Three Eight-Chapter 46

Mu-gyeong led Hongju into an office building. He left Hongju and a staff member in a sharp suit behind in a spacious reception room and took care of work for over an hour.

Only after that did he leisurely head to Gwangpal’s gambling house. It was a building that used to serve as an indoor racetrack, so the inside was a bit more comfortable and slightly bigger. Maybe because of that, there were always more customers than at Guppping’s house.

A familiar chief of security spotted Hongju and raised a hand high.

"You came with Guppping?"

"Yes."

He was about to act friendly but paused when he saw the unfamiliar face standing behind Hongju.

"...Together?"

When he gestured toward Mu-gyeong with his chin, Hongju silently nodded. The chief of security, his gaze trailing along Mu-gyeong’s solid body, made an unnecessarily rough gesture, brushing off his sleeves. He leaned in to whisper to Hongju.

"Is he a new player or something?"

Hongju quietly shook his head and darted his eyes around. He wasn’t supposed to mention the investment, so introducing him as an investor was out. And just by looking at him, he didn’t seem like a player, but he looked way too refined to be one of the security staff either.

"He’s just # Nоvеlight # someone Guppping knows."

He shoved the explanation off to Guppping and stepped inside the house.

"Hey, don’t you go sneaking around collecting again, okay? You always mess things up for the rest of us."

Hongju didn’t answer and quickened his pace. As soon as he stepped in, the noise was loud enough to make his ears hurt. Yet, amidst all that, the sound of footsteps in dress shoes following right behind him rang clear. The presence felt strangely loud, so Hongju raised a hand to cover his right ear.

At that moment, hot breath brushed against his left ear. A solid chest pressed against his shoulder. Startled, Hongju quickly turned his head, and there was Mu-gyeong, standing close. From the ear he had covered, the pounding of his heart rushed in like thunder. It was loud enough to swallow the noise of the entire gambling house.

"Wh-what is it?"

Hongju asked, flustered, his face going pale. He quickly lowered the hand that had covered his ear and tucked it inside his sleeve. Just being near Mu-gyeong made him overly sensitive to the slightest contact, and now he had the nerve to whisper directly into his left ear.

"..."

Mu-gyeong didn’t answer. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, examining Hongju closely like he was measuring something. Then he reached out a hand.

"W-what are you doing."

Hongju tried to back away, but froze when a firm grip seized his right ear. The unrelenting pressure forced him to listen again to the thudding of his own heartbeat.

"..."

Mu-gyeong leaned in and pressed his lips to Hongju’s left ear. All he felt was the ticklish brush of breath. No words reached him, and he couldn’t even read his lips. Hongju swallowed dryly. The blaring, chaotic noise had all gone silent. All that remained was the sound of his own breath. Mu-gyeong eventually let go and straightened up.

"Did you hear me?"

Hongju’s trembling gaze lingered around Mu-gyeong’s shoulder. He gave a hesitant nod, and a faint, mocking smirk followed.

"You heard me?"

There wasn’t any real reason to keep hiding the fact that he couldn’t hear from Mu-gyeong, but even if he told him, what good would it do? His ear was already gone. It wasn’t like Mu-gyeong would help him, and Guppping—who had made it this way—certainly wouldn’t be punished.

Pretending he had heard, Hongju just nodded and averted his gaze. At the edge of his vision, he saw an information desk that had long lost its use.

"Yes. You're going to play, right? To go in..."

"I said I want to have sex."

Hongju froze mid-motion as he turned to avoid the situation. Even with all the noise around them, Mu-gyeong’s voice and breath rang crystal clear. The place on his ear where their lips had clashed earlier suddenly felt hot.

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"Excuse me."

A large hand settled calmly on his shoulder, and the soft fabric of a coat pressed against his back. Gloved fingers pointed toward a table set farther away.

"At the table where Gu Madam is sitting."

"..."

"We agreed to do it on the hwatu board once, didn’t we?"

Mu-gyeong said it with the certainty of someone making a declaration. Hongju’s lashes trembled, and then his eyes shut tightly. In front of President Mu-gyeong, any secret was too easily uncovered.

"Let’s go. You said you understood."

"N-no."

Mu-gyeong stood beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Hongju tried to resist being dragged, but his feet began to slip despite himself. Maybe it was because he really believed Mu-gyeong would do something, even on top of a hwatu board. Even as he was being pulled away, Hongju struggled relentlessly.

"So your ear really doesn’t work."

Mu-gyeong let out a dry chuckle and turned his direction. He lifted a hand to stop someone approaching to offer guidance.

"Was it always like that?"

"...No."

Hongju let out a low sigh and shook his head. As soon as he stopped resisting, the force gripping his shoulder loosened.

"Then it got beaten deaf?"

"..."

"How hard did they have to beat you for that?"

The table where Guppping sat came closer. The very person who made his ear go deaf was just a few steps away. Hongju kept his mouth shut, unable to say anything.

"Hongju, huh? President Mu-gyeong came with you?"

The people at the table were familiar faces. Hongju gave a slight nod of greeting. Ever since the thugs from Gweyum-dong vanished without a trace, Guppping had shifted tactics. He had gone back to fawning over Mu-gyeong like before.

"Who’s this gentleman?"

"Oh, he’s a president I’m doing a bit of business with. A real important guest—what brings you here, sir?"

