The World of Contrasts Vol. 3 Chapter 1

“Who is that?”

Seol Daeyoung didn’t even remember Song Hangyeol. The man who had saved him long ago had completely erased from his memory any name that didn’t matter to him, furrowing his brows in irritation.

“He’s an omega from the same high school as the CEO.”

After about three seconds of silence, Daeyoung opened his mouth with a short “Ah.”

“I remember now. But why?”

The image of the freshman omega, trembling with his clothes torn amidst a pack of drooling alphas, belatedly came to Daeyoung’s mind. That day, Daeyoung couldn’t control his pheromones, and Jang Jaemin had gone into heat in his arms.

“He debuted as an underground idol in Japan a few years ago, gained some popularity, and is still active there.”

“What’s that?”

“He mainly does live performances rather than media appearances…”

“And?”

Daeyoung sharply cut him off, raising his eyebrows.

After Chairman Jang went missing, Shin Joohee had wanted to expand the entertainment business she had been interested in before. This was a deal that had been discussed even when Daeyoung was in detention, so he set up a subsidiary for her.

The dramas pushed by the production studio Shin Joohee created had been hits one after another, which wasn’t bad, but now unnecessary requests were reaching his ears.

Since the parent company was Jang Construction, Song Hangyeol might have heard about him and was trying to cling on, which only irritated him more.

“He contacted me recently. He said he saw someone who looked like Jang Jaemin…”

Daeyoung put a new cigarette in his mouth, looking at Seonho’s cautious expression. Click. The veins on the back of his hand holding the lighter trembled slightly.

“Where?”

✽ ✽ ✽

Are all the people with nothing to do in Tokyo gathered here?

The club was at its busiest in December, especially the last week including Christmas, which was the worst. The DJ lineup changed daily, and despite the cold outside, the interior was hot with excitement.

Fights broke out among people trying to forget the year with loud music, those causing trouble over lost belongings, and those arguing with taxi drivers outside the club; by the time all this was sorted out, the morning sky was already bright blue.

“Ugh… I fucking hate this.”

“What’s that?”

The manager, approaching Yukito who was muttering in Korean, patted his shoulder and asked. Yukito scratched his temple while replying.

“I really hate December.”

“Year-end parties are the same everywhere. Go check out the second floor.”

The manager, with earphones in, gestured upstairs with his chin. About two hours ago, a group of men with flashy hair had rushed up there. They, looking like they had already been drinking, saw Yukito in the corridor and tried to be friendly, urging him to drink with them.

“There’s a foreigner in a room on the second floor. They bumped into each other in the bathroom earlier, and the atmosphere was a bit off.”

“It’s quiet now, though?”

“It’s a bit unsettling.”

The seasoned manager had good instincts. He was always accurate at spotting customers about to cause trouble due to drugs or being drunk. Yukito nodded once and headed towards the stairs with the velvet carpet.

“Yukito.”

Turning to look at him, the manager added, “Be careful.”

“I don’t know if he’s Chinese or Korean, but that foreign guy might be a mafia (yakuza in Japan).”

“…But he came alone. Why would a mafia move alone?”

“Must be here for tourism.”

“Some bored mafia, huh?”

As Yukito gave a sarcastic laugh with an incredulous expression, the manager added more explanation.

“A long time ago, some high-ranking person from North Korea came here because they wanted to go to Disneyland.”

Seeing the manager say such nonsense with a serious face, it was clear he genuinely wanted Yukito to go upstairs and check on the situation.

“Got it, I’ll go.”

Yukito plugged his previously removed earphones back into his ears and left the corridor. It was a room where only VIPs, who pay 50,000 yen for a two-hour table and at least 150,000 yen for the cheapest bottle of liquor, could go. Although the noise of the club was still there, the closer he got to the stairs, the fewer people there were.

“Oh, Mr. Yukito.”

“Good work.”

