A Cult? The Church
I cut her off as she stood there sighing, a hand pressed to her forehead, and made my demand. That was how badly I wanted these clothes off. They were cinching around me as if they meant to squeeze the life out of me.
"...You think that's going to happen?"
She turned the question back on me. Was it going to happen?
...Of course it wasn't.
One look at her, nerves wound painfully tight, told me she had an outing planned. And a woman this possessive would never let my skin see the light of day.
But still... even accounting for her obsession... I mean...
I let out a sigh and looked at myself in the mirror, fully dressed to go out.
I'd put on pants that ran a little past my ankles, but even that hadn't been enough to put her at ease — she'd made me wear black stockings underneath that covered my legs entirely. A floppy hat whose whole point was a brim so wide it practically flapped. Sunglasses over my eyes. And finally, a mask covering my face.
...What am I, a celebrity?
"Um... isn't this a bit much...?"
"Not at all. Unnie, were you seriously planning to walk around showing your whole face to other people?"
"...No..."
A moment ago I'd been terrified the clothes would choke me to death. Now I was just going to die of heat. I was going to steam alive in this. Even at the North Pole this outfit would be sweltering. I wanted to wander outside in nothing but my panties, that's how hot it was.
Of course, if I actually did that, she'd beat me to death... and if it was a choice between being beaten to death and being steamed to death, maybe steaming was the better option.
"Ugh... it's so hot... m-move..."
I was already dying of the heat, and Heejin stretched out her arms and pulled me into a tight hug. She stuck out her tongue, licked my earlobe, and whispered into my ear.
"...Unnie, aside from going to worship every week, you'll never have a reason to go outside. But since we're here, I'll say this now. If you ever do go out, you will maintain this exact outfit. Adding more layers is fine. Taking any off is not. Understood?"
"Ugh!"
She'd been licking my earlobe like a cat — then she set her teeth and bit down hard. Pain shot through me like a stapler punching a hole, and a few tears spilled over.
"...If you go wandering around dressed like a whore, I won't bother with words. I'll break that habit of yours for good..."
"Ah, I get it, so... my ear... my ear, please... ngh..."
Her teeth clamped down hard, then released. I could feel wetness on my ear — a little blood, from the feel of it.
I glared at her with resentment, and she licked my throbbing ear as she explained herself.
"...Unnie, you're too much of an idiot to understand when I say things nicely. I've decided to change my teaching methods going forward. From now on I'll be strict with you — for your own sake. Keep that in mind."
"...W-what did I even do..."
"What did you do? Want me to list every single thing?"
"N-no, I'm sorry... it was all my fault..."
I'd talked back a little out of sheer injustice, and the way she sharpened her tone proved she meant every word about treating me more strictly.
...She was already strict enough. If she gets even stricter than this, how am I supposed to survive...
Taking the Doctor's side yesterday must have driven her to some kind of resolution.
She was already obsessively attached to me in ways that weren't normal. And now she was going to be even stricter...
The world went dark in front of my eyes. My chest tightened. I couldn't even begin to imagine what was coming. My pitiful imagination just wasn't up to the task.
"Let's go, Unnie. We have worship to attend."
It was a first. Her suggestion that we leave the house didn't stir a thing in me. My whole body was limp, drained of strength. No matter what I tried, it felt like I would never get away from her.
"...Come on. Let's go, Unnie."
I stepped outside, her hand giving my ass little pats as she ushered me along.
Outside was as spacious as a palace, and yet so empty it felt eerie — not a soul in sight. She'd probably cleared out every last staff member to match my appearance.
I was still drained, my body heavy as a wet newspaper, but my will to escape hadn't broken. I couldn't stop myself from stealing glances around.
Hoping there might be a single emergency exit somewhere, I was scanning the inside of the company, trying to stay out of her line of sight, when—
"Should I cover your eyes too, Unnie?"
"....Sorry..."
She'd caught me. I had no idea how. I was wearing sunglasses that blocked my eyes; all I'd done was roll my eyeballs around behind them.
"When we get home, be ready for your punishment."
I'd considered playing dumb, since she had no hard evidence — and then I'd just admitted it honestly. And I still had to be punished. The world spun. It was so unfair it made my chest ache.
