Everyone Enters the Water Together - 7
"The boss went in. Looks like... he won't be coming out for a few hours."
"The other women went in too, right? You know, the ones who always follow him around."
"Yeah, they did. They were grinning like idiots, all happy... Is it that good?"
At some point, the prisoners had started calling that man 'Boss.' It was their way of showing respect and deference. And an expression of their desire to become part of his crew, his organization.
"But... don't guys need something sharp for sex? You know, to make it work?"
"Something sharp?"
"Like, don't they do torture stuff? Whips or knives or...?"
"Didn't look like he took anything like that in."
The mercenaries were still being put to work on construction. They knew exactly what was in the bathhouse.
"Maybe he's the type who enjoys slapping them around barehanded. Kinda weird."
"Isn't sex supposed to be with bare bodies anyway? That's how it was in those dirty comics I saw back in the day."
The mercenaries had wandered far and wide from the base, racking up plenty of experiences. Their unstable lives meant few chances to meet a 'real man,' but they'd had no shortage of access to porn.
"Ugh... Figures a virgin would say that. Kid, a real man is different."
"Wait, have you even had sex? We're both virgins here, so why are you suddenly acting all high and mighty?"
"I've at least talked to someone who's actually done it for real!"
"By that logic, the comics I saw were drawn by pre-apocalypse folks describing real sex, right? You think they'd draw that shit with zero basis?"
"Hmm..."
"There were comics with zombies in 'em, and ones with giant dragons! We saw those back then too, remember the dragon?"
"That thing nearly scared me to death when I saw it for real... But come on, that's not the same. No way that's real."
"What's your proof it's not?"
The mercenary shook his head with a smug grin.
"People always imagine things in a way that suits them. Use your brain if you've got one."
"What do you mean?"
"Those comics had rape scenes and shit, right? But no blood, and the women love it? Come on, does that make sense?"
"Hmm..."
"And some even had the guy confessing first? As if. No level buffs or power dynamics, and men are way rarer than women."
"Ugh..."
If Sunwoo had been there, he'd have straightened out their twisted notions on the spot. Unfortunately, no one was around to set them straight.
"Wh-what are we fighting for among ourselves? The captain... Boss knows, right? She's been fucked by him."
"You think?"
Come to think of it, they did have someone in their midst who'd actually been with a man.
As they hauled scrap from the recycling bins, they rolled their eyes, searching for Kim Soi.
"C-Captain! Can we talk for a sec?"
"We're on duty... What?"
Soi's lips were heavy with drowsiness. Naturally, the bathhouse—with its endless stream of hot water—demanded serious firepower. Not enough to melt the fixtures, but a steady, intense flame held for hours.
"What was it like getting fucked by the boss?"
"Ughhh, huh?"
Imagining his arms and body, Soi flushed red and ducked her head in an instant.
"Well, uh... you know. Heh."
Her men gawked at this shy side of Soi they'd never seen. Even the mercenaries who'd worked with her for ages tilted their heads in confusion.
"It was good. Yeah. Really good. Happy. We didn't do drugs or anything, but I probably looked like I was high as fuck."
"...Didn't it hurt? No aftereffects?"
The mercenaries, who'd thought the boss was 'sacrificing' herself, couldn't help but cock their heads now.
"Hurt? Well... maybe a little at first, but just for a second. Then the good stuff comes rushing in right after."
"He didn't rough you up?"
"Nah. Nothing like that. Come to think of it, I used to scare the shit outta guys, but with him? Nothing."
Her words plunged the mercenaries into confusion.
'...It was good?'
"No slapping or anything?"
"Slapping? Oh, yeah! He smacks my guts with this huge club of his."
Grasping the situation, Soi flashed a mischievous grin.
"He knows exactly where to poke my weak spots—fucks me up good. But hey, with that size, anywhere he hits is a weak spot, right?"
"Club?"
"Flesh club."
Soi was the only woman among them who'd been held in a man's arms. Naturally, the others had no choice but to believe whatever she said.
Of course, she had no intention of lying anyway. Even if she desperately tried to convey the truth, they wouldn't buy it outright. And even if they did, they couldn't comprehend it. The happiness of being cradled in his arms, the warmth of his tender words—they could only understand it through direct experience.
"So it's just all good, no downsides!"
"N-No, you can't think of it that lightly! The captain became that man's slave for us! She has to obey any order!"
The mercenaries, who'd seen Kim Soi as a 'victim,' clung stubbornly to their views amid this sudden shift. But with her own testimony out there, their convictions crumbled.
"Wait, didn't the boss go in with three of his slaves? Why didn't you go, Captain?"
"He... didn't say anything to me?"
Soi's expression flickered with unease.
"Guess you're not quite at that level yet?"
Irked, Soi smacked the mercenary's head.
"Shut up! I get plenty of love too. Just not tonight, I guess."
"Oh, uh. People are going in."
"Looks like settlers... You're not going, Captain?"
"Haven't heard anything yet. But does that mean those women share the bath with the boss too?"
It was a milder statement, but they weren't naive enough to miss why bath times dragged on so mysteriously long.
"Whoa, there he is. Boss is coming out. His direct slaves too. Coming out in shifts or something."
"Damn, jealous. Same work, but they get baths too..."
"A bath without men is half-assed anyway. Just soaking in warm water and chilling."
"I'd kill for that. Fuck..."
Time passed. Their assigned shifts ended, and they prepared to return to their cramped prison cell.
Then Sunwoo approached.
"W-We finished our quotas and were resting!"
"Nah, that's not it... You guys should use the bathhouse too."
"Huh?"
"Get changed and ready to wash up. Creek water's cold, and after working together, it'd be weird if you didn't."
He flashed a warm smile, urging the prisoners on.
"R-Really?!"
"We'll pledge our loyalty!"
A pleasant soap scent wafted from Sunwoo's body. The fresh, dewy aroma of someone freshly bathed.
"Good work."
The mercenaries had no resistance to men. No way to gauge a man's interest, no friends or online forums to snap them out of idle fantasies.
The moment they entered the bathhouse, convinced no one could overhear, they started chattering excitedly.
"Th-the boss looked at me! He's gonna take me to his bed!"
"No, he looked at me! Our eyes met!"
"Mine too!"
"He smiled at me!"
"Liar!"
Kim Soi watched them, shaking her head.
"I dunno. He didn't seem too picky about women..."
"Right, Captain?"
"What if we all rushed him together? Think it'd work?"
"What?"
"If we became sex slaves like you, Captain..."
Even without this incident, they already had plenty of 'reasons' to become slaves. Guilt, pleasure, freedom, or ambition. Whatever the motive, the mercenaries yearned to join Sunwoo's slaves.
"Master Sunwoo probably wouldn't hate us, right?"
"Warm voice, soft speech. If a guy's that nice, doesn't that mean things are looking really good?"
Soi sighed uneasily. She knew better than anyone how freely he smiled.
"He just took a bath, got laid, felt good, and spoke kindly. That's all."
Back then, she might not have known. But now she did. The businesslike attitude he'd shown women in prison? That was him at the peak of pissed-off. The guy casually smiling and saying 'You guys use the bath too!' felt more natural.
"Captain, can we borrow a razor or something?"
"Huh? I told you not to hand out dangerous stuff. You're still prisoners—"
"We'll use it right away and return it! Someone said men hate pubes, and we might get fucked anytime!"
Realizing she couldn't rein them in anymore, Soi let out a deep sigh.
"Do whatever..."
Something was bound to blow up.