Yukito gave a nod to those guarding the entrance before heading upstairs.

At first, his colleagues were skeptical about this newcomer who claimed to have worked at a club on the outskirts, but now it was different. As he repeatedly dealt with violent situations in a clean manner, his credibility within the club naturally increased.

Yukito wasn’t the type to overpower others with loud noises; he was more about solving issues quickly and quietly.

However, he wasn’t just all talk either. He’d start with calm conversation, but if that didn’t work, he’d resort to force, and then open an escape route for the scared customers to make troublemakers back down.

“Let go! I’ll kill that bastard!”

Yukito hurried towards where the voice was coming from. As he silently and swiftly climbed the dark stairs lit by blue halogen lights, he saw a group of thugs gathered in front of a room.

“What happened in the bathroom?”

“He was staring annoyingly. His eyes were weird, I tell you!”

“We have to find that bastard’s room.”

Yukito stood face to face with the brown-haired man who was huffing and puffing. By the look in his eyes, it seemed he hadn’t just been drinking. The manager’s intuition had hit the mark once again; experience was indeed invaluable.

“Sir, is there anything bothering you…?”

When the brown-haired man saw Yukito, he clenched his lips and hardened his expression.

“Who let a Korean bastard into this club? Was it you?”

Even though Yukito didn’t know for sure if he was Korean, Zainichi, or from a North Korean school, hearing those words made something rise within him.

If they had met on the street, Yukito might have thrown a punch, but this was his workplace. Since the other hadn’t resorted to physical violence yet, he had to keep his cool.

With a slight bite on his trembling lips, Yukito responded:

“It’s harder to find a place without Koreans in Shinjuku, sir. If you tell me what happened, I can…”

Slap.

Yukito’s cheek turned, leaving a red mark on his pale skin. Being hit by customers was not unusual, so there was no shock. Instead, this might make things easier down the line. He’d have something to tell the manager.

You’re in for it now, asshole.

Yukito glanced at the camera on the upper corridor and approached him.

“…Sir, if you act like this, according to club rules, we have no choice but to…”

Yukito’s steps halted as he was about to strike. He caught a faint scent from somewhere. The moment he smelled it, Yukito momentarily forgot where he was.

The scent, piercing through the heavy heat, sweat, deodorant, and cosmetics, was so strong it sent shivers down his spine, like he had suddenly shifted dimensions into a dense, wooded forest.

“Here’s that bastard!”

The scent faded quickly, replaced by the overpowering cologne of the thugs rushing in. Yukito shook his head and frowned.

“Stop it, Hachi.”

“That’s him! From the bathroom earlier!”

Ah, could this be the foreigner the manager mentioned? Things were about to get complicated. The immediate priority was to separate the foreigner from the thugs.

“Sir, I apologize, but if we could go inside…”

As Yukito turned to bow, his arm was suddenly yanked. The force was so great it made him step back despite his tall stature. All he could see now was the broad back of a man in a suit, confirming that the foreigner was indeed massive.

“The Koreans I know at least pretend to have manners, but you don’t.”

At the familiar Korean, Yukito swallowed hard. He wasn’t the only one who understood; the brown-haired man, who managed to catch the insult in the man’s words, immediately charged at him, only for his fist to be swiftly broken. Yukito’s brows furrowed; this was the start of a bloody mess.

Damn, this is getting annoying.

“Please calm down, gentlemen.”

Yukito briefly pondered who to subdue first. Logically, dealing with the lone man would be easier than handling the group. After a quick sigh, he looked at the man.

“Are you Korean, sir? If so, let’s step outside for a moment…”

The moment their eyes met, Yukito frowned instead of grabbing him. The man’s face was eerily familiar despite being a stranger.

No, perhaps “eerily” wasn’t the right word. In awe of the man’s remarkable looks, Yukito remembered where he had seen him before. He was definitely the man in the photos on Mama’s phone.

