Chapter 58 : Payback Past

‘This place….’

Hayoon opened his eyes to find himself inside the musty, dust-filled gym storage room. 

It was a place he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

‘Hey, you deliberately used that move earlier, didn’t you?’

‘You’re the one who fell like an idiot, so why are you yelling at him?’

‘Bullshit! Who are you calling pathetic!’

Amid the noisy high schoolers, Hayoon caught sight of Namsu at the front of the group. 

He looked a little younger than the face Hayoon remembered from yesterday, but the malice in his eyes had already matured into something poisonous.

‘Stop it… I don’t want this!’

‘Crazy, did you hear that? He says he doesn’t want it.’

‘Don’t~’

‘God, I want to smash his face in.’

They only laughed and mocked him when he begged them to stop.

‘The coach said he was going to put this bastard on the starting roster, so my mom paid him five million won.’

‘No way. The crazy coach asked for five million?’

‘Yeah, the bastard’s turned greedy.’

‘Make him cough it up!’

‘What can you get from a broke loser who wouldn’t have fifty thousand won if you shook him down?’

Hayoon knew it was only a dream, but it still hurt. Why was he reliving this nightmare again? Could he really never escape it…

Even after ten years, the thought of being trapped with them left him in despair.

‘Hayoon, how about we charge a thousand won a punch and have you pay with your body?’

‘What are we, running a human punching bag?’

‘Hey, it’s better than nothing. We’ve got to get our money’s worth.’

‘Hahaha! Oh, Kim Namsu, you’re insane.’

‘Let’s just keep it clean today and take a quick ten thousand-won’s worth.’

Namsu’s hand shot up, and Hayoon instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

“Woof!”

Just as he braced for the blow, a dog’s bark rang out from somewhere. Hayoon cracked an eye open.

“Pant, pant, pant.”

The bullies surrounding him had vanished. At his feet sat a small dog.

“You’re… uh.”

A brown-furred pup with black eyes licked Hayoon’s cheek. 

At first it was gentle, but then it wagged its tail furiously and covered his face with eager kisses.

“W-wait!”

Because it was a dream, he felt no fear. In fact, he felt grateful, as if this little one had chased the others away for him.

“But… this actually feels wet?”

In a dream he shouldn’t be able to feel anything, yet the dog’s tongue felt genuinely damp.

“Whoa~ when did this little guy sneak in here?”

Another voice cut in, and Hayoon’s eyes flew open.

“You’re awake?”

“Pant pant!”

When he opened his eyes, Gyeongho and Jayden were in front of him. 

Jayden wagged his tail hard and rubbed himself against Hayoon.

“Come on, get up and wash up.”

“Woof woof!”

Hayoon didn’t know what Jayden was saying, but it felt like the dog had pulled him out of that hell.

“Hyunjae went out jogging for exercise.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? We’re country folks, we get up early. Don’t worry about it. When you get old, you don’t sleep much anyway.”

Gyeongho, holding Jayden easily in one hand, stopped at the door.

“I’ve lived long enough to know the whole ‘the past is the past’ thing is crap. If you want to fix something, fix it. If you want to dig it up, dig it up.”

His words pierced Hayoon, as though he’d seen right through the way he kept running from his own past.

“You’re not alone anymore, are you?”

Even drunk, Hayoon remembered every word Hyunjae had said last night.

Here, he had three people on his side. Back then he’d been alone, but now he wasn’t.

“But… the brown puppy in my dream didn’t look like Jayden. Did I imagine that?”

***

Kingdom Entertainment.

“You dare mess with one of our own?”

As soon as Hyunggyu heard Hayoon’s story, he grew angrier than Hayoon himself.

“Boss, I’m fine…”

“What are you talking about? He even asked for your number. Guys like that never straighten up on their own.”

“I think so too.”

Hayoon felt the same. 

Back then, Namsu had clearly been looking down on him.

“That’s why I’ve got a good idea.”

He’d been thinking about it since yesterday.

“What kind of idea?”

“Taewoon-hyung gave me some very useful info.”

Actors spent long hours waiting around on set, picking up all sorts of random tidbits.

“I personally think people like that only get it when they’re paid back in kind.”

Just as the saying goes—you only understand by experience—Hayoon intended to give Namsu exactly what he’d given him.

“How do you plan to do that? Got some brilliant plan?”

“Joo Yongha.”

***

“Ah!”

At the name Joo Yongha, Hyunggyu’s expression brightened as if he’d read Hayoon’s mind.

“This kid’s smart.”

He smiled, clearly pleased with my plan.

“I’m really smart, aren’t I?”

“Joo Yongha? What are you talking about?”

Only Hayoon, sitting between us, looked bewildered, not following the conversation.

“According to Taewoon-hyung, he’s insanely famous among idols.”

“Come on~ not just idols. In the whole entertainment industry, everyone knows about him.”

“Oh~ because he’s so popular…”

“A total lunatic.”

“Hello, I’m Kim Namsu.”

