Although there were no red lights hanging or clear signs, Jeong Taeui quickly realized this was a red-light district. Streets filled with women late at night like this were not a common sight. And even more unusual was how these women directly approached and solicited the men passing by.

While pretending to look interested as he walked along the street, in reality, Jeong Taeui felt extremely uncomfortable and had no interest whatsoever. From the very beginning – even before meeting Ilay – Taeui had been gay and had never found women attractive.  

Perhaps, if this were a street where young and handsome men were selling themselves, Taeui might have paid more attention because, from what was known, even Shima Qinwei didn’t discriminate based on gender but had a particular fondness for young men. However, here, it was all women, and that gave him no motivation at all.  

“Huh, look at your face—so bored. What’s the matter? Didn’t find anyone young and handsome like you were hoping for?”

Aquino, walking beside him and clearly more interested than Taeui, sneered and threw out a sarcastic remark. Jeong Taeui, who had been trying to maintain a façade of interest, couldn’t help but frown, realizing that his ‘interested act’ hadn’t fooled the man.

“Shut up. If that’s the case, why don’t you take me to a place where I can find people I want? Isn’t bringing the people I want to me your job?”

Hearing Jeong Taeui’s retort, Aquino, who had already been looking at Taeui ‘unpleasantly’ before, now glared at him as if he were thinking: ‘As soon as you crack the code, I’ll crush you.’ But then, without saying anything further, he turned away.

Aquino had been sticking to Jeong Taeui closely all this time, not leaving his side even for a step. Since his task was to keep an eye on Taeui to ensure he didn’t escape, it made sense, but for Taeui, it was an incredibly frustrating situation.  

‘What should I do?’  

Taeui had no real intention of buying someone for sex, but he also couldn’t just go back home like this. He had thought about pretending to hire someone, then secretly slipping them money to let them leave. But the problem was the damned Shima Qinwei—known for his excessive flair. On second thought, Taeui could also pretend he was about to hire someone, create the atmosphere of preparing for some bizarre sex act, only to kick them out in the end under the excuse of ‘not wanting to do this with that man here.’ But…… damn, seeing this Aquino guy, he had a vague sense that the man would press his ear to the door to eavesdrop on everything.  

Even worse, this infuriating man was exceedingly good at his job. Sure, he had previously worked for UNHRDO, and now held the role of liaison in such a major case, so it wasn’t surprising that he was competent. But for Taeui, this was becoming a significant obstacle. 

Jeong Taeui here, not exactly a novice when it comes to handling situations, and even quite confident in escaping others’ pursuit. But this time was different. The moment he tried to slip into the crowd to shake off the guy, Aquino quickly noticed and stuck close as if he had a sixth sense. Moreover, the man even smirked slyly and asked: “What’s wrong? Where are you trying to go?” This left Taeui with no choice but to abandon his attempt to escape.

‘If only my supervisor this time were Alain or Ilay, how great it would be.’ – Taeui sighed in frustration. This Aquino fellow was not only overly dedicated but also personally tailing him, making everything so much harder.

In reality, even if Aquino was following him, if Ilay were there, Taeui might devise a way to get away with his help. But now it was just the two of them, one-on-one like this, making the situation truly unmanageable.

For the first time in a long while, Taeui found himself missing Ilay. At the same time, he wondered why that man, who had definitely left home together with him, had disappeared without a trace. Perhaps Ilay had gone to contact Jeong Jaeui or the person who had hired them.

Taeui glanced at Aquino. This man, with his perpetually grim face and sharp eyes, turned out to be far more intelligent and perceptive than Taeui had imagined. Being near him forced Taeui into a state of constant vigilance, paying close attention to every little detail.

Even when they left the mansion to come here, things weren’t much different.

At that time, Alain stayed back to watch the house, while Taeui, Aquino, and Ilay got into the car together.

Taeui and Ilay sat next to each other in the back seat, while Aquino took the driver’s seat. While driving, Aquino glanced at them through the rearview mirror and unexpectedly asked:

“By the way, Rick, how did you get assigned to this mission? Who connected you to this job?”

Aquino asked with a seemingly casual tone and looked Ilay straight in the eyes through the rearview mirror. Their gazes met in the mirror, and Ilay squinted slightly, then smirked. He replied curtly: “R.O.P. Agency.” Aquino nodded as if he understood, then said: “Ah, if it’s from there, it’s reliable and has solid backing.”

