Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Abyss
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Orca had been in an exceptionally good mood lately. Back when Crow first arrived here, her head had been such a mess that every day felt like torture.
Now, she even found herself smiling without realizing it at times. She wondered if she'd ever felt this happy in her entire life.
'What should I do today?'
She hummed a little tune as she skimmed through prison-related documents. In just a few hours, Crow would walk into her office and drop to his knees on his own, bowing his head.
Then Orca could have everything she wanted again today. The ugly desires and twisted sexual urges she'd kept buried deep inside—he accepted them all.
Of course, Orca believed all these acts were part of his correction.
Naturally. Crow was undeniably a Villain, and she, the righteous Orca, was turning him back with the power of love and correction. It felt even better that way...
In any case, this self-justification washed away all the stress she'd endured. She could forget her worries about Crow and the painful doubts about her own sense of justice.
"...Ahem."
She cleared her throat briefly, hiding the flush rising to her cheeks. She had to act befitting her position as a Correctional Officer. No unseemly behavior.
So she refocused on the reports. She had little time left; she needed to read all the incoming contacts from outside and the materials they'd sent, then summarize them for a direct meeting with the warden.
As a Correctional Officer, she managed all communications and could wield her discretion to strongly recommend good offers or conditions to the warden.
Today's reads were quite intriguing.
Pharma companies wanting to test new drugs on Crow's superhuman recovery. Research institutes aiming to analyze his unique physiology to see if they could induce abilities in other men...
Nothing caught her eye.
She had Crow under perfect control, steadily correcting him. There was no room for outside interference.
...
That was how it was supposed to be.
"Correctional Officer."
Strangely, two Guards knocked and entered. Beside them stood Crow and the meek Ms. Deoksoon.
Dinner hadn't even started yet, and Crow was here in her office. An ominous feeling hit Orca instantly.
"What is it?"
"During religious activities today, these two assaulted members of their group, and in the bathroom..."
She didn't want to hear the rest, but
as a Correctional Officer, she had to oversee every incident inside the prison.
"They engaged in sexual activity."
Snap—
Something inside Orca broke. Whether it was her mind or her heart, she couldn't tell.
But one thing was clear: her shy smile vanished, and a chill began to spread through the room.
"..."
At first, she doubted her own ears.
For over a week now, she and Crow had spent two hours a day confirming their love, bodies pressed together.
She firmly believed that the hero Crow—or at least the part of him that loved her—was slowly coming back to life.
From her perspective, it was love, though Crow might feel differently. Still, the fact that they'd been having sex for quite a while was undeniable.
So hearing this out of nowhere left her utterly bewildered.
She was personally managing everything, guiding his rehabilitation, and now he gets dragged in for screwing some other inmate?
"Th-that... They attacked us first...?"
She wanted to jam an ice pick down that disgusting bitch's gaping maw right then and there, silencing her forever, but
Orca barely recalled that this third-rate Villain with the massive rack, Ms. Deoksoon, had been a model prisoner with no issues so far.
Without even a proper codename, she was one of the few exemplary inmates in Villain Prison.
She cleaned diligently,
participated in every activity without fail,
and above all, obeyed the Guards perfectly.
Her sentence was light, too. Just six months.
For prostitution.
She didn't fit in this den of Villains serving life or death row. So Orca scraped together her frayed patience, even using polite speech as she asked. But the response was just as idiotic and repulsive.
"Then what about the sexual activity that followed?"
"That was just... uh... in the heat of the moment..."
Orca suppressed her murderous urge with all her might. Forgiving Im Deoksoon for tasting what was practically her personal property was excruciating.
"...Ms. Deoksoon? This can't be overlooked, so solitary confinement. Three days."
"Eek! S-solitary... nooo..."
Even so, for the sake of her authority as Correctional Officer, she used polite speech and issued what she considered a lenient punishment. She couldn't harshly punish a docile inmate with no prior breaches of order.
Of course, she'd have the Guards starve and torment her under the guise of correction in solitary, but that hardly counted as punishment.
"...And, Crow."
