TATMFL - 23

“…Ra-on.” 

As Hye-sung inhaled sharply, Ra-on stepped forward and swatted away the thug’s hand that was still gripping his arm. Fortunately, the hold hadn’t been particularly strong—it came off easily. 

Ignoring the thug’s mocking expression, Ra-on turned her back to him and checked on Hye-sung. 

“Are you okay?” 

“…I told you to go home first.” 

“I’m not leaving you behind.” 

With those words, Ra-on gently pushed Hye-sung behind her and faced the thug again. Her breaths, thin and trembling, betrayed her rising tension. She had impulsively intervened without thinking, driven by the vulgar remarks and the rough way they had manhandled Hye-sung. Now, she clenched her fists tightly, the crinkling of the tteokbokki bag in her hand the only sound breaking the silence. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

But beyond stepping in, all she could manage was a stiff, biting question. 

“Ra-on.” 

“Oh, isn’t this the pretty lady who was with our Ji Hye-sung just moments ago~” 

From behind the thug, the smaller, wiry man slinked forward, peering at her with a scrutinizing gaze. After a moment, he smirked and glanced at Hye-sung. 

“Wow, lucky you, Ji Hye-sung. Even while living hand-to-mouth, you’ve got such a beautiful girlfriend. Huh? Seems like life hasn’t been too hard on you, has it?” 

“We were so worried about how to break this bad news to you… but turns out we didn’t need to, huh?” 

“Right~” 

Ra-on furrowed her brows at their banter-like exchange. 

Seeing her reaction, the burly thug sneered, his thick-lidded eyes narrowing into a jeer. 

“This punk’s father borrowed even more money from us.” 

“…What?” 

“This time, he’s planning something big—borrowed a whopping 300 million won. Impressive, isn’t it?” 

“What…!” 

A sharp cry escaped Hye-sung’s lips. 

While Ra-on stood momentarily stunned by the staggering amount, the wiry man continued, elaborating with mock sympathy. 

“He said something about a big redevelopment project and needing funds to invest. Like we’re some kind of bank for him or something.” 

Chuckling as if it were all hilarious, he added, 

“So we generously handed it over. After all, our dear Omega here can easily repay 300 million—no, wait, now it’s 500 million—with just a few tricks, right? A couple of old men won’t mind parting with their cash if you play your cards right.” 

“…” 

The two men alternated their gazes between Ra-on, who stood frozen in shock, and Hye-sung, whose face had gone deathly pale. The burly thug tapped Hye-sung’s cheek with his thick fingers, speaking as if bestowing a favor. 

“If you change your mind, give us a call, Ji Hye-sung. We’ll always have a spot reserved for you at the shop. Okay?” 

With that, the alley filled with their laughter. 

Only when the fading echoes of their chuckles finally disappeared—and the crinkling of the plastic bag in Ra-on’s slackened grip sounded again—did she whirl around to face Hye-sung. 

A single tear silently dropped from Hye-sung’s wide, despairing eyes, heavy with resignation and grief. 

“Ah.” 

His eyelids trembled precariously, and the tears that had pooled there began to fall in rapid succession. The whites of his eyes were streaked red, tiny blood vessels bursting under the strain. 

“Haa…” 

Time seemed to stand still as the face that had been frozen in place slowly began to crumple.

His trembling lips were tightly pressed together, and as he inhaled deeply to suppress the sobs threatening to burst forth, his chest swelled. The breath that followed was ragged, his throat muscles quivering continuously. His clenched jaw bulged rigidly, then slackened, repeating the cycle. 

“...” 

Ra-on stood silently, her heart heavy with despair, watching Hye-sung’s anguished state. 

500 million won. It was an unfathomable figure—so distant it felt unreal. 

She had vaguely suspected the debt would be large, but never imagined it could reach such an insurmountable amount. 

For mere college students like them, it was an astronomical sum—something they wouldn’t dare dream of even touching. Even for working adults, it might take a lifetime of labor to repay. 

And yet, such an overwhelming debt… 

Ra-on thought of Hye-sung’s father, who had once smiled kindly at her, and clenched her fists tightly. 

“Hye-sung,” 

“The tteokbokki must’ve gone cold by now.” 

Hye-sung spoke simultaneously with Ra-on, his voice half-choked. He swallowed his tears and forced a gentle smile, folding his reddened eyes into their usual soft shape. 

Taking the bag of tteokbokki from Ra-on, he firmly grasped her now-empty hand with his other. 

“Don’t worry, Ra-on. We’ll pay it back little by little. We can do it.” 

But even as he said those words, Hye-sung knew the truth—it was impossible. Every day was already a struggle just to cover the interest. They hadn’t even touched the principal yet. 

Now, with the principal increasing, the interest would multiply exponentially. Could they even manage to pay just the interest? 

Unconsciously, Hye-sung released Ra-on’s hand and hid his own behind his back. 

Ra-on slowly raised her gaze from where it had rested on his hand. 

Hye-sung gave her a strained, bittersweet smile—one that made anyone watching ache with sorrow. 

And yet, with that same face, he said: 

“This is another secret, Ra-on. Got it?” 

She didn’t need to ask to know that Ji-an would be the only other person privy to this secret. 

