TIN 110

I wanted to say this from the start. I followed him home not because I needed a place to sleep, but because I needed a quiet place to talk. Nothing would be more foolish than pulling out bundles of cash on the hungry streets.

“The sea…”

Theo alternated between looking at the envelope and me with a dazed expression on his face. All the money I’d saved throughout my life was in that crumpled envelope. The only thing I couldn’t bring was the card Joo Do-hwa had given me.

“So you’re really following your name?”

I couldn’t tell if his incredulous question was a joke or him being serious. Theo let out an incredulous laugh and refolded the top of the envelope. Clicking his tongue briefly, he held it out to me.

“Sorry, but this won’t work.”

“Not enough?”

I’d hoped that wasn’t the case, but I’d expected this much. While it might be enough to buy information, getting to the sea would require brokers and transportation. If that was the issue, I was prepared to steal more to make up for the amount.

“No, the money’s enough.”

But Theo shook his head with a troubled expression on his face. I wondered what the problem could be, but his next words were like a bolt from the blue.

“The problem is the routes. They’re all blocked today.”

“…What?”

I asked back with a start, a beat late. Thinking I had understood, Theo kindly added a detailed explanation.

“All routes to the sea are blocked. Roads are closed, trains stopped.”

“…”

I stared at him blankly. My mind became a blank slate as if I’d been hit on the back of the head. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say everything went dark.

While the sea was strictly off-limits to common people, it was different for the upper class. They had opportunities to access the sea whenever they wanted. Either by paying a toll to use private vehicles or by taking the high-speed trains operated by the Sae Group.

The former was only possible for a select few even among the upper class, but the latter prioritized money more. Though the fare was extremely expensive, it wasn’t sold to those of low status.

Theo’s illegal route used this latter method. Forging identity, getting black market tickets, and handling procedures upon arrival at the sea.

“I can’t promise anything since we don’t know when the crackdown will end. This is expensive information I just got today.”

Theo looked quite apologetic as he explained that it wasn’t that he wouldn’t help, but that he couldn’t. Given that he was freely sharing expensive information, he probably wasn’t lying.

“Why suddenly…?”

“Why do you think?”

My stumbling words were immediately cut off. Theo tilted his head to one side as if asking if I really didn’t know.

“Sae blocked the routes, and coincidentally, you who were sold to Sae want to go to the sea.”

“…”

“How am I supposed to take this?”

I felt at a loss for words. The suspicions I’d tried to ignore started slowly suffocating me. Theo asked in a subdued voice, “What exactly did you do, Bada?”

I couldn’t give any answer. More accurately, I had no answer to give. Yes, I’d run away from that house, but I wasn’t sure if that qualified as ‘doing something.’

“…So there’s absolutely no way?”

“Well, not absolutely…”

Since I hadn’t taken back the envelope, Theo was still holding it. Fiddling with the edge of the envelope, he swallowed quietly.

“Well, they can’t block the routes forever, so we’ll have to wait until things ease up. But even then, it’s true that the risks have increased.”

Once a blocked route reopened, security would be tight for a while. Setting aside the indefinite wait, even when the opportunity returned, it wouldn’t be as easy as before.

“Don’t know how much it’ll cost then. Not even sure if there’ll be any operators left.”

Theo shrugged his shoulders as if feeling regretful about the whole thing. The price increase wasn’t the problem, but if no one was willing to do it, that would be troublesome in its own way. Since everyone was busy making a living, they might find other work if they couldn’t handle even a brief gap.

“…”

What should I do?

My whole body was exhaustingly tired, but the overwhelming uncertainty was even more painful. Waiting for a path to open wasn’t the problem, but I feared there might be no solution even after that. Furthermore, I didn’t even know how long I’d have to wait.

How long would the darkness beneath the lamp last? If I were to get caught before then, in a place so close to Joo Do-hwa…

“Bada.”

