TATMFL - 25

“Have you been doing well?” 

At that seemingly innocent question, the tips of Ra-on’s fingers trembled as she was placing a freshly made cocktail on the counter. 

The dimly lit cocktail bar was bathed in soft lighting, casting an aura of harmlessness over Do-kyung’s face. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had used Hye-sung as leverage to bring her here. His expression radiated an almost effortless charm—so much so that it seemed impossible for him to be deliberately putting on an act. 

His warm, low-pitched voice gently caressed her eardrums, and his elegant hand lightly cradling the slender neck of the cocktail glass added to the illusion. Every movement he made looked like it belonged in a high-end commercial. Watching him, Ra-on fell silent. 

Had she met him on the street without knowing anything about him, she might have been momentarily captivated by his appearance. He looked every bit like the refined young master of a wealthy family. 

But behind that face lay cruelty and ruthlessness, unbothered by the wicked deeds it had orchestrated. 

“...” 

Ra-on tried to tear her gaze away from the relentless flashbacks that haunted her mind. But no matter how hard she tried, the memory of their first encounter clung stubbornly to her eyelids, refusing to fade. The middle-aged man crawling on the ground had morphed into Hye-sung’s face. 

She clenched her fist tightly. 

“I’d like to know now what you meant when you said I’d regret it if I didn’t follow you.” 

“Hmm?” 

Do-kyung leaned forward slightly, swirling the glass of pale green cocktail in his hand with deliberate ease. 

“I didn’t realize our bartender was so impatient. Or is it because this concerns Ji Hye-sung that you’re in such a hurry?” 

With a sly tilt of the corner of his mouth, Do-kyung took another sip of his drink. 

His infuriatingly relaxed demeanor caused Ra-on’s eyes to narrow faintly. Her throat visibly bobbed as she swallowed hard, betraying her rising agitation. 

Behind the rim of his glass, Do-kyung’s gaze curved softly, observing her reaction. After downing the rest of his cocktail in one smooth motion, he set the glass aside and rested his chin atop his interlaced hands. 

“Shall I help you?” 

Though the sentence lacked a subject or object, Ra-on knew exactly what he meant. She was here because of Hye-sung, so naturally, it would involve something related to him—perhaps the uncomfortable topic of Hye-sung’s debt. 

Her heavy, sunken eyes locked onto Do-kyung’s face. His handsome features, smiling carelessly as though none of this concerned him, irked her. 

Hiding her true feelings, Ra-on swallowed a sigh. 

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the reaction he sought, especially not while he scrutinized her with those piercing eyes. She hadn’t come here blindly, after all. 

But despite her resolve, sharp words slipped out involuntarily. 

“I don’t need your help.” 

Do-kyung nodded agreeably but pressed further. 

“Why not?” 

Did he really not know? 

From Ra-on’s perspective, there was little difference between the thugs who had threatened Hye-sung and the man sitting before her now. She had no intention of walking into a tiger’s den just to avoid a foxhole. 

“If I don’t help, I’m pretty sure your friend will end up being found in a back alley soon enough.” 

A crack ran across Ra-on’s previously composed expression. Her face turned deathly pale, and her trembling lips pressed together tightly. 

It was becoming harder to maintain her composure. “Back alley”—she wasn’t naive enough to misunderstand what that implied. 

And then— 

Finally spotting the exact expression he had been waiting for, Do-kyung’s smile deepened. 

As the conversation about Hye-sung continued, the pheromones that had been subtly emanating from Do-kyung grew thicker and more potent. Joon, who had been standing nearby observing the situation, quickly took a step back, trying to distance himself from the suffocating atmosphere.

Even with his nose pinched shut and his pheromone glands tightly sealed, Joon could still sense the overwhelming, lust-drenched pheromones saturating the air. These were the pheromones of an alpha consumed by desire—desire to devour the person before him and claim them as their own.

A wave of nausea hit him. As another alpha, being exposed to such possessive and base desires felt like being drenched in filth. Muttering under his breath about how fortunate it was that he hadn’t eaten anything all day due to work, Joon shook his head.

He was relieved Ra-on wasn’t able to perceive pheromones; she was a beta. Had she been an omega, this place might have turned into the set of a pornographic scene right then and there.

While Joon held his breath, enduring the suffocating atmosphere, Do-kyung teased Ra-on with a question:

“So, you’re still saying you don’t need my help?”

“...”

“Ahh. Those guys are some of the worst scum in this industry, but if you say you don’t need it...”

Do-kyung feigned disappointment, furrowing his brows slightly. Watching him, Ra-on couldn’t suppress a bitter laugh from bubbling up.

“Hah.”

The sharp, derisive sound made Do-kyung’s eyes glimmer with anticipation.

Unaware of his gaze, Ra-on gripped the edge of the bar table tightly. Her turbulent emotions swirled beneath her lowered eyelids, hidden from view.

