Chapter 36: The Price of Desperation

Joo Jae-yeong’s steps halted as well. Yeowon stared intently at the young man. He was several centimeters taller than Yeowon, well-built, and impeccably dressed in a tailored charcoal suit.

‘This is the person who can give me what I need most right now.’

Though it hadn’t always been this way, circumstances had shifted. Yeowon struggled to erase the lingering phantom of another man from his mind as he fixed his gaze on Joo Jae-yeong.

“Why did you stop? Oh, do you perhaps not have coffee at home? I’ll buy some for you then. Do you prefer instant or brewed?”

Yeowon remained silent. Joo Jae-yeong’s eyes narrowed. Perceptively, he noticed that Yeowon was not acting like himself.

It was clear Yeowon had something to say but was struggling to voice it, caught in an internal conflict. He had agonized over it throughout the entire car ride, yet still couldn’t bring himself to utter words that were clearly deeply important and urgent to him.

Well, well. This kind of hesitation made it difficult to resist.

Joo Jae-yeong habitually licked his lips.

“Look, if you have something to say, just say it. I’ll listen to anything, as long as it’s not about ending things with me.”

“You.”

Once the first word escaped, the rest followed naturally.

“I want you to buy me.”

The words felt like entrails, dragged out by a heavy weight. Even after uttering them, Yeowon found them utterly repulsive.

“Pardon?”

Standing opposite him, Joo Jae-yeong’s eyes widened. He couldn’t even recall the last time he had been so utterly surprised.

“Wait, just a moment. I didn’t mishear you, did I?”

“…”

“Haha… Wow, no, this is truly something.”

Joo Jae-yeong gripped Yeowon’s arm. Yeowon flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.

This reaction confirmed for Joo Jae-yeong that what he had just heard was no hallucination. His grin stretched from ear to ear.

“Holy shit! Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m just ecstatic. This is actually more to my taste. Still, it’s quite surprising! You didn’t seem like the type.”

‘I prided myself on my judgment of people, but perhaps I should be more humble from now on,’ he mused. Even at his jocular words, Yeowon remained unresponsive.

Despite uttering such a scandalous request, Yeowon’s face remained ascetic and composed. This only served to arouse Joo Jae-yeong further.

Shedding his mask, Joo Jae-yeong smirked.

“How much do you want?”

“Fifteen point four million credits.”

“Hmm? It’s not particularly expensive, but quite specific, isn’t it?”

Yeowon remained silent. “Hmm,” Joo Jae-yeong murmured.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in what you’ll use that money for. What I’m interested in is this face, and—”

Joo Jae-yeong’s hand, which had been cupping Yeowon’s cheek, moved upwards to brush back his bangs. Yeowon flinched but didn’t retreat.

Just as he expected, Joo Jae-yeong let out a soft chuckle.

“—this body.”

Like a bolt of lightning, he yanked Yeowon forward by the collar. His stark white teeth bit into Yeowon’s firm nape.

His other hand intimately explored the chest near Yeowon’s heart.

“?!”

Yeowon forcefully shoved Joo Jae-yeong away, retreating backward. ‘Still cute,’ Joo Jae-yeong thought, smiling contentedly. He held up his palms as if to calm a wary animal.

From that single reaction, he had learned a great deal. At the very least, Yeowon hadn’t uttered those words willingly.

And that the 15.4 million credits, which was mere pocket change to Joo Jae-yeong, was desperately needed by him.

The synergistic effect of these two facts unfolded in his mind. He imagined Yeowon, bound, rubbing his cheek against Joo Jae-yeong’s instep.

With every lash of the whip, the powerful body thrashed vibrantly. As he gasped for air, his pectoral muscles rose and fell, and his abdominal muscles repeatedly tensed and relaxed.

Added to that was the slight furrow in his brow, a sign of enduring pain, and his composed face, desperately trying to betray no hint of it.

Joo Jae-yeong’s lower half swelled. In his imagination, he had already gone all the way, and now, like a sated beast, he languidly whispered.

“I caught a glimpse in the hospital room, but it’s true, you’re missing one nipple.”

“…”

“That makes me even more excited.”

Yeowon had been a fish that gave no quarter, circling for two months without offering a single opening. He was a creature that had given Joo Jae-yeong trouble right from the baiting stage, yet strangely, for the past few days, he had been docile, and now he had suddenly walked into the fishbowl of his own accord.

There were a few inexplicable parts and lingering concerns, but Joo Jae-yeong casually dismissed them. Once inside, there was no escaping. Retreating would only take him to the other side of the fishbowl.

“I can set the schedule for a day that’s convenient for me, right?”

“…The sooner, the better.”

Yeowon hesitated as he replied. Joo Jae-yeong laughed aloud once more.

“How would you like the payment?”

“The full amount in cash. I’d like you to bring it on the day we meet.”

“Alright. I’ll contact you then.”

Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Joo Jae-yeong spoke.

“Ah, before that, just a moment.”

Gripping Yeowon’s wrist, he pulled him into a narrow alleyway nearby. In just a few steps, the light and color shifted drastically.

It was a crevice between buildings where sunlight never properly reached, even at midday—a space that seemed to exist purely out of necessity.

Yeowon tensed the arm Joo Jae-yeong held. Joo Jae-yeong pushed Yeowon against the wall, blocking his escape.

“You should give me a down payment. The next time we meet, you’ll be receiving 15.4 million credits in cash.”

