Shall We Begin the Slave Training?

While Dohyung was in his room deciding on his next target, Jia stared blankly at the bowl placed in front of her. Watching the grotesque mealworms wriggle and squirm, she seriously doubted whether this was actually edible.

"Fuck... How the hell am I supposed to eat this? I've seen people eat them on TV, but..."

Jia recalled watching a variety show where a celebrity had to eat a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠similar bizarre food as a penalty. She had laughed hysterically at the sight back then, but now that she was in the exact same position, it was anything but funny. It wasn't even seasoned to mask the taste, and the mere thought of swallowing them alive made her stomach churn before she even touched one.

But Jia had no choice. She had to eat the mealworms. If she didn't, Dohyung would subject her to a horrific punishment. He had even threatened that if she failed to finish them all, he would inflict a punishment so severe that everything she had endured so far would pale in comparison. As horrifying as eating live mealworms was, her dread of Dohyung's wrath was far greater. She made her choice.

"Ha... This is fucking ridiculous. I can't believe I have to eat this shit..."

Jia reached out to pick up a wriggling mealworm, but flinched and pulled her hand back before touching it. She remembered the CCTV camera recording her from above. If she used her hands, Dohyung might throw another fit and accuse her of cheating. Using her hands was out of the question. Her only remaining option was to bury her face in the bowl and eat them like a dog.

Suppressing her rising nausea as best as she could, Jia slowly lowered her face toward the bowl teeming with mealworms. I can do this. You can do this, Lee Jia! You can eat this garbage!

Closing her eyes tight, she opened her mouth wide and scooped up a mouthful of mealworms directly from the bowl. This is delicious food! Fuck, it's just a super tasty snack!

Desperate to get them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down, she repeatedly brainwashed herself into believing they were delicious as she began to chew. The sensation of the mealworms bursting in her mouth and the bizarre, foreign taste made her want to spit them out instantly. But knowing Dohyung would fly into a rage if she did, she clamped both hands over her mouth to prevent any involuntary reflex.

Jia chewed them just enough to swallow and forced them down her throat. Gulp!

"Haa, haa... It tastes fucking awful..."

Jia muttered, staring at the massive pile of mealworms still left in the bowl. She felt like throwing up right then and there. She could swear that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some of the ones she hadn't chewed properly were still wriggling inside her stomach. She wanted to give up so badly, but she forced herself to take another mouthful and chew.

"Mmph... Mmmph!!!"

Perhaps it was simply too much for her stomach to handle. Despite her desperate efforts to hold it down, her stomach convulsed, and she couldn't stop herself from vomiting them back out.

"Cough! Hack! Cough! Oh, no, no!!"

The half-chewed mealworms splattered across the floor, scattering in all directions. Jia felt her resolve completely shatter. She was absolutely terrified of how Dohyung would react when he saw this.

"F-Fuck..."

Terrified of the punishment, Jia ultimately lowered her face to the floor and began picking up the scattered mealworms one by one with her mouth. If she could have just swallowed them in bulk, she wouldn't have had to taste them as much. But picking them up individually off the dirty floor forced her to savor every single repulsive note of their flavor.

"Haa... Haa... There's still this much left?"

Having finally swallowed all the mealworms she had vomited onto the floor, Jia checked the dog bowl. Seeing that more than half of the original portion still remained, she nearly collapsed in despair. If only she could use her hands, she would have dumped the entire bowl into her mouth at once.

But right now, she had only one path forward: eating every single mealworm Dohyung had given her. Knowing full well that this was her only way to survive, Jia steeled her resolve once more and crawled back to the bowl.

Quite some time passed before Dohyung opened the door to the basement and walked in.

"My little Nabi~! Did you eat your food?"

The moment Jia saw Dohyung enter the basement, she immediately threw herself into Position Number One—the dogeza—and cried out at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, Master! Thank you for granting this humble Nabi such a high-protein meal!!"

"Oh? I didn't think you'd actually be able to finish it. You ate it all?"

Unable to believe her words, Dohyung walked over to inspect her bowl. To his surprise, the mealworms that had filled the dog bowl to the brim were completely gone. Dohyung was genuinely astonished, as he had fully expected her to fail.

