The Kingdom - 17
"So, you're the one who filmed this?"
"Y-yeah..."
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Ji-ho, the man, answered Jia’s question with a politeness that bordered on pathetic. He had no choice; his chin was being crushed in her grip, and he was being shoved against the wall. After having his head slammed into the concrete a few times, he had abandoned all thoughts of resistance. He was terrified that the throbbing in the back of his skull would soon turn into a warm, wet mess.
M-monster...?!
He knew he was a morbidly obese, out-of-shape piece of trash, but to be overpowered this helplessly? Ji-ho was stunned in disbelief. Even though there was only a three or four-centimeter height difference, he was still taller and significantly heavier than her. He had the weight class advantage, and given the physical disparity between a man and a woman, he had never once imagined he would lose if it came down to a raw test of strength. He had even imagined himself catching her if she tripped, worried he might accidentally hurt her if he pushed back too hard.
But reality was far different. Just like in the video of her throwing that man, she had subdued him with terrifying ease.
"G-ghk?!"
Her grip tightened. The pressure on his jaw was so immense he feared his bones might shatter. If he tried to struggle, a kick would fly; if he tried to pull her arm away, his head would be slammed back into the wall. He was in a state where he was permitted nothing but the endurance of pain. Realizing that he was utterly powerless despite the unfairness of it all, he resigned himself to his fate faster than he expected. It didn't stop the pain, but he was grateful it wasn't getting any worse.
"Hmm..."
"..."
She held the phone, which was currently playing a video of her own lewd, gasping performance, and maintained a blank expression. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She let out the occasional hum, but there was no furrowing of her brow, no twitching of her lips—none of the obvious reactions one might expect. Because of that, he had no way of knowing how she felt about watching the footage he had secretly filmed.
He would have preferred it if she just got angry. The uncertainty of what would happen once the video ended only amplified his fear. There was a big difference between getting hit when you know it’s coming and getting hit out of nowhere.
As Ji-ho trembled, the video finally ended. The hallway fell silent. Even after the screen went dark, she stared at the phone for a long time. Her grip on his jaw loosened.
Thinking this was his chance, Ji-ho tried to move, but—
"Hey."
"Ghk?!"
Her hand was much faster. His head was slammed against the wall once more, and he let out a series of whimpering, nasal screams, overwhelmed by pain and dizziness. Since his mouth was clamped shut, snot sprayed out of his nostrils like a mist, dirtying her hand. His face, already squashed like a bun, was now a pathetic mess of tears, snot, and saliva—a sight so wretched it would make anyone pity him. If only they didn't know he had tried to use the hidden footage to blackmail her.
"You’re the one who actually filmed this, right?"
"Y-yes... I f-filmed it..."
"With this phone?"
"Y-yes..."
"Nothing else?"
He nodded frantically. Seeing his affirmation, she turned her head as if lost in thought, then finally released her grip on him.
"Puh-huff?!"
He was finally free! Why she let him go didn't matter to him now. He massaged his creaking jaw and gasped for air. His lungs, which had been constricted by tension and pressure, greedily sucked in oxygen and pumped it through his body, causing cold sweat to pour out of him as if his blocked meridians had suddenly cleared. His armpits, his groin, his neck—every fold of his skin was slick and clammy. Now a drenched, sweaty pig, he finally caught his breath and assessed his situation.
So this is it. The final verdict...
The realization that his life was truly over hit him, and emotions surged up. It was his own fault, karma at work, but he felt a belated sense of regret, thinking of his family who had taken care of him. How could he face them now? To let his brain be ruled by his balls—there was a limit to how pathetic one could be. Living a failed life and crawling into his own grave; at least a clown makes people laugh, but he was less than a clown.
As he began to sob from the overwhelming shame and regret, he heard her voice.
"What's your name?"
Her tone was completely different from the one filled with murderous intent just moments ago. Ji-ho tilted his head in confusion. Her voice had been sharp enough to stab his gut, but now, it was much softer. It was still cold and stern, but not enough to make him tremble in fear. However, seeing her expression, he knew that if he didn't answer immediately, he’d get hit again. He pushed his confusion aside and opened his mouth.
"Ji-ho... Choi Ji-ho."
"Age?"
"T-twenty-seven..."
"Two years younger than Ji-wook. You're old enough to know better, but if you get a criminal record now, life is going to get a whole lot harder, isn't it?"
"..."
"Answer me."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"I could just report you and be done with it, but I'm not that cold-hearted. We are neighbors, after all. You know what I'm getting at, right?"
"...?!"
The situation was so unexpected that Ji-ho was left bewildered. He had thought he was going to be dragged off by the police and have his life ruined, yet she, the victim, was offering him a hand. Why? How? It made no sense, but her next words only confused him further.
"You filmed it well. Little shaking, good composition. Do you know how to edit videos, too?"
"...Ah, yes! I do!"
"Heh, good."
Seeing her smile for the first time, Ji-ho couldn't help but gape. She's beautiful... He had seen plenty of beauties through his monitor. People posted their lives on social media—their wealth, power, beauty, talent, happiness, and misery—all to stand out. Because his standards had been raised so high, he usually felt indifferent toward most attractive people, but the married woman next door was so dazzlingly beautiful that the word "pretty" naturally sprang to mind.
