Sacrifice
— Whoosh! Smack!!
"Hnnngh!!"
— Whoosh! Smack!!
"Nngh!!"
Blow after blow landed. As the pain piled higher, my body began to tremble of its own accord. Tears spilled down my cheeks—tears of pure pain, unmixed with any other feeling. They slid along my face and seeped between the bars of the gag, flooding my mouth with salt.
"Hnnngh! Nngh… hnnngh…."
"What is it? Something you want to say?"
The sheer reality of being beaten like this filled me with a helpless sorrow. All I had done was make a choice. All I had wanted was not to waste the progress I had already endured. Yet here I was, taking a one-sided thrashing, and some bitter, unnameable resentment rose inside me.
Of course my mind understood. I had wished for this life. I had wanted to live it, to be treated exactly this way. Honestly, I had even refused the chance to escape of my own free will; I knew better than anyone that fretting over every little thing was pointless.
And still it was hard. Every strike felt like punishment descending on me for that very wish. So I shook my head. There was nothing to say—and even if there had been, with my mouth forced open by the gag I could never have made myself understood. Right now I simply had to take the beating.
"Hmm."
But it was impossible. The trembling in my legs had grown too violent. The count had already passed thirty. My body, exhausted from a full day of labor and training, could no longer absorb pain this severe. One or two more blows and I would collapse. The danger was that real.
The problem was what would happen if I did fall: the count would reset. If I went down and could no longer receive the lashes, Leviathan would almost certainly push the full sixty onto tomorrow’s torture session. Everything I had suffered today would become wasted effort.
"Nayoon."
"Nngh… hnnngh…."
Whether he had noticed my state or not, Leviathan seized a fistful of my hair. I had already been bent halfway forward at the waist; when he yanked my head up, his sharp gaze filled my vision—the unavoidable, un-avoidable eyes of a guard.
"Mm."
He stared straight into my face. Checking my condition? Yet his eyes drifted a little lower, as if studying the collar around my neck.
"Yejin. Seoa. Come here."
"Yes!"
After studying me for a long moment, Leviathan called my cellmates. Yejin and Seoa approached. Still gripping my hair, he swung his arm and practically flung me into Yejin’s arms.
"Nngh!!"
"Yejin. Lay Nayoon on the floor and put the bottled water beside my seat into her mouth. Feed it to her little by little through the gag so none spills."
"Yes. Understood."
Was he showing mercy? It seemed Leviathan meant to halt the beating and let me rest through Yejin. Following his order, she guided me carefully down onto the floor. The special handcuffs made it impossible to lie properly, so she settled me on my side, tore open the 500 mL bottle from Leviathan’s place, and tipped water between the bars of the gag.
Cool water, fully inside me. The gag pressed my tongue down, making swallowing difficult, yet even the small amount that slid down my throat eased the thirst and the trembling that had tormented me. Without realizing it I must have been mildly dehydrated.
"Hnnngh…."
Watching Yejin diligently feed me water, I nodded in gratitude. In answer she stroked my cheek as if to say it was nothing. I managed a few more swallows, moistened my throat, and for a brief moment let my battered body rest.
Then, from a direction I had not been watching, a voice cut through.
"Right. Kang Seoa."
"Yes."
"I intend for you to take the remaining lashes in Nayoon’s place. Will you accept?"
What… what had I just heard?
After only the briefest rest, Leviathan’s question reached me—yet the one who had to answer was not me. It was Seoa.
No. Don’t.
"Yes. I accept."
"Good. Same rules as Nayoon. If you stagger and fail to take a blow cleanly, or if you sink to your knees, we start over from the beginning."
"Yes. Understood."
Seoa spoke and took her stance. I shook my head hard and tried to rise, certain I could not simply rest while this happened. But Yejin restrained me, gripping my shoulders and refusing to let go. I sent her a pleading look; she only shook her head in silence, her expression heavy with meaning.
I knew. If I interfered we would only suffer together. I could neither overturn nor change their decision. Yet this was wrong. I could not understand how much guilt they meant to load onto my heart.
— Whoosh!! Smack!!
"Hah! Ha… uh…."
