“……”
“Originally, I wouldn’t lend even a single won of my precious money to people like that, you know? But why did I lend it? It was because of our Yeonwoo.”
As the loan shark approached Yeonwoo, he swallowed nervously and quickly backed away. But it was just a wall and a corner behind him. Despite having nowhere further to retreat, Yeonwoo kept backing up. Undeterred by Yeonwoo’s actions, the loan shark maintained his characteristic sluggish smile and reached out his hand. When his fingers finally touched Yeonwoo’s cheek, Yeonwoo grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. Regardless, the loan shark exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, look at this skin. Must be because you’re young, but it’s white and soft like a boiled egg. Even among prime omegas, you rarely find skin this smooth. I’ve caught a real prize.”
Though he had been treated like merchandise by Lee Jonghoon before, this was different. Perhaps there existed a lower depth than he had imagined. Yeonwoo struggled to move his lips.
“I… I didn’t do it. That person borrowed the money, and he’s not going to pay it back.”
Would it have been less unfair if he’d actually handled the 30 billion? No, it would have been the same. Yeonwoo had repeatedly insisted that this had nothing to do with him and asked to be sent home.
“Then how did you pay your father’s hospital bills? Did you dig it up from the ground? All the money our Yeonwoo spent after coming to Seoul, I provided all of it.”
“……”
“The boss took 30 billion separately, plus separate payments for Yeonwoo’s living expenses and hospital bills. All those regular payments to the hospital came from my pocket. I specially put them in under our Yeonwoo’s name. Because from now on, we’re practically family.”
The loan shark’s upturned corners of his mouth seemed to stab at Yeonwoo’s eyes as he snickered, finding something amusing. He seemed to continue talking afterward, but Yeonwoo couldn’t hear properly. His ears felt muffled, his heart was racing wildly, and he couldn’t breathe well.
Seeing Yeonwoo’s condition, the loan shark chuckled, thinking the shock must have been significant for the boy. Then turning around, he exchanged a few words with someone, and several burly men approached. Yeonwoo shrank away from their grip on his arms, trying to push them away like they had done with Lee Jonghoon earlier. But the hands that held his arms like shackles couldn’t be shaken off no matter what he tried. Still not giving up, he continued trying to lift and drop his arms repeatedly, which elicited sneers. He vaguely heard someone say, “Kid, don’t waste your strength. You’ll need it soon.”
Whether because of those words or something else, suddenly all strength drained from his body.
With both arms held, Yeonwoo was moved upstairs. The place they arrived at had proper flooring and wallpaper, and even a bed. But that was all. The windows had iron bars densely fixed on them. Seeing the darkness beyond them, Yeonwoo blinked slowly.
“……”
After bringing Yeonwoo inside, the men conversed among themselves. Occasionally, Yeonwoo’s name came up.
They said things like their Yeonwoo was a premium grade among all those who had come in so far, that they shouldn’t handle him roughly from the start. He also vaguely heard warnings not to eye him.
Each time, something cold seemed to stir inside him. Repeatedly clenching and unclenching his cold fingertips, Yeonwoo opened his lips and exhaled a long breath.
Now, he finally seemed to understand the situation he was in.
Fear. Of all the complex emotions Yeonwoo was feeling, if he had to sum them up in one word, it would be fear. Until now, he had pretended to be okay, acting as if nothing bothered him, but it was all to hide how frightened he truly was. He felt that if his fear became known, if that too was exposed, he would seem too pathetic. Although he had nothing to boast about to begin with, he didn’t want to become pathetic. He didn’t want to pity himself.
But coming this far, he realized everything had been futile.
A person can be dragged to rock bottom in an instant. Even if you endure alone and grit your teeth, when your will to resist is broken like this…
Feeling the heat rising around his eyes, Yeonwoo took a deep breath. Trying his best to compose his emotions, he blinked rapidly. He didn’t want to cry after coming this far. Just then, there was a commotion around him. Hearing voices saying, “It’s here,” “We put him in the room,” Yeonwoo turned around.
The ones who opened the door and entered were the loan shark from earlier and a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. When the man carrying a bag looked around, the loan shark nodded, confirming it was correct.
Then the man walked past Yeonwoo and sat on a nearby sofa.
