Myungsoo pulled up to the driveway of a house, one that looked unsuspecting from the outside. A plain 2 story house. The grass in the front lawn neatly trimmed, with one lone path leading up to the front door. One that surprised Myungsoo. From what he had seen, he expected Sungjong’s elegant and lavish style, his expensive style, to play into what his dwelling would look like. Instead, it looked...almost homey and comforting. But Myungsoo knew that to be far from true, the display of savagery and excessive violence evident in how Sungjong casually ordered his men to ruthlessly attack Sunggyu with a mere wave of his hand, and then walked away, not bothering to look back and face the consequences of his command. His brother. His family.

He gulped and took a deep inhale, as he proceeded to walk up the front, hesitating slightly before ringing the doorbell. Within seconds, the large wooden door creaked open, revealing a rather tall figure with a stoic expression. Myungsoo stared at the man, fear evident in his eyes, as he tried to utter words, “U-Um, I-”

“Sungjong is expecting you.” The tall man cut him short, before turning away and leading him down a dim lit corridor. The floorboards creaked with every step, making Myungsoo’s heart palpitate harder and harder.

He silently followed the male inside the house, slightly jumping when the door closed with a “bang” behind him. Myungsoo strained his eyes, trying to see the interior of….the hellhole in which the devil lived. Suddenly, the hallway flooded with light, as the person who let him in reached to his left and flicked on a switch. The hallway seemed almost...too comforting. From the man’s extravagant fashion style, the fur jacket, the fancy Louis Vuitton dress shoes, the impeccably styled platinum blonde hair, Myungsoo would expect the house to be a 3 story mansion, privately gated, fancy Tesla’s and Lamborghinis parked in the driveway, a pure gold water fountain in the hallway, self portraits to decorate the hallways.

“Not what you expect isn’t it, for someone who seems to be incredibly loaded?” The man behind him asked, jolting Myungsoo out of his thoughts.

“E-Excuse me?” He asked, sighing internally as the tone of fear was evident through his stutters.

The man gave a short nod, “He’s unpredictable. Doesn’t want to give away anything. So no matter what he says, be careful. He will always be 5 steps ahead of you. You will never know what he’s plotting.” he stated simply, almost as a warning, a foreboding. He proceeded to give three firm knocks on a lone door at the end of the hallway, opening it after he heard a response. He stepped in and bowed, “Kim Myungsoo, sir,” he stated monotonously before stepping to the side, allowing the shorter male to fearfully enter.

Myungsoo walked in carefully, accidentally making small eye contact with the tall man. He nodded slightly, as though reassuring Myungsoo, however his expression still completely stoic. He took a deep breath, hearing the door close behind him.

And there he was. Lee Sungjong. The man that ruthlessly tore his brother apart. He looked...innocent, fragile. He sat at the head of a long table, his beauty not even hidden in the dim lighting. Myungsoo could see long thin fingers grasp a wine glass gently before swirling the dark red liquid around. As Myungsoo cautiously approached closer after being pushed forward by one of the guards at the door, he could see that Sungjong had bright green eyes, eyes that stared intently at the moving liquid.

“Kim Myungsoo, or should I say, the savior of an unfortunate Kim Sunggyu.” Sungjong spoke in a melodious and high-pitched voice. “I see that you had an easy time finding my humble residence. Tell me, what do you think of my home.”

Myungsoo chose not to answer, afraid that any answer he would give, no matter how carefully worded he tried to make it, would insult this man, a man, who based on first impressions alone, seemed like a man with a very short temper.

“Scared of how I’m going to react?” Sungjong questioned before giggling slightly. “You’re smart, I’ll give you that. Most people would try to compliment or grovel at my feet to try and stay on my good side, to try and elicit some mercy in me.” He looked up from the wine glass. “Mercy is a feeling that I do not know.” he stated coldly.

The man gritted his teeth, silently counting to 10 with his eyes closed, and clenched his fist, “What do you want me to do, for you to let my brother go.”

Sungjong smirked and placed his glass onto the table, before walking towards the man. With a harsh grip he held Myungsoo’s chin, pulling his closer so that Myungsoo could clearly see his piercing black eyes staring into him. Myungsoo stared back at him, his eyes and face giving away no emotions “You’re feisty...and loyal to family. I knew that there had to be some connection between you and him for you to defend him so fiercely that day.”

“Is that a problem? Because I don’t give two s about what you think of me. Tell me what I have to do for you to leave my brother alone”

Sungjong moved his hand from Myungsoo’s chin and onto his cheek, caressing and it gently, almost like a lover. Myungsoo repressed a shudder.

“Tell me, has anyone ever complimented you on your beauty? You look like a God. A God that was given everything, but was sadly cast down to this hell. Your physique...flawless” He his lips while watching Myungsoo. His slender fingers slowly trailed down to the man’s neck, lingering momentarily before his smirk deepened, “Usually people like you are just obstacles trying to block me from the main player, and you know what I usually do to them?” He asked, leaning forward so that Myungsoo could feel the man’s breathing against his skin, “I end them. But I’m a great compromiser,” he continued, his fingers once again beginning to roam lower onto Myungsoo’s chest, “And I think, you may be of some use. Now tell me, how far low are you willing to sink to to save your brother. Are you willing to travel to the deepest pits of hell to save a man who has dragged you into this mess?”

