A deathly silence settled over the table. In truth, everyone had been skeptical about whether Hayeop really was Yoonwon’s younger cousin.
Judging by appearances alone, there was no possible way. But hadn’t Yang Cheol personally gone around saying it was true? Rumors had even begun circulating that Hayeop might not be his cousin at all, but actually his half brother.
Then Tin Can burst out laughing.
“Then call him.”
“…….”
“Go on. Call that impressive cousin of yours.”
Hayeop glared at Tin Can, curling his lips inward and biting down hard. When he could not bring himself to answer, Tin Can began crowing triumphantly. See? Tell this little shit to call him and he couldn’t do it. He had obviously been lying through his teeth.
“Hey, Hayeop!”
Taehee tried to step in from the side, but Hayeop quickly shook his head.
No….
Taehee had already caught a cold because of him. Hayeop shook his head again, telling him not to get involved now too.
Taehee’s clenched fists trembled. Tin Can was the most notorious bastard in the entire nightclub. Maybe it was because he wore Louis Vuitton, but everything about him was enormous.
His head, his chest, his belly….
He was also a big spender. As long as people obeyed him, he would stuff compensation money between their ass cheeks, so the owner simply left him alone, even though he was driving away all the decent clientele. Hayeop flailed his arms and legs like a drowning chicken.
“Please let go of me.”
“You climbed onto my lap first, so what the fuck are you whining about?”
“Here.”
Hayeop hurriedly unfastened the watch and handed it back, but Tin Can growled. What was he going to do about it being broken? the bastard demanded, raising one thick arm. His collar was turned up so high that his neck was invisible, and the sight was so revolting that Hayeop thought he might die.
“It didn’t break because of me.”
Everyone here had seen the customer break it himself, Hayeop shot back. He was squeezing out every last drop of courage he possessed, but in truth, he was terrified. Two million won. That was nearly three months’ wages.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
The look in Tin Can’s eyes was vicious. His heavy eyelids drooped over the upper halves of his eyes, hiding more than half his pupils. His pitch-black eyes gleamed with a greasy, unpleasant sheen.
“I said call him. Now.”
Everyone was staring at them, holding their breath. They all seemed to pity him, but not one person stepped forward.
Not the nightclub waiters. Not the customers.
“Who is that? Of all people, he had to get caught by Tin Can. Poor fucking guy.”
It felt as though they were all whispering about him. Hayeop was horribly humiliated, his face burning hot.
Then a commotion arose near the entrance. Something was cutting a path through the crowd.
“Did someone call me?”
It was a voice shaped by the Seoul accent, every hard edge melted smooth as honey. Everyone’s head turned at once.
Someone unbelievable was standing there.
Hayeop looked up at him as though he had seen a ghost. How did the Young Master know? What is he doing here now?
“Kyunga.”
When the Young Master called her name, the woman sitting directly beside Tin Can looked up in surprise.
“Y-yeah?”
“Would you mind moving for a moment?”
He smiled as smoothly as melted chocolate ice cream, and the woman vacated her seat with a dazed expression.
“Uh, sure.”
The Young Master sank languidly against the bright red sofa and crossed his long legs.
“Y-Yoonwon, you bastard! What brings you here all of a sudden? You didn’t even say anything.”
With someone above him in the pecking order now present, Tin Can began trembling uneasily. Gone was the hyena-like cruelty, the constant shaking of his leg, and the jeering mockery.
“Yeah. It’s been a while.”
The provocative lighting fell across Yoonwon’s beautiful face. He slowly took a sip from the drink in front of him, then faintly furrowed his brow.
“What are you doing?”
“I was just fooling around.”
“Oh, fooling around?”
At that moment, Yoonwon swept every liquor bottle off the table with one arm. Ashtrays clattered across the floor, and people screamed. The Young Master casually propped one long leg on the table. The slow way he rocked his shoe looked almost playful.
“I like fooling around too. Mind if I join you?”
“Of course,” Tin Can said, struggling to sound tough.
“This little shit’s been running his mouth, telling everyone he’s your cousin, so I figured I’d teach him his place.”
Only then did the Young Master slowly look up at Hayeop. His face was drenched in tears. He looked filthy, like a little white dog with grimy tear tracks streaking its face. Hayeop was still sitting on Tin Can’s lap.
