Leisure Time (19): The Trigger Word
"So, is this all taken care of now?"
"Yes. I've commanded these girls to work just like you used to, naturally recommending the medicine to customers while they do their jobs."
With the brainwashing finally complete, Chae-yun brushed her hands off and stood up, speaking to me. She then turned around and began issuing simple commands to the four women whose conditioning was finished.
"From now on, follow Seo-hee's orders. And remember everything I told you."
"Yes, understood. We will obey the commands even if it destroys our bodies."
"..."
It was clear this kind of delicate work suited her far better than me. Unlike my friends, who had looked broken and dazed after I forced the brainwashing on them, these women were full of life in their expressions. Looking at them now, you wouldn't think they were brainwashed at all.
"Haa♡ Master..."
"Is there nothing more you would like us to do?"
...If only every last one of them weren't completely obsessed with Chae-yun.
She smiled, pushing them away before turning to me with eyes that urged me to give the commands myself. Seeing that look, I stepped forward awkwardly and cleared my throat. At the sound, the women who had been clinging to her all fixed their piercing gazes on me.
It felt a little burdensome.
"...Right. These blue bottles right in front of you. I'll fill your bags with them, and you can either sneak them into the customers' food or use them openly in front of the customers to promote it. Whatever you do, just don't get caught."
I nodded at Na-bi. Taking the signal, she used her hair to lift the large, heavy bags and set one down in front of each woman.
The women moved in perfect unison, opening the bags that had dropped before them, taking out a blue bottle to inspect it, then closing the bags again and slinging them over their shoulders.
"Yes, understood. Master."
"Before you go, shall I check one more time?"
"Yes! If we get caught by the police or if the existence of the Masters is revealed, we will bite into the poison capsule Master gave us to destroy all evidence."
"Yes, you remember perfectly♡ What good girls."
Lee Chae-yun smiled brightly at this chilling scene, clearly enjoying herself. And the women who gladly accepted a command to kill themselves. Just how thoroughly had she brainwashed them to warp their personalities this far? The question made me turn to Chae-yun immediately.
"...Your brainwashing before wasn't at this level, was it? The human survival instinct is strong enough that even we can't ignore it. They should have rejected a command to die on pure instinct. How did you manage it?"
"You're right. I was a bit soft before. There happened to be a human who rejected a command recently, so I did some research."
"Hmm..."
It's not as if abilities grow stronger simply through research. Thinking about it that way, the same applied to me. The poisons I created used to take considerable time to form and break down their components, even if I could produce neurotoxins or lethal venoms. Yet now I could casually generate enough to fill four bags this large without effort.
"...It's strange, isn't it? Our growth is progressing at an abnormal speed."
"It is. Even after creating seeds once already, this is too fast."
Creating a seed was, for us, no different from a human giving birth. The difference was that unlike humans, who grew weak after childbirth and needed time to recover, we evolved our weakened bodies even further. It was a trait born from ancestral wisdom: individuals who successfully contributed to the species' prosperity were superior, and ensuring their survival enabled more efficient reproduction. Even so, both Chae-yun and I felt a distinct unease at how rapidly our bodies were developing.
"...Remember what you said last time?"
"Let's talk about that with Oppa later. There's nothing to gain if we discuss it between ourselves right now."
"..."
She was right. The single story passed down through our kind that she had mentioned before. I'd tried to bring it up, but I possessed no concrete information, only suspicions. It seemed she was in the same position.
Talking directly with the person involved. That was the only option left.
"Then let's finish the work here quickly and leave."
"Yes, let's. You handle the final touches, sis."
"Good work, Chae-yun sis. Want some chocolate?"
"Oh my, thank you."
Chae-yun stretched as she walked out of the factory, Na-bi following behind her and chattering away. After sending the two of them off, I issued commands to the women who still stood in place with the heavy bags on their backs.
"Then return to your respective homes. Work begins tomorrow, so come up with your own excuses for what happened today."
"Yes, understood!"
At my command they turned in perfect sync, like a rehearsed military formation, and walked out of the factory. I followed after Chae-yun and Na-bi, leaving the building as well.
"...Ugh♡"
It was happening again. Something was wrong with my body again. Was I running a fever? My face burned and I felt dizzy. And that... how should I describe it...
"...It feels a little good..."
Staggering, I braced my hand against the wall of my room to steady myself. Did the room feel too hot, or was it just my imagination? My condition had been poor lately. The constant heat rising to my face made sweat drip endlessly from my forehead, and the breath passing through my throat came out rough, hot, and damp.
...Still, it was nothing serious. Just a cold. That was all. No need to go to the hospital.
Huh? No... What was I even thinking?
When I came back to my senses, I was already standing in the living room. The heat must have made my throat dry. I forced my staggering body toward the refrigerator, pulled out a drink, and drank straight from the bottle.
