The realization hit Minho like a ton of bricks. He instantly regretted shooting up that fast as his head throbbed, and he had to pause for a second for the dizziness to fade for him to resume pacing. He blinked repeatedly, trying to make sense of his unfamiliar surroundings.
The room was furnished with high-end fancy furniture, with heavy velvet curtains hanging on its massive windows. From the vaulted ceiling hung an exquisite chandelier. It was fancy, and much as he never got to live in such mansions his entire life, he couldn't bring himself to desire this one. This was a prison. A fancy prison.
As the reality slowly began to dawn on Minho, he became acutely aware of how he wound up there. His memory began to resurface, the cigarettes, the smoke, the yelling, eerie lights, the tags and the people yelling. The goons had him.
He swallowed hard; his mouth was dry like sandpaper. He then let out a patronizing laughter, shaking his head disbelievably as he turned to the butler.
"You're kidding me, aren't you? No way, there's just no way this is the Park's residence! The mob has no business with me. They would have ditched me in an alley long before such fancy rooms like this!"
"Believe me, this is the Park residence," Sang-Hyuk said, sighing defeatedly. "Or did you expect some mucky aesthetic with sawdust on the floor? Cement walls maybe?"
Minho snorted. "Perhaps a stripper pole with a neon light sign while you're at it." He shot him a naughty smirk. "What business does that heartless bastard have letting someone he bought at an auction within a hundred miles of his place?" He glared at the butler; his eyes wild with anger.
"That man's a monster. He was at the auction raising his tag with a smile watching them strip me of every shed of dignity and selling me off like some cheap piece of meat. He knows nothing of how people's well-being, much less haul them to his home like some kind of...of guest!" Minho spat, balling up his fists. "Does he do this with everyone he hauls off the casino?"
Sang-Hyuk wasn't the least bit fazed. "Yeah, right. Well, Mr. Park isn't as bad as you make him sound…I mean, I've worked here my entire life, and my father before me. Maybe he just got you out of the casino out of concern—"
"Concern? Minho cut him off, scoffing disbelievingly. "Right, I can only imagine how much concern I'm about to receive being the new fancy plaything for the mobster!"
Sang-Hyuk looked at him, barely amused but keeping a calculated gaze on the hot-headed boy. He looked quite distraught and the butler couldn't put anything past him at the moment. He could as easily pull an escape stunt, and that was something no one would take lightly here. "Well, you look quite refreshed from your ordeal, I'll have someone bring you breakfast and– "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Minho held his hand up, backing away. "Like this isn't enough, you want to poison me? No thanks, I'm getting the hell out of here."
He grabbed a robe, threw it over himself and headed for the door. However, the butler stepped swiftly in his path, blocking the exit.
"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that sir. Mr. Park's instructions were quite clear that you are not to leave this room."
Minho glared hatefully at the impassive man. "Like hell, I'm staying here!" he said, laughing bitterly. "I don't know what games you and that snake are playing here, but I want no part of it. Now get out of my way, old man!"
The man didn't move an inch. He stared at Minho, his facial features slowly hardening. There was no way he was about to let the boy out of his sight. He could take his chances fighting the boy before having a few if not all of his bones broken for failure to follow simple instructions.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence between the two, almost as if each one of them was calculating their next move and not wanting the other party to know. But he noted with a sense of irritation that he had no luxury to overthink because if he did so he would freeze and not get to decide soon enough. He had to keep it together if he was to get himself out of this mess.
Then, with rage, Minho lurched himself forward, aiming a wild knockout punch at the man's jaw.
Yet, the man showed a surprising agility for someone his age. He swiftly dodged the blow and grabbed the boy's fist, spinning him around and shoving him away from the door. He flared in pain, and he got even angrier.
"Please, Sir! Sang-Hyuk shouted while raising his hands defensively. "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be.
Thoroughly enraged, Minho mustered every ounce of strength he had and spun back, blindly tackling the butler, throwing wild punches everywhere. But he was tackled around the waist, and they both came crashing down on the plush carpet.
He wasn't going to play calm and die. Grunting, he wriggled, summoning every ounce of power he had left to fight this man until he couldn't anymore. If they were going to take him down, he was going to make them sweat while at it. One way or another, he was going to break free of these people or die trying.
They had no idea how far he would go to survive. Escape was his only option; he couldn't afford to fail. One thing that these people weren't aware of was the lengths he would go to get away. And that if he could escape this mansion, he would be gone. It didn't matter if he had to hitchhike across the city, but he was getting out of Ulsan.
"Let me go, you senile valet!" Minho snarled desperately, attempting to wiggle himself out of the man's strong clutch. "You will not hold me here against my will."
However thin the chances of escaping were, he had to hold on to the hope that maybe he would find a way out of this place. He wanted to be free.
Minho wasn't the praying type, but deep down he hoped someone or something heard him because otherwise he was done for.
After all, all he could do was try.
A slow, mocking applause came from the doorway, startling them both to a pause. Minho looked up, only to meet a sharply dressed man leaning against the doorway, a wicked smirk overwriting his face.
Jae–Hyun Park.
"Wow! Isn't this just precious? His words were filled with weird amusement as Sang-Hyuk entangled himself off the hot-headed boy, flustered. "Here I was thinking my pretty boy had been broken enough at the casino to put up this much of a fight. How pleasantly unruly…"
Minho pushed himself off the floor. Jae-Hyun's words momentarily overpowered his fear with rage. "Don't call me pretty boy."
Jae-Hyun inched closer to him, pausing mid-stride, raising an eyebrow, his wicked grin stretching even wider. "Such fire…I now see why Kinn wanted you so bad."
Everything this cunning man said seemed to course hot fury through Minho. He somehow came up with means to piss off the boys even worse than he did every few minutes ago.
"You watched them manhandle me, and you enjoyed it, like it was all some joke to you!"
Even then, Minho's hateful glare was met by a surprisingly calm demeanour. If anything, the boy lashing out amused Jae-Hyun even more.
"And what would you have preferred, pretty boy? You wanted me to swoop in and snatch those ladies and gentlemen of their entertainment?" he sighed shrugging dramatically. "You know, I may draw the line at certain…undignified meetings. But I do so hate to neglect my role as a courteous host."
Minho opened his mouth to give this arrogant man a piece of his mind, but Jae-Hyun cut him short, as he inched even closer to him, closing the distance between them.
"But then again… maybe I should have let them have their way with you after all. Hmm?" He gently brushed Minho's jaw, despite his blatant threatening words. "They'd probably fill that running mouth of yours, you'd have woken with a brand-new appreciation for me bringing you here."
Minho flinched from Jae-Hyun's touch as it burned. He had barely thought of a response when a fingertip pressed against his lips.
"But please, pretty boy, if you insist on being a feisty little pup who can't appreciate my generous offer, well…I won't take that lightly." That wicked mocking smirk drew into a stern face. "And trust me, you won't enjoy that one bit