PSY CH 17
by Lulu[Wave Adult Arcade]
Jooyoung stood in front of the glass door covered with a sky-blue adhesive film. The handle was slippery. His palm had become damp with sweat before he realized it.
He’d agonized endlessly before coming here. Even though he knew he was walking straight into the jaws of a beast, he’d ended up coming anyway… it was all because of the phone call with his mom yesterday.
“We’ve set the date for the formal family meeting.”
His oldest brother, who had been talking about marriage, now had an official date set. The wedding preparations had begun in earnest. When Jooyoung offered a congratulatory comment, his mom hesitated for a long moment before she spoke.
“You know there’s no need to feel intimidated, right, Jooyoung? They don’t know… from that side…”
“…”
“Anyway, we’ll need to get you an outfit, so let’s find a time that works.”
As if to lighten the mood, she quickly changed the subject. She said with a kind voice that he’d look good in light-colored clothes because his skin was fair.
“Phew.”
Jooyoung let out a deep breath and opened the door. A cool gust of wind hit him, and the sweat chilling against his skin made goosebumps rise.
Amid the hunched-over patrons, he spotted Dohyun. Their eyes met the moment he closed the door.
“…”
“…”
Dohyun immediately turned his gaze away, as if he had never looked Jooyoung’s way in the first place. He’d been threatening to call the police just the other day, and now he was ignoring him.
Jooyoung licked his lower lip. He walked straight to the counter, passing by the loudly flashing machines.
“Can we… talk?”
“…”
“We still have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
“…”
“Dohyun.”
Dohyun stood leaning on the desk, eyes fixed on the monitor. He was deliberately ignoring Jooyoung.
Just as Jooyoung was about to say something more, someone appeared from behind.
“Four.”
Without any further explanation, the man held out his hand at the counter. The stench of alcohol and cigarettes wafted off him. Jooyoung instinctively stepped back.
Dohyun brought something out from a room behind the counter and handed it to the man. It was a black, rectangular, and somewhat mysterious device. The man took it without a word and left immediately.
“Dohyun.”
“…”
“Can we please just talk…?”
Dohyun kept his eyes fixed on the monitor, continuing to ignore Jooyoung. Unable to hold it in any longer, Jooyoung raised his voice slightly and called out, “Hwang Dohyun.”
Only then did Dohyun look at him.
“What is there to talk about?”
“That day…”
“Oh, that day.”
Jooyoung hesitated, head hanging low. He had come here to talk, but the words wouldn’t come out now that it was time. His lower lip throbbed painfully, swollen and sore from constant licking and biting.
Dohyun dropped into his chair. He clasped his hands in front of his stomach, sitting with a somewhat relaxed posture as he faced Jooyoung. After a long, heavy silence, it was Dohyun who finally spoke first.
“Should I report it… or not?”
His voice stretched at the end, clearly trying to gauge Jooyoung’s reaction.
Jooyoung quickly lifted his head, but under Dohyun’s direct gaze, he lowered his eyes again.
“If you just tell me, I won’t report it, you know?”
“…”
“Do you have a record or not?”
But at the word “record” slipping from Dohyun’s mouth, Jooyoung couldn’t keep his head down any longer.
“I told you already—I don’t have a record.”
“No way…”
Dohyun smirked. The mischievous grin suited his naturally rough demeanor, but to Jooyoung, it only bred unease.
“Say something believable.”
“…”
“You must have something to hide if you’re acting like a dog that needs to take a dump.”
He leaned forward slightly, one hand resting on the armrest. Sitting crookedly, he waited for Jooyoung to speak, making no attempt to conceal his blatant curiosity.
Jooyoung hesitated. The photo Dohyun had shown him that day only captured the moment he picked up the wallet. There was no image of him stealing anything from inside. Of course there wasn’t—he hadn’t opened it until he got to the pawnshop.
Technically, misappropriation of lost property could be handled with a summary trial if the amount involved was minor. A fine might be issued, but it wouldn’t be a huge deal.
But…
Jooyoung’s eyes twisted, on the verge of tears. His pale skin flushed pink.
“…I don’t have a record.”
He spoke slowly, but clearly. The moment he let his guard down, the other would seize it instantly.
“Then I’ll report it.”
As expected, Dohyun grabbed the phone he had left on the counter. Jooyoung reached out in a panic and grabbed his arm.
“Something else…!”
