#ggsmut

My Sone Secret (Jessica x Male OC ft. Irene)

Sometimes love comes when you least expect it—especially for John, who never asked to cross paths with the girl of his dreams, Jessica. But what happens when your stars align with an idol's? Can John, possibly the world's most ordinary guy, even dream to have a happily ever after with an international celebrity or will he end up in a living nightmare?

Close Encounters

(ongoing, 63 chapters on AFF)

My Secret from the Stars (Yuna x Male OC)

Ever since he was young, Kim Yunho's grandma had always told him that angels roam the earth amongst us, but her fairytales quickly become reality when he meets Yuna—a pretty, kind, hard-working resident doctor who magically saves the life of a dying woman before his very eyes. Now, Yunho must juggle two secrets:the inevitable existence of angels and his growing, undying, forbidden love for a breathtakingly beautiful girl who came from the stars.

Untitled (not started)

---

STARS: Short form, fun stories with light-hearted plots and a larger emphasis on smut.

The Chairman's Daughter (Winter x Male Reader)

You're an overworked, underpaid, unappreciated intern at Aespa Group, one of Seoul's top women's fashion companies. On the busiest time of the year, you learn from your fellow intern Ningning that the Chairman's daughter, Winter, is returning from her overseas studies, and she's ready to making your life exponentially harder than it already is. 

Winter Is Coming

Her Cousin Karina

Naughty List Ningning

Wish Upon a Star (Karina x Male Reader)

You pride yourself in being the #1 aespa fanboy, even going as far as buying a first edition photocard from a shady reseller for $400—but you never expected it would accidentally summon Karina—a magical genie who doubles as your favorite K-pop idol—now cursed to grant you, her new master, three whole wishes. 

Angel of Desire (new)

Angel of Persuasion (not started)

Lucky Stars (Various idols x Male OC)

Although Daniel always knew that he was lucky, he never imagined that studying abroad in Korea meant that he could get with every idol he ever wanted. But just how far can he go before his luck runs out? 

Feel Special (ft. Sana)

Playing With Fire (ft. Jennie)

Bad Boy (ft. Joy)

---

SEASONS: Non-smut, SFW fluffy romance or other genres.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Irene x Male OC)

A short-story about meeting the right person at the wrong time; John and Irene are two university students who unexpectedly meet each other during summer break. Although their time together is short-lived, its effect on their lives is everlasting.

Follow the Wind

The Seasons in Her Eyes (Anna x Male OC)

Takeshi tells the short story of how he met his first love, Anna, on the last day of summer—just before she moves to Seoul. He continues to live his mundane life back in Tokyo, but no matter how many times the seasons change, his heart still yearns for her.

The Summer in Her Smile (not started)

The Autumn in Her Tears

The Winter in Her Voice

The Spring in Her Dreams

Your first year of college was about to begin, and since you were moving to a new city, your aunt wanted to give you some things and some advice. Which wasn’t strange at all, because she was like a second mother to you. She had always taken care of you and helped raise you the best way possible.

It was Aunt Irene you turned to when you had an embarrassing question you didn’t want to ask your mother. She was the one who gave you advice on how to deal with girls, and she was the one who taught you that you had to use protection during sex. Your aunt had always been there for you.

You had never met your father, and the truth was that it didn’t matter anymore. Irene had always been there for your mother and for you, so she truly held a special place in your heart. Without exaggeration, she was like your second mother.

For all those reasons, you really preferred not to think about what was happening, either now or in the near future. That was best for everyone.

That afternoon you’d gone shopping with Irene. She bought you a few things you needed for your new life as a college student, along with a few other trinkets. Everything was normal, until you got to her house and your aunt started with that awkward lecture about how she wanted you to take care of yourself and always practice safe sex. She said that in college you were going to meet a bunch of sluts who would just want to take advantage of you, so it was best to take precautions.

You felt your cheeks growing red as your aunt kept ranting about those hypothetical sluts who would try to seduce you, and how she couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t unusual for your aunt to get so jealous of you, but this time there was something different about what she was saying.

Soon the conversation escalated and got more heated, until it ended with Irene deciding that the best way to keep you away from all those sluts was for you to have sex with a real woman. Someone who could teach you what fucking really was, so that no stupid girl would cheat you out of anything. No, according to her, you deserved it all.

That’s how, in such a strange and improbable way, you ended up like this, with your pants down and your aunt holding your balls while giving you the best blowjob of your life.

Irene was sitting on the edge of the couch fully clothed, while your pants and underwear were crumpled around your ankles. Your aunt massaged your balls with one hand—which felt spectacular—while using the other to caress your thigh. Her mouth never stopped, devouring as much of your member as she could. It throbbed hard and hot inside her warm mouth.

Irene’s tongue swirled around your member, making you feel things that were new to you. Her fingers caressed the sack of your balls with grace and majesty. Everything was perfect, yet there was a voice in the back of your head telling you that this wasn’t right.

The closest you’d ever come to anything like this was once, a few years ago, when you accidentally saw Irene changing clothes. That day she was wearing a thong that made her ass look spectacular, which gave you material to masturbate to while remembering your aunt’s glorious ass for a week. After that, you never thought about it again until now.

Puffing out her cheeks, Irene sucked your cock with all her might, as if her life depended on it. You were in ecstasy, feeling guilty but at the same time enjoying something you knew wasn’t right. But when Irene took your entire cock into her mouth, you realized you could no longer resist the pleasure.

Your aunt pulled your cock out of her mouth. It was glistening from the layer of saliva covering it, and hard as a diamond. With a strangely maternal smile, Irene jerked you off for a moment before trapping your head between her lips and sucking again.

Her tongue now played with your glans and stimulated your urethra in a way that was both new and delicious to you in equal measure. There was no doubt that your aunt was an expert at sucking cock, and that at this moment you were nothing more than her prey. A puppet used to teach a lesson.

With renewed vigor, Irene devoured more and more of your cock. This time she began to suck more energetically, moving her head while, for no apparent reason, her index finger began to probe between your buttocks.

That intrusive finger was well-coated in saliva, and before you knew it, it was already pressing against your anus. You let out a pathetic moan as, for the first time in your life, a finger was shoved up your ass.

The effect on you was devastating. Irene had barely managed to push it past the first knuckle when your legs began to tremble and a rapid orgasm took hold of you.

Your Aunt Irene never stopped sucking while you kept spilling semen into her mouth. In fact, it seemed like she was milking you for every last drop. You couldn’t do anything; it was impossible for you to resist a woman like her. The only course of action left to you was to fill your beloved aunt’s mouth with your thick, hot semen.

When you finally stopped trembling and it was clear not a single drop more would come out of your cock, Irene tilted her head back, pulling your cock out of her mouth with a loud pop! She then swallowed the contents of her mouth, making your semen disappear.

***

“Open,” she demanded.

I did exactly as told, and she carefully poured the wine from her glass into my mouth—not because she was worried I would choke, but because she absolutely hated when things were messy.

She stared at me impatiently, waiting for something.

I swallowed.

“How does it taste?” she asked, irritated.

“It’s good.”

“Open the next one,” she said, putting the glass down.

It was the forth bottle of the night, and she wasn’t satisfied with any of them, even though she herself had not tasted a single drop yet. I was her wine tasting guinea pig, and I was collectively a full glass in at this point. My body felt loose, but I tried my best to continue sitting upright, since she hated it when my posture wasn’t perfect like hers.

I pulled the cork out, and the soft pop caused her to look up from her phone.

“Remember to drink all of it before you pour the new one in,” she said, looking down at me.

Her ridiculously long legs were all I could see in my peripherals as I began pouring yet another glass from the floor, making sure not to spill anything. It wasn’t a comfortable position, and even though the rug stopped hurting my knees after the third drink, it was definitely going to leave a mark or bruise the next day. It always did.

***

“What on Earth is always so funny to you two?”

Ms. Heathers barked from behind us, as we bit down to control our laughters.

Our knees were sore from kneeling for the past 30 minutes, but for some reason, the dirty old chalkboard gave us so many things to joke about.

Was it even the chalkboard, or was it just the fact that two eleven-year-olds could find just about anything to laugh about if they wanted to?

“Jang Wonyoung,” she said.

“Yes, teacher,” Wonyoung answered, biting her upper lip.

“What’s the word for ‘quiet’ in Korean?”

“Quiet, teacher,” she replied, in Korean.

“So you do know what it means.”

“Yes, I do.”

“And Wonbin, how do you say ‘no talking’ in Korean?”

“No talking, teacher,” I answered.

“Great, so it’s not a matter of understanding,” Ms. Heathers said. “The problem is you two just don’t want to obey orders.”

“We’re sorry,” I said, looking over at Wonyoung, whose eyes were closed at this point from silent laughter. “We won’t talk anymore during quiet time.”

“And stop talking back to me,” she said.

***

“Yes, I won’t talk back anymore,” I said.

“Good boy,” she said, stroking my face with her long, delicate fingers. “I only love you when you’re obedient, you know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to love you, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I said, more honest than I should’ve been.

“Do you love me?” she asked, lifting my chin up.

“Yes,” I said again, pathetically.

“Even though I treat you so badly, you still love me?”

“You don’t treat me badly,” I said. “You treat me so well.”

“I do?” she said, seemingly amused. “How do I treat you well? Give me an example.”

“You take care of me,” I said, looking at her glimmering round eyes. “You care about me,”

“That’s right, I care about you so much,” she nodded. “You’re my favorite slave, you know that, right?”

I nodded.

“No matter what, we’ll always be together,” she said, sipping on her glass of cabernet. “Just continue to obey me and I’ll keep treating you like the perfect little slave that you are.”

I nodded again, my vision a little hazy, but the goddess before me made me more drunk than the alcohol ever could.

“Are you still thirsty?” she asked, taking another sip. “Come here.”

I immediately opened my mouth, and she leaned over, letting the wine fall from her mouth into mine. Some of it dripped down the side of my lips, and she carefully wiped it with her thumb.

“Good boy,” she said, licking it off. “I don’t even have to tell you what to do anymore. You’re getting so smart.”

"It’s really good," I said, savoring the bitter aftertaste on my tongue. “It’s even better when you feed it to me from your mouth.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She smirked. “You did such a great job tasting them. You’ve really got a good tongue, and you know me so well.”

“Thank you. I only did what you wanted me to do.”

She took one last sip and placed the empty glass on the coffee table.

“Such a good boy. But I think I need your tongue again,” she said, putting her index finger out, motioning me to come to her.

I crawled over closer to the edge of the sofa.

She giggled. “You’re so cute. It looks like your ears perked up, even though you don’t even have ears.”

“I do have ears,” I said, slightly confused.

“I thought I told you not to talk back to me. Are you sure you have ears?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, putting my head down.

“You even said you wouldn’t talk back, just a few minutes ago. So your ears don’t work, and your tongue tells lies?”

“No, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Give me your tongue,” she barked.

I opened my mouth, and she tugged on it with her fingers, forcing me upwards.

“Are you still thirsty? There’s no more wine left.”

I shook my head, feeling saliva sliding down the side of my mouth.

“Good,” she said, petting my hair with her other hand. “Let’s make better use of this tongue, since it wants to lie all the time. Are you hungry?”

***

“Umma packed this for me today, you should try it,” she said, putting a piece of kimbap on my plate. “It’s your favorite, right?”

“You should eat it,” I said, looking over at her lunchbox. “There’s only six pieces.”

She shook her head and placed a piece into my mouth with her chopsticks. “You have to try it first and tell me if it’s worth eating or not.”

I laughed, almost choking on the rice.

“Don’t laugh while you eat!” she said, covering her mouth. “You’re going to get rice all over the table if you start coughing.”

“So you’re more worried about me making a mess than dying?” I said while chewing.

“Ew, don’t talk while you chew!” she laughed, pulling my jaw up with her hand.

“It’s good,” I said, moving away. “Your mom makes the best bulgogi kimbap.”

She smiled brightly and started giving me the remaining five pieces.

“Stop,” I said, wrestling my chopsticks against hers to give them back.

“Eat them all!” she said, sending the pieces back and forth.

“They’re yours!”

“No, they’re yours now! You like them!”

“No, I hate them!”

“Liar! You just said they’re good and that my mom makes the best kimbap, so you knew they were good before you ate them, and then confirmed they were good after you ate them!”

“You need to eat too!”

“You need to eat more than me, I’m already taller than you,” she said, trying to stuff another piece into my mouth.

I dodged and moved my face away. “We’re the same height!”

“No, we’re not! I grew another centimeter last night!”

“I grew two!”

“The rice is going to get stuck in my braces, so I can’t eat kimbap!” she said.

“Isn’t that why you carry a toothbrush everywhere?”

“I’m on a diet, so you have to eat them for me!”

“What are you on a diet for? You’re only 12,” I said, trying to feed a piece to her.

“Yeah, but I’m a trainee now, so I have to watch my weight.”

“You’ve been a trainee for a week, give me a break,” I said, and we both managed to put a piece of kimbap into each other’s mouths at the same time.

“You know, I wish I was the author of your lives just so I could fast forward all this cringey rubbish and get to the part where you two get married already,” our friend Sungmin said from across the table.

“Seriously…” our other friend Sara said, in English.

“Gross, we’re only 12,” she said, while chewing.

“Gross, stop talking while you’re chewing,” I said, doing the same.

She scowled and covered her mouth.

“Plenty of people marry their middle school sweethearts, don’t they?” Sara asked.

“Middle school? These two have been at it since elementary school.”

“There’s nothing stopping you two from having fun,” I said, feeding Wonyoung another piece.

“Yes, there are.”

“Like what?”

“Self-respect, noonchi, shame, need I go on?”

“Oh, lighten up sometimes, will you?”

“Lighten up? With that exam coming up next week?” Sungmin said, flipping the page on his textbook. “No thanks, it’ll be a real dark world if I fail it.”

“It’s a dark world even if we pass it, because there’s gonna be another one right after.”

“Guys, that’s why they invented lightbulbs, the world will always be dark,” Wonyoung said. “You just have to find the light yourself. Like Wonbin’s nightlight that helps him find the bathroom at night.”

“I do not have a nightlight anymore, stop lying to people!”

“Just because you hide it in your dresser whenever I come over doesn’t mean I don’t know you still have it. Open!”

At the time, the only thing I could think of while watching her feed me the last piece of kimbap was how dark my world would be without her in it. That she was the nightlight that always guided me in the dark.

***

It was pitch black.

I didn’t know what time it was, or where I was, but my body was heavy, like a firetruck had just ran me over the night before. The AC started running, and I could feel the cold air brushing my skin. It was only then that I knew that I wasn’t wearing anything besides a blindfold on my face.

“Wonyoung?” I called out as I pulled it off, but she was nowhere to be found. As usual.

That’s how it always went. I would wake up alone the next morning without a trace of her from the night before besides the bruises on my knees or the scratch marks on my back. If it weren’t for the physical proof, I would’ve believed it all to be wild dreams.

I got up, trying to find my clothes that were scattered across the room. Some days, they were easy to find; others not so much.