The shock of seeing this man in person mixed with the embarrassment of his own actions while holding that phone made Yukito’s face flush. He bit his lip, realizing he was rapidly tensing up.

What made him even more flustered was the man’s expression, staring intently at him.

The man’s Adam’s apple dangerously rippled as he looked at Yukito with eyes that seemed to pull him in.

“You don’t think I can calm down right now, do you?”

✽ ✽ ✽

Yukito felt goosebumps on his skin and swallowed hard. The man’s overwhelming appearance was accentuated by his gaze. Even with just one look, Yukito felt it intuitively.

The manager’s warning that this man was dangerous was not off the mark, but in conclusion, it was a misjudgment. The manager should not have allowed this man into the club.

Amidst the realization of how foolish he had been to use this man as material for self-gratification, Yukito was suddenly pulled into the man’s chest.

“Don’t interfere.”

The man’s voice, tightly clenched in anger from the argument with the thugs, seeped through his vocal cords. The temper he had seen on screen, which seemed like it could crush anyone who crossed him, was now so palpable it made Yukito’s skin crawl.

The dizzying scent Yukito had caught earlier seemed to surge again. Up close, the scent was on a different level than the mixed odors that had wafted from the end of the corridor.

Yukito inhaled sharply without realizing it. His heart pounded, and all his blood rushed to one place. This was the first time this had happened.

“Si-sir…”

Stammering in confusion, unlike his usual self, Yukito heard the man whisper into his ear.

“If you don’t want to see me kill everyone, stay still.”

Something slammed behind Yukito, whose ears suddenly felt hot.

“Fuck, this guy’s an alpha.”

“What does it matter if we know?”

Amidst the raised voices of the thugs, Yukito couldn’t move properly. Not just because of the strength holding him with one arm, but because the man’s scent seemed to seep through his skin, making his knees weak.

If the man was an alpha, this was definitely pheromones. But Yukito had never felt attracted to an alpha’s pheromones before. The feeling of all the blood in his body rushing down and pooling below his navel made his face flush.

“Fuck…”

In his confusion, Yukito strained to push away the massive man. Only then did he see one of the thugs had collapsed, his head against the wall. The thumping club noise was covering up the thug’s screams, but this was clearly a big deal.

Calming his racing heart, Yukito quickly pressed the microphone on his shirt.

“Mr. Saito, there’s trouble. Please send help quickly.”

He tried to contact the manager, but there was no response. Instead, he heard the manager transmitting.

― VIP is coming up. Yukito, please handle it.

Damn, why are there so many VIPs today?

Yukito narrowed his eyes sharply, and as soon as the signal came, figures in dark clothes appeared from the stairs.

The organized crime group that controlled this area had deep ties with celebrities. One actor who starred in a recently released OTT series, along with three yakuza who appeared with him, were recognized by the thugs, who instantly lined up against the wall and froze. These were people so famous in this area that no one could fail to recognize them.

Or they might be part of a lower-tier gang (Hankure*, typically small, semi-violent groups) under these yakuza.

“Oh? Isn’t it Chairman Jang? Thanks for making it possible for me to have a good conversation with Director Shin last time.”

The situation took an even stranger turn when a Zainichi among the yakuza respectfully greeted the Korean man. Even the lined-up thugs’ eyes wavered.

“I just facilitated the meeting, so receiving thanks makes me embarrassed.”

The man answered calmly, as if his previous anger had been contained. Yukito clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking, “That’s the difference a pro makes.”

“Ha ha, what are you talking about? I’m always in your debt.”

By the way, as an employee, Yukito felt he should at least greet the yakuza, but with the man standing like a rock and blocking him, he couldn’t move.

“How do you like it here? Fun, right?”

“Yes, very.”

The man answered briefly. Considering the guards who had rushed up and the thug bleeding from the head, one could guess what had just happened, yet the yakuza laughed openly, showing his teeth.

“If you had told me in advance, I would have escorted you.”

