TIN 59

“Won’t you take it?”

I had never felt insulted receiving money before, so why did I suddenly feel like I’d been doused with filth? Was it because of his arrogant gesture of wiggling his fingers, or was it because he tilted his head to one side with a puzzled expression?

“You don’t look very happy.”

“…No.”

A wry laugh escaped from my lips. It wasn’t really a funny situation, but the corners of my mouth twitched. I couldn’t quite manage a smile, but somehow this answer came out, “I’m happy.”

In all honesty, it was the most practical thing he had given me. Maybe that was why I even felt a bit refreshed. Not because the card was in my hand, but because it felt like last night’s act had been given some value.

“Who wouldn’t like receiving money?”

My earlier worries suddenly felt pointless. What was I trying to achieve by defining his feelings? Joo Do-hwa bought a night with money, and I sold my body for that money. That was all there was to it.

“I’ll use it well.”

I struggled to sit up and took the card he offered. I couldn’t keep it on my person, so I had to put it back on the nightstand, but at least I had shown some courtesy. When a customer gives money, you have to accept it gratefully no matter what.

“Did you go to work?”

“…”

The smile disappeared from his face at my follow-up question. I had paid a high price and played the ‘hyung’ role he so desired, so what was displeasing him now?

“…I didn’t know it would be this easy.”

Joo Do-hwa murmured coldly and let out a thin sigh. His eyes weren’t smiling at all, but his red lips curved into a slanted arc.

“I should have given you money earlier. If I had known the service would be this good.”

I wasn’t offended, and even felt a bit amused. It was slightly irritating not knowing which tune to dance to, but I liked that cracks were appearing in his previously composed face.

“Are you going out tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.”

My answer was again quite perfunctory. As if challenging me to continue, Joo Do-hwa nodded his head slightly. If you don’t know, who would? As I swallowed that thought, Joo Do-hwa asked in a generous tone, “Would you like me to go out?”

“…”

This time, I couldn’t bring myself to answer at all. Clamping my mouth shut with a start was the best I could do. Seeing me silently furrowing my brow, Joo Do-hwa raised one eyebrow as if he understood.

“You really can’t lie, hyung.”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t lie—I just didn’t want to. I couldn’t say that, and it felt too disgusting to flatter him by saying no. I never intended to go that far to please him anyway.

“At times like this, you should say no and ask me to stay with you.”

“…”

“Or is that not included in the service I’m buying with this card?”

The content was clearly mocking, but his soft voice made it sound like a serious question. He told me to act like his ‘hyung’ before, so what was with this demand for affectionate behavior now? At least, it wasn’t something someone who was displeased by a simple “Did you go to work?” should be saying.

“If there’s anything else you want, just say it. This is more fun than I thought.”

As if intent on imitating a sugar daddy, Joo Do-hwa spoke while tapping the card on the nightstand. Even knowing that ‘this’ referred to the object, for some reason it sounded like he was saying he’d grant any wish.

That sounded quite tempting, which led me to blurt out without thinking, “Then let me sleep alone at night.”

“…”

The corners of his mouth that had been curled up slowly dropped. The same displeasure from earlier flashed in his downcast eyes. “Ah…” With a short sigh, Joo Do-hwa looked up at the ceiling and asked in a much lower voice, “Why? Are you afraid I’ll tell you to spread your legs again?”

It was a chillingly cold tone, enough to make me instinctively cower. I had said it thinking I had nothing to lose, but that wasn’t really the reason. If it was about that, just avoiding him at bedtime wouldn’t be enough.

“You’re afraid of the dark, aren’t you?”

The kindly delivered words were no different from a warning to remember my role. As if saying ‘A hyung doesn’t say things like that,’ Joo Do-hwa gently added, “But why do you want to sleep alone?”

“…”

How should I answer? Because you’re scarier than the darkness. The darkness can’t hurt me, but you might ruin me.

“…That was when I was young.”

