TIN 109

Ten years ago that day, three men had jumped me thinking they could rape me. One got his wrist broken, another had his testicles ruptured, and this Can in front of me was the only one who came out from the encounter totally unscathed.

It wasn’t my first time experiencing something like that, but I did end up handling it more violently than usual that day. After living on the streets, I was thoroughly fed up with these disgusting situations that kept on repeating themselves. I fought back thinking I’d take at least one of them down even if I died there, and the results weren’t too bad.

‘That crazy bastard…’

‘Hey, don’t mess with him. It might be contagious.’

After that, few people bothered me in the alleys. I even regretted not fighting back sooner instead of always running away.

The only problem was this Can in front of me. While the others who’d suffered at my hands were quick to cower, Can alone maintained his pride by spitting in my face. He seemed to calm down somewhat after joining a gang, but once he got kicked out, he started picking fights again.

“You think anything’s different just because we haven’t met in a while? Just get lost before I crack that tin can head of yours.”

I brushed off the hand on my shoulder and turned sideways. I meant to brush past him, but he wouldn’t let me go.

“This whore bastard’s got a dirty mouth too.”

He grabbed my collar. His face, which had been wearing a creepy smile, was now red and blue with rage.

“Are you the one who can’t read the situation? What makes you think you can act up now, after spreading your legs while serving tables?”

“…”

I coughed slightly. He was shaking my collar roughly. Can slapped my cheek with his other hand while snickering.

“Bada, I just wasn’t careful back then, okay?”

My inner mouth stung every time his hand made contact. My head rang with even the smallest impact. Normally this wouldn’t make me so angry, but today my patience was particularly worn thin.

“Look at the size difference between us after all these years.”

His intention in lifting his chin and looking down at me was obvious. Even though there wasn’t much difference, he was trying to emphasize that he was bigger. To me, who had been living with a much more threatening man, it was quite a laughable display.

“You think you’re actually something special just because everyone goes easy on you for your face?”

Deciding I’d had enough, I immediately clenched my fist. If street life had taught me anything, it was that whoever strikes first wins. And when both parties were already at rock bottom, there was no need to entertain second thoughts.

“Stop being stubborn and…Ack!”

Thwack! He staggered backward after taking my punch. As my fingers felt like they were breaking, I shook my hand with a grimace. It had been so long since I’d fought that I hadn’t formed my fist properly.

“You fucking bastard!”

Can, who had hesitated momentarily, came at me with renewed fury. But without missing that opening, I quickly grabbed a bottle lying under the streetlight. Then I struck his head with all my might.

“…!”

Crash—the shattered glass fell to the ground. Ah, déjà vu. The sentiment that rushed in didn’t even draw a bitter smile. I just gripped the sharply broken bottle and spoke.

“I told you to just leave.”

“You…ugh…”

This time Can couldn’t even scream, only letting out a suppressed groan. Perhaps from the blow to his head, his eyes were visibly rolling. Making monster-like sounds, Can suddenly collapsed to his knees.

“…”

Why is this bastard’s endurance so weak?

Being a Beta, his reaction was definitely different from Wang Wei. At least that one seemed to keep his senses, but this guy couldn’t even stay conscious after one hit.

“Get up, Can. Weren’t you going to put it in my mouth?”

“Urgh…”

I tapped his shoulder with the broken edge of the bottle. When he grabbed my wrist while trembling, I looked down at him and considered for a moment.

“…”

I was going to cut it off, but seeing his pathetic state made me reconsider. It wasn’t that I’d gone soft—the thought of having to pull down his pants with my own bare hands made me feel sick.

So I stepped back and pulled my wrist from his grip. If my legs weren’t injured, I would have kicked him. One wrong move and I might hurt myself more.

Fortunately or not, he soon collapsed sideways. Bloody saliva leaked from his foaming mouth. At first, I thought he might be pretending to faint, but looking at his condition suggested otherwise.

“Did you kill him?”

“…”

I flinched, frowning. The sudden voice from the side startled me. It would be troublesome if more people showed up. When I turned my head, I saw a figure walking out of the shadows.

“If you’re going to kill him, hit him once more. Don’t leave it half-done.”

The speaker was a well-dressed man. Taller than Can, with reddish hair that was very familiar to me.

His playful lips drew an easy curve.

“It’ll be annoying if he keeps causing trouble for revenge.”

“…”

I couldn’t say his name right away because seeing his face instantly made me relax. I knew then that I wouldn’t need to pick up another bottle. Feeling relieved, I leaned against the wall, and saw that he was grinning.

“Been well? Bada.”

It was none other than Theo.

***

Theo took me to his place, leaving the unconscious Can behind. His reason was that I needed a place to stay, and I silently followed him instead of answering. When he offered to carry me seeing me limp, he didn’t insist after I shook my head.

We arrived at a villa complex of old buildings. It wasn’t far from Oceans, and it was where the better-off people in the back alleys lived. Most others either lived in the shantytown or wandered the streets homeless.

“Come in.”

Theo’s place was on the fourth floor. He held the door open with his key, nodding for me to enter first. The metal door creaked with rusty hinges.

I dragged in the shoes I’d taken from Can. Though it couldn’t compare to Joo Dohwa’s mansion, the interior was surprisingly clean. The unexpectedly neat space was even somewhat cozy.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“Just surprised you had a home.”

“What? Come on…”

Given his work, it wasn’t strange, but he gave off such a carefree vibe that I hadn’t guessed.

Having a house but living in Oceans dormitory—he was certainly one of a kind.

“My feet are dirty, can I go in?”

“Unless you plan to sleep in the entryway.”

Theo joked as he came in and closed the door. The narrow entrance meant my back pressed against his chest. Almost like being embraced, I took off my shoes and stepped inside.

The long walk had left small cuts on my feet. With blood and dirt, they weren’t a pretty sight. I wondered if there would be water to clean them. While thinking this, Theo casually asked, “How did you get hurt like that?”

“Ah.”

He probably wasn’t talking about the wounds on my feet. He must have noticed my exposed injured leg and limping gait.

“I fell.”

“Hmm…right, those aren’t from being hit.”

Since I actually had fallen, Theo nodded his head without argument. Still, his suspicious gaze suggested he had more to say.

But what came out was different.

“You’re pretty good with your fists.”

“…”

I glared at him silently. So he’d been watching me the whole time while we were in the alley. Though I hadn’t wanted help, his timing was annoying.

Theo shrugged his shoulders as if to say don’t misunderstand.

“I was just watching, planning to help if it got really dangerous. You know, like in fairy tales…”

“Like a prince on a white horse?”

“Oh, you know that?”

Of course, I did. It was one of the books I often read to the child when he was young. While he showed interest in other books, he looked bored during stories about princes, which made them even more memorable in my eyes.

“First clean up the blood. There’s no hot water but…”

“Theo.”

Though Theo pointed to the bathroom, I called his name instead of turning. When he looked at me expectantly, I handed him the envelope I’d been carefully holding.

“This.”

“…”

Though looking suspicious, he took the envelope readily. He seemed uneasy, probably because of the blood stains. It seemed odd that someone who wouldn’t be surprised to find severed fingers inside would be so squeamish about that.

“What is this?”

“Money.”

“…Money?”

At those words, Theo immediately opened the envelope. His eyes widened as he checked the contents. To his shocked face, I carefully enunciated each word of my request, “Please send me to the sea.”