The Coming-of-Age Ceremony of Shame and Humiliation
The Coming-of-Age Ceremony of Shame and Humiliation
Lee Seoyeon, 20 years old.
A human female born in a test tube through gene splicing.
Her daily routine always repeated itself identically.
Waking up from sleep at 6 a.m., she stretched her body lazily and shifted her gaze outside the window.
Several spaceships floating high in the sky and processions of people moving busily from morning could be seen.
"Eum-eum~"
Raising her sluggish body once more, she climbed out of bed.
Because today was the day she would receive her Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Holding a joyful heart in her embrace, she entered the bathroom and washed her body.
"Heum-heum~"
She was charming with her long, flowing sky-blue hair and round facial shape.
Flaunting breasts as bountiful as her face and pretty pink nipples without any discoloration, she wore a smile.
"Because I worked hard!"
For the sake of today, she had steadily dieted while managing her meal plans.
At 20 years old, she would be chosen by the alien who would become her master-nim simultaneously with the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Convinced that she would never lose to other friends, she pulled out a bright, vibrant dress and put it on.
"Heum... Is it too daring..?"
To show off her figure, she wore an off-shoulder dress she didn't normally wear.
The fabric was extremely thin and light, so her breasts bounced even just from breathing.
"Well... It's something that only happens once anyway!"
She felt slightly embarrassed, but mustered up her courage.
Finishing her preparations to go out, Seoyeon hummed a pleasant tune and headed to school.
Walking down the street normally, whenever an alien approached from the opposite direction, she would stop her actions, lower her head deeply, and greet it.
No matter who the opponent was, if she encountered a superior alien-nim, an inferior human had to bow and grovel on their own.
If her conduct was bad or she forgot to greet them, she would receive a minus score.
[-1 point]
"Ah..."
The alien that passed by Seoyeon secretly lowered her score.
She hadn't even done anything particularly wrong.
It was simply because it was in a bad mood.
"This is a bit dangerous..."
The cumulative score she had accumulated while living up until now totaled -62 points.
The accumulated points do not disappear until death, and if they exceed a certain level, punishments are received.
Regarding the punishment, it was top secret so nobody knew.
"I, I need to be careful..."
Sadness seeped into her happy expression.
No matter what unreasonable things an inferior human suffered, they had to keep their mouths tightly shut.
Moving her steps modestly, the place she arrived at was the building where the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was taking place.
"Hello? You came early?"
"Eung..! You came early too~"
The young male Kim Seongwoo, who ran into Lee Seoyeon, approached waving his hand.
A childhood friend since they were young, he was secretly harboring a one-sided crush on Seoyeon.
Seoyeon was the same as well.
Though they were in a situation where they liked each other, they must not express human emotions without the permission of a master-nim.
Staying close like friends and joking around like now was enough.
Of course, even this would end today.
"Eum-eum... I wonder what kind of master-nim I will meet?"
"Nobody knows that, right..? Last year's sunbae-nim was dragged away by some wicked alien and got taxidermied. I'd die before wanting a bastard like that..."
"Shwi-shwi..!"
Flustered by the curse words Seoyeon carelessly spat out, Seongwoo blocked her mouth.
Cursing aliens at any time and anywhere was something that must not be done.
"Watch your mouth. If someone had heard, you would've been punished immediately."
"Ah... Sorry..."
"Yeah. Since it's about time to go in, let's get ready?"
"Eung..!"
Already many people had gathered around.
They were all 20-year-old men and women gathered from across the country for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
As soon as 8 a.m. arrived, entrance guide phrases appeared.
"Huu... I'm nervous..."
Everyone slowly moved their trembling footsteps.
Passing through a narrow corridor, the place they arrived at was a huge grand plaza.
Even after accommodating over 500 people, there was plenty of empty space.
Holding the number tickets handed out at the entrance in their hands one by one, they focused their gazes toward the podium.
[Hello. Thank you for gathering for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.]
An alien squirming eight legs extending like tentacles from its huge head.
It was skimming through a bundle of documents while using two of its legs like hands.
Glancing sideways at the inferior humans, it used polite speech while observing formal etiquette.
[From this very moment, you will abandon your names and be called by numbers. As for names, well, your new master-nim will make them for you later.]
Liquidating their lives up until now and being reborn anew as alien pets.
If lucky, they would become a person in power's pet and spend a comfortable remaining life, but...
If unlucky, they had to endure a slaughterhouse, alien toilet, human ranch, or even research laboratory.
Since it was something everyone had prepared for, there was no backlash.
