IOTF Ch 12
by soapaThe newly checked-in hotel was, as expected of a 5-star establishment, incredibly large and luxurious.
The hotel owned by the boss was pretty nice too, but compared to this place, it felt rather modest, so I wanted to make the most of the facilities here.
So, after arriving at the hotel room and rolling around indulgently, I immediately enjoyed the morning breakfast. I ate a breakfast prepared by a famous chef and then headed to the sauna. The boss and I, just the two of us, got massages in a private space and had our hair done.
We stopped by the luxury boutique inside the hotel, bought new clothes and shoes, and then drank coffee at the hotel cafeteria while eating madeleines and cookies.
The boss seemed to like me sticking close to him; even while he was on a phone call, he held my hand and rubbed it, and when we moved locations, he put his hand on my shoulder as we walked. I didn’t say anything about it since I knew he was the kind of guy who didn’t care if people stared or not.
“Where are we going?”
“You need to go to the hospital.”
“Oh, right.”
Only then did I recall the things I’d asked him for. The boss put me in the car and took me on a tour of hospitals. We stopped by the dentist to fix a chipped molar, went to the dermatologist for the rest of my treatments and got an injection good for regeneration, and at the traditional medicine clinic downstairs, they checked my pulse and bought me expensive gongjindan herbal pills to take. After being told to take them every morning on an empty stomach, we headed out toward a department store.
Or so I thought—we were heading toward a department store, but suddenly he turned toward a tollgate. When I asked, “Where are we going?” the boss just talked about something else with Kalbang. Kalbang grinned and said, “Sunjung-ssi’s nostrils are gonna get some fresh air,” and the boss, finding my confused expression cute, pulled my cheeks wide and pressed his lips to mine.
A little while later, I saw a sign that read “Busan.” Surprised, I let out a small exclamation.
“Busan?”
“What, you don’t like it?”
Of course I liked it. Personally, I loved Busan. I came down here at least once a year to hang out and leave, and I just liked the unique vibe of Busan.
“Baekil-ah, let’s find the stuff first.”
“Yes, boss.”
I didn’t know what “stuff” meant, but Kalbang drove toward the biggest department store in Busan.
When we got out of the car, it must’ve been a VIP parking lot because a valet came out and took the keys.
“You’re a VIP here?”
“Yeonsan doesn’t have the brands I want, so I come here sometimes.”
To be honest, all the shirts in his hotel room were luxury brands. His taste might lean toward ruggedness, but everything he wore was silk and expensive. Some of them even made me wonder, “Where did he get this?”
True, the suit he’d gifted me was something hard to find even in Seoul… Fuck, let’s not think about that. I erased the Tom Ford suit from my mind. Following him into the store, I saw clothes and bags on a scale incomparable to Yeonsan. The boss marched straight into a C-brand section that filled an entire side of the luxury store and told me to pick anything I liked.
I grabbed a winter bomber jacket. He told me to pick pants and shoes to match. Unlike the one-sided shopping spree in Yeonsan, this was real shopping—I picked clothes to my taste without even glancing at the price tags.
When I came out carrying a bunch of shopping bags with bold brand logos, the boss handed them all to a guard patrolling the department store and walked into a watch brand’s section.
I gaped, thinking, “No way.” But I was right—he sat down in a VIP chair and crossed his legs.
“Has the item arrived?”
“Of course. We’ve been waiting. We’ll prepare it right away.”
Oh, so this was the “stuff” he’d mentioned?
A sharply dressed male employee and a female employee, both wearing black gloves, brought out the item. I swallowed hard. Sure enough, emerging from a green case was a Rolex. And not just any Rolex—a series entirely plated in gold.
“Sunjung-ah, try it on.”
I unconsciously clenched and unclenched my fist. As the female employee with cotton gloves tried to place the watch on my wrist, the boss scowled deeply.
“Give it here.”
He took the watch himself and slid it onto my wrist. When the metal and gold watch settled on my skin, my eyes widened.
“How is it?”
…It was fucking amazing. I had a Rolex too, but not a high-end line like this. This was the exact watch hustlers scraped together to snatch from suckers. And damn, it matched my wrist so well that I couldn’t answer right away, just standing there with my mouth open, when the boss’s voice cut in.
“Guess you don’t like it?”
“I love it! There’s not a single thing I don’t like about it!”
My rushed outburst made him smirk. Then, as if there was nothing more to check, he stood up and handed over a black card.
My heart pounded, and my mouth watered. I’m a materialistic bastard through and through—holding something valuable and shiny made me so happy I couldn’t stand it. Growing up with my grandma, wearing hand-me-downs, I’d salivate at the sight of anything expensive and nice.
Call me a greedy fucker, I didn’t care. Expensive things are good, and this wasn’t just expensive—it was beyond that.
“Sunjung-ah, you like it?”
I nodded vigorously up and down, honestly.
“I told you I’d let you milk a sucker.”
Still, I didn’t expect it to be this much.
“Isn’t it too expensive?”
“I bought it because it’s expensive. Rolexes are the symbol of suckers, right?”
He handed me the receipt from the transaction. No, he just shoved it into my hand like I should take it, and when I checked the price, it was a dreamy 79 million won.
“It’s a 30-day anniversary gift.”
Saying that, he tapped my cheek. Then he slung his arm around my shoulder again and headed for the elevator, and I realized he’d brought me here on purpose.
The watch and clothes he’d pre-ordered. I’d thought the sudden hotel switch was random, but…
“When did you plan this?”
“Plan what?”
“The watch and clothes…”
I expected him to just smirk it off, but he made a strange face. Without looking at me, he pressed the elevator button as if avoiding the question.
I found that a bit awkward but didn’t press further. The 70-million-won watch—nearly 80 million—on my wrist opened every sensory door in me, and I forgot what he’d done to me.
Yeah, that’s the kind of guy I am. I’d curse out Madam Jung for dragging me into this life like a dog, but I couldn’t resist the omnipotence of material things. If I could sell my body or soul and get money in return, that was good enough for me.
After shopping, we went to the VIP lounge. Surrounded by white flowers, it didn’t seem to suit the boss at all. Yet he smiled contentedly, liking how the place was decked out in white blooms.
