* * *
Around noon.
The security panel rang. It meant a visitor had arrived in the lobby. Ray Jun tagged his card key on the panel and pressed the approval button.
During that brief time while the elevator was coming up, Kang Siwon pressed firmly against his chest. His heart beat irregularly at the thought of soon facing Ju Xiang. He and Ju Xiang had always been uncomfortable with each other, and now that it had been exposed just how deep his relationship with Ray Jun was, it was even embarrassing.
However, when the door opened, the person who entered was a woman. She wore thin silver-rimmed glasses and was dressed in a silver-gray suit. What was distinctive was that she was holding a 32-inch carrier in each hand.
“Welcome. Thank you for coming all the way to Macau even though I called you suddenly.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor to be called like this.”
“As I told you beforehand, we’ll proceed with the debt transfer contract.”
The two began their discussion as soon as they met. Kang Siwon hesitated over whether to greet her or not, then ultimately stepped back. It was because the atmosphere didn’t seem like one he should intrude upon.
“This matter needs to proceed in accordance with regulations. There’s also the possibility that bastard might tamper with the documents. Even so, handle it without problems so the Baeksa Faction can’t change their words later.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll check the contract terms thoroughly.”
While eavesdropping on the conversation from a distance, Kang Siwon was seized by a strange feeling. What they were discussing was none other than his own debt. And yet he, the person directly concerned, was completely excluded from the discussion. The transaction proceeding with his own will thoroughly excluded felt subtly eerie.
A moment later, the security panel rang again. Ray Jun pressed the approval button and looked back at Kang Siwon.
“Ju Xiang will be coming.”
“……Yeah.”
“What do you want to do? You can stay beside me, or you can go into the room.”
An impulse surged to just hide. But Kang Siwon reminded himself that this was his own matter and steeled his resolve. Even if there was almost nothing he could do, at minimum it was right to keep his place. He also needed to know what conditions they were trying to contract under.
“……I’ll stay beside you.”
“Really? Hmm…… Alright.”
Ray Jun nodded, somehow seeming displeased. Before he could mull over this, a notification sound rang from the entrance. This time Ray Jun personally opened the door.
“……”
Ju Xiang stepped inside.
But his atmosphere had somehow changed since they’d last met. His complexion was pale like someone who’d pulled an all-nighter, and weren’t deep shadows cast under his eyes? The person looked haggard, as if something had happened during the past eight days.
For a moment, their eyes met. Kang Siwon composed his expression and greeted him.
“Hello.”
“You……”
Ju Xiang’s lips twitched as if to say something. Then Ray Jun blocked between the two of them.
“Don’t chat and let’s proceed right away. I’m a bit busy.”
What could be busy about someone who spent most of the day in the penthouse? In any case, everyone moved toward the study following Ray Jun. Kang Siwon followed as well, but right in front of the study, Ray Jun caught his wrist.
“You just stay out of it.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“There’s no need to deliberately face another man.”
Ray Jun said with a slight frown. It was phrasing as if he were jealous or something.
“A-are you crazy?!”
Goosebumps rose all over his body and Kang Siwon shouted explosively. You should be jealous of someone worth being jealous of—how could he link Ju Xiang and himself?
He felt a piercing gaze from the study. Forcing his eyes to turn, the two people seated were looking this way. The woman was expressionless at least, but Ju Xiang had a face as if he’d witnessed some bizarre scene. Mortified, Kang Siwon roughly shook off Ray Jun’s hand.
“Siwon, go to the bedroom.”
Even those words were fully susceptible to being misunderstood as romantic conduct by others. Kang Siwon ground his teeth and spat out,
“Fine. When the creditor tells me to get lost, what can a debtor do? I’ll get lost for you.”
He whirled around so sharply a cold wind seemed to blow. His insides boiled furiously. Being excluded from the place where his debt was being discussed—well, fine, let’s say that’s because he has no ability to repay. But treating him like a possession in front of others, isn’t that crossing the line?
His inability to stand up boldly against such a Ray Jun couldn’t be more humiliating. Kang Siwon bit his lips and hung his head.
* * *
Two hours had already passed since the three people entered the study. The discussion seemed to be taking longer than expected. Perhaps because it was such a large sum, they were organizing the documents meticulously.
