TIN 2

“Phew.”

Standing in front of the ornate entrance, I took a moment to fix my appearance. I double-checked the nametag that Lingling had fixed, and lightly shook off the cigarette smell from my hair. It would be troublesome if I was mistaken for using drugs.

“I’ve brought the liquor you ordered.”

I knocked lightly on the door. There was no response from inside, but I gently turned the doorknob and opened the door. The room was filled with a thick haze of smoke, with a stronger smell than Lingling’s usual cigarettes.

“Why are you so late.”

The shrill voice pierced through me like a whip. I instinctively frowned at the tone, but bowed apologetically. As I slowly lifted my head, I saw a young man leaning back on the sofa.

“You’re so sluggish, despite how you look…”

The trailing end of his words was accompanied by a labored breath. There was also a wet, sticky sound, the source of which was an employee kneeling naked between the man’s legs, vigorously bobbing their head.

“Hey, put it all the way in your mouth, will you?”

The man grabbed the employee’s back of the head and thrust his hips forward without hesitation. The employee let out a muffled groan, shivering and shrinking their shoulders. Judging from the splotchy handprints all over their body, something must have happened before I arrived.

“Ah… That’s better now.”

The man, who was exhaling languidly, was an Alpha belonging to the upper class and VIPs of Oceans. I heard he was in the tobacco business, and just looking at the jewelry adorning his body was enough to tell of his wealth. The abundant food spread out on the table was also the kind of high-quality ingredients that those working here could only dream of eating.

Alphas and Omegas, blessed with superior genes, quickly occupied the upper echelons with their keen intellects and outstanding physical conditions. Even the heir of the Four Sea Group was a dominant Alpha, but this man in front of me, unfortunately, was not quite that. I could tell from the faint pheromones in the air and the common eye color.

“What are you doing? Come closer.”

The man gestured with his fingers. I set the glasses and ice bucket on the table, and holding the liquor bottle, took a step closer. Standing diagonally across from him, I showed him the label on the bottle, but he dismissively waved his hand.

“Shall I pour it for you?”

“Do you think I can’t pour it myself with these hands?”

The heavily adorned hands seemed to exist only for smoking cigars. Well, with that many accessories, it was no wonder his hands were too heavy to do anything.

As the amber liquid filled the glass, the man kept his gaze fixed on my face. His bloodshot eyes, reddened by drugs, were disturbingly intense. I felt like his gaze was eating away at my skin, but I couldn’t let my discomfort show to the customer.

But just as I was about to set down the bottle after filling the glass halfway, the man suddenly grabbed my wrist. The grip wasn’t particularly strong, but it was firm enough that I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. Or maybe it was the pheromones rather than the strength.

“So, what’s your answer?”

The cracking voice sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn’t fear, but more like revulsion. The scent emanating from him was unbearably unpleasant – the smoky fragrance of cigars, a mysterious sweetness, and a faint trace of pheromones.

Feeling like I might throw up at any moment, I swallowed hard and moved my lips. I could tolerate Lingling’s cigarette smoke, but I didn’t want to inhale this man’s scent even a little.

“I’m sorry, but I must decline.”

A flash of irritation crossed the man’s face. Apparently, he had expected me to accept without hesitation.

“Decline… Are you saying your looks are worth something?”

Or was it your reputation? The man chuckled, his expression indistinguishable between a smile and a frown due to the drugs.

“It’d be better if you just followed along.”

A month ago, the man had proposed that I leave Oceans and go with him. He said it wouldn’t be hard to sneak me out without the boss even needing to sell me. It might have been an enticing offer for someone, but I wasn’t naive enough to fall for such sweet talk, considering the life I’ve had.

“I wonder why you’re playing hard to get when others are desperate to follow me….”

I heard from Theo. About half of those who had gone with him had disappeared, and the remaining half were crippled. I couldn’t confirm the truth since I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

“You have to sell when someone’s willing to pay a high price.”

