Page 5 of Jerk

“This isn’t about our father.” Twirling a black cigarette in my hand,shecomes to my head again. The gallery was only the beginning. That moment wasn’t enough. I told her I own her and I’m a man of my word. “Enough about him. It’s good to see you.” My words break her out of whatever shock she’s in, a smile spreading across her round face as she steps towards me. When she wraps her arms around me, I tower over her, but not by much, her boots helping.

“It’s really good to see you, too, Rye.” Unlike folks in The Hill, she knows how to pronounce my name, but the nickname stuck. “And thanks for finally making me the better offspring.”

That familiar scent of orange and vanilla comes over me. She hasn’t changed it since high school. “They shouldn’t have sent you away.”

She squeezes harder. “I know you tried to stop them.”

“But you know Father.”

“Are you okay?” Krystal releases me before both her hands land on my shoulders. “Do you have money saved up?” She looks around the space again. “Wait, is that why you turned our home into a sex dungeon?”

“Sexkingdom,” I correct. “Don’t cheapen it.”

She laughs. “I missed you.”

“Krystal?” Our mother’s voice comes from a distance. “Krystal!” That voice gets closer. Fast. No sense in running around trying to cover this. She’s likely seen enough. So I light up, lean back, and wait for it.

A flash of white flies by the entrance and reappears. My mother stands in the entryway, designer shopping bags hanging off her fingers. She’s wearing one of her pieces. A cream blazer with these dramatic as fuck shoulder pads draped over a black cashmere dress.

Her dark eyes move to the naked body lying behind me as I puff on the gold tip of my cigarette. She mutters something inKorean before she drops her bags to the floor, rushing over to cover my sister’s eyes.

“Ryung,” she says my name as a warning.

“Mother,” I respond, mocking her tone.

“Mother?” Party Girl sounds even more confused. Looking over my shoulder, she sits up, covering her chest with her hands. “Should I leave?”

“You should’ve left a while ago,” I inform her. “And don’t come tonight. You’re not a fit.”

Silence takes over the room as if she’s waiting for the punchline. But I just take another puff as my mom sighs. And it’s still too long before she leaves the room.

I tilt my chin to my mother. “Thought you were in The Oaks.” My pocket vibrates, and I reach for my phone My abs tighten when I read the notification.

Reminder: The Athena Affair hosted by Hannah Alfonso. 8:00 p.m. Sun House

“I was,” Mother responds. “But your sister insisted we come home early.”

“I didn’t,” Krystal says. “She has an emergency in LA and needs to leave tonight.”

A weight lifts off my chest. I’ll still have the place to myself this weekend. I’ll need it.

“So what?” I ask. “You’re putting your bets on the youngest child since the first two didn’t work out?”

“We should be welcoming your sister back with champagne.” Our mother ignores my remarks, her eyes scanning the room. “Not with a sex dungeon. Ryung, what are you doing? Your father will?—”

“Is she really back this time?” I ask, cutting her off. I no longer care what my father thinks. “For good?”

“She's ready for university. It's a good time for her to reintegrate into The Hill,” Mother says.

I rise off the chaise. “You got her into Bons?”

“Of course, I did,” Mother looks at me like I’m insane. “They won’t say no to me.”

She’s right. It pays to be the nepo-babies of a celebrity fashion mogul.

“They’ll eat her alive,” I laugh between my words. “You can’t just send her away and pull her back like nothing happened. Not here.”

“She’smydaughter,” Mother says. “You made a name for yourself. Not that it matters now that you’re tarnishing your family’s.” I puff harder on my cigarette, that look of disgust on her face again. “You should be ashamed. Instead, you're turning our home into a brothel.”