Alwin tried to shake off the embrace that restrained him, but everyone was too close. “I just want to go home! Let me go!” he shouted in frustration.
“How could you cause all this trouble? You think we won’t retaliate for what you did?” said the tomboyish girl in a demanding tone.
Alwin sighed heavily, clearly annoyed with the situation. They still held him back, as if making sure he wouldn’t leave just yet.
A guy, the shortest among them, looked up and smiled brightly at Alwin.
“Oh… so this is the hot item everyone’s talking about? No wonder,” he said with wide eyes and an adorable face, his wavy hair tied up and decorated with beads.
“Ah, just mid to me,” muttered the guy with long hair and multiple ear piercings, tightening his grip on Alwin’s arm.
“Yeah, mid! Like a face from a plastic surgery result,” snickered another guy who had a firm hold on Alwin’s shoulder.
“Hey, don’t accuse me of plastic surgery if you’re just jealous of my looks!” Alwin retorted, beginning to struggle.
The tough girl twisted his arm and shoulder, making Alwin groan in pain. Some students passing by only glanced at them, smiling or sneering.
To them, these five attractive people seemed to be bonding. It looked like they were just refreshing their eyes in the middle of the routine at the Academy.
“Ssst… don’t make any unnecessary scenes! Let Arya handle this,” said the guy with glasses, who was still choking Alwin’s neck, trying to stop the commotion.
Oh, so this was Arya’s doing.
Alwin groaned as the three people dragged him along, occasionally tormenting him. They entered the elevator together, and the cute guy in front of Alwin started feeling around his body.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Alwin shouted, trying to break free.
“Don’t be loud. I’m just looking for your wallet. Aha, found it,” said the cute guy with a wide grin. “By the way, I’m Justin. Not ‘Hey Hey Hey’.” His tiny hand reached into Alwin’s front pocket.
“Shit,” Alwin cursed when Justin’s hand brushed against his private area.
Justin smiled mischievously and pulled out a brown leather wallet from Alwin’s pocket. “Hmm, Gucci.”
“Tch, rich kid acting up!” sneered the guy with ear piercings in a cynical tone.
“Hehe, another spoiled rich boy, guys,” teased Justin as he rummaged through Alwin’s wallet.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened on the first floor. The academy building rented out the first floor for offices and some popular food outlets. They exited the elevator and quickly entered an apartment unit.
The door opened with a code and automatically locked once they entered. Alwin was led into a room with a large table and two long sofas.
On one side of the wall was a home theater, and PS sticks were scattered in the corner with a two-door fridge filled with snacks.
“Welcome to the Azari Host Club’s basecamp. I’m Gani,” said the guy with glasses, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed on the glass table without extending his hand.
“This is Fadela, the strongest. And this guy with all the piercings is Bimo,” Justin added, introducing the other two who seemed to hate Alwin the most. Justin then went to the fridge and pulled out a strawberry milk box.
Meanwhile, Fadela and Bimo chose to stand by the bar table, forming a faction that had despised Alwin from the start.
Soon after, Arya entered the room. She had just come out of the bathroom, her body still wet and wearing only a bathrobe. With her hands on her hips, she walked over to Alwin, tilting her head. She looked him up and down with a sharp gaze.
Even though she had just come out of the bathroom, Arya was still stunning, Alwin silently admitted.
“Angel with a devil’s heart,” muttered Arya. “Because of you, I had to clean the bathroom. How dare you push me when I was trying to save you? Bastard!”
“So you want me to say thanks? I didn’t ask for your help. Besides, you’re such a self-righteous hero, so go ahead and support your mission to sacrifice yourself. I owe you nothing,” Alwin retorted sarcastically.
“Asshole! Can I slap him, Ya?” Fadela rolled up her shirt sleeves, ready to act.
Arya signaled for Fadela to stop with her finger. Fadela paused, while Bimo held her arm back.
“Where’s this devil’s ID?” Arya asked.
Justin handed over Alwin’s wallet and ID to Arya. “Weird, he’s the same age as us. Shouldn’t he be two years older?” Justin whispered.
Arya furrowed her brow, realizing they shared the same birth year.
“My accelerated studies. What? Surprised I’m this perfect?” Alwin responded challengingly.
Arya stared at him with a sneer and then did a quick online search about Alwin’s past. She found news about his swimming championship wins and his physics olympiad triumphs.
“So you're handsome, smart and a swimmer. The complete package. Unfortunately… the athletic title is held by Fadela, a national judo athlete just three months ago. The smart guy title is taken by Gani, the winner of the Europe and Asia coding championships this year. Besides, your achievements are outdated. You’ve been in a coma too long! I’ll put your profile in our host club app under the label ‘pretty boy.’”
“How about ‘evil guy’ instead? It seems more fitting,” Justin teased, followed by laughter from everyone in the room.
“Why not ‘handsome boy’?” Alwin asked.
“Because you’re not handsome, you idiot,” Bimo shot back.
