Vol 1 Chapter 5

A headache hit me hard at the back of my head. I let out a groan of pain as it felt like my head was going to be split in two. Then, unable to overcome the nausea rising inside me, I raised my upper body and started vomiting. Ugh..

After spitting up all my stomach juices, I grabbed the mattress and caught my breath. Through my blurry vision, I saw a dark-colored rug mangled with vomit. The rug, which looked luxurious at first glance, was not something I had in my shabby room. Her eyes narrowed. Where am I?

“Are you done?”

A low-pitched voice reached my ears, startling me and making me raise my upper body.

A tall, menacing figure was buried deep in a leather sofa. The identity of the large man that is not commonly seen was CEO Jang. Even a dark colored shirt and a tight suit vest worn over it could not hide his menacing body. He was watching me with a cigarette between his lips. Only then did I realize that the place where I had just opened my eyes was CEO Jang’s room.

I jumped up from my seat and stood next to the bed with my hands folded in front of him as if apologizing. There was some soggy vomit on my feet, but that wasn’t a problem right now.

“… How should I feel about this?”

There was a sound of something being rolled around from CEO Jang. He was slowly turning the cogwheel of a Zippo lighter with the tip of his thumb.

“Seo Suwon collapsed and the place was left in disarray, and thanks to that, I had to move you here.”

“S-sorry. Because I drank too much.”

“It’s okay. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

CEO Jang lit the end of a cigarette with the lighter he was holding in his right hand. He s**ked in the filter with one eyebrow furrowed. Huu, his face was momentarily erased by white smoke and then reappeared.

“Do you smoke?”

“… I haven’t learned it yet.”

Although it was said that if you taught me, I would kneel down and accept it, CEO Jang only smoked hard and did not offer it to me. There were already countless b**ts in the crystal ashtray in front of him, his back bent and his head buried in the w** tissue paper.

Was he watching me the whole time he smoked all of that? I kept my eyes fixed on him and did not let go of my tension. The inside of my mouth kept getting dry, and my fingertips were shaking. Another cigarette, which the man had just smoked, was added to the crystal ashtray. Chiik, the red light was crushed by his merciless touch. CEO Jang, who was enjoying a cigarette, suddenly asked a question.

“Your fingerprints are all ruined.”

“… Fingerprints.”

His throat closed. If someone asks me about my fingerprints, I will definitely answer like this. I have practiced the same line thousands of times. As the situation approached, my heart started pounding. I swallowed the spit down my throat and tried to remain as calm as possible.

“I worked as a delivery person for a long time before coming here.”

CEO Jang made a noise and tilted his gaze. I couldn’t hide my nervousness at his ambiguous attitude.

“Distorted fingerprints are common among people who work in delivery services.”

It was only after I spoke that I realized that I had been a little hasty. I regret my mistakes and secretly blame myself. CEO Jang slowly reached out his hand to the table and picked up something. It was my cheap wallet, with too much gloss and crooked stitching. My eyebrows furrowed imperceptibly. Why is that thing in my back pocket being held in that man’s hand?

“… … .”

“… … .”

CEO Jang fiddled around with my wallet as if m**esting me. Then he suddenly took out my ID card and started slowly scanning it back and forth. My fingers holding on to my cotton pants slowly curled inward with anxiety. Wrinkles were left on the pants as if a rake had scratched them. After what felt like an eternity, CEO Jang suddenly twisted one corner of his mouth and smiled.

“Do you really think the boss was fooled by this flimsy ID?”

“… What are you talking about now?”

Even though I was trembling at the end of my words, I was about to tell him that I didn’t know what he was saying. CEO Jang cut me off mercilessly.

“It’s not just an ID card.”

“… … .”

“Your name, resident registration number, home address, and even the school you attended. There was no truth to anything written on the resume.”

The temperature surrounding CEO Jang and me rapidly became cold. An eerie energy crossed my heart. How did you notice it, since when did you notice it, and how much do you know? CEO Jang raised his upper body and intertwined his fingers. It was a very relaxed gesture.

“President Choi probably thought it would be useful somewhere and turned a blind eye to it. Isn’t he truly a cunning man? Right?”

CEO Jang laughed heartily as he asked back. His sharp jawbone twitched. I couldn’t smile at him. The gaze that had been staring somewhere over his shoulder gradually fell downward.

