The Unbelievers

Chapter 64

The tension Yoo Siwoon felt, thinking they had discovered Eunseong’s existence, transformed into an entirely new form. Master Manpo seemed to know nothing beyond that. He understood that information of value came with both rewards and increased risks.

“Shall we go now?”

“They probably didn’t go as far as Taebaek.”

They were talking about Eunseong. He had disappeared on the day both Yoo Siwoon and Director Nam were absent. Master Manpo, whom they had met at the wedding ceremony, had signaled that he possessed valuable information. Even if something had been found in Taebaek, the dates didn’t match.

Nevertheless, there was no guarantee it wasn’t Eunseong. Yoo Siwoon grew increasingly anxious. He regretted not accepting Eunseong that day, a nonsensical regret of not becoming the cowardly adult who would have given in to what the boy wanted and crumbled.

“It doesn’t make sense. That would mean they knew about Eunseong’s existence beforehand, but there were no signs of that at all. There’s no reason to take Eunseong all the way to Taebaek either.”

Director Nam replied that it couldn’t be so as he turned the car around. The heavy sedan smoothly navigated the winding mountain road. Director Nam posed his own hypothesis.

“Or could it be that another target has been found? I heard there have been many personnel changes around Director Yoo. There are rumors that Director Yoo has found a target and started managing them.”

Director Nam was talking about Chairman Yoo’s son.

“In all of history, only two have been properly identified. Over such a long period. The probability of several existing in the same time period is extremely low.”

Even as he said this, Yoo Siwoon also felt a sense of disbelief. However, the existence of two “great rifts” was an impossible notion.

“We’ll head to Taebaek for now.”

“Have you heard any news yet?”

“No, not yet…”

Despite deploying a large number of people to search, there had been no significant reports. They lacked the time and manpower to verify the thousands of people on CCTV footage who might be Eunseong.

They had hoped he would definitely return for his bag since he had even taken his clothes, but Eunseong didn’t show up at the subway station bathroom. This could mean that something had happened preventing him from coming back for the bag. They both had the same thought but didn’t voice their ominous concerns.

The car sped towards Taebaek.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Couldn’t find the bag.”

“The bag wasn’t there? Not even at the lost and found?”

Dongjun, who had set out wearing a baseball cap to find Eunseong’s bag, returned after about an hour. He didn’t have Eunseong’s bag that had been hidden in the bathroom.

Taking off his cap and running his hand through his messy hair, Dongjun took a deep breath as if to calm his startled heart. He looked flustered, as if he had experienced something frightening.

“I arrived at the subway station and was about to go to the bathroom, but the convenience store there had just received a shipment of bread that was sold out everywhere else in the neighborhood. Reselling that could be quite profitable. So I stopped by the convenience store first to buy some bread, and then…”

Dongjun paused there to catch his breath, saying his heart was still racing.

“And then?”

“Just as I was about to enter the bathroom, I saw someone being dragged out by men in black suits. And the guy they were dragging had the bag you described – black North Face, with Minions keychains on the zipper, right?”

“…That’s right. Were there three Minions?”

“One playing a guitar, one holding a doll, and there was an AirPods case attached too, right?”

It was indeed Eunseong’s bag. He had described Eunseong’s bag accurately. Eunseong had only mentioned three Minions, not specifying what they looked like.

“I have really good instincts, you know? Those three Minions keychains caught my eye immediately. Two scary-looking guys were dragging him away. It felt so sketchy that I went back into the convenience store and pretended to eat ramen while keeping watch. But after a while, those men who had taken the bag appeared again.”

“Where? To the bathroom?”

“Shit, you know what’s even creepier? They brought the bag back and put it in the bathroom.”

“…”

“Wow, shit. Can you see my goosebumps? It really sent chills down my spine. Two normal-looking men showed up with that bag with the Minions keychains and put it back in the bathroom. Then they hid and kept watch on people coming and going.”

“…”

Eunseong’s arms were covered in goosebumps too. His startled heart was pounding. Dongjun also gulped down water repeatedly and wiped his pale face.

“So what could I do? They were guarding the bathroom. There was no way to retrieve it. I had no choice but to keep watching and then come back.”

Dongjun added dejectedly that this was why he couldn’t bring the bag back.

