DS Ch 9

A sticky silence lingered. The man entered the restaurant, wearing his long coat-like armor.

“Things are getting interesting.”

He took off his coat and draped it over his arm, revealing a smooth gray shirt.

“Didn’t filling the crab shells with drugs make their stomachs full? And yet you feed scraps and serve dog food to the customers?”

The tips of Eun-myeong’s ears turned bright red out of shame. The chopsticks dropped from his hand with a clang.

“Why don’t you just eat comfortably on all fours from the floor?”

Eun-myeong slowly pushed the chair back and stood up. One cheek was puffed out abnormally, a smooth bulge protruding.

“What the customers eat is perfectly fresh…”

His lips were trembling. He blurted out an excuse to the man, afraid of being accused of mixing in leftovers for customers.

“Then what are you eating now?”

The man leaning against the doorway approached.

“Scraps left behind by others?”

Eun-myeong lowered his eyes in shame. His narrow chin trembled.

“So you’re saying you ate food waste.”

He couldn’t bring himself to deny it. That was an accurate description… Eun-myeong wanted to shrink away in shame. He felt burnt as if his life had been stripped bare, reddened skin exposed without a shred remaining. 

Moreover…if this customer had arrived just 10 minutes earlier, he would have caught Eun-myeong disposing of the crabs. His heart pounded.

“Bring out the special.”

He muttered as he pulled out a chair. The chair screeched pleading to be saved from bearing his heavy weight. Surely he didn’t mean to eat the sashimi scraps now?

“I c-can’t serve sashimi since all the aunts have gone home.”

Why did he come here at this hour when no one else was around? It was nerve-wracking to be with this man in such a somber atmosphere.

He’s a man who has killed people.

‘I’m scared.’

Eun-myeong truly wished he could flee into a mousehole if one existed. But the man was blocking the exit, trapping Eun-myeong in his clutches no matter where he ran.

Today, the man who usually accompanied him everywhere wasn’t here. Why did this man standing alone feel so intimidating? It was his first time seeing someone with such a large shadow. Eun-myeong took a step back, still wearing slippers.

“Then what is the baby good at?”

Eun-myeong deliberately came up with a menu that he thought a man would never eat.

“S-spicy stew…”

The man then gestured towards the kitchen.

“Bring me a bowl of rice too.”

He really intended to eat here. Eun-myeong shuffled into the kitchen. He took out a pot and prepared to make a spicy stew. He placed the fish head inside, filled it with water, and dissolved the seasoning powder into the liquid with a spoon.

Usually, he would have served it at this point, but Eun-myeong deliberately let it boil vigorously, trying to buy as much time as possible.

Carrying the steaming hot pot back to the dining area, the man waited with arms folded across his chest. His thick arms looked as threateningly as ever.

“The s-spicy stew is ready…”

He stammered as he struggled to light the portable stove. His hands kept shaking uncontrollably from the stare boring into him. This man was far more frightening than the middle-aged man who had harassed him earlier.

Soon a blue flame flickered to life.

“Enjoy your meal.”

But then a strong hand gripped his wrist from the side. It was that hand. That same hand that had manhandled and moistly sucked on before…

“Why, why…”

Eun-myeong looked at the man pleadingly to let go, but he didn’t budge an inch, binding Eun-myeong tightly like a rope.

“Sit here.”

For a moment, he couldn’t understand the man’s words and just blinked. His long eyelashes fluttered.  The fine hairs were unusually damp from the lingering soap bubbles.

“I said sit down.”

His elegant brow was peculiarly furrowed, suggesting he wouldn’t repeat himself. So Eun-myeong quietly took a seat across from him, anxiously intertwining his hands under the table. Why, why was he doing this again all of a sudden?

The man pushed a bowl of steaming rice and a pair of chopsticks towards him. Why was he giving this to me? Eun-myeong couldn’t understand, but the man urged him to eat.

“You need to fatten up your d1ck so you can wear big panties, huh?”

The spicy stew bubbled away, giving off an appetizing aroma that would normally make one’s mouth water. But with the man in front of him, there was no way he could enjoy it. Yet he continued staring intently at Eun-myeong.

“Why, fvck. You don’t want to eat what this uncle gave you?”

The vulgar insults uttered in a low voice were utterly vile. Eun-myeong squeezed his eyes shut tightly, then slowly began lifting rice with his chopsticks.

“There’s no contact from your sister?”

“No…”

The rice felt gritty like sand. He could sense the man’s penetrating gaze on the back of his neck, scrutinizing sharply as if trying to unearth something.

“Good boy.”

Soon, a hand as big as a pot of spicy soup covered Eun-myeong’s head.

“You just have to be good like this from now on. Obediently and prettily.”

