PM Chapter 16

Chapter 16

He couldn’t believe he was seriously trying to figure out how to fatten up a part-time worker.

Why should he care whether Yoon Heeseong gained weight or not, ate well or barely ate? It had nothing to do with him—even less with the short time they’d be spending together.

Then he came up with a rational reason. If the kid was that frail, he might collapse or die before revealing his real intentions. That would be a hassle. Once he found a reason for his strange behavior, Daesik pushed the thoughts aside.

“Pick more. Don’t clutch your stomach after eating just a roll of gimbap.”

He meant that if Heeseong was going to complain about being hungry, he should eat more now. Heeseong slowly closed and opened his wide eyes at Daesik’s words. If that’s all it took, then sure. As he stared blankly, Daesik added,

“One roll won’t even stick to your ribs.”

A single roll was plenty for Heeseong, but from the boss’s perspective, it seemed pitifully little. Then again, Daesik’s appetite had always surpassed even his older brother’s, so maybe it made sense. Remembering how Daesik had devoured a sandwich that Heeseong couldn’t finish half of this morning in just a few bites, Heeseong nodded repeatedly.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

So you’re thinking about how I won’t go hungry. Heeseong was even a little touched. Smiling like a squirrel holding an acorn, he began seriously considering the other menu options. With shoulders that had stiffened from tension all morning finally drooping, Heeseong rolled his eyes around in thought.

Daesik patiently waited for Heeseong to decide. In the meantime, the car they had been waiting for pulled up. Daesik asked the still-undecided Heeseong,

“Picked something?”

“Uh… no…”

A faint anxiety crept up in Heeseong. He had taken too long to decide—what if Daesik took back the offer?

“I’m not taking it back, so take your time.”

Daesik chuckled and opened the car door that Kyunghoon had brought around. It was amazing how he could read Heeseong’s mind like that. Not realizing how plainly his emotions showed on his face, Heeseong was surprised. To Daesik, though, it was just amusing.

The pondering continued even after they got in the car. Daesik tilted his head, quietly watching Heeseong. Even with him staring openly, Heeseong remained oblivious, completely absorbed in thought.

Suddenly narrowing his eyes, Daesik reached out and grabbed Heeseong’s thin wrist. The smoothness of the skin, like ivory, was starkly pale as if it absorbed the light. He turned the wrist gently, inspecting it. The skin beneath his fingertips was as soft as marble.

The wrist was half the size of his own, and the forearm was just as slender. Fragile thing. As Daesik studied him, his gaze lifted to Heeseong’s face.

Watching Heeseong move passively with every pull, Daesik realized something else. Heeseong, who grew bolder around food, didn’t just get braver while eating. He got dull while thinking about food too. Or maybe that’s just how he was when deep in thought?

He wouldn’t even notice if someone carried him off. Daesik smirked and raised one brow.

From the driver’s seat, Kyunghoon flared his nostrils at what he saw in the rearview mirror. What the hell was he witnessing? Was this reality? A dream? It was shocking. Last time was surprising, but this—this was next-level.

Holding his wrist? And waiting for him to pick something from the menu? Either his eyes were broken, or the world had gone mad.

At this point, Kyunghoon couldn’t help but wonder where this kid had even come from. That must’ve been why Daesik had him run a background check in the middle of the night.

“Look into Yoon Heeseong.”

Was he targeting Daesik? Or just a poor lodger caught in something bigger? Kyunghoon studied Heeseong’s clear face with a suspicious gaze.

Meanwhile, Heeseong, who had been deciding as slowly as a turtle, finally came to a conclusion. The riot of delicious foods in his head, all shouting to be picked, had made the decision harder.

“I’ve decided, boss.”

“What.”

“Noodles!”

He had seriously considered tteokbokki, but noodles won in the end. Just thinking about sharing them made him feel happy.

Watching Heeseong’s face light up, Daesik let out a snort at the simple choice. After all that time thinking, he expected something fancy. But it was just noodles and gimbap.

“Let’s go to a noodle shop.”

“Yes.”

As the car smoothly pulled away, Daesik suddenly asked,

“That’s enough for you?”

“Yes!”

Heeseong nodded and laughed. Whether he hadn’t noticed that Daesik was still holding his wrist or simply didn’t care, it was unclear. Even as Daesik casually brushed his thumb along the inside of his wrist, Heeseong just kept smiling, completely lost in thoughts of noodles and gimbap.

