Love Me More

Episode 6

The pig locked the door meticulously and then threw Si-yul onto the toilet. As Si-yul was about to scream, something with a foul smell was shoved into his mouth. He kicked out, but sadly, it didn’t work. The pig twisted his arms behind his back, pressing his face against his ear, and every word he uttered was disgusting.

“You didn’t think I’d do this, did you?”

The pig pulled down Si-yul’s pants and underwear all at once. He let out a breath like a lustful boar, staring at his exposed backside and the hollow curve of his spine.

Tears welled up in Si-yul’s eyes and dripped onto the toilet lid. The worst-case scenario he had feared had finally come to pass. He had thought that if he just ran away, it would be fine, but now that he was caught, he couldn’t move an inch.

Should I give up?

Maybe it would be better to just go along with it and continue the deal with Kwon Yuwon.

As Si-yul twisted his body to escape his grip, he suddenly relaxed. Right, the pig thought, as he grabbed his flesh with his sticky hands. He squeezed his eyes shut, and at that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed.

The pig froze. Si-yul, who had resigned , opened his eyes wide. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He managed to spit out the filthy handkerchief that had been shoved into his mouth. Before he could even utter the first letter of “help,” the pig reached out and covered his mouth. He pinched his nose shut, cutting off his breath.

The sound of water flowing, the tap water hitting the sink, continued. Someone was washing their hands for a long time. All sounds related to water stopped, and the sound of paper towels being pulled out was heard.

Si-yul struggled. His neck and face turned red from lack of air. The pig pressed down on him with his weight, but as he flailed his limbs, he kicked the toilet with a loud thud. His toes felt like they were being crushed, but at least he had made a noise that could be heard outside.

The footsteps were heard again. He thought they were coming this way, but they were heading toward the entrance. Surely, they must have heard the noise he made.

His only hope was extinguished. Si-yul’s eyes turned red, and thick tears fell like a downpour. While the pig kept a close watch on the outside, the footsteps that had been fading away grew closer again. The steady, rhythmic footsteps stopped right in front of the bathroom stall.

The person knocked three times on the door. It was a calm and static notification, just like the footsteps.

“Excuse me. For the comfort of other guests, please refrain from excessive behavior.”

The request was also polite. Si-yul was surprised for a different reason. It was a familiar voice. The precise pronunciation that pierced through others’ ears, low and cold yet rich in the air. It was the man who had said he would scold him severely if he saw him a third time.

“Get lost, you bastard.”

The pig replied roughly. A sigh that seemed to indicate there was no answer came from outside. Whether he died here or there, the result would be the same, but getting beaten by a man was a hundred times better than flailing under the pig.

Si-yul squeezed out all his remaining strength and struggled. They say that when a person is in crisis, they can summon superhuman strength, and that was exactly what was happening now. The pig, startled, was trying to restrain him when the hand that had been covering his mouth loosened.

“—Help me!”

Si-yul shouted with all his might. The man was his only chance of survival. He hoped that even if it wasn’t him, someone else would hear him as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The pig cursed and slammed Si-yul’s head against the bathroom wall. The thud echoed in his ears, and his vision momentarily turned white. The sharp pain came a beat later.

“Help….”

The footsteps outside stood still. Si-yul’s vision blurred. He couldn’t faint like this, but his head was spinning, and his stomach churned.

With a bang, the door shook. The pig shouted something angrily, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the door being kicked. After just a few kicks, the hinges shook, and the door was soon shattered with a hollow sound. A massive hand grabbed the door panel that fell to the floor and pushed it aside.

“I told you not to do this here.”

The man who removed the door looked down at the pig and Si-yul. Even though he had discovered a crime scene, his gaze was chillingly cold. He looked as if he might yawn, bored and uninterested.

“What the hell are you?”

The pig, whose plans had gone awry, turned around with a scowl. He grabbed the man by the collar, but due to the height difference, it was hardly a threat. The pig didn’t stop there; he leaned in, glaring fiercely.

“Just go on your way. Got it?”

Throwing the collar aside, the pig brushed his hands off. He reached out toward Si-yul, who was looking for an escape. Si-yul quickly lifted his head and looked at the man. His tear-streaked face looked disheveled.

“Please, please save me.”

The man had been looking only at Si-yul for some time now, not the pig. He tilted his head slightly to the side, calmly observing him. His clothes were torn, his pants were down to his thighs, and tears were welling up in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks.

