Desires Chapter 1.6 - Between Hell and Longing

“The rumor is quite unsettling.”

“What do you mean?”

Yoon Jioh asked toward Woo Taekyung, the second son of Ilshin Group.

“That boy. The front door of Jihmil….”

Yoon Jioh once again lifted the elegant Zisha teapot and filled Woo Taekyung’s empty teacup. The sejak tea, containing the essence of early spring, offered a fresh aroma in the mouth.

“They say he is as beautiful as a work of art. Jihmil is a place where people who know art gather, so wouldn’t they all be people with excellent aesthetic sense?”

“Well… I am not sure what you are trying to say.”

At Yoon Jioh’s feigned ignorance, Woo Taekyung narrowed his eyes. The sinister eyes and the fresh taste held in his mouth felt like a contradiction.

“Is a designation impossible?”

The fact that the boy’s personal information had already been sold to a low-quality and loose-lipped pederast like Woo Taekyung was highly suggestive. It meant that the rumor about the boy was already rampant among the pederasts of Jihmil.

Yoon Jioh put on the most hypocritical smile possible.

“Regrettably, it is not possible.”

“I don’t care how much it costs. For people like us, pleasure is, indeed, the highest value.”

It was self-evident that if a member of Jihmil had a beautiful appearance, they would become an object of interest to the highest-echelon upper-class people who frequented Jihmil. In fact, it was not uncommon for them to show interest in staff members who were not hosts.

Dealing with VVIPs involves a different scale of money, so it was not uncommon for someone who came in as a staff member to switch to being a host, or for a client to become a staff member’s sponsor and look after them.

It was as easy and frequent as a king selecting his court ladies. The story that if you caught their eye, you could easily get your hands on money and sit on a flowery cushion as if by magic, was no longer something to be hushed about.

However, as a result of Yoon Jioh’s observation, it was close to impossible for that boy, who was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, to willingly become a host or a prostitute out of greed for money.

The reason Yoon Jioh had put Song Yeongin out as Jihmil’s front door boy was, firstly, with the intention of making Song Yeongin’s face familiar to the VVIPs.

This idea stemmed from the thought that later, at an opportune moment, it would make for a more interesting storyline if it became known that the poor, low-level employee of Jihmil was the genius painter who drew <The Dead Mother’s Ear>. To sell something at a high price, an appropriate story was needed.

However, in just a few short months, Yoon Jioh had not anticipated that he would be talked about among them for impure purposes so quickly.

🌫️

Madame Jeong appealed her predicament to Yoon Jioh. The reason was that recently, inquiries about designating Song Yeongin had become frequent. Madame Jeong was sending a reproachful gaze to Yoon Jioh, as if this was a result she had predicted beforehand.

“Did you really not know it would turn out like this?”

“……”

“That is why I suggested a haeeohwa. It was a kind of self-preservation measure. Among those who were guided by that boy, several have secretly hinted to me that they want to designate him, and I have been sweating bullets trying to refuse their proposals as per your instructions, Director.”

With Madame Jeong’s appeal added to Woo Taekyung’s, Yoon Jioh could feel with his own skin that the situation was becoming a headache. However, at the same time, it was as if Song Yeongin’s value had been proven once again. Yoon Jioh had to do the calculations.

‘If I use a boy like that as a staff member, a troublesome situation will arise.’

That night, Yoon Jioh had seen the desire deeply hidden beneath Cha Woojin’s skin. That boy, the bride’s child, might be more useful than he thought.

“Aren’t they the kind of people who are only satisfied when they get what they want?”

Madame Jeong was telling Yoon Jioh the same thing as Cha Woojin. It was not that Yoon Jioh was unaware of the danger. He was the one who designed it, knowing full well.

To set a large stage, one cannot help but make a clever move. Even if it entails some degree of large and small risks. Selling an item at a high price is no different from gambling.

“You know, don’t you? That noble and pure kind of eroticism that is felt from that boy. It is probably a freshness that can never be felt from the hosts.”

Madame Jeong was pressing him for an answer, but Yoon Jioh did not make a decision easily.

“In any case, that boy is not one who can be designated, so keep a tight watch on him.”

“……”

“I will decide on his future course of action soon after observing him a little more….”

“He might suffer a great calamity. I cannot guarantee that boy’s safety.”

Madame Jeong added, showing a troubled expression.

“Woo Taekyung has lit the fuse, so if we leave it like this, someone will cause trouble trying to covet that boy.”

Madame Jeong warned Yoon Jioh with eyes that held the experience of having watched countless sexual affairs. The woman’s turbulent and tenacious years must have completed those mature eyes that could see through sexual affairs and secret unions.

🌫️

“Why don’t you sit here?”

“I am sorry. I am not a host. I cannot be seated.”

“Bring the madam….”

It happened again. The one suffering the most damage was none other than the person in question, Song Yeongin. He did not know what rumors were circulating behind his back, but recently, among the VVIPs he guided, there had been a succession of words and actions close to harassment or blatant requests for him to be seated. As if they had come here knowing of Song Yeongin’s existence.

