Woohyun winced as he recalled the memories of the night before, it flooded his mind. He was disgusted by himself; his body is now stained with dirt. He couldn’t believe he let him do that to him but then again, he didn’t have a choice. Since when have he even had anything to say about things? They had always called the shots; all he could do was follow. They were the masters and he was their puppet.

Woohyun forced himself off of bed, body still aching. He limped to the bathroom to clean himself when he saw a pile of cash and a note on top of the table. Woohyun read ‘Thanks for the night. I enjoyed it, here’s your tip.’ Setting the note down, he eyed the cash with distain, but still took it and kept it inside his bag, grabbing some pain killers as well.

Completely washed and physically cleaned, Woohyun collected his things and left the room. It’s not like he chose to be a e, he just needed the money. It was his father, his so-called dad that got him in there, he even pleaded that he’s willing to do other jobs than this after finding out what he needed to do but he, his dad rather, needed a quick buck.

That same night Woohyun found himself in front of the same bar, eyes still slightly red from crying.  Earlier that day, Woohyun came home and handed his father the money. Smirking, his father then told him that he has another client scheduled for him that night and that he’s expecting more money from him. Woohyun tried to argue and fight back but it wasn’t long before his father started beating him up and threw him out of the house, claiming that he’d better bring home some cash if he even plan on coming home. Woohyun half walked half dragged himself towards the bar. When he stepped in, the first thing that caught his attention was a tall good looking guy standing by the counter. His body was not muscular, but lean. His brown eyes shined and his black hair was slightly messy but he was smiling brightly none the less. Before Woohyun could even register and process all his thoughts, the taller boy caught sight of him and walked over still smiling brightly.

“Hi, I’m Lee Sungyeol. You must be Nam Woohyun.” He asked, extending his hand to shake Woohyun’s.

He extended his hand to shake his. “Yes, you must be my next client.”

“Well, rather than being referred to as client, I’d rather be called a ‘friend’. Being a client just sounds wrong.” He chuckled.

He stood there awkwardly as he watched him and his every movement. This is not how he would usually get introduced to his clients, instead he would usually meet them in one of the rooms already.

“Is there a problem?” the boy asked.

“No, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to meet you out here. Shall we proceed to the bedroom now?” Woohyun asked.

“I think I’d rather stay here and eat with you for a while.” The boy replied.

The two continued to eat in silence, Woohyun glancing every now and then at the tall boy across him. Sungyeol seemed to have felt Woohyun’s uncertainty and glanced back at him. Sungyeol placed his fork down and took a deep breath.

“Tell me.”

Woohyun frowned in confusion. “Tell you what?”
Sungyeol heaved a sigh “What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing’s bothering me.” he replied in a straight face.

“If you don’t want to answer my questions then I’ll do the talking.” Sungyeol smiled.

He proceeded with talking about his personal life. Woohyun found out that he’s the only son of a rich family and his father had expected that he’ll be the one to carry on the family’s last name. Sungyeol had told him about how disappointed his father was with him when he found out that he was gay and had thrown him out of the house. His mom was compassionate enough to help Sungyeol out financially despite the way his father had disowned him. Slowly he was able to empathize with the taller boy. He knew that it was like to feel unwanted or mistreated by his own father. Woohyun finally felt that someone understands him.

The following morning, Woohyun woke up fully clothes and without any perception of pain unlike with the previous day. ‘He didn’t have with me.’ Woohyun thought, it was more of a statement that a question really. He got up and walked over to the bathroom, looking at his reflection on the mirror and slapped himself disbelievingly. He knew that he shouldn't feel bad about it but he just felt so confused. He splashed himself with cold water and walking out; he spotted a note lying on the kitchen counter along with some cash. He walked over and read ‘Thanks for the company. I enjoyed talking to you. See you again tonight.’ His eyes narrowed at his words ‘See you again tonight’.

“Tonight?” He asked disbelievingly. Shaking his head, he grabbed the money and the note lay in his table, forgotten.

True to his word, Sungyeol showed up again that night and asked for Woohyun. Expecting that he’ll take another opportunity to sleep with him, he half-heartedly entertained the taller boy but to his surprise, Sungyeol didn’t even lay a finger on him. The two just spent the night eating and talking. This has soon become a daily routine, meeting Sungyeol in the pub, having dinner, grabbing some drinks until midnight. Sungyeol didn’t show any intention of touching Woohyun, nor did he even set foot on the shorter boy’s room but Woohyun can see that the taller boy wanted him.

Sungyeol continued to meet with Woohyun for the past 4 months. Woohyun was continuously seeking and loving the taller boy’s company and soon, his desire to meet with the boy slowly increased. It wasn’t long before they would also meet during Woohyun’s or Sungyeol’s time off. One day, Sungyeol decided to take things further.

“Woohyun, I haven’t been completely honest with you.” Sungyeol said, avoiding Woohyun’s gaze. “I love you Woohyun. I have loved you since the moment we met. Come with me, leave this place. I promise I’ll take good care of you.” Sungyeol confessed, taking Woohyun’s hand and holding it tightly.

Tears began to build up in Woohyun’s eyes. He knew that he shouldn’t but his hear tells him that this is what he wants.

“I can’t Sungyeol. That is not my choice to make. I never had a choice. Not in this world.” Woohyun spat out bitterly.

He expected Sungyeol to leave. He didn’t want to but he knows he will. It took him as a surprise when Sungyeol placed a hand on his chin to turn his head to face him.

“Yes, you do have a choice, like how it’s my choice to do this.” Sungyeol placed a gentle kiss on his lips, giving him life, taking the puppet from his master, cutting him from his strings.

Date Accomplished: 04/15/14

Word Count: 1,184