(A/N: As you can see, my update schedule is as consistent as ever. )
"The Fashion Departments Daniel Park!" The "slave auction" announcer screamed out, and on the walkway, the very nervous teen in question stepped forwards, dressed in a typical Highschool uniform, and a wimpy expression.
Garou stood on the side, chuckling a bit. Daniel would do fine. Even if Garou believed that his childhood friend was a wimpy confidence-less pushover, he was a good, strong-hearted pushover.
Still a pushover though.
But Garou was rooting for him. Next to him, Vasco stood there silently. A ghost of his past self. Apparently, getting no bids in the Auction had completely broken his heart. Poor guy.
As soon as he made his way on stage, the whole audience was roaring with excitement. The girls mostly. Garou knew that a good majority would probably try to spend all of their allowances on Daniel. A sad existence these pitiful shrimps lived.
He wasn't doing anything to help get Daniel out of this. It wasn't like a "testing of heart", or he needs to "grow up".
Garou simply felt that this was entertaining and hilarious.
"$20!"
"$30!"
"You are mine Daniel~"
"Mwah!"
"$50!"
The price went up and up, and a few familiar faces put out bids, most notably, the annoying fangirl Zoe… Park? He was probably right. It was most likely Park. When in doubt, pick Park.
"$300!"
It was apparent that Zoe really wanted to go on a date with Daniel.
"Idiots. They could have just asked him. He's a kind-hearted fool after all." Garou said, laughing wolfishly. Vasco turned, tears still fresh in his eyes. Garou turned and looked at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before staring back intently at the show before them.
The number stayed the same for a while before another voice spoke out over all of them. It was prideful and arrogant, reeking disdain and narcissism.
Before Garou even saw the speaker, he already hated her. A pissed-off expression crossed his face almost instinctively. It really reminded him of a person from his past. That haughtiness….
Turning, he noticed the speaker, a chubby short teen wearing a fancy blue school uniform. She exuded that arrogant vibe, her hair was done back in a way that revealed her prominently pug-like face. Garou didn't really like her. She seemed like a typical spoiled rich kid.
"$1,000!" The girl said, and the crowd became silent, apparently terrified of her. Seemed like she was quite reputable among the rest of the high schoolers.
"There she is! Lala Kim!"
"Slave Auction Queen!"
"So beautiful!"
"Completely loaded….."
The auctioneer whispered something to Daniel, prompting his face to pale. Garou laughed at his friend's apparent misfortune, as the rumors about Lala Kim seemed….. Sort of unsavory.
If worse came to worse, he'd save the poor lad though. And punch that haughty idiot in the face. Reminded him of his young childhood, that one jerk Tacchan…..
Turning, Garou's attention switched to the other side of the crowd. He narrowed his eyes, yawning loudly.
The rest of the crowd was busy as ever, gossipping and gushing over Daniel. But what caught his attention, was two people, walking through the crowd. One of them was someone he had encountered quite a few times.
The convenience store woman. Curvy and beautiful, Crystal Choi's wavy raven hair drifted down, sitting on her breasts. Wearing a tight grey skirt and a caramel-white shirt that showed off her body, she seemed to not be in the mood for any of this.
Garou then turned his attention to a tall man following behind her. His grey eyes immediately widened and his arm twitched. This guy wasn't any small fry. Though he could deal with the guy in seconds, this man was on another level compared to the rest…..
Behind Crystal, the tall man yawned. He was extremely pale, with a muscular build and short black hair cut in a crew cut of sorts. A grim expression painted his face and sunglasses covered the man's eyes, but Garou could tell he was definitely something. The guy wore a pinstriped yellow dress shirt with a pair of black suspenders.
"Hmm… That guy looks familiar. Could he be? Looks the part… Someone that the Yakuza fear. White Ghost?" Garou muttered incoherently, though a wide wolf-like smile painted his face. "Maybe this guy will be a little entertaining."
"$2,000!" Crystal yelled with great clarity, her melodious voice charming the surrounding listeners. Despite the fact, she was "buying" someone.
"$2,000."
Immediately, the crowd was in an uproar.
Lala Kim was obviously off-key at this, as she raised her pudgy arm into the air.
"$2,500!"
It had definitely hurt her pride, Garou surmised.
"$5,000." Crystal spoke again nonchalantly, her eyes completely disinterested in the whole thing.
And of course, everyone started screaming. Garou sighed. Seoul kids were really overdramatic…. The auction host did not help the hype either, as he seemed to be screaming in shock and rambling.
This continued on for a bit, with Lala arguing with the host before that one word was heard.
"Sold!"
Of course, the noise in the surrounding area rose a decibel, and Garou's ears started to bleed.
He watched, scratching his chin a little as Daniel walked away with them.
"I have a bad feeling about this…." Garou said, throwing a juice box into the nearby trash can. He cracked his knuckles, lurching through the crowd, his back slouched.
A Minute Later….
The parking lot was full of cars of various colors and sizes, but Garou wasn't here for that. Walking across the black pavement, he stood behind a car, barely out of sight as Daniel confronted the two people.
"Ah… Umm..." Daniel scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. "Uh…. Thank you…."
The girl pursed her lips, looking at Daniel in disgust. She crossed her arms in disdain, speaking:
"What is wrong with her? Thinking you are hot…?" It was different from how she had treated the fat, Daniel. As Crystal broke all of Daniel's dreams, she said something that completely triggered him. "Don't look down on others just because you're handsome…."
Whipping around, she walked back towards her car.