JD 17

“S-So, how much was it, then? Was it… more than my entire week’s salary?”

He already knew the total cost of the clothes he’d bought was exactly double his pay—he’d done the math in his head. But Hakyung pretended not to know, trying to feel the president out. Muheon, after a moment of thoughtful silence, held up two fingers.

“Exactly twice as much.”

“Wait… what?”

That couldn’t be right. Hakyung frowned, mentally calculating the price tags he’d seen at the shop. With the clothes and hat combined, it shouldn’t have been double—maybe just a few tens of thousands won more.

Even for a thug, this felt like overkill! It’s not like clothing prices compounded like interest! As the reality of Seoul gangster life sank in, the phrase slave contract floated ominously in Hakyung’s mind.

“…Son of a bitch.”

“What…?”

“Huh?”

“Son of a biiitch?”

Something was off. The president had just said out loud what Hakyung had only thought. Hakyung tilted his round face to the side in confusion. Could this man… read minds?

“Pfft… hah!”

Muheon, who had been twitching strangely at the corners of his lips, suddenly burst into loud laughter. All the while, he kept mumbling “son of a bitch” under his breath. It was then that Hakyung realized—he hadn’t thought the curse. He’d actually said it out loud.

His face burned crimson. Cold sweat gathered in his palms. He was mortified that such words had come out of his mouth—and terrified he might have offended the man.

Caught in a whirlwind of shame and fear, Hakyung bowed his head lower and lower. For some reason, things always went sideways when he was around the president.

“…Sorry for cursing.”

He apologized in a whisper, barely audible. Even if he’d been upset, it was wrong to curse at someone twelve years older than him.

Muheon’s laughter slowly died down at the genuine apology. How’s someone this naive and sweet supposed to survive out here? There was only one answer—Muheon would just have to keep him close and fend off the bugs that tried to cling to him.

Not that Muheon was going to ask for Hakyung’s opinion on the matter.

First, though, he had to calm the clearly sulking Hakyung.

“I was joking. It’s not double—just a few tens of thousands more.”

At that low response, Hakyung snapped his head up. That joke was so unfunny, it could win first place at the World’s Most Boring Joke Competition. He was just about to suggest the president never joke like that again for the sake of his own dignity…

But then their eyes met.

The president’s eyes curved into a warm smile. A smile so deep, so bright, it made the blacks of his eyes disappear completely.

Three seconds later, ding, dong—a bell seemed to ring in Hakyung’s ears, and light began to radiate from the man’s face.

A surreal phenomenon he had never witnessed in his life. Hakyung blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, but the glow didn’t fade.

He’s handsome… so handsome… what do I do…? This is… this is…!

Hakyung’s face turned redder than it had ever been. Not just red—deep crimson, bordering on maroon.

“Kang Hakyung.”

Noticing something strange in the boy’s expression, Muheon’s face, which had softened, stiffened again. He suddenly regretted giving the backpack back so easily. Hakyung looked like he was about to bolt.

Just as he was debating whether to snatch the bag again in a petty move—Hakyung suddenly sprang to his feet.

“Even if you hadn’t made that petty joke, I was already planning to stay and keep working!”

“…What?”

“Please let me keep working!”

He bowed deeply as he spoke, and this time it was Muheon’s turn to be surprised. He frowned slightly, staring at Hakyung’s still-maroon face.

“…You’re joking too?”

“No! I mean it! I really want to work!”

They clearly had serious trust issues.

Still, if the kid he’d been trying so hard to hold on to wanted to stay and become a full-time employee, Muheon had no reason to say no.

Smiling in satisfaction, Muheon nodded. At that, Hakyung frowned and began rubbing at his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Got something in your eye? You’ll hurt yourself if you rub like that.”

“No, it’s just… the light was too bright…”

Why does he keep smiling like that?!

Blinded by the man’s radiant grin, Hakyung stomped his foot in frustration.

The ringing of the bell that had echoed in Hakyung’s ears was gone now—replaced only by the pounding of his heart. Just moments ago, when he got his backpack back, he’d been seriously considering quitting… and yet, with just one smile from the president, he’d lost both his heart and his labor.

He couldn’t understand how his mind had flipped 180 degrees in less than ten minutes.