“I came here to enjoy myself quietly alone.”

“Ah, I understand. Then I won’t disturb you.”

After greeting with a friendly smile, the man who had been looking at the lined-up thugs suddenly glared at them. His expression changed dramatically, like changing a mask.

“You’re in the way, you bastards, what are you doing? Get lost!”

When he shouted with his accent twisting at the end, the thugs immediately apologized, saying “Sorry,” and disappeared down the stairs. They must have been indeed connected to the yakuza.

If that was the case, then this ending was perhaps fortunate. Yukito let out a small sigh and bowed his head.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. Please enjoy your time.”

As Yukito was about to leave after greeting in Japanese, someone grabbed his arm tightly. Yukito frowned involuntarily as he turned his head and met the man’s gaze once more. He swallowed hard again.

Since he started working in Kabukicho at Mama’s suggestion, Yukito had encountered some of the most notorious thugs from Korea, China, and Japan. Early on, there were times when his temper flared, nearly escalating situations. But even then, he hadn’t felt as tense as he did now. Rather, if anything, his blood would boil.

What is it?

Why is this guy looking at me with that kind of gaze?

Even on a smartphone screen, his face was enough to make people tense, but seeing him in person was a bit overwhelming. Yukito felt his heart pounding as if it had moved into his arm, which was being held by the man.

The man twisted his lips strangely, but there was no sense that he was smiling.

Yukito knew he didn’t have a gentle appearance himself. However, the man in front of him was on a completely different level from just being sharp-looking.

His gaze seemed like it could drag someone down to the bottom of a pitch-black swamp. The moment the thugs mentioned his gaze, it all made sense. Yukito felt a chill down his neck, like facing a beast that could snuff out your breath.

As the goosebumps spread from his neck to his arm and back of his hand, the urge to flee followed. He tried to shake off the gripped arm, but he couldn’t. The man had tightened his grip even more.

Stepping closer to the stiffened Yukito, the man opened his mouth in a distinctly gentlemanly tone.

“Can I order another bottle of alcohol?”

✽ ✽ ✽

After politely greeting the man whose tone was courteous but whose gaze was anything but, Yukito followed his command. There was no need to provoke him by doing something foolish in this situation.

“I told you he’s a big spender.”

As soon as they descended to the lower floor, the manager was grinning. He seemed in high spirits because of the foreign big spender who had ordered the most expensive royal set in the club.

“Mr. Saito, do you know who that guy is?”

Yukito asked the manager, who seemed to have completely forgotten how close they had come to a bloody mess upstairs.

“I know he’s incredibly rich. Ah, since it’s prepared, you, Yukito, take the alcohol up.”

“What?”

Yukito didn’t hide his sour expression.

“I’m a guard, not a waiter.”

“Come on, go and apologize for the thugs causing trouble. Okay? He’s Korean, after all. It’ll be better if a compatriot goes.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t curse. I’ll give you more money.”

Understanding Korean perfectly, the manager patted Yukito’s back before moving away busily. It was past midnight, peak time, and there were plenty of troublemakers.

Behind the manager, who was moving quickly to deal with foreigners who were getting annoyed due to communication issues, Yukito sighed deeply. He then rubbed his short-cropped hair and walked towards the bar. Since he was promised more money, he couldn’t really complain.

“Excuse me for a moment!”

With employees wearing daring outfits, Yukito entered the man’s room.

“Thank you for your order!”

“Merry Christmas!”

Among the lively greetings from the employees, Yukito stood there, unable to hide his awkward expression.

Holding the champagne set with fireworks in both hands was Yukito’s role, while the other employees were there to fan the flames. Although there was only one customer in the room, making it a bit awkward, the club staff were indeed professionals.

“If your friend is running late, should we call some of our regular customers? Or should we keep you company?”

“What’s the girl in the black bikini saying?”

