By Zephyria 
Side Story 1. Sugar Saliva
Eun-myeong pressed himself against the window. His eyelashes fluttered like wings, and his large eyes rolled around.
Outside the window, the vast city stretched out like an ocean.
The towering buildings were as gargantuan as monsters. The square windows seemed to glare at him with deep blue eyes.
A place teeming with countless cars and people swarming like ants. He was intoxicated, mesmerized by the flashing lights, when two eyes, flickering like goblin fire, glared at him in the reflection of the glass. Soon after, his massive frame was revealed.
It was the man. Eun-myeong’s mouth immediately fell open in a wide grin.
“Boss….”
His soft-looking cheeks puffed out, as if he had swallowed a hard candy.
“Is it really that eye-opening and fascinating, huh?”
“Yes, very much so.”
Eun-myeong nodded his head vigorously.
“Looking down from here, it feels like I’m seeing a paradise.”
He breathed out one admiration after another. How was everything in Seoul so big and flashy wherever he looked? Every person he had seen on the way here had glowing skin. Their clothes were sophisticated, and they looked as wonderful as celebrities. It was all so dazzling, the height of ecstasy.
And what about this house the man had provided? It was practically a palace.
In contrast, he was a gutter rat, born and raised in the countryside his whole life. What if he looked tacky and poor in the eyes of others? He didn’t know how he would find a job, earn money, and live with the man here.
Furthermore….
Eun-myeong stole a glance at the man. Immediately, his gaze collided with a dark, heavy stare. It was a look that seemed ready to devour him right then and there, with eyes glistening like a beast’s.
“Hmm?”
The man pulled the corners of his mouth into a seductive smile. A black silk robe hung loosely over his mountain-like body. Because of the thin, smooth fabric, the deep contours of his powerful muscles were visible as they rippled.
“You’re peeking at me like I’m a well-set dinner table. Planning to strip me naked and eat me up?”
The black robe had a gold belt, and gold bands encircled his wrists; they suited the man’s erotic aura perfectly, making him look sinister.
He was just like the flashy night view of Seoul. Brilliant and deeply colored, he captured Eun-myeong’s gaze like a swallowtail butterfly.
He looked so erotic that Eun-myeong became incredibly shy. Unable to stare openly, he peeked at the man’s body stealthily.
His torso, seen from the side, was as thick as a log, and his chest in particular looked enormous and firm….
Eun-myeong’s fist clenched and unclenched once, as if kneading. If he had a bit more courage, he might have tried to touch him, but he was too timid. He didn’t dare boldly squeeze the chest like the man would.
“Look at those eyes.”
Oops, he’d been caught peeking again. Eun-myeong’s earlobes turned red with embarrassment.
Why on earth did the Boss like someone like him? He wasn’t particularly charming, nor was he proactive. Perhaps the man’s tastes were just very peculiar….
He would have to work incredibly hard to stand out among such wonderful people. What kind of charm could he possibly use to keep the man’s heart tied to him?
Eun-myeong let out a sigh. His glowing cheeks puffed up and then deflated weakly.
“Come here.”
The man easily pulled Eun-myeong in with one arm around his waist. As he was pulled closer, the man sat on the sofa first. He then pulled on Eun-myeong’s arm, and Eun-myeong naturally sat on his thigh. Some documents were lying on the table.
“What is this?”
After examining the documents, Eun-myeong looked back several times, unable to believe it. His eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. Yet, the words written at the very top remained the same.
Ma-rriage Re-gis-tra-tion Form.
“You already know I’m a gangster without me having to tell you, right?”
The man added as he tapped Eun-myeong’s temple.
“Once you sign this document, there’s no turning back. Think carefully before you stamp it.”
He spoke sinisterly, as if he were presenting a waiver for the surrender of bodily organs. Anyone else hearing this would have worried if their organs were being sold….
But Eun-myeong’s heart was thumping with such nervousness and excitement. He felt as if tears might well up, wondering if this was a dream or reality.
If he just signed here, he would truly become the Boss’s spouse. He would finally have a real family….
Eun-myeong tightly gripped the fountain pen decorated with a blue dragon. Then, he wrote his name letter by letter. Lee, Eun, Myeong—and as he drew the final circle.
“Again, again, so fearless.”
The man sighed, tilting his chin up. His jaw, sharp as a stone knife, trembled with frustration. His Adam’s apple bobbed dangerously.
“I told you to think carefully before you stamped it.”
“Yes, I thought about it carefully.”
When Eun-myeong said that, the man’s eyebrow twitched.
“Is that so…?”
He suddenly snatched the fountain pen from Eun-myeong’s hand. Then, he pressed the knife-sharp nib deep into his own tongue.
“B-Boss, why are you doing that…?”
Startled, Eun-myeong quickly lunged toward the man. He jumped into his arms and grabbed his forearm to stop him, but it was already too late. Bright red blood burst like a fountain from his lips.