In the first place, skipping the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was also a felony.
[Then, starting from number 1, come up to the podium.]
"Yes..!"
The male who raised his hand high proudly came up onto the podium.
[Strip off all the clothes you are wearing, turn around, and spread your arms and legs.]
"Yes..? Ah, yes..! Understood!"
Briefly flustered, the male bravely took off his clothes one by one.
A faint shame bloomed, but if he hesitated here, he would fall out of favor.
Because first impressions are important in everything.
"Huu..."
The male, having stripped both upper and lower garments, took a deep breath and pulled down his underwear.
He smiled brightly toward the aliens who might be watching from who knows where.
[Spread your arms and legs.]
"Ah, yes..!"
The male, who had instinctively tried to hide his private parts, hurriedly spread both arms.
Standing with his legs spread as wide as his shoulders, he exposed his body bare.
[Do not move.]
The alien holding a scanner shaped like a handgun in its hand pulled the trigger.
Green light spewed from its horizontally elongated snout to scan the male's body.
"What is this, what is this..."
"Do we have to do it too?"
"There was no talk like this..."
Women whispering softly and expressing fear.
There were some people who had already braced their minds and were taking deep breaths, but most were welling up with tears and feeling humiliation.
[Do not move. If you move even a little bit, you have to do it all over again from the beginning.]
"Yes..."
From head to toe slowly, approximately 3 minutes of time.
Because it was a one-way scan, the male's front side was recorded.
[Turn around and do the same.]
"Pardon?"
This time it was the turn to scan the rear side.
The problem was that if he turned his body around, he would show all the precious parts of his body to the people gathered in the auditorium.
"Uhm... In a place like this..."
[1 warning. From next time onwards, it's a score deduction.]
"D-Deductions..."
For an inferior human, there were no choices.
Because the only one who loses out by refusing orders is oneself.
"Keuk..."
The male, squeezing his eyes shut, quickly turned his body around.
His muscular, sturdy physique and male organ, drooping its head like a well-ripened rice stalk, were visibly exposed.
Women who saw a man's stuff for the first time were startled and averted their gazes.
"Kyaaaak!"
"It's gross..."
"What is that..."
Screaming, shedding tears, or being shocked...
Showing different reactions each, they raised a ruckus.
Among them were women whose faces turned pale while trembling their bodies.
Because they themselves had to suffer the exact same thing that man was undergoing.
[Scan complete. A-minus grade. You must have put in a lot of effort usually.]
"Th-Thank you..."
An A grade belonging to the upper tier among F, D, C, B, A, and S grades.
Though there was no change in his pet life, his price tag would become expensive, destined to be sold to an alien holding power.
[It's over, so go inside over there.]
"Yes..."
Without clothing allowed, he opened the door at the back of the auditorium naked and went inside.
It was surely a moment to rejoice, but the man's face was full of deep sorrow.
Intense humiliation experienced for the very first time in his life.
The terrifying reality that his current emotions would become his lifelong routine from now on.
He tried to self-comfort himself, saying that choosing to stay alive was still right rather than dying.
Without even dreaming of the fact that he would be sold to a slaughterhouse and become high-quality meat.
[Heum-heum...]
The alien standing in the auditorium manipulated a tablet-like terminal.
The dismal result that the place where male number 1 was successfully auctioned off and sold was on a powerful person's dining table.
In the first place, nine out of ten 'males' die pointlessly.
He should be thankful for the fact that he dies comfortably by being slaughtered instead of becoming an experimental subject.
[Next number 2, come up.]
The octopus alien that manipulated the terminal called out the next turn.
Since there was no response even after waiting for a long time, it shifted its gaze toward the buzzing humans.
[Number 2? Not here? If you don't come out right now, your score will be deducted.]
They looked at each other, sizing up the situation.
When even the final warning was ignored, the alien manipulated the terminal.
When it pressed the button, the interior of the auditorium grew dark.
A single small beam of light came down from the ceiling and illuminated someone.
[Choi Sieun. Hurry up and come up to the podium.]
"Hi-euk..."
The protagonist who received the spotlight was a short-haired woman who had been hiding in the corner of the auditorium and concealing her presence.
Startled as all attention was focused on her, she panicked, not knowing what to do.
"Hik... Hi-kkeuk..!"
Bursting into tears out of sheer terror, she cried.
People say that a woman's tears are her greatest weapon, but that only applied before the age of 20.
Because once the Coming-of-Age Ceremony had begun, she, whose status as a pet was sealed, had to unconditionally obey commands.