Taesung
I can't sleep. I lie in bed with my eyes open, staring at the empty ceiling. It's a new environment, and I've never felt comfortable in unfamiliar places. The atmosphere feels suffocating and I feel like an intruder. The bed is extremely comfortable, with a pillow that moulds to the shape of my head, but it doesn't help me sleep. The open window lets in the hot, humid night air of Seoul, and as temperatures are high at this time of year, I am forced to sleep naked yet still sweat.
The second reason I can't sleep, is the incessant sound of faint banging. It cuts deep into my brain like a needle, forcing me to stay awake. Each dull sound prevents me from resting and evokes unpleasant premonitions. I want to get up and find out, where the annoying sound is coming from, but after my last embarrassing incident in the kitchen, I'm worried that I might run into Hyunjin again.
After lying awake for another half an hour, I finally lose my patience and get out of bed. I put on the borrowed sweatpants and walk quietly to the door. I open it just a crack and see, that the hallway is empty and engulfed in darkness. However, the faint banging sound is now clearer and louder.
I tiptoe towards Hyunjin's bedroom, trying not to draw attention to myself, and follow the sound. Once I reached his door, I was one hundred percent sure, that the sounds, that had been keeping me awake, were coming from his room. No wonder I can hear them, when our rooms are next to each other!
I'm going to confront him because, if he's hammering nails into the wall at night instead of sleeping, I'll probably strangle him with my bare hands. At least I hope he's just hammering nails and not committing violent abuse. He might be a mobster, who's used to staying up late and not needing sleep, but the rest of us ordinary people need sleep. If nobody wants me to be grumpy with them tomorrow morning due to lack of sleep, they should let me sleep for at least eight hours.
I grab the door handle, push it down and throw the door open. I rush in like a loose cannon.
„Can you explain to me, what you're doing at night?" I stop at the threshold, my hand clenched convulsively on the doorknob, because what I see leaves me speechless. My jaw drops and I can't take my eyes off his naked, muscular body, covered in beads of sweat. It's the body of a god, carved from obsidian, hard and darkly glowing. My eyes slide over his body, across his muscular back, and onto his firm buttocks. It is a hypnotically beautiful yet perverse image.
He is not shy, he watches me with amusement, but does not stop, what he is doing. I desperately want to look away, yet something about this image completely captivates me.
His partner is kneeling on the bed, bent over with his butt sticking out and his back arched. Hyunjin is clearly enjoying himself and shows no sign of stopping, his eyes fixed directly on my face. He looks amused and provocative. He has a tattoo stretching from his ribs across his stomach to his groin. The silhouettes of birds look as though they are about to take flight as his muscles move. Breathtaking.
„Are you going to stand there much longer?" His breathless voice snaps me out of my intrusive thoughts, which are almost sinful.
„What? No, of course not!" I squeak in shock, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Why on earth would I stay here and enjoy what I see? I'm not a voyeur. And yet, I can't take my eyes off him.
„Either join in or get out," he growls. It is dark and dangerous yet disturbingly tempting at the same time. I swallow hard and turn on my heel. I disappear back into the hallway and realise, that I haven't closed the door. I go back, take one last look at his amused expression, and close the door.
...༺༻ ...
I am not able to sleep for the rest of the night. The same image keeps playing over and over in my mind. How could I possibly fall asleep? Hyunjin and his partner have sex half of the night.
Right now, I'm sitting in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee so hot, that it burns my throat with every sip. I don't care if I'm allowed or not, but I definitely can't get through today without caffeine. Whatever awaits me.
I almost choke, when he walks into the kitchen. He's wearing nothing but loose sweatpants. His long hair is tied in a bun on top of his head, revealing a tattoo on his stunning body. There's a small letter – 𝒮 – tattooed behind his ear, engraved into his skin like a stigma. He stops on his way to the kitchen counter and looks me up and down, with an unidentifiable gaze. Something unreadable glitters in his eyes.
„Damn! I forgot you were here," he growls, turning his back on me. How could he forget dragging me here by force last night? I glare at him, my gaze falling on another tattoo. In the middle of his back is a hwando, a long sword with a metal ring on the handle (o▬▬ι═══════ح), and at the top of his neck is a butterfly tattoo ؛ଓ. Does this guy have any unmarked skin at all? I'm surprised he doesn't have nipple piercings.
„Nice butterfly," I whisper, admitting. I don't even attempt to conceal my fascination — they really are stunning tattoos.
„Do you have any tattoos?" he asks out of the blue, still with his back to me as he pours fresh coffee into his mug. His hand trembles slightly and a few drops of coffee drip onto the counter. He curse in Korean, I recognise the tone he uses, when he curses. He wipes the drops away, with the back of his hand.
„No, I wouldn't let my body get ruined like that, even if it looks nice — like your tattoos." He chuckles at my answer. I'm happy enough just having my ear pierced.
„That will change soon," he says, turning to face me and leaning his backside against the kitchen counter.
„What?" I must have misheard him.
„This," he says, pointing to the butterfly tattoo on his neck, „is a gang tattoo. Everyone who works for me has it, which means" he pointing at me „you will get it tattooed too, no questions asked." I immediately recall, what he told me last night about NABI, his gang. It makes sense, that he has a butterfly tattoo. At least it has some meaning. However, that doesn't change the fact, that I don't want to destroy my own body. What if I have a bad reaction to the ink?
I'm about to resist, but I don't get the chance. I have no idea, how it happened, but suddenly he's standing next to me, leaning on the table and the back of my chair. He's looking down at me, his face very close to mine.
„I think I made it pretty clear yesterday, that you're supposed to follow my orders," he says. I swallow. He can be quite frightening at times, but I'm not afraid of him. In fact, I still tend to resist him and make things more difficult for him.
„Yes, you did." I gave in to him. Why on earth did I do that? I don't want a tattoo, not even for a million dollars.
„I didn't hear you." He turns his head and puts his ear close to mine. I realise, what he wants to hear.
„Yes, sir." He straightens his enormous frame. Compared to him, I feel like a dwarf. Seeing my father made me realise, where I got my slim figure from. I don't have muscles like Hyunjin or his bodyguards, but I am strong from doing taekwondo.
„Follow me," he commands, leaving the kitchen. I finally exhale, releasing all the air I've been holding in.
„I'd like to finish my coffee," I call out from the kitchen.
„I said follow me!" he yells at me from a distance. I roll my eyes. This is going to be the worst debt repayment ever!
...༺༻ ...
BLOOD DEBT (피의 빚)