TIN 57

Is it Joo Do-hwa?

With that thought, I turned around, but it wasn’t the person I was expecting. It was the man with that cold face, sending a very displeased look: Joo Do-hwa’s assistant, speaking gruffly while unable to hide his discomfort.

“If you’ve come to your senses, stand up straight.”

“…”

The momentary disappointment turned into self-reproach for thinking it might be Joo Do-hwa. I was dumbfounded at the fact that he was the first person I thought of, though I hadn’t particularly expected or hoped for anything.

“…Thank you.”

I straightened my tilted body and grabbed the railing to steady myself. My legs were trembling, but I tried my best to stand up straight. Soon after, I stumbled again and ended up being caught by Henry, who had been standing still.

“…”

“…”

The gaze that met in mid-air was clearly complex. Unlike other employees, Henry knew what had happened last night. Even if he didn’t know, he could have easily guessed from seeing me in just a robe.

“I’ll try standing again.”

“…”

At my slow words, Henry loosened his grip. Still, the fact that he couldn’t completely let go showed how unsteady my gait must have been. Of course, I had no room to argue since I stumbled as soon as I took a step.

Sigh. An indistinguishable sigh burst out simultaneously. What am I doing? Henry was probably thinking something similar. That was why he must have asked with a reluctant face.

“Are you going to your room?”

“…Yes.”

I wasn’t going outside like this. I was about to reply sarcastically but just nodded my head instead. Even in my dazed state, I could still exercise some judgment, and it was clear to anyone that I was the one in need right now.

“Let me support you to the stairs.”

With those words, Henry grabbed my arm and put it over his shoulder. Due to him being taller than me, one of my shoulders was uncomfortably raised. Seeing the hastily tied waist belt slipping down, Henry furrowed his brow deeply.

“Keep your clothes tidy.”

“…”

He’s nitpicking about everything. Is keeping tidy important when I’m wearing something like this?

Thinking to myself, I used one hand to hold the front of my robe closed and the other to grip Henry tightly.

Not seeming to mind my limp weight, Henry climbed the stairs with steady, unhesitating steps. He was practically carrying me up, to the point where I thought he might as well just give me a piggyback ride.

Although he said he’d only support me to the stairs, Henry escorted me all the way to my room. He even opened the door for me, but the problem was the scene that unfolded inside.

“…Huh.”

A short exclamation escaped his lips. It was because of the mess of banknotes scattered all over the bed and floor. His glance down at me seemed to ask: What on earth happened last night?

“Hmm.”

Since I couldn’t explain the details to him, I simply averted my gaze, pretending not to notice. I slipped my arm off his shoulder and nodded slightly to thank him for his support.

“You must be busy, you can go now.”

“…”

But even after everything was done, Henry stood there like a statue. I wished he’d leave quickly as I was tired, but his intense gaze fixed on the bed was unsettling.

To top it off, he asked reluctantly, “Are you going to lie on that bed?”

“…?”

If not there, should I lie on the floor? Wondering what he meant, it suddenly occurred to me why he asked that.

“I’ll wash up before lying down.”

He was the one who nagged me to clean thoroughly everywhere on my first day in this house. So it made sense that he’d be worried about me dirtying the bed in my current messy state. In a way, it was a miracle that he supported me with his own hands.

“No, that’s not the issue.”

However, Henry immediately shook his head at my words. “Yes, do wash up,” he added to avoid misunderstanding, frowning with a very displeased expression.

“First, let’s clear away the money…and change the sheets.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did the scattered pile of banknotes newly register. To this man with his cleanliness obsession, the money that had been who-knows-where must have seemed dirty.

Sure enough, he muttered in a disgusted tone, “Money is so filthy…”

It was something Lingling used to say habitually. That money was the dirtiest thing, she would recite with a look of revulsion on her face. Of course, it meant something different from Henry’s words.

At times like this, the stark difference in our backgrounds was evident. It hit home that even though he was Joo Do-hwa’s subordinate, he was in a completely different class from me.

