The Civil Servant's Interrogation
"Well, I think that's about enough! You did great!"
"Th-thank you..."
Mikoto bowed her head. The man her owner called "the civil servant" was far tougher than he'd let on. According to him, it would just be a casual chat. But what she'd endured was a grueling interrogation. When had she started planning her escape? What was her motive? How had she come into contact with the criminal organization? Mikoto had to spill every detail without holding back. The civil servant repeated the same questions multiple times, rephrased them slightly, and hounded her relentlessly at the slightest inconsistency. Only after two full hours in that tiny office in some nameless building did the civil servant's expression finally soften into a warm smile. Only then could Mikoto breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, alright, the heavy stuff's over! You did awesome! Oh, before we wrap up, anything you're curious about?"
"D-did Master... go through this too...?"
Because of her betrayal, Mikoto had already caused her owner irreparable harm—too much to even confess. Sometimes, the way he and Yukiko treated her so casually, as if nothing had happened, terrified her. It felt like a monster lurked in the shadows, visible only to her. The thought of wasting even a second of his time or souring his mood even a little was unbearable.
"What, like 'I can't let you suffer alone'?"
"N-no, not like that...!"
As Mikoto's face darkened, the civil servant chuckled and patted her reassuringly.
"Just kidding! Why do you take jokes so seriously... Of course not. If I pulled that on a guy, I'd get fired on the spot!"
"..."
"I'm turning thirty soon—get fired, and no one's calling me back. Straight to unemployment!"
"Th-that kind of joke is scary..."
"Hey, you've got those huge boobs, but such a narrow heart! With Seongha, I just asked him to share his story and he behaved, so no worries."
The door opened, and a woman in a suit brought in cake and two cups of coffee. The civil servant scolded her lightly, took the food, and shooed her out.
"Aigoo, you show up after the grilling's done. I prepared it as a surprise since Mikoto looked so frozen. Anyway, unless you're in a rush, have some before you go?"
"Y-yes... yes!"
It was fluffy, sweet cake and a rich, creamy vanilla latte. As Mikoto took a sip, the civil servant giggled delightedly.
"Come on, loosen up! Honestly, if we compared power now, you're way above me!"
"P-power...?"
"I'm just a civil servant, but you get private time with a man every day, right? And he went through hell to rescue you—love guaranteed!"
Mikoto couldn't tell if she was joking or serious.
"Just go home and whine to Seongha, 'Waaah, Master! That pretty career woman bullied me!'"
"H-he wouldn't listen to something like that..."
"Who knows? With your charm, he'd probably cave. I still wonder if that heartless guy even remembers my name. He's so selfish in every way..."
Mikoto cautiously sipped her coffee, then startled when their eyes met.
"Hey, I said let's keep it light—why the jumpy vibe? If you're curious about anything, ask away! I'll answer what I can!"
"Then... what happened to the people left in Japan?"
"Oh, that organization? All executed. A couple died on-site, but it doesn't change much."
"Th-the ones who attacked Master... compensation..."
The civil servant's expression hardened slightly. Mikoto regretted her words, sensing the darkening mood—maybe she should have chosen them more carefully.
"That's all settled with Seongha, but those guys? All missing."
"Huh?"
"So their assets have been transferred to Seongha's ownership for now. Just FYI. And this is me curious—what's the point of asking?"
"If Master didn't get the money, I was going to tell him..."
The civil servant snorted a laugh.
"Seongha wouldn't care about that. Just rub up against him with those killer boobs, and any anger melts away."
"Th-that's..."
"At first, I wondered if you were really that cute, but yeah—put tits like these in a guy's face, and who'd stay mad?"
As the civil servant eyed Mikoto's chest with a lecherous glint, Mikoto flushed and covered herself.
"Anyway, if nothing else, I've got one thing to ask."
"Y-yes!"
"You know what you did could get a slave kicked out 100% and hit with a ton of legal punishments, right?"