Due to the nature of Jihmil, a significant number of those who frequent this place are second or third-generation chaebols. They are the beneficiaries of enormous fortunes who, before the blood in their heads had even dried, had enjoyed the culture of members-only private rooms like Jihmil and were fed up with seeking pleasure.

They were just given the plausible packaging of VVIPs, but for those who chase pleasure in a place where alcohol flows, it is inevitable that they will eventually pursue extreme, peripheral pleasures.

In the end, to them, Jihmil was… just like its name, an easy secret place for entertainment like selecting a court lady to enter the bedchamber for a night, and another outlet for their desires.

🌫️

“You must never get on their wrong side. As much as possible, exit the situation with a smile, and in case of an emergency, use the earpiece to make an emergency call.”

Song Yeongin was increasingly feeling burdened by this job. After receiving his salary for a few months, he could certainly feel that this job paid a surprisingly generous amount compared to other general jobs.

He had no intention of denying that it was an amount that was difficult to touch, to the point of being undeserved for someone in Song Yeongin’s situation. However, that did not mean he would tolerate sexual harassment.

Do all those who work at Jihmil endure these kinds of situations? After much thought, Song Yeongin asked about it, but the answer that came back from Madame Jeong was clear.

“Mr. Song Yeongin’s case is a special case.”

“……”

“I have never seen this much attention focused on a mere staff member. That is why I am going through such a predicament right now…. As for Mr. Song Yeongin’s future, there will be separate instructions from the Director soon.”

🌫️

— Please guide Mr. Matteo to F-Zone.

When the elevator doors opened, a man with a large build, prominent side cheekbones, and dark skin got off. It was an unpleasant acquaintance.

In fact, this was not the first time he had guided this man. At that time, the man had been so deeply intoxicated that it was questionable how he had passed security.

He recalled his rough and vulgar black lips, which had spewed out curses as if excreting them. Fortunately, he seemed sober today, but the eyes of the snake-like man, which had left behind defilement and displeasure, still left a turbid and unpleasant sense of déjà vu.

“I will guide you this way.”

It was from the moment Song Yeongin offered a polite greeting.

A sticky and gloomy gaze latched onto him completely. The turbid and sinister gaze that scanned Song Yeongin, who was leading the way, from top to bottom was vulgar and unpleasant beyond words.

As Song Yeongin opened the door to the assigned private room, the man immediately sat on the sofa with an arrogant face. His vile impression, which glistened with an unusual worldly desire, foretold another extreme anxiety.

It was the moment he quickly bowed his head to leave the place quickly and was about to close the door of the private room.

The man with the snake’s eyes, a sabaekan, stopped Song Yeongin and made him stand before him.

“I want to make a designation….”

“I will call the madam for you.”

“No, that’s fine.”

The man’s sabaekan eyes smiled grimly at Song Yeongin.

“It would be better if you just sit.”

“I am sorry, but….”

The snake eyes with their ambiguous focus, even before an answer was given, hardened their expression frighteningly, as if they had been waiting for this.

“Do you know who I am before you run your mouth?”

“……”

When Song Yeongin made a face that truly showed he did not know, the excited man’s voice grew louder.

“…Ha…! You work at Jihmil and you don’t know me?! The great Matteo is saying he will personally designate you right now.”

“I am sorry… I am… not a host….”

“Fuck… are your ears fucking blocked!”

“……”

“Because I think your side would be better than any of those male or female prostitutes. Just try sitting down for a bit….”

A violent sense of shame brushed across his neat and clear face.

Matteo shot up and pulled Song Yeongin’s wrist with a force that seemed it would break.

“Who told you to spread your legs?! Sit down, for starters!”

“Guest, I am sorry, but I cannot be seated. If you need, I will call the manager…!”

‘Smack—!’

Along with a sound that made his ear burst, a fire lit up on his cheek. The man had slapped Song Yeongin’s cheek with a force that seemed it would tear it off.

It was an unexpected shock. At the sudden assault, Song Yeongin’s eyes grew wide with terror. As if he had seen a ghost… no, that was a ghost indeed.

“Fuck! How dare you talk back to me?! …If I tell you to sit, you should just obediently crawl over and sit.”

With a hand trembling in bewilderment, he grabbed the earpiece and attempted to request a call.

“This is… F…!”

Before he could even make a move, the vulgar assault continued. Another slap was violently landed on his cheek. As if electrocuted, his reason snapped. A shocking pain like a flame shook his head.

Matteo pulled on Song Yeongin’s earpiece, which he had been using to attempt a call, with brute force. Then he yanked the earpiece out as if uprooting it and threw it on the floor.

There are no CCTVs inside Jihmil. If such things were installed in a place where secret talks and clandestine meetings took place, there was no telling what kind of protests they would receive from the VVIP members here. Therefore, it was a rule that all staff communicated via earpiece. In other words, without an earpiece, he had no way of letting anyone know about this danger.

