Page 63 of Sinner
RedHotLover:You won’t? Why not?
Huodou:You can’t honestly believe your friends are a threat to the Demons, can you? What they’re doing is child's play. Eventually, they’ll get caught. If you care about him, I suggest you warn Juri from continuing down this road.
RedHotLover:Juri? Juri is just a friend, like you said.
RedHotLover:You’re the only one I care about. If you’re not worried, I’m not either.
* * *
RedHotLover:I saw you with West.
Huodou:Good morning to you, too, Dew.
RedHotLover:You know what I’m talking about. The two of you were in your office after hours. He was asleep on your couch. You ran your fingers through his hair.
Huodou:He was exhausted after practice. I didn’t break any rules. I’m not sure what you’re so worked up about.
RedHotLover:You’ve never looked at me the way you look at him.
Huodou:This again? You said you understood.
RedHotLover:He hasn’t been going home because Yejun keeps inviting Iris over. He’s been spending all that extra time with you because of that. Is that why you were all right with it? You don’t care that Juri and Iris are plotting against the Demons because it means you can take advantage and be with West more?
Huodou:Plotting is a strong word.
RedHotLover:What would you call it then? She’s tricked Yejun into thinking she cares about him and is drugging him!
Huodou:She’s giving him a strong over-the-counter sedative. His life isn’t at risk. If it wasn’t her and Juri, it’d be someone else. There hasn’t been a Demon in history who didn’t draw the unwanted attention of one person or another. When I was a student, a member of the waif team slipped itching powder into our air vents. It took a week and a deep clean from professionals to get rid of it all.
RedHotLover:I never heard about that. What happened to the student who did it?
Huodou:He was expelled. Last I heard, he’d gotten his degree at a different university and was working in some tech firm.
RedHotLover:That’s all?
Huodou:My friend Fair might have also broken nine of his fingers.
RedHotLover:…Why only nine?
Huodou:He only had nine. He’d lost one as a kid in a riding accident.
RedHotLover:You can’t keep taking advantage and spending all of this time with West.
Huodou:Can’t I?
RedHotLover:Please, Beck. I’ll do whatever you want. Be whatever you want. Just give me a chance.
Huodou:You’ll never be him, Dew.
* * *
Huodou:Did you get my father involved?
Huodou:Answer me.
Huodou:All right. If that’s how you want things to be. I’m coming to your dorm. If you aren’t there, I’ll hunt you down and tear you a new one.
* * *
