The Unbelievers

Chapter 67

The existence of Eunseong, whose whereabouts and even survival were unknown, overwhelmingly suffocated Yoo Siwoon. Despite such cruel and clear threats looming over Eunseong, Yoo Siwoon acted like an ignorant fool. He only thought about sending him far away, to unseen and unreachable places. As if no danger lurked nearby.

Yoo Siwoon harshly cursed himself.

His steps quickened as he left the morgue and headed towards the car. Director Nam had to run to keep up with him.

“What’s going on?”

He asked urgently, chasing after Yoo Siwoon. The tension in his voice revealed how critical this situation was for Yoo Siwoon.

Yoo Siwoon stopped abruptly in front of the car. His hand, reaching to open the car door, hesitated.

Despite already knowing everything, his unwillingness to accept it prevented him from speaking hastily. It was anxiety that the moment he voiced Eunseong’s danger, it would become an immediate reality and harm Eunseong. His nails compulsively scratched at his fingertips, trying to pick at hangnails.

Yoo Siwoon opened the car door and turned to Director Nam. His eyes, trying to remain calm, turned cold.

“You intentionally called me here, didn’t you?”

“CEO, do you mean… the monk betrayed us?”

“No. Master Manpo has no reason to be against me. He got caught up in it, and I got caught up too.”

“Could it be Chairman Yoo’s side?”

“It’s Seongha Construction, so it must be Yoo Oseon. They wouldn’t want Chairman Yoo to know either. No, they absolutely wouldn’t want to be found out. Just like me.”

Director Nam’s face turned pale with shock. It was guilt and dismay at having exposed Eunseong to danger due to his own carelessness.

“If we use more people, both Chairman Yoo and Yoo Oseon will notice. What should we do?”

Director Nam asked, unable to hide his anxiety. It was a dilemma either way.

“You said Eunseong didn’t come for the bag, right?”

“I’m sorry. I think I misjudged. I believed he would definitely come for it. If something has already happened…”

Director Nam trailed off at Yoo Siwoon’s sudden question. Although he had never been reprimanded by Yoo Siwoon for his work before, he always had to bow his head when it came to matters related to Eunseong. This mistake, in particular, was fatal. Yoo Siwoon didn’t blame him.

“He noticed the people we stationed. He’ll be around that area. Put out an APB for the surrounding area, but don’t let it reach the main police station.”

“We can’t. That’s too dangerous. Are you planning to expose Eunseong’s face?”

“They’ll never think we’d expose his face.”

“…”

“Because it’s a crazy move.”

“CEO.”

“Put out the APB.”

Yoo Siwoon said firmly to Director Nam, who was trying to dissuade him, as he got into the car.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Oh my, you’ve worked hard. Actually, we should hire some short-term part-timers for the year-end. But our boss, though he’s a good person, is quite stingy. It’s like, ‘cover it with your body,’ you know? Still, he’s giving a bonus as New Year’s money for your hard work. The cleaning lady has it the toughest.”

“I wonder if this is what they mean by ‘animal kingdom.’ Everyone seems crazy about doing that.”

Eunseong still couldn’t understand why they were so desperate for dates when Jesus was born.

The motel was literally full during the Christmas holiday. There were no overnight stays available, only three-hour short stays, and people had to wait in line.

Cleaning after each checkout was no small task. Although there was a dedicated cleaning staff, they couldn’t handle it alone, so Eunseong and Kim Dongjun had to help. Eunseong had now reached a level where he could completely change messy bedding to look like new in under a minute.

“That’s how it is, you know. Aren’t you the same? At your age.”

Kim Dongjun glanced at Eunseong with a casual laugh.

“I don’t think I’m that bad. I don’t even feel like it.”

“When I’m tight on money, I don’t think about that stuff either. You seem like you’d be popular with girls, aren’t you? Oh, are you still too young?”

He scratched the back of his neck as if embarrassed to be having this conversation.

Maybe if Eunseong had felt a healthy attraction to women, life wouldn’t have been so tough. He had to choose the difficult path because he liked someone he shouldn’t.

Unlike Kim Dongjun, who said he didn’t feel that way at all when tight on money and busy with work, seeing people desperate for sex made Eunseong think a lot about Yoo Siwoon. It wasn’t a lewd sexual desire, but a sentiment that arose from encountering affectionate couples clinging tightly to each other all day. Eunseong shook his head.