“This is quite a large-scale operation. Which of the brokers there can handle this task?”

After a brief silence, the next question came, and Ilay smiled lightly but leisurely replied: “Mark Hoover. If needed, I can introduce him to you.” Aquino nodded and said: “Next time, if there’s work, I’ll ask for your help then”, and the conversation ended there. 

Although their tone seemed unimportant, the content made others feel the opposite. Taeui frowned slightly, feeling like a corner of his stomach was throbbing in pain, and he could only silently click his tongue inwardly.

By the time they reached the road, Aquino stopped the car at a suitable spot, checked the time, and said it was time to make the scheduled contact with the client. He then handed Taeui over to Ilay and left. Now it was just Taeui and Ilay left together.

“He seems suspicious.”

Taeui muttered, but Ilay only smirked slightly without responding.

“Even if he digs into my side a hundred times, he won’t find anything. If this matter were simple, I wouldn’t have taken it on from the start. But beyond that……”

Ilay’s gaze suddenly landed on Taeui. Caught by that look, Taeui tilted his head in confusion, while Ilay pressed his lips together as if holding back laughter, then muttered vaguely: “Let’s hope this side doesn’t get exposed during this period.”

“You sometimes have expressions that seem quite composed.”

Ilay’s seemingly self-reflective remark caused Taeui to give him a strange look, then frown slightly.

“I don’t think I’m that composed of a person.”

“At least, you don’t have expressions that Shima Qinwei would.”

Suddenly, Taeui recalled the strange look Aquino had given him earlier. Because at that moment, he had felt that something was off, and now he understood its meaning.

“But he’s never even met Shima.”

“That’s because people often reveal more of what’s inside them than you’d think. Even when it’s the first time meeting someone, there’s always something to pick up on. But sometimes, you don’t look like Shima at all…… your expressions seem too friendly, which doesn’t always align with his personality.”

“Of course, I can’t blame you, since you’re not him.” – Ilay muttered, shrugging as if it was no big deal. Yet, the way he spoke made Jeong Taeui feel that something more important was being concealed…… Ilay casually but gently patted Taeui on the head. Seeing Taeui frown in displeasure, it seemed as if he was trying to reassure him that everything was fine. Ilay’s composure gradually made Jeong Taeui relax his own shoulders.

“But it would be great if Jeong Jay could quickly decode that sequence…… I wonder how far along he is by now.”

Ilay muttered, glancing at the watch on his wrist, looking somewhat pensive for a moment. Meanwhile, Jeong Taeui, walking slowly along the street, couldn’t stop questioning how the hell he and Jaeui-hyung had ended up dragged into such an absurd situation…… Beside him, Ilay was walking along as well, seemingly lost in his own train of thought.

While they wandered around absentmindedly, they found themselves nearing the entrance to the red-light district. And at that exact moment, Aquino turned back.

Then, as if everything had been planned beforehand, Ilay turned to Aquino and said:

“Well then, I’ll go take care of something. Keep an eye on him for me.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“What a silly question. Having come all the way here, shouldn’t I enjoy myself a little? I’ll have a bit of fun and come back. You just wander around.”

Ilay lightly waved his hand in farewell and walked away, disappearing into the dark alley. Aquino’s cold eyes followed his back as he vanished, then shifted toward Jeong Taeui. And at that very moment, Jeong Taeui felt the atmosphere around him grow even heavier. The contempt in Aquino’s eyes seemed to dig deep into Taeui’s mind, stirring up chaotic thoughts and a rising sense of unease within him.

‘Perhaps when that guy comes back, I should just pretend I’ve taken care of everything and suggest we head home right away…… No, that’s not going to work. The time he’s gone is too short; even the fastest person in the world couldn’t ‘take care of things’ in that amount of time.’

While mulling over this, Jeong Taeui moved forward, his mind on the verge of exploding as conflicting thoughts swirled uncontrollably. Meanwhile, from behind, Aquino grew increasingly impatient and began grumbling:

“If you’re going to do it, just hurry up and pick someone already. What are you standing there being so picky for?”

‘Damn it, am I really going to have to deal with this kind of nonsense for another two days?’- Taeui muttered inwardly, not just worried about handling the immediate situation but already anxious about the days ahead. Suddenly, he stopped.

