Free Web NovelThe pleasant drinking session continued.
Empty bottles piled up one after another, and with them, the number of empty shells grew as well.
“Back then, Muhyuk hyung beat up... who was it... you know, that guy who used to bully kids and take their money...”
Jinseok, clearly tipsy, mumbled as he brought up an old story.
Myungsoo, who had been pouring a drink, stopped his hand and replied:
“Who? Hancheol?”
“Ah, right. Hancheol hyung.”
“Hyung my ass. That bastard was just a thug.”
“Who’s that?”
It was a name I didn’t recognize at all.
Myungsoo smirked.
“You don’t remember? Our senior by a year. The guy who lived nearby. He used to take money from kids and beat them. That was when we were in third year of middle school, I think. Even my memory’s fuzzy now.”
Third year of middle school.
To me—someone who had regressed—that felt like an extremely distant past.
For them, it hadn’t even been twenty years.
For me, it was a memory from decades ago. freewebnøvel.com
No matter how hard I tried, nothing came back.
That meant it wasn’t important enough to leave a mark.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
“Wow, you bastard. You beat him half to death and say you don’t remember? I seriously thought someone was going to die back then. Don’t you even remember me getting hurt trying to stop you?”
What?
I injured Myungsoo?
That meant I must’ve completely lost control... yet I couldn’t recall anything.
“If I got that angry, I should remember it... but I don’t.”
Even during my turbulent years, there were only a handful of times I’d beaten someone to the brink of death.
“See? The one who hit forgets. Even my memory’s hazy, but I think that bastard hit me first. And he took a lot of money from me. When you found out, you got furious and went to deal with him.”
“So he deserved it.”
Back then or now—if someone messed with Myungsoo, I would’ve stepped in.
Hyunseong quietly nodded beside us.
They bickered constantly, but they really were close.
“Anyway, why bring that bastard up now? Ruining the mood.”
“Oh... that hyung came back to Yeongdo. I heard he just got out of prison...”
“Of course he did. Guys like that never change. Damn, this really kills the vibe.”
Myungsoo mimed spitting, then picked up his glass again.
Seeing his reaction made me raise an eyebrow.
For someone as easygoing as him to hate someone that much...
He had even forgiven the guy who dragged him into trouble back in high school.
I rolled my glass between my fingers, trying to recall the name from my hazy memories.
Maybe I really was getting old.
In the end, I couldn’t remember and turned to Hyunseong, who had been quietly listening.
“Hyunseong. Do you remember?”
“I do. I wasn’t there, but that incident became pretty well known.”
It must have been an uncomfortable topic—Myungsoo snapped at Jinseok.
“Jinseok, why bring him up out of nowhere?”
“Well... I saw what happened back then with my own eyes, didn’t I? After that, I kept following Muhyuk hyung around... It just came to mind.”
“Oh right. That’s when you became a hardcore Kim Muhyuk fan. You were a little kid with a runny nose, following him everywhere—‘Hyung! Hyung!’”
At Myungsoo’s exaggerated teasing, Jinseok’s face turned bright red.
“Hyung! When did I ever have a runny nose? That never happened!”
“What are you talking about? I remember everything. Right, Muhyuk?”
I nodded.
In my memory, Jinseok really had been just a snot-nosed kid.
“Even Muhyuk hyung is saying that?”
“Oh? Muhyuk, this punk’s glaring at you now that he’s grown up?”
“N-no! That’s not it! Why are you like this, Myungsoo hyung!”
Startled by the teasing, Jinseok waved his hands frantically.
“Not it? I saw it clearly. ‘Even Muhyuk hyung says that!’”
“Ah! Hyung!”
Since he got such a good reaction, Myungsoo kept teasing him, laughing.
“What’s so funny that I can hear you from outside? Here, eat this too.”
The charcoal had long gone out, and most of the food was already gone.
At that timing, Auntie placed a plate of sashimi on the table.
“Jinseok. Take it easy with the drinking.”
“Mom! I’m not a kid, especially in front of my hyungs...”
As Jinseok grumbled, she smacked his back.
“You caused trouble drinking just the other day! One more time and I’ll take you out of the family registry!”
“Ah! Mom!”
She chuckled and went back into the kitchen.
By now, all the customers had left, and other shops were starting to turn off their lights one by one.
“Some places are already closing. Do they not stay open late these days?”
It still felt like it should be busy, so I asked Jinseok.
“It’s not like before. Back when it was street stalls on the pebbles, we stayed open until sunrise. These days, most places close around 1 a.m. If you guys hadn’t come, we would’ve closed too.”
I nodded and downed my soju.
For some reason, the bitterness tasted even stronger.
“I see... this place has changed a lot too.”
In my previous life, after going to Seoul, I never came back to Busan.
Even in this life, aside from going to the market with Grandma, I hadn’t really gone anywhere.
So I hadn’t realized how much places tied to my memories had changed.
Or rather—it would be more accurate to say I hadn’t cared enough to notice.
“Anyway, things aren’t too hard, right? There used to be a lot of gang trouble here.”
“Oh, no. It’s very different now. That group... what was it... the Dongsu faction? Since they took over Busan, they don’t even collect protection money anymore.”
“Really? That’s good.”
At the mention of the Dongsu faction, a faint smile crept onto my face.
It was ironic that things had stabilized thanks to an organization bearing Dongsu hyung’s name.
But Yeongdo had always been known as one of the roughest areas in Busan—even famous enough to inspire gangster films.
“Are we keeping you from closing?”
“No way. Even if we closed, Muhyuk hyung could keep drinking here!”
Still... it was getting really late.
I checked my watch—past 1 a.m.
