“Ah… I was wondering why Mr. Kim was taking so long. Turns out our dear hyung has been sitting here flapping gums.”
Ihyeon slowly turned toward the voice. Several large men stood behind, dressed entirely in black, even down to their shirts.
Every time the man at the very front smacked gum between the teeth, the thick gold chain hanging around the neck caught the light.
“What’re you doing here alone with such a pretty noona?”
They looked like figures straight out of some outdated noir film. They had started appearing around the club a few weeks ago. Moving through the establishment with an air of having nothing to fear, meddling wherever pleased—yet none of the guards dared stand against them.
After seeing the owner bow and scrape in front of them, even the staff and part-timers had followed suit.
“Ah, I—I should get back to opening prep then…?”
Yoonjin darted the eyes around, reading the room, then forced an awkward smile and turned away. Pulling a few approaching part-timers along, Yoonjin quickly slipped out of the spot.
Watching Yoonjin’s retreating figure hurry off, someone in the group let out a sharp whistle. They snickered among themselves, chewing loudly, then stepped closer to Ihyeon.
“Kid. Hyung wants to see you for a minute. You heard?”
A heavy arm dropped over Ihyeon’s shoulder. The stench of cheap cologne and stale cigarettes rushed in. Ihyeon stared at the blunt end of a little finger where a nail should have been, then slowly closed and opened the eyes.
One accidental reunion with a rotten old connection had been enough. The last incident could have been dismissed as a passing episode. A second time was different.
What is it this time? Another pointless provocation like before?
Apparently bored, but there was no intention of playing along anymore. No leverage had been given. There was no reason to be summoned like this every time.
With a faint frown, Ihyeon sharply knocked the hand off the shoulder. The contact broke with a clear smack.
“Oh-ho. Look at that temper.”
Instead of being offended, the men cackled. They exchanged glances, snickering. Ihyeon looked up at them without expression, then turned and started to walk. One of the men grabbed an arm roughly.
“Hey, hey. We said come nicely. Where do you think you’re going, bastard?”
Pain shot through the tightly gripped arm. Ihyeon tried to wrench free, but the hold only tightened. Looking up with a glare, the men burst into disbelieving laughter.
“Wow… got some guts, huh? What, you think staring like that’ll do something? You and that part-time punk teamed up and ransacked the owner’s office. It’s all out. And you’re glaring?”
“What did you say?”
The words were completely unexpected. But instead of answering, they simply dragged Ihyeon along with hard faces. No matter how much resistance, the grip didn’t loosen.
A call was made to someone, announcing Ihyeon had been found and would be brought in. At that point, there was no choice but to give in.
Ransacking the owner’s office made no sense. But running now would only make things look worse.
The lower lip had been bitten so hard it turned pale. When the fists finally loosened, the one dragging Ihyeon glanced down.
“I get it. So let go of my arm.”
“……”
“I’m not running. Just let go.”
The pale, translucent face was slightly flushed from the struggle. The resigned look gave an almost fragile impression. The grip loosened a fraction—an unconscious response.
***
The place they arrived at was an office tucked in a corner of Basement Level 2. No nameplate hung outside, but since the owner usually stayed there, the staff called it the owner’s office.
Inside was a mess, as if thieves had torn through. Several guards were hurriedly gathering scattered papers. The men ahead walked forward without hesitation, unbothered by the chaos.
Keeping distance, Ihyeon followed about three steps behind, on guard.
There was no understanding why being summoned by Gu Seunghyeok meant being brought to an empty owner’s office. Stopping, Ihyeon watched the men with tense eyes.
Contrary to the fear of immediate violence, they headed toward the small storage room attached behind the desk.
Knock, knock.
They hadn’t knocked when entering the office itself, yet now knocked on the storage door. Strange. No answer came, but after a brief pause, the handle was pushed.
The moment the door opened, damp mold and cold air rushed out. A sense of foreboding halted the steps, but someone shoved Ihyeon forward.
Creeeak—slam.
A sharp screech rang out. The vibration made the old fluorescent light flicker overhead. In the blinking light, the first thing Ihyeon saw was the silhouette of someone crouched in the center.
“Hyung. Brought.”
At the voice, Seunghyeok lifted the head. Radiators placed here and there cast a red glow across sharply defined features. Ihyeon, fists clenched tight, swallowed upon meeting that face.
Thud.
Seunghyeok released the grip on someone’s collar and slowly stood. No excitement, no anger—just bored eyes scanning Ihyeon from head to toe. Ihyeon clenched fists tighter.
“C-cough… ngh—!”
A painful cough broke the uneven silence. Ihyeon dropped the gaze. Only then did the figure who had been held by Seunghyeok come fully into view.
Bloodied, drooling clear foam, was a young part-timer Ihyeon knew well. Fingers mangled, scraping at the dusty cement floor. Blurred eyes lifted toward Ihyeon.
“Ugh… kh—”
“Kim Jinseok?”
Jinseok had quit college after barely getting in, saying money would be saved for a business instead. Seeing that sometimes reminded Ihyeon of early twenties. Leftover fruit from the kitchen had occasionally been set aside because of that.
“Kim Jinseok? What happened? Kim Jinseok!”
Forgetting even the gaze fixed on the back, Ihyeon rushed forward and dropped to knees beside Jinseok. Watching quietly, Seunghyeok pulled a cigarette from inside the jacket.
“Seeing each other often.”
The voice was flat, but didn’t seem to reach Ihyeon’s ears. Ihyeon tapped Jinseok’s cheek urgently.
“Hey. Stay with me…! Are you okay? Can you see me?”
“Uh…”
Jinseok’s eyes kept rolling upward. Foam mixed with saliva continued to drip. The situation seemed worse than expected. Trembling hands tried to steady the head, but it kept lolling sideways.
A low chuckle came from behind. The crew along the wall glanced at Seunghyeok’s expression, then stayed silent.
“When someone greets you, you’re supposed to respond.”
It wasn’t quite muttering—more obvious mockery. To avoid reacting, Ihyeon bit the lower lip hard once and hauled Jinseok upright.
The limp weight of a grown body was heavier than expected. Arms hooked under, lifting with difficulty—Seunghyeok stepped forward with a crooked smile, blocking the way.
“Move.”
“We’re not done talking with the kid. Sorry, but put back down.”
“You did this and still say that so calmly?”
“We did this. If whining starts, that’d be even funnier.”
Jinseok’s body twitched intermittently over the shoulder. What if something happened while standing here? The tremors transferred through Ihyeon’s rigid shoulders.
Urgency rose. In contrast, Seunghyeok looked relaxed, grinning as if watching something amusing. The cold in Ihyeon’s head sharpened.
“Feels like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before. Right?”
The lighter clicked repeatedly as Seunghyeok sneered. An old memory surfaced in Ihyeon’s mind too—but was pushed aside.
“…Is this funny to you?”
“Wouldn’t it be? Someone who can’t even handle their own mess worrying about someone else?”
The line of Ihyeon’s jaw tightened, then eased. There was no desire to stand here trading words with Gu Seunghyeok. No time for it either.
Breaking eye contact without hesitation, Ihyeon adjusted Jinseok’s weight and stepped toward the door. The thugs ahead stiffened visibly.
“Ah… now this is getting really entertaining.”
“……”