LM 5

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…”

Kwon Yuwon couldn’t bring himself to say that the supplier had a preference for fair-skinned, handsome Betas. As Siyul pointed out, refusing a drinking invitation in this clearly hierarchical world could mean the end of their supply. There was nothing to gain from getting on his bad side.

But that didn’t mean he was offering Siyul as a sacrifice. To Yuwon, Siyul was like his only brother in the world.

“Don’t you trust me, hyung? I’ve been working out lately and built some muscle. Look.”

Unaware of Yuwon’s inner thoughts, Siyul flexed his arm, showing off his bicep. For someone with such a slender frame, the muscle was surprisingly defined. Though he couldn’t fight to save his life, Siyul proudly displayed his muscle, which looked more like a water bottle than a bicep, making it an amusingly cute sight.

Kwon Yuwon didn’t show his feelings and just sighed heavily. Surely the supplier wouldn’t try anything funny at their first meeting. Though he didn’t fully trust the situation, he had no choice. He clenched his fist, vowing that if anyone touched Siyul, he’d forget about money and everything else and set that fat pig’s belly on fire for ten days and nights.

“Alright. But promise me one thing. If anything happens, run away without looking back. Don’t worry about me.”

Though if Yuwon were in danger, Siyul’s body would likely move before his thoughts. He didn’t say movie-like lines such as ‘I can’t run away without you.’ That would only amplify Yuwon’s anxiety.

Instead, to reassure the other, Siyul put on the most trustworthy smile he could muster and nodded solemnly. He pretended not to notice the deepening distrust on Yuwon’s face.

***

‘Try to look as unattractive as possible.’

Following Yuwon’s instruction, Siyul put on the shabbiest T-shirt and most wrinkled pants he owned. He also pulled a black baseball cap low over his face, but even this didn’t seem to satisfy Yuwon. Frowning, he looked at Siyul silently before shaking his head, muttering that he’d be less noticeable if his face was covered in acne.

Only after Yuwon had messed up Siyul’s hair several times were they able to leave the motel. The meeting place was a private bar in some basement. Yuwon sneered, saying it was ‘a high-class members-only club that not just anyone can enter,’ but the word ‘club’ stuck in Siyul’s ear more than anything else.

Lately, it felt like he’d had an unusually frequent connection to clubs, and none of those encounters had ended well. Though all he remembered was a warning from a man telling him to stay away from such places, it echoed in his mind now as if the man were whispering in his ear.

Siyul shook his head vigorously to clear his mind. This wasn’t the club that man had warned him about. It was just a bar.

As they descended underground, they first saw the bar and a spacious hall. The rooms were arranged like balconies above. Similar to a club, the rooms had glass walls, but curtains prevented outsiders from seeing in clearly.

The obviously luxurious interior and soft lighting exuded wealth from every corner. It was an intimidating place where a timid commoner like Siyul felt unworthy to even step foot.

Kwon Yuwon maintained a sour expression throughout, even as they climbed the stairs. Only when they stood before a curtained room did he regain his smile. It was an obviously fake smile that anyone could see through.

Before entering, Siyul steeled himself. Even though he wasn’t particularly sharp, he wasn’t so clueless that he couldn’t figure out what Kwon Yuwon’s reactions hinted at. Something unpleasant was bound to happen. Still, running would be his absolute last resort.

“Hyung, we’re here.” 

Kwon Yuwon greeted in the same warm voice he’d used on the phone as they entered the room. In the middle of a wide sofa sat a man whose belly bulged like a roasted chicken—no matter how generously you viewed him, he resembled a fat pig. The man lazily raised his arm to acknowledge the greeting.

He wasn’t alone. Two others sitting nearby glanced at Yuwon and Siyul. With their tattoos, thick gold necklaces, and scars, they didn’t appear to be good company.

“It’s not right to wear a hat when you’re here to greet someone. Take it off.”

The pig-like man gestured at Siyul with his chin. Siyul quickly glanced at Yuwon before removing his hat. As he casually brushed back his messy hair, the pig-like man laughed boisterously and patted the seat next to him.

“This bastard Yuwon kept you so hidden, I wondered what kind of guy you were. You’re worth hiding indeed. You’re not even an Omega, but boys like you are always… more wet.”

The men sitting nearby snickered vilely at the pig’s lewd comment. Siyul overheard Kwon Yuwon mutter a quiet, ‘Son of a b1tch,’ through clenched teeth, though he kept his fake smile intact. Siyul knew better than to ruin things here.

