40.
As soon as Yu Jin fell asleep, Jinhyeon opened his eyes. There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness left on his face. He was certainly tired from running around for several days, but now he didn’t want to sleep.
“Mmm.”
Yu Jin’s face in his arms looked so peaceful it was annoying. He couldn’t understand what this soft tofu-like face was thinking. Or perhaps, he was the one who didn’t understand.
Yu Jin wasn’t wrong. For Jinhyeon to avoid suspicion while working in the back alleys, Yu Jin needed to live like a scoundrel as before and draw others’ attention. A life of irregular habits, being drunk, and having sex with other people.
Jinhyeon tightened his arms around Yu Jin. Even though he knew it was necessary, the thought of Yu Jin being in contact with others made his insides twist. He tried to endure for a few days, but in the end, he couldn’t bear it and rushed out.
He had managed to leave Sena in charge with his remaining sanity, but he needed to return soon.
‘I’ve guided him in a different direction for now, but…’
He wasn’t sure if this soft tofu could properly act the part of a gambling addict. Surely there wouldn’t be people clinging to him there too? Jinhyeon unknowingly frowned. Even if such people appeared, Yu Jin would probably not take any action in order to maintain his scoundrel image.
‘That damned scoundrel act.’
Jinhyeon took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising anger. It seemed he would need to handle the back alley business as quickly as possible and return. Only then could he keep an eye on Yu Jin.
Embracing the body that was snuggling into him, Jinhyeon made a resolution.
When Yu Jin woke up, the spot next to him was already empty. All that remained was a torn piece of paper with Korean written on it:
[Take care of yourself.]
Looking at it made him smile for some reason. Yu Jin carefully folded the paper, put it away, and got out of bed. As vitality returned to his body that had been listlessly stretched out, he felt hungry.
When he pulled the bell rope, Keith was the first to enter.
“Brother, I’m hungry.”
As Yu Jin said this while rubbing his stomach, Keith’s expression showed relief.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll bring anything.”
“It’s morning, so something light is fine.”
“Alright, I’ll take care of it then.”
As Keith was about to leave to prepare the meal, he suddenly noticed the half-open window.
“Yu Jin, did you open the window?”
The window had been closed when he last saw Yu Jin.
“Yeah, I wanted some fresh air for a moment.”
Keith stared at Yu Jin for a while before closing the window.
“Still, close it when you sleep. What if you catch a cold?”
“Okay. I will.”
Their conversation ended there. But both Yu Jin and Keith felt an awkwardness in it. Yu Jin realized that Keith had noticed his lie, and Keith was aware of this too. However, he didn’t press the issue due to Yu Jin’s unstable state.
“Just wait a bit.”
Keith said to Yu Jin with a gentle smile.
Realizing that he didn’t have to act like before anymore, the food went down smoothly. It even tasted good without making him nauseous.
‘Eating is a good thing.’
Yu Jin ate enthusiastically, as if making up for what he couldn’t eat before. After eating a lot and feeling full, his body relaxed.
“Has your appetite returned now?”
Keith, who had come close, wiped Yu Jin’s mouth corner with his thumb. It seemed he had gotten something on it while eating, but when Yu Jin saw the hand that wiped it naturally heading towards Keith’s mouth, he sat up in alarm.
“Wait!”
Yu Jin frantically grabbed Keith’s hand and scrubbed it with a handkerchief.
“Why would you eat that? It’s dirty!”
“It’s not dirty.”
“It is!”
Keith looked at his now clean hand with regretful eyes.
“Don’t do that from now on. Understand?”
Despite Yu Jin’s firm words, Keith didn’t answer. His averted gaze annoyed Yu Jin, but he didn’t back down. He had slept well last night, and now he was full, so he felt much better.
“Brother.”
Yu Jin called Keith in a languid voice.
“I want to go out again today.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
“No, this time I won’t be visiting banquet halls. I thought I was okay, but I guess I overestimated myself. Going back to how I was before was too scary.”
“…It was scary?”
“I’m okay now.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Keith bit his lip and took a deep breath.
“So, were you scared before too?”