Yoo Siwoon was chasing Eunseong, who had disappeared into the crowd. Eunseong couldn’t understand why he would go to such lengths. Like Dongjun who was creeped out, Eunseong even had the illusion that he was being chased by bad people.

He had decided to disappear because developing feelings for each other was considered trashy behavior. He was going to vanish out of sight, remove himself before becoming a nuisance, yet the very person who should be grateful was interfering.

Eunseong had left him to stop begging for improper emotions.

It didn’t make sense that in a family with five great-uncles, there wasn’t a single suitable heir among their children.

Eunseong was legitimate by blood, but fell short in ability. He might somehow manage to graduate high school, but even getting into a Seoul university seemed far-fetched.

If it was out of a sense of responsibility to keep the promise made to his father when taking Eunseong in, Eunseong wanted to call him right away and tell him to stop. He was an adult now, and there was no need or reason for anyone to be responsible for him. Especially not Yoo Siwoon – he absolutely didn’t want to depend on him. That’s why he had run away.

“They didn’t seem like ordinary guys. Wonder what kind of loan sharks they’re involved with.”

Dongjun clicked his tongue.

“I guess I’ll have to give up on the bag.”

“Yeah, it’s probably best to give up. Was there anything important in it?”

“No, nothing important. I have the money with me.”

There were things he cherished, but nothing he absolutely couldn’t do without.

“Ah, then forget about it right away. Don’t even think about it. It was truly brutal.”

Dongjun said he would take care of things now and told Eunseong to come back for his shift. There weren’t many guests during the day.

“Since you couldn’t get your bag, you don’t even have underwear right now, do you?”

“I’m planning to go out and buy some later. There are other things I need too.”

“If you need money, I can ask the manager for an advance for you.”

Dongjun misunderstood Eunseong’s situation and tried to help in any way he could. It seemed Eunseong wasn’t completely devoid of luck with people. During his last runaway attempt, Choi Jung-eon had been desperate to help, and now Dongjun was anxious to assist Eunseong.

“It’s okay. I have some emergency funds. I can use that to buy what I need.”

“Winter clothes are expensive, so don’t buy new ones. There’s a secondhand clothing store in the next alley. Go there and look around. Most of the clothes are clean and from good brands, so they’re wearable.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, hyung. And sorry for making you go on a wild goose chase today.”

“Don’t say that. We should help each other. Looking at you, it’s clear you don’t know anything about hardship… Hang in there. If your family is in debt, make sure to get the paperwork sorted so you don’t inherit the debt. I’ll explain that to you in detail later. Don’t try to do anything on your own, make sure to ask people around you for help.”

“…Yes, hyung.”

The kinder Dongjun was, the more uncomfortable Eunseong felt about deceiving him. He quickly retreated to the small room used as the employee quarters.

Dongjun’s space was behind a curtain on one side, while Eunseong’s was on the opposite side. A single bed and a drawer were the only furniture.

The employee quarters, possibly converted from a former storage area, had been excluded from the renovation and preserved the shabbiness of the previous building. It was cramped, and with the window only on Dongjun’s side, it didn’t get much light. No matter how much he tried to motivate himself to work hard, just entering this room seemed to drain away his energy – it was a shabby and unsightly place.

Eunseong sat on the bed. The springs sank deeply under his weight.

Just a few days ago, Eunseong had been living in a penthouse. The night view he used to see there, the luxurious lifestyle of being driven around every day, an environment where he could get anything he wanted at the tip of his fingers. Only now, faced with his current reality, did he fully realize how lavishly he had been treated.

Should I have just stayed?

Just… pretending not to like him, not hoping for things like kisses.

Then he could see his face every day, go running together in the evenings, drink coffee he made, and wander through the garden at night under the pretext of strange noises, getting damp from the thick smell of grass.

Once, the sprinklers had actually turned on, completely soaking Yoo Siwoon. The image of water droplets glistening in the moonlight and Yoo Siwoon wiping his wet face moved slowly like a dream.

Eunseong had been unable to properly look at Yoo Siwoon’s figure, its contours revealed by being soaked, and had lowered his gaze. Yoo Siwoon had come close, asking if something had fallen on the ground, his scent suddenly enveloping Eunseong. Until then, Yoo Siwoon hadn’t known why Eunseong’s face was flushed red.

I shouldn’t have said I liked him. I shouldn’t have begged for kisses.