14 year-old Kris -here known as Wu Yifan- looked up at the huge house looming before him, then back to the slip of paper in his hand.

”You’ll be the perfect ‘on-the-side’ treat for my daughter,” said the woman, studying Yifan with a look of appraisal in her eyes. “How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?” Without waiting for an answer, she went on. “My daughter is twenty. She’s getting married though, so don’t you dare get attached!”

Yifan shook the echoing voices out of his head. He had no time to decipher the confusing minds of rich old ladies.
He reread the address scrawled on the paper, then looked up at the house once again. Walking closer to the silver plate hanging next to the gate, he read the engravings aloud, “Four nine nine one, Nuabo Street.” He looked up and down the silent street, admiring the American-style houses. Just as he turned back to the house in front of him, a girl heaved herself over the brick wall and promptly fell to the ground.

Before Yifan had time to yelp, she collapsed on top of him, bringing him tumbling down. Her face was mere inches away from Yifan’s, her soft body pressing into his work-hardened one. Her deep brown eyes glittered with mischief as she quickly got up, pulling Kris up with her. Without a word, she something into his hands. He simply stared, awestruck, at the beautiful girl who was now running down the street, hailing a cab, driving away.

He looked down to see what she had placed in his hands.

It was a pair of glass slippers.

“The first time I ever saw her was when she was escaping a marriage interview. Her mother had bought me one night, but -I was too young for her, so- instead had decided to give me as a ‘gift’ to her daughter. She had hoped that I would persuade Krystal to get married. How that works, I have no idea. I have no insight when it comes to the minds of the rich and powerful. They use their money only for human wants, not for better-…well, I can’t complain. It was putting food on my plate.”

“He’s a WHAT?!” Krystal stared down her mother from across the room.

“Mom, you’ve done this before, and you’re doing it again. How many times must I tell you that I do not want a-,” she glanced at Yifan distastefully, “Male companion!” She stormed away, leaving Yifan feeling both offended and relieved…and wondering whether he would still get paid.

“At first, she didn’t like me at all. She thought the whole idea was disgusting and shameful. I think that’s why I liked her so much.”

“Alright, I’m only here because my mom keeps threatening to disown me, so we’ll make this quick, then you can go.” Krystal eyed Yifan warily from across the little table in the ‘Cafe d’Amour’.

Yifan nodded silently.

“Okay, that’s one. First question. Why don’t you talk?” Krystal raised an eyebrow.

“I prefer not to talk when it’s not required. I’ve been punished harshly in the past for speaking out of turn.” Yifan’s fingers instinctively covered the scars on his hands.

Krystal’s eyes darted down to Yifan’s hands for a moment, and the next time she spoke, her voice was a little kinder. “I’ve always wondered, so excuse me if this is rude, but how do you get business?” She sounded almost scared, and she quickly blurted, “Sorry, no offence!”

Yifan smiled a little at her abrupt change in attitude. “It depends on where you live. I live in an area where my business is pretty common, so even before I started, people would approach me with those intentions.”

Krystal gasped, “Those women should be ashamed! How old were you?”

“They weren’t always women. And I was young,” Yifan shrugged.

Krystal continued to stare openly. “So your business even now is not all women?”

Yifan’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Sometimes,” He said shortly.

There was an embarrassed silence while Yifan reflected on his answer. He looked up when Krystal shifted in her seat, looking thoughtful.

He quickly lost himself, gazing into her eyes and studying every square inch of her face. Then he quickly reminded himself,

”Be fooled not by beauty, but brain.”

“What happened to your family?” Krystal interrupted his thoughts.

Yifan sighed heavily. ”Do not refuse the customer, do not refuse the customer...”

Then he spoke aloud, “My mother left my fath-…family when I was 8. My fa-…fa-…” Yifan seemed to struggle internally with himself for a moment, the word ‘father’ refusing to leave his lips.
“The paternal figure started screwing around with random women.” Yifan’s entire body started to tremble. “Then he realized he was too old to… create his own…reactions.” A violent tremor went through Yifan’s body.

Krystal made a small movement with her hand, as if she had meant to reach out and console the younger boy, but decided against it.

“He was really scary,” Yifan whispered.

“Don’t-… you don’t have to-…” Krystal said softly, pitifully watching Yifan choke out his story.

Yifan now seemed incapable of not spilling out his entire story to the beautiful stranger seated in front of him.

“He made his own pill. He paid all these scientists to create a drug for ‘heightened sensations’. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. If I ever told him off, or even called for him when he was ‘busy’, I paid for it dearly.” Yifan’s hands curled into fists. 
“My older brother, Suho, left home. He was seven years older than me, but we got along really well.” Yifan stopped shaking, calming down substantially as he spoke of his beloved brother.
“He would take me everywhere. He seized every chance he got to get me out of the house…away from that monster.” Yifan shuddered again, and Krystal watched him helplessly.
“But then Suho left. Just like my mom. He just packed up and left. He told me he would come back one day, but he never did. Every day Suho was gone, it got worse. The paternal figure started using the drug he had developed every single day. It was like he was permanently drunk. He-...he would- he would-!” Yifan gasped and suddenly started crying, surprising himself.
“He - beat me - every - day!” He said between sobs.
“If Suho - never left, - would - I even h-have had to do - this?” Yifan sniffed and Krystal quickly got up and sat next to him.

She hugged him close to her and pleaded softly, “Please, you don’t have to continue. Stop. Just- it’s alright.”

Yifan pulled away, embarrassed that he had broke down in front of his attractive customer.

He quickly wiped his tears away and cleared his throat. “S-sorry you had to see that.”

Krystal gave him a small smile, putting her arm around him again. “It’s alright. You’ve been through a lot.” She put her head on his shoulder. “You’re a very brave boy.”

“At some point, I fell in love.”

 here we are! Hope you like it :)and remember,

Comments = Love = Updates! :D

(and this is reeeally late, but can anyone make a graphic for this? Mine is rlly lame...)