“I’ll be right back after dinner.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on things, so go eat and rest a bit.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

It was such a busy period that they couldn’t even change shifts, and they had agreed to help each other during peak hours, which meant working nearly twenty hours. They said this would decrease after the year-end, and in the new year, it would become so quiet that they’d wonder when it had ever been so busy.

It’s been almost a month since he started working. He’s become accustomed to the motel work and the tough daily life. Before going to the restaurant, he stopped by the convenience store to buy chocolate for a sugar boost when tired. There wasn’t even time to eat during busy periods.

The light snowflakes that had been falling since Christmas Eve continued to flutter until Christmas Day afternoon. The dust-like snowflakes couldn’t accumulate and just made the roads slushy.

Standing among people hurrying to their various destinations, Eunseong looked up at the gray sky for a while. He lowered his head dejectedly and quickened his pace. If there was any silver lining, it was that he wasn’t even allowed the time to indulge in melancholy.

“Eunseong’s here. Lots of customers? It’s the peak season. Come in quick. It’s cold.”

The restaurant owner, now familiar with Eunseong, welcomed him. Whatever Kim Dongjun had said, Eunseong had become a figure with a sad story to the restaurant people – someone chased by loan sharks due to bad parents but trying hard to live on his own.

Eunseong didn’t tell Kim Dongjun that the restaurant owner fried an egg just for him.

“It seems it’ll get colder from tomorrow. It’s gotten chilly since evening.”

“Yeah. They say it’ll snow more tomorrow. There’s been a lot of snow this winter. People like me can’t even go sightseeing.”

Eunseong deliberately sat in a corner seat. The restaurant owner soon brought a tray with a set meal. There was also a fried egg.

“This is just for you. Don’t tell Dongjun.”

“Can’t you make one for hyung too?”

“If I make him one, he starts fussing about whether it’s soft-boiled or hard-boiled. He makes a fuss whether I make it or not. He doesn’t even know his own luck.”

The set meal was good because it was like home cooking. If his mom were to cook for him, it would probably be like this.

The restaurant owner sat at the table facing Eunseong. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at Eunseong eating dinner with a look of wonder.

The young Eunseong was treated as both pitiful and admirable wherever he went. The restaurant owner often compared Eunseong to her idle son, who was over thirty and didn’t have a job, just playing games at home, lamenting her situation. She said she wished he would at least come help at the store, even if he didn’t get a proper job elsewhere.

“If I had a daughter, I’d want to make you my son-in-law. Our Eunseong. Have you ever been told you’re handsome somewhere? Is it true?”

“No. I’m just average.”

“Average! Oh my, that average is killing it. Someone might get jealous if they hear that.”

While Eunseong was smiling awkwardly, a customer came in, full of the cold wave, and she got up with a groan, supporting herself on her knees.

After finishing the meal, Eunseong tidied up the dishes onto the tray and took them to the kitchen. The restaurant owner, who worked without a day off, walked quickly with one knee slightly bent due to her bad leg.

If his mother were alive, would it feel like this?

Fortunately, he had separately packed the half-photo of his mother. If he had left the photo in the bag, he would have definitely risked going back for the bag, just for the photo.

Seeing the restaurant owner reminded Eunseong of his mother. His mother didn’t look anything like the owner, but he just felt that way. He had brought his mother’s photo, but not his father’s. He didn’t even think to bring it, and he didn’t miss it much either.

Every store was playing carols loudly, competing with each other, and there was at least one Christmas tree in front of each large shopping center, making the streets reach the peak of a glamorous year-end atmosphere.

The bitter cold of winter scraped across his cheeks. Although it was very cold with the temperature dropping below zero, the number of pedestrians on the street was increasing. He looked up at the dark sky, zipping his down jacket up to his neck.

The group waiting for him to appear to retrieve his bag near the subway station bathroom disappeared after about a week.

Eunseong, dressed in a black long padded coat with a mask and hat pulled low, blended into the crowd during the busiest time at the subway station. He confirmed how far Yoo Siwoon had come by observing their appearance from a distance.

Yoo Siwoon gave up on Eunseong after a week. From his perspective, he might even be grateful to Eunseong for freeing him from a troublesome duty. As those guarding near the bathroom disappeared and didn’t reappear, Eunseong felt a distinct chill pierce through his heart.