Stigma 4
A few days passed without incident.
"I'm scared..."
As always, I was in Arin's room, touching her body.
"Why? She's your junior, isn't she?"
Watching Arin tremble so cutely was pretty fun. It felt addictive.
"But she looks super tough. And her eyes are scary."
"She's like a little sister."
"It brings back trauma from school days..."
I nodded slowly. Yun-seo's eyes were sharp. Given Arin's personality, it wasn't strange for her to be scared of Yun-seo.
"She doesn't say anything to me."
"That's because you're the master, right?"
"Maybe."
Her tone and actions were a bit hostile, but she never outright rebelled. Maybe that was normal behavior. Or rather, the behavior of someone who was afraid. It wasn't incomprehensible. She'd probably lived in a situation where she had to be wary of everything.
"As long as she doesn't treat you harshly, you can pretty much ignore anything else."
"Wh-what if I don't ignore it?"
"I'd send her back."
It would cost a bit to return her, but I could afford that much.
"R-really?"
"She's pitiful, sure, but you're more important to me."
I'm human too. It was inevitable to favor someone who liked me. I wished they could all get along, but in my eyes, Arin was already being plenty polite. If she'd responded even a little more "normally," a fight would've broken out ages ago.
"D-don't do that. You said she's pitiful. If she gets kicked out from here, she'll go straight to prison, right?"
"I heard she gets one more chance... but yeah, pretty much."
There aren't many people buying criminals in the first place. Even fewer want a criminal slave who's already been discarded by one owner. Her virginity might pique some interest, but the odds of ending up in prison were sky-high.
"That's... no. She's pitiful. I'll just endure it a bit more."
"You don't have to push yourself."
"It's not pushing! It's fine! Let's eat. I'll make it!"
Arin flashed a happy smile and grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the room.
"..."
Yun-seo, who was boiling ramen, shot Arin a look that said, What are you doing here?
"Th-the pot... you're using it..."
"And?"
Yun-seo glared at her with narrowed eyes.
"Eek!"
Arin flinched and scurried behind me.
"Hey. Why'd you come here just to hide?"
"T-talking to strangers is still kinda scary, no matter what..."
I wanted to ask if I wasn't a stranger too, but thinking back, it had taken a fair amount of time for her and me to have real conversations. Maybe she just needed time.
"The pot? Hand it over?"
Yun-seo's gaze fixed on me. I shook my head firmly.
"Nah. There are a few more if we look. Don't worry about it."
Rummaging through the cabinets, I found several large pots.
"This'll do."
"Whoa, how does your house keep pulling out stuff like this? It doesn't even feel like a single guy's place..."
"Because it's not a single guy's place."
"No, I mean, before I came, you lived alone—"
"Exactly, no."
"Huh?"
Before my coin jackpot, there'd have been no reason for me to occupy such a huge space alone.
"I used to live here with my parents."
"Where'd they go?"
"Europe trip. Booked them a three-month one right after I made my money."
"Oh..."
"They worked hard raising me."
Arin cleaned the pot thoroughly and started cooking. It wasn't anything fancy—just gamjatang from an online delivery service. She'd seen an internet streamer devour it deliciously and asked, Can I try this too? before ordering it. As with most instant foods, it didn't take long.
Before Yun-seo finished eating, Arin and I were at the table too.
"Uh..."
Arin skipped her usual joke. The atmosphere was icy. Silence stretched on.
Yun-seo broke it first.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Sex. Not doing it?"
It was a bit extreme for mealtime talk, but these moments were some of the few chances for her and me to speak alone. I had no desire to chat with someone who glared at me for no reason unless absolutely necessary. Outside of essential exchanges, we stuck to short, clipped responses.
Need anything? / No.
Can I do this, Master? / Yeah, go ahead.
Nothing more.
"You want to?"
"No."
"Then no."
Setting aside ethical issues like cheating or whatever, I saw no reason to sleep with Yun-seo. She was pretty, sure. But that was it.
Arin was right there 24/7—easy, happy, smiling sex whenever. If I got horny, I'd just do it with her. Even if Yun-seo wanted it, that'd be one thing to consider, but forcing her when she didn't? No point.
"Then why'd you buy me?"
"It's complicated, but roughly? Money issues. That's it."
The conversation ended there. Yun-seo finished eating, loaded her dishes and the sink stuff into the dishwasher, then trudged back to her room.
Once her door clicked shut, Arin finally spoke up.
"No, but... the dishes weren't even piled up that much, and she did them alone? One ramen meal doesn't make that many bowls!"
"She's got money. Don't worry."
"No, still, it's awkward! The detergent's those block ones, hard to portion, and she dumped a whole one in!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just eat."
Our eyes met. Nothing was funny, but we burst out laughing at the same time. Dinner resumed.
/////
Time passed without incident.
Yun-seo didn't like that.
...Not demanding anything?
She didn't hate him. He was a "relatively" decent master. But that didn't mean she welcomed this situation.
Becoming a slave instead of prison meant surrendering the virginity she'd guarded so preciously. Still, if he demanded it, she'd comply. She was the slave, he was the master. Obeying orders was her duty.
But this was too much.
"..."
Sitting at her computer, Yun-seo slowly inspected the top-tier setup. She knew nothing about PCs, but she could tell this rig and chair outclassed anything at a PC bang.
Giving her a room like this, treating her well, but demanding nothing in return.
Even someone as worldly-naive as Yun-seo knew what that meant.
He's like a dad. That's what this is.
No one buys a slave just to not harm her. He must be hired by the father who abandoned her. Paid handsomely to buy her out.
Not a big spender, but seems loaded...
She couldn't explain how he'd bought Arin, but this hypothesis fit best. He wasn't the type to own multiple slaves. His attention was all on Arin. He'd bought her just to make money, extorting it from her father.
Yun-seo thought of her father. Someone she'd barely met beyond early childhood, but she'd heard he ran a mid-sized company. He wasn't short on cash.
"Sigh..."
That man was smiling. With his slave, the two of them happy.
Parents too, apparently. Loving enough to blow earnings on a family trip abroad right away. A solid family.
Things she never had.
If he'd had that money to begin with... he could've spent it on me!
Her birth mother had neglected her. When hunger drove her to rob a convenience store, that woman neither scolded, nagged, forgave, nor comforted her. Just cold—as if looking at a stranger. You'll figure out your own life.
She hadn't grasped the meaning then. A few trips to the station, signing papers full of legalese—she had no clue how it'd shape her future.
If just one person had taken her side. Or if there'd been enough food at home. She wouldn't have done it.
She hated everything. The parents who'd birthed her and shoved her into misery. Family.
She ran away constantly. No one cared, so it was more like stepping out than running.
But men were all disgusting. Wanting to hold her or profit off her body.
Women weren't much different. Groups needed money to stick together, and that meant crime or shady gigs.
She took any job that came. Wage theft was routine; even hard work got her fired in months.
School? Unthinkable. She'd show up mornings for free lunch, then leave.
That's how she lived.
But... those bastards...
They looked happy. As a kid, she'd fantasized, Apartment dwellers must be happy. But not this happy. Never dreamed it.
Pointless delusions piled up. Lost rage simmered in her chest.
"You fucking bastard!!! Don't you have a mom?!"
And it erupted in the most pathetic, hollow way imaginable.