“…”
“I’ll do anything else. I’ll do whatever you want. So please…”
Their hands were as different in size as their builds. Jooyoung clung desperately to Dohyun’s large, prominent-knuckled hand.
Considering the hostility Dohyun harbored toward him, Jooyoung assumed there must be something he wanted. So when Dohyun said to name what he wanted, Jooyoung fully expected a demand. No one threatens someone like this for no reason.
“Assault? Theft? Rape?”
“…”
“What is it?”
But it wasn’t any of those.
“You didn’t kill someone, right?”
“….”
“Ugh, seriously, what is it?”
Dohyun’s interest lay in something unexpected—something Jooyoung absolutely couldn’t reveal. Refusing to acknowledge his words, Jooyoung stubbornly repeated himself.
“…I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Dohyun casually shook off Jooyoung’s hand. For all the desperation with which he’d held on, he was brushed off with embarrassing ease.
“I’m so fucking sorry, but—”
“…”
“I already told you, didn’t I? That’s the only thing I’m curious about.”
“…”
“So? Did you go to jail or not?”
Jooyoung stood blankly, unable to do anything with the hand now hanging uselessly in the air. His eyes, once bright and full of light, were now completely dimmed.
“If you just tell me that, I won’t report you.”
Dohyun gave his phone a light shake.
“Seriously.”
He looked as if he were playing a fun little game, while Jooyoung was the only one anxious and on edge.
Jooyoung opened his mouth, only to close it again weakly, over and over. In the gaps, only faint, fragile breaths slipped out.
Dohyun took great pleasure in watching Jooyoung squirm, his eyes tinged red and clearly at a loss. Every fingertip buzzed as if shocked with electricity. He had to make an effort not to let a grin sneak out.
Leaning an elbow on the armrest, he half-covered his mouth with his hand. He slowly swept his gaze on Jooyoung from top to bottom.
“…”
Hair clinging to sweat-damp skin, feline eyes bright like a sunlit cat’s, and lips quivering with unhidden nerves.
Finally, his eyes landed on the pale fingers resting on the counter. The back of Jooyoung’s hand, veined with blue, looked freezing to the point of pain—maybe because it was so thin and bony, without an ounce of flesh.
“Ah, go away.”
When he pushed him away as if it were a nuisance, that hand was as cold as it looked. But…
“Does it hurt a lot?”
At times, it brought a sense of calm, like being wrapped in clouds. The hand that brushed back his sweaty hair, the one that rubbed his stomach all night, the one that steadied him as he staggered, always there to hold him firm…
“…Shit.”
Dohyun muttered a curse under his breath as the sudden memory overwhelmed him. Before more memories could flood in, he quickly tore his eyes away from Jooyoung’s hand. The lingering feeling was wiped away as his palm pressed against his eyelids.
“…I’ve never been to jail.”
Finally, Jooyoung’s lips, which had been twitching nervously, parted.
“So… if you want something else, just tell me.”
“…”
“I’ll do anything.”
His fingers still lacked strength as they rested on the counter.
“…”
“…”
In the noisy arcade, it felt like time stopped in this one spot, and an eerie silence settled. The longer the silence stretched, the more Jooyoung’s anxiety grew. But he didn’t dare rush the answer. It would be troublesome if a small action upset Dohyun’s mood.
Creak, creak—the chair made a chilling sound every time it turned from side to side. Dohyun sat with his body almost sprawled, staring intently at Jooyoung.
Then suddenly.
He realized that he had never treated Jooyoung like this before. Not once had he ignored Jooyoung’s feelings, nor had he ever steered the conversation this way. It was all new. His heart began pounding as if he was aware of something he hadn’t been before.
“…I’ll do anything.”
Jooyoung nodded slowly but surely.
“But…”
Dohyun leaned forward slightly, resting his arm on the armrest.
“Do you even know what I’d have to ask you to do for me to say something like this?”
“…”
“You’re pretty fearless.”
He raised his eyebrow slightly. For a moment, Jooyoung felt a shiver down his spine. But there was nowhere to retreat to. It was better to do what Dohyun wanted than to speak of the past, something he would rather forget. At least that was how Jooyoung felt.
“I don’t care what you make me do.”
“Damnit! That’s why I’m even more curious.”
Dohyun suddenly stood up from his chair.
“Excuse me?”
Then, with his arms spread wide, he leaned on the counter, looking down at Jooyoung from an angle. His eyes sparkled with interest, as if he were an innocent child.
The feeling of facing an impenetrable wall overwhelmed Jooyoung.