I looked at my toes. I could see my feet, which had pale skin and prominent bones, as if they belonged to someone who had never seen sunlight. The tips of my toes were covered in a slimy orange mess. It seemed like a cross-sectional view of my current situation as I was mired in the mud.

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well, then how about this?”

CEO Jang intentionally took a break from the tempo to create tension. He was a man skilled in dealing with others.

“What I’ll do now is to contact a detective I know and ask him to investigate you closely because you stole my wallet.”

It became dark before his eyes. He was struck by the feeling that the circular rug he was stepping on with his two feet would disappear beneath the ground. The man still asked the reason.

“Why.”

“… … .”

“Do you think you’re screwed?”

I had to say no. Once I get out of this situation by giving any reason, I have to run away from the man without looking back. However, the only door to this room was blocked by CEO Jang, who was guarding the front like a gatekeeper. I imagined breaking the window and jumping out of this room. The place where CEO Jang is staying is on the 11th floor. It was obvious that my head would crack and I would die.

“Relax. I have no intention of handing you over to the cops.”

I wasn’t naive enough to believe what he said. The man had no reason not to report me. Rather, he would  report me to get at least some entertainment. Although it will also be very fleeting. He said, putting his second cigarette in his mouth,

“If only you would accept my offer.”

… offer? After giving him a puzzled look, the man continued.

“The content is simple. If you appease my boredom, of course you will find a way to escape.”

CEO Jang lit a cigarette and exhaled leisurely. The smoke he exhaled covered his body and filled the room without any empty space.

“I will give you enough money to play and eat for the rest of your life.”

In addition to a lot of money, he will even make a way for me to escape. He often said things that were so unrealistic that they sounded like dreams. It certainly seemed like CEO Jang had the power to do that. I don’t know who he is, or even a single letter of his name, but I do know that he’s a b**t**d who owns a high value company, and the head of a successful apparel company has even tried to win his favor.

If I had been someone like them who had something that CEO Jang could be tempted by, I might have accepted his offer without hesitation. Since I’m like a rat that’s cornered anyway, I have to hold on to it like a rotten rope.

“I have nothing.”

“You have a mouth, right?”

“… … .”

“There’s even a hole through which excretion occurs periodically.”

Hole for excretion. I narrowed my eyes and examined his intentions. The words he spoke out were words that could easily be heard as sexual. When I was working a short-term part-time job at a bar, I heard a rumor that same-s*x people form relationships that way. When he showed signs of hesitation, CEO Jang expressed it more directly.

“I will pay the ransom, so I am asking you to give your body to me accordingly.”

CEO Jang made his meaning clearer, but I was even more unconvinced. Am I misunderstanding what he said about giving up my organs? It might be more persuasive that way. The man asked, smiling curiously.

“Am I suspicious?”

I was silent. CEO Jang took this as an affirmation and continued speaking at length as if he understood.

“I understand. It may not be easy to understand. It’s incredible that someone with as much wealth as me would go through that much trouble just to find a sexual partner.”

CEO Jang accurately pointed out the questions I had because of the contradictions in his proposal. He explained in a barely pitched tone.

“Illegal things are often done here. But no one knows how to repent for what they are doing.”

Repentance. CEO Jang looked very sad at the subject of saying words that did not suit him at all.

“For them, the legal net is as loose as a worn-out b**t, the law is as lenient as Mother Teresa, and lawyers are no better than obedient dogs. Because they are the so-called haves. And I am one of those people.”

“… … .”

“All kinds of illegal things that can be done in this decadent place have been committed. There are so many times that I can’t feel any stimulation even if I do anything more than this.”

The boring, repetitive sound of rain flowed through the paused words.

“It’s safe to say that there are almost no stimulants for me right now. It’s a truly unhappy life, isn’t it?”

So, that’s what CEO Jang said. Life is boring, so he told me to become his toy, such an absurd statement. CEO Jang was placing an excessively large bet on a game where he did not know the moves. Not only was I not sure if I was worth it, but I wasn’t even sure if s*x with me would satisfy him.

In reality, not only did I not have the talent to please others, but I also had no experience in physical relationships with men or women. What on earth can he get from me, who is no different from wood and stone?

“… It seems like the CEO is making an overly underperforming business.”

“No, this is a contract where both parties gain something.”

“You look confused,” CEO Jang muttered as he lazily touched his pants with his hand, which had bright blue veins. The outline of his e**ction was clearly visible above the tightly pulled suit pants. At first glance, it was quite large and thick. I swallowed my saliva automatically, gulping at something that reminded me of a forearm. I was appalled.

