Interview Time
Interview Time
The camper van was unexpectedly lively when we arrived.
"Roll left! Roll right! Number 7! Why are you so sluggish? Straighten up this instant!"
"Ah, agh!"
"Your voice is too quiet!!"
"AGHHHH!!!!"
The first thing I saw when I stepped inside was Jeong Ji-min assembling all the girls and putting them through the wringer.
Had she been running them ragged nonstop this whole time?
I knew she threw her weight around just because she felt like it, but I never imagined she'd be this over the top about it.
Watching the utterly exhausted numbered bitches, a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Huh. I'm pretty sure I told you to take it easy on them."
"I imagine this is what 'taking it easy' means by Ji-min's standards."
A nonchalant reply, as if she were used to it.
Kim Ha-yoon, trailing behind her, barely managed to catch the coat Ha Hui-ryeong had flung off.
Ha Hui-ryeong threw herself down onto her designated spot on the sofa and spoke to Jeong Ji-min.
"Hey. Enough. Send the kids back to their spots. You're noisy."
"Oh? The unnies are back! And oppa, you worked hard too!"
Only then did Jeong Ji-min seem to notice us, beaming brightly as she trotted over to me.
Then she naturally took my outer coat from me.
"Looks like you had quite a bit of fun yourself. The smile hasn't left your face."
"Hehe. I did enjoy it, about halfway, but it's all part of a necessary process, you know? They need to have their place drilled into them. That way, they won't even dream of talking back to you or the other unnies."
She had a point, to an extent.
But that was just a pretext, and her true motive was clearly indulging her own desires.
So obvious.
She was taking out all the frustration she'd received from Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon on these poor bastards.
Crafty little thing.
"I'd better make this clear. The drills stop at noon. If they continue past the afternoon, you'll be punished too, no exceptions."
"Mm... okay. I'll be mindful of that, oppa."
After a brief roll of her eyes, she flashed her usual sly grin and said she understood.
Then her gaze drifted toward the freshly captured test subjects behind me.
"So what are those people for?"
"They're for passing the time and running experiments."
"Ah, so I don't need to include them in the cohort?"
...By cohort, she means the numbered bitches, right?
I nodded, confirming that was the case.
"That woman there is fairly decent-looking... but what do you want me to do with this man?"
"Stick him in the bathroom where Kang Ha-jun is for now. If he asks, tell him not to worry about it. He's a friend who'll be going far away soon anyway."
"Aha...."
Having read the meaning beneath my words, Jeong Ji-min let out a small murmur of admiration.
She'd grown so accustomed to life with us that there was no trace of revulsion.
After all, what mattered to her was her own safety. The life or death of some man she'd never met wasn't her concern.
"Should I have the woman washed?"
"Yeah. Just have someone do a thorough job cleaning her up. Oh, and later on, call Su-ah and Jeong Yeon-ji to my room separately."
"Just those two?"
"Yeah. Call them one at a time. Don't bring them together."
"Hmm... understood, for now."
Having answered, Jeong Ji-min ordered Number 3 and Number 4 to move the woman to the shower room.
Outside, I spoke to Angelica, who had been wrestling with the vending machine.
"How's the vending machine? Looks like it'll fit?"
"If we tilt it on its side and twist the angle, it should scrape through. If it were even slightly bigger, it would've been impossible."
If the entrance didn't work, we could just open the back compartment, but she said it was doable.
After that, Angelica followed my instructions and moved the vending machine into a suitable spot.
"Hoo.... Using my ability for so long is a little draining."
"You worked hard. Now get inside and rest."
To show my appreciation, I gave her plump, supple ass a couple of pats.
In response, Angelica subtly rubbed her body against me and shot me a suggestive look, as if proposing we get right down to it.
"Not right now. I'll take care of you later."
"A shame, but fine. If that is your will, I shall abide."
I really liked that obedient side of her.
Maybe it was because she came from a military background, but she'd never once shown any sign of arguing against my opinion.
Everything for my sake.
It was a single-minded devotion, so earnest it was almost heartbreaking.
"Well then, I'll start getting dinner ready."
At that moment, Kim Ha-yoon, who had been drinking a soft drink beside Ha Hui-ryeong, sprang to her feet and headed for the kitchen.
I took her vacated spot and asked, a note of puzzlement in my voice.
"Why you? Just have one of the others do it."
"No. It's fine. Cooking is... surprisingly fun, actually."
Had she gotten a taste for it after we all praised her cooking last time?
"Let her be. She said she wants to do it."
"That's true, but... don't tell me Ha-yoon does all the dishes too?"
"She's got seniority now, so she wouldn't do that. She makes the kids handle all the menial stuff, so just leave it to her."
Ha Hui-ryeong waved her hand dismissively, telling me not to worry about it, and before I knew it, she'd rested her head on my thigh.
Then she stared blankly into empty space, fidgeting her fingers this way and that.
She was browsing the bulletin board, from the looks of it.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't had the time to check that thing lately either.
Ever since Angelica kidnapped me, I'd been so busy watching her every move and using it as a hotline with Ha Hui-ryeong that I hadn't had the leisure to comb through the posts in detail.
And even before that, I'd spent all my time flustered over Shin Yoo-hwa, so it felt like I'd neglected it for days.
So I immediately logged onto the bulletin board myself.
The first thing I saw was a deluge of whispers.
zxcv1234 : Boss, aren't you doing business these days? Word's getting around that people want more stamina drugs... ahem.
FullBellyGoblin* : Why aren't you answering? You bastard, quit dicking around and take some orders already.
Yyudong* : Sir, you sold pork belly as a special event last time, remember that? Any chance you'll do it again? I'm looking to buy about 20 kilos.
ApocTeacherDay23* : I urgently need your contraceptives. Condoms are fine too, so if you have any separate birth control items, please reply as soon as possible.
