51.
It felt like a terrible nightmare. Perhaps because of that, his head hurt as if it would split open. When Haseo regained consciousness after fainting, he was in a moving car. As he raised his body from where he had been lying on the back seat, a blanket slid off him. After staring blankly at it, he shifted his gaze to see Choi Mujin at the steering wheel. And then he recalled the last thing Choi had said.
A male prostitute, he’d called him. It was true that Haseo had been too weak physically to do proper work, but hearing those words made his thoughts freeze. While trying to collect himself, he looked out the window and saw unfamiliar scenery passing by.
Watching as the car left the road and turned onto a mountain path, Haseo bit his lip firmly. He shifted his gaze back to Choi Mujin, but the man was still driving with his lips sealed.
“Choi Mujin-ssi.”
His voice was hoarse from crying so much. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. Choi Mujin didn’t turn around when Haseo called him. But he must have heard his voice.
“Where are we going?”
As the car traveled deeper along a deserted road, the anxiety in Haseo’s heart grew like a balloon. Could he really be planning to kill me? Or is he going to lock me up and sell my body? He’d heard many stories, but everything that came to mind was terrifying. Though the car was warm, his hands felt strangely cold.
“Choi Mujin-ssi.”
Only after calling his name a second time did Choi Mujin respond.
“Go back to sleep.”
The reply was so brief that Haseo couldn’t interpret what it meant. He trembled slightly and lowered his head. Silence filled the car for a while. The vehicle drove deep into the forest and stopped in front of a concrete building. From the outside, it looked like a stylishly designed villa, but even that frightened Haseo.
Choi Mujin got out of the car first. He opened the rear door where Haseo was sitting and said, “Get out.”
Haseo remained silently still. But Choi Mujin didn’t repeat himself. The second time, he grabbed Haseo’s wrist and forcibly pulled him out.
“Ah!”
He gripped so hard that tears welled up from the pain. Still, Choi Mujin acted as if he didn’t care.
“From now on, you’ll stay here.”
“Here?”
Dragged by Choi Mujin to stand in front of the building, Haseo could see several security devices attached to what appeared to be a sturdy door. Sensing what that meant, Haseo tensed his body.
Even though he struggled desperately like a dog trying not to be dragged away, everything seemed easy for Choi Mujin. He simply picked Haseo up and placed him in front of the door.
“It would be best for you to behave.”
“For how long?”
“Until you pay back all your debt.”
Then he opened the door and pushed Haseo inside. Unlike its cold exterior appearance, the interior was quite nicely furnished. Like any villa, the floor was carpeted with sofas placed around, and in front was a fireplace. It seemed this space was originally intended to be a villa. Seeing this calmed Haseo’s mind a little. At least it didn’t seem like he would be tortured here immediately. However, as if reading his thoughts, Choi Mujin said:
“There’s a basement here.”
“What?”
“The basement is a bit different.”
Then he began walking ahead with large strides. Haseo hesitated briefly before following him. He felt he needed to see this basement Choi had mentioned. Down there was a room with a cold metal door.
“Open it.”
Haseo did as instructed and opened the heavy door. Inside was the space Haseo had imagined until arriving here. Only a single mattress lay on the floor, and strange tools that he couldn’t even imagine the purpose of hung on the walls. Though each was cleaned meticulously with no bloodstains, guessing their use made Haseo instinctively back away.
He didn’t have the courage to ask what kind of room it was.
“This is where you receive punishment for the second time?” Choi Mujin said, pointing inside the room.
“And the third time will be here.”
Haseo shook his head and answered, “There won’t be a third time.”
“It would be good if you can manage that. I’m not entirely a nice person either.”
As if you ever were. Haseo swallowed the emotion that threatened to surge up from within. Choi Mujin made Haseo close the door again and went back upstairs.
“Choose any suitable room on the second floor. I’ll keep food stocked, so prepare your own meals. If you need anything, there’s a phone inside—request it from Park Dongsu.”
Phone? Turning his head at those words, Haseo spotted a somewhat old-looking telephone attached to the wall.
“You can call other places too.”
Choi Mujin’s large hand lightly pressed on Haseo’s head.
“But I trust you won’t do anything stupid.”
