LBOT-9

THUD!! the thrown stones piled up beneath the wall.

Squatting on the side of the road, Zhan picked up a  stone with his dirty hands and threw it against the wall.

Sneakers with worn out soles came into view.

The pants with shortened ankles did not block the cold wind, and the sweater was also worn with shredded sleeves.

The children going by with their backpacks were startled when they saw Xiao Zhan throw stones.

They were frightened as their gazes collided, and they ran. “Baby ghost.”

That’s what the kids called him.

He got his nickname since his family was more active at night than during the day, even if they didn’t know what his family was doing.

“What are you doing here?”

A tall man stepped from behind the wall and opened the door. Even when he saw the pile of stones below the wall, the man did not scold him.

Instead, he went back into the house and handed him a loaf of bread.

He was a Korean who resided here long before Xiao Zhan’s family came. He said he have a son who was older than Zhan and lived in Korea with his mother and grandmother.

When Zhan was handed the bread, he ripped it open and shoved it into his mouth.

The man would occasionally come out and bring Zhan something to eat when he was hungry. He fed him mostly bread and occasionally brought him into the house to cook ramen.

Every time, however, Zhan’s father was angry and scolded him for attempting to seduce someone else’s son.

“Eat slowly. You’re going to get indigestion.”

In the morning, Zhan looked through the refrigerator but found nothing to eat. His father had left work three days prior and had not returned, and his mother had been drowned in alcohol and drugs for several days and had been unable to get up.

“You’re so… unlucky.”

A man with the surname Kim took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and lighted it. White smoke soared up into the air shortly after.

Xiao Zhan swallowed the last of the bread and stared blankly at the man who had lit the cigarette.

“What. Do you want to smoke?”

Mr. Kim asked with a smile, and Zhan nodded.

His eyes widened, then returned to their original position. After thinking for a moment, he motioned for Zhan to come.

As they got closer, he passed the tip of the cigarette to Zhan.

“Keep sucking it.”

Xiao Zhan sucked as hard as he could with his thick lips pursed in a circle. However, a cough erupted almost immediately. His eyes sting and he has a congested nose.

Above him, a huge hand ruffles his hair with laughter.

“See. You’re not doing any good.”

When Zhan saw the cool smile, he had a brief thought of how great it would be if he were his father. He was also envious of his son, who was in Korea.

When he finished smoking and entered the house, Zhan followed the alleyway and went up to his house.

Zhan’s house was at the top of the alley. In the middle of the alley, there was a high and steep staircase, which was a dangerous area where you may lose your life if you slipped.

The closer he got to his house, the less excited he became about returning home.

He heard a strange noise from within the home as he pushed through the unpainted iron door.

When Zhan noticed odd shoes under the old floor, he stopped. It appears a guest has arrived.

“Ah, ah, Gege, more, more, huh? Suck more.”

“Hey, you fucking bitch. You like it? huh? I‘m better than your husband, right?”

Xiao Zhan sat on the floor and kicked it with his worn-out sneakers.

His mother’s choking voice stopped, and the sound of the two of them holding their breath was heard along with the man’s groan.

He ate up the bread far too quickly. He felt like he was about to puke, so he rubbed his stomach, and the old door opened with a loud bang as if it were about to fall, and a guy appeared.

He had seen the face of the man taking his pants down a few times before.

“Hey. Your baby is here.”

The man was going to reach out and touch Xiao Zhan’s head but he didn’t like it so he turned away.

The man smiled and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. A grim-faced goblin’s face was carved on the guy’s shoulder whose upper body was exposed.

The goblin had four horns in total. There were two on the forehead and two on the chin. And the eyes were bright red. Those eyes seemed to be glaring at him, so Zhan quickly averted his gaze.

SLAP!

Then a shock was struck in the back of his head. His body stumbled forward as a result of the slap.

“You’ve been wandering around since the morning and now you’re crawling in!”

