Subjugation on Broadcast (15)
"We'll start with contestant Chu So-yeon on the left. Please throw the die up to the height of your own head."
Chu So-yeon approached the podium taut with nerves. It was only natural — she'd seen her opponent, a massive, intimidating man. This wasn't just a match. A single misstep could mean death, and that knowledge sat heavy in her chest.
With trembling hands, she picked up the die and tossed it above her head. It landed on a three.
"Oh! Congratulations. You'll be receiving a sashimi knife."
A staff member handed her the blade. It was wickedly sharp — even a glancing cut looked like it would open a terrible wound. Having a weapon in her own hands only made her more tense.
Next, Dong-hyun stepped up to the podium. He rolled the die without a moment's hesitation. The host let out a groan at the result.
"How unlucky can you get? It's a one! That means contestant Ahn Jin-woo will have to fight bare-handed. There's already a huge physical gap between them, but I have to wonder if Ahn Jin-woo can manage without a weapon."
Even Dong-hyun was briefly thrown when the die came up one. But there was nothing to be done about a roll already made.
The two contestants moved to the arena — an open stretch of ground with nowhere to hide, not a single obstacle to duck behind. Dong-hyun and Chu So-yeon faced each other across about thirty feet.
If she'd drawn a gun, he thought, this might have actually been difficult. Whether she could handle a firearm or not, hitting someone closing in from this range wouldn't have been that hard.
Chu So-yeon gripped the knife in both hands and brandished it at him. The stance was clumsy as hell. She had a weapon, but Dong-hyun wasn't worried. People who'd never actually fought couldn't do a damn thing even with a blade in their hands, and her movements proved it — clutching the knife with both fists, waving it around just enough to keep him back. Amateur hour, anyone could see it.
When Dong-hyun started walking toward her, it was So-yeon — the one holding the knife — who flinched and shuffled backward.
"Hey, don't waste your energy. Just surrender. You could actually get hurt."
Dong-hyun offered her an easy, almost friendly smile.
"I can't! I can't do that."
Even with his offer, So-yeon refused.
"Ha... well, can't be helped then. Shall we start?"
The words were barely out of his mouth before he exploded forward. So-yeon slashed at his sudden charge. Dong-hyun spun with the rotation of her arm, then chopped the edge of his hand into her wrist. The knife clattered to the ground. A left-leg low kick slammed into the back of her thigh, and he scooped up the fallen blade.
"Contestant Ahn Jin-woo! Picking up and using your opponent's weapon is against the rules."
The host intervened immediately.
"What about tossing it behind me?"
"Yes. That's allowed."
At that, he flung the knife away behind him.
So-yeon was limping — that low kick to the thigh had clearly hurt.
"You still want to keep going?"
"Nngh... I have to..."
She raised her fists in a clumsy guard.
"Ha... hey, host? Does this only end if I kill her?"
"Per the rules, the match ends when one contestant dies or surrenders."
"What about knocking her out?"
"Not allowed."
The host's tone was firm.
"You heard that, right? I'm actually going to do this."
"Nngh..."
Chu So-yeon was too terrified to even answer.
"Stop! So-yeon. It's okay to give up."
Jeong Min-ju shouted from the waiting area where she'd been watching.
"But..."
So-yeon hesitated at Min-ju's words.
"I'll win this. Just give up. You were never going to beat him anyway."
Jeong Min-ju pressed her again.
"I surrender."
With Min-ju's second plea, So-yeon finally declared her surrender.
"And with that, the first match goes to contestant Ahn Jin-woo. Next contestants, please come to the podium."
At the host's call, Lee Won-seon headed to the podium. And just as expected, Jeong Min-ju stepped up from the other side.
"This time, Ahn Jin-woo's team will roll first."
Won-seon grabbed the die and threw. It came up a three.
"YES!!!"
It wasn't a low number, and Won-seon whooped with excitement. But the moment Jeong Min-ju's turn came, he grew serious again. The odds of her rolling higher than him were plenty real.