"...But I told the truth... and I still have to be punished...?"
"Does confessing make the wrongdoing disappear? If a criminal turns himself in, does that erase the crime?"
"...No..."
"Unnie, you can expect double the punishment."
"........."
"No answer?"
I thought this every time, but she was truly a master at backing people into a corner. The way she always came armed with examples that were hard to refute, the way she set the mood — it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say every part of her was designed to pressure people.
"...I'll take it... I'll take the punishment..."
"You didn't answer. Triple the punishment. Understood?"
"...Yeah..."
The punishments stacked up in the blink of an eye, and my head throbbed. Every single day was exhausting. Not one of them passed without incident.
I was clutching my aching head, and we'd already arrived in front of the elevator.
I couldn't remember the walk at all. It occurred to me that maybe the whole point of pressuring me had been to keep me from mapping out the layout of this place. Well... that might be reading too much into it.
There was no way someone who lived as simply and crudely as she did could be that calculating.
Nothing dumber than ascribing meaning to every little thing she does.
My thoughts were chasing their own tails when the elevator doors opened and snapped me out of it. Holding her hand, I stepped toward the luxurious elevator, and soon the doors shut tight.
The elevator went down as far as the tenth basement floor, and since the Church was apparently down there as well, she pressed B10. The elevator began its descent.
An instinctive fear tightened around my chest. If something went wrong now, wouldn't we be buried alive... thoughts like that.
Of course, nothing of the sort happened.
The elevator arrived at B10 without incident. But there was something strange: unlike any other elevator, hers didn't open its doors automatically even after reaching the tenth floor.
I was feeling an anxiety I couldn't name when a hymn with a familiar melody began to drift through.
That love~ never-changing~
Without a lie~
That faithful love~
It was a hymn. There was no mistaking it.
And yet...
It was ominous beyond words. I couldn't tell exactly, coming as it did from beyond the elevator, but it sounded like a hymn being sung with spite in every note.
It was as ominous as anything could be.
The thought that I had to get out of here filled my head. I barely managed to grab her wrist as she reached to open the door, stopping her. My body was already soaked in sweat. It wasn't from the heat, obviously.
"What is it, Unnie?"
Heejin looked at me like she was genuinely curious.
"H-Heejin..."
"Yes, Unnie."
"C-can we just go back up? You like my chest, right? I'll let you touch it all you want today. Okay?"
At the offer to let her touch my chest, her expression turned serious. She always put me first, so I'd been sure it would work — but watching her actually hesitate hit me like a shock.
What could possibly be waiting on the other side that would make her...
"...That's a very tempting offer. But we've come all this way. And I have something to show you, Unnie."
She made her decision, pressed the button, and opened the doors. Through the gap, the tenth basement floor began to reveal itself.
"This is..."
My first impression of B10 was this: it was so very dark.
There wasn't a single ordinary light on the entire floor. Only candles, placed here and there, barely illuminating the corridor.
I hadn't imagined an atmosphere like this even a little, so the shock was considerable. The candles stretched quite far — the corridor must have been a long one. The hymn was coming from the far end. Still that same spite-filled voice.
I was scared. Scared enough that it ached in my bones. It really did feel like a cult.
"I-I can't... I c-can't go..."
The strength went out of my legs. A damp stain spread across the pants she'd gone to such trouble to put on me. I hadn't been lying when I said I couldn't go. My legs had truly given out; I couldn't move an inch. My ankles were already a wreck, and now my legs had gone limp on top of that — my helplessness was beyond anything I could have imagined. If a murderer appeared in front of me right now, I wouldn't be able to put up even the slightest resistance.
"Haa... what am I supposed to do with this crybaby coward of a spoiled little bedwetter..."
"Hic. I don't wanna go... I don't wanna gooo... waaah..."
"I'll have to start putting you in diapers, Unnie. I can smell your pee on my arm."
It was the same even now.
She scooped me up, me who didn't want to go. I couldn't put up any resistance of my own. There was nothing I could do but cry and beg her desperately.
The fact that I was an adult, and still had to behave worse than a child, tormented me beyond measure. I was all grown up. I was an adult. And I was being hauled away with my own pee on her arm. Nothing in the world felt more wretched than that.