FI - 8

In the end, Sa-ya fell ill. Ki Shin-je’s “just one more time” wasn’t just one time. Sa-ya collapsed as if she had fainted from the endless “one more time.” Ki Shin-je stayed by the side of the moaning Sa-ya, who was suffering from a fever and covered in cold sweat. Unlike Sa-ya, who had become even more purely beautiful with her pale, gaunt face, his face was radiant and glowing.

Sa-ya stirred and slowly opened her eyes. A groan of pain escaped her lips, as if her entire body had been beaten. Having experienced violence before, Sa-ya thought this was even more painful, and she shot Ki Shin-je a resentful glare as he brushed the hair from her forehead.

“You look scary, open your eyes properly.”

The man who had obsessively explored her from below and was frantic to bury his cock deeper into her membranes smiled alluringly. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain and sadness. It was strange. Sa-ya wasn’t the type to cry easily. Sa-ya didn’t know it was because she had lived in an environment where crying was useless and there was no one to comfort her, not because it was her original personality.

“...You said that was the last time.”

Tears welled up in her resentful eyes. Ki Shin-je gently stroked Sa-ya’s eyes, which had quickly turned red. Her thin and skinny body had endured quite well. Even while crying her eyes out, she hadn’t pushed Ki Shin-je away and had accepted everything.

“Then why did you accept everything? You’ll get spoiled.”

He blamed Sa-ya instead, staring at her eyelashes which had started to clump together with moisture.

“I didn’t know you would be so rough.”

Perhaps because there was someone who would accept her, tears kept flowing. Ki Shin-je wiped away the flowing tears.

“You were so rough-ly beautiful.”

Sa-ya’s heart swelled with emotion because of this man, who said everything about her was so beautiful. Would this man know that was why she wanted to accept everything? Sa-ya only moved her eyes to look up at Ki Shin-je. She now knew well how lewd and decadent that beautiful face became when they were in bed.

“I said it hurt...”

Sa-ya was pouting. She was pouting for the first time in her life, and she was pouting to a man who looked like he wouldn’t even acknowledge such a pout. Ki Shin-je poked her white, soft cheek with his fingertip, wondering if he should put it in his mouth and chew on it.

“So I held back a lot.”

“...”

At the words “held back a lot,” Sa-ya’s pupils shook like an earthquake and widened in shock. The large hand that had been touching Sa-ya’s forehead withdrew.

“Your fever is down, so you should eat something. I’m worried you’ll break from all the banging.”

Ki Shin-je took off the blanket that was wrapped around Sa-ya’s body. Sa-ya, whose body wasn’t listening to her, couldn’t do much, only wiggling her hands and feet.

“I don’t even have the strength to hold a spoon. Can I just not eat?”

Her red lips were puckered, and her chattering made her look quite haughty. She didn’t know how swollen her lips were, or how many marks were on her neck visible above her pajamas. Of course, the parts hidden by her pajamas were much worse.

“Are you asking me to feed you?”

Sa-ya sniffed her forearm to see if she smelled bad from the cold sweat and then shook her head violently.

“No!”

“You smell nice, so what are you sniffing for? How do you get that baby-like smell?”

Ki Shin-je lifted Sa-ya up. Sa-ya was so easily lifted that she instinctively hugged Ki Shin-je.

“Why do you keep saying I’m like a baby...”

“Because there’s no hair on your vulva, ugh.”

Sa-ya’s face turned beet red, and she covered Ki Shin-je’s mouth with her palm. His long, cool, and sharp eyes curved as if he were smiling. Sa-ya’s legs dangled as Ki Shin-je took quick, wide strides.

“...Is it, really strange to have none?”

Sa-ya asked dejectedly without even taking her hand off his mouth. Her scarlet face looked like it was about to explode.

Sa-ya, who had lived a life far from normal, had never been concerned about the lack of hair on her body, including her armpits. She didn’t have the luxury to care about her appearance, body, or inner self.

Ki Shin-je placed Sa-ya on a dining chair and sat on the edge of the table. As she sat in the chair, her back and body hurt, and Sa-ya winced.

“Should I teach you?”

“Huh?”