Myungsoo was silent for a moment before giving his answer.

“Yes.”

The contract was simple. He was to….entertain Sungjong once every week. When was up to Myungsoo. He just had to contact one of Sungjong’s guards and say the word “L” and give a date and time. Sungjong would be sure to be free. In return, Sungjong would take off $1800 off the total debt that Sunggyu owed, which meant that for the moment, his contract would last for just under a year. Along with the money that Sunggyu would be paying as part of his agreement, the contract could be done even sooner. But the amount of money that Sunggyu owed was increasing, as every second of the day that Woohyun was in the hospital on life support was hundreds of dollars that Sunggyu had to borrow from this...monster.

But that was all right, because his brother did not deserve to lose the love of his life. He deserved happiness. And Myungsoo was willing to do whatever it takes to keep his brother and brother in law alive, even if it meant giving up his soul.

Myungsoo had one request, one that Sungjong himself found honorable.

“Sunggyu-hyung does not find out about this...ever. He can never know. This is between you and me. This agreement is for our eyes only. No one can know.” He had demanded the following morning after coming into Sungjong’s house for the first time and spending the night with him for the very first time. The day that would result in an arrangement that Myungsoo himself had brought forth to Sungjong.

“Very well, I solemnly swear to you that he shall not find out about this agreement from me or any one of my associates” Sungjong verbalized while nodding to one of his men, who immediately wrote that sentence down onto the piece of paper that was becoming Myungsoo’s deal with Satan himself.

“One more thing. Because I have a lot of enemies, I need to protect my property. And that includes you. You’re becoming one of my most valuable objects and I will be damned if I lose you, or worse, you lose your life and I can no longer have my way with you. Therefore, I’m assigning one of my men to be watching you.” Myungsoo opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. “Do not fret, my pretty pet. He will have specific orders to not interfere directly with your mundane life and to watch you from afar. He is to interfere only if your life is in mortal danger or if you try to go against my orders.” Sungjong took a sip of his wine before continuing, “in which case I will end you, your brother’s and your brother in law’s life with my own two hands.”

Myungsoo silently nodded. Sungjong took the paper from his guard, silently reading over it before nodding once. He beckoned Myungsoo to come over and with his other hand, grabbed a pen from the table and holding it out towards Myungsoo.

Myungsoo looked down at the table, at the piece of paper that would rule over his life for the next several months. He looked at the outstretched hand, back down at the paper, and at the hand again before grabbing it. He closed his eyes, silently praying for forgiveness from his brother before firmly signing.

Sungjong smirked, “You have no idea what you just signed up for.”

Myungsoo opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh light that was coming in through the window. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he began to notice that he wasn’t in his room. The bed was too big and soft, the silk sheets feeling unfamiliar under his fingertips, the walls too dark from the normal beige color, the room itself too big and filled with ornate dressers. The room felt so extravagant and elegant, yet so cold and hostile.

Then it hit him. He had just held up his end of the bargain with Sungjong. He jerked into a sitting position, hissing at the pain radiating from his thigh and back. He looked down at himself to see bite marks, tender bruises and what seemed like a thousand other different marks on the side of his hips, shoulders and inner thighs. These were non painful and could easily be hidden with clothing. His wrists felt tender, slightly painful to touch and movement, but thankfully were unbruised from Sungjong’s tight hold as they “had some fun,” as Sungjong had so eloquently put it.

He looked down, pulling his hands out from under the soft pink silk sheets, before staring deeply into his palm. He tried to recalculate his actions before he had passed out, yet it was as though the thirteen hours from the moment he had signed the contract till now seemed to be permanently erased from his memory. After what seemed to be several of minutes, Myungsoo look up, staring at the tinted, lone window in the house. His reflection staring back at him. He raised his hand, caressing his cheek softly, as he noticed that though his body had been left showered with all types of marks and scars, his face was left untouched and flawless. He had to give it to Sungjong. Despite his innocent and sweet looks, his seemingly thin and fragile physique, the man was dominant, commanding, and smarter than first impressions would have.

He continued to stare lifelessly at his reflection, as though it were a stranger. He hadn’t any regrets, anything to his brother, although his heart was clenching in pain. Was it all worth the pain? A lone tear fell from his eyes. If it meant saving his beloved brother. If it meant keeping Woohyun alive for another millisecond. If it meant protecting everything that he held dear, if it meant keeping Sunggyu-hyung from losing everything and going over the edge in a single moment, the choice was completely obvious, one that didn’t require any thought,

Then yes. It was. And Myungsoo was going to protect Sunggyu, the same way Sunggyu had protected him all these years.

He quickly wiped the tear away before setting about to take off his clothes and step into the shower, opting to turn the water to the highest temperature that was bearable, the steam that was rising from the water and filling up the bathroom feeling comforting to his cold body. He scrubbed as hard as he could, determined to get rid of any remaining evidence of the things that he had done the night before.

