IOTF Ch 14

When I shook my head, he grinned widely. Then he walked toward me. Coming close to the bed, he poked my cheek repeatedly, still on the phone.

The Chinese he was speaking, his slightly furrowed brow, and the unlit cigarette dangling at the corner of his lips trembled faintly each time he uttered the unfamiliar language.

The boss moved the hand that had been poking my cheek to my lips.

He pressed down gently on the lips I’d just been sucking and licking, then slid a finger inside. As the tasteless finger intruded, saliva pooled instinctively. I couldn’t help but make sucking noises as he touched my tongue and ran it along my teeth. His gaze grew intense, and he added a second finger to the one already inside.

Suck, suck—I sucked on his fingers. He kept talking on the phone, watching me do it. His big, thick fingers reached the back of my throat, but I didn’t push them away. Holding his wrist with both hands and sucking, he climbed onto the bed, kneeling. Then, exposing his fully erect cock, he commanded me with his eyes.

Suck it.

I released the fingers from my mouth and pulled down the briefs hanging over his hips. Beneath his six-pack abs, his massively swollen cock sprang out with a bounce. From the tip, towering over his dark pubes, fluid dripped steadily.

“Should I suck it now?”

Instead of answering, he nodded. I took the head in my mouth and gripped the shaft with my hand. Its size, too big for an adult man’s hand to fully grasp, had grown even larger from days without sex.

“Look at me.”

He showed no consideration for whoever was on the phone. It even seemed like he was barely listening.

Staring at him, I started sucking his cock. Opening my mouth wide, I licked up the flowing precum while giving him a blowjob. I sucked the shaft, teased the head, and stroked the base with my hand.

His cock grew harder, standing upright and pushing into my throat. Knowing I couldn’t take it all, I let him twist his hips, the long tip sliding to my cheek, poking the tender flesh inside as he thrust.

“Mmph—ah, haa… mmph!”

“Sunjung-ah, why are you so pretty?”

“Ugh! Mmph… gag…”

“It’s tickling my heart now. Not just my cock burning—it feels like my heart’s on fire too.”

Proudly, he grabbed my head and thrust hard. Saliva flowed, dripping down my chin. The unbearable pain brought up gags, but he didn’t stop. Coughs erupted, and as I tried to spit it out, unable to keep sucking, he treated my mouth like a hole and kept pounding.

“Haa…!!”

I felt like I’d suffocate. I pushed at his hips with my hands. Even scratching his thighs with my nails didn’t faze him. With the phone still to his ear, he furrowed his brow tightly. Even then, he kept staring at my messed-up face like he couldn’t get enough.

“We’re almost there, Sunjung-ah.”

His heavy breaths fell, and sporadic heat radiated from his muscular body. It was so intense I felt like I’d cook in it. I shoved hard against his thighs as he stabbed past my throat and pounded in. At that moment, a fishy smell flooded my mouth.

He sprayed cum against the inside of my cheek repeatedly. The scent of chestnut blossoms hit me full force as his body shuddered. His thick chest heaved with ragged breaths, and as he pulled out, he tossed the phone far away.

“Fuck, you turn me on so damn much, again.”

Like nothing else mattered, he lunged at me. His big, heavy body crashed into me, overwhelming. Already panting from sucking his brutish cock, my breaths got even more crushed as he pressed himself against me.

His big tongue forced its way in, sucking mine greedily. Not caring that my mouth was smeared with his cum, he devoured it all, mixing it with my saliva. Still hard after cumming, he pushed back in. Spreading my legs wide, he rammed in roughly. Good thing I’d loosened up with his fingers earlier, or it’d have been a bloodbath.

“Ah!! Ahh!!”

“Do you know how much I held back just to do this with you?”

It’d only been three days. Still, he acted like it was a huge deal, pounding so hard the bed shook. Shoving his shaft in without lube, so much fluid came from his cock that wet slaps rang out, white foam bubbling up as it mashed together.

“Ah! Ah! It hurts!”

It really did hurt. Still, the stimulation made me moan “ahh—” and tighten inside. I didn’t mean to clench, but my hole gripped him instinctively, squeezing tight. It was absurd yet toe-curlingly good. By now, I could tell exactly where his cock was hitting deep inside me.

