A Brief Journey (3)

I returned feeling refreshed after enjoying a short tour of another world.

"What the hell, it's still dawn."

I must have come back too quickly. The sun hadn't risen yet, leaving the world steeped in darkness. A distinctly gloomy atmosphere ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hung in the air, and I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back.

'There's still time left. Should I check out one more place? There are plenty of options anyway.'

There were already more than five worlds I could visit right now. I needed to explore them little by little. In these new worlds, information would be crucial if I wanted to gain abilities and grow stronger.

'The yakuza world is done, so that leaves about four… Where should I start?'

The most eye-catching one was the world called Childhood Friend of the Petrified Hero. But for some reason, the heavy pressure I felt just from the name made my instincts scream in warning. Normally I would have linked to it immediately, but I thought it over once more and looked at the other options.

'The chaebol son seems like it would be healing. The childhood friend one sounds like pure romance. The rest…'

The last remaining one was Husband of the Beaten Hunter. I was curious whether the "beaten" part was just wordplay or if it literally meant violence.

"Should I try this one?"

'A penalty?'

I was taken aback by the word. I knew that penalties and benefits existed depending on the world, but this was practically the first time a penalty had actually been applied. At most, there had been the world where my strength was reduced in the netorare setting, or the one where my power had increased in the yakuza world. Based on my experiences so far, I hadn't thought there was anything to worry about too much.

'Well, what could possibly happen?'

Even indiscriminate violence would eventually submit before overwhelming power. Those women from earlier had all been beaten by me, after all.

Wanting to enjoy the diversion, I chose the world without hesitation.

"What? Wait…!"

My vision went black, and my consciousness drifted away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was inside a dark room. It was far too cold to call it a home. A chill slowly crept up my spine, and my right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.

"Hey, Lee Sihyun."

A chilling voice came from behind me. I swallowed hard, the saliva sliding down my throat, and slowly turned my head. But I should never have turned around.

"Ah…"

There stood a woman who looked well over 190 centimeters tall, staring at me with ice-cold eyes. The dim, lightless interior of the house suited her perfectly. The shadows beneath ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her eyes pressed down on me with such intensity that I was overwhelmed.

It was the first time I'd ever felt true fear from a woman. The terror that had been engraved into this body's original male owner awakened once more, throwing my mind into chaos.

When I stood there stuttering, unable to say anything, she seemed to grow even angrier. Her glare sharpened, and she bared one of her molars.

—SLAP!

A burning pain bloomed across my cheek along with a crisp sound. Thanks to the hand that was as big as my entire face, I finally realized what had happened.

"You've gotten cocky because I've been treating you nicely lately. How about we have a little beating for old times' sake?"

"W-wait, what did I even do wrong…"

"I told you not to interrupt me when I'm speaking."

Another intense wave of pain hit me, and my gaze slammed into the floor. My mind couldn't keep up with the agony. When I finally lifted my head, I met the eyes of a woman burning with genuine rage.

'Choi Da-hye… my wife?'

The information flooding into my mind shocked me. The woman beating me was my wife, Choi Da-hye. The reason I was getting hit was the trivial act of talking to another woman while coming back from grocery shopping.

'Pathological jealousy… I really stepped in it this time.'

Looking at her condition, it didn't seem like this could be resolved through normal means. The only thing I could do right now… even with my weakened strength, was to escape this place. Even if only for a moment, I needed to run somewhere I could feel safe.

But the woman moved faster than I could flee. She grabbed my hair and hurled me backward.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going, you piece of shit? You were trying to go to another woman, weren't you? You filthy rag."

"Ugh, no… that's not it…!"

Apparently not wanting to hear my voice at all, she grabbed my throat and silenced me. My vision blurred from lack of oxygen, and foam bubbled at the corners of my mouth. I struggled desperately to break free and even swung a few punches, but there was no reaction. I felt the absolute power imbalance with my entire body.

"Hey, are you dead? Tsk… You're so weak. Even after this, you're still not going to talk?"

No sound came from my throat. I felt the touch of a massive hand groping my chest. Then she tore my shirt off as if it were nothing and began stripping me. Her eyes glowed red like always as she freely violated my chest.

