Emptiness and Final Farewells
The house felt utterly empty after Hyun-ah and her sisters left. It was a sensation Seongha had never felt even back when he lived there alone, before Yukiko arrived. But there were too many people left behind for him to feel truly lonely.
"Seongha oppa..."
Mikoto's body was as soft as ever. Her large breasts and cute thighs, disproportionate to her petite frame, had become familiar to him now. The afterglow from last night lingered, making her breathing a little ragged. Her eyes were still closed, but her arms were starting to move, groping at his body bit by bit.
Was she asleep, or awake? He suddenly wondered.
"You up?"
"Seongha oppa..."
Mikoto didn't respond to his words, just murmured his name. She was much better than before, but her mind still seemed fragile. He gently stroked her sleeping body. Everywhere he touched felt erotic, so in the end, he settled for petting her hair.
The slave academy was in chaos. The end of the term was approaching. Hierarchies were forming among former friends, and some desperately refused to face reality. Those people would go into debt just to get evaluated by big shots from famous slave markets. They believed it wasn't their fault they hadn't been chosen—the others just had bad taste—and that a real man, or someone who knew men well, would recognize their value. And usually, those types failed, channeling their inferiority and rage into aggression toward others.
"You fucking whore bitch!"
"Ain't no one here who's not a whore! If you hate being a failed one so much, go back to China, you chink slut!"
And the kind of desperate people who had to use these rundown facilities weren't the type to let "easy targets" get away with insults.
"You shitty bastard!"
"Says the bitch who'll never see a dick in her life? At least I've got hope of getting fucked by one, you mutt!"
"You done talking, you fucking cunt?"
Chairs toppled in an instant, desks shattered. The women grabbed each other's hair, glaring murderously as they fought.
"Scary..."
"Hey, stick right by me."
Hyun-ah felt a fresh wave of gratitude toward Noa. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen to someone as weak as her if they got caught in the middle of those rough women.
"Eh, it's got nothing to do with us anyway."
The two were free from the madness, but for very different reasons. Hyun-ah had already achieved everything. The hospital bills for her mother—the reason she'd chosen to become a slave—were settled. She'd gotten a decent apartment and restarted her part-time job at the soup joint. Hyun-ah had succeeded.
Noa had already lost everything. In truth, she didn't even understand why she was taking slave training. This new system gave criminals a chance at atonement, but it didn't leave ordinary people intact. Turning them into pigs or pets was considered lenient—and even then, they'd sever the tendons in their arms and legs so they could never walk upright again. But when she saw people treated like objects, Noa realized she had no confidence she could endure it.
"Seriously... how does it not work out? Can't you appeal or something..."
Watching Noa laugh it off so casually, Hyun-ah couldn't hide her pity.
"Appeal? What appeal, you Jap bitch? If I die, I die."
Noa called herself a criminal, but Hyun-ah couldn't believe such a kind person had committed any crime. It had to be a mistake, or bad laws at fault. Korea's laws had gotten insanely strict compared to the old days, with incomprehensible ones too. Hyun-ah figured Noa must've gotten caught by one of those evil statutes—like insulting a man or getting busted reading girl-love manga.
"Such a commotion."
The teacher entered. With her soft voice, she mediated the fight in seconds.
"After contracting with the slave market, harming a contracted slave could mean compensation claims."
The two women who'd been brawling froze.
"And naturally, being involved in violence will tank your market value considerably."
The teacher personally righted the fallen desks and chairs. Hyun-ah hurried over to help. Once the situation was under control, the teacher calmly took the podium. After today, she wouldn't see these students again. There was nothing left for them to learn.
"This is the final hour. Some of you succeeded, some failed."
So she shared her own story.
"But your lives aren't over. Even in the slave market, plenty of slaves go unchosen by men."
Over half the people who entered the market lived there, waiting for a master.
"And even those chosen aren't always happy. You'll compete with other women, and sometimes sleep alone in a cold room because you weren't picked."
Men rarely micromanaged every detail of a woman's life. Those without financial planners or personal secretaries usually delegated full authority to trusted, beloved slaves. If you weren't getting the master's love, at least stay on the good side of whoever managed the finances.
"I was loved by my master, and though I'm no longer a slave, I got a nice retirement payout."
It was the ideal future for aspiring slaves. An achievement worthy of respect.
"But it wasn't just my looks and effort. I got lucky."
The teacher's face had faint wrinkles, yet she was more beautiful than the average student.
"That's why I think I need to help others. I wanted to be useful to society."
A few snickered. But most listened seriously. It was a naive, fairy-tale sentiment. In this world, people with such soft hearts got used up and discarded on a whim. But this teacher had already accomplished everything. And thanks to her mercy, these students could at least dream of becoming slaves.
The final class ended with some fitting well-wishes.
Hyun-ah and Noa sat in the now-empty classroom. Neither was ready to accept that this was the end.
"Um, listen, Noa... I know this guy who's super kind."
"And?"
Noa spat it out curtly.
"Maybe if he helps, you could clear your name..."
Noa gave a bitter smile at Hyun-ah's worried words.
"Hey, men hate women who use them. Wasn't that your plan to seduce him?"
"B-but..."
Noa sighed at Hyun-ah's hesitant mumbling.
"Haa... Damn, you're disgustingly nice. But you're wrong. I didn't get framed."
"Wh-what?"
"Murder, theft, robbery—done it all. Got fucked when I tried grabbing a slave for her owner's bounty and the man caught me."
Hyun-ah couldn't comprehend it. She thought Noa was lying. But her attitude was resolute.
"Why?"
"Had to eat and survive. You think I'm some psycho with murder urges surging up outta nowhere...?"
To live, she had to take from others. To take their things, she had to kill their guardians. It took Hyun-ah a long time, sorting through her thoughts alone, to finally accept that Noa couldn't be saved. No matter how kind Seongha was, he wouldn't defend a serious criminal like that.
"...Then, anything you wanna do before the end?"
"Wanna do... Wanted to be a baseball player, but nah."
Noa stared blankly at the ceiling. It was about time to wrap up her life.
"Honestly, think I've done it all already. Lived like a Korean, slept easy, ate well, made a cute friend."
Her other comrades had begged for death, and the cops had obliged. She'd chosen a fate worse than death herself, but coming to Korea and attending this academy had been happy moments. Time well spent.
"If I could, I'd apologize to everyone I wronged. Holding grudges might keep me from a good afterlife."
"I'll pray for you every day. Don't worry about that."
Hyun-ah hugged Noa, voice breaking.
"Besides that... well, nothing big, but actually, Noa's not my real name?"
"Huh?"
"Government made me use an alias. So even if someone remembers the name, they won't make the connection..."
Noa gently stroked Hyun-ah's hair, enveloping her in those massive breasts. Feeling the trembling breaths and tears, Noa smiled faintly. She'd lived a repulsive, filthy life, but someone mourned her disappearance from society. That was enough to make her glad.
"My name's Kyou. Kondo Kyou."
"Got... it..."
"Hey, if you can smile, you gotta!"
Kyou grinned brightly, like someone who could live another carefree month.
"Life fucked me over, nothing I can do, but you're so damn cute—you'll snag that guy for sure. Fighting!"
"Y-yeah... sob, f-f-fighting..."
Hyun-ah buried her face in Kyou's bosom. A few tears trickled down into her cleavage.