BCRD 2

“What a pathetic bastard…”

The moment I thought of hyung, who squandered all that money and even resorted to drugs, curses naturally spilled out. Luxury, business ventures, stocks, bitcoin, gambling… the money hyung burned through amounted to hundreds of millions of won. And every bit of it was the inheritance our parents left behind.

It was already four years ago. One winter day, my parents passed away together in a car accident on an icy road. They couldn’t avoid a concrete mixer truck that skidded on the ice, and they died instantly at the scene.

Back then, I was just a twelve-year-old kid. The only relative I had was an aunt, and hyung had been missing for over two years since he ran away from home, so his whereabouts were unknown. So, without knowing any better, I played the role of chief mourner. I couldn’t even process my parents’ deaths, let alone grasp the fact that I had suddenly become an orphan… but that’s what I had to do.

I didn’t even know how time passed as I stayed at the funeral home with my aunt. But just when the funeral was nearly over, with only the cremation left, hyung showed up. Without so much as a greeting to see how I was, he stormed into the funeral home, threatened my aunt who scolded him, forced her to leave, and started counting the condolence money. That wasn’t all. He pocketed the death insurance payout that came after the funeral was over and even moved into the house with his girlfriend at the time.

Thankfully, he didn’t kick me out. But he didn’t take care of me either. Hyung was too busy indulging in luxury with our parents’ inheritance. What was the first thing he bought with the insurance money? A foreign car. I heard him bragging to his girlfriend with my own ears that he paid over a hundred million won in cash for it.

The foreign car was just the beginning. Hyung spent money like water. He went on overseas trips, frequented clubs, bought meals and drinks for his friends every day… all while pouring effort into showing off on social media how much money he had and how well he spent it. The girlfriends he changed every three months were all met through social media too. While hyung lived extravagantly, I was steeped in poverty. With no money and no one to look after me, I barely ate one meal a day, relying solely on school lunches to survive.

Hyung had no intention of sharing our parents’ inheritance with me. He begrudged even a thousand won, going so far as to take the change left from errands he sent me on. If I didn’t hand it over, he’d beat me without mercy. Should I be grateful that he at least tossed me the leftovers like it was charity?

If you ask how he could be so cruel to his own brother, I’d say it’s because of his long-held victim complex. Hyung believed our parents favored me over him.

“Because of you, our family fell apart, you little shit.”

That was his mantra, something he’d say to me constantly before he ran away. He blamed me for his twisted life, for his strained relationship with our parents, for his hatred of the family—everything was my fault. In his mind, I was the perpetrator, and he was the victim. Yet, he genuinely believed I should be grateful that he didn’t kick me out and took me in, boasting that without him, I’d be a homeless street rat. He probably didn’t even realize he was doing anything wrong to me.

In any case, hyung’s lavish lifestyle didn’t last long. Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, the outcome was inevitable. Hyung was jobless, with no income, so it was only natural that a vault drained by constant spending would eventually run dry. Perhaps feeling anxious about the dwindling money, he started sitting in front of the computer every day, focusing on something. It turned out to be bitcoin. At first, he made some profit and was smug about it, but then he poured all his remaining money into it, hoping for a big win. The result? Predictably disastrous. That was the decisive reason we lost the leased apartment and ended up in this rooftop room.

Having tasted wealth, hyung couldn’t let go of his greed for a big score. He took out loans against the lease deposit and dove into not just stocks but gambling too. By my estimate, he blew through six hundred million won that way.

From then on, hyung’s indifference toward me turned into malice. Every time he lost money or was disrespected by someone, he took it out on me with violence. When he had money, he could relieve his stress by spending it, but now that it was gone, he started using me instead.

I had no power to stop him. I didn’t have the skills to defend myself, no space to escape, and no one to ask for help. Even my aunt ignored my suffering. When I called her out of desperation, she didn’t pick up, and she even changed her number. If I had held onto our parents’ inheritance, she probably wouldn’t have done that. Why do I think so? Because at the funeral, she suggested we live together. But once she found out hyung had taken all the insurance money, she cut off contact completely.

