Cheong laughed so long his fangs showed. He absently stirred his salad.“Above all, the bracelet matters not to you but to the secret sect’s leader. So the deal’s got to be with them, right?”The jerk who’d been spouting nonsense snapped back to the point with a serious face. Before Muhae realized it, Cheong’s gaze was fixed on Joo-o.Though his lips still curved in a grin, he clearly wasn’t planning to hand over the bracelet so easily.He’d already decided on his price, so he kept circling around the subject to buy time. Muhae calmly cut into his steak, trying to gauge Cheong’s intent.“You’ve climbed the ranks, haven’t you? You must’ve made more money than last time.”“Better than some guy who hawks pilfered goods for 100,000 dil, anyway.”“I’m not joking. I really need luck. Everything in life boils down to luck seventy percent of the time, and I’ll take every scrap of someone else’s fortune I can.”Cheong never once turned his head while he spoke. Yet even from those hints, Muhae understood exactly what he wanted.Damn. The calm mask on Muhae’s face began to crack. Glancing at Joo-o, he saw him wolfing down a huge chunk of meat as if his cheeks had never been bruised.“And this isn’t just about being lucky. Either the heavens help you or you shove your own ass—either way, I’m all for it.”No sooner had Cheong finished speaking than he popped some fresh greens into his mouth. Just watching made Muhae lose his appetite, and he nudged his steak aside.“Like someone said, the one who needs the bracelet isn’t him but me. By that logic, you should be bargaining with me.”“Ha–ha. You’re not storming out this time now that something’s on the table.”He chewed with the air of a filthy merchant. A sharp mind like Cheong’s shouldn’t fall for such a pitch, yet he seemed far too relaxed.“I think you’ve got me wrong from last time. I’m not offering to hand anyone over. I know full well the bracelet has an owner.”Cheong popped a piece of braised meat and offered it straight to Joo-o. Joo-o, moving without hesitation, bit into it and even savored the hand that fed him.Then, as if recalling the warning never to let just anyone touch him, he slid his head back and glanced at Muhae—but…Hadn’t he already done everything? Muhae’s unchanging expression began to crack ever so slightly. If this was Cheong’s gambit, it had worked perfectly.“You just want to borrow him. Whether your dog knows anything or not, he’ll be useful.”“Borrow? A human?”“Think of it as sending manpower from our side. I’ll cover his pay. Three or four days a month.”He seemed to think it a perfectly reasonable offer. Objectively, it wasn’t the worst deal.Send Joo-o here a few days each month, and not only do you get the bracelet, but you earn pay for it too.Joo-o would gorge on expensive food while here and might even pick up tidbits of intel from Cheong.But Muhae’s eyes never left Joo-o’s mussed hair.“Jin Muhae…”That kid burrowed into other people’s beds every night looking for warmth. Since bringing him home from the clinic, Muhae had never let him sleep outside.So regardless of the terms, it felt filthy. Before logic could weigh pros and cons, irritation welled up.“Sounds more like support.”Muhae set his knife down sharply on the table. He slid the neatly cut steak toward Joo-o.“Eat it all. We’re leaving.”Joo-o, who’d been staring blankly into space, suddenly lit up and nodded. Whoosh. Three steaks vanished into his mouth in an instant.Cheong must be kidding himself. Muhae never intended to make a deal by groveling.Olga’s request was for the bracelet’s whereabouts, not its return. She’d heard straight from the owner that he’d taken it, so whether this madman demands 100,000 dil or a million, that’s her problem now.“Really? You’re just going?”It wouldn’t benefit Cheong to know about Muhae’s promise to Olga. Muhae ignored Cheong’s attempt to probe with silence.By the time Joo-o had polished off the braised meat as well and was ready, he was bouncing in his seat.“Let’s go.”“Mm-hm.”Joo-o scraped his chair back with a rattle and pressed up against Muhae’s arm. Watching silently, Cheong shrugged and muttered,“I didn’t mean borrow in that sense—overreacting much?”“Muhae said no.”“Too bad. Right? Hey, where’d you put it?”Cheong, ever the slick talker, flicked his thumb against his throat. Unlike Muhae, Joo-o immediately understood the gesture’s meaning.“It’s gone now.”“Must’ve crossed a line first?”“Yeah. Cheong wouldn’t have liked it either.”Only then did Muhae realize something had transpired between them—he and Joo-o were always together on missions and in every port of call.