In seconds they were outside. Sungmin tugged hard upon her hand once again, fighting to remain calm, to reason with the man. “Mr. Cho, you’ve got to understand. I can’t really be a payment in a game. I had nothing to do with any of that, I’ve never seen that man who looks like a girl? Yeah. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

He wasn’t responding. He was just walking down the street----still dragging her along.

She jerked back furiously.

“Damn you, I’m not----“

He stopped beneath a streetlamp, swinging around to study her. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing in a place like that, then?”

She was astounded by the question. He sounded just like her older brother at that moment.

“Trying to make some money,” she said irritably.

“Oh, Jesu!” he muttered.

“Not like that!” she defended herself, seeing the way his mind was turning. He didn’t believe her! If he had perhaps begun to believe her before, he certainly didn’t know.

“I need money! I was trying to make legitimate money!”

He lifted her hand suddenly, running his thumb on her flesh, cocking a brow at the smoothness of it. “I see. You don’t come for any, right?”

“Any what?!”

“Money!” he snapped.

She tore free, staring at him.

“I was trying to make a few honest money and nothing more!”

“In that kind of place?”

“I heard that it was a respectable place-----“

“More respectable than some of the more erted whorehouses!” he retorted harshly. “Leeteuk, at least, never expects his girls to entertain two or three at a time.”

She paled. “But---“

“Damn, can you really be so naïve?”

“Yes, I suppose so!” she cried out. “I was trying to work honestly for the money!”

“Well,” he said softly, dark eyes sweeping her, “you’ll be making honest money tonight.”

She gasped, paling. “I told you---“

“That you serve tables. Fine. You can serve tables anywhere. Just not here!”

What in God’s name did he mean? She remembered the fat guy’s comment about serving on a table or floor. Oh, God.

He turned from her and started walking. He had let her go, she realized with amazement. She thought about turning around to run. It might be very foolish. He would surely report her to Leeteuk. Or else he would just catch her. She had no doubts about his ability to do so.

She didn’t believe that he’d let her go easily, and to her own surprise she found herself running after him, catching his arm and causing him to spin around again. She released him immediately and ask nervously, “What do you mean?”

He stared at her. He smirked suddenly, a slow, curious smirk. “You’re supposed to be worth 3 hundred thou won. That’s quite a sum.”

“Where are we going?”

“My rooms.”