The beating began. Seoa’s day had been no gentler than mine. While the gag and special handcuffs had at least confined me to pulling a cart, she—small-framed as she was—had been forced to dig without rest. The exhaustion visible in her body was worse than mine.
— Whoosh!! Smack!!
"Ahk…! Haa. Haa."
Her slender calves took the cane. The worst part was that she was taking it for me—a sacrifice.
"Nngh! Hnnngh!"
"…."
I wanted to scream that this was wrong. Even if the program ran by cell unit, there was no need to share a punishment handed down to one person alone. I would rather have taken more myself than shift the pain onto a comrade.
But Yejin blocked me. Jaehee, without a word, simply stepped into my line of sight; she clearly shared Yejin’s resolve.
Yes. I know. Rationally I should look away. But how can I? How am I supposed to…?
— Whoosh!! Crack!!
"Kyaah!!"
The lashes continued. One, two… the count climbed into the dozens.
— Whoosh!! Smack!!
"Huk…! Haa. Haa."
"That’s the end."
"Thank… you."
Only after the remaining count was filled did it stop. At last Yejin and Jaehee released me. The sight of Seoa returning was heartbreaking—calves stained with blood, legs dragging as she came toward me. Even in that state she managed a smile and flashed me a V-sign with her fingers.
You crazy girl…. You didn’t have to go this far…. Why help me this much?
Tears spilled without warning. These were not tears of pain or exhaustion—only of apology.
"…."
Seoa wiped them away with her fingertip. Her smile looked somehow both sad and glad.
"All right. Time to head back to the cell. Tonight will be long, so hurry up."
"Yes."
Before emotion could swallow me, Leviathan called us all. Then, earlier than usual, he fastened handcuffs and ankle shackles on us—restraints that would normally have been locked on only after torture, outside the chamber door.
Were we truly returning to the cell? Or was this hope-torture, a prelude to the chamber itself? Anxiety churned inside me. Even I, already cuffed, received ankle shackles.
…And just as he had said, there was no further torture session afterward.
On the walk back to the cell, inmates from other cells passed us. Every one of them was headed toward the torture area. I could not tell exactly how many cells were bound there, but aside from those whose release was already confirmed for tomorrow, all of them had to go.
"…."
Now and then, crossing the same corridor, I glimpsed familiar faces—people I had met in the training area. Seeing us not heading for torture, some cast envious looks; others only puzzled ones. The gap between those who knew and those who did not.
Under all those gazes we walked slowly until at last we reached the door of our cell.
"You’re already here?"
"Yes. It’s the last night, after all."
"Right."
Someone stood waiting in front of the cell. Blue eyes, blonde hair, a full figure and clear skin. Luia.
"Shall I go in first today?"
"Do as you like."
"Yes~"
At first I almost failed to recognize her. That was how different Luia looked. She still wore the same prison uniform; her outward appearance had not changed much. Yet the lively expression on her face simply would not match the subdued girl I had known until now.
"Go on in."
The cell door opened and Luia entered first. That was when I noticed: she wore neither handcuffs nor ankle shackles. Free of limb restraints, she slipped inside ahead of us, pressed herself as close to the wall as possible, and sat. After her came Seoa, Yejin, Jaehee… and finally me.
A cell already cramped for four felt even tighter with five. The spatial limit made it hard even to shift posture or move a limb. Though we had passed the threshold, we could neither lie down nor properly settle into place; the crush of bodies pressed in on us. It was unmistakably uncomfortable and hard.
"Wow… it really is narrow."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, at least Luia’s arms and legs are free, so she’ll make room for us, right?"
"Ehh~ Me? I’m going to torment you all rotten, you know?"
"…If you don’t plan on re-enrolling, go ahead."
"Heheh."
Something felt strange. The moment we entered the cell my cellmates began speaking freely. Stranger still, Leviathan did not scold them. Even though he stood nearby and could hear every word, he merely smacked his lips a few times, confirmed I was inside, then gripped the door and spoke.
"Don’t make too much noise. I’m clocking out, so see you tomorrow."
"Yes~ Guard Leviathan. See you tomorrow."
