Chapter 36
Ever since he’d taken the phone Mu-gyeong handed him, Hongju had been through plenty of nerve-racking, dangerous moments. But with just that one sentence, all the anxiety and tension he’d been carrying—like walking on ice—washed away completely. He even felt brave enough to handle whatever danger might come next.
"Be careful."
The emotionless warning left Guppping unable to say a single word. And in that silence, the sounds from the gambling floor beyond seemed even louder.
At last, Hongju was able to spend time in the quiet he’d wanted so badly.
As dawn approached, people began to leave one by one. The third floor, which had been packed with sunken-eyed gamblers, gradually emptied out until only the room at the end of the hallway still had a guest. One of the gangsters gave Hongju a nudge on the back, pushing him reluctantly toward the last customer.
"You’re not leaving?"
That man had spent the entire night drinking whiskey, smoking, and occasionally calling Hongju over to run trivial errands. It was unusual for someone to stick around all the way until closing time.
"Time to go?"
"Yes."
Hongju nodded as he answered. Mu-gyeong stood up abruptly, both feet planting firmly on the floor. He let out a long yawn as he stretched, and when he raised his arms, the coat swaying around his calves bounced up to his knees.
"I’ll just clean up a bit."
He placed the empty whiskey bottle and the melted ice glass on a tray. When he left it by the door, one of the staff came quickly to take it away. With a broom in hand, Hongju bent down to sweep the floor. There wasn’t much to clean—Mu-gyeong had kept things neat.