Love Me More

Episode 5

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…”

Kwon Yuwon couldn’t bring himself to say that his supplier’s type was a pale and handsome beta. As Si-yul said, in this place where the hierarchy was clear, refusing to drink meant that the supply would be cut off. There was no benefit in being disliked.

That said, he certainly didn’t mean to sacrifice Si-yul. To Kwon Yuwon, Si-yul was like a one-of-a-kind brother.

“Don’t you trust me? I’ve been working out lately and built some muscle. Look.”

Unaware of Kwon Yuwon’s true feelings, Si-yul bent his elbow and flexed his bicep. For a slender build, the muscle hanging there was quite impressive. It was amusing and cute to see him bragging about muscles that were more like water jugs than anything else, despite having never fought a day in his life.

Kwon Yuwon sighed without showing his feelings. Surely he wouldn’t act foolishly on their first meeting. He didn’t have faith, but there was no other option. If he were to touch Si-yul, he would drive a stake into that fat belly and set it ablaze for ten days and nights, clenching his fist tightly.

“Okay. But promise me one thing. If anything happens, you run away without looking back. Don’t think about me.”

If something dangerous happened to Kwon Yuwon, his body would likely act before his mind. But he didn’t throw out a line from a movie like, “I can’t leave you behind.” That would only amplify Kwon Yuwon’s anxiety.

He simply put on the most trustworthy smile he could muster to reassure the other and nodded his head with dignity, pretending not to see the deepening distrust on Si-yul’s face.

“Make yourself look as unattractive as possible.”

At Kwon Yuwon’s request, Si-yul pulled out the most worn-out t-shirt and wrinkled pants he had. He also pulled down a black baseball cap, which seemed to be unsatisfactory in the eyes of the other. Frowning and looking closely, he shook his head, saying that he would at least need to have a face full of acne to be less noticeable, but it was all clear.

After Kwon Yuwon’s hand had messed up his hair a few times, they were finally able to leave the inn. The meeting place was a private bar located underground. Kwon Yuwon sneered, saying it was a “high-end members-only club that not just anyone can enter,” but the word “club” stuck in Si-yul’s ears more than anything else.

Hadn’t he been suspiciously frequenting clubs lately? Moreover, most of those encounters had not ended well. The warning from the man who had told him not to come unless necessary echoed in his mind, swimming around in his ears.

Si-yul shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts. This was not the club the man had warned him about. It was just a bar.

As they descended into the underground, the bar and a spacious hall came into view first. The rooms were arranged like balconies above. They were glass rooms similar to a club, but with curtains drawn, making it hard to see inside from the outside.

Just by looking, the luxurious interior and soft lighting exuded a strong scent of money. For a timid commoner like him, even stepping on the floor felt like a privilege, and he felt a sense of intimidation.

Kwon Yuwon had a chewed-up expression all the way up the stairs. It was only when they stood in front of a curtained room that he regained his smile. It was a smile that was obviously insincere.

Before entering, Si-yul steeled himself. No matter how foolish he thought he was, he wasn’t so dumb as to not infer from Kwon Yuwon’s reactions. There would likely be something unpleasant. Still, running away was the last resort.

“Hyung, we’re here.”

As he opened the door and entered, Kwon Yuwon greeted them with a warm voice, as if he were answering a phone call. Sitting squarely in the middle of a wide sofa was a man whose belly was so round it resembled a chicken, waving his arm in a lazy greeting.

He wasn’t alone. The two sitting nearby glanced at Kwon Yuwon and Si-yul. With tattoos, thick gold chains, and scars, they certainly did not have pleasant appearances.

“You can’t wear a hat when you come to greet someone. Take it off.”

The man gestured to Si-yul with his chin. Si-yul quickly checked Kwon Yuwon’s expression and took off his hat. As he swept his disheveled hair back, the man laughed heartily and patted the seat next to him.

“I was wondering what kind of boy this guy was so obsessed with, and it turns out he’s just a pretty face. Not even an omega. But girls like that tend to be wet.”

The man’s teasing made the two sitting next to him snicker maliciously. Kwon Yuwon, still smiling, whispered a curse under his breath, which Si-yul heard. But he couldn’t afford to mess things up here.

“I don’t know about being wet, but I can drink well, hyung. Shall I pour you a drink?”

Responding cheerfully, the man laughed heartily and gestured for him to come over. Si-yul rushed over. He had prepared himself before coming here. Social life was not easy, and he had decided to endure even if it was dirty.