The man finally broke his silence, snapping his lighter. He seemed not to speak Japanese at all, so the question was directed at only one person. The female employee in a bunny girl outfit gave Yukito a pleading look, and he had no choice but to speak to the man.

“If you’d like to be accompanied by someone, please let us know.”

“Ah, are you offering to hook me up?”

The man bit his cigarette lightly, giving a slight smile.

“…Yes.”

While answering, Yukito felt his face heat up. Honestly, the man looked like someone who didn’t need others to go out of their way to find him a partner. He seemed like the type who could go out, wrap his arm around someone he liked, and pull them into his embrace if he wanted to.

✽ ✽ ✽

“If I want, can you arrange anyone for me?”

“We will do our best to accommodate your needs, sir.”

Yukito bowed his head, trying to sound as polite as possible. Given the amount of money this man had spent while smoking just one cigarette here, this was the right thing to say.

“You look like you don’t want to make any effort at all.”

The man sneered at Yukito. Yukito swallowed hard, trying to suppress the surge of frustration as the man continued speaking.

“You seem quite irritated. I just want to drink quietly.”

The fireworks from the champagne Yukito was holding had already gone out. Yukito welcomed the man’s intention internally, placed the alcohol on the table, and turned around.

“Ms. Mari, Ms. Emi, I think we can leave now.”

“But…”

Mari blinked her large eyes, looking a bit troubled. Yukito lowered his voice to reassure her.

“Clearly, he’s a troublemaker. He said he wants to be alone, so let’s leave quickly.”

Whispering in Japanese, the employees nodded. Even though the foreign customer was strikingly handsome, there was an instinctive sense of danger emanating from him.

“Then, enjoy your time.”

“Where are you going?”

As Yukito was about to leave after bowing, the man’s voice sharply hit his back.

“You asked us to leave…”

“You said you’d arrange for company.”

This damn guy, changing his mind like this.

“Ah, yes.”

Yukito clenched and then unclenched his fist. The man looked at him with amusement and nodded his chin.

“Then you should sit.”

“Excuse me?”

Yukito frowned as if he hadn’t heard correctly, but the man’s expression didn’t change as he continued.

“I want you to sit next to me.”

Mari, who had placed the cake on the table, opened the bar’s door and gave Yukito a look that asked if he was okay. Her expression showed concern for him, seemingly caught by a real troublemaker.

“I’m fine.”

Yukito, who was far from fine, said the opposite and sent the employees away. Of course, he intended to get well compensated for this situation from the manager.

As the thick door closed, silence enveloped them. In the well-insulated room, the thumping music from the club was barely audible, sounding like it came from far away.

Instead, cameras were scanning the club thoroughly. It was a setup where VIPs could discreetly tip a waiter for matchmaking.

A classic but still effective method. The second floor of this place certainly had something that provoked people, be it money, charm, or violence.

“Do I have to pour the drinks myself?”

The man gestured towards the four bottles of champagne in front of him.

“…Since you’ve sent all the staff away.”

“Then what are you?”

Yukito, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, felt a different kind of emotion from earlier as the man stared at him intensely. Something hot rose inside him again, making his heart beat faster.

This wasn’t out of fear. It was something more primal… If he had to name it, perhaps anger?

No, the feeling that made his stomach churn and his hands sweaty was different from the anger he felt when dealing with an arrogant neighbor in his apartment. It was more like something boiling within. An odd sense of defeat even before any fight.

Of course, this feeling made no sense since the man was a famous, wealthy gangster on the news, while he was just a club security guard.

As Yukito bit his lip to suppress this strange feeling, the man added fuel to the fire.

“Aren’t you the manager rather than an employee?”

This damn bastard, really.

Yukito barely swallowed the curse that threatened to escape and approached the table to pick up the champagne.

Come to think of it, he had dealt with ruder customers before, yet he seemed to be reacting particularly sensitively this time. Perhaps it was because of the shame of having pleasured himself while looking at this man.

