Vol 1 Chapter 12

Each day passed as easily as counting numbers with fingers. Before I knew it, the end of the month was right in front of me.

I staggered out of the bed where I had been lying. Like a newborn deer, I couldn’t quite find my balance and my knees shook. S**en dribbled down my n**ed thighs.

Groaning like a zombie, I stumbled to the window and flung it open. It was to let out the stifling heat and the sour smell filling the room.

I slumped weakly by the window. The chaos on the bed, and even more so, the mess that had become of my body, all were traces left behind by CEO Jang in the early hours. Falling asleep in complacency for days on end had been a mistake. It was a trap in the form of sleep that had engulfed me like a blanket.

Someone had whispered in my ear.

“…Spread your legs.”

At first, I thought it was just a nightmare. Despite thinking it was a delusion, I involuntarily spread my legs as if drawn by something. The ghostly figure behind me, without hesitation, entered me.

“Ugh!”

The pain of being stretched made my eyes snap open. There was someone lurking in the dark, mounted on me like a beast, breathing down my neck.

“Ah…ah..it hurts, it hurts, CEO.”

“…You dare to m**n in pain after only two rounds? Should I put more in to satisfy you?”

CEO Jang said, rolling up his T-shirt from the bottom and grabbing my chest. Despite being unresponsive, CEO Jang gnawed at my flesh and chewed it with an insatiable appetite.

Sitting listlessly by the window, I recalled the terrible dawn and glanced at the safe. The cash was there. I had counted the bills and put them inside the safe, the only one knowing the password.

Then I headed to the shower. The T-shirt that had been fine until last night was now so loose that my collarbones were visible. It was because CEO Jang had stretched it out mercilessly while tearing at my neck.

Crossing my arms, I took off the T-shirt. The bruises left by the man covered my entire body. The chilling air clinging to my skin reminded me of his persistent marks. My body trembled in the cold air sticking to my skin.

Turning on the water, I grabbed the cold wall with one hand. Closing my eyes tightly, I steadied my mind. Then I inserted my fingers into the hole.

“Ugh!”

The pain was excruciating, and at the same time, s**en spilled out with a splatter onto the tiles. My spine tingled with relief. I wiped myself clean and returned to the room. The room came into view at once. A sigh escaped my lips at the thought of cleaning up.

“…Ah.”

I first approached the bed and wiped away the dried traces on the floor. Cleaning was a basic service that any guest could receive. But no staff came to clean my room. They only delivered food at the doorstep.

I gathered up the used tissues and threw them all into the trash bin. Looking at the pile of tissues with resignation mixed with disgust, I wondered if I should consider myself lucky that no one else had to see this.

Next, I approached the bed and removed the sheets. Dried s**en stained the white sheets in various places. It felt like CEO Jang’s scent lingered on the sheets. Faint traces of cigarette mixed with the aftermath, subtle but lingering.

“…,”

I stripped the sheets off the mattress and threw them out of the window along with the blanket. The white sheets fell to the ground with a thud. I looked down at them with indifferent eyes. Suddenly, a sense of unease arose.

CEO Jang had said that the man he threw out of the window had been taken to the hospital. He hadn’t suffered any major injuries, just broken arms and legs. I wondered why he hadn’t mentioned what happened next. I heard it was because CEO Jang compensated generously enough not to be upset.

“Son of a b**ch….”

Exhaling heavily, I flipped the hoodie over my head, stuffing a certain amount of bills into the wallet inside the safe again. The clothes I was wearing now were a bit thick, but I had no choice but to cover the marks remaining around my ears. There were marks on both sides of my ears as if sewn with a sewing machine. Hiding the wallet inside the hooded zipper, I stepped out of the hotel and headed to the convenience store.

***

As I pushed the door with my shoulder, a series of cheerful sounds echoed from the top of the convenience store door.

“Welcome.”

I immediately headed to the ATM machine tucked away in one corner.

“Please insert bills into the cash deposit slot.”

Since there was a limit to the amount I could send in a day, I had to split it over two days. I took out the money I had brought for the day from my wallet and inserted it into the deposit slot.

In the field for the sender’s name, I entered ‘Seo Suwon’. Then, I laboriously input the resident registration number I remembered. Soon, a message appeared on the screen indicating that the transfer was complete.

I circled around the shelves, scanning the food items with meaningless glances. I had decided to buy something to fill my stomach while I was out. Honestly, I hadn’t felt like eating lately but I continued to eat meals without skipping, all because of the words CEO Jang had thrown at me.

