Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Shopping (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Overcome with joy, I ended up yelling.
"You fucking bitch! You ditched me to save your own skin?!"
"...Ditched you?"
"You puked and left me behind!!"
Our voices rose without me realizing.
Outside the hole, Baekrin clicked her tongue in pity,
pressing her index finger to her lips.
"You'd better shut up."
"You traitor. Not an ounce of loyalty in you."
"And I did tell you."
Baekrin took a bite of the black bread she was holding,
crunching loudly.
"That you had to get out of there right now.
Who was it that interrupted me and told me to fuck off? Shitty employer."
She pointed at me with her finger,
then wagged it side to side.
"I come back and tell you, and you don't even listen.
Real nice look you've got going. Huh?"
She chewed her bread noisily,
spitting out nothing but truths that pissed me off to no end.
[Go on your own. I'm staying behind.]
"......Tch."
It wasn't like I had early-onset dementia or anything.
I remembered it all perfectly fine.
The one who told her to fuck off was me.
The one who wasted time for no reason was me.
Even thinking about it now, it was such a pointless thing to do.
"Got anything to say?"
".....No. So come closer."
Baekrin obediently lowered her face further.
She'd pissed me off with her sharp words,
so I figured I'd plant my fist right in that mug of hers.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Of course, two air swings.
Fucking body was stuck, or else.
"You goddamn bitch, even so, that's too much.
If shit was that urgent, shouldn't you have said it stronger?"
"What happened to your conscience?"
Baekrin gave me a look like I'd said something ridiculous,
then suddenly stretched her crouched legs and stood up.
Her face vanished from view, replaced by her shoes and cloak hem.
And a voice from above.
"Sigh... Shouldn't have bothered coming."
Baekrin muttered in a voice just barely audible,
but crystal clear in my ears.
"Heard people saying my employer's head gets chopped off at noon tomorrow,
figured I'd help if I felt like it..."
Step.
Her footsteps started fading away.
The heel of her worn shoe spun in my sight,
her cloak flapping as it shrank from view.
"W-wait! Don't go."
I grabbed at her, but she didn't stop.
If she left like this, it was really over.
All that'd be left was tomorrow's execution under the sun.
In my panic, my stuck body trembled,
fingers clawing at the ground.
"Stop! Hey! Baekrin!"
I just yelled as loud as I could.
Who cared who heard— if she left, I was dead anyway.
Step.
The footsteps halted abruptly.
But she didn't turn around.
Just her back, and a totally bored voice.
"Your attitude's all fucked."
"......"
"That's not how you beg."
Step.
Sound of her starting off again.
I bit my lip hard.
Pride? Who gave a shit right now.
After getting my head lopped off and mounted, then worry about pride?
Not even crow food left.
I squeezed my eyes shut,
swallowing the humiliation from deep in my gut.
"......Please, I beg you.
Save me. Please."
Then,
the receding shadow approached again.
Baekrin slowly turned, crouching down to meet my eyes.
A smug grin plastered on her face.
"There we go. Why not from the start."
"......So, you gonna get me out?"
"Hmm? Not for free."
Baekrin jingled a pouch from her pocket.
The one I'd angrily handed over to her whole.
Wrinkled at the mouth,
that satisfying crunch of gold coins,
my ex-girlfriend, basically.
Seeing her after so long,
left a bitter taste...
"Do I look like I have a single coin on me right now?"
"Of course not. You're a broke-ass prisoner."
"Fuck you."
"Fuck you?"
Oh shit, this mouth of mine.
"Sorry. Slipped out.
Anyway, about the money......"
...Wait, actually, I do have some?
Well, I can pretend.
"You still have it? The deposit certificate."
"Oh, that paper?"
"Yeah. That."
Baekrin pulled out a sheet from her pocket and flapped it.
The bank deposit slip I'd left with her when that scorpion bastard raided the safe.
Pretty hefty amount, I remembered. Over a thousand gold, probably.
"I'll cut you exactly 100 gold from my share."
"......"
"No, wait, you came all this way, so 200 gold."
I tossed out the generous offer like I was doing her a huge favor.
How's that? Fucking tempting, right?
No way this money-grubbing bitch turns it down...
"You tricked me, employer?"
But Baekrin's reaction was ice cold.
"Went to the imperial bank, you know...
They said no password, no dice. Asked if it was stolen or something?"
She continued, fuming.
"Made me go through absolute hell."
Weird.
Her face was smiling brightly...
...Chills,
murderous intent leaking from the corners of her eyes,
my back soaking with sweat just looking at it.
"Th-that so? I wouldn't know."
To survive,
I rolled my eyes desperately.
"I've never even been to the bank myself.
So, uh... I didn't know you needed a password? For real."
I really didn't expect this fucking bitch to actually go try and claim it herself,
greedily hogging the cash.
Truly didn't know.
"...For real? Not tricking me?"
"I swear. On my dear old mom up in heaven."
I moved my hands frantically.
Thumb to tongue, pinky to forehead.
My ultimate innocence move. Pinky swear.
Doesn't matter, my mom's a whore anyway.
Any issue with that?
"Hmmm......"
Baekrin eyed me suspiciously, then sighed deeply and stuffed the paper back in her pocket.
"Fine, whatever. Say you didn't know."
"Yeah, yeah. Just a misunderstanding."
"And the important part is,"
Baekrin crossed her arms while still kneeling,
"even if you get out of here, employer,
you don't have a single coin to give me."
Couldn't argue.
She held my lifeline, and I was flat broke.
No more scamming her,
time to admit the tables had turned.
"......Yeah."
I dropped my head, and Baekrin snickered.
Then she stuck out her hand to me,
"In my homeland, the East, they say,"
"......What?"
"If you don't have money,"
Her fingers grabbed my chin and lifted it.