His jaw trembled from a sense of helpless terror. He trembled his lips and then his whole body quivered. He tried to shout, but no voice would come out.

“…Gue… Guest…! Why on earth are you doing this…!”

“If I tell you to sit, you should just sit, damn it…! I’m speaking nicely, but you’re not fucking listening….”

Taking the opportunity, the man ferociously grabbed Song Yeongin, who was quickly backing away toward the door, with a viselike grip.

“Fuuuck! Oh yes, that’s right, good timing…! I was in a shitty mood today, you’re going to have to be my scapegoat.”

Matteo violently grabbed Song Yeongin’s hair and forced him down to his knees.

On his lips, which had burst from being slapped on both cheeks, blood welled up bright red. It was a distance where he could hear his breathing. Matteo’s large, dark hand brutally gripped his small face.

“Look at this?! Oh ho…! Yes, khhh. Now I get it…. You were the protagonist of that, arrogant rumor, weren’t you?”

With his hair vulgarly grabbed by the brute, Song Yeongin glared up with venomous eyes. Cruel terror was packed tightly into his clear and bright pupils.

“Looking at you up close, you’re more arousing than I thought…. I heard you turned down the designations of a whole line of big-shot chaebol sons, didn’t you?!”

“Ugh, heuk…! I have never…!”

He didn’t know. Even if he had known, it made no sense that he was being treated this way because he had not acted as a host, because he had not become a prostitute.

“It seems the lowborn have a habit of not understanding when you speak nicely. You have to stomp on them a bit before they start to listen….”

Answering is useless. There was no way they would communicate anyway. He knew that human words did not get through to brutes who were covered in lust and possessed by demons.

Matteo, with his brute-like hand, grabbed Song Yeongin’s hair and bent it back. The brute, with urgent hands, lowered his pant zipper. And then, he thrust a hideous and blackish object at Song Yeongin’s face.

“Here…, suck it deliciously.”

Nausea shot up from his throat. Bile rose from the back of his throat. Song Yeongin pushed Matteo away with all his might. However, that desperate and weak resistance could not even inflict a blow on the large frame.

A small, white face with thick, red lips.

Matteo’s blood rushed to his head at the thought that the contrast between his own jet-black thing and the bright red mucous membrane was extremely erotic.

Leaving a mark on that clean and neat thing with a good slap of his hand made it quite appetizing. Matteo swallowed his saliva hard.

One of his group, Woo Taekyung, had said he wanted to screw this boy the moment he saw him, and it turned out to be a more bewitching thing than he thought.

Among the group at Jihmil who pursued pleasure regardless of gender, this boy with the pure and neat face had long been talked about as an object of desire, like a side dish with drinks.

Though a guy like Woo Taekyung, who cares about every little thing and his reputation, would never even dream of doing something like this. If you can’t have it legally anyway, isn’t the one who reaches out first the owner?

“Heuk…! Let go of me…!”

“Fuck…! Look at your face. So fucking arousing!”

A dick, flickering like a snake’s tongue, glistened in front of his clear face. The sabaekan eyes, sharp with lewdness, were gleaming with lust.

Matteo pushed Song Yeongin, who was struggling with all his might, onto the sofa and pinned him down. He too was a man, but in terms of build and grip, he was no match for the brute’s large and heavy frame.

Matteo crushed Song Yeongin miserably.

“Don’t…! Let go!! Let, go of me!!”

However, Song Yeongin’s resistance and shouts only served as a tempting signal flare to arouse Matteo’s carnal desires. The clear screams scattering in the air were pitiful beyond words.

Like a cannibalistic demon, Matteo sucked on Song Yeongin’s neck. On the white, slender neck, wanton and lustful marks were engraved wherever he sucked. One by one, the buttons of the black uniform shirt were unfastened. Matteo, who grew impatient after undoing one, ripped the shirt open with force.

Song Yeongin shuddered. Even though he knew his screams could not be heard outside, he screamed with all his might as the panting monstrosity toyed with him, trying to ravish his body.

He had to scream for help.

“Heuk…! Help me…! Please help me…!!!”

Simultaneously with Song Yeongin’s scream, at that moment, a cold and heavy voice was heard from the door.

“It’s so disgusting… I can’t possibly let it slide.”

At the low, intimidating voice, Matteo’s head hurriedly turned toward the slightly open door.

A man with a chillingly perfect and dignified face was looking down from the door at the two people collapsed on the sofa.

“That dirty habit of whoring around never goes away…. Now you intend to muddy the waters by coming here?”

Matteo’s heavy body, which had been pinning down Song Yeongin, flinched in bewilderment.

“Director Cha Woojin… how are you here….”

“Why don’t you just advertise that you’re raping someone?! The screams are ringing through the hallway… there’s no way I could just pass by.”

Song Yeongin had no way to control his trembling heart and body. He felt like he was being shattered alive.

As he moved his body to escape during the moment Matteo faltered, the brute once again grabbed Song Yeongin by his torn-open collar.