Thump-thump! His heart began to beat like crazy. He couldn't take his eyes off her smile.
"I've always been frustrated. Even when I film, the shots are static, or shaky, or the composition is bad, or there's useless footage. I want to edit it, but I don't know how. And I'm too scared to pay someone to do it because I'm afraid the videos will leak."
"..."
"But it turns out my neighbor knows how to film and edit. And he's someone who can't afford to pull any funny business, right?"
"Ugh...!"
"You look so scared~. Am I going to eat you?"
How could I not be scared?! He wasn't stupid enough to not realize that she could kill him whenever she wanted. He knew that as long as the rope around his neck was held in her hand, he would never be free of this terror. So, he nodded obediently and waited for her next words.
"It's awkward talking out here. Why don't we go inside? You can at least offer me a drink, right?"
And so, she stepped into his home.
"I don't want to let you into my place."
Well, obviously... She hadn't forgiven him. In fact, the way she glanced at him was filled with blatant contempt. It was clear she didn't want to touch him or even look at him, but her actions were the exact opposite. She wore a pleasant smile and spoke in a soft tone. Even when she entered his home, she didn't wander around like she owned the place; she sat on the sofa as he directed. Only after he poured her a drink and placed it in front of her did he dare to sit on the floor.
However, she pushed the glass aside, calling it a nuisance, and placed her phone in a position where he could see it clearly.
"Why the phone...?"
Instead of answering, she operated the phone and began playing the videos she had saved.
"...?!"
They were videos of her having sex. Completely uncensored, 19+ footage where her face and naked body were fully exposed. Watching the raw, unedited live footage, Ji-ho was shocked beyond belief, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away. This is insane...! Seeing her—a woman who was already a beauty with an incredible body—riding a man was erotic beyond words. And the protagonist of the video was right in front of him? And they were watching porn together?
His member, forgetting his current predicament, grew hard on its own.
"...The man is different?"
A man with a massive build and an equally massive cock. He recognized him as the big guy he’d seen in the bathroom earlier. Then who was this other man, whose build and cock were smaller, though still well above average? Who else could it be but her husband, whom he’d seen that morning? To think even his cock was above average...
Ji-ho wanted to complain. Isn't God too unfair? Both men were superior alpha males, incomparable to him. He bit his lower lip in envy and inferiority. To be able to hold such a stunning beauty without resorting to cowardly means like blackmail... If he had started from the same position as them, would he have been able to win her heart just the same? Even as he convinced himself the answer was no, his heart ached.
What are you aching for, you don't even have the right to be jealous, Ji-ho mocked himself.
After showing him a few sample clips, she took the phone back and continued.
"Clumsy videos, aren't they? I'd love to film them like an AV, but it's difficult. I finally understand how amazing professional editors are."
"...T-the videos, I will..."
"Yes. Edit them nicely. Make the length about three to five minutes. Make them as clear as possible. Reduce the shadows as much as you can. You can do that, right?"
"Uh, I..."
"You can do that, right?"
"...Yes."
"Then give me your phone."
Ji-ho obediently handed it over. She called her own phone from his to save her number. She even saved her name as "Criminal Record" as a bonus.
"If I send you the videos now, how long will it take?"
"Uh, if you want to check the progress or if there are any revisions needed, well, I'm not sure how long..."
"I'll give you a week."
"A week?!"
"Report to me once a day. If there are revisions, fix them and send them back within an hour. Finish the first draft within three days."
"B-but,"
"If it's too much, I'll just go get you that criminal record."
"..."
"Answer me."
"...Yes. I will do it."
There was no veto. Her expression said as much. He was going to be sweating bullets for the next week. Still, he consoled himself, it was much better than going to jail. If he let his mental state crumble now, he’d lose even this one-week chance. He needed to check if his programs were working, renew the expired licenses—no, he had no money, so he’d have to install cracked software... He’d check if there were any programs shared secretly in his department...
As he was pondering his next move, she suddenly leaned in close to him.
"...?!"
"Stay still."
She pressed against him until their shoulders touched and—click!—she took a photo. She looked at the picture of the two of them sitting close together and her lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
"Hehehe, he's going to be so surprised, isn't he~? He'll be so shocked he'll drop everything and come running, won't he~? Kyaa~! He might really scold me~! And if he does, he'll scold me even harder than yesterday...♡"
"..."
It was soft... Even though it was just a light touch of her shoulder, the soft sensation left on his own shoulder made Ji-ho’s heart thump like crazy. He worried it was loud enough for others to hear, like an engine. What would happen if she found out he was aroused? What would happen? She’d kill him for not having learned his lesson yet.
Still, because of her actions, Ji-ho was able to draw a clear outline of a question that had been forming in his mind. The question felt absurd even to him, but he couldn't help but ask.
"U-um, may I ask you one thing?"
"What?"
"I, I don't think this is the case, but..."
"...? You're stalling. What is it?"
"...Does your husband know you're cheating?"
"Yes."
An immediate answer. With that single word, devoid of any hesitation or confusion, Ji-ho was left speechless. Really? He knows? You're cheating? Why? You're married! It's an affair! And he knows? Why?
As he suffered from cognitive dissonance, rambling on with nonsense he didn't even understand himself, her final words completely silenced him.
"Because Seunghyun asked me to let myself be NTR'd."
"...Pardon?"