A Naked Man of Sturdy Muscle
Eun-hye took a deep breath and adjusted her posture to resume her explanation of the punishments. A dark shadow fell over her face, and the atmosphere grew even heavier.
"Su-ryeon, did you happen to see... a black whip studded with iron thorns among the ones hanging on the wall of the Punishment Room today?"
Su-ryeon flinched at Eun-hye's ominous question, but the memory surfaced instantly. That whip had left such a terrifying impression that it was impossible to forget.
"Yes... it left such a strong impression... I remember it."
"That whip isn't something Baek Kang-ho uses for his own pleasure. It's a whip he brings out only occasionally... when we commit a truly grave transgression."
"Ah..." Su-ryeon's eyes widened, and she gasped at Eun-hye's explanation. A cold dread settled in her chest, and tension slowly crept down her spine.
"It's hard to endure even ten lashes with that... Just a single strike tears the skin apart and sends flesh flying."
"That... that's too horrible..."
"Yes... it is horrible. I've been whipped countless times, but I can never get used to that one. A single lash is enough to make you taste hell. So, whatever you do, never provoke Baek Kang-ho. Keep that engraved in your mind."
The moment Eun-hye finished speaking, a dark premonition washed over Su-ryeon, freezing her solid. She had given the Recovery Herb meant for her to Ha-jin without permission... Baek Kang-ho was bound to be furious. A horrific imagination flashed through her mind: what if the punishment for her actions was that very iron whip studded with thorns? Her heart plummeted, and her fingertips turned ice-cold.
"Um... sister... if Baek Kang-ho finds out that I gave the Recovery Herb to Ha-jin... do you think he'll whip me with that?"
Su-ryeon asked a question that even Eun-hye couldn't possibly know the answer to, desperately seeking some shred of comfort. As if reading her mind, Eun-hye offered a reassuring response to put her at ease.
"You've only just arrived at the estate. Since it's your first offense, he won't resort to that whip right away. So don't be too frightened beforehand."
Having received the answer she wanted, Su-ryeon let out a small sigh of relief. Her gaze drifted toward the sleeping Ha-jin. Seeing her pitiful state, the word "Torture Chamber" that Eun-hye had mentioned earlier flashed in her mind. Su-ryeon looked back at Eun-hye and spoke cautiously.
"You said earlier that Ha-jin ended up like this because of the Torture Chamber. How... how often do we get dragged down there?"
Seeing how terrified Su-ryeon was, Eun-hye's expression turned thoughtful. She wanted to comfort her, but she knew that lying about the frequency would only cause a greater shock later. In the end, Eun-hye chose honesty.
"At least three times a month, and as many as seven times."
"Ah..." The frequency was far higher than Su-ryeon had anticipated, sending a chill down her spine. She rubbed her goosebump-covered arms, but the thorny anxiety refused to fade. The realization that she, too, would soon have to face that hell became painfully clear, sending a cold shiver through her entire body. She then cautiously asked a question that perhaps had an obvious answer.
"The Torture Chamber... is it much scarier than the Punishment Room?"
As Su-ryeon swallowed hard and asked, Eun-hye wished she could hide the truth. But since Su-ryeon would have to experience it anyway, there was no point in concealing it.
"Of course... down there, physical punishment is just the bare minimum. You can tell just by looking at Ha-jin right now..."
The moment Eun-hye finished speaking, both of them looked at the sleeping Ha-jin with pitying eyes. Over the next few moments, Su-ryeon exchanged several more questions with Eun-hye, learning the gruesome details of the punishments and the Torture Chamber. The more she heard, the colder her chest grew, and she felt as if she were slowly suffocating. With her fingertips frozen, she was seized by a dark premonition that she, too, would soon be cast into that living hell.
It was then that a loud, embarrassing rumble echoed from Su-ryeon's stomach. Blushing, she clutched her belly and gave a bitter smile. She had been so consumed by the terror of corporal punishment and sexual torture that she had forgotten her own hunger. Hearing the sound, Eun-hye smiled gently and glanced at the clock.
"You must be starving. Dinner should be distributed shortly."
"Ah... yes..." Just as she answered, the door suddenly swung open. Both of their eyes snapped toward the entrance. In the tense silence, a figure stepped into the room. But as soon as Su-ryeon recognized the familiar face, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Girls, dinner is here." As Ok-hui's warm, comforting voice echoed through the room, Su-ryeon, who had been sitting at the table, stood up in welcome. The icy tension in the air melted away in an instant, and a bright smile spread across her face.
"Lady Ok-hui, you're here?" When Su-ryeon greeted her with a beautiful smile, Ok-hui responded with a warm smile of her own. She seemed to have something to say to Su-ryeon, but upon seeing Ha-jin still lying down even though dinner had arrived, her attention shifted to her first.
"Is Ha-jin sick? She's usually the first to sit down when food arrives... Why is she lying there like that?" Ok-hui asked with a worried expression, noting Ha-jin's unusual behavior. Eun-hye's face darkened again, and she answered in a resentful voice.
"Ha-jin... she was dragged to the Torture Chamber today... and came back with her vagina torn apart." Hearing those horrific words, Ok-hui's eyes widened in shock, and her voice rose in agitation.
