Content Warning:
This chapter contains scenes depicting harassment–including verbal, physical and sexual abuse and intimidation. Reader discretion is advised.
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Auction? Merchandise? As the unfamiliar words were listed, Sixx stopped thrashing and glared at the man on the stage. There was only one expected outcome in this situation. It was something these damn bastards would do, above all. The man slowly turned his head to look at Sixx and then smiled. Though his face was hidden behind the mask, he was definitely chuckling, and you could bet a hundred bucks on it.
“Well, I’m sure you’d like to see the merchandise first, right? Welcome, everyone, to today’s first item!”
The men holding Sixx dragged him up onto the stage. In the middle of the stage were two long pillars. Before Sixx could even figure out what they were for, handcuffs were placed on his hands. The other end of the handcuffs was connected to the pillars side by side. This way, Sixx found himself unable to move in the middle of the stage, facing forward. The man in the red cape approached Sixx, who was muttering curses under his breath. This time, his laughter was clearly audible.
“This young man here attended our party for the first time today. He came here without knowing anything about our party, just to find a friend. Now, can you tell us the password you received?”
Sixx shook his head firmly in refusal. Even though he was in this state, he didn’t want to play along with their antics. Whether it was an auction or whatever, let them do whatever they want. The man whispered in Sixx’s ear.
“It would be wise not to forget that your friend’s life is in our hands.”
Cowardly bastards…! It was another threat. Sixx gritted his teeth in anger. And he spat out his answer.
“An angel trapped in an aquarium.”
As soon as he answered, a loud burst of laughter erupted from below the stage, as if they had been waiting there. The masks were laughing wildly. As if they had heard the funniest story ever, they all bent their waists and clutched their bellies, laughing. Their behavior, as if they had heard some funny joke, seemed to Sixx like demons mocking him. Even the man in the red cape was laughing along. He wiped his finger on the mask as if wiping away tears. Ah, always so amusing, he muttered. The moment everything is revealed.
“Yes, it seems certain that he is our merchandise. Since he seems to be still bewildered, let me enlighten him about his current situation.”
His hand slowly approached Sixx’s face, and then roughly tore off the mask. “No!” Sixx shouted instinctively. Countless eyeballs focused on his face. Even though it was usually a part of his face he always exposed, revealing his face without showing his true face made him feel extremely fearful. Their curious eyes slowly scanned Sixx’s face as if licking it with their gaze. Their slow gaze felt as uncomfortable as a snail crawling, making Sixx shiver. In an instant, the murmuring sound filled the room. The sound was nothing but the sound of them evaluating Sixx. They were dissecting him meticulously, debating whether he was valuable meat or not, as if he were a piece of meat at a butcher’s shop. It made him sick.
“Don’t be too sad. This was your destiny anyway. Even if you hadn’t caused a commotion earlier, it would have ended up like this. Besides, if you’re lucky, a kind-hearted guest might take you away, you know?”
“What’s an ‘auction’? Explain.”
Taking advantage of the guests discussing, the man in the red cape approached Sixx. Suppressing his anger, Sixx threw a question at the man. First, he needed to know about this place. He didn’t know about them. It was his mistake to underestimate Angelo. Sending Corbin to such a dangerous place…
“So, you really came here knowing nothing? That’s quite ignorant. Frankly, your friend alone wasn’t enough as merchandise. His face isn’t bad, but… I don’t know, it lacks something… unlike you.”
“Are you saying we were the merchandise prepared for this auction from the beginning?”
“Yes. If you had any brains, you would have noticed that today’s party isn’t the first. Usually, it’s held once every quarter. The guests who can attend the party are strictly verified, and others like you become ‘merchandise’ and can only attend the party. We spare no effort to entertain the carefully selected guests, and among them, ‘auction’ is an event held at every party. If you’ve ever attended an auction, you’d know that the main point is to secure items that guests find attractive. Some guests even come to the party just for the auction. Other things are important too, but the auction is the highlight of the party!”
“Do you always acquire merchandise in this manner?”
“Yes. Usually, we acquire through trusted vendors.”
“Vendors?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The man in the red cape seemed already immersed in planning to sell Sixx. If that’s the case, does it mean Angelo didn’t simply send me or Corbin here as mere ‘merchandise’ but handed us over to the organizers of the party as items for auction? Damn that bastard! If I had known, I would have beaten him thoroughly before coming. Sixx grinded his teeth. To be trafficked like this after all these years…
“The point of the auction is to let the merchandise wander around the party without knowing they’re merchandise. You were probably feeling relieved because not many guests were approaching you, right? In fact, we were watching you all along. Your password, that’s a password given only to merchandise. Through that, we were keeping track of your movements.”