“I don’t even wanna know how my underwear got all the way over there,” I said, walking towards a small side table where she kept her jewelry box, a couple of self-improvement books, and the one thing that always reminded me that everything was fine, even when at times nothing felt right—a photo of us from middle school.

I wasn’t sure if she always had it there, or if she only recently got it developed. That was also part of my regular routine of things to ponder about in the shower before leaving to class from her place. For some reason, I was never brave enough to ask.

“Have a nice day today. <3 ” I sent her a text before exiting her building’s garage, knowing that she wouldn’t reply anyways.

It had been officially three months since I moved back to Seoul for university, and also three months since the day that changed everything for me.

After leaving Singapore halfway through high school, relinquishing any hope I had left of leading a normal-ish life, my dad took us back to New York, where I was able to at least spend another four years in one place. It was the first time I actually felt like we were done moving, at least Dad sure made it feel that way.

And it was. He was promoted at the New York branch, my mom started a bakery, I made some great friends in school, had my first girlfriend, fell in love, went to prom, spent literal weeks on my scholarship essay, and somehow managed to even get an almost-full ride to Columbia.

Wonyoung and I stopped regularly texting each other a couple months after I left Korea in 2018. She had basically spent all her free time training, and from what I heard from Sungmin, switched to being home-schooled after getting 1st place on Produce 48 in 2019. It seemed like everyone had lost contact with her.

For a few years, we still wished each other happy birthday. There were also some texts I typed out but never sent, like the long congratulations from when she debuted in IZONE that felt a little bit too clout chase-y. Or the message that my then-girlfriend Alice wouldn’t allow me to send when she debuted with IVE in 2021.

“Adam, listen to yourself. Your childhood best friend slash first love slash soulmate is the most famous person in Korea right now—the literal ‘it girl’—and you want me to be okay with you keeping in touch with her?” she asked angrily one day.

What could I have possibly said to justify it? ‘Don’t worry, we’re just friends’?

To be honest, I was a good boyfriend. I really refrained from keeping up with Wonyoung, although it was super difficult to not see her ever, considering she was literally everywhere. Even Alice listened to IVE—although she did scowl every time Wonyoung had screen time in the music videos, which was, of course, very often.

I even pretended to stan Le Sserafim to make it seem like I was no longer thinking of Wonyoung.

“Sakura should’ve been #1,” I would lie. “This show is so rigged.”

And that was pretty much how it felt all the time. Lies after lies, pretending to be something that I wasn’t—happy.

When Alice and I ended our four year relationship during the end of my sophomore year, I was devastated, broken even, but at the same time, relieved. I didn’t have to fake it anymore.

I could finally admit to myself that I missed my best friend, and I didn’t realize how much I did until then. I had repressed my emotions for so many years that it felt like they were getting ready to retaliate.

So I did what any rational person with a healthy grasp on their mental health would do. No, I didn’t call her to confess my feelings; I went to therapy. And, well, the therapist told me to call her and confess my feelings.

And I did exactly that—kinda. It’s true that I could’ve just gave her a call or sent a text message, but that wouldn’t have been romantic enough. I decided that I was ready to make my life a kdrama.

After finishing our exams, my friends and I took a spontaneous trip to Japan, and it just so happened that IVE had a stop in Osaka during their world tour. Coincidence? No, I picked Japan for a reason, but let’s pretend it was. You know, for the sake of romance.

Needless to say, I listened to my heart (and my therapist—thanks Valerie) and decided to see her again, in person. I had to spend a bit of a fortune on the fansign tickets since scalpers are the embodiment of evil, but it was still cheaper than all those months of therapy, at least.

By the time our group was called to line up, I felt like my stomach was about to turn completely inside out. It was truly an agonizing feeling that I’d never felt before in my entire life.

“Are you ready?” my friend Julie said, almost squealing. “The moment is finally here, I’m so excited for you!”

“Remember to breathe, okay? She’s probably in high stress right now after playing a whole concert, so try to act calm, even though it’ll be hard,” my other friend Jane said.

The line moved so fast that I didn’t even have time to gather my thoughts.

Rei was first, and I tried my best to interact with her like a normal human being, even though my heart was ready to burst right out of my chest.

I made my way to Leeseo and Yujin, and by the time I was in front of Wonyoung, I felt like my ears stopped working. There was just this deafening silence, like someone threw a stun grenade or something at us.

“Your name?” she asked in Japanese without looking at me, as she was switching markers.

“Park Wonbin,” I said, as calm as I could.

“Park Wo—” she paused and looked up. Her mouth dropped open and she gasped loudly.

She covered her mouth with both of her hands, and Yujin even looked over to see if she was okay.

I smiled. “Hi.”

“Wonbin-ah…” she said, almost tearing. “Is that really you?”

“Have you been well?” I asked, opening the new marker that she had dropped on the table.

She nodded, clearly holding back tears.

“I think we’re holding up the line,” I said.

Julie and Jane noticed what was happening and purposely extended their conversations with Yujin and Liz, buying us a little bit more time.

“What are you doing here?” Wonyoung asked, her eyes locked onto mine while she signed her name.

“I came to see you, of course.”

The staff members started noticing the hold up and tried rushing Julie, who started wailing at Liz about how much she loved her, before having to pull her away.

“And your voiiiice, my God, I’m always like—yaaas queen, SLAYYY—”

“Sorry, we have to keep moving,” the staff said, bowing.

We looked at each other for what felt like forever, even though it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, given what was happening around us. Memories came flooding in like a tsunami, and it was only then that I realized how much I had forced myself to forget them.

“It was nice to see you again,” I said, my eyes starting to water. “I missed you.”

“Me too,” she said softly, before hesitantly turning to Jane. “H-hi, what’s your name?”

“Hi, what’s your name?” Liz asked me in Japanese.

We both looked at each other again, but it was me who broke eye contact first.

“Hi Liz, I’m Park Wonbin. You guys were really great tonight.”

When everything was over, our group of six exited the stadium like a pack of zombies. We were so tired from standing, and the emotional roller coaster made me feel dead inside. I thought about all the conversations we could’ve had with each other in my head, knowing that it didn’t matter which one actually happened.

Just then, my phone suddenly got reception again, and I saw 4 messages from Wonyoung come through simultaneously.

“Wonbin-ah, don’t leave yet. I want to see you.”

“Come to the back of the building where all the busses are and tell the security your name. I’ll wait for you here.”

“Hurry, they’re cleaning up now.”

“Did you delete your Katalk?”

I froze, causing my friends to jump.

“She texted him,” Julie gasped. “I freakin’ knew this was gonna happen!”

“Damn, so he wasn’t lying about this whole Wonyoung childhood best friend story? I lowkey thought he was just delulu for a while, not gonna lie,” another guy named Jeff said. “That’s kinda dope actually.”

“Did you miss the part where she looked like she was about to have a heart attack when she saw him at the fansign?”

“I wasn’t at the fansign, Jane. You literally used my ticket.”

“Right.”

“I gotta go,” I said, sprinting back to the building.

“Where are you going?” they yelled from behind me.

“You guys go back to the hotel without me! I’ll meet with you after!”

“Seriously, just tell her you love her, Adam! Just do it, life’s too short to keep waiting!” Jane yelled. “You already waited 6 years!”

***

“I love you.”

“Do you mean it?” she asked, running her fingers through my hair.

I nodded, staring at her drop-dead gorgeous face.

“Say it again.”

“I love you, Wonyoung.”

“I like it when you say it like that,” she said, seemingly satisfied. “You sound so desperate. It’s like you’re declaring your love so that you can continue living. Like it’s breathing.”

“I can’t breathe when you’re not around.”

“You breathed just fine until this year,” she said, squeezing her hand into a fist with my hair between her fingers.

“I was suffocating for 6 years,” I said, feeling my own breaths getting heavier for some reason.

She smirked devilishly, and let go of my hair. “Poor little thing. It’s okay, we’ll be together forever now. Aren’t we?”

I nodded.

“Come here,” she said, crossing her legs before me. “Kiss me.”

I kneeled before her, and she lifted her foot closer to my face.

Without hesitation, I planted kisses on her toes softly, making sure to get every surface of her skin.

“Mmm.” She smiled with satisfaction. “Don’t forget the other one.”

I bent over to the ground and kissed her other foot, while she played with my hair with her toes.

“Do you like being my slave?” she asked. “Tell me the truth. Because if you don’t, you can leave, you know that right? No one’s forcing you to be here.”

I held onto her small feet and wrapped my lips around her toes, twirling my tongue around them gently, causing her to let out a soft moan.

“I want to be your slave,” I said. “I love being your slave.”

“Such a good boy with a magic tongue. Come here, I’m not done with it yet,” she said, slowly opening her legs.

My face drew closer like a magnet, and she pressed a finger against my forehead.

“What’s the magic word?” she teased.

“Please,” I muttered, my body moving towards her on its own.

“Again,” she said, grabbing my hair.

“Please,” I repeated. “Please, mistress.”

“God, I really love it when you beg. You really can’t breathe without me, can you?”

“I can’t—I need you to live.”

She yanked my head towards her, pressing it firmly between her legs.

“Breathe while you still can then,” she said, leaning back against the couch.

Her soft underwear brushed against my face, and the sides of her dress caressed me like a loving home. I inhaled deeply, allowing her addicting scent to fill me up.

“I can feel your nose digging into me,” she said, exhaling. “You’re breathing so hard. Do I smell that good?”

I nodded, fully savoring the warmth that comforted me like no other. “You smell so good.”

She smiled. “It feels nice when you breathe in and out against me like that.”

We stayed like that for a while. She was happy and satisfied, and that brought me so much comfort that I could have fallen asleep between her legs.

“Good boy.” She played with my hair, stroking it gently, occasionally twirling it around her fingers.

It was where I wanted to be. Where I belonged. Every breath was intoxicating and brought me life, like the opposite of drowning.

“You really love it, don’t you?” she said, tightening her grip on my hair.

I nodded, feeling her panties dampen from either my breath or her love, perhaps both.

“Your face is so nice and warm.”

Her thighs then slowly squeezed the sides of my head, and she pulled me harder towards her, forcing my face against her crotch so hard that I couldn’t breathe anymore.

***

“Whoa, relax, breathe.”

I finally stopped to catch my breath.

“I’m—Park—Wonbin,” I struggled to say, hunched over in front of the security team.

“We know, we know. Come in.”

“Really?”

“Yes, they told us you were coming.”

“T-thanks,” I said, following one of them.

“Go straight, make a left, and there should be a staff member in a black hat.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling my heart pounding again. Was it the unintended high intensity cardio I just did, or am I nervous to see her?

I walked around the large boxes of audio equipment, past the sound crew that were trying to finish packing, and then up a small ramp that was lit with mini floor lights.

“H-hi, I’m Park Wonbin,” I said, waving at a tall guy in a black hat.

“Ah, Park Wonbin, there you are, we have to leave soon—”

“Wonbin-ah!”

Before I could react, someone had already leaped into my arms and hugged me so tightly I thought I was going to break.

“Wonyoung,” I said.

“I missed you,” she said, quietly in my ear. “I’m really so glad to see you again.”

I held her close. “I missed you, too.”

The staff member awkwardly looked at us, and then pulled out his phone and walked away, rather confused.

“I guess you’re taller than me now,” she said, still not letting go.

“I was taller than you back then, dummy.”

“I grew 5 more centimeters since then.”

“I grew 15.”

She laughed and looked up at me. “You look different. Six years is a long time, isn’t it?”

“You look the same,” I said.

“Really?” She frowned. “I thought I got prettier.”

I smiled. “Maybe just a little.”

She scowled and let go of me. “I worked so hard to be this pretty and you think it’s just a little.”

“I didn’t say you’re only a little pretty, I said you got a little prettier. You were already pretty.”

“Liar,” she said, folding her arms.

“I’m serious!”

“Fine, you only got a little more handsome then.”

“Oh thank God. At least you don’t think I got uglier,” I said, pulling her back. “You got so thin, are you giving away all your kimbap to someone else now?”

“I haven’t had kimbap in years,” she said, resting her head against my neck.

“You smell good,” I said, putting my face against her hair.

***

“What’s that? I can’t hear you,” she said, pressing her panties against my face.

“You smell so good,” I said, inhaling deeply.

She smiled and scrunch them into a ball, tossing them to the side.

“Come here,” she said, wrapping her slender legs around my neck. “Since you’ve been such a good boy, you can taste me now.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved.

My lips gently pressed against hers, and I could feel her warmth instantly enveloping me.

“Kiss me,” she demanded.

I kissed her bare, smooth, soft, perfect lips. Not a single blemish or stubble before me, almost as if I was looking at a human doll. Just pure utter perfection.

“Are you happy?” she asked, resting her feet on top of my back.

***

“I haven’t felt this happy in years.”

“Liar. You didn’t call or text me for years.”

“I wanted to, but I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Bother? How could you ever bother me?”

“I don’t know. You’re famous now. What if you don’t have time for me?”

“That’s so ridiculous.”

I looked around, and noticed a couple people watching us, only to turn away the moment they saw me.

“Are people going to gossip about us hugging each other out in the open like this?”

“Everyone’s going to gossip about me no matter what I do. I could be standing in the corner and they’ll say I think I’m good too to sit down.”

“See? You’re too popular nowadays.”

“And yet I get no attention from my best friend,” she said.

“You still think of me as your best friend?”

She stuck out her pinky. “Best friends forever. Did you forget?”

“No. I just thought you would’ve had a new best friend after all these years.”

“Best means best, and forever means forever. God, Ms. Heathers would be so disappointed in you.”

***

“You’re the best,” she moaned, slowly grinding against my face. “My favorite little slave is so good with his tongue.”

I couldn’t stop, my body was moving on its own. It was like I’d lost control of every part of me, from my mind, to my lips, to my tongue, even my hands that were holding her long legs back were doing it on their own.

“We’re going to be together forever,” she said, pulling my head back slightly.

I finally caught my breath, looking back at her lust filled face.

“Forever,” I said, savoring her aftertaste on my lips.

“Promise me you’ll be my slave forever,” she said, brushing my lips with her toes.

I kissed them. “Forever, I promise.”

“Don’t leave me again.”

“I won’t.”

***

“Do you have to go?” I asked, as she walked back from talking to her manager.

“Yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They’re kicking us out of the stadium and everyone’s pretty much done here.”

“How long are you in Osaka for? Do you have time to hang out tomorrow?”

“I have to go to Tokyo tomorrow,” she said, as we walked back to her bus together.

“Oh.”

“What about tonight?”

“What?”

“Tonight. We can hang out tonight.”

I looked at my phone. “It’s almost 11.”

“Are we 20 or 200?”

“I just thought you’d be tired.”

“Why would I ask you to hang out tonight if I was tired?”

I smiled. “Alright. Tonight. What should we do?”

“We’re in Osaka,” she said, excitedly. “There’s so much to do. We can look at the restaurants and shops in Dotonbori, go to Osaka Castle, or even visit the little bars. There’s so many bars here.”

