TIN 36

Joo Do-hwa had said that, hadn’t he? That when my face healed, he would take me around with him. I hadn’t heard where exactly he planned to go, but if Chairman Joo was an example of the people he’d be meeting, there was a high possibility it was related to company business.

“Surely not.”

However, Joo Do-hwa shook his head as soon as the question came out of my mouth. Seeming to think I wanted to go, he added rather regretfully.

“I don’t mind you coming, but you’d get bored, hyung. There’s no one to play with.”

Did he see me as a child tagging along to their parents’ workplace? I didn’t need anyone to “play” with, and there was certainly no one like that in this house.

“Then where is this place you said you’d take me?”

I had no intention of going with him, but I still needed to know. It seemed Joo Do-hwa finally understood the reason for my question, since he let out a light exclamation next.

“Ah, it’s a party.”

“A party?”

“They’re held every week.”

He slipped the chopsticks between his fingers, holding them up near his lips like a cigarette. His vivid red lips drew a beautiful arc.

“What do you think rich people do? They just drink, do drugs, and have sex all the time.”

“…I see.”

This time, it was I who let out an exclamation. The one-liner from another rich guy clearly defined what these sort of “parties” entailed.

There were similar situations even at the Oceans. After a group of eight or so customers came, it would take a long time to clean up the room. It was because after these “parties” Joo Do-hwa mentioned were over—the tables, sofas, everything was in complete disarray.

“You’re going to take me to a place like that…?”

Surely he wasn’t trying to make me do all three of those things. I’d be okay with just the drinking, but the other two weren’t really things I wanted to do.

Fortunately, he seemed to want to reassure me by flicking the chopsticks.

“I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t go to those vulgar places to party either.”

Yet he just spewed something vulgar himself. Sharply drawing a line, as if their actions were any different. 

“They’re all intellectuals, at least outwardly.”

To me, that meant they at least behaved properly when they were in public. At the very least, they didn’t get high on drugs and engage in public orgies like wild animals.

“When you actually go, it’s not that big of a deal. At most, you just greet people and maybe they’ll offer you a drink…but once everyone gets drunk, the story’s a bit different.”

What happens when they get drunk? I wanted to ask, but at the same time, I didn’t really want to know. After all, I wasn’t even going to this party, so there was no point in finding out.

Seeing me like that, Joo Do-hwa suddenly asked a question.

“Why are people so obsessed with sex?”

It was a tone of not understanding. The nonchalant way he said this, with his chin resting on his hand, was the same.

“Is it really that fun…?”

“…”

I didn’t have a proper response. It was strange to empathize, but explaining the pleasures of sex also felt absurd. I couldn’t talk about the joys I didn’t understand, and this topic wasn’t exactly welcome either.

“What about you, hyung? Do you like it?”

As he asked with a sly smile on his face, I instinctively furrowed my brow. The fact that the subject had suddenly shifted to me was startling. Especially when he tilted his head to one side and asked again.

“Or are you just tired of doing it too much?”

This didn’t seem like mocking. It almost looked like genuine curiosity. The young Joo Do-hwa’s face seemed to overlap with his current expression.

“…I don’t want to have this kind of conversation with you.”

For some reason, I couldn’t hide my displeased expression as I told him this. Regardless of whether I had experience or not, the topic itself felt highly uncomfortable. It wasn’t unpleasant, but rather awkward—it felt like I was engaging in lewd talk with an ignorant child.

But the moment I said that, the smile vanished from Joo Do-hwa’s face.

“Then who are you going to do it with?”

“…”

I’m not doing it with anyone.

If it were Theo, he would have scolded me sharply, and not act like some childish brat. He would have asked, “Don’t you know the pleasures of sex the best? Then what the hell are you living like a whore for?”

“Anyway…This kind of topic is embarrassing to me.”

As I discreetly looked away, Joo Do-hwa narrowed his eyes. His eyes held many unspoken words, but fortunately, he didn’t seem intent on pressing the issue.

“I didn’t know you were a shy person.”

His tone was calm, but it was no different from being sarcastic. It was not that I was shy, it was that I was embarrassed. Before I could explain the subtle difference, Joo Do-hwa spoke again.

