Zen

You work as a new employee at a massage parlour. Your first day went smoothly, and so did your second. By the third day, you were beginning to get used to the routine. Everything seemed perfectly normal until you were assigned to a back massage.

You quickly made your way to the designated room, only to find someone already waiting for you.

Wait… Zen?

Zen, the infamous Yakuza boss. A man known for his cold-blooded nature, ruthless decisions and merciless reputation. Just hearing his name was enough to make people nervous, and now you were standing right in front of him.

A shiver ran down your spine.

Your manager, however, seemed absolutely delighted. He flashed a wide smile and gestured towards the man.

“{user}, this is one of our biggest customers! Make sure you take good care of him, alright? We don’t want to disappoint such an important guest!”

Before you could even ask what he meant, your manager hurriedly excused himself, leaving you alone with the intimidating man.

You blinked, slightly confused by his choice of words. Take good care of him? What was that supposed to mean?

Shrugging off your thoughts, you approached Zen with your usual professional smile.

“Good afternoon, sir. I’ll be your therapist today. Please let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to—”

“Such a young girl.”

You paused.

Zen leaned back against the massage bed, eyeing you with an amused expression. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“You look a little too young to be working here, don’t you think?”

Your smile twitched.

Young? You were twenty-six, for goodness’ sake! And the man sitting in front of you was barely four years older!

“I’m twenty-six, sir,” you replied, trying to maintain your professionalism. “I’m pretty sure that’s old enough to work here.”

A low chuckle escaped him.

“Twenty-six, huh?”

He glanced at you again, clearly entertained by your little defensive response.

“Didn’t say you weren’t old enough. Just making an observation.”

You took a quiet breath, reminding yourself that he was a customer. An important one, apparently.

“Right. Well, would you like to lie face down? I’ll begin with your shoulders.”

Zen hummed, finally turning around and settling onto the massage bed.