“Haa! Haa!”

“Sunjung-ah, you say it hurts, but why’re you squeezing so hard?”

I could feel how my walls contracted finely, sucking him in as his thick shaft thrust fast. The tiny tissues clustering to absorb his fluid, the unknown liquid spurting from the depths of my gut—I’d figured it all out.

“Feels like all that ‘hurts’ talk is bullshit.”

“Ah, haa! Ah, it hurts…!”

“Wanna cum quick?”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and shook my head. Because I didn’t want it quick. If possible, I wanted him to keep thrusting with this kind of stimulation. When his thick cock pressed near my prostate, I felt like I’d piss again.

I matched his rhythm, thrusting my hips with him. He grinned ear-to-ear, speeding up. The pillow fell, and the blanket got shoved down. Just then, his phone rang. Determined to drown it out, I let out a loud moan.

As cum threatened to burst from my upright cock, he thrust faster, groaning with me.

“Ahh!!”

“Hoo! Fuck!”

The phone’s ring faded out. I came without even touching myself. He followed, shooting inside me. Our heated bodies, riled up by the interruption, didn’t cool down easily. Even after cumming, he kept going, thrusting relentlessly. With his cum still inside, he pounded my hole again, and I clung to his shoulders, screaming louder.

Did the thick smell of cum and sex waft beyond the bed? A knock came, then rapid banging on the door. Kalbang’s voice came through from beyond the hotel room door, but the boss, crazed, kept thrusting and kissing me.

I didn’t let him go. I, too, was ignited by this rare sex, tightening below and fully savoring his cum-filled hole. Pleasure surged through my body, and as I locked eyes with the sweating boss, I blurted out my thoughts.

“Pervert.”

The corners of his eyes curved down.

“So you hate it?”

“A guy like you, boss, is really a first for me.”

“Damn right it’s a first. A bastard like me should be your first.”

A first, and it could only be a first. Like he said, where else would I meet a guy like him?

Then another knock sounded, followed by Kalbang’s voice again. He hugged me tight and flipped us over. With me on top, he thrust his hips, telling me to ride him properly.

“Crude and tacky.”

“Calling me old in a roundabout way?”

“Just tacky, not old.”

Before I finished, he grabbed my hips and pounded hard—thud, thud, thud. Drunk on the spreading pleasure, I matched his thrusts. Riding his cock atop him, panting like I was on a horse, a loud crack came from the door.

Startled, my eyes shot open. He lifted his head and shouted toward the outside.

“Wanna get gutted?”

“Boss, it’s not that. Baekil said you broke the door. He kicked it down ‘cause you’d only listen that way.”

At Han Doopil’s voice, I flinched and curled up. Shocked that the door was broken, I buried my face in the boss’s chest. He pulled the sheet over me.

“Fucking bastards, let me fuck in peace. Tell that bastard Choi, if he keeps acting like shit, I’ll tear everything apart.”

“They’re already going nuts over the Geumma deal, eyes spinning. Looks like they wanna wrap it up quick, but since you’re not answering, they’ve got samples and calls coming from the mainland, causing a damn mess. They’re ringing nonstop—it’s driving me crazy.”

Han Doopil and Kalbang stayed at the door, not coming near the bed. Kalbang’s voice didn’t carry, just Han Doopil rattling on until the boss said, “Got it, get out,” and he shut up.

“Boss, we’ll wait outside. Finish up slow and come out.”

The door really was busted—Han Doopil’s “Man, how’d you smash it like that?” faded as it quieted down. I threw off the sheet and bolted up. The cock filling me twitched, startling me too.

“We were in the thick of it, huh, Sunjung-ah?”

“Don’t you have to go out now?”

“With my cock like this? What if I go fuck some other bitches instead of you?”

I didn’t know how to react, just rolling my eyes. Even if he did, it’s not like I could say anything, nor did I want to.

“If your man goes out with a hard-on, won’t my Sunjung get anxious? Worried I’ll make some other chick explode?”

