#46
Hayun’s pupils, which had been staring intently at Idam, shook as if an earthquake had struck. Then, with a face like a detective interrogating a suspect, he leaned forward. His gaze fixed on Idam’s neck.
“What’s this bruise on your nape?”
“Huh?”
Idam unconsciously touched his nape, then realized his mistake. Having left in a hurry, he was in his homewear, which had a low neckline exposing his nape. It was a mess from Taemin biting and sucking every day. He hurriedly tried to cover it with his palm, but it was already imprinted in Hayun’s eyes.
“It’s shocking that you have a sponsor… But many people ruin their lives by getting the wrong sponsor. Who are you involved with?”
“Just a nice person.”
Hayun was already extremely negative about Taemin, and if he knew this fact, it would surely cause an uproar. So Idam gave a vague answer. But Hayun’s expression became more serious, as if Idam’s reaction was even more suspicious.
“Didn’t you say last time that you’d only work for a week?”
“That was the plan, but circumstances changed and the contract was extended.”
“So when does it expire?”
“Ah, well…”
Idam couldn’t answer easily.
‘I told you. Until he gets bored.’
It was an indefinite period that depended solely on Taemin’s whim. It could be tomorrow or years later. Moreover, once he got bored, Idam would disappear from this world. Really, why was his life like this?
“Looks like you’ve gotten yourself tangled up with a weird bastard…”
The perceptive Hayun seemed to have grasped Idam’s current situation to some extent. So Idam tried hard to deny it, worried that Hayun would be concerned.
“No, that’s not it. I’m doing well. I’m eating well too…”
“Sure, you’ve gained more weight than before. Your complexion looks better too. But what does that matter if you’re being abused?”
“It’s not abuse. This is…”
“I know. Exactly what it is. But aren’t you being forced?”
No matter how much Idam tried to cover it up like fallen leaves, the truth seemed visible to Hayun’s eyes.
“Yeo Idam. How much money exactly did you borrow from this sponsor?”
“Why?”
“Just tell me.”
Hayun asked again with a serious expression. Idam felt his throat go dry as he watched Hayun cautiously. He could tell the amount, but what mattered was the intention behind the question. If his guess was correct, he needed to hide it. As Idam stepped back, Hayun pressed on, as if determined not to let him go.
“Tell me either who’s sponsoring you or the amount. At least one of those. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“…”
“I’m just worried about you.”
Hayun took Idam’s hand. He looked like a parent who had left their child by the water’s edge. Idam thought that if their positions were reversed, he would have felt hurt if Hayun was clearly involved with a dangerous person but kept trying to hide it. However, he couldn’t reveal Taemin’s existence, so he carefully mentioned the amount.
“350 million won.”
“I thought so.”
Hayun responded calmly, as if he had expected this amount. Then he gently released Idam’s hand.
“The thing is, I recently came into quite a bit of money. So, how about I pay off that 350 million to that person with my money, and you get out of there?”
Idam’s eyes widened like saucers at Hayun’s shocking proposal.
“Where did you get such a large sum of money?”
Hayun had started working earlier than his peers, and unlike Idam, he hadn’t had any major expenses like his mother’s surgery. Instead, Hayun liked to indulge in luxuries and spent quite a bit on entertainment. Moreover, it wasn’t common for a salaried worker in their early 20s to come into hundreds of millions of won in a short period.
“I quit Pungjeobcho. I got a pretty hefty severance pay.”
“What? What kind of severance pay amounts to hundreds of millions?”
“That’s how hard I worked to earn it.”
Suddenly, Idam remembered learning through Heo Jitae that Hayun had been servicing customers under the name Haru. It wasn’t ordinary serving, but work that a male omega could do. In other words, prostitution. Thinking about it this way, the amount made sense.
“But… but…”
After all, it was still Hayun’s money.
“I’m not just giving it to you. You can pay me back slowly.”
“…”
“I don’t want to see you suffering.”
Rationally speaking, paying back Hayun’s money would be easier in many ways than paying back Taemin’s. He wouldn’t have to endure Taemin’s brutal sex every day or tremble in fear of when he might die. In fact, Heo Jitae and Ji Taemin were no different. However, relying on such a large sum from Hayun made him feel too guilty to accept easily.
“If it’s hard to decide now, think about it and let me know.”
Seeing Idam hesitate, Hayun stepped back a bit in his response.
“Ah. Okay.”
It was too hefty an amount to simply accept. It was also money he couldn’t repay even if he worked his entire life. He wanted to be cautious.