I chuckled.

“What?” she sneered.

“It’s just weird that you can drink now. We’ve come a long way from banana milk, huh?”

“Can’t you?”

“Not in America. The drinking age is 21. But I’ve used a fake ID once. Maybe more than once.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“But wouldn’t you get caught by fans drinking at a bar in Osaka?”

“Fine—do you have a private bar at your hotel? There’s one at mine. You can meet the girls too.”

“You’d introduce me to them? As what?”

“Wonyoung-ah!” her manager called from the bus. “Let’s go!”

“Yes, coming!”

“Is your friend coming with us?” he asked.

She looked at me. “Well? We have to decide now.”

---

What should Wonbin do?

(Vote on AFF or here.)

A) Spend the night exploring Osaka together.

B) Get on the bus and go back to IVE’s hotel room.

So, little by little, you upped the ante until you invited her to dinner and then to dance at one of the many clubs on the ship. Everything was going spectacularly, perfectly in your opinion, and all that was left was to take it one step further.

By pure luck and thanks to the course they were sailing, the sun shone on your balcony most of the day. You took advantage of that to invite Julie to sunbathe and relax while they ordered some drinks and room service. Luckily for you, she accepted.

On the day the long-awaited date finally happened, Julie walked into your room wrapped in a big coat that made her look out of place. You were sailing on the Caribbean, so the norm was to wear light clothing, not a coat that covered you almost completely. When she took off the coat, you understood why she’d chosen it.

For that day, Julie had chosen the tiniest bikini she owned, a clear sign that she wanted something more with you. After all the dancing, dinners, and almost innocent flirting, it had been she who had taken the final big step. True, you invited her to your room. But it was she who arrived dressed like that.

The pieces covered little to nothing of her body. The top barely covered her nipples, squeezing Julie’s perfect, perky breasts. You were sure the bottom was so small that if she went swimming in that, it would surely slip into her pussy or at least expose a labia. In any case, the bikini was already wedged deep into her ass, as you could see when she turned around so you could see her full outfit.

“What do you think?” Julie asked, giving you a wide smile, with that sparkle in her eyes that drew you in more and more. She turned around again to make sure you didn’t miss a single detail of her outfit. It was impossible to do so when you had a goddess standing right in front of you.

With a confident stride, she walked toward the balcony. You watched, mouth agape, as her buttocks bounced with every step she took, setting a hypnotic rhythm for you.

You could say that from there on, things had gone well for you—or much more than well. The conversation had flowed thanks to the drinks they’d ordered and finally being able to be completely alone. The hours passed, and before you knew it, you were kissing. Right now, things were going even better for you—better than you’d ever imagined.

Julie was on the same beach chair where she’d been sunbathing all this time, except her bikini lay discarded on the floor. She was on all fours while you held her by the hips and thrust into her with all your strength. That perfect ass that had hypnotized you at first was now trembling with every new impact of your hips.

You weren't sure if the obscene noises they were making could be heard from the next room, but if so, one of your neighbors was surely getting a hard-on from Julie's delicious moans. She moaned shamelessly as your cock slid into her ass.

The same suntan lotion you’d rubbed onto her skin now served as lubricant for fucking her ass. Maybe you’d applied too much, which made her skin slippery. But it didn’t matter because, in fact, that made everything more pleasurable. You had to hold her tighter, thrust into her more fervently, fuck her with more passion.

“Oh yes, like that, just like that. Right there.” Julie managed to proclaim between moans when you shifted the angle slightly. She turned to look at you, and in her eyes you could see the flames of lust. You didn’t know if it was that, the tightness of her ass, or how much you’d enjoyed these days with her that made you feel as if you were falling in love.

Probably that wasn’t a good time to think about that. But what better time to think about love than while they were fucking like animals? There was probably no better occasion than that. Nothing could inspire more love than having a beautiful, fiery woman on all fours, taking your cock deep into her tight ass, while her moans formed a heavenly chorus.

“I’m gonna cum,” you declared, panting from the effort of keeping up the pace. “I can’t hold back any longer.”

“Mmmgghnn!! Cum in my ass, fill me with your cum.” It was a pleasant surprise to realize that not only were Julie’s actions obscene, but her words were too. That wasn’t the first dirty thing she’d said while they were fucking.

Since you had her permission—though you were actually sure you didn’t need it—you let yourself be carried away by the pleasure and surrendered to the climax. The orgasm hit you immediately, making your legs tremble as your cock exploded inside Julie.

As your semen filled her rectum to the brim, Julie came too. The juices from her pussy gushed out, splashing the chair they were fucking on, and her ass clenched tighter than ever. You kept unloading your balls inside her, clinging to her hips and growling like an animal. If anyone wasn’t complaining about all the noise they were making, it would be a miracle.

With your balls empty, you pulled your cock out of Julie’s ass, causing a bit of cum to leak out and making her moan again. To your pleasant surprise, once again, instead of lying down, Julie sat on the pool of vaginal juices she’d left behind, and before you could do anything, she took your cock into her mouth.

The sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her lips, even with her mouth full of your cock, made you think once again that the possibility of you falling in love was very real.

“Why would he suddenly want to hurt me now?”

“Why would he suddenly want to help you now?”

I exhaled hard, sinking onto the edge of her bed, elbows digging into my knees. “Maybe he’s been planning something. Some way to save her, and this is the only time we can.”

Her steps grew quieter as she crossed the room toward me. “So say he’s telling the truth. He’s asking you to infiltrate this event, and what, rescue her?”

“He didn’t say exactly what we’re doing—”

“What can you do? What can he do?” She shook her head and sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed. “Listen to me—you’re blinded by love, Wonbin. I know you’re scared, I know you care about her, but please. Please think this through.”

“I’ll be fine—”

“You don’t know that!” she shouted, the sound ricocheting off the walls. “You have no clue what you’re walking into! If this is actually an event where every single Ace is gathered in one place—what do you think that looks like? A house party in Hongdae?”

I turned away, dragging my hands over my face, but the panic only tightened, squeezing my ribs from the inside.

“These people,” she continued, voice dropping to a trembling whisper. “They can make you disappear with a snap of their fingers and no one would ever find out—”

“What do you expect me to do then?!” I exploded. The words ripped out of me before I could stop them. “Stay home and keep having sex with you while Wonyoung is missing?! How many times are we going to do that before we admit that we’re just running away from our problems?”

Her lips parted. For a moment, she just stared at me like I’d slapped her. “Is that what you think we’re doing?” she whispered. “Running away together?”

The silence felt like we had both stepped onto a landmine, like even the smallest movement would kill us.

“I have to go, Yujin,” I said, barely managing the words. “I can’t live like this. You know that.”

She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. “And if something happens to you tomorrow—can I live with that?” Her voice was barely audible. “Could Wonyoung?”

Tears ran down my face without warning. I knew that she was right. I knew she wasn’t being dramatic or unreasonable. But the world felt so dark and cold that I just wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out.

“I just have to do something,” I said, forcing the words past the thickness in my throat. “Whatever it takes. I’ll go crazy otherwise.”

She didn’t argue this time.

Her jaw quivered before she clenched it tight. She looked like she wanted to scream. Or cry. Or break something. Or slap me across the face. Maybe all of it.

“Fine.” She let out a long, shaky breath as her fists unclenched. “Let’s go then. Tomorrow. You and me.”

“No,” I said, immediately. “You can’t. Just me.”

“He told both of us to come.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, so now it’s dangerous.”

“I’m serious, Yujin.”

“We’re in this together.” She grabbed my hand, fingers tightening. “You asked me to help you, remember? When you showed me that first video.”

“No way.” I shook my head, backing away from her. “I can’t risk something happening to you.”

Her eyes hardened into something absolute. “Either we both go, or neither of us goes,” she said, firmly.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Because once again, she was right. And I knew that there was nothing I could’ve said that would’ve changed her mind.

All I could do was shake my head.

“I can’t lose you, too,” I said, the words slipping right out of me.

She froze. For a moment, it felt like she stopped breathing.

“I’m not your girlfriend, Wonbin, you can’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” she said, stepping closer, so close that I could feel her breath on my face. “If you’re going, then I’m going with you.”

“Please—”

Before I could finish, she kissed me.

Not like she’d ever done before. Not playfully. Not patiently. Not carefully. She crashed into me, like she’d been holding herself back for months. Like every kiss before this one wasn’t even real.

Her hands slid into my hair, pulling me down with an urgency that stole the air from my lungs. Her lips moved against mine, tasting like fear itself. Fear of losing me, fear of losing herself, fear of everything we were about to willingly walk into.

By the time she finally pulled back, both of us were shaking.

I stared at her, my chest burning with something I couldn’t quite understand. “I’m not your boyfriend,” I whispered, hands trembling around her waist. “You can’t kiss me like that.”

Her fingers trailed down my jaw. “Then don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

There was a short pause as her eyes searched for something in mine. “Like losing me scares you more than whatever’s waiting at that auction.”

“Yujin—”

“Just shut up,” she breathed, cupping my face. “Stop talking and take this dress off of me already.”

Our lips reunited with something even more fierce. It was like the world had stopped spinning. Time went still as my hands roamed across her curves like they were trying to memorize the lines of her body; like I was afraid she’d be taken from me.

I slid the straps from her shoulders, and buried my face in her chest, letting the scent and warmth of her body cover me like a blanket. Her fingers tangled in my hair, clutching on like she’d fall apart if she let go. She moaned loudly as my tongue circled her nipples, dragging across every inch until she was arching hard against my mouth, chasing more.

“I can’t take it anymore,” she said, sliding down to the floor in one fluid motion.

Her fingers fumbled at my belt with a desperate urgency, yanking it loose and dragging my pants right to the floor. My cock sprang free, and she didn’t hesitate for even a second—her lips sealed around it like it was the only thing tethering her to this world.

“W-wait,” I groaned, glancing at the door as it rattled slightly from her movements. “Rei is right outside. She’ll hear us.”

She pulled off my cock with a wet pop, her lips glistening in the dark as she looked up at me. “You’re reckless enough to go offer up your life tomorrow, but scared of Rei hearing you get your dick sucked?”

I didn’t have time to reply before she swallowed me whole again. Her hands gripped my thighs, nails biting into my skin, as if daring me to try and pull away.

“Stop holding back,” she said between strokes, her breath hot against my flesh. “This could be our last night together.”

She sucked harder, swirling her tongue with me inside her mouth, hollowing her cheeks with every pass, and then pulled back, slapping my cock across her cheek. Her eyes locked onto mine as she smeared the spit across her face, rubbing the tip over her flushed skin like she belonged to it. Like it belonged to her.

“If we die tomorrow,” she said, flicking her tongue in circles at the tip, a hand moving between her legs. “I want your last memory to be the sound of me choking on your cock.”

Something inside me snapped.

My hand went to her throat, fingers wrapping just tight enough to make her gasp. I hauled her up, spun her around, and pinned her against the door. Her palms flattened to the wood as she arched her back, and I lifted her dress up, yanking her panties down. The thin fabric clung to her lower thighs, already completely drenched.

“What about your last memory?” I dropped to my knees and shoved my face between her legs, my tongue parting her folds, tasting her like it was keeping me alive. “Which would you prefer? The feeling of my face buried between your ass cheeks? Or getting fucked against this door?”

“Oh god…” she moaned, grinding back against me, riding my face as I thrust inside her with my tongue, savoring every last bit of her, like it really was our last time.

“You taste so fucking good, Yujin.” I pulled her dress all the way down, letting it fall right beneath us, before diving right back in. “I don’t mind dying a night early.”

“Please,” she begged, as I slapped her ass over and over, feeling her cheeks jiggle against my mouth. “Just do it. Right now.”

I stood, cock pressed to her entrance, and thrust inside her in one hard, unforgiving stroke.

“Oh fu—fuck!” she cried, her walls tightening around me as I drove into her over and over again.“Yes—fuck me—”

“Shut up,” I growled. My hand found her throat again. I squeezed, just how she always wanted—firm, controlling, making her gasp for air between moans.

“W-wow—yes—like this—use me,” she whimpered. “I’m yours, do whatever you want with me—”

“I said, shut up.”

Her body trembled as I fucked her rougher, the door shaking with each slam of my hips against her ass. She screamed wildly, completely surrendering to my body as if this was what she’d been begging for.

“Stop being so loud.” I twisted her around to face me, my hand still on her neck. Her eyes fluttered half-shut, lips parted.

“Y-yes, sir—”

I slapped her. Not hard, just enough to make her gasp. She melted into it; a dazed sort of bliss spreading across her face.

“Look at me,” I commanded, slapping her again. Her eyes snapped open, locked to mine with the kind of obedience that felt dangerous; like she would’ve moved mountains for me if I asked. “Stop arguing with me from now on.”

“Yes, Mast—”

Another slap. “I’m not your master.”

“B-but I belong to you—”

Once more. “I said to stop arguing,” I ordered, just before dragging her into a messy kiss. Her tongue crashed into mine, tasting herself on my lips.

She jumped up, wrapping her legs around my waist like she’d done it a hundred times in her dreams. “I’m sorry,” she whispered against my lips. “I won’t argue anymore. I’ll use my mouth for better things.”

“Too late,” I said, squeezing her ass tightly. “Bad girls deserve to be punished.”

Her pupils dilated like she’d been waiting her whole life. “Yes…” She nodded hypnotically, holding onto the back of my head, fingers digging into my hair. “Yes, they do…”

She bit my lower lip, nails digging into my shoulders as I carried her toward the bed without breaking the kiss.

“What do you want me to do with you?” I flipped her onto her back at the edge of the bed. Her head hung off the mattress, long dark hair spilling toward the floor like a curtain. She spread her legs and propped her mouth open, offering both to me.

“Whatever you want,” she begged with both her words and her eyes. “Ruin me however you like.”

I stepped forward, letting her tongue traced the underside of my balls, just before my cock slid between her lips, deep into the tight warmth of her throat. Her tongue flattened as she swallowed me whole, like she didn’t care if she could breathe.

“Who owns your pussy, An Yujin?” I leaned over her, and slipping two fingers into her dripping hole.

She jolted, moaning around me, her hips jerking as I fucked her with my hand and my cock at the same time.

“Agh—agh—” The vibrations of her moans traveled up my shaft, straight to my spine.

“I asked you a question!” I barked, pulling myself out as spit bursted out of her mouth, dripping down her face.

“Every fucking part of my worthless body belongs to you, Park Wonbin!” she cried, choking violently on her own saliva. “I’ll never come again without your cock either inside my pussy or my mouth!”

“Good girl,” I said, spreading the wetness across every inch of her face. “You can only come for me. For the rest of your life.”

“Come closer,” she begged, gripping onto my ass. “Please—let me—”

I didn’t let her finish. I didn’t care what she wanted. My fingers pumped harder, twisting, stroking her spot, making her legs tremble while I continued to fuck her mouth roughly. Spit splashed all over my skin as she loosened her throat to let me in all the way without gagging even once, her hands fondling her tits like it was all she knew to do.