"pay with your body."
"......What?"
Ah... huh?
Anyone could see the suggestive nuance.
No way this bitch... saw it?
Something I'd never shown anyone, when the hell?
"......Humiliating, but no choice."
"Hehe, yeah. Be good and..."
"Can't be helped. Your..."
"My..."
Like our mouths were synced,
"Gigolo."
"Slave."
we said together.
"......Huh?"
"......What?"
I questioned first.
"Weren't you about to say fuck me instead of money?"
"What're you on about, idiot?"
"For the record, my dick's fucking huge?"
Baekrin laughed openly,
"Guys with small ones always say that when you check."
raking over my pride.
This fucking cunt,
treating my hyper cannon like a pea shooter?
Someday I'd whip it out proud in front of her face,
slap it on her mug, make her know.
Anyway, looked like no gigolo debut.
"From now on, employer, you're my slave.
This time, I'm hiring you."
"......Ha?"
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Me? This body? Gonna hire the mercenary in reverse?"
"Not mercenary. Slave."
"Slave my ass..."
About to complain at the unfair treatment,
but her face looked off, so I shut up.
Dry as a bone expression.
Like picking livestock at a barn.
......Instinct said don't push it.
So I gave up and asked,
"...What does a slave do? Term?"
"Dunno, ten years?"
"You crazy..."
Using my desperate situation as leverage,
for an unfair super-long contract on a platter.
Suppressing the boiling rage,
I asked the real important thing.
"......Unpaid, right?"
I was uneasy.
That line about paying with body if no money.
"No way. I'll pay proper."
"Good."
Huh, more conscientious than thought.
"So, daily wage is..."
Most important in any contract: pay.
Given the endless ten years,
maybe weekly or monthly,
but she rummaged in her pouch and pulled out one coin.
Not gold, silver.
1 silver. Held it before my eyes,
"Daily wage, one silver coin."
"......"
Ten thousand a day.
Can't endure this.
"You crazy bitch! You joking?"
"Oh, meals are on you."
"Fuck! Look at all the money I gave you, have some shame...!"
"Don't like it? Then don't."
Baekrin smirked shamelessly, dropping the 1 silver on my hand,
"Choose. Take this and work under me,
or die tomorrow."
Ultimatum delivered.
"......"
Should've joined that scorpion's revolution or whatever back then.
Deep regret.
What choice now.
I gripped the silver tight,
hard enough to bend it in my palm.
"......Food."
"What?"
"Please, at least buy some food."
[You've got money. Buy it.]
"......You've got money. Buy it."
[For the record, I like meat.]
"Meat or not is fine..."
I put on the world's saddest face,
"Somehow ended up with a kid too."
Begging like a dog.
Right then,
"Daddyyy... I'm hungry."
Noy tugged at my ass,
whining for food again to me, now beggar and slave.
The bread I'd meant for you? That bitch scarfed it.
And Baekrin heard it too,
"What? You come with a kid?"
Suddenly making a disgusted face,
"Kids are annoying and gross. Deduct 50 copper."
She pried open my clenched fist by force,
and snatched back even that silver.
Ah,
life.
Fucking sucks.
.....
Daily wage 50 copper (five thousand won).
Not hourly, daily.
Slave contract below even passion pay.
'......I'll remember this.'
Still, for now, I nodded with a servile grin.
No contract stamped,
no notary.
Get out alive first, then rabbit when opportunity comes.
Plan for later anyway,
"So, how're you getting me out?"
I wriggled my stuck body and asked.
"Can't get out like that?"
"Fuck... Think I wouldn't have if I could? Why ask?"
"Hmm... Yeah?"
Baekrin thought a bit,
then said casually like no big deal.
"Just crawl back in."
"......What?"
"Go inside. I'll pull you out."
What scheme is this.
Decided to trust for now.
She was so confident,
probably some method I didn't know.
Some Eastern continent special technique or whatever.
I grunted and pulled my body back.
"Hng... haa."
"Daddy!"
Finally out, I flopped on the prison floor.
Then took a gut punch from Noy charging in,
eyes on the hole outside.
Then her voice from inside the hole.
"Step back a bit."
"......?"
I tilted my head.
Stayed prone to see what she'd do...
Beyond the hole, Baekrin stood back, leg raised.
Like she was gonna kick it wide open.
"Wait, hey. You don't mean......"
They say never say never.
"Hup!"
Boom!!!
With a roar, the wall before me crumbled.
Rumble! Crash!
Crappy plaster and bricks poured down.
The hole vanished in a blink,
replaced by a man-sized gaping hole.
Thick dust cloud engulfed everything.
"Cough! Cough! Crazy... bitch!"
I coughed, waving the dust.
"You poorly raised cunt! This is jailbreak!?"
Siege weapon! Terrorism!
"What! What's that noise!"
"Over there! Wall collapsed!"
Of course they wouldn't miss this racket.
Guards with torches rushing from the other side, footsteps pounding.
So dazed I just stared at the hole,
then Baekrin strolled in through the dust cloud.
"What're you doing? Not running?"
She grabbed my collar and yanked me up.
Other hand snagged stunned Noy by the scruff.
"Run fast, slave boy."
Baekrin hurled me and Noy out the hole,
then bolted herself.
Slam!
Hit the ground hard, sprang up reflexively.
Guards' shouts closing in behind.
"Stop!!"
"Escape! Catch 'em!!"
What the hell was all that clawing with the tiny pick for.
Wahaha!
"Waaah... Daddy... hurts..."
"Fuuuuck! You psycho bitch!!!"
I tucked Noy under my arm,
chasing after my mad employer sprinting ahead through the night streets.
A noisy, chaotic,
ultimately crashing end,
to the next episode of Clever Prison Life,
the start of my shitty slave life.
+ Kid's dad comes free.