「you should see me in a crown
your silence is my favorite sound
watch me make 'em bow
one by one by one 」

♫billie eilish; you should see me in a crown

✩ y e o s a n g ✩

Thursday, on the tenth day of the month, a black Mercedes would be waiting in the driveway, at precisely 5PM. A one and a half hour car ride later, it would then arrive at the same destination - every time.

Xu Minghao was a extremely wealthy Chinese businessman, who due to his busy schedule had little time for romance - but did appreciate looking at a pretty face during dinner.

The same booking was made for every month, and he paid very, very well for it.

"Look at me," Seonghwa commanded, just when Yeosang was about to leave the office to go downstairs. The older got closer, and grabbed him with a sudden but firm grip around his chin. The dark eyes were staring into his, searching for any sign of him doing drugs before the night's appointment.

Nails dug into his skin, but Yeosang didn't let out one single sound at the pain - the only thing that worried his mind, was Seonghwa ruining the makeup he had spent so long to make perfect.

"Dinner only."

"Yes."

"And tell his driver to take you to my place afterwards. If I find out you let anyone else touch you again, you are going to regret it. Do you understand?"

Behave, he told himself - but even the most fake smile was hard to pull out. Yeosang let his body get pushed against the wall, and the older's hands felt him up while an aggressive kiss was forced onto his lips.

"I understand," he whispered as softly as he could, when the kiss ended. He gently stroked his fingers down Seonghwa's cheek, while their lips kept dancing in front of each other. "And don't worry, love, I will be thinking of you the entire time. Can't wait to see you later."

Seonghwa seemed satisfied with the answer, as he finally let go of Yeosang again. The older then walked over to sit down behind his desk, hands folded under his chin, while he watched Yeosang with a burning intensity in his eyes.

Seeing his true self really made Yeosang regret ever getting into his car to begin with. But the money had been hard to refuse, as he knew he could use them back then to make Wooyoung happy. And it had been the only thing that mattered to him - and the one thing, that would later pull him straight through the hellfire, which was the dark world Seonghwa ruled over.

"Good. I will see you later then," Seonghwa said with a small nod, and Yeosang left the office while doing his best to tuck his shirt back in place, after the older's possessive hands had been all over his body.

He hurried down the stairs, with his footsteps echoing around him and his heart racing in his chest. He could not be late, it wouldn't be tolerated at all.

Mr. Xu would pay more than $10.000 pr. dinner - which was ten times as much as any other client who booked him. Money surely wasn't an issue to someone like the mysterious businessman - but there was way more than that, hiding behind the stone cold facade.

✩

Yeosang rested his head against the backseat of the car, while the landscape was changing outside the window - but his eyes didn't see anything at all. He kept tapping his fingers anxiously against his thigh, feeling stressed out that he couldn't let himself fall into the lovely temptation of feeling weightless tonight.

But he didn't dare to, Seonghwa would kill him if he showed up high again - and this night was too important to mess up.

The car stopped outside the regular restaurant, and he was shown to the table by a beautiful, but almost robotic, waitress. Minghao was waiting at their usual table by the window - wearing a grey suit and with his long, black hair parted in the middle. A satisfied smirk showed on his face, when he looked up and saw Yeosang approaching him.

"Welcome," he said, as Yeosang sat down across from him. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starving," Yeosang replied, taking a good long look at the handsome older in front of him.

In the glow from the candle lights on the table, it almost looked like a real date - and Yeosang did his best to play his part of it. They shared a luxurious meal, and a bottle of wine, while Yeosang let the older talk about his day, work and etc...

With the wine in his body, he finally started to relax a bit, although he knew he shouldn't let go of himself too much.

Gentle strokes drew over his hand, and deep brown eyes captured his own. But the plans the businessman had in mind, was way more dangerous than than a simple hook-up.

Both of them knew that, and both went through the date with Oscar worthy performances - should there be someone with the wrong connections watching them from afar. Taking risks was simply not an option.

✩

Two hours, and then a small car later, Yeosang followed Minghao into the grand building of the finest hotel in the city, where marble floors were shining under his feet and chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling.

Twenty floors up - only to be led into the darkness, through a hidden door in the wall of the bedroom. Then down a narrow staircase, with his legs hurting from walking down all the steps, until they were underground.

They moved fast, with two bodyguards right behind them, through the dark and gloomy corridor. Yeosang felt out of breath from the stairs, but he didn't get any time to rest before he was dragged through a door and up several stairs again.

The building they had entered was located a couple of blocks away from the hotel, a rundown place where you'd assume that someone as wealthy as Minghao, would never set his foot inside.

"Are you still willing to go through with this?" Minghao asked, looking over his shoulder at Yeosang who had been following him in silence.

"Yes, sir... You don't need to ask me every time..."

"But I do. Backing out now, or disobeying will have horrible consequences for you."

"My entire life is a horrible consequence, so don't worry about that."

"Good. Just making sure." Minghao responded, nodding towards one of the bodyguards who then held his hand to an earpiece, before mumbling something in Chinese.

Yeosang was gestured to sit down and wait, on a old brown couch that definitely had seen better days. The room was covered in silence, and the sounds of sirens going off in the distance in the world outside, was the only thing to break it.

While waiting, Yeosang felt his heart gradually starting to beat faster and faster. He knew it was a horrible mess he had gotten himself into - but there was no going back now. Not before the world would be burning at his feet.

There was only one problem...

Seeing Hongjoong again had changed everything - how would he ever get to save the one he loved now?

"He's ready to see you."

With a long sigh, Yeosang got up from the couch, and followed Minghao towards the double doors that kept them separated from the person on the other side. It took one deep breath for him to feel even slightly prepared - but why it still bothered him after all these times, was unclear.

He had no perception of his own emotions anymore, it was just one bit blur of pure agony with everything he did. And Yeosang would do anything to get rid of that feeling.

The doors opened, and he slowly stepped into the real darkness of the world.

"Yeosang..." A deep voice greeted him from the shadows. A simple candle was burning at the corner of the table in front of the man, and when he slowly leaned forward, his face only lit up slightly. "What do you have for me this time?"

"He has taken him there... He has taken Hongjoong there..." Yeosang mumbled, feeling how both anxiousness and anger were growing inside of him.

"I know," the male simply said, and Yeosang stared at him in shock and disbelief. "I took him there."

"What?" Yeosang felt his heart break, and his lips trembled from the desperation of feeling so powerless in that fucked up world he had been dragged into.

"Don't worry. It's all part of the plan - or, well... It became that way unintentionally, but I believe we can use it to our own benefit. It will work out in the end, trust me."

"How can I ever trust you? You're a Choi, after all..."

A low chuckle left the older male in front of him, and a pair of eyes filled with alluring, but terrifying darkness looked at him. "Do you have any other choice?"

Yeosang dumped down on a chair, with the table between them, and a lump was forming in his throat when he spoke quietly.

"No..." he barely even whispered. "What is the new plan then, Jongho?"

✩