"Chu. I'm sorry. Did it hurt? I was so heartbroken too, thinking about you talking to another woman. Hm? I love you."

'I don't want this…'

Her face was pretty enough, but I had no interest in a violent woman like this. I wanted to escape right this second, but I couldn't speak and thus couldn't give any commands.

"I'm sorry for being so suspicious. But it's not entirely my fault. You're just too handsome, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your dick is so big it scares me."

It seemed this woman fundamentally didn't trust me. I had no idea how she'd hidden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this personality while we were dating. If she had been an actress, she definitely would have become a legendary one. Outside, she was known as a caring wife and a famous hunter, but at home she was a domestic violence perpetrator with severe jealousy issues. In this house, she was a tyrant and a villain who exploited me.

"Honey, but the fact that your dick is getting hard means you still love me, right? Thank you. I love you so much too. Should we spend tonight cuddling warmly together?"

Her once-cold gaze gradually became tinged with madness. Da-hye's eyes were terrifying enough to be burned into my brain.

"D… Dream…"

"What did you say?"

"Dream Link… Release."

Using what little voice I had left, I desperately begged to escape this nightmare.

In an instant, my vision changed. A sweet sense of freedom pierced through my entire body.

"Ugh… Bleeegh. Cough, fuck. Fuck…."

Even though I had returned to normal, that disgusting feeling wouldn't go away. My stomach churned, and those horrifying images kept flashing through my mind. It was more irritating and nauseating than the time I couldn't sleep after watching a horror movie as a child.

BANG!

I slammed my fist into the bed, venting the anger that had nowhere else to go.

'Damn it. Damn it… That crazy bitch.'

I had chosen the wrong world. The helplessness I felt was so repulsive that I never wanted to experience it again.

"Later… I will definitely get revenge."

Against a yandere with pathological jealousy like that, revenge through force wouldn't work. I needed to show that insane woman who suspected her husband so much what the real thing looked like.

I collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. Before long, I saw the sky outside the window beginning to brighten.

"Just wait. I am absolutely going to destroy you."

The first time I'd been utterly crushed by a woman left me unable to contain my rage. It wasn't arousing at all. Instead, it made me furious beyond belief.

I set aside the humiliation of being beaten for no reason and changed into my school uniform, preparing for the morning commute.

'Yerin will probably come again today. That leaves Jaehee, I think?'

I'd spent so long in the yakuza world that I could barely remember how far I'd gotten with my plans here. With Jaehee, we'd shown each other our genitals and masturbated together. With Yerin, I'd squeezed nearly a million won out of her.

"I should start keeping a diary or something later. It'd be a disaster if I forgot everything."

What was a single day for others was nearly a year for me.

"Sihyun, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. How about you, Yerin?"

"I tossed and turned… I have a bit of a problem."

"A problem?"

Unlike her usual bright self, Yerin's face was clouded with a dark shadow. The dark circles under her eyes were strong enough to trigger protective instincts. I looked at her with concern, wondering if something had happened. Yerin’s earlobes flushed slightly as she scratched her chin and turned her head to the left.

"Well… recently, my money… has been running out a bit."

"Huh? Money?"

"I thought I'd saved up a lot by doing loading and unloading work before vacation, but now that I look at it…"

'Ah, I knew it…'

The reason Yerin had been able to spend money so freely on me wasn't because she was rich. It was because she'd earned a decent amount during the break. But funds weren't infinite, so they were slowly running dry. On top of that, she'd spent way too much trying to secure our "transaction," which made it deplete even faster.

"D-don't worry! I'll get money as quickly as possible and buy you again… so…"

"You're telling me not to fall into another woman's arms?"

"Yeah… I'll earn it soon, so please wait just a little longer!"

Yerin, who had taken my virginity and offered hers in return. Although our relationship was bound by money, she clearly felt romantic emotions toward me. She probably couldn't stand the thought of me being held by another woman…

'Sorry, but while you're not paying me… it looks like I'll be falling into another woman's arms.'

There was no way I would miss such a golden opportunity.