“Come over here and sit beside me.”
“……”
What the man took out from his bag were a small medicine bottle and a syringe.
Seeing that, Yeonwoo’s face turned pale in a different way than before, and he looked back at the loan shark. The loan shark smiled, wrinkling his already fierce face.
“Hey, don’t be scared. It’s not what you’re thinking. That’s just something to help you feel good.”
After hearing the explanation, it seemed even stranger. Seeing Yeonwoo standing still without moving an inch, the loan shark maintained his smile and added:
“You’ll feel awful if you’re dragged over and forced to take it.”
The implication was that if Yeonwoo stood his ground, they would drag him over and force him to take the injection anyway.
Yeonwoo hesitantly moved forward. Although he moved as slowly as a turtle, the man didn’t rebuke or say anything about it. The man transferred the drug from the small bottle to the syringe, while the loan shark merely yawned with his arms folded.
The man looked at Yeonwoo approaching and indicated the seat beside him with his chin. Despite Yeonwoo’s pale face and desperate eyes, the man focused only on the task at hand. After biting his lower lip and releasing it, Yeonwoo very slowly sat on the sofa.
“Take off your cardigan and roll up your right sleeve above the elbow.”
Yeonwoo removed just his right arm from the cardigan and rolled up his shirt. The size fit him perfectly, so it didn’t roll up to the elbow, but the man didn’t seem to mind as he grabbed Yeonwoo’s wrist and inserted the sharp needle. As the needle was inserted deeply, Yeonwoo clenched and unclenched his hand at the sting.
Then he looked at the man again, but he had already removed the needle after confirming that all the drug had been administered. After quickly finishing the cleanup, the man picked up his bag and bowed to the loan shark, saying he would be leaving now.
“Alright, doctor, take care. Our boys will escort you home safely.”
The man left without replying, but the loan shark didn’t seem to mind. He watched Yeonwoo, who was lowering his shirt with a stiff face.
“Just stay as you are, why bother putting it back on?”
Yeonwoo acted as if he hadn’t heard and pulled his shirt down to his wrist, then put his arm back into the cardigan. The loan shark, finding Yeonwoo’s meticulous dressing irritating despite it being a small thing, approached slowly. Sitting where the man had been, he called Yeonwoo’s name softly. When Yeonwoo ignored him and turned his head away, the loan shark laughed, thinking he was being coy.
“This behavior, it subtly gets on people’s nerves, doesn’t it? Don’t do that. You’re only making it harder for yourself.”
“……”
“For now, the best strategy is to just lie flat or act cute. Even if your body suffers the same, it’s better to get hit less and receive more pocket money. Don’t you agree?”
Whether because of the injection or from hearing such absurd words right to his face, Yeonwoo’s head throbbed. Seeing Yeonwoo’s rigid expression, the loan shark clicked his tongue and muttered, “Here we go again.” Then he reached for Yeonwoo’s face, but before his hand could touch his cheek, Yeonwoo turned his head away to avoid it. As he tried to stand up, his legs wouldn’t support him.
He staggered but managed to regain his balance and stand straight, yet the back of his neck felt strange. As Yeonwoo clutched the nape of his neck with one hand, feeling a sensation he had never experienced before, the loan shark laughed.
“I told you not to waste your strength.”
The loan shark’s laughing face appeared blurry. Feeling as if something had covered his eyes, Yeonwoo squeezed them shut and opened them again, but it was the same. Feeling heat rushing to his face noticeably, Yeonwoo’s expression hardened.
The loan shark smiled with satisfaction as he saw color returning to Yeonwoo’s pale face.
“Our Yeonwoo, if you just listen well to what uncle says, I’ll take good care of you from now on. So don’t think unnecessary thoughts and focus on paying back the debt quickly. If you’re good to uncle, I’ll even reduce the interest. You’ll learn gradually, but there are countless ways to reduce interest. I’d like to teach you right away, but since you’re all dressed up nicely today, I’ll let it go.”
The loan shark stood up and grabbed Yeonwoo’s forearm. With a grip strong enough to cause pain, Yeonwoo was dragged without being able to resist and thrown onto the bed. This bed was what Yeonwoo had been conscious of since the moment he entered this room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