An angel trapped in an aquarium… Sixx recalled saying that password every time he moved places. The servants guarding the door asked him for the password each time, and when Sixx said the password, they opened the door. And the password the owl mask mentioned was different from what Sixx knew. They had been monitoring Sixx’s movements through the password all along. Damn, I was stupid. Sixx regretted his carelessness. I should have never let my guard down since I felt something was off. He bit his lip in frustration. He couldn’t be this foolish. The man in the red cape chuckled at Sixx.
“You have quite the expression. Everyone is enjoying watching you experience betrayal. See?”
At those words, Sixx turned his gaze back to the crowd. They were all mocking him. In Sixx’s eyes, the corners of the numerous masks seemed twisted upwards. His stomach churned. It felt dizzying, as if blood were rushing in reverse, and his sharpened fangs were tearing through the flesh inside his mouth, drawing blood. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time. Filled with anger to the brim, Sixx shouted.
“What about the owl mask then! Corbin also went through something weird with the other men! You, can’t you properly manage your merchandise?”
“Oh, occasionally there are guests who can’t help but lay their hands on the merchandise first. Actually, because you disappeared halfway through, we were eagerly looking for you. It could have been really bad if you had escaped first. As for your friend… even though he looks like that, he didn’t go through something as severe as you think. Well, we were also negligent. Because you were there, we thought it would be okay even if one merchandise had a slight flaw, so we left it alone. …Well, shall we start the auction in earnest now?”
The man took the microphone again and stepped forward. Enjoying the cheers pouring from the crowd like a waterfall, he slowly walked across the stage. He was quite skilled at setting the mood.
“Do you like the merchandise? Judging by what I heard, it didn’t seem to have a bad evaluation. Even in my opinion, it looks like a decent item. This combination of faded hair and pumpkin-colored eyes is quite rare. Although there’s still a bit of youthfulness, these thick and sexy lips remind me of the young Malon Brando of ‘The Chariot Named Desire.’ Malon Brando from that time is now old and gone, but here we have Sixx in his place! He lives in downtown Chicago and has just turned twenty. He works at the neighborhood supermarket during the day and at the movie theater ticket booth at night, a diligent young man.”
A shiver ran down Sixx’s spine. They were real con artists. It had only been a few hours since Sixx became merchandise, yet they had thoroughly investigated him. The guests watched with interest as Sixx’s personal life was exposed piece by piece.
“He even worked at a parcel logistics warehouse. He also worked at an auto repair shop… But unfortunately, there’s no talk about a girlfriend. With such a fine item in hand, why could that be? Aren’t you curious?”
The man’s hand slowly caressed Sixx’s body through the thin cloth. It made Sixx nauseous. As his hand traced the muscles that made up Sixx’s large chest one by one, it finally reached his abdomen. Acting as if he was about to untie or say something, his hand lingered, causing a sigh to burst out from the crowd. Show us your big cock already! Someone shouted vulgarly, and everyone except Sixx laughed heartily.
“Oh, did I take too much time? But it’s been a while since I’ve had such a high-quality item like this. Please be understanding.”
With a voice full of laughter, he pulled the robe’s sash. Eventually, the robe opened, and Sixx’s naked body was fully exposed to the world. People screamed. However, it was purely screams of enjoyment. Sixx closed his eyes. He couldn’t understand why he had to go through this.
Due to excessive shame and humiliation, it felt like the embarrassment was turning into cold blood. Sixx felt a shock as he realized the man’s hand gripping his genitals.
“Fuck, this crazy bastard…!”
“It really looks like it’s never been used before, such a pretty pink. See it? The length is well… roughly over 9 inches. It’s quite thick too. If you’ve never used this, it’s actually surprising.”