“Fuck, can’t you see I’m having fun?! You go mind your own business.”

Cha Woojin approached in an instant with the sound of his clacking dress shoes. He grabbed Matteo’s neck with one large hand.

“Keok! Damn…! What, are you doing. You crazy…!”

Cha Woojin’s cool face let out a numb sneer. The toneless, low voice, devoid of excitement, and the leisurely sneer, contrasted with the violent gesture of grabbing and shaking the collar, felt bizarrely cruel.

“Shut your mouth.”

“Keuu—heuk…!”

“I’ve been letting it slide, but it seems you still can’t tell who your superior is.”

“Heo, eok…! Keuheuk…! Let go of this!”

“No matter how stupid you are, you should at least know how to distinguish shit from piss.”

“Heok…! Fuuck, this son of a bitch…!”

The muscular arm, strong as forged iron, grabbed the flailing Matteo’s collar and ruthlessly slammed him against the wall. The large build flew helplessly like a waterlogged cotton ball.

As the heavy body that had been binding him disappeared, a dry cough, ‘cough, cough,’ escaped from his constricted chest.

The man’s eyes, which had been glinting with a frost-like murderous intent, glared fiercely at the sprawled-out Matteo. The crawling voice was gradually losing its tail.

“Aigo…! Shit…! Ugh, my back… Why the hell are you?! No, why the hell did you barge in here and do this shit?!”

“The Kim Seok-ryul document.”

“……!”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know it was your doing?! You still carry that head around as a decoration with nothing but shit in it! Do I have to put a bullet in that head for you to come to your senses….”

Cha Woojin looked down at the sprawled-out Matteo and tapped his head with his heavy dress shoe.

“Director Cha, listen to me…! You know… it wasn’t me who did that…!”

Once again, Cha Woojin kicked Matteo’s chest with all his might with his sharp dress shoe. It was a disciplined and powerful strike.

“Ah…! Keuheuk…! Vio, violence isn’t the answer… we can just ta, talk, can’t we?! Calm down! Huh…? That’s your misunderstanding…! I’m only guilty of doing what your brother told me to do.”

Cha Woojin, with a cold-blooded face, brought his dress shoe and pressed down hard on Matteo’s Adam’s apple.

“If you have something to hide, stay hidden like a dead rat. Don’t even think of walking around with your head held high.”

“Keo, heok…! I’m telling you, it’s not my fault?! That was, your brother Cha Seok-hyun…!”

“Fuck, just shut up and stay out of my sight!”

“Keu…heuk…! Ke…hek…!”

“Matteo. Don’t ever think of setting foot here again.”

Cha Woojin calmly instructed his attendant, who was waiting outside the door, in a low voice.

“Call Yoon Jioh. And collect the trash here with the security guards.”

Song Yeongin lifted his body, which was covered in the signs of a rape attempt. Cha Woojin’s ruthless eyes met Song Yeongin’s, who was in a wretched state with his clothes torn to shreds.

The miserable pupils that had lost their place to go were in stark contrast to his high-spirited face that boasted of neatness. Through the shirt, torn to expose his chest and shoulders, his white, smooth body was quivering in terror.

Cha Woojin, who was watching, commanded Song Yeongin with a cold nod of his head.

“Get out.”

As if he had no more business with him.

Leaving behind the horrifying gaze of Matteo, who still could not take his eyes off of his body, observing him, Song Yeongin lifted his body, which was trembling in fear.

The torn clothes and disheveled appearance. And the bright red lips where blood had burst, hinted at the miserable signs of a rape attempt to anyone who saw it. The stench of intense eroticism and tragic depravity was overwhelming.

Song Yeongin bowed his head deeply and offered his farewell. He walked out the door with unsteady steps. A chill as deep as darkness seeped into Song Yeongin’s chest.

🌫️

Thanks to being struck on both cheeks, his thick lips had burst bright red. The damp blood flowing from his burst lips seeped between his tongue and tasted metallic.

The uniform shirt was torn to shreds, miserably exposing one side of his chest and shoulder. The earpiece was nowhere to be found, not even a trace of it remained.

Cha Woojin. If it had not been for that man, he would not have been able to avoid a greater calamity. If he had not appeared, he would have been helplessly raped by Matteo just like that. At that impeccable timing, he should have at least bowed his head politely.

‘Get out.’

Once again, the cold and heartless gaze of Cha Woojin came to mind. There was no reason whatsoever for that man to be considerate of a mere low-level servant like him. He probably did not even have someone like him in his sights. It was not that he wanted sympathy or comfort from anyone.

However, because his gaze was so completely opposite to the one from that day when he had grabbed his own wrist from which blood was dripping…

Song Yeongin cut off the chain of loss that was increasing in volume. His ravaged body was still trembling from that vivid violence and the terror of the rape he had been helpless against. At the edge of his barely closed eyes, a single drop of water fell meaninglessly. That single stream flowing down his cheek was so chilling and hot that it could have scratched his cold cheeks.