It was unclear when his aimless steps, wandering through the red-light district, had led him to a deserted alley. This alley was darker than the noisy streets nearby, with sparse, flickering lights, and here, there were far fewer people.

However, in this alley, there were still a few scattered individuals waiting for customers, most of them either men or men dressed as women.

“Hmph, saying you want to have fun with young, handsome guys, and yet you’ve got such a keen nose that you ended up in such a tucked-away spot like this.”

Aquino sneered, as if in disbelief. Although he wanted to defend himself by claiming: ‘I just accidentally wandered here……’, Jeong Taeui kept the words to himself. Feeling the sharp glare from Aquino, he reluctantly stepped into the alley, his feet weighed down with hesitation.

From the very beginning until now, he could still manage to resist with the excuse: ‘I’m not in the mood for women today.’ But now, having to step into a place full of only men – and even compared to women, who vary in all age ranges here, most of the men here are younger – left him with no way out.

‘If it has come to this, should I say that no one here suits my taste? No, that won’t work, because Shima Qinwei isn’t the kind of person whose aesthetic preferences can suppress his desires. Damn it, so what should I do? Worst case, I’ll follow one of his past methods: hire two men, have them do it with each other while I watch and…… relieve myself……’ – Thinking about this made Jeong Taeui involuntarily mess up his hair in frustration, and he promptly returned to the root of the issue: ‘Why do I have to torment myself with these thoughts in the first place?’

“Are you looking for someone?”

While Jeong Taeui was still caught up in these tangled thoughts, a gentle voice suddenly spoke right beside him, prompting him to lift his head. A young, unfamiliar man with a radiant smile was standing there.

He seemed to have just stepped into adulthood, his face still bearing traces of youthful innocence. The young man glanced at both Aquino and Jeong Taeui before leaning in to softly say:

“You’re both looking for someone, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Oh no, just me……”

“I see. So, do you have a specific type? I could help you out.”

The young man stood intimately close to Jeong Taeui and walked alongside him. By the time Taeui realized, he thought in a panic: ‘Damn it, I’ve been lured in’, but the young man had already gently placed his hand on Taeui’s arm. Jeong Taeui deliberately ignored the cold gaze Aquino was directing at him and turned to look at the young man.

“If you don’t have a specific type, why not give me a try? Not to brag, but I’m fairly popular. And I’m great at everything too.”

The young man spoke as he teasingly stuck out his tongue, lightly licking his lips in a suggestive manner, and flashed a charming, alluring smile. Clearly, he had a strong appeal – his sweet and endearing demeanor could easily make others fall for him. Needless to say, this was precisely Jeong Taeui’s type. ……Of course, that was before he met Ilay, back when he could still confidently maintain the role of the ‘Top.’

Jeong Taeui, momentarily indulging in memories of a distant past that had now become history, suddenly felt the sharp gaze of Aquino beside him, as if to say: ‘This guy has made his choice, hasn’t he?’ That jolted him back to reality.

‘Damn it, now what? Why does it feel like there’s no way out the further this goes?’ 

Jeong Taeui, who had missed the chance to push the young man away, began to sweat coldly as if drenched. No matter how he thought about it, he was certain that Shima Qinwei would never let this young man leave.  

‘Why does it have to be someone so young and handsome approaching me like this!’ 

“Am I not good enough? ……Ah, or is this your first time trying something like this?”  

The young man, after observing and noticing Jeong Taeui’s hesitation – neither outright rejecting nor responding – suddenly smiled lightly and leaned in to whisper in his ear.  

“I’m really good at this. Do you want to try? Come on, over there……”  

The young man grabbed Jeong Taeui’s hand, intending to pull him into a dark corner of the alley. Jeong Taeui panicked and stopped in his tracks. But when he realized that Aquino had also stopped right behind him, he could only curse this ridiculous situation in his mind.  

‘What do I do! What the heck should I do!!’ 

In the end, Jeong Taeui recklessly rolled the dice:

“Well, actually, I want to do a three-some, so I’m looking for one more person.”

This statement left the young man stunned, his eyes widened as he looked at him.

‘Yeah, if it’s already the worst-case scenario, then letting two other people do it while I just watch is probably the most feasible solution…….Hopefully, it’ll at least be stimulating enough to get it up.’

“Oh…… So that’s your preference…… Then, is it with this person?”

The young man tilted his head, lost in thought for a moment before pointing at Aquino. Both Jeong Taeui and Aquino’s faces changed color simultaneously.

