The Price of a Pretty Face

“If you release me, I’ll do anything. Please.”

Between my creaking logic and my emotions, sentimentality screamed. He’s not usually like this; think of how hard it must have been for him to say that! Reason shrieked back, telling me not to be an idiot, but unfortunately, Seohan’s ears weren’t picking up the signal very well.

Looking at that pleading face made his heart lurch. At the semi-forced physical reaction, Seohan sighed inwardly.

‘I’m weak against a pretty face.’

It was a weakness he’d realized for the first time. Naturally, this wasn’t good news for someone who had to face Lee Dohun frequently.

But just because you recognize a weakness doesn’t mean it stops being a weakness. Unable to overcome his downcast gaze, Seohan stared fixedly at the handcuffs. Surely just unlocking these would be okay? The shackles on the ankles were still there. The circuit of hope spun rapidly in his mind.

“…Just your wrists.”

As if he hadn’t expected Seohan to say those words, Lee Dohun’s eyes widened for a split second.

Dohun thought this might be another game played at his expense, but Seohan actually approached him to unlock the cuffs. Dohun watched intently as Seohan bowed his head slightly and brought a finger to the inner rim of the metal.

Click. The handcuffs popped open the moment he pressed his index finger. Biometric recognition. Having noted that, Dohun moved the instant the metal hit the floor with a thud.

“Ugh!”

“Unlock it all. Now.”

If there was one thing Seohan hadn’t considered while being dazzled by that handsome face, it was that he had to get dangerously close to Lee Dohun to unlock the cuffs. The moment he was free, Dohun slammed Seohan into the floor without hesitation.

Having no time to prepare, Seohan fell flat. The sequence of his vision flipping toward the ceiling felt like it happened in slow motion, but by the time his senses returned, his back was already against the cold ground.

A heavy impact jolted up his spine. He reflexively struggled against a force so intense he saw stars, only for a shadow to fall over his face.

“Unless you want your arm ripped off, I said unlock the rest, Baek Seohan.”

I was an idiot. That was all an act. More than the feeling of betrayal, the self-loathing for being tricked by a face surged up violently.

A low voice, close enough to be called a growl, was thick with concentrated rage. While goosebumps erupted over his skin, a large hand clamped around Seohan’s throat. Airflow was cut off as the pressure increased.

“Kh-khhk…!”

“Or would you prefer to die right here?”

I only need your finger, after all.

The sneering voice buzzed in his ears. Anyone could tell he was serious. The killing intent was naked, and the hand tightening on his throat didn’t hesitate. As his breath grew shorter, the reality that he might actually die here finally sank in.

“Baek Seo—urk!”

Bzzzzzt!

The sharp crackle of electricity echoed through the basement. Lee Dohun’s eyes flew wide in shock, but soon his pupils rolled back and he collapsed. Seohan, pinned beneath him, had to bear the full brunt of the falling weight.

“Oof!”

The sound escaped him involuntarily. Only after the shock subsided slightly was Seohan able to catch his breath. Even that was brief, as the thought that Dohun might wake up at any moment spurred him to action.

Seohan shoved Lee Dohun’s heavy, bear-like body off him.

“He’s just big for nothing but trouble…!”

Flipping the face-down body over was an arduous task. Panting, Seohan rolled him over and scrambled to scan the floor. Fortunately, the handcuffs lay near the bed.

The handcuffs, which had enjoyed a brief moment of freedom, returned to their rightful place. After meticulously restraining Dohun’s wrists again, Seohan backed away with cautious, quiet steps.

What Seohan had pulled out was a last resort. It was a tool he had truly hoped never to use.

Since possessing this body, Seohan had prioritized safety above all else. Right now, Lee Dohun was stuck in a basement in restraints, but what if the day came when those were gone? It was his own life on the line.

I protect my own life. From the day he made that vow, various self-defense items began to occupy Baek Seohan’s house.

The stun gun in his hand was one of them.

‘I survived.’

Never had a featureless piece of machinery looked so lovely.

Gripping the stun gun tightly, Seohan glanced at Lee Dohun. He was still sprawled on the floor.

‘I should move him to—no. Am I crazy?’