“Ugh, it hurts…!”

Not only his cheeks, which had been struck with all his might, but his entire body ached as if it had been beaten up.

His listless body, limply hanging, walked aimlessly into the maze of Jihmil. It was truly a relief that he would not run into anyone, as he had memorized this secret and complex route completely.

If someone were to witness his wretched state, he felt he would not be able to endure any more terrible shame. No, he had already shown his shameful state to someone.

‘It’s so disgusting… I can’t possibly let it slide.’

To the one person he least wanted to show it to.

It might not have been a good appearance, but at least he had not wanted to show such a shameful one. He had not wanted to be remembered in such a disorderly and unsightly state.

Song Yeongin, with a dazed and vacant face, looked down at his own torn and fluttering shirt. First, he had to pull himself together from this hideous state. To avoid being bitten and thrown out, he had to keep his wits about him.

Song Yeongin headed straight for the restroom.

It was just as he was about to hurriedly enter the restroom. Someone strongly grabbed Song Yeongin’s wrist. Recalling the oppressive terror from before, Song Yeongin struggled like a madman, rejecting the stranger’s touch.

An unknown person covered his mouth from behind.

“Shh…!”

A cool scent wafting from between the suit brushed the tip of his nose. An unusually cold and cool afterscent. He knew this chillingly dizzying scent. The one who had covered his mouth was…

None other than Cha Woojin.

He covered his burst lips with a large hand to prevent Song Yeongin from shouting. The man pushed his cool, jet-black pupils toward the small, trembling face.

The transparent pupils, with moisture at the corners of their eyes, were trembling violently. The man slowly lowered the hand that had been covering Song Yeongin’s mouth.

The touch of the rough hand on his lips and cheek was felt fully on his skin, through the soft downy hair. It was a hand so strong and large it could cover everything. The thick lips, panting for breath, touched Cha Woojin’s palm directly. The blood that had wet his burst lips stained the man’s palm.

The man made a gesture of putting his finger to his own lips and whispered, ‘Shh…!’ That small act ended Song Yeongin’s bursting anxiety. His heart pounded painfully, wheezing. He bit his thick lips hard as if swallowing a sorrowful cry.

When his panting breaths had barely subsided, only then did Cha Woojin grab Song Yeongin’s wrist and gesture with his eyes to follow him. He quickened his fierce steps.

Song Yeongin did not resist. He was led away obediently by that man without knowing why. The reason he did not resist and struggle was because that man’s eyes were not base or wicked like the others he knew.

The cool man’s eyes were belligerent and arrogant, but they possessed a contradiction that felt bizarrely just. If those eyes were a lie, he could just choose to disappear into foam. That would be enough.

Song Yeongin obediently entrusted his body to the tall man who was holding his wrist. It must have been noticed. The captured wrist was trembling faintly, following his rough touch.

🌫️

On the unfamiliar and concealed path he followed him on, no one crossed paths with the two of them.

This unfamiliar route was very strange even to Song Yeongin, in whose mind the map of Jihmil was clearly engraved. It was a passage that seemed as if it had been deliberately hidden away so that no one could find it.

He had heard from the manager that there was a secret room in Jihmil that did not open. But the hidden route here was designed on a completely different level from such trivial secret rooms in the first place.

It was an orbit within a particularly complex and difficult maze. They wandered through a complex and difficult maze, entangled like a spider’s web. There were several clever tricks and alarm devices in the process of entering, but Cha Woojin passed through them skillfully, as if he were used to it.

He had to be led silently by this man’s hand for a long time. It seemed impossible even for a veteran familiar with the structure of Jihmil to find the entrance here. Even if one were to discover it by chance, it was hidden in such a clever way that one would not be able to find the gate without knowing its true nature.

The gate, of an enormous height connected in the shape of a spire, was so perfectly camouflaged that it would be mistaken for a simple concrete old wall if not looked at carefully. This place was the most secretly hidden core of Jihmil’s interior.

An unidentified, high, and majestic spire gate greeted the two of them. Song Yeongin was sure. It is impossible for anyone to find this place. Unless one was the person who designed this place….

How on earth was he guiding him to such a secret and deep place. Song Yeongin could only look at Cha Woojin’s broad back, which he was walking behind, with a confused gaze.

Cha Woojin was attempting to enter the gate. When he made a small, metal micro-card recognized by a hidden device, the impregnable, heavy door opened.

The man gestured with a short, indifferent nod of his head for him to follow him inside. Song Yeongin had to hesitate for a moment in front of the gate.

In the quiet stillness, the two people looked at each other. Song Yeongin felt that fleeting moment as a distant eternity. It was a short moment, but it was a sweet dream in the pain of an endless fall.

Cha Woojin, standing in front of the gate, gestured with his chin, urging him to enter.

Finally, Song Yeongin stepped into that secret space. The door locked automatically, emitting a machine sound like a password. He was so dumbfounded that he could not move from that spot for a long time.

