Love Me More

Episode 7

Mountain after mountain, after the wild boar comes the tiger. But that wasn’t the problem Si-yul was facing. The nausea that had been rising since he was caught by the pig was now pushing past his esophagus and knocking at the tip of his tongue.

He tried to swallow it back, knowing that vomiting here would mean death rather than just violence, but the bile kept coming. As the tension suddenly released, the muscles that had been tightly gripping his organs also loosened.

He tried puffing out his cheeks, but it was futile. The alcohol he had been drinking non-stop to appease the pig was surging back like waves. The churning bile pounded against his Adam’s apple.

“It seems you need to learn how scary the world can be…”

Si-yul covered his mouth with his hand and held up his palm to the man, signaling for a moment’s pause. As the man hesitated, Si-yul bent over, bracing himself on the floor. He couldn’t hold it back any longer. With a thick “uweek” sound, the vomit he had been suppressing spilled all over the man’s polished shoes.

* * *

Si-yul sat up with a gasp. His eyes were so swollen that he could barely see. Forcibly prying open his eyelids that were stuck together like fish roe, he looked around for his phone. He was sure he had been holding it, but after waking up, it had rolled away. He scrambled to grab it.

There were no missed calls.

He turned on the screen and entered the chat room. The chat with the contact saved as “Yuwoni” – Kwon Yuwon had changed it to this – was filled with messages from Si-yul: Where are you now? Why aren’t you answering your phone? Are you okay? Nothing’s happened, right? I’m worried sick, please call me.

Despite the barrage of anxious messages, there was no response from the other side. He tried calling again just in case, but only received the automated message: “The customer’s phone is turned off…”

Si-yul dropped his arm limply. He had been frantically calling and texting on the way back last night and after arriving at the inn, but there had been no news from the other side. Worried that something might have gone wrong, he even put on his shoes to go back, but stopped at the doorway, unable to step outside.

“Just promise me one thing. If anything happens, run away without looking back. Don’t think about me.”

Before going in, Yuwon had earnestly asked Si-yul to promise that if anything happened, he too would run and hide somewhere, so Si-yul shouldn’t feel guilty.

Whether Kwon Yuwon would actually do that was questionable, but staying cooped up in the room seemed more helpful to Kwon Yuwon than rummaging around looking for him and potentially getting caught by the pig again or getting into trouble.

Believing that Yuwon would come back if he just waited, thinking that unlike himself, Kwon Yuwon was smart and cunning enough to dodge those pig-like thugs and return safely, Si-yul held onto his phone. He had vowed not to fall asleep until Kwon Yuwon returned, but his body, exhausted from the alcohol and other events, couldn’t hold out.

And now, Si-yul was crouched in a corner, fiddling with his phone. A missing person report to the police couldn’t be filed until a full day had passed. Moreover, for adults, such reports often ended up being dismissed as simple runaways. Given the nature of their work, relying on law enforcement felt like a thief worrying about his own footprints.

“Ah… This is driving me crazy.”

Si-yul knew exactly one person who might have a clue about where Kwon Yuwon had disappeared to. He had even received that person’s number directly last night.

Last night, Si-yul had vomited spectacularly on the man’s shoes and feet. Though it was mostly liquid, the dirty vomit had splattered messily on the man’s crisp trouser cuffs. He wanted to stop midway, but his insides were churning so violently that Si-yul grabbed the man’s shins like a utility pole and heaved as if he was trying to expel his internal organs.

“Huh…”

Surprisingly, the man didn’t kick Si-yul away. He just looked down at Si-yul’s crown and sighed as if dumbfounded. It wasn’t cursing or violence, but that sigh was more terrifying than a punch.

Now I’m really going to die. Even if I beg for my life, it won’t make a difference. The worst case is a drum can, the best case is being buried alive, Si-yul inwardly wailed. Still, clinging to a sliver of hope that the man might not be a ruthless killer, he barely managed to support his body that wanted to collapse backwards and knelt down.

“I’m sorry…”

“Are you done?”

The apology swirled in his mouth and disappeared. Si-yul was startled by the sudden break in flow, swallowed his sour saliva with a gulp, and looked up.

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you’re done throwing up.”

After quietly watching Si-yul’s retching, that’s what he asked. When the dazed Si-yul nodded his head, the man took out a handkerchief from his pocket and roughly wiped his trouser cuffs and shoes. Leaving Si-yul kneeling behind him, he threw away the handkerchief and then meticulously cleaned his dirtied hands.

Si-yul had thought the man would beat him to a pulp and then drag out his corpse. Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Si-yul just sat there, wiggling his numb toes.

“Phone.”

