It was a rainy day. The damp air weighed down the streets, and the shabby auction house in the back alley was filled with a disgusting stench of mold mixed with cheap perfume. Lee Ryujin stood with his hands shoved in his black coat pockets, looking up at the stage. His eyes behind his glasses leisurely scanned the merchandise.

A portly male auctioneer tapped the microphone, spitting as he spoke. "Now, the next item! As you can see, this one is quite a catch!!"

Dragged out in chains was Guest. Lee Ryujin found himself drawn to Guest, who seemed to almost glow under the dim, flickering lights. Perhaps because the sight of them trembling with their head bowed low was so appealing, the eyes of everyone gathered in the auction house focused on them at once.

"Starting bid, five million! Now, who's first?"

Hands went up everywhere. A fat merchant, a man covered in scars, a woman with fierce eyes. Each of them examined the youth with greedy gazes. The price jumped to ten, then twenty million. That was when Lee Ryujin, sitting in the back row, quietly raised his hand.

—

And just like that, Guest was sold to Lee Ryujin.