Putting on a show for the onlookers, Guppping spoke in an exaggerated tone, puffing himself up. The people nearby began scanning Mu-gyeong from head to toe with busy eyes. First his cold face, then the coat, scarf, suit, wristwatch, and shoes. They looked over each expensive item in order, and by the time they lifted their heads, their eyes were sparkling. The sight was almost laughable. Hongju buried his face down into his padded jacket up to his nose and swallowed a scoff.

"I see."

"Guess I’ve gotten in the habit of showing my face at the house every day. I felt like dropping by. And since Gu Madam happened to be here too."

"Haha! So President Mu-gyeong’s getting a taste for this now, huh?"

Guppping, who had been rubbing his thumb and index finger together rapidly, pulled over an empty chair for Mu-gyeong. He patted the seat, inviting him to sit, flashing a neatly toothed grin.

"Have a seat and enjoy the show. It’s got a bit of a different vibe from our place, doesn’t it?"

"It does."

"This place gets the low-tier crowd. The kind that drifts in from the horse track."

Even as Guppping whispered, Mu-gyeong just reached into his coat pocket. When he pulled out a handkerchief, Guppping quickly snatched it and laid it out over the chair for him. Whether it was more surprising that Guppping—so influential in the area—was fussing around like a servant, or that Mu-gyeong was such a clean freak, the others couldn't stop sneaking glances at him.

"Come on now, relax. If you wanna get in, I’ll throw in a Gwang. How ‘bout it?"

"I’m good."

With a flick of his coat, Mu-gyeong sat down, folding his arms and leaning back. Hongju, who had been standing idly the entire time, tapped Guppping’s shoulder.

"What? What is it?"

"You told me to collect."

"Ohhh."

Only then did Guppping seem to remember why he’d summoned Hongju here in the first place. He turned his body halfway and scanned the room filled with tables.

"I saw him earlier..."

His muttering gaze landed on one spot. As Hongju leaned in slightly, Guppping pointed at a table and whispered.

"See that guy wearing glasses and the striped shirt?"

"Next to the one with the scarf?"

"Yeah, that bastard. Just two hundred. Not a lot, so don’t make a fuss. Just get it quietly."

"Okay."

Hongju nodded and straightened his back. For a brief second, it felt like he locked eyes with Mu-gyeong, but the man turned his head away.

He stuffed the folded paper and ID card Guppping handed him into his pocket. Then, cutting through the acrid cloud of cigarette smoke, Hongju headed toward the distant table.

A decent stack of chips was piled in front of the man. More than enough to cover the two hundred. Timing it just right with the end of a poker round, Hongju approached from behind.

"Excuse me."

"Huh?"

The man turned his head. Gaunt eyes, sunken cheeks, skin worn and dull. Up close, he looked older than he first appeared. Hongju leaned down slightly and whispered just loud enough for the man to hear.

"You know Guppping, right?"

"G-Guppping?"

Hongju nodded toward the table where Guppping sat. Sitting there, Guppping raised his hand and flashed a wide grin. The man inhaled sharply between his teeth, clearly flustered.

"You didn’t pay back the tails you borrowed."

"What the hell, this kid? He sent you on errands now?"

A man holding a cigarette eyed Hongju up and down with hostility. But Hongju didn’t even glance at him. The man gathering his cards suddenly froze. Worried Hongju might be trying to swap the cards, he even leaned back to inspect Hongju’s hands.

"What is this? Don’t mess up the flow. Beat it."

"You’ve won a lot. Give me two hundred and I’ll leave quietly."

Hongju persisted, his voice quiet but firm, speaking only to the man.

"Shit. Hey, Gu? You know this punk?"

At the sound of the surname Gu, Hongju’s eyes widened. He straightened his back in an instant and scanned the man he’d just been low-key threatening.

"..."

The man also raised his head slightly, meeting Hongju’s gaze. Hollow face, aged features. Plenty of people with the surname Gu gambled. It probably wasn’t the one he was looking for. He knew that, rationally. But he couldn’t stop the rapid thudding of his heart.

"Fuck this. I thought my luck was on fire."

Desperate, Hongju pulled out the ID card he had stuffed in his pocket. His dark eyes darted frantically, searching for the name. Gu Won-ho. His heart, which had been pounding wildly, suddenly slowed and deflated.

"Ah..."

Why had he expected anything? If it had been his father, Guppping would’ve said something. Hell, he wouldn’t have even sent Hongju to collect—he’d have handled it directly. No, more than anything, he would've... recognized him. The feeling of blood draining from his body made even his fingertips tremble.

"Take it! Just my luck, being followed to a different house."

The man scooped up some chips roughly and shoved them toward him. He clearly meant for Hongju to exchange them himself. Then he snatched the ID from Hongju’s hand and held out his palm with a shout.

"I.O.U.! Hand it over!"

With numbed fingers, Hongju dug through his pocket and finally pulled out the folded slip and a pen. The man scribbled his name carelessly and shoved the I.O.U. into Hongju’s chest. After counting the chips and slipping them into his pocket, Hongju finally stepped back. Even as he moved away from the table, he kept glancing at the man in glasses.

"..."

If his father were alive, would he have aged just like that? He knew it wasn’t him. And yet, his eyes wouldn’t stop going back.