Caesar, in all his infuriating, casual arrogance, simply shrugged, as if he were talking about the goddamn weather.
"What? It's just an assumption. You're hot. You've got that whole 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. Usually, that means you've got people throwing themselves at you." He tilted his head slightly. "Like I said—over a thousand, maybe?"
Eun-jae stared at him for a long, long moment.
Then, very slowly, he exhaled through his nose.
"You're an idiot."
Caesar smirked. "Not denying it, though."
Eun-jae rolled his eyes so hard he practically saw the back of his skull.
But before he could properly tell Caesar to go throw himself off the train, the bastard had the audacity to keep talking.
"What? No. It's only seventeen."
Eun-jae froze.
Then turned his head so slowly it was almost comical.
"…Only?"
Caesar nodded. "Yeah. Seventeen."
Eun-jae stared at him for a solid three seconds, expression blank as hell.
Then, in the most deadpan, unimpressed tone possible—
"Huh." He turned back to his bag, pulling it down. "Could've fooled me."
Caesar let out a low chuckle, clearly not taking offense in the slightest. If anything, he looked even more entertained.
And then, as if he weren't already being unbearable, his gaze slowly dragged downward.
Eun-jae was completely unaware of the fact that Caesar's eyes had just locked onto his ass.
He didn't see the way the bastard was shamelessly staring, the way his gaze lingered as Eun-jae's pants stretched just right when he reached up.
Caesar didn't even try to be subtle about it.
He just stared.
Boldly. Appreciatively.
Then, with a thoughtful hum—
"What about you?"
Eun-jae paused mid-motion.
His fingers, which had just grabbed a small notebook from his bag, briefly hesitated.
Then, warily, he glanced at Caesar from the corner of his eye.
"What about me?" he asked, already regretting this conversation.
"How many?"
There it was.
That damn question.
Eun-jae sighed internally, debating whether to lie, or just stab Caesar and end this conversation right now.
But in the end—
He shrugged, plopping back down onto his seat.
Then, with zero hesitation, he said—
"Zero."
Silence.
A silence so heavy, so unexpected, that for the first time since meeting this annoying blonde bastard, Eun-jae witnessed something truly rare.
Caesar looked surprised.
His head tilted slightly, sharp blue gaze narrowing as if trying to determine whether Eun-jae was messing with him.
Then—
"Wait."
He sat up a little straighter, blinking.
"You're a virgin?"
Eun-jae clicked his tongue, already regretting his life choices.
"Wow."
Caesar let out a low whistle, his lips curving into a slow, knowing smirk.
And the way he suddenly looked at Eun-jae made something uneasy coil in his stomach.
It was a look that spelled danger.
A look that screamed this motherfucker is about to say something dumb again.
And then, like clockwork—
"This nice body of yours… no one has tasted it?"
Eun-jae's eye twitched.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
His fingers curled into a fist, nails pressing into his palm.
He inhaled. Deeply. Through his nose.
And then, slowly, he turned to face Caesar, expression completely blank.
"Do you have brain damage?"
Caesar blinked. Then grinned wider.
"I'm just saying—"
"Well, don't."
Caesar chuckled, clearly enjoying this way too much.
"So what, you've never been curious? Never been tempted?" he mused, tapping a finger against his knee. "A body like yours, untouched… seems like a shame."
A shame?
Oh, this arrogant, overgrown golden retriever of a man—
Eun-jae took a deep, grounding breath.
Then smiled.
A very, very fake smile.
And in the sweetest, most sickly-sweet voice he could muster—
"You seem really invested in my sex life. Should I be worried?"
Caesar let out a low, amused hum.
"Not at all."
Eun-jae rolled his eyes, already mentally clocking out.
He was so fucking done.
This was not the time to be discussing body counts. Eun-jae barely held back a sigh, his patience thinning as he tapped his fingers on his knee, eyes flickering toward the train's windows. Outside, the city lights blurred into long streaks, a reminder of how fast they were moving—both literally and metaphorically. His mind, however, was set on one thing: Hyunji.
The bastard was somewhere on this train, likely disguised as a Vietnamese tourist, blending into the crowd like a ghost. It made Eun-jae's stomach coil with unease. Hyunji was slippery, an expert at evading capture, and if they so much as blinked, he'd disappear into the wind.