When I lived with my parents, I was happy and wanted for nothing. My dad, a civil servant, was stoic but full of responsibility, and my mom, who ran a small hair salon, was so warm and kind that she was always praised. Though Mom sometimes cried, missing hyung who had run away, our home was peaceful, with hardly a raised voice. But now, those harmonious times… they feel so distant, like a fantasy I never even experienced.

After my parents passed away and hyung took their place, my life turned upside down. I became unhappy. The depth of that unhappiness only grew deeper and more endless with time.

Hyung… was a monster.

A horrific monster that excreted misery.

A cruel monster that turned my life into hell.

A powerful monster I couldn’t defeat.

But then, that hyung fell. Right in front of me. So pathetically.

Naturally, the man who crushed hyung came to mind again. This time, it wasn’t just a fleeting thought—curiosity followed.

What’s his name? How old is he? What exactly does he do? Is he really a thug?

There was no way to resolve the mounting questions. He hadn’t told me anything about himself, nor had he left anything behind.

“He said to tell him if it got taken…”

He really did. He said to tell him if the money was taken, that he’d take care of it. But he didn’t give me any contact information… It probably wasn’t an oversight. It’s more likely he was drawing a line.

Hiss!

“…!”

A sudden noise snapped me out of my thoughts. I jolted and checked below. The water in the pot was boiling over. Hurriedly, I turned down the heat and dumped in the noodles and soup mix.

Late at night, even when I went to bed, hyung didn’t return.

“…Is he dead?”

Staring blankly at the blackened ceiling, the thought suddenly hit me. Maybe he’s dead…

Didn’t that man say something like that?

“We’ll take care of the surgery. Even a body like that should have one or two parts worth salvaging.”

No matter how I thought about it, it could only mean harvesting and selling organs. And it was clear he wasn’t just saying it to scare. The man was serious.

“One week. I’m telling you now, there’s no such thing as one more day.”

“One week…”

The deadline he gave had long passed. So the possibility that hyung was dead wasn’t exactly low.

No, it wasn’t just a possibility—it was high.

So, is he really dead? Or did he run away?

…I don’t know.

Suddenly, my chest felt tight. The uncertainty of hyung’s absence, not knowing exactly why, was starting to stress me out. I didn’t want him to come back, not even a little, but shouldn’t I at least know if he’s alive or dead?

It would’ve been nice to call someone, but sadly, I didn’t have a phone. Hyung stopped paying the bill long ago, so it got cut off.

Unable to shake the frustration, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Then, suddenly, something clicked in my head.

“Oh, the business card.”

Right. That’s it. The business card that man put in hyung’s mouth. If hyung didn’t throw it away or take it with him, it’s probably somewhere in the house.

I jumped up, turned on the light, and started rummaging through hyung’s things. Luckily, the search area wasn’t large—just the desk and the wardrobe.

The result of my impromptu search was,

“This is it.”

Success. As expected, the man’s business card was found in hyung’s coat.

I read the name engraved on the palm-sized card aloud.

“Baek… Sahyeon.”

Baek Sahyeon.

Finally, I knew the man’s name.

“Geumgang Building…”

I murmured the name carved into the building’s entrance. I pulled the business card from my pocket to double-check the address. Iwon-ro 375, Geumgang Building. This was it. This was definitely the building from the card.

The five-story building had signs for each floor on its exterior. The first floor was a franchise café, the second a mutual savings bank, the third a trading company, the fourth a venture capital firm. The fifth floor was empty, with no sign at all. Different businesses, but except for the café on the first floor, all the signs shared a common name: ‘Jone.’ Different branches, same root, I suppose.

