Lines Crossed - Volume 1 Chapter 27 27
3 Years ago
I watched the kid out of the corner of my eye.
He was slightly nervous, large beads of sweat pooled lightly on his brow and he kept rubbing his finger on the side of his pants to wipe them clean. Although he was wearing something akin to the valets uniform of Club No. 51, the VIP club, I could tell he was very likely an imposter.
The boy, however, seemed smart.
This cafe, considered itself on trend so they had a very, hip uniform, one that was maybe a little too easy to replicate, so despite being a professional establishment they dressed each valet head to toe like a celebrity. Perfect to attract the younger generation of female socialites, perfect to copy.
Simple black jeans with a nice creamy white decadent silk blouse, rings on each finger and simple black choker necklaces around their necks with the Elite Black Card members servers having a tiny black gem that announced their station.
The kid had dressed almost perfectly how the real valets would. But his shirt was missing the small thin silver and lilac embroidery.
On the real uniform, the cafe’s name sat delicately stitched on the right-hand b.r.e.a.s.t of the shirt.
But there were many elite people who would see the boy standing outside the caf and wearing those clothes and would easily assume that they worked there.
Rarely did rich people ever think to check anything, heck, most of the socialites I knew wouldn’t blink twice if something was stolen from them. As my uncle once said if I insure it, which he always did, and all things owned are easily replaceable these days, then why worry or stress over the little things?
The way I figured most of them considered it, misplacing an item and didn’t even report it stolen.
But this kid wasn’t someone that was a repeat offender, he didn’t have the air of someone who knew what they were getting themselves into; he looked nervous, scared, petrified of what he was about to do.
His pants that were close enough copies of what the boys here wore should have sat fitted and slimly with the body, accentual to his leg length and yet they were sagging and bunching in all the wrong places.
His sunken eyes told me he probably hadn’t eaten or slept well in the past few days, and whatever had caused him to lose that sleep and food was a torturous grievance that made him feel trapped by his own circ.u.mstances.
A demanding woman I knew for a fact was a wretched VIP, with a bossy relentless attitude of superiority walked up to him and told him to hold her small monster of a dog.
That thing was a menace and more often than not bit any stranger that wasn’t its “Mother”. I had been fortunate to only have to meet them once in my time here at the club. Once had been enough.
I waited to see how the kid would handle the dog with a vicious streak, and the Madam who never had time for more than a side glance of disdain for anyone else.
Sure enough, the kid grabbed the dog obediently, even though in reality she hadn’t given him much of a chance to decline in the first place.
The guy had been holding it all of two seconds when the dog latched his teeth onto his finger and growled like the possessed little demon it seemed to be. From my vantage point in the car pulled up across from them, I saw little droplets of blood appear on his finger.
Instead of getting mad and dropping the dog, or cursing and yelling at the woman like a few other boys had before.
The kid with dark hair held it tightly, pet the insane creature’s head softly, and mumbled to its whimpering, angry body. The dog let go slowly, then looked up into the boys’ face. And after a moment the evil thing even licked the wound and wagged its tail, as if it could have felt anything like repentance for what it had done.
I smiled.
‘Dogs are a great judge of character, and I am never wrong. My lousy day may just be getting better.’ I thought happily
I motioned for Jaemin to stop moving.
“Hey, Jaemin get out of the front seat and hide over there.” He had seen the whole thing too and nodded agreeably without question before getting out.
I got into the front seat and drove around the block before driving up to the caf and parking. The kid was just waving goodbye to the dog and holding a measly 500 won in his hands when he saw me pull up. His face, which hung crumpled with defeat and loss of patience, suddenly perked up at the sight of my car.
But his frown remained, and he stared with longing at the sleek black shine of my car conflicted.
“What has made your life lead to this point? To come to this moment where you have to fight to live?”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Jaemin before getting out of the car and leaving the door open lazily.
“I know I have too many cars, but just find somewhere to put this one!” I snapped, leaning on the rim of my driver’s door, talking loudly on purpose and hoping the kid was far too distracted to notice my lazy attempt at acting.
Mr. Dark and Handsome was pretending not to be listening, but I could tell he was getting even more nervous and conflicted by the moment.
“There has to be room in my garage for the new import somehow. Take one I haven’t driven all year and donate it then. Just get it out of my way for my new Lamborghini LXR that’s coming in next week.”
Jaemin didn’t even skip a beat. “Yes, sir, I will tell them right away, sir,” His voice came out the speaker somberly as if I was giving him grief and he was used to the light abuse. I held my amus.e.m.e.nt, not wanting to break character by accident.
The kids’ eyes grew wider and wider the more he heard.
“I am surrounded by a bunch of idiots.” I said sardonically and hung up the phone before throwing it into the vehicle with little thought.
He slowly walked around to my side of the car. I watched him with feigned disinterest. Then I leaned inside and grabbed the keys out, purposely pulling them from the ignition to give to him, when I could just have easily left them where they were.
I stood up and threw them towards his chest. He caught them clumsily.
Standing up, I smiled c.o.c.kily and walked around the vehicle towards the front door of the club, still watching him from the corner of my eye.
He got in and sat in the driver’s seat and his face slowly worked through some things deeply mulling over what he was about to do. Then he seemed to steel himself for it and put the key into the ignition then closed the door gently.
As soon as the door closed, I stopped walking, then quickly before his brain could register I opened the passenger side of the car and slid into the seat. His face said it all, guilt, worry, determination, fear, confusion… I reached out and grabbed his hand on the ignition stopping him from turning the key.
The kid looked at me utterly, alarmed and confused.
I smiled at him, breaking out my most charming smile.
“So you can either continue trying to steal my car Or you can tell me why it is you need to steal a car worth almost 400,000 dollars when you are in high school?” I said calmly as if we were talking about the weather.
His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide.
“I wasn’t.”
“Ahh,” I interrupted him. “My car my rules, the truth only Deal?”
“Or my friend over there will do a lot more than just grab your hand. I lifted my chin and signaled to Jaemin who stepped out from the shadows where he had been lurking.”
The kids licked his lips anxiously and glanced nervously, his eyes darting between Jae and I.
“Relax kid,” I said, I let go of his hand when his shoulders relaxed and he seemed less likely to dart out into the road.
“I am not here to rat you out to this place, or even call the cops, I simply don’t want to see another life ruined today. Since I don’t think this is your job or even a hobby you enjoy I think you deserve a chance to explain yourself.” I said with a sigh, then smiled again this time with as much genuine enthusiasm as I could plaster on my face.
Because I really had no clue why, but I got a great feeling from this kid, I felt I could trust him and wanted him to offer me the same courtesy.
It could have been a tortured soul recognizing another, or it was just that today of all days it sucked to be alone.
