A silver Pontiac stopped in an alley dyed with dawn. Two thugs were sleeping in front of the blue gate. Cha Yiseok placed his arms and chin on the steering wheel and his chin on them. 5:45 in the morning. The cat ran out in the middle of the call. His wet voice was as heart-wrenching as the song, and it took exactly fifteen minutes to get there after stepping on the wheel. When dealing with him, his emotions and actions sometimes exploded out of control.
Even though he did not understand that, it was also enjoyable like a dizzying game of walking a single rope. He got out of the car and walked over to the thugs. He wasn’t properly dressed, so the early morning wind blew into his bones.
“Is Yaba there?”
The gatekeepers glared at the uninvited guest with eyes that had run away from sleep.
“The boss told me not to let anyone in. Especially Executive Director Cha.”
“If I don’t see him now, I’m going to go crazy, I’ll just check his face and go.”
“That’s not possible. Please go back.”
They didn’t look like they’re backing down. Cha Yiseok pulled out four ten million won1 cheques from his wallet and held them out. The gangsters' eyes widened at the colour of the cheques his finger were holding.
“How about five minutes? If you erase the memories of seeing me, it will be yours.”
They swallowed their saliva and engaged in a bustling brawl with their eyes. The men who had reached an agreement over a long period of time took the cheque from Cha Yiseok's fingers.
“Well, then, only five minutes. We will risk our lives to let you in, so if you break your promise, we will all die. The room… on the right side”
Cha Yiseok took two more cheques of the same colour from his wallet and put them one by one on the chests of the men.
“Add two minutes.”
The men were displeased with being treated as a bar hostess, but that was all. Cha Yiseok smiled and entered the gate. The first thing he noticed was the yard scenery that didn't suit this house. The type of bonsai, the trimmed shape, and the arrangement of bricks surrounding the vegetable garden felt familiar to the family residence.
He went up to the floor and opened the door on the right. Luggage bags and clothes were piled up everywhere in the narrow and dark room, and the three men fell asleep in their own way. It was dark and it was difficult to tell who was who. While checking their faces one after another, he found a silhouette sleeping near the wall.
A back crouched like a cat, and an erotic nape that couldn’t be hidden even in the darkness. He walked inside, avoiding the twisted legs. He pushed the man with his leg on Yaba's waist and made room. The round-looking man groaned in pain and went back to sleep again. Cha Yiseok placed one of his arms on the floor and looked down at the sleeping wild cat. Long eyelashes and curves that fell from the forehead to the bridge of the nose made him listless. The guy’s breathing was low as if he were tired.
“You don't let others sleep, but you sleep well.”
He could see the cat's paws, which were tightly curled up. What he saw through the gap in his forehand was the candy case he had given him. Like the hand of a child who took his first breath, Yaba held the case so that the back of his hand stood out. Cha Yiseok stroked the cuts on the guy's wrist. Burn marks that ruin the silhouette of the nape of the neck.
He wanted to wake up the guy, but it's not bad to see him sleep with his claws hidden like this. It was well worth rushing here in the morning. He dropped his head and tried to bury his lips in the traces of his heart tightening. At that moment, a sharp piece of metal touched the trunk of his neck. He moved only his gaze and ran up the unidentified object. The silhouette became clear in the blue light coming through the window. It wasn't a pile of clothes, it was a person at Yaba's bedside. The whites gleamed in the dark.
“He fell asleep a while ago. He cried a lot today…”
He had sensitive nerves. Even though it was so close, he didn't notice it at all.
"I know."
Cha Yiseok lifted his upper body. As his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he knew what touched his neck were pruning shears. The scissors were large enough to cut through an adult man's neck, and the blade was sharp. As soon as he checked the man's face, Cha Yiseok narrowed his eyes. The man was the gardener at his parent’s home.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“This is my house.”
The temporary residence was the gardener's house. For a person who provided temporary shelter, it seemed like he knew Yaba well. Most of all, he was on edge about what he was doing at Yaba's bedside without sleeping at this hour. The man pointed the shears at Cha Yiseok's neck, but he didn't take his eyes off Yaba. Those eyes and the way he sat crooked are like a dog protecting his owner.