While I was lost in thought, Theo called out to me casually. He lightly shook the envelope in his hands and spoke with a sly smile.

“Want to give it a try? Then I’ll see what I can do.”

It was his usual joke. Asking for more than just using the tongue, throwing cheap flirtations, testing the waters as if out of habit.

“For something this risky, that much seems fair. Wouldn’t I be better than some stranger you don’t know?”

Judging by his snickering manner, this too was half in jest. If I refused, he would turn away immediately as if he hadn’t expected anything anyway. He clearly hadn’t even hoped for it.

“Well, if you don’t want to…”

“Okay.”

However, I calmly answered before he could finish speaking. Theo froze, wiping the smile from his face in the blink of an eye.

“…What?”

“I said I’ll do it.”

What he overlooked was that I truly had no other options. Sex wasn’t a big deal since I’d already done it with Joo Do-hwa, and besides, Theo wasn’t even an alpha. With no money, no possessions, nothing left, all I had to sell was my body.

“Once is enough?”

“…”

Though I asked casually, Theo didn’t answer my question. He just silently looked at me for a moment, his lips sealed. I could see his reddish-brown eyes slowly sinking with unusual clarity.

“If we’re going to do this, I’ll clean up first. You’d prefer that too, right?”

Should I mention that I didn’t have any STDs? After considering it, I decided against it.

Perhaps because that kind of memory was my first, even in this type of situation, I thought of Joo Do-hwa,. I supposed it was fortunate that at least now I didn’t have to worry about being wiretapped. Whether I sucked dick here or took money, Joo Do-hwa, would never learn about it.

“Ah…”

Theo let out a long sigh without giving any answer. An inexplicable displeasure crossed his slightly upturned lips. His eyes showed a glimpse of disappointment, a reaction I couldn’t understand at all.

“This is worse than I thought.”

Before I could react to his sudden expletive, he ran his fingers through his hair in irritation and grabbed my shoulders, shoving me against the entrance door with a bang. Pain radiated from where my back hit the door.

“Ugh…”

Is he crazy? Anger welled up inside me, but I couldn’t even protest. Before that, Theo had pushed his thigh between my legs.

“What should I do? I don’t use holes that others have used.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Since when did you care about that? Especially when you were the one who asked for it first. Wasn’t pretending to be an Oceans’ employee just for pleasure too?

“No, things need to be scarce to have value. That’s the basics of trading.”

Theo spoke languidly while cracking his neck left and right. His face was full of amusement, as if he found the current situation to be pure entertainment. Of course, his sunken eyes didn’t look particularly positive.

“But when you offer it so easily…”

“…Huh.”

“It’s kind of disappointing. Not fun.”

Despite saying this, Theo slipped his hand under my clothes. His warm hand crept up over my cold skin. When I tensed and pressed my lips tight in surprise, Theo grabbed my waist.

“It looks like selling yourself to Young Master Sae worked out well. Now you’re trying to sell yourself to me too.”

He rambled on about things like how that went against business ethics, and how I couldn’t be valued the same as before. His attitude was flippant, and his assessment was raw enough to hurt my pride.

“This is too much. I’m the longer-standing business partner here.”

If it had been anyone but Theo, it would have felt worse than being covered in filth. But why did it seem like nothing more than him venting his frustration to me? Especially with him whispering in that lingering tone.

“Since when did you become so easy, Bada.”

“…”

Where had I seen that expression before? I’d seen those eyes filled with displeasure somewhere before.

‘So, you’ll just do whatever they tell you to?’

The memory came back quickly. The day I left Oceans, Theo’s reaction when he heard the boss was going to sell me. Should I call it expectation? It was similar to his expression back then, as if begging me to say it wasn’t true.

“…Theo.”

“Don’t get your hopes up on your own.” I couldn’t help but sigh. I didn’t mind being his source of entertainment, but it was troublesome if he got upset about it.

“I’ve always been like this.”