𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄/𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐍

Chapter Five

His head throbbing with a headache, Mingyu was in a foul mood when he entered his room later that night. He'd lost a great opportunity to increase his profit in Central Europe just because he hadn't been there in person to see the deal through. Couldn't they do anything without his hand-holding?

Sighing, he went to the en-suite and got some Tylenol from the first aid kit. Swallowing the pills, he stiffened at the noise in the adjoining room.

Of course—the boy. He'd almost forgotten about his order to move him there.

Mingyu unlocked the door, pushed it open, and entered the room.

Jeon Wonwoo was sitting on the bed swinging his beautiful legs like a baby. He looked up, his eyes widening when he saw Mingyu. Otherwise, he didn't even flinch. Yoongi had been right about one thing: the boy wasn't prone to useless hysterics.

"Thank you," Wonwoo said. "For the food. They fed me before bringing me here." He sank his teeth into his lip, hesitation flickering in his eyes. "Why am I here? Your people didn't bother to explain."

Mingyu walked over. "What makes you think I will?" The thought was amusing.

The boy cocked his head to the side, looking up at him almost shyly, his thick dark eyelashes framing his deep brown eyes. "Nothing," he said, chewing on his lip. "But I'd like to know. Please."

So polite. Too polite.

Mingyu's lips thinned. He laid his hand on Wonwoo's head and tugged on the dark curls. "Do you take me for a fool?" he said, knowing his grip must be painful. Tears of pain welled in the boy's eyes.

"I-I don't understand," Wonwoo whispered.

Mingyu glared at those wobbling lips. "Do you really think a few soft-spoken words are enough to manipulate me?"

The boy dropped his eyes, guilt and disappointment flashing through his face. "I'm not very good at it, am I?" he said with a wince and a crooked smile.

"No," Mingyu said. The boy had been too well-behaved and innocent for that to be real.

Wonwoo hugged himself, looking up at him warily. "Are you going to punish me for trying to manipulate you?" His voice cracked a little.

Mingyu stared at him, considering his options. He could always order his men to rough him up, but the idea didn't sit well with him. He blamed Wonwoo's deceptively youthful looks.

Mingyu would readily admit he wasn't a good man. He'd done things that had surely reserved him a place in hell...if an afterlife existed. But he'd done those things to adults, not children. Jeon Wonwoo wasn't a child, but the air of innocence he had about him coupled with his baby face fucked with Mingyu's mind. No, he didn't want to hand the boy over to his men. But the boy must be punished. If Mingyu didn't punish him, Wonwoo might start getting ideas. Mingyu had been too soft with him as it was.

He said, "You will kneel in that corner, clasp your hands behind your back and remain that way until seven in the morning. No breaks, no washroom, no sleep."

Wonwoo looked like he wanted to protest, but he closed his mouth and silently went to the corner and knelt on the floor, facing the wall. As far as punishments went, it was far from the worst, but Mingyu knew how uncomfortable and painful it would be to keep that position.

"It goes without saying that this room is under constant video surveillance," Mingyu added, staring at the mop of curly hair. "You will not like your punishment if you choose to defy me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," the boy murmured.

Sir.

Mingyu left the room, trying to ignore the way that little English word pleased something in him. An honorific like that didn't exist in Russian—or rather, they were old-fashioned and no longer used.

He had to admit that sometimes the English language might be superior to his mother tongue.