"Yes, I know."
Now Mikoto had nowhere to run. Punishments for escaped slaves were mostly up to the owner, but deportation from Korea was certain.
"Still, Seongha's such a softie—he left it all to your decision. Doesn't even want to deal with it, but hey, good for you."
It was undoubtedly good news, but hearing it made Mikoto's heart sink.
"H-hey, Mikoto? You okay?"
Her chest tightened painfully, like a hand squeezing her throat. She couldn't breathe, as if she'd forgotten how, the oxygen in her brain draining away.
"Breathe! What is this, some next-level self-harm extortion? If you die here, I'm the one going to jail!"
The civil servant gently patted Mikoto's back. Thankfully, before any CPR, Mikoto snapped out of it and breathed again.
"C-can I... stay by Master's side?"
"What the—after nearly dying, now weird talk?!"
"I can feel it. He's avoiding me. He looks away whenever our eyes meet. He laughs big with Yukiko, but gives me an awkward smile."
Mikoto poured out her anxiety without pause for breath.
"Master does everything for me, but I can't do anything back. No matter what, I just burden him."
"Hmm, doesn't seem like Seongha hates you. If I had to pick a problem, maybe your attitude?"
The civil servant didn't see Mikoto's expression while patting her back. If she had, she wouldn't have said it.
"Just flash that sunny smile, and he'd fold—maybe show a bit of cleavage..."
"I tried! I tried, but Master... I know what he wants, what he hates!"
Mikoto understood her owner well enough. There were things they felt without words.
"But... even when I try, when it doesn't work, I think maybe I'm the problem."
She clenched her teeth, hiding her true feelings, and played the role of the girl he'd like.
"Better to fake a new life, vanish, and die quietly alone—at least that might help him a little..."
"Tough issue. But that guy's sharper than he seems and detail-oriented about that stuff?"
The civil servant sighed deeply. Mikoto's fate wasn't her business, but her gut said this was dangerous.
"Sure, things might feel good short-term, but what if Seongha goes looking for you one day and finds a corpse?"
"Someone like me... he'd forget quick..."
"Honestly, yeah, I think so too. But what if—just what if—that's not the case?"
The civil servant plopped casually onto the desk and took a bite of cake.
"Nom nom... Anyway, we're not exactly at odds, right? I only care about Seongha, you only care about Seongha. Whether you live or die? Meh."
The civil servant's cold words actually comforted Mikoto.
"But I've been handling Seongha for about four years now? If this gets out, it's crossing a line."
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
Mikoto's face twisted in despair and self-loathing.
"Risk control, risk control. Even if you annoy Seongha right now, he won't get truly mad or sad."
The civil servant ate her cake with a nonchalant face, as if convincing Mikoto this was no big deal.
"Just don't cause trouble. Yeah? Good things stay good. Let's keep it smooth and trouble-free forever. Be honest—living with a hot guy feels great, right?"
"But I'm useless... I don't deserve that happiness..."
"Ha, yeah, you're useless—I get it. But not everything in the world needs a purpose. Big warehouses have junk just shoved in, right?"
The civil servant placed a friendly hand on Mikoto's shoulder. Mikoto just trembled.
"Just do nothing. Stay put. Or what, planning to run again? Can't even stay still because of guilt?"
"N-no, I can't run. Never again... I won't run anymore..."
"There we go!"
The civil servant beamed and popped the last cake piece into Mikoto's mouth. Mikoto chewed and swallowed, sniffling, tears salting the sweet crumb.
/////
Mikoto practiced smiling in the mirror. She tried countless expressions for a natural one, then erased them. After about thirty minutes, the door lock beeped. She rushed out of the bathroom and settled on the most satisfying face from her mirror trials.
Today, she prayed her smile wouldn't feel like an unwelcome intrusion to him.
"Welcome home, Master bro? Mikoto was so lonely waiting for you~!"