Boundless Love

11.

Haseo watched the man with the strange expression and sighed internally. People who throw money around and act recklessly all think alike. They believe money can buy anything. But for Haseo, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. These people were desperate to spend money, and Haseo needed it.

He had already stolen from the wallet of someone who had stayed the night. So, why not do this? But these types of people didn’t just want someone who would eagerly take the money. Most of them got excited when the person receiving the money showed a bit of hesitation. So, Haseo played along with their fantasy.

He hesitated slightly, trembled a bit, and swallowed hard. Then, he looked at the money on the table, closed his eyes tightly, and opened them again, hardening his expression. Finally, he slowly dragged his feet towards the man. The man grabbed Haseo’s wrist tightly and pulled him to sit between his legs.

Honestly, it felt disgusting, but Haseo wasn’t so amateurish as to show it. He awkwardly pretended to smile and avoided the man’s gaze.

“Hey, you’re cute. So, Deokbae, is your real name Deokbae?”

“…No.”

“Then what is it? Is it hard to say? If it’s hard, should I tell you my name first? You probably already know, but I’m Cheolsu. My father is the chairman of a large corporation.”

As Cheolsu rambled on about the company, he started touching Haseo around the waist.

“So, it won’t hurt to be nice to me, Deokbae.”

He then stuffed a few bills into the pocket on Haseo’s buttocks, groping him in the process. Haseo just quietly lowered his head. It wasn’t as bad as having sex, so he could endure it.

Haseo did as Cheolsu instructed, feeding him snacks and pouring him drinks. Even with just that, Cheolsu seemed overly excited and kept laughing. Before he knew it, Haseo’s pockets were full of money.

‘What a windfall.’

He was exhausted, but this was the most he had ever received in tips. He took out the money stuffed in various pockets and stacked it up; the amount was quite large. If he kept working like this, he would soon have the money he needed. But as always, Haseo’s life was never smooth.

“Hey!”

As Haseo was organizing his money in the break room and preparing to leave, a familiar-faced young man called out to him with a fierce glare. It was the person who had been sitting next to Cheolsu earlier.

[Sion]

The name on his nametag was quite impressive. Judging by his clothes, he wasn’t a waiter. That meant he was an employee who worked his body. Haseo could roughly guess why he was acting this way.

“Yes?”

Haseo looked at Sion with a timid expression. Sion approached him and poked his chest with a finger.

“Act like a waiter if you’re a waiter. You chose this job because you didn’t want to sell your body, right? Why are you interfering with someone else’s work?”

Sion’s attitude towards Haseo was completely different from how he acted in front of Cheolsu. This was a common occurrence, so Haseo quietly took a step back.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Don’t give me that!”

Sion looked like he was about to grab Haseo by the collar. Just then, Cheolsu, who had entered the break room late, intervened.

“Hey, hey. What’s going on? Sion, why are you here?”

“This guy is flirting with your sugar daddy!”

“Oh, come on. Is Cheolsu your sugar daddy? He does this all the time. Every time there’s a new hire, he acts like this. You’re being ridiculous, Sion.”

Cheolsu gently pushed the barking Sion aside. Sion glared at Cheolsu but didn’t dare attack him. Cheolsu was much bigger than Haseo. It was a typical case of picking on the weak.

“Stop it. We’re all in the same boat.”

“The same? You’re talking nonsense.”

Sion gritted his teeth and glared at Haseo as if he wanted to kill him. Then he turned around and stormed out of the break room.

“He’s so touchy.”

Cheolsu clicked his tongue at the sound of the door slamming shut and turned to Haseo.

“You must have your reasons, so I can’t tell you to stop, but if you keep this up, you won’t be able to work as a waiter either. Everyone starts out saying they’ll just do a little, but they all end up like him.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Tsk.”

Cheolsu clicked his tongue again and went to his locker to change clothes. He seemed to have no intention of interfering further. After all, everyone here was like that. Those who were soft-hearted and considerate of others didn’t last long.