And yet, instead of formulating a plan or keeping their focus sharp, Caesar had decided now—of all times—was the perfect moment to talk about how many people he'd slept with.
'So what did you do with Morgan?' Eun-jae finally asked, shaking off the unnecessary thoughts. He turned toward Caesar, eyes narrowing slightly. 'You said you'd take care of it.'
Caesar, ever the arrogant bastard, didn't even flinch. He sat there, lounging like this was just another relaxing evening. "Yes, I did," he answered smoothly, voice too casual for Eun-jae's liking.
'Did you kill him?' Eun-jae pressed, watching Caesar's expression carefully.
A lazy smirk stretched across Caesar's lips, and he shook his head. 'Of course not. We might need him later.'
Eun-jae inhaled sharply. Of course. Of course, Caesar would say that. Because why make things simple when you can make them a hundred times more complicated?
'What if he escapes and spills everything about us?' Eun-jae challenged, arms crossing over his chest.
Caesar only chuckled, his amusement evident. He leaned back against the seat, legs spread comfortably, exuding confidence that pissed Eun-jae off to no end. 'Don't worry. He wouldn't dare. Trust me.'
Eun-jae's jaw clenched. Trust him? That was hilarious. Caesar said it with so much certainty, like he was some all-knowing god who had everything under control. But Eun-jae had been in this game long enough to know that people were unpredictable. One wrong move and their entire operation could go to shit.
'Yeah... right,' Eun-jae muttered under his breath, rubbing his temple. His patience had officially left the chat. He let out a small groan and glanced at his watch, counting the minutes they had left before the next station stop.
Then, without thinking, he reached for Caesar's phone.
The moment he grabbed it, Caesar's head tilted, watching him with mild interest but not stopping him. Eun-jae scrolled through the contacts with zero hesitation, his fingers moving smoothly across the screen until he found the name he was looking for.
Then, in a complete tone shift, he brought the phone up to his ear and said, 'Hello, eomma~!'
His voice softened instantly, turning affectionate, the kind of warmth and familiarity he rarely showed in front of people. His Korean rolled off his tongue effortlessly, words laced with fondness, something only reserved for his mother.
Caesar, on the other hand, looked absolutely baffled.
He just stared, eyebrows slightly raised, as if he had just witnessed some kind of supernatural event. It was obvious—he didn't understand a single word that was coming out of Eun-jae's mouth.
Perfect.
Eun-jae almost smirked. It was so satisfying to see Caesar out of his element for once. The man was always so sure of himself, always acting like he had everything figured out. But now? Now, he looked like a clueless idiot.
Eun-jae continued speaking in Korean, ignoring Caesar completely.
'Eomma, did you eat? I told you to stop skipping meals, didn't I?' His voice was filled with gentle scolding, but there was clear fondness in it. His mother always had a habit of forgetting to eat properly when she got too busy, and Eun-jae had made it a ritual to remind her.
On the other end, his mother's voice came through, sounding exasperated but amused. "Aigoo, Eun-jae-ya, you're still nagging me? I'm not a child."
Eun-jae clicked his tongue. 'You say that, but last time, you nearly fainted because you didn't eat all day. Should I come over there and force-feed you myself?'
His mother laughed, the warmth in her voice making his chest feel a little lighter. "Aigoo, my son is so scary~! What happened to my cute little boy who used to follow me around?"
Eun-jae rolled his eyes, though a small smile played on his lips. 'He grew up and became a stressed adult, thanks to you.'
Caesar, meanwhile, was still staring intensely. It was clear he was trying to decode whatever was happening, but he was failing miserably.
After a few more minutes of conversation, Eun-jae finally hung up, sighing as he set Caesar's phone down on the table. He finally turned his gaze back to the other man, who hadn't moved an inch.
Caesar's gaze flickered down at the phone screen, his smirk widening when he saw the name displayed: Mother.
So, that sweet, affectionate tone Eun-jae had just used—that was for his mother?
Caesar chuckled to himself, shaking his head slightly. At first, he had genuinely thought Eun-jae was on the phone with a lover—the way his voice had softened, the way his words had dripped with warmth, it had been so unlike him. But no. That was his mom. How unexpectedly adorable.
