A courtesan is a the same way a silkworm is a spider. What the silkworm spins is its own survival, a home. But the spider spins not only that, it spins a trap for unsuspecting prey. A lies on her back and spreads her legs for money, needing nothing but her own body. A courtesan is different. Her disgust, her boredom, her pain, all hidden in a smile. A web of lies and fantasy, trapping minds with lust and charm. Yet, they share one terrible similarity, for both show not their discontent at the deeds they do, and both are mere supporting characters in the lives of the clients they serve, never the main. 

There's a banging on the door. Hyukjae ignores the sound, taking his time to admire himself in the mirror, smiling in satisfaction at the reflection. The knocking becomes louder, and the house madame is already shrieking for him to be faster, but he acts as if none of the sounds reach him. He reaches for the comb, taking his time and combs through his dark hair. Deliberately making his actions slow and heavy, he pulls a pair of black boots from the shelf and puts them on. 

But at last he can't delay the moment any further, so he exits the room, mentally preparing himself for the anger of the madame. The madame is right in front of him now, glowering. Hyukjae smiles delicately and slightly bows his head, pretending he doesn’t notice her fury and then walks on past her towards the main room. To his slight surprise she doesn't pursue him for his lateness nor his rudeness. 

He doesn’t need to look into the room to see what’s inside of it. Its the same every day, anyway, full of wealthy noblemen sweating in armchairs being entertained by courtesans whose bored faces were hidden behind too much make-up. A dirty smell, a mixture of tea and wine and sweat and , was heavy in the air. The atmosphere is chaotic, the guffawing laughter of the noblemen clashing with sounds of the madame shrieking at some other courtesans and still clashing with the gentle giggles and voices of the courtesans. A few younger nobles were hovering near the guest entrance, looking uncertain. They were a common sight, young boys getting their first taste of a courtesan house. 

Everyone turns when he enters, even the courtesans. He smiles coyly, directing the smile at a dark haired male sitting in the booth closest to him. It was Siwon of the noble house of Choi. He was young, just in his 20s, and a regular visitor of Hyukjae's. But today he's with Zhou Mi, the red haired courtesan whose popularity nearly matched Hyukjae's. Of course, that was just another aspect of being a courtesan that Hyukjae always enjoyed – the unpredictability of it all. Hyukjae drops his head slightly in Siwon's direction to signify a bow, showing no sign that he had even glimpsed Zhou Mi and then strode on into his private room. 

Hyukjae likes everything about this courtesan house, though he'd allow himself to be trampled before he ever admitted it to anyone else. He likes the dirty clashing smell of sweaty nobility and the sweet smell of wine and the strong perfume scent. He likes the noise, how its never quiet, always filled with music and laughter and well, moans. He liked that the nobles of the city or even some royalty always found themselves there, these top notch members of society that lived in luxury and riches and bathed in comfort always ended up here, drinking cheap tea and being entertained by courtesans who were neither rich nor noble and even paid for all that. He loved how this place made him feel, after every day of being in the company of strange men, entertaining people he didn't know every day, even letting them kiss him – it made him feel dirty. 

Ryeowook holds tightly onto Donghae's arm as they drag their feet over the dirt. It was getting bright again, so Ryeowook knew it had to be morning. Gosh, had they really been walking for that long? They had began walking since a few days ago when the horse had stopped walking altogether. Ryeowook had always known it would happen, but at least the horse had brought them close to the city and that was a miracle in itself. He feels parched and drained, both mentally and physically. Still, Donghae shows no signs of slowing down so he follows him with a feeling of hopelessness. 

"Donghae, where exactly are we heading?" Ryeowook asks at last. Donghae replies without stopping, or even turning to face him. 

"I'm trying to see if we can find an inn to stay at for the time being, and we should be able to get to one when we reach the city. So that's where we're heading." Ryeowook sighs and carries on walking, but with hurried steps this time. It's been months since they'd left their village and the prospect of actually sleeping in a proper bed was greatly appealing to him. That, and the fact that they were actually reaching the city, the wondrous place which they'd only ever heard tales of. 

