“Hello, Xiao Wei. Did you have sweet dreams last night?”
This time too, without fail, it was Feng Tao. Kang Siwon slowly closed and opened his eyes as his temples throbbed. How did he manage to appear only when he was on shift like this? Either he lived in the casino 365 days a year, or there was someone inside leaking his schedule—it had to be one of the two.
“…Good morning.”
Kang Siwon faced him with a stiff expression. Thinking of the mission he’d received from Manager Park, he shouldn’t be like this, but he couldn’t bring himself to smile.
“Did I mention? Your upturned eyes are attractive.”
“Do you need to exchange or re-exchange chips?”
“More than that, how about we have dinner together tomorrow evening? Do you like seafood? I reserved two seats at Casa de Mar.”
Though his expression remained stiff, he was a little shaken inside.
The place the youth just mentioned was a famous Macau restaurant that anyone interested in fine dining—no, even those who weren’t—would know about.
It had maintained its Michelin 3-star rating for five years, so unless you made a reservation six months in advance, you couldn’t even taste a bowl of soup there.
Moreover, it wasn’t just any seafood place, but one highly praised for Portuguese seafood cuisine. His identity as a chef popped out for a moment and he was tempted. Immediately after, self-loathing washed over him.
“I’m sorry. I don’t like seafood.”
“I also know a few restaurants with good steaks.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t like steak either.”
“Why don’t you just say you don’t want to eat with me?”
I’ve been saying that all along and you didn’t get it, you bastard. Kang Siwon swallowed those words with his last remaining shred of reason.
“Please understand. As staff, it’s difficult for me to dine with customers.”
“Ha.”
The youth exhaled as if dumbfounded and turned around. It seemed he’d had enough for today. However, before leaving, he just had to throw out one more comment to get under Kang Siwon’s skin.
“Keep playing hard to get. I like that better than someone cheap. You know that and you’re acting this way on purpose, right?”
“…”
For a moment, he was so dumbfounded his thoughts stopped. Leaving the stone-stiff Kang Siwon behind, the youth headed toward the game tables. Kang Siwon glared fiercely at his retreating figure.
* * *
Quitting time was more welcome than usual. Kang Siwon left the cage room without looking back. Just as he was walking quickly toward the staff entrance.
A familiar face caught his eye among the bustling crowd.
A tall man standing in a corner of the hall. Even among the flashy lights and primary-colored decorations, he stood out remarkably clearly. So much so that every person passing by glanced back at him. However, the man—Ray Jun—just stood there looking at his phone with an inscrutable expression.
“Xie Wei!”
When their eyes happened to meet, Ray Jun smiled brightly. For some reason, Kang Siwon’s shoulders twitched slightly, feeling like he was being tickled with a feather. Uncomfortable with that unfamiliar sensation, Kang Siwon asked curtly.
“Why are you standing in a place like this?”
“I was just checking some messages. Getting off work now?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go together.”
Ray Jun naturally approached and stood beside him.
Was it because they’d shared secrets? After that incident in Hong Kong, Ray Jun had been acting noticeably friendlier. Of course, he was naturally sociable, but until now there had been a certain line, whereas now it felt like he was crossing that line without hesitation.
“By the way, Xie Wei, did something happen today? You don’t look good.”
Instead of answering, Kang Siwon let out a sigh.
He wasn’t the type to enjoy lamenting, and he disliked showing when things were hard, but he just couldn’t pretend to be okay. It was because stress had piled up to the top of his head. If he held it in any longer, his blood pressure would rise and he’d end up in Sovereign’s emergency room again.
“Ray Jun, can we talk?”
“Of course. What’s wrong, Xie Wei?”
“It’s a bit awkward to talk here…”
Kang Siwon looked around. Since they were still inside Sovereign Resort, there were many listening ears and watching eyes. No matter how much he’d half-lost his reason, he wasn’t so far gone as to thoroughly badmouth the internal director’s son within Sovereign’s territory. Understanding the situation, Ray Jun suggested.
“Should we go to the dorm?”
“Yeah.”
The two left Sovereign Resort, bustling with tourists. Having been working in the enclosed casino, he hadn’t realized it, but the evening glow was already fading.
