A warm liquid trickled down his collarbone.
The boy breathing behind his neck was uneven, betraying his fear.
Though the hand holding the cutter shook, he still managed to keep it steady.
"Tell them to lower their guns," the boy whispered.
So Jeo had been threatened before.
Many times.
Usually by his rivals, men who wanted power or his attention.
But it was obvious that the one behind him just wanted an escape.
So Jeo simply lifted his hand.
"Lower your weapons."
The guards were hesitant.
"Now!" So Jeo repeated firmly.
The boy still did not let go, not fully trusting So Jeo.
So Jeo tilted his head slightly, just enough for his voice to brush against the boy's ear.
"If you have the guts to threaten someone," So Jeo said, "you must be prepared to kill them."
The blade pressed deeper, and another drop of blood slid down.
He still did not retreat.
"Let him go," So Jeo said to his men. "He is not ours."
The boy hesitated for a second before shoving So Jeo away and running.
He did not look back at all.
Three years had passed since that day.
So Jeo stood in front of the massive window, sipping a glass of whiskey.
He slowly reached up, his thumb brushing the faint, faded scar at his collarbone.
Behind him, on his massive king size bed, was Seo Jin. He groaned as he buried his face into the pillow that was softer than anything he had ever felt.
For a brief and blurry second, he thought he was dead.
The air smelled different, expensive and antiseptic, not like the moldy place his uncle used to lock him in when he was younger.
And the sharp pain he had felt earlier in his ribs had lessened a little.
His eyes snapped open.
Instantly, he shot upright in shock.
He wasn't in his house or in the crashed car.
He was in a room.
The room was the size of a small apartment. The walls were painted navy with golden designs. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
He looked down at himself and realized his blood stained clothes were gone.
Someone had cleaned his wounds, bandaged his ribs, and dressed him in black silk sleepwear.
The image of the man in the alley flashed through his mind like a film. Pointing the gun at him. Accepting to become his bodyguard.
Today had been a long day.
"You have been asleep for thirty six hours," a deep voice echoed in the room.
Seo Jin flinched and scrambled backward until his head hit the headboard.
So Jeo turned away from the window.
He was no longer wearing his coat, only a white shirt with the collar left unbuttoned.
"Who changed my clothes?" Seo Jin demanded. That was the only thing he seemed bothered about.
"The doctor who treated you," So Jeo replied casually as he took another sip of whiskey.
"You had a cracked rib, a mild concussion, and severe malnutrition."
Seo Jin gripped the sheet.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"You are at Cretin Villa," So Jeo said as he walked toward the edge of the bed. "My home and, as of now, your new workplace."
Seo Jin's breath halted as So Jeo came closer. The man's presence was suffocating.
"I thought… I thought it was a dream," Seo Jin muttered. "You actually brought a mugger into your house."
"You did not manage to mug me though," So Jeo responded calmly.
Seo Jin rolled his eyes.
"So what now?" Seo Jin asked, confused.
"You work," So Jeo stated simply.
Seo Jin nodded.
So Jeo walked out of the room, and a few minutes later he returned with a document in his hand.
"Take it," he said, passing the document to Seo Jin.
Though Seo Jin was confused, he took it and scanned through the front page.
"A contract agreement?" Seo Jin asked.
"Yes. An employer and employee contract," So Jeo nodded. "Read through it and sign." He passed a pen to him.
Seo Jin collected the pen and began reading the pages carefully. The sound of paper turning filled the quiet room.
A small cough slipped from Seo Jin's lips when he reached the last page.
He raised his head and looked at So Jeo.
"I have read the rules and conditions. It's okay."
So Jeo raised a brow. He could sense from the tone that there was more.
"But I need something from you before I sign it."
So Jeo nodded.
"What do you need?"
"I am willing to be your bodyguard if you can save my mom," Seo Jin said.
He had no other choice but to ask for help from this stranger he had only met a few days ago.
"Save her from what?" So Jeo asked calmly.
"My family," Seo Jin said, disgust running down his spine as he referred to those monsters as his family.
So Jeo studied him carefully.
"You believe she's in danger?"
"Yes."
Silence settled in the room.
So Jeo tapped lightly on the wooden table beside him.
"You are not going to explain?" he asked.
Seo Jin's fingers curled around the pen.
"Does it matter?"
"It does," So Jeo nodded. "I am not going to interfere in a family matter of a coworker I know nothing about."
Seo Jin looked up with a sigh.
"It's my uncle. He wants to take over my mom's property. He locked me in the basement several times to force me to sign the transfer documents. He even poisoned my mom with a slow acting poison."
"So you escaped?" So Jeo interrupted.
"Yes." Seo Jin nodded in shame.
He was such a bad son.
How could he escape and leave his mom in that hell?
"I see," So Jeo said quietly.
He stepped back.
"I will investigate."
Seo Jin blinked in confusion.
"That's it?"
"Mm," So Jeo hummed.
"I do not move blindly or by emotions," he added. "So I will conduct an investigation. If she is truly in danger, my men will deal with it."
"You're not going to ask for something in return?" Seo Jin asked cautiously.
A faint smirk curved So Jeo's lips.
"You are signing your life to me for an indefinite period," he said.
"What more should I ask?"