Deeming himself clean enough, he turned off the water, watching the water swirl down the drain. He grabbed a towel that he took from the cupboard outside the bathroom before, drying himself off before stepping out of the shower, slightly jumping in surprise at the knock at the bathroom door. He wrapped the towel around his waist before unlocking the door and cracking it open slightly. He came face to face with a man, a tall man, his tan skin smooth and eyes dark brown, his dark red hair styled up and out of his face to reveal chiseled cheekbones and ears adorned with two piercings on the right lobe, an inner conch piercing on the right, three lobe piercings, industrial, and a helix piercing on his left. Myungsoo quickly glanced over the man, taking in his toned biceps and small tattoos on his right shoulder and clavicle. His face was expressionless, but Myungsoo could have sworn that the corners of the man tilted upwards a fraction of an inch at Myungsoo’s shocked expression.

“Sungjong-shii asked me to grab you some clothes. I didn’t know what your style was, so I tried to find some that seemed to suit you. And I-” The taller man halted for a second, before clearing his throat and handing the half man the neatly folded stack of clothes, he had held close to him. He turned the other way before adding in a quieter, stoic tone, “I hope it’s okay for your taste.”

Myungsoo could only nod in shock, not trusting his mouth to make any intelligible words. They awkwardly stood there for a few moments, staring at each other before the other man spoke up, “Well, I’ll leave you to change then. You should probably hurry. I need time to drive you home and get settled in. And yes, I’m the person Sungjong-shii assigned to be watching over you”

Myungsoo couldn’t help but let out a small smile as the strange man left. Sunggyu had always told him that he was great at reading people, just like their mother. He felt that although the man’s exterior seemed cold and unapproachable, his attempts to refrain himself from talking too much told Myungsoo that the man was lonely and kind-hearted. A lonely soul....something that he could easily relate to.

He cleared his throat and shook his head slightly as he came back to the reality that he was actually in. Of course, anyone who worked for that evil man, wouldn’t have a single speck of human kindness in them...right?

He shook his head, choosing to ignore that question in his mind and focus on getting dressed. He didn’t really have a style, just as long as the clothes were comfortable. Myungsoo was internally pleased at the black color of the sweatpants,T-shirt, and Supreme sweatshirt. The outfit covered everything that he wanted to hide. The marks, the scars, the bruises, the physical reminders of what had transpired the night before. Unlike the clothes that he had woken up with- exposing almost every part of his body, the outfit covered him from head to toe. Myungsoo’s heart felt warm as the thick materials hugged him. It may have seemed trivial, but at that moment, it had made him feel as though the night had never happened.

He felt something in the pocket of the sweatshirt, and after putting his hand, he realized that it was a note, carefully folded. He opened it, quickly read it, and proceeded to crumple the piece of paper in his hand, throwing his head back and blinking furiously to prevent the tears from spilling out.

Gathering his bearings, he reopened the note, and immediately regretted doing so, the condescending and mocking tone of Sungjong evident behind the cruel words scrawled carelessly on the piece of paper, causing his body to fill with anger and fury, thoughts of grabbing Sungjong and hitting him a thousand times to wipe the smirk off his face, thoughts of violence filling his head.

“Last night was fun. Same time, same day next month. See you then...love”

fishyyy137: HEY GUYSSSSSS GUESS WHOS BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! THATS RIGHT ITS YO PROCRATINATING GIRLS WHO HONESTLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO BECAUSE ITS HOLIDAYS YET WE STILL CANT FIND THE TIME TO FOCUS AND WRITE LOOOOOL. Okay so that is probably like 90% my fault because like, this chick here is kinda distracted and irresponsible most days LOL.Anyways. I'm super excited for this chapter coz after 3 EFFIN CHAPTERS WE FINALLY GOT THEM TO MEET. And no, of course, as horrible authors we are, they only conversed for like 2 seconds :D I love the tease. But hey, it's a start and there's heaaaaps more to come ^-^ Hope you guys enjoyed and please guys.Please let us know what you thought of it! Till the next time we talk (probs like next year coz you know me now hahahahahimsorry) hope you are all safe and well! <3

yvonnenguyen2297: YOOOOOOOOOO! first thing's first. CONGRATULATIONS INFINITE FOR 3 WINS SO FAR ON TELL ME!!! THAT BOP DESERVED ALL THOSE AWARDS AND SO MUCH MORE! THE ENTIRE TOP SEED ALBUM IS AMAZING! IT'S BEEN ON REPEAT FOR ME FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS! NO REGRETS. now onto the story. well they finally meet! actually, Cynthia came up with the idea of having them meet (totally genius!) but as you can tell, gets real. real fast. And our hearts actually hurt writing the emotional turmoil Myungsoo is going through. We promise that there is going to be a ton more of myungyeol interactions, and we will go way deeper into their backstories. But we cannot promise that there will not be any more tears (b/c let's be honest, there will be). Thanks for reading and/or commenting and/or subscribing! Honestly, we truly appreciate everyone for sticking with us through our sporadic updates and with this story in general! Lots of love to you all! And ofc to my lovely co-author, it's so much fun writing with you girl!