[AFYC] Chapter 20

The woman’s fear seemed to brush against his skin, making him almost itch with the sensation. She quickly averted her eyes as if she couldn’t stand to look at him any longer and seemed unsure of what to do, half-hidden behind the door. It was as if she believed that the flimsy door was the only thing protecting her. 

Just as Oscar focused entirely on the woman behind the door, a voice called out from the stairway below. 

“Excuse me? Sir?” 

The loud voice echoed up the stairs, accompanied by hurried footsteps. 

Oscar’s eyes darkened. 

“Just a moment!” 

He could almost smell the stench accompanying the voice, even before its owner appeared. 

Oscar dropped his cigarette to the floor and ground it under his heel. He took out another one and placed it between his lips. The smoke seemed to be the only way he could endure the foul stench of this place. 

Meanwhile, the brothel owner, who had purchased Seo Ah for five thousand Kertes, was rushing toward Oscar, unable to stop herself despite being out of breath. 

She had set out to meet an unknown distinguished guest, feeling good about the mysterious woman who had unexpectedly arrived that night—a diamond in the rough, she thought. But when she heard that this unidentified guest was standing in front of the room of the woman she had just bought, her instincts screamed that this was a crisis. 

“Sir?” she called out as she approached, forcing a smile. 

“Is there something you need? Perhaps a room to sleep in…?” 

But her voice and forced smile faded as soon as she saw him. 

He stood there with one hand casually shoved into his pocket, the other holding a cigarette glowed red at the tip. As smoke drifted around him, his piercing blue eyes were the only thing that stood out clearly in the dim light. 

He stood like a mountain, looking down at her with an expression that seemed to see right through her. The silence surrounding him felt like the calm before a storm. 

This was a man who had come to a brothel, but there was no sign of lust in his eyes. 

It was as if her throat were squeezed, and she couldn’t find the words to speak. 

“Madam.” 

The voice behind her snapped her back to reality. She turned away from the man as if trying to escape and saw the pretty girl from earlier peeking out from the crack in the door. 

My God. 

The girl had been pretty even with her dishevelled hair and the worn-out coat, but now, after cleaning up, her beauty was undeniable. She was so beautiful that the brothel owner was sure she could name any price for her. The girl’s face looked like something out of a dream, and the owner could already imagine the profit she would make. 

This girl would look stunning with opal earrings paired with a flowing dress. On the first day, she started working, she could easily recoup the five-thousand-Kertes investment. The girl was like a goose that would lay golden eggs. 

The brothel owner had been through hell and back, having been sold and selling others herself. She knew all too well how filthy the trade was. But she had learned one thing: while physical and emotional wounds might fade, money was forever. 

Right now, the most important thing was figuring out how the man behind her knew the girl in front of her. She had to be careful. 

“Miss, do you know this gentleman?” she asked, trying to sound calm. 

The girl’s eyes flitted from the man to the floor. 

She doesn’t know him. That was one crisis averted. As she breathed a small sigh of relief, the girl timidly asked, “Is this really an inn?” 

“Of course.” 

The brothel owner’s reply came easily, but a scoff from behind her immediately followed it. The girl’s gaze shifted toward the source of the sound, and the brothel owner quickly added, “We rent out rooms and charge for them, so yes, it’s an inn.” 

Of course, the price of the room included not just the space but also the services of the prostitutes who worked there. 

Watching the brothel owner’s nonsense with a faint smirk, Oscar rubbed his nose and chuckled. Simon, meanwhile, had to resist the urge to shove a fistful of sand into the woman’s mouth to shut her up. He could sense that Oscar’s patience had reached its limit. 

Sure enough, Oscar decided he had waited long enough. He bypassed the brothel owner entirely and addressed the girl. 

“Do you plan on staying here?” 

When the girl finally looked up, their eyes met. Oscar gave her a charming smile and casually remarked. 

“This is a brothel.”