“Not that it’s strange, but how beautiful it is, and how much it drives people crazy.”

Ki Shin-je’s gaze was so intense that Sa-ya just kept her mouth shut. She knew that opening her mouth would not be to her advantage. Ki Shin-je looked at Sa-ya’s expression, chuckled, and flicked her forehead with his finger. “Ouch,” Sa-ya said, pressing her forehead with her palm, and Ki Shin-je said, “You’re so dramatic,” and pinched her soft, chewy cheeks. Strangely, the pain seemed to bring a sense of comfort.

________________________________________

The assistant tilted his head mid-report. Representative Choi Beom’s eyes seemed to be wandering blankly.

“Representative?”

“Huh? What?”

Choi Beom looked at the clock, pressing his eyes with his palms as if he were tired.

“Come back in ten minutes.”

“Are you not feeling well, Representative?”

The assistant checked Choi Beom’s tired complexion. With a worried face, Choi Beom waved his hand.

“I just didn’t get enough sleep. I’m fine. You can go.”

“Yes, I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Once the assistant left, Choi Beom turned his chair and looked out the window behind him. For some reason, he couldn’t let go of the news he’d heard from Professor Kim and had people look into it. He was frustrated because he didn’t know the reason for his own actions, but what he heard from the person he hired was even more frustrating.

“It’s true she died of a drug overdose. But that bar is a bit strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even when I tried to dig into it, the people who would know have either disappeared or kept their mouths shut.”

He had a strange feeling. A bad feeling. Choi Beom was torn between continuing to dig into it and ignoring it and stopping. He was embarrassed by his own inability to make a decision.

“The daughter, she has a daughter, you said?”

“It seems like she does, but that’s also peculiar.”

Nothing was clear. How could he ignore it if he didn’t know anything? Choi Beom made a decision.

________________________________________

The construction site on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do was quite large. However, the structure, which only had a frame, floor, and ceiling and could hardly be called a building, was a workshop disguised as a construction site. These large, disguised workshops were located all over the country. Five men were kneeling on the dusty cement floor. They had already been beaten, covered in dust and blood, their hands tied behind their backs, and were sitting in a line with even spacing.

Park Seokhyun took a big bite of a bun larger than his hand and sat on a portable chair a few steps away with his legs spread.

“Why do people line up to buy this?”

Unlike his eating, his words were indifferent. These bastards were so weak even though he hadn’t hit them much. Ignoring the fact that he had technically beaten them so they couldn’t faint, Park Seokhyun pulled out his phone while eating the bun.

As he checked the time, he heard a car. He stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth and got up from the chair.

A moment later, Ki Shin-je appeared with three guards and Lim Woojin, their footsteps even and steady.

“Did you arrive, Director?”

As Park Seokhyun and the other subordinates bowed and greeted him, the kneeling men raised their heads. Ki Shin-je, who was holding a cigarette in his mouth, scanned the men without answering.

“Are these all the bastards?”

“Yes, we sent the madam to the place you mentioned.”

Lim Woojin, who was standing behind Ki Shin-je, flinched and straightened his back. When seen like this, the crazy bastard looked chillingly dangerous. Lim Woojin didn’t know what “the place you mentioned” was, but he was sure it was a hell-like place. Ki Shin-je narrowed his eyes and exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke. It was a somewhat impulsive act for him to personally step in and do the job he had planned to leave to Park Seokhyun. Ever since he picked up the “little lady,” Ki Shin-je’s life was veering off his planned path into an unexpected place.

“You all look to be in good shape.”

The men, who had been caught for no reason and were in this state, simultaneously looked at Ki Shin-je as if he were a madman. That day, the bar was suddenly said to be under new management, and the people working there scattered. Fortunately, the five men remained at the bar, but then the situation took a strange turn.

The bar that was said to be under new management closed, and the five men were locked up.

“You’ve been with Madam Yoon since the beginning?”

The question wasn’t directed at a specific person. But the five men knew it was a question for them. The alpha predator. The man standing in front of them, smoking a cigarette, was so naturally and skillfully commanding, as if he were born to rule. The aura emanating from the man, who was so handsome he looked like a celebrity, was completely different from his appearance, and just making eye contact with him was intimidating.

