Chapter 57
"Shit, so you’ve totally switched over to President Mu-gyeong now? Look at you glaring like you’ve got some bigshot backing, huh?"
When he pretended to be begging and slipped away through the crowd, when he snuck out in the dead of night saying he was going to find his father, when he doused the House with gasoline swearing he’d kill Guppping—Guppping had looked at him the same way then, too. That look like, “A fucking insect like you dares crawl up at me?” That exact expression.
"Just try opening your mouth. Fuck, I swear I'll kill you."
What came next didn’t even need seeing. Guppping shot to his feet and slammed Hongju to the ground. He ripped off his jacket and roughly rolled up his sleeves. ...Even showing concern gets you shit. As the kicks rained down, Hongju clenched his teeth.
"How you gonna pay it back? I’m selling your ass to a bar, you fucker! Not even a virgin, so they can run you dry!"
Hongju bit down on his lip until he tasted blood. Not a single sound escaped him from behind the scarf. He was dragged by the hair, punched, kicked. Even as he was getting beat senseless, Hongju wrapped his arms around his head.
Thud, thud—only the sound of dull impact filled the room, occasionally mixed with Guppping’s heavy panting.
"Fucking shameless, just like your damn father."
His eyes, fixed on the floor in silence, turned bloodshot. The word "father" shattered whatever emotion he’d barely kept buried. His tightly shut mouth finally opened.
"Get off me!"
Hongju started screaming. He pushed himself up, yelling until his throat burned. Guppping’s eyes widened in surprise and darted toward the door. Hongju didn’t miss the moment—he pushed off the ground and stood.
"Don’t just run your fucking mouth—go ahead, sell me! I’m not even scared anymore!"