On the table where we were seated, there was an elegantly shaped flower too.
“Flowers are nice to look at anytime. Like our Sunjung.”
He plucked one and tucked it behind my ear. As I stood there dazed with the white flower in place, he smiled, propped his elbow on the table, and rested his chin on his hand.
“The reason I use this department store is because they decorate it so lavishly with flowers.”
Sniffing the faint floral scent wafting from my ear, I asked,
“Why do you like flowers?”
“Do you need a reason to like something? I told you—I like snowflakes, Sunjung, stuff like that.”
I asked a passing server the flower’s name. The guy must’ve found it funny that a dude had a flower behind his ear because he let out a laugh. I couldn’t help but laugh along, and then I felt the boss’s less-than-pleasant gaze.
I wiped the expression off my face instantly. Meanwhile, the server told me it was a “frangipani.” I mentally repeated the name. The boss stared at me hard, furrowing his brow. Worried he might be offended, I started gauging his mood when he lowered his chin from his hand and said,
“You say you like it, but you don’t even listen.”
“…”
“And you’re flirting with other bitches. Fuck. Why’s my life like this?”
He lamented his fate with a downright savage edge. I quickly dragged my chair closer and clung to his side. If I handled it like I did when the older sisters got mad before, this sharp-witted boss would surely fill this elegant space with curses.
So I quietly turned my head to look at his face. I didn’t try to grab anything for him or chatter away. I just stuck to his side and stared at him.
Sharp eyes and a high nose. His slightly tanned skin had no wrinkles despite his age, and his long neck stretched tautly, looking anything but tacky despite the multiple necklaces. On the contrary, it was sexy, and above his thick forearms, his toned, sleek chest and waist were dangerous yet mesmerizing.
“What, you wanna fuck?”
“Frangipani.”
He tilted his head at my words.
“I was just curious about the flower’s name. You seemed to like it, so I wanted to remember it.”
He didn’t speak for a few seconds. Then the server who’d told me the flower’s name earlier brought tea and a three-tiered tray of cakes and cookies, setting them on the table. The boss suddenly spoke up.
“Let me ask you something.”
The female server’s eyes widened slightly. She was startled by this cool, intimidating man addressing her.
“How’d it feel when my kid talked to you earlier?”
The phrase “my kid” seemed to throw her off. I was a grown adult to be called a kid, and the boss didn’t look like a man nearing forty at all—mid-thirties at most—so she opened her mouth with a conflicted look, as if puzzled by his choice of words.
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“How’d you feel when he talked to you?”
Her awkward smile faltered at his blunt tone, and she shook her head. Sensing it wasn’t safe to answer, she tried to pull her tray away. The boss blocked the cart with his foot with a thud. Startled, she looked up at him.
“You liked it when he smiled at you?”
“Uh… sir…”
“You got dirty thoughts and wanted to spread your legs, didn’t you?”
“E-excuse me…!”
“Didn’t you think you’d soak yourself if a guy like this sucked you off?”
Her face flushed red, and her hands trembled. I froze, shocked and unsure what to do.
He turned to me and said,
“Sunjung-ah, this is how it is. You might say no, but they don’t. They see you and drip. They get so wet just locking eyes with you—how do you not know that? Or do you enjoy it?”
A chill ran down my spine, and my mind blurred. Thankfully, the server grabbed her cart and bolted, and since it was a private space, his voice didn’t carry outside.
I wheezed, at a loss. He reached out, grabbed my face, pulled me close, and said with reddened eyes,
“That fucking bitch, seriously. So damn pretty.”
His tone was so fierce it felt like he’d cut something. I’d known early on he was unpredictable, but this was so out of left field my heart felt like it’d burst.
“Should I just tie you up?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Wake the fuck up.”
“Yes… I won’t do it.”
It should’ve ended there. I’d bowed my head, so it should’ve stopped—except it didn’t.
“Oh my, who’s this? Joo Geonwoo?”
A woman’s voice rang out. The sound of clacking heels approached.
“Why’re you here at this hour?”
The boss, still gripping my face, clicked his tongue with a “tch.” I couldn’t even turn my head, just staring at his face.
“If you’re gonna say hi, hurry up and leave.”
“I know you’ve got a lot of gripes with society, but when your ex talks to you, at least say hello.”
My eyes nearly rolled back. Ex-girlfriend? Well, a guy like him couldn’t have gone without dating.
“When you randomly called me up demanding a white suit for a 180cm guy, that was one thing. Why treat me like trash?”
He showed no expression. I started feeling weirder by the second.
“So I paid you for your trouble, didn’t I?”
“You should’ve paid properly. I used my connections, and you gave me a measly gold bar?”
“Want another one now?”
“Forget it. Just greet me properly when you see me. Stop grumbling.”
He clearly found her exhausting. Still, she stubbornly pulled a chair and sat beside us.
“So, who’s this?”
When she asked about me, he didn’t answer. Unable to contain her curiosity, she leaned her face toward me. I could feel her eyes widen as she saw me.
“Are you raising celebrities now? Starting an entertainment business? I heard you’ve been collecting hustlers—are you turning them into idols or something?”
Since she wouldn’t let it go, he nodded as if giving me permission to greet her. Only then did I take in this woman I was curious about. She was tall, slim, and beautiful. Her long, unbleached hair shone, and her white skin and refined air made her quite a beauty.
“Hi, I’m Kim Hyerin.”
She greeted me first. But seeing her face, I couldn’t bring myself to say “hello.” Thinking that the boss had dated women normally before meeting me, like any typical couple, left me with a strange feeling.
“I’m Lee Soyoon.”
“No offense on our first meeting, but you’re really handsome. It’s rare to look this clean-cut—how old are you?”
I glanced at the boss at her question. He sat silently, legs crossed.
“Twenty-five.”
“Wow, you even look young for your age. How tall?”
“180.”
“180?”
She shut her mouth for a moment. Then, staring at me, she turned to the boss.
“So it was for him.”
“…”
“You nagged me about that for him? White face, 180cm tall. With your high standards, you said to get the most expensive and best stuff—for him?”