“Where do you want your reward—”

The doorknob suddenly turned. The click sounded like a gunshot.

Rei stumbled in, cheeks still flushed from all the shots she took, her hair a mess from dancing. Her eyes widened right as they landed on us—my cock still buried deep in Yujin’s throat with her body arched and trembling beneath me.

“I knew you guys were fucking each other!” Rei slurred, leaning against the doorframe for support. “I just knew it!”

“Rei—” I yanked out immediately. Cool air rushed to my wet shaft, while Yujin gasped and sat up abruptly, wiping saliva from her face with the back of her hand.

“You don’t have to stop,” Rei said, kicking the door shut behind her, nearly stumbling.

I froze, pulse racing, looking to Yujin for help.

She quickly tugged her sheets up and covered herself. “We thought you were passed out on the couch.”

“Gaeul-unnie is passed out,” Rei huffed, pushing off the wall as she wobbled closer to us. “I was waiting.”

“Waiting?” I asked, nervously. “For what?”

Her gaze dragged down my chest, then my cock, then the mess on Yujin’s mouth. “For you two to invite me, duh!” she said, her voice pitching higher. “I can’t believe you just forgot about me!”

“Rei…I—”

“It’s always like this!” she complained, stumbling forward. “You two are going to have sex all night long without me, as usual!”

Yujin’s mouth curled, amused and guilty all at once. “Aw, come here you poor thing…” she said, snagging Rei’s wrist and tugging her toward the bed. “I didn’t know you wanted to have sex with us tonight.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Rei whined, falling back onto the mattress with a soft bounce. Her red dress rode up her thighs, bunching right below her hips. “We all looked so damn hot…”

“Sorry, Rei,” Yujin said, voice dripping with false sweetness. She shoved the fabric higher, then peeled the whole thing up and over Rei’s head in one smooth motion, tossing it across the room. “Unnie forgot you’re a sex-deprived little slut.”

Rei pouted, pressing her thighs together. “So what if I am?”

“We’ll just have to treat you like the whore that you are then…” Her hand slid between Rei’s legs, prying them open. “Oh? Were you outside listening to us before this?”

Rei squirmed, her thighs twitching. “No…”

“Are you sure?” Yujin’s fingers circled the damp spot on her panties. “How come you’re already this wet?”

Rei bit her lip, eyes fluttering. “M-maybe…”

“Tell us the truth,” Yujin murmured, increasing the speed and pressure. “You were touching yourself on the other side of that door while he was fucking me, weren’t you?”

“A‑ah…”

“Weren’t you?” Yujin’s voice sharpened, slipping her fingers inside her with almost no resistance.

“Yes!” Rei gasped, her hips jerking helpelessly. “I was, okay? I was…”

Yujin clicked her tongue. “My gosh…isn’t that really obscene? Secretly masturbating to your own friends?”

Rei’s lashes fluttered, a choked whimper slipping out of her. “Ahh…shut up and give it to me already…”

“Who do you want?” Yujin asked, not easing up for a second, her thumb grinding slow, merciless circles. “Me or Wonbin?”

“Both…” Rei whimpered, arching into her hand, eyes rolling back. “I want both of you…just like last time…”

“So greedy…” Yujin smiled. “You want us to do what?”

“Ugh—I want you both to fuck me, obviously…what else?”

“Oh…this one’s sassy today.” Yujin pulled back just enough to look at her properly. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you what you want. But your safe word is fold, okay?”

Something clicked into place at the sound of that word, like a switch buried under my skin.

Rei blinked, almost dazed. “Why do I need a safe word?”

“Because,” Yujin growled, her fingers working her mercilessly inside her. “Mommy and daddy aren’t in the mood to play nice tonight.”

Before Rei could even process it, I stepped closer and guided my cock to her mouth. Her eyes went wide, then fluttered shut as she wrapped her lips around me. I pushed between them, letting her taste her leader’s spit still coating my shaft like frosting.

“This is what you’ve been wanting all night, Rei?” I hissed, tightening my grip on her hair. “A dick in your mouth?”

“Of course,” Yujin’s fingers plunged deeper, curling in a way that made her hips jolt. “She’s a horny little whore who’s always cock-thirsty. Aren’t you, Rei?”

Rei’s muffled moans vibrated along my cock, sending sharp sparks straight up my spine. I pulled her head forward, using her mouth with a steady rhythm while Yujin stripped off the rest of her clothes with her free hand. The panties came off with a rough yank, baring her cute little wet folds to the cool air.

“Come for us already, you nasty slut…” Yujin leaned in closer, twisting her fingers deeper as their bare chests rubbed against each other’s.

Rei’s body arched off the mattress, a choked cry escaping around my cock as her orgasm crashed over her. Juices gushed out like tiny sprinklers, soaking Yujin’s hand. I held her head firm, not letting up, drawing out her climax until she shuddered, her mouth loosening around me in an exhausted bliss.

“Do you want to feel his dick inside you now?” Yujin purred, pulling her fingers free before shoving Rei flat onto the mattress, her body bouncing slightly from the force.

Rei nodded frantically, her hands still wrapped around my length, tugging it down with her like she was afraid to lose it.

“Open your legs and beg,” Yujin commanded.

Rei obeyed instantly, knees spreading apart to reveal her dripping folds in a desperate invitation, her chest rising and falling in heavy pants.

“Wonbin-ah, will you fuck me? Pretty please?” she begged, her eyes completely locked on mine. “You want to, right? Yujin‑unnie isn’t the only woman in the world, you know.”

Yujin let out a loud scoff as I kneeled between Rei’s spread thighs. I rubbed the head of my throbbing cock against her soaked entrance, coating myself in her desire. She was completely drenched, her pussy clenching around nothing, practically begging to be filled.

“Do you want me to fuck you the way I fuck Yujin?” I asked, teasing her folds with shallow thrusts.

“No...please don’t…” She shook her head, her voice breaking. “Please fuck me even harder…”

That was all I needed. I slammed forward in one brutal thrust, burying my cock deep inside her tight hole.

“Oh my god…y-you’re so deep…Wonbin-ah…you like how my pussy feels, don’t you? Please make me your new woman—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Yujin snarled, swinging a leg over the bed, straddling her face without hesitation or mercy. “Who do you think you are? You’re just our fucktoy for the night. You’ll never be his woman.”

Rei’s response was only a muffled cry into Yujin’s pussy while her fingers twisted around the sheets.

“Jesus, I forgot how tight you are,” I groaned, pulling back only to drive in again, harder. Each thrust made her body shudder, her screams turning into high-pitched wails muffled by Yujin’s thighs.

Yujin leaned forward, bracing herself on Rei’s chest as she rode her face. Our eyes met above her writhing body, and Yujin dragged me into another long, deep, fiery kiss—our tongues tangled, sharing spit and moans while I pounded into her friend beneath us.

Yujin finally broke our kiss. “Don’t stop fucking her. Bad girls deserve to be punished.”

I obliged, pushing her Rei’s upwards to angle her into a deeper thrust, hitting her spot with the tip of my cock. Her screams grew frantic, her nails digging into Yujin’s thighs, then clutching at my hips, the bed creaking loudly under the onslaught.

“She’s gonna come again,” Yujin sang, rubbing Rei’s clit from above while I fucked her harder and faster.

Rei’s muffled howls escaped in bursts around Yujin’s grinding pussy, her hips jerking erratically until the orgasm crashed over her—walls contracting in fierce, rhythmic pulses that squeezed my shaft hard as juices started flooding out.

Yujin slid off with a satisfied sigh, and Rei gasped for air like she’d been underwater, coughing hard, her face shiny and covered with lust.

“W-what the hell was that…” she whimpered, chest still heaving. “Y-you guys are insane…”

She let out a loud yelp as I flipped her over onto her hands and knees. “We’re not done with you,” I growled.

My fingers dug into her hips as I lined up my cock to her hole and slammed back into her pussy, pounding into her from behind. Her moans turned to screams again, her body rocking forward with the impact, and Yujin grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head up roughly.

“Ow—”

“Keep fucking her, Wonbin.” Yujin’s other hand wrapped around Rei’s throat. “Ruin her bratty cunt with your cock.”

“Unnie—”

The slaps came next—one after another—Yujin’s palm cracking against Rei’s cheek, then her other cheek, alternating like a metronome. “Make her beg more and scream louder while you use her like a worthless fucktoy.”

Rei’s body shuddered violently, her screams mixing with desperate moans while her pussy tightened around me like a vice. I circled her juices around the entrance of her other hole with my thumb while I pumped into her relentlessly, watching her ass jiggle to the force.

Yujin continued, eyes widening with every word, tightening her grip around her neck. “Paint her insides with your cum. Destroy her. Fuck her to dea—”

“F-fold! Fold!” Rei screamed, quickly tapping Yujin’s hand.

Everything stopped instantly.

My hips, Yujin’s hand, even the air in my lungs. It was like someone had yanked the power out of the room; all that was left was the echo of Rei’s voice, the sound of our own ragged breathing, and my heart pounding furiously from the horrific realization that hit me like a truck.

Yujin’s eyes flew wide. She stared down at her hands like they didn’t belong to her, like they were covered in blood instead of spit and lust.

Rei panted, catching her breath, her body still trembling from the aftershocks. Wet sounds filled the silence as she coughed and gasped, mascara streaking down her cheeks.

“R-Rei,” Yujin whispered, but her voice broke on the name.

After a few seconds that felt way too long, Rei wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and forced herself to look up at us. Her eyes were huge and glossy, confusion and hurt swimming where all that sex‑drunk haze had been just a few minutes ago.

“What the hell happened to you two?” she asked, her voice shaking. “This is so different from last time. You guys are…monsters now.”

Her words sliced through me like a guillotine.

She didn’t say it like a joke. Monsters.

“Rei—are you okay?” I asked, my body still frozen. Too horrified to move, but too ashamed to stay.

She shook her head, sniffling. “This started off really fun, but not anymore…you guys are too rough for me.”

“Rei, I’m so sorry,” Yujin choked out as she lunged forward, pulling Rei into her arms with desperate gentleness. She yanked the covers up from the foot of the bed, draping them over both of them.

“Unnie…you were so mean…” Rei said, forcing tears to spill out of Yujin’s eyes.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” Yujin’s words tumbled over each other as she pulled Rei against her chest. Her whole body shook with sobs, the same hands that had just slapped and squeezed now stroking Rei’s hair like she was made of glass.

I crawled onto the bed, moving slowly, carefully, afraid that getting too close too fast might make her flinch. They were both crying; Yujin clung onto Rei like she was afraid she would disappear, and I wrapped my arms around both of them, pressing my chest against Rei’s back as if the extra warmth could undo anything.

“We’re really sorry, Rei,” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. “We should’ve stopped to check if you were okay.”

“It’s fine.” She sniffled and let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Just…can we never do that again?”

“Yes, of course,” Yujin said immediately, nodding so hard her hair brushed Rei’s face. “I promise. Never again. I’m so so sorry…”

At some point, Yujin’s apologies turned into just her whispering Rei’s name over and over, and Rei’s fingers finally loosened from the sheets as she slowly drifted to sleep in our arms.

Yujin and I looked at each other silently past Rei’s small body, tears still leaking from our eyes like broken faucets. There was so much to say, and yet, not a single word left our lips.

It was then that we knew for sure.

It didn’t matter what was waiting for us at that auction. It didn’t matter what would happen. A part of us had already died long ago.

We had been monsters the moment we watched that first video together.

***

I sat alone on the cold bathroom floor, staring up at the dark ceiling. My eyes burned with exhaustion, but I couldn’t bring myself to close them. I didn’t want to face the nightmares that awaited me in slumber, and yet at the same time, couldn’t wait to escape the hell of this reality either.

“And if something happens to you tomorrow—can I live with that? Could Wonyoung?”

Yujin’s voice echoed in my head.

“These people, they can make you disappear with a snap of their fingers and no one would ever find out.”

I knew that I wasn’t prepared for whatever awaited me, but no one could’ve been. No one’s ever ready to die. No one can be ready to lose everything. But I’d already lost everything. Already died a million times inside. How bad could actual death really be?

There was something I’d been avoiding for too long—videos I’d been too afraid to watch. But if there was even a sliver of a clue buried in them, this was my last chance to find it. Fear didn’t matter anymore.

There was nothing left to be afraid of.

call.mp4

“You looked so incredible tonight, my love,” he murmured from behind the camera, one hand reaching out to trace the edge of the slit up her leg, fingers grazing the smooth material possessively.

Wonyoung smiled, a perfect, obedient curve of her lips that didn’t touch her eyes. “Do you think the King of Diamonds was jealous that I belong to you, Master?”

“Absolutely. You made him come so hard I’m sure he saw stars at the end. I’m expecting him to make a bunch of trade offers at the next Shuffle.”

His hands gripped her waist, yanking her back against his chest. Before she could catch her breath, one palm slid down, cupping her ass firmly, fingers digging into the soft flesh. Her body jolted forward, a sharp gasp escaping her parted lips.

“You do belong to me, don’t you?” he asked, his voice suddenly dangerous and dark.

“O-of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” Her voice trembled, but she pressed back into him regardless.

He lifted the back of her dress, revealing the smooth curves of her ass. “You can’t lie to me anymore, Wonnie. I know Park Wonbin is more than just a friend.”

Panic flickered across her face as her eyes widened. “W-what do you mean?”

“Why else would he call you so many times during your trip?” he asked, holding her phone up, displaying all the missed calls. My name, listed over and over.

She paused for a split second. “He’s just worried because—”

“Call him back then,” he snarled, handing her phone over.

“W-what?” she said, clutching onto it like it was burning her, but was too afraid to let go.

His grip on her ass tightened. “Call him right now to prove that he’s just a friend.”

“Master—”

“Do it,” he said, simply. The order was final.

She swallowed and took the phone from him, fingers shaking as she hesitantly pressed the call button.

The rings seemed to echo endlessly in the silence of the room, resonating off the ringing in my ears.

“H-hello?” I heard myself from the other end. Memories of that dark night flooded my mind.

“Hey!” Wonyoung said, forcing brightness into her voice.

“W-Wonyoung? Is that you?”

“Did you forget my voice already?” She faked a smile that I couldn’t even see at the time, as if it were for herself. “It’s only been two days.”

Master’s body remained molded to hers, his free hand already hiking up the hem of her underwear.

“N-no,” my voice said through the phone. “Of course not.”

He tugged her panties aside roughly before planting his face between her cheeks.

“Is everything okay? Why did you call me so many times? And why do you sound so sad?”

He spread her cheeks wide and began slurping loudly, something the phone never caught.

“Are you okay?” my past self asked cluelessly.

She arched her body deeper into the glass. “Of course I’m okay. I told you not to worry about me, dummy.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Mm…I—aah…” The involuntary cry slipped out as his tongue moved up towards her other hole, jiggling her cheeks around his face.

Her hand flew to her mouth, but it was too late. I heard it. And my past self also heard it.

“Wonyoung?”

He stood up, dropping his pants to his knees, pulling her hips back.