His voice trembled slightly as he asked. Surprised, Yu Jin looked at Keith, but he had lowered his head, so Yu Jin couldn’t see his expression.
‘I made a mistake.’
Yu Jin had hoped that while he threw himself into protecting Keith and Haruna, they wouldn’t notice. Because if they did, these kind people would feel guilty.
‘My perspective was too narrow.’
They already knew the meaning behind Yu Jin’s actions. From the beginning, they were older and wiser than Yu Jin, so of course they would know. They must have wanted to stop him many times.
In fact, Haruna had followed Yu Jin around several times, crying and telling him not to do it. At the time, he was so fixated on saving his family that he couldn’t understand their feelings. But now he seemed to understand.
As much as Yu Jin was hurt and suffered, Keith and Haruna must have suffered too. Suddenly overwhelmed with regret, Yu Jin’s chest felt heavy. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he hesitated because it was a word he had used too casually before.
Moving closer to Keith’s side, Yu Jin gently took his hand. And he gripped it tightly, conveying his regret. Keith looked at Yu Jin and then squeezed his hand back.
“Don’t do that anymore. Don’t bear everything alone, let’s do it together.”
Keith’s trembling was transmitted to Yu Jin.
‘Ah, he’s crying again.’
How did someone who cries so easily manage to hold back his tears all this time? Yu Jin closed his eyes and rested his head on Keith’s shoulder.
“Let’s be happy.”
Definitely.
Yu Jin left the mansion dressed up lavishly, with Keith following by his side. Today’s destination was Rostein, a huge gambling house located in one part of the capital. As it was operated with state permission, it had proper rules and was relatively safe.
Of course, even so, it was still a gambling house, and quite a few people had ruined their lives here, but it was similar in the modern world too, so it was manageable.
“Alright, let’s start here!”
Yu Jin stepped out of the carriage confidently. As the beautiful person appeared, the gazes of people nearby converged. As he approached the gambling house in this state, a guard blocking the front stepped forward.
“Identification is required.”
Those without an identity card issued by the empire cannot enter the gambling house. Yu Jin nodded, and Keith stepped forward to confirm his identity. The guard who had been blocking the way bowed politely and stepped aside.
And so, Yu Jin entered the gambling house. Now he had to become a gambling addict who had gone crazy over gambling after trying it out of curiosity.
‘That’s not difficult.’
Wouldn’t it be resolved by just losing some money? In the middle, he could cause some commotion and then be dragged out by the guards. Yu Jin, being a nobleman, was guided directly to the second floor. Here, wealthy merchants, commoners with proper jobs, and nobles could enter.
He heard that if the amount of money moving increases, they send you up to the third floor from here, but it would probably be difficult to get there.
‘Because I’m going to lose all my money!’
Typically, gambling addiction starts with winning small amounts and then losing big. Having no knowledge would make it easier to lose. Yu Jin first stood in front of the roulette. People were crowded around the roulette, but those who saw Yu Jin made way for him first.
The method of playing roulette wasn’t difficult. First, you place chips on the numbered spaces divided into sections, and the dealer spins the roulette and throws the ball. When the roulette stops, the ball stops with it, and whoever placed chips on the number in that space takes all the bets.
“It’s simple.”
There’s a method of betting only on numbers, and a method of betting on both numbers and colors. Of course, betting on colors too would lower the chances of winning, but the number of chips you get when you win increases accordingly.
“Brother, what number do you like?”
Yu Jin deliberately spoke in a languid voice. Keith, who was watching Yu Jin, voiced a number.
“25.”
“Then red on 25.”
Yu Jin snatched the chip pouch Keith was holding and threw the whole thing to the dealer. The dealer’s eyes widened in surprise at suddenly receiving such a large amount.
“Are you really betting all of this?”
“Why? You think I can’t?”
At Yu Jin’s question, the dealer moved quickly in panic. He seemed to have recognized that Yu Jin was a nobleman.
“Not at all!”
Chips poured onto the red number 25 space.
‘Is it okay to bet everything at once?’
Keith lowered his head and whispered in Yu Jin’s ear.
“It’s fine. We brought a lot of money, didn’t we?”
If we lose the chips, we can just exchange for more.