He uncharacteristically played dumb at her words.
“I wondered why you made such a random request, but what did you do with this young guy?”
“None of your business.”
“You did something weird again, didn’t you?!”
Her voice exploded, and I flinched. This didn’t feel like an ex—it was more like an older sister vibe. A K-firstborn who’d toughened up caring for a wild younger sibling.
“With that face, why do you always do weird shit? If you’re gonna act like that with a face like yours, give it back. And Lee Soyoon-ssi, he didn’t make you do anything strange, right? You can be honest. I’ve known Joo Geonwoo since we were kids—there’s nothing I don’t know about him. Him being here at this hour, you being too handsome—something’s up. You’re not filming weird videos or anything, are you?”
I felt dizzy. What was I even hearing? And his ex was worried about me?
“Uh… no, nothing like that.”
“Then did he shove a contract in your face to sign? Saying he’d make you an actor?”
“No… he did give me a contract, but…”
“I knew it, Joo Geonwoo.”
She crossed her arms, certain.
“Don’t you dare scam this pretty young kid. Even if our thing was fake, we almost got engaged. Let’s live like humans and leave innocent, shiny kids like him alone.”
She growled, and he smirked.
I sat quietly, unable to speak. She pulled a business card from her bag and handed it to me. Reading her name and title, I blanked out for a second.
“I’m the chief buyer for this department store’s merchandise division.”
“…!”
“I can’t help much, but I know what kind of guy Joo Geonwoo is, so call me if you need help. Job requests are fine too—feel free to reach out. Someone like you, Lee Soyoon-ssi, could easily be a regular fitting model.”
Did she really mean for me to call? She smiled brightly and stood up. After she left, I stared blankly at the card, then asked the boss,
“You were engaged?”
“Fake engagement.”
“Why?”
“For convenience?”
He said that, then grabbed a macaron and stuffed it into my mouth.
“To her, I was the best and worst match.”
“Huh?”
“Her family wouldn’t accept a thug like me, so I was the best way to distance herself from her dad.”
Oh, now I got it. Best for her, worst for her father—that’s what Joo Geonwoo was.
“So what’d you get out of it?”
“Buying some land with info from the older guy she was dating? Covering for her hooking up with a man her dad’s age got me a decent reward.”
He grinned. Come to think of it, he’d mentioned redeveloping around the Queens building. Not a bad deal for playing fake lover, but her dad’s age? Given the boss’s age, that’d be close to sixty.
“TMI.”
“That’s nothing. The world’s full of fucked-up shit.”
“True, the age gap between you and me isn’t small either.”
I suddenly pictured an aged boss. Then realized he’d get gray hair in just over a decade. Him over fifty, me just thirty-five. Even in ten years, I’d be younger than he is now, but he…
“You should get married soon.”
“…”
“Even if you have a kid now, you’ll be sixty when they’re twenty. Even in a hundred-year lifespan era, it’s weird if dad’s a grandpa.”
Kids matter too. No matter how rich, a thug grandpa dad would suck. Even with late pregnancies trending, he was on the older side.
Maybe because I kept talking without reading his face, it got unusually quiet. When I looked up, he was glaring at me with slit eyes, visibly pissed, even showing the whites.
“Oh, I didn’t mean you’re old. You’re at that age, so instead of fake dating, maybe start fresh… I mean, it’s not time to cover for others’ relationships… because people age fast…”
“Lee Soyoon.”
No matter how I spun it, I couldn’t fix it. Time and age can’t be bought, and no one likes hearing they’re old.
“…Yes…”
“What do I look like to you right now?”
“Huh?”
“What kind of guy do you see me as?”
What should I say?
An angry, handsome boss? A thug? A rugged guy?
A rich man?
“You’re the boss. Joo Geonwoo, the boss.”
“And?”
“A handsome guy who’s great at making money…”
He clicked his tongue, exasperated. I rolled my eyes, helpless.
Then he ran his tongue along his cheek inside, making a “tsst” sound, and called me.
“Sunjung-ah.”
“Yes.”
“If you’re mine, what am I to you?”
A bolt struck my mind. I’d taken a 79-million-won watch and slept with him multiple times, but I hadn’t thought of it that way.
I’d just seen him like the older women who used to drag me around—money first, capitalism rules, that bullshit.
“You’re not dumb, so why’re you like this?”
“…”
“I said I’d let you milk a sucker—did you really only see me as one?”
Instead of clicking his tongue, he furrowed his brow hard. Then, as if struck by a thought, he tapped his thigh.
I knew what it meant and should’ve climbed on, but I’m a guy with basic social decency. I knew damn well what you shouldn’t do in public. But the boss didn’t give a shit about that.
I squeezed my eyes shut, opened them, and climbed onto his thigh. As I sat, he leaned back in the chair, tilted his head, stared at my face, and asked,
“Now, answer again.”
“…”
“Who am I?”
Boyfriend. Lover. The guy who pins me down.
The right answer was there, but my mouth wouldn’t move. Yet I knew I had to say it.
“Some…one…”
He clenched his jaw. Staring at me like, “What kind of idiot is this?” I felt wronged too.
“You didn’t like me from the start, did you? Even now, honestly, it’s just for some weird fun…”
A sharp “snap” and sparks flew before my eyes. I couldn’t process what just happened. Clutching my forehead where he’d flicked me, I yelped,
“Why’d you hit me!”
“Because you deserved it.”
“When did I deserve it! You didn’t start this because you liked me—you just wanted to crush me for mouthing off! A Seoul kid talking back pissed you off, so you tried to put me in my place! If you really liked me, you wouldn’t have made Kalbang do that…”
I shut my mouth, unable to go on. I was huffing now, and people around us glanced over, wondering what was up. Thankful for the partition hiding us, I continued,
“You don’t do that to someone you like. That’s my view on relationships, at least.”
I lifted my chin, signaling not a single word was wrong. He raised an elbow and gave what he thought was a sincere answer.
“Who likes someone from the start?”
“You’re not denying it, so I guess I’m right.”
“No, I was into you the moment I saw you.”
