The Scrub Showdown
"Ugh... my head..."
Dohyung opened his eyes past eight o'clock, much later than his usual waking hour. A lingering hangover, which he thought he had already detoxified, throbbed painfully in his temples. He hadn't experienced anything like this once since kidnapping Jia, and the novelty of the sensation left him momentarily disoriented.
"Damn... have I been pushing myself too hard lately?"
Perhaps his body was finally paying the toll for his relentless, day-in, day-out devotion to revenge. For the first time since returning to this world, Dohyung felt genuinely exhausted. No matter how powerful his magic was, fully restoring a physically depleted body was a different matter.
"No... I can't rest yet."
Dragging his heavy limbs out of bed, Dohyung cleansed his body with a quick spell and began walking toward the basement. Perhaps due to the hangover, the auditory hallucinations from last night—which he usually tried to ignore—echoed persistently in his mind with every step he took. Even as he heard the voices of those who resented him, Dohyung had absolutely no intention of wavering. He knew well enough that hearing these voices meant his sanity was fraying. He was fully aware that if he continued down this path, he might ultimately meet his own ruin.
"So what? Am I supposed to stop my revenge now just because I want to survive? Ridiculous. If I were going to back down, I wouldn't have started in the first place."
Since returning to this world, revenge was the only thing he had left. There was no family to welcome him back, no friends, no one at all. In other words, Dohyung had already crossed the Rubicon. Using his power solely for personal vengeance meant he had already discarded his humanity. Even if someone were to reach out to him in the future, he could never imagine a world where he was redeemed. Not by anyone.
Lost in thought, Dohyung arrived at the basement door. From inside, he could hear Jia and Jiseon whispering, wondering why he hadn't come down yet despite the late hour. Feeling himself snap back to reality, Dohyung opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately, the three girls assumed Position One, prostrating themselves to offer their morning greetings. Dohyung acknowledged them and ordered them to rise.
"I'm a bit late today. The alcohol I drank yesterday really did a number on me. Now, shall we try Position Two for a change? Let's see if the womb tattoos we branded yesterday settled in properly."
"Yes, Master!"
At his command, the three spread their legs and raised their hands, clearly exposing the womb tattoos branded onto their lower abdomens. Shaking off the dark thoughts that had plagued him on his way down, Dohyung recalled how agonizingly they had screamed when the brands were applied, taking a sadistic pleasure in inspecting them.
"It looks like they've healed quite a bit in just one day, probably thanks to that good ointment. Well? Do you like them?"
Dohyung's casual question struck them dumb for a moment. It was utterly absurd for him to ask if they liked the vulgar, degrading brands forced upon them as a penalty for failing the game. But after a tense second of silence, they scrambled to answer. Delaying any longer would surely displease him.
"I love how beautifully you did it, Master!"
"I think it suits our slave bodies perfectly..."
"Th-thank you for... branding such a w-womb tattoo on my... my filthy body, Master..."
Dohyung turned his gaze toward Eunji at her stuttering voice. Her face was swollen black and blue, and dark bruises covered her entire body, showing just how brutally Jia and Jiseon had beaten her yesterday. However, they had strictly obeyed his order not to touch the area around the womb tattoo; her upper body was a battered mess, but her lower half remained untouched.
"Hmm... Nabi, Kkami. Didn't I tell you before? Your bodies belong to me, so you shouldn't be leaving marks on them."
"We are deeply sorry, Master!"
Jia and Jiseon apologized loudly the instant he spoke. When they had unleashed their fury on Eunji yesterday, they had already known they would face consequences. Yet, they felt that if they hadn't beaten her to that extent, they could never have forgiven her. Even if it meant receiving a scolding or physical punishment from Dohyung, it was a price they were willing to pay.
After inspecting Eunji, Dohyung slowly approached Jia and Jiseon, raising his right hand. Seeing him draw near, the two squeezed their eyes shut while maintaining Position Two, bracing themselves for a blow. But instead of sharp pain, they felt Dohyung's hand gently patting their shoulders.
"But then again, considering what happened yesterday, I can't really blame you. Heavy was acting completely out of line, wasn't she? If you keep your anger bottled up, it'll only stress you out. You need an outlet like that. I understand."
Watching Dohyung smile as he patted their shoulders in turn, Jia and Jiseon let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad to have escaped punishment.
"Now, release Position Two. Shall we begin today's fun game? I'm sure you're all dying to draw that Return Home Lot."
At his words, Eunji, whose turn it was, slowly brought the Game Box forward.
Please, let today pass without any trouble... No, please let me draw the Return Home Lot...
Praying desperately in her heart, Eunji reached into the Game Box, pulled out a slip of paper, and slowly, carefully unfolded it to read the contents.