Most of them were regulars.
But oddly enough, nobody was asking for water.
It used to be my flagship product, too...
Had an alternative supplier appeared, someone other than me?
"Hm?"
Sure enough, my hunch was right on the money.
FapFapFap* - [3 coins per 1L of water. Instant trading available anytime.]
An unfamiliar nickname had stepped in to fill my void.
Hammurabi : This bastard's legit. Sent a message and got a reply right away. Even at 4 in the morning?
└Loves It From Behind : Fr fr lol he's the real deal in my book. The fact he's scarce during the day basically confirms he's ex-military lol
Nongnongㅋ : Hawawa. Always grateful, sir! I made it through another day thanks to you!
└Bee Flower Mamma Tong : Agreed. It's been hard finding water ever since that friendly old-timer vanished.
└Crocky : Did that bastard die? Haven't seen him around lately.
└Bee Flower Mamma Tong : Who knows, either he's really dead or just went into hiding because his water supply ran dry. One of the two.
.
.
.
Public sentiment was fairly positive, too.
The fact that they'd priced it exactly the same as me meant they either had a water-related trait or were a merchant-type like me.
Being able to handle this much volume could only mean that.
"Hey, Hui-ryeong. Did you know there's some guy out there selling water in my place?"
I stroked her hair as I asked, and Ha Hui-ryeong nodded with a slightly bewildered look.
"Huh? Well, I mean... ever since that bitch Angelica kidnapped you, I've been glued to this thing, so I knew."
"What. If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"
"Uh... um... I forgot. I did think I should tell you."
Ah, Christ. Sounds about right for you.
Still, scolding her over something like this seemed a bit much.
Even if she had told me in advance, nothing much would've changed, and the fact was, I couldn't secure large quantities of water right now anyway.
Thanks to the considerable stockpile I'd set aside last time, we didn't have to worry about drinking water, but I didn't have enough left over to sell off.
—'Eh, whatever. I'm selling other stuff now instead of water, anyway.'
What the vending machine I'd just picked up sold was alcohol and cigarettes.
Not essential, but products that considerably improve one's quality of life.
I was thinking of pricing each at around 4 to 5 coins.
If they were too expensive, they wouldn't even dare buy them, so I had to keep it at a reasonable level.
—'The ones willing to buy stuff like this, rather than food, are probably the guys with some leeway.'
The ones desperate just to survive would scrimp and save a coin or two to buy an extra can of food.
So the customer base I needed to target was guys whose stores were full enough to afford a little luxury.
—'Alright, first things first.'
I immediately sent a message to my most loyal customer first.
Yajeongkojeong : Hey
Yajeongkojeong : Hey
zxcv1234 : ...? Boss, you're alive? You were quiet for so long, I was absolutely certain you'd kicked the bucket.
Yajeongkojeong : Obviously I'm alive. What, you think I'd be dead? Anyway, you said you need more stamina drugs?
zxcv1234 : Ah, yes! Could you do about twenty of them?
About five minutes after I sent the whisper, a reply came back.
The guy was still as fixated on stamina drugs as ever.
As you'd expect from someone crazy about sex, the moment the words "stamina drugs" came up, he came running like a dog.
Yajeongkojeong : As many as you want, so get in touch anytime. Oh, and are you interested in buying stuff like alcohol or cigarettes?
zxcv1234 : Mm... I don't do either so it's not really my thing, but my girls might think differently. So, roughly how much stock do you have...?
Yajeongkojeong : More than you'd think, so help me advertise it. I'll throw in extra stamina drugs.
zxcv1234 : Yessir! I'll post something right this instant!
Reliable as clockwork.
Exactly three minutes later, the guy wrote a promotional post, and the flood of comments and whispers started pouring into the thread I put up right after.
And right around then, Kim Ha-yoon announced that dinner was ready.
"Everything's ready, so come eat, quickly."
"Yeah. Okay. I'm coming."
I shoved the bulletin board into the corner of my mind, then hoisted my heavy ass up.
Let's get the trading started in earnest tomorrow.
With that thought, I slowly made my way to the dining table, which was giving off a savory aroma.
*
The meal Kim Ha-yoon provided was quite satisfying.
Frozen fried food reheated in the air fryer, an egg omelet, and even doenjang stew that was just perfect for cleansing the palate.
I could tell she'd used the ingredients we'd gotten from the department store without holding back.
Honestly, preparing this much on her own must not have been easy...
When I asked if she always put on such a grand spread.
—'There's no way, is there? It's because of you.'
She said she'd put in the extra effort to celebrate my safe return.
She shrugged, saying that up until now, breakfast, lunch, and dinner had all just been a simple soup.
Anyway, she was a remarkably commendable creature.
-Knock, knock.
Later, after I'd settled my stomach and was waiting in my room, I heard a knock on the door.
As I'd told her, Jeong Ji-min must have sent one of the two up.
"Come in."
At my shout, the door carefully swung open, and Im Soo-ah appeared, dressed in a somewhat scandalously eye-catching outfit.
A short skirt and a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her figure to the max.
And was that all?
Click-clacking in high heels and stockings that faintly showed her skin, she approached me.
"What's with that getup?"
She looked exactly like something you'd see at an adult entertainment venue.
At my question, Im Soo-ah's face fell, and she let out her words in a trembling voice.
"W-well... Ji-min said... that oppa likes it when I dress like this...."
Okay.
I didn't need to hear the rest to get a general idea.
Apparently that girl Jeong Ji-min had completely twisted my words.
I'd only called her in for an interview, but she'd mistaken it as me planning one-on-one sex tutoring and had dolled her up as provocatively as possible.
—'So that wink from earlier meant that.'
Christ, how am I supposed to handle this little minx?