The Butterfly's Hollow Victory
Jiseon wondered whether this situation could possibly be right. What meaning was there in game victories and defeats orchestrated by Jia? In her heart she wanted to tell Dohyung the truth and confront him at once, but the thought of Jia’s inevitable retaliation afterward left her frozen between action and inaction. All she could do was accept the grim reality that her only hope was for Dohyung to restrain Jia once he learned the truth.
Dohyung explained the details of the number 18 that Jiseon had drawn, laughing quietly to himself with amusement. Of course he already knew what Jia had declared to everyone in the basement the night before. He had predicted that, given time, Jia—with her absolute authority—would step forward and threaten Jiseon and Eunji against winning any games. He simply had not expected her to act so quickly. To him, it was merely another ingredient that made the game far more entertaining.
Rather than the three captives banding together after being kidnapped and thrown into his basement, watching them rip into one another and fight like animals was more captivating than any video he could watch on any screen. The cursing, the blows, the use of tools to inflict suffering—the more the three of them hurt, the greater the happiness it brought him.
The predicament of wanting to beg for help yet being unable to speak a single word for fear of retaliation perfectly mirrored his own past. There was no reason to stop the same fate from being visited on Jiseon and Eunji. Therefore, when he saw Jia’s bold declaration yesterday that she would win the game and that the others had better prepare themselves if she lost, he could not help but look forward to what would come next. Although he could control every variable with magic, he found that these unexpected twists added their own unique flavor of enjoyment.
“All right, I’ll explain the tug-of-war. As I said before, this is an individual event. The two losers will receive punishment, just like yesterday.”
At the word “punishment,” Eunji’s body gave a violent flinch. Her tongue still could not form proper words and she already felt like she was losing her mind; the last thing she wanted was another punishment. Yet because of Jia’s declaration the day before, neither Jiseon nor Eunji could freely choose to win or lose. Losing meant punishment from Dohyung. Winning meant torment from Jia.
From Jiseon’s perspective, remembering the old days with Taehyun, she recalled that Dohyung had forbidden any physical harm that could leave injuries. She knew Jia would not do anything that would scar the body. The real problem for Jiseon was the electric-shock button Jia controlled. To her it was a demonic device that delivered unimaginable agony without leaving a single visible wound.
If Jia decided to keep pressing that button, Jiseon feared her mind would break long before her body. That was why she had no choice but to obey Jia’s orders. Eunji, unaware of any of those prior events, was even more terrified. She could not risk winning in case Jia decided to do something strange to her body, yet losing would bring painful punishment from Dohyung. It was an impossible dilemma.
Contrary to the turmoil in Jiseon and Eunji’s hearts, Jia felt perfectly at ease the moment Dohyung announced it was an individual game. Just as she had declared yesterday, Jiseon and Eunji would lose for her sake.
“By the way, I deliberately didn’t explain this yesterday… See this?”
Dohyung pointed at the star printed beside the game name on the paper.
“What is that, Master?”
“This shows the intensity of the punishment you’ll receive if you lose. The scale goes up to five stars. The more stars, the harsher it gets… I think you can figure out the rest without me spelling it out.”
6. Quiz: Identify Cosmetics ★★★
18. Tug-of-War ★
25. Nail Extraction ★★★★
“In other words, the punishment for losing today’s game is slightly milder than yesterday’s. Roughly understood?”
“Yes, Master!”
Even as they answered, Jiseon and Eunji let out tiny sighs of relief inside their hearts. The intensity of today’s punishment was far lower than what they had endured yesterday.
If nail extraction is four stars and yesterday’s punishment was three stars, then a single star today should be a lot less painful. Jiseon thought. She was being forced to take the punishment because of Jia, but at least the reduced severity meant that while it would certainly be painful or humiliating, it might still be bearable.
Jia, on the other hand, was genuinely shocked to learn that nail extraction was rated four stars.
If that’s four stars… what on earth would five stars be? I must never, ever receive it…
Even nail extraction seemed like an enormous punishment; if that was only four stars, the existence of something higher was terrifying.
“Now, back to the tug-of-war. You will each insert the dildos I brought into your holes. All three dildos are connected by strings.”
Before explaining, Dohyung had gone upstairs to retrieve the items and was now showing them. The device consisted of three identical dildos branching outward from a central hub, each attached to a sturdy string.
“You will lie face-down on the floor at the three points of a triangle and prepare. I will insert the dildos myself. When I give the signal, pull as hard as you can. If a dildo slips out of its hole, you’re eliminated. The last person still holding their dildo wins. Any questions?”
“No, Master!” Jia answered confidently. She was certain the winner would be herself anyway.
Jiseon and Eunji answered as well, but their voices carried no strength.
Dohyung ignored their tone and ordered all three to assume their positions. They lay down at the vertices of a triangle and waited for him to insert the dildos. The identical toys went into Jia’s and Eunji’s vaginas and into Jiseon’s anus.
“Ready… begin!”
At Dohyung’s signal the three women clenched around the intrusions and yanked the strings with all their might. But exactly as Jia had ordered, Jiseon and Eunji had no option to win. The dildos slid free from their holes with humiliating ease.
“Hmm… that ended rather anticlimactically. I was hoping for a fierce, close contest,” Dohyung remarked, pretending to be disappointed even though he knew the full story.
“I won!” Jia shouted. Still impaled on the dildo, she leapt to her feet and jumped with joy at the thought of her victory.