The humid wind brushed past his forehead. Perhaps because he’d been indoors all day, even this hot air felt refreshing. Kang Siwon breathed deeply into his lungs.
Walking in silence, they quickly arrived at the dorm. As soon as they entered the entrance, Ray Jun asked.
“What did Feng Tao do again?”
“That bastard showed up the moment I started work like he’d been waiting. As if he knew when I’d be coming. At this point, isn’t someone selling my schedule?”
Kang Siwon grumbled, his face twisted viciously.
“After going to all that trouble to come, what does he say? Let’s go to Casa de Mar. Ha, am I crazy to go there with him? If he’s going to go, he should make a girlfriend and go, or just enjoy it alone. In the first place, that kind of cuisine entering a pervert bastard’s mouth is an insult to the ingredients!”
Venting what he’d been suppressing inside, Kang Siwon suddenly realized. The reason he’d been particularly irritated today.
It wasn’t simply because a troublemaker customer was hitting on him, but the fact that he’d been shaken by that proposal, even for a moment, was more terrible.
But honestly, he was envious.
Fine dining that he couldn’t even dream of, Feng Tao readily invited him to go together. Just to try to seduce a man he’d briefly taken an interest in.
While he was suffering through this hell because of the debt his father left behind, someone else was throwing money around backed by their parents’ wealth. That stark difference made him both envious and resentful.
“Xie Wei.”
“What.”
“Were you considering following Feng Tao?”
At the question that seemed to peer into his head, Kang Siwon bristled.
“No! Are you crazy? Why would I follow that bastard?”
“Then that’s a relief. I just asked because I was worried. If Feng Tao keeps being persistent, you might give in. In a ‘eat and run’ kind of way.”
“That won’t happen. Never.”
When he declared firmly, Ray Jun smiled softly. He seemed relieved.
“Right, don’t follow Feng Tao. Play with me instead.”
“I already see your face morning and evening every day though?”
“That’s true, but we’ve never actually gone out to play together. Ah, right. You’re on day shift this Saturday, right? I’m off, so want to go eat dinner together?”
“Huh?”
He didn’t understand why the flow of conversation suddenly went this way. When he looked at Ray Jun bewildered, he added with his characteristic gentle smile.
“It’s not quite Casa de Mar level, but I know a decent restaurant. Let’s go together.”
“It’s fine. There’s plenty to eat at the dorm, so why bother.”
“Why, you don’t want to play with me?”
Ray Jun’s lips drooped down. With that already handsome face making a disappointed expression, it had tremendous appeal.
Kang Siwon fidgeted. Just until this afternoon he’d refused Feng Tao like a knife, but suddenly he didn’t know why refusing was so difficult. He forced his reluctant lips to move.
“It’s not that, but anyway, no.”
“Why? Hm?”
Ray Jun stepped closer and pressed. This was nothing short of a honey trap. In the end, Kang Siwon replied, braving the embarrassment.
“I’m short on living expenses this month.”
His cheeks burned hot. He really didn’t want to reveal such circumstances. But if he didn’t tell the truth, Ray Jun might misunderstand, so he had no choice. Kang Siwon didn’t want to hurt that good-natured guy for no reason.
“Hm? You don’t even have anywhere you usually spend money… Why?”
“…”
In fact, Sovereign Casino’s salary wasn’t small. Rather, befitting the top tier of the industry, they paid generously even to new employees.
The problem was that the bank account under Xie Wei’s name was in the Baeksa Faction’s hands. In other words, all the money earned at the casino went straight into the Baeksa Faction’s pockets without Kang Siwon ever touching it once. So Kang Siwon was in the position of nibbling away at the money he’d earned in Korea. At least he was getting by on the security deposit he’d gotten back from settling his studio apartment before coming to Macau—otherwise, he’d have been on the verge of starving.
But he couldn’t reveal this story. Kang Siwon mumbled an excuse with his head slightly lowered.
“You just don’t know—I actually spend a lot of money.”
“Hmm, I see. Then is the only reason you can’t play with me because of living expenses?”
“Yeah.”
He felt a bit choked up. Once was enough—why ask again?
However, at Ray Jun’s next words, Kang Siwon forgot his embarrassment for a moment and raised his head.
“No problem then. I can pay. Right?”
