Chapter 11
"I remember the password."
Hongju pressed the numbers on the door lock slowly. 989796. He tapped the star symbol at the end and double-checked to make sure he had entered it correctly.
"Yes, yes, Hongju-ssi."
Doksu nodded. Unlike the other employees at the gambling house, his tone was soft. Instead of barking out, "Hey, you bastard, Hongju!" without a shred of courtesy, he consistently addressed him with a polite "Hongju-ssi."
Unlike the others, who had already checked his age and started speaking informally, Hongju had never asked Doksu any questions.
"Come in."
Hongju stepped inside first. From the entrance, the unmade blanket was immediately visible. The air was thick with the scent of unfinished ramen and uncovered kimchi, sharp and lingering. Choi and the thug weren’t the type to keep things tidy, so cleaning the house was entirely Hongju’s responsibility.
Annoyed, he stomped inside, yanked open the blackout curtains, and pushed the window open. Through the square frame, he could see the snow-covered ground and the parked cars with tires half-buried in white.
"This is better than I expected."
Hongju had no idea what kind of mess Doksu had been picturing, but he seemed oddly satisfied despite the state of the place. Relieved, Hongju halfheartedly tidied up anything that stood out as too messy and continued introducing the place. There wasn’t much to say—he mostly just pointed things out.
"That's the bathroom. Laundry goes over there."
"Do we clean together?"