Chapter 52: Of course. I’d like that

Chapter 52 - Of course. I'd like that I enjoyed the 'snack' as April called it. Since I hadn't eaten ramyeon for a while, of course, I ended up taking two while Ki-hoon ate one. Once we were done, he was so polite as to wipe the little noodle strand from the corner of my face. I looked at him to see his affectionate smile and my eyes glimmered. It looked like I had scored more brownie points with the Brute. "I'm sorry I can't stay over tonight," he said and my insides celebrated. Ah, he wasn't going to stay over. That means I had the whole night to myself. Wait, I shouldn't act happy. Even if he doesn't stay over, he can at least eat dinner, right? The cooks and servants are working so hard. It would be such a waste if there was no master to enjoy the delicacy with me. "But you'll at least stay for dinner, won't you?" I asked and from the look on his face, I could tell he was thinking like, 'Ah, Jo-Pil wants me to stay for dinner. I can't decline.' "Alright then, I'll leave after dinner." He said and I smiled. He was so readable only at times like this. "But will you be okay?" He asked. "Why?" "You've already eaten two cans of ramyeon, how much more can you eat?" He asked and I huffed out steam from my nostrils. "I'm glad you asked," I said. "But you can't judge a book by its cover. Remember how much I ate the first time you took me out for dinner?" I asked and that brought back a rather unpleasant memory for him. He remembered grabbing my chin roughly, dragging me along when I said I couldn't keep up, and tossing me into the car. Ah, there was that history between us. How should I use this against him? But before I thought of anything, he had already decided to make amends. "Why don't I take you out for lunch tomorrow?" He asked and my eyes glimmered. Now, this was what I was talking about? There's nothing like strolling around, taking in fresh air, and taking a closer look at the world I had fallen into. "Of course. I'd like that." After that, he asked about other things I would like, and I used the opportunity to spell it out to him that I liked money. The reason was that I had always lacked money. So, having money of my own that I didn't have to worry about someone snatching it for a so-called loan, was my dream. "Why do you need money?" He asked. "I can just get you anything you want at all." Of course you can but this is different. "Having money of my own just makes me feel secure. But I guess I shouldn't take money without working for it." I said and pretended to think. "Should I start working?" "What?" "Now that I don't have a loan on my neck if I earn money, I will be able to keep it with me till I actually need it." I'm bluffing. I had no plans of working in this world. You guys were super and ultimately rich so why do I need to bother? But maybe if I scare him a bit, he'll loosen up. "Then, how about this?" He brought up a suggestion. "I'll pay you each time you smile at me?" "Huh? But that's not a job," I said but it was the sweetest offer ever. "I'm the employer," he said, folding his arms. "And I say if that's a job or not. Besides," he smiled. "Seeing you smile gives me an energy boost so I can work more and make more money. So, for that, I should definitely pay you." Okay, you got me. I won't argue anymore. Just stop making such lame excuses. I laughed. "Alright then. How will you pay me then? Should I be the one counting?" "No, I'll do the counting." I trust he isn't a cheap stake, so he won't, minus the times I smile just to lower the amount he has to pay me. "By the way, how much is a smile?" He asked and his face suddenly turned soft. He was doing that thing again. That 'thing' that those male leads do when you start seeing sparkles and flowers around their handsome faces. "Your smile is priceless," Gah, my heart. Okay, mister smart pants. How are you going to pay me if it's priceless? I cleared my throat and asked, "So, how much is that?" "Pick a number." He said, and I pretended to give it a thought, but I already knew I was going to extort as much money as I could from him. It was going to be my escape funds in case things go awry so I need to stock up enough. "Seven digits," I said, raising all seven fingers and he laughed. "You're so ambitious." He said. "Well, someone already said my smile is priceless so I think I'm sharing a fair bargain by picking 'only' seven digits per smile." I said, pouting my lips and he laughed more. "Wow, that looks like fun, what are you guys doing?" Min-Cheol asked as he approached. Ah, I knew I felt his presence close by. To think he was eavesdropping. I turned to look at Ki-hoon but surprisingly, he did not look upset that Min-Cheol had interrupted us all of a sudden. What did he have in mind? "Do you want to join in?" He asked which stunned me. Just what was he plotting? "What is it?" Min-Cheol asked, taking a seat next to me. "Hyung plans to pay me for every smile I send his way," I explained. "If you want to do the same, just let me know. You can count, and I'll also count, just in case you forget. And the amount you promise to pay me now, no less than seven digits, will be multiplied by the amount of times I smiled at you by the end of the day. Sounds fun, right?" Min-Cheol's eyes glinted. He looked excited. Such a kid. "And then by the end of the day," Ki-hoon chipped in, his lips curling up in a grin. "...the one who got the most smiles from Jo-Pil will get to spend the night with him." Wait, what? When did we agree to something like that? "Oh, does that mean the one with the most smiles will be titled Jo-Pil's favorite by the end of the day?" Jin-Yeok's words so close to my ear ran down my spine and my body reacted to it. When did he get behind me? Wait, no, why were they suddenly using my money-making plan as their competition ground? If they're going to fight for attention then they better do it someplace else. I was already busy as it was.