Honestly, I was a bit taken aback. The building’s exterior was far more polished than I’d expected. And why wouldn’t it be… he’s a thug. I thought an office used by people like that would be in some shady alley, exuding a grim vibe. But this building mocked my expectations. It wasn’t huge, but it was located in a bustling area, and the exterior looked clean, like it was recently built. From the outside, it didn’t just look decent—it looked like a proper company’s building.

Could he not be a thug? Maybe he’s just a regular office worker… no, definitely not. There’s no way. If he were just an ordinary person, what I witnessed that day wouldn’t make sense. The level of violence he used on hyung, the way his subordinates looked—everything pointed to him being one of them. A thug, or maybe a gangster.

At least I was sure I’d come to the right place. I tucked the card back into my pocket and stared at the entrance. And I hesitated.

Should I go in or not?

I’d come all this way, an hour and a half’s journey, but now that I was here, I wavered. I’d been driven by curiosity and impulse, but I didn’t know what to say. More than that, there was no guarantee that man would even meet me if I showed up unannounced…

His title on the card was Executive Director. I didn’t know what kind of position that was in a company, but I could tell he wasn’t someone with a lot of free time.

Unable to go in or leave, I loitered in front of the entrance for a while. Then, suddenly, the door swung open, and a group of men poured out, their rough voices piercing my ears.

“Fucking hell, who’s been going on about sashimi since earlier! You think guys who swing knives for a living can stomach raw fish? They’ve got some guts. I’m not even looking at raw meat for a while… huh?”

Among the rough-looking men, the one at the front, grumbling loudly, froze when he spotted me.

“What’s this?”

His tone and face felt familiar. Looking closer…

“Hey, aren’t you that kid? Uh, what was his name again?”

It was the thug from two weeks ago. The one who sat on the stairs, greeted me, and dragged me up to the house.

He seemed to recognize me too.

“Jong-gu? No… Oh, Jongjin. Yeon Jongjin!”

Clap! He snapped his fingers, finally recalling hyung’s name correctly.

“Right? You’re that bastard’s little brother, aren’t you?”

I was about to nod, but then I remembered how he’d scolded me last time for nodding and answered aloud instead.

“Yes, that’s right…”

The man cackled and approached me. I instinctively took a step back. Thankfully, he didn’t comment on it and kept a reasonable distance as he threw a question at me.

“So, what’s up? No way this is a coincidence. You came here on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“I-I had some business…”

“What kinda business?”

“Well…”

“What, you here because of your hyung?”

Exactly. I came because of hyung, to find out what happened to him. But I didn’t want to hear it from this guy’s mouth. Not because I disliked him. I just… didn’t want to lose my reason to meet that man, Baek Sahyeon.

So, I hesitated, shook my head, and denied it.

“Not because of hyung…”

No, I tried to deny it but stopped. I didn’t have anything to say after the denial.

“It’s true? Or not?”

The man pressed for clarification. Unable to come up with a good excuse, I stammered.

“No, I mean… it’s about hyung, but…”

“What’re you saying? Can’t you answer straight?”

His sharp interrogation came in response to my vague reply. My body, weak to threats, flinched out of habit.

“W-Well, I mean…”

Saying it was nothing now wouldn’t work and would only raise suspicion. With no choice, I gave the most important reason I came here.

“I-I came to see the boss…”

“The boss? What boss?”

He seemed puzzled by the term ‘boss.’ I’d called him that because hyung did, but…

“Uh… the man who came to our house that day. His name is Baek, Baek Sahyeon…”

When I said the name, the man let out an “Ohh~” as if he finally understood.

“Who else could it be? But why do you want to see hyung?”

“I just… have something to say…”

“Something to say? What’s that?”

His questioning was relentless, growing sharper by the moment. The pressure was intense, especially with this thug-like man standing right in front of me. And the presence of the other men behind him—at least six or seven big, intimidating guys—was overwhelming.

The suffocating pressure sent a chill down my spine, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead. When I could only hesitate without answering, the man spat on the ground with a thwack and pressed me again in an even sharper tone.

