Stamping a New Slave

The glow of a phone lit up a dark room.

Ji-ah sat at her desk, chatting on the phone with her boyfriend I-jun about the events at university that day. The main topic was Yoon Seung-woo, the senior from high school who had transferred in.

"Really? Oh, right. He said you might not know him. He joined a club but quit after a few days because of his studies."

[That makes sense. The soccer club was popular, but a lot of people dropped out just as quickly. Still, it's kind of surprising.]

"Exactly. Who would've thought I'd run into a senior from the same high school in such a huge place?"

[You don't have any other feelings for this senior, do you?]

Ji-ah let out a soft laugh at her boyfriend's playful tone.

"Are you jealous right now?"

[Maybe a little?]

"Hehe, you know… you're the only one for me…."

Even after saying it, a faint wave of embarrassment washed over her.

[Ahem….]

The same shy feeling came through from the other end of the line. Their awkward but affectionate exchange traveled through the phone, carrying a quiet warmth despite the years they'd known each other—over a decade as acquaintances, five years as a couple. By now, expressions of affection should have felt routine, yet Ji-ah's heart still fluttered with excitement. Even their simple conversations filled her with deep comfort and happiness. I-jun felt the same. It was proof of how precious they were to each other.

"By the way, the senior and Ha-rin seem to get along really well. They became close in just one day. It was like they'd known each other forever."

[…Oh, really?]

Ji-ah tried to lighten the mood, but I-jun answered after a brief silence. She found the pause odd, yet didn't dwell on it.

"Yeah. They've only met once, but he seems like a good person. Bright, fun, and sociable. Ha-rin has a similar personality, so she seems to like him too. Of course, not romantically—just as people. That's why I hope things develop nicely between them. Ha-rin hasn't had a boyfriend since middle school. Whenever she sees us together, she looks a bit lonely…."

[…Yeah, I hope it works out for them.]

"Mm-hmm."

[…….]

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

'……?'

Ji-ah felt puzzled. Earlier silences had been comfortable, filled with mutual affection, but this one was different. The moment Ha-rin and the senior came up, I-jun grew strangely quiet. She wondered if she'd said something wrong, but nothing came to mind. Ha-rin was her closest friend, someone she'd known for years, and the same went for I-jun. All she'd done was wish for her best friend to meet someone nice. She couldn't understand what had made him uncomfortable.

[You know we're meeting next week, right?]

I-jun spoke up, perhaps to break the tension.

"Yeah."

[I want some time alone with you then….]

'Ah….'

Time alone. Ji-ah understood exactly what he meant and fell into an awkward silence of her own. He was suggesting they finally share their first intimate experience together. Five years. For five whole years, their physical contact had been limited to kisses and light touches. Back in high school it made sense, but now they were adults—those excuses no longer held. I-jun had been the one pushing for more, which was only natural for a man in his early twenties. Ji-ah knew this, but her vague fear of that first time had made her avoid it until now.

'Yeah… I shouldn't keep making him feel bad.'

She couldn't keep putting it off. She understood how important physical intimacy was to a man, and avoiding it any longer would be more than enough reason for a breakup. Besides, despite her fears, Ji-ah wasn't completely uninterested in those kinds of things either.

"Okay."

[Really? Haha!! Alright, see you then!]

Her decisive answer was met with obvious joy from the other end. His childlike excitement brought a smile to her face, mixed with a touch of guilt.

"Yeah."

[I love you.]

"I love you too…."

[I love you more.]

"I love you even more."

[I love you way more.]

"I love you way, way more."

[I love you way, way, way more.]

"Kick-kick!"

"Haha!"

Their childish back-and-forth ended in warm laughter as the call ended.

"Ugh. You two are so sweet it's making me sick. How's a single girl supposed to live like this?"

"Hehe, sorry, sorry."

Ji-ah laughed and apologized to her younger sister Ji-seo, who was teasing her from the bed.

Ji-seo had been in the room the whole time. The fact that Ji-ah could have such personal, cringeworthy conversations in front of her showed just how close the sisters were. Even though Ji-seo had her own room, she was lying on Ji-ah's bed so they could sleep together.

"Ugh. When you become a working adult, pay more taxes!"

"I said I'm sorry."

"If you're sorry, give me some allowance."

"I'm a college student too…."

"Ugh—."

"Tsk."

"Ughhh—."

"…Want to get hit?"

"Sorry."

Ji-ah dropped her serious expression and smiled, lying down beside Ji-seo under the same blanket. Facing each other, the sisters chatted with deep affection, their bond clear in every smile.

"You really like your boyfriend that much?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so jealous… I need to get a boyfriend soon too. Sigh—."

"You'll definitely meet a good guy."

"And have your first time with him too?"

Ji-ah's face flushed at her sister's mischievous remark.

"Th—that's… well—."

"Your face is all red. Geez, so lewd…."

"Hey—!"

"Kyahaha!"

Their playful scuffle echoed from under the blanket. Born from the same womb, the sisters had always lived in harmony, believing their love and trust as family would last forever.

At least, until a certain man stole their first times, corrupted them, and turned them into brainwashed dolls stripped of their very selves.

* *

'Hmm….'

