Chapter 12

Tak, the thrown stones piled up beneath the wall. Squatting on the side of the road, Ja-kyung picked up a  stone with his dirty hands and threw it against the wall. Sneakers with worn out soles came into view. The pants with shortened ankles did not block the cold wind, and the sweater was also worn with shredded sleeves.

The children going by with their backpacks were startled when they saw Ja-kyung throw stones. They were frightened as their gazes collided, and they ran. Baby ghost.  That’s what the kids called him. He got his nickname since his family was more active at night than during the day, even if they didn’t know what his family was doing.

“What are you doing here?”

A tall man stepped from behind the wall and opened the door. Even when he saw the pile of stones below the wall, the man did not scold him. Instead, he went back into the house and handed him a loaf of bread. He was a Chinese who resided here long before Ja-kyung’s family came. He said he have a son who was older than Ja-kyung and lived in China with his mother and grandmother.

When Ja-kyung was handed the bread, he ripped it open and shoved it into his mouth. The man would occasionally come out and bring Ja-kyung something to eat when he was hungry. He fed him mostly bread and occasionally brought him into the house to cook ramen. Every time, however, Ja-kyung’s father was angry and scolded him for attempting to seduce someone else’s son.

“Eat slowly. You’re going to get indigestion.”

In the morning, he looked through the refrigerator but found nothing to eat. His father had left work three days prior and had not returned, and his mother had been drowned in alcohol and drugs for several days and had been unable to get up.

“You’re so… unlucky.”

A man with the surname Wang took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and lighted it. White smoke soared up into the air shortly after. Ja-kyung swallowed the last of the bread and stared blankly at the man who had lit the cigarette.

“What. Do you want to smoke?”

Mr. Wang asked with a smile, and Ja-kyung nodded. His eyes widened, then returned to their original position. After thinking for a moment, he motioned for Ja-kyung to come. As they got closer, he passed the tip of the cigarette to Ja-kyung.

“Keep sucking it.”

He sucked as hard as he could with his thick lips pursed in a circle. However, a cough erupted almost immediately. His eyes sting and he has a congested nose. Above him, a huge hand ruffles his hair with laughter.

“See. You’re not doing any good.”

When Ja-kyung saw the cool smile, he had a brief thought of how great it would be if he were his father. He was also envious of his son, who was in China. When he finished smoking and entered the house, Ja-kyung followed the alleyway and went up to his house.

Ja-kyung’s house was at the top of the alley. In the middle of the alley, there was a high and steep staircase, which was a dangerous area where you may lose your life if you slipped. Last winter, an elderly guy fell down here and broke his neck, eventually dying.

The closer he got to his house, the less excited he became about returning home. He heard a strange noise from within the home as he pushed through the unpainted iron door. When Ja-kyung noticed odd shoes under the old floor, he stopped. It appears a guest has arrived.

“Ah, ah, oppa, more, more, huh? Suck more.”

“Hey, you fucking bitch. You like it? huh? I‘m better than your husband, right?”

Ja-kyung sat on the floor and kicked it with his worn-out sneakers. His mother’s choking voice stopped, and the sound of the two of them holding their breath was heard along with the man’s groan.

He ate up the bread far too quickly. He felt like he was about to puke, so he rubbed his stomach, and the old door opened with a loud bang as if it were about to fall, and a guy appeared. He’d seen the face of the man taking his pants down a few times before.

“Hey. Your baby is here.”

The man was going to reach out and touch Ja-kyung’s head but he didn’t like it so he turned away. The man smiled and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. A grim-faced goblin’s face was carved on the guy’s shoulder whose upper body was exposed.

The goblin had four horns in total. There were two on the forehead and two on the chin. And the eyes were bright red. Those eyes seemed to be glaring at him, so Ja-kyung quickly averted his gaze.Then a shock was struck in the back of his head. His body stumbled forward as a result of the slap.

“You’ve been wandering around since the morning and now you’re crawling in!”

He didn’t respond, so she slapped him across the face. Blood dripped from his nose. Ja-kyung wiped the dripping blood and looked at his mother. Closing her protruding breasts with her clothes, she took a cigarette next to the man and smoked it.The man laughed and threw the mop at Ja-kyung. Wipe clean with this. Instead of picking up the mop, Ja-kyung glared at the man. The man didn’t care, but his mother said she didn’t like his eyes and kicked Ja-kyung with her feet.

A twig-like body rolled in the yard. A clear blue sky came into view.  The sun was scorching and blistering. He blamed the sky for the tears that seemed to fall.

***

“Are you okay?”

When Choi Ki-tae’s eyes met his, Ja-kyung wiped away the old memories and gently raised the corners of his mouth, and nodded.  The man who had pointed the knife at his stomach was beaten to death, and after barely standing, he apologized and left, leaving just the man with the goblin tattoo on his arm in front of him.

“Then I will take a taxi.”

As he was about to leave after saying goodbye, the man grabbed Ja-kyung’s arm. He looked at the goblin face hanging from his arm once more.

“Seok-joo’s friend is just like my friend. I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you, but I will decline…. I can go alone.”

“It’s annoying for me too, but I can’t help it. If anything happens to you, not only Kang Seok-joo but all the people who were here today will be destroyed. I’m not kidding. I’m really going to die. I don’t have to tell you who it is, do you?”