Yukito’s hands were indifferent but natural as he peeled off the gold foil, twisted the wire, and popped the cork with a “bang.” Although he had never poured champagne before, his hands moved instinctively.

He filled the flute glasses that came with the ice bucket. As he was about to put the bottle back in the bucket, the man bent down, took the bottle from his hand, and filled another empty glass to the brim. It was for Yukito.

Holding a glass of champagne where bubbles were rising, the man silently looked at Yukito.

Instead of picking up the glass, Yukito bit his lips. No matter how much he compromised, there was no reason for him to drink amiably with a man he had just met today. He wasn’t a host, and he certainly wasn’t sociable enough to clink glasses with a creepy guy, whether he was a gangster or a tycoon.

Moreover, his body was still tense from the pheromone scent he had caught earlier.

Fortunately, the man had completely masked the scent while dealing with him, but this only brought new worries for Yukito. He wondered if the imprint with someone he didn’t even know might finally be breaking.

“Once the imprinted partner dies, Mr. Yukito will be able to react normally to pheromones. The pheromones of an alpha will become very alluring.”

Whenever he thought about it, the doctor’s unpleasant voice and smell came back to him, making him frown. Instead of reacting to this man’s pheromones, he desperately hoped that his imprint partner, whose face he didn’t even know, would live long and not die.

Instead of clinking glasses with the man, Yukito downed his drink in one gulp and put the empty glass down.

“If you need someone to drink comfortably with, I can recommend a good bar. The owner there has a strong tolerance for alcohol and is quite talkative.”

The man chuckled deeply, sounding amused. Was it just paranoia that he looked irritated while laughing?

“How do you know the owner has a strong tolerance and is talkative?”

“He’s my friend.”

“Friend?”

The man repeated Yukito’s word in his mouth with a strange expression, laughing.

“Ha ha, this is crazy. Fuck…”

Damn bastard, that’s what I should be saying.

Yukito suppressed the urge to snap back sharply by biting his tongue.

The man’s chest visibly expanded and contracted under his perfectly tailored dress shirt. He clearly chose this fit to intimidate others with his size.

As the man finally finished his drink, Yukito, as if waiting, greeted him. Having served him drinks and shared a drink, he figured his duty was done.

“Then, enjoy your time.”

“Sit.”

The man commanded in a voice devoid of any humor.

Yukito’s sharp eyebrows twitched as he bowed his head. Various thoughts raced through his mind.

Should I just curse him out and leave?

He’d lose his job at the club, but he could find another one, so it didn’t matter. But then he remembered the yakuza from the next room who had greeted this man so respectfully, making him reconsider.

Seeing Mama, who had been paying tribute to the yakuza they had helped a decade ago, still being tormented by them, Yukito realized it was best not to get involved with them.

“Stop messing around.”

The man’s intentions were clear as he spoke to Yukito standing at the edge of the smooth velvet sofa. Yukito eventually moved closer to the man as he wanted.

If all the man wanted was someone to serve him drinks, Yukito decided he would pour until the bottle was empty and then be done. At the same time, thinking about this damn club that was working him to the bone, he considered quitting. But just as he was about to sit next to the man, his arm was suddenly pulled.

As the man pulled Yukito across the table and made him sit on his lap facing him, Yukito felt like a volcano was erupting inside him.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The man, who had once again stolen the words Yukito wanted to say, grabbed his back. His voice, coming from those fiery eyes, was chillingly split.

Seeing the man’s eyes sizzling, Yukito felt an unpleasant sensation as if someone was squeezing his heart. When he felt the hard erection between his thighs, he felt like he was going mad.

“Excuse me, sir, but I am not a host.”

Yukito managed to say through gritted teeth.

“…I told you not to mess around. There’s a limit to my patience.”

When the man slid his hand from Yukito’s back to firmly grasp his buttocks, Yukito couldn’t hold back anymore. At his limit, Yukito grabbed the man’s wrist, his eyes blazing blue, and cursed in Japanese.