When they reach the city, the first thing Ryeowook notices is that its crowded. There are people everywhere and they're all rich, dressed in silks and furs and whatever else rich people wore. The next thing he notices is the welcoming inn thats near the entrance of the city.  And the third thing? That Donghae was heading somewhere else. Ryeowook exasperatedly follows his pig-headed friend and is surprised when he sees him stop in front of (could that really possibly be?) a courtesan house. 

"Donghae, what are you doing? This is a courtesan house!" Ryeowook yells as he walks over. Donghae doesn't reply for a good three minutes. Then he turns to Ryeowook, childish wonder in his eyes. "We've never been to one, and I've always wanted to see what it was like!" Ryeowook shakes his head sternly. "Donghae, we need a place to rest, not a courtesan house." Donghae pouts. "But Ryeowook, I wanna go in!" 

A few arguments and a pair of sad puppy eyes later, Ryeowook finds himself walking into the courtesan house with an excited Donghae on his tail. He expects grandeur – candlelit booths, sweet smells of wine and fancy decor. Well, he wasn't wrong about the wine. Okay, to admit it, he's disappointed. But Donghae's eyes are filled with excitement and he practically bounces around the room in glee, as if this place was anything like it was meant to be. The place is filled with nobles who all looked like they were regulars, and Ryeowook can't help but feel out of place. 

"Well, you two look awfully lost." A husky voice sounds from behind Ryeowook. The person who it came from is a short, dark haired man. His eyes are lined with black liner and his lips are painted a dark red. He's  dressed in white robes (Ryeowook had to stifle a laugh at how a courtesan was wearing white). "I'm Yesung. I take it its your first time here?" 

"Y-yeah." Donghae replies, his voice squeaky. Ryeowook fiddles with his own thumbs, opting to remain quiet. Yesung grins at them. "We were just looking for a place to rest for the night." Ryeowook quickly interjects. He immediately regrets the lie when he sees Yesung's face fall slightly. "But if you don't mind keeping us company, we could stay..." Yesung's face brightens up at the following statement and Ryeowook feels his spirits soar. 

Ryeowook shakes himself, and follows the courtesan to a booth at a quieter part of the courtesan house. Donghae lags behind a little, too amazed by the surroundings to be bothered to keep up. Ryeowook sits down at the booth and is shocked when Yesung sits right in front of him. "So, not from around here and not a noble. You're already more interesting than the rest of the clients I get. What's your name?" 

Ryeowook feels his face gets hot and can only hope that it isn't visible. "I'm," Ryeowook's voice comes out small and like a whisper. He coughs and tries again. "I'm Ryeowook. That's Donghae." He shakes himself. What was up with him today? Yesung lets out a bark like laughter. "My, my, you sure are nervous." 

Donghae wanders over at that point and without hesitation plants himself down next to Yesung. The courtesan looks at both of them in turn and seems to quickly make a decision. 

"You know what? Three's a crowd." Ryeowook takes this chance to make his escape. "I'll just go to the inn first, Donghae can st–" 

He is interrupted by the grinning Yesung. 

"Donghae, I think you'll like Eunhyuk."  

Donghae's hands shake with nerves as he walks towards the door. He would look at Ryeowook for some moral support but now it seemed his younger friend was too absorbed in conversation with Yesung to even remember Donghae's presence. 

Donghae's heart beat crazily, and the sudden realisation that "Eunhyuk" was the only courtesan with their own room didn't help. Well, it was too late now. He took a deep breath and knocked. 

"Come in."

A/N: I know its been ages (almost 2 years) since I updated this. I know most (if not all) of you don't give a about this story anymore, and I understand that. I'm really sorry. But I saw this story a few days ago and I decided I just had to update it. So here's the new chapter, and I hope whoever reads it doesn't think it . 

<3