“Sorry, hold on—” She squeezed her eyes shut, covering her mouth again as he entered her from behind.

“Wonyoung?” I had asked, right as she was pressed flat against the window.

“Ah—I—um—” The words wouldn’t form. All that came out were the strangled noises of his cock splashing her juices against her skin.

After a moment of muffled moans and her begging him to stop with her eyes, he pulled her to her knees.

“Are you okay?” I had asked, and she gripped onto the phone desperately, covering the bottom half with her hand.

He stepped closer. She shook her head nervously as his cock hovered before her, completely drenched with her juices.

“Yes, sorry—I—ugh—” she started, right before he stuffed his cock in her mouth.

“…Wonyoung?”

But she couldn’t answer, and I finally saw why. He already gripped her hair tightly and thrust his hips forward, slamming his cock deep into her throat as saliva dripped from her stretched lips.

She pulled back to speak, but he slapped his cock over her face, interrupting the words. “I’ll—be back soon—don’t worry about me, okay? I have to go now—”

Master ended the call and threw her phone on the ground, letting the screen of my face in her contact profile stare at them.

“Just a friend, huh?” His voice was somewhere between a growl and a grumble. “He sounds more like a worried boyfriend to me. And what did I say about boyfriends?”

“P-please, he’s not a threat to you—” she begged, her voice desperate now that the performance was over.

A villainous snicker escaped his throat. “Threat? No one is a threat to me.” He pulled her up by her arms and pressed her against the windows again. “But bad girls who can’t follow rules deserve to be punished, don’t they, Wonnie?”

“I promise I’ll be a good girl from now on. I’ll do whatever you want. Please leave him out of this, I’m begging you.”

“You already do whatever I want, so what’s the difference?” He guided his cock to her entrance and slammed into her from behind again. Her whole body jolted, her palms slapping against the window for support.

“Master, please—”

“Look,” he growled, pulling her hair, forcing her to watch the city lights below them. “The whole world can see that you belong to me.”

“Yes, I belong to you, Master. I’m yours, I’m all yours.”

He continued fucking her roughly like he hated every last inch of her while the city lights of Macau watched them from afar, indifferent and uncaring.

“Who does your pussy belong to, Jang Wonyoung?” he roared, kneading her ass like it was a stress ball while he pumped into her violently.

“My pussy is yours, Master, I was born to be filled by your cock,” she cried, sliding down to the floor, her fingers squeaking against the glass. “Every last part of me belongs to you, not Park Wonb—”

The last bit of my soul died as the video cut to black.

My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might throw up. There were no clues. There never were. I should’ve known after the hundredth time, but the hope of finding something always outweighed the pain that inevitably followed.

The phone slipped out my hands as I buried my face on my knees. There was no point in watching the next video, just like there was no point in watching the last five. It was exactly what he wanted.

A bitter laugh scraped up my throat and died there, reborn as uncontrollable sobs.

Staying away didn’t help her. Following his rules didn’t protect her. Loving her was all I knew, and yet it was the cause for her suffering.

If she was going to keep paying the price for my existence, then I had to be there to pay it with her.

Even if it meant erasing it altogether.

***

“I don’t even know what means to look like a millionaire,” I muttered, removing the tag off my new blazer as I stared at our reflection in the giant mirror. “Let alone a billionaire.”

“Neither do I,” Yujin said, smoothing down the sides of the sixth dress she’d pull from her gigantic walk-in closet. “I’m just gonna pick something I wouldn’t mind dying in.”

“You’re not dying.” I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my chin lightly on her shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She met my eyes in the mirror, her lips curving. “You’ll protect me?”

“Of course.”

“From literal hitmen and organized crime lords?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” I exhaled. “I guess I really am marching to certain death.”

One of her brows arched. “I thought we weren’t dying.”

“You’re not,” I said quietly, holding her just a little tighter. “But I might.”

She sighed, putting her hands over mine as our bodies swayed back and forth. “Choi Mingyu better give us the best plot twist of the decade.”

Her skin was warm against me, and the familiar smell of her hair brought a tiny bit of comfort to my racing heart.

“You were the best plot twist of my decade,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

She blinked. “Me? How?”

“I thought you were a villain at first. The way you kept hunting me with your eyes when we first met. Always trying to stir up chaos. Always up to no good.”

“Seriously?” She burst into laughter, almost falling over.

“Is it that funny?” I said, watching her eyes disappear and her dimples come to life instead. “I mean you really were villainous in the first few chapters. Let’s not forget what you did to me that night.”

“And then you realized that I’m just way too pretty and charming to be a villain,” she said, flipping her hair adorably.

A smile cracked on my face in the mirror as I shook my head. “The fake names Mingyu gave us actually make us sound like villains.”

“Oh yeah, what were they again? We need to drill them into our heads before we get there otherwise the bullets will.”

“You’re Lim Sihyeon, and I’m Kang Tae-oh. We’re married, a billionaire couple who own multiple law firms across Asia—wait, hold on…” I looked up to see her face holding back laughter. “There’s one problem.”

She tilted her head. “What?”

“I’m not your boyfriend, I can’t pretend to be your husband.”

“Wow…Park Wonbin, are you complaining?” she said, putting her hands on her hip dramatically. “You should be honored to get to roleplay as my husband.”

“I’d only just gotten used to roleplaying as your master.”

Just then, something twinkled in her eyes. “That was so hot,” she whispered, immediately turning fully to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “We need a redo, we never got to finish.”

“Finishing isn’t actually what I would’ve done differently if we got a chance to redo last night,” I muttered.

She ignored me. “What time did he say to get to the location again?”

“Ten, why?”

“It’s only seven,” she said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“So?”

She smiled, lifting her hands to my collar and undoing the first button. “Let’s practice.”

“Practice what?”

“Getting into our roles,” she said, pressing her body against me. “You know, so we don’t screw up and get caught and die.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?”

“It’s just an idea, but I think we should go shower together…” She smiled, her warm, soft lips brushing mine. “And then, I don’t know…maybe you can…fuck me like I’m your wife?”

I sighed. “Are you sure you’re not a villain?”

She bit her lower lip. “I’m the main character, babe.”

***

We took a 35-minute cab ride to the address Mingyu had sent, holding each other’s hands like we were actually a couple—although it was more to calm our nerves than to convince anyone of anything. Her grip was tight, fingers locked around mine, but her thumb kept twitching from what I could only imagine was anxiety.

The cab driver kept glancing at us through the rearview mirror, but I couldn’t blame him. Even with a face-mask on, Yujin looked like someone who belonged on the cover of a magazine, not the back of a Seoul taxi. The driver’s brows creased in the mirror, perhaps wondering what a billionaire couple like us was doing without an army of private drivers, a chauffeur, or at the very least, tinted windows.

Choi Mingyu 9:32 — Walk three blocks down, and then find the large marbled building.

Choi Mingyu 9:32 — There should be a ton of limos outside.

Choi Mingyu 9:32 — Don’t go through the front, circle around the back of the building and find the door next to the generators. The passcode is 150331.

The building was exactly as he described, except ten times more intimidating in person. It wasn’t just big—it was opulent. Golden exterior lights bathed the building in a warm glow, casting dramatic shadows across the sidewalk. There were at least twenty luxury vehicles parked at the front: black vans, limousines, as well as a few exotic cars I couldn’t name but instinctively knew had six-figure price tags.

The red carpet entrance was filled with velvet ropes and chrome-plated stanchions, like some elite award show. Doormen in white gloves stood as still as statues, while guests in tuxedos and sparkling dresses floated up the steps, just before disappearing inside.

“This is intense,” Yujin whispered, squeezing my hand even tighter. “How does he expect us to sneak in here?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, scanning the area as discreetly as possible. “Why are we even sneaking in at all if he registered us under fake names?”

“Ask him,” she said, pulling my phone out of my jacket pocket like it was hers.

Park Wonbin 9:44 — Where are you? Are you here too?

Choi Mingyu 9:45 — I’m inside.

Park Wonbin 9:45 — Why can’t we go through the front entrance? We’re on the guest list, aren’t we?

Choi Mingyu 9:45 — There is no guest list. I have your decks.

Park Wonbin 9:45 — Decks?

Choi Mingyu 9:46 — Just hurry and be careful. Make sure no one follows you.

“What the hell is a deck?” Yujin asked, squinting at the last message over my shoulder.

“Maybe credentials?” I guessed. “Like IDs or something?”

She pulled her mask down slightly and exhaled hard through her nose. “This feels so crazy. I trained to be an idol, not a spy.”

We took a deep breath and started walking toward the back of the building, making sure no one saw us. There were no signs, no lights, no crowds—just a narrow alley full of dumpsters and power boxes, the hum of generators growing louder with every step. It reeked of metal and wet concrete, and every sound—our steps, our breathing, the clicking of Yujin’s heels—felt too loud.

“I’m scared,” she whispered, clutching my hand tighter as she navigated the uneven ground. “What if they have snipers on the roof?”

I sighed. “There are no snipers on the roof, Yujin…”

But I looked up to check anyway.

“Remind me again,” she said, voice low, eyes scanning every shadow. “Why exactly are we trusting him?”

“Because we don’t have anyone else.”

She didn’t say anything after that. Her breath was uneven as she walked beside me, fingers still tangled in mine.

When we finally turned the last corner, the back door appeared—exactly where Mingyu said it would be, tucked beside a row of industrial generators. No signage, no security.

I swallowed. No turning back either.

Yujin stood close as I typed in the six-digit passcode. My finger hesitated for a split second on the last number, but we’d already gone too far.

The keypad blinked green, and the lock clicked open.

I pushed the door open slow. No alarm. No one on the other side. Just a long, dimly lit hallway lined with marble walls and golden sconces—like we’d just open up a portal.

Yujin exhaled, a breath she’d clearly been holding. “That actually worked? So he wasn’t lying after all?”

My heart was pounding too hard to speak.

We carefully slipped inside, and the door closed behind us with a soft mechanical hiss.

The hallway stretched, silent and strangely empty. No guards. No cameras we could see. The floor beneath our feet was some kind of polished stone that muffled the sound of our steps, but I could still hear the echo of my pulse in my ears.

Yujin suddenly grabbed my hand, fingers clenching tight like she’d seen a ghost. “Wait,” she whispered. “He never told us what to do after this.”

I froze in my tracks. “W-what?”

“He told us how to get in. But now what? Where do we go? What room is this even?”

“Shit.”

My palm slipped out of hers long enough for me to fumble my phone out of my pocket, screen lighting up our faces in the dim hallway.

Park Wonbin 9:53 — We’re inside. What now?

No response.

The typing bar stayed empty. The little yellow ‘1’ just sat there, mocking me.

I stared at the screen, watching the minutes change.

Park Wonbin 9:55 — Mingyu. Where do we go?

Still nothing. No read receipts. Not even a typing bubble.

My stomach twisted.

“He’s ghosting us now?” Yujin asked, her voice rising slightly with panic. “Are you kidding me?”

“Maybe he’s busy with something,” I said quickly, but even I didn’t believe it.

I looked back the way we came. The hallway was still empty, eerily so. No sounds. No footsteps.

My heart was beating so loud I couldn’t tell if it was mine or hers.

“We can’t just stand here,” I said quietly, forcing my legs to move. “Let’s walk around and pretend we belong. Maybe we’ll spot him.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then we go with your plan.”

She blinked at me. “My plan? What’s my plan? I don’t have a plan.”

“We die together,” I said, holding her hand again.

She rolled her eyes, but her grip didn’t loosen. “For the record, that was your plan.”

We walked slowly, hand in hand. Around us, the walls were adorned with traditional art—giant, gorgeous paintings that probably cost more than my entire apartment lease.

“This is crazy,” Yujin whispered, eyes darting across the hallway. “These art pieces are like…national treasures. They’re priceless.”

“Feels like a hotel for kings,” I muttered, brushing my hand along the edge of a marble column as we passed it. “Makes sense, I guess.”

We turned a corner—and then slowed immediately.

A large group of guests had just emerged from another hallway, walking in the same direction as us. Everyone was dressed to perfection—floor-length gowns, tailored tuxedos, designer accessories I couldn’t begin to price. But most notably, every single one of them wore a golden masquerade mask.

“Are we supposed to have one of those?” Yujin asked, holding onto her black flu mask.

My eyes flicked from face to face. “Apparently.”

“They look like the VIPs from Squid Game.”

“They probably are. We should follow them.”

“What?”

“Maybe Mingyu is inside,” I said, and tugged her forward gently. “Come on.”

There was laughter and chatter in different foreign languages echoing through the hall, and we melted into the current, careful not to walk too fast or too slow. Just behind them. Just invisible enough.

The hallway ahead was wider and brighter. The marble gleamed under warm chandelier light, and somewhere beyond, we could hear the sound of soft classical music coming from a set of tall double doors, slightly ajar, with light spilling out across the floor like a spotlight tracking intruders.

And just when I thought we might slip through with the others—

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind us.

We stopped.

A staff member had stepped into our path from the side, so silently I hadn’t seen him coming. He wore a perfectly tailored black uniform, a sash across his chest, and a reflective silver mask that covered the top half of his face. His jaw was sharp, his posture so upright it looked rehearsed.

“I’m sorry,” he said, with the authority of someone who had never once been questioned. “Gold masks are required in the main hall.”

My heart immediately shot to my throat. Yujin froze beside me, her grip tightening like she expected the floor to open up beneath us.

I forced a smile. “Of course! We were just about to—uh—”

“And your decks?” he added, smoothly cutting me off. “May I ask why you attempted to enter without them?”

“D-decks, right—” I started, completely blanking. “Well, you see—”

“They’re with us.”

A man’s voice came from somewhere behind us—calm, effortless, and somehow more commanding than the staff member’s.

We turned.

Another group was entering the hallway from the other end, moving with a silent grace that could still draw every eye in the room. Four men—each one in a black tuxedo, each one masked. But the man in the center was different. His mask was minimal compared to the rest, and he walked toward us with his hands in his pockets—unbothered, casual, and confident.

For a split second, I thought it might’ve been Mingyu.

But as he stepped closer into the light, that hope vanished. It wasn’t Mingyu. It wasn’t even close. He looked like someone who belonged on an album cover. Or a billboard. And in that moment, all I could think was that I’d seen him before.

Who is he? Why does he feel so familiar?

That slow confidence. That jawline. The way he’d looked at us like he already knew who we were.

Yujin leaned in closer. “Who are these guys?” she whispered. “Did Mingyu send them?”

“I have no idea,” I whispered back. “But they’re saving our necks.”

The man in front stepped closer, speaking to the staff member without even glancing at us. “They came with us,” he said, casually. “We’ve been looking for them to give them their decks.”

The staff member paused for a breath, then nodded once. “Understood. Please ensure they collect their masks at the front before returning.”

The man gave the faintest nod. “We’ll take them there now.”

He turned back to the corridor they came from. And without another word, we followed.

We walked in silence at first, silently debating if we should continue with our eyes. The others didn’t slow for us. They didn’t even look back to make sure we were keeping up—they just expected we would.