He chuckled, slowly thrusting his hips. The cum pooled inside slid down, acting as lube, and a smooth sound came with a thick, rich sensation bubbling up.

“But I’m only doing it with you now, so I gotta drain this before I go.”

He grabbed my hips and pounded—thud, thud, thud. Each thrust bounced me up, my erect cock swaying and leaking.

“Hah! Hnng!”

“Hoo, in two days, those Chinese bastards will be gone. Wanna hit Japan after that?”

My eyes widened at “Japan.” Asking why Japan with my gaze, he gripped my hips harder, pounding—thud, thud, thud—while licking his lips.

“Oh, don’t like Japan? Where then? I wanna put you in a yukata and fuck on tatami. Back when I—hoo… fuck, feels so good.”

Loving the deep thrusts, he panted, eyes glued to where we were joined. On top, straddling his abs, I tilted my head back. He stared at me like he was entranced, then sat up.

“Look at me, Sunjung-ah.”

I lowered my head to meet his eyes. A drop of sweat fell as he exhaled hotly, sticking out his long tongue to lick under my chin.

“If not Japan, where? Got a country you wanna go to?”

“…No.”

“Why, don’t like going out?”

I did. No, I liked it, but I didn’t want to talk now. I just wanted sex. Pressing my hips down, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Sitting face-to-face, we held each other tight. Kissing, our bodies merged. His cock grew bigger inside, wet sounds hitting my ears nonstop.

“Haa! B-Boss!”

“Hoo, good? You like it, Sunjung-ah?”

“Yeah! I like it! Hnng!”

“Then tell me not to do it with other bitches.”

Panting, I looked at him as he spoke. Seeming bothered by my earlier silence, he kept pressing.

“Say this cock’s yours.”

The near-climax didn’t fizzle out. Instead, the heated sensation swelled with emotion, filling my mind. But it wasn’t something I could easily say.

“…If I say it’s mine, does it become mine?”

“You never had anything of your own? The clothes, shoes, watch I got you—they’re yours, right?”

But he was a person. I’d never thought of anyone I dated as “mine” or “my person.” I’d been backstabbed, sure, but never that.

“Sunjung-ah, I like that you’re greedy.”

“…”

“Getting greedy, claiming me as yours—how great would that be? Even better if you’d grab a kitchen knife and rampage, saying you’d kill any bitch who looks at me.”

His eyes gleamed. Against this dark, humid sky, he spoke of savage things so sweetly.

“You’re just you, boss.”

“And you?”

“I’m just me. Not anyone’s.”

His expression froze. Still gazing at me with those gem-like eyes, he clicked his tongue—tch—like his mood had soured.

“When are you gonna stay by my side?”

That one line made my back shiver. It encapsulated everything.

“Even after all this, you should get it by now, but you’re still playing dumb. Makes earning money no fun.”

“…”

“I thought you liked money—thought you’d grin ear-to-ear if I brought in a haul.”

He gave a bitter laugh. No, that bitter laugh looked downright scary. His long, sharp gaze stretched out, pressing my nape like a threat.

“It’s not my money.”

“Your man’s money is your wife’s money.”

“I’m not your wife. Don’t call me that.”

The mood died. I didn’t know how it’d come to this, but seeing his slit-like eyes, my cock shriveled up so much I wanted to sew its mouth shut.

Fuck, why’d I get stubborn when I could’ve just said what he wanted? Just say it’s mine, tell him not to look at other bitches, only me. What pride was I clinging to, ruining the vibe like this?

He smirked, maybe thinking something over, then poked my cheek with the hand that’d been pressing my nape.

“Stubborn little shit. Talking back sharp since day one, and you still can’t drop that habit.”

I lowered my eyes instead of answering. My arched brows drooped too, and he thrust his hips.

“Don’t know ‘good is good,’ got some sense but no sense, stubborn as hell—just living off your looks, huh?”

Fucking bitch, he swallowed the rest internally and kept thrusting. I screamed atop him. Holding me like I was bound, he pounded, pleasure fading, leaving only pain. Every gripped spot felt ready to burst. My shoulders and arms ached like they’d break, my hole and tailbone crushed to dust against his slamming bones.