A huge and magnificent space, like a combination of countless rooms from Jihmil, revealed itself. The state-of-the-art facilities under the high, high ceiling were majestic, as if they had condensed all the wealth and power he possessed. The space, like him, was filled with cool and minimalist things.

Inside the large hall, a huge BAR was situated. The collection, filled with hard liquors as if only the man’s preferences were lined up, filled the wall all the way up to the high ceiling.

A single malt BAR of an immeasurably large size, and on the opposite side of the far-off bar, a huge screen with dozens of screens simultaneously arrayed was spread out. All of Jihmil’s CCTVs were being played right there.

It was the moment the rumor that A’syut was the man’s property was confirmed as fact.

The sight of each room being played in real-time made Song Yeongin turn pale. It was a very secret method. Cha Woojin could watch every aspect of Jihmil from this place, and it would surely all remain in his hands as perfect evidence. Song Yeongin got goosebumps at the system’s structure, which was so terrifyingly meticulous and secret.

Why did he bring me here?

The man, who had left Song Yeongin standing in place, took a sip of the whiskey that was on the BAR. Cha Woojin urgently took off his suit jacket. Broad shoulders, and firm, sharply defined muscles revealed their rough majesty tautly over the thin dress shirt.

He urgently rolled up his shirt sleeves. An arm with sinews standing out wildly gripped the glass. Until he coolly emptied a glass in one go, Song Yeongin just stood there, motionless and dazed.

The area around his red, thick lips was nicely torn. The blood welling up at the corner of his mouth contrasted with his white, pale skin, creating a chillingly pathetic afterimage. The torn shirt exposed one shoulder and his chest. The clearly revealed white, smooth body line was bewitchingly enchanting.

However, on the contrary, those noble and sacred eyes stained with tears betrayed the traces of the beastly attack he had suffered from Matteo.

It was precarious and unsettling. A perilous state. To anyone who saw it, that appearance would surely stimulate a twisted, sadistic desire. Cha Woojin scanned Song Yeongin’s nearby form with a leisurely gaze, as if appreciating it. He suppressed the impulse that was confusing even his own reason with self-control.

“What a mess.”

The man’s deep gaze penetrated the gap in the torn shirt. Song Yeongin quietly gathered the collar of the black shirt, which had fallen open as the buttons came off, with the tips of his white fingers.

Again, the man muttered in a low voice.

“There is a bathroom inside, so you may use it if you need to.”

In that moment, Song Yeongin’s heart sank.

He had to quickly gauge the true meaning of those words. Song Yeongin, holding onto the gathered collar of his clothes, stood there looking blankly at Cha Woojin like a frightened child.

Cha Woojin, noticing the impact his remark had on Song Yeongin, clicked his tongue languidly. The proper and dignified lines that made up the man were nicely distorted.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“……”

“I have no such bad taste as to touch someone who was almost raped.”

“…I am sorry.”

The calm, beautiful voice was precariously suppressed, but it was trembling anxiously, thoroughly frightened. The moisture gathered at the corner of his eyes stimulated instincts he did not want to know. As if Song Yeongin had still not escaped from the terror of before, he was trembling his straight shoulders.

Cha Woojin no longer looked at Song Yeongin and lowered his eyes. The pin light above the BAR was creating a shadow on the man’s eyes. The shadow was as deep and bleak as his scent.

“How long are you going to stay in that state?”

Song Yeongin nodded his head without a word. And then, as he had been told, he carefully walked to find the bathroom.

When he had walked across for a long time and into the deep inner chamber, a large bedroom was revealed. The vast monochrome space consisted only of minimal furniture and one overly large bed.

That concise and luxurious emptiness felt more of a high-class moderation than spaces armed with splendor.

The floor-to-ceiling windows made of a special material surrounding the bedroom revealed the dark scenery of the nameless forest that surrounded A’syut.

Finally, he found the door to the bathroom attached to one side of the bedroom.

Song Yeongin’s mind was completely filled with the question of why on earth that man had brought him to this place. It was not a space where one could bring people in carelessly.

‘Why did he bring me into this place….’

His own reflection in the bathroom mirror was more tragic than he had thought. Under the brightly revealed light, below his neck, the red bruises and handprints from being mauled by Matteo were vividly red. His beaten cheeks were red. One lip was torn and burst, and blood continued to well up.

Song Yeongin immediately turned on the water in the sink and vigorously washed his face with cold water. And he began to fasten the buttons of his undone shirt.

Two or three buttons below his neck had fallen off and could not be fastened even if he tried. He had no choice but to show the man outside the vivid red bruises and the traces of the assault here and there.

When Song Yeongin came out again, the man in the shirt, as if his neck was constricted, had loosened his tie and was still downing whiskey. The man’s Adam’s apple, protruding from between his loosened shirt, bobbed as he swallowed the whiskey.

Song Yeongin approached the man’s side with a polite gesture. Cha Woojin, seeing him with a sideways glance, asked.

“Would you like a drink?”

Song Yeongin could not dare to imagine that those words were directed at him.

