Episode 10: Tutorial

“Wow, nice vibe here.”

A unwelcome intruder shattered the cheerful atmosphere around Yumin and his group. It was Nam Sanghyeon.

Sanghyeon had been Yumin's trauma from middle school—a thug who, right up until arriving at Paradise, had been a low-level grunt in a gang organization. The mood around Yumin's group turned icy. It wasn't just cooling off; it was like forming sharp ice blocks to block any outsiders from approaching.

“Yumin, it's been a while, hasn't it? First time since middle school? I wasn't sure at first, but seeing your name confirmed it. Great to see you.”

Did this guy take a bullet to the head? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Why act like we're buddies? Yumin was dumbfounded. Well, the frog that gets killed by a thrown stone doesn't worry about it. To Sanghyeon, extorting money from classmates and beating them up was apparently just a fond childhood memory.

“So what do you want?”

“What else? Just came to see an old middle school friend. You seem pretty popular with the ladies these days? Surrounded by women.”

“None of your business, is it?”

“It kinda is. You're going around fucking all these girls, and I've only done it with one. Come to think of it, a lot of them here are the ones you've fucked.”

“If you're done talking, why don't you leave?”

Yumin now was not the Yumin from middle school. Sure, he still hated fights and had never been in one, but his height and build were completely different. The short, scrawny kid from back then was gone. And the biggest difference was that now he had people to protect.

Yumin might have let it slide if it were just him getting hurt. But with his stepsister and friends involved, it was a different story.

Sanghyeon felt a slight intimidation from Yumin's firm stance. He looked taller, and the muscles showing through his simple clothes weren't ordinary. Sanghyeon decided to change targets.

“Come on, no need to be so prickly. Good things are meant to be shared, right? You can't hog all the women. What are we supposed to do, just suck our thumbs? Hey, noona—I'll call you Suji noona. Right?”

“I'm not interested in you.”

“Whoa, feisty. You were so passionate with Yumin.”

“I like Yumin.”

“Oh. Yeah?”

“Yes.”

Sanghyeon quickly scanned the women sitting around Yumin. Truth be told, from the start, the one he liked most was Kang Jiwon. She was tall and slim with full breasts. Especially that haughty expression—it appealed to him. Sanghyeon got the biggest thrill from fucking women like that, watching their arrogant faces melt into pleasure.

“How about you then, Jiwon? You didn't seem satisfied with Yumin. I could do it ten times better. Experience counts, you know.”

Jiwon turned her head away completely, not even bothering to reply. To her, Sanghyeon was utterly pathetic. Already leaning lesbian and disinterested in men, a guy like him was less than the dirt under her toenails. She'd only given her first time to Yumin because of his gentle personality, plus the long time she'd known him at university and seen his kindness and diligence. Any other man still held zero interest for her.

With that failing, Sanghyeon turned to Seohyeon next. But seeing Jeongho's arm around her shoulders and his intense glare, he gave up. Gayeong and Minseo were clinging to Yumin's arms on either side.

To Yumin, Sanghyeon was someone he really didn't want anywhere near. But he wasn't the only one thinking that. Everyone had watched the previous Nam Sanghyeon-Im Jiyun mission. Sanghyeon's behavior then had earned him universal disgust.

That left only Mikyung. Sanghyeon wasn't completely clueless despite his bulldozing approach—gang life forced you to develop some street smarts. He noticed Mikyung was the odd one out, floating awkwardly in the group.

“Alright then, how about you, Mikyung? You don't seem to fit in here. Outsiders like us should team up.”

Truth was, Mikyung had been wrestling with exactly that issue lately. Suddenly kidnapped to this weird place, forced into bizarre missions, no hope of going home. She felt anxious and lonely. Amid that, she'd climaxed during sex with Yumin and fallen for him. So she'd slipped into his group. But the sense of rejection was overwhelming.

Seeing Mikyung lost in thought, Sanghyeon took it as permission. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to an empty table nearby. She tried to stop, but it was too late—she was already seated.

Meanwhile, no one from Yumin's group stepped in. If anything, it felt like a thorn had been pulled, a relief.

They hadn't outright refused to let Mikyung sit with them, but they hadn't accepted her either. Yumin's group revived the mood that had dipped from the intruder's arrival, resuming their conversation.