“Hey, why aren’t you answering? You’re not ignoring me, are you? That wouldn’t be good.”

His glare was as fierce as his tone. If I didn’t answer this time, it felt like his hand would come flying. Overwhelmed by fear, my mouth opened instinctively.

“H-Hyung… hyung…”

I was supposed to say I came to ask if he’d come back, where he went, or if he was dead. But,

“The money… he took the money…”

Something completely different slipped out.

“What’d you say?”

The man frowned, as if doubting his ears. Knowing how ridiculous it sounded, I still blurted out whatever came to mind without filtering.

“My hyung took the money the boss gave me… You said to tell if it got taken…”

A cold silence followed. No one, including the man in front of me, responded to my excuse. It felt like their silence was laced with judgment, as if saying, What kind of nonsense is this?

The silence, which seemed endless, was broken by laughter. Pfft! The man bent over, letting out a bizarre laugh like he was coughing up phlegm.

“Oh man, is that so? You came to tattle because your big brother took your allowance?”

…He’s mocking me, isn’t he?

“Fucking hell, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while! Hahaha!”

Sure, it sounded pathetic even to me… but was it worth laughing so hard in the middle of the street? Embarrassed, I rubbed my forehead. Thankfully, the raucous laughter died down quickly.

Having laughed his fill, the man wiped the corners of his eyes. Even then, he kept chuckling. He soon stepped closer and patted my head, saying,

“Good, good. You came to the right place. If hyung told you to tattle, you gotta tattle. By the way, you like jajangmyeon?”

Jajangmyeon? Out of nowhere?

“You eat it well?”

Puzzled why he’d ask that, I nodded and said, “Yes.” I wasn’t picky with food anyway; I ate whatever was available.

“Alright then. Let’s go.”

He threw out the near-command and walked past me. Staring blankly at his back, I felt someone tap my shoulder. Turning around, I saw another familiar face—the guy who grabbed my neck and dragged me to the rooftop last time.

Urged by the unspoken command, I reluctantly followed. I was trapped in a crowd that felt like a storm cloud.

I ate jajangmyeon. And tangsuyuk. Not just any tangsuyuk, but the pricier glutinous rice kind. Naturally, it was delicious. Delicious enough to devour greedily, ignoring the intimidating aura from the group of dangerous men.

As I ate like a possessed man, the guy sitting across from me watched with amusement, remarking that he’d never seen someone eat so eagerly. Then, out of the blue, he asked my name.

“So, what’s your name?”

Mindful of the tangsuyuk stuffed in my mouth, I answered quietly.

“Yeon Haejin.”

“Right. Yeon Jongjin’s little brother, Yeon Haejin. But are you and that bastard really brothers? You don’t look alike at all.”

It was a comment I heard often. Hyung and I barely resembled each other. Even when we were kids, adults would see us together and ask Mom if we were really brothers.

“Yes. We’re real brothers.”

“Whoa, how does that happen from the same womb? One’s a fucking pig, and the other’s a scrawny puppy. That’s wild. Guess your mom loved you more, huh?”

“…She loved hyung too.”

That’s what I knew. Hyung would deny it, but I felt Mom, at least, cared for and loved him more than me. She never gave up on him despite all the trouble he caused—stealing, violence, running away… But what about hyung? He never repaid her love. He didn’t even acknowledge it. He didn’t shed a single tear in front of her memorial photo, let alone mourn her absence. I’d bet he never missed her either.

“Tch! If you were so loved, how’d you turn out like this?”

“…”

His calling hyung a bastard didn’t bother me at all. I agreed. Hyung was a bastard. No matter his reasons, he shouldn’t have been that cruel.

“By the way, you really came to tattle on your hyung for taking your money?”

I flinched. It must’ve shown on my face because his eyes narrowed slyly. Avoiding his sharp gaze, I shoved more tangsuyuk in my mouth. Thankfully, he didn’t press further. Instead, he cackled and played along with my lie.