You can’t survive unless you grovel on your own, the five men concluded, swallowing their metallic-tasting saliva.

“Th-the last two guys joined after Madam Yoon died.”

The first man on the right quickly spoke up.

“Madam Yoon had a daughter, right?”

Ki Shin-je threw the cigarette on the floor and put it out with his shoe. The kneeling men each nodded in their own time. They only knew Sa-ya was Madam Yoon’s daughter but didn’t know who her biological father was.

“Where is she?”

At Ki Shin-je’s question, the men looked at each other. They thought the new owner of the bar had taken her. Since the madam had also disappeared right away, they just assumed that was the case, wondering how much she was sold for and regretting they hadn’t had a chance to get her. They had been making such trivial comments.

“...I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know? You advertised her to your regulars as an ‘event.’ How great could she be?”

Park Seokhyun and Lim Woojin looked at the cunning Ki Shin-je with admiring eyes.

“Hmph, she was pretty, and she hadn’t been touched.”

The man coughed as the blood in his mouth went down his throat and answered.

“It’s a way of playing on men’s psychology. Packaging her so that everyone wants her makes it perfect.”

The youngest-looking man among them said with a malicious grin. His expression left no doubt as to what he was recalling.

“Are you sure she hadn’t been touched? It’s not hard to make something like that up.”

Ki Shin-je replied lightly, taking his hand out of his pocket and extending his right hand. Lim Woojin immediately handed him a black leather glove he was holding. Oh, great Buddha, Lord, Lim Woojin silently prayed to every god he could think of.

“Y-yes. Honestly, we tried, but the madam also bitched about having to sell her at a high price, right?”

“We couldn’t even rape her. We tried to make her suck a cock, but she was stubborn, holding out even while getting beaten.”

They’re all trying to get themselves killed, with flowers in their hair, Park Seokhyun and Lim Woojin thought, shaking their heads inwardly. Park Seokhyun and Lim Woojin were quick-witted and knew for a hundred percent sure that the reason Ki Shin-je was here was related to Sa-ya.

“Hmm, you hit her?”

Ki Shin-je turned his gloved wrist and smiled brightly, but his eyes shone like a finely honed blade.

“She wouldn’t listen. The bitch, heek!”

Ki Shin-je strode forward with his long legs and pressed his shoe firmly on the genitals of the man who was speaking. The man, whose hands were tied behind his back, writhed in agony, twisting his limbs.

“You said she had to suck a cock?”

“Aaaah!”

More force was applied to the shoe, and the man gasped for air, his eyes rolling back as if he were foaming at the mouth. The remaining men looked toward the building’s entrance, though it was impossible to escape. They even felt they wouldn’t mind getting a limb cut off if they could just escape.

“Park Seokhyun.”

“Yes.”

Park Seokhyun stepped forward and stood beside Ki Shin-je. Ki Shin-je held out his hand, and this time, Park Seokhyun took something out of his pocket and placed it between Ki Shin-je’s fingers. It was a razor blade. When you want to torment someone without killing them, there’s nothing better than a razor blade.

“It’s been a while, let’s carve some fish. Starting with these motherfuckers’ cocks.”

“Yes, Director.”

Park Seokhyun cracked his neck, looking at the trembling men. Lim Woojin simply turned his back to block the view. He didn’t want to see the two of them working together. His pride wouldn’t allow Park Seokhyun to see him throwing up again. The terrible screams began.

________________________________________

Sa-ya, who was reading a book, kept looking at the clock. Her eyes sparkled with joy. Suppressing the urge to fidget, Sa-ya turned her attention back to the book. But a few minutes later, she carefully put the book down and hurried to the bathroom. When she opened the door, a rush of warm air hit her. After the book, Sa-ya’s next interest was taking a bath, soaking in the bathtub. Ever since the housemaid told her that a half-bath was good and filled the tub for her, Sa-ya had discovered the joys of bathing. Living a life where she was always rushed and barely had time for a shower was completely different from leisurely soaking in a luxurious bathtub.

