Tormented Yuria #2
Yuria stared blankly at Jihyeok, who stood right in front of her with a cold smile on his face. Her mental state was so unstable that she couldn’t form a single coherent thought.
Jihyeok let out a mocking laugh and continued speaking.
“....Uwaaa...”
Yuria’s body began to tremble violently. She desperately didn’t want to believe what she was hearing.
What… what was happening to her right now? It felt like a horrific nightmare. She wanted to wake up refreshed. Yuria tried several times to let her mind slip away. But…
Because of Jihyeok’s command, she couldn’t. Her head was completely hazy, yet his words rang out with perfect clarity.
Yuria unconsciously obeyed his order. The fog in her mind began to clear, and she started reviewing the past.
That’s right… I never once saw Dad and Jihyeok meet in person…
Even setting that aside, back on Earth, every situation she faced had been perfectly tailored to her circumstances. Looking back now, they had all been unnaturally convenient.
As she replayed her memories for a long time, Jihyeok’s next words struck her with fresh shock.
“.....”
She did. She remembered everything that followed—being whipped in Uijeongbu and swearing she would never meet Seunghyeon again.
“Aaaah...”
Yuria clutched her face, now as pale as a sheet of paper, and let out a despairing sigh. Jihyeok chuckled at her reaction before speaking again.
“Hwaaaaaah...”
She had been deceived. Completely and utterly deceived. Yuria realized she had been dancing in the palm of Jihyeok’s hand the entire time. She was in full panic. She wanted to faint right then and there, but she couldn’t even do that.
Having finished speaking, Jihyeok suddenly lifted the frills of Yuria’s dress. He then pulled her panties aside and gently rubbed her pussy.
“Hyat...?”
The familiar touch made Yuria instinctively part her legs slightly. Jihyeok let out a soft chuckle.
His words, which deliberately poked at her pride, brought part of Yuria’s mind back. The spirit that pushed away the darkness consuming her heart restored her to her senses.
“You—!”
Yuria bared her teeth, shoved Jihyeok away, and created distance between them. Her face flushed bright red like a ripe tomato as she shouted at him.
“You… you tricked me!”
“.....”
At those words, Yuria’s feet moved on instinct. The fear of defying Jihyeok’s command had completely overtaken her body.
Oh no… this can’t be…!
It was absurd. How could one short phrase control her entire being? She had sunk far too deep into the swamp Jihyeok had laid for her. By the time she realized it, she was already standing right in front of him.
What would happen to her now? She wasn’t sure if her mind could endure once this moment passed.
Jihyeok reached to his waist and pulled out a dagger. Seeing it, Yuria froze in terror. Was he going to kill her?
Contrary to her fears, Jihyeok spun the dagger around and placed the hilt in her hand. Yuria stared back and forth between the dagger and Jihyeok with wide, dazed eyes. He gave her a benevolent smile, then turned and walked a few steps away. Only then did he turn back to speak.
“What… did you say…?”
Was he insane? Did he really think she couldn’t do it? After everything he had done to humiliate her for so long?
Grind.
Yuria clenched her teeth and charged at him without another thought. She rushed forward with terrifying speed and thrust the dagger with fierce momentum. Her target was his throat. The blade sliced through the air, seemingly ready to pierce his neck at any moment.
But…
“Ugh…!”
The dagger stopped dead just a hair’s breadth from Jihyeok’s throat. It wasn’t that he had blocked it—Yuria had stopped the attack herself. Both her instincts and her reason screamed that she must not harm him.
Was she afraid of retaliation? No. The moment she imagined something bad happening to Jihyeok, an overwhelming sadness flooded her entire body.
Jihyeok clapped his hands in delight at her reaction.
“N-no…!”
“.....”
She wanted to punch that detestable face and scream that he was wrong, but the conditioning she had undergone had stripped away even her capacity for aggression. Just looking at Jihyeok’s handsome, imposing face neutralized any rebellious feelings. This wasn’t right… yet the desire not to earn his displeasure filled her mind completely.
She had to transform. Now that she understood the full truth, maybe transforming would let her regain her senses. Having made up her mind, Yuria created distance once more and tapped her Device twice.
A burst of green light flooded the entire audience chamber. Yuria had transformed into a Beast Slayer.
Her will was overflowing. At this rate, she could—
“Hya...?”
Yuria’s body grew burning hot, as if she had stepped into a furnace. Transforming into a Beast Slayer had amplified her already exceptional regenerative resilience, forcing every single memory with Jihyeok to replay in vivid detail.
The kiss in the park, their dates, her first time in Incheon, and everything that came after—all of it returned with perfect clarity.
Thump!
