Bride Training for Unni

I had a nightmare today—a dream of being crushed to death inside a room that kept shrinking in around me.

I couldn't remember how I'd fallen asleep. Had she cleaned me up properly before I drifted off? On a hunch, I hurriedly looked toward where the phone used to sit.

Thankfully, it was right where it belonged.

"Did you sleep well, Unni?"

She must have sensed I was awake, because she greeted me at once. The sun was already high in the sky—well past the hour she should have left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for work.

"...Huh?"

"Hehe. Why the question, Unni?"

"...You didn't go to work today?"

"That's right, Unni. It's the weekend. Even a company president needs a day off."

So she didn't go in on weekends, apparently.

"...Then I guess we can spend the whole day together..."

"Of course we can, Unni!"

I tried to sound as happy as I possibly could, but it was harder than I'd expected. The exhaustion of having to stay glued to her all day, the despair of knowing that not even a week had passed—those were miserable feelings I couldn't shake no matter how hard I tried.

No wonder she went to bed so obediently last night...

Even if you love a game enough to pull an all-nighter, if you can play it all the next day, the smart move is to go to bed early and rest up. You don't want to be wrecked when it counts. The truth was, she'd gone to sleep early for her own sake.

"Well... it's good for you to sleep early too, Unni... Come on, come eat."

Heejin, reading my thoughts from the sharpness of my gaze, made a pathetic excuse. She wasn't wrong, though, so I clutched my aching ankle and made my way to the table.

"Ugh... it hurts..."

I laid it on a little thicker, hoping to prick her conscience. Maybe, just maybe, she'd go a little easier on me.

"Haa... haa... so adorable... Unni..."

But contrary to what I'd hoped, her face flushed instead. She'd found something to get off on in this, apparently.

"You like it when I'm in pain?"

"Of course it makes me sad to see you hurting, Unni. But you're going to feel that pain in your ankle for a long time, aren't you? And every time you do, you'll think of me automatically. That thought makes me so happy..."

"...You're a pervert... That's disgusting."

I meant it. This time, I said it fully prepared to get punished.

"Says the Unni who cums from her tits every single day."

"........"

Once again, I hadn't even broken even.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"

"Yeah. It's good."

At last, I'd found one genuinely good thing about her today: she was a far better cook than I'd expected. I'd always thought "melts in your mouth" was just an exaggeration, but her meat actually did. It was better than anything some Michelin-starred chef could have made.

"Hehe. It's a dish made with my love. There's no way it wouldn't taste good."

"But why aren't you eating?"

She'd been grinning, delighted at the sight of me eating so well—and then her face went completely stiff, as if she'd heard something she shouldn't have.

"Ah... I already finished eating."

"Why'd you go all serious all of a sudden?"

"I didn't go serious. How could I, in front of the Unni I love?"

"Then you have a bite too."

"I'm fine. I already brushed my teeth."

"........."

The way she drew that hard line killed my appetite on the spot. The food I'd been enjoying suddenly felt like it had bugs crawling through it. These dishes she'd claimed were made with "love"—the moment I started to doubt them, they didn't look so appetizing anymore.

"...I'm full now... I don't want any more..."

More than half the food was still left, but with my appetite completely gone, I set my chopsticks neatly on the table to signal I was done.

"...Eat, Unni. I'm asking nicely."

"...I really am full..."

I'd expected her to push back, of course, but this time I didn't want to back down either. I didn't want to eat food she'd clearly tampered with. That was a perfectly natural human reaction.

"...Unni. Do you want me to feed you?"

"...You could just eat it yourself..."

But if my behavior made her snap, there was nothing I could do. We were officially a couple, and I didn't have a shred of control in this relationship. I picked up my chopsticks again and grabbed a piece of meat. I already didn't want to eat it, and now my pride was wounded too—so of course it showed.

"Hold on a second, Unni."

The moment I picked up the meat, she suddenly grabbed my wrist. Was she... giving in for the first time? That thought had just crossed my mind when—

"Ptoo..."

She spat on the piece of meat I was holding. A thick, viscous strand of saliva that was repulsive just to look at.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"It's a punishment, Unni. You doubted the food I woke up early to make for you, and then you mocked me with that pathetic lie about being full. Eat it with my spit."

"How am I supposed to eat this?!"

"Is my spit dirty, Unni?"

"........."

It was disgusting. Of course it was dirty. How could it not be? This was nothing like a pleasant kiss. Who wouldn't recoil at someone spitting on their food?

"I asked if my spit is dirty, Unni. I'm asking you. Aren't you going to answer?"

"...It's not dirty..."

If it had been anyone but her, I would have flipped the table already.

"Then eat it with a smile. Don't make that face. Anyone watching would think I was force-feeding you."

You ARE force-feeding me!

I genuinely wondered how a person could be that shameless. I wanted to have a word with the mother who'd raised her.

"Ugh..."

The taste was so wrong I could barely believe it was the same meat that had been delicious moments ago. It had gone cold and tough, and her spit made it slimy on top of that. I couldn't keep my face under control.

"Unni. I told you to watch your expression."

"...Okay..."

I wanted to spit it out right then and there, but a person who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't even control her own face didn't have the courage for that. I forced down every last bite before I was finally allowed to leave the table.

"If you're done eating, Unni, let's go brush your teeth."

"...Can't I wait a little bit?"

I knew it wasn't good for me, but I just wanted to lie down and rest. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, and all I'd done was eat breakfast, but she kept hounding me from the side and I felt like I was going to die of exhaustion. I looked at her with a pleading expression.

"Brush them right now, Unni. If your teeth rot, you're the one who loses. Isn't that right?"

Of course she didn't allow it. I hadn't even expected her to—she was obsessively particular about my health. I'd just been probing.

Worn down by her firmness, I headed off to brush my teeth, and she followed right behind me. The moment I stepped into the bathroom, she took out a toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto it. Apparently she was going to brush them for me herself.

"Open up, Unni."

I could have brushed my own teeth, but I just opened my mouth obediently. She'd say no anyway, so what was the point...

"Your tongue, Unni."

She scrubbed my tongue thoroughly too, then smiled in satisfaction. I felt embarrassed, like I'd become a newborn who couldn't do a single thing on her own.

She scooped me up after I finished brushing and carried me toward my bed. After setting me down, she looked at me with an unusually serious gaze. Without even waiting for me to ask, she dropped a bombshell.

"And starting today, I'm going to give you Bride Training, Unni. We've been together for almost three years, but we haven't even made that kind of progress yet."

"...Bride Training...?"

Did I even need to hear the explanation? The name alone was ominous enough.

"Yes, Unni. The things I like. And the things you ought to do for me if you love me."

"........."

There it was again—her unbeatable, inescapable move.

"See? You're not answering me again. That's exactly why we need Bride Training, Unni. So you can become the bride of my dreams. I'll let it slide this once that you didn't answer. From now on, you're going to complete my Bride Training perfectly, and then you'll become my real ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bride. Hehe."

"......."

Cold sweat ran down my back. What was I even listening to right now? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In plain terms, she was wrapping brainwashing—or gaslighting—in the most elaborate, careful language imaginable. She didn't even look human anymore.

She looked like a doll Satan had poured his heart into making.

"This is the textbook for Bride Training, Unni."

Bride Training began on the bed. She handed me what she called the Bride Training textbook, and it was so thick I thought I was looking at a five-thousand-year history of Korea.

"Turn the page, Unni."

I turned the page as she instructed, and a single oath came into view.

The name I had wanted so desperately to know—I only learned it when I was about to press my thumbprint to the Bride Training oath.