──────────── 

G&O Construction Office. 

“GUHACK!!” 

With a single blow to the solar plexus, the man collapsed, spitting blood. Joon dragged him by the hair and threw him down in front of Do-kyung. 

Perched casually on the desk, smoking a cigarette, Do-kyung flicked his foot slightly. 

“When exactly did our CEO Kwon decide to switch sides on us, huh?” 

Joon handed over a stack of papers, which Do-kyung flipped through carelessly while keeping a cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn’t seem to care as ash fell heavily onto the pages, his gaze drifting indifferently. 

As the man—now half-conscious with his eyes rolled back—gasped painfully for air, Joon spoke on his behalf. 

“Kim Myeong-seop, a member of the legislative council, recently joined the review committee for the new government building construction project. And it seems they recommended G&O.” 

“How bothersome.” 

That one word was enough of a response. Do-kyung clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow. 

It appeared Kim Myeong-seop, leveraging his position, was trying to bolster the construction company owned by his son-in-law, CEO Kwon. 

“Such greed. If you’re going to serve the nation, shut up and focus on running the country instead of meddling in others’ affairs.” 

With every word, thick clouds of cigarette smoke billowed around him. 

“People rely on their measly scraps of power and act so arrogantly, and this is what happens. Does he really think he can handle the project if we hand it over? Does he have the capacity to pull it off?” 

“It seems there’s evidence of collaboration with Sejin. Looks like they’ve agreed to split the profits nicely.” 

“Ah.” Do-kyung’s eyes narrowed sharply. 

“So our fearless CEO Kwon decided to stick his neck out, huh?”

Do-kyung stretched out his foot and nudged the head of Kwon, who was sprawled on the floor, with a couple of light kicks. 

Sejin Construction—one of the major construction companies competing against Hanyeong Enterprises for the redevelopment project. Like Hanyeong, Sejin had grown from loan-sharking roots, and their one-sided rivalry with Hanyeong was fierce. 

“Why stir up trouble with such pointless greed, CEO Kwon? Look at you now, getting beaten in my place. It’s almost heartbreaking. If you’d just stayed quiet and obediently taken what we gave you like before, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

Do-kyung crouched down in front of the wheezing Kwon. He then shoved the cigarette he’d been smoking between Kwon’s grotesquely twisted fingers, burning them slightly as he sighed theatrically. 

“Damn, I can already picture our old man clutching his neck in outrage when he hears about this. What was his name again? Choi Myeong-seop?” 

“…It’s Kim Myeong-seop.” 

“Ah, right. The audacious Kim Myeong-seop, the councilman bold enough to eye our share.” 

With feigned pity, Do-kyung stood up and gestured with his chin. 

“Escort him back home nicely—with a gift. Make sure he opens it himself.” 

If he doesn’t want to end his political career here, he’d better stay low after receiving that gift. 

Do-kyung wiped his bloodied hands carelessly and added to Joon, 

“Keep an eye on Sejin too. Let’s avoid any more annoying surprises like today’s.” 

As soon as he finished speaking, Joon handed over another envelope. 

“This is what you asked us to investigate yesterday.” 

“Ah.” 

With a shallow sigh, Do-kyung pulled out the documents inside. As if waiting for this moment, Joon began his report. 

“Quite a tragic life, really.” 

“Do you ever come across someone whose life isn’t tragic around here?” 

Ignoring Do-kyung’s sarcastic interjection, Joon continued without missing a beat. 

“The father used Ji Hye-sung’s name to guarantee two loans totaling 50 million won. On top of that, there’s roughly 480 million won in outstanding debts. Out of the total 530 million, they’ve barely managed to pay off the guaranteed debt of 50 million. Right now, they’re struggling just to cover the interest, unable to touch the principal.” 

“Soon enough, we’ll see that pretty face of his in the red-light district.” 

“Well, he’s putting up a fight, but honestly, that outcome seems highly likely.” 

“Hmm.” 

Do-kyung exhaled sharply through his nose as he skimmed the last page of the contract. It was a copy of the agreement, bearing clear evidence of poor oversight—his fingerprints were all over it. 

Tapping the paper lightly with his finger as if weighing something, Do-kyung suddenly smirked. 

“Joon-ah.” 

“Yes?” 

“Keep this contract safe. And make sure we locate the original too.” 

“Huh?” 

Confused, Joon alternated his gaze between Do-kyung and the flimsy contract now fluttering in his hand. 

But upon seeing the slick, satisfied grin spreading across his young master’s face, he let out a deep sigh. 

He didn’t need to ask why—his years of experience told him everything he needed to know. 

“You’re planning to use this to threaten Miss Yoo Ra-on, aren’t you?” 

“Threaten? We don’t do threats against civilians, Joon-ah.” 

Do-kyung shot Joon a disdainful glance before breaking into a sly smile. 

If her beloved’s world crumbled to pieces, how would she look at him then? Just imagining her reaction sent a slow heat pooling below his navel. Humming a tune under his breath, he lit another cigarette, his lips curling like a snake’s. 

Shaking his head, Joon tucked the documents away. 

“Your expression alone is threatening enough, Young Master.”

Of course, Do-kyung pretended not to hear.