This couldn't be. Jae-Hyun's mind hadn't completely registered whether he was indeed seeing the man or he was being delusional. It was him. The man had long black hair and was lean, just like he remembered.
Minho was unlike any other slaves that Jae-Hyun had seen in these auctions. Of course, Minho was broken and desperate. But he looked nothing like that. His face was overwritten with a defiant expression. Maybe it was an attempt to challenge his buyer, but who knew?
The casino was lively and buzzed with excitement. Besides the stage light, all the other lights were dim. The background music was loud, and the air was thick with perfume and smoke. The auctioneer had a sharp voice and was convincing enough to make Minho sound like the ultimate price, a trophy and a toy at the same time.
Jae-Hyun felt a surge of adrenaline as he watched the ongoing bid. He only knew one thing. He wasn't leaving the auction without this man, he wasn't about to let anyone go with him.
"Two hundred thousand," said the auctioneer. "Do I hear two hundred and fifty?"
"Two hundred and fifty thousand." Kinn raised his pad as he smirked at Jae-Hyun wickedly like he dared challenge him. Kinn rubbed the remaining powder in his gum and sucked his teeth like the maniac he was. Maybe it gave him more courage for madness.
Kinn was notorious. He had a reputation for being unpredictable and violent and was always high on something, either meth, cocaine or heroin. He was probably planning to add Minho to his collection of slaves, ones whom he had no regard for their lives.
"Hyung," said Joon-ho as he inched closer to his brother. "He's a psycho. Rumour has it he toys with everyone he buys, and they end up dead most of the time."
Jae-Hyun felt a surge of anger after what Joon-ho had just told him. Seeing Kinn's smug face didn't make the situation any better. He clenched his fists even harder. He had a rough idea about Kinn being a maniac, but none of that mattered to him. There was no way he would let Kinn get away with this man.
"One million dollars," said Jae-Hyun as he raised his pad. The crowd gasped. All attention shifted to him, and Kinn's wicked grin turned into a snarl.
The crowd was startled when they heard Jae-Hyun's bid. It was an insanely outrageous amount that no one had ever paid for a slave before.
"One million dollars!" said the auctioneer, trying to conceal her shock. "Going once, going twice."
The crowd was still. No one made a higher bid.
"Sold to the gentleman in the grey suit for a whooping one million!" she said, banging her gavel.
An applause erupted amid the crowd along with a few murmurs and whispers. Of course, there were people in the crowd who envied him and wanted his price, but none mattered to Jae-Hyun. His gaze was fixed on the man escorted off the stage by two burly men.
"You!" shouted Kinn as he turned to Jae-Hyun fiercely, "How dare you?" He was almost landing this new slave only to be outbid by this arrogant man. A surge of humiliation and anger overtook him, realizing that his rival had played him.
With a cold, laid-back expression, Jae-Hyun turned to him. "I outbid you," he shrugged, "That's what I did." Jae-Hyun seemed to enjoy the show since he continued sipping his drink casually as he brought the cigar to his mouth.
Kinn banged the table. "How dare you meddle in my business? Is this how you intend to do business? Or is this how you do business in Ulsan? Do you know who I am?"
Jae-Hyun smirked smugly as he leaned back in his chair. "What can I say, Kinn? I don't care who you are. Business is business. This is my turf. And here I make the rules."
"Fuck this!" yelled Kinn as he banged the table and stormed out of the casino.
"Follow them," Jae-Hyun turned to one of his guards, pointing to Minho's direction. "Take him to the car and make sure you don't hurt him."
Minho was limp and barely had the strength even to stand properly, being that he had been starved since the loansharks took him. He felt a man holster him up his shoulder, making him wince in pain.
Once out of the casino, they headed for a luxury black car waiting outside. The guard dumped Minho in the backseat and got in right after him.
Minho feared the guard. He feared everyone at that point but still did a poor job hiding his disgust for this man. He wanted to spit at him, bite him, hell, even kill him, but he had no energy left.
So, he slumped back hopelessly, waiting for death that he sure knew wasn't coming. The only thing he knew was he was doomed.
***
Minho shuffled on a fluffy surface as he fluttered his eyes open and squinted at the brightness that seeped in through a window. His body ached as he tried to turn over to get up.
"You're up." A voice echoed in the room that startled the boy. "How are you feeling?"
"w..well, b-better?" replied Minho, not really knowing exactly what he felt.
"Water?" said the man as he reached for a glass of water, handing it to Minho. He was thirsty, and he quickly accepted the water.
"W..where am I? He asked, kicking the fluffy blanket off him as he stared at his legs. He had cuts and bruises following the incident at their home and the casino. But surprisingly enough, even his wounds had already been tended to. Only then had he realized that he was clean and that his clothes had been changed, too.
"You fainted; you've been out all night. I thought I was going to have to whack you awake."
Minho jolted up, surprised and even more curious.
"Where are my manners? Sorry, I'm Sang-Hyuk. I work here. What should I get you for breakfast?"
"You w..work here? Where's here? Am I still in Ulsan?" Minho asked, scanning the room.
"Gongdeok Loft, silly, Park's residence. Of course, you're in Ulsan. Jae-Hyun had his men bring you up here last night. You were sedated. A doctor checked you."
"Wait, what? Park's residence, you mean the mob?"
"You're absolutely right. The one and only."
Unable to digest what was happening, Minho began pacing the room, breathing heavily.