"…Luia Chambers. Keep the mood a little quieter, will you? The stimulation spores are gone and you’re completely high. All right—see you tomorrow."
— Thud. Clank.
With those final words he locked the door and left. In the darkness that filled the cell, my cellmates let out long breaths and all began talking at once.
"The timing today was perfect. Training content changed and it was brutal, but once Luia’s leaving we suddenly have breathing room. Is this called release? Or discharge?"
"It depends on the guard, so it’s vague, but the warden calls it release."
"Really? Ugh… hey, don’t move."
"Five people really makes it hard to figure out how to sit. Hmm~ I’m going home tomorrow, so maybe I’ll just stay up all night~"
"…You really better not re-enroll. If I meet you here again I’ll tease you to death right to your face."
"Ehh~ Yejin-unnie still has more than half a year left. I can just do another two months and leave again~ Heheh. Wait, no—mandatory rest period is two months. Rather than half-heartedly tormenting you, maybe I should time my re-enrollment to match your release date~"
"Ugh… Luia. You were so quiet usually—was this your real personality all along?"
"Heheh~ Yes."
Conversation flowed naturally among them. At first it was Yejin and Luia trading words; then Jaehee joined in.
"Right. Luia."
"Yes, Jaehee-unnie."
"Did the warden say anything? I don’t know if you heard today, but the program changed a lot."
"Ah, I heard. Something about switching to cell units—how was it? What exactly changed?"
"That’s what I was going to ask you…. Anyway, so you don’t know the details."
"Nope. But what really happened? Can you tell me about today?"
At Luia’s request Jaehee briefly explained the day’s events. As the account continued, Seoa was naturally drawn into the conversation as well.
"Ah, I see. So you filled in the execution-ground pit…. Oh, right! A688, correct? The one who was nailed to the cross at the last execution…."
"Yes, that’s right. I’m Kang Seoa. Luia-ssi."
"Heheh. Yes. Ah~ still, I’m relieved. I was really worried some strange person might end up in Cell 3 after I left, but Seoa-ssi came in with Nayoon-unnie, right? Looking at the inmate number it seems like a re-enrollment—how long were you here last time?"
"Ah, yes. I…."
Days spent under a ban on speech. Until now we had only been able to whisper when the guards were off or when we could slip past their eyes. Being freely allowed to talk to one another like this was a first. Judging by the way the re-enrolled cellmates behaved—everyone except Luia, who was actually leaving—it seemed cells that held a releasee were always granted this permission.
Yet even with permission given, I could not speak.
"Huhu. Come to think of it, it’s a shame. Nayoon-unnie. Unnie… can’t talk. And with your hands like that, writing’s hard too. Aww~ too bad. I really liked you."
The torment of being unable to answer someone speaking right in front of me. It had always been hard, but now—when everyone else could talk and only I could not—the frustration and stifling feeling were worse than usual.
"The way I see it, the guards deliberately sealed unnie’s mouth. New inmates aren’t that common, so they probably wanted to pile on extra pain and restrictions."
"Exactly. When I heard you were leaving today I thought the same thing. Ah—so that’s why they gagged Nayoon."
"As expected, Jaehee-unnie’s sharp. Huhu."
Saying that, Luia rose.
"Then let’s see~ Unnies, won’t you make a little room? Unnies… ah, right. Seoa-ssi, how old are you?"
"Ah… I’m thirty-one."
"Ehh~ You don’t look it at all. I thought you might even be younger than me. I’m twenty-one."
"Yes… I get that a lot."
"Anyway, that means you’re all unnies. So unnies, won’t you scoot over a bit? For some reason I want to be next to Nayoon-unnie tonight."
Luia approached as she spoke. Perhaps because it was the last night, everyone endured the discomfort and shifted for her. Even though moving meant rubbing bodies together in the tiny cell, no one complained about her request.
Once she had settled beside me, Luia immediately brushed the piercing visible beneath my prison uniform, then whispered against my ear.
"Unnie~ I’ve been watching for two months~ and you’re the most interesting person of all. Huhu."
…What on earth is this girl trying to say?
"Nngh."
And… why is she pulling my breasts out?