“Sit.”

The man handed him an empty glass. Only then did Song Yeongin realize that the offer was directed at him and waved his hands in refusal.

“I cannot drink while on duty.”

The calm voice gave the impression of being composed and upright, in direct opposition to his trembling pupils.

“I have already spoken to Yoon Jioh, so you do not need to return today.”

The man pointed with his sharp-as-a-blade nose tip to the dozens of continuous screens visible in the distance.

“As you can see, A’syut is under my authority.”

Once again, the question of why that man had brought him here rose to the back of his throat. This was not a space where a low-level employee like him could come and go carelessly.

‘What if I were to reveal this to someone… what would he do.’

Did it mean that it did not matter if a mayfly like him, who was easy to handle, came to know the secret of this place? Song Yeongin, suppressing the rising question, murmured in a small voice.

“I cannot drink. I have never drunk such strong liquor.”

Cha Woojin smiled faintly at the innocent answer. A faint warmth was present in the man’s smile. So much so that he felt the urge to pull the fleeting warmth in that smile and lean on it.

Only his poor body was trembling in the cold.

Song Yeongin could not understand the reason why confronting this man’s expressions or gestures was so painful. It was as sore and painful as digging into an infected wound with a knife. He wanted to collapse. The tip of his nose was cold and tingling.

The man, who was fiddling with the whiskey glass, asked Song Yeongin in a low voice.

“Do you know what kind of place Jihmil is?”

“……”

“It is exactly as you see through that screen. Here, countless pleasures and promiscuous affairs go on all night.”

Cha Woojin suddenly stared at Song Yeongin with a cool and indifferent gaze.

“The unfortunate incident that just happened is regrettable, but what happened to you is just a small happening; Jihmil is that dark and sordid of a space.”

He was right. On the screen, a few scenes that were disgusting to watch with open eyes were flashing by.

Cha Woojin stared blankly at Song Yeongin with composed and arrogant eyes.

“Would it have been different if you had been a prostitute instead?”

Cha Woojin gestured with his eyes, languidly and badly enough to hurt the person in front of him. Song Yeongin stared at him blankly with a puzzled expression.

“Because you say you will not sell your body, they are all the more desperate to have you.”

Song Yeongin had easy-to-read eyes. They were artless eyes that knew no pretense or hypocrisy. The clear pupils transmitted what was inside without filter, like deep, clear water.

The two purely trembling pupils seemed to have an excellent talent for making the person facing them into a bad person, so Cha Woojin let out a faint, self-deprecating laugh.

Anyone would become the villain in front of those eyes.

The not-so-harsh, gentle pupils were swaying precariously like a flame in the wind. How on earth did someone so pure end up rolling into this place?

Cha Woojin, with a bitter smile, finished the remaining whiskey in his glass.

“A person like you does not belong here.”

“……”

“You terribly do not belong.”

Cha Woojin’s gaze landed on Song Yeongin’s white, smooth chest, which was unfastened as the buttons had fallen off. The slender, long neckline, like a deer’s, was bizarrely straight and elegant. The bright red bruises visible inside were so colorful they tickled his lower abdomen.

It was just that his gaze had brushed past. He had the illusion that the red-stained marks were aching again.

The man, who had been stripping a person’s body bare with his sharp gaze, asked Song Yeongin again.

“Do you think it will end with this?”

The unbelievably harmless and innocent pupils stared at the opponent.

“I do not… understand what you mean.”

Cha Woojin, as if frustrated, raised his voice, which had been calm and toneless all along.

“Mr. Song Yeongin, are you not aware of yourself at all?”

Cha Woojin knew his name.

It should have been meaningless and unnecessary information for him. The name of a mere servant… how did he know his name?

“Do you really not know? How the things you have stimulate the other person.”

“……”

“As long as you are at Jihmil, something like this can happen again, not just with Matteo.”

“……”

“I cannot rescue Mr. Song Yeongin every single time.”

The rushing situation was overwhelming and bewildering for Song Yeongin. After being unable to answer for a long time, Song Yeongin did not avoid his eyes and stared blankly at Cha Woojin.

“I do not know what you mean. That I… stimulate the other person.”

The beautiful and calm voice, not losing, was instead questioning Cha Woojin back.

“I do not know how I appear in the eyes of others, but that is not something I intended, nor is it my fault.”

Cha Woojin felt something very soft yet firm in Song Yeongin. Things like the cleverness present in his calm voice.

A long silence continued between the two people.

He himself did not know why such a question had suddenly arisen. However, Song Yeongin was curious about the man’s intention. Why he had bothered to bring him to this secret place where secrets were hidden. What on earth was the reason for his incomprehensible and unconventional behavior toward him every time.

So much so that he could not possibly endure it without asking back like this….

“Am I like that in your eyes too?”

The face, neat without a single speck, was audaciously asking the man. It was a sauciness that contrasted with his submissive face. The audacity that popped out of his unsettling lips was already enough to provoke Cha Woojin and more.