“Then why’d you tell Kalbang to suck it?”
“I was curious what your dick-sucking face looked like. And Baekil’s fine with guys—he goes to fuck dudes with tits sometimes.”
He meant a trans bar, so I shut up for a sec.
“I’m not into guys at all. Still not. I like you, Sunjung.”
More like he liked sex with me. Finding himself turned on by a guy for the first time was novel and funny, so he kept coming back until he got attached—how’s that liking someone enough to date?
“Boss.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you had a first love?”
He answered half-heartedly.
“Hmm, probably?”
“Who?”
“Don’t remember.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Why’d I lie about that? I really don’t remember.”
Feeling my stinging forehead from his flick, I rephrased.
“How do you treat someone you like?”
“I ask to hang out.”
“And?”
“Kiss a lot during sex.”
“…”
“Try to make it feel good when we fuck.”
“…”
“Try to clean them up after.”
Sigh. Fuck. That’s it?
How do we even communicate?
“Forget it.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
I figured I’d be clear since this wasn’t working.
“When I like someone, I try to win them over. Get their number, text good morning and night, snap pics of nice things to send, compliment them, tell them how precious they are, and give gifts I picked out myself while wandering around.”
“Detailed.”
“Of course.”
“No different from a fling.”
He brushed it off like it was nothing. Then, as if something clicked, he raised his long lashes and asked,
“So what’s your type?”
“Pretty and cute people.”
His perpetually bored expression froze. Like he’d been shocked, he sat still, clenching and unclenching his big palm.
“Age?”
“Younger or same age. I like hunting for good restaurants and hitting hot spots on weekends. Being a host doesn’t mean I love drinking and nightlife—I like normal, average relationships.”
I hadn’t dated tons, but I’d had age-appropriate relationships. Dated a café part-timer I locked eyes with, doing college-kid-style dates, or got set up with a fellow host’s friend for a decent romance. They ended, but as their one-and-only boyfriend, I was wholesome, like peers who loved old-school vibes.
He went quiet. His clenching hand stopped. Tongue bulging his cheek, he looked at me, grabbed his wallet from the table, pulled out a black card, and said,
“Good enough?”
Before I could process, he tossed it. I caught it reflexively and widened my eyes.
“Take it as payment.”
A black card. And the hand holding it wore a multi-million-won watch.
“No answer?”
It took a moment to grasp his meaning. I nodded slowly.
He glared at me, displeasure in his eyes, then kissed me. A “smack” sounded, and he snapped at someone,
“What? Never seen a couple before?”
Clutching the black card, I buried my head in his shoulder.
My heart raced, gripping the card tight.
The CEO, Geonwoo, took me all over Busan. While he and Kalbang stepped away, I sat in a cafe, turning his black card over and over. I barely noticed the glances from other patrons. My mind was consumed by the question of whether I could actually use it.
With a black card, I could access the top-floor lounges of Seoul’s finest hotels, secure VVIP seats at any performance… It was common knowledge that these cards were reserved for high-net-worth individuals, requiring tens of billions of won in assets.
I understood Geonwoo’s need to bridge our 15-year age gap with money, but I lacked the audacity to use his card.
I finally made up my mind and shoved it into my pocket, intending to return it when we got back to the hotel. Just then, Geonwoo and Kalbang re-entered the cafe, engaged in a serious discussion, occasionally lapsing into Chinese. Suddenly, Kalbang’s phone rang.
“Sir, it’s your third oldest brother.”
My ears perked up. The third oldest brother was connected to the incident at the hotel restaurant. However, Geonwoo ignored the proffered phone and sat beside me.
“Sunjung, what have you been up to?”
The scent of strong cigars clung to him – Cuban, judging by the hints of fine whiskey and black tea.
“Just people-watching.”
“Who did those pretty eyes see?” Geonwoo leered.
“A passing dog.”
Technically, I’d seen a woman walking with the dog, but I fibbed.
Kalbang’s phone rang again. He checked the caller ID and immediately handed it to Geonwoo.
“Fucking hell. What’s so urgent?” Geonwoo snatched the phone, clearly annoyed at the interruption.
“This was the plan all along. Be grateful I didn’t separate you from your wife. Tell Mr. Kim to shut his mouth while I’m dealing with this. And stop calling.”
His tone was harsh. Even if they were half-brothers, the CEO treated him like a servant, showing utter disrespect.
“Fuck.” The line went dead. Geonwoo practically threw the phone at Kalbang, who tucked it back into his jacket. Geonwoo then sighed and put his arm around my waist.
“Sunjung.”
“Yes.”
“I planned to stay here two nights and enjoy your company, but my annoying brother is being a nuisance. I have to go. You understand, right?”
I didn’t need to understand. I would have been annoyed too if my plans were disrupted.
“It’s fine.”
“I’ll be back soon. We’ll come again.”
“Okay.”
We left the cafe and returned to Yeonsan. It was late evening when we arrived. Geonwoo had been on the phone the entire trip, even during our rest stop break.
Back at the hotel, he said he needed to leave again after changing.
“Order room service for dinner.”
I wanted to try the hotel’s dining room, but seeing his mood, I kept quiet.
Geonwoo swapped his flamboyant shirt for a crisp white one and knotted a tie. He looked different in a dark suit, without his usual gold necklace and bracelet. His hair was neatly parted and combed back.
His sharp, serious demeanor made my heart skip a beat. His imposing physique and handsome features took on a refined, almost ascetic quality. I’d never seen this side of him before.
“Order a bottle of something if you’re bored.”
“Okay. I’ll figure it out.”
“Call me if you need anything.”
“I don’t have a phone.”
Geonwoo’s expression remained blank, as if he hadn’t heard. I’d wanted to ask about my phone, to request a new one if he wasn’t returning mine. But his silence on the matter made me gesture towards the hotel room phone.
“I’ll use this. Will you be late?”
Geonwoo picked up his two phones.
“Our old man is long-winded. I probably won’t be back until dawn.”
“You’ll be tired.”
I saw him to the door, where he pulled me close. His minty tongue invaded my mouth, thick and insistent. He kissed me hard, almost painfully. He pulled away with a smack.
