My Bloody Valentine - 49

The number of people gathering under the parasol had now dwindled to two. Jung and Woo-sin sat with dry expressions, each with a glass of chocolate milk and coffee in front of them.

The street was unusually quiet. There were no office workers heading to work early or students in school uniforms trudging through the snow-covered streets.

“Aren’t you going back home?” Jung asked.

Woo-sin shook his head in response.

“With all the money lost in horse racing and getting into debt, how can I go back? It’ll just raise my mom’s blood pressure for nothing.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Oh, by the way, about Han. He suddenly disappeared, and I thought he quit his job… but he’s locked in Director Jang’s room, is that true? Do you know anything? You’re close to him.”

Jung shot Woo-sin with a suspicious look.

“Why are you so interested in Han?”

“Just curious. We’re colleagues. Love for colleagues and love for the country, right?”

“Hmm… or is it… that you’re interested in Director Jang?”

Sip, sip. Woo-sin, sucking on the straw, didn’t even acknowledge Jung’s words and drank up the coffee that was left in his cup.

“Just asking out of curiosity, why are you getting defensive? What’s wrong? You like Han, Yujung?”

“Whether I do or not, it’s none of your business.”

“Both Director Jang and now Yujung… What kind of bewitching man is Han?”

“Childish. Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Sob, poor Jae-gu…”

Woo-sin exaggeratedly pretended to cry. Jung crushed the empty chocolate milk carton in frustration. Being put on the same level as Director Jang was a blow to his pride.

Unlike me, Director Jang just treats Han as a toy. That day, when he showed me them kissing and sent a sneer my way, Jung was certain.

“Speak of the devil.”

Woo-sin’s voice came from behind, and when I turned around, I saw Director Jang walking with Yuna. By this time, when business ended and cleaning began, the two often came out to smoke.

Jung suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion and stood up abruptly. Then he walked towards the two who had gone to smoke without any plan.

“Hey? Yujung! Where are you going? Yujung!”

Woo-sin’s voice from behind grew fainter.

As soon as I turned the corner, I could see two people, as if shooting a noir-themed couple photoshoot, with a bitter scent in the air. Jung walked up without hesitation and stood in front of Taesin.

“Director Jang.”

“What?”

“I want to see Han.”

“….”

Taesin looked at Jung with dark eyes, saying nothing. It was like looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

“That’s not possible.”

“Are you imprisoning Han? What right do you have?”

“You have no right to know.”

Feeling incredulous, Jung let out a frustrated breath. Taesin blew out a puff of cigarette smoke towards Jung’s face.

“And whether I imprison him or spank him, it’s none of your concern.”

Using his hand to sweep away the cigarette smoke in front of his face, Jung glared at Taesin, not even trying to hide his anger.

“You’re a good kid. Fragile too.”

“If you have time to act so pitiful, why don’t you earn a penny more and pay off your debts? Who are you trying to save by pretending to be helpless?”

Jung’s clenched fist trembled with anger. In the midst of it, Jina, wearing a troubled expression, intervened between the two.

“Director Jang, stop it. Jung, you too, let’s go inside. It’s cold.”

“….”

“Jung.”

“I’ll go and check.”

After Jung’s face, filled with contempt, turned away, Jina, who had been cautiously watching Taesin’s reaction, spoke softly.

“They’ve been inseparable friends since day one. Jung and Han.”

“Han? It must be frustrating for him to be kept in there. Why not let him out for a moment?”

“I’ve locked him up. He can’t come out unless I release him.”

“….!”

It was a chaotic time in Cheongsongpa. Oh Seong-jin had called in tough service contractors from China, Thailand, the Philippines, and beyond, willing to do anything if the pay was good enough.

It was breaking the unwritten rule of this underworld. Already, three establishments had fallen into the hands of foreign mercenaries whose fingerprints weren’t even on record.

Jina, who had only known that Han had been brought to her room to protect him from potentially dangerous situations, couldn’t find the words, her mouth half-open in surprise.

She was not only someone like a mother to Taesin despite only a six-year age gap but also the person who knew him best.

“Is he just quietly locked up? Haven’t you asked for him to be released?”

“He’s being quiet. He was planning to starve himself to death with a hunger strike.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I just said I’d sell off that girl.”

“….”

Jina felt a pang of discomfort for no apparent reason.