“When your hips and waist get thinner, you’ll have to eat through your back hole.”

Unfortunate or fortunate, it was now ingrained in my mind. Of course, his preferences could change at any time, so some form of personal maintenance was necessary to satisfy him, even a little bit.

In the end, I picked up a piece of bread and a pack of milk. Now, I headed towards the counter to pay. People were standing in line, waiting to pay at the counter.

A woman standing at the front of the line fixed her gaze on me. She looked familiar yet unfamiliar. It was Lee Hyewon, who had introduced herself as a trainee.

“Uh, where is it?”

Lee Hyewon, who had been rummaging through her bag and pockets like a sausage, continued to search. Judging by her behavior, she either forgot where she put her wallet or couldn’t find it.

Annoyance flickered across the faces of the people. Their gaze briefly touched the counter. There was only one cup ramen on top. And that was the smallest size.

“Please pay together.”

The woman turned around abruptly at my quiet voice. I avoided her gaze and placed the bread and milk on the counter. The part-timer scanned the items one by one and told me the amount. After handing over a ten thousand won bill, I received the change. I grabbed only what was mine from the counter and hurriedly left the convenience store.

Lee Hyewon, who had been lagging behind, quickly followed beside me. Then she whispered softly to me.

“Thank you.”

Lee Hyewon seemed to mistakenly think that I had done her a favor. I just didn’t like waiting. There was an awkward silence between us as we headed back to the accommodation.

“Are you staying in Building B?”

“……”

All the male staff at the golf course stayed in Building B. Lee Hyewon must have known that fact, so unless she was throwing me a question to annoy me, the only reason for this awkward silence was that she didn’t like the awkward silence and blurted out anything.

I couldn’t answer Lee Hyewon. If I answered, “I’m staying at the hotel,” she would surely ask, “Why?” So I had no choice but to walk all the way to Building B. Lee Hyewon smiled softly as we reached the corner where Buildings A and B were divided.

“Goodbye.”

I stared at Lee Hyewon’s back with a blank expression, then hugged my wallet, which had become as shallow as my dignity, to my chest and headed back to the hotel. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks and looked around in confusion. It felt like I had just felt someone’s gaze… The surroundings were empty.

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew. It felt like the wind was blowing in through the marks CEO Jang had gnawed at. Afraid that the hood might come off, I tightly wrapped my head with my hands and briskly walked on. I chalked up the feeling of being watched to my mood.

***

Ring, ring.

While I was out at the convenience store, my phone was ringing in the empty room. Without even taking off my shoes, I hurriedly approached and picked up. There were only a few calls that came to this room suddenly. Most of them were calls from the CEO.

– Room 420. Right now.

“Yes, understood.”

I told him I’d be ready in a minute, and he hung up. Standing there, I took off my shoes and approached the closet to change into the uniform. Because of the man who hated waiting so much, I rushed to prepare in a hurry. Strangely enough, whenever I was outside, he always seemed to call and request service like a ghost.

I took the elevator down to the 4th floor. The elevator stopped and the door opened, revealing a bellboy waiting with a tray. Reflexively, I raised my hand to cover my neck and ears. The bellboy handed me the tray.

“You can take this in.”

“Thank you.”

As the passing staff went by, I felt a slight glance toward my neck. I covered it with my hand, but the marks weren’t something that could be hidden. Although I didn’t show myself to others often, I felt awkward every time. It would be more accurate to say it was embarrassing rather than awkward.

Carrying a tray laden with clinking bottles and food, I knocked on the door of Room 420 as I passed through the hallway.

“Room service.”

From inside, Park Jinkyung’s voice responded, “Yeah, come in.” With a sigh, I exhaled heavily, then opened the door with the keycard. Inside the room, three people were gathered around a table, smoking and playing mahjong. Small tiles were flying back and forth between them. Kim Miran, sitting on the far left, acted as if she knew me as she handed over the discarded tiles.

“Hello.”

“Baby, long time no see.”

Then, Park Jinkyung tsk’d and added,

“Your neck is getting worse by the minute.”

“……”

I lowered my head as if I were a sinner. Then the remaining person brought back the discarded tiles Kim Miran had thrown away and lit a cigarette.

“…ha.”

The man who had committed the sin with me all night was the CEO. After completing his tiles, he exhaled a sigh into the air. The smoke gathered like a cloud, then dispersed like mist. The beastly man spoke lazily with a drowsy face.

“What are you standing there for?”

“…Yes?” I asked, dumbfounded.

The CEO gestured with his eyes to the glass held in his hand.