He didn’t respond, so she slapped him across the face. Blood dripped from his nose.

Zhan wiped the dripping blood and looked at his mother.

Closing her protruding breasts with her clothes, she took a cigarette next to the man and smoked it.

The man laughed and threw the mop at Zhan. “Wipe clean with this.”

Instead of picking up the mop, Zhan glared at the man.

The man didn’t care, but his mother said she didn’t like his eyes and kicked Zhan with her feet.

A twig-like body rolled in the yard. A clear blue sky came into view.

The sun was scorching and blistering. He blamed the sky for the tears that seemed to fall.

===

“Are you okay?”

When Wen Chao’s eyes met his, Zhan wiped away the old memories and gently raised the corners of his mouth, and nodded.

The man who had pointed the knife at his stomach was beaten to death, and after barely standing, he apologized and left, leaving just the man with the goblin tattoo on his arm in front of him.

“Haoxuan is not in a situation to take you home right now, so he asked me to do it. I’m glad I came out early. That was a close call.”

“Then I will take a taxi.”

As he was about to leave after saying goodbye, the man grabbed Zhan’s arm.

Zhan looked at the goblin face hanging from his arm once more.

“Haoxuan’s friend is just like my friend. I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you, but I will decline…. I can go alone.”

“It’s annoying for me too, but I can’t help it. If anything happens to you, not only Wang Haoxuan but all the people who were here today will be destroyed. I’m not kidding. I’m really going to die. I don’t have to tell you who it is, do you?”

Wen Chao’s sharp eyes widened as he laughed. It seemed to be pointing to Wang Yibo.

Xiao Zhan chose to give up fast because he didn’t think Wen Chao would back down even if they argued more.

Wen Chao walked forward, motioning for him to follow. Looking at his gait, it appeared that he had not been drinking or using drugs.

A white sports car was parked in front of the store when he returned. When the guard opened the door, Zhan stepped into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt.

When he turned around, the backrest was fully reclined. As Zhan searched for the button to return it to its previous position,  Wen Chao in the driver’s seat tilts his upper body and reaches his arm toward the button.

Xiao Zhan’s lips went closer to Wen Chao’s ears as his upper body was virtually pushed against his. A strong scent emanated from him.

“I’m sorry. I did it once in the car during the day.”

“…”

“Sex.”

Wen Chao straightened his body and smiled brightly.

“Have you ever done it in a car?”

Wen Chao laughed and said he knew it when Zhan shook his head.

The car began to move, leaving the tight alleyway and swiftly entering the main road. Even though it was late at night, there were a lot of cars coming and going.

Wen Chao occasionally glanced toward Zhan while driving.

“I heard you’re from Singapore.”

“Yes…”

“You speak Chinese well.”

“My mother is Chinese.”

“Then you are mixed race?”

“Yes.”

Wen Chao mostly chatted to him on the way home, and Zhan nodded or simply answered.

By the time the conversation was getting boring, the car come across a red light and stopped.

Zhan looked tired and took off his glasses for a moment and rubbed his eyes. He then noticed Wen Chao, who was seated next to him, caressing his lips and staring at him.

“If I had your face, I would take my glasses off.”

Xiao Zhan put his glasses back on.

“You know the girl who sat next to you earlier? She’s a popular model these days. She is also a great person.”

Xiao Zhan remembered the woman who was groping him.

“If she had flirted like that, everyone would have fallen for it. Looks like you have a higher standard than you look?”

Xiao Zhan didn’t answer this time either.

“Or do you like men?”

When the light changed, the car began to move again.

Xiao Zhan immediately shook his head. “No.”

He guessed what he was going to ask. It felt strange ever since he adjusted the backrest. He’d seen a lot of such cases in his life, so he wasn’t too bothered. Just like Kim Joon said, his face was attractive to both men and women.

He nodded roughly to his question, which he occasionally gazed at, or moved on to a quick yes or no answer until the car arrived near Wang Yibo’s house.

