| Chapter Eight |

The next day shone brightly through the curtains of a window in the room Jiyong was sleeping in. A single ray of light was focused solely on his face, causing him to squint his eyes before he could actually open them. Once he sat up in the bed, Jiyong balled his hands up into fists and rubbed his eyes gently until they were completely open.

He sat up and yawned, thinking about what he would say to Seunghyun. If it was even possible, he became even more scared of the man's motives overnight, dreaming about all of the possible terrifying endings their encounter could have if he didn't leave. He didn't seem like the type to have a short temper, but the most important thing Jiyong had learned since he started sleeping with men for money was that first impressions could never be trusted.

Jiyong rose from the bed and stretched his arms and legs out. Even with his distrust and slight paranoia, he had to admit that he had one of the best nights of rest he had gotten in his life. He gathered up the few things he brought before leaving the room. When he approached the end of the hallway, he saw that Seunghyun was already up and was now in the kitchen, appearing to be making breakfast. Jiyong took a few more timid steps out and Seunghyun, who was slightly startled by his presence, noticed him and said,

"Good morning. I hope I didn't wake you with all my racket out here."

"N-No," Jiyong replied formally, shaking his head as his feet came to a stop. "I didn't even know you were up."

"Okay good," Seunghyun said in relief. "If there is one thing worse than waking up, it is getting woken up by noises." Jiyong laughed a little in response, lowering his head in the process. "Oh, you can sit up here if you want," he added, walking over to the counter that made up the bar and pushing some stuff out of the way. "It's almost finished."

"Okay..." Jiyong said quietly as he picked up his feet again. He was hungry and as long as the food was free, he couldn't find a reason to oppose it. Maybe he'd stay for breakfast and then leave after that. So, he walked over to the bar before sitting in one of the high chairs.

"I hope eggs are alright," Seunghyun said, moving some from the steaming pan to a plate and then laying a fork on the edge of it. He then set that plate in front of Jiyong, a small noise coming out as the plate hit the granite countertop.

"This is fine, thanks," Jiyong said, glancing up at Seunghyun shyly. Seunghyun only gave him a faint smile before he turned back around and put his attention back on the stove. He watched the man as he gave himself the remainder of what was in the pan. Then, he cautiously picked up the fork and began to eat. "So, do you really live here all alone?" Jiyong asked after a few seconds of silence passed and after he had taken a bite of his food.  

"Yeah, I do," Seunghyun said as he finished pouring himself a cup of fresh coffee, the low of his back now pressed against the edge of the counter. "I have for almost a year now."

"Ah," Jiyong said in response, nodding and covering his mouth as he swallowed. "Don't you get lonely at all?"

"I have my moments, but I suppose it's been so long now that I barely notice it anymore," Seunghyun replied, crossing an arm over his chest and swallowing down a sip of coffee he had just taken. Jiyong hummed and nodded, glancing back down at the plate of eggs. Seunghyun was beginning to eat when he lifted his head back up and Jiyong stared at him for a moment. 

What was a man who didn't notice his own loneliness doing picking up a hooker? Or was this just one of his moments?

As Jiyong turned his head to the right, he saw a few pictures resting on a long table, along with some flowers and a small, polished clay dish that held some keys. One of the pictures had a man he recognized as Seunghyun and a woman.

"Who's that?" Jiyong asked with furrowed eyebrows, pointing to the picture with his pointer finger. Seunghyun raised his eyebrows and looked to where Jiyong was pointing, only to see the picture of him and Minzy he never could seem to remember to take down. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"She was," Seunghyun said with a sigh, his eyes still glued to the picture. "She was my fiance actually." These words caught Jiyong completely off guard. So, he was straight? Bisexual maybe, but him being straight would certainly explain why he didn't want to sleep with him. So why pick him up in the first place?

"Was? What happened...if you don't mind me asking?" Jiyong questioned out of curiosity.

"She, uh..." Seunghyun started, letting out another sigh as he finally looked away and down at the floor. "She just up and left me. One day she was here, the next she wasn't."

"Why would she just leave and not tell you why?" the younger male responded.

"That's what I'd like to know." Seunghyun chuckled, moving his eyes to Jiyong's face. "It probably had a lot to do with me spending so much time working. She must have gotten tired of not being prioritized."

"Well, that's not your fault," Jiyong said, speaking earnestly. "I mean, you can't control how many hours you're at work if you're not the boss. She should've known you were doing it so you could provide for her. Yeah, quality time is important, but what does any of that matter if you can barely survive?" Seunghyun smiled faintly at Jiyong after hearing his words.

"How do you feel about parties?" Seunghyun asked out of nowhere, making Jiyong's eyes widen for a moment.

"I-I guess they're okay." He shrugged. "Why?"

"Because one of my buddies is having one tonight, so I was wondering if you wanted to come along," Seunghyun explained. Jiyong looked at Seunghyun in surprise. 

What was up with this guy? Letting him rest and feeding him was one thing, but inviting him out to a party? There was definitely something fishy going on here and he was now more determined than ever to figure out exactly what it was.

"I-I guess that sounds fun," Jiyong replied apprehensively. "I haven't been to a party in a while though, so I might be awkward..."

"Don't worry about that," Seunghyun said, shaking his head. "This is supposed to be lowkey and casual, so I'm sure you'll be alright." Jiyong smiled faintly at the elder and they just looked at each other for a moment. "We could, uh, go shopping today if you want since I'm guessing you don't have any other clothes and I know for a fact none of my clothes would fit you," Seunghyun said, breaking the small silence that had fallen upon them.

"Okay," Jiyong said, nodding his head and forcing out a small laugh. "I'd like that."

~~~~~~~~

After breakfast was finished and the kitchen was cleaned, Seunghyun got ready to take Jiyong out for some clothes. He noticed how quiet he was being, but he didn't try to make him talk. The situation was tense and awkward for both of them, so he didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he probably already was.

It didn't take long for Jiyong to find an outfit that he liked, plus a few extra things he thought he might need, and Seunghyun didn't even hesitate to spend his money on him. If he was going to be the cause of a lot of misery for him in a few days' time, then he might as well try to make him happy for the time being.

"So, is your friend really as popular as he seems?" Jiyong asked as Seunghyun's car sped down the road to Daesung's house. "I mean, I don't think unpopular people throw random parties."

"To be honest, I have no idea." Seunghyun shrugged, laughing a little as he glanced at Jiyong. "He says he has all these friends I don't know about, but he has a tendency to stretch the truth a little bit." 

Jiyong chuckled in response. "Thank you for buying me all that stuff today," he said after a while. "You really didn't have to."

"It was no trouble, really. I wanted to," Seunghyun replied, shaking his head a little in the process.

"Yeah, but still, that was a lot of money and I don't like spending money that isn't mine," Jiyong replied.

"You know, you should really learn to accept gifts from people," he said half teasingly. "Sure, there are a lot of people who will try to take advantage of you, but not everyone will. Trust me, life will be much harder if you go around not being able to trust people."

Jiyong didn't say anything in response, settling with just turning his head toward the wind. It was pretty much in his job description to not trust people. That was how he protected himself. 

Seunghyun glanced over at the younger male again, wondering if he said something wrong since he had become quiet so abruptly. It took him a few minutes to realize how his words sounded to a prostitute, someone who was so used to being used by people. Mentally, he cursed at himself. 

His cover would be blown in no time if he kept going on like this.