Jae's POV
I thought his homework must be done, that's why he was calling before going to sleep. But it was still too early to sleep, wasn't it?
I answered the call. But what I heard from him made me drop the wiper from my hand. I ran out of the store without looking back and rushed home.
So many thoughts were racing through my mind, telling me every possible bad thing that could have happened.
And when I reached home, I saw Seon sitting on the roadside with our luggage. He was hugging his knees while leaning on the bags, shaking.
"Seon," I called out. He looked up, still crying.
"Hyung, you're finally here! What will we do now? The landlord threw us out of the house. He said we'll have to live on the street."
"He said those loan shark guys come to bother him every day," Seon said, still hiccupping.
Why is this happening to us? When we already have so many problems, why does another one have to show up?
But I wiped Seon's tears. Even though I wanted to cry too, I couldn't, 'cause that would break Seon. I had to stay strong like an adult.
"Seon, wait here. I'll go and talk to the landlord."
I went and knocked on the landlord's door, hoping he would at least let us stay one night, and then we'd leave. But as soon as the door opened, a sharp, painful slap hit my cheek. In a second, I found myself facing sideways, holding my cheek, and with teary eyes I looked at the landlord. He was staring at me with disgust.
"Mister, please let us stay in our house just for tonight, 'cause we don't have anywhere else to go."
I dropped to my knees and grabbed his feet, ready to beg him. No matter how many times I begged, he only looked at me with rage in his eyes—like he was seeing some kind of beggar.
This was beyond painful, but whatever I was feeling didn't matter. What mattered was that we didn't have a roof over our heads.
"Mister, please don't do this to us. I'm ready to do anything if you let us stay there." i was begging him
As I said that, his expression suddenly changed and he smirked. But that sent a shiver down my spine. He stretched his hand and touched my chin.
"If you're really desperate to do anything, then suck my cock, i want to rub my cock on your small and soft lips" he said, moving his hand from my chin to my head. It was uncomfortable when he was patting my head like someone was Peircing needles in my head.
And my eyes widened when I heard him.
The way he was patting my head felt deeply wrong, like thousands of tiny needles were piercing my skin. My eyes widened in horror at his demand.
Every part of me screamed no. I absolutely did not want to perform an act like this for money. But outside, on this freezing night, my younger brother was sitting alone on the street. I could not, under any circumstances, allow him to sleep out there.
Against every instinct, I nodded my head.
I tried to glance back toward the street one last time, but just then, the landlord grabbed me, pulled me roughly inside the house, and slammed the door shut.
I was terrified; I had never experienced anything like this.
Still kneeling on the floor, I watched as the man unzipped his trousers and pulled out that disgusting thing. It was right there, directly in front of my face.
"Sir, I don't think I will be able to do this. Can I clean your house instead?"
The moment I suggested that, he delivered a vicious kick directly into my stomach.
The force of the blow pushed me backward, sending me crashing onto the ground. As my back hit the floor, I saw him looming above me, immediately sitting down hard on my chest. Without wasting a single moment, he forced his penis into my mouth.
Tears streamed from my eyes, but he showed no sign of stopping.
A while later, I returned to Seon. He was still sitting on the roadside, patiently waiting for me.
"Brother, what did the landlord say?"
I immediately grabbed the luggage. "He said yes, we can stay, but only for one week. After that, we'll have to find a new place."
Yet, simply hearing that we wouldn't be sleeping on the street made Seon happy. He quickly helped me bring the luggage back inside. I knew I would never tell him what I had done behind that locked door to secure us just one week under this roof.
Shortly after returning to the house, my phone rang. It was the store owner. He was furious that I had abandoned my shift and fired me on the spot, refusing to pay even a single penny for the two weeks I had already worked.
Now, I was jobless. I had no idea where to find another job, let alone one that paid enough to cover our debts. My mind went blank, paralyzed by the weight of our situation.
I retreated to the bathroom and stood under the spray of water, scrubbing every inch of skin the landlord had touched. The memory of his hands made my skin crawl with disgust.
I gargled repeatedly, trying to wash away the lingering taste of what he had forced me to swallow. After several minutes of desperate scrubbing and rinsing, I finally vomited. Only then did I feel a small, hollow sense of relief.
When I finally stepped out of the bathroom and lay down beside Seon, he immediately pulled me into a hug. He was clearly happy that I hadn't gone back to work, relieved that he wouldn't have to be alone for the rest of the night.
I knew how difficult it was for him to be left by himself in that house, but I felt a pang of guilt knowing I had no other choice. I would always have to go back to work, no matter the cost.