Kang Siwon was holed up in the bedroom thinking about Ray Jun. He couldn’t understand the intention behind giving such a huge sum without seeming to care. No matter how wealthy he was, it couldn’t be a small amount of money. Thinking he would be controlled proportional to that amount, he couldn’t just be happy about escaping the Baeksa Faction’s grasp.
“Ha……”
The moment he let out an uncounted sigh, he heard signs of people outside the door. It seemed the debt transfer contract was finally finished.
“Then I’ll see you in Singapore soon.”
“Yeah, give my regards to your mother. To Gemma too.”
“Yes.”
Should I go out? He thought, then stopped. The atmosphere seemed like the important talk was over anyway, and if he went out, he’d obviously just run into Ju Xiang. Separate from Ray Jun finding it distasteful, there would be no need to deliberately meet Ju Xiang.
A moment later, the bedroom door opened and Ray Jun entered.
“It was resolved well.”
He waved the thin booklet he held in his hand. Looking closely, it was a Korean passport.
“That’s, my……”
Kang Siwon hastily got up and approached Ray Jun. He tried to grab the passport, but he raised his hand high.
“I didn’t say it was yours.”
“Then whose is it? Ray Morrow who lives in New York?”
“It’s not mine. But you’re not the only Korean in Macau, are you?”
Despite it being clearly his based on the circumstances, he was just playing dumb. Kang Siwon ground his teeth and looked up at the passport. Unfortunately Ray Jun was a bit taller and with his arm fully extended, it seemed difficult to snatch it by force. However, he couldn’t give up on something absolutely necessary to leave Macau.
“Are you really not going to give it?”
“Mm…… You want it that badly?”
“……Yeah.”
He answered while suppressing the humiliation that to get what he wanted, he had to please Ray Jun. At this, Ray Jun waved the passport lightly back and forth and said,
“What will you do with this? Go to another country?”
What you could do with a passport was only departure or entry—it was an obvious question. Instead of answering, Kang Siwon glared with his eyes.
Then Ray Jun’s eyes narrowed coldly, followed by a low voice.
“Koreans can stay in Macau without a visa for up to three months, wasn’t it?”
“Why bring that up now?”
“Then after three months pass, you become an illegal resident?”
“If you know, hurry up and hand it over!”
Even as Kang Siwon pressed him fiercely, Ray Jun paid no heed and muttered as if talking to himself.
“If you become an illegal resident, it would be hard to return to Korea or move around within Macau……?”
His spine chilled at the look of calculating something. To him, it was a situation where even hypothetically his skull would split, but Ray Jun seemed rather pleased by it. Kang Siwon stepped back and spat out,
“You…… What exactly are you thinking?”
“Hmm…… No. I won’t only be in Macau, and to enter the US or other countries, it’s better not to have a criminal record. It would be troublesome if you got denied entry and exit at the airport. Right?”
“……”
“This worked out well, Kang Siwon. You were worried about becoming an illegal resident. You can relax now.”
Ray Jun smiled brightly. That smile was brilliant without a speck of shadow, and therefore all the more chilling.
Something like survival instinct surged up. It felt like by whatever means, he had to get that passport in his hands and run away.
But how…….
Suddenly a recent event flashed through his mind. Normally he would have thought more deeply before acting, but right now his reason was slightly paralyzed by anxiety.
Instead of aiming for Ray Jun’s arm, Kang Siwon grabbed both his cheeks and sealed his lips just like that.
“……”
Before closing his eyes, the last thing he saw was Ray Jun’s face clearly showing surprise. The subject who committed far more outrageous acts was flustered by this much—it wasn’t even funny.
However, that was only for a moment—Ray Jun soon actively responded to the kiss. As if he’d been waiting, entangling his tongue with Kang Siwon’s.
Soon their lips separated with a wet sound. Kang Siwon roughly wiped his mouth with his fist. In contrast, Ray Jun was slowly caressing his own lips as if savoring the sensation from just now.
“What’s this, Siwon? Did you suddenly get horny?”
“No! You said it was a hidden rule of the game!”
“……Ah, that?”
Ray Jun suddenly burst into laughter. His shoulders shook—it seemed his laughter had properly burst out. Kang Siwon didn’t miss that gap and snatched the passport.
