PM Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Traditionally, someone who bought you a meal was a good person. At least from Heeseong’s perspective, that was true.

Not only had he been beaten and dragged around by those thugs, but even on normal days, Heeseong often went hungry. He had a particular weakness for food. Maybe it was because he’d grown up without enough of it.

To Heeseong, the only things that really mattered were food and his one remaining family member—his brother. He didn’t have much else to hold on to in life. Everything else felt meaningless.

Heeseong followed the motel owner without question. He had been on high alert when they discussed suppressants, but once he got them, his guard dropped.

As he was led outside the motel by the owner, the thick summer air rushed up to meet him. Between the green leaves, the setting sun peeked through. Bathed in the orange glow of dusk, the two of them stepped out through the motel entrance.

Heeseong, going wherever he was taken, started to wonder what they might eat. It would be nice if he could choose. As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly blinked.

“Uh, sir?”

“What.”

“Is it okay to leave the motel unattended?”

What if the counter got raided with no owner or staff present? He didn’t know anything about running a motel, but he figured it wasn’t a great idea to just leave it empty.

Unless there were subordinates or something… but it didn’t seem like he had any. Not from what he’d seen. Thugs usually moved in groups, like those guys earlier and the ones who’d dumped him here.

Compared to them, the owner looked downright pathetic in Heeseong’s eyes. He must’ve been a run-of-the-mill thug who happened to run a surprisingly decent motel out here in the quiet countryside. Other than the fact that he used his fists, he didn’t seem much different from a regular guy like Heeseong.

Heeseong, who had been trying hard to live right, genuinely worried about the surprisingly decent owner. If the place got robbed, it’s not like he could report it—he was a gangster, after all. With such concerns in his head, Heeseong glanced up at the owner, then back at the motel.

“……”

What the hell. Daesik was so stunned, he was momentarily speechless as he stared at Heeseong. Based on everything that had happened so far, shouldn’t he be able to put two and two together? Was he really just a goldfish? Though come to think of it, people did say goldfish were smart.

“You really think I don’t have any other employees?”

“Uh… I thought you didn’t.”

Heeseong answered blankly and added, “Then I guess it’s fine.” Daesik found that so ridiculous, he let out a snort.

“What, were you actually worried?”

“Yeah. Someone could break in, you know.”

“Hahaha!”

Daesik threw his head back and laughed loudly. In all his life, he’d never met someone who worried about gangsters getting robbed. It was so absurd, it left him speechless. Heeseong’s completely illogical concern was so funny it almost brought tears to his eyes.

This kid’s hilarious.

Shaking with laughter, Daesik finally managed to calm himself down and raised a hand. He reached out and ruffled Heeseong’s soft hair roughly.

“Stop overthinking and just pick something to eat.”

Heeseong leaned back and frowned, then opened his eyes wide.

“I get to choose?”

“Who else would?”

Eyes sparkling, Heeseong lit up. The owner was turning out to be a much nicer gangster than he expected.

As Daesik looked down at Heeseong smacking his lips in anticipation, one of his eyebrows lifted slightly. Those small, plump lips, like perfectly ripe cherries, caught his attention. Of all things, Heeseong’s faint scent had a hint of cherry too. Daesik thought, how fitting.

Suddenly, his throat felt dry. Just as Daesik’s eyes darkened with intensity, a black car pulled up in front of the motel.

He pushed Heeseong into the car and climbed in right after. Kyunghoon, sitting in the driver’s seat, asked,

“Where to, sir?”

“Did you choose?”

At Kyunghoon’s question, Daesik looked over at Heeseong.

“Not yet.”

“Let’s drive around for a bit.”

“Understood.”

The sharp-featured man in the driver’s seat seemed to be the boss’s subordinate. From the impression he gave off, he didn’t feel like a regular employee—more like a subordinate, just as Daesik had said. So he did have someone working for him after all. With that thought, Heeseong went back to focusing on the dinner menu.

His eyes rolled thoughtfully, and then his brows furrowed hard. His face was full of expression. With his arms crossed, Daesik quietly watched him.

As Heeseong contemplated deeply, his skin looked soft and white like a cotton quilt. His chestnut-colored hair was silky, his small nose had a smooth curve, and his lips were red and plump like cherries. He wasn’t particularly tall or short, but his long limbs gave him good proportions.

