I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 8
Hyunjin cried for a long time. He cried so much that he felt as if all the moisture in his body had evaporated. Then, feeling tired and stretched out, he fell still. The only sound was his shaky breathing.
Jaewoo knew for a fact that this young man was only a character in a story, and that he was promised a happy future. There would be many hardships in between, but aren’t all books like that? All main characters had times when they suffered. Still, Jaewoo thought.
‘Isn’t there anything I can do for you?’
What else can he do to let this young man be at peace? Reading about Hyunjin’s pain in a book was one thing, asking him to do nothing when seeing it in real life was something else. Jaewoo wanted to help him.
‘But how?’
Jaewoo thought about it. He could continue on as he had been, watching Hyunjin struggle, knowing that in the end, happiness would be his. That was option one. It minimized damage to the story as much as possible.
Option two. He gathers up the money left to him by his grandmother and his parents, and he uses it to pay off Hyunjin’s debt. The interest may be crushing, but if he paid off most of the principal in one go, it’d be reduced to nearly nothing. But there was one problem with that plan.
Let’s say Jaewoo gave Hyunjin the money to pay off his debt. What would Hyunjin’s reaction be?
‘… Do you think I’m some sort of prostitute?’
He didn’t even need to think about it. It was obvious how Hyunjin would interpret it, not only because of Jaewoo’s actions in the past, but because Hyunjin had never learned to expect kindness from people. Of course he would be suspicious if someone he had a bad relationship with suddenly paid off his debt. Anyone would be.
There was a third option. They could go to the government for help. That would be the most pragmatic solution. There are programs that help people with a lot of debt, and there are organizations that could help them navigate the red tape. But…
‘It won’t work.’
Their opponent was a gangster. Even if a solution seemed to be in reach, the main top was a person who could ruin anyone they wanted without breaking a sweat. They’d never be safe. Most of all, Hyunjin and the top only meet because of the debt. If the debt was eliminated now, what would that mean for Hyunjin’s future?
Jaewoo didn’t know what the best path was.
Then Hyunjin opened his mouth.
“Meat…”
“The meat?”
“The kids, we… we promised them we’d make them something good.”
After crying for so long, Hyunjin’s concern was still for his younger brothers. Even now, it was the only thing on his mind. Jaewoo held back a sigh that was about to burst out.
“I’ll do it. You need to rest.”
“No, I’ve got it.”
Hyunjin wobbled upright, only to immediately sit back down again.
“Rest.”
Jaewoo gently comforted Hyunjin and helped him back down onto the blanket.
“What time is it now?”
“Almost seven thirty.”
“Oh, I need to go to my next part-time job.”
Hyunjin sighed and stood up. Jaewoo’s voice, which he had been swallowing back all this time, suddenly burst out of him. He couldn’t stand it. Hyunjin was having such a hard time, he had to do something.
“Lie down!”
Jaewoo forced Hyunjin back down onto the bed when he tried to sit up, then, when he continued to struggle, took the blanket and wrapped it around him like a burrito. In a stern voice, he demanded:
“Give me the name and address of your next job!”
Hyunjin looked at Jaewoo with surprised eyes.
“Name and address!”
When he asked again, loudly, Hyunjin mumbled an answer.
“Good! Now rest!”
Hyunjin tried to stand up again, but Jaewoo mercilessly smacked him on his forehead. Then he put his hand over his eyes.
“Sleep quickly. Shush~, shush~.”
Hyunjin tried to resist it. But when the cold hands touched his heated eyelids, he started to doze off without realizing it.
‘It’s strange…’
He’d thought Jaewoo’s hands would be a little warmer. But cold hands weren’t bad either. On the contrary, they felt really nice. His own hands tended to run hot, but maybe colder was better sometimes. While he was pondering this, Hyunjin actually fell asleep.
Jaewoo left the sleeping Hyunjin and went outside. The kids were huddled at the door. Jaewoo knelt down and told them.
“There’s rice in the rice cooker and side dishes in the refrigerator. I’ll have to cook up the meat tomorrow. Sorry.”
The children quickly shook their heads.
“No, it’s fine.”
“We’ll be okay! We’ll take care of our brother while he’s sick.”
It seemed like even the little kids had noticed that something was wrong. Well, compared to other children, Hyeonu and Woohee had needed to mature quickly, so it made sense that they knew.
“Then I’ll leave him with you. Uncle is going out for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“To work.”
After answering that, Jaewoo crossed the yard and headed for the gate. And for the first time since waking up in this world, he looked for a place other than a mart.
Blue Moon.
It was a bar with a quiet atmosphere to it. It was the first time Jaewoo had visited a bar like this. In his previous life, he probably would have paused at the doorway and then gone somewhere else. He preferred pubs that were livelier and less expensive, compared to the more formal feeling that Blue Moon gave off.
Jaewoo took a deep breath and went inside. The interior wasn’t very big, just a long bar and a few tables.
“Welcome.”
When Jaewoo entered, a man who was examining a glass at the bar greeted him. He was a tall, mature man with a warm appearance.