When a famous idol personally picked him as his bodyguard, Namsu thought, What a jackpot, and accepted on the spot. They were offering higher pay than anywhere else—why say no?

“Just match Yongha’s moods and keep the fans off him. That’s all you need to do.”

“Oh, sure. That’s my specialty.”

Bodyguarding idols was easy. 

All you had to do was fend off clingy fans—sweet work. Plus, you could scoop up gifts fans sent. 

Two birds, one stone.

“Yongha, here’s your new bodyguard.”

Yongha’s manager introduced Namsu to him while Yongha played a game on his smartphone.

“What, that last guy didn’t even last a day? 

I thought he had some patience, but I guess not. That’s why he’s stuck as a bodyguard.”

What the hell? This brat’s mouth…

Namsu had thought a kid barely in his early twenties would be easy to handle. 

But the reality was a bit different, and it unsettled him.

“Anyway, nice to meet you. The job’s not even hard—don’t know why everyone quits. Hope you stick around for a while.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Still, handling punks like him wasn’t hard.

They’re only like this at the start. Once you get close, they’re the easiest marks.

He figured he knew how to deal with someone like Yongha—after all, he used to be just like him.

That was until Yongha spoke again.

“Since you’re here, start by massaging my shoulders.”

“Huh?”

At the sudden command to massage his shoulders, Namsu froze. 

He’d been hired as a bodyguard, and now this kid was ordering him to knead his back? 

What the hell?

“What, you don’t understand plain language? Didn’t the last guy hand things over to you?”

“Didn’t you read the contract?”

“C-contract?”

He’d skimmed the contract and signed without a second thought—what special clauses could a bodyguard contract possibly have?

“Ugh, so annoying.”

Yongha scowled and crooked his finger. 

A nearby makeup artist darted over at the speed of light, pulled a mist spray from her bag, and spritzed his face.

“Move. Over there too.”

At Yongha’s words, the manager shot Namsu a sharp glare, warning him not to ruin the atmosphere.

“Damn it.”

With no other choice, Namsu began to massage Yongha’s shoulders.

“I’m letting you off because it’s your first day.”

“Ah… yes.”

If this was what letting someone off looked like, what would “not letting him off” look like? 

Namsu was already worried about what lay ahead.

“You said you did judo, right?”

“Yes.”

“From what I see, you’ve got no talent. What a waste of time. This is why knowing your place is important.”

Talent had always been Namsu’s trigger word. 

He felt a surge of anger but caught the manager’s watchful eyes and forced himself to hold it in.

“Don’t worry. All you have to do here is listen to me. Just move fast when I tell you to.”

Lunatic. No wonder they paid me a month’s salary in advance.

He regretted taking the money so eagerly. 

But he’d already stamped the contract—too late now.

***

[Boyzner’s Joo Yongha accused of assaulting bodyguard after 14 days on the job.]

[Joo Yongha pleads innocence: “I never did such a thing!”]

[Bodyguard A claims he was forced to massage shoulders from day one, then repeatedly assaulted…]

[Yongha’s agency Angel Entertainment vows strong legal action against false accusations.]

Just as expected, two weeks into the job, Namsu posted on social media accusing the idol of abuse. 

A man who’d bullied others all his life was never going to quietly serve under someone else.

“You predicted this?”

Watching articles about Kim Namsu and Joo Yongha explode like popcorn all day, Hayoon asked quietly.

“Of course.”

“Wow…”

But this wasn’t the end.

“Hyung, the real show starts now.”

Two weeks with a lunatic wasn’t nearly enough to pay back what Namsu had done to him.

> Our boy needs protection from a psycho bodyguard ㅠㅠㅠ

He’s famous for treating staff well. 

Unbelievable.

Lol heard his temper was rotten in high school.

(Photo) Judge for yourself.

Whoa, he’s like a real thug.

I went to school with him. 

Total trash. 

He used to pick on poor, timid kids just because he did sports. Still remember one kid clearly.

Celebs are so disadvantaged. Our boy’s the victim ㅠㅠ

When the fight between Namsu and Yongha broke out, the agency’s first move was to dredge up Namsu’s past, ensuring no one would believe him.

It worked perfectly.

> School bully, get lost.

What gave him the confidence to post that? 

Thought the agency would pay him off?

(Photo) Graduation pic—thug vibes lol

We had someone like him at our school too. 

PTSD incoming.

The moment his history of school violence surfaced, public opinion flipped entirely to Yongha’s side. 

Namsu’s personal info was dragged out, and he was buried under a mountain of insults.

It took only three days before he came looking for Hayoon.

“F***, look at this. That little brat hit me. He’s not even worth a punch…”

He showed up with his face hidden under a hat and mask, whining and acting familiar as soon as he saw Hayoon.

“So why are you here?”

“Everyone’s calling me a school bully and won’t believe me! You know me. When did I ever bully anyone?”

“We were close friends, worked out together. Stupid people spreading rumors they don’t even understand…”

“When were we ever friends?”

Hayoon brushed Namsu’s hand away coldly. 

It was something the old Hayoon could never have imagined himself doing.