65.
Alone at night, Yu Jin couldn’t sleep due to worry. Although he smiled in front of others as if everything was fine, he was actually scared. The fear that had been building up over time didn’t easily disappear, leaving a residue in his heart.
“It’ll be okay.”
He planned to tell Pamina that he didn’t need the position of Lucid’s head when he met her. She was sensitive and deeply distrustful, so she wouldn’t easily believe his words, but what other choice did he have?
He wouldn’t go back to being a rascal. Suddenly sensing a presence, Yu Jin lifted his bowed head.
“Hello, Master.”
Jinhyeon appeared in the open doorway of the bedroom. But his attire was different from usual. The clothes he wore covered less area and were more flowy. His upper body was half-exposed, and his sturdy thighs, reminiscent of a horse’s muscles, were fully visible. It seemed like even a slight breeze would reveal intimate parts. That wasn’t all. He wore a restraint around his neck and had ornate decorations on his arms and wrists, which strangely suited him well.
“How is it?”
Jinhyeon twirled in place.
“…It suits you. But why are you wearing that on your neck again?”
“Because I want to be your slave, just for today?”
He said this while raising the corners of his mouth, which was also seductive.
“Don’t joke around.”
“What if it’s not a joke?”
Jinhyeon took a big step forward and instantly approached Yu Jin. His broad chest came into full view. Yu Jin had thought his body was impressive when he first saw it, but now it was even more magnificent. Yu Jin barely managed to take his eyes off Jinhyeon’s chest.
“I’m fine with being a slave if that’s what you want.”
“What?”
As Yu Jin looked at him with a surprised expression, Jinhyeon’s eyes rounded.
“I’ve been considering various scenarios, but I still don’t understand. Why are you afraid of me?”
Yu Jin let out a small groan at Jinhyeon’s words. He had no intention of telling Jinhyeon the whole truth, no matter how much time passed.
Was there any need to tell the truth to someone who would leave someday anyway? If he confessed everything, Jinhyeon would surely try to hold onto Yu Jin. He would grab him until the end and make him spill all the information he knew. Yu Jin liked Jinhyeon, but he didn’t trust him. As he was thinking this, Jinhyeon placed his hand on top of Yu Jin’s head.
“What’s in this small head that makes you so scared?”
“It’s not like that.”
“It is. You’re trying to deceive the wrong person.”
Yu Jin inwardly swallowed a sigh.
“Okay, let’s say I’m scared. What does that have to do with you wearing the slave restraint again?”
“A slave can’t harm their master. They can’t run away either.”
That was true. No matter how diligent and loyal a slave appeared, masters always put restraints on them because they couldn’t know their true thoughts. Once the restraint was on, it didn’t matter what the slave thought. From the moment the restraint was put on, the slave had to obey the master, and if they went against the master’s will, they could even die.
“So I thought if I became a slave again, it might ease your mind.”
Yu Jin was momentarily lost for words at Jinhyeon’s nonchalant statement. To volunteer to become a slave for the sake of Yu Jin’s peace of mind, when he didn’t even fully understand it.
“Are you serious? What if you regret it later?”
“Are you going to make me regret it?”
The large hand pressing on Yu Jin’s head began to move gently. At first, it was awkward, but now Yu Jin had gotten used to Jinhyeon stroking his head. Many things had changed since he regained his past life memories and met Jinhyeon. And Yu Jin didn’t dislike it. No, he rather liked it. Yu Jin raised his hands to cover his face.
He felt like he might cry from the emotions welling up.
“I don’t know if you’ll regret it later.”
Yu Jin grumbled as he spread his arms to embrace Jinhyeon.
“I won’t.”
When Jinhyeon spoke aloud, Yu Jin could feel the vibration through their touching bodies. His mood, which had been down all along, changed instantly. He couldn’t help but feel joy at the words that Jinhyeon would be willing to become a slave again for his sake.
But that didn’t mean he intended to do as Jinhyeon said. Yu Jin didn’t want to put shackles on Jinhyeon to satisfy his own selfishness. However, he decided to fully enjoy this moment of happiness. Yu Jin’s breathing, which had been unable to fall asleep due to worry, gradually quieted. And soon, he fell into sleep.