"Wow... You really ate all of it?"

He had planned to find any excuse to punish her if even a single fragment of a mealworm remained, but Jia hadn't left a trace. She had licked every corner of the bowl clean with her tongue, leaving absolutely nothing behind. It was a testament to her desperate desire to avoid his punishment.

"Bwahaha! This is quite a surprise. To think the former idol Lee Jia would become my slave Nabi, bury her face in a dog bowl, and eat a bunch of bugs. I was sure you'd fail."

"I-It was truly delicious, Master!"

Jia spoke without breaking Position Number One. Seeing her exceed his expectations put Dohyung in an excellent mood. While punishing her was entertaining, seeing her display these submissive behaviors was proof that she was truly becoming a slave.

"Then, Nabi. What was the fourth pledge of the declaration?"

Jia answered without a moment's hesitation to Dohyung's sudden pop quiz. Seeing her response, Dohyung smiled with delight and clapped his hands. Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Good. Very good. You've finally come to your senses, Nabi. Now this is what I call a slave. You've got the perfect attitude."

"Thank you, Master!"

"Good. You may stand."

"Yes, Master!"

At Dohyung's command, Jia quickly stood up. Thank goodness... I'm so glad I memorized it just in case. Jia let out a sigh of relief as she looked at Dohyung's pleased expression. Judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like he was going to punish her right now.

"Since my Nabi seems to be getting her head on straight as a slave, I'm feeling generous. I'll grant you one special wish."

"Ah... Thank you, Master!"

Jia cried out, her heart swelling with genuine joy at Dohyung's offer. Reading her emotions, Dohyung's grin widened. At this very moment, Jia was feeling sincere gratitude toward him without even realizing it.

In this twisted, abnormal reality, she was feeling grateful for something that any normal human should naturally have, simply because Dohyung was offering it as a "favor." This was the true nature of a slave. Dohyung relished seeing Jia slowly but surely break under his training. What would the others say when he kidnapped them and they saw Jia like this? How shocked would they be? Dohyung couldn't wait for the moment his old high school classmates were all gathered here.

Oblivious to his thoughts, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jia pondered what wish she should make. A wish? This is a massive opportunity. She thought about what she needed most right now. Her previous wish had been for bathroom privileges—something any human should naturally have. Dohyung had granted it without much fuss.

What Jia wanted to ask for now was decent food. She had forced herself to eat the mealworms, which she had thought would be impossible, but she had no confidence she could survive if Dohyung gave her something even worse next time.

"My wish is, um..." Jia stopped mid-sentence. She suddenly questioned whether this was the right thing to ask for. It's incredibly hard... but if I just close my eyes and shove it down, I can probably get through any food. That's not the most urgent thing right now.

"What is it? You have to finish your sentence for me to grant it. Or should we just forget about it?"

"N-No! I'll tell you right now! My wish is to change my sleeping arrangement!" Jia pointed to the cold floor where she had slept the night before.

"Your sleeping arrangement? How specifically do you want it changed?" Dohyung asked. Jia hesitated. Honestly, she wanted a large, comfortable bed. Or better yet, to be moved to a different room entirely. But there's no way this bastard would grant something like that. He said before that if I make the wrong wish, he'll reject it. I have to be careful.

"Instead of the cold floor, I'd like a simple mattress or something similar. Wouldn't it be better for me to get a proper rest so I can serve you to the best of my ability, Master?"

"Hmm... You're starting to think more and more like a proper slave." Dohyung patted Jia's head as if praising a pet. "If it's a wish meant to help you serve me better, I can certainly grant it."

"Thank you, Master!" Jia felt her heart stop pounding. She had been terrified he might reject it, which was why she had deliberately tacked on the insincere excuse about serving him better.

"I'll get one and bring it down this evening."

"Yes, Master!" Jia felt a small wave of relief wash over her at the thought of finally escaping the freezing floor.

"Now then, shall we get to what I originally planned for today?"

"Yes, Master. What... exactly is on the agenda for today?" Though her mood had improved slightly, Dohyung's words instantly made her tense up again.

"It's none other than... Nabi's erogenous zone sensitivity training!"