“I don’t know about being wet, but I’m good at drinking, hyung-nim. Shall I pour you a glass?”

Responding politely, Siyul earned a hearty laugh and gesture from the pig-like man. Siyul scurried over. He had prepared himself for this before coming here. Reminding himself that social life wasn’t easy, he resolved to endure even if it was unpleasant.

Sitting beside the pig-like man, Siyul filled an empty glass with alcohol. The man had already draped his flabby arm over Siyul’s shoulder as if they were old friends. Siyul just smiled brightly, swallowing his pride.

“You should drink too.”

The pig-like man pinched and shook Siyul’s soft cheek as if looking at something cute. He filled a glass to the brim with alcohol and pushed it towards Siyul.

“I’ll drink it. That bastard’s liver is bad, he’ll die if he drinks that, hyung.”

Kwon Yuwon, sitting at a distance, tried to intervene. The pig-like man’s eyes instantly turned fierce.

“Hey, you fvcker, did I offer it to you? He’s the one who received it, why are you butting in?”

The pig-like man glared at Yuwon, gripping the glass as if about to throw it. The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. One wrong word here could end their deal, so Siyul quickly grasped the man’s hand and took the glass. He then downed the straight liquor in one go. His throat burned, but he endured without even touching water or side dishes.

“Of course, I should drink what you’ve given me, hyung-nim. Yuwon just tends to worry unnecessarily.”

The pig’s expression softened as he let out a laugh, tracing his index finger over Siyul’s face.

“I like this guy.”

They had passed the first hurdle. While frantically considering how to handle the countless crises ahead, Siyul pretended to be shy and scratched his head.

***

Glasses were passed around and conversations flowed. Most were lewd talks. About how Omegas were this or that, how they weren’t as good as Betas. If possible, Siyul wanted to wash his ears and brain with clean water. Though he enjoyed moderately dirty talk as a man himself, what these three were spewing wasn’t conversation but filth.

The pig-like man kept making Siyul drink. Siyul stayed sharply alert. He was scared of what might happen if he showed even a hint of drunkenness. The hand that was initially just on his shoulder kept moving lower. It brushed his nape, played with his earlobe, and even slipped under his shirt to feel his chest. Whenever Siyul tried to avoid it, the man would notice and withdraw his hand from under the clothes.

Then that hand would grope Siyul’s thigh, boldly kneading it hard. Siyul’s smile crumbled as time passed. Even maintaining a smile became difficult. Kwon Yuwon’s situation wasn’t much different. His eyebrows twitched every time the pig-like man brought his face close to Siyul’s. He would open his mouth as if about to curse, then close it again after seeing Siyul’s desperate eye signals and gestures.

However, left unchecked, the pig-like man’s touches crossed from boldness into crime. Now he was even invading Siyul’s lower body. When Siyul tried to move away, the man painfully squeezed his thigh.

“I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”

Unable to endure anymore, Siyul stood up abruptly. Adding that he had drunk too much and felt like his bladder would burst, he hurriedly left the room. If he had endured a little longer, the pig-like man’s hand would have entered his pants and touched his precious balls.

After wandering for a while, he finally found the bathroom. It was incomparably larger and cleaner than the one in his motel. Siyul first emptied his bladder, then washed his hands at the sink. Even after finishing, he didn’t return. Gripping both ends of the sink, he let out a deep sigh.

He didn’t want to go back.

He wanted to run away, forget about resolve and business.

But he couldn’t leave Yuwon behind. Siyul looked in the mirror and muttered that he could do it. Enduring was the best option.

Just as he was about to leave after drying his hands with a paper towel, someone blocked the doorway. Looking down, he saw an enormous belly that no shirt could hide. The pig-like man had followed him. Fvck, Siyul cursed inwardly, just as Yuwon had done. Still, necessity forced an awkward smile onto his face.

“Hyung-nim, you’re here. I’ll head back first then.”

As he tried to leave, bowing his head repeatedly, the pig-like man blocked the door and wouldn’t move aside. With his considerable height and bulk larger than most, there was no gap for Siyul to slip through.

“If you could just let me pass for a moment…”

“I came to take a piss too.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But while I’m at it, I might as well release some d1ck juice too.”

The phrase “I’m screwed” flashed through Siyul’s mind as the pig grabbed a handful of his hair. Siyul flailed his arms, swallowing hard, but he couldn’t push away the much larger and heavier body. In an instant, he was shoved into an empty bathroom stall.