“Why should I? We’re strangers.”

The man rejected him with a smirk. Normally, even if they were complete strangers, wouldn’t someone lend a helping hand in such a situation? It was unexpected, but Si-yul quickly grasped the underlying meaning. He shook his head vigorously, hoping his head would fall off.

“No, no! We’re not strangers! I’ve seen you before! We know each other!”

“When did you say we were strangers?”

“I was wrong, sir. This is the third time we’re seeing each other…”

Si-yul clasped his hands together and begged earnestly. The only person who could throw him a lifeline as he was falling off a cliff was this man.

“Is that so?”

The man looked at the pig this time. The pig, unable to understand the coded conversation exchanged between them, wore a thoroughly sour expression. He cursed and then shoved the man’s chest hard. The man didn’t budge an inch.

“Damn it,” the pig said, throwing the first punch. Si-yul, who had planned to slip away during the fight, completely forgot his plan and watched anxiously, fearing the man might get hit.

The man remained calm, just like when he had broken down the door. He easily dodged the incoming punch and, twisting his upper body, tripped the pig’s ankle, causing him to fall to the tiled floor with a thud.

The man climbed onto the pig’s back and twisted his arms behind him. The pig flailed desperately, but the man was like a massive boulder. With one hand, he pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and tucked it between his ear and shoulder, as if he were used to this kind of fight.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m in the underground bathroom. Come and take care of this.”

It didn’t take long for the bulky men the man had called to arrive. As soon as they came in, they bent at the waist to greet him, asking if he was okay. The man looked at them with a face full of disdain.

—Get this mess cleaned up quickly.

He ordered. Only then did the bulky men grab the pig, who was thrashing under the man, and drag him out.

Finally, he was saved. Si-yul, who had been crumpled up in the bathroom stall, slowly walked out. Holding his sagging pants with both hands, he cautiously raised his eyes to look at the man. When their gazes met, he gasped in surprise and quickly looked down.

“Thank… you. For saving me.”

He started with a greeting. He could have ignored him and walked away, but he had saved him. It seemed he had avoided the worst situation.

However.

“This is also my territory. What did I say would happen if I caught you here again?”

Si-yul’s shoulders stiffened at the man’s cold voice. He looked like a timid student in front of a notoriously scary teacher, mumbling softly.

“…I’d get in trouble.”

“You remember well.”

“—But! I really didn’t come here to make a deal this time! A friend invited me out for drinks; I had no bad intentions at all. I swear!”

He had worked at a club, so that was one thing, but here he was clearly the victim and hadn’t done anything wrong. Feeling unjustly accused, Si-yul raised his head and protested earnestly. How could he have known that the man operated this place? It was something even a god wouldn’t know.

“I just came with a friend… a friend.”

Si-yul’s eyes widened. In his dire situation, he had forgotten about Kwon Yuwon. His gaze clouded, then suddenly sparkled like lightning. He turned his body and tried to dash out of the bathroom. The man grabbed him by the nape of his neck.

“Let go! Yuwon is still in that room! I need to help him.”

The man clicked his tongue and then pushed Si-yul’s knees with his own. Si-yul stumbled helplessly and fell to the floor. Even when he glared at him resentfully, he remained indifferent, hands in his pockets. As Si-yul tried to get back up, the man pressed down on his shoulder and spoke.

“Which room?”

“…The innermost room on the second basement floor.”

Realizing he couldn’t escape from the man, Si-yul sighed in defeat. The man pulled out his phone again and made another call. His furrowed brow clearly showed his annoyance. Nevertheless, when the other party answered, he calmly issued orders.

“Evict all the guests from the innermost room on the second basement floor. Make up an excuse about the next reservation. If there’s a guy named Yuwon among them, keep him and let him out through the back door.”

Si-yul wanted to see with his own eyes that Kwon Yuwon was safe, but there was no chance to escape. He had no choice but to trust the man.

“So, how should I punish you?”

After finishing the call, the man removed his hand from Si-yul’s shoulder and rolled up his sleeves. His hands, thick and blunt at the joints, looked like they could cause serious damage with just a slap.

He had been hit once before, but that time it had been a light gesture meant to intimidate. If the man decided to swing his hand, he would be flung around the bathroom like a piece of paper.