“You know you’re fucking beautiful, right?”
My lips, swollen from the kiss, formed the words, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He grinned, flashing his perfect teeth.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“Where would I go at night? I’m going to eat, shower, and sleep.”
He seemed pleased with my answer. Before leaving, he kissed me again, groped my backside, and pantomimed having sex with me, his usual childish gesture.
“Be good, Sunjung. I’ll be back soon.” He repeated this several times before finally leaving.
I ordered a burger and beer from room service, ate while watching TV, then drew a bath. I continued watching a movie while soaking in the tub.
I fell asleep around 11. I woke up in the early hours to find the bed beside me empty, with no sign of Geonwoo’s return. I sat there for a while before drifting off again. The ringing of the room phone roused me.
“Hello?”
“Sunjung, did you sleep well?” It was Geonwoo. I instinctively looked at the empty space beside me and rubbed my eyes.
“You missed me, didn’t you?”
Did I? I wasn’t sure. I mumbled something incoherent, and he chuckled.
“I’m sending Woosung. Have breakfast and come over here. I’ll send a car.”
His voice sounded rough. I pictured him inhaling deeply on a cigarette.
“Didn’t you sleep at all?”
“Why, worried I couldn’t sleep without you?”
“Your voice sounds different.”
Geonwoo possessed monstrous stamina. He wasn’t the type to be exhausted from a sleepless night. His evident fatigue suggested not only lack of sleep but also a power struggle with his father and brothers.
“You’re right. I think I’ll die if I don’t smell your sweet pussy soon.”
“…”
“So, dress nicely.”
I needed a good wash more than a nice outfit.
I showered and started choosing my clothes. As I sat on the bed, wondering if I should call Geonwoo, there was a knock. Jang Woosung bowed as I opened the door.
“Good morning, hyungnim.”
“Good morning.”
“You should have breakfast.”
“It’s okay.”
“The CEO told me to make sure you eat.”
Woosung was insistent, so I closed the door firmly.
“I don’t want to eat alone. I’ll eat with him.”
Woosung finally nodded. I got into his car. The weather was overcast, unlike the view from the hotel window. The cool air made me glad I’d brought a jacket. Then, a familiar place came into view.
Yeonsanpo Central Market, with its numerous parked tour buses.
“Is this… that barbershop…?”
“Yes. The CEO told me to bring you here.”
I’d wondered if he meant the Queen’s office, the room with the money-counting machine.
The car stopped in the same alley where they sold goldfish. As I stepped out, the barbershop door opened as if on cue, and Han Doopil emerged. I started to greet him, but he waved me off.
“No need for formalities, Sunjung. Don’t bow to me.”
“What?”
“Come in. He’s waiting for you.”
I followed the oddly formal Han Doopil inside. The interior was dimly lit, the overcast sky offering little natural light. We passed through the middle door, exuding the typical gangster gloom, and then through another guarded by hulking men. Han Doopil knocked, and the door opened.
The whirring of money-counting machines filled the air. Beyond two tattooed men, stacks of cash and the machines were in full operation. They ignored me, focused on bundling the money. Geonwoo sat on the main sofa.
“Sunjung, you’re here?”
He was still in the same clothes as yesterday, tie discarded, top buttons undone. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
“Hello, sir.”
“Come here, Sunjung.”
I walked past the tables towards him. He watched me intently as I approached.
“He’s been fussing so much about you being gone. It was almost unbearable.” Kalbang said.
“What?”
“Everyone at the main house is talking about ‘Sunjung, Sunjung,’ so now everyone knows you.”
Kalbang chuckled, and the men counting money joined in. “You should write a song about Sunjung,” one of them joked. Geonwoo, seemingly oblivious, kept his gaze fixed on me, pulling me close to his side. My ears burned.
“Didn’t you miss me?”
I nodded shyly.
“That’s disappointing.”
“No, I missed you.”
More laughter erupted. Kalbang, laughing loudest, zipped up a money bag and tossed it aside.
“Did you see your father?” I asked.
“Yeah. The old man wouldn’t let me go. He kept me talking until morning.”
“Oh.”
“He finally released me at nine a.m. on the condition that I bring a nice girl to meet him.”
I averted my gaze at the word “girl.” His phone rang. He answered, folding his outstretched legs.
“How did they know I was here?”
A harsh female voice with a thick accent barked from the phone, “I went to the hotel, and they said you were gone. Where else would you be? Put him on!”
Geonwoo glanced at me and handed me the phone. Confused, I put it to my ear.
“Did you change your number?”
“Yes…”
“I’m Joo Geonwoo’s eldest aunt. We met at the store, remember?”
I recognized the voice. It was the woman from Queen’s.
“Yes, hello. What’s this about…?”
“I have a few questions. What time were you born?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your birth time. The hour.”
This was awkward. I was abandoned as a baby. My mother left me before I was even weaned. How would I know?
“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
“What? How can you not know? How can anyone not know their birth time?”
“I really don’t know.”
Geonwoo took the phone back as I fumbled. The woman continued yelling, but he cut her off.
“You were calling me a child predator just the other day. What are you going to do if the fortune-teller says we’re incompatible? Separate us? Forget it. Go run your business.”
I heard her curse under her breath, but Geonwoo hung up. I stared at him blankly as he pocketed the phone and tapped my cheek lightly.
“Our sexual compatibility is off the charts. Who needs a fortune teller? My dick gets hard just thinking about you. Right?”
As soon as his crude words left his mouth, the men counting money snickered and mimed grabbing their crotches. Vulgar jokes flew around, and Geonwoo laughed along without a care.
“Shall we get something to eat?”
Perhaps I was getting used to the crude humor. I followed him out of the room and the barbershop. The sky was darker than when we’d arrived.
“Looks like it’s going to rain,” I said.
“You’re right. Let’s skip work today and enjoy some time together.”
He took my hand and started walking down the street. Self-conscious of the stares, I pulled away. He frowned.
“What?”
“People are looking…”
“So what?”
He glared but didn’t take my hand again. Instead, he kept me close as we walked.