“Dude, I told you he was chaebol,” one of the guys muttered in English.

“Sure, he’s so chaebol he showed up looking like a lost tourist.”

“Maybe he forgot to grab his mask.”

“Who the hell forgets the mask? It’s literally the whole point.”

“I don’t know, he probably thought he’d just smile and get waved through,” the other said. “Classic second-son chaebol energy.”

“Or maybe it’s just his first time here. Like you.”

“It’s your first time too, dipshit.”

And then something clicked.

The voices. The rhythm of their banter. The effortless timing, like they’d been doing this back-and-forth for decades. I’d heard it before.

Last night. At the club.

James and Jake, was it? But what would they be doing here?

It wasn’t until we rounded the corner into a quieter hallway that the man who saved us finally spoke.

“Adam, what the hell are you doing here?” he asked in a whisper.

I blinked, the realization suddenly falling over me. “J-John? Are you John?”

He glanced over his shoulder, only slightly. “Call me Song. Back there are Kwan and Lee. You met them last night.” He nodded at the older man beside him. “And this is Kang.”

Kang didn’t say anything, he only looked at us as if debating if we were even worth speaking to. He was an older, seemingly middle-aged man with silver streaks in his dark hair, and on his wrist was a watch that didn’t just look expensive—it looked like the only of its kind to have ever been made.

“Got it,” I said, trying to process everything as Yujin’s eyes cautiously passed through everyone. “Then I’m Park. And this is An.”

“Try to make it a habit of using only surnames for the rest of the night,” John said, his voice still kind and light, but filled with seriousness. “But really, what are you doing roaming around in here without a mask, Park?”

I sighed. “I know this sounds really silly, but I’m, uh… looking for my girlfriend. Again.”

He glanced at Yujin, then down to the fake wedding rings on our hands, and back at me again.

“I know,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s a really long story.”

“Then try your best to make it short,” he said, looking around. “Because this isn’t the place to be fooling around.”

I didn’t respond.

A part of me didn’t want to say anything—not here, not like this. Not to a complete stranger that I’d only met at a club once the night before. Not when everyone around me wore masks, literally and metaphorically. Not with the walls closing in like they had ears.

But then I checked my phone again. There were still no replies, and the messages remained unread.

I looked at John again, at Yujin’s anxious eyes, and then the man called Kang, still unreadable behind that sculpted gold.

I had no other choice. It was too late to pick and choose who to trust. The same way I was forced to believe Mingyu because there was no one else to tell me otherwise, I had to resort to trusting John because help was nowhere to be found.

So I told them everything as we walked back to the lobby that Yujin and I dodged the first time around—about Wonyoung being an Ace, the King of Spades, the emails and videos, and about Mingyu.

John didn’t interrupt, not even to ask questions. Neither did Kang. They listened, believing every word I said, as if it didn’t even surprise them.

When I finished, the group had slowed, and John stepped to the side with Kang, speaking to him in a tone too quiet for me to make out. Just low, serious murmurs, like he was trying to convince him of something.

Yujin exhaled nervously beside me. “I get that there was no plan, but this is definitely not going to plan.”

I didn’t answer. I was too busy watching everyone else.

Off to the side, James and Jake had drifted toward a decorative pillar, pretending to be casual. Beside them stood a petite woman with long, perfectly curled hair in a beautiful red dress that exposed her razor sharp collarbones. Her gold mask wrapped across her cheekbones like it was specifically made for her face, and a gold wedding ring caught the light on her finger.

She didn’t speak; she simply watched us as James and Jake continued with what I could only imagine was more bickering. Her icy gaze moved back and forth between me and Yujin like she was trying to figure us out with just her eyes.

“She looks so strangely familiar,” Yujin whispered, tugging on my sleeve. “Doesn’t she remind you of Irene sunbae-nim?”

“Red Velvet Irene?” I looked, trying to avoid direct eye contact. “I kinda see it—she resembles Jessica Jung too, doesn’t she?”

“Who’s that? Oh—the former SNSD member?” She squinted. “Wait—yeah, kinda. Ugh, I can’t tell with that mask. She looks like she could be either of them.”

“Or neither. Why would any of them be here?”

Another woman slowly approached us, waving shyly.

Her mask was simple with round edges, and she wore a long black gown—soft and draped, more understated than the others, but effortlessly elegant. While most of the women walked like they were auditioning for a campaign, she didn’t seem to be performing at all; she just moved how she wanted.

“Sorry, I don’t know if this is the wrong time to ask, but are you…An Yujin?” she asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

She was a little taller than Yujin, with a fuller, even curvier figure—more womanly in a way that made the gown cling to her body like it had been tailored specifically for her. A small wedding ring wrapped around her finger—subtle, but beautiful, like everything else about her.

Yujin stiffened, just a bit. “Um…y-yes.”

The woman smiled gently and leaned in. “I just wanted to say hi,” she whispered. “I’m a Dive.”

Yujin blinked. “Really?”

She nodded. “I’m Sora—wait—” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I mean—Park!”

“Me too,” I said, raising my hand. “I’m also Park.”

Her face lit up. “Oh my god, really? Finally, another Park! We’re twins for the night.” She turned to Yujin again. “By the way, I love your dress.”

Yujin exhaled a breathy laugh. “Thanks, I really like yours, too. And sorry if this is too forward, but your body is so pretty.”

“What? No way, look who’s talking! Yours is so tea.”

“Aren’t you a little too old to be using Gen-Z slang?” James muttered.

Old? I thought. She looked significantly younger than everyone else. Even though her face was covered by the mask, she couldn’t have been any older than 25.

“Leave her alone,” Jake said, in a whisper that was clearly meant to be heard. “It’s not her fault she’s chronically online.”

“Go away!” Sora shot back playfully, before turning back to Yujin. “Sorry, men truly are the worst.”

Yujin turned and smirked at me. “I get it. He’s pretty annoying too.”

They giggled, and for the first time all night, I cracked a smile.

I didn’t know when he left, but John suddenly came back holding two golden masks with matching, intricate designs, along with two matte black boxes edged in gold lines.

“Alright, here are your decks and masks,” he said, passing them to me and Yujin. “I registered you guys on Team B. It’s safer to stick with us until your friend finds you. If he even plans to.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Seriously?”

“I don’t get it,” James muttered to Jake. “Why take on extra risk for two people we don’t even know?”

“Also, wear this,” John added, slipping off his Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. “You can’t walk around here with a naked wrist. It’s too suspicious.”

I hesitated, staring at it like it might burn me from being too expensive. “You’re joking. What about you?”

“Luckily, my wife brought an extra one,” he said, already adjusting his cuff.

Exactly how rich are they to just carry around an extra $100,000 watch? I thought.

The woman in the red dress stepped forward and unhooked her earrings. “Here,” she said, holding them out to Yujin. “You should wear these, too.”

Yujin blinked, her lips parting in shock. “W-what—no—are you sure? Aren’t these Diamant Evanescents…?”

She smiled faintly, fixing her hair to cover up her naked ears. “You can give them back later. I’m sure they look better on you than me, anyways.”

Yujin hesitated, her fingers brushing the jewels like they might vanish. “T-thank you…”

Yujin and I exchanged a silent glance, but we didn’t question anything. Because at this point, it was already a done deal that our lives were in their hands.

Jake clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Alright, you ready? You guys are on our team.”

“Team?” I asked.

He smirked, trying to push up his glasses, only to realize he wasn’t wearing any. “You’ll see once we get inside.”

***

The final notes of the orchestra drifted down from the balcony above us, and applause rippled through the room—quiet, classy, restrained. Servers moved in silent patterns, silver trays poised in their hands, stacked with champagne and liquor that caught the light like liquid gold.

We took our seats at one of ten round tables, each set before a wide, elevated stage. Everything gleamed—underlit marble floors, velvet chairs, polished glassware. Each table sat four people, and embedded into the armrest of every chair was a narrow slot—like a high-tech card reader.

Yujin and I exchanged a glance as we slid into our seats, barely recognizable with the masks covering our faces.

“I feel like I’m in a horror movie,” she whispered, shuddering beside me. “I almost wanted to turn back when they confiscated our phones.”

“No snipers, at least.”

“Not yet. Wait until the Red Light Green Light doll pops up.”

The lights dimmed, and a smooth jazz sting hit the air, just before the stage lights flared.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” A man announced in English, strutting out with his arms wide, dressed in a dealer’s tuxedo with gloves that sparkled like he’d dipped them in diamonds. His mask was a theatrical silver—smiling, wide-eyed, almost cartoonish.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome! To this year’s exclusive, one-night-only Blackjack Auction!” he boomed, voice bouncing with delight. “I’m your Dealer-slash-host-slash-most-unreliable-narrator of the evening—and it is my absolute pleasure to welcome all you twisted little gamblers to tonight’s show!”

Polite laughter bubbled from a few tables. Most people clapped, but some just watched, eyes catching the light like glass marbles behind their masks.

“Now, for those of you who are new—or pretending to be new—hello, you poor, or should I say, rich beautiful fools—allow me walk you through how tonight’s little game works.”

He clapped once, and a large screen behind him lit up with animated cards.

“First things first: You’re all seated in teams of four. Many of you even visiting from all over the world—to which I say, welcome to Korea!”

A ripple of murmurs and scattered applause passed through the room. Chairs creaked, along with the soft sound of ice hitting crystal as more glasses were set down and picked up.

“Now, each of you has a deck of cards, which includes number cards from two through ten, face cards—jacks, queens, kings—four aces, and maybe, if you’re lucky, a Joker or two.” He held up a Joker card as an example, winking behind the mask. “And by lucky, I mean rich.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sora glance our way from the table next to us. She lifted her hands, signaling us to smile like she could sense our anxiety from four feet away.

John’s wife sat with her back perfectly straight, her red dress hugging every line of her body, slit riding high up her thigh when she crossed her legs. John sat beside her, one hand holding onto hers above her thigh, the other curled around his drink. He leaned in close, whispering something against her ear.

Next to them, Kang sat in silence, shoulders relaxed but eyes alert under his mask. He didn’t fidget, didn’t join in on anything. He just held a drink in his hand and watched. The stage. The crowd. Almost like he was waiting for something to happen.

“Now here’s the game: Each round, we’ll reveal an Ace. That’s the prize! The performer. The…investment, I’d say.

“To bid on an Ace, everyone on your team may simply choose a number card from your deck and submit them into the card reader by your seat. Your team’s bid will then be determined by the total value of those cards added together. For example—play a five, a six, an eight, and a ten?” He snapped his fingers. “Boom. Your bid is 29.”

“Highest bid wins the round! But here’s the catch!” He leaned into the microphone. “Once you use a card… it’s gone. Poof! Spent. Doesn’t matter if you win or lose the round—once you play it, you can’t get it back. So choose wisely. There are sixteen Aces to bid on tonight. Sixteen! That’s a lot of temptation.”

He grinned. “Now, about those face cards! After your team wins the bid, you get to decide which face cards to pair with your Ace to create, of course, a Blackjack show! Each face card determines how the Ace performs in the show.”

Yujin swallowed hard. “I don’t imagine it’s a performance of their latest comeback.”

I was too horrified to imagine what it could mean. My brain tried to reach for something harmless—fanmeets, unit stages, some deranged rich‑people version of a showcase—but everything led me back to the image of Wonyoung on her knees in that red room.

“Each face card influences the show that follows. Who participates. What kind of performance it becomes. Will you go with a classic Jack? Oh, but why not two? Or perhaps even add a Queen for a little elegance? Or—if you’re bold—insert yourself into the mix with a King! The possibilities are endless! You decide. You’ve paid for it, after all.”

Yujin shifted uncomfortably beside me. “Definitely not a dance performance,” she said, cupping a hand over her mouth like she was afraid to throw up.

Over to the side, Sora did the same.

For a second, the rules rearranged themselves in my head like puzzle pieces. Face cards weren’t extra points; they were people. Bodies. Hands. Every Jack, Queen, King we played was another person allowed to touch her, use her, turn her into whatever ‘show’ they wanted.

“Wait, so if we don’t play any face cards, does that mean the Ace doesn’t have to ‘perform’?” I asked.

Yujin took a sip of her drink, almost forcefully. “God, I hope so.”

“This must be what Mingyu meant by saving her. He didn’t mean rescue her. He wanted us to win her round so that she could be spared from a fucked up performance.”

“Choi Mingyu is nowhere to be found,” Yujin reminded me. “This is what John wanted for us.”

“R-right,” I said, looking at John, who was sitting upright, tapping the face of his watch as he listened.

Then, with a flourish, the Dealer stepped forward and gestured to the glowing slots at each chair. “Oh—and before I forget—this is not just a game of cards. Like with anything in life, it is a game of money. You don’t just lose your cards. You pay for them. Each number card you play costs you its value times 10 million won.

“A six? 60 million. A ten? 100 million. And of course, 100 million for Jacks, 150 million for Queens, and 200 million for Kings.” He waited a moment, letting the tension build. “And Jokers…300 million won, baby! Sooooorry, no refunds!”

Somewhere behind us, a cork popped, the sound sharp in the otherwise controlled noise, followed by a soft fizz as more champagne was poured.

“But Jokers are rare. Many of you only have one. Some of you have none. And if any of you have two?” He laughed. “Well. You’re either very rich…or very stupid.”

The audience laughed, but I didn’t understand what was even funny about it.

The screen then flashed with an example:

Bid: 5 + 6 + 8 + 2 = 21 → ₩210,000,000

Face cards used: Jack + Jack → ₩200,000,000

Total: ₩410,000,000

I looked to Yujin in panic. “How are we supposed to even bid? We don’t have this kind of money.”

She blinked, clearly just realizing the same thing. “I have no idea—”

“Both of your decks are synced to John’s account,” Jake whispered. “He’s footing the bill for both of you.”

My stomach dropped. “What?! That’s insane!”

He just shrugged. “I’m sure he has his reasons.”

“Sometimes he does things for no reason, too,” James added. “That’s why I’m the CEO.”

“We made you CEO because you’re good at bullshitting,” Jake corrected.

Nearly $300,000 US dollars just to make one Ace perform once, not even counting all the losing bids, I thought. With ten total teams, a pot could easily add up to over a million dollars. The numbers don’t even feel real anymore—they feel like ransom notes.

“And finally…a little rule about the pesky ol’ Jokers.” His voice dropped, rich with drama. “They’re not performance cards, believe it or not. Play one, and your team instantly wins the round regardless of numbers—unless someone else throws one down too. Now wouldn’t that be exciting? If multiple teams play Jokers, the team that plays the most Jokers win the round. It’s that simple, folks. Unless there is a tie, of course! In which case… all Jokers are burned, and we go into sudden death bidding. No redraws. No mercy.”

I looked down at my deck. “John even bought us a Joker.”

“We have to save it for Wonyoung’s round,” she said, doing the same. “If Lee and Kwan also play their Jokers, we’ll win.”