“You mother fucke—……”

“No! Not him!” – Jeong Taeui immediately shook his head repeatedly, turning his back to Aquino, who was muttering curses under his breath.

“I want it to be you, and one other person that you find. I just need to watch the two of you do it. That’s what I like.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jeong Taeui noticed the wide-eyed, astonished look on the young man’s face. 

‘Damn it, now I’ve officially become a real pervert. But whatever! After today, I won’t see anyone here again, so just let it go.’ 

And just like that, letting things flow, Jeong Taeui softened his voice and asked:

“So? What do you think?”

The young man looked at him intently, then suddenly burst into a radiant laugh.

“Alright then, every now and then, there’s someone like you. What a pity! You’re exactly my type, and honestly, I even wanted to do something with you. But, you want someone else too, don’t you? Coincidentally, I know someone who’s really great. He’s cute, handsome, and very popular. Let me try inviting him over, alright?”

The young man spoke gently, causing Jeong Taeui to quickly consider for a brief moment before nodding. If he had already rolled the dice, then the only way forward was to go all the way. After all, if things worked out, this could be the most bearable option among all the dreadful ones.

“Alright, I’ll wait. You go ahead.”

Jeong Taeui patted the young man lightly on the shoulder. The young man flashed a bright smile, then walked deeper into the alley.

‘Tonight truly is an experience I never thought I’d encounter in my life.’

Jeong Taeui thought to himself, a strange sense of emptiness suddenly welling up inside him. He stood still, staring at the silhouette of the young man gradually fading away. But then, just as he thought the young man had disappeared, the latter unexpectedly stopped, turned around, and walked back towards him.

Seeing Jeong Taeui looking at him curiously, the young man smiled, then signaled for him to follow. Without waiting for him to react, the young man grabbed his hand and led him further into the narrow alley.

“You’re not trying to send me off to avoid me, are you? Don’t even think about looking for someone else.”

“Huh? No. No, it’s not like that.”

“Then follow me, let’s go a bit deeper……”

The young man grabbed Jeong Taeui’s hand and pulled him deeper into the narrow alley, just wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Suddenly, the young man unexpectedly knelt right in front of him. Before Jeong Taeui could even process the thought, ‘Huh, what’s going on here?’, the young man reached out, grasped the waistband of his pants, unzipped them, and swiftly slipped his hand inside as if it were something entirely familiar.

“?! Hold on a second!”

A hand suddenly slid into his groin, startling Jeong Taeui, who immediately grabbed the young man’s wrist. The young man looked up at him as if questioning why. Then, without hesitation, the young man brushed Jeong Taeui’s hand away and pulled out his genitalia.

“Just taste a little bit. Especially, I will do it with my mouth for you first. I’m really good at it. Once you taste it, you won’t want to find anyone else. I guarantee it.”

“Uh, wait, I……”

Taeui hurriedly grabbed the young man’s head again. The young man looked up with suspicion, and at the same time, Aquino’s eyes from the side also focused on this place as if something strange was happening…… Damn it.

‘Now I understand why he said he would jump up and go crazy over things like this……’ – Jeong Taeui forced a smile with the most sinister face possible and said to the young man.

“I want to do it quickly……? Then taste it later, can you go call your friend back quickly?”

The young man looked up at Jeong Taeui with wide eyes, and Aquino beside him shook his head mockingly. Unexpectedly, the contemptuous sound: “You’re always like this”, made his heart feel so relieved.

‘Ah……, it feels like my spirit is about to be exhausted……’

When Jeong Taeui felt like he had aged about ten years, causing his shoulders to slump. The young man, who smiled as if he understood something, whispered.

“You said you wanted to do it quickly. It will really be good.”

The confident young man whispered, and as soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Jeong Taeui’s genitals with both hands and bent down. Jeong Taeui hurriedly tried to stop the young man, but it was too late.

A warm and wet sensation enveloped the head of his cock. Jeong Taeui’s heart pounded, and he exclaimed: “Hic!” for a moment, but when he tried to grab the young man’s hair and push him away, the young man resisted more strongly than expected. ……Jeong Taeui told himself: ‘I will have to pull his hair so hard that he has to feel pain!’, and just as he grabbed the young man’s hair tightly, something happened.

Right at that moment.

Marking the worst moment of the day was this moment.

A deep voice rang out.