Swallow Hunting - Chapter 2.1
When the sweat cooled, the cold rushed in. Rubbing his arms roughly with his hands, Hae-jun stood up. If only he had his phone, he could have contacted anyone in his address book and asked them to come pick him up, but even that was impossible right now.
He could not walk home like this. It was only by luck that passersby were not already pointing cameras at him. If he walked around in this state, photos or videos would definitely be taken and uploaded online, preserved forever. Something like “Suspicious Man Taking a Midnight Stroll While Naked.” Or he might run into the police on the way and be stopped for questioning. His head filled with nothing but ominous imaginings.
The shop was closer than his home, and if he kept to the shadows, it might be possible to make it there. The problem was Han Young-hwa’s mouth. If she had spilled every detail about him, then even the shop would not be safe.
“No.”
Hae-jun shook his head. A person who came all the way to a hotel to catch an affair in the act would have already known his affiliation.
Tears welled up as he wondered why life was so difficult. Had it really been such excessive greed to want to lean just a little on someone else’s wealth and live?
Sniffling, Hae-jun rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. But only for a moment. He flicked the pooled moisture away into the air and looked around. If there were a clothing store, he was ready to throw away his pride and ask for credit. Before that, though, an old clothes donation bin came into view.
A blessing in disguise. He silently cheered and limped over on his aching feet, lifting the lid of the green container. Standing on his tiptoes, he shoved his shoulders through the opening and rummaged around until his hand caught on something. When he pulled it out, it turned out to be children’s clothes. He set them on top of the bin and shoved himself back in again, digging around. Something thick brushed his fingertips, and with a grunt he dragged it out. He was lucky. The hem was torn, but it was a fairly expensive long coat.
Wearing it over bare legs made him look ridiculous, but it was better than nothing. He hurriedly put it on and carefully buttoned it up. By sheer luck, he also found a pair of sneakers a size too big, forced his feet into them, and stepped out of the alley.
He had decided where to go. For now, it was neither home nor the shop.
***
Hae-jun found a public phone near his friend Yohan’s place. Flattening himself and sweeping the ground, he found a couple of forgotten coins after all. Thank goodness he still had the number memorized. Yohan rejected the call twice, then on the third call shouted irritably, “What bastard is this!”
“Yohan, it’s me. Please save me.”
– You crazy bastard. Why are you pulling this crap without your phone? And I’m working right now.
“Ah, just tell me your door code. I won’t steal anything. Please. Save me, hyung. I’m freezing to death.”
After Hae-jun whined and cried, Yohan spat out another round of colorful curses and gave him the door code. He was the only person Hae-jun could truly call a friend, and as far as Hae-jun knew, despite his foul mouth, he was the kindest guy there was.
In his current state, even the semi-basement of a multiplex house felt like a palace. He washed his body, chilled by the cold wind, in warm water. He scrubbed his hair, which he had spent an hour blow-drying earlier, with cheap shampoo, and washed his perfume-sprayed nape with cucumber soap. Yohan, true to his miserly nature, did not even use a common body wash.
After showering, Hae-jun came out of the bathroom screaming “Aah, aah” with every step, like the Little Mermaid when she gave her voice to the witch and first stepped onto sand. The walls smelled of musty mold and the bedding reeked of age, like a bachelor’s home, but he did not mind. It was far better than the place he usually stayed.
Wrapped in the blanket like a caterpillar, he lay down. It had been a day where far too much had happened. It truly felt like standing at the crossroads of life and death. He thought his life was about to bloom, but instead it had been a ticket to the underworld. If that man had grabbed him by the hair, there would have been no escape. He would have been dragged straight to some mountain or abandoned factory and had his organs harvested while alive.
That man was a gangster. Without a doubt.
Even dressed in a suit and devastatingly handsome, he could not erase that distinctive aura. Without drawing blood, he still carried a metallic, fishy scent on the tip of his tongue. If something displeased him, it felt as if he could throw a punch or a knife at any moment. That sharp killing intent was embedded in his gaze.
If he had known that kind of man was someone’s lover or husband, he would have bolted the instant he caught sight of Han Young-hwa’s hair. No male host checked whether a client had a partner before going for a second round, but now that he had experienced this, it felt like his own fault for neglecting proper background checks.
What should he do?
His stomach growled. It was ridiculous that he could still be hungry even in a situation where he might end up being hunted down. Hae-jun let out a hollow laugh, then soon sniffled again and pulled the blanket over his head.
He must have dozed off briefly, because he woke to the sound of someone pressing the keypad. One side of his half-dried hair was completely flattened. He pressed his swollen eyelids hard with the heel of his palm, and only then did his eyes fully open. Just then, the door opened and Yohan walked in.
“Honestly, you little bastard.”
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