Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 13

She was so suspicious that it took her forever to finally put the meat in her mouth.

“How is it? Amazing, right? Killer stuff, huh?”

Jung-pal was ready to see her eyes go wide in surprise — but that didn’t happen.

Instead, after just one or two tiny chews, she suddenly scrunched up her face and clapped a hand over her mouth.

The mood sank in an instant. Frozen in place with her jaw halfway moving, she didn’t know what to do.

“Spit it out.”

Muk-hyun’s face was stiff too as he held her plate up to her lips.

“Don’t worry about us. Just spit it out.”

He had to urge her a few more times before she finally did. What she dropped onto the plate made everyone’s faces freeze in shock.

Clink.

The chunk of meat hit the plate — along with something small and hard.

“Holy sh1t! Is that… a tooth?”

A piece of pork, streaked with bl00d and spit — and a tiny molar.

Muk-hyun stared at the plate, looking just as thrown off for a second — then he let out a quiet, short laugh.

Jung-pal and Gi-seon, who’d both been dumbstruck, suddenly came alive, talking over each other like they’d just seen a freak show.

“Dude! I’ve seen a lot, but busting a tooth on pork belly? That’s a first!”

“Hey, wait — they say if you dream about losing a tooth, it’s good luck! Seeing it live must count too, right? Should I buy a lottery ticket tonight? Jackpot!”

“You wanna know if this is a dream? Come here, I’ll knock your teeth out too. Then it’s double jackpot! Hahaha!”

Leaving the two of them to cackle like idiots, Muk-hyun calmly twisted up a napkin.

“Open.”

Maybe from embarrassment, maybe because it hurt — her face was flushed bright red, but she obediently opened her mouth.

Next to her left canine, there was now a neat little gap. He carefully tucked the rolled napkin into the hole and gently closed her jaw — her cheek puffed up on one side, making her look extra sulky.

Muk-hyun found the sight strangely funny — and a little pitiful too, somehow.

“Does it hurt?”

She shook her head.

“Gonna cry?”

More shaking.

She kept shaking her head with that unfair, almost teary look, and Muk-hyun couldn’t help it — he burst out laughing.

In that moment, the other three’s eyes went round as plates. But the two of them didn’t even notice. They were too busy staring at each other.

“Come on, let’s eat a few more pieces. We’ll leave you with just your front teeth, like a bunny.”

“…”

“Hey, open those pretty eyes for me.”

Muk-hyun teased her, pinching her cheek, and just like that, the stiff, awkward mood melted away.

Still, everyone else was wondering the same thing: Why the hell did he bring her here?

She was practically a hostage — someone who should be under tight watch, not hanging out at a barbecue like this.

But then again, seeing how Muk-hyun had been visiting her every day these past few days, and how casually he acted around her now, they had to admit, maybe there was more to it. Whether that was good or bad, they couldn’t tell yet.

Either way, nobody wanted to ruin Muk-hyun’s rare, easygoing mood tonight, so they just rolled with it.

“Hehehe. Alright, let’s see here — should we grill up some thin cuts for our youngest?” Jung-pal chuckled, heading for the meat fridge.

Gi-seon grabbed a fresh plate and followed him.

“She lost a tooth, so now she’s the youngest? That’s how it works?”

“She didn’t have a name, right? We’ll give her one now.”

“How about Goldie? Lost a molar, gets a gold tooth. Nice ring to it.”

“You psycho — what is she, royalty now?”

Once the drinks started flowing, the vibe turned downright cheerful.

Jung-pal grilled up some thin-sliced pork belly on one side of the grill, and the girl — now with her bleeding stopped — tasted the soft, tender meat.

Finally, they got the reaction they’d been waiting for: wide eyes, a tiny gasp, and a nod. That alone got them all laughing again.

“Hey, hey, easy there, Rookie! Chew slowly, okay? Slow down!”

Once her fear of the food melted away, she started eating like she’d been starving for weeks. Watching her pick at her plate all this time, they realized — the real problem had just been the menu.

“Hyung, shouldn’t we stop her? She’s gonna blow out her stomach at this rate.”

“Leave her.”

“Hey, you’re chewing that, right? …Hey! That’s not cooked through yet! Drop it! Drop it right now!”

“Yeah, that’s a no-go.”

Muk-hyun leaned back, slowly tipping his glass, watching her eat.