The man in the driver’s seat became slightly tense as they got closer to Wang Yibo’s house.

He stopped the car in front of the front gate and looked up at the house through the windshield.

Two guards were making their way down the steps to investigate an unusual car’s visit.

“I can’t believe they built a house in such a remote place like this. Isn’t it strange? Right?”

“Take care.”

Wen Chao grabbed his arm as he was going to open the door and go. He then took a business card from his wallet and handed it to Xiao Zhan.

“This is my personal contact information.  I’m not giving it to just anyone, so take it.”

Xiao Zhan, who had remained on the business card, raised his head and met Wen Chao’s eyes.

“Call me if you need anything. I’ll give you a discount.”

What were you selling for a discounted price? Drugs? Or was it your body?

Zhan reasoned that if he didn’t take it, he’d keep him for longer, so he took the business card. Then, just as he was ready to open the door, a towering figure appeared in front of it.

Wen Chao first chewed and spit out a little curse when he saw it was Wang Yibo. Then he got out of the driver’s seat and greeted him with his head almost on the ground.

“Hello, Director.”

The calmness of a few moments ago disappeared.

Xiao Zhan, who got off a little late, nodded.

Wang Yibo was smoking a cigarette in front of the gate, but even in the dark, the eyes staring at Wen Chao were not pleasant.

Wen Chao was also worried because he was aware of the situation.

Wang Yibo, who he expected to walk in after being greeted, put his hand in his pocket and took a slow step down the stairs.

It wasn’t anything big, but it was terrifying. He extended his hand to him as he approached.

“The thing you just received.”

Xiao Zhan’s eyes widened slightly.

The tinting was also dark, and he was puzzled as to how he saw it.

Seeing his cold expression, he decided it would be best to give it to him right away, so he took out the business card from his pocket and handed it to him.

Wang Yibo held it between his index and middle fingers as he turned to face Wen Chao.

Wen Chao bowed his head, terrified by the intense glare.

“Little boy.”

“Yes…”

Tak, the business card bounced off the hand and hit Wen Chao’s face and fell.

“Don’t even think about selling drugs to my clients. You’ll get in trouble.”

Despite the humiliation, Wen Chao apologized immediately rather than making excuses.

As if that wasn’t enough, Wang Yibo rubbed the cigarette that he was holding on to Wen Chao’s chest.

Smoke billowed from his hooded T-shirt, and his flesh burned behind the hood.

Wen Chao, bowed his head, tightened his chin, and wrinkled his brows.

Wang Yibo tossed the cigarette to the floor before turning around and walking away from the gate.

Xiao Zhan instantly followed behind him without any hesitation.

===

Xiao Zhan opened the bedside drawer and placed the watch given to him as a bribe by Wang Haoxuan.

He first went to the bathroom to take a shower and change his clothing.

He remembered the tattoo he saw earlier when he cooled down his head in cold water.

On the day he last saw his parents, a man with the same tattoo and a group of people arrived at their home.

They mercilessly assaulted three family members, including Xiao Zhan.

They covered their fainting eyes, tied their hands and feet, and took them somewhere.

When they arrived, they found themselves in a warehouse with no light.

His father disappeared on the first day, and his mother disappeared on the second. And then came the gloomy night on the third day… Someone opened the door and entered the warehouse.

Surprisingly, it was Mr. Kim, who lived in the same neighborhood. He walked out of the warehouse, wrapped around the bloody young Xiao Zhan.

At the entrance, Zhan saw two men lying down, fainting. And an arm sticking out of the drum next to it. Nails painted red with a manicure. The cheap jewelry bracelet that his mother always wore shone on her wrist.

For a brief moment, Zhan was lost in old memories as he gazed down at the stream of water dropping on the bathroom floor.

He then bit his lips. It wasn’t resentment for killing his parents. After all, if his parents hadn’t died at the moment, he may have killed them himself eventually.

