$10,000?! Don’t tell me it’s his fee for me sleeping with him?

Isn’t that too expensive? I can’t even remember if we really had a good time!

“Why the hell do I owe you that much?!” I burst.

He supported his head with his hand and looked at me as if I am some form of piece in an art museum which needed to be examined. He then asked, “Are you sure, you don’t remember?”

“Would I ask if I know?” I sarcastically remarked.

“You don’t remember smashing someone’s car?” he retorted.

I widened my eyes before averting my gaze from him. A sudden surge of ache crossed my head as I tried to recall my memories of last night. Then suddenly, it occurred to me and I muttered a curse underneath my breath. The corners of Sehun’s lips tug into a smirk and I can tell that he realized that I remembered everything now.

I pulled my hair as I stated, “I threw a stone to a car’s windshield and kicked the sideview mirror.”

“That’s not the best part,” he smiled, “You even got a stone to scratch the hood. No. You didn’t actually just scratch it. You wrote the word ‘’ – “

“Stop!” I exclaimed, “You don’t have to say that out loud.”

He chuckled, “I thought you needed help remembering.”

“So the car’s yours?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“No,” he shook his head, “You don’t remember?”

“Well, I just remember the crazy parts,” I answered, “Everything else is… a blur.”

He sighed before saying, “I think the effects of alcohol to you comes a little late than you expected. You just felt drunk after dancing. I offered to take you home but you said that you wouldn’t let me take advantage of a vulnerable you so I let you go. But then, I found you in the parking lot arguing with a guy who looked like he’s about to kill you and beside the two of you was the poor car.”

“You paid the owner?” I guessed.

“Hmm,” he nodded, “You were too drunk to handle the situation yourself.”

“And you paid him $10,000?” I questioned, “Isn’t that too much?”

“It was a high-class Porsche so I estimate that the damage costs around $7,000,” he replied.

“Then why the extra 3,000?” I raised my voice.

Money shouldn’t be given that easily! He would be paying for that extra if he doesn’t give me a good reason.

“If I hadn’t paid that $3000, he wouldn’t have let us settle that argument right then and there,” Sehun explained, “He would’ve pressed charges at you, and you’d have to spend time attending court hearings. Or worse, you wouldn’t be able to walk away from that scene easily, and your friends would’ve seen what you did and they’d take pictures and upload it online.”

“They’re not my friends,” I corrected almost in an instant.

Well, he had a point. Ten thousand is easier to retrieve than my dignity and time.

I settled my back at the seat, and my gaze fell to the table and to the forgotten food. I could imagine my drunk self and the car in Seulgi’s Instagram with the label, ‘crazy bf’s ex.’ Ugh. This wouldn’t have happened if I was not drunk. Or if I was not drunk enough to release two years worth of bottled up anger on a car I thought was Jongin’s.

“Of course they are not your friends,” Sehun smirked, “You wouldn’t be that desperate to call me your boyfriend if they were. Or did you forget that part too?”

I rolled my eyes at him in reply. Quickly changing the topic, I confessed to him, “I can’t pay you right away. I don’t have that much money.”

“Hmm,” Sehun nodded, “I figured that out. Monthly installment’s fine with me.”

He then got a pen and I watched as he started scribbling something. Then, I asked him, “Wait. How were you able to bring me home?”

“Waze,” he shrugged, “I saw your company ID and your address was there.”

He pushed the newspaper towards me and showed the account number that he wrote. Then he spoke again, “I’d be expecting a monthly deposit of whatever amount you can manage. Please remember that I know where you live, and I know where you work too because of your ID.”

“I don’t intend to abscond,” I uttered with a glare.

“Just making sure,” he exclaimed before his phone started ringing.

He stood up to walk some distance from me so that he could talk on the phone. With him standing before me, I started to appreciate his profile better in my sober state.  He was handsomely tall and his face was beautiful in all angles. Then, I noticed the clothes he was wearing was different from last night and the clothes were too familiar as well.

“I need to go,” he stated.

“You’re not going anywhere with those clothes,” I told him.

“Well, I am so sorry but I don’t have other clothes,” he replied, “You vomited on them. These are the only clothes in your house that fits me. I’d just pay for them if you want or we could deduct it from your debt – “

“No,” I cut him off, “Those are not mine. You have to give them back.”

He squinted at me before saying, “Fine. I’d give them to you once you deliver my clothes as well. I left them at your laundry.”

He then gave me his phone and without saying anything, I input my number. Then, he started packing his things in a haste while I tried to clean the table. When I reached the kitchen, I was confused on how there was no mess until I saw the trashcan filled with disposables.

He didn’t cook. He just transferred the McDonald’s pancakes and coffee into the plates and the cups. I felt so tricked.

“I’m going, Suzy.”

I was a little shocked with him saying my name. I don’t remember introducing myself but I guess he saw it on my ID. Hell, I think he already knows too much with just checking my IDs.

For courtesy, I then walked him to the door and it seemed like he was in a hurry for he didn’t bother looking back until I called his name.

“Sehun!”

He turned to me with a charming smile on his face, “I thought you forgot my name too.”

“I did actually but you wrote it on the paper,” I beamed back with equal mischief before it slowly melted onto a genuine smile as I said, “Thank you.”

“For what? You’re still paying me. I’m not even giving you any discount,” he replied.

“For everything else, I guess.”

He chuckled before saying, “Someday, I’d make you pay me back for that too.”

I squinted at him in a questioning manner, but he just kept smiling.

He then raised his hand towards his face in a telephone sign as he added, “I’d contact you.”

I nodded before waving my hand in goodbye. As I closed the door behind me, my gaze then fell on the opened box in the living room with the label “Jongin’s.”

I was staring at my salary for the month at my table, as if my gaze could double the amount that I have earned. I have been computing for almost an hour and no matter how I try to budget, I could only come up with some $250 dollars to deposit to Sehun. I’ve already deducted some from the supposed-to-be savings of my salary for Sangmoon’s next tuition. I’ve also already omitted the leisure part of my budget which ideally should go to buying new clothes and make-up but would usually just go to eating out.

I’ve already convinced myself that I can give up Ramen Nagi for some time but when I tried to compute how long I would be tightening my budget, I felt so defeated.

With only $250 per month, I would be paying him for more than three years.

I plopped myself on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

“Why are you poor, Bae Suzy?” I asked myself.

I’m not a minimum-wage earner but I don’t earn that much with writing as well. Perhaps I can go to Upwork? Get some freelance jobs I can work on