I Became a Guide For My Childhood Friend - Chapter 115.1

“Yes? I don’t have any more money.”

Ion was honest. He paid as much as he earned. There were times when he felt unjust because it wasn’t his debt, but he couldn’t escape, so all he could do was diligently repay the debt. The gang knew his situation as well, but suddenly bringing such a large amount of money raised suspicions. Perhaps he had more money hidden somewhere.

“Stop with the nonsense. Hand it over. If you come out empty-handed, be prepared for the consequences.”

“I mean it. Why wouldn’t I give it to you if I had the money?”

However, the gang members were already searching Ion’s room thoroughly. He was familiar with the feeling of seeing a house he once lived in with his parents being ruined by others. But unlike familiarity, being meticulously searched and mocked was humiliating.

“What’s this? Seems like there’s nothing?”

“Ugh, it’s just full of dust. Hey, clean up and live properly! It’s so filthy.”

“And your taste in clothes————”

All the heat seemed to rush into his face and Ion lowered his head to hide it. He had no way of stopping the gang members. Even if he tried to stop them, they probably wouldn’t listen. He simply wished for this time to pass quickly.

“Search more. There’s no way it’s not here. Where did you hide it?”

“….”

“Did you hide it here?”

Whether he intended to threaten or not, the man’s knife brushed against Ion’s clothes. As the blade drew closer, Ion instinctively swatted the man’s hand away without realizing it. Because he hadn’t exerted much force, the knife slipped out of the man’s hand and fell to the ground. Along with a clattering sound, the man’s fist struck Ion’s face.

“This bastard. I went easy on him and he dares to fight back?”

Ion neither liked nor was good at fighting. All he could do was endure whatever came from being hit. He stared at the fist, wondering how much anger was behind it.

“Hand over the money. Give it to me! The money your old man took, we need to settle it.”

Kicks rained down on Ion’s body. He wrapped his arms around his head and relaxed his body. When would this end? How much longer would he have to continue this kind of life? He didn’t even have the will to run away. He couldn’t abandon this house, which he felt his mother might return to at any moment.

“There’s nothing.”

“Let’s just go. This house will end up at an auction anyway.”

At those words, Ion, who had been as still as death, suddenly rose to his feet.

“The house will go to auction? Who has the right to decide———”

“Whose do you think? It’s our elders’ decision. Didn’t they look after you all this time because of your circumstances?”

Considering the interest that had piled up like a mountain, it was a situation that had become dire to the point where he thought he might die due to the debt suffocating him. Now they were trying to take this house away from him?

‘Enough! Why are you doing this to me? Am I the one who borrowed money? No! It’s my father. I didn’t even know my father borrowed from you! I feel like I’m going crazy from frustration, so why——’ Unfortunately, Ion couldn’t express what was in his heart clearly because of these flying fists. It had always been like this! There was no communication. Just some kind of coercion using force. Ion despised that kind of approach and his father had been part of that category too. His father wouldn’t even listen no matter how much he begged and pleaded. Despite having a huge debt, what allowed Ion to endure was the memories embedded in this house. They were precious memories that had sustained Ion at one point. But if even those were taken away, he would no longer have a reason to live. After the gang left the house, Ion continued to lie there motionless, lost in thought.

“Oh my.”

The sound of a woman’s voice reached him at that moment. He hadn’t noticed the slow approach of footsteps. However, at the sigh of admiration from nearby, Ion turned his head toward the entrance.

“Is he dead?”

A woman in a simple dress had entered halfway through the half-open door. With the lights all out and Ion shrouded in darkness, he wasn’t aware that his eyes were open. Considering that, the woman seemed quite composed.

“What can I do for you, miss?”

Ion momentarily thought she might be a guest who had come to see him, but then he emptied his mind. He had various things he did for a living, and among them, the most popular was tattooing designs onto someone’s body. However, that was illegal, and because of that, making money was always a challenge. Well, even if he earned money, it was just a small sum compared to his debt.

“I’m in a hurry. There are plenty of people who could replace you.”

When he brought out that kind of money that anyone would be amazed at and said such words, even Ion, who was flabbergasted by the order, found himself in a dilemma. He had suffered at the hands of the gang for a long time, and that money could be a lifeline for Ion, giving him a chance to escape from them, even if temporarily.

“Do it no matter what side effects arise.”

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