I Asked to Be Saved, But She Said Let's Live Together
Just how did everything go so wrong? I had only come to Japan for a trip. While walking down the street, someone suddenly covered my mouth. In my fading consciousness, the last thing I caught was a glimpse of silver hair with a faint metallic sheen. By the time I opened my eyes, I was already tied up.
The room around me was a lavish mansion filled with ornate decorations. My body was bound with ropes, and sitting in front of me—well, more like crouching—was the silver-haired woman I had seen earlier. The most striking thing about her was the revealing outfit she wore, paired with crimson eyes that seemed to glow faintly. She stared at me intently before blurting out without any preamble,
"Want to marry me? Or, um… I haven't decided yet, but… you won't be able to leave this place."
This was clearly a kidnapping. So why did it feel so absurd? Her gaze was intimidating, yet she looked oddly anxious. Still, I was terrified. After all, she looked exactly like a yakuza. The Japanese sword hanging on the wall caught my eye immediately, and my breath caught in my throat. Just seeing it told me everything I needed to know about who she was. My hands trembled no matter how hard I clenched my teeth, and my fingertips went ice-cold.
"Huh? Looks like you figured out who I am. Yeah, I'm a yakuza, just like you thought."
"!?"
"But not just any yakuza~ I'm the boss of the Kurotsuki Syndicate, the most powerful group in this district."
She leaned in close, her presence pressing down on me. My shoulders tensed, and breathing became difficult. Strangely, she paused while staring at my fear-stricken face.
"Uh… this isn't right… Did I go too far? No, I'm the boss, so… this much should be fine, right? Don't you think?"
Why was she asking me? It was obvious what was happening, so the fact that she even asked felt bizarre. She seemed extremely nervous herself, licking her dry lips with a quick flick of her tongue. The awkward gesture startled me, and she quickly continued as if trying to cover it up.
"A-Anyway! From now on, you're mine! Got it?"
She pushed the point forcefully. For a moment, my breath stopped. When I came back to my senses, tears were streaming down my face.
"Hic… Why are you doing this…? I'm really poor… I don't have anything… S-So please, just let me go… okay?"
To be honest, even coming to Japan had been a struggle. I had impulsively bought the plane ticket to celebrate becoming an adult, excited about starting college. I tried to emphasize my situation as much as possible while begging. She looked flustered, standing up as if unsure what to do, and finally spoke in a hesitant tone.
"W-Wait a second… There's been a misunderstanding… D-Don't cry… okay?"
Her voice was a little gentler, but between her outfit and the katana nearby, I only grew more frightened. It felt no different from someone pointing a gun or sword at me while telling me to stop crying.
"Let's calm down, okay? I didn't mean to make you cry… I'm really sorry."
"Huh? Th-Then… you'll untie me?"
If this wasn't what I thought it was, there was no reason for me to stay here. There were stories about good yakuza in manga, but the ones in reality were nothing like that. Actually, I had never even expected to see a real yakuza in my life. She avoided my gaze and cut me off sharply.
"That won't happen. You've already come here. From now on, you'll have to stay with me."
"Wh-What kind of nonsense is that…? Hic…"
It was completely absurd. Was she seriously saying that after kidnapping me out of nowhere? Earlier, fear had clouded my thoughts, but I was pretty sure she had mentioned marriage at the very beginning. Something else felt off too—she spoke Korean so naturally despite seeming Japanese. But none of that mattered right now. I just needed to convince her somehow. Feeling wronged, I tried my best to appeal to her.
"It's not nonsense. I'm the boss, and you're mine now."
I couldn't understand what kind of nonsense she was spouting. But compared to before, her captivating eyes now held an aggressive intensity as she spoke with complete seriousness. That only made me more scared. Noticing my reaction, she muttered to herself in a slightly softer voice.
"I know syndicate life must feel unfamiliar. And I get that your situation is unfair. Hmm, but… you're not Japanese, are you?"
She had been speaking Korean from the start, so why ask that? I even wondered if this was some kind of human trafficking. That thought only made my anxiety worse.
"I-I can speak Japanese… I'm not from here… My name is Seo Yujin! S-So please, just let me go! Okay?"