“Not quite,” Jake said, a concerned look on his face. “Jang Wonyoung is probably the star of the entire show. There’s likely going to be a Joker war on her round.”

“Then we’ll win the sudden death round too,” James said. “We got you, Adam.”

“Thank you.” I nodded. “John said we’re supposed to call each other by our surnames tonight, by the way.”

He waved his hand. “John reports to me at work.”

“No he doesn’t,” Jake said, looking back.

“On paper he does.”

“In summary!” the Dealer shouted, clapping twice. “Each round:

An Ace is revealed.

Teams secretly bid using number cards and/or Jokers.

Highest total wins the round.

Winning team selects face cards to direct the performance.

Cards used are paid for and discarded—forever.

Enjoy the show!”

He threw his hands up theatrically.

“And that, my beautiful masked maniacs… is how we play the Blackjack Auction!”

Everything went dark.

The room fell still, and under the silence, the only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat and the soft clink of ice in someone’s glass a few tables away.

“Now then…” he purred from the shadows. “Shall we begin?”

Four spotlights exploded to life at once—one in each corner of the stage.

Hearts. Clubs. Diamonds. Spades. Each symbol glowed above its quadrant in stark neon, hanging in the air like a constellation of suits.

Figures were already there, seated and kneeling beneath them like pieces in a game that had been set up long before we arrived.

Sixteen Aces knelt in a perfect line at the center of the stage, four beneath each glowing suit. They sat on low, cushioned stools, folded into a formal kneeling pose with their backs straight and their hands resting neatly on their thighs. Every single one of them was completely naked—nothing on their bodies except the collars around their necks and the blindfolds that matched: red, white, pink, or black.

My eyes frantically jumped around until they landed on her—the Black Ace of Spades. It was like my heart stopped beating.

Wonyoung was kneeling on a small black chair at the far right. Her hair fell over her shoulders in the same soft waves that I saw in my dreams. For nearly a month she’d only existed in my head and behind a video screen. Now she was right there, a few meters away, completely exposed in front of a room full of people, and I couldn’t even see her eyes.

For a split second, my whole body screamed at me to move. Stand up. Call her name. Jump the stage. Anything.

The only thing that kept me glued to the chair was Yujin’s grip on my knee tightening under the tablecloth. She noticed my fidgeting and grabbed onto my hand, holding it tightly, but nothing could’ve soothed my raging pulse. Not even her.

Behind the Aces, the Jacks knelt on their own stools—four for each suit—heads slightly bowed, brown collars snug around their throats. They were there, but the lights barely cared about them; just extra pieces waiting to be picked up.

High above them, on a raised platform at the back, four Queens and four Kings sat on velvet thrones—tall backs, gold frames, each crowned with a suit symbol. From where I was, their faces were mostly lost in shadow.

“Sixteen beautiful Aces,” the Dealer continued, his voice now low and even more dramatic. “Each one a treasure, a fantasy, a limited-edition, fine-crafted sin.”

A low murmur rolled through the tables around us.

“Let’s get right into it, shall we?” The Dealer clapped twice, and the screen behind him flickered back on—this time displaying a large heart that rotated slowly, catching the light. “Round one. We’re starting with a little something soft. A little something sweet. A little something…pink.”

The heart on the screen flushed from gold to a soft pastel pink, and in the heart quadrant, one of the blindfolded girls stepped forward at an unseen cue, guided by a handler who appeared from the shadows.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Pink Ace of Hearts—Sullyoon of NMIXX!” he said, a twisted smile creeping on his face like he’d been waiting all night.

Her name rippled through the room like a wave. A few tables reacted immediately—sharp inhales, exchanged looks, a quick clench of fingers around stems and glasses. Champagne glasses tilted. Chairs shifted. It was the sound of money getting ready to move.

“This beautiful young lady has only been an Ace for less than six months, and yet she’s already one of most highly anticipated performers. Making her debut as the Pink Ace of Hearts for her very first Blackjack Auction…ladies and gentlemen…let the bids…begin!”

The screen flashed again.

30 SECOND(S) REMAINING

Sullyoon ♥

End of Chapter 12.

I chuckled. “You didn’t even win.”

“I was close!”

“Yeah? If I remember correctly, you lost by six goals,” I said, right as the elevator dinged.

“Oh…so you were counting my failures, huh?”

“I had to, you begged me to be referee to prove to Jinhee you were better than her.”

“…Did I? Ah, whatever, who remembers those things anyways…”

Our hazy reflection stared back at us in the fancy elevator. It felt so strange and surreal to see how much we’d changed since that summer.

“When was the last time anyone carried you like this?” I asked quietly.

“I already answered that, dummy.” She smiled with her eyes still closed. “The last summer we were together.”

The doors slowly glided open. “Really? No one else since then?”

She shook her head, her cheek brushing against my ear like she was telling me a secret. “No one. Only you.”

We arrived at her door, and I typed in the passcode—six soft beeps that made her body relax a little more with each press, like it was singing her to sleep.

“We’re home now,” I said, carefully lowering myself.

“Aw, I was getting used to being six feet tall,” she murmured, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She started wobbling, nearly tripping over herself before I caught her by the waist. “…My legs forgot how to be legs, I think.”

I smiled. “Let them forget, then.” I slid my arms beneath her and scooped her sideways, letting her long slender legs fold over my forearm.

She squeaked. “Wonbin-ah! When did you get this strong?”

“I grew a bit since that summer, didn’t you know?” I said, swinging her just enough to make her giggle. “Plus, like I said, light as a feather.”

She kicked her shoes off, stretching her arms out like she was flying.

“Are you just going to leave them there?” I asked, glancing at the floor.

“I’ll be messy just for tonight,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I faked a gasp. “Jang Wonyoung? Messy? Who are you and what did you do with my best friend?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I’m Lucky Vicky,” she said, in a playful, alluring voice. “Haven’t we met before?”

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Seduce you? No, that would be like this.” Her expression flipped instantly—soft eyes sharpening, lips parting dangerously, almost like there was a switch she could just turn on at will.

My skin crawled, and I forced my eyes shut. “I don’t think I can handle Sexy Vicky. Can Sleepy Vicky come back?”

She giggled. “It’s Lucky Vicky, dummy.”

“What makes you lucky anyways?”

“Look at where I am.”

I looked around. “Home?”

“Yeah.” She smiled, and held me tighter. “Home.”

I slowly carried her towards the bedroom while we simply looked at each other, not saying anything else. Her eyes were stubborn; half fighting sleep, half opening, like the windows to her soul were reminding me I hadn’t peeked through in far too long.

“Hey,” she said, breaking our silence. “Don’t put me on my bed in my dirty clothes. I need a bath.”

“Oh—right,” I said, changing course. “No bed for Dirty Vicky. To the bathroom then?”

She nodded adorably and pointed down the hall like a princess on a pony. “Giddy up, horsey!”

“Who rides a horse upside down?”

“Me! Am I Funny Vicky?”

We laughed until our faces hurt. I spun her in my arms like an airplane banking through clouds, zipping through the dimly lit condo.

***

I sat alone in the dark, empty living room. My hair and clothes were still wet from the rain. The umbrella I left at the entrance had vanished along with everyone else at that pocha, and the way home was filled with so much terror that the sky cried harder for me. I took the long way back, too afraid to face what was waiting for me—even picking up a few bottles of soju at the same convenience store where I used to buy chocolate and flowers for Wonyoung, back when things were simpler. The cashier didn’t say a word to me this time.

I called Wonyoung about eight times and left her countless messages, but as expected, there was only radio silence. A part of me wanted to search for any kind of comfort through Yujin, but after learning that Wonyoung had sacrificed everything to rescue her from this hell, I couldn’t find it in myself to drag her back in. Not anymore. Not even if it was from the outside in.

Park Wonbin 9:35 — There’s a punishment.mp4 now.

Park Wonbin 9:35 — He said he warned me to stay away and I didn’t listen, so she’s gonna pay the price.

Park Wonbin 9:37 — You shouldn’t watch this one with me. I don’t think it’ll be pretty.

Yujin 🤍 9:45 — seriously?

Yujin 🤍 9:45 — are you okay? did you watch it already?

Yujin 🤍 9:47 — i’m still at practice, want to come over my place after?

Yujin 🤍 9:53 — wonbin?

Yujin 🤍 10:05 — where are you? i’ll come to you

Yujin 🤍 10:17 — don’t watch it alone

Yujin 🤍 10:17 — wonbin, don’t watch it at all

I didn’t reply to her, and instead, cracked open the cap and drank right out of the bottle while waiting for the file to download. It burned my throat, yet warmed nothing. Not my body, nor the room that felt so unusually large.

punishment.mp4

“Do you know why you’re here?” his familiar voice asked from off-camera. The frame showed just her face—skin glowing from sweat, lips trembling nervously with perfect stage makeup, although a bit smeared around her mouth and eyes.

“Yes, Master.” The answer sounded more like a reflex.

“Why?”

“Because bad girls deserve to get punished,” she said, but it didn’t sound anything like the way it was said to Karina in the last video.

“Are you a bad girl?”

She swallowed hard enough for the camera to catch the motion in her throat. “Yes. I’m a really bad girl.”

“And why are you a bad girl?”

She didn’t blink, her gaze stayed pinned to the camera. “I broke the rules.”

“Why? Did you forget the rules?”

“No, Master,” she said, shaking her head.

“Do you not want to be here anymore?” He didn’t raise his voice, but her lips quivered as if he did. “Because you’re welcome to leave. Am I holding you captive?”

She shook her head again, more desperately this time. “No, Master. I want to be here. I want to serve you and be yours.”

The camera moved just a bit, as if rising. Her head dipped backwards as her eyes followed.

“Recite the rules for me,” he said. “From the top.”

“Always respond when spoken to. Through every form of communication, including texts, phone calls, emails.”

“So why did you ignore me?”

“I-I didn’t mean to—I just couldn’t get to my phone—”

“Is that a good excuse?” he asked, cutting her off.

“No, sir. I should’ve done better. I’m sorry.”

The camera eased back on a slow zoom. Wonyoung’s concert outfit filled the shot—the white top that was now falling off her shoulders as her black bra pushed itself forward like it was trying to crawl out. The black skirt had rolled too far past her hips, revealing her naked lower body beneath. Only the long knee-high socks were perfectly intact.

It was then that I knew this was just a continuation of the Rolls Royce parking lot video. In LA, where he had promised to punish her properly during the car ride.

“What else?” he asked.

“Drop everything when I’m summoned. It doesn’t matter how important it is. Nothing is more important than you.”

“Go on.”

“No masturbating to anyone but you.” Her hand was already between her thighs; the movement was frantic and sloppy.

“Keep going,” he said, as the camera steadied itself.

“No boyfriends—aah—no dates—” she said, staring right into the camera. “No sex with anyone else besides you or someone you’ve chosen for me.”

A grey pant leg stepped into the frame, and then his hand. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head until her mouth fell open on instinct. “And?” he asked, holding his cock right in front of her.

“My mouth belongs to you and you only,” she said right as he fed himself into her. Her cheeks hollowed immediately, saliva blowing out of her lips in bursts.

“No kisses—no blowjobs—” she continued in between breaths, the syllables collapsing as he pushed deeper. “My mouth—exists only to swallow your cock—and only your cock, Master.”

The room sounded smaller and smaller as the rhythm settled—gargling, choking, spit slapping against flesh. The camera didn’t move; it carefully recorded everything as he used her mouth until spit hung in glossy ribbons from her chin to her chest.

He pulled her onto the mattress with no regard or courtesy—just one arm, one motion. She landed upside down, her head hanging off the edge, and he stepped back into her, shoving himself right back in again. The bulge traveled her throat on each stroke like a fist punching through fabric, the lens warping her face where it curved over the edge.

The shot stayed locked, but he moved to the other side of the bed while she stared hopelessly into the lens.

“There’s more,” he said, his voice bouncing off the walls from a distance.

Her mouth opened with a startled moan, and her body jolted into a deeper rhythm. “My pussy belongs to you and you only,” she gasped, eyes rolling back until the whites flashed. “No one else can ever fuck me besides you or someone you’ve chosen for me.”

He sped up without warning, then just drove—no more rhythm, no more patience—just a hand around her throat to keep her in place.

“Please fuck me until you’re satisfied.” Her body was slipping further down the bed with every thrust. “Please use my hole until you’re not angry anymore. I’m a bad girl who doesn’t even deserve to be fucked by you. Thank you for utilizing my naughty pussy, Master. Thank you for letting me fulfill my purpose of being your fuckdoll and putting me to good use.”

He groaned satisfyingly—while her scream tore up through the same throat he’d been inside. Upside down, her face fell through the edge of the frame; the lens distorting her features.

“What’s the last rule?” he barked, fondling her breasts roughly through her bra.

“No contact with anyone else’s cum unless authorized.” She said it fast, like speed would earn mercy. “No coming to or for anyone else besides you.”

He continued, holding onto her narrow waist as he pumped her roughly, the bed shaking the camera. “Tell me where you want it.”

“Come in my slutty pussy, Master—I’m a stupid whore who doesn’t know how to follow basic rules—please—paint my insides with your cum—”

He groaned loudly, falling over her body as he spilled himself inside her, breathing heavily. “Remember every word you said. Etch it into your soul.”

“Thank you, Master,” she moaned, quivering as she held onto his arms. “I’m so sorry for upsetting you, I’ll never do it again.”

He walked back to the other end of the bed and lifted the phone, turning it to face her.

“Clean me up before you go home,” he said, stuffing his wet cock back in her mouth.

The video cut to black, and I thought I had gone blind from anger.

For about 15 seconds, there was nothing besides the blood pumping through my veins and the growls of my breath. But it wasn’t over. The nightmare was only beginning—the progress bar was barely a third of the way through.

The feed blinked back to life. It was a different room now. The walls were charcoal gray, almost black, somewhere between a dungeon and a fancy jewelry vault, a place meant to keep pretty things in cages.

A stabbing pain raced across my chest before the shot even changed, like my body already knew what was coming.

Wonyoung was suspended in the center of the frame; black ropes wound around her thighs, up her torso in diamond patterns that dug into her ribs with every breath, accentuating her long, small frame. Her wrists were bound together above her head, cinched tight to a steel hook hanging from the ceiling by a chain that creaked faintly when she shifted. Her toes barely touched the floor, and she was wearing nothing but a black blindfold, a ball gag, the familiar black diamond collar, and the ropes that doubled as an outfit.

Below her, bolted to the floor between her thighs, was a vibrator on a fixed mount, the kind that didn’t have an off switch she could reach. She was forced to sit on it, the angle of the ropes and the height of the suspension making it impossible to pull away. Her thighs trembled as the mic picked up the low, relentless hum of the machine. Her makeup was still intact, as if she had gotten ready for something completely different. A thin layer of sweat made her skin glow under the harsh light, and her hair stuck to her neck in dark, damp streaks.

“Jang Wonyoung,” he said, his voice darker than black. “Who’s Park Wonbin?”

***

“Wonbin-ah,” Wonyoung sang from inside the bathroom, her voice almost echoing. “Could you help me get my towel?”

