PM Chapter 13

Chapter 13

With his cheeks puffed out, Heeseong nodded eagerly. The way he mumbled with his lips slightly pursed made him look like a goldfish chewing on food, and it made the corners of Daesik’s mouth lift slightly.

“Eat up.”

With that, Daesik wiped his hands and took a big bite out of his sandwich. After just a few bites, it was already gone. It was just enough for a light snack. Once he finished and brushed his hands clean, he glanced over at Heeseong, who hadn’t even finished half of his sandwich.

Their eyes met—Heeseong had already been looking at him. The way his eyes widened in surprise made it obvious what he was thinking. His thoughts were always written plainly on his face.

Daesik thought there was no way this goldfish-like guy had the guts, the nerve, or the skill to pull off any kind of scheme. With a face that transparent, what did he think he was doing here? Still, he was curious to see what exactly this guy was going to ask for with this kind of approach.

It was entertaining, so he found himself going along with it without even realizing. Now that it had come to this, he figured he might as well play along for a bit before dropping it. If it really was some high-level act, he’d figure it out eventually by sticking around. And if it wasn’t—well, at least it was amusing. Daesik had already shifted his mindset without realizing it.

Heeseong, completely unaware of what Daesik was thinking, was simply amazed that Daesik had finished eating so fast. He marveled at the way he could eat so quickly, with such a big mouth and rapid pace. Yesterday, when they had sweet and sour pork, Daesik had only eaten one piece, which had made Heeseong feel a bit guilty. This time, thankfully, there was no guilt.

In place of guilt came surprise and admiration. He stared for a moment, forgetting to eat. Then suddenly, a thought crossed his mind—maybe yesterday the boss had let him eat more even though he could have eaten more himself.

Unbelievable. He really was a kind-hearted boss. In Heeseong’s mind, Daesik, who had already been promoted to “really good gangster,” was now evolving into “thoughtfully generous gangster.”

Even his own brother, who shared his blood, had never given up food for him, so Heeseong was honestly touched. The idea that Daesik might be a better person than he’d thought took firm root, like a solid rock.

At the same time, the weight of having to harm this man’s guest pressed down on his chest. When he thought of his brother, he knew he didn’t have a choice.

But it felt wrong to bring trouble to someone who’d been so kind to him. Heeseong grew a little gloomy. Naturally, a worried look spread over his face.

Daesik, who had been happily eating, noticed the shift and was puzzled. What kind of thoughts was he having to suddenly look so down?

“This one’s yours.”

He figured maybe Heeseong was worried he wouldn’t get the last sandwich, so he casually reassured him. At that moment, all the gloomy thoughts that had been dragging Heeseong down washed away like water.

“Uh… really?”

Unbelievable. He was giving up his food again. Heeseong’s gratitude doubled. And then he thought—maybe there was some kind of unspoken reason why Daesik had ended up becoming a gangster. He remembered what his brother had once said, that everyone has their own circumstances. Reflecting on his own narrow view, he felt a little ashamed.

“I ordered more so you could eat it. You’re too scrawny to order anything for yourself anyway.”

Though he spoke like he was scolding him, there was nothing harsh in Daesik’s tone or expression. There was no look of contempt or disdain. He was on a completely different level from those thugs who’d always raised a hand or hurled curses before anything else.

Heeseong felt a lump rise in his throat. It was as touching as when Daesik had shared his food. A boss who cared about his part-timer—unbelievable. He thought maybe he’d lucked out on another good job, second only to the kimchi factory.

Daesik raised a brow as he looked at Heeseong’s face. What was going through his head this time? Now he was staring up at him with sparkling eyes, looking clearly moved. It was almost funny. What about what he just said could possibly be that touching?

Now that he had more food, Heeseong felt like he could fly. Having gone hungry many times before, he had a habit of saving leftovers whenever he could.

He carefully pulled the remaining sandwich a little closer to his side. With his face full of contentment, he ate the rest of it enthusiastically. The corners of his mouth never dropped.

Daesik watched silently, sipping cola, as Heeseong ate with his cheeks stuffed and a happy expression on his face. Crunch. The ice in the cola cracked loudly in Daesik’s mouth.

The quiet office was filled with the sounds of Heeseong quietly chewing his sandwich and Daesik crunching on ice.

Daesik was blatantly watching him, but Heeseong didn’t seem to care at all. For Heeseong, eating came first.

Daesik realized that Heeseong, already clueless most of the time, seemed to completely abandon awareness of his surroundings while eating. No fear, no sense—how was he walking around with his liver hanging out like this? Daesik clicked his tongue and shook his head to himself.

Just as Heeseong was lost in his sandwich, a commotion stirred outside the counter. A group of guests had suddenly rushed in.

“Here! Anyone here? Boss Pyo?”

“Oh!”

Startled mid-bite, Heeseong quickly tried to stand up. But before he could, Daesik had already risen and waved a hand.

“It’s fine, finish eating.”

He got up before Heeseong even had the chance and strode toward the counter. As he passed by, he reached out and playfully ruffled Heeseong’s hair. Then he casually opened the half-latched counter door.

“Ah, Boss Pyo! We thought you weren’t here!”

The guest seemed pleased to see him.

“As if I’d be.”

Mumbling around a mouthful of sandwich, Heeseong turned his head. From where he was sitting, he couldn’t see past the counter because Daesik’s large frame was in the way. With that size and height, the counter looked almost too small for him.

After seeing how much he ate earlier, Heeseong thought he finally understood why Daesik was so big. He admired the muscles in his arms that looked like they might rip through his shirt. Being skinny himself, Heeseong felt a tiny bit envious of Daesik’s build.

With a body like that, wouldn’t he be able to knock someone out even if they tried to threaten him? Remembering how he’d mistaken Daesik for an alpha because of his size, Heeseong marveled at how even a beta could be that big.

While he was lost in thought, he started to feel full. Carefully wrapping up the rest of his sandwich, he placed it gently into a paper bag. Meanwhile, Daesik exchanged the guest’s chip for cash.

“From now on, chips will be exchanged downstairs.”

“Really? Ah, I guess it’ll be harder to come up here then!”

As expected of Boss Pyo! The guest praised him over something trivial. Of course, half of that praise came from fear and the other half from trying to stay on his good side, but clueless Heeseong just thought, wow, Daesik really does have a great personality.

Heeseong, who had always been called timid and oblivious, found himself seeing his boss in an even cooler light. The image of Daesik as a generous and good-natured gangster became even more solid in Heeseong’s mind. He vowed from the bottom of his heart to do his job well.

When Daesik turned back after dealing with the guests, his brow lifted again. What was Heeseong thinking now? He even had his fists clenched and his eyes were sparkling with resolve—Daesik was baffled.

Anyone could see he was steeling himself for something. What was that about? He’d only eaten half the sandwich and was already getting fired up. Daesik couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.

“All done?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Heeseong once again expressed his thanks as Daesik asked with a faint laugh.

“Planning to take the rest with you?”

“Yes…”

Heeseong nodded, smiling sheepishly, and Daesik responded with a chuckle in his voice.

“Guess we’ll need to swap the fridge in your room.”

Heeseong’s eyes went wide with surprise. No way—he was replacing the fridge so he could store more food? He was a little—no, very—shocked. No boss had ever gone that far for him before.

When Heeseong looked up at him with that wide-eyed, goldfish-like expression, Daesik finally burst out laughing. The midday sunlight streamed brightly through the office.