'What?' Eun-jae's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up, finding the other man already staring at him with narrowed eyes, his suspicion palpable. It was almost cute how defensive he looked, as if he could sense Caesar's amusement before he even said anything.
Caesar's blank expression lasted only for a second before pure amusement took over, a short laugh escaping his lips. 'You? Talking to your mom like that? With that tone?'
Eun-jae lifted an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. 'And what about it?'
Caesar shook his head and leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm, his smirk deepening. His eyes gleamed with something mischievous as he drawled, 'Damn, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting.'
Eun-jae had been mid-sip of his water.
He choked—violently.
Spluttering, he immediately wiped his mouth, glaring daggers at Caesar as if he had just personally offended his entire bloodline. 'You—' He took a deep breath, visibly restraining himself. 'You're disgusting. That was my mother, dumbass.'
Caesar laughed harder, clearly enjoying himself far too much. 'I know, I know.' He lifted his hands in mock surrender. 'But damn, your voice does this thing where it gets all soft and sweet. Didn't know you had that in you.'
Eun-jae glared at him, his patience wearing thinner by the second.
Why the hell was this even a conversation? Why was Caesar acting like speaking nicely to your own mother was some kind of crime? What, was he only supposed to grunt at her like some emotionally constipated thug?
'Shut up before I break your nose,' Eun-jae warned, voice dripping with thinly veiled murder.
Caesar, the absolute menace, smirked. 'Kinky.'
Without thinking, Eun-jae grabbed the water bottle and launched it at Caesar's chest.
It hit with a satisfying thud.
Caesar just caught it lazily, looking far too entertained, which only irritated Eun-jae more.
But then the bastard had the audacity to continue.
'You must really love your mum, huh? I've always heard about mommy's boys, but I didn't expect to be on a mission with one,' Caesar mused, shaking his head like it was the most amusing revelation he'd had all week.
Eun-jae's jaw clenched so tight, he could almost hear his own teeth grind.
Oh. My. God.
Mummy's boy? MUMMY'S BOY?!
What was this, some kind of playground insult? Was Caesar about to start pulling his hair and calling him a crybaby next?
Eun-jae bit his tongue so hard, he was almost surprised he didn't taste blood. Because if he said anything, he knew Caesar would twist it into another dumb joke.
What the hell was wrong with caring about your own mother? Not everyone was a cold-hearted, emotionally stunted sociopath. Some people actually gave a damn about their family. Some people actually had a family worth caring about.
But Eun-jae refused to take the bait. He just exhaled slowly through his nose, deciding Caesar wasn't worth the rise in his blood pressure.
Caesar, however, wasn't done.
His gaze shifted, traveling downward—Eun-jae noticed it immediately, the way those too-perceptive eyes settled on his collarbone, right where his pendant rested against his skin.
'Your neck...' Caesar muttered absently. Then, after a brief pause, he added in a musing tone, 'I mean, the necklace. Did your mom give that to you too?'
Something about the way he asked it—curious but unreadable—made Eun-jae stiffen just slightly.
His fingers automatically went up to the small pendant, as if to shield it from Caesar's gaze.
'No,' he said flatly. 'It was my sister. Which is none of your business.'
Caesar's smirk didn't falter. If anything, his interest seemed to deepen, like he'd just stumbled upon something intriguing.
'Oh? Older sister? Younger?'
Eun-jae's eyes narrowed. 'Why the hell are you asking? Planning to stalk my whole family next?'
Caesar let out an exaggerated sigh. 'God, you're so defensive. Can't a guy ask a simple question?'
'Not when it's coming from you.'
Caesar tilted his head, gaze flickering between Eun-jae's necklace and his face. 'Touchy subject?'
Eun-jae's grip on the pendant tightened. His jaw locked.
Caesar was too good at picking up on things—too quick to find cracks in a person's armor.
Eun-jae knew he shouldn't let it show, but goddammit, he'd never been good at hiding his emotions when it came to his sister.
So, instead of answering, he simply leaned back, throwing a glare at Caesar that hopefully screamed, drop it.
Caesar, for once, actually listened.