OMS 21
by Cherry“Umm…”
Kim Yoon-ah bit down on her bottom lip. A walnut-sized wrinkle formed on her chin as she thought about what to say next. Lee Hee-soo, paying no attention, was wearing a flashy patterned shirt and had tucked a snake-printed clutch bag under his arm, standing with one leg crossed.
“Like this, perfect! Huh? Isn’t it stylish?”
Kim Yoon-ah forced out a smile. Stylish wasn’t the word…His outfit and posture made him look like a loan shark. Had he not only lost his memories but completely changed his taste as well?
“Well…”
“Is the neck too plain? If I add a gold necklace here, it’ll be killer, right?”
“…”
“Why are you so quiet?”
“You look like a…”
“Hmm?”
You look like a loan shark. Kim Yoon-ah swallowed those words and instead offered a milder suggestion.
“How about this one?”
“Isn’t it too plain?”
“Since you have striking features, a shirt like this would look nice too.”
Kim Yoon-ah glanced at the nearby staff member. Despite being a store they frequently visited, even the employee seemed quite taken aback by Lee Hee-soo’s sudden transformed taste. When Kim Yoon-ah sent a desperate plea for help with her eyes, the employee put on an artificial smile.
“Mr. Hee-soo, you have fair skin, so everything suits you.”
Oh damn. Kim Yoon-ah internally cursed, something she never usually did. Did they sell their conscience just to make a sale? Or were they intimidated because he was a daughter-in-law from a wealthy family? She wanted to shout, “Just be honest!” but it would have been pointless. Afterward, Lee Hee-soo picked out several similar shirts. He seemed determined to reject any shirt without patterns.
Then he told Kim Yoon-ah to choose something.
“I want to buy you something.”
“No, that’s okay.”
“Should we get matching ones? I saw they have women’s sizes too.”
Kim Yoon-ah’s lips trembled. No. Absolutely not. Before she could respond, Lee Hee-soo snapped his fingers. Okay. That’s what he wanted. Then he went straight to the counter to pay. Watching this, Kim Yoon-ah’s face was nearly in tears. Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong?
While shopping at the department store, Park Dong-sik sat in a chair to rest while Kim Yoon-ah went to the bathroom. Even just sitting still made him groan involuntarily. Shopping really wasn’t easy.
When they’d arrived, he’d been excited about buying up all the luxury goods, but as they say, it takes experience to know what to eat. When it came to actually buying things, he didn’t know what to choose, and the astronomical prices were hard to get used to, causing him to put things back more often than not.
As Park Dong-sik sat watching people pass by, he noticed a small fountain nearby and paused. Watching the water spray up reminded him of the morning’s sex. Who would have thought he’d see a fountain show right before his eyes.
Shit. It was actually possible….
Without realizing it, he smiled like a pervert.
“That bastard Kim Tae-han…He might have lost his conscience, but he sure knows how to fuck…”
He even has a strong stomach. Who would have imagined he’d take it in the face? While he wasn’t sure exactly why Lee Hee-soo had gotten involved with her brother-in-law, he suspected that skilled technique might have played a part in it.
And what about Kim Jun-han? Though he wasn’t 100% certain, the more he saw that guy, the more he suspected something was wrong down there. Either extremely small, extremely thin, or maybe it doesn’t even get up at all. Or perhaps all three? Small, thin, and doesn’t work?
Right, God wouldn’t have given everything to one person.
He must have given that guy some shortcomings too. If that shortcoming happened to be his dick…
“Ah… poor bastard…”
While muttering to himself, he heard movement behind him and turned to find Kim Yoon-ah standing there.
“You startled me. How long have you been standing there?”
“I just got here, but you were looking at the fountain so contentedly. Did you remember something?”
Park Dong-sik smiled mysteriously.
“I don’t know, but I have the feeling that apparently I used to like fountains.”
Kim Yoon-ah’s face brightened.
“That’s right! You used to sit in front of the fountain in the yard often. You said watching the water spray up cleared your blocked chest!”
“It was thrilling.”
“Oh my. Really? I hope spring comes soon. Then we can see the fountain every day.”
“Well, we don’t have to see it only in the yard.”
“Pardon?”
Leaving the confused Kim Yoon-ah behind, Park Dong-sik gathered the shopping bags. Kim Yoon-ah quickly ran over.
“Please, let me carry those.”
“It’s fine. You must be tired from following me around today.”
“But still—”
“Hey, I said it’s fine. Oh, by the way, can we stop by a jewelry store on the way home?”
“A jewelry store…?”
“I want to buy a necklace.”
“Surely not…”
“Is gold expensive these days?”
Kim Yoon-ah’s expression darkened again, but Park Dong-sik didn’t seem to notice. His mind was filled only with thoughts of a pure gold necklace. While cash stayed the same, gold would eventually rise in value. It wasn’t a bad investment for the future.
Just as they were about to leave for the parking lot, Park Dong-sik’s expression hardened when he spotted familiar faces on the escalator. Moon Ho-cheol, whom he used to call “boss,” was coming down with his mistress by his side and his thugs in tow.