How much time passed? A slight commotion from the next table drew everyone's eyes. It was where Sanghyeon and Mikyung sat. His hand was inside her pants, and she was trying to pull it out. A struggle was unfolding between them.

“Fuck, you spread your legs so easy for Yumin and loved it. Why the hell with me?”

“That was a mission.”

“Mission? What fucking mission. You didn't wanna do it but were moaning like that?”

“Anyway, I don't want this. Get your hand out.”

Ignoring her protests, Sanghyeon roughly moved his hand inside her pants. Then he yanked them down and bent her over the table.

Yumin hesitated for a split second—should he stop this? But considering how Mikyung had forced countless women into prostitution up till now, did she even deserve his help?

By then, Sanghyeon's cock had touched her pussy. And in one thrust, it plunged inside.

“Fuck. Some guy gets to fuck every girl around, and I'm stuck jerking off alone. I'll finish quick.”

Sanghyeon ignored Angel and started pounding into Mikyung's pussy. Angel's voice rang out again.

Was it because Angel's voice and tone sounded too lighthearted? Sanghyeon ignored her and kept thrusting, speeding up.

“Ah, fuck. Gonna cum soon. Just a bit more...”

With those words, Sanghyeon collapsed onto Mikyung's back. And he didn't move.

At first, everyone thought he'd just ejaculated. But seeing his body completely still, the plaza froze in sudden shock.

Mikyung, still impaled, was the first to move. She slowly rose, and Sanghyeon's body slid off to the side, collapsing to the floor.

Angel continued in her usual bright, innocent voice, but no one in the plaza could focus on it. When she'd first introduced Paradise, she'd mentioned death as a possible severe penalty. But as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠missions dragged on, they'd grown optimistic—surely it wouldn't go that far. Now, with an actual death, the harsh reality hit home. This wasn't someone else's problem. It could be any of them someday.

With heavy hearts, Yumin's group exchanged goodbyes and headed to their rooms. Even back in his room, the shock lingered.

Yumin stared down at the metal bracelet on his left wrist. Women's contraceptive hormones, today's death—it was all because of this thing. What else could it do?

The bracelet looked like a noose ready to choke him. Something that could easily snatch a life anytime.

Lying in bed to sleep, Yumin couldn't calm down. It felt like hugging a bomb that could go off any second. After tossing and turning forever, he finally drifted off.

----------

On mission day, all participants gathered in the plaza. Before the announcement, Angel gave a brief explanation. She said not to worry, it'd be fine—but from the listeners' side, it was far from reassuring.

Hojun was the first-time mission participant, and Sangmi—excluding carried-over missions—was the first woman doing it twice. Both named this time were acquaintances of Yumin. Sangmi was the power-abusing teacher who took bribes, and Hojun was the boss at Yumin's first part-time job.

Yumin's parents had died in a car accident shortly after he started university. Suddenly the family breadwinner, he had to worry about living expenses before even processing his grief.

After handling the funeral and aftermath, his first move was selling the house for a four-person family and moving with his stepsister to a smaller two-room place. The profit from the sale plus his parents' savings covered them for now. But he couldn't just burn through it.

He had to support his high school stepsister. And there were his own tuition as a freshman, plus hers when she started university—massive costs.

So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as soon as summer break hit, Yumin started working. But a first-year with no experience or certifications couldn't land high pay. He'd looked into tutoring but nothing panned out. In the end, he took a kitchen part-time at a regular restaurant.

His jobs: dishwashing and heavy lifting. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., ten hours total. Spare time went to his own studies and tutoring his sister—days flew by packed tight.

The long hours were tough, and the work itself was grueling, especially unfamiliar. But he couldn't complain. He was the family head now, responsible for his sister.

The restaurant staff totaled three: mid-40s owner Hojun handling cooking, Yumin on dishes and chores, and a 21-year-old woman on front-of-house serving.

She wasn't Korean but Vietnamese, named Huan. Her Korean was halting, but basic communication worked.

Yumin rarely left the kitchen, but passing through the dining area for heavy loads or the bathroom, he'd often catch Hojun groping Huan's ass. At first, he thought he'd misseen. But it happened so often, he started suspecting their relationship. A mid-40s guy and a 21-year-old—no way they were dating.