“Fuckin’ with me will be cruel, merciless, and perverted. The action will not end until the moment I shout stop.”

CEO Jang did not stop rubbing his d**k even while he continued speaking. A very dense silence filled the room. Tap, tap. Only the raindrops hitting the window filled the auditory void. Meanwhile, the d**k was gradually increasing in size. He’s an adult touching his d**k in front of others. It seemed ridiculous, but since the person doing it was none other than CEO Jang, it just looked threatening. The intimidating atmosphere emanating from his entire body and the body that looked as hard as cast iron gave an intimidating feeling.

“If you accept my offer, I will give you five million won for every time we have s*x. The deadline is until winter when I leave here.”

If it was 5 million won per night, it would be 20 million won just four times. As I was having trouble finding a sense of reality due to the excessively high amount, the man’s cool eyes glanced at the nightstand next to the bed. Because he was excited, he lowered his voice even further and scolded in a sinister-sounding voice.

“That’s the tip I promised you. I’ll give you three days, so during that time you can run away with that money.”

CEO Jang stopped rubbing his pants, grabbed his jacket from the sofa, and got up. He cleverly covered his pants with a jacket draped over his arm.

“You will sleep in my bed today.”

“… … .”

“I’ll be staying in the room at the end, so whenever I feel like it, I can knock on the door.”

“… yes.”

“Okay then.”

CEO Jang left the room without hesitation. Tap, tap. The sound of his shoe heels echoed through the quiet hallway. Soon the sound of a door opening a short distance away and then closing was heard. Only then did I quickly exhale the breath I had been holding. My chest puffed up loudly, then slowly went down. When I was in the same space as that man, I held my breath without realizing it. CEO Jang strangled me by overpowering me.

I took a breath, looked down, and caught the resident registration card lying on the table. Parts of my face were charred. It was a scar from CEO Jang’s cigarette burn. I slowly reached out my hand and picked up my resident registration card. As CEO Jang said, nothing about the name, resident registration number, home address, or even the date of issuance was true. I tried pushing the burnt part with the tip of my thumb nail. I tried to revive it, but to no avail. It had already been burned into a reed. I didn’t know that once a burn like this would go away, it would be easy. Just like me now.

I put my resident registration card back on the table, and instead took a bundle of money and held it in my arms.

I wanted to run away from here with all this money. On the day when he suddenly changes his mind and reports it to the police… .

“… ah.”

Holding a bundle of money in my arms, I crawled under the bed, which looked cozy. Then I hid the bundle of money in a very deep place under the bed. Then, as if to protect it, I sat down next to the bed. The darkness covered me like a blanket and I huddled even closer.

A thunder sound that shook the ground tingled my temples. My head hurt like it was going to explode. I slowly closed my eyes, succumbing to the headache that was gripping my head painfully. The dawn, filled with confusion and fear, was covered by an incoming sleep.

Knock knock. I woke up suddenly to the sound outside the door. I jumped up from my seat like a spring and swept the bills onto the bed sheets. The employee outside the door asked if he could come in again.

“Can I come in?”

“… wait, just wait a moment.”

I left the room holding the sheet containing the money like a bundle. The employee who had come after being called by CEO Jang pretended not to see me and entered the room. The task was to proceed as written in the manual. If you encounter a VIP customer in the morning, pretend not to notice them. The employee lifted the rug, which clearly had marks from where I had vomited. After looking at the employee’s back for a moment, I ran away and walked down the hallway.

“… Stop, stop!”

I think I’m going to die! A woman’s high-pitched scream was heard in the hallway. I stopped for a moment and stared at Penthouse Room 1104 with dark eyes. The screaming that had been going on since dawn didn’t seem to stop until daylight. It didn’t even seem like it was just one or two voices. What on earth is going on inside that is making such a noise? Suddenly, an image of CEO Jang putting leashes around people’s necks and dragging them around like his own pet dog flashed through my mind. I swallowed my saliva. Judging from the atmosphere he gave off, he was still a great man.

I turned around and continued on my way. The speed of rolling on the ground gradually accelerated. I waited for the elevator, which was on the first floor, and lingered in front of it. I couldn’t watch the slow climb any longer and ran down the stairs. The spiral staircase felt like I was being s**ked into a whirlpool. So I left the hotel as if I was running away.