His tone was like he was talking to a good child, but Eun-myeong’s legs were trembling.

“They say the head of the orphanage sold you off because of debt….”

The man’s low voice made Eun-myeong bite his lower lip. For someone who spent over a hundred thousand won a day, finding out such things wouldn’t have been difficult.

“Kid, the only way to pay off that debt is to get sold off. Do you want to live your whole life in diapers because you can’t plug up your h0le?”

Eun-myeong closed his eyes tightly.

If he really was an Omega, that path would indeed be the only option. He worked day and night like this to pay off debts but was simply grateful for being a recessive Omega instead. It was a hundred, a thousand times better than prostituting his body. Otherwise his entire life could have ended up in the gutter.

“I don’t usually eat other people’s leftovers.”

The man leaned his upper body towards Eun-myeong, whispering in a relaxed, secretive manner while running his smooth tongue.

“Maybe later when you’re in your late twenties or thirties, you can come marry me. You know I’d treat such a pretty thing like a princess.”

The man let out a snicker. At that moment, Eun-myeong’s fingers shuddered involuntarily from an uncanny chill. As if amused by his own joke, the man pressed the corners of his elongated grin with his tongue tip.

That sleek, thick tongue. Eun-myeong felt sickened for no reason. And eventually, unable to hold back the rising nausea, he abruptly bent over sideways.

“…Urp, urgh.”

He had barely eaten anything, so aside from some rice and spicy soup, it was just stomach acid. The cold man watched impassively, then grinned expressionlessly as if he had hooked something in his mouth.

“It’s okay, babies usually eat while throwing up.”

He took out a handkerchief and wiped Eun-myeong’s cheek. Eun-myeong stared up at him blankly. Why was he going to such lengths? He wished the man would just leave him alone. Why did he suddenly appear and act so affectionately…Eun-myeong was on guard.

“I’ll give you a ride home, so come out.”

“N-No, it’s okay.”

Eun-myeong desperately lowered his head. How could he ride in the same car as this man?

“I’m waiting for my aunt. She said she’d be back soon after stopping by somewhere.”

He hurriedly made up an excuse. He feared the man might slap him for defying him, but luckily, the man didn’t press further.

Even though all he ordered was spicy soup, the man handed him a million-won check. Then he left the shop.

“G-goodbye…”

It was actually quite fortunate for Eun-myeong. He could just claim the new money was from selling the snow crabs.

Eun-myeong stood by the entrance, looking outside. A car was concealed in the pitch darkness, menacingly exhaling yellow beams like glaring eyes with a rumbling sound.

“You’re here.”

A bear figure holding an umbrella quickly got out of the driver’s seat. Without using it himself, he shielded the man with the umbrella as he opened the door. The man climbed into the backseat, seeming familiar with the routine. The car sped sharply down the night street.

“…He’s finally gone.”

Only then did Eun-myeong let out the breath he had been holding. He vigorously wiped his face with his palms. He really felt like he was suffocating to death…

* * *

It was 30 minutes later that Eun-myeong left the store. It was still pouring rain outside, but he was only wearing a hooded zip-up over his head. Even in the darkness, his face peeking out from beneath emanated a pale glow.

…A little distance away.

A jet-black car moved slowly, like a snail. Through the slightly open window, the man watched Eun-myeong intently, like a predator.

His slender body tried hard to avoid stepping into the puddles. He spread his legs wide, hopping over the pools of water. It wasn’t because he was worried about getting wet from the rain; he was barefoot in slippers, without even socks on.

“…Ah!”

I must have stepped wrongly, and the puddle splashed wide and my butt got wet. I don’t know, but the bottom is probably soaked with water. If the heel and ankle bone are well-cooked, they will taste quite sweet when you roll them on your tongue. It can’t be compared to cheap raw fish.

Eun-myeong must have misstepped, as the puddle splashed wide and his butt got soaked. Though not visible, his bottom must have been thoroughly drenched. His heels and ankles, distinctly protruding like ripe fruits – licking and rolling them would likely yield a rather sweet taste, certainly not comparable to cheap sashimi.

“Damn it, that little brat.”

He thought things would go smoothly since Eun-myeong was an Omega. He thought Eun-myeong would quickly nuzzle up to his chest, nuzzling those soft cheeks while begging to be spared and treated kindly…

But instead, he slipped away like a slippery eel despite his generous overtures of affection. All that remained in the man’s hands was the lingering gentle sensation from before.

“You’re making this fun.”

Suddenly, he craved the bitter taste of nicotine. The man pulled a crocodile-embossed Zippo lighter from inside his jacket. He scratched the ridged surface with his thumbnail.

Flicking the wheel to spark a flame, his lips emerged from the darkness. He licked the corner of his mouth slowly, smiling.