He barely ate anything himself. Every piece of meat he picked up with his chopsticks ended up on her plate instead. He looked genuinely pleased seeing her cheeks puff out like a hamster. Whenever she fumbled and dropped something because she was clumsy with the chopsticks, he’d just hand her a new piece without a word.

“Hey, kiddo. Tell me — do you like Maknaeng-i or Geumni better?” Joong-pal asked.

With her cheeks stuffed full of rice, she looked at Jung-pal, blinking, while still chewing. Somehow, they were back to arguing about what to call her.

“Come on, why don’t you big brothers toss out a name too?” Gi-seon cut in.

“Good idea! We’ll all suggest one, and Maknaeng-i gets to pick!”

“Hey, don’t keep pushing the Maknaeng-i thing, hyung!”

“Too late. It’s already stuck, you punk.”

Looking like this was the biggest hassle in the world, Jung Yoon sighed and grudgingly said, “Rose.”

Naturally, he got booed for it.

“It’s right there on your shirt, man.”

Between a skull and a rose, the rose was the better choice, but still lame.

Now it was Muk-hyun’s turn. He poured Jung-yoon’s empty glass full again, then looked over at her and said,

“Irang.”

And added calmly, just like Jung Yoon had,

“It’s written right here.”

He held up the soju bottle with ‘Chamiseul Irang’ printed on it.

“Come on, hyung. That’s just copy-paste. Pick something else, yeah?”

“Oh, look who’s chickening out now!” Jung-pal laughed. “Scared you’ll lose?”

“Hey, Maknaeng-i is still better, right? Naeng-i naeng-i, so cute! Naeng-i-ya~, Maknaeng-i~”

The silly bickering only had one possible winner — Muk-hyun.

No one knew her real name anyway, so she was Irang now.

“Irang-ah, let’s go toss that tooth.”

“…Toss my tooth?”

“So the magpies can take it!”

Jung-pal, Irang, and Gi-seon headed out first, giggling like kids.

“God… How old is hyung even? Magpies? Really? What is this, a fairy tale? Tooth fairy at least makes sense…”

“Fairy? This brat’s showing off her city-girl attitude again. You think some broke fairy’s gonna sneak in and snatch up your teeth for free?”

Jung Yoon, who’d left a fat stack of cash on the table to cover the meal, walked up to Muk-hyun, who was lighting up a cigarette. They’d gone through several bottles, but neither of them looked the least bit drunk.

“Sir… Why do you keep checking on her like this?”

It was something Jung Yoon had been wanting to ask for days.

Sure, the girl’s background was fuzzy — but Muk-hyun didn’t need to care. She wasn’t hiding intel they needed to dig up. The chairman just wanted her held somewhere safe until he said otherwise.

And if there was one thing Jung Yoon knew about Muk-hyun, it was that he was good at this.

When you needed to squeeze info out of someone, he could charm them or terrify them — whichever worked. He could make people think he was their friend and then pry out every secret they had without blinking.

But this? This wasn’t that kind of job. The boss had given clear orders — just keep her secure and fed.

So the fact that Muk-hyun kept showing up, feeding her himself, letting her tag along with the guys, treating her so gently — it was all just… weird.

“Did the chairman give you some other order?” Jung Yoon asked carefully.

But Muk-hyun’s answer wasn’t at all what he expected.

“…Maybe ‘cause it’s the last one.”

“…Sorry, sir?”

“They say when you start acting out of character, you’re about to die, right?”

“Sir—!”

Muk-hyun looked at Jung Yoon’s stiff face, a lopsided cigarette dangling from his lips, and casually straightened his tie for him.

“Relax. Kidding.”

“Sir.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your boss isn’t going anywhere. Don’t look at me like that.”

Jung Yoon’s tie was always perfectly straight — he never let it get messy even when drinking. But Muk-hyun fussed with it for an oddly long moment.

“She’s all skin and bones.”

“You don’t have to care about that.”

“She’s so clueless, it’s kind of cute.”

“…Sorry, what?”

Muk-hyun chuckled, tapping Jung Yoon lightly on the cheek.

“What? Weird to see me acting human for once?”

With a sly smile, he brushed it off like it was nothing and turned to leave.

“The chairman wants her by my side for now. Wants her on a tight leash, I guess.”

“Sir, what do you mean—”

“Take her home tomorrow.”

Muk-hyun strolled away without a backward glance, leaving Jung Yoon frozen to the spot, a cold knot of dread settling in his chest.