Yongguk relaxed into the back of the leather chair seating him. Dinner was over and pleasantries were long since exchanged, but before they all could leave, there was one more event of the night. While Yongguk had no interest in these things, propriety said he should stay until everyone was satisfied. He did not wish to alienate anyone here and so when invited, sat down for tonight’s showing.

Females, males, and every gender in between was paraded about on stage, posing enticingly for the best buyer. Yongguk yawned. This was common at these gatherings and when he was younger he tried to stop it, tried to buy every single one of the people showcased on stage, to save them. His naivete was met with much fire.

Some of those on stage liked the life they lived, liked being catalogued and paraded around and some had no other means of income. Others were too scared to leave, and being so young and not holding enough power all those years ago, Yongguk couldn’t even promise them safety, much less their lives. Now, Yongguk knows better and knows he just has to wait out the show until his fellows have bought their chosen companions for the night.

He blinked slow and drank the drink at his side even slower, he had no wish to become inebriated. It was closer to the end of the showing, and although it wasn’t obvious, Yongguk was becoming restless. He put his drink down and rested his cheek onto his fist.

Yongguk sat up straighter when the next person was called out. He knew that face, those features, those eyes. He would never forget those eyes. He frowned. They looked dead now, indifferent. As the man walked up onto center stage, Yongguk knew he was going to do something stupid. He simply didn’t care,  he would do anything to get those eyes -and mouth, smiling at him again. He stood up swiftly and silently in the loud clamor of the room, in which regardless of all the noise, they still all heard him speak.

“One billion.”

-

Himchan sighed as he fixed his hair in the mirror. “Sit still, look pretty, and sell well” were his orders. This was nothing knew and Himchan knew by the size of the crowd, it would be a long night. He tilted his head from side to side to inspect his makeup one last time before he walked out onto the stage when the auctioneer called his out.

There are many faces in the crowd he both recognizes and doesn’t. There’s not much difference anyway, the men and the women buying here -they’re all the same.

“Fifty million!”

“Fifty-six million!”

“Sixty million!”

“Seventy-five!”

“Eighty!”

Himchan closes his eyes and lets the bidding wash over him. The more money he earns the less trouble he’ll get when he comes back. He just wants to get back to his house and relax in a bath of bubbles, preferably with a glass of nice wine. The loud chattering of the crowd only makes him yearn for this more.

Just as Himchan opens his eyes he sees a man about his age gracefully stand from his chair, back straight and stance calm, his suit isn’t even wrinkled. He opens his mouth. “One billion.”

Himchan’s eyes widen -the first of any emotion to leak through, and the crowd goes silent. Himchan knows he sells well, he knows this. But to offer this much for a night? Unheard of.

Even the auctioneer is stunned. “Seonsaengnim? One billion? For a night?!”

“No.”

His voice is deeper than Himchan expects, richer. His brown eyes glint in amusement as all in the room blatantly stare. His lips curl in a secretive smile as he goes on. “I want him. To buy him, all of him.”

Himchan’s mind screeches to a halt. What?

“Seonsanengnim, we don’t-”

The man raises an eyebrow. “Two billion, three? How much do you want?”

“S-seonsaengnim-”

The man shrugs. “Take it or leave it, but you know full well you may never get a proposition like this again.”

The silence is stifling, the crowd stunned still. A shrill phone ring breaks it. The auctioneer answers it and the call ends swiftly, the auctioneer nodding to whatever the person on the other line is saying. The auctioneer straightens up and address the man. “Make it fifty billion and we have a deal.”

Himchan smiles wryly to himself. How shrewd. No one in there right minds would buy someone for that amount of money, much less someone like him.

The man shrugs again and his lips twitch in amusement. “Deal.”

Himchan isn’t the only one who gasps. He barely notices a few of the man’s men lead him down from the stage. His mouth is still open in shock as the man sits him down in his previously occupied chair and drapes his blazer over his shoulders. He hears the man order one of his own to ready the car and can’t help but to relax into the seat and close his mouth, considering, contemplating what to do next.

Himchan turns his head to the side to survey his new “owner” he supposes he should call him. The man smiles softly down at him in a way that tugs sharply at his memory. Before he can say anything, the auctioneer pronounces the auction over and Himchan is led away and gently supported into the back of a sleek, back car. The door closes after the man is seated next to him and then they are alone, the urban lights flashing in from the windows their only companions as their driver enters city traffic.

-

“Why did you...buy me?”

“You helped me a long time ago, now it’s my turn to help you.”

-

Yongguk shivered from where he sat on the hard, cold ground. The night wind cut through the air, chilling him to bone; he curled tighter into himself. He put his hands in front of his face and blew air into his palms, futilely attempting to get warmth back into his limbs. This was the coldest night yet and his coat wasn’t thick enough to ward off all the chill.

He pulled in his legs closer to his body, bowing his head down onto his arms, the people on the sidewalk walking past, ignoring him as though he were a shadow. Yongguk glanced at a beaten up brown paper bag at his side that held his meager stash of non perishable food- it wouldn’t last a week. But that didn’t matter to Yongguk if he couldn’t last through this night.

The evening grew on until the sun was finally set and the night wore on. Yongguk was so cold he wasn’t even cold anymore. He sighed a tired sigh into his arms and didn’t dare to lift his head until something was thrown over his shoulders.

Yongguk glanced up in surprise and was met with the sight of a boy around his age with warm brown eyes and cute smile -like a bunny. Yongguk opened his mouth but no words seemed to come out and before he could even think about thanking the other boy, the boy said, “You look cold, so take my scarf and warm up! Tonight’s supposed to be the coldest night of the year so try to find somewhere warmer, I hope this helps!”

Yongguk’s eyes blinked furiously, lip wibbling. “Thank you.”

The boy shrugged. “I’m sorry I can’t do more. Maybe-”

“Himchan-nim!”

The boy turned to the man gesturing to him, he bit his lip and looked back at Yongguk. “...”

“Go,” Yongguk said. “Thank you for the scarf, Himchan-nim.”

“Ssi,” Himchan insisted. “What’s your name?”

“Yongguk.”

Yongguk smiled a small, soft smile- the first one in forever.

Himchan smiled back at him and then a light sparked in his eyes. “Oh!” Himchan dug furiously in his pocket as the man called for him again. Himchan quickly knelt in front of Yongguk and took his hand, gently placing some lightly dented chocolate into it. Before Yongguk could respond, Himchan smiled at him one last time before quickly making his way to the man holding a car door open for him. Right before he entered the car, Himchan turned back and looked Yongguk right in the eye.  

“Hey, Yonggukie, no matter what, keep your head up okay?”