Jiseon and Eunji stared at her with open resentment. They had deliberately let her win, yet here she was celebrating. The injustice burned, but there was nothing they could say. The only difference between them was that they had been kidnapped first.
To Jia, the suffering of having been taken earlier had nothing to do with either of them.
“Well, a result is a result. Since Butterfly won, go stand over there. Kkami and Haebi will have to take their punishment, won’t they?” Dohyung called Jiseon and Eunji forward, smiling.
“Um… what kind of punishment will we receive?”
“As I said, this is only a one-star punishment, so it won’t be too severe. You’ll simply eat the food I’ve prepared.”
“F-food…?” Jiseon’s anxious heart eased a little at the mention of eating. It meant there would be no physical injury like yesterday, no direct physical torment from Dohyung.
Eunji, however, was horrified. In her current condition she could barely swallow anything, so the command to eat filled her with dread. Dohyung, aware of this, fell into brief thought.
“Haebi is the problem… After I cut out her tongue yesterday, she can’t eat the food I prepared… Even I’m not cruel enough to force it down her throat in that state…”
Dohyung rested his chin on his hand, then turned toward Jia as an idea occurred to him.
“In that case… Butterfly will take the punishment instead.”
“…What? Master, what do you mean…?!” Jia cried out in shock. She had been grinning ear to ear at the thought of being exempt, only to be singled out without warning.
“It’s because Haebi cannot receive punishment right now. We can’t simply skip it, so you’ll take her place.”
“B-but…”
“In exchange, if you draw a one-star punishment in the next game, Eunji will take it for you. Fair, isn’t it?”
Jia did not care whether it was fair; she simply did not want to be punished. But defying Dohyung was impossible, so she reluctantly nodded.
“Today’s game didn’t drag on like yesterday’s. It’s already over,” Dohyung muttered, glancing at the clock that showed only ten o’clock after barely an hour had passed.
“Still, I don’t plan on touching any of you outside the games, so rest freely for now. I’ll go prepare some delicious homemade dishes for Butterfly and Kkami, who will be receiving their punishment.”
“Yes… Master…”
Dohyung left the basement, saying he had to cook.
The moment he was gone, Eunji began cautiously edging away from Jia’s line of sight. It was useless.
“Fuck!!!”
The rage Jia had been suppressing while Dohyung was present exploded. She charged at Eunji, raising her hand high to slap her. Eunji crumpled to the floor, covering her head with both arms.
Jia wanted to strike the cowering girl, but Jiseon, who had followed close behind, seized her arm and stopped the blow.
“Haa, haa… Fuck, why are you stopping me!”
“If you hit Haebi now and her tongue wound opens again, we’re the ones who’ll suffer. Calm down a little.”
Jia glared furiously at Jiseon, but the words were logical, so she lowered her arm and simply stared daggers at Eunji.
Eunji, seeing the murderous look, lowered her head in terror and apologized. She had no idea what she was apologizing for, but she felt she had to say something.
“S-sorry…”
“Haa… Yeah, it’s not really your fault. It was just bad luck that Master cut your tongue out yesterday of all days.”
As Jia’s mind cooled, she let out a long sigh toward the floor. She knew it could not be helped, but the fact that she had to take the punishment—and that it was because of Eunji—had made her lose control.
“Still, remember what Master said. You can take the punishment in my place.”
“Eh…”
Once she had regained her composure, Jia turned to Jiseon and patted her shoulder lightly, smiling.
“And both of you did well losing the game exactly as I told you. Thank you~”
Jiseon wanted to drive her fist into that smiling face, but she held back with every ounce of patience she possessed. Getting angry now would change nothing.
“Keep doing it like this from now on, understood?”
“…Yes.”
Jiseon answered through clenched teeth, barely containing her fury.
Some time later Dohyung returned to the basement carrying the food he had prepared.
“This is what I made.”
Jia and Jiseon, who had already guessed it would not be normal food, were stunned when they saw what he set before them. It was soup—ordinary-looking yellow beef soup. The problem was what floated inside it.
“This is… no way…”
“C-cockroaches?”
More than ten cockroaches drifted in the broth. At least they were dead; that was the only mercy.
“I raised these for food. Since this is a punishment, there is a time limit—one hour exactly. If you don’t finish everything within the limit or leave even a single drop… you know what will happen.”
Jia and Jiseon understood his meaning perfectly. It was a threat that failure would bring an even harsher punishment.
Staring at the repulsive insects, both women wondered whether they could actually eat them. To make matters worse, Dohyung had once again placed the soup in a dog bowl, meaning they had to eat without using their hands.
While Jiseon hesitated, Jia started first.
“Ugh! Urp!”
She fought back the rising nausea and sucked the soup down, crunching the cockroaches between her teeth. Having once eaten live mealworms before her own kidnapping, she told herself she could endure this too, closed her eyes, and began to eat in earnest.
When Jia started, Jiseon followed. The sound of shells cracking in her mouth sent gooseflesh racing across her body. The sensation of wings and legs filling her mouth made her want to spit everything onto the floor at once. But with Dohyung watching, she endured. In the end both women managed to finish every last drop of the cockroach soup within the time limit.
Dohyung praised them, stroked their heads, and left the basement in high spirits.
Eunji, who had been forced to watch the entire horrific scene, felt as if she were going mad. She had no idea how long these games would continue. Today’s punishment had not been too severe, but tomorrow could bring anything. All she could do was pray that she would draw the return home lot from the Game Box tomorrow. Of course, thanks to Dohyung’s magic, that lot no longer existed inside it.