Snake Venom Ch 68

Chapter 68

His steady footsteps came to a halt in front of a convenience store. He had skipped dinner, but instead of going inside, he hesitated and pulled out his phone.

For a long while, he stared down at the numbers he had jotted as though they were some sort of budget ledger. He blinked slowly. It wasn’t as if staring would magically make a solution appear. Still, if he started skipping meals, his body would wear down, and once that happened, his work would suffer. He needed to be on standby at all times—only then could he take on whatever came his way.

With renewed resolve, he gripped the convenience store door handle and yanked it open. He bought a single triangle kimbap. The moment it warmed, he tore into it, chewing greedily without even water. It was nowhere near enough to sate his hunger, but just eating that small thing made warmth return to his body, and his mood lifted. A smile faintly spread across the shadowed planes of his face.

But almost immediately after he started feeling better, the numbers began floating through his mind again—loan sharks due this month, hospital bills, living expenses. No matter how he punched the calculator, the outgoing exceeded the incoming. But this time, circumstances were a little different.

Sio navigated his phone with practiced ease, locating a saved voice message. The moment he tapped it, his expression brightened.

The distorted voice recording was unsettling, but he treated it as nothing more than insurance taken out by people who asked him to do unsavory things. He had already spent the advance payment. Even if doubts or fear surfaced now, there was nothing he could do about it.

A big spender, after so long. Fitting the description, the advance alone had covered his younger brother’s treatment—the brother who had been sucking on his fingers with nothing to eat. If he completed the job, he would receive twice the amount again.

The task was simple. At the designated time, at the designated hotel, sleep with the man or whatever else was necessary, then inject him with a shot. What kind of injection, he did not ask; the purpose, he did not care to know.

If he questioned everything, he couldn’t do this line of work. His brother was on the brink of death—morality and conscience meant nothing to Sio. In this filthy, cutthroat industry, ruining a man by addicting him and blackmailing him was nothing extraordinary.

One of the moments a person was most defenseless was during sex. Only someone who viewed sex purely as a transaction—like a prostitute—could maintain rationality in such a state. And he himself was nothing more than one expendable piece in the scheme they had crafted.

There was no shortage of errand boys willing to take these jobs. The client said they chose Sio because he always had work, kept secrets, and never broke that iron rule. That reputation was thanks to how he accepted anything, big or small, even the most degrading, vile tasks that barely qualified as “jobs.”

At last, sunlight seemed to shine on his life. If he pulled off this task well, they might entrust him with even larger ones. His spirits lifted. Even the memory of suffering through something that hardly qualified as sex a few days ago—more beating than intimacy—took on a strange, softened glow.

To do all that, he needed to eat. Sex required stamina.

He bought another triangle kimbap and warmed it. Humming under his breath, Sio savored the feeling of possibility filling his stomach more than the food itself.

First, he would continue covering treatment fees; then, he would repay his debts in order of urgency. And once Siyun recovered, they would leave this wretched place for good. With his brother healthy, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

For that, he needed money. A lot of it. That was why he accepted dangerous and frightening requests.

He pushed down the familiar wave of solemn sorrow that followed that vow. Swallowing both food and old emotions, Sio glanced down at the last bite of kimbap with displeasure.

“Damn, these things shrink every time I eat them.”

Even though he had tried to savor the second one, it had already dwindled to the size of a thumbnail. They had certainly reduced the portion.

Just as he popped the last bite into his mouth and chewed, his phone rang. An unknown number. At this hour, it probably wasn’t some drunk idiot. His wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, so he couldn’t take a punch right now. But ignoring a call was unprofessional. He would gauge the situation, then delay or refuse.

Ahem. He cleared his throat and answered.

“Yes, errand service.”

— Hello.

For some reason, the hesitant voice sounded familiar. Where had he heard it? Sio politely prompted conversation while trying to place it.

“Yes, go ahead.”

— I don’t know if you remember, but my name is Lee Yeonwoo.

