RB 5

After that, Sim Eunho’s daily life continued without much change.

The only thing different was that whenever he came home from work, a paper bag of delivered food was placed in front of his door.

The meal was always warm, as if it had been timed to arrive with his return. The menu was mostly Korean food, with restaurant names he had never seen in the neighborhood.

Of course, there was never anyone there, only the food left behind. But it was obvious it came from Haegang.

He was not used to such warmth. Every time, Eunho hugged the paper bag awkwardly. He could not throw away good food, so he had no choice but to carry it inside.

That evening, too, Eunho unfolded a floor table and ate alone while holding his phone. Naturally, there was no internet at his house. He always stole the free Wi-Fi from the convenience store next door. The speed was slow, but it worked well enough.

On a whim, he searched the portal site for “Haegang.” An enormous amount of information came up. Ranked within the top ten conglomerates in Korea, with dozens of subsidiaries, Haegang was a major group that formed part of the backbone of the national economy.

Next, he searched for “Haegang Choi Yoonho.” Contrary to expectation, nothing came up.

“So not every chaebol heir is famous.”

Eunho muttered to himself, shoved a spoonful of rice and meat into his mouth, and kept moving his thumb busily.

Finally, he typed in Choi Yeorok. This time, articles with photos appeared in a long list.

Eunho’s eyes widened. He clicked the one that caught his attention the most. At the top of the article was a large full-body photo of Chairman Choi Yeorok.

Even in the photo, he looked superior. His handsome face aside, he stood so tall that he towered above the heads of the people around him. Everything he wore looked luxurious, showing exactly what it meant to be a chaebol.

“Choi Yeorok. Thirty one years old. Chairman of the Haegang Foundation, actual owner of Haegang Group.”

Eunho read every line of information listed about him. Most of the economic newspaper article was hard to understand, but the line saying he had been chosen as the most promising businessman of the year stuck clearly in his mind.

“……”

It was simply astonishing. Though he had just met the man not long ago, it felt like he lived in another world. Eunho could not stop searching, even as his food grew cold.

He had no intention of getting involved with Choi Yeorok, yet he could not help but be curious about the world he lived in. Maybe because that world was filled with sparkling lights, unlike his own.

***

“Eunho, we’re shutting down. Work only until today, and don’t come back.”

The diner owner threw down the sudden announcement like a bolt from the blue.

Eunho froze on the spot as he came out from washing dishes.

“What… what do you mean? Shutting down?”

“What else can I do? The developer hasn’t paid us for months. We can’t pay the electricity or water bills. We can’t even buy ingredients. How do we run a business, dig money out of the ground?”

The owner slapped the old ledger. His eyes, glaring at the numbers, were filled with irritation.

His slanted eyes lifted to Eunho. But when faced with Eunho’s blank face, the sharp look softened. The owner held his wrinkled forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“This is the situation, so we have no choice. I’ll pay your wages when money comes in. Please understand.”

“Boss, you need to pay me now. The firing is sudden enough… I have places I need the money right away.”

Eunho’s hands trembled as he grabbed the owner’s sleeve. Being fired was shocking enough, but being told there would be no wages… made his head spun.

“Who said I wouldn’t pay you? You should be grateful I even kept you this long! I fed you meals too, and now you’re desperate to squeeze money out of me? I’ll pay you, damn it!”

The owner shouted in anger and shook off Eunho’s hand. Hugging the ledger to his chest, he waved him off, saying business was done and he should go home.

Eunho was shoved out by the owner’s forceful hand.

Clang.

The metal door shut, and the latch locked from inside. Eunho stared blankly at the peeling door of the shop.

Of all days, today was repayment day. He had not a few hundred won in his pocket, and the money he had at home was only a few ten-thousand-won bills at best.

His vision darkened. He knew from experience how Mr. Oh would act if he failed to pay interest. That made it even more suffocating.

Eunho covered his face with his damp palms. He didn’t want to go home. He desperately wished he could disappear instead.

But another dinner waited at his door. He looked around, but there was not a shadow of a person on the rooftop.

“Instead of this… they should give me something that’s money.”

He sighed. Just because he had eaten decent food for a few days, he had turned into someone with greedy thoughts. He felt pathetic.

Bang!

The door rattled violently with a kick.

As night came, Mr. Oh showed his face as always.