Choi Ki-tae’s sharp eyes widened as he laughed. It seemed to be pointing to Kang Il-hyun.  Ja-kyung chose to give up fast because he didn’t think Choi Ki-tae would back down even if they argued more. Choi Ki-tae walked forward, motioning for him to follow. Looking at his gait, it appeared that he had not been drinking or using drugs. A white sports car was parked in front of the store when he returned. When the guard opened the door, Ja-kyung stepped into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt.

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When he turned around, the backrest was fully reclined. As Ja-kyung searched for the button to return it to its previous position,  Choi Ki-tae in the driver’s seat tilts his upper body and reaches his arm toward the button. Ja-kyung’s lips went closer to Choi Ki-tae’s ears as his upper body was virtually pushed against his. A strong scent emanated from him.

“I’m sorry. I did it once in the car during the day.”

“…”

“Sex.”

Choi Ki-tae straightened his body and smiled brightly.

“Have you ever done it in a car?”

Choi Ki-tae laughed and said he knew it when Ja-kyung shook his head. The car began to move, leaving the tight alleyway and swiftly entering the main road. Even though it was late at night, there were a lot of cars coming and going. Choi Ki-tae occasionally glanced toward Ja-kyung while driving.

“I heard you’re from Hong Kong.”

“Yes…”

“You speak Korean well.”

“My mother is Korean.”

“Then you are mixed race?”

“Yes.”

Choi Ki-tae mostly chatted to him on the way home, and Ja-kyung nodded or simply answered. By the time the conversation was getting boring, the car come across a red light and stopped. Ja-kyung looked tired and took off his glasses for a moment and rubbed his eyes.   He then noticed Choi Ki-tae, who was seated next to him, caressing his lips and staring at him.

“If I had your face, I would take my glasses off.”

Ja-kyung put his glasses back on.

“You know the girl who sat next to you earlier? She’s a popular CF model these days. She is also a great person.”

Ja-kyung remembered the woman who was groping him.

“If she had flirted like that, everyone would have fallen for it. Looks like you have a higher standard than you look?”

Ja-kyung didn’t answer this time either.

“Or do you like men?”

When the light changed, the car began to move again. Ja-kyung immediately shook his head. No. He guessed what he was going to ask. It felt strange ever since he adjusted the backrest. He’d seen a lot of such cases in his life, so he wasn’t too bothered. Just like Wang Han said, his face was attractive to both men and women.He nodded roughly to his question, which he occasionally gazed at, or moved on to a quick yes or no answer until the car arrived near Kang Il-hyun’s house. The man in the driver’s seat became slightly tense as they got closer to Kang Il-hyun’s house.

He stopped the car in front of the front gate and looked up at the house through the windshield. Two guards were making their way down the steps to investigate an unusual car’s visit.“I can’t believe they built a house in such a remote place like this. Isn’t it strange? Right?”

Take care. Choi Ki-tae grabbed his arm as he was going to open the door and go. He then took a business card from his wallet and handed it to Ja-kyung.“This is my personal contact information.  I’m not giving it to  just anyone, so take it.”Ja-kyung, who had remained on the business card, raised his head and met Choi Ki-tae’s eyes.

“Call me if you need anything. I’ll give you a discount.”

What were you selling for a discounted price? Drugs? Or was it your body? He reasoned that if he didn’t take it, he’d keep him for longer, so he took the business card. Then, just as he was ready to open the door, a towering figure appeared in front of it. Choi Ki-tae first chewed and spit out a little curse when he learned it was Kang Il-hyun. Then he got out of the driver’s seat and greeted him with his head almost on the ground.

“Hello, Director.”

The calmness of a few moments ago disappeared. Ja-kyung, who got off a little late, nodded. Kang Il-hyun was smoking a cigarette in front of the gate, but even in the dark, the eyes staring at Choi Ki-tae were not pleasant. Choi Ki-tae was also worried because he was aware of the situation.

Kang Il-hyun, who he expected to walk in after being greeted, put his hand in his pocket and took a slow step down the stairs. It wasn’t anything big, but it was terrifying. He extended his hand to him as he approached.

“The thing you just received.”

Ja-kyung’s eyes widened slightly.  The tinting was also dark, and he was puzzled as to how he saw it. Seeing his cold expression, he decided it would be best to give it to him right away, so he took out the business card from his pocket and handed it to him. Kang Il-hyun held it between his index and middle fingers as he turned to face Choi Ki-tae. Choi Ki-tae bowed his head, terrified by the intense glare.

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“Little boy.”

“Yes…”

Tak, the business card bounced off the hand and hit Choi Ki-tae’s face and fell.

“Don’t even think about selling drugs to my clients. You’ll get in trouble.”

Despite the humiliation, Choi Ki-tae apologized immediately rather than making excuses. As if that wasn’t enough, Kang Il-hyun rubbed the cigarette that he was holding on to Ki-tae Choi’s chest.  Smoke billowed from his hooded T-shirt, and his flesh burned behind the hood.Choi Ki-tae, bowed his head, tightened his chin, and wrinkled his brows. Kang Il-hyun tossed the cigarette to the floor before turning around and walking away from the gate. Ja-kyung instantly followed behind him without any hesitation.