054 – Rat Poison That Kills When Eaten #2
On the night of the full moon, it was true that Seugal was in high spirits due to the rare outing.
For the past few days, there had been so many enjoyable events that she could say she was floating more than usual.
The fact that she could lock Yu Yeo-reum in the basement and tease her to her heart’s content made Seugal fully realize that the male student who had abducted both her and Yeo-reum was far from ordinary. She felt a certain kind of curiosity about him.
‘To be able to control Hanamjin as I please, isn’t this wonderful? Who should I tell him to abduct next? Or should I assign him another task? How about getting rid of those who annoy me?’
Seugal’s affection for Hanamjin was less like a pure first love of an innocent girl and more akin to the joy a thief might feel upon discovering an especially sharp sword.
Until now, many men had flattered Seugal as if they would reach up to pluck the stars for her, but none of them could actually retrieve a star.
However, Hanamjin seemed capable of doing so.
In other words, he was fit to be an able servant.
Master and servant.
Even if it was just that kind of relationship, Seugal thought that getting to know Hanamjin better would be fine. But her thoughts were shattered by what had just happened.
“You son of a b*tch! Crazy b*stard! I’ll really k*ll you! Screwed up freak! Perverted loser! Psycho!”
When Seugal returned to the basement, she cursed the male student with every swear word she knew.
It was because of the video taken at the abandoned factory.
“Love tap!”
SLAP! Seugal, who was struck on the thigh with a flyswatter, leapt up like an animal hit by a b*llet.
“AGGHH!”
She emitted an extremely undignified scream and fell over with a loud clang. The male student continued to beat her legs and feet with the flyswatter.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP SLAP SLAP!
“YOU CRAZY b*stard! YOU SON OF A b*tch!”
“Love tap!”
SCHLICK, SCHLICK!
Even as her stockings got runs and Seugal screamed like a madwoman, the boy wore a serious expression, as if this were some kind of noble task.
Until just a moment ago, Seugal had thought that she could completely control this male student, but she realized that she couldn’t do so at all.
‘This guy is just a madman!’
All of Seugal’s hypotheses and assumptions about the male student were discarded. The boy in front of her was a peculiar person, unpredictable like a rugby ball.
“AAAARRRGH! Son of a b*tch! This pisses me off!”
Seugal, wailing and writhing as if possessed by a devil, thought about just ending this ridiculous drama and cutting all ties with him.
‘Just burst out and escape!?’
But it was a full moon tonight.
Seugal currently lacked the strength to break the chains binding her hands.
“You need to be polite, Gaeeol. It’s my duty to nurture you into an idol for people.”
“Go screw yourself!”
Seugal was obstinate.
She’d rather break than bend, even if it meant d*ath.
“Do you think you can tame me? That will never happen! Even if you hold onto me for a thousand years, you can’t have your way with me!”
Seugal hurled sharp words at the male student like thorns, but it seemed they didn’t hurt him in the least.
It was as if he heard them through one ear and let them exit out the other.
“Son of a b*tch!”
Seugal, her frustration mounting and her head growing hot, wanted to beat this boy she was seeing in front of her. Her eyes turned red with stubbornness and fury.
So she shut her mouth completely.
SCHLICK, SCHLICK!
Her dignity was being stripped away with each blow from the swatter, but she didn’t let out even a small scream.
Perhaps recognizing this as the right response, the boy put away the phone he had been using to record the video.
“Alright, now change clothes and let’s go take a shower.”
“…What? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Seugal couldn’t contain her outrage at the boy’s sudden change in attitude. She was also angry at herself for breaking her own vow to remain silent.
“Hanamjin, I really hate you. Stockholm Syndrome? Screw off. There’s no way I’ll ever like you. Truly.”
“It’s okay. I’m not doing this to get your love. All I hope for is a ‘soft touch.’ And even if you hate me, it doesn’t matter. I love you, and that’s what’s important.”
After some time had passed…
Yu Yeo-reum glanced at Seugal as she re-entered the basement.
‘How will you try to hurt me this time?’
But, Seugal remained silent after returning to the basement.
From her occasionally audible heavy breathing, it was obvious that she was extremely angry.
Yeo-reum observed Seugal’s demeanor.
Her hair was neat, her white clothes as cleanly replaced as if they were new, and she smelled nice.
She could immediately tell that it was the scent of shampoo and body wash that Yeo-reum herself had used while in the boy’s bathroom.
What could have happened to make her this upset after a stroll and a thorough shower?
‘Did he do something perverted to her?’
Yeo-reum thought that perhaps the male student, unable to restrain his desires, finally laid hands on Seugal. It seemed like a reasonable assumption since, in all the adult videos Yeo-reum had recently watched, the men were depicted as embodiments of lust.
“ARGH, you b*stard!”
Then, Seugal abruptly jumped up from her seat.
She began pacing left and right, throwing punches and kicks into the air. Eventually, her face turned bright red, and tears began to show.
‘This Seugal actually crying?’
Her tears didn’t seem to come from sadness.
They were more like the result of not knowing how to handle her overwhelming anger.