"...Ugh?! Bleeegh!!"
After a brief moment of cool relief, a foul, fishy stench rose from the back of my throat. I dropped the bottle, fell to my knees on the floor, and vomited.
"...Haa...! Haa...! What the hell..."
"What is it? What was that sound? Sis?"
While I stared at the spilled drink bottle, trying to organize my chaotic thoughts, my younger brother Hong Su-ho emerged from his room after hearing the noise. He approached slowly, looking me over.
"...What's wrong? Why are you like this? Dad!!"
"Don't call him! Fuck... It's because the drink went bad..."
"What? I bought that yesterday. How could it be bad?"
Saying so, he casually picked up the fallen bottle and drank from it without issue. After finishing, he shrugged at me as if to prove his point.
"...What the hell..."
"Anyway, you don't look well, sis. Aren't you sick? Let's go to the hospital first. Otherwise you'll just get another lecture from Dad."
"...Fuck off, mind your own business!!"
I shook off Su-ho's hand as he tried to support my shoulder, crossed the living room, and fled that wretched house.
The moment I dashed down the stairs and stepped outside the building, a voice I didn't want to hear called out from behind me.
"Hong Su-a."
"...Dad."
"Where are you going so late at night?"
"Don't concern yourself."
Without looking at his face, I tried to run off, but Dad continued.
"...I'm sorry."
"...What?"
"I'm sorry for being a father who couldn't understand his daughter's heart, Su-a. I don't know what's happening, but I've been angry about how rudely you've been treating the people at the gym lately, so I stopped listening to you. I'm truly sorry. An adult shouldn't behave this way."
"..."
"No matter what happens, I'm on your side. So won't you tell me what's going on? Did something happen with that Chan-woo fellow you've been seeing?"
Should I just tell him everything right now? That I actually prefer women, and that bastard stole the person I liked. He claimed to be on my side, but could Dad truly understand and embrace a daughter with such incomprehensible values?
"...Even if not right now, tell me slowly when you're ready. If you're heading out, here, use this to buy yourself dinner. You don't look well, so I'll speak with Mr. Chan-woo. Rest today."
So saying, Dad approached and pressed a crumpled fifty-thousand-won bill into my hand.
"..."
I didn't want to be hated by a father like this, by my family. But maybe this person, maybe Dad could understand me? I decided to summon my courage just this once.
"...Dad...!"
"...Yes, I'm listening."
"I, actually..."
"Oh, you're already out here?"
"Ah, Mr. Chan-woo..."
This voice... When I turned my head, Im Chan-woo was standing there.
No. No. No. Not now. For some reason, if I didn't escape him immediately, I felt a sickening chill spread through my entire body, as though I would fall into an abyss from which I could never escape.
"Dad...!"
Before I realized it, my face had crumpled like I was about to cry. Seeing this, Dad seemed to sense something and stepped in front of me, blocking Im Chan-woo.
"...I'm sorry, but my daughter isn't feeling well today. We'll take the day off."
"...Not feeling well, you say."
Im Chan-woo muttered something unpleasant to himself and glanced at me behind my father.
"I did that."
"...Pardon?"
"What did you...?!"
"'Why is my body heating up like this?' 'I'm dizzy and it feels like I have a fever, yet strangely it feels good.' That's not a fever. You're simply in heat. And after that, whatever you ate tasted disgusting, right? That's because I twisted your sense of taste and smell."
"...H-how..."
Im Chan-woo had identified every one of my symptoms perfectly. My body froze solid, unable to move.
"Well then, we have to have class today as well, teacher."
"...Ah."
The moment I heard that word, my mind went completely white. All the fear, terror, and anxiety melted away, replaced by the feeling of being embraced in soft clouds... It felt... good...♡
"...Yes, class... begins..."
"Su-a?!"
Someone grabbed my shoulder. They were trying to pull me out of that comfort. What are you doing? Let go.
"Ugh?!"
"Whoa, you shouldn't hit your own father."
Me? I hit Dad? That didn't matter. The closer I drew to this feeling, the more comfortable I became.
"You, what the hell...!!"
"Don't concern yourself with it, Director. You never even noticed your daughter had become like this, yet you still call yourself her father?"
"Ugh, uwaaaa!!"
There was a dull sound of something being struck...
"...Did you know? Your daughter likes women. In today's terms, she's a homosexual. The reason Su-a has been so irritable lately is because my girlfriend was apparently her first love."
"...What?"
....
"No, that can't be."
"Believe whatever you want. All that talk about being on your daughter's side was nothing but hypocrisy."
Ha, hahaha... It clearly felt good. Yet something felt sad. Why? Why?
The something that made me feel comfortable held me in its arms and began carrying me away.