As he spoke, the man pressed down hard on the employee’s crotch with his shoe. When his flaccid p3nis was flattened under the pressure, the employee let out a small groan and grabbed the man’s calf. Still with his face buried between the man’s legs, he seemed unable to even cough.

“Who knows when you’ll be worth less than a rag, huh?”

“…Then I’ll have to sell myself for money that’s not even worth a rag.”

I lightly pulled my wrist out of his grip, implying that was not the case now. Fortunately, the man did not reach out to me again. He just curled up the corner of his mouth, as if telling me to keep trying.

“It’s fun, you know. As long as you’re still pretty, I’ll let you off, but if you keep this up, it won’t be fun anymore.”

His empty laughter was exactly what you’d expect from a drug addict. Was he implying that this wasn’t the last time he’d make such an offer?

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I bowed as politely as possible and turned to leave, saying I would take my leave now. While it was customary not to turn your back until given permission, I couldn’t stand to remain in this space any longer.

But just as I took a step, the man called out from behind me.

“Stay right there.”

“…”

I stopped in my tracks. An ominous feeling crept up my spine. When I slowly turned around, the man was still staring at me intently.

He pulled his d1ck out of the employee’s mouth and gave me a sinister smile.

“How much to come on your face?”

* * *

Shhh, I thoroughly washed my face under the running water. No matter how much I scrubbed, the slick feeling wouldn’t go away, and my mood sank further with every wash. I chuckled a bit when I saw the ‘4HAE’ mark on the soap, but I couldn’t even manage a wry smile when I saw my own reflection in the mirror.

The common people had a hard time even finding water to bathe, but the employees of Oceans had free use of water in the name of maintaining dignity. The reasoning was that they couldn’t risk spreading germs or appearing unkempt when serving the esteemed guests.

That’s why I had immediately headed to the employee restroom as soon as I left the room. I still clutched the few bills the man had given me, fighting back the nausea that kept rising. I could tolerate the fishy smell, but the pheromones mixed in were what upset my stomach.

A Beta sensing pheromones, how ridiculous. If Lingling heard about this, she would be greatly agitated, claiming something was off from the start. Of course, I couldn’t let anyone else find out either.

“Bada.”

By the time my face, freshly washed with cold water, began to sting, someone entered the bathroom. I looked up at the mirror and saw Theo, wearing the same uniform as me. He approached from behind and pulled a handkerchief from his chest pocket.

“It’s Wang Wei again?”

I accepted the handkerchief he offered and used it to dry my face. Thankfully, the cotton handkerchief had no detectable pheromones. I conveyed my gratitude with a nod and, while sweeping my damp bangs aside, asked.

“Who’s that?”

“Who’s that?” 

Theo’s eyes widened in disbelief. I shrugged my shoulders to convey that I was serious. Theo let out a hollow laugh and brought his index and middle fingers close to his lips.

“Wang Wei, the one selling cigarettes in Room 3.”

Ah, the gesture of exhaling smoke reminded me of someone. Specifically, someone tilting their head back with half-lidded eyes.

“Oh… That guy.”

So the man’s name was Wang Wei. I had heard it in passing, but never directly associated it with him.

“You’ve been summoned by him all this time and didn’t even know his name?”

“I didn’t have a reason to call him by name.”

My excuse of not needing to formally introduce myself was useless. Everyone here was a celebrity, so they should have recognized each other’s faces, even without stating names. Truthfully, it was not that I didn’t have a reason, but rather that I had no interest.

“How cruel. You don’t even know the name of the man who…” 

Theo scoffed lightly, as if saying ‘as if you could manage that’. The tone was matter-of-fact, so it didn’t feel particularly mocking.

“So, what did he say today?”

“Just the usual.”

There’s not much else to say.

Wang Wei had been a regular customer at Oceans even before I started working here. He was a VIP who visited regularly to order expensive liquor, and he had also apparently purchased ‘merchandise’ on occasion. Lately, he hadn’t been buying anything, but the target of his attention had shifted to me instead.