By Zephyria Ashley’s low voice was no different from usual, but Koi felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. Koi’s fear was clearly revealed by his shrinking shoulders and trembling eyes, but Ashley did not hide his anger to appease him. Now was not the time to indulge his whims. Koi stammered and spoke with difficulty.
“Uh… but you did all your work. I’m going to get the money, so I have to take care of the rest…”
He presented his own grounds for acting arbitrarily.
“I can’t ask you for more favors when I can’t even pay your fees.”
There were no loopholes in it. Of course, that was Koi’s thought. Ashley mercilessly dug into the gap.
“Koi, did you actually receive the money after I called?”
“Huh?”
Ashley coldly continued to speak to Koi, who was momentarily flustered.
“Of course not. You received it after you found the truck.”
“Huh? Uh…”
Looking down at him as he stammered without giving a proper answer, Ashley continued to scold him.
“Then I haven’t finished my work, have I? My work is done when you actually receive the money. Now, tell me. Am I wrong?”
“Uh…”
Koi looked at him with cold sweat running down his back, and finally mumbled softly.
“You’re right…”
“Yes, thank you very much for understanding.”
Ashley, who had sarcastically retorted without fail, took his hand off his lip, which he had been pressing until then. He looked down at the blood on the handkerchief with a frown, then checked Koi’s lip. The bleeding had stopped.
“How much were you hit? I need to see where else you’re hurt.”
“Ugh, ugh!”
Koi screamed without realizing it when he suddenly lifted the T-shirt he was wearing. Ashley frowned when he saw a few red bruises, then began to press his hands on various parts of his body to check. Ashley, who had been moving his hands while watching Koi scream from time to time, pressed down on one side of his stomach and did not move for a while. Koi said, puzzled.
“It doesn’t hurt there.”
Then, unexpectedly, a sense of relief spread across Ashley’s face.
“Okay, that’s a relief.”
Koi, who was bewildered, recalled that he had screamed in pain when Ashley had pressed that spot last time. He wondered if it was because he pressed it gently, but considering that the place where Nelson hit him hurt so much that he would automatically make a sound even if he pressed it lightly, there seemed to be another reason.
But Ashley moved his hand without any explanation and pressed down on all of Koi’s remaining body to check. Ashley sighed and took his hand off.
“Why did you fight like this? It’s not like last time, you’re a grown adult, there must be a reason why you even punched him.”
No matter how reckless Nelson was, he would not have used violence without any reason. Ashley warned Koi, who was hesitating.
“Tell me honestly, everything.”
“Uh, okay.”
Those words were like a magic keyword. Koi opened his mouth with difficulty and confessed.
“That’s… Nelson was insulting you.”
Ashley frowned at the unexpected words.
“What?”
Koi mumbled, avoiding his gaze and wandering around.
“I went to pick up the car… and Nelson was there. Well, it’s his house, so it’s natural that he’s there… Anyway, when I said I came to pick up the truck, he was being a bit of a nuisance. So I tried to appease him and come out, but suddenly he was insulting you…”
As he spoke, he felt angry. Who is he to insult someone when he’s selling drugs?
“It’s okay if he insults me, calling me a Loser or whatever. I didn’t care if he told me to crawl between his legs. I just thought I should find the car and come back quickly… but suddenly he says Ashley Miller is a Loser.”
Ashley just listened to his voice, which was filled with emotion that welled up. His head was in a state of war. What did that bastard Nelson say to Koi? He made him crawl between his legs? Once again, anger rose, but an even greater emotion took over him first.
“Koi, so… you fought because of me?”
“How can I stand it when that piece of trash insults you!”
Koi said such a thing.
Ashley was even more surprised by the rough tone he heard from his mouth for the first time. Koi fought for him and even used words close to swearing. Even against the delinquent who had tormented him so much in high school.
For me.
Ha, a deep sigh flowed out involuntarily. He couldn’t decide whether to shower him with kisses because of his overflowing loveliness, or to spank his butt for going out and getting beaten up when he told him not to go out in the first place.
He wanted to do both, but at that moment, Koi’s face, torn and broken here and there, came into view. Tomorrow, his body would be sore and bruised all over. He had no choice but to endure it now. Ashley decided that he would definitely carry it out, instead of promising the next time. It would be better to kiss him after spanking his butt.
Oh no, I think he’s very angry because I acted arbitrarily.
Koi hurriedly said at Ashley’s expression, who was staring at him with a frown.
“It’s okay, I’ve been hit this much often. You know? I’m good at taking hits.”
He even laughed out loud on purpose, but Ashley’s face only became more distorted. Koi, realizing that he had made another untimely joke, belatedly raised his hand and changed his words.
“It’s different from then. I wasn’t just getting hit, I hit him more, didn’t I? Look, I hit him too.”
He showed his fist, which was already bruised. Ashley, who had been staring at Koi’s hand, grabbed his wrist. And unexpectedly, he kissed his fingers. Koi, surprised by the sudden kiss, widened his eyes, and Ashley, still with his lips on his fingers, looked up at Koi and said.
“Don’t hit with your hands in the future, you’ll get hurt.”
He added to Koi, who was just looking at him, not knowing what he meant.
“You.”
Ah, Koi, who finally realized what he meant, began to beat wildly. His face quickly turned red, and his shaking eyes sparkled and shone. Ashley was also excited by his face. He wanted to kiss him and pounce on him right away, but at that moment, his torn lip came into view. Ashley groaned deeply as if in pain.
Ah.
Suddenly, an unbearable scent spread around him. The scent, which had not been felt much until now for some reason, suddenly struck his heart. Ashley tried to act as nonchalant as possible, put down Koi’s hand, and got up from his seat.
“Rest, I’ll go change.”
“Uh, okay.”
Ashley left Koi, who nodded obediently, and moved away as quickly as he could, unlike his relaxed attitude until now. A small mechanical sound was heard in Koi’s ear as he buried himself in the chair, closed his eyes, and rested. The fan started to run at maximum power.
* * *
Loud music echoed around him. The noisy club’s sound filled his eardrums so much that it was difficult to hear even the voice of the person next to him. Among a group of people sitting on a large sofa, Nelson reigned like a king. All the men and women surrounding him were trying to please him, coveting drugs and money.
“Heehee.”
Nelson, who snorted the powder on the table with a metallic sound, threw the used bill on the floor carelessly. He smirked as he watched the man who hurriedly picked it up laugh excitedly.
“Nelson, are you okay now? I was worried because I heard you were hurt.”
A woman sitting next to him asked loudly. Nelson smirked and buried himself deeply in the sofa.
“It’s nothing, a crazy Loser didn’t know his place and attacked me, so I took care of him.”
“I heard that Ashley Miller took him out?”
Someone interjected pretentiously. Then another woman said, “Oh my,” and her eyes lit up.
“That handsome man? He’s tall and really cool!”
“He has a lot of hair too.”
Someone else giggled. Nelson, who managed to hear those words in the loud music, sneered and ridiculed them.
“You guys have no taste. How many times have I told you that he was under me in high school? He’s a pathetic Loser, okay?”
He giggled and continued.
“I’m telling you, he would lie flat in front of me and crawl between my legs if I just said the word. Should I prove it? If I wanted to, I could piss on that guy’s head in front of you guys.”※ The copyright of this work belongs to the copyright holder. Copying, reproducing, modifying, or distributing the work may result in criminal penalties and civil liability.
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