Prologue - I Must Survive
I had to live. Because I had to live, I could never let myself get thrown out of the shelter. This paradise was governed entirely by its owner's laws and rules. Disobey her, and it was clear as day—I'd be shoved straight into the gaping maws of the monsters without a second thought.
"How's this? Isn't it really pretty?"
"Uh... Y-Yeah."
Seo Yura wore a wicked smile as she toyed with me like a plaything, her fingers lingering on my sensitive spots with relentless precision. She knew I was terrified.
"Anything you want to eat? I can make whatever you like..."
"..."
"Remember the taste of cola? That fizzy bite. Oh, and there's a chicken farm in the basement, so I could whip up some fresh chicken too... See? Just snap like this, and you can order any flavor or style you want."
"..."
"Why aren't you answering?"
"Ah, uh..."
Chilling. Every time her nails raked across my skin, goosebumps erupted in waves. She wasn't showering me with kindness for nothing. No, she had a very specific hunger aimed right at me. Even in this impregnable shelter, with perfect food, clothing, and shelter provided, one craving could never be satisfied. Lust. What this woman—isolated from men for so long—harbored was a raw, primal yearning.
"Then, one fried..."
"No mustard? Salt works too."
"I like mustard..."
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
She snapped her fingers in the air. In an instant, perfectly fried chicken materialized. What kind of tech was this? It had surpassed mere amazement and entered the realm of the miraculous.
"Life outside must've been hell. A fine man like you shouldn't be this skin and bones... It must've been torture."
"..."
"So, what do you think? Stay here, keep eating delicious food like this every day, live happy. You'll obey me, right?"
"Y-Yes. I'll listen to you, Yura-ssi."
"Tsk, Owner..."
"Ow, Owner..."
Sweat trickled down my forehead. My head creaked like a rusty hinge as it turned toward the back. There lay the corpses of former residents—rebels who'd ignored her words and paid with their lives, butchered without mercy. I forced myself to look away and grabbed a chicken leg.
"That's it, eat up... my precious treasure..."