He needed a drink to lift his mood after a long day.

He went out to the living room to fetch a beer from the fridge and drink it, but Wang Yibo walks in and sits on the sofa.

It was about what he expected, so he set the beer down and walked over to him.

Even though Wang Yibo was the owner of the house, Zhan found it uncomfortable to go in and out of the house all the time.

“Come and sit down for a moment.”

Zhan went to the opposite side of Yibo and sat down.

“I apologize for today. I should have warned Haoxuan a little more, but it’s my fault.”

“No…. Thanks to the Director, I enjoyed the exhibition.”

“Really?”

It was not meant to be on Wang Haoxuan’s side. Even if he was eventually killed by Wang Yibo, it has nothing to do with him.

However, because he had recently received an expensive watch, he was unable to thoroughly wipe his mouth clean. He should give him just a little help.

“It was fun meeting friends of my age.”

“Well… It’s unexpected.”

“Yes?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think he is a good match for Xuanyu.”

“No… It wasn’t bad. He was kind to me.”

“I’d be glad if that were the case. But you know that, right? It’s okay to play together, but you can’t cross the line. Then I’ll lose face in front of your grandfather, who put his trust in my family.”

“Yes… I know….”

Wang Yibo nodded with a smile on his face saying he liked it.

“Then let’s stop talking about today. I’ll go down and rest.”

Yibo stood up, and Zhan, who had been hesitating, stood up with him and called him.

“Director. I have a question…. They said they would remove the CCTV in the room, but they are still there.”

“Well, are you feeling very uncomfortable?”

“Yes… I think…. It’s frustrating to be at home already, but there’s also CCTV in the bedroom….”

Xiao Zhan was surprised to see Wang Yibo’s subtly cold expression. He should not have said that being at home was frustrating.

He immediately regretted it and tried to make excuses, but Yibo nodded his head as though in agreement.

“It was frustrating. At my home.”

“Oh, no. It’s not necessarily like that, but….”

“It’s frustrating because it’s not big enough. I should have built it bigger.”

“Please… It’s not like that….”

“It’s my fault. I should have built it bigger.”

A psycho-like jerk makes sarcastic remarks with a smiling face.

Fuck. Zhan didn’t want to deal with it. He was swearing inside, but he need to try something like this.

“To be honest, it’s a little frustrating…. I feel like I’m being watched even while I’m sleeping…. Also, since I am interested in interior design, I’d like to look around the house… It’s difficult because everything is locked…”

Wang Yibo tilted his head slightly.

They stared at each other and Zhan opened his eyes as innocently as he could without averting the staring gaze.

“Where would you like to see so much?”

Err, Zhan didn’t know. Let’s see if he was allowed.

“Underground…?”

Uhm. Zhan was a little worried when he saw Wang Yibo’s unwavering expression.

He shouldn’t have said that. Yibo would be suspicious. He should have waited for the fingerprints.

As Zhan goes through all of his thought, Yibo relaxed his face and gently nodded his head.

“You should have told me earlier. There’s no reason why I can’t show you.”

Xiao Zhan smiled as he chewed his molars. It was an unexpected reaction. It was as the butler said, if he wanted to know, he should ask the Director because he would tell him.

“Would you like to go now?”

“I… I heard it’s a private space… May I really go?”

He was becoming scared a little.

Yibo, who was a little further away, approached him.

Zhan, who was nervous, tried to retreat, but he came to a halt and looked up. His gaze fell diagonally.

“I hate people whose words and actions are different.”

“Yes?”

“Your eyes are anxious to go, but why are your mouths lying?”

“…”

“If you want to go, I’ll take you now.”

What’s happening?

“Would you like to go?”

“… Yes, I will.”

The firm tip of Wang Yibo’s lips gently rises.

Xiao Zhan let out a muffled sigh as he turned to follow him. He was relieved that things were going to be simple, yet anxiety was creeping in like a haze.

====