“Alright. Eat up and go tell hyung everything. Maybe snag some more allowance while you’re at it. Got it?”

I had no intention of wanting more money, but I just nodded obediently. Maybe because my mouth was full of tangsuyuk, he didn’t call out my nod this time. Instead, he gave me his name unprompted.

“Hey, kid. Aren’t you curious about my name? I’m even buying you jajangmyeon.”

Honestly… I wasn’t. But it seemed like he wanted me to ask. I swallowed the tangsuyuk before speaking.

“Can you tell me?”

“Sure thing. I’m Hyunki. Kim Hyunki. Name’s as good-looking as my face, right?”

…Do I have to agree? He looks like a gorilla.

“Call me Hyunki hyung from now on.”

Good, he let it slide. I doubted I’d ever need to call him, but since he told me, I stored it in my head.

About twenty minutes later, I finished the bowl of jajangmyeon and set down my chopsticks. Seeing this, the man—no, Hyunki hyung—stood up. The other men rose in unison. It wasn’t just one or two; the sheer presence of several big guys moving at once was intimidating. In fact, while we were eating, three groups of customers had left the restaurant pale-faced, probably scared off by the men occupying the tables like a gang.

Hyunki hyung took care of the bill.

“Ring it up nice and clean.”

At his playful remark, the restaurant owner curtly announced the total. The bill came to about 150,000 won. It wasn’t just me eating, but since it felt like a lot of money to me, a belated sense of burden crept in.

As soon as we left the restaurant, I expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you for the meal.”

You really ate well, it was worth treating you, Hyun-ki hyung replied to my thanks. Perhaps it was the effect of being treated to an expensive meal, but his face, which had only seemed menacing before, looked gentle for the first time. Maybe, despite what he does, he’s a good person… At the very least, compared to my hyung, who would only leave me the sauce when ordering jajangmyeon, he was a much better person.

I followed Hyun-ki hyung back to the office building. I worried that after feeding me, he might tell me to get lost, but thankfully, he took me inside the building.

In the lobby, a middle-aged man in a security uniform sat reading a newspaper. You’d think he’d glance at the crowd barging in, but he ignored us with remarkable skill, treating us like we were invisible.

Only Hyun-ki hyung and I got into the elevator. The others all took the stairs. No one told them to, but they naturally moved that way, suggesting it was their usual route.

The elevator took us to the fifth floor, the one with no sign. Crossing a short, carpeted hallway, we reached a modern-looking door with a black frame. On the right side of the double door was a keypad lock, indicating this wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.

Hyun-ki hyung deftly punched in the code and walked inside. I followed hesitantly.

The space inside was none other than an office. But there was only one desk. It was probably something like a CEO’s office.

“Wait here.”

Pointing to a sofa, Hyun-ki hyung gave the instruction as I looked around the unfamiliar space with curiosity.

“What? …By myself?”

“What, are you scared to be alone? Want me to stay with you?”

No, being alone was better.

“No, I’ll stay by myself.”

Waving my hands to quickly deny it, Hyun-ki hyung pouted his lower lip and grumbled.

“Tch. Getting rejected like that kinda stings.”

“S-Sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? Anyway, don’t think about stealing anything. If you get caught, your wrist goes snap! Got it?”

With that ambiguous mix of jest or seriousness, Hyun-ki hyung left the office.

Click, the door closed. Alone, I finally felt the tension ease. Letting out a sigh of relief, I slowly looked around the office.

“…It’s clean.”

To be more honest, it was so clean it felt almost sterile. That’s how little there was. Not even a common plant or picture frame.

I cautiously sat on the sofa. It was leather, but not stiff—soft, actually. I absentmindedly ran my fingers over the texture, then looked around again. That’s when something caught my eye. A nameplate. Engraved with ‘Baek Sahyeon.’