Yoonwon’s eyes went dark.
“He looks too fragile to play with.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Suddenly reduced to a bastard who amused himself by tearing the wings off feeble insects, Tin Can eagerly brought up the watch.
“T-this little shit took my watch and broke it too!”
He held it out, demanding that Yoonwon look, but Yoonwon did not even spare it a glance.
“Don’t you feel sorry for the baby? You’re so heartless.”
The Young Master placed a cigarette between his lips, and several lighters immediately appeared behind him. Everyone clamored to light it for him. Without even looking at the person who succeeded, Yoonwon slowly rubbed his cheek against the back of their hand.
“Don’t you think he’s pretty?”
Yoonwon plucked a cocktail cherry from the liquor and slipped it into his mouth. Tin Can still failed to grasp the mood and snickered, believing Yoonwon was taking his side. He grinned obsequiously, though he could not entirely hide his tension.
“He’s a fucking man. What’s pretty about him?”
Yoonwon silently mouthed something.
Tin Can laughed and asked, “Huh? What?”
The music abruptly stopped.
“I asked if he wasn’t pretty, you motherfucker.”
The air around them turned icy in an instant. No one could move in the frozen silence. Tin Can’s grip slackened, and Hayeop tumbled gracelessly to the floor.
“When a friend asks you a question, you should answer.”
Yoonwon languidly smoked his cigarette, remarking that kids these days had no manners, then spat.
“Oops.”
He gave an unconcerned little sigh, the corners of his lips curling gently upward.
“It got on my shoe.”
If Tin Can had done the same thing, it would have looked filthy, vulgar, and repulsive. But when Yoonwon did it, even something so base appeared refined and elegant.
“You know I hate dirty things.”
“Y-yeah. That’s right. You hate dirty things, Yoonwon.”
“So.”
Yoonwon gave his shoe a small flick. The movement was gentle, as though urging someone to hurry. It resembled the languid beat of a butterfly’s wings.
“What are you waiting for?”
“H-huh?”
Tin Can froze. He had no idea what Yoonwon expected him to do and merely stared blankly, but Yoonwon’s lips clearly formed a single word.
“Lick it.”
He extended his long leg and tapped Tin Can’s cheek several times with his shoe.
“I said lick it. With your mouth.”
Tin Can’s face hardened, coarse as a stone statue. It looked so rough that a fingernail dragged across his skin might catch on every craggy ridge. After a moment, he forced out an awkward laugh.
“H-hey, Yoonwon. You’re taking the joke a little too far….”
“Yeah, it’s a joke. I told you, I like playing with my friends.”
Yoonwon laughed, shaking his chest in an almost coquettish display. Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was pouting at a lover.
“So you have to play with me.”
He slowly tilted his head.
“Hmm?”
His eyes were cold as he dragged the man before him all the way down into the dirt.
“Why? Don’t you want to?”
Only then did Tin Can seem to realize that Yoonwon was not joking. He swallowed hard.
“W-why wouldn’t I? We’re friends.”
At last, he stuck out his tongue and began licking Yoonwon’s spit from the shoe. Yoonwon’s frigid gaze looked down at him as though he were an insect.
“Good boy.”
As if pleased, Yoonwon did not forget to pat his cheek twice with the toe of his shoe in praise.
“Tin Can plays with me so well, doesn’t he, Kyunga?”
“Y-yeah. He plays with you very well.”
Kyunga stood behind them, cold sweat streaming down her face. When she agreed, Yoonwon gave her a lovely smile.
“Thank you.”
Then he picked up a bottle and emptied every last drop into the glass before him. The liquor quickly ran out, the final droplets falling one by one.
“We’re out of alcohol.”
Only then did the eyes that had not touched Hayeop even once turn and fasten on him.
Their gazes tangled.
Hayeop thought his breath had stopped.
“…….”
“…….”
The situation seemed to unfold in slow motion. Otherwise, how could every single thing Yoonwon did imprint itself so sharply upon his eyes?
“The waiters here don’t seem to be doing their jobs.”
Yoonwon complained coyly about what kind of nightclub had no music and no dancing. To Hayeop’s astonishment, the people around them began moving again.
Yoonwon sneered at him coldly.
“Hayeop.”
The smile had vanished without a trace, leaving his face utterly frigid.
“Is this the restaurant you told me about?”