She had never once thought loan sharks would play clean. Thugs were always like that, weren’t they? Preying on the vulnerable, dragging already pitiful lives further into the muck, pushing them into ruin.

Ra-on clenched her teeth as she recalled the brutes who had spewed vulgarities at Hye-sung without hesitation. The image of Hye-sung trying to soothe her with forced laughter while comforting himself was seared painfully into her mind.

But... what difference was there between those thugs and this man sitting before her?

Ra-on muttered under her breath, her voice low:

“...In the end, the things you do aren’t so different.”

“Mm, true. I dabble in money games too. It suits me well, and I’m having quite a bit of fun with it.”

Though his tone was light, Do-kyung’s voice dropped slightly for a moment.

“But we’re on a different level from those guys. We operate in different circles. Right, Joon-ah?”

Joon, still pinching his nose, nodded stiffly.

“To even be mentioned in the same breath is shameful.”

His nasally response sounded petty, but Do-kyung paid no mind, continuing smoothly:

“We don’t stoop to such despicable acts.”

“...”

“One piece of advice: soon, those guys will swarm over to Ji Hye-sung.”

Why are they coming again after just visiting a few days ago? Ra-on’s furrowed eyes seemed to ask.

“He’s an Omega, isn’t he?”

Do-kyung shrugged as though stating the obvious, crossing his arms. With an indifferent tone, he added:

“They’ll want to ‘have some fun’ with him before taking him away. Under the guise of breaking him in and taming him.”

“What the hell!”

Ra-on slammed her hand down on the bar counter in a sudden outburst.

Watching her eyes widen to their absolute limit, Do-kyung smirked crookedly.

“You think a sufficient repayment period is enough of a reason? It won’t stop them. They’ll use every dirty trick in the book to take him away. And the younger they can sell him off, the better. Isn’t that right?”

Despite the inhumane nature of his words, Do-kyung remained eerily calm. For a moment, Ra-on doubted her own ears, wondering if she had truly heard what she thought she did.

His grin was surreal, almost unreal.

Ra-on felt as though all the blood had drained from her body, leaving her lightheaded and unsteady. At that moment, only one image filled her mind: Hye-sung’s face, smiling confidently as he assured her that they could repay the debt little by little. The memory flickered in her thoughts like a ghostly apparition. A faint ringing echoed in her ears, muffled and distant.

Her wide, bulging eyes stung with unshed tears, and her damp pupils darted around frantically. She knew she should say something—anything—but it felt as though her throat had been clamped shut.

Watching her gnaw on her trembling lips helplessly, Do-kyung exhaled a languid breath. Her lips, pressed against her even teeth, looked as though they might burst open at any moment, releasing a vivid red hue.

The deep bite marks left on her plump lips caught Do-kyung’s attention, and his gaze grew more intense. Like a serpent tempting its prey, his honeyed words slithered out smoothly:

“But are you sure you don’t need my help? Hmm? Ra-on-ah.”

The sickening sweetness of his voice seemed to hypnotize her, drawing her dazed eyes toward him. But only for a fleeting moment. Soon, her slack-jawed expression hardened, her lips pressing tightly together as tension returned to her jaw. Her once hazy pupils sharpened with resolve.

Do-kyung let out a soft “Oh,” impressed by the sudden shift. Finally, Ra-on managed to force out a strained question:

“Why are you telling me these things?”

Even now, despite her distress, she maintained formal speech, addressing him politely. Do-kyung regarded her with a curious glint in his eye.

“Well, I have certain... expectations.”

His true intentions finally revealed, he beckoned her with a casual wave of his hand. Ra-on’s already wary gaze darkened further, her sharp eyes narrowing into slits. Gone was her usual half-lidded nonchalance; instead, she resembled a ferocious wildcat growling before him.

Unable to resist, Do-kyung burst into laughter—”Puhaha!” He found her defiance amusing rather than threatening. Little did Ra-on know, her resistance only fueled his desire.

In an instant, Do-kyung reached out and grabbed her arm. Before she could react or push him away, their lips met across the bar. As soon as they touched, the thick, acrid scent of cigarettes flooded her senses. His tongue forced its way past her clenched teeth, wrapping around hers and pulling her head closer with brute strength. Ra-on froze, paralyzed by shock.

The intruder deliberately made slick, wet sounds as it explored every crevice between her teeth. Only then did realization dawn on her horrified face. By the time she began flailing, trying to shove him off, his hot breath was already searing down her throat.

“Huh... Mmm!”

She struggled violently against the unfamiliar saliva sliding down her tongue, but she couldn’t free herself from his grip. The more she resisted, the rougher his movements became. His tongue scraped against her palate, sucking greedily and intensifying the assault.

“Ugh...!”

Tears spilled uncontrollably from Ra-on’s bloodshot eyes when Do-kyung bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. Throughout the relentless kiss, his piercing gaze never left hers, gleaming with sinister satisfaction as he witnessed her breaking point.