“Is it not getting hard?” a woman near the stage shouted with a raucous voice. Sixx’s face turned as red as if it would burst. He couldn’t believe he heard such a thing right in front of him. Moreover, it felt even more shameful because it was a woman who said it. It felt worse than the day he was scolded by the garage owner. The man in the red cloak murmured, “Oh, that’s not something we can tolerate either,” nervously. “Shall we all take a closer look then?” The man’s words went beyond common sense, and suddenly, he began to stroke Sixx’s penis up and down. He was actually trying to make Sixx erect! Despite knowing it was futile, Sixx struggled violently. He had never felt so ashamed in his life as his genitals were touched in front of so many people. But the man was quite skilled. He spat on his hand, using it as lubricant, and skillfully stroked and massaged Sixx’s shaft with his thumb, trying to force an erection. Eventually, in just a few minutes, Sixx’s member stood erect, dripping transparent liquid. The guests gasped and crowded forward to witness the scene. Feeling like a caged animal in a zoo, Sixx screamed. At least in this form, he was still human. He was no longer the monster boy from the circus. There was no reason for him to be exposed in front of so many people like this. Yet, this was the outcome. It was not just pitiful, but despairing. As Sixx continued to scream and thrash, the men quickly gagged him.
“As expected, you’ve got quite the vigor for your age, don’t you? How about it! Aren’t you looking forward to tonight?”
Cheers erupted like thunder. In Sixx’s mind, shame and anger mingled, making a mess. He was rapidly losing control. Everyone in front of him looked hateful and despicable. His body was not meant for these worthless humans. In the past seven years, no one had touched Sixx like this. Rather than being preyed upon by these people, it would have been better to gouge out their eyeballs so they couldn’t look at him anymore. For the first time in a long time, he felt the beast within him stirring. A growl of a beast simmered in his throat. Just a little more. If he let go of his sanity just a bit more, he would transform into a beast. Maybe that would be better. Those who tormented him and Corbin deserved punishment. Sixx gritted his teeth. Yes, let’s transform into a monster and tear apart these garbage-like humans. Not a single life would be spared here.
That was the moment he made up his mind. Just as his wolf nature was about to fully awaken, Sixx locked eyes with a man in the crowd. Unlike the other guests whose eyes were filled with lustful desire, the man’s gaze was chillingly cold. Only Sixx realized this fact there. At that moment, Sixx realized. He was the man who had been watching him from behind the second-floor railing when Sixx first entered the party. All black from head to toe except for the mask, he looked like a shadow. Unable to move as if pierced by his gaze, Sixx felt suffocated. Strange. The last time he felt like this was… Without blinking, he was staring at him, as if he could read Sixx’s thoughts. “Don’t.” That’s what the man seemed to say. Goosebumps formed. However, at some point, the raging monster had calmed down as if by magic. The man who was about to be torn apart by the monster in red cloak raised the curtain of the auction in excitement, oblivious to the fact that he almost died.
“Alright, let’s start lightly at five thousand dollars.”
Someone raised their hand. “Six thousand dollars!” As if in competition, another guest shouted seven thousand dollars. Eight thousand dollars, nine thousand dollars… The numbers quickly escalated. They were arbitrarily assigning value to Sixx. The first to call out ten thousand dollars was the woman who had earlier questioned if Sixx suffered from erectile dysfunction after seeing his penis. Behind the mask, her shining amber eyes were beautiful, but the desire simmering within them was deep and dark. Someone raised a thousand dollars again. The man in the red cloak watched with satisfaction as the price rose. Eventually, as the calls for numbers dwindled, Sixx’s value peaked around seventeen thousand dollars. The man in the red cloak blew a whistle. “It’s been a while since it’s gone up this much,” he exclaimed excitedly.
“This should cover the depreciated value of your friend. Thank you, Sixx.” The last bid came from a man in the right corner of the room, wearing a white suit with a blue tie. Eighty-five thousand dollars. Sixx’s value seemed fixated on that number. The man in the red cloak pulled out a wooden board and a hammer.
“Eighty-five thousand dollars, going once. My my, what a hefty sum! Anyone else?”
Silence fell. Sixx tightly closed his eyes. It’s a good act. Now he was being sold to a man he didn’t even know. After I’m sold, Corbin will be sold too. Damn, what is this…!
“Alright. Let’s count down from five. Five, four, three…”
Sixx listened to the dwindling numbers with a bleak heart. And he made up his mind. He would seize the opportunity to escape. Somehow, he had to escape and save Corbin. After all, he had nothing to lose. He wasn’t afraid of rich or powerful people. He didn’t know how great they were, but they wouldn’t force him to do anything against his will. The man in the red cloak looked at Sixx, smiling.
“One. Alright, now—”
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
Someone spoke up. One hundred thousand dollars? Sixx raised his head in astonishment. It was an amount he had never heard of in reality. Who in the world would pay a hundred thousand dollars just to take one man? Everyone turned their heads to see the face of the crazy bidder. The protagonist of a hundred thousand dollars was in the middle of the room. It was that man. The man who locked eyes with Sixx. He was looking at Sixx with a gaze that seemed resolute, even firm. When Sixx met his gaze again, he felt a tingling sensation throughout his body. And he was sure. He…
“One hundred thousand dollars! My my, it’s a record high. There probably won’t be any more, right?”
