Kiss the Scumbag-Chapter 34

In that moment, Yujin instinctively took a step back. His reaction made his inner turmoil blatantly obvious, but there was no way to cover it up. Frozen in confusion and unable to come up with a response, he stared helplessly as Winston’s lips curled into a crooked smile. That expression — unmistakably mocking — made Yujin’s face burn bright red. It felt like he had been stripped bare and thrown at Winston’s feet.

What the hell are you trying to pull?

A surge of irritation boiled up from deep within. He had come all this way, given up a peaceful moment with his daughter, only to be humiliated like this?

The anger came belatedly. Looking back, there was no reason he even needed to be standing here.

Just as he turned to leave, having made up his mind, the music ended, followed by a wave of applause. He should’ve walked away right then — but something stopped him. A foreboding feeling prickled at his neck. When he reluctantly turned around, he saw Winston walking straight toward him.

Shit.

Yujin sighed internally. But it was too late to run. Instead, he looked down and turned his smile toward someone else.

“That was a lovely dance, Evelyn.”

The woman trailing behind Winston looked slightly surprised, but soon returned a soft smile.

“Thank you, Yujin. Originally, you two were supposed to have the first dance, weren’t you...? But everyone kept pestering Winston — where’s your partner, why are you alone, that sort of thing. I didn’t have a partner either, and I owed him one from before, so I figured I’d repay it now.”

She seemed genuinely worried about hurting Yujin’s feelings. Yujin felt oddly bewildered. No one had ever cared about his feelings before — and yet this woman, someone he had barely spoken to twice, was offering him such consideration.

Of all people... her?

Just as the taste in his mouth turned bitter, Winston spoke.

“I had fun, Evelyn. Hope you enjoy the rest of the party.”

The words were clearly superficial, but compared to the usual contempt Winston threw at Yujin, they were practically dripping with politeness and charm. Winston gave Evelyn a light kiss on the cheek and walked off without sparing Yujin a glance. As he disappeared into the crowd, a voice suddenly came from just above Yujin’s head. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

“Where were you? Haven’t seen you around.”

Of course — his tone had changed completely from just moments ago. Yujin looked up at him, unamused.

“It’s not like anyone needed me here.”

“That’s not your call to make.”

Winston stomped down on Yujin’s tiny act of defiance without hesitation. Looking down at him, he continued.

“Don’t make that decision on your own. I’m the one who says whether you’re needed or not. If you keep acting on your own, it won’t end well.”

“What are you going to do, hit me?”

Yujin shot back one last line of resistance. Winston didn’t reply — just offered a chilling smile. As his eyes narrowed and his lips curled in a twisted smirk, Yujin felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine. Then Winston spoke.

“Baby, you really think I’d ever hit you?”

He spoke sweetly, stroking Yujin’s cheek with his hand. Then what would he do? Yujin wanted to ask — but fear kept the words sealed inside. Perhaps pleased with his silence, Winston added:

“Good thing you’re not stupid, right?”

He laughed. But Yujin couldn’t bring himself to laugh with him. Someone nearby called out to Winston, and the conversation between them shifted into casual, private murmurs. Yujin stood silently like a discarded decoration, no longer even acknowledged.

Haaaaah.

Yujin let out a deep sigh, as if exhaling everything that had been weighing on his chest. He had escaped to the corner of the garden, under the excuse of going to the restroom, and finally felt a fleeting sense of relief.

This isn’t going to keep happening, right?

Winston was clearly doing this just to torment him. It wasn’t like Yujin was the only one suffering by being near him. Had Winston turned into a masochist in their time apart?

“Haa...”

Another heavy breath slipped out. He needed to go back. Who knew what would happen if he ignored Winston’s orders again?

He didn’t want to imagine it.

At the end of the day, Winston was the one holding the knife. And Yujin... Yujin still needed that checkbook.

Dragging his feet with obvious reluctance, Yujin made his way back into the mansion. The reception was in full swing, and more guests had clearly overindulged in alcohol. Avoiding a man who looked like he was about to start a drunken tirade, Yujin made his way back toward where he had come from.

...Huh?

The spot where Winston had been was now empty. Confused, Yujin looked around — but Winston was nowhere to be seen.

Should I just go upstairs?

He hesitated. But then shook his head. He didn’t want to do anything he couldn’t take back later. So then, what now?

As he stood there at a loss, he spotted Cain walking by. Yujin hurried toward him, calling out.

“Cain! Just a second.”

The butler stopped and waited for Yujin to catch up.

“Sorry to bother you. Do you happen to know where Winston is? I can’t find him.”

“Yes,” Cain replied as calmly as ever. He informed Yujin that Winston was upstairs in the salon at the far right end, with his friends. With that, Yujin turned and headed in that direction. Since Winston was off having fun, Yujin figured he’d just tell him he was going back to rest. Surely he had done more than enough.

The mansion’s endless corridors were as massive as ever, befitting its grandeur. Yujin walked quickly, passing framed photos of vast estates and numerous closed doors. As he neared the end of the hallway, he began to hear men’s voices.

This must be it.

The salon, on the opposite side of the house from the ballroom, was far quieter. Because of that, the voices inside were perfectly clear. Yujin paused in front of the door, took a breath, and lifted his hand to knock.

“Can you believe Winston Campbell is marrying some nobody with no background?”

He froze, his hand suspended midair. Another voice followed through the partially open door.

“It’s because of the will, right? He didn’t have a choice.”

“Still — to marry his father’s lover? I can’t even imagine.”

It felt like every drop of blood drained from Yujin’s body. Paralyzed, he listened as the conversation continued.

“Maybe he’s some kind of master seducer.”

“Obviously. How else could he have landed both the father and the son? Come on, that’s insane.”

Laughter exploded. Then another voice, high-pitched with excitement, chimed in.

“Did you see his face? I can’t remember a single thing from the wedding. I’ve been mentally fucking that little whore so hard, I think I broke my dick for the next three months.”

“What, you fucked him with me?”

“We’re all fucking brother-in-holes now.”

Crude jokes spilled out, followed by howling laughter. Yujin’s knees began to tremble. He couldn’t listen any longer — but his body refused to move. Another [N O V E L I G H T] voice jumped in.

“Wasn’t he a whore anyway? I bet he’d sleep with every guy in here for the right price. Should we test it out?”

“Why not? He’s an omega, right? Just spritz some alpha pheromones and he’ll soak himself.”

More filthy whistles and cheers erupted. Yujin felt dizzy. Then, cutting through the noise, someone shouted loudly:

“Winston, what about you?”

That jolted him back into motion. His legs barely working, Yujin forced himself to stumble away. As blood slowly returned to his limbs, horror gave way to something deeper — bitter resentment. How could they say such things? Even if it was a contract marriage for the inheritance — Yujin had always known that — he still carried guilt for deceiving Winston. He hadn’t expected to stay long. He hadn’t expected to succeed. But even then...

Biting down hard on his lower lip, overwhelmed by rage, humiliation, and too many tangled feelings, Yujin was suddenly pierced by another sound.

The distant echo of the party.

Now that he was farther from the salon, its cruel laughter faded — replaced by the music and chatter from the reception hall.