Chapter 80 – Lee Junseo (Son) – A Kind Hell (3)
Lee Junseo (Son) – A Kind Hell (3)
I received a handjob from a hostess whose name I didn’t even know, along with a light meal and a drink. It was an outdoor experience, with other people watching, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a pleasant meal. Her skills with a man’s member were not those of a novice; just a scratch of her index finger on the glans was enough to send shivers of pleasure up my spine. Even though it was that kind of place, I even found myself wanting to go back again.
It was a bit heavy for a lunch, but maybe because of the alcohol, I finished the meal surprisingly easily. My head was a little dizzy, but I felt light on my feet with a pleasant buzz. Since there was still time until dinner, I was wondering how to spend it when I spotted another tavern in the distance that looked fun.
For some reason, it felt familiar to me.
The building also felt nostalgic.
I wondered if that trash of a father might have brought me to this village when I was too young to remember.
‘It feels like I’ve become a young man returning to his hometown after a long time away.’
The reason I naturally flirted with the hostess was because I was giving in to that feeling. It was like I was going with the flow, but even though it was my own body, my emotions and actions felt strangely out of control. Was it the alcohol? No, it couldn’t be. If I can’t remember it at all, then it must have been when I was really young. I never heard my dead father talk about the village, but I was sure of that much.
“Excuse me, is there a seat?”
“Oh, there’s one seat open.”
I followed the flow, not just heading there but also immediately speaking to a stranger. It was that kind of village, and it wasn’t strange for a resident to suddenly join in and play, so he was smiling broadly.
“One person dropped out during the game. It was just getting exciting, but it ended, and everyone put down their tiles and relaxed. They’ll all be happy if you join.”
In the tavern, men dressed like scholars, but what surrounded them didn’t match their attire or the building at all. They were chewing on light snacks around a mechanical table, and as the man said, they looked relaxed, but their faces changed as soon as they saw me.
“Wanna play a round?”
“Yes.”
“Oh~!”
“Young man, you have good taste~!”
“A young fellow, indeed~! Hahaha~!”
It’s a difficult game to learn, and it’s not popular in this country, so they must be happy to see a challenger like me. I know that feeling well. Everyone gestured for me to sit at the table, so I went with the flow. I was the only one in a suit among the scholars, which was a bit of an odd sight, but I soon became too excited to care. It had been a long time since I held real tiles.
And then, me and the scholar gentlemen…
Just like that…
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Clack, clack, clack, someone puts down a tile.
The flow continues.
The small amount of alcohol I had earlier was now hitting me hard, but my mind was clear.
It was a pleasant atmosphere, with my body surrendering to memories.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Again, someone puts down a tile with a clack.
What a pleasant sound.
The person who put down the tile looked nervous, wondering if it would work, but I felt completely different. It was like painting a new color onto my recent life, which had been all about sex, and I watched it leisurely.
Well, I’m having sex every day, so it’s okay to enjoy a hobby sometimes, right?
And with this, I became even more certain.
I definitely have memories of coming here when I was young.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Clack, clack, clack, another tile is placed.
While I was wondering when I had come to this village, my hand stopped.
The reason I started liking board games in the first place wasn’t because of Seo-woo, but…
Wasn’t it because of this?
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
As that thought hit me, sweat broke out on my forehead.
Since when has my life been manipulated?
Who told me about this?
It wasn’t my father.
Absolutely not.
I never saw that man enjoy anything like entertainment in his entire life.
Then was it my grandmother?
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
I suddenly realized my sunglasses were askew, and after adjusting them, I looked down at my hands.
Could it be that even my personality, liking these kinds of games, was intentionally created?
Thinking that made me feel creeped out and disgusted, but…
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
No, I’m overthinking it.
If something is fun, it’s fun.
If something is unpleasant, it’s unpleasant.
Who dares to manipulate such simple emotions?
Besides, this is just a hobby.
Whoever taught me this, it was me who decided and me who felt it, so there’s no need to blame myself so much.
It’s not like I’m suited to be a tragic hero.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
Shuffling, shuffling.
While I was lost in thought, someone tapped my shoulder.
“Young man?”
“Ah.”
As my mind returned to reality, I realized that I had raised my arm high and stopped. It seemed I had been holding the drawn tile in my hand without moving.
“Is it a dangerous tile?”
“No.”
“I smell a bit of alcohol.”
“Did you have a drink before coming here?”
“Haha, the hostess at the tavern where I had lunch kept trying to get me to drink with her…”
“You’re quite the charmer, you seem drunk, take a rest after this.”
“Yes, I should.”
Thanks to the gentlemen, the shuffling stopped. I was so lost in thought that I had been staring blankly while holding the drawn tile, how embarrassing. Even though I had been drinking, I got so caught up in the nostalgia that I started thinking deeply, that’s not like me. What’s the point of worrying like this when I’m just going to get swept up in lust and have sex with women again?
I mixed the drawn tile into my hand and threw out a new one. I took a breath, watching everyone throw out safe tiles one by one. The reason I came here today was to protect my family. And at the same time, it was to learn about this village and myself. I had met some scholars who seemed talkative, so how could I not ask them?