"Ah..."
Seeing her reaction, Jia and Jiseon immediately realized she had failed to draw the Return Home Lot, their faces falling in disappointment.
"Pfft. Aren't you making it a bit too obvious that you didn't get the Return Home Lot? Do you really hate being with me that much...?"
Eunji gasped, startled by Dohyung's playful murmur.
"N-no! That's not it, Master!"
"Sure it isn't... I know exactly what's on your mind, Heavy. Just hurry up and tell me the number you drew."
Dohyung teased her, fully aware of their desperate desire to escape this place and go home. Eunji knew he was just playing with her, but she couldn't dare talk back. She could only read out the number written on the paper.
"It's... number two."
"Number two... I wonder what today's game is~"
Dohyung peeled off the white tape next to number two with an amused grin.
"Hmm...? Let's see, let's see..."
Once the tape was off, Dohyung stepped aside so the three could see.
Scrub Showdown ★★★
"Scrub... Showdown?"
"Three stars...?"
"Master. What on earth is this?"
Unable to grasp the nature of the game from its bizarre title, the three girls stared at Dohyung with anxious eyes, gripped by the fear of the unknown. They had no idea what to expect, and although the difficulty was lower than yesterday's, a three-star game still meant the punishment would be excruciatingly painful.
"Alright, let me explain the game. A 'Scrub Showdown' is exactly what it sounds like. It's when a bunch of nobodies like you roll around in the mud, flailing and fighting each other. It's actually quite a spectacle to watch from the sidelines."
As the three girls struggled to process his words, Dohyung sat down in his chair and continued.
"So I decided to throw it in. I want you to fight each other."
"Um... by 'fight,' do you mean..."
"Exactly what you're thinking, Kkami. Put up your fists and fight. Pfft! If someone gets knocked unconscious, they're eliminated."
Jiseon felt a brief surge of excitement at the prospect of a physical fight, but her expression quickly soured as she remembered Jia's warning to throw any individual games.
"Oh, and by the way, no holding back. If I catch anyone pulling their punches, all of you will be punished."
Dohyung, fully aware that Jia had threatened Jiseon and Eunji to secure solo victories for herself, effectively neutralized her leverage. He figured the game would be far more entertaining if he took her manipulation out of the equation.
The moment Dohyung finished speaking, the three girls' minds raced in completely different directions. Since the game boiled down to a fistfight to determine the winner, Jiseon found it highly favorable. Given her background, she had an overwhelming advantage, making this the perfect game for her. On the other hand, Jia and Eunji, who had never been in a fistfight in their entire lives, felt their spirits crush under the despairing reality of having to face Jiseon. Jia, in particular, was thrown into utter panic. She had planned to use her threats to rig any individual games and escape punishment, but now her only safety net had been completely dismantled.
"But honestly... Kkami is on a completely different level compared to you two, isn't she? You'll probably get knocked out before you can even put up a decent fight."
Jia and Eunji nodded in grim agreement. The mere thought of fighting Jiseon filled them with dread. Jiseon, however, grew anxious at Dohyung's tone, fearing he might slap her with a handicap. If he forbade her from using her legs or forced her to fight blindfolded, it would put her at a massive disadvantage. But Dohyung's next words quickly put her mind at ease.
"But who cares? That's not my problem, is it? It's not like I'm the one getting punished! Bwahaha! I'm just here to watch you tear each other apart!"
Dohyung roared with laughter, thoroughly amused by the sight of Jia and Eunji desperately trying to keep their faces from crumpling in despair.
No... then the ones getting punished are definitely going to be me and Heavy...
It's a three-star game... I don't want to be punished again... Every punishment here has been three or four stars...
In stark contrast to Jia and Eunji's dread, Jiseon felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her victory in this game was practically guaranteed.
"However!"
Dohyung's voice cut through their chaotic thoughts.
"In this game, only one person will be punished. Just one. I plan to declare up to two winners... so figure it out amongst yourselves."
At his words, the three girls exchanged glances. Realizing what this meant, Jia was the first to react, quickly scurrying over to Jiseon.
"Kkami, you know me, right? We've spent so much time here together... Is there really any need for us to fight each other?"
Jiseon found Jia's sudden, overly friendly approach incredibly jarring. For a split second, she wondered if Jia had finally lost her mind. But she quickly realized the motive behind the sudden warmth.
"Ah... we certainly have been together for a long time, haven't we, Nabi? Heheh."
Dohyung's declaration that there would be two winners—meaning only one person would face punishment—meant that Jiseon held all the cards. She could choose either Jia or Eunji to knock out, effectively deciding who would suffer the three-star penalty.