After all, I had slept just fine on top of an unidentified box in a garbage heap. I’d worn clothes stripped from abandoned corpses, drunk collected rainwater, and eaten moldy food I’d picked up. It wasn’t that I didn’t know these things were dirty—I’d just adapted because I couldn’t survive if I was picky about such things.

‘Clean that person thoroughly.’

“…”

Why did Joo Do-hwa’s words suddenly flit through my mind at that moment? Maybe because I was tired, a stray thought that I normally wouldn’t have crossed my mind right then. Like, if I’m so dirty, why did you do such a thing?

Silently, I walked up to the bed and started picking up the nearby banknotes. I thought he might offer to help, but Henry just stood quietly by the door, watching me. Perhaps he didn’t want to touch the crumpled and dirty bills.

“…It’s a miracle he even supported me.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

It was something I should have been relieved about. If he had shown any interest in the money, it could have led to a very troublesome situation. It was actually fortunate that he showed disgust rather than interest.

With my aching body, I picked up the fallen bills one by one. I broke out in a cold sweat every time I bent over, but I made sure to check every nook and cranny carefully. Henry didn’t take a single step into the room even as I checked under the bed.

“I’ll call someone to come, so please wash up.”

Only after I had cleared away all the money did Henry turn around with a relieved expression. The fact that he added for me to wash up suggested he thought I might just lie down as I was.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I took out the bills I had hidden under the mattress and carefully packed them into an envelope. It was money I had received from the manager when leaving Oceans, which I had hidden for fear someone might steal it. Only after sealing the envelope and holding it to my chest did I feel a sense of relief.

“Ah, I’m exhausted…”

Then, I staggered to my feet and headed to the bathroom, clutching the envelope to my chest. I planned to keep it with me until after the employee had come and gone, in case it might be discovered while changing the sheets.

I felt like I was struggling all alone, but I couldn’t help the habit that had become ingrained in me. What might be just ‘dirty objects’ to Henry were precious enough for me to dedicate my life to collecting.

My stiff and aching body felt a bit better after standing under warm water for a while. I had been shivering intermittently, perhaps due to my body temperature dropping significantly, but now I felt the tension easing up a bit. I brushed back my wet hair and let out a deep sigh.

“Phew…”

The bodily fluids dried on my skin were washed away cleanly by the shower stream. Since I hadn’t been beaten or anything, once I finished showering, all traces of the sexual encounter would disappear. The only problem was Joo Do-hwa’s traces still leaking from inside me.

‘Is it okay to finish inside?’

Didn’t I have a chance to say no? Though I ended up forgetting even that later, anyway.

“…I’ll have to remove it by hand.”

That was what the staff at Oceans used to do. They said they struggled with the aftercare because of customers who didn’t use condoms, warning that if you didn’t remove it properly, you would get stomach pains. Apparently, some customers even request to watch it being removed, but I didn’t bother to listen to those details.

“…”

I placed one hand on the wall and slid the other down along my buttocks. Having done it once while preparing last night, it wasn’t difficult to position myself. I gently felt around to check if anything had torn, but fortunately, aside from feeling hot, everything seemed fine.

“…Hah.”

Honestly, I was irritated as I pushed my fingers into the swollen opening. That bastard. I wondered if he even knew aftercare was necessary.

As I forcibly spread open the hole and watery semen began to flow out, I also recalled the nonsense he had spouted.

‘But you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant.’

“…”

A chill ran up and down my spine. I unconsciously yanked out my fingers and then clenched my trembling hand tightly. Still unable to calm down, I covered my lower abdomen with my palm and exhaled slowly as if taking a deep breath. Despite the sudden anxiety making me feel sick, I tried to ignore it, squeezing my eyes shut and then opening them again.

“It’s okay…”

The quietly repeated words actually helped calm my startled heart rate. No matter how extremely alpha Joo Do-hwa might be, he didn’t have the ability to impregnate someone who hadn’t differentiated. If that were possible, he wouldn’t have spoken so brazenly.

Right…so it was okay. For now, at least.