Jeong Min-ju rolled. Won-seon exhaled in relief at the number. He'd gotten a sashimi knife, but Min-ju's die had landed on two — a jackknife.
Put them side by side and the mismatch was obvious. Lee Won-seon stood six feet tall with a bodybuilder's slab of muscle. Jeong Min-ju was around five-seven, with a taut, athletic frame — but the physical gap was enormous. Stack a better weapon on top of that, and most people were already calling it for Won-seon.
Everyone except one person, that is.
Jeong Min-ju turned the knife over in her hands, testing its weight. Then she walked out to the arena with it.
"Hey. You really think you can fight with that skinny little body?"
"You look like you're Ahn Jin-woo's slave too. Do we really need to fight? I'll set you free."
Jeong Min-ju tried talking him down first. It was the smart play. Winning without a fight was always the best option.
"Cut the crap and just come at me."
Her pitch didn't move him an inch.
"If there's something you want, tell me. I'll accept it if I can."
"What I want? For you to surrender."
Won-seon's voice was flat and final.
There was a reason Dong-hyun had sent Won-seon out second. That stubborn loyalty of his — Dong-hyun trusted he wouldn't turn. Even without the System forcing his submission, he'd already proven himself reliable.
"Ha... I suppose there's no other way. Come on, then."
Won-seon's answer made it clear he couldn't be talked down. Jeong Min-ju raised the jackknife and settled into a fighting stance — right foot back, left hand extended forward. It looked practiced. Natural. She reversed her grip on the short blade and locked eyes with him.
"Hmph. What's a little knife like that gonna do?"
Won-seon snorted and walked toward her, sashimi knife in hand. The blade came slashing down.
Jeong Min-ju slipped left and right, evading the knife while watching for an opening to close in. Won-seon had her completely outmatched in raw power, but she was faster — you could feel it. His blade hissed past her by inches, and she never even blinked. She just kept moving, calm and precise. The more she weaved, the wilder his swings became.
"You just gonna keep running?"
Won-seon's shout didn't rattle her. She stayed ice-cold. To keep up, he had to start moving his legs faster too. He was a bodybuilder, sure, but he trained — his athleticism wasn't bad.
He suddenly shot his left foot forward, closing the gap, and reached for her throat with his left hand at the same time. Jeong Min-ju moved just as fast. She dropped her knees to slip under his grabbing hand — and drove straight into his chest.
His knife stabbed toward her in a flash. Min-ju's body spun like a top along his arm, and in that same instant the reverse-gripped dagger punched into his abdomen.
"Guh—"
Won-seon flinched at the sudden pain tearing through his gut. In that split second she spun again and drove the knife into the meat of his right shoulder.
Clang!
Stabbed through the shoulder of his weapon arm, he had no choice but to drop the blade. Min-ju's foot kicked the fallen sashimi knife skittering away. Then she leveled her own blade at his throat. Gut-stabbed, shoulder-stabbed, and disarmed before he could even react — Won-seon was finished.
"Kkhh... I'm sorry. I surrender."
The way she'd evaded and evaded, then suddenly closed in and dismantled him — Jeong Min-ju's skill was on another level.
The host announced Jeong Min-ju's victory, and other crew members rushed in to take the wounded Won-seon away for treatment. Dong-hyun had honestly thought Won-seon would win. Watching him get completely outclassed in an armed fight left a complicated feeling in his chest.
Then the host's voice rang out, announcing the third match.
"We'll now begin the final match. Third contestants from each team, please come to the podium."
From Jeong Min-ju's side, Lee Seul-bi walked out. They'd known putting Lee Jung-hwan in would risk a betrayal, so they'd sent Seul-bi instead. Looking at her physique, if Cho Yu-min came out, they could take her down without much trouble. Seul-bi looked even weaker than Chu So-yeon.
Then Dong-hyun's contestant stepped up.
It was none other than Han Gyeo-wool.