“Hello.”
“You’re the first person I’ve seen tonight.”
The man smiled and said.
“Sorry, I’m not a customer.”
“Oh?”
“I’m here to substitute for Yoo Hyunjin.”
At Jaewoo’s confident words, the man opened his eyes wide.
“What happened to Hyunjin?”
He knew Hyunjin. He was the sort of person who’d come to work even if he was dying.
“He wasn’t feeling well, so I came instead.”
“Huh. Can you give me a second to call him?”
“He’s supposed to be asleep already.”
“I still need to check for myself though.”
Jaewoo frowned at those words. Don’t answer the phone! If Hyunjin answered, then with his personality he’d come running in to work. Jaewoo prayed that Hyunjin’s phone was broken. He stared at the man tenaciously, but to no avail.
The man picked up his phone and called Hyunjin. Was it because the bar was so quiet? Jaewoo could hear every word he said to him.
“Hyunjin, are you very sick?”
It was a friendly voice that seemed to be worried about Hyunjin. Hearing it, Jaewoo felt a little relieved. Hyunjin deserved to have more people care about him.
“Yeah, what? No, Hyunjin. Hyunjin?”
After calling out to him, the man looked down at the phone with a puzzled expression. Then he turned to Jaewoo and said.
“Hyunjin said he would come right away. Didn’t you say he agreed to you substituting for him?”
“He agreed to it.”
There was doubt in the man’s eyes. Jaewoo tried to look as calm as possible and took out his own phone. He needed to tell Hyunjin to go back home and rest.
“On another note, can you give me Hyunjin’s phone number?”
“What?”
“I can’t find him in my contacts.”
The man’s suspicion deepened. They should know each other, right? If he was here to substitute for him? But then why didn’t he have Hyunjin’s number? Jaewoo tried to avoid his gaze.
“Can you type it in, please?”
“I can’t do that unless Hyunjin says it’s okay.”
“But I promise we know each other?”
“How do you expect me to believe that?”
While the man and Jaewoo were arguing, the bell on the door of the bar rang.
Jingle jingle.
Hyunjin rushed inside, gasping for breath.
“Sorry. I’m late.”
“It’s alright. Everyone’s late once in a while. But Hyunjin, do you really know this person?”
The man pointed at Jaewoo with his finger. At those words, Hyunjin straightened his back and looked at Jaewoo quietly. Jaewoo was afraid for a moment, afraid that Hyunjin would say that he didn’t know him. Given how Hyunjin felt about him, it wouldn’t be surprising. But what came out was different than what Jaewoo expected.
“Yes, he’s someone I know.”
“How do you know each other? Is he a friend?”
At those words, Hyunjin couldn’t help but hesitate. It was because he didn’t really know how to define the relationship between the two of them. Finally, he settled for telling him the most bare-bones interpretation possible.
“He’s my landlord.”
“What?”
“My landlord.”
Why was a landlord coming to his tenant’s part-time job? The man’s brain froze for a moment. He thought that he had to be misunderstanding something about their relationship. Without realizing it, he looked at Jaewoo for confirmation. Jaewoo rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly and answered.
“Hello. I’m Hyunjin’s landlord.”
Really?
“Haha?”
The man laughed in amazement.
“I’ll go put on my uniform. I’ll be right back.”
While Hyunjin went to change clothes, Jaewoo hesitated and then sat down at one of the tables.
“Since Hyunjin is here, it seems like we don’t need a substitute anymore, right?”
The man said so, but Jaewoo answered confidently.
“I’ll be here as a customer this time.”
“… Did you come here alone?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s have you sit at the bar.”
“Oh, okay?”
Jaewoo immediately moved away from the table. Then he looked through the menu until he found a drink with a name he knew.
“Here, give me this.”
“Yes.”
The man immediately started making the drink. As soon as Jaewoo was about to accept it, Hyunjin came back out. His eyes were still swollen from how much he’d cried.
“What happened to your eyes?”
The man belatedly noticed and asked in surprise.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, your eyes…?”
“Sanghun-hyung1, please.”
Hyunjin shook his head, trying to tell Sanghun not to ask anymore. Sanghun shut his mouth. He was still curious, but he knew that once Hyunjin made up his mind, nothing would convince him to talk.
“Alright, I understand. Here, take this.”
Sanghun took out an ice pack and handed it to him. Hyunjin accepted it and then spotted Jaewoo, who was just about to take a drink.
“You haven’t left yet?”
His tone was brusque, but oddly, it felt less harsh than before.
“Nah, I’m going to drink for a little bit.”
Jaewoo smiled bashfully and raised his glass.
“That’s a strong drink.”
“I’ve got a good tolerance.”
So far, no one had ever been able to drink Jaewoo under the table, so Jaewoo got a bit careless. He’d forgotten that this body was not his original body.
“Wow, this is delicious. It’s so sweet! One more of the same please!”
“Yes, sir.”
Jaewoo took the next cocktail and drank it.
Footnotes
형 – a term used by men to address older men, whether they’re actual brothers, other relatives, or friends.