“Intentionally tripping my feet to make me fall… intentionally breaking a liquor bottle in front of my eyes….”

“……”

“Is that why you did those strange things to me? Because I am stimulating Mr. Cha Woojin?!”

A fleeting expression that looked amused flashed across the cold man’s face.

However, Cha Woojin was a man who did not suit the word ‘flustered’ in the first place. Such unnecessary emotions were useless products that had long been excluded from within Cha Woojin because they had no utility value.

It was quite an audacious question, but the man answered composedly, as if to sneer. As if making a proclamation to Song Yeongin.

“I have no interest in pederasty.”

The man of power, looking down at people from the top, had cold-blooded and arrogant eyes. Song Yeongin just stood there silently, forgetting to reply.

Cha Woojin’s answer was enough to give Song Yeongin shame. However, in truth, Song Yeongin was not in a state to gauge such things.

That man, a VVIP of the highest upper class, knew even the name of an unnecessary low-level employee like himself. He had forced him to fall by tripping his feet, and had broken a skull bottle filled with liquor in front of his eyes as if for him to see. He had saved him when he was about to be raped and brought him here. They were strange and bizarre actions, the intention of which could not be known.

So, it welled up inside him. Forgetting his place with the impulse to confirm what that man thought of him, he had spouted crazy words.

Song Yeongin, who heard the answer, quickly read from the man’s attitude that his question was not important. Song Yeongin knew the next question.

“What should I do?”

Cha Woojin wanted to give Song Yeongin a high score for understanding his words. That neat and pretty face was even equipped with a clever mind that could understand words.

“If you wish, I can have you transferred to another place other than Jihmil. As you know, Jihmil pays unusually well for the work. If money is the problem, I can provide the same treatment as at Jihmil.”

Yes, money… it was because of money.

The reason he was here. He needed money, and Jihmil provided a sufficiently ideal job. He did not need to go far. It was easy to think that every reason was because of money. However, hearing talk of money from that man’s mouth was not entirely pleasant. It felt like facing the elitist consciousness of an upper-class person giving alms to a lower-class person without money.

At Cha Woojin’s words, Song Yeongin suddenly became aware of the cold reality. The man was treating him impersonally and officially. No, he wanted to treat him officially.

“I do not want troublesome problems arising at Jihmil either.”

Tilting his head back, the man who had spoken languidly furrowed his perfect brow.

“In the end, what you’re saying is that I am a nuisance.”

Cha Woojin ended up smiling faintly.

The boy before him, while having such pure eyes, simultaneously possessed a transcendent light, as if he had given up and transcended everything. Cha Woojin found the contradiction it presented very interesting. Because those two things had extreme properties that were difficult to coexist with each other.

“I know that I have no choice in the matter anyway.”

“……”

“I will follow your will.”

Cha Woojin confirmed the due will of compliance in Song Yeongin, who was obediently following his instructions with transcendent eyes. However, at the same time, he was feeling an unidentifiable sense of unease at that unhesitating transcendence.

“May I… go back now?”

Song Yeongin was quick to give up and was used to it.

The man pointed to the gate with the sharp tip of his nose, as if it could cut. And he substituted his answer with a simple and arrogant nod of his chin.

Cha Woojin thought about why he was feeling such a vague and uneasy emotion, but he soon cut off that chain.

That kind of thing was none of his business.

“I was indebted to you last time as well, and thanks to you helping me once again, I have avoided a great calamity.”

“……”

“Thank you. And from now on, I will be careful so that there will be no cause for your concern.”

Song Yeongin bowed his head very politely. It was a sincere expression of gratitude for saving him from Matteo. He knew well what kind of attitude he should take. In an instant, Song Yeongin drew a line and returned to being a subordinate.

As their servant.

And then, without any lingering attachment, he walked out of the wide and magnificent space impassively.

As Song Yeongin disappeared from sight, Cha Woojin let out a deep, self-deprecating sigh.

“…Haa….”

And then, Cha Woojin stared blankly for a long time at the trajectory Song Yeongin had walked out on.

‘Am I like that in your eyes too?’

‘Is that why you did those strange things to me? Because I am stimulating Mr. Cha Woojin?!’

Song Yeongin’s audacious provocation, asking for Cha Woojin’s true intention, left a very strong impression. A throbbing sensation from below boiled up as if awakening the beast within.

The things Song Yeongin possessed would become a very powerful weapon. That guileless purity and guileless provocation, guileless precariousness, guileless eroticism…. Because everything was the stuff of an unintended blank slate, it was all the more tempting and precarious, enough for the greedy who have everything to covet.

Song Yeongin’s instincts, though unintentional, knew. How to stimulate those of Cha Woojin’s, of his own kind.

From between Cha Woojin’s palms holding the whiskey glass, the metallic smell of Song Yeongin’s blood, which he had not been able to wipe away, faintly wafted. The throbbing male body, with all its blood rushed downward, showed no sign of subsiding. There were far too many reasons why the excitement simply would not cool.