‘Oh dear, when’s my little piglet going to bring home a pretty girlfriend for his granny?’

‘He said he’ll get one once he’s in Seoul!’

‘Is that so? Then he’ll come back with a Seoul lady, won’t he!’

I’m sorry, Grandma. I might be bringing home a Seoul mister instead of a lady…

Hakyung’s lips twisted bitterly as he recalled the conversation he’d had with his grandmother before coming to Seoul. For now, he pushed aside the question of whether the man—whether anyone—would even return his feelings.

Just accepting and acknowledging his own heart was hard enough.

In his 24 years of life, he had never—whether with men or women—experienced his heart thundering like this or felt his blood surge through his whole body just because someone smiled at him.

He didn’t know if it was because the president was too handsome… or because he had truly, hopelessly fallen for him.

And just like that, for a reason he’d never even imagined, Hakyung’s new life in Seoul began in earnest.

***

Now officially hired full-time instead of the one-week temporary gig, the first thing Hakyung did was call back home.

“Grandma!”

— Oh, my little piglet! Did you eat?

“Of course I did! Did you, Grandma?”

Hearing his grandmother’s voice after just two days was as heartwarming as ever. As they caught up on everything that had happened, Hakyung swallowed hard. Since he’d decided to stay and work here, it was only right to tell her the truth.

If by some chance Kim Taeyoung ever went back to their hometown and spilled everything, both he and Hakyung were finished.

His usually gentle grandmother had a habit of smacking his butt red with a broom when she was angry. It didn’t matter that he was an adult now. If she found out he’d lied, she might come all the way to Seoul just to whack him herself.

Even imagining it made his butt sting. A wave of nervous tension washed over him, and sweat gathered in his palms. He wiped them off on his thighs, then took a deep breath.

“Grandma…”

What followed was a dramatic tale of his move to Seoul—maybe a little exaggerated for emotional effect. As Hakyung went on, his grandmother’s breathing grew more and more agitated.

— You little rascal! What did I tell you?! Didn’t I say not to trust that no-good bastard? If I ever get my hands on him, I’m going to break his damn legs!

“G-Grandma! Please calm down!”

— How can I calm down?! That punk’s been tormenting you since you were kids! He’s a damn pro at it, a pro! Argh, that son of a—!

Her relentless swearing was enough to make Hakyung’s ears bleed. He winced as if the scolding were meant for him. But in a way, he was glad he’d come clean now. Lying to someone who got this angry and worried for his sake—it didn’t feel right.

“I’m really okay, Grandma! The people here are super nice, the pay’s better, there’s housing and everything! It’s not hard at all.”

— What kinda place is that?! Sounds like another scam to me! You need to come home right now!

Her panic had now escalated to demands. And Hakyung didn’t blame her—if his younger siblings were in his shoes, he’d be reacting just like she was.

But right now, Hakyung was driven by a far less pure and far more impulsive sense of duty. A mission, even—to uncover the reason why his heart was beating like mad.

That mattered more to him than Grandma’s anger or concern. So, he made a bold declaration.

“I—I like the president!”

— …Huh?

He’d blurted out the conclusion before even identifying the cause. Startled by his own words, Hakyung gasped—but it was too late.

His grandmother, having clearly understood what he said, paused for a moment.

— The president… she’s not married yet? She’s young?

“Uh, yeah… he’s thirty-six…”

— Oh my, that’s a bit older, huh? Then is this what they call a noona romance these days?¹“He” and “she” can sound almost identical or be indistinguishable in real-life conversation, and Koreans rely heavily on context to tell the difference.

“Uh, yeah… yeah.”

He wasn’t dating a noona. He was into a hyung. But Hakyung’s lips clamped shut.

Now that he thought about it… was the president actually single? Did he have a partner? Was he even open to dating?

There was a mountain of things he still had to figure out. The issue wasn’t just his pounding heart.

Reality hit him like a slap to the back of the head, and the corners of Hakyung’s lips drooped. Unaware of any of this, Grandma, having mostly cooled down, now seemed intensely interested in her grandson’s love life.

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  “He” and “she” can sound almost identical or be indistinguishable in real-life conversation, and Koreans rely heavily on context to tell the difference.