Heeseong the moment he heard a heavy sigh.

“What’s with that face?”

“I just feel bad.”

“For what?”

“For messing up earlier…”

Daesik’s eyebrows arched at Heeseong’s tiny voice. A dry chuckle escaped him. He’d never expected Heeseong to be good at the job in the first place. The reason he put him at the counter was just to see how he’d manage. Well, and because the kid was amusing enough—what with his eagerness and his little memos—that he went along with it a bit.

When he had to leave the desk, his plan was to have Kyunghoon cover the counter, like usual. If needed, he could just call someone up from the basement crew.

As he watched the dejected Heeseong, Daesik’s eyes narrowed faintly.

“…You just started. How could you be good at it already?”

“Still…”

Despite Daesik’s words, Heeseong’s shoulders didn’t lift.

Honestly, whether the kid sulked or not, whether he lived a hard life because of his slowness and naivety, it didn’t matter to Daesik. He could’ve just ignored him. But oddly enough, he couldn’t stop noticing this pitiful puppy of a kid.

It was like watching a goldfish that had stopped swimming and just floated around. For some reason, he didn’t want to leave him like that.

A corner of his mind warned that all this behavior might just be a way to attract attention—but even so, the words that came out of Daesik’s mouth were surprisingly gentle.

“You’ll get the hang of it eventually, so stop worrying and pick something from the menu.”

“The menu…?”

“You haven’t eaten lunch?”

Oh. Heeseong realized how late it had gotten and was surprised. He’d been so preoccupied he hadn’t noticed. Now that it was mentioned, he was hungry. The little sandwich he’d eaten earlier had long since disappeared along with his nervous energy.

His eyes rolled as he gulped and asked,

“Do I get to choose again this time?”

“Don’t want to?”

“N-No!”

Heeseong shook his head vigorously and broke into a wide grin. His face, crinkled with laughter, looked cheerful. Just talking about food seemed to lift his spirits again.

Daesik found Heeseong’s simplicity surprisingly endearing. Guess I’ll have to keep bribing him with food. He didn’t even realize he was trying to comfort Heeseong, or that he was already thinking ahead about what to do with him.

If it had been one of his subordinates acting like that, he would’ve thrown a punch without hesitation. But with Heeseong, he didn’t feel that impulse. That face, barely bigger than a chestnut, could be covered with the palm of his hand, and those slim, noodle-like limbs didn’t invite hitting either.

Maybe it was because he looked so weak and shaky—whether he was acting or not, it just kept nagging at Daesik. He’d never cared about stuff like this before, but now, somehow, it felt worth caring about.

As he stared at Heeseong in silence, Daesik’s eyebrows rose slightly. He’s way too skinny. No wonder he’s always dozing off and looking faint. I should feed him more and put some weight on him.

Once he made up his mind, Daesik immediately contacted Kyunghoon. As soon as Kyunghoon picked up, Daesik summoned him, then left the basement crew in charge of the counter during lunch and dragged Heeseong outside without warning.

He placed a familiar hand on Heeseong’s shoulder, and seeing the boy obediently follow along made the corners of Daesik’s lips lift. So tame.

Completely unaware of what Daesik was thinking, Heeseong was too busy debating lunch options. Since the sweet and sour pork and cutlet from last time were still in the fridge, he figured he should try something different today.

Then, Daesik suddenly asked,

“Have you decided?”

Heeseong’s eyes sparkled as he nodded.

“Yes! Kimbap!”

“….”

Daesik frowned slightly and stared at him. That choice was so plain, it bordered on pitiful. Kimbap, of all things?

“That’s it?”

Does he not even think to ask for something better? Is he pretending to be modest on purpose, trying to win favor with some unexpected behavior? Or maybe trying to lower Daesik’s guard?

“Yes.”

“Why only one thing? You’re not picking more?”

Even while feeling suspicious, Daesik still didn’t like the idea of kimbap being the only item. In his mind, kimbap wasn’t even a proper meal—it was a snack.

“I had a sandwich earlier, so kimbap should be enough.”

“You’re not hungry?”

“No, I am… but I don’t think I can eat that much…”

Daesik was baffled. That sandwich had been eaten at eight in the morning—how could he still be full from it? Could food really sit in your stomach that long?

From Daesik’s point of view, Heeseong was someone who didn’t eat real meals, only snacks.

He’d already thought of Heeseong as looking like a goldfish or a squirrel, and now even his eating habits matched. But seriously—how could a person survive eating that little? He couldn’t believe it, and his face started to stiffen on its own.

“So just kimbap?”

“Yes, one roll.”

One roll, he said. Daesik was speechless. Just one roll?

How small is his stomach, seriously? Daesik’s gaze dropped to Heeseong’s stomach. Judging by that narrow waist, his stomach probably was small.

Maybe I should feed him small amounts more frequently? That might be the best way to fatten him up. For people with tiny stomachs, forcing too much food at once always backfires. Feeding him multiple times in small portions seemed like the smarter option.

And clearly, someone like Heeseong—with nerves as small as a bean—would completely shut down if pressured too much.

“….”

As Daesik let out a quiet sigh, he suddenly paused mid-thought.

Why the hell am I thinking about all this?