“I want to look around the market.”
“What’s there to see?”
“I haven’t had a chance since I got here.”
He shrugged and entered the market alleyways. Despite the impending rain, the market teemed with tourists and locals.
Food stalls selling tteokbokki and hotteok lined the streets, alongside bedding shops and a street dedicated to sundae. The soup stalls were packed, and the dried seafood shops were full.
“What’s good here?” I asked.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Something local. Something famous.”
He led me past the noisy vendors. I paused to admire the fish tanks overflowing with seafood but stayed close to him. He chose a kalguksu restaurant, old but with a classic charm. Despite being past lunchtime, it was crowded.
“Like the old-school vibe?” he asked.
I remembered our conversation at the lounge.
“Are you trying to impress me?”
“It’s a date.” He smiled. If he were my age, I might have thought it was a cute, boyish attempt to earn praise. But Geonwoo was a gangster, a dangerous predator.
“This place is definitely old school. What’s good here?”
He ordered for us – kalguksu and mandu. I excused myself.
“I need to wash my hands. Where’s the restroom?”
“It’s outside, right next to the building.”
I went outside and found the restroom. As I was washing my hands, I bumped into a man wearing a hat. He brushed past me, bumping my coat, without a word of apology. I checked my pocket – my money was still there. Rude.
I dried my hands and returned to the table. Steaming bowls of food awaited us.
“Did you wash those pretty hands nicely?” Geonwoo asked.
“Do I have to wash my hands prettily?”
“Because it’s you.”
Despite his teasing tone, he looked unusually tired. It seemed to be more than just exhaustion; he picked at his food, watching me eat. As I was about to place a mandu on his plate, a booming voice interrupted us.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Joo.”
I turned to see a man who looked like a thug entering the restaurant.
“What brings you here?” Geonwoo asked.
The man approached our table. He had a thick nose and large hands. He looked like a brawler, whatever his actual profession.
“Are you here for lunch?” Geonwoo continued.
“How’s business?” the man asked instead.
“Booming, of course. Thanks to you, I’ve got a good spot. It’s all thanks to Mr. Joo.”
The man appeared older than Geonwoo, and he bowed obsequiously. Then he yelled, “Honey! Mr. Joo is here! Come greet him!”
“Who? Mr. Joo?” A woman’s voice responded.
I turned and nearly gasped. It was the customer from Queen’s, the one who had taken my virginity, who had tipped me generously while fondling me, the one who had touched me and made me hard.
“Hurry up and greet him!” the man urged.
“Mr. Joo, what are you doing at the market…?”
She, too, saw me and froze, then quickly averted her gaze, pretending I was invisible. I did the same, burying my face in the remaining mandu.
“What are you waiting for? Greet him, honey!” the man shouted.
“I’m going to!” she snapped back. She mumbled a greeting to Geonwoo, who pretended to accept it before looking at me with a smirk.
“How’s the restaurant doing? You look even better than last time,” Geonwoo said to her.
“You went to my wife’s restaurant?” the husband asked, whipping his head around.
“No, I haven’t been to Mr. Joo’s office.”
“Then how did you see him? Huh?”
I remembered the woman had described her husband as a difficult customer. He spent money freely and was good to their children, but he had a temper and yelled frequently. Now, he was shouting again, trying to save face in front of Geonwoo.
Geonwoo interrupted. “I enjoyed the meal. Your wife’s cooking is excellent.”
“You came to our restaurant!” the husband exclaimed.
“Even though it was late, she took good care of us.”
“Of course, we have to treat you well. How else would we make a living in this Yeonsan Central Market if it weren’t for Mr. Joo? Last year, when this place burned down, we thought we were ruined. But Mr. Joo gave us a large sum of money, and now we’re back in business in this new market. Isn’t that right, honey?”
As the man’s voice boomed through the restaurant, I put down my chopsticks. I was about to slip away when I made eye contact with him.
“Wow, he’s really handsome. Is he your nephew, Mr. Joo? Wow, I’ve never seen such a handsome man.”
The woman behind him closed her eyes. Up close, the man’s eyes were even more intense. I felt sure that if he knew I had been intimate with his wife, he would pull out a butcher knife and gut me on the spot.
I quickly left the restaurant. It wasn’t the first time I’d run into a customer outside of work, but I hadn’t expected it to happen here, especially with Geonwoo. The world was too small. And being with him made it harder to escape quickly.
I was regretting leaving my delicious meal unfinished when Geonwoo strolled out of the restaurant. The couple bowed and saw him off. My eyes narrowed.
“Are you enjoying this?” I asked Geonwoo as we walked away.
“Enjoying what?”
“Watching me squirm.”
“Were you squirming?”
I sulked. He had clearly realized that the woman and I had met as customer and worker, but he was deliberately feigning ignorance.
“You knew she’d been a customer.”
“Did I? I had no idea.”
“I left all those mandu uneaten.”
“Want to go back and finish them? We can if you want.”
He was infuriating. But part of me saw this as karmic retribution, so I dropped the subject.
Instead, I bought a seed hotteok. Geonwoo handed the vendor a 10,000 won bill. I held the hot cup and continued walking, eating the hotteok. I bought sikhye and rainbow rice cakes from a street vendor. Each time I picked something up, Geonwoo paid. Some vendors recognized him, others avoided him.
Amused by his readily available cash, I bought unnecessary items. It was only when we reached the barbershop alley that I realized I had overdone it.
“Want to keep exploring, Sunjung?”
I shook my head. My feet ached, and my hands and mouth were sticky from the hotteok. I wanted to wash up.
“No. I want to go back.”
Geonwoo opened the barbershop door. I handed my bags of rice cakes and snacks to the men sitting inside.
“Thank you,” they said.
I followed Geonwoo inside. Han Doopil and Kalbang were huddled together in the room with the money-counting machines. They vacated the room as we entered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I’ll be back. I need to wash my hands.”
I left the room and looked around. I spotted a hallway and followed the polished floor to a restroom. It was surprisingly clean inside. I turned on the tap, lathered my hands with soap, and was about to rinse them when I heard footsteps.