“You perverted bastard. If you keep this up, I’ll kill you…!”

It was then that the man, who had been staring into Yukito’s eyes, grabbed the back of his head and pressed their lips together.

✽ ✽ ✽

Yukito, unable to push him away, widened his eyes in shock. The man’s tongue, tasting of champagne, forced its way between his parted lips. Like a mad snake, his tongue darted around, quickly finding Yukito’s recoiling tongue and rubbing against it.

Saliva pooled at the roots of Yukito’s molars almost instantly, and the man, as if waiting for this, eagerly sucked on his tongue, drinking the saliva.

“Ugh…! Mmph…!”

His nose, never broken in his life, was now being crushed against the man’s. The man deepened the angle of the kiss, sucking on Yukito. One hand held his head in place while the other kneaded his buttocks mercilessly.

“Ah, ugh…!”

The suffocating kiss sent a flush through Yukito’s entire body. His strength drained from his fingertips to his toes, leaving him utterly confused. More confusing than being kissed by a pervert was his own body responding to the sloppy, relentless kissing.

The shameful feeling of his buttocks being manipulated made Yukito barely suppress the release of his pheromones.

“Who am I?”

The man, who had left Yukito’s lips wet, whispered in a hoarse voice while gripping his head. Yukito, trying to regain his breath, shook his head vigorously. The string of saliva connecting their lips clearly showed how messy the kiss had been.

Fuck… What’s this feeling? It’s like there was a similar moment before, a very unpleasant feeling.

His head throbbed painfully for a moment, making Yukito frown. Believing there was no way that could be true, he sharply retorted while trying to keep his sanity.

“I don’t know who you are, but what you’re doing right now is definitely sexual harassment.”

“What the fuck?”

The man looked like he might sneer with his high-bridged nose, but instead, he sealed Yukito’s mouth with his own again. As if to return the word “harassment” back into Yukito’s mouth, his touch became even more intense.

Yukito couldn’t even keep his mind straight under the man’s rough and vulgar caresses. What drove him mad was that his body was obediently responding to this stranger’s harassment.

“You really don’t know me?”

Lying back against the red velvet sofa, Yukito frowned at the man who had just pinned him down.

Perhaps he took pride in his fame, but did that justify behaving like this to a mere security guard from across the sea?

Despite his irritation at the man’s arrogance, the faint alpha pheromones emanating from him tickled Yukito’s insides. Even his mouth, stirred by the man’s tongue, and his kissed lips seemed to carry his scent.

“Sir.”

Yukito, hands on either side of the man’s head, exhaled sharply, his face contorted.

“I’m sorry, but sex is prohibited in the room.”

Of course, that was a lie. VIPs were allowed to do whatever they wanted in the rooms.

“…If you keep pissing me off, I might really do something to you.”

The man murmured through gritted teeth while looking at him. Yukito swallowed hard and thought for a moment. Could I overpower this guy with force? The odds were fifty-fifty, either winning or losing, but the thought of what would happen if he lost cleared his mind.

Having made his decision, Yukito calmly spoke to persuade him.

“If you want to go, let’s go to a hotel.”

At his words, the man’s expression changed oddly. The emotion that mixed with surprise was clearly excitement, a glossy, aroused excitement. This damn horny bastard.

Yukito, trying to reassure the man, met his eyes while pressing the microphone on his shirt collar.

“Mr. Saito, it’s Yukito. Can I leave work early?”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Yukito. Yukito felt like he was being scrutinized under a microscope. There was nothing to find even if he dug deep inside…

Suddenly, a thought crossed Yukito’s mind, snapping him back to reality.

― Don’t talk nonsense, Yukito. Is this the time for jokes?

The manager snapped irritably in his ear. Yukito responded with a “Yes, thank you,” and then pulled away his wet lips to look at the man.