Her heart pounded violently at his words.
Kill…? Me…? Jihyeok…?
The hand holding the dagger shook uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down her forehead and soaked her cheeks.
Jihyeok slowly walked toward her.
Help? With what? What exactly was he going to help with?! She wanted to scream those words, but her body had frozen solid, sealing her voice.
When he reached her, Jihyeok smiled brightly.
With those words, he took Yuria’s hand and guided the dagger to his own neck. Then he drove it into his throat.
Shuk!
The cold blade sank deep into Jihyeok’s neck. Dark red blood poured from the wound, soaking the shoulder of his dragon robe.
At that moment, Yuria’s mind went completely white. The thought that Jihyeok was dying made her heart feel like it was collapsing.
“Ah…! No…!”
Using every ounce of strength she had, Yuria yanked the dagger from his neck and hurled it to the floor.
Clang!
The dagger slid noisily into a corner of the audience chamber. Yuria shook her head wildly. She desperately tried to justify her earlier actions.
It hadn’t been her will to attack him. She had been possessed by something… Yes, Jihyeok had ordered her to attack, so she had no choice but to swing the dagger. And just now, he had come to her and hurt himself on purpose.
“I… I didn’t do anything wrong…! You… you came to me yourself…!”
“No! That’s not it!!”
Yuria screamed at the top of her lungs. Jihyeok laughed heartily and spread his arms wide.
Yuria’s heart began to race in a completely different way. Her body grew hot. She wanted to bury herself in that broad chest and rub her face against him. All her complicated feelings melted away at once, leaving only tender affection for him.
“Mmmh!”
Letting out a cute nasal sound, Yuria ran into his arms. The embrace she hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever dyed her heart rose-pink. Tears filled with every possible emotion spilled from her eyes.
“Hwaaaang! I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry…!”
Jihyeok gently stroked Yuria’s back as she poured out sincere apologies.
Look at that trustworthy voice comforting her after she had fallen into heresy. How magnanimous he was. Overwhelmed with even greater sorrow, Yuria clung to his waist with all her might and sobbed uncontrollably.
“Huuuuh…! I’m sorry… Hwaaang… Please forgive me… Please forgive me…!”
Yuria felt the suffocating pressure in her chest suddenly clear. Those were such incredibly grateful words. This was exactly why she loved Jihyeok. His overwhelming power that someone like her could never hope to match, and the vast generosity that came with it. Anyone would fall for him.
She suddenly remembered the rather large wound on his neck. She peeked up to check and saw that his entire shoulder had turned bright red. Blood was still flowing from his neck.
Yuria lifted her face from his chest and wiped her tears with her hand.
“We… we have to treat it… Jihyeok… Your neck wound… it’s too dangerous… Mmph!”
Before she could finish, Yuria’s eyes widened. Jihyeok had pulled her head toward his neck. Blood began to fill her mouth from the wound. The metallic, fishy taste of iron spread across her tongue.
Why was he doing this? Was it punishment? Was he punishing her for trying to attack him?
No… this is…
That’s right. This wasn’t punishment. This was a reward from her master. He was purifying her corrupted body with his pure blood.
Once she thought of it that way, the blood began to taste sweet. It was delicious. Every swallow made her feel better. Yuria’s eyes closed on their own as hot breath poured from her nose.
“Mmm… haaup...”
Like someone dying of thirst, she pressed her lips to his neck and began sucking greedily.
At her master’s command, Yuria slowly pulled her lips away and looked at him with hazy eyes. Jihyeok stared directly into her eyes, then ran his finger across her blood-stained lips.
Yuria nodded slowly. As expected of her master. He understood her heart perfectly.
“Yes...”
The strongest emotion in her heart right now. Cutting through the whirlwind of rage, sadness, anxiety, and every other mental torment was a single feeling… love. Love for her master. That was the only thing left.
She had fallen into the web he had spread, learned to hate humans, and begun to see evil as good. She had adapted to the society of monsters and sunk her roots deep within it. She had come to view her dead father as utterly pathetic and had even killed her own fiancé with her own hands. It would be fair to say she had been completely brainwashed.
But…
It doesn’t… matter anymore…
She had already been dyed completely in her master’s colors. So what did it matter if she cursed her dead father or killed her fiancé? Those trivial things held no importance whatsoever.
Yuria freed herself from all the anguish she had carried until now and felt only gratitude toward her master. She was so thankful for the great realization he had given her.
Having finished her thoughts, Yuria looked up at Jihyeok. The warm smile in his eyes as he gazed down at her pathetic, foolish self was incredibly beautiful. Her own eyes grew hazy with that thought.
“Aaaaah…♡”