Heavy footsteps, Geonwoo’s. He had followed me. He walked quickly down the narrow hallway and his expression darkened when he saw me.
He grabbed me, pulling me close and kissing me forcefully. He devoured my mouth with his tongue, while his hands worked quickly, removing my jacket and pulling up my thin sweater. His cold hands sent shivers down my spine. He pushed me against the mirrored wall.
I felt his hard cock pressing against me, the heat from his thighs radiating through my clothes. He was already aroused.
“Ugh! What’s gotten into you…?”
“What do you mean? I’ve been holding back since yesterday. I was dying to have you at the market. Didn’t you notice?”
I hadn’t. I had felt his gaze on me, but not this raw desire. I shivered again as he tilted my head back, licking my jaw and sucking on my Adam’s apple. The wet sensation on my skin was warm. Despite his rough handling, he wasn’t hurting me, and the position wasn’t uncomfortable.
“Kiss me.”
“I am…”
“No, stick out your tongue. Beg for it.”
He stuck out his tongue, inviting me to taste it. I put my arms around his shoulders and kissed him, sucking on his thick tongue like candy. Our saliva mingled.
“Ha… Sir, here…?”
“What, you don’t like it?”
“It’s not that…”
“Don’t you want me?”
My mind went blank. His embrace had ignited a fire within me. The heat between my legs and the musky scent made my heart race, overriding my concern about the men in the next room.
“Someone might see…”
“I’m holding back, Sunjung. Barely.”
The zip of his pants slid down. He nuzzled my ear, driving me wild. I fumbled with his belt and zipper. His large hand grasped my cock, and I instinctively reached for his. He began stroking me with his rough hand.
“Ahh!”
“Did you miss me?”
He deliberately drew out the strokes, his gaze intense, waiting for my answer. The pressure on my cock was intoxicating. I nodded.
“Use your words.”
“Haah! I missed you.”
The words tumbled out, and his lips curled into a smile. He increased the pace of his stroking. I gasped, every sense on high alert. I stood on tiptoe to meet his height, my heels trembling. My balls felt tight, like rubber balls about to burst.
“Ahh! Sir!”
He started nibbling on my ear again. It tickled. I could smell the mint on his breath as our saliva mixed. I used to dislike it when he did this, it felt like insects crawling on me. But now, it was a prelude to pleasure, the wet sounds arousing.
“You’re so fucking hot.”
“Haa! Haah!”
“You drive me crazy.”
He focused his attention on my cock, teasing the tip. I could only grip his cock, unable to do anything else as I came. My chest heaved as I gasped for air. I slumped against the wall, spent. He frowned and kissed me roughly.
“Ahh… Messy… Sir… Haa… I like it.”
My words were slurred. I wanted to spread my legs and beg him to fuck me, but he stopped me, taking my cum and smearing it on his already slick cock. It glistened, seeming to grow even larger. He rested his forehead against mine.
“Want to?”
“…”
“No?”
“Yes.”
Fear of getting caught flickered through me, but I shook my head no. Looking at him, holding me, kissing and biting me, filled me with a sense of power.
The successful couple from Yeonsan had bowed to him. This man, with his black card, was obsessed with me. I couldn’t help but moan as he entered me.
“Haa! Sir! Haah!”
“Call me Geonwoo.”
He pushed the head of his cock inside me, stretching my ass. I felt the smooth tip slide in.
“Huh? Say it.”
I thought he was trying to distract me, but he wasn’t. He held still, half inside me, waiting for me to say his name.
“Geonwoo… Sir.”
His eyes lit up with pleasure.
“Just my name. No ‘Sir’.”
“…Geonwoo… Uhh!”
He thrust inside me in one swift motion. The sudden stretching was excruciating. I couldn’t breathe. I trembled as he filled me completely and began to move.
“Ah! It hurts!”
“You can use informal language with me. You can curse. Fuck, this feels so good, Sunjung.”
He was frantic, pistoning in and out of me. The wet sounds intensified. It was painful, hot, and my lower body throbbed. The pounding of his cock against my insides, the way he ground against me, made my body move rhythmically.
“Haa, so tight. Why are you so tight?”
“Ahh! I don’t know!”
“Just one day without it, and you’ve forgotten the shape of my cock.”
He lifted one of my legs, and his balls slapped against my ass with each thrust, the penetration even deeper.
“But you take it so well. I love it.”
Water gushed out of me with every thrust, mixing with his precum to create a white foam. The friction intensified, and his pace increased.
“Haah!! You crazy bastard!”
“Fuck, you little slut.”
“Ow! Stop, ha! You bastard!”
“You’re driving me crazy.”
The boss genuinely seemed to have lost it, and I couldn’t see straight. Even as the flickering yellow bulb pierced my pupils, I couldn’t register it. All I could feel was the force of the boss’s cock pounding and thrusting inside me, along with his panting moans, battering my entire body.
It was like I was absorbing the fluids pouring out of him in a frenzy, and as the boss, who’d been jabbing into my rectum like he was propping it up, slammed his cock in so deep it felt like he’d shove his balls in too, the last shred of sanity I’d been clinging to snapped completely.
I trembled violently and pissed myself. As white liquid trickled out, I convulsed like an epileptic, throwing my head back, but instead of stopping, he rammed into me even harder and faster.
“Ah!!”
“Fuck! Lee Soyoon!!”
My scream lodged in the back of my throat. Even as I started to collapse, he caught me and kept fucking me. Squelch, squelch—the completely soaked sounds rang out as I fully took in his cock. An immense heat radiated from the boss holding me, and at the same time, he let out a beastly growl, tensing his entire body with force.
“Ha! Lee Soyoon. You fucking bitch.”
The veins on the boss’s forearms, gripping me, bulged grotesquely. Spewing cum in gushes, he buried his face in the nape of my neck. I surrendered my body to him, leaking the last of my piss. My arms dropped with a thud, and with a low groan, he emptied out the rest of his semen.
“Haa… stop…”
The boss came long and hard, as if making up for all the sex he couldn’t have yesterday, clinging to my body obsessively. Listening to his ragged breaths, it felt like he was savoring the fact that I was still alive.