The real punishment was for Crow.
His case was different. This man, who'd dragged incident after incident since arriving—good or bad—felt especially vicious and Villain-like today.
Daring to betray her, after she'd so diligently corrected him and tried to grant every request? That fucking scum? She wanted to kill him.
"Stay behind."
Crow's expression soured. He'd already read her mood. He trembled like a drowned rat, glancing around pitifully.
"You two, escort Ms. Deoksoon to solitary and help clean up the religious room."
"Yes, ma'am."
Unaware or not of his feelings, the other three soon left.
"O-Orca!"
Thud—
The moment they were gone, Crow crawled to her feet, knelt, and began groveling and explaining desperately.
"It's a misunderstanding! It wasn't me—A-Wing Villains dragged me to the bathroom, threatened me, tried to force it. Then she helped me earlier, so I thought they'd let me go... but she jumped me! Deoksoon did!"
His attitude was a far cry from that first night in prison. Now, for Lily's safety and his own, he threw his body and mind into desperate use.
"I see. You piece of shit. No need to hear more. Time for the baton today. That Lily bitch needs a beating first, obviously."
"No...! It's true! I don't want those bitches! It's only you, you know that? You know, right? Please believe me, Correctional Officer..."
If he'd clung to his pride and rebelled like before, he'd have faced brutal whipping and threats to Lily,
but Crow's submissive display left a decent impression on Orca.
"Believe you or not, I can't forgive this."
"Don't be like that—shall we just do it now? What do you want today?"
Of course, that didn't erase her anger. Even as she watched his obedience, she couldn't contain her chill and sat in her chair. She didn't grab the baton.
But her overflowing cold froze the floor. Crow rushed over, trampling the ice, knelt before her chair, and looked up pleadingly.
"Orca, Orca! You know my heart, right? I've changed my mind again. Thanks to you, I came to my senses. Doing it with Villains like that? Of course you're better. I've liked you since before... It was really forced..."
His sharp mind pierced exactly what she wanted to hear.
He'd known her inner thoughts before but couldn't accept them, so he'd stayed stiff. Now he used every ability to read her mood.
Of course, it wasn't normal. She remembered him as a thorny rose, snarling at everyone,
but now he was a desperate male whore.
Back then, he'd lived by his justice and innocence with unyielding will,
but now, Crow had to rationalize his choices and degradation multiple times a day to endure the revolting routine.
Dark circles stood out on his parasite-like face. The void and emptiness in his heart festered from within. It had been just under a month since he entered the prison.
"Orca, I love you. Really..."
He clung to her like a spoiled child as she looked down from her chair.
No one left to protect him now. No way to prove his innocence.
And now Lily would come to the prison. No proof for her either, so Crow had to protect her share too and survive here.
To do that, he had to brainwash himself somehow, abandon his old values.
Cling to the strong,
sell his body if needed.
If it secured safety, he'd do anything. Lick if told, become a dog if ordered.
He couldn't put Lily at risk.
For them both to survive this prison, Crow had to let go of himself and embrace the tragedy personally.
His face grew haggard,
dark circles settled under his eyes,
and an awkward smile lingered at his lips.
Even that sight was
so lovable, alluring, and hateful to Orca.
"...Suck first."
"Got it! I'll undress you! Wait?"
Crow undid Orca's belt and pulled down her stockings again.
After such eager service, when he lay alone in sleep, he'd pity and loathe his compromised self, wiping away secret tears.
"And while you suck, listen. I had a good idea."
"Huh?"
But new trials came to him again.
He thought he'd hit rock bottom, but deeper abysses lay below.
"Here's the deal. Vasectomy's inconvenient for me too, so birth control pills from now on. Some research institute is doing clinical trials, providing various drugs for free. Surely contraceptives among them? Take one every day."
There might be side effects.
But Crow was a sturdy ability user. He wouldn't die.
Absolutely,
he couldn't die.
"...And a few more drugs on top. If you're truly repentant, no complaints, right?"
Heat rose from inside Orca's uniform, right before his face.
A bad premonition gripped him.