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For a while, Kwon Yuwon handled the deliveries. If Siyul tried to do it even for a moment because he felt restless, Kwon Yuwon would jump as if he’d been set on fire and stop him. He told him not to move an inch. Not until that owner’s interest had completely faded.

Just when Siyul was thinking he should find another part-time job because he felt embarrassed to just freeload as an unemployed loafer, work finally fell into his lap. It wasn’t that someone had ordered him to.

“This is really shitty. I don’t even hope for Alpha. I wish I could at least live as a Beta.”

Kwon Yuwon was seething, stuffing five jelly-type suppressants into his mouth at once and chewing them up. It was something he experienced once every two months, sometimes once every three.

When the so-called rut came, Kwon Yuwon would have a mild fever for three or four days and groan all night. One night, he had even burst out of the room saying he couldn’t stand it anymore. Though he had returned less than an hour later with his shoulders slumped, saying he’d rather bite his tongue and die.

“I can’t even cancel this.”

“I’ll go.”

Siyul raised his hand high. Kwon Yuwon, who had been lying curled up facing the wall, twisted his head. His eyes, hazy from the fever, were full of distrust. Siyul straightened his back like an applicant in an interview and gave a smile full of confidence.

“No.”

Even though he stretched his mouth corners until they hurt, the answer that came back was firm. Siyul felt down for a moment, but quickly recovered and faced Kwon Yuwon.

“I can do it. It’s not even a complicated job. It’s just giving it to them and coming back.”

“Still, no. You got caught last time even while just going to give it to them.”

Siyul rolled his eyes around for a moment. In truth, he had been intoxicated by the club atmosphere back then and had watched people and even had a drink after the job was finished. Who would have thought that a beer with a lemon slice wedged in it could be so sweet and delicious?

“That was two weeks ago. That owner must have completely forgotten about me. And the place I’m going this time isn’t even that club.”

As if such a thing had never happened, Siyul tried hard to persuade Kwon Yuwon, saying he could do it. Kwon Yuwon had been under his blanket, not even pretending to listen at first, but when Siyul rubbed his whole body against him like a dog or a cat to beg, he reluctantly stuck his face out from under the quilt. It looked like he wanted to solve it himself somehow, but unlike his will, his body couldn’t move even a single step from the bed.

“Then just give it and come right back. Don’t go to other places, don’t do anything else.”

“Just leave it to me.”

Telling him to trust him, Siyul thumped his chest with his fist. Even though Kwon Yuwon was the one who sent him, he wasn’t pleased at all. He watched Siyul, who was going in to wash up while feeling jubilant, like a child sent to the water’s edge, then decided, “Oh, whatever,” and crawled back into his blanket.

“He’s an adult, too—it’s not like he’ll get caught doing the same thing again. It’s not even the same place…”

There are so many clubs in this area. Kwon Yuwon muttered, listening to the humming and the sound of water behind his back. It was something he said to reassure himself, but he couldn’t hide his anxiety within it.

How long has it been since I’ve been out?

Siyul couldn’t hide his ecstasy. He was finally out of jail after living a life of a prison without bars, only ever going between the cramped room and the nearby convenience store. He couldn’t help but be excited. Because of the joy surging from deep within, he nearly danced on the main road.

Instead of dancing, Siyul hummed a tune and pulled his hoodie over his head. He wore round, non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses and, just in case, covered half his face with a pitch-black mask. After combing his messy bangs with his fingers, he stood in front of the club. It was a different location from last time, a different signboard—a completely different place.

As soon as Siyul finished washing and came out, he checked today’s fortune. The fortune index was high at 87%, and on top of that, his lucky place was a club, his lucky item was alcohol, and his lucky color was purple. That was a big reason why he’d worn a purplish hoodie.

He planned to play just a little bit if he saw the chance and it seemed okay. Kwon Yuwon’s nagging to come running back as soon as the work was done was ringing in his ears, but Siyul didn’t want to waste the freedom he’d caught after such a long time. Even so, Siyul wasn’t the type to drink a lot of alcohol and dance excitedly. Being timid as he was, just nodding his head a little to the beat in a corner was all he did.

After waiting in a long line, he entered the club. As it was a late Friday night, people were packed in. With music where the bass thumped in time with his heart, people shaking their bodies, and lights that were as flashy as the heightening atmosphere, Siyul’s sparkly eyes darted around.

The warning from Kwon Yuwon that had remained in his mind evaporated the moment he set foot in the club, like an ice cube dropped on sun-scorched asphalt. Siyul, who had been moving as if bewitched, jerked his shoulder and stopped. He slapped his cheeks twice, told himself to pull it together, and turned his feet the other way.

