Love Me More

Episode 8

“I need to use the bathroom too.”

“You can go when the boss arrives.”

“My bladder feels like it’s going to burst.”

“Piss here then. Isn’t an omega’s dick supposed to be tiny? Let’s have a look while we’re at it.”

One of the guys snickered and held an empty bottle to Kwon Yuwon’s lower body. The other one had somehow already grabbed a knife with the blade out. Afraid of causing trouble if he moved wrongly, Kwon Yuwon just clenched his fists tightly.

He tried to pick up his phone to make a call, but the man forcefully took it away and slammed it on the table corner. The phone’s screen cracked like a spider web, and they threw it into the ice bucket. Their glistening eyes clearly showed they were looking for any excuse to rough him up if he so much as opened his mouth.

Kwon Yuwon kept his mouth shut and surveyed his surroundings. He was ready to smash their heads with a liquor bottle and make a run for it if necessary. He marked the positions of the bottle and the exit door, waiting for an opportunity.

Time passed anxiously. The feeling that something terrible would happen to Si-yul if he delayed any longer reached its peak. Just as he was thinking he’d have to get out of there even if it meant killing these bastards, miraculously, there was a knock on the door. A man about as big as the door itself opened it and stepped inside.

“I’m sorry, sir, but your reservation time is up. We kindly ask you to vacate the room for the next guests.”

His voice was quite polite, but the message was clear: get out. Naturally, the men’s reaction wasn’t pleasant.

“What the fuck?”

“Is there someone named Yuwon here?”

Kwon Yuwon stood up awkwardly. The man looked at Kwon Yuwon as if confirming his face and then stood with his hands behind his back.

“I apologize once again, but your reservation time has ended. Please leave now.”

His voice, devoid of any trace of apology, was more of an order than a request. The men frowned menacingly and stood up. One held a liquor bottle, the other a knife. The large man sighed quietly so others couldn’t hear and unclasped his hands from behind his back.

With a crash, all the dishes on the table fell to the floor, but the commotion was brief. The large man easily subdued the two men as if twisting a child’s wrist. He left the writhing men sprawled on the floor to other large men and turned to look at Yuwon.

“Please wait a moment. We’ll escort you out through the back door shortly.”

Si-yul’s eyes, which had been listening intently to Kwon Yuwon’s words, suddenly sparkled. The man, Woo Hyun-se, hadn’t lied. He had kept Kwon Yuwon safe.

“So I got out safely. I couldn’t come home all night because I was driving around in circles, worried those bastards might follow me. And I couldn’t contact you because… my phone was broken.”

Now it all made sense. Si-yul smiled brightly after hearing the whole story. He was grateful to the man and relieved that nothing had happened to Kwon Yuwon.

“So everything’s okay now?”

Seeing Si-yul smiling so innocently, Kwon Yuwon couldn’t help but smile back. He knew there was a mountain of problems to solve ahead, but he didn’t want to show it in front of Si-yul.

“Yeah. So don’t worry. And you should stay put for a while too, take care of yourself.”

“Okay.”

Finding Si-yul cute, Kwon Yuwon messed up his hair thoroughly. Si-yul didn’t mind his hair becoming a bird’s nest and burrowed into the other’s arms. He was just immensely relieved that Kwon Yuwon had returned unharmed.

* * *

After that incident, the deals suddenly stopped. The pig, despicable as ever, ignored Kwon Yuwon’s contacts as if for revenge. Despite Kwon Yuwon’s efforts to mend the relationship, it was futile. One day he came back with a flushed face, having emptied a whole bottle of strong soju despite his usual limit being just half a bottle.

“I’ll definitely plant a grenade in that bastard’s gut someday.”

He spewed out his anger. Even when Si-yul asked what happened, Kwon Yuwon just muttered curses and kept his mouth shut about the question. Si-yul could only guess. The pig must have proposed very unfavorable conditions, he thought.

The deal strike, which seemed like it would end quickly, lasted longer than expected. Since they had been sending a considerable amount of their income to the orphanage, their savings quickly hit bottom. The next month’s rent was urgently needed.

Si-yul glanced at Kwon Yuwon. He was crouched in a corner like a shut-in, staring at his newly bought cheap phone. He hadn’t slept properly, so the area under his eyes was dark, and his usually neat hair was greasy from not washing.