“By the way, have you heard the rumors?”
“About the young master?”
I had only asked if they had heard the rumors, but the mention of the young master made me flinch. I touched my nose, wondering if my sunglasses had fallen off, but they were still on properly.
“Why are you so surprised? The whole village is buzzing with talk about the young master, so what else could the rumors be about?”
“I’ve only been here recently.”
“Weren’t you one of Bokryong’s men? I thought so because you were wearing a suit.”
“As you can see, I’m young, right? I was only recently recognized by my boss…”
“Then what about the village?”
“I was only recently given permission to enter this village… About the young master too… I’m embarrassed to say… ahem…”
“Then it makes sense that you haven’t heard the rumors until recently. I don’t know what you think of our young master, but he’s like a treasure to us. That’s why the village is so excited.”
I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at those words, so I put my hand under the electric table and scratched my thigh. It was strange to hear someone I had never met talk about me.
“Well, he’s a good person. Isn’t he a good person in real life? The man who was supposed to be the next village chief was a complete scoundrel, and everyone thought this village was doomed, but one day, that man brought a child. So, I wondered if that child would also be a bad seed, but what do you know? He was very kind.”
“You speak as if you’ve seen him before.”
“This is the only mahjong parlor in the village.”
I thought as much.
“Back then, the old men who served the young master in the village brought him here. The villagers mainly enjoy Hwatu, but this was more to our liking.”
“It’s also a necessary skill to get close to the high-ranking people in China.”
“Especially those who climbed up from the bottom in China, they can’t live without this. They really love mahjong, so if you learn this, it’s easy to make friends. Since it turned out this way, we thought we should teach the young master too, so a bunch of us got together and taught him. Thinking about it now, it’s a good memory.”
“Back then, the young master was so pure and innocent. He memorized all the combinations as soon as we told him, and he quickly learned the cheating techniques, so it was fun to teach him.”
“That’s right, when we taught him the caterpillar, he immediately applied it and surprised us, didn’t he?”
“That’s why we’re worried. The villagers know the young master from when he was young. We’re still anxious that he might learn bad things while living with those underlings. We’re worried that he might pick up strange habits and become tainted…”
They were speaking in a friendly tone, but they were still residents of another world. They naturally treated people outside the village as inferiors, and…
“If you thought that way, it would have been better to bring him here by force.”
“That rotten man, who was supposed to be the next village chief, had bad feelings towards us. The villagers gathered together and interfered with his marriage. He called it a love marriage, but it was obvious that it was going to fall apart, so we had no choice but to interfere. As a result, an angel like the young master was born, so we’re grateful for that, but as a result, they didn’t leave the young master with us.”
“As you said, young man, we wanted to bring the young master here and raise him, but he was still the son of the village chief’s family. If we had pushed it by force, the existing order would have collapsed into an uprising, so we had no choice.”
“At least if they had raised the young master properly, we wouldn’t be so frustrated. That rotten bastard, leaving the young master in such a family, he deserves to be cursed even in death.”
It had been a long time since I had seen someone get so angry at that rotten man on my behalf. It was strangely touching. It was a little sad that I couldn’t remember these people’s faces because I was too young.
“Ahem, to get back to the story, isn’t the rumor you’re talking about that the young master is coming back to the village soon?”
“It’s a joyous occasion! Of course!”
“It’s a festival, a festival. The women are busy because of it.”
“I heard that each family is negotiating everywhere to choose a bride for the young master, so it’s going to be really noisy.”
“Oh, a bride?”
“Of course? The young master is a man in his prime, isn’t he?”
“He can’t be treated like a commodity or a prostitute~!”
My head went cold amidst the excited scholar gentlemen. The joy I felt at meeting these people was only for a moment. That one sentence completely ruined my good mood.
“How long are we going to leave the young master’s lower body in the hands of women whose lineage we don’t even know?”
“The right thing to do is to replace all the women around the young master and reorganize them.”
“Of course, we can’t let the young master be taken away by a woman from the outside world again~!”
“““Hahahahahahahaha!!!!”””
The three men’s gazes were fixed on me.
It was as if they were asking, “You think so too, right?” forcing me to agree.
“I haven’t adjusted to the village atmosphere yet, but… um, what will happen to the sisters who have been serving the young master until now… I’m a little curious about that…”
“Hmm, usually they’re disposed of, aren’t they?”
“Hey, that’s too much.”
“Is it?”
“Still, they’ve been doing a good job, so we could at least allow them to live in the village…”
“No, they can’t be with the young master! I heard that one of them even tried to kill him because she was infatuated with him and her heart was twisted! They forgot their place and got caught up in playing family, they’re disqualified, disqualified!”
“Hmm, that’s right. They’ve lived long enough, they could try to make the young master a puppet. It’s too dangerous.”
“Then there’s only one conclusion, isn’t there?”
“It’s normal to get rid of dangerous seeds in advance.”
After that, the three men fell silent.
There was only one conclusion.
To them, my beloved family was nothing more than a target for elimination.
‘As I thought…’
These people, maybe not in the past.
But now, they are my enemies.