“…”

“You’re planning to take that money, sleep with me once, and then never see me again, aren’t you?”

He had hit the nail on the head. Joo Jae-yeong, a man so deeply seasoned in such matters that he was practically bone marrow, was certain of it.

The man before him was clearly new to this. Joo Jae-yeong didn’t know the circumstances, but it seemed this man, inexperienced in s*x, was simply so desperate for money that he was willing to sell his body to another man.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

He was like walking pheromones. Joo Jae-yeong’s breathing grew ragged. The man was the very ideal he desired.

If one were to gather every single thing that constituted Joo Jae-yeong’s taste and mold it into a human form, it would likely be this man.

He could usually exercise boundless patience to acquire such a man. He truly could have. But now, it was proving incredibly difficult.

‘Just one bite?’

‘Not much, just a taste.’

This time, Joo Jae-yeong made no attempt to hide his eagerness, smacking his lips.

Beep, beep.

Yeowon’s terminal chimed. Joo Jae-yeong didn’t miss the tremor in Yeowon’s eyes as he checked the number.

He raised his palm and covered the terminal, a universal gesture for ending a call. The terminal, momentarily silenced, chimed *beep, beep* again. It was the same number as before.

“Take out your terminal and put it in your pocket.”

Joo Jae-yeong’s tone was commanding. After a moment of hesitation, Yeowon did as he was told. The beeping sound became muffled.

Joo Jae-yeong smiled contentedly and leaned in close. He bit Yeowon’s stiff earlobe lightly, then whispered.

“I won’t touch you, so lift your shirt yourself and show me. That will be your down payment to me.”

After a brief internal struggle, Yeowon gripped the hem of his own shirt. His expression remained composed.

Inside, however, he was a maelstrom. His emotions were far from their usual calm. It was a strange feeling. Was it their proximity? The intense gaze felt repulsive. Sagyeol. Even when that man had kissed him, it hadn’t felt this bad.

Clench.

Yeowon bit his lip, having tried not to think of him but ultimately recalling him in the strangest way. That reaction only thrilled Joo Jae-yeong further.

‘Let’s just get this over with quickly.’

Yet, the fingers gripping his shirt betrayed his will. The fabric, which would have easily lifted in summer, felt heavy as iron.

Finally, he very slowly lifted his shirt to his collarbone. His taut abdominal muscles and prominent pectorals, twitching with tension, were exposed to the cool air.

Joo Jae-yeong wrestled with himself. Should he just have his driver bring the money and take Yeowon right here, right now? It was the dilemma of a lifetime, but it didn’t last long.

The neighborhood was unappealing, and the alleyway even less so. Enjoying such a long-awaited delicacy in this manner was entirely against his taste.

This was a body he had coveted for months. Even outdoors, he didn’t want to begin in such a squalid place, especially not with something as simple as a quick encounter.

Valuable things required a commensurate amount of effort.

“It’s a shame I can only use one of the custom-made rings… well, I can always put it somewhere else. I didn’t notice it last time, catching only a glimpse, but you have a tattoo too.”

Yeowon’s pupils dilated, a rare display of agitation for him. However, Joo Jae-yeong, whose entire focus was on the thick expanse of Yeowon’s chest, failed to notice.

Even after Yeowon pulled his shirt back down, Joo Jae-yeong’s gaze remained fixed on his chest.

“It only left a faint mark, but that makes it even sexier.”

“…”

“I’m a man of my word, so I’ll leave for today. Instead, the next time we meet, I’ll bring two thousand credits. If you only want to sleep with me once, that’s fine too.”

It was a lie. Why would he only have this body, so perfectly to his taste, just once?

He had countless ways to play with Yeowon until he grew tired of him: he could film s*x videos to blackmail him, use drugs, anything. This was merely a ripening process, preparing the luscious prey to be savored in its prime condition.

“I’ll contact you. Hyung.”

The persistent beeping of the terminal still bothered him, but only slightly. For Yeowon to have said such a thing to him meant he must have ended things with the Credits Guild Master.

It was a pity. It would have been even more thrilling if he had gotten to him while they were dating. Well, there was also the advantage of no lingering complications.

Exiting the alley, Joo Jae-yeong called his driver.

“It’s me. Come back to the previous location.”

Before long, a sedan glided to a stop. Yeowon had already left the alley and entered his house.

Joo Jae-yeong watched the spot intently, then, abandoning his lingering thoughts, reached for the car door.

Thwack!

“Ugh?!”

However, before his hand even touched the handle, the door swung open, and two people stepped out.

“…Huh?”

A punch landed squarely on Joo Jae-yeong’s face, making him utter a stupid sound.

“Gah!”

He let out a sound like a stomped frog and rolled on the ground. The violence didn’t end there. Savage noises filled the alley.

Sagyeol ruthlessly stomped on Joo Jae-yeong. He precisely targeted only non-fatal areas, even controlling his strength.

Thus, even after being stomped on ten times by a leg capable of crushing monsters to death, Joo Jae-yeong was still able to resist.

Thump.

The surrounding gravity shifted. Sagyeol and Lee Hyun-su felt as if a giant’s shoulder was pressing down on them. Joo Jae-yeong stumbled to his feet, extending a hand forward.

His swollen eyes were filled with venom.

“You… *cough*, are you insane?!”

Sagyeol did not reply. Joo Jae-yeong, cleanly ignored, clenched his fist tightly.