“Fuck, hoo, pretty’s all it takes, huh? That’s it?”

“Haa! S-Stop cursing!”

“If you’ve got the breath to say that, we’re nowhere near done.”

It felt like the ceiling and floor flipped with the storm outside. My guts shifted, displaced in agony. Pain and fear tangled, driving me to extremes. He suddenly spread my ass hard. Pounding into the torn-open hole, a real scream broke out as I struggled to escape.

“Ah, it hurts!”

“I’m loving it. Every time you squirm and flip my insides, my heart buzzes—thanks to you, I might pick up a new hobby.”

“Ah! Ah! Let go, let me go!”

“Enjoying pain makes you a pervert. Fuck. Screwing a guy’s turned me into one too.”

With near-superhuman strength, he pinned me back on the bed. To him, I was a paper doll. Not content with tossing a grown man around, he made me cry. Ass up, I sobbed loudly. My guts felt wrecked, like something wrong was happening inside—stinging, burning, like they were on fire.

“Ah, it hurts! I-I feel crippled!”

“Who said you could be crippled? You can’t be shit without my say-so. Got it?”

I trembled like I was convulsing. Flailing, I punched his chest. Unable to take it, I pissed myself, collapsing on the bed. Knowing this, he kept pounding. He tormented my torn, aching hole with sick persistence.

I think I screamed why he was so cruel. It felt like someone came in and stared, or the ceiling flipped as the storm lashed my face. Soon, the boss, who’d been binding me tight, let out a beastly roar and came inside.

Panting atop me, he’d unloaded. Pulling out with a slick sound, he jerked his cock—tap, tap, tap—spraying the rest of his cum on my stomach and waist.

A long, brutal fuck, and a vicious release.

Rubbing the cum he’d spilled across me with his palm, he said,

“You’re mine, Sunjung-ah.”

He shoved his dripping cock back between my legs.

“I gotta have all the good stuff. That’s why.”

You have to be mine, and you can’t do anything without my permission, he said.

“But you can have me too. Joo Geonwoo and Lee Soyoon—that’d work.”

“…”

“Guess that’s how couples are made. Lately, I’ve been loving hearing ‘hubby.’”

He kissed my lips and hugged me. I stayed limp, unmoving. He wiped me down with a dry towel, brushing my hair back several times. Then he stared at my nape—probably marks from when he’d choked me.

“Gonna have to wear high-neck stuff now.”

“…”

“Already hearing I’m eating up a young guy—add this new kink, and it’ll get louder.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. Then his phone rang again. Clicking his tongue, he sucked my lips long and hard. Getting off the bed, he prepared to leave. I watched him with dull eyes.

Finally picking up the incessantly ringing phone, he stepped onto the marble.

“Sunjung-ah, I’ll be back.”

I didn’t answer. Seeing him, his lust fully sated, sleep crashed over me. I closed my eyes and exhaled. The fading sound of his shoes came with one last line ringing in my ears.

“Fuck, tell them to replace all the doors with steel.”

He hadn’t broken it. Of course—the hotel door was metal, and Kalbang had wrecked the latch just below the lock. Whether by hand or foot, I didn’t know, but the hotel sent someone to replace it right away.

He didn’t return until dawn after leaving like that. Unable to bear the boredom, I finished a bottle of wine and crawled into bed. Rain kept falling, weather alerts piling up.

The guests from China seemed stuck in this weather, not leaving. The boss appeared to be negotiating something with them, moving with a lawyer like he was starting a new venture.

He came back around dawn. Seeing the empty wine bottle, he said nothing. A strange smell clung to him—not women’s perfume or unfamiliar liquor. Like someone who’d absorbed air lingering in a sealed room too long, it was dry and crumbly.

With all this rain, where’d he pick up such dry, dusty air?

He showered and slipped into bed early morning. His heavy, warm skin touched mine, and he buried his lips in my earlobe, tiredly saying,

“Let’s sleep more, Sunjung.”

“…You didn’t sleep at all?”

“Nope. Those Chinese bastards talk too damn much.”

“Did you drink a lot?”

“Smell booze?”

“No. That’s why it’s weird.”

