Chapter 11: 1/10th Corruption

Jihun sat on the sagging sofa in the dimly lit basement office of a loan shark, roughly spitting out the metallic tang of blood pooling in his mouth onto the grimy floor. His shirt was torn in places, and his face was covered in dark bruises and abrasions that looked like he'd been beaten and trampled by someone. In just one week, to scrape together 100 million won in cash, he'd stepped into a lawless underworld where human morality held no sway.

In front of Jihun sat a battered bag stuffed with bundles of bills reeking of blood and filth—the ransom for his wife.

"The money's here. Exactly 100 million. Now, as promised, tell me. The backdoor address to that bastard's private serialization site and the real-time access code."

The loan shark opened the bag, inhaling the scent of the bills with a grin. In his eyes, the desperate plight of a man trying to save his wife meant nothing. This was a world where only the exorbitant interest from ruining lives defined justice.

"Man, you're one persistent fucker. That writer 'Ma Gangdu'? Turns out he's no small fry. This address is a dark web-exclusive real-time VIP donor page that dodges regular browsers and even law enforcement trackers perfectly. Here, punch in this 16-digit encrypted code. It's your one-way ticket into that 'novel' where your wife's on live display. But watch yourself—it's pretty brutal for a 100-million-won peep show."

Jihun snatched the scrap of paper the shark tossed his way and bolted out without a backward glance. In the car, his hands trembled like an alcoholic's as he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fired up his laptop. Inputting the address and breaching dozens of firewalls, a blood-red text flickered to life on the blacked-out screen.

Inside the smartphone screen, a virtual recreation of a Seoul Subway Line 2 train car. Siyeon was trapped amid a crowd of grotesquely distorted faces, dressed in a sheer silk blouse that revealed everything ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underneath and a miniskirt too short to cover half her thighs. The depiction of the space—far narrower and more claustrophobic than a real subway—overwhelmed viewers with a sense of suffocating confinement.

"Ah... aaagh! Stop it! Please, take your hands off me! Jihun! Help me!"

Siyeon's piercing scream tore through, but Jin-seok's chilling voice pierced directly into her mind via the app's synchronization—a command from the inescapable creator.

"Siyeon, if you scream, that's 'breaking character.' You have to quietly endure the humiliation of your assigned role for the reader ratings to go up. Only then will that precious 'log out' button you crave activate. There's even a VIP reader who shelled out 100 million to watch you—don't disappoint him. If you want to get back to Jihun, just take it like you're dead. Your body isn't yours anymore; it's just high-res pixels to satisfy the readers' desires."

At those words, Siyeon squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut and bit her lower lip until it bled. Dozens of nameless NPCs swarmed her like beasts, roughly groping her slender shoulders and thighs. Buttons popped off her blouse as cold hands invaded her most intimate places.

"Hngh... ugh... ungh...❤️! No... please...!"

Regardless of her mental resistance, the 'body sensitivity amplification' setting Jin-seok had applied began heating her entire body. Each rough touch made her back arch like a bow, thin moans escaping despite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠herself. Her brain screamed in terror, but her digitally rewired flesh betrayed her, responding to the pleasure values the perpetrator had injected.

"No... Jihun... ❤️don't watch...❤️ I don't want you seeing me like this... uwaaaangh❤️❤️!"

The horrific ordeal of being surrounded and ravaged by dozens of male NPCs streamed in real-time to Jihun's laptop through high-definition camera lenses. Tear-streaked, Siyeon endured the hellish humiliation, her eyes fixed only on the tiny progress bar in the corner of the screen.

Ten times. Just ten deaths, and I can go back, Jin-seok's lie had become her sole religion.

As the subway doors opened and the ghostly NPCs dissolved like smoke, Siyeon clutched her buttonless blouse and collapsed onto the train floor in her disheveled state. Then, a cheerful yet eerie sound effect chimed, and a system message floated before her retinas.

Siyeon shed tears of relief at finally clearing one stage, but the following [Permanent Setting Added] alert plunged her into an abyss deeper than hell.

"Aaah...! My body... why is my body like this?❤️❤️ So humiliating... I want to die so bad... ❤️Why does it feel this good...!❤️❤️"

Siyeon trembled as she watched the [Jin-seok Exclusive Onahole] brand on her lower abdomen glow blood-red, radiating scorching heat. Her mind quaked with shame and suicidal urges, but her modified flesh craved the recent violation, dripping hot fluids. This was the moment her personality began disintegrating into digital bits, overwritten by the setting of an 'lewd character.'

In his underground studio apartment, Jin-seok slurped instant ramen while cackling, then loaded the next scenario file. His fingers brimmed with the ecstasy of destroying a man's life and a woman's soul over losing his wife.

"Alright, the first one was just a teaser short, over quick. Now for the real deal—my carefully crafted long-form series. Siyeon, this novel's got a fantasy world. Title: The Saintess Who Became Demon Army Prey in a Hero-less World."

"Fantasy... you say? Please... just stop... let me go..."

"Yep. You're the world's most saintly saintess here. Mission's simple: kidnapped saintess escapes a deep goblin cave to reach the light. Oh, heads up—this stage has totally different time flow from reality. You gotta survive a full year in the novel to clear it. You'll be the goblins' breeding sow for that whole year but still try to escape without losing your human will. Exciting, right? Your hubby just waits a few days outside, but for you, it'll be eternity."

Jin-seok slammed the 'Write & Sync' button. Siyeon's vision blacked out, the background shifting to a massive limestone cave reeking of damp rot. The cold metal of the subway gave way to slimy moss and excrement coating her skin.

Siyeon now wore holy yet blatantly revealing silk saintess robes. In the darkness, countless yellow eyes gleamed with cackling, grotesque howls as they swarmed her.

"Keeek! Kiiik! Human saintess! Gift from the gods! Make our babies for a year!"

Terror-stricken, Siyeon backed away, but her body—now forcibly aroused by mere 'lewd gazes'—went limp ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the goblins' repulsive stares. The brand on her lower abdomen pulsed crimson, mocking her.

"A year... I have to endure a year here? Jihun... Jihun! Please just kill me! Don't leave me in this hell!"

Outside in reality, Jihun stared aghast as the laptop screen's time accelerated in a time skip. The clock in the corner spun wildly. A year of eternal torment for his wife would unfold as mere days of live broadcast for him. Clutching the laptop as if to shatter it, he seethed at the thought of watching her violated by goblins for a year at that monster's whim.

"Hold on, Siyeon! I'm... I'm coming right now! Just a bit longer... please don't lose your mind! 100 million, a billion—I'll sell my soul to get you out!"

Jihun pulled up the final log analysis data from Hacker K on his phone, staked on his life. The perp's signal last pinged at an abandoned row of studio apartments on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. Wiping bloody tears, he grabbed his old tripod and the sharp mountaineering knife from the loan, firing up the car. The engine roared into the darkness.

Jihun's eyes held no reason or sorrow now—only primal murderous intent to drag his wife from hell and sever that writer's fingers one by one. With the first tenth of corruption begun, Jihun and Siyeon's times raced toward ruin at different speeds. Bearing 100 million in debt, Jihun had already forsaken his humanity, sucked into the screen ravaging his wife.