36.
“Don’t you like it?”
No, I don’t, you bastard. Of all things, why bet the body? Yu Jin sighed deeply.
“What’s your definition of ‘body’?”
Is it really this physical body that you want?
“To be precise, if you betray me, you’ll stay by my side for life.”
The contents of the contract were as follows: In Jinhyeon’s case, he would somehow get his hands on the back alley and make it profitable for Yu Jin. And Yu Jin would provide everything necessary for Jinhyeon’s activities. But if he breaks that, he has to stay by his side for life? It sounded like he was saying he’d keep him by his side forever and torment him. He could run away breaking the contract, but in that case, he would suffer terrible pain.
Yu Jin’s pupils trembled. He carefully read the contract again. It was a contract that was disadvantageous to Jinhyeon in many ways, but somehow he had an ominous feeling and reviewed the contract several times. Only then did he reach a conclusion.
“Alright, let’s make the contract.”
“Yu Jin!”
“Yu Jin, that’s not right.”
“That’s not okay.”
Keith and Haruna tried to dissuade Yu Jin. But sometimes you had to move forward even knowing it was dangerous. This was that time.
“It’s okay. If everything goes according to the contract, there’s no loss.”
Yu Jin also knew about magic contracts. A contract with absolute effect, enhanced by divine grace. So he decided to trust it. The process of writing the contract wasn’t as complicated as he thought, but it took a long time. Originally, you would fill in the contents on parchment and then press your fingerprint with blood-stained fingers, but Keith and Haruna reviewed it several times in between.
When the two were about to let it pass as okay, Jinhyeon would challenge it. By the time both sides had created content they were satisfied with, even Yu Jin, who was watching from the side, was tired.
“Is it all done now?”
“Yes, it’s all done.”
Only after Keith and Haruna vouched for it could Yu Jin draw blood with a needle. When he pressed it firmly onto the parchment with his thumb, a bright light flashed and then faded.
“Contract completed.”
With this, Jinhyeon and Yu Jin became bound by contract.
Let’s see. Now that Jinhyeon would move in the back alley according to the contract, he had to think of ways to support him. And he also needed to find a teacher to teach Jinhyeon, there was a lot to do.
‘Now my peaceful daily life is over.’
Yu Jin unconsciously sighed. While they were arguing over the contract, Yu Jin was thinking of something else. Staying cooped up in the mansion and living leisurely was such a happy time, but could he continue to live like that in the future?
‘No.’
No matter how secretly they moved, someone would notice the changes in the back alley. Then of course they would look for who was behind it, and Yu Jin’s existence could be revealed. If that fact was discovered in such a precarious situation as now, everyone would be in danger.
Because the people of Lucid hated Yu Jin. At least his father wasn’t hostile to Yu Jin, but that was it. He wouldn’t offer much help even if Yu Jin was in danger.
‘Then I need to disguise myself again.’
Originally, Yu Jin was called the scoundrel of Lucid. The nickname ‘scoundrel’ was humiliating, but he knew it could sometimes be helpful. That’s why Yu Jin had been ruining himself since childhood.
So, it’s the revival of Lucid’s scoundrel youngest son!
Yu Jin first called in a merchant to the mansion. Then he bought a lot of accessories similar to the ones he used to enjoy wearing. He also refilled the liquor cellar that he hadn’t touched and made schedules. While he had been idle, invitations from here and there had piled up, so there were many places to go.
Although every one of them had impure intentions, he had to prepare himself.
After dressing up properly for the first time in a long while and looking in the mirror, he felt strange. His hair, carefully combed down using perfumed oil, looked like threads spun from gold, and the sparkling ornaments made his white skin stand out. He looked almost like an angel, but he couldn’t be satisfied with just this.
“It doesn’t look decadent enough.”
It’s embarrassing to say it himself, but originally Yu Jin was someone who had a decadent angel-like feel. It was because an outstanding appearance was inhabited by a broken mind. But after remembering his past life and coming to his senses, it was difficult to recreate that decadent feeling.
He tried squinting his eyes sharply and pouting his lips, but he couldn’t get the feeling he wanted. How on earth should I do this? As he was doing this in front of the mirror for a while, he felt a presence behind him. Startled, Yu Jin jumped like a rabbit on the spot.
“Yu Jin. Is it really necessary to go this far?”
Keith, who had somehow appeared behind him, asked with a dark face.