The man who had returned held out his hand. Si-yul handed it over, trembling. Then the man asked for the pattern. Obediently, Si-yul answered, “It’s a big ‘ㄴ’ shape,” while tracing it in the air with his finger. Believing that was his only way to survive.

The man tapped the open phone screen a few times with his finger and checked his own phone. Then he handed it back to Si-yul.

“Answer immediately if I contact you.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ll have to pay for the dry cleaning.”

Si-yul just gaped, his lips parted. He couldn’t fathom the man’s intentions at all. Hadn’t he just kicked out the pig and rolled up his sleeves as if he was about to hit Si-yul? Did he feel sorry for him after seeing him vomit?

It was hard to believe that this man, who seemed to have razor blades instead of warm blood flowing through his veins, was letting him live just like that. Si-yul, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses and lay flat on the floor.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Whatever change of heart had occurred, the man neither hit nor killed Si-yul. Si-yul’s resounding cry echoed off the bathroom walls. The man frowned as if his eardrums were ringing, then waved his hand and turned his body. As he was walking away with heavy steps, he suddenly stopped at the door as if something had just occurred to him.

“Do you know my name?”

The man asked, turning back. How could Si-yul possibly know? They weren’t on a first-name basis. Si-yul shook his head. And if possible, he wanted to remain strangers.

“Woo Hyun-se. Answer when it rings.”

But the man insisted on revealing his name before leaving. With those three syllables – Woo Hyun-se – Si-yul snapped out of his reminiscence. Back in reality, he stared at his phone. Kwon Yuwon, who had been frantically trying to contact him as soon as they left the bar, was still unreachable. Si-yul was seriously considering calling the man to ask.

He buried his head between his arms, elbows resting on his bent knees. As he tried to gather his scattered thoughts while holding his phone with both hands, the room door suddenly burst open. Lost in thought, Si-yul hadn’t noticed any presence and jumped straight up into the air. He was so startled that a thick curse, “Shit!” automatically spilled out.

“Kwon Si-yul!”

It was Kwon Yuwon. Whatever ordeal he had been through all night had left him in a complete mess. As soon as he saw Si-yul, he threw off his shoes, stomped in with loud steps, and hugged Si-yul tightly. His rough, panting breath hit Si-yul’s nape. There might have even been a small sobbing sound.

“You… You! Where have you been!”

He shouted loudly, but Kwon Yuwon just widened his eyes and held Si-yul’s face in both hands, thoroughly examining him for any injuries. Seeing Si-yul’s eyes and face swollen like full moons, he hugged him fiercely once more. When Si-yul choked and patted his back, Yuwon finally let go.

“Where have you been yourself!”

“Why didn’t you come back last night!”

They both shouted noisily at the same time. Kwon Yuwon, seemingly aggrieved about something, grabbed Si-yul’s shoulders and shook him vigorously. Si-yul’s head rocked back and forth uncontrollably until Yuwon noticed his face turning pale and let go.

“You answer first. Why didn’t you come back to the room yesterday? Did you meet that pig bastard in the bathroom? Did he do anything to you?”

His piercing gaze was fierce enough to kill. Si-yul swallowed hard. If he revealed what had happened to him last night, Kwon Yuwon might rush out right away, declaring he’d strangle that pig bastard. Unable to turn his friend into a murderer, Si-yul quickly forced a smile and shook his head vigorously.

“No. I didn’t see him. I just drank too much and couldn’t come back because I was throwing up. When I went up, you were already…”

“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Kwon Yuwon stared at Si-yul with eyes full of suspicion. Given the years they had known each other, clumsy lies were easily spotted. But those years had also honed Si-yul’s ability to lie shamelessly.

“Why would I lie to you? But what about you? When I went up, no one was there. What happened? Did you leave without me?”

As Si-yul turned the tables on him, Kwon Yuwon bit his lip angrily. He shouted that there was no way, his voice so loud that someone from the next room yelled, “Hey, let us get some sleep!”

Only after hearing the irritation from next door did the two calm down and sit. Si-yul, saying it was fine now that Yuwon had returned safely, got up first to fetch water from the refrigerator and handed it to Kwon Yuwon. Apparently parched, Kwon Yuwon roughly opened the cap and gulped it down. He drank more than half in one go before wiping his mouth.

“Last night, when you didn’t come for so long, I tried to go look for you.”

Kwon Yuwon, having caught his breath, leaned against the wall and quietly recalled the events of the previous night. Si-yul, sitting close beside him, nodded and listened intently.

While looking for any chance to escape, disgusted by the pig’s unwelcome interest in Si-yul, Si-yul had briefly excused himself to go to the bathroom. The pig, pretending to drink, also said he was going to relieve himself and left.

A sudden ominous feeling struck him, and he stood up abruptly, but the pig’s companions grabbed Kwon Yuwon’s arm and made him sit back down.