The only flaw, if any, was the thick glasses. They made him look like a total nerd. From the lens distortion, it looked like his eyesight was pretty bad. He might look quite decent without them.

“I chose, boss!”

After much serious deliberation, Heeseong finally turned to Daesik.

“What is it?”

“Jjamppong.”

TL/N: Jjamppong (or Jjampong, 짬뽕) is one of the most popular dishes you can order from a Korean-Chinese restaurant. Jjamppong consists of fresh noodles, various vegetables and various seafoods

After all that intense thinking, Daesik expected something big. But jjamppong? That was it? He made a strange face.

“Nothing else?”

“Uh… You don’t like it?”

Heeseong glanced at him cautiously as he asked. Daesik let out a sigh.

“No, I mean—don’t you want anything else? Something more?”

Exercising some patience, Daesik rephrased it in a way Heeseong could understand.

Why am I even explaining this? He twitched an eyebrow, realizing how odd his behavior was. Meanwhile, Heeseong’s eyes sparkled as he responded.

“You’ll buy me more too?”

“Depends. Tell me what you want.”

With a tilt of his chin, Daesik gave him the go-ahead, and Heeseong gasped and took a deep breath. Then, he began folding his fingers one by one as he mumbled.

“Hamburger, pork cutlet, sweet and sour pork, pizza… uh, and I can’t think of the rest.”

What was with the finger counting? Daesik looked at Heeseong like he was observing some kind of strange creature.

“Then why jjamppong?”

“There’s too much—I don’t think I can eat it all.”

“And you can eat all of the jjamppong?”

“…I can eat the toppings.”

Honestly, he wasn’t too sure. Heeseong had a big appetite, but after years of barely eating, his stomach had shrunk. He always ended up in conflict between his brain and his belly. His mind wanted more, but his stomach would fill up quickly. It was a constant mismatch.

As Heeseong hesitated a bit, Daesik caught on right away.

“If you leave any behind, it’s one hit per dish.”

“Gasp.”

“I’m kidding. Can’t say anything around you.”

Daesik shook his head, half-joking.

Listening to the conversation from the driver’s seat, Kyunghoon quietly pinched his own hand. It hurt. So this wasn’t a dream.

No way, this isn’t a dream? Is the world ending tomorrow?

To Kyunghoon, it was that shocking. The infamous Daesik, known for his nasty temper, was buying food—and the conversation was even more baffling. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Daesik looked like his usual self, but the words coming out of his mouth felt foreign.

Asking someone what food they liked? Unthinkable. And joking around? A joke? Not even if the sky fell.

“Let’s go to Taebaekgwan.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kyunghoon quickly adjusted his expression and turned the car around. Then Daesik added,

“This kid will be around the first-floor lobby, so keep that in mind.”

“Understood.”

“He’s an omega, so keep the others in check.”

“…Yes, sir.”

An omega, of all things. That was the biggest shock.

Daesik never kept omegas as subordinates. He didn’t even hire them as staff. Said they disrupted the atmosphere.

Though filled with confusion and disbelief, Kyunghoon, ever the competent subordinate, pushed the questions aside and kept his face blank.

Daesik turned to Heeseong, whose face was glowing with excitement.

“And don’t sell yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

Heeseong answered cheerfully. Like he ever would. The boss clearly didn’t understand that omegas tended to be more cautious. There were more dangers for them, more reasons to be wary than alphas.

Still, the fact that he wasn’t just watching Heeseong but also warning his own men—maybe the boss had more decency and judgment than he seemed. A surprisingly fair and sensible gangster.

Daesik watched Heeseong’s loud reply and raised one eyebrow slightly.

---

The place called Taebaekgwan was in a nearby village. Strangely, the village was deserted, and the buildings were all empty. The scattered houses, shops, factories, and warehouses were all worn down and rusted. The entire place had a gloomy atmosphere. A few buildings had their lights on, but for some reason, it felt eerie.

After passing by several houses, factories, and shop buildings, they arrived at the village center. There stood a five-story building with the name “Taebaekgwan” on it.

Unlike the other empty buildings, Taebaekgwan was surrounded by parked cars. The exterior was green and styled like a Chinese building, with several red lanterns marked with Chinese characters, casting a warm glow around it.

As soon as he got out, Daesik wrapped his arm around Heeseong’s shoulder again and led him toward Taebaekgwan. Heeseong clutched his fluttering heart as he stepped inside with Daesik.