“After paying off that money, let’s go live in Jeju Island together. I’m planning to leave Seoul now. I can’t take it anymore with this weird guy constantly bothering me.”
“Is the stalker troubling you a lot?”
“No, it’s not life-threatening, but it’s annoying. Think about it carefully. I…”
Just as Hayun was about to finish his sentence, the front door began to shake, and then a loud bang filled the living room. At the same time, outside air was felt. Soon, the sound of shoes hitting the ground was heard, and a shadow fell over Idam.
“It’s been 20 minutes.”
It was Taemin.
“Ji… Ji Taemin…”
Hayun’s pupils dilated as if he had encountered a monster. Idam was also shocked, not expecting Taemin to appear like this. Moreover, it seemed too early to say 20 minutes had passed, so he checked his phone. Indeed, only 15 minutes had passed. He thought this was quite unreasonable.
“Get up now.”
Taemin ordered coldly with a stern face.
“…”
Idam, who had no choice but to obey Taemin’s dominance, stood up with teary eyes and approached him. Taemin then wrapped around Idam like a predator and embraced him, as if declaring to Hayun that Idam was his possession.
“Ha…”
Hayun looked at the two of them, seemingly dumbfounded by the scene. To anyone watching, Taemin was clearly in control, and Idam was accepting whatever Taemin did without being able to move an inch.
“I wondered who was sponsoring Idam… So it was you.”
“Ah, the omega smell is fucking awful.”
Taemin’s sharp voice pierced Idam’s ear. He wondered if Taemin was talking about him, but Idam was currently controlling his pheromones. Moreover, Taemin was always desperate to smell Idam’s pheromones. Idam was puzzled why Taemin was acting like this, but the question was soon answered. A gloomy pheromone was leaking from Hayun.
Taemin frowned and lifted Idam in his arms. This brought their faces close, their noses almost touching. Immediately, Taemin kissed Idam.
“Gasp. Don’t… don’t do this.”
Idam hurriedly turned his head away. It was one thing to show this in front of Hayun, but kissing was crossing the line. This made Taemin’s eyes even sharper. He immediately turned his back on Hayun and headed for the entrance without hesitation.
Feeling awkward about leaving like this, Idam repeatedly gestured to Hayun over Taemin’s shoulder that he would call later. Hayun, who had witnessed Taemin’s sudden kiss, looked surprised but soon nodded.
As they came out of the entrance, Secretary Kang and other employees were lined up. Taemin glanced at Secretary Kang with a somewhat tired face.
“Put that front door back to its original state.”
“Understood.”
Secretary Kang bowed obediently. Taemin immediately went down the stairs.
* * *
Outside the villa building, Taemin practically shoved Idam into the back seat of a sedan. Then he sat next to him.
“When I told you to cut off contact with the outside world, that included not just phone calls but also acting like this.”
“…”
“So who gave you permission to run away on your own?”
Taemin’s voice had sunk coldly. Idam, already frightened, felt even more tearful from the sense of injustice. He felt like he might burst into tears at any moment, but he tried hard to hold back by biting his lip.
“Today… I overheard other employees talking. They said Hayun… keeps calling my phone. It seemed like something had happened, so I contacted him using the phone you gave me.”
“You remembered your friend’s number?”
“Yes…”
Idam nodded.
Taemin quietly looked at Idam. Feeling pressured, Idam hunched his shoulders tightly. Is he going to cut off my ears for eavesdropping? Idam’s complexion instantly turned pale. Eventually, Taemin caressed Idam’s ear. His fingers were engraved with hot heat.
“Your ears are unnecessarily sharp…”
As if reading Idam’s mind, Taemin’s touch began to apply pressure. Idam trembled.
“So after talking to your friend, you missed him and came?”
“No, that’s not it. My friend said he was being troubled by a stalker. But during the call, he suddenly screamed, so I was worried and came to check.”
“But when I saw, he was comfortably sitting and drinking strawberry juice…”
Taemin’s voice grew increasingly irritated.
“It turns out I had misunderstood.”
Idam’s heart pounded. Each of Taemin’s breaths felt like it was constricting his lungs. Frightened, Idam’s lips moved like a fish’s.
“I’m sorry… CEO…”
Gradually, Taemin’s face came closer. His blue eyes were staring intently at Idam’s tearful face.
“I was just so worried about Hayun, so… mmph.”
Before Idam could finish speaking, Taemin’s lips forcefully covered Idam’s.
