Lee Young-jin stood quietly in a corner of the reception room.
The dark Han River stretched southward, flowing with a silver glow in the darkness.
He stared at the dark Han River for a long time.
Although he had been living in Seoul for six years, this was the first time he had seen the Han River from such a high place.
Seoul’s vibrant nightlife across the Han River in the distance sparkled vividly.
The spacious reception room was empty. There was a long sofa against one wall, and on the opposite wall, there was a large, too large for Young-jin to have ever seen before, TV hanging. Other than that, there was nothing else.
The inflated balloon man that pushed Young-jin into this place explained nothing. As soon as Young-jin was pushed into the entrance, the man closed the door and left. Young-jin didn’t even think about opening the door again.
He stood in front of the entrance for a long time, and only after ten minutes did he manage to take off his shoes and go upstairs. At that moment, the vast night sky stole his gaze.
Light poured in through the huge front window that surrounded the reception room on three sides. Young-jin stared at it for a long time, and finally, he realized that the night sky and the dark Han River were blending together, as if flowing and surging.
Unconsciously, he took a few steps forward.
In this way, he gradually moved forward until he was close enough to press his nose against the window.
The congested Olympic Highway on the other side of the murky Han River looked like a slow-flowing beam of light.
The hazy purple glow remained faintly on the right side of the river. It disappeared quickly, and the black Han River swelled up as if flooding.
How long had he been standing there, gazing at it?
Young-jin suddenly snapped back to his senses.
He barely stepped back two steps.
The neon sign light that flowed in from outside the window dimly illuminated the dark reception room.
Young-jin’s shadow crossed the reception room.
He suddenly realized that his thighs and calves were numb. How long had he been standing there? But there wasn’t a single wall clock in the living room, so he couldn’t even tell the time.
He slowly approached the sofa and sat down.
The dull gray leather sofa, occupying a corner of the desolate living room, boasted its presence as it lay there. It appeared firm and rigid, but surprisingly, it was quite soft, and the surface, which he expected to be cold, maintained a slightly lower temperature than the human body. As he sat down, leaning his back against the backrest and resting his body on the sofa, he felt as if he was enveloped and embraced by something.
He recalled the question Seo Seung-hyun had asked him when they arrived at Gimpo Airport.
“You have two choices. One is to live comfortably in an ordinary apartment in Seoul and do the work I ask you to do. The second is to stay in a container warehouse in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, living and laboring among five criminals. Which option do you prefer?”
“I… I’m fine with anything,” he said, not knowing what else to answer. Seo Seung-hyun simply shrugged his shoulders in response.
And here he was.
“In the container warehouse?”
He deliberately made a sound and muttered to myself, but of course, there was no answer.
Seo Seung-hyun wasn’t here. He had taken him in a different car and left somewhere else. At that moment, he thought it was finally over, but once again, things didn’t go as he had imagined.
Only the sound of his breathing echoed in the quiet and spacious reception room. Even the sound of his breathing felt too loud, so he held his breath.
The interior, where gentle heating circulated, was neither cold nor hot.
Outside the large window, the rapid flow of neon signs wrapped around two roads, penetrating Seoul from east to west.
He quietly gazed at the stream of light. Dozens of thoughts flooded his mind.
How long would “this job” continue?
What did Seo Seung-hyun plan to do with him?
Unfinished missions, his teacher, Jang Jin-hoon and Park Eun-young, the chicken restaurant part-time job, and all sorts of complicated worries filled his small head, then suddenly dispersed. The light gradually spread in the reflection of the glossy black eyes, and the drooping eyelids sank.
He probably didn’t sleep for a long time.
The sound of footsteps, not bothering to conceal their presence, awakened him from his light slumber. He opened his eyes reluctantly. They revealed a thin, faint line.
A robust shadow stood erect in the middle of the dimly lit reception room like a statue.
His chest swelled up and then slowly deflated like a breath of air.
He raised his chin to look at the shadow.
Seo Seung-hyun was standing there.
His thick eyebrows arched upward, and faint wrinkles were etched between his eyes. His eyes were thin. With a stern posture, he looked down and asked,
“Why were you sleeping in the living room?”
“Um…”
Young-jin hesitated, unable to come up with a response.
The imposing six-room penthouse had a resemblance to its owner. From the entrance to the expansive living room, large floor-to-ceiling windows exposed every nook and cranny inside and outside. However, all the doors were firmly shut, and the corridor leading to other parts of the house required a turn, making it impossible to see the interior.
Lee Young-jin couldn’t muster the courage to open a single door.
Seeing Lee Young-jin’s silence, Seo Seunghyun pursed his lips, seemingly understanding. He lightly flicked his index finger towards him.
Lee Young-jin got up hesitantly and followed him.
As they passed through the wide corridor that led to another space, a long and spacious rectangular room appeared. The southern side of the rectangle also had a floor-to-ceiling glass window, and neon sign lights flowed rapidly beyond it.
At the end of the corridor, Seo Seunghyun reached out his hand to a tall decorative cabinet installed from floor to ceiling and grabbed a remote control. He turned on the lights by twisting a button, gradually increasing the brightness and illuminating the surroundings.
It was the kitchen and dining area.
On a white rug placed in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, a sleek and round metal dining table was placed. Five chairs, with their backs shaped like flattened kidney beans, were neatly arranged in front of it.
On the opposite side, a sink was visible along with a long counter.
Seo Seunghyun gestured towards the dining table to Lee Young-jin.
A clean table with a white piece of paper laid on top caught Lee Young-jin’s hesitant gaze. As Lee Young-jin approached the table, Seo Seunghyun followed closely behind and pushed the paper towards him with his hand.
Lee Young-jin lowered his gaze and looked down at the flawless paper.
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