Kiss the Scumbag

As he recalled those words, his grip tightened instinctively, clenching his fist with all his strength. His nails dug into his palm, and only then did a sliver of reason return to him. To cool his head, he downed a full glass of cold water.

Winston would never be fooled by him again. Never. Not a chance. Once had been enough. If he were to fall for it twice, he might as well blow his idiotic brains out.

Once the will was read, Yu-jin would leave. That much was obvious. He had no reason to stay here. And that meant they would truly never meet again. He just had to hold out until then.

He just needed to see him one last time.

That day, they would meet in a room full of people. It wouldn’t be like last time—just the two of them, in the dead of night, with Yu-jin lying defenseless in bed. It would be the complete opposite. There could be no safer setting than that. No beast could possibly go into heat under the bright light of day, surrounded by all those eyes.

Besides, in this vast mansion, avoiding him would be easy. Winston reminded himself of this and resolved to push the lawyer to hasten the will reading. Until then, he swore he wouldn’t lay eyes on Yu-jin.

***

After confirming that Winston had left the mansion, Yu-jin stepped out of the room with Angela and headed for the kitchen. He requested something to eat, and after receiving a simple meal of bread and soup, they returned to their room. Only then, with their hunger finally eased, could they sit and talk.

“Daddy, how long are we staying here?”

Angela asked after washing up in the guest bathroom and brushing her teeth. Yu-jin suddenly felt guilty and hesitated before answering, “Well…”

“The old man who owns this place passed away, and he left a will. Your daddy’s name is in it, so we came to hear what it says. Do you know what a will is?”

When Yu-jin asked, Angela nodded eagerly and replied, “It’s when someone leaves money behind when they die. So that means we get money too, right?”

“Uh… yeah, something like that. Not always money, but…”

Yu-jin faltered at her blunt response but had no choice but to agree. She wasn’t wrong. That was exactly why they were here.

“So we have to stay until the will is read. It won’t take too long.”

“How long?”

“I’m not sure… but they’ll try to do it as soon as possible, so let’s just wait a little, okay?”

Everyone, especially Madam Campbell, was probably just waiting for Yu-jin to leave as soon as possible. That meant the will reading was bound to happen soon.

More than anyone, Winston would be pushing the lawyer to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Yu-jin steadied himself before the ache in his chest could take hold. He just had to remember why he had come here in the first place.

“Can we buy a house with a garden too? And get a puppy?”

Angela’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Once again, Yu-jin could only evade with a hesitant, “Well…” Maybe, in Harold’s mind, including Yu-jin in the will had been his way of atonement. But it was unlikely to be anything significant. Yu-jin just hoped for enough money to survive for the next three months.

The only thing that weighed on his mind was Winston. After the humiliating encounter the other night, Yu-jin had steeled himself. He would avoid him at all costs until the will was read. The very thought of facing Winston again was unbearable. Thankfully, there was a way to make it work. In the mornings, he could stay hidden in his room until Winston left for work, and in the evenings, the moment he saw Winston’s car pull in, he would retreat immediately.

And so, Yu-jin did his best to avoid him. Fortunately, Winston left before Yu-jin woke up and returned only after Angela had fallen asleep. With both of them making an effort, they never crossed paths. And then, finally, three days later—the day arrived.

***

From early morning, luxurious sedans began pulling up to the mansion, one after another, each with a slight delay between arrivals. Members of the Campbell family were gathering to hear the reading of the will.

Just as expected.

Three days wasn’t a long time. Compared to the full week he had braced himself for, this was actually fast. No doubt, Winston had pressured the lawyer to speed things up.

Now, he could finally leave this place.

The reading of the will wouldn’t take more than an hour. There would be additional formalities afterward, but those, too, would be handled swiftly. The lawyer would ensure that everything moved quickly—after all, they all wanted to get rid of Yu-jin as soon as possible.

At most, another day.

Peering through the small window of his cramped room, Yu-jin watched as one car after another circled the grand fountain in the garden. He swallowed dryly as he took in the sight of the people stepping out of their vehicles.

“Daddy.”

Angela, noticing his tension, gently took his hand. Yu-jin turned away from the window and smiled at her. Just thinking about his daughter made all his fears disappear and filled him with courage. This time was no different. He gave her small hand a reassuring squeeze just as a knock sounded at the door.

He turned toward it, and after a brief pause, a woman’s voice called out.

“Mr. Seol Yu-jin, are you ready? I’ll escort you to the study.”

Finally.

Taking a deep breath, Yu-jin knelt down and pulled Angela into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“I’ll be back soon, Angie.”

“Okay. You got this, Daddy.”

His heart swelled at her encouragement as he stepped out of the room. The moment he exited and shut the door behind him, however, his expression hardened. The maid waiting outside remained emotionless, simply turning on her heel and leading the way. Yu-jin exhaled sharply, straightened his back, and locked his gaze on the path ahead.

Alright. Let’s go. To the battlefield.

Yu-jin took long strides, crossing the hallway with quick steps. He was heading straight into a den of beasts waiting to tear into him, fully prepared to bare his throat to them.

The minute hand ticked forward once more. Winston glanced at his wristwatch before picking up the wine glass he had left on the side table and bringing it to his lips. Meanwhile, the rest of the Campbell family, who had been waiting in the study before him, sat stiffly, casting uneasy glances at one another.

Madam Campbell maintained her usual poised posture, her back straight and eyes lowered, but inwardly, she was just as anxious as her other children. There was only one thought on their minds.

What had Harold left for Yu-jin?

Money? Securities? Or perhaps just some meaningless keepsake? Whatever it was, today would be the end of it. As long as everything concluded without any unsavory incidents, that was all that mattered. Repressing her nervousness, Madam Campbell turned to her most beloved son and offered him a warm smile.

“I was thinking of hosting a party once this is all over. What do you think?”

As if her words were a signal, Gordon immediately spoke up.

“Yes, it would be a good opportunity to shift the atmosphere around the house and officially announce that you’ll be taking over the family.”

Despite being the eldest son, there was no trace of hostility or resentment in his tone. Not that he lacked ambition, but he had given up a long time ago. Neither their father nor their mother had ever given the other siblings a real opportunity, and even expressing desire had never been allowed.

So, instead of vying for the inheritance, they had long since focused on securing whatever scraps they could. In a way, it was the smartest choice. That was why every single one of Harold’s children—except Winston—was willing to do whatever it took to gain their parents’ favor.

Winston, on the other hand, had been different from the start. Even as a child, he possessed a strong sense of self and never backed down from what he believed was right. If it had been nothing more than childish stubbornness, his parents would have excluded him from their plans without hesitation.

But Winston had always been sharp. His intelligence had played a role in their decision to choose him, and because of that, he had never needed to suppress his own will just to please them. He had consistently met their expectations, and there had only ever been one instance when he disappointed them. That brief deviation had been swiftly corrected, proving that their choice had not been a mistake.

Yet, even with Harold dead and the will about to be revealed, the fact that the eldest son was so openly siding with their mother suggested there was another reason behind it.

Still, Winston didn’t bother dwelling on it. Now, just as before, his interests lay elsewhere.