Three Eight

So it seemed they were heading straight home, but then Mu-gyeong turned the wheel onto the main road. Lately, he’d been running errands out and about more often, so Hongju figured they were going somewhere again.

But the place they drove into was all too familiar, even to Hongju. Leaning quietly against the seat, he slowly sat up and looked outside.

"You know where this is, right?"

"We’re going to the old House?"

It was the first time since that day he’d come to explain Seotda to Mu-gyeong. As they passed through a narrow alley crammed with cranes and freight trucks, a building under active construction came into view. The shabby old House where Hongju had lived for fifteen years was being transformed into a pretty respectable three-story structure.

"Coming along nicely."

The outline was now clearly taking shape. The House had originally been a large restaurant, so it already had plenty of space, but now that the small yards at the front and back had been cleared, the grounds were even more expansive. Even just looking at the finishing materials, you could tell a lot of money had gone into it. With a decent sign out front, no one would suspect gambling happened here—or maybe even think it was a high-end bar.

And once the nearby department store opened, there’d be more foot traffic and more rich folks stopping by. No wonder Guppping had taken on such massive debt investing in the House. Hongju thought to himself as he leaned close to the window and scanned the building.

"Take a good look—think of it as your last time seeing it."

"...Last time?"

"I told you I’d let you go."

Their eyes met, and strangely, it felt like Hongju could finally breathe. It really felt like the day he’d be free of the House was just around the corner. Afraid he’d sigh out loud in relief, he bit down on his lip and nodded.