“When did this happen?”Joo-o suddenly dropped Muhae’s arm and darted over to Cheong. He whispered in the man’s ear, and a gleeful smile spread across that smug face.“Is that how it was? Now that’s tempting.”Cheong’s gaze swung under the table. He reached down, and there was a crack as something small broke.He swiftly scanned the surroundings and motioned for his bodyguard. Before long, a pale-faced man was dragged before them.“This next bit’s personal. Shall we continue later?”“I helped you.”“Well, the price wasn’t quite enough… but you were useful. I’ll chalk it up as a debt.”Cheong dug into his pocket and pulled out a clicking metal object. A platinum bracelet.In that instant, Muhae felt every nerve string resonating. Before he could grasp the [N O V E L I G H T] situation, he strode over and slapped it onto Joo-o’s wrist.“Who said you could take that?”“But I—the choke—never took it.”“Wow. Even that needs permission?”Cheong’s face of condescending awe was unbearably slimy. Muhae, face stern, shoved Joo-o aside and snatched the bracelet with a snap.Ignoring Cheong’s muttered “He actually took it,” Muhae grabbed Joo-o’s hand and dragged him outside.Bang. The door slammed, and Joo-o hadn’t even managed a half-hearted “bye.”“What was that?”“Hm?”“Why’d you sweet-talk him to hand it over?”The simple-plated platinum bracelet sparkled in Muhae’s hand. Joo-o, looking bewildered and wronged, merely tagged along behind.Only after leaving that blur of neon demon buildings and the shouting crowds of Sakdal’s streets did Joo-o finally grasp the reason and tug at Muhae’s sleeve.“I didn’t get it by touching him.”“What?”“He would’ve given it even if I hadn’t. I told him about the bug in his ear.”He wore an expression of pure pride. As if he’d completely forgotten whispering into Cheong’s ear.Yet he still kept glancing at Muhae. Apparently he regretted letting him tousle his hair.“…Damn.”Now the one who’d snapped felt embarrassed. Cooling his sudden heat and thinking it through, Muhae realized Joo-o hadn’t done anything wrong.It was only natural for him to eat the meat offered, and he’d leapt in when Muhae seemed to hesitate.And yet his frustration wouldn’t lift. Muhae’s brows narrowed as he plopped Joo-o onto a window seat.“You didn’t have to take the bracelet. Why butt in?”“I know. But…”Joo-o pouted and stared out the window as the train slowly pulled away from the city that never sleeps.“I wanted to see.”He murmured in a tiny voice, watching the fleeting urban panorama.Unlike his usual self, he seemed subdued.They arrived at Starlight Avenue late into the night.Muhae took a quick shower and went to bed early.If it were Jaegang District, Joo-o would’ve dashed into the next bed, but here he had his own room.An old, dark study still furnished with his father’s things.“…”Around dawn, Muhae woke to see a curled figure beside the bed.Joo-o sat there staring into empty air. Even in the dark, his eyes were easy to spot.“What are you doing down there instead of coming up?”At Muhae’s husky voice, the hunched form flinched.“I thought you were mad at me, Jin Muhae.”Joo-o peeked over and checked Muhae’s face. When had he started worrying about other people’s feelings?Muhae lifted the covers, and Joo-o quietly climbed into bed. His body pressed close, heart pounding.After a moment’s sleep, the previous day felt distant, as if another’s memory. Joo-o, building his own secrets, and Muhae, irritated more than ever.“I still can’t remember.”“…”“But I wanted to see.”“What?”“Olga. The one you like.”As if confessing a secret, Joo-o exhaled sharply. Then he burrowed deeper into Muhae’s arms and sniffed him slowly.Come to think of it, Joo-o had planned to give Olga that Tinkle figure too, hadn’t he? He wore every sign of delight at someone he’d met just once.Just like when he first met Muhae—he’d trailed him like a mother duck.Unless he was zoning out or eating, he’d chant “Jin Muhae, Jin Muhae” all day long. As if meeting someone long yearned for.Right. Joo-o still had a past to find. Muhae vaguely sensed that if he kept blocking him, he’d remain like this forever.But was that necessarily a bad thing? His half-asleep mind whispered…“But if Jin Muhae hates it, you don’t have to look.”A soothing whisper snapped him fully awake. Hearing that determined voice was enough to wash away the gloom.Feeling a strange shift in his mood, Muhae closed his eyes again.“Do as you will—watch or not, it’s up to you, kid.”

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