“You said you wanted to seal the deal with me.”
The man gripped Eun-myeong’s wrist tightly. He took Eun-myeong’s thumb and licked it clean. He didn’t even miss the area under the nail, poking his tongue in and coating it thickly with blood.
“If you leave a blood-print here, there’s really no way out. Do you really want to live in luxury as my little bride, popping out kids one after another?”
With a clicking sound, he spat out Eun-myeong’s finger. He greedily rolled his tongue, sucking up the remaining ink and blood in his mouth.
“You’re still a fresh little brat; do you really want to mortgage your entire life like that?”
He asked as if testing him. The man stared intently, as if he wanted to dissect Eun-myeong completely.
“Yes…. I want to marry the Boss.”
Eun-myeong murmured softly, looking down at his finger. Bright red blood was glistening, evenly spread between the ridges of his fingerprint. He pressed it firmly down onto the paper. With this, the contract stating they had become a real couple lay before them.
Eun-myeong wiggled his toes. The breath flowing from behind made his tailbone tingle for some reason.
Then, an arm reached out from behind and clicked open the safe nearby.
What was he taking out? Eun-myeong watched with wide eyes, like a puppy waiting for a tasty beef jerky treat.
What the man pulled out was something Eun-myeong already knew.
“The jewelry work was so tacky that I sent it back to the craftsman to have the stone cut and recut.”
He added that the original stone was as big as a baby’s testicle, and if he had worn it, he would have broken his ankle. It was none other than a ring case. The very one Eun-myeong had discovered inside his clothes once.
He lifted Eun-myeong’s ankle onto his thigh and slipped the ring onto his toe. What had been loose on a finger fit Eun-myeong’s toe perfectly, as if it were custom-made.
“It was huge on the finger.”
The stone, slightly smaller than when he had seen it before, emitted a brilliant light that contrasted with Eun-myeong’s white skin. Eun-myeong stared down at it blankly, as if his very soul had been stolen.
It was truly so pretty and beautiful.
“Hmm, have you tried it on before?”
“Yes, I tried it on secretly while you were showering, Boss.”
He confessed honestly, wiggling his toes in embarrassment. He didn’t know how much he had envied the person who would receive this.
“I didn’t think it would be mine.”
His eyes felt hot and swollen. His nose tingled as if he had eaten a hot pepper. It seemed it really was meant for him. He was even happier because he regretted the time he had spent misunderstanding and longing for his love. Because he had wanted it that desperately.
“The wedding will be held in Seoul at a hotel under Kangsung. You decide on the date.”
When the man asked, Eun-myeong fell into thought for a moment. It was still cold these days. For a once-in-a-lifetime wedding, he thought a season where flowers fluttered softly would be nice.
“Next spring.”
“Spring is good. But since the blood-print is done, is tonight the first night, huh?”
The man sucked on Eun-myeong’s eyelid with a chu sound. He chewed on it for a while before letting go with a ptui. Feeling the man’s slithering gaze on him, Eun-myeong couldn’t even lift his head out of embarrassment.
Instead, to change the subject, he fiddled with the man’s sleeve. The gold trim glittered like scales.
“…Your robe looks just like something an Emperor would wear.”
“Oh, should I get Baby a Versace one too?”
“A loan shark?”
When Eun-myeong asked back, pale with shock, the man burst into laughter.
He buried his nose deep into the crown of Eun-myeong’s head and rubbed his scalp. He chuckled, his whole body shaking along with him. Eun-myeong blinked, not understanding. Was he really someone with such a talent for making others laugh?
“Should I just chew you up to the bone and carry you around in my stomach?”
As he spoke, the man untied the string tightening Eun-myeong’s waist as if he were ripping it off. The robe slid open. Finally, the moment had come.
Eun-myeong squeezed his eyes shut in preparation for what would follow. If he had known he’d be this embarrassed, he would have just acted as usual; he didn’t know why he had bothered to put on erotic lingerie.
Soon, a low-class curse burst from the man who had seen his body.
“Shitty bastard, what the hell is this.”
He laughed in disbelief, his thick eyebrows furrowed deeply. Eun-myeong’s face turned bright red as he blurted out an excuse.
“I-I wore it because it was in the closet.”
The closet had been full of clothes, and no matter how he looked at them, the size was his. In particular, it was clear that if the man tried to put on this lingerie, even one arm would be too tight.
Moreover, the style—my god—was incredibly erotic. At first, it was so erotic that it was embarrassing even to look at. The fabric was so thin that the red lingerie clung to Eun-myeong’s body, revealing his belly button. His sparse pubic hair was suggestively visible.
“You liked it when I wore the erotic white underwear last time.”
Eun-myeong lowered his head deeply. He was so ashamed and embarrassed that he couldn’t continue.
The man’s deep voice settled over his flushed little nostrils.
“We’re a couple now, so we can have sex without condoms.”