My voice cracked even more as my throat tightened. Even hearing my voice, which had become so low it was barely understandable, he didn’t respond for a moment. He just looked at me as if trying to read my inner thoughts.

“I’m not like that anymore.”

“…”

His gaze on me was incredibly calm. Rather than the earlier fluctuating look, this one made me more nervous. It felt like it could explode without warning, like a landmine buried in the ground.

But contrary to my expectations, Joo Do-hwa showed no particular reaction for a long time. His blinking eyes were as calm as a windless lake.

And then.

“Alright, then.”

“…You mean it?”

I blinked, my eyes widening. Joo Do-hwa, who had been staring at my face, nodded obediently.

“Yes, I mean it.”

“…”

I let out a long, shallow breath. Despite getting what I wanted, I couldn’t help but feel more bewildered than happy.

“If that’s what you say, hyung, there’s nothing I can do.”

Whether he knew how I felt or not, he spoke in a nonchalant tone, still fixing his gaze on me. When I stared blankly at him, he gave a playful, bright smile.

“It’s kind of funny to be afraid of the dark at your age, isn’t it?”

It seemed like he meant it as a joke, but unfortunately, it wasn’t funny at all. It sounded strange simply because such a commonsensical statement came from his mouth. The more he acted like a normal person, the more uneasy I started to feel.

“Use the pillow, hyung. If you’re scared, you can hug it while you sleep.”

I reflexively gripped the edge of the blanket next to me. Without realizing it, I glanced at the pillow once and then looked back up at Joo Do-hwa. He nodded with a perfectly clear face.

“Rest. You look tired.”

And what he did next was turn his back on me without hesitation.

As soon as his gaze left me, the tension that had built up to my throat seemed to suddenly release. As he stepped further and further away, my sluggish mind began to work quickly again.

“…”

I needed to leave tonight.

Coming to this conclusion wasn’t particularly difficult. I had no reason to hesitate anymore, and if I could have freedom during the night, my options would be much wider. Although my whole body was still trembling, I could grit my teeth and endure this much.

I had already sorted out various thoughts while doing the coloring book earlier. How to sneak out of the mansion, the route to escape past the main gate, and even the way to go retrieve money from Kei. Now that I didn’t need to find money, I needed to decide how to act with the cash I had and his card.

If I didn’t intend to openly reveal my movements, I couldn’t just go around using the card recklessly. The best option would be to withdraw money from a nearby place and then dispose of it somewhere appropriate. The bills would have serial numbers, but money laundering wasn’t particularly difficult.

It would be nice if someone used the discarded card. With that hope, I examined the card, but Joo Do-hwa’s name was clearly engraved on it. Unless it was an illiterate poor person, no one in this world would dare to use something belonging to someone with the Joo surname.

“Ah, right.”

As I was organizing my thoughts with a sense of urgency, he turned to look at me, briefly speaking up. Just as I was forcibly trying to calm my pounding heart, I saw that he had his hands closed around the  door handle about to turn it.

“There’s another party this weekend.”

“…Party?”

It was an abrupt statement. What did he want me to do about a party? He said they were held every week, so it wasn’t anything special, and he had said he didn’t intend to take me to the parties.

But contradicting these thoughts, he spoke in a relaxed voice. “ Yoon Ji-soo will be there too.”

“…”

The elation that had risen to my chin sank coldly. My busy mind came to an unnatural halt. It felt like my vision of escaping through the window to the garden, of heading to the outskirts through the alleys, was crumbling in an instant.

“It seems to be quite reliable information this time…”

His brightly smiling face strongly imprinted itself in my mind. It was an incredibly charming smile, but to me, it was as chilling as Satan’s. His relaxed and arrogant gaze was unwavering as it focused on me.

“Want to go together?”

As soon as I heard the kind offer, I realized something. Ah, this bastard is doing this on purpose.

His golden eyes glinted like a trap with its jaws open, and the remaining pheromones gripped my throat like a leash.

Above all, Joo Do-hwa was looking at me, asking with his eyes, “Can you really refuse?”