The First Meal
The phone buzzed.
It buzzed again and again.
Then came the click of a lock turning.
It was a peaceful afternoon.
The door opened, and a man stepped into Kim Jinwoo’s one-room apartment with light, cheerful footsteps.
“Hey, you idiot. What the hell? You skipped lecture again. Wouldn’t even pick up your phone… Sigh. Stayed up all night gaming and couldn’t drag your ass out of bed, huh?”
…
…Huh?
Shin Dongbin scanned the apartment for a long time, but he couldn’t find a single trace of Jinwoo.
…No, more than that… something felt off.
“Why does it look so empty? Are you moving out or something?”
Creak—
The fridge was still stocked with the ice cream he’d bought earlier.
He pulled out a popsicle, slurping on it noisily while dialing Jinwoo’s number again. With no particular thought in mind, he began rummaging through the desolate apartment.
Tu-ru-ru—
> The subscriber’s phone is turned off—
“…What?”
What the hell? Why was the closet completely empty?
…Don’t tell me a burglar broke in…
“Come on, what would a thief even want from a guy living alone?”
He had come because he was worried. The guy who always made sure to check attendance even when he was late had completely skipped class today.
After hearing that Jinwoo had gone clubbing with the guys yesterday, locked eyes with some girl, and disappeared right away, his worry had shifted into the urge to tease him mercilessly.
But it was already past noon and he still wasn’t back…
“Tsk. Must be on a date. Lucky bastard.”
—
Creak.
Creak.
“……”
My eyes cracked open blearily.
What the…?
…Where am I?
It was pitch black in every direction.
My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness—however long I’d been here—but it was so dark that the only thing I could make out was the fact that I was lying on a bed.
“…Ugh…”
And then—the memories of yesterday came flooding back.
Right before Jiah noona pounced on me, Yoo Soyeon had unlocked the door to my apartment, walked in, and choked her. Then came the prick of a needle, and I’d blacked out.
…Was it all a dream?
The memories from last night were fragmented, scattered like broken pieces.
If this was a dream… if this was still my apartment…
Clank—
Clank—
“…Damn it.”
My arms and legs were bound.
I wasn’t tied to the bed itself, but both my arms and legs were wrapped tightly in something and fixed in place.
I squirmed, trying to push myself up from the bed somehow.
“Ah, you’re awake…”
A breath tickled the tip of my right ear, and her hair brushed faintly across my vision.
“…Ah—”
It felt like my breath had been cut off.
“You didn’t wake up for two whole days… I was so worried, Senior…”
My heart began pounding wildly. Goosebumps erupted all over my body.
Kidnapping. Human trafficking. Organ harvesting… All kinds of terrifying keywords flashed through my mind.
…One thing was certain: the person speaking softly above my head was Yoo Soyeon.
My arms and legs were intact. I was still alive.
Whenever I went missing, the police would eventually show up.
Even so, my trembling hands refused to stop shaking.
“…Hm? Why are you shaking so much?”
“……”
“Are you cold…? Hng…”
Swish—
She pressed a cold fingertip lightly against my lips, then let out a strange little laugh as she began pulling the curtains open.
The sudden rush of bright sunlight made me squint hard.
And what came into view… were the pictures plastered all over the walls?
“…Wh-where… am I?”
“…Honorifics?”
“Wh-where the hell am I?”
“Hng…?”
“This is where you’ll be living from now on, Senior.”
“…What…?”
“Exactly what it sounds like… The space where you and I… will live together.”
“……”
“I’ve had this dream for a long time… If only this rotten world, these cursed people, would all disappear.
Someday… someday, wouldn’t it be possible for just the two of us to live like this?”
“……”
“I’ve been waiting. Ever since the moment I met you again for the first time in this life… I prepared this space…”
“Hehe… Here, we don’t have to worry about starving even if we never leave. And you, Senior… you don’t have to do anything at all… Yeah…”
Fuck. What the hell is she even saying?
So she’s been planning this kidnapping ever since we met in the waiting room a year ago…
“Senior… Just stay still, okay…? Just stay still.”
My mind grew even more distant.
“…Pff… ha…”
It was the sound of a breath I’d tried to hold back bursting out.
I’d only just woken up, so my head was still foggy. My entire body was tied down, and every single thing Yoo Soyeon said was completely unhinged.
If I could just get the bindings on my arms and legs off… could I push her aside and escape?
“…Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?
Hehe… That look in your eyes is cute too…”
“……”
Pat, pat—
Yoo Soyeon grinned widely as she slowly began stroking my messy bangs.
Twitch—
This is seriously not okay.
I twisted my body slightly in resistance.
If she kept petting me like that, it felt like something inside me would surrender.
But that small act of defiance seemed to act as fuel for her sense of transgression.
“…Hng… No matter how much you push me away, you can’t do anything, Senior.”
“…”
“…You just have to do whatever I tell you to do, Senior… Like this. Just stay still…”
Rustle—
The sensation on top of my clothes was ticklish.
Yoo Soyeon slowly buried her face into my shirt.
The feeling of her fingers moving one by one across my body was so strange and eerie that I couldn’t even describe it.
She rubbed her face against me as if savoring my scent, then looked up at me with eyes full of naked desire.