I came to the right place.

This really is his space.

I’ll get to meet him soon.

The realization hit me anew, lifting my spirits.

What did the pounding of my heart mean?

Anxiety? Or anticipation?

…I was confused.

I opened my eyes. Only then did I realize I’d dozed off at some point. And not just sitting on the sofa—I was lying down. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed, as if I’d slept deeply, even in this unfamiliar place. Then again, I usually felt more at ease at school than at home, so it wasn’t entirely strange.

Blinking a couple of times to clear the lingering sleepiness, my vision, previously hazy like rain-soaked glass, sharpened. The surroundings were slightly dim, suggesting dusk had fallen, and the ceiling was tinged with the glow of sunset.

“…”

I sat there, dazed. My eyes were open, but my consciousness hadn’t fully surfaced from sleep. Then, a soft noise brushed my ears. Rustle—the sound of pages turning.

Turning my head toward the sound, I saw the silhouette of a man sitting on the opposite sofa, looking at documents.

It was him.

Baek Sahyeon.

The man who kept appearing in my head since that day, who kept me awake for nights, who ultimately led me to come here.

I recognized him instantly. Not because of his features. Even in pitch darkness, I think I would’ve known it was him. He had that kind of striking presence.

“You awake?”

He spoke without lifting his eyes from the documents. Snapping to attention, I sat up. At the same time, something fell to the floor with a thud. Looking closely, it was a coat.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t mine. I didn’t wear or own a coat this big. So…

“You looked cold.”

As expected, it was his.

Was I cold? I was too deeply asleep to notice. Regardless, I was grateful.

I quickly picked up the coat. But… I didn’t know what to do with it.

Should I give it back? Fold it and place it beside me?

For a moment, I clutched the coat with both hands, unsure, then bowed my head toward him.

“Thank you…”

At my clumsy gratitude, he finally looked up at me. His eyes, reflecting the red glow of the sunset, were strikingly vivid. Yet, they also felt alien. They held a burning color but seemed cold to the touch—a strange harmony of opposing qualities.

Staring at me with an expressionless face, he suddenly spoke.

“It’s something to be thankful for. Covering an uninvited guest, sleeping soundly in an empty office, with a coat to make them sleep better.”

There was a slight sting in his words, but his voice and tone were light. More teasing than scolding, perhaps. Still, I felt embarrassed. Even if unintentional, it was rude of me.

“S-Sorry.”

“Not something to be sorry for. It was quite a sight.”

A sight? Did I… do something while sleeping?

Sometimes hyung would nag me, saying I’d cry in my sleep. I couldn’t see myself sleeping, so I didn’t know if it was true, but my eyes were often wet when I woke up, so it didn’t seem entirely baseless. My sleeping habits weren’t exactly refined. So, I felt anxious.

“Did I… do something while sleeping? Like sleep-talking?”

He only gave a cryptic smile. To me, it read as confirmation. My face flushed instantly.

“Sorry…”

“I just said it’s not something to apologize for.”

My tongue froze mid-sentence. His tone and words weren’t aggressive, but they made me shrink for some reason. My shoulders hunched naturally.

Seeing my intimidated state, he frowned, as if displeased. His mild demeanor shifted instantly, like lukewarm water turning to ice. The chill was palpable, and I quickly lowered my eyes.

As the conversation stopped, silence settled in. Crushed by the awkward, heavy quiet, I fidgeted with the coat in my hands.

The deepening silence was broken by his voice, unclear if it was a question or a musing.

“Why do I already feel like the bad guy? I haven’t even done anything to the kid yet.”

Kid… He called me that last time too. Was it because I looked young, or because I was smaller than others? Or was it just my imagination? The term didn’t bother me before, but now it grated. Hesitating, I cautiously objected.

“I’m… not a kid.”

Normally, a first-year high schooler wouldn’t be called a kid. That’s what I thought. None of my classmates would be called that by anyone.