He quickly turned away, but it was too late. One of the guys who’d seen him at Manager Jang’s shop recognized him and called out “Huh?” Park Dong-sik hurriedly called to Kim Yoon-ah.
“Ms. Yoon-ah. Let’s go outside.”
“What?”
He grabbed the confused Kim Yoon-ah’s arm and rushed through the revolving door. As he looked for a place to hide, a loud voice called from behind.
“Hey, wait a moment!”
Park Dong-sik stopped walking. Ah, shit. They caught up fast. Resigned, he turned around to see Moon Ho-cheol approaching with a leisurely swagger. The thug who’d been behind him jumped forward to make his presence known.
“Pretty boss, you’re the one from the butcher shop, right? The one who paid Manager Jang’s debt.”
Park Dong-sik furrowed his brow.
“Who are you again?”
“Come on, don’t be cold. But today you brought a woman. Is she your girlfriend?”
Without hesitation, Kim Yoon-ah tried to stop them.
“Step back.”
“We have nothing to say to you, miss. We just want to talk with your boss here.”
When Kim Yoon-ah took out her phone, Moon Ho-cheol stepped forward. Though he was a head shorter than his thugs, his solid build and fierce gaze couldn’t be hidden. He walked up to Kim Yoon-ah but kept his eyes fixed firmly on Park Dong-sik.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Moon Ho-cheol. My boys told me about you, and I’ve been curious. What a coincidence meeting you here.”
It seemed pointless to keep pretending not to know them. Park Dong-sik stepped forward, stopping Kim Yoon-ah. Right, I’m not Park Dong-sik. I’m no longer the dog who cleaned up after Moon Ho-cheol. Come to think of it, I had to put up with so much shit working under him. I only stuck around because I had nowhere else to go with my criminal record, but he was a man without loyalty or anything else. And while he always claimed to have no money, here he was shopping with his mistress…that bastard…
“What are you curious about? I don’t have time, so make it quick. I’ll give you five minutes.”
“Such a delicate-looking person with a fiery personality. I heard you settled Manager Jang’s debt. What’s your relationship with him?”
“I don’t know him.”
“You don’t know him?”
“No. We’re strangers.”
“I heard you were his sponsor.”
“Are you crazy? You think I’d get involved with some pot-bellied old man? I just felt sorry for him passing by and paid it off. That amount is pocket change to me anyway.”
Moon Ho-cheol’s eyes sparkled. He had a nose for money. He was probably racking his brains trying to figure out how to lure in this young, wealthy man. Park Dong-sik pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. After patting his pockets, he looked down at Moon Ho-cheol.
“I don’t have a lighter on me.”
One of Moon Ho-cheol’s thugs tried to step forward, but Park Dong-sik shook his head and gestured at Moon Ho-cheol with his chin.
“The one with business should light it.”
Moon Ho-cheol smirked. Ah, making him lose face in front of his boys. He ran a hand through his hair before lighting the cigarette with one hand, apparently trying to preserve what little dignity he had left.
Park Dong-sik took a deep drag and carelessly blew the smoke in his face.
Moon Ho-cheol’s cheek twitched, and Park Dong-sik’s lips curled up.
“So. What’s your business?”
Moon Ho-cheolpulled out his wallet and handed over a business card that read ‘Zeus Capital.’
“This is who I am. I know it’s rude to ask at the first meeting, but how about we discuss business somewhere private?”
Park Dong-sik gave the card a cursory glance. He’d seen it enough times when he was living as Park Dong-sik anyway.
“Capital…so loan sharking?”
“Come on, we’re different from those common loan sharks. We’ve recently expanded into resort development too. Perhaps you know Kim Jae-kwon? He has the most cash in the Jongno area. I’m very close with him.”
You bastard. Throwing around big talk here. Close friends? After just having a few meals together, he’s exaggerating like this? Park Dong-sik smiled and flicked the business card held between his index and middle fingers. The card flew sharply and landed precisely in a nearby trash can, surprising Kim Yoon-ah and the thugs behind them.
“People should know their place, but our Manager Moon doesn’t seem to understand that.”
Moon Ho-cheol’s eyebrow twitched. Seeing his neck turn red, he must have been quite angry. Park Dong-sik’s fingertips tingled with the pleasure of stepping on someone who used to make him grovel daily.
“Are we done talking?”
Moon Ho-cheol gave a hollow laugh and muttered a curse. But he couldn’t do anything more than that. Being cunning like a fox, he must have noticed. Just looking at the clothes, watch, and shoes Lee Hee-soo wore, it was clear this was no ordinary person.
Park Dong-sik gave Moon Ho-cheol a contemptuous look before turning away sharply.
“Let’s go, Manager Kim. We’ve just wasted time here.”
Relief was evident on Kim Yoon-ah’s face. As they walked away, Park Dong-sik remained slightly tense. What if Moon Ho-cheol ran up and slapped him? What if he kicked him in the shin? But these were needless worries. Because, after all, I’m not Park Dong-sik anymore.