Haseo finished changing his clothes and put his uniform in the bin in the corner. The place was so expensive that they laundered the clothes every day. He also found out later that there was a shower room for employees. So today, he had stopped by his house before work to pick up a change of clothes.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Be careful on your way home.”

Haseo left the store and walked down the street, watching the rising sun of dawn. He then spent some time at a fast-food restaurant that opened early, sipping a cup of coffee. After that, he went to Director Choi Mujin’s house to start another typical day.

* * *

“Something’s strange.”

Director Choi Mujin tapped his tablet PC with his fingertip. Recently, Haseo had been coming to the house a bit earlier than before to prepare breakfast. But watching him prepare the meal, something seemed off.

He would cut himself while chopping vegetables, leave the boiling soup unattended until it overflowed, and then hurriedly turn off the stove and sigh. He was never great at cooking, but these incidents were becoming more frequent, making the food even worse. Plus, he was eating less than before.

He would eat about half a bowl and then sit there blankly. After Director Choi finished eating, Haseo would get up to clear the table. Sometimes he would drop a dish while putting it in the dishwasher. He would apologize profusely, offering to have the cost deducted from his salary, and thank Director Choi repeatedly when he said it was okay. After struggling to finish cleaning, he would go to the utility room to sleep, as he rarely used the guest room despite being told to.

People usually improve with practice, but Haseo wasn’t. It seemed like something else was going on. He had dark circles under his eyes and was losing weight.

“Hmm.”

Something was happening that Director Choi didn’t know about. He was curious. So, he immediately called Park Dongsu.

“Find out what Lee Haseo has been up to lately.”

— Yes, I’ll find out as quickly as possible.

Park Dongsu made the promise, and within half a day, he sent over some photos and a report. He used to struggle with writing reports, but since starting in the finance industry, Park had become quite the intellectual. Director Choi smirked and flipped through the photos Park had sent.

“Ah, this place?”

Director Choi recognized the location from the background of the photos. It was a place he had visited a few times to entertain clients. The unmarked store was a VIP-only establishment where one could experience all the pleasures of the world—or so they claimed.

Of course, it wasn’t literally every pleasure, but it came close, which is why many people frequented it. Haseo was there, wearing a waiter’s uniform. At least he wasn’t one of the regular employees who constantly stripped, but in that place, even waiters often ended up taking off their clothes for money.

“Yes, it seems Lee Haseo is working as a waiter at that establishment. He hasn’t been there very long, though.”

So, the guy who stole money is now working another job on the side? Even with a monthly salary of 500,000 won, he’s still hustling? What do you even call this? Director Choi laughed hollowly and tossed the photos onto his desk.

“So, why is he working two jobs?”

“It seems to be for his grandmother’s hospital bills. She’s been hospitalized.”

“Isn’t 500,000 won a month enough?”

“Apparently, the hospital bills have piled up quite a bit. He’s been paying them off, but there’s still a lot left. And the bills keep coming every month.”

“So, he’s working at the club to pay for them?”

Director Choi leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He had kept Haseo around out of curiosity, but knowing he was struggling elsewhere made him feel strange. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the emotion. After a moment of thought, he gave up trying to define it. Instead of dwelling on his feelings, he decided to focus on the interesting developments that might unfold.

“Park Dongsu.”

“Yes?”

“I need to go out tonight.”

“Where to?”

“Here.”

Director Choi pointed to the photos he had tossed aside.

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

Park Dongsu bowed his head in acknowledgment. The chairman had told him to lie low for a while, but visiting the club should be fine. It was a neutral zone of sorts, since the owner, Pyo Sera, was the illegitimate child of a chaebol. Everyone there minded their own business and avoided conflicts. Once they left the club, however, all bets were off. Pyo Sera didn’t care about what happened outside her establishment, as long as there was no trouble inside.

Park Dongsu left the study, and Director Choi went back to his tablet PC. Haseo was still not visible on the CCTV footage.