“…So, shall we go?”

The man slowly pulled away from his body. His eyes were still burning with desire, but his expression was complicated. Was he suspicious of the sudden change in attitude?

“I’m busy, but I got special permission.”

Yukito forced a smile, trying to suppress the feeling of his heart tightening. In response, the man’s face, which had been staring at him in a trance, changed even more oddly.

“…Are you serious?”

What the hell does that mean, you bastard?

Yukito swung the champagne bottle at the man’s head, where he seemed to have lost his mind. Unfortunately, the man dodged just in time, so the bottle didn’t shatter his head, but it at least gave Yukito a chance to escape.

After hitting the man’s shoulder with the blunt bottle, Yukito dashed out of the room. He ran down the stairs like he was flying, and the manager waved at him.

“Yukito! I’m dying here, now…”

“Bathroom.”

“What?”

“Or do you want me to shit in my pants?”

After a quick gesture to the manager, who was glaring at him to hurry back, he headed towards the back door of the club. Outside, he grabbed one of the jackets left by people on guard duty and quickly slipped away.

“Fuck…”

Was this goodbye to this place? After throwing his earphones, microphone, and walkie-talkie into a corner of the alley, Yukito hurried towards home.

The thought that suddenly crossed his mind while looking at the man who had pinned him down was the intuition that this wasn’t just a lust-driven gangster but someone with a dirty past connection to him.

The reason he felt odd and the man’s gaze had been bothering him was because the man looked at him as if he knew him.

Given the man’s behavior, staring at him with a face that looked like he could eat him alive, it was undeniable.

Five years ago, when he was found wandering on a mountain road by Mama, he was told he looked pitiful. Today, he and the thugs who couldn’t even stand up to the yakuza might have been in the same situation.

“…”

Feeling anxious, Yukito licked his dry lips, thinking about the tattoos and knife scars that adorned his body.

It seemed, as Mama often said when drunk, that he must have owed a huge debt to the yakuza or had run away after causing trouble.

Considering one of the yakuza’s methods of revenge is making the other feel immense shame, it made sense why the man pinned him down instead of attacking with a knife right away. Perhaps he was… one of the underlings who had even given his body to him.

“Damn.”

If that was the case, it explained why he had fled in such a disgraceful state. It also made sense why he tried to commit suicide out of fear of being caught and from a nervous breakdown.

Feeling like he had found a piece of the lost puzzle, Yukito first turned off his loudly ringing phone.

He thought of Saito, the manager, going ballistic, but in a situation where his life and dignity were on the line, that wasn’t important.

Mama.

Next, Mama came to mind. His steps towards 3-Chome stopped abruptly. In front of the game center where electronic sounds were blaring, he bit his lips.

Mama was already in a state of exhaustion, even without him. There was no need to add another Korean gangster to the group of yakuza who came monthly for tribute.

He went into the game center’s bathroom to wash his hands, realizing they were trembling.

The sudden appearance of a trace from his past was making him this tense, like weeds growing through cracks in the wall.

After splashing cold water on his face, Yukito stared at the mirror, quickly organizing his thoughts. He had given all the money left after buying suppressants and groceries to Mama, so his wallet now only held about 2,000 yen, which was a tip from a drunk customer a few days ago.

His next paycheck wasn’t due until the new year, and he couldn’t go back to the manager to ask for payment for the week he had already worked. 2,000 yen was far from enough to take a Shinkansen out of Tokyo.

“Huh…”

He had no choice but to turn his phone back on. He called the number that Ali, a regular at Mama’s bar, had forced upon him. Ali didn’t pick up.

This doesn’t work either.

Just as he was about to leave in disappointment, his phone rang.

“Yukito, you scared me!”

Ali’s Japanese, mixed with a foreign accent, burst through the speaker. Yukito took a deep breath before asking him.

“Could I participate in a match if I come now?”

It was the only way to get quick cash in this situation.