Eunho swallowed his saliva in nervousness. He straightened his legs from where he had crouched and stood up carefully. Tonight, he had to match Mr. Oh’s mood no matter what.

“You’re here?”

“What’s this? Did you take poison or something? Why are you acting different?”

Mr. Oh stopped as he entered. He stared at Eunho’s face that greeted him.

Then his gaze dropped. On the floor was a neatly set dinner table. Braised short ribs. With thick meat still attached.

“Hey, what’s this? Who the hell do you think you are to eat this?”

“It’s not mine. If you haven’t had dinner, please eat it.”

“You set this up for me?”

“…Yes.”

His dark lips stretched into a long grin. Fuck, this bastard. Mr. Oh smacked his lips as he stepped closer.

“What did you do here? Did you put pesticide in this?”

“No.”

“Then why did you set food for me? Since when did you ever do this?”

Eunho squeezed his eyes shut. To smooth over the situation he had to say something, but he did not know how to flatter, and heat rose to his head. In the end, he forced his stiff tongue to move and confessed the truth.

“Please… if you could delay the interest payment by one month.”

“What?”

“I am sorry. I have circumstances. I will pay as soon as I receive my wages. Please just wait one month…”

“Are you joking?”

The army boot kicked the table away. Food scattered across the yellow-stained floor. Mr. Oh did not stop there, he rushed at Eunho.

“You only learn when you get beaten. You always bring it on yourself.”

He grabbed Eunho’s hair and slapped his cheek. His big palm smacked against Eunho’s cheek and neck.

“Our Eunho, huh, how easy do you think I am to pull this? Fuck, I knew it. No wonder you were being so mild.”

Kicks came one after another. Eunho covered his head and curled up like a shrimp. Having been beaten before, he had learned in his own way how to endure it. He clenched his teeth so he would not bite his tongue, and blood leaked from his gums with a salty taste.

“Hey bastard, do you think it makes sense to crawl like this over just fifty?”

“……”

“Did I ask you to repay the principal? Did I tell you to hand me the full twenty million right now?”

Mr. Oh crouched on the floor. After beating him enough, a drag of a cigarette tasted especially good.

“If you borrowed, you at least need to pay interest every month. You are healthy and have no issues, so what is the problem? There are thousands of jobs to make money. If not, you could even sell your body.”

Whoosh, smoke spread thickly with his exhale.

His narrowed eyes looked over Sim Eunho gasping in the corner. From Mr. Oh’s rough handling, Eunho’s T-shirt had stretched up to his shoulders. His pale shoulder bones showed, thin from never seeing enough sun.

This was why tormenting Sim Eunho was enjoyable. Mr. Oh drew on his cigarette as he admired the starved body. Just like the cigarette burning down, his desire boiled.

He had already heard that Eunho was fired from the diner. Where could he possibly get money now? Soon, he would break that will and use him however he wanted. The cigarette tasted all the sweeter.

Mr. Oh stubbed the cigarette butt on the floor until even the filter was burned.

“You have until the day after tomorrow. If you try to dodge me again, I will tear your ass apart that day.”

Bang!

The sound of the door being kicked open and slammed shut echoed.

“Uhh… ugh.”

Eunho trembled in a crouch for a long time. Tears he had not shed while being beaten finally came. He felt miserable, filthy, and bitter.

The rooftop room was silent as always. As always, there was no one to comfort him.

***

From the next day, he ran around trying to get money until his feet wore out, but there was no work in the neighborhood suitable for him. Construction sites were the easiest to approach, but with his frail body, he was rejected from day labor every time.

The diner really had closed. Unable to stay still, he even went to the owner’s house, but he was turned away at the door. In frustration, he reported it to the labor office, but hearing it would take months, he gave up on paying his debt with the wages.

The bank’s doors were too high, and without even a credit card, cash services were impossible. Borrowing again from loan sharks was insanity.

Dragging his exhausted legs, he trudged home.

The day was already ending. The neighborhood was high up on the mountain ridge, so the red sky looked close enough to touch.

Eunho stepped slowly up the concrete stairs. When he finally reached the top step, gasping for breath, he saw a stranger on the rooftop.

His worn-out sneakers stuck to the ground. Eunho’s eyelids closed and opened slowly.

The man leaned against a cracked gray railing. The suit he wore and the shabby rooftop mismatched terribly.

Yeorok looked down over the neighborhood with his arms crossed. At the sound of Eunho’s presence, he turned his head.