Yu Jin headed to the art gallery early, not wanting to give Pamina even the slightest reason to find fault. A sign saying “Closed for today” was hanging on the front door of the small art gallery. It seemed Pamina had closed it for their private conversation. Following the person who came out to greet him, Yu Jin was led into a hall filled with paintings. Whether it was a characteristic of this gallery or not, most of the works hanging in the hall were experimental paintings by this era’s standards.
Although curious to look around at the paintings, Yu Jin couldn’t focus on them for long. It was because of Jinhyeon standing next to him.
“You really wore that.”
“I chose it to wear today.”
Jinhyeon was wearing an outfit similar to last night, except for the restraint that Yu Jin had removed.
“Don’t I need to look like this to appear as your lover?”
Yu Jin unconsciously let out a sigh.
“That person doesn’t treat slaves as humans. She might be offended, are you sure it’s okay?”
“I told you it’s fine. Do you know this is the fifth time you’ve said something like that?”
It’s because I’m worried. Yu Jin turned his gaze from Jinhyeon to look at the paintings. As he was killing time like this, Pamina finally arrived. Seeing her after a long time, she hadn’t changed much since he last saw her. Walking leisurely with an arrogant face, accompanied by two knights, the sight made Yu Jin’s stomach churn.
“Hello.”
“Yes, I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve seen your face. Why don’t you come to the main house sometimes? Your father must be feeling neglected.”
As if that could be true. Yu Jin still remembered the past. After his mother passed away, his father showed no interest in Yu Jin at all. Even when the child, tired of bullying from his half-siblings, asked his father for help, or when the title “father” changed to “head of the family,” nothing changed. He only loved the mother who had died.
Yu Jin raised his hand to touch his mouth. He was worried his expression might have twisted, but fortunately, it seemed he had maintained his composure. He lowered his hand, pretending to be calm, and answered indifferently.
“I’ve been busy lately.”
Pamina’s gaze shifted behind Yu Jin. There stood Jinhyeon in his flamboyant attire. He bowed his head in greeting, but Pamina showed no reaction. She had done her own research on Jinhyeon. The man, a former gladiator slave from the Colosseum, was also Yu Jin’s bedwarmer.
‘How vulgar.’
There was an insurmountable difference between slaves and nobles. They were lowly beings from the bottom, not to be associated with. There were occasionally nobles who valued slaves and kept them as lovers, but Pamina couldn’t understand them. She couldn’t comprehend why they would keep such filthy trash close and sully their own nobility.
“Well, if you were busy, it can’t be helped.”
Pamina looked at a painting hanging nearby. And she began to appreciate it slowly. It was a praying angel painted by a promising new artist. But somehow, Yu Jin’s face seemed to be visible in the angel’s face.
From a young age, Yu Jin had never been a child Pamina liked, but his face was as pretty as that woman’s. Feeling somewhat unpleasant, Pamina thought she should meet with the gallery manager on her way out. She planned to tell them to remove that unsightly painting. After organizing her thoughts, Pamina spoke again.
“I heard you’ve been involved in various affairs recently.”
“I’m trying to expand the merchant group a bit with this opportunity.”
“Can you handle it?”
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I couldn’t handle it, would I?”
Pamina took her eyes off the painting and looked at Yu Jin.
“You’ve changed.”
“Everyone changes as time passes.”
“That’s not wrong, but there are also things that don’t change. You should know that too.”
If Yu Jin had started this venture alone, Pamina wouldn’t have shown this much interest. But when Tulin started investing midway, people’s attention began to focus on Yu Jin.
‘Golden Hand Tulin.’
The legend of the business world who succeeded in everything he touched. There was no way he would have started helping Yu Jin’s work without any guarantee.
The head of the family had said that anyone with talent could become Lucid’s successor.
‘Moreover, he said he wouldn’t discriminate based on the type of talent.’
Swordsmanship, scholarship, commerce, etc. – he said he would give the successor position to anyone with talent that could develop the family, regardless of what it was. Currently, Pamina’s son Grain held the position of successor, but he could lose it if another child showed prominence. Just when she had felt relieved after removing Ahmed, the most likely competitor, now Yu Jin had appeared.
Pamina couldn’t tolerate even the slightest variable, so she had called Yu Jin today to warn him. However, the response to Pamina’s words was different from what she expected. Yu Jin didn’t laugh it off frivolously like before, nor did he get angry. He just calmly declared:
“I have no intention of becoming the head of Lucid.”
Pamina’s expression turned to surprise at Yu Jin’s words.