Judging by his state, it would take a while for him to return to normal. Since childhood, Kwon Yuwon would sometimes retreat into this state for days when things didn’t go his way. Knowing that he would eventually crawl out on his own, Si-yul wasn’t too worried.

However, the situation was too dire to just sit idly by. If they waited any longer, they’d both end up penniless. Now, the only one to rely on was himself. At least until Kwon Yuwon came back to his senses, he was the head of this household.

He immediately jumped into the part-time job market. But the world wasn’t so forgiving. As if “incompetent” was written on his face, he strangely got rejected at every interview he went to. Even when they said they’d contact him and he waited, there was no news, and when he reached out first, they all said they had found a suitable candidate.

Reality was this cold to a beta who was a high school graduate, an orphan, and had barely a line or two of work experience on his resume.

Si-yul stopped by a park on his way home after yet another part-time job interview. While his heart was full of dark clouds, the weather was cruelly nice. The sky was cloudless, and the wind touching the nape of his neck was cool. The trees welcoming autumn had changed into red and yellow clothes, making the world colorful and beautiful. Only his life was miserable, unlike the weather.

“Ah, life…”

He lamented, but he couldn’t give up here. Si-yul sat on a bench, rubbed his face vigorously to regain his senses, and picked up his phone. He was about to apply for a daily loading and unloading part-time job. It would be tough, but a guy with all limbs intact should be able to handle physical labor.

He filled out the form, and just as he was about to hit submit, the screen suddenly changed, and a person’s name appeared at the top. Si-yul was so surprised to see that name that he threw the phone into the air as if a caterpillar had fallen on his hand. Even though it fell to the ground, the phone was still ringing perfectly. The name on the screen didn’t disappear either.

It’s a precious thing with the installment plan not even finished yet, despite being an outdated model. Si-yul hurriedly picked up the phone, blew off the dust, and wiped the screen with his sleeve. He desperately hoped he had misread the name, but “Woo Hyun-se,” a name he couldn’t forget even though he had only heard it once, was still there.

“Oh, shit…”

I thought he wouldn’t contact me.

If I don’t answer, won’t he just hang up? Maybe he dialed the wrong number? Si-yul waited for the call to end on its own, his legs shaking. Finally, the ringing stopped. His face brightened, but when the phone started ringing again after just a few seconds, he dropped his head gloomily.

He had no choice but to answer. His ID was taken anyway, so he was in the palm of the man’s hand no matter what he did.

“Hello?”

His voice was deflated and tense. If you’re going to do this, why not just text? Why do you have to call directly? Grumbling inside, Si-yul kicked at the innocent ground with the toe of his sneaker.

“You answered? I thought you wouldn’t.”

The person who called twice to make sure he answered speaks annoyingly. Si-yul responded curtly but with a trailing voice, “Why?”

“You need to pay for the dry cleaning.”

“How much is it?”

“The pants are fine, but the shoes… They say they can’t restore those.”

“Ah…” Si-yul covered his face with one hand. The amount he vomited that day was extraordinary. He had turned his stomach inside out and emptied it completely, so it was understandable if the leather shoes were beyond saving. Remembering the shoes that had been particularly shiny, Si-yul slumped his shoulders.

“Then…”

“We’ll have to buy new ones. How much were they again? If I remember correctly, about…”

Si-yul’s mouth fell open at the price of the shoes that followed. For Si-yul, who always wore sneakers that could be bought for less than three bills at the market, it was an utterly unattainable price. “You’re lying,” he blurted out without thinking, to which the man replied that if he didn’t believe it, he could send proof.

“Really?”

“Why would I bother lying to you?”

The man emphasized. Even if it was a lie, Si-yul had committed a crime and was afraid of what the other might do, so he had to pay. Although they were talking now as if nothing had happened, Si-yul clearly remembered what the man had said and done at their first meeting.

His stomach was already burning as if the man had poured a spoonful of concrete into it. Rubbing his belly in circles, Si-yul pleaded over the phone.

“Can’t you cut me some slack? I don’t have a single penny right now.”

“That’s difficult for me too. They were my favorites.”

“I’m not saying I won’t pay, it’s just difficult right now. I’ve lost my job, and I don’t even have money for food at the moment. But I’ll definitely pay you back, even if I have to work in a factory.”

“What should I believe about you? What if you say you’re going to the factory and then run away?”