Students. Have You Ever Heard of Stockholm Syndrome?
The presentation slide in the wide auditorium switched over. A large title appeared on the screen.
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
The student sitting in front of me shot their hand into the air. The professor, wearing black square-framed glasses, adjusted them with his index finger and nodded toward the student who had volunteered.
“It refers to the hostage situation at a bank in Stockholm, Sweden, where the captives developed feelings of pity or affection instead of hatred and even made statements that favored their captors.”
The visiting psychology professor from abroad nodded and advanced to the next slide.
“It describes an irrational psychological phenomenon in which hostages or abuse victims come to sympathize with or feel influenced by the very person inflicting fear or harm upon them. In fact, they end up defending their abuser and forming an attachment. In modern terms… it’s close to implicit gaslighting that occurs when someone is overwhelmed by their environment or atmosphere.”
“This also happens frequently with kidnapping victims. While long-term abduction cases are rare in our country, there are many overseas examples where gaslighting and torture over a decade or more completely reshape a person’s personality.”
The students began to murmur, exchanging various opinions. Because the lecture maintained a relatively open atmosphere and the professor had used witty humor earlier to ease the stiff mood, the students felt free to discuss the material as they listened.
Watching them, the professor gave a small smile and listened attentively to their reactions.
“Here’s another case. This one comes from a criminal in the United States… A prisoner on trial for robbery and attempted murder had a petition filed asking the court not to imprison him—simply because he was handsome.”
“I understand. You might think, ‘Aren’t those people strange?’ Let’s look at it from the opposite perspective. You there, the female student in the very front? Do you have a favorite idol or celebrity? An anime character is fine too. Go ahead and tell us. …Ah. Are you embarrassed? Then how about the male student on the right? What’s your name?”
“Park Sangjin, fourth-year psychology major!!”
“…Wow. That’s quite a loud voice.”
“…I like Autumn Kim from the Pure Romance Club.”
The boys burst into laughter, various curses like “crazy bastard” and “fucking lunatic” spilling out amid the roar. The female students and the professor whispered among themselves with expressions that asked who that even was, but the professor soon calmed the room and continued.
“If that Autumn Kim—if they’re a foreigner, my apologies—were to kidnap you… and lock you up somewhere like a prison. And while controlling your food and water, they talked with you about all the interests you love. What would that be like?”
“……Uh, yes.”
“How does that sound?”
“…Sounds pretty good?”
“…..”
The professor let out a slightly flustered laugh, clearly not having expected that answer.
“…Well, there are immediate cases like this too. Sometimes people reveal their affection right away. But what I want to emphasize here is that our society has now become an information society. It’s easier than ever to obtain personal information… So intelligent stalkers or criminals can track a target’s tastes, and even their private sexual desires, to plan their crimes accordingly.”
Beep—
The next slide that appeared was shocking. Real people who had been kidnapped, subjected to gaslighting, and then written letters to their parents begging them to stop searching. Photographs of their bodies discovered as corpses two years later. Even the commonly cited cases of battered wife syndrome.
“I only spoke about physical appearance, which is the most universal value that easily draws favor. But if, while kidnapped, the perpetrator shares the victim’s interests or matches their preferences, the victim can develop internal intimacy and become emotionally influenced by their captor… I believe this phenomenon can occur with sufficient probability.”
The lecture ended there.
“There we go, ah~ I’ll wipe your face for you…”
Professor, I finally understand now.
By the next day, even I was starting to get confused. If I was okay with it—if I could accept Yoo Soyeon—wouldn’t everything be fine? It would take some time, but once I gradually realized I had fully embraced her, the amount of freedom I was given would surely increase…
Wouldn’t it be all right to accept her? The woman who took care of everything without me having to lift a finger?
“…..”
The cold water brushing across my face sharpened my mind a little. The rough texture of the towel stroked me gently, and in my vision was still Yoo Soyeon’s face, smiling brightly.
…Damn it. What the hell am I thinking? Am I seriously considering living the rest of my life as her pet?
The biggest problem was that I had no idea when that time bomb would go off. For now, she seemed to be showing consideration—respecting me to some degree and giving me free time—but Yoo Soyeon was constantly demanding more intense physical contact.
Of course, judging from her clumsy actions, she seemed to be just as inexperienced in romance as I was. Yet she couldn’t control her emotions and would suddenly act aggressively and impulsively.
“Senior, you’re so cute…”
“…Ugh.”