“I saw you that day… You picked up Sejin in front of the house and put him in the car. I couldn't do anything even though my brother was abducted. I chased, but couldn't catch up with the car. I can't run faster than a car."
The man whispered in a sombre tone. Cha Yiseok raised one eyebrow.
“There's nothing to be disappointed about. After all, no one runs faster than a car.”
Most of the words were hard to understand. One of them pulled his nerves.
“But, did you say that Yaba was your brother?”
“He’s not Yaba. He’s Sejin. Sejin is my younger brother.”
Cha Yiseok wiped the smile from his lips.
“I can’t believe it.”
“Seoul, Nangok-dong 41, 14-tong, 1-ban. Sejin said that if I get lost, I have to tell the police this address. If I couldn’t memorise it, he would hit my palm.”
What the man sang was the address of Yaba's childhood home. He has a brother with autism and was told he was missing. Was the brother a home gardener? When he first saw the gardener, he thought he looked like someone, but now he knew why.
This one has a bigger build and a milder impression, but he’s clearly engraved with Yaba's facial features. The man who claimed to be Yaba's older brother didn't seem to care whether he accepted the fact or not. The gardener licked his lips like a lost animal.
"You are… tall and handsome. The most handsome man I've ever seen."
It was out of the blue. The man bent his back like a worm.
“You are so cool that I can’t even compare to you. You are cool when you smile too. You are also friendly to the people who work. Like to the helper lady before carrying a heavy basket. Jungah's face turns red when you smile too. People who live in such houses don't do that to working people. You are nice and kind. That's why I'm worried about Sejin being next to you. When you pushed Sejin into the car, Sejin was scared, but he didn't hate it…”
The gardener, who was about to cry, looked anxious and desperate. But the shears did not move. Cha Yiseok did not avoid the weapon that pressed against his neck.
“You are pretty cool too. If you straighten your bent back, you will look much bigger. The type of person who is the target of a chaebol hostess who has plenty of money and time left. You are also very good at gardening. I can't even brick or prune as nicely as you. The cat will be proud of you too.”
“He’s not a cat. He’s Sejin. And I…”
Gradually, the conversation became tedious.
“Anyway, will you remove the shears? Right now, I want to suck on the nape of the butterfly, but if blood sprays onto his face, he might wake up.”
The man made eye contact for the first time. It was ferocity that filled those black eyes. The blue-stained pruning shear blades rattled and threatened Cha Yiseok's neck. They were the teeth of a dog that guarded its owner.
“You can't touch Sejin as you please… Sejin is mine. I want to touch him too, but I have to be patient until Sejin forgives me.”
Now, conversations with the gardener were not tedious at all. Cha Yiseok muttered as he touched Yaba's lip line.
“I can’t afford to be patient now.”
“Then you… I have no choice but to kill you.”
It was unnatural, like a kid pretending to be an adult. But, like a child's feelings, he was ferocious without pretence. It was not unsurprising the gardener claims his brother is his. If it was Yaba, if it was this cheap drug, it would not be too much to pounce on his older brother. Then, there must have been a worthy story between the two of them. The stark scene scratched his mind. Venomous emotions swarmed. Cha Yiseok twisted the corners of his lips.
“A threat after an ardent confession, how disappointing.”
Cha Yiseok looked down at Yaba, who was asleep without knowing anything. Spraying semen on this face would be enough, but blood would be a good match too. He leaned over and grabbed the cat's neck. A savage lust struck his heart as his smooth skin caught on to his tongue. The blade that touched the nape of his neck twitched and convulsed as if to cut off the pulsating veins beneath his skin. Cha Yiseok put a dazzling smile on his lips.
Yaba, Yaba, cheap drug. Crackle, crackle, grinding his teeth, he mutilated his name. Even if he slit his leg, cut off his tongue, and hid it somewhere, he would crawl on his feet again. He'd like to see what the hell was in this head. When he lifted his upper body again, the gardener's eyes were entangled in bewilderment and ferocity. Cha Yiseok chewed those eyes with his teeth and spoke.
“Whether you’re his older brother or ex-lover, make up your mind exactly. Then I will decide how to deal with you.”
He got up. The blade scratched his skin and fell off. Blood ran down the nape of his neck. He had a premonition that one day he would meet him again. With a clearer name, then.