“Even so, we should get going soon.”
“Going? Let’s drink a bit more. I’ve got nothing to do at home. Can’t really go out either...”
Myungsoo trailed off regretfully.
Hyunseong nodded in agreement.
“Same. Nothing to do at home.”
“Hey, what do you mean nothing? Don’t you have a kid to take care of?”
“....”
Instead of answering, Hyunseong emptied his glass in one go.
He slammed it down on the plastic table and let out a deep sigh.
A father exhausted from childcare.
No wonder he wanted this kind of break.
“Muhyuk hyung... let’s drink a bit more, please? It’s been a while since I could use you as an excuse to drink like this.”
Even Jinseok joined in.
I had no choice but to nod.
“Alright then. Close the shop and come back. Tell your mother to head home.”
“Yes, hyung!”
Jinseok jumped up, clearly excited.
“Mom! Go home and get some rest! I’ll drink with Muhyuk hyung and clean up afterward!”
“Really?”
“There won’t be any more customers, and other shops are closing too. I want to close up and drink comfortably.”
After a brief hesitation, she took off her apron and smiled.
“Alright. I’ll go. Don’t drink too much, okay?”
“Come on, Mom. Would I mess up in front of Muhyuk hyung?”
She gave Jinseok a look, then spoke to us as she came out.
“Muhyuk, I’ll head home first. If Jinseok acts up, smack him for me.”
“Yes. I’ll keep an eye on him. You go ahead, Auntie.”
“Alright. It was good seeing you. Come visit again.”
She grabbed her thick coat and headed out.
“Don’t take their money, Jinseok.”
“Yes. I’ll just think of it as me treating them.”
At that, Myungsoo jumped up.
“Hey! Don’t say that! I’m a politician now, you know? If I get treated to drinks, it could cause serious trouble later.”
He pulled out his wallet, took all the cash inside, and stuffed it into her coat pocket.
“This should be enough. If there’s extra, we’ll just cover it by drinking more.”
“Oh my, that’s too much...”
It was clearly more than the actual bill.
She tried to take it out, but Myungsoo stopped her.
“Just keep it. Seriously, it’ll cause trouble. Right, Muhyuk?”
He winked at me.
I nodded.
“He’s right, Auntie. If a politician goes around getting free drinks, it’s a problem. Please don’t feel burdened—just keep it.”
“But this is too much...”
Sensing her hesitation, Myungsoo added playfully:
“Come on. Me, Muhyuk, and Hyunseong—we’re all doing well in Seoul. You were going to treat us for free because of old times, right? Think of it as paying that back. Now go on home—we’ll finish up here.”
He gently pushed her toward the door.
Reluctantly, she nodded and put on her coat.
“Alright. Come visit often. I’ll give you plenty of service.”
“Got it. We’ll stop by when we’re in Busan.”
“See you next time!”
Just as she opened the door to leave—
“Auntie. Where do you think you’re going?”
She froze.
“Closing already? Where do you think you’re going?”
A group of men pushed past her and entered.
“What’s this? Still got customers, huh?”
The man who had shoved her glanced at Myungsoo—and his lips curled into a grin.
“Well, well... isn’t this Assemblyman Lee Myungsoo? Remember me?”
“....”
Recognizing him, Myungsoo said nothing.
The man only laughed more viciously.
“Looks like you forgot me after making it big. Damn, life’s hard for someone like me, huh? Right, boys?”
“Yeah, hyung. But who is he?”
“You don’t know? Lee Myungsoo. Used to follow me around like a puppy... and now he’s a National Assembly member.”
“Really? A lawmaker? You knew someone like that? You’re not lying, right?”
“Of course! You think I’d lie?”
He raised his hand as if to smack the junior joking around.
“Aigoo, hyung. We were just about to close for the night. Please come another time—I’ll treat you well then.”
Sensing the mood turning strange, Jinseok quickly stepped forward to stop him.
“What? You got a death wish? Let go of my arm.”
At that moment, Manager Ma and the bodyguards at the next table stood up and looked toward me.
I subtly shook my head under the table, signaling them to wait.
They understood and sat back down.
The man glared down at Jinseok.
Jinseok was no small guy, but compared to him, he looked smaller.
“Hyung, please. Next time—next time!”
“Yeah, come next time. Auntie’s tired today. Come later and I’ll even give it to you for free—”
Auntie stepped in front of Jinseok as well.
“Mother and son... embarrassing me together. Tell me, Auntie—have you forgotten who I am?”
“Of course not. How could I not know you?”
“Then don’t treat me like this!”
At his raised voice, she flinched.
Jinseok pulled her back and stood in front.
“Oh? Look at this punk. You want to fight? Guess I didn’t beat you enough back then. Want another round today?”
At that moment, our eyes met.
The man tilted his head—then recognized me.
He shoved Jinseok and Myungsoo aside and walked toward me.
Manager Ma and the bodyguards stood up again to block him.
“Hey! You’re Kim Muhyuk, right? Move!”
He tried to shove Manager Ma aside, but didn’t budge him an inch.
“Manager. Step aside.”
Manager Ma turned to me, concern on his face.
“Boss, but—”
“Step aside.”
At my repeated command, they reluctantly moved.
The man approached me with a smug grin.
“Hey, Kim Muhyuk. Recognize me?”
“No chance. I don’t remember trash like you.”
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t recall him.
At my calm reply, his face twisted into something ferocious.
“Hey! I’m Hancheol! Jeong Hancheol! Don’t play dumb—I’ve been waiting for this day!”
The man causing trouble in the shop—
was none other than Jeong Hancheol, the one Myungsoo and Jinseok had been talking about.