“Director Jang. No, Taesin. Do you remember the frog?”

Taesin frowned. There was no way he could forget the man who had first made him shed blood.

“And look at you now, acting just like that.”

“….”

Jina continued cautiously.

“You have to give him some breathing room. If you keep him locked up like that, it might give you temporary peace of mind, but you might end up not being able to see him either.”

Taesin listened intently to Jina’s meaningful words. The cigarette wedged between Taesin’s fingers burned as black as his soul. Unexplainable anxiety and impatience rose with the smoke, then dispersed.

Suddenly, Taesin wondered how things would have been if he hadn’t discovered Han in the first place. At least it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was now. Wouldn’t it have been better than being swept away by inexplicable impulses and chaos?

Then he remembered the mundane days without Han and shook his head.

No. Sooner or later, you would have caught my eye.

Jina looked at Taesin with a gaze filled with pity. Taesin looked like a young child holding a small, pretty bird in his hand. He held onto it tightly, afraid of losing it. He didn’t even realize that the bird was slowly suffocating in his grip.

“You don’t have to keep him locked up to keep him from running away.”

“….”

“Just treat him well.”

Jina looked at Taesin with a face mixed with concern. Taesin understood intellectually but seemed to understand very little emotionally.

❖ ❖ ❖

Taesin had sold off the major conglomerate he had. Despite Chairman Bae’s instructions to wipe away any traces of his past gangster smell, it was also because of the large asset size and low non-collection rate that he had the opportunity to sell it for a hefty sum.

I don’t know when, or for what reason, I became obsessed with money. But one thing is certain: money is reliable. Unlike people, it has a tangible quality that stays with me as long as I don’t spend it.

As Taesin calculated how much he had gained from this sale and looked out the window at the passing scenery, something suddenly came to mind. He asked his driver, who was driving, a question.

“What does a twenty-eight-year-old man like?”

“Pardon?”

It was the first time someone had asked a personal question, so the driver hesitated a bit before answering.

“Well… Probably a woman, right?”

“….”

Not getting the desired response, Taesin’s forehead furrowed.

“Besides that. Among possessions.”

“If it’s possessions… Probably cars or watches at that age.”

“Cars or watches.”

A car wouldn’t be necessary for someone who was confined, but a watch might be okay.

Taesin immediately instructed the driver to turn to the nearest department store.

❖ ❖ ❖

The hotel room they returned to was dark, with only one light on, and Han was sitting on the sofa, as usual, watching TV. The drama on the TV screen cast a natural light on Han’s face.

“Why isn’t the light on?”

“….”

Now that the hunger strike was over, it seemed he had started a silent protest. Taesin loosened his tie and placed a paper bag on the coffee table.

“Open it.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll find out when you open it yourself.”

“I don’t want to.”

“….”

Taesin’s jaw clenched tightly.

“It’s a watch.”

“I don’t need it.”

“At least look at the car. I bought it for you.”

“I don’t want to.”

Muscles bulged on Taesin’s strong jawline. Eventually, Taesin, who had turned into a relentlessly cruel face, approached Han, tore open the paper bag like a wild animal, and took out the watch from the box. Then he forcibly started putting the watch on Han’s wrist.

Han didn’t stop resisting. Whether it was paying off debts or receiving a watch, in reality, selling oneself was all the same. Seeing the materialistic watch, which was more tangible than intangible debts, Taesin saw it as an unbearable ‘compensation.’

The struggle between the two continued. Taesin, with violent movements, forcibly put the watch on Han’s wrist. However, the glamorous watch with diamonds embedded in it was too large for Han, who had recently lost weight due to the hunger strike.

With a thud, the watch slipped out of Han’s hand onto the carpet, leaving Taesin staring down at it with empty eyes. It looked as if he were rejecting Han, feeling miserable and pathetic.

Ignoring Han, who turned his head away from Taesin, sulking, Taesin cursed under his breath.

“Don’t do things that don’t suit you. A watch, huh? It must feel like handcuffs.”

“….Damn it.”

In an instant, the expensive watch turned into handcuffs. Taesin’s eyes turned red with anger. There was a sharp, snapping sound as teeth gritted against each other.

“….Fine. Get rid of it if it doesn’t suit you. Then.”

Once again, it was a step backward.

Taesin glared as if he wanted to repay the humiliation he received in kind.