Swallow Hunting - Chapter 12.2
“Let go of me!”
“I’ve seriously done enough. Thinking about the history between us, I even went to that scary big brother and wagged my tail properly.”
Feeling sorry for Han Young-hwa’s tears, Hae-jun had braved his fear and gone to Lee Kang-ju. That alone was more than enough to repay the money he had received so far. There was no need to extend any more goodwill.
“You…!”
“If you’re going to make me do more work later, then pay me next time. I’ll charge a hundred times the TC, with hourly wages and a life risk allowance added.”
He released her wrist and flicked the cigarette into an empty can. Han Young-hwa clenched her fists and snorted angrily, but she did not grab Hae-jun again.
He had lost one customer, but how was that his loss? It was the boss’s loss. Hae-jun rubbed his stinging cheek and went inside the shop. From behind the metal door came a thunderous shout of “Hey, you fucking bastard!”, but he ignored it.
Maybe his dream last night had been ominous. Today’s luck was especially filthy. Hae-jun stopped by the kitchen and received a handful of salt from the cook. Praying for bad fortune to fall away, he sprinkled it all over himself like salting napa cabbage.
***
There was no money.
He had boasted confidently to Choi Man-seok not to worry, but his bank balance was bleak. Prices jumped every time he woke up, and this month he had unexpected hospital expenses that hit him hard. More than anything, the second round with customers was the problem.
Even after taking pills that supposedly could get a ninety-year-old man standing at attention, once he came, his dick declared its job done and drooped sadly. He was trying with his mouth and hands, but it was not enough to satisfy the customers. As a result, the generous tips dried up completely. What he sold was his dick, and if that was lacking, there was no reason customers would pay well. His income no longer matched what it used to be.
Maybe rumors were spreading that he was broken. He suspected the culprits were those hosts with no loyalty whatsoever and nothing but loose mouths. His requests steadily decreased. Days without work grew more frequent. Even the boss clicked his tongue in displeasure whenever he looked at Hae-jun. He was clearly pondering how to deal with that bastard who only ate and did nothing.
At the shop, the boss pressed him. On his phone, the loan shark pressed him. Hae-jun felt like an insect. An insect being mercilessly pecked at by a sharp beak, yet still flailing desperately to survive.
The person he trusted most was Yohan, but Yohan was in a similar situation, and he could not bring himself to ask him for money. There was no one around him well-off enough to help him either.
Since he could not die like this, he increased his workload. On his days off, he ground his body down working at a logistics center, but the interest loomed far above. He made many mistakes and even damaged goods, which once got his daily pay cut in half.
The repayment date was right around the corner. He scraped together even the last ten-won coins from his piggy bank, but it was not enough.
“Should I die?”
Their methods were simple. If you failed to repay the set amount by the deadline, they beat you like a dog on the hottest day of summer. Even if you had a job where your face had to be shown to the public like an actor, they beat you first and worried later. After tenderizing you enough, they stripped you naked, forced you to say humiliating things, filmed it all, and used it as blackmail for years to come.
Once, Choi Man-seok showed him someone else’s video while cackling. In that video, the victim sobbed uncontrollably while clutching and shaking his limp dick.
– I’m sorry! I’m a worthless bastard who can’t even pay back money or get it up! I’m sorry I was born!
“Wouldn’t it be better to die?”
If he was late again this time, it would be the second offense. They would film the same kind of video of him. The first was nudity, the second masturbation, and he did not even want to imagine what humiliating video would come third.
He could not leave something like that behind in the world. Even if he was a piece of shit who sucked other people’s dicks well and had long since thrown away any sense of morality, he still wanted to protect the last shred of human dignity. It would be better to be found as a bloated corpse than to be preserved forever in a video.
Normally, he would at least try to think things through like a human being, but Hae-jun was so cornered that even with his poor brain, only extreme thoughts came to mind. For the past few days, he had not even eaten properly. Most of what filled his stomach was strong alcohol. A brain that received no nutrients could not possibly function normally.
Hae-jun sprang to his feet and bolted out of the lodging. It was deep in the early morning. The area was bright with lights because it was near the entertainment district. Wearing only slippers, he crossed the sidewalk at a brisk pace.
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