Bang, bang, bang. The man in the red cloak struck the hammer three times. He, too, seemed more flustered by the much larger amount than he had thought. Anyway, by this, Sixx had become the property of that black man. The men led Sixx downstairs. Even after his figure disappeared, the murmurs of the crowd did not easily subside. They probably wouldn’t understand anyway. To that man, Sixx was not just worth a hundred thousand dollars, but a value worth several times that.
***
The men took Sixx to the third floor of the mansion. In front of the somewhat absent-minded Sixx, a well-dressed man appeared and murmured threatening words. It was something about how much money had been deposited into Sixx’s account, and now Sixx belonged to the winning bidder, and if today’s events were leaked outside, he and his loved ones would suffer, blah blah, those kinds of clichéd things. Of course, it didn’t register in Sixx’s ears. Money didn’t matter now. He didn’t even care if his life was in danger. Even Corbin, who was in crisis, disappeared from his mind for a moment. His heart pounded like crazy. Was it really him? When he tried to recall his face, he couldn’t think of anything. Maybe he would continue to be in this state until he met him again. Sixx nodded vaguely, and the man took Sixx to a room. There was a knock on the door.
“The item you won is ready.”
As the footsteps were heard, the door creaked open. It was the man who won Sixx. The man who brought Sixx handed him something that looked like a syringe. What’s that? Sixx wanted to catch it and check, but his wrists were still shackled with iron handcuffs. The man said nothing. Instead, he firmly grabbed Sixx and slammed the door shut behind him. The man let out a deep sigh. It sounded like a curse. The moment he heard the voice, Sixx’s anticipation turned into certainty. It was definitely him. His heart pounded as if something had gone wrong, but Sixx succeeded in spitting out his name.
“Malon…?”
The last time he saw him was seven years ago. The faces of those he had known and interacted with then had long since faded. But he was different. Sixx had never forgotten Malon Cage for a single moment. No, he couldn’t. Malon Cage. The first person he had ever loved. The day he would forget his black hair and cold blue eyes would never come. He had longed for him ardently. He had lived waiting for the day he would meet him again. Although he never imagined he would meet him in a place like this, his heart had not lied. He trembled. He trembled like crazy.
“Malon… Is it really you? Are you?”
Sixx called out to him eagerly. The man still wore a mask. However, with the strong smell of tobacco, intense gaze, and even his posture, he felt like him. Malon Cage. No one else could create such an atmosphere. The man walked slowly into the bedroom and extinguished the lamp. Then, only the white moonlight streaming in through the window filled the space.
Thunk. The mask fell off. Under the moonlight, his black shining hair and smooth nose were revealed. Indeed, he was Malon Cage. He stared at Sixx like a fierce beast in the darkness. He approached Sixx and pushed him onto the bed. It was clear. He was angry. He was angry to the core. Just like that warm afternoon when Sixx had rejected his proposal.
“Yeah, it’s me, Sixx. How does it feel to face the nightmares of your childhood again?”
Nightmares. Before Sixx could even digest the strange feeling of the word, Malon slowly climbed on top of Sixx. Now their faces were just inches apart. As Sixx, startled, wriggled, he grabbed Sixx’s hair and forcibly pinned him to the bed. The corner of his mouth twisted upwards.
“Of course you hate it, don’t you? But what should I do? I’m the one who bought you.”
“Malon, it hurts…!”
“Interesting. You’ve become quite the little prostitute. I never expected that.”
A prostitute…? Shocked by the shocking word, Sixx stiffened. He wanted to deny it, but it was clearly a word that came out of Malon’s mouth. Lost in the emotion of their reunion, Sixx only now remembered the circumstances under which they had met. It was definitely a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Malon had attended the party as a guest, while Sixx had infiltrated as an item for sale. And he ended up being auctioned off. If Malon hadn’t paid a hundred thousand dollars to buy him, he might have been sold off to some strange customer by now. Malon had every reason to be angry. After all, he had spent nearly a hundred thousand dollars on him.
He understood his anger. But calling him a prostitute was a real misunderstanding! Sixx hadn’t attended the party to sell himself. He was only there to take back Corbin, with no intention of participating in any auction. They had put Sixx up for auction without his consent. He vehemently shook his head in denial. If his hands hadn’t been tied, he would have clapped vigorously.