"Oh my goodness! How dreadful... Did you apply the Recovery Herb?"
"Yes... Su-ryeon gave her some, so we applied it." When Eun-hye gave her anxious reply, Ok-hui looked at Su-ryeon with even greater shock, her voice growing louder.
"What? Su-ryeon did? Su-ryeon! What if Baek Kang-ho finds out..." As Ok-hui fretted in deep concern, anxiety flickered across Su-ryeon's face, but she tried to remain calm as she spoke softly.
"Of course... it will be trouble if he finds out... but I couldn't just leave Ha-jin to suffer like that." Touched by Su-ryeon's kindness toward Ha-jin, Ok-hui fell silent, her face a mix of worry and pity. Then, letting out a deep sigh as she accepted the reality of the situation, she spoke.
"Su-ryeon... Baek Kang-ho has summoned you to have dinner with him tonight. You must come with me right now..." Ok-hui's eyes were filled with deep sorrow and concern. Dinner with Baek Kang-ho... Su-ryeon's heart plummeted, and a suffocating tension wrapped around her entire body.
"What...? R-right now...?" Ok-hui nodded with a pitying look, confirming the summons. Su-ryeon bit her lower lip, trying to catch her breath against the sudden wave of terror. However, deciding it was better to face the inevitable sooner rather than later, she steeled her resolve and stood up, her face tense.
"T-then... I must go." Su-ryeon tried her best to hide her fear, but her trembling body betrayed her. She prepared to leave the room with Ok-hui immediately. Ok-hui watched Su-ryeon struggle against her terror with a heavy heart, eventually turning her head away in pity. The two of them stepped out of the room into the dark, tense hallway. Watching them go, Eun-hye could not hide her distress either. Anxiety and worry warred in her heart as she desperately prayed that everything would turn out fine.
Su-ryeon sat at one end of a long dining table, anxiously waiting for Baek Kang-ho. The table was completely bare, and her gaze remained fixed on the empty space before her. Though an elegant candelabra sat on the table, even the soft glow of the candlelight only served to heighten the strange, suffocating tension in her anxious heart.
In the midst of the silence, the sound of heavy, measured footsteps announced Baek Kang-ho's arrival. Without a word, he walked to the opposite end of the table and pulled out his chair. A harsh, grating screech echoed through the room. Screeech—
Finally seated, Baek Kang-ho slowly raised his hand. With a sharp snap of his fingers, the servants standing in the shadows moved in perfect unison, as if they had been waiting for that exact cue. In an instant, exquisite dishes were placed on the table one by one, filling the silent room with the clatter of fine chinaware.
Su-ryeon watched the scene in silence, her face frozen, barely daring to breathe. Although the savory aroma of the food wafted through the air, her overwhelming tension blocked out her senses. Once the servants finished setting the table, they quietly withdrew. The table was now laden with an abundant feast.
However, unlike the lavish, beautifully arranged dishes set before Baek Kang-ho, Su-ryeon's place setting consisted of nothing but a single slice of plain bread sitting miserably on a wide plate. The stark contrast between their meals created an even more suffocating atmosphere. Su-ryeon couldn't summon the courage to lift her head and look at Baek Kang-ho. Even swallowing her saliva felt like trying to pass sandpaper down her throat.
Once the meal was fully served, Baek Kang-ho's low, heavy voice shattered the silence. "You are the first sex slave to ever sit at the same table and dine with me." He spoke with a cynical smirk, as if bestowing some grand, benevolent favor. "Well? Aren't you honored?"
The sharp edge of his words pierced her like a dagger, sending a cold shiver down her spine. She clenched her fists, but her hands, hidden beneath the table, were already ice-cold. "Yes... Master... I am truly honored." Su-ryeon's voice was weak and hollow, echoing emptily in the grand room.
Baek Kang-ho remained silent for a moment, as if savoring her submissive response. Then, his lips curling into a faint smirk, he murmured softly, "Then, eat."
At his command, Su-ryeon hesitantly picked up her fork and knife. Her plate held nothing but that solitary slice of bread. Her throat was so parched she couldn't even feel her hunger. She secured the bread with her fork and was about to cut it with her knife when—
"Ah. That's right." Baek Kang-ho let out a soft exclamation, as if he had suddenly remembered something. As he spoke again, the air in the dining room grew even heavier, freezing Su-ryeon's hands mid-air. Holding her fork and knife still, she watched him with a tense, terrified face, waiting for his next words.
"I forgot to give you your soup..." Baek Kang-ho said with a dark, loaded smile, raising his hand once more. With another sharp snap of his fingers, heavy footsteps approached through the dark, oppressive silence.
A moment later, several servants dragged someone forward by a heavy collar around his neck. Gasping for breath and struggling weakly, a man was brought before the table. He was bound tightly with thick ropes, his naked body exposed to the air and covered in brutal wounds. Su-ryeon flinched in shock at the unexpected sight, the man's sturdy, muscular physique standing out even more under the strain of his bonds.
The fork and knife in Su-ryeon's hands trembled. In that breathless moment, her heart began to hammer violently against her ribs. Horrified by the wretched, brutalized state of the man before her, Su-ryeon set her utensils down with shaking hands. The tremor in her fingertips laid bare the sheer, crushing terror of the situation.