True Friendship (4)

Watching my mother being violated by Seh-hwan had revived my lust to the point where I tried to climb on top of the instructor, but she blocked my hands and told me it was time to return to the dorm. For someone who had assumed I'd get to have sex right there with her and the auntie, it was a bolt from the blue.

"You seemed way too shaken up, and since Wonjoong and In-ae are precious assets to us, I gave you a special service today to steady your nerves. But the rules haven't changed. You didn't make the rankings this week, so you have no right to a woman. If you want to hold Mi-jung, study hard and get in next week. And if you want me, it'll take even more effort than that. I'm not a slave, you know."

When I made a sulky face, the instructor gave me a warm smile I'd never seen from her before and stroked my cheek.

"You're my pick, Wonjoong. I know you can do it. Remember this—the weekly rankings aren't based on absolute scores, they're based on improvement. That means the kids who started at the bottom actually have the advantage. The opportunities go around evenly. We're fair here (she laughed). And the questions on the weekly evaluation always center on what was taught that week, so if you pay attention in class and review diligently, you can climb the rankings easily enough. Keep that up week after week, and I promise your skills will rise along with your rank."

And so I left that room that had felt like heaven and returned to the dormitory with the auntie. The auntie and the instructor took turns kissing me, and the instructor whispered in my ear.

"Go to your room and take a good look at the rewards menu. There's a gift waiting for you."

The moment I got back to my room, I turned on the computer as she'd told me and checked the Slave Roster for changes. There really was an enormous ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one. The number of women wasn't twenty-nine anymore—it was thirty. Above the name Jeong In-ae was my mother's face, smiling brightly.

Below it, of course, was a video. I clicked the mouse to open it, but for some reason I was too exhausted to watch even that today. Instead, I read the comments beneath the other videos—a section that had been added since last week.

How many boys had violated my mother over the past month? I shut off the computer and looked out the window. From the second floor I couldn't see far, but beyond the fence stretched a broad forest, and dead ahead a mountain rose up. The moon was hidden behind clouds. Until dawn, I turned the instructor's words over in my mind, one by one.

A new week began. Somehow both my body and mind felt light and refreshed, as if my focus had been locked perfectly onto my goal. Effort would be rewarded, richly and without fail. There was no reason to waver. I attended the morning classes diligently, and at lunch I picked up my tray and looked around for Seh-hwan—only to find him, unusually, sitting with someone else. I sidled up, and Seh-hwan introduced us. The boy was in Class C, the same class as Seh-hwan, and his name was Kang Min-chul. He was about my height, probably around 175cm, but with broad shoulders and a sturdy build he gave off a completely different impression. He loved working out, Seh-hwan said, and they'd grown close from running into each other often at the Fitness Center.

"You aiming for the police academy too?"

"Nah, exercise is just a hobby. I'm thinking economics right now."

He was a likable friend—cheerful in the right measure without ever overstepping. But as I talked with Min-chul, the only thought filling my head was who the hell is this guy's mother?

In the afternoon there was Ah-hyun's class. Every time our eyes met, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was showing me, alone, a smile she gave no one else.

I returned to the dormitory, had dinner, and went to the Fitness Center. Even a short daily workout seemed like it would help me sleep at night and keep my stamina up. A dozen or so boys were exercising, Seh-hwan among them. I learned how to use each machine from him, how many reps and sets to do—the basic fundamentals. At one point, when we'd drifted a little apart from the others into a corner, I asked him.

"Yesterday was good, huh?"

"Yesterday?"

"Jeong In-ae."

"Oh, it was no joke, haha."

"You said you knew she was our mom, right?"

The amusement vanished from Seh-hwan's face in an instant.

"I just found out somehow. Don't ask how. But it's fine. I did Mi-jung's auntie too, after all."

Seh-hwan stared at me in silence for a while. He didn't look angry. He looked like he was probing—trying to sort out whether I was friend or foe.

"Didn't you say you didn't make the rankings this time, so you had no nomination rights?"

"Well... unlike you, I didn't know how the system here worked until recently. I pressed Yoon Ah-hyun about it and she taught me everything. The bonus was Mi-jung's auntie. Just couldn't say it out loud."

"Are you pissed that I did your mom?"

"No. Are you?"

"How could I be? I did her too."

Having said that, Seh-hwan looked off somewhere else, then spoke again.

"Still, hearing it directly does sting a little."

He was smiling, and he genuinely didn't seem ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠angry.

"I didn't just hear about it—I watched you doing our mom with my own eyes."

"You watched?"

"There was a camera. Yoon Ah-hyun showed me."

"That bitch is insane, for real."

Seh-hwan thought it over carefully, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then asked.

"So every room has a camera?"

"Probably. Though at this point I wonder if that even matters anymore."

"Well, it doesn't really bother me... still, a bit embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't say it out loud this time, but once I make the rankings, I'm nominating your mom too—and I'll probably use her pretty hard."

Seh-hwan just watched me quietly, a smile on his face.

"You said you've wanted our mom since middle school, right? Honestly, I wanted her too—ever since I saw her at that snack shop back then."

"Is that so."

Seh-hwan's expression was growing sharper by the moment.

"You said you wouldn't get mad—guess you're mad after all?"

"Hearing it said to my face like that, it's only natural it stings a little."

"Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from now on, let's always say it to each other's faces."

Seh-hwan's expression shifted slightly.

"You and I are in the same boat, and the only two who know it are us—so at this point, what's left to hide between us? From now on, and even after we leave this place, you and I will probably live similar lives. So let's share and help each other get through it. We've already shared our mothers—what more is there we can't share?"

At that, Seh-hwan's face relaxed and he snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, alright. If we can share our mothers, that's true friendship right there. Let's share our wives someday too."

Seh-hwan said it with a laugh.

After that, we really did hide nothing, telling each other everything that had happened the night before. Since all I'd done was finish once in Mi-jung's auntie's mouth, I didn't have much to tell, but when it came to the part about his mother having a lesbian session with Instructor Ah-hyun, Seh-hwan seemed pretty worked up too. So this guy harbored lust for Ah-hyun as well. No—honestly, what student here didn't? Seh-hwan claimed he'd climaxed five times in total last night.

"That's a lot."

"In-ae's auntie is a real menace. I just finished and I'm already hard again, I swear?"

"Your mom's no pushover either."

"Well... that's true."

"You say that like you've seen it."

The moment the words left my mouth, I winced inside. According to what Instructor Ah-hyun had told me, Seh-hwan had once watched Mi-jung's auntie being gang-raped by loan sharks. What if that memory came back to him now?

"I had every woman on the list from the start, including our mom. I watched the preview videos."

Ah—so that was it. I let out a silent sigh of relief.

After returning to my room, for the first time, a call came from my mother. The housemaster summoned me, and I went down to the first floor to take the call on the communal phone. I suspected they'd made it as inconvenient as possible to keep us from contacting the outside world too often.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. Mom's been so busy lately I couldn't call."

"It's fine. These things happen."

"Nothing going on with you? You're not sick anywhere?"

"No, Mom. And you?"

"Mom's fine too, of course."

Last time we'd spoken, there had almost certainly been someone beside her. There was no room for doubt anymore. Maybe someone had been violating her right then. Maybe it hadn't been one person, but several. But this time she seemed to be genuinely alone. According to what Ji-young's auntie had said, Mom seemed to live with Jang Tae-joo outright on weekdays—but apparently there were times she was alone, it seemed. Mom and I had a perfectly ordinary mother-and-son conversation. We asked after each other's health, and Mom asked whether my studies were going well, whether the teachers were teaching me properly. I told her nothing was wrong, that everything was going smoothly.