“No? Then what word could explain this situation? You were being touched in front of all those people, getting excited, and tempted me to buy you, Sixx.”
“That’s not true. That was inevitable–!”
“The guy next to me said he saw you and put his hand in his pants. His eyes rolled back like he was about to drool, and he touched himself while looking at your body. How much did he bid?”
“I… I…”
“Oh, I remember now. He was willing to pay at most eight thousand dollars for you. It’s ridiculous. Even I couldn’t get my hands on you, and yet they wanted to hand you over to some pervert with exhibitionist tendencies.”
“…”
His face flushed rapidly. To have shown that horrifying sight to Malon from beginning to end. It was a scene he didn’t want anyone, especially him, to see, yet the one person he least wanted to see it was witnessing it. He felt so embarrassed that he even felt a sense of melancholy. In every aspect, it was not the reunion Sixx had dreamed of. However, he couldn’t help but be glad to see him again, and at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel pathetic for being so happy. Malon interpreted Sixx’s expression and smirked.
“So you just wanted to become a prostitute and run away from me? To end up in such a disappointing state…?”
His hand caressed Sixx’s face affectionately. It was the touch of Malon that Sixx had longed for so much. He wanted to say something, but there were too many words, so he didn’t know where to start. He was speechless. Calmly, calmly speaking. One by one… Sixx took a deep breath. Malon didn’t know him as he was now. It was natural that he misunderstood. So he had to explain well. He opened his mouth. But what came out of his mouth was not words but a groan. Pain was felt in his arm. Sixx turned his head and looked down at his right forearm. A hypodermic needle was stuck in it. And it was empty!
“M-Ma, Malon!”
“I’m not a fool. If you were to turn into a wolf, it wouldn’t be a big deal for you to overpower me and run away. So I asked the party organizers to prepare some drugs. With your personality, you wouldn’t even think of attacking me directly.”
He was puzzled. When did I try to overpower and run away from him? Moreover, an attack? Sixx had no intention of attacking him. He would rather harm himself than harm him. He wanted to correct the misunderstanding, but suddenly his vision blurred. Even though he was lying on the bed, he felt dizzy. His eyelids kept trying to close due to dizziness. Uncontrollable sleep overwhelmed him.
“It’s going to be a long journey, so it wouldn’t be bad to take a nap for a while.”
Malon murmured in a low voice. The hand that swept Sixx’s hair moved so gently and kindly, as if putting him to sleep like a child, that it was unbelievable that it was the same hand that had just injected him with drugs. It was a strange feeling. It had always been Sixx who watched the other fall asleep.
“Then, have a good dream.”
i was so excited for this chapter omg…i hope you’ve have fun reading~!
Thank you so much for your hard work!! I am loving this novel like crazy omg I just binge read it all and now I have this sour taste in my mouth because of the cliff hanger T_T
How could you-!
No fair, leaving us with this cliffhanger TT_TT
Exited for next chapter 👀
Hope, Corbin will be ok…
Thanks so much for the mass update, tho ❤️
Also, someone is cranky, because their pillow run away and disappeared for 7 years… 🤭
Hope Corbin is okay
Thanks for the chapter
Damn, this story is like a magnet. Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
I just hope Corbin is fine aaaaa
They finally reunited!! 🎉 But ugh, in such a horrible way! Poor Sixx having to be on stage again, but this time naked and being groped and sold. I hope things are cleared up soon and Malon stops being angry. Thank you for the chapter!
Don’t understand Malon’ reaction. It was clearly said that Six had been fooled and was here for his Friend, why the ‘angry partner’ cliché ?
The reunion I was waiting for! I feel so bad that Sixx had to go through all that though. I’m trying to imagine what Malone must’ve thought when Sixx left while he was sleeping, and then would hear about the circus going up in flames and not hearing anything about Sixx for seven years! I hope Corbin’s okay 🥺 I’m worried because they had said he was also supposed to be auctioned off, hopefully Malone made sure he’s okay since he knows he’s important to Sixx. I’m Dying for the next chapter already. You spoiled us with all these new updates!
i want to gatekeep this novel to myself so no one else can enjoy it as much as i do
Oh my gosh the disturbing level in this chapter really got into me 😭 BIG KUDOS TO THE TRANSLATOR💕 (idk how you survived all these 😂)
Big misunderstanding here I hope they talk it out before further conflict arises 🙏