Before heading to university, Ha-rin stood in front of her closet, deep in thought. Normally she would've thrown on a hoodie and shorts without a second thought for comfort. There was no one to impress, and as a second-year she had no reason to care about others' opinions. She got along well enough with some male classmates thanks to her outgoing personality, but she'd never seen any of them romantically. Even if they weren't interested in her that way, she had no intention of accepting them either. If anyone confessed, she'd have to end the friendship right there. It might seem cold, but that was how things worked between men and women who weren't truly friends. Ha-rin understood this painfully well after confessing to her childhood friend in the past.

'If I dress up too much it'll be obvious… but dressing normally feels off too… Ugh, why don't I have more clothes? I should go to the department store with Ji-ah sometime.'

As she grumbled over her outfits, Ha-rin suddenly questioned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her own behavior.

'Why am I even worrying about this? …It's because of that senior, isn't it?'

Yoon Seung-woo. The older man from the same high school who had transferred a week ago. Coincidentally, they shared all the same classes, so they ended up spending nearly every day together at university. Even though they'd only known each other for a week, they'd grown incredibly close. Now that she thought about it, she'd started developing romantic feelings for him.

'We really do get along. Or maybe… I just like older guys?'

It wasn't quite a situationship yet. Pre-situationship, maybe? It was ambiguous. But she definitely wanted to look good in front of him.

'Yeah, it's time to move on and meet someone new. Am I really going to cling to the past and stay single forever?'

Ha-rin gave herself a pep talk while looking in the mirror. She had to admit she looked pretty good. Ever since middle school, she'd received plenty of confessions from guys.

'Hmm….'

After some deliberation, Ha-rin settled on a simple outfit and headed to her lecture.

"You're here— Huh?"

When Ha-rin sat down next to her, Ji-ah, her most precious friend in the world, tilted her head curiously.

"What?"

Ha-rin felt a twinge of guilt at her best friend's reaction but played dumb.

"Who are you meeting today?"

Ji-ah's voice was puzzled.

"No one?"

"Really?"

"Hey, Ha-rin. Hi, Ji-ah."

As Ha-rin answered casually, Ji-ah turned toward the voice with lingering curiosity. It was Yoon Seung-woo, the senior she'd grown close to recently. He naturally took the seat beside Ha-rin, and she accepted it without question. Though only a week had passed, even Ji-ah no longer found it strange. The three of them had become inseparable on campus.

"Did you get here okay, senior?"

'…I see.'

Watching Ha-rin greet him brightly, Ji-ah realized something.

"Today's lecture is going to be brutal."

"Yeah? It's my first time taking this class. Is there something special about it?"

"The professor's voice is like a sleeping pill… I'm so sleepy…."

"Oh no… I stayed up late watching dramas last night. Looks like I'm in for a good nap today."

"Huh? Dramas? You like watching dramas, senior?"

"Yeah, I watch quite a bit. Do you?"

"I love them! What are you watching right now!?"

Ji-ah smiled softly as she watched the two chat so comfortably with each other.

"Still, you two shouldn't sleep during the lecture."

"Aww~ Ji-ah, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was just a joke."

"You're right, we shouldn't. I'll pay attention."

Ji-ah thought their university life together was pretty nice. She hoped it would continue like this.

"Lecture's starting."

The professor entered, and class began.

'This is so boring….'

Ha-rin fought off drowsiness as the professor droned on from the textbook. She glanced sideways. Whether from boredom or some other reason, Seung-woo kept checking his phone.

Beep.

At that moment, a soft notification sound made Ha-rin carefully pull out her own phone.

[After class, there's something I want to talk to you about alone. Do you have time?]

It was a message from him.

'Whoa….'

She glanced at him again. He was quietly focused on the lecture.

'A confession? Already? Or is it something else? No… if he wants to talk alone, it has to be that, right?'

She didn't dislike the idea. But jumping straight into a relationship after just a week felt too soon. Throughout the lecture, she agonized over it but couldn't find a clear answer.

'Whatever, I'll figure it out later.'

Even as she tried to push the complicated feelings aside, Ha-rin couldn't stop thinking about the man beside her.

* *

Ha-rin kept stealing glances at him, clearly distracted. It took everything Seung-woo had not to laugh.

[So, how are you planning to take her?]

'Something simple would work, but I want to try an experiment.'

Common Sense Alteration. He intended to test it on this new puppet.

[Aha—!! Sounds fun!]

Guide burst into laughter after reading his thoughts.

'I'm going to use Ha-rin to break Ji-ah's mind too. I wonder what kind of face she'll make when her precious best friend betrays and abandons her?'

[That does sound entertaining. Hehe, hehe… Ahh, our Seung-woo is the best. Keep it up just like this.]

While chatting with Guide in his mind, the lecture finally ended. Seung-woo stood up as if he'd been waiting and left the classroom, feeling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ha-rin follow right behind him. She trusted the false affection she felt for him, blindly trailing after the man who would steal her life away. The sheer foolishness of it made him smile.

Creak—.

Ha-rin entered the empty classroom where he was waiting. She stood before him, her expression a mix of nervousness and excitement. Seung-woo fingered the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Brainwashing Stamp in his pocket.

Now.

It was time to create yet another puppet.