“It is. You know too, don’t you? That it’s best for me to step up.”
People don’t easily suspect a broken scoundrel.
“But it’s hard for you. You were just starting to change.”
Keith’s words were filled with affection and concern. Liking that, Yu Jin smiled slightly.
“It’s okay.”
Everyone else is working hard, so I should do something too. Yu Jin approached Keith and firmly held his trembling hand. Then Keith’s trembling subsided. But his pained expression remained the same.
How did the old Yu Jin endure with someone so tender-hearted? He was a real scoundrel back then. Just thinking about it made him feel grateful.
“Brother, thank you.”
If it weren’t for Keith and Haruna, the current Yu Jin wouldn’t exist either. Knowing this, Yu Jin expressed his feelings in words. Keith listened to those words silently and then carefully embraced Yu Jin. Being in his strong arms made him feel secure.
‘Alright, let’s do this well.’
Yu Jin resolved once again.
A few days passed.
“Ugh.”
Yu Jin had realized one thing.
‘Pretending to be a scoundrel isn’t easy either.’
The first place he decided to go was a banquet at a baron’s house. The baron was someone who lived extravagantly with the wealth inherited from the previous generation, but due to his generous nature, his reputation in the neighborhood wasn’t bad.
‘In reality, he’s a pervert though.’
Perhaps because of this, the intentions of those gathered here weren’t very wholesome either. On the surface, it was a place to taste various alcohols and discuss them, but once people got a bit drunk, they would find their way to the lounge and engage in lewd acts.
‘At least it’s fortunate that they maintain some minimum standards.’
Even in this world, those without any standards would commit unimaginably terrible acts, but compared to that, the baron was on the better side. That’s why Keith allowed Yu Jin to come here.
“It’s been so long! I’ve sent you invitations so many times.”
The mansion’s owner, the baron, welcomed Yu Jin. Yes, to be honest, he had been intimate with him before too. He couldn’t remember properly because he had been too drunk, but judging from what happened after he woke up, they must have done the deed.
“Welcome. We just got some wine from the Bella region. You know Bella, right? That famous place.”
The baron handed Yu Jin a glass filled with wine.
As Yu Jin moistened his lips with the wine in the clear glass, the baron’s eyes changed. The gaze filled with desire wasn’t welcome, but he knew he needed to attract attention now. Yu Jin smiled and licked his lips with his tongue. He knew how to make people show more interest and approach him.
“You’re right, Baron. It’s really delicious.”
He exhaled softly and rubbed his cheek with his hand. They are ugly beasts. If you show a weak spot, they can’t resist and dig into it, biting. And now was that time. The baron’s hand that approached touched Yu Jin’s arm and in a moment, wrapped around his waist. For a moment, his expression almost crumbled with disgust. The clingy attitude was too sticky for someone who wasn’t even a lover.
“I have better alcohol prepared in my room.”
He used to endure it well before, but strangely, he felt nauseous now. To hide it, he raised his glass to his lips, but he didn’t want to drink. Yu Jin secretly bit the soft flesh inside his mouth.
‘You’ve been doing well so far.’
Even if he remembered his past life, it’s not like his current memories had disappeared. But why did it feel so horrible now? It felt like bugs were crawling on his skin. As Yu Jin stood there without answering, the baron grew impatient.
“It’s a flavor you like. You like sweet things, don’t you?”
That’s right. Yu Jin thought blankly. Actually, he didn’t like alcohol. When he first drank it, he almost spat it out. Then he learned that alcohol could have taste. Among them, sweet alcohol was quite drinkable. After drinking like that and getting drunk, it was okay to drink any alcohol after that. As they say, alcohol calls for more alcohol, the taste of everything was masked by drunkenness.
No, it wasn’t just the taste that was masked. The numerous sexual encounters that had happened. Those sexual encounters were masked along with it. If other people touched his body recklessly, if they desired him, it was okay if it was with alcohol.
‘A kind of blackout.’
Yu Jin’s memory would cut off if he drank alcohol beyond a certain point. So even though his body had been around a lot, he didn’t know much more than expected. He would instinctively get excited when someone touched him, but that was it.
‘I feel sick.’
As time passed, people other than the baron also clung to him. He frowned as he could no longer manage his expression, but they didn’t care at all. They just kept offering Yu Jin more alcohol and groping his body.