“Oh? Not a kid?”

His voice carried a hint of amusement, almost patronizing.

“Yes…”

“Then, a baby?”

…That’s even worse.

“That’s not it either.”

“Not a kid, not a baby… That’s tricky. I don’t know what to call you.”

Why not? I have a name…

Oh, I never told him.

“My name… is Yeon Haejin.”

“I know. But we’re not exactly close enough to call each other by name, are we?”

Is that… so?

It was confusing. It sort of made sense, but also didn’t. Names are for using, so if he knows it, why not just use it? But then, it might feel awkward if he did call my name… And I probably couldn’t call him by his name comfortably either… The more I thought about it, the more it seemed we weren’t close enough for names.

“Then… call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“Good thinking. Alright, that’s enough preamble. Shall we get to the point?”

The point?

What’s the point?

Tilting my head in confusion, he threw a direct question.

“What’s the kid doing all the way here?”

Oh, that’s what he meant by the point.

Right. I had a purpose. I came to ask something and had been waiting for this moment.

Recalling my forgotten goal, a different kind of tension rose in my throat. Swallowing hard, I carefully broached the subject.

“Well, it’s about hyung…”

“Be specific.”

“Huh? …Oh. I mean, hyung hasn’t come home for a while… So, I was wondering if…”

“If?”

“…If you know what happened to him.”

I almost asked if something bad happened to hyung. But it occurred to me that if he had nothing to do with hyung’s disappearance, it could be rude. So I rephrased it indirectly. Of course, my instincts pointed to him without a shred of doubt as the cause of hyung’s unnatural absence.

His reaction to my question was calm. He didn’t seem surprised that hyung had disappeared or ask for confirmation. That likely meant he already knew. As expected, my instincts were right—he was involved in hyung’s absence.

“So you didn’t come to tattle after all.”

Muttering to himself, he stood up. He walked to the desk by the window, bathed in sunset light, and picked something up. A cigarette.

Sitting on the edge of the desk, he looked at me, deftly pulling a cigarette and putting it to his lips. The veins and bones on the back of his hand stood out sharply, suggesting a sturdy frame without needing to touch it.

Lighting the cigarette and taking a drag, he let out a low voice.

“Too bad. Would’ve been nice if you came to ask me to punish your hyung for taking your money.”

I flinched. Earlier… who was it? Oh, Hyun-ki hyung. Right. That’s the excuse I gave him. Did he tell him already? Or does he just remember what he said to me before?

“It’s true… he did take it. So if you punish him… I’d be grateful.”

It was true that hyung took the allowance he gave me. Punishing hyung? That’d be something to thank him for.

Taking another drag, he gave a faint smile and said lightly,

“Really? But what can I do? I can’t punish him anymore.”

It was a loaded statement.

“…Why not?”

“Well, why do you think?”

Though phrased as a question, it was essentially an answer. To my earlier question about what happened to hyung.

After a brief pause, he added more directly,

“Don’t look for your hyung. Don’t wait for him either. He won’t show up again.”

“…”

“Your hyung broke his promise. And I’m a man who keeps his word.”

“…”

“Is that answer enough?”

It was. More than enough.

So hyung… is dead. Because he caused harm to this man and failed to keep his promise.

I had suspected as much. It wasn’t surprising. Unless I was completely clueless, I’d seen with my own eyes how mercilessly he crushed hyung. I also knew the terms of the deal hyung begged for to save his life.

Three hundred twenty million in a week… It was an impossible condition from the start. Hyung, who’d squandered all his assets and ruined his relationships, had no way to come up with that money. No matter how much he struggled, it was impossible. So, in a way, it was an obvious outcome.

What was strange was how I felt now, knowing of hyung’s death. Oddly, I felt nothing. It just seemed… distant, like hearing someone else’s story on the radio. It didn’t feel real at all.

