Sunye woke up the next day to find herself caged in SD's arms. He was still asleep, unusual for him because he always woke up early. She tried to move his arms but her lower body was hurting like hell.

"Ugh!" she softly winced. SD was right when he said that the pain was going to be unbearable. She was so worried about his eyes and their future that she decided to go along with the flow to make love to him. It felt good when they did it but the resulting pain was making her question her life choices.

​​

She gently poked his chest.

"SD…" she called for him. He merely grumbled and held her even more closely. Sunye was now completely hidden in his chest, blushing hard. His intoxicating scent was overwhelming her but she must keep her control.

"SD!" she jabbed him hard.

"Five more minutes!" he mumbled. Sunye tried to wake him up but to no avail. He was sleeping like a rock. She thought hard on how to wake him up. Finally an idea popped into her head. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered something into it.

His eyes instantly flew open and he sat up straight. "I'm up!" he claimed. "When and where are we doing that?"

"Never!" Sunye exclaimed. She grabbed the chance to get off the bed, wrapping the blanket around her naked body. SD's ears fell in disappointment.

"Tch!" he scowled. "And here I was, having so many fantasies…"

"Stop with your perverted thoughts otherwise I'll kick you out of bed!" she snapped.

"I can stop my pervy thoughts but can you stop yours?" he smirked. "I do remember someone crying out in pleasure really hard-"

Sunye threw a notepad at him. How could someone say such dirty things to a girl he just slept with?

"I'll go and freshen up!" she declared, heading straight into the bathroom.

"Want me to join you?" SD asked, snickering hard.

"Don't you dare!"

He merely grinned and leaned back against the headrest. Meanwhile, Sunye was in the bathroom, freshening up. She washed her face and wore her clothes. Her body was full of bite marks, evidence of what they did last night. It was still surreal to her that they had actually consummated their relationship and moreover, she was the one who initiated it.

She smiled to herself, feeling hopeful that maybe this was the beginning of something great. Not good. Good was not enough for either of them. SD always claimed that they would have something of a great story to tell. What it was, he never elaborated.

But for once, Sunye agreed with him. Their relationship was not normal. They were not a conventional couple who wanted to date and get married someday. She was not even sure if that was in their fates at all. All she knew was that they loved the thrill of the unknown. Even a rigid person like her ler herself loose around him just to see where they might end up. This unpredictability made their relationship unique and refreshing.

"He really is rubbing off on me," she sighed but was still smiling. She came out of the bathroom to find that SD was still on the bed, typing something on his tab. He was staring at it with a serious expression.

"What happened?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

SD put the tab away, thinking hard. "Do you…" he began but trailed off.

"What?" she probed.

"How much do you know about the enslavement laws?" he asked.

Sunye blinked. "Enslavement law?" she echoed. "Why?"

"Just tell me," he said. "I need to know something."

"According to Article 207, section 10 and subsection 9," Sunye quoted. "The enslavement of any man, woman or child is forbidden by the power vested upon the state. Any laborer who is found to be unpaid a minimum wage in return for forced or coerced work can file a complaint against the employers under this law, provided that he or she has not been paid for at least six months for their work whether it is manual or tertiary."

"And slave trading?"

"Illegal," she replied. "Under the same law. But why are you asking this?"

"I'll tell you after I return from the trip," he explained. "There's something I need to be sure about before I give you the evidence of what I'm about to find. In the meantime, I need you to train properly. Also, be on alert. I'll text you a task and I need you to complete it before I arrive back in town."

Sunye was a little hesitant about his secret task but she nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight," he said. Sunye was worried upon hearing that. He was going to leave for work that night but she could not help feeling anxious.

"Will you be okay?" she whispered. "I mean...whatever it is you're doing. It can get you into big trouble! And you're not even telling me why you're doing all this!"

She waited for his answer but he only sighed.

"I will tell you everything," he promised. "Only when I'm gonna ask you for your pending payment."

"Pending payment?" she frowned.

"You still owe me two favors," he reminded her. "For smuggling your brother out of the country. Remember? You paid me back only once. The other one is remaining."

"When will you ask me for that favor?" she demanded. "What is it?"

SD leaned in closer, his blue eyes staring right into hers. "Soon," he winked. "But for now, just follow your instincts."

"Normally, people would ask me to trust them," Sunye opined. "But not you. Why?"

"I don't trust myself," SD admitted, getting off the bed. "You see, my motivations change from time to time. Some people claim I work for revenge. Some claim I work for myself. Others think I'm greedy for money and would see the world burn to get my payment."

"So what are you working for?" Sunye asked. SD paused on his way to the bathroom.

"I work for nothing," he revealed. "And I'll someday die for nothing. In the end, that's what humans are really living for, aren't they? Nothing."

Sunye wanted to ask him what he meant but she knew it was of no use. SD would never answer her properly unless he wanted to. It was clear from his words that he would someday tell her the truth of what he was really up to but that time did not arrive yet.

Would it even arrive? She wondered.