So Sa-ya was repeating the cycle of reading, then bathing, then getting out of the bath and reading again. The feeling of taking off her comfortable clothes and putting her feet in the bathtub was indescribably good. A gentle smile naturally appeared on her face. Her white body, where the bruises had all faded, was now covered with dense marks left by Ki Shin-je.

“Is the water a bit hot?”

Sa-ya said to herself as she put her feet in the bathtub. The water, which felt a bit hot, turned out to be just slightly warmer than hot, and she was satisfied as she slowly eased her body in, savoring the good feeling.

“Ah, this is nice.”

The bath bomb, which the housemaid had taught her to use, was in the water, and it smelled wonderful. Sa-ya liked this smell even more because it was the same as the man’s scent. Just smelling it made her heart pound and feel a dull ache.

Soaking in the water with the bath bomb made her skin feel softer. She liked that feeling, so Sa-ya sniffed her own skin and stroked her arms with her hands.

Then she realized with a start that she might have left her phone somewhere and looked at the shelf next to the bathtub. Because she hadn’t been paying attention to her phone while bathing, the housemaid had repeatedly knocked on the bathroom door. She was about to lower her gaze again when the phone blinked and rang. Thinking it might be the man, she quickly looked at it, and a number she didn’t know was displayed. This was the first time this had happened, and as she hesitated, the ringing stopped, and a few seconds later, the same number called again.

“...Hello?”

Seeing the same number call again, she thought it might be the man, and cautiously put the phone on speaker. A woman’s high-pitched voice spoke quickly.

-Sa-ya? It’s me, Kwon Soeun.

Sa-ya’s eyes widened at the unexpected person, and she muttered softly, “Kwon Soeun unnie?”

-Yeah, it’s me, Kwon Soeun unnie. Ah, fuck, how much trouble I had to go through just to get your number. I haven’t gotten a man’s number like this in my whole life, but that crazy bastard didn’t want to give me your number, trying to keep it so secret.

Soeun was so furious that she ranted and raved so fast that it made Sa-ya’s ears ring.

-Sa-ya, are you free tomorrow?

The question about her being free was a bit awkward. She had plenty of time, but she didn’t know if she could do whatever she wanted.

-Sa-ya?

The impatient Soeun called out to Sa-ya again, who was slow to answer. Although they had only met once, she was calling her so naturally and affectionately, as if they had known each other for a long time. The man’s acquaintances are all so strange.

“Um, I am free, but,”

-Then let’s hang out for lunch. It’s my day off.

Soeun cut Sa-ya off and said what she wanted to say cheerfully. Sa-ya wondered what a “day off” was and then spoke again.

“But I have to get permission,”

-Permission? You have to get permission to go out? From Ki Shin-je? Does that bastard not let you go out?

If she wasn’t cut off, she seemed like she would endlessly swear at the man.

“No, unnie, that’s not it.”

“Yeah, she has to get permission from that bastard.”

Gasp! Sa-ya was so startled she turned her head and saw Ki Shin-je walking in. It seemed he had heard the entire conversation. Sa-ya, who kept getting cut off by the two of them, was even more surprised by the hand that touched her wide-open lips, and her face froze.

-Are you with him? Your voice is echoing, Sa-ya, what are you doing?

“Um, bathing,”

-...

Sa-ya inadvertently answered, then stopped and closed her mouth. Ki Shin-je, who was touching Sa-ya’s lips, chuckled. From her face to her toes, Sa-ya’s white skin instantly turned red.

“So hang up.”

Ki Shin-je stared at Sa-ya’s face, which was wrinkling her eyes as if asking him what to do. Her face, which was all flushed from the warm water, looked delicious. He traced her soft cheek with his fingertip and then kissed her with a loud smack.

-Uhm, hey, I mean, are you bathing, ahem, together?

Even though she was flustered, Soeun, who couldn’t stand her curiosity, stammered and asked.

“I plan to. I’ll send her to you tomorrow, so hang up.”

He replied coldly and turned off the speaker. Sa-ya, as if she had completely lost her mind, just blinked her eyes quickly like a doll.

“Stop playing in the water and play with me.”

Ki Shin-je picked Sa-ya up from the water, not caring that his clothes were getting wet.