The Desperate Father's Plea
The middle-aged man stared at the young man standing before him with trembling eyes. "Pl-please... just buy one slave. I know it's an unreasonable request, but—"
"Hold on a sec." The young man cut him off. "I'm kinda busy right now, so let's talk later." With that final word, he casually walked into the building without a second glance.
"Ah..." It felt utterly hollow. But he couldn't give up just like that. He had to wait for the next opportunity, another chance. He had to wait for other visitors.
As the middle-aged man stood once more in front of the building, the young man from earlier tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Huh?"
"I made an appointment and came back out after asking you to wait a bit. You seem like you have something to say... let's talk slowly."
He was kind. A good person. Overflowingly so. The middle-aged man wasn't in a position to be picky anyway.
"Y-yes..."
Following the young man into a nearby café, he bought a coffee with a hesitant expression.
"Do you have some kind of circumstance?"
"...Yes."
He couldn't lift his head. It was all his fault. He was utterly powerless, yet here he was trying to shift the blame to someone else.
"Inside, there's a girl named Han Seol-a. Please... buy her as a slave."
"Why? Is there some reason she absolutely has to be sold?"
"She's my daughter."
The young man frowned. "I'm grateful for what you've done, but if you're selling your daughter for money and even promoting it, then—"
"No, that's not it. We have enough money. At least... enough to not starve."
The middle-aged man felt deep shame. It was a family matter. Something he'd stirred up when he was at his ugliest, just as his child was shedding her girlhood. But it was all his responsibility.
If he couldn't even honestly confess his own mistakes, he could do nothing. It would be no different from running away again.
"That girl... she did something bad."
He had to confess.
People want villains to be punished. They want those inferior to them to be despised and suffer. Especially if the target is morally inferior—there's no need to say more.
Society had changed. Criminals were punished more harshly, and sentences overall became tougher. Not just rape, murder, or assault, but theft, property damage, and many other crimes saw massive increases in penalties.
People cheered.
But society and the government had to pay the price for that choice. Prisons overflowed. Costs to maintain and rehabilitate criminals skyrocketed. Petty criminals who spent longer in prison couldn't reintegrate into society, and society rejected them.
As reports of violence by ex-convicts and high recidivism rates spread, ordinary people began to loathe them even more. The government had no choice but to come up with measures.
But they couldn't reverse a policy that had already been implemented. Instead, the government turned to a more efficient solution.
If they couldn't be rehabilitated, just give up on them. Stop meddling in their life or death.
Facilities became endlessly squalid. Violence was ignored. People died for countless reasons. Once inside prison, it was rare for anyone to come out alive.
Even if they were released, they had nothing left. Many had rotting arms or legs, or suffered from lung disease. Crimes committed by such bodies were no longer frightening.
With fewer criminals, the packed prisons finally had some breathing room.
And finally, the government introduced private prisons, allowing them to legally "use" criminals to make money.
That was the society they lived in.
"Did that Han Seol-a... commit a crime?"
"Yes. Today is her last chance. Her sentence is already finalized. If she doesn't find an owner today, she probably... won't survive."
Criminals sentenced to three years or less in prison could have their crimes forgiven by becoming someone's slave within a set period. There was a condition—they had to bear at least three children—but if successful, they could pay for their crimes without ever stepping foot in prison.
Simply comparing durations, it meant 10-20 years of bondage instead of 1-3 years in jail, but most chose slavery anyway.
Owners had no particular reason to torment their slaves unnecessarily. They'd have sex, sure, and there might be power trips, but they didn't intentionally make slaves suffer.
Prison was different. By the will of the citizens, they had a duty to torment them with zeal.
"What crime did she commit?"
"Sh-she... stole from a convenience store. Ramen, cosmetics, that sort of thing."
I let out a deep sigh. Sentences had risen across the board. A theft warranting three years or less meant the stolen goods weren't anything major.
"It happened a long time ago. Just a crime she committed at 15. She got caught up in youthful impulsiveness..."
That was definitely young.
"Family circumstances were tough?"
"There was no family. That girl was born between me and... well, I'm not even sure anymore—a sex slave."
The story was turning gloomier by the minute.
"Sex slaves existed back then too?"
"It was still in the pilot phase. When I was young, I bought a sex slave... and hoped for the best. She cheated on me."
"Ah."
Adultery or disobedience by slaves could result in legal punishment.
"I wanted to abandon her. I couldn't stand the sight of her. The kid hated me too, and since she was with her mother... I just handed over custody. Didn't even press charges. Told her to fend for herself and washed my hands of it."
"But why now...?"
"I only found out recently, but that woman didn't raise our daughter well. She grew up poor. Hung out with bad kids..."
Even for such a daughter, he couldn't bear sending her to prison.
"Please, I beg you. I don't expect much. She's a virgin, and quite... beautiful. Just buy her. She won't be expensive. Please..."
The middle-aged man was practically sobbing in desperation.
If he was truly her family, he couldn't buy Seol-a himself with his own money. If that were possible, any criminal with a sentence of three years or less could be bought by family or relatives to escape punishment.
"Haa..."
I could understand. But if she entered my life, that changed things.
Criminals were disconnected from "ordinary people's daily lives." Most people avoided dipping into crime. Once entangled with them, returning to normalcy was hard.
"I'm sorry."
"Pl-please! Do whatever you want to her. She won't commit crimes again! Just... just buy her..."
Desperate. Her life hung in the balance. I couldn't take it lightly.
"She's young. Just turned adult. So please..."
I was starting to get it. Why a "just-adult woman" was only now getting her sentence finalized.
Juvenile law. Even in modern times, it existed, but by delaying the ruling, they ensured punishment came after adulthood, when it was harsher.
"I'll think about it."
No telling. Maybe she hadn't done anything that bad. Maybe the theft was out of hunger.
"I'll at least meet her once."
"Th-thank you!"
The conversation ended. I turned and headed back into the slave market.
"You're back? Something happen?"
"...Nothing much. Just some guy asking if I'd buy a certain slave."
"Oh, you mean Ms. Han Seol-a!"
The staff seemed to know too.
"That old man has been begging in front of the store for two days straight. Some people even thought he was staff."
"...I see."
In such a desperate situation, he wouldn't have begged just me.
"No one took her?"
"Oh, there were people who came to see her. There's demand for that type, actually. Folks buying slaves to satisfy destructive urges or conquest fantasies. Not encouraged, of course."
"..."
"Customers like that go for the cheapest ones. Since they treat them as disposable."
It was a gruesome story, but the staff recounted it casually, like everyday talk.
"Rebellious young types or haughty-looking girls. They prefer those."
It was odd. Sure, becoming such people's slave wouldn't be a life of ease. But it was far better than prison. At least they'd torment for pleasure, not duty.
"Why hasn't she sold?"
"She rejected them all! The slave herself!"
The staff beamed, almost mockingly.