“Pour the drinks.”

I rolled my tongue in my mouth. …Arrogant b**t**d. Trying to suppress the rising anger, I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. Blood oozed out, and I tasted the metallic tang on my tongue. The man, leaning back comfortably in his chair, lightly shook the glass like a bell.

“Hurry up.”

I picked up the bottle with both hands. Clunk, the pumpkin-colored liquid swayed heavily in the bottle. I twisted off the cap of the whiskey with a sharp sound and poured it into the glass the man was holding. The pumpkin-colored liquid steadily filled his crystal glass.

After pouring the appropriate amount, the man raised the glass and took a sip. As he was about to bring the bottle back to his chest and step back, a cold command came down.

“Sit down.”

At his words, I couldn’t take another step and stood still in my place. Sit down? There were only three chairs in front of the table. It meant there was nowhere to sit.

“I’ll bring a chair.”

“Why bother?”

The CEO swept his arm across one side of the table. Clang, with a sound, the mahjong tiles spilled under the table. The CEO gestured to his cleaned right side. Slowly approaching, I sat down on the table as he commanded. Looking down at him from above, I felt like I was his pet.

The man offered me a drink.

“Would you like a drink?”

“No, thank you.”

Despite some tiles missing, the game continued. It seemed they were more interested in how to kill this free time rather than winning. Park Jinkyung flipped a tile and asked the CEO, “Did CEO Kim from Central Trading come last week?”

“……”

“That gentleman seems to have made some money; there’s a rumor going around that he’s quite generous with his spending.”

In response to the question, the CEO affirmed with silence. He silently lit a cigarette. Suddenly, I felt a touch on the back of my calf and shivered slightly. Sure enough, the culprit was the CEO. His hand, hidden discreetly under the white cloth covering the table, was subtly exploring my calf. His long fingers, like a snake, slid up and down, then surreptitiously moved to touch the hollow behind my knee. The man smiled deeply at me.

“……”

My breath began to quicken. Along with it, a creepy sensation crawled up my spine. The inside of my thigh kept itching. I felt like pulling down my pants to scratch inside. As if sensing my subtle change, the CEO twisted one corner of his mouth in a mocking smile.

I glanced nervously towards the female members. Fortunately, the two women seemed more interested in their own conversation than in us. Since the CEO was the type to dominate even when being observed, I couldn’t let my guard down.

Kim Miran frowned, her heavily tattooed eyebrows wrinkling, and asked, “…That gentleman who’s like a walking wallet?”

“Yeah, that flashy one. Heard he gambles six times a night.”

Kim Miran whistled. Although I couldn’t know how wealthy CEO Kim really was without experiencing it firsthand, compared to CEO Jang, who rolled in filthy rags at night and swung his lower body violently, he was unlikely to be matched.

“Anyway, only CEO Jang finds it amusing, huh?”

The man who had once again become the center of attention paid no heed to the two female customers discussing him. He showed me an empty glass. I refilled his drink and he tilted his head back, downing the liquor in one gulp. With one hand, he continued to stroke my thigh.

It felt incredibly filthy, like becoming the appetizer. His hand traversed my thigh and dug deep into the g**in area. His fingertips toyed with my pants button. It felt like he would undo it and pull down my pants at any moment.

“……”

“……”

A small commotion broke out between me and the man, unbeknownst to the two women. I said, “Please don’t,” and grabbed his wrist. With the tiniest bit of strength. I looked at the man’s face, wondering if this small act of defiance had gotten on his nerves. Fortunately, there was no change in his expression. His face remained as stoic as ever.

Suddenly, Park Jinkyung’s gaze fell on the CEO’s wrist that I was holding. She seemed to have found something amusing as she pursed her lipstick-coated lips.

“CEO Jang, the kids seem upset.”

“Is that so?”

“Why don’t you call them over?”

The CEO remained silent, his response lukewarm as usual. Sensing that it was a bit too much, Park Jinkyung now aimed the arrow at me.

“Sweetie, you’ve been quite a nuisance to CEO Jang lately.”

…A nuisance?

I looked at the CEO with a puzzled expression, but he remained expressionless as usual. What was she talking about, a nuisance? Before I could ask, Park Jinkyung continued.

“To get attention, you need to serve well.”

The CEO, breaking a glass, replied instead.

“Seems like a waste of money to be pouring drinks so generously.”

The man emptied his glass in one go. Then, he stood up, shaking off his chair.

“I’ll be going now.”

As he stood up, I had to follow suit, like the loot laid out in front of him.