Too sober—that’s what was off. But soon, only his breathing filled the air. Held in his arms, I stared blankly at the rainy window. An hour, then two passed, and I fell asleep too. A knock woke me, and he got up to open the door.

“Brought breakfast.”

In briefs, he pulled in a cart with food. Rubbing my eyes awake, he put on a bathrobe and lit a cigarette.

He placed the food cart in front of us and made a call somewhere. Reading messages that came in while he slept, his brows flattened sternly.

Not wanting to interrupt, I quietly went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and came back. I set the food from the cart on the table and waited. His call dragged on. Something felt off. Then a voice pierced through his phone. The other person yelled like they’d lost all fear, mixing Japanese and Korean chaotically.

Who was it? Who’d dare talk to him like that?

I mixed rice into clear beef soup. Pulling over a dish of shrimp paste, I ate it as a side while he sat down, phone still to his ear.

“Guests’ tastes come first.”

“—Even so, there’s such a thing as an actor’s pride. How can they do it with their face covered…”

He lowered the volume, and I couldn’t hear more. Whoever it was, they had a hell of a temper, I thought. He picked up his spoon only after I’d eaten half my rice. Pushing the phone aside, he mixed his rice into the soup.

He ate with a straight back. No spills, no chewing sounds. Despite his rough nature, his chopstick skills and table manners were impeccable.

“Today, I need to go to the hospital.”

“Dermatologist?”

“Yeah. Dentist too, and I want physical therapy at the herbal clinic. My shoulder’s been aching with all this rain.”

I rubbed my shoulder. Maybe from yesterday’s sex, the way he’d bound me, it felt clogged every time I breathed.

“Rough?”

“Not that bad, but I should still go.”

He nodded at my words. After eating, he ordered a car. I thought he’d take me himself, but Kalbang knocked, and Han Doopil poked his head in. They were here to escort him again. He put on a flashy shirt and a gold-laden Rolex, then, as if remembering something, opened the closet.

“Remember I said to wear something high-necked?”

I nodded. Thinking it was for the choke marks, he pulled out a thin brown turtleneck and tossed a blazer over it. Assuming he meant for me to wear it, I stood quietly. He picked up a watch box he’d stashed neatly to the side.

“Never seen you wear it. Don’t like it?”

Not at all. I’d kept it safe because I had nowhere to wear it.

“I’m saving it.”

“Didn’t even blink when I handed you a four-billion-won building deed, but you’re saving a damn watch?”

“It’s one of my dreams.”

I’d never even dreamed of owning a building. With less than 400 million to my name, 4 billion was beyond me.

“Of course, it’d be a real dream if I bought it myself, but I never thought it’d come into my hands this fast.”

“Bought it yourself?”

“With my money, I mean.”

“Don’t shorten your words for no reason. Pisses me off if I don’t get it.”

Seeming conscious of our age gap, he glared at me, opened the box, and took out the watch. Grabbing my wrist, he put it on himself. The heavy weight on my wrist from morning didn’t feel bad.

“Wear it all day. Don’t take it off in the bathroom or when you sleep.”

“It’s uncomfortable—how can I?”

“Don’t take it off from now on. Not a request.”

He raised his brows, wrinkling his forehead. I nodded silently, and he tilted his head.

“Sunjung-ah, got something to say?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been weirdly quiet since yesterday.”

Did he notice? That I was so bored I’d downed a whole bottle of wine, with nothing left to do in this room. I’d watched all the OTT movies, and more than anything, I was a night owl by nature.

I barely had days off, and even then, I’d roam till midnight to feel at ease. But being cooped up in this room for nearly a month with nothing to do was driving me nuts.

“…How long do I have to stay in this room?”

I wanted out. Versace, Queens—anything. If not a host, I could manage as a madam.

“Where you wanna go?”

“…I wanna go back to the shop.”

He seemed to expect it, slipping a hand into his pants pocket. A knock came from outside, but his eyes stayed hard.

“Being idle all day gets boring…”

“I played with you good, didn’t I? You’re whining ‘cause I left you alone a few days for guests?”

“No, you said I’d go to Versace originally.”