He meant not to call the police for help. True, in extreme difficulty, Haseo could try contacting the police. But Haseo’s trust in law enforcement was at rock bottom. He had never met a good police officer in his life.
“I won’t.”
So, skipping that part, Haseo asked what mattered most to him.
“What about my grandmother?”
“We’ll take good care of your grandmother. We’ll move her to a different hospital and provide the best treatment.”
“…You’re moving her to a different hospital?”
“The current hospital is known to everyone, isn’t it? Don’t worry. I’ll assign an excellent doctor.”
Choi Mujin said this, but Haseo couldn’t just let it go. With fear running down his spine, Haseo grabbed Choi Mujin’s arm.
“Then, when can I go see my grandmother?”
“Let’s see. Your debt exceeds 100 million won. How about visiting her each time you repay 10 million won?”
Haseo momentarily gaped.
“You, you said 500,000 won each time. How long will it take me to accumulate 10 million won?”
“Ah, there seems to be a misunderstanding. That’s the price per ejaculation. I know your circumstances. I have to be considerate about such things.”
This is being considerate? Haseo’s trembling, tightly clenched fist shook.
“My grandmother needs someone to talk to her constantly.”
Even when work was hard, Haseo visited his grandmother whenever he had time.
“I’ll hire a caregiver too. The caregiver will talk to her. I’ll find someone with particularly good speaking skills.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about!”
“Then.”
Choi Mujin firmly grabbed Haseo’s hair and looked him in the eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
Though the gleaming eyes facing him were frightening, like those of a beast, this was one point Haseo absolutely couldn’t yield on. Just as he was about to speak again, Choi Mujin called his name.
“Lee Haseo.”
Only then did the basement room Haseo had just seen flash in his mind. If he were confined there, and possibly tortured… His chances of meeting his grandmother would diminish further. In the end, Haseo chose to close his mouth.
“That’s right, you’re wise.”
Choi Mujin relaxed his grip and stroked Haseo’s head. But they had already gone too far for Haseo to enjoy that gesture.
Afterward, Choi Mujin left Haseo in the building. Watching through the outside window, Haseo tried the door as soon as the car departed. However, this door was designed so it couldn’t be opened from the inside. It seemed the building was originally constructed for the purpose of confinement.
‘Who was it built to imprison?’
Surely someone must have been imprisoned here before Haseo. He struck the closed door with his fist. The impact was so strong that his fist began to hurt, but he didn’t stop. As if trying to expel all the emotions that had accumulated until now, he hit the door again and again until blood flowed from his knuckles. Only then did Haseo stop and catch his breath.
Maybe if he struck the door with something else, it would be different? With that thought, he looked up and discovered a CCTV camera installed on one side of the door. Someone could be watching this right now, so Haseo lowered his raised hand. Though he wanted to break or cover the camera, that would only backfire.
Haseo collapsed to the floor and curled up.
‘How did it come to this?’
It felt like a terrible nightmare had become reality. But Haseo was merely a weak human without the strength to fight off nightmares. After a long time spent regretting and suffering, he got up only when it had become completely dark outside. His stomach growled, but he didn’t want to eat anything. So he decided to go upstairs to the second floor, which he hadn’t explored yet.
Climbing the antique-looking stairs, he saw rooms lined up in a row. The first floor contained the living room, kitchen, and utility room, while the second floor seemed to be the residential area. There were four rooms in total, including a bathroom. Opening the first room’s door revealed a properly furnished space. Unlike the basement, there was a proper bed, along with furniture such as a desk and wardrobe.
The second and third rooms weren’t much different from the first. There were slight differences in size, but they had similar layouts. The bathroom he visited last was somewhat unusual. Instead of placing a bathtub, they had created a large bath like in a public bathhouse, but the style was rather peculiar. Haseo peered at it briefly before closing the door again.
He then entered the third room, which was the smallest. CCTV cameras were attached to the ceiling here as well. The only place without surveillance cameras was the toilet next to the bathroom. Haseo hesitated briefly before sitting on the bed. He thought he might be able to escape through a window, but they were all made of sturdy material with limited opening range. Only a human hand could fit through that gap.
As night fell, the surroundings grew quieter. The occasional sound of insects could be heard, but compared to the city, this level of noise seemed negligible. Haseo leaned over and lay down on the bed. Although he hadn’t done anything yet, he was exhausted.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