“……”

Sio’s eyes widened. The moment he heard the name Lee Yeonwoo, the man’s face and aura resurfaced vividly. Even with just casual conversation, the guy’s situation had seemed pitiful—and admittedly, in this underworld, he had desirable qualities. Why was he calling? The question blossomed alongside a flurry of calculating thoughts. More precisely, he was appraising Lee Yeonwoo—ragged yet beautiful.

— The one you met at the… holding cell, a while back—

Yeonwoo thought Sio’s silence meant he didn’t remember and began explaining himself further.

“Oh, I know, I know. You gave me chocolate, remember? It was really good.”

— Ah, right.

Professionalism, indeed. Sio privately congratulated himself for never neglecting even the smallest connection. He had been so excited to get released that he tossed his business card half-heartedly, never thinking it would actually pay off.

— You told me to contact you if I ever needed help.

When Sio probed about danger classification, Yeonwoo had neither confirmed nor denied. Which meant he had fallen deep enough to be comparable. A hybrid fallen into ruin. Yet despite that, he didn’t look as stained as the rest.

Sio reevaluated him: smooth skin, gentle and neat features, good proportions…

— Actually, the truth is, I have nowhere to go tonight.

For someone like Yeonwoo, this was premium merchandise. If Sio arranged something, the commission would be hefty. At that realization, motivation exploded within him. With nowhere to go? A perfect chance to target vulnerability.

“Good, good! You can’t sleep outside in this cold.”

There must have been a reason business had dipped—fate was finally turning. He checked the time.

“Where are you? Should we meet now?”

This was someone with whom cultivating long-term ties would be beneficial. Sio pictured the clear eyes praying for his brother’s safety.

Nothing shook a person’s conscience and pride like being forced to spend time and money on someone else. On his way to the meeting spot, Sio had repeatedly tapped his calculator and managed to secure enough spare cash for at least one meal.

He would have Yeonwoo sleep at his place. Partly because he couldn’t afford to be overly generous, partly because he had his own plans.

After waiting about ten minutes at the agreed intersection, rain began pattering again. Opening his umbrella, Sio listened to the soft crackle overhead. Neon lights flickered and distorted across the wet ground as raindrops created ripples in puddles. Finally, Yeonwoo’s silhouette appeared. He looked around nervously, then noticed Sio and hurried over.

Giving a warm impression upon meeting—fundamental business etiquette. Sio waved cheerfully. Yeonwoo smiled back. The timid expression he wore relaxed into a bright one, and for a moment, it felt like the dreary street lit up. That innocent smile overlapped with Siyun’s.

“……”

Selling off someone like that… He felt a twinge of guilt.

He ran a hand beneath his nose, forcibly shaking off that flicker of conscience. No, no. He had his own mess to worry about. He hardened his heart, recalling all the times he’d given kindness and been betrayed for it.

“Cold? Let’s grab a bite nearby, then head to my place.”

Yeonwoo’s eyes widened. Had he seen through Sio’s attempt to get close too quickly? Too hasty? Before Sio could regret it, Yeonwoo held something out.

“Then… would this work as tonight’s rent?”

Sio looked down. In Yeonwoo’s hands was a paper bag with a smiling panda holding bamboo—the logo of a cheap Chinese fast-food chain seen everywhere. It smelled of food. If he brought this when he had nowhere to sleep…

“Is that… like your severance pay or something?”

“……”

Yeonwoo only smiled faintly. Imagining him being kicked out with just that made it easy to picture the treatment he must’ve endured. Sio let out a short breath and swept back his damp hair.

“In a way, that’s… damn touching.”

“What is?”

“You gave me everything you had. From one broke bum to another.”

Yeonwoo blinked innocently. The embarrassed softness in his expression hinted at a story too pathetic to speak aloud. A dull ache pricked Sio’s chest again, so he looked out toward the street.

“Since it’s come to this, I hope you make a lot of money too.”

“Do you think I can?”

Such a naïve question. Sio rubbed under his nose and forced a casual tone.