“Versace to take clients? You still remember me saying I’d push out the ace and clean up the turf?”

He didn’t untilt his head. Another knock, and Han Doopil peeked in.

“Han Doopil.”

Just his name, and the door slammed shut. That chillingly low tone gave me goosebumps.

“You brought it up—why no answer?”

The vibe shifted, and I bit my lower lip before letting go. I wished I’d stayed quiet, but it was out, and he needed to know how I felt.

“…My body’s healed, but doing nothing feels stifling and guilty…”

“Guilty for what?”

“I came as a host, meant to boost sales, but I’m doing nothing. Feels off. Since starting this job, I’ve never rested more than a week. Even going out with clients was for money. Never been this sick or rested this long.”

He rubbed his brow tiredly at my words.

“Sunjung-ah.”

He stepped closer. With the heavy watch on, I kept my hands still as he twisted his head to look at me.

“Still don’t get it?”

“…Get what…”

“You’re not a host anymore. You can’t do that again. I crushed all the bitches who played with you—why would you go back?”

“…”

“Your madam got her hair pulled by her man. The chick you fucked can’t run her business ‘cause I buried her. She’d need cash stacks to come crawling to me to reopen. Even then, it’s pointless. Why? ‘Cause fucking you doesn’t erase itself.”

I was speechless. Ji Yeonwoo’s words from Queens that day echoed.

“Even the clients next to you got handsy, they say. No calls from anyone who picked you. The lady from your second round got her shop shut down, sucking her thumb for a week now. Once it reopens, cops’ll raid again—huge losses.”

Was it true? No, he knew my past—why go that far? He’d watched me go on second rounds with clients and said nothing…

“Sunjung-ah, bored?”

“…”

“Wanna serve drinks to bitches and suck pussy again? Don’t like the money I bring—only yours is good? Or was there a chick you liked?”

No. I shook my head. The talk was veering weird. I didn’t mean it like that, but his mood turned shitty, glaring like he’d shove me against the wall.

“N-No. Last time you said to sign a contract, I thought I could keep working. Even if not Versace, I thought Queens. I came here as a host, and you knew that, so I figured you didn’t care. It’s just clients and hosting—money, no other meaning. All I know is hustling, and maybe you’d let me be a madam…”

My head spun as I spoke. I tried to smooth his mood, but whether this tension would ease was anyone’s guess.

“You think being a madam keeps the bitches off? They’d call you over and grope you right there.”

“I’d say no. In Seoul, I skipped tables like that.”

“So you wanna go back to the shop?”

I shook my head frantically. Not at all—I almost waved my hands, but he glared, then huffed.

“Sunjung-ah.”

“…Yes…”

“I don’t rub shoulders with others, so I stay in this hotel. Once these guests leave, we’re moving. That 90-pyeong apartment I mentioned—it’s ready. Don’t like it? I’ll snag an Art Village unit. Only vetted people live there—no security worries. It’s got facilities, and rich old folks go there for quiet living—just classy types.”

Classy? Vetted people, yet how’d a guy like him get in? Still, his mood seemed to lighten a bit.

“Just pick where you wanna go, Sunjung. I’ll call an interior designer—start thinking about decorating. It’s our place, so make it how you want. You’re the boss of it.”

He grabbed my cheek and stretched it. Tugging my healed face like he’d rip it, he pressed his forehead to mine.

“Sunjung-ah.”

“…Yes.”

“I want to split your head in half and yank out every memory inside it. I want to carve out everything you’ve seen, felt, and experienced, and stuff just me in there instead. Got it?”

No… I didn’t want to get it. The boss laughed slyly again, as if that was some kind of confession. That handsome, refined boss grinning sent an inexplicable chill up my spine.

That wasn’t courtesy toward someone—it was a lack of respect. He had no right to rip out the memories and experiences someone held dear, and even if he tried to lock me up in such a crude, twisted way, it wouldn’t bend to his greed.

“Boss, why do you like me?”

“‘Cause you turn me on.”

“…”

“I’ve never seen a face that gets me going like yours. Your sassy mouth is my type too. The way you subtly grind when we fuck turns me on. Long, slim, pale, and soft. I love the smell of your pussy when I’m with you the most.”