“There’s another party this weekend. It’s an event hosted by a finance company, and I’m planning to attend briefly as well.”

The mention of a finance company briefly made a certain face come to mind. Could Kei be going too? But I couldn’t ask Joo Do-hwa.

“But I’m not taking you this time.”

“Why?”

At my reflexive question, Joo Do-hwa glanced over at me. He replied calmly as if it was obvious all along.

“You should rest until your body is fully healed.”

“…I see.”

My body was already healed, but I couldn’t say I was fine with just empty words. If I said I was ready and they prepared for me to attend the party, it would make it even harder for me to leave this house.

“Stay obediently at home, okay?”

There was a subtle sharpness in his affectionate tone. Something felt off about this situation, but I could only silently nod. Joo Do-hwa then turned his attention back to his meal, looking satisfied.

* * *

I had one week left before I could leave this house. The reason I gave myself this grace period was that I needed to make various preparations. First, it was good to build up my strength a bit, and I also needed to find a suitable escape route, as well as a way to retrieve the money I had saved.

The most urgent thing was to grasp the structure of the mansion and the security personnel. Jumping out the window was almost impossible, and simply walking out the front door would be foolish. When I was younger, my small stature made escaping easier, but now I couldn’t even use a mouse hole to get away.

That was why, while Joo Do-hwa was at work, I sat on the window frame and carefully observed the garden. The ideal method would be to climb over the wall, but I was sure there was a security system installed on top of it as well. Even if I somehow managed to climb up the trees, safely getting over would be a near impossible feat.

“Going out the gate will be difficult…”

The gate, with its iron bar-like structure, was so massive that no human strength could open it. Even if I somehow managed to, the security team would instantly be alerted.

I was aware that I would be caught on CCTV, but that should only be discovered after I had already left far away. If I was apprehended the moment I opened the door, everything would be for naught.

“…Because if I’m caught, I’ll be killed.”

To leave this house, I had to be prepared to risk my life. I wish I could give up and find another alternative, but Joo Do-hwa would probably find and deal with me before that happened. The chances of him being merciful were practically nil.

Should I try to disgust him? I shook my head at the thought. I didn’t even know his preferences, so I didn’t want to end up getting on his bad side for no reason.

And strictly speaking, the real problem wasn’t leaving this house, but what came after that.

“I need to find the money first.”

I carefully mapped out the route in my head. The path from this house to the slums, then through the back alleys to Kei, retrieving the money I left with him, and then heading back to the outskirts…And from there…

‘Someone saw him on the outskirts of the city.’

“…What if I can’t find her?”

Yeah, that was the real problem. If I couldn’t find the blue-eyed woman in the outskirts, I was in trouble then

I knew the chances were slim. Even if I did find someone, there was no guarantee it would be the woman I was looking for.

If that happened, I would have no other choice but to use up the remaining money and head to the sea.

I gripped the window frame tightly, feeling anxious. Part of it was the worry about acting too hastily, and part of it was the belief that I couldn’t leave now if I didn’t. I knew it was a sudden decision, but I couldn’t just wait for the right time to come either.

Perhaps due to the deep contemplation, the day flew by in a blink of an eye. When I snapped out of it, it was already evening, and Joo Do-hwa still hadn’t come back home. Maybe today could have been an opportunity to leave. Thinking about that, I ended up falling asleep.

“You’re already trying to sleep?”

Just as I was about to lie down in bed, Joo Do-hwa suddenly appeared in my room without any warning. He was also dressed in comfortable clothes, not a suit, as if he had finished getting ready to sleep. I was half-lying down when I responded to him at the door with some unease.

“Yeah, time to sleep now.”

I had been racking my brain too much, and the day had been so exhausting that I was bone tired. It was a bit early, but since I had no other plans, it was a good idea to go to sleep now. More than that, it was strange that he would come visit me after dinner, a time when he usually left me alonesn’t.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Joo Do-hwa responded lightly and stepped into the room. His slow, approaching steps felt somehow suspicious.

It felt like there was something similar to this before…As I tried to recall, he had already seated himself on my bed.

“I’m going to sleep in this room too.”

“…”

Why you?