I added that I had only just become an adult and had a university entrance ceremony coming up, asking if syndicate life wouldn't be difficult for someone like me. That only made things worse. Her face suddenly flushed red, and she stared at me with eyes full of anticipation.
"Seo Yujin… twenty years old… Everything about you is adorable."
"Huh?"
My name was one thing, but what did my age have to do with being cute? I started wondering if she had a thing for young boys, and suddenly she seemed even more dangerous. She also had a habit of talking to herself, and she did it loudly enough that I could hear every word.
"Ahem! Anyway! Rules are rules! Now that you're here, you have to follow the rules of our world!"
I never came here on my own! She was the one who dragged me in, so why was she acting so confident? Of course, I could only think that to myself while still crying and begging out loud.
"That doesn't make any sense… Wh-What kind of nonsense is that…?"
I figured acting pitiful might get me released, so I turned on the waterworks even harder. She just shook her head as if ignoring it.
"It's not nonsense!"
Her voice rose slightly, as if she couldn't control her emotions. Now that I looked closer, I noticed a small dagger and a pistol tucked at her waist. Naturally, seeing them made me flinch and shrink back in terror.
"Ah, no… I mean…"
She quickly hid the weapons and untied the ropes binding me. I was terrified. My mind went completely blank. The only thought in my head was that I had to get out of here. The moment I was free, I jumped up and ran straight ahead without looking back.
'This is my only chance! I have to get out now!'
If I saw a door, I'd open it and escape—that was the plan. But in my panic, I tripped and fell.
"Agh! Ow, that hurts…"
My knees throbbed, but the urge to escape kept me going. I crawled toward the door on all fours.
"Where do you think you're going!? And you're hurt right now!"
"Agh!"
Her hand grabbed my ankle and yanked me back inside.
"Calm down! Just listen to me, okay?"
"Eek! H-Help! Someone, please help me!"
She pulled me upright, and I thrashed in panic, even stumbling backward while screaming.
"I-It's a misunderstanding! I just wanted to talk things out with you!"
She raised both hands to show she meant no harm and tried to help me up again. But my rationality had completely snapped from fear, and her words didn't register. Even as I screamed, she kept trying to lift me. To me, her approaching figure looked like a threat.
"Please! Someone help me! Th-The police—!"
I even slipped into Japanese. The silver-haired woman watching nearby looked flustered. She kept insisting we should talk things through, but the fact that she had kidnapped me in the first place made that impossible. It was ridiculous, yet terrifying at the same time.
"D-Don't cry! Please! Okay?"
Even her soothing tone sounded like a threat. Just then, someone entered the room—a subordinate who also had a weapon at his waist.
"Perfect timing! He seems scared of me, so maybe a guy like you would be better than me."
Assuming I was simply afraid of women, she suddenly ordered the armed subordinate. He grabbed my shoulder and threatened in Japanese that if I didn't shut up, he'd do something and cover my mouth.
"Aaaah! I knew it! Waaah! Help me!"
Hearing that, I screamed and begged for help again. The silver-haired woman let out a long sigh, furrowed her brows, and scolded the man, asking if that was how he was supposed to calm someone down. He bowed apologetically, but she immediately pointed to the exit and ordered him out. For the first time, I witnessed her charisma up close, and my tears wouldn't stop flowing.
"I-I won't report you to the police! Please, just let me go… Hic… Please…"
"Please… just calm down? Okay? Damn it… because of this guy…"
Seeing her troubled expression, I tried to run toward the exit again. But she had already noticed and blocked my path.
"This is my room. No one can leave without permission. Obviously, getting in is just as hard. So the door won't open either."
"!?"
It felt like my last shred of hope had vanished. I backed away in fear, eventually dropping to my knees and begging desperately.
"Really! I won't report you! Okay? Please! Just let me out! I-I didn't do anything! I think you have the wrong person! Hic…"
Usually in these situations, people got dragged in after making a mistake or offending the yakuza. But I wasn't even from here, so the whole situation felt unbearably unfair and terrifying. Maybe my words got through, because she suddenly fell into thought. When she finally spoke again, her voice was gentle.
"It doesn't seem like a misunderstanding… Ahem, I think there's been some confusion. I really brought you here because I wanted to get to know you better… I don't have any other intentions at all…"