“I love you, mmm…”
“…..”
“…Answer me.”
“…Uh, I l-like… you… Soyeon…”
“Huuu…♡”
Yoo Soyeon never seemed to tire of it, constantly demanding that I say I liked her. From my position, where I had no choice but to comply, every time she looked at me with those desire-filled eyes I grew more and more afraid of what kind of action she would demand next.
“I’m going to go run the vacuum for a bit…? Senior… just stay right there… and wait for me, okay?”
And honestly, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could endure.
The way my eyes were drawn to her body as she walked out the door told me that two days of this was far too strong a stimulus for a virgin. Starting with what happened with Jia-noona, the various physical contacts I’d suffered since being imprisoned by Yoo Soyeon had been steadily accumulating lust inside me.
I awkwardly shifted my hips and checked the front of my pants.
…Ah, how many days has it been? …Counting today, it’s been a week?
Today, I absolutely had to find a clue for escape.
The first thing I needed to solve was the shackles binding my feet. Since there was a keyhole, I would need a key to open them. Naturally, she would have hidden it somewhere my hands couldn’t reach, so the only method available to me was to find something usable to pick the lock.
Something like… a metal wire.
I glanced around cautiously and began scanning the table. The sound of the vacuum cleaner came from outside, so even if she had installed surveillance cameras, it should be fine for a short while.
I need something like a clip. I don’t know if it’ll work, but if I can just free my legs, I should be able to run.
On the table were only various pictures, someone’s photographs, and articles of clothing. I quietly checked beneath the desk to see if there was anything useful.
“What’s this… a shopping bag?”
I stared blankly at the inside of the neatly placed shopping bag. Inside were… men’s clothes.
……
…These were my clothes. The ones that had disappeared right before I was going to wear them to school.
“……”
Fuck.
I had learned one more ugly truth for no good reason. I put everything back exactly as I had found it and resumed searching for an object the right size to fit into the keyhole.
What caught my eye then was… a small metal pick shaped like a cotton swab.
An ear pick.
…An ear pick? Could this work?
It was a metal ear pick with a white cat character embedded in it. The hardness seemed sufficient. It was worth a try.
“…”
I glanced around once more and slowly sat down in the chair. Doing my best to suppress my increasingly ragged breathing, I lifted both feet and was just about to insert the ear pick into the keyhole—
Click—
“You seemed hot… so I brought… some ice cream…”
“…..”
“…..What are you doing right now?”
“……”
Thump— Thump—
My heart began pounding like crazy. They say that on the brink of death, people exhibit superhuman ability. My brain spun at maximum speed as I hid my trembling right hand and held up the ear pick with my left, showing it to her.
“M-my ear… was itchy…!!”
“……”
“It kept itching so… s-sorry…”
My voice grew smaller and smaller, shrinking in on itself. Yoo Soyeon stared at me for a long time with unfocused, cloudy eyes. Then she gave a faint pouty smile and slowly began walking toward me.
One step. Two steps.
Only when she was right in front of me did she slowly kneel and gaze up at me intently.
“So your ear was itchy…”
Creak— The chair was pulled out, and my body slowly tilted.
“…Then… shall I make it feel nice and cool for you? Senior…”
“N-no—”
Yoo Soyeon’s actions were faster than my answer. In an instant she was beside me, pressing down on both my collarbones.
“Ugh—”
The feeling of strength draining from my nerves hit me, and my body collapsed onto her thigh. She gently placed a finger on my chest, slowly tracing past my chin and across my face before beginning to tickle the area around my ear.
“…Hehe… Senior, you’re just like a baby… lying down like this…”
Hoo—
Yoo Soyeon wore a sadistic smile as she began gently blowing air into my ear.
“….Th-that tickles?! Wait…!!”
“Do you like it? Are you trembling… that much…?”
Yoo Soyeon’s voice came directly into my right ear. I twisted my body, trying to escape the situation, but the moment she firmly pressed my earlobe and pushed the cotton-tipped swab inside, all strength left my body.
Soon my head was gently placed back onto her knee.
Scratch. Scratch, scratch—
“If you just lie there and say ‘ah’… I’ll make you feel comfortable… okay…?”
“…..”
…Ah. Damn it.
“Mmm…? Senior? Are you hurting somewhere…? Why are you twisting your body like that…?”
I quietly buried my face in her lap and, very, very slowly—at a speed she wouldn’t notice—pulled my hips back.