Even if he was going to play, it was only right to finish the work first. He wasn’t an amateur anymore. One had to act like a pro if they were a pro.

His destination was the bar. Siyul checked the bartender’s name tag and sat near it. The bartender handed a drink to the person across from him and turned his body toward Siyul.

“One way to Santorini, please.”

Siyul raised his hand and ordered as skillfully as a regular. In reality, no such drink was on the menu or anywhere else. It was just a code word given in advance to the customer he had to deal with today.

The bartender, without a hint of surprise, naturally answered “Yes,” and handed Siyul a beer with a lime slice wedged into it. Siyul took the bills with a salt packet tucked in between from his wallet, laid them on the table, and slid them toward the bartender.

That was the end of it. In truth, it was a job even a child could do. He had only been cautious at the beginning, worrying if he would get caught and go to prison, but after doing it a few times, his guts gradually escaped his body, and he handled it skillfully and without fear most of the time.

Of course, his life could be in danger like last time, but that was something that could only happen if his luck hit rock bottom. It was less likely than getting struck by lightning.

The bartender finished his business and turned away. Siyul grinned and downed the beer. Even though it was the same alcohol, the taste of beer bought at a convenience store and beer drunk in a place like this were worlds apart.

Work was done, so Siyul sipped his drink and looked around. Kwon Yuwon wouldn’t say anything if he played moderately. Planning to defuse the situation with aegyo if he started nagging, Siyul hopped down from the high chair.

He moved far away from the bar, then turned the coat he was wearing inside out. The inconspicuous black coat quickly changed into a glossy navy color. He took off his mask, put it in his pocket, and roughly swept his hair over his forehead.

It was just as he was about to move to a decent spot, trusting today’s awesome fortune. A hand came down firmly on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was. The first thing he saw was a solid chest wrapped in a suit right in front of his nose. He thought, If the shirt is that tight, won’t the buttons explode soon… as he slowly tilted his head back.

“Oh.”

The club’s flashy lights fell over the man’s crown, creating shadows on his eyelids, bridge of his nose, and cheekbones. That appearance, which he wanted to forget but could never disappear from his brain once seen, was there. The man who had bestowed both admiration and terror at the same time was holding onto Siyul.

“You.”

Gasp, Siyul swallowed his breath. Why is this man here? No matter how small this scene is, isn’t South Korea way too wide to reunite at the same place at the same time? If it’s a coincidence, it’s a trick of the gods, and if it’s intentional by someone, it’s nasty. Siyul’s heart pounded, louder than the music.

“We seem to be acquaintances.”

Siyul cursed “fuck” in his heart. The man’s observational skills were incredible, recognizing him at once in this crowd that was as packed as a bean sprout steamer. Still, there was hope. Wasn’t he wearing glasses and a hoodie? It would have been safe if he had even worn a mask, which was the regrettable part.

Am I really going to die?

Siyul tried to shake his head but stopped. No. There is an old saying that if you pull yourself together, you can survive even if a tiger carries you away. Siyul quickly hid his inner thoughts and composed his expression.

“No. I’m seeing you for the first time.”

For now, he brazenly feigned ignorance. The man didn’t smile. He looked down at Siyul with an expressionless face. Siyul grabbed both sides of his hoodie with his two hands. Hoping that even half of his face might be covered.

“What did I say I would do if we met again?”

In the midst of such a noisy situation, he didn’t know why the man’s voice pierced his eardrums so sharply. The man tilted his head, gripping the nape of Siyul’s neck so he couldn’t run away. Even though it was an inappropriate movement for someone wearing a suit with a massive build to make, there was no incongruity.

“It’s not me.”

Siyul made excuses while lifting his round glasses frames slightly upward. Cold sweat was streaming down his back. Sweat soaked his forehead and temples, causing his hair to stick to his skin.

However, after he’d said it out loud, the nuance was strange. Didn’t it sound as if he had met the man before? Siyul thought, Oh no, and hurriedly added.

“I mean, I’m saying I’m meeting you for the first time.”

He really hoped it would pass. His imagination was vivid, and the way he would dig his own grave that the man had warned him about last time was drawn in his head. He would be put in a drum can, concrete would be poured in, and he would roll and roll off some pier and splash into the sea.

If he’d known it would come to this, he should have at least left a will. The area under his eyes was already feeling hot, and it felt like tears were about to well up. He bit his lip and held it back.

“‘First time’ my ass.”

The man cursed and scoffed. There was no way such a clumsy lie would work. Since he was already caught, he should have come up with a different excuse instead.