At the sight of this, Yeo-reum momentarily felt a sense of compassion. Seugal’s beauty was such that even her tears could move a person’s heart.
However, Yeo-reum remembered that she was suffering in this place because of Seugal, and she immediately felt absurd.
As so-called “syndrome” set in.
Laughing at Seugal wouldn’t improve Yeo-reum’s situation, but for some reason, seeing Seugal suffer gave her a strange sense of pleasure that grew and wriggled within her.
And within that moment, she realized.
‘I can use Hanamjin to make Seugal feel even more pain.’
She was surprised by the thought.
Yeo-reum had a clear memory of how Seugal used to be treated by the male classmates in their Class F.
Not just the students—teachers also seemed desperate to show her kindness and goodwill.
‘I thought Hanamjin would be no different.’
Hanamjin, at Seugal’s behest, had abducted her—a perverted criminal. Yeo-reum had assumed Hanamjin would do anything at the command of Seugal, but that wasn’t the case.
At this realization, Yeo-reum’s understanding of all the relationships involved shifted.
She had imagined Seugal at the top of the hierarchy in this basement, but in reality, Hanamjin occupied the highest position with Yeo-reum and Seugal below him.
With this understanding, Yeo-reum’s mind cleared as if a satisfactory answer had just become available.
And then Seugal.
She imagined ways to pay back the humiliation she’d experienced earlier that day.
‘I’ll break these chains and leave as soon as the moon sets. Should I just report him to the police?’
Seugal was capable of escaping the basement on her own,
But if she reported Hanamjin, Yeo-reum, who was being held with her, would surely be freed and released by the police too.
At this thought, Seugal grew extremely frustrated.
‘If only Yeo-reum wasn’t here!’
It was worse than watching Hanamjin sleep soundly, the thought of Yeo-reum, whom she had managed to lock in the basement, escaping was unbearable.
Therefore, Seugal would have to remain in the basement for the time being.
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“Let me check the internet news.”
Morning.
As soon as I searched for “Seugal” on the internet, chaos erupted.
It was because of the video compilation I had posted anonymously last night.
“The video featuring Seugal, daughter of Seonam Group, has been made public!”
“Police authorities and S Group have initiated investigations to confirm the facts.”
“What are the three negotiation terms demanded by the abductor?”
“This is an amazing mouse poison that’s perfect for eating.”
I wanted to stir things up again in the “Seugal missing incident,” which had been slowly quieting down over the past few days.
Releasing the video of Seugal to the world would help steer the flow.
“The 3 negotiation terms are as follows.”
“1. Disclosure of trading records with Billernez”
“2. Immediate release of the new product ‘Zero Cola Fresh’ this week.”
“3. Changing all beverage products to glass bottles.”
I thought these demands were genius.
After the world ended, I had once accidentally gotten hold of and drank the “Zero Cola Fresh.” It was so delicious that I teared up.
The problem was that the product was released about a month before the apocalypse, so its availability was limited.
If we release it now, we can enjoy it until the end of the world.
“Huh, all the cola guys are blown away.”
Moreover, if all colas were changed to glass bottles, the supply of “bottle caps” would also increase substantially. A real win-win.
Even General Guan Yu, who visited a water park, wouldn’t have come up with such a brilliant negotiation condition.
“Master Seo Do-cheol, can you endure this medicine without taking it?”
From the previous meeting, I was sure that Do-cheol sincerely cared for his daughter, Seugal.
This man was willing to do anything for his daughter.
“Could he swallow the rat poison for the sake of his beloved daughter?”
While contemplating this, I headed to the nearby police station where everyone was busy and in turmoil despite the early hour.
Among them, Officer Jin Ramyeon noticed me and raised her hand.
“Brother! Over here! Over here! You arrived right on time! Man, what madness is this so early in the morning?”
“Sister Jin Ramyeon, what’s going on?”
“Didn’t you see the morning news? It’s because of the Seugal kidnapper! Whomever this psycho is, this is a clear provocation. But they’ve made a huge mistake by leaving a big trail.”
Left a trail? Did I reveal too much about my love for cola?
When I was a bit nervous about hiding things, Officer Jin Ramyeon inadvertently spilled everything.
“Zero Cola Fresh. This product wasn’t officially announced yet. Only a few insiders at Seonam Group knew about it. So, the Seugal abduction is likely an insider’s work.”
“An insider?”
“A repeat offender. Seugal followed someone she knew without suspicion and ended up in trouble. This is definitely the work of someone who is well-versed in the Seonam Group.”
While saying this, Officer Jin Ramyeon played the video on her computer. The scene where Seugal was struck by the flyswatter was shown without audio.
“She appears a bit thin, but she’s seemingly in good health. Anyway, younger brother, your midterm exam will take place under our ‘Youngsago Special Investigation Team.’ Got it?”
Rescuing the missing Yu Yeo-reum and Seugal.
This was the midterm evaluation task assigned to me.
“Okay, I’m going to meet Chairman Seo Do-cheol of Seonam Group now, so don’t cause any trouble or make a fuss. I’ll handle everything, so you just stay quiet.”
Meeting Seo Do-cheol again so soon?
I nodded quietly, curious to see how he would react to the rat poison.
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