From my fingertips to my toes, all strength drained away, leaving me feeling like a rag. Reunited after just a day, we held each other for a while. We didn’t talk or look into each other’s eyes. Just feeling each other’s body heat, I suddenly wondered what kind of person the boss’s first love might have been.
He probably fucked them this intensely too. Wild, uncontrollable sex.
Back then, he must’ve been much younger than now, unable to handle all that youthful energy. Sticking to them anywhere, kissing, thinking about sex 24/7, going nuts like a madman if he didn’t see them for a day.
That must’ve been cute.
What would it have been like to date the boss when he was twenty?
“Boss.”
At my call, he lifted his face from my collarbone.
“Wanna go see the sea?”
“Sunjung wants to see the sea?”
“When my grandma passed away before. I mean, the year I turned twenty, I went to the sea alone.”
“…”
“I wanted to show her the sea before putting her in the columbarium, so I went once. I was really miserable back then.”
Miserable. I wondered if that one word could capture the feeling, but I didn’t know any other way to put it.
“She passed away in a nursing home, and not a single person came to pay respects. I don’t even know if my dad’s dead or alive. I didn’t have relatives’ phone numbers. There was a shop owner who worked with my grandma for a long time, but he was too sick to come.”
“…”
“If you’d been by my side back then, boss, maybe I’d have lived a different life.”
The boss didn’t say anything. I didn’t say more either.
He pulled his cock out and stared at my face for a long time. Then he turned on the sink, wet a towel with lukewarm water, wiped my backside, cleaned my dick, and tidied himself up too.
I held his hand and walked down the hallway. Leaving the barbershop, he took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a deep drag, he suddenly lowered his head, pressed his lips to mine, and blew the smoke into my mouth.
The nicotine he passed to me filled my mouth, and I puckered my lips, exhaled the smoke, and smacked my lips.
“Tastes good.”
“You little fox.”
“Buy me a goldfish next time.”
“Why that?”
“I just wanna raise one. Every time I come here, it feels like the fish in that tank are begging me to take them home.”
Pointing at the aquarium across the way, I made him smirk. Just then, rain started falling. Without rushing, we got into the car. He took the wheel himself and put me in the passenger seat when someone tapped on the window—Woosung.
“Boss, it’s raining—let me drive.”
“Nah, clean up and head back. Follow Baekil’s orders.”
“Yes, sir. Drive safe, though. They say the intersection’s jammed with tourist cars. Looks like they’re all headed toward Yeonsan Rock.”
Finishing his spiel, Woosung said, “Then get home safe!” and stepped back. By then, the rain had thickened, forcing the wipers on.
“Should we just go next time?”
“I’ve already heard your story, so no.”
He stretched out a hand from the steering wheel and flicked my cheek.
It was probably because of what I’d said about my grandma. For the first time, I thought maybe the boss could be on my side.
If he’d really been with me back then, I might not have fallen into this life, might’ve turned out decent, maybe even become a college student—vague thoughts like that floated up.
As Woosung said, the road was packed with tourist cars. Still, the boss drove skillfully toward the coast. The sky had darkened completely, pouring rain, and the black sea under it was pretty striking. The crashing black waves were addictive. As I stared at the sea, he held an umbrella over me, pulled my face to his, and kissed me.
A kiss with the rainy sea as a backdrop felt kinda romantic. Thankfully, the guy didn’t throw out pointless flirting—just kissed me, then kissed me again.
When we got back to the hotel, one of his shoulders was soaked. I looked at his wet shirt, unbuttoned it, and naturally, we tangled our tongues.
It felt like sweet breaths were bursting out, and we genuinely gazed at each other’s faces like lovers while fucking. The sensation rising between my legs, the now-familiar curses, and the distinct smell of sex. The thick night-bloom scent clung to my skin like lube, heightening the arousal, and the boss shoved into my hole, fully indulging his greed.
“Sunjung-ah, curse at me.”
“Haa, fuck… Ahh! Fuck, it hurts so bad… but it feels good…!”
He went wild at my honest reaction. Like a drugged-up bastard, he thrust his hips, then wrapped his hand around my neck. He didn’t squeeze hard, but his big hand encircled my throat as if to show he could choke me anytime, and my body trembled as if it’d been waiting for it.
“Ah!! Fuck! Joo Geonwoo!!”
His flushed face slammed into me. His filthy pubes rubbed and pounded my ass relentlessly.
“Haa! You fucking bitch!!”
My dangling ankles stilled in midair. My toes curled, and I grabbed his hair, pulling it down as if searching for his lips. He obediently gave me his tongue, licking hard. He drank my pooled saliva and forced my mouth open again.
“Stick out your tongue.”
When I did, he spat—tchuh—into my mouth. Then he took the spit he’d left there and ate it all up. It was dirty and nasty. Disgustingly nasty. The weight of him felt like it’d burst my lungs, but then he lifted his thick body, sucked my nape with a smack, and grinned.
“Pissing yourself—you liked it?”
“…Don’t …make me talk…”
At my informal retort, he rocked his hips slowly with his cock still inside. He ruffled my soaked, messy pubes between my legs with his hand and said generously,
“Let’s sleep now.”
He pulled his cock out with a slick sound. His face screamed he wanted another round, but he didn’t push it. I lay limp, taking in the hotel room chandelier.
Sinking into post-sex drowsiness, he brought a lukewarm towel and wiped me down. He rinsed another towel, cleaned my stomach, neck, and face, then flung it aside. He must’ve washed already—his skin smelled of fragrant soap.
The spots where his bare skin touched warmed up. As clean sheets came up to my neck, I felt cozy, like I’d gained a new, safe fortress.
With a voice like dying embers, I said to him,
“Feels like I’m the one getting fucked in this fling.”
He might’ve smirked at that. I think his big hand brushed my eyelids gently. Drifting into a light sleep, I met the boss’s face from our first encounter again in a dream, like it was fate.
In the dawn, with my vomit as a backdrop, he smiled brightly.
Then his voice followed.
“It felt like snowflakes were falling.”
It was the dawn of a day when I’d been in Yeonsan for nearly two months.