Sitting next to the man, he filled the empty glass with alcohol. The man had already draped his flabby arm over Si-yul’s shoulder as if they were old friends. Si-yul abandoned all pride and just smiled brightly.

“You should drink too.”

The man, looking at him like he was cute, grabbed Si-yul’s soft cheek and shook it. He poured the drink to the brim and offered it to him.

“I’ll drink it. That guy has a bad liver, so if he drinks that, he’ll be done for, hyung.”

Kwon Yuwon intervened from a distance. The man’s gaze turned fierce in an instant.

“Hey, fuck, did I give it to you? He’s the one who received it, so why are you making a fuss?”

Gripping the glass as if he would throw it, the man glared at Kwon Yuwon. The atmosphere turned dangerous in an instant. Just one wrong word could end the deal, so Si-yul quickly wrapped his hand around the man’s and took the glass away. Then he downed the whiskey without ice in one go. His throat burned, but he held on without eating or drinking anything.

“It’s what you gave me, so of course I should drink it. Yuwon tends to worry too much about unnecessary things, hyung.”

The man relaxed his expression and exclaimed, “Wow,” while chuckling and waving his finger over Si-yul’s face.

“I like this kid.”

For now, they had passed the first hurdle. As he frantically pondered how to handle the countless crises they would face in the future, Si-yul scratched his head, pretending to be shy.

The glasses were passed around, and the conversation flowed. Most of it was vulgar talk. They discussed how omegas were, how omegas were tasteless, and how betas were the real deal. If he could, Si-yul wanted to wash his ears and brain with clean water. He liked a bit of raunchy talk as much as the next guy, but what the man and his companions were spewing was nothing but filth.

The man intermittently fed Si-yul drinks. Si-yul stayed alert. He was terrified of what might happen if he showed even a hint of drunkenness. At first, the hand that rested on his shoulder kept sliding down. It brushed against his nape, fiddled with his earlobe, and slipped into his shirt to grope his chest. If he tried to avoid it, the man would notice and pull his hand back from his clothes.

That hand began to roam his thigh. It boldly squeezed and kneaded. Si-yul’s smile began to crumble over time. It was hard to keep smiling. Kwon Yuwon was not much better off. Every time the man leaned in closer to Si-yul, Kwon Yuwon’s eyebrows twitched. He seemed ready to curse at any moment, but after seeing Si-yul’s desperate gestures, he would hold his tongue.

But if left alone, the man’s touch crossed the line from boldness to criminality. Now, he was invading Si-yul’s lower body, and it was a mess. When Si-yul shifted his body to the side, the man painfully squeezed his thigh.

“I need to use the restroom for a moment.”

Unable to hold it any longer, Si-yul jumped up. He added that he felt like his bladder was going to burst from drinking too much and hurriedly left the room. He could have held on a little longer, but the man’s hand was about to slip into his pants and touch his precious jewels.

After wandering for a while, he finally found the restroom. It was much larger and cleaner than the one in the inn where he lived. Si-yul emptied his bladder and washed his hands at the sink. After washing, he didn’t go back right away. He stood at the sink, gripping the edges, and let out a deep sigh as if the ground was about to swallow him.

I don’t want to go.

No matter the resolve or business, he wanted to run away.

But he couldn’t leave Kwon Yuwon behind. Looking in the mirror, Si-yul muttered to himself that he could do it. Enduring was the way to gain.

He dried his hands on a paper towel and was about to leave when someone blocked the door. A huge belly that could not be hidden by a shirt was visible beneath a lowered gaze. The man had followed him. Damn, just like Kwon Yuwon had said, Si-yul cursed under his breath. Still, he awkwardly smiled, knowing he had no choice.

“Hyung, you’re here. I’ll go in first then.”

As he bowed his head and tried to leave, the man blocked the door and wouldn’t let him pass. The man was quite tall and bulky, making it impossible for him to squeeze through any gap in the door.

“If you could just step aside for a moment…”

“I need to take a piss too.”

“Oh, okay.”

“But while I’m at it, I’ll take a piss on your face too.”

As soon as the man’s habitual curse from Kwon Yuwon brushed his mind, Si-yul felt his hair being grabbed. He swallowed hard and waved his arms, but he couldn’t push away the much larger and heavier figure. In an instant, he was shoved into the empty restroom stall.