“What’s your title? Trash boy?” Alwin asked, challenging him.
“Asshole, pig…” Bimo stood up, ready to fight, but Arya stopped him with just a hand gesture.
“Told you, his mouth is really foul,” Justin said, sipping his milk box.
Alwin watched curiously why everyone in the room seemed to obey Arya. She didn’t look particularly intimidating. Fadela was more menacing with her noticeable muscles, and Bimo had seemed eager to control the situation from the start.
To Alwin’s eyes, Arya was just an ordinary girl despite her strong posture and decent looks. Her face wasn’t particularly stunning, though her jawline was sharp, and her features were pleasant to look at for long periods. There was something in her eyes that intrigued him.
“Bimo’s title is bad boy, and Justin’s is cute boy. There’s no handsome boy title here because everyone in this club has to be good-looking and have a unique characteristic. Got it? After all, this is a happiness service business!” Arya explained.
“So what’s your unique trait?” Alwin cut in.
“The Alpha,” Gani said. “Arya’s an Alpha female, the leader. She has the ability to control people and direct things. The rarest type. You don’t need to feel superior just because you think you control everything. Your glory days are over.”
“Nice,” added Justin, giving a thumbs up.
The two haters smiled victoriously at Gani’s words. “Take that, bitch,” they mocked, high-fiving each other.
Arya looked at Alwin directly, as if taming a wild animal. Alwin remembered how she had done the same thing when she guided him down from the rooftop.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but now he wondered if he’d been influenced at that time.
“Alpha, my ass,” Alwin thought.
“Give me back my ID now! I never said I’d join your club,” Alwin demanded firmly.
Arya held the ID between her fingers, keeping it out of reach as Alwin tried to grab it. “This is mine,” she said, grinning.
“Whatever, I can make a new one.”
“One month. If in one month you feel like this club isn’t right for you, you can leave. I won’t bother you again.”
“No! Not even an hour, I won’t. Do you think I need money that badly to become a rental boyfriend?”
“You think everyone here is struggling for money?” Justin replied. “Except for Bimo and Fadela, I guess,” he added.
“Ish!” Bimo and Fadela raised their fists in the air, ready to punch Justin.
“This isn’t just about money. Yes, it costs money to run, but I can rent this space from the profits of entertaining clients, buy all the things here, and cover other expenses. But this club isn’t just about money. You’ll understand when you join.”
“Still a no. Let go of me. Now.”
Arya signaled to her club members once more. Bimo got up from the bar chair and entered the password to open the door. Alwin walked past, his face proud, filled with victory.
“I’m gonna get you, Win. Just wait!” Arya shouted as Alwin passed through the doorway. “You’re mine!”
*
Read previous chapters:
"Is it really just a game?"
Alwin paused his meal, staring at the beautiful woman sitting across the table. Ranti – his biological mother – looked at him with concern.
Since when did she care whether Alwin had friends or not?
How amusing. The woman in front of him suddenly acted as if she cared for him. She even took the time to have dinner together.
It was so cliché.
Alwin stared at Ranti for so long that his mother became uncomfortable and began to stand up from her seat.
Did Alwin need to remind Ranti of her position in this family? Wasn’t it hypocritical for her to suddenly play the role of a mother?
It was too late for that.
"The academy already told me about the incident earlier today. I’m glad you made a new friend. What’s his name? He’s your first friend in two years, right?"
"Arya. And we’re not friends," Alwin said, pushing his plate aside. "I’ve finished my dinner, and I want to rest."
"Yes, don’t forget to take your medicine," Ranti added, her voice sounding a bit stiff.
Alwin wasn’t surprised that managing his medication schedule was part of her duties.
"Yeah," he answered briefly, then got up and left the dining table without looking back.
*
Alwin turned on the hot and cold taps on the bathtub, watching the water flow rapidly, starting to pool.
How long could he hold his breath underwater?
Five minutes?
Alwin doubted his ability. After two years in a coma, he hadn’t tested his swimming skills again. The muscles that had once been formed during his swimming career had atrophied while he lay unconscious.
Alwin walked toward his bedroom door, locked it, and ensured it would not open easily.
He jumped onto the bed, folded his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. Ah, that feeling of emptiness, so blissful.
If someone were to ask him what he liked most in life, Alwin would answer his two-year coma.
He knew no one would understand what he meant. Everyone believed that consciousness was the happiest thing on earth. His two-year coma experience only invited sympathy and pity.
They didn’t know that emptiness was the most amazing thing. Sleeping without dreaming was the most extraordinary thing.
Alwin missed those moments. The last six months of his recovery had been the worst. A flood of emotions overwhelmed him all at once.
He was exhausted.
He was overwhelmed.
He missed falling asleep without dreaming.
Alwin picked up his bottle of medication and examined its contents. There was a sedative in there. Ah... no wonder he slept so soundly when he took it. He smiled and added a few extra pills, beyond the recommended dose.
After some thought, why not just finish them all?
*