Or maybe he was just used to it?

“….”

It was possible. Especially if he was willing to approach someone like Daesik. As he slowly mulled it over, Daesik found his mood dipping. A strange discomfort crept in, and his brow furrowed. It didn’t sit right.

Bothered by the unpleasant feeling simmering in his chest, Daesik blurted it out, half on impulse.

“Why’s your wrist so thin? You need to gain some weight.”

He ran his hand down the wrist as he said it, eyes on Heeseong. That was when Heeseong finally noticed his wrist was being held and let out a small, awkward sound, trying to gently pull away.

When Daesik didn’t let go, Heeseong blinked rapidly in flustered confusion. It didn’t seem like he was used to this—it was more like he was just slow on the uptake. Clueless thing. Feeling slightly better, Daesik teased lightly.

“You think you can work like this?”

“…I’m sturdier than I look!”

Heeseong spoke with a nervous face, unsure of what had just crossed his mind.

“Really?”

“Yes…! I used to carry baskets full of kimchi at the kimchi factory! I hardly even catch colds!”

As soon as Daesik asked in a disinterested tone, Heeseong anxiously began listing reasons why he was actually strong. But every reason he gave was laughably weak. Daesik curled his lips in a smirk.

“You look like you’d snap if I put a little pressure on you.”

As he spoke, he gently tightened his grip around Heeseong’s wrist. Heeseong swallowed hard and froze on the spot, holding his breath.

Fresh memories suddenly bubbled up in his mind.

Back then, the gangsters hit him when they were bored, hit him when they were annoyed, hit him when they weren’t having fun—they hit him for just about anything. He knew, rationally, that Daesik wasn’t like those thugs, but the body remembers what the brain tries to forget. When trauma runs deep, the response becomes automatic.

He fidgeted and watched Daesik nervously, prompting a sharp click of the tongue.

“Why’re you so scared? Who said I’d break it?”

With his brow raised in slight irritation, Daesik eventually let go of his wrist. With the kid trembling in fear, he couldn’t even joke properly.

“Can’t even tease you.”

Only then did Heeseong let out the breath he’d been holding. And then he felt embarrassed—for being scared for no reason. What’s wrong with me? The thought left a dull ache in his chest.

The car drove down a narrow road lined with thick trees. It wasn’t the same path they’d taken to Taebaekgwan last time, so it must be just a regular noodle place this time. Heeseong blinked as he gazed at the blur of green trees passing by.

After a short drive, they entered a town with many low buildings. It definitely felt different from the area near Taebaekgwan. People were visible here and there, and a small bus sped by in a rush.

The moment the car pulled to a stop on the roadside, Heeseong, still a bit shriveled from the wrist-grabbing incident, began to feel a little better. It was because he spotted the noodle shop through the car window. His face lit up instantly.

Even as he stepped out of the car, he was busy smacking his lips. Following Daesik toward the shop, a sudden thought struck him, and he called out quietly just as Daesik was about to open the door.

“Um… Boss.”

“What.”

Daesik’s puzzled gaze fell on him. It was the kind of look that said, “What are you standing around for?” Heeseong hesitated, then asked in a small voice,

“…What about the gimbap?”

They’d come to a noodle shop, not a gimbap place. Heeseong started to worry about what would happen to the gimbap. He’d chosen noodles only because he wanted to eat them with gimbap—in truth, gimbap had been the priority.

“You think I’m not getting you gimbap? They sell both here.”

Daesik let out a soft chuckle, and Heeseong’s face brightened once again.

“Noodles and gimbap are enough for you?”

“Yes.”

Seated and nodding enthusiastically, Heeseong blinked and looked around as Daesik went up to place their order. He noticed that the subordinate who had driven them here—and who had also bought him a sandwich last time—was nowhere in sight.

Maybe he wasn’t eating with them because he was just a subordinate?

“Um… the driver—he’s not eating?”

The gangsters he’d met before usually made their underlings stand around while they ate, but something about Daesik made him think he wouldn’t do that. After all, he even took care of a part-time worker like Heeseong.

At the cautious question, Daesik raised an eyebrow. Even this morning, he’d been like this—was Heeseong getting attached to Kyunghoon or something? His gaze narrowed slightly.