I had no words. Just as a sigh threatened to escape, he placed his hand on my ass and gripped it hard. Meeting his possessive move with my eyes, he licked his red lips and said,

“I can’t live without you now. I told you before, didn’t I? I might end up saying I can’t live without you, so let yourself get hooked just enough.”

His long, alluring eyes curved downward. Every time I saw them, I felt it—such a wild, captivating face. If a man with a face and body like that sweet-talked like this, no woman would resist falling for it.

But I wasn’t like that.

“So just hold out a few days. It’ll wrap up today or tomorrow. Those bastards from China are a bit greedy. They keep asking for a free show when the money for one performance is insane—it’s a headache. But I’ll sort it out quick and come back, so hang out.”

He coaxed me like he was soothing a kid. Unlike his earlier deadly glares, his mood had lifted, and he wrapped his hands around my waist, shaking me playfully.

“Go with Jang Woosung.”

“Okay. I will.”

“And don’t run your mouth if you run into my aunt.”

The word “aunt” puzzled me, but I nodded. Before leaving, he stroked my cheek with his big hand. Then, feeling playful, he parted my hair 2:8, then 5:5. Even when I said he’d be late, he lingered like he didn’t want to leave me, only stepping out when Han Doopil knocked. The door shut with a thud right in front of me. As it closed, I let out the breath I’d been holding.

My throat felt tight, suffocating. A sigh broke free, and an invisible leash weighed down my whole body.

It was hard to deny—this was the reality of living bound.

˚｡⋆

After a few days, Woosung showed up with a short haircut. Shaved close like a guy heading to the military, he insisted he was channeling Kang Baek-ho.

Well, it was cute. For a punk, he had a refined look—long limbs, and as a former track athlete, he had just the right amount of muscle, setting him apart from the pig-like guys. Even now, as we reached the hospital and approached the reception desk, the nurses kept stealing glances at him.

“They said to go in.”

I didn’t have to wait and went straight into the exam room. The doctor said the regenerative shots, which I’d been getting, could stop after this last one. If I was still worried, I could get a procedure, but since I couldn’t work as a host anymore, there was no point. After a quick treatment, I was about to head to the herbal clinic when it happened.

The elevator doors opened, and I came face-to-face with a woman decked out in a flashy ribbon and heavy makeup. Her sharp eyes marked her as none other than the boss’s eldest aunt.

“Oh my, who’s this!”

I blinked, unable to greet her right away. Draped in gold from her ears to her arms and neck, she couldn’t take her eyes off my face.

“So handsome, huh? Oh dear, this fine face—did my boy really mess it up like that?”

Back then, my face was still patched with bandages and bruises. Knowing she was the boss’s aunt, I’d avoided meeting her gaze, so this was likely the first time she’d seen me properly. Had the boss known I’d run into her today and warned me in advance?

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello. Let’s exchange some pleasantries. I’m Geonwoo’s—Boss Joo’s—eldest aunt. And who might this handsome young man be?”

“I’m Lee Soyoon. Not from here, just staying for a bit…”

“No, no. I heard it’s Sunjung. Isn’t your name Sunjung?”

…Then I recalled what I’d overheard at the barbershop. The men counting money, chuckling as Kalbang tossed out what seemed like a joke.

“Even back home, it’s ‘Sunjung this, Sunjung that’—no one doesn’t know Sunjung now.”

Had he really been calling for me in front of his family? Then again, that day, a call had come from this very aunt.

“Yes… that’s right. My real name’s Lee Soyoon, though…”

“Oh my goodness. They kept saying ‘Sunjung, Sunjung,’ so I figured that’s what you were locked in as. You’re twenty-five, right?”

“Yes… that’s correct.”

“Goodness me, but why don’t you know your birth time? April fifth is right, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s true too, but I don’t know the exact time.”

She pulled out her phone. “Come over here a bit,” she said, pressing the screen with her red-painted nails.