The corners of his mouth twitched in annoyance at himself for briefly feeling pity seeing the man on the cold floor. He needed to remember what had just happened to him.

Turning his back and leaving was the best option. He’d said what he came to say. Seohan turned around without lingering.

“Did I crack my skull?”

As he opened the basement door and climbed the stairs, he felt the back of his head. It felt like he’d hit the ground hard; he was worried he might be growing a lump. Just as he was expressing his irritation with a scowl…

“Baek Seohan!”

A roar echoed from below.

“…Is he actually a bear?”

How is he already awake?

It hadn’t even been ten minutes since he lost consciousness. If he had dallied even a little longer, he would have come face-to-face with a wide-awake Dohun. Shaking off the chills that came with the imagination, Seohan quickened his pace.

“Y-young Master.”

The problem occurred right at the top of the basement stairs. He ran straight into a servant who happened to be bringing down dinner.

“Will you give that to me?”

‘…I’m screwed.’

The bigger problem was that his body began to move on its own.

Seohan let out a hollow laugh, but ‘Baek Seohan’ didn’t care. He took the tray and turned back around. Toward the very place Seohan had just run away from for his life. The timing was absolutely disastrous.

“Ha.”

The moment the door opened, he saw Lee Dohun letting out a dry laugh. The handcuffs were rattling on his wrists again. Seohan’s heart, which had been thumping with tension, found a modicum of peace. There was a predator right in front of him, but as long as he was tied up, it was safe for now.

“Coming back so shamelessly, I see.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Lee Dohun spoke while shaking his cuffs, but ‘Baek Seohan’ simply tilted his head. His face was nonchalant, genuinely appearing as if he didn’t know. It was enough to make the expression of Lee Dohun—who was watching for any change—turn strange.

‘This is… he’s going to look like a total psychopath.’

A few minutes ago, he’d unlocked the cuffs, been attacked and strangled, and now he was calmly bringing in food as if he remembered nothing. If Seohan saw someone like that, he’d be more than willing to label them a madman.

Seohan offered a mental eulogy for his image in Dohun’s mind. The guy already hated ‘Baek Seohan’; forget improving the relationship, it felt like it was spiraling into the abyss.

“I can’t eat with my hands like this.”

Dohun sneered, watching ‘Baek Seohan’ neatly arrange the food on the table. It was a blatant mockery meant to remind him of the previously unlocked wrists, but ‘Baek Seohan’ didn’t take the bait.

In fact, Lee Dohun’s behavior seemed to provoke ‘Baek Seohan.’

“Ah, is that so? It would be sad if Mr. Dohun couldn’t eat… I suppose I’ll have to feed you myself.”

With a soft smile, ‘Baek Seohan’ elegantly picked up a knife and sliced the steak. The pink center of the high-quality medium-rare meat was revealed. Faint steam rose from it, looking hot to anyone’s eyes.

Stabbing a piece of meat with a fork, ‘Baek Seohan’ brought it to Lee Dohun’s face. But Dohun’s mouth remained shut.

“You have to eat, Mr. Dohun. You’ll be hungry later if you skip a meal now.”

The hand that gripped Dohun’s jaw was merciless. A situation completely opposite to the one that had occurred in the basement minutes ago began to unfold. Watching the half-opened lips through the rough grip with amusement, ‘Baek Seohan’ shoved the chunk of meat inside.

“Guk…!”

Straight to the back of the throat.

Even shoving room-temperature food that far would cause coughing, let alone something hot. Though his body’s will was stolen, Seohan’s consciousness remained, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Because he was inside ‘Baek Seohan’s’ body, he could feel exactly what this guy was feeling.

‘He’s insane.’

‘Baek Seohan’ was enjoying it. Shoving hot food down someone else’s throat.

Physiological tears welled in Lee Dohun’s eyes as a hacking cough erupted from his mouth. Seeing him being treated so ruthlessly by ‘Baek Seohan,’ he felt like a completely different person from before. The label of ‘scary guy’ was erased, and ‘pitiful guy’ was painted over it.

As the fork was pulled out, the sound of labored coughing was painful to hear. Of course, this was Seohan’s personal assessment; ‘Baek Seohan’ seemed to feel nothing but thrill at the sight.