“…”

I only blinked blankly. His sunset-tinged eyes quietly observed me. No, not just observed—he was studying me. My expression. The emotions beneath it.

After a long silence, his voice broke through.

“I’m confused. Should I say I’m sorry? Or that it’s a good thing?”

I didn’t know. What did I want to hear? Was hyung’s death something to regret or something to celebrate? I was confused too.

So, I didn’t say anything.

…I couldn’t.

Reading something in my silence, he let out an enigmatic smile. Then, tapping ash into the ashtray on the desk, he summed it up.

“Let’s just say it’s regrettable but a good thing.”

I neither agreed nor disagreed with his conclusion. Instead, a sudden question popped into my blank mind, and I blurted it out.

“What about the debt?”

Hyung’s death was likely because he couldn’t pay the promised money. I wasn’t sure if it applied here, but I’d heard that with private loans, even if there’s no legal responsibility, family debts often become yours. If so, hyung’s unpaid debt might fall to me.

“Do I have to pay it?”

His eyes narrowed. The cigarette tilted in his mouth.

“If I told you to pay, could you?”

“…No.”

I had no intention of making impossible promises like hyung did to beg for my life. It was futile anyway, and my fate would be the same. Only the timing would differ. If dying now or later was the same, I’d rather die now. I’d already lived a pathetic enough life.

“I can’t pay it while I’m alive. I don’t have the ability or the confidence.”

I answered honestly.

He frowned and smiled, his expression ambiguous—neither angry nor amused.

“Honest. I like that.”

Giving a positive remark to my response, he stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette. Then he shared some fortunate news.

“Luckily, you don’t have to pay anything. I’ve recovered what I needed. The price of meat is pretty good these days.”

Meat… He must mean human organs. So hyung… that’s how he died.

“And there’s some left over, which is nice. The inheritance should go to the family. The remaining money is yours. I’ll send it with some condolence money, so leave your account number before you go.”

I was stunned. Not only did I not have to pay the debt, but I’d also get money? It was shocking that hyung’s body was worth more than three hundred twenty million.

That aside, a bank account? I didn’t have one. I’d never even tried to make one. I never had a need for it.

“I… don’t have a bank account.”

Cautiously explaining my situation, he paused, raised an eyebrow in surprise, then said “Oh” as if he understood and offered another solution.

“Then shall I have it delivered in cash?”

“Uh, if I may ask, how much is it?”

“About fifty million, I’d say?”

“Fifty thousand won?”

“…”

…Oh, not that.

Seeing his incredulous expression, I realized my mistake. Of course, he wouldn’t ask for an account number for just fifty thousand won. But I couldn’t fathom a larger amount. If not fifty thousand, then… surely not…

“Fifty million… won?”

I said it half-doubting. Shockingly, he nodded. That was it.

Fifty million won.

The allowance he gave me before was about eight hundred thousand won. That already felt overwhelming, but fifty million? In cash? How many bills would that be? …I couldn’t even imagine. There was no way I could handle it.

“S-Sorry, but I can’t manage that.”

The door to our rooftop room didn’t even have a lock. There was nothing to steal, so we left it open. If I couldn’t hide eight hundred thousand won, there was no way I could store that much money.

“Picky, aren’t you?”

He muttered with a sigh-like tone. Even I found it absurd that I couldn’t accept money being offered. But that was my reality.

“I’ll wait, so go make an account now. It’s simple these days.”

In my case, even that wasn’t simple.

“I, uh… don’t have a phone. And my parents are gone, so it might be complicated to make one.”

My utterly lacking situation must’ve been astounding because he let out a dry laugh.

I bit my lip, embarrassed. Living with nothing was so normal that I didn’t care when kids at school called me a beggar… but now, I was ashamed. It felt like I’d been stripped naked.

“Sorry.”

My head and shoulders drooped instinctively.

Silence fell again. I was quiet because I had nothing to say, and he… I don’t know. He was just silent.

How much time passed?