Saint… If it’s going to be like this, I’d actually be grateful if you just forgot about me and let me starve for a few days.
The name of the one who unfailingly brought the meal when the time came, despite grumbling, seemed to be Kim Young-do. Yi-an didn’t particularly want to know, but it had become ingrained in his mind.
After the man left, a few more words were exchanged between the voice he had heard most often and a strange voice, followed by the sound of footsteps that seemed to say someone was going down and someone else was coming up.
“Hey, Jong-sik. That rice inside… you take care of it starting tomorrow, okay?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I can’t stand this anymore. We’re not even big shots, just some tiny shit doing menial work.”
It seemed that Kim Young-do was the one remaining, whom he could recognize just by his voice. He appeared to be passing the work off to a subordinate lower in rank than himself. Calls like “little shit” or “that guy”… Although the disrespectful terms continued, he actually felt a sense of anticipation as the conversation dragged on.
“You just have to keep him under control so he doesn’t go anywhere. That’s how you get to rest, I guess. Huh?”
“Yes. Understood.”
It was a relief. Whoever the new person was, they would be less off-putting than running into Kim Young-do. Even setting aside his disrespectful tone and behavior, he was someone whose gaze was truly chilling.
“Ah, I should be leaving soon. Have you checked what needs to be sent today?”
“Ah, well. I believe everything has been moved by car.”
“Open the trunk to see the items.”
“Yes. I will prepare it right away.”
The loud voices, which had been ringing out for a while, subsided until they were completely inaudible. It seemed they had gone out to commit some thuggery. Yi-an let out a small sigh as he looked down at the empty bowl. Judging from their conversation, it seemed the man would not be appearing for a few more days. Far from feeling relieved, despair washed over him at that fact.
Just how much longer does he have to live like this? Just a few days ago, he tried to sneak out of here while the man was away, but now he couldn’t even think of such a plan. He wanted to stop eating this nauseating soup, breathe some fresh air… and above all, he wanted to contact Yiseo to make sure nothing had happened to her in the meantime.
Ironically, it felt as though all these problems would be resolved only if the man appeared. Even though he was the very person who had imprisoned him here.
“Haaaa…….”
I wonder if Yiseo was doing well. Nothing bad has happened to her in the meantime, right? She always pays her rent in advance at the beginning of the month, and it must be the day the water bill arrives; I wondered if she’s worrying about what to do. I’m not sure if she needs a consent form because she’s going on a field trip somewhere. I just hope it isn’t a situation where she wants to go but can’t…
As he bowed his head, putting an end to the successive thoughts, an unpleasant sensation surged in as if it had been waiting for this moment. Just as a sense of unease rose from his stomach to his throat, Yi-an hurriedly stood up from his seat. He headed straight for the door.
“Over here, over here……”
Afraid of being misunderstood as acting arrogantly if he hit the door hard, Yi-an lowered his voice as politely as possible and knocked. The sour smell of stomach acid already made him gag, so he covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
“What, why?”
The door opened wide and Kim Young-do appeared. Yi-an bit his lips with a face covered in cold sweat at the appearance of someone whose name he unexpectedly knew. He hesitated and barely managed to continue speaking. He couldn’t help it, even if he got cursed at in front of him.
***
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