“Our boy was blessed by Buddha’s grace even in the womb, you know. When he was in his mama’s belly, me and my twin sister went to temples nonstop to pray ‘cause he was so sickly. His mama aside, our boy was meant to live by Buddha’s hand. His daddy being that kind of man, doing this kind of work—it’s no ordinary frail kid, you see. But you’d know that, living with him, right?”

I didn’t. Other than him thrusting with inhuman strength, acting like a sex-crazed king who never stopped, and being a reckless psycho even sociopaths would avoid, I couldn’t agree.

“So, when do you think you’ll have some time?”

“Time?”

“He’s been raving about you like crazy—don’t tell me we’re not checking compatibility. Don’t need the birth time, just jot down a number here.”

So that’s why she’d taken out her phone. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a number to give. But in this day and age, who’d believe I didn’t have a phone? This sharp-eyed middle-aged woman would probably glare and snap, “Are you mocking me?” without hesitation.

“Well, I need to get a new phone, but I haven’t yet…”

“Didn’t my boy get you one?”

“Oh, no, he did. He said it’s coming today.”

I glanced at Woosung without thinking. He stood a distance away, looking elsewhere, between the two of us.

“Then let’s snap a photo. Stand still.”

She raised her phone to my height. Her thickly lined eyes shot me a look, then she tilted her head to frame the shot. A click sounded, and she muttered to herself.

“How’s he look like this? In all my years, I’ve never seen a kid like him.”

I pretended not to hear. Lowering my eyes and acting demure, her gaze started roaming over me. The way she stared right through someone was just like Boss Joo.

“You’ve got a dick, right?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, pardon me. You’ve got one, but you don’t take it off or anything, do you? These days, it’s not even a flaw, right?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected comment, I quickly read her feelings toward me. Despite her words, she was uneasy. Even as she tucked her phone back in her bag, glancing at my lean frame, there was an undercurrent of confusion—why was a guy like me tangled up with her nephew?

“I’m not taking it off.”

“What?”

“I’m not removing my dick.”

For a moment, the boss’s voice telling me not to run my mouth flashed by. But the words were already out, and I wasn’t with him by choice. I’d made it clear I’d take my fair share and head back to Seoul, that I’d at least earn my keep. Yet it was Boss Joo Geonwoo who’d talked about cracking my skull open.

“If you don’t take it off, you planning to have a kid?”

“If it happens, sure. If it does, I’ll have it.”

I bowed after spouting nonsense. Her icy voice seemed ready to explode, but honestly, I’d dealt with plenty of women like her.

“You sure know how to talk proper. Someone who can’t even give birth. How’s a man supposed to have a kid?”

“Yes, you’re right. I’m a man. So please don’t talk about removing it or anything. I’ve got a dick too—it makes me feel pathetic.”

I only groveled to clients for their wallets, not otherwise. I didn’t care if she thought me rude. Suddenly, I noticed a small spark inside me wanting to lash out. Talking back like this, she wouldn’t call asking my birth time again. At least she wouldn’t keep showing up out of the blue, grilling me with disapproving looks.

If she wanted to curse, she should curse her precious bloodline, not me.

I bowed low and stepped into the elevator. Her gaze lingered as I boarded and Woosung followed. The doors shut, and her heavy eyeshadowed face vanished. I sighed without realizing it, and Woosung spoke up.

“I don’t know much, but among the twin aunts, the eldest dotes on the boss the most. When he was a kid, he was so frail they dragged him to every hospital, fortune teller, and temple. They say he wouldn’t live long, was doomed to die—carrying that burden, she scoured Yeonsan’s markets to save him. That’s the eldest aunt.”

“…”

“You could say she loves him more than his own mom.”

That meant I’d have to face her more than a few times. If her attachment was stronger than his mother’s, her seeking me out was a given. I recalled the middle-aged woman who’d brought me bone broth that day. The one who’d spoken calmly while feeding it to me.

She must’ve been a beauty in her youth, her eyes carrying the weight of her life. Cold, with an air of unshakable patience—a formidable woman.

Would it be better to deal with her instead? At least the boss’s mom seemed rational and sharp… A ding sounded as the elevator doors opened.

Stepping onto the rain-soaked ground, I sorted my thoughts.

Back then, I had no clue what was about to happen to me.