TW
Lorenzo counted the won with shaky hands, his lip and nose bleeding, his fingers dirty. "That's—I got all, I promise." He whispered, clutching onto his last truth as the man stood ahead of him. The sound of the cash flicking made his stomach churn, the other alpha changing burned, and the sun of the 10:24 shine was breaking down his composure. His chest feet. "You should shower, kiddo. The bathroom is over there," the alpha pointed at the dark door in his private room.
Lorenzo shook his head. "N-no, I-I'm not short.. I swear."
"It doesn't fucking matter. You did the work; someone skims you? They won't be getting their next fix." Lorenzo looked up at him. The older man slung a black, satin button up over bruised shoulders and flexed subtly. "It doesn't matter. Get in the shower and then I'll take you to your bed." He demanded once more. Lorenzo wiped his nose harshly. "Don't do that. It'll make it worse." The other spoke. Lorenzo wanted to cry. His leg created a shake by bouncing so harshly, his stomach growled. He had McDonald's, but it wasn't enough.
The room was bright and so happy too early. On the fortieth floor of the Kim Clan-owned building, Lorenzo sat on the edge of a velvet loveseat. The boss's room was quiet, a soft vinyl ringing in the teen's ears. A French painting hanging low on the wall, a dark desk under it; a flat screen neat next to the vast bathroom door. Lorenzo could spot himself in the mirror while the alpha coolly dressed. "Hyung..I didn't. I didn't mess up, please." Lorenzo whispered.
The boss only shrugged. "It's whatever, kid. We shouldn't have sent you out alone."
"I-I'm sorry. It-it won't happen again."
That for some reason, made the boss groan. He scowled loudly and turned to face Lorenzo. Lorenzo couldn't look at him. "Would you look at yourself? You did nothing wrong. You did your job and someone underestimated you." The man snapped. He bit his lip to stifle another grouch, then, he calmly pulled away. "Get in the shower. I have to clean your wounds."
"I-I don't..it's just my lip."
"Uh huh. And your eyebrow." Lorenzo brushed against it. Scabbed and bloody. "I-it's not important."
"Then what about your stomach, kiddo? He had a knife. I'm sure he did something with that."
"I-I took it.."
"We found it in his car. Why're you lying?"
Lorenzo dropped the cash. "It's—I have more, hyung, I swear."
"I'm not your mom, Lorenzo. I don't care about your money. Or the heroin. I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I want to go home..hyung. I got it all." His voice was ripped and wrecked, grating against corruption. The image of the last time he saw his mom was covered in glass shards. When she was young and shot up, giving a hyperactive Lorenzo marijuana and telling him it was nap time. That was..nothing.
It made the boss turn—his pathetic words. The older man grabbed a stool and settled on it, making sure his outfit was straight. "Lorenzo. You were on the run from a mediation camp. And you drove a truck with over 500,000 grams of marijuana from Daegu to Seoul and left one of my men defenseless. You smoked over a hundred thousand grams in five hours. Do you know how concerning that is?" The boss gently said. As though he was warning Lorenzo of the things the boy did during withdrawal. His fingers twitched while the older's only danced, tapping rhythmically against his own knuckles. He waited for Lorenzo to answer.
"I—"
"It's a lot. And it's scary, because you're just a kid. You aren't even legally old enough to drive here." The man sighed at the kid's empty words. Lorenzo choked back tears, the scent of dark chocolate was strong on him. His throat was pins and needles and he clutched himself. "You don't have a home, Lorenzo. Your father is dead and you can't get back to Italy. You have been expelled from four schools and you've only been in Korea for three months. That means you spent less than 20 days in school in three months. Your last 'school' was a redemption center for juveniles. If you leave again, I wouldn't be surprised if I found out you were placed in a mental hospital."
Lorenzo's lip quivered. "B..but my mom."
"Your mom's in jail. And not for the drugs; but I can't tell you the real reason."
"..did you kill her?"
The silence ruffled over. Lorenzo's past was brought to full display before he could fight it. He didn't have a reason for escaping. Marijuana was nothing. It tasted like candy when he was in school, it stung on his tongue better than any childish relationship. He didn't. He didn't know the truck belonged to a clan. He didn't know the truck belonged to Korea's most dangerous clan. His hands cramped, his stomach leaked into his tight jeans. The other alpha's eyes narrowed.
"No." He stated, Lorenzo shook. But before he could speak, the boss started up. "Listen, kid. I care about you. You remind me of my own son, just not an omega and a lot more confident. You have an advantage here. You're safe with me. If you betray me; I don't care. You're a kid—remember that. I want you to know that whenever you 'finish' this debt, you'll always be welcome to be my oreunpal." Lorenzo's fingers glitched. His throat ran dry. "W-what?"
The alpha cleared his throat and pulled back. His sudden silence caused Lorenzo's stomach to disintegrate. "Hyung.." the word fell dead on his lips. He wiped his face once more and changed the subject. "Did..did you put her in jail? My mom.."
"No." A real answer. Lorenzo squinted. The alpha huffed again and stood gracefully. "Once you shower, I can ask.. what's his name. I can't remember. The rose, him, I can ask him to clean you up. You'll share a room because you're new. Just don't touch him. I'm pretty sure his dad is a sexual abuser."
"Hyung..?" Lorenzo stood as well. He grabbed the other stack of won from his pocket and bowed deeply. "I don't..want to shower. I just want to sleep." He stared at the ground, watching as his own blood dripped from his nose. He got a hum. "No. You have to shower." Lorenzo could feel his eyelids turning to grass. He sniffled loudly, "hyung..please."
"No. You're dirty, sweaty, and covered in blood. Get in the shower and I'll take you to your room. Now."