“…Haa… Hng…”
“…W-wait—”
“Stay still…♡ Good boy…”
Little by little, Yoo Soyeon’s gaze grew thick with lust.
Her breath began to tickle my ear.
…Fuck. Fuck…
Gurgle…
“…Ah?”
“……”
She lifted her head from beneath my face and smiled brightly.
The way she held me so gently, as if considering my every need, and that innocent expression that said she truly loved me—both of them only felt terrifying and horrifying to me.
“Ah… You haven’t eaten anything for two days… I’m sorry…”
When it actually happened… words like “I like this” absolutely did not come out.
It was just miserable.
There was no clear guarantee for my life in the first place, so how could I possibly like it?
“I’ll go make some food… So stay right there. Wait for me, okay… Senior?”
Yoo Soyeon waved her hand cutely, then closed the door and disappeared somewhere.
As her footsteps grew distant, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding back. Overwhelmed by self-loathing and fear, I ended up shedding a few pathetic tears.
What the hell did I do in my past life to deserve this?
Getting kidnapped as a grown adult.
And by a female junior from the same department, no less…
“…Hic… Hiccup…”
How long had I been wallowing in self-pity?
I decided to accept this insane situation for now.
First, I tested whether the strangely shaped rope binding me would loosen if I put all my strength into it.
It looked like handcuffs at first glance, but it was actually tied with a ribbon knot.
I can’t undo it right now. Even if I could, she’d probably come back before I finished freeing my legs. Better not provoke her any more…
For now, I decided to carefully examine the room.
Since I wasn’t tied to a chair, I could hop lightly—making as little noise as possible—and move around bit by bit.
The first thing I checked was the window.
“Ugh…”
I tried pushing the window open with my head, but it was firmly shut and wouldn’t budge.
I wasn’t sure if I could open it with my hands, but… what I could see outside was nothing but trees and bushes.
That meant this place wasn’t a high-rise building.
Good. If the worst comes to worst… I can try escaping through the window.
I moved quietly, careful not to leave any traces or touch anything.
I pressed my ear against the door just in case it might open, and I could hear the sound of a gas stove. It seemed Yoo Soyeon really was cooking.
That also told me there was a kitchen outside this room.
If this place followed the layout of a normal home, then right outside this door would be the entrance connected to the front door.
And…
No. That’s enough for now. If I keep wandering around and get caught… who knows what excuse she’ll use against me.
Even though less than ten minutes had passed, I decided to stop exploring the room.
She might have already prepared the food in advance, and if she came to check on me in the middle of it, it would be awkward to explain. Or she might use it as leverage to make unreasonable demands.
Gurgle…
“…Ah, damn.
I’m hungry… Ha…”
I sat down in the chair and stared blankly around the room.
The walls were covered in doodles that looked like they’d been drawn on sketchbook paper.
They seemed to be drawings of people, but they were incredibly detailed.
They looked a bit like me… except for the wings sprouting from the back.
They didn’t seem like ordinary pictures, which was honestly a relief.
I tried to distract myself from my hunger by looking at the various drawings.
Click—
The door opened. Yoo Soyeon, wearing an apron, brought in a small dining table and set it in front of me.
There was pollack soup with eggs floating in it, white rice, grilled mackerel, kimchi, and seasoned vegetables.
It was a small but complete meal.
…She made all of this by herself?
“I thought you’d be hungry… so I made it quickly…”
Gulp—
My stomach, empty for two whole days, began making a huge fuss the moment my nose and eyes sent it the information.
The visuals were so appetizing that I swallowed involuntarily. I waited until she said it was okay to eat.
“Hehe… Senior…
I know you want to eat, but you have to say thank you first, don’t you…?”
“…Huh? What?”
What was she talking about?
Saying grace before a meal?
Was there some kind of etiquette in our country where you had to loudly say “I will eat well” or something?
But the moment I heard the words she actually wanted, I could only frown deeply and glare at her in silence.
“Say ‘I love you.’”
“……”
This was wrong.
You couldn’t train a person with food like this.
The emotions I’d been desperately suppressing finally burst free, but with my limbs bound and fear gripping me, all I could do was whisper my refusal in a tiny voice.
“…I don’t want to.”
“……”
Gurgle…
“……”
My face flushed red as I tried to hide the sound coming from my stomach, but of course I couldn’t forcibly stop a bodily function.
Yoo Soyeon watched me and began to grin widely.
She lifted a spoon right in front of my eyes.
“It’ll be delicious… Just one word. Just say one word… One word…”
“……”
I didn’t even need to taste it to know.
Just by looking at that pollack soup with the eggs swirled in, I was confident I could finish three bowls if I ate it with rice. The smell was that good.
But… like this?
Hey, Kim Jinwoo.
Are you really going to throw away your pride just because you’re hungry and let yourself be raised like a pet?
“…Soyeon-ah, I-I love you…”
“……”
“……”
“…Ah. Ahaha♡”
Yoo Soyeon blinked rapidly for a long time, as if savoring my words and turning them over in her mind.
Then her body trembled slightly as she smiled quietly.
“I love you too…
Ah— Open up…?”
Chomp—
I swallowed the spoonful of rice she offered in one gulp.
Yoo Soyeon smiled as she watched me eat ravenously. Every single time she did—
Fuck. Fuck… Fuck fuck fuck…
I felt something inside me being chipped away, bit by bit.