I cracked the door open carefully, keeping my eyes shut. “Where is it?”

“Why are your eyes closed?”

I paused for a brief second. “Because you’re naked?”

“Is that a problem? You’ve seen me naked so many times.”

I opened one eye. She was still in the water, her body completely submerged under the soapy surface. “You could’ve told me that you weren’t even naked.”

She glanced down at herself, puzzled. “Am I not?”

“Well—you know what I mean…”

I scanned the room for a towel, but the only one in sight was literally hanging right next to her above the tub.

She grinned mischievously.

“Alright…what did you actually want?” I crossed my arms, sitting along the side of the bathtub.

“Come in here with me,” she said, simply.

I blinked. “W-what?”

“Are you shy?”

“Yes?”

“Why?” she teased. “I’ve seen you naked so many times too.”

“But this is different.”

She tilted her head. “How is it different?”

“I-I don’t know—you’re—you’re some kind of Vicky tonight, not Jang Wonyoung.”

“Come in here and find out what kind of Vicky I am then,” she said, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

“No,” I said, standing up. “I don’t even have a change of clothes—”

A sudden splash of water hit my face.

“Oopsie…” she said, giggling. “Guess you have to come in now, you’re all wet.”

I wiped my face, laughing. “Wonyoung-ah…”

“Vicky,” she said, smiling. “Naughty Vicky. Come in now.”

I sighed jokingly. “Okay…if you insist, Needy Vicky.”

“I’ll close my eyes while you undress since you seem to have forgotten that you were jerking off to me in the mirror just the other week.”

“Hey! Do you have to say it like that? It’s so embarrassing,” I said, as she dramatically slapped her wet palms over her eyes like how we used to play hide and seek.

“Embarrassing? You weren’t embarrassed when you had your face deep in—”

“Stop!” I whined.

She giggled. “When did you become so shy all of a sudden? It’s so cute.”

“I don’t know…it’s just…it’s been a while…”

“I’m gonna count to ten and then open my eyes again, so you better hurry! Ten…nine…eight…”

“You’re counting too fast!” I pulled my shirt off, flinging it over my head, and started unbuckling my belt.

She sped up instead. “Seven…six…five…four…”

I kicked my pants off, and rushed into the tub with a loud splash.

“One!” She opened her eyes with a bright smile, water dripping down her face. “Hi.”

“Hello….” I murmured, sinking deeper into the tub.

“I’m Happy Vicky now,” she said, threading her fingers through mine beneath the ripples.

“More like Silly Vicky,” I said, pulling her towards me.

She gasped as I turned her around, wrapping my arms around her waist as she sank into my chest. The soap made her skin so slippery that she could barely stay still.

“Guess you’re not that shy after all,” she said, wiping a sud off my face.

“Trust me, I’m blushing on the inside,” I said, my heart thudding louder than the stream of hot water coming out of the faucet.

“Am I not squishing you?” she asked, trying to adjust her body.

“No, you’re Tiny Vicky.”

She shook her head and laughed. “We’re gonna run out of adjectives soon.”

“I’ve got so many more,” I said, as our fingers locked.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Pretty Vicky. Lovely Vicky. Dreamy Vicky.”

She smiled and relaxed into me. The room fell into a gentle rhythm—water lapping, her breath rising and falling against my chest, and the soft sound of the faucet dripping by our feet.

I rested my mouth on her hair as my fingers traced along her arms, spreading the suds across her soft skin, up to the curves of her tiny shoulders until—

I froze.

“Wonyoung…why is your back all red?” I asked, hands almost trembling at the sight.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

I sat upright. “What do you mean nothing? Are these bruises?”

She quickly shook her head. “No.”

I looked closer. There were faint marks with tiny red specks scattered across her back, arms, and shoulders. They didn’t look painful or even fresh, but they weren’t nothing. Something or someone had definitely left them there.

“W-what is this?” I asked, feeling a knot form tightly in my stomach. “Who did this to you?”

“No one did it to me, it’s from one of our outfits,” she said softly. “Probably an allergic reaction to the fabric.”

“Tell me the truth,” I said, my voice climbing before I could stop it. “What happened?”

“Wonbin,” she said, looping her arm around my neck as she turned to face me. “Don’t worry, okay? I’m fine.”

I shook my head. “No, tell me—”

Her thumb brushed my cheek. “Just trust me, please. I’m fine. Really.”

***

“Wonbin! Are you okay?” Yujin rushed in through the door. “What the hell happened?”

The room tilted. My vision was a blur, but Yujin’s face was clear as day. Her hair was damp from the rain, and her face was flushed with sweat, like she had just sprinted the last block.

“How’d you get in?” I asked, almost falling over.

“You didn’t lock the door.”

“Oh.” A dry laugh slipped out. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Are you okay?” Her eyes flicked to the three empty soju bottles on the coffee table. “Did you watch the video?”

“Only the first half.” I shivered, even though the AC wasn’t on.

“Your clothes are all wet,” she said, helping me up. “Change before you get sick.”

“I don’t have any extra clothes here,” I lied.

“Take them off then,” she said, already pulling my shirt off of me, her fingers warm against my skin. “Let them dry, at least.” As usual, her face was all concern without a hint of judgment.

“W-wait…”

“Don’t worry.” She unbuckled my belt and yanked my jeans off. “I’m not gonna come onto you. I feel bad enough about last time.”

“Last time?”

“You know—when I—forget it.” She tugged a throw blanket from the sofa, shook it open, and wrapped it around me tightly. “Are you cold?”

“You’re so kind, Yujin,” I murmured, words slurring as the fabric dried my skin. “Do you take care of Wonyoung like this, too? Always take care of her for me, okay?”

“You’re drunk,” she said, almost scolding. “Why did you drink so much?”

“I couldn’t take it,” I said, looking at my phone sitting across the room. “It’s all my fault.”

“What’s your fault?”

I pulled the blanket over my head, but the room didn’t get warmer. “Everything. I fucked everything up. I should’ve never moved here.”

“What happened in the video?”

I didn’t answer. The image of Wonyoung tied up and gagged still haunted my mind like a nightmare that wouldn’t fade upon waking.

“It’s that bad?”

I nodded, a shiver running so deep up my spine that it hurt.

“Can I see?” she asked, heading towards the phone.

I held onto her arm. “You shouldn’t. She’s your friend.”

“Then why did you watch it?”

“I needed to find clues.”

“Yeah? And what did you learn?”

“That I need to leave her,” I said, letting go. “I should go home.”

“What?”

Tears rolled down my cheeks without warning. “I don’t belong in this world.”

“Neither does she,” she said, picking up the phone. “No one does.”

I dragged my hands over my face and just stayed there. My palms smelled like rain and soju, but words wouldn’t come out.

Just then, the phone sang, filling the dark, silent room with light and sound, causing us to both flinch.

“It’s Wonyoung,” Yujin said, showing me the screen. “She’s calling you.”

“W-what? She never calls when she’s away.”

It was like my heart had stopped beating for a moment. She passed me the phone carefully as if it would bite.

“H-hello?” I asked, feeling the glass cold against my cheek.

“Hey!” she said brightly, like nothing was wrong at all.

“W-Wonyoung? Is that you?” Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t tell what kind they were.

“Did you forget my voice already? It’s only been two days.”

“N-no,” I said, almost sobbing. “Of course not.”

“Is everything okay? Why did you call me so many times? And why do you sound so sad?”

I dragged in two slow breaths that didn’t help, wiped my face with the back of my hand, and tried to make my mouth work. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay. I told you not to worry about me, dummy.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Mm…I—aah…”

“Wonyoung?”

Something rubbed against the mic, almost like static or a muffled knock from the phone hitting her shoulder. “Sorry, hold on—”

Yujin and I looked at each other and held still, like movement might break the call. “Wonyoung?”

“Ah—I—um—”

“Are you okay?”

She exhaled loudly into the phone. “Yes, sorry—I—ugh —”

“…Wonyoung?” I asked, feeling both my heart and stomach sink to the floor.

“I’ll—be back soon—don’t worry about me, okay? I have to go now—”

Click.

Silence folded over us. It was like my life crashed before my eyes. Yujin appeared as if she had just seen a ghost, and it felt like that was me. She didn’t say anything. There were no words left to even say; we had both said and heard more than enough already.

The night pressed in. I buried my face in the blanket and let it take the sound out of me while Yujin hovered her thumb over the screen like hesitation could buy her any mercy. I didn’t have anything left in me to oppose, and she didn’t seem like she cared for my permission. She breathed once, twice, then hit resume—and immediately clamped her hand over her mouth at the same sight that had sent me into this drunken mess in the first place.

“Jang Wonyoung,” the Master said, his voice so close that it felt like he was in the same room as us. “Who’s Park Wonbin?”

Wonyoung tried to respond, but the ball gag turned her words into gibberish. The sound of the vibrator got louder, and she squirmed like a fish stuck on a hook.

A door creaked open somewhere, and the clicking of heels suddenly echoed through the room.

“What’s with your new Aces?” a woman asked from the side of the room, sounding almost irritated. “Back in my day, Black Aces never got punished.”

“You tell me, you’re the one who trained them.”

She took off Wonyoung’s blindfolds. “Hey Jang Wonyoung,” she said, her voice about as sweet as a blade. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Who the hell is this?” I asked, leaning closer to Yujin, whose arms were now shaking while holding the phone.

“I can’t tell.” She squinted as if it could get the camera to turn itself. “Her voice sounds really familiar though.”

The woman wore a fancy blazer dress, and her hair was tied up in a neat professional bun, but her figure was much closer to a model’s than a CEO, lawyer, or businesswoman.

Wonyoung’s eyes widened as she wailed and squirmed around as the woman circled around her like a lioness eyeing its prey.

“I have to admit I’m disappointed,” she said, slipping the gag off Wonyoung’s mouth in one smooth pull, as if she had done it a thousand times. “I thought I taught you better.”

“Sunbae—” Wonyoung coughed violently, saliva spilling out her mouth as she heaved for air.

“Who’s Park Wonbin?” the master asked again.

“He’s my friend—just a childhood friend,” Wonyoung said, panting.

“Just a friend?”

“Yes, Master. He’s just a friend, I swear—”

“No boyfriends. No lovers. No sex partners. Did you break any of those rules?”

“No, Master—I promise—Park Wonbin is just my friend,” she cried, her voice growing more desperate.

“Has he ever kissed you?”

She shook her head frantically. “No, absolutely not!”

“Has he had sex with you?”

“No—never—”

“Is he a threat to our rules?”

“No—Master—please—please leave him out of this—” She began sobbing as tears rushed down her cheeks, and my own eyes followed.

He paused. “Do I need to make a call?”

Every muscle in my body tightened, and Yujin gripped onto my arm like I was going to slip away. The blanket suddenly felt rough on my skin, and even though I swallowed, it didn’t go anywhere.

“No! Please don’t hurt him!” she pleaded loudly. “I’m begging you—he’s just my friend—please—he’s innocent!”

“If he’s just a friend, then what’s this?” The woman flipped a phone to Wonyoung’s face. I didn’t need to see it to know what was being shown.

Wonyoung’s eyes grew even wider, her lips starting to tremble. “W-we just hadn’t seen each other in a long time,” she stammered. “That was the first time we’d met again in six years, it was just a friendly hug.”

She kept scrolling. “He’s actually kinda cute. Do you think he’s into noonas? Should I pay him a visit?”

“S-sunbae—please—I’m begging you, leave him out of this, please. I promise he’s harmless.”

“Interesting.” She slipped the phone back in her pocket. “Why are you bawling your eyes out right now if he’s just a friend?”

“Because—he’s not a threat.” She sniffled, turning back to the master. “I’ll never kiss him. I’ll never let him fuck me—”

“Have you ever pleasured him with your mouth?” he asked.

“No, of course not!”

“Have you ever made him come?”

She shook her head, tears flying off her lashes. “No! Never ever!”

He finally walked into the frame, his face still not visible to the camera. “I think she’s telling the truth. Wonnie wouldn’t have the nerves to lie to both of us like this.”

“I suppose you’re right,” the woman said, crossing her arms.

“That said, I’d like to make sure she never forgets,” he said, clipping a leash onto Wonyoung’s collar.

“Good idea, I don’t wanna be called back here again.” The camera moved just enough to reveal her face, and Yujin gasped loudly, dropping the phone right to the floor, like it was burning her hand.

“S-Suzy s-sunbae-nim—i-is the Queen of Spades?” Yujin asked, her voice shaking in a way I’d never heard before.

I looked up—all the color had drained from her lips and her jaw clenched like she was in physical pain. “Yujin…how do you know that term? You said you didn’t even know what an Ace was.”

On the floor, the video played on. “Don’t look so scared,” Suzy purred, pressing two fingers into Wonyoung’s mouth, slipping something inside. “You and I both know it’s not gonna hurt one bit.”

***

“Does it hurt?” I asked, lightly touching her back.

“No,” she said, softly. “It really doesn’t.”

“You always say that. You always say it doesn’t hurt.”

“Because it doesn’t.”

“Even back then—you’d fall, cry your eyes out, and still tell me it didn’t hurt.”

“It didn’t.”

We lay in silence, the gentle breeze from the air conditioner passed through the vents above us, and I pulled the covers over her small shoulders.

“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Because all you ever do is worry about me.”

“Am I not allowed to?”

She shook her head gently. “No.”

“I wouldn’t worry so much if you didn’t keep secrets from me.”

“They’re not your burden to carry.”

“Let me help you. Please.”

“You already are. Just by being Park Wonbin.”

I frowned. “What good has that ever done?”

She turned and faced me. “Plenty. There are things no one else in the world can do besides you.”

“Like what?”

She took my hand and started counting down my fingers. “Find me when I’m lost. Chase me when I run away. Carry me when I’m tired. Hold me when I’m afraid.”

“Wonyoung-ah…”

“See me through my flaws. Cherish me despite my faults.” She brushed her cheek against my palm, gently holding her hand over mine. “Love me for my scars.”

I wanted to speak, but my throat closed, even though my heart was screaming out for her. For a while, neither of us spoke. The sound of our breathing filled the silence, syncing without effort, like we’d been here in this moment a thousand times before.

And maybe we had.

“I know who gave those marks to you,” I finally said, lacing my fingers through hers.

“Who?” she asked nervously.

“Me.” I pressed my mouth to her shoulder, planting a gentle kiss on her small body. “They must be where I kissed you in every lifetime before this one. That’s why there’s so many.”

I continued down the length of her tiny arms and eventually her back—one soft press over every faint mark, like mapping constellations across her skin.

She exhaled with each touch, breath loosening, sinking deeper into the mattress as the nightgown slid away. “Were we lovers in our past lives, too?” she asked, fingers digging gently into my hair.

“Too?” I repeated.

She closed her eyes and smiled, brushing my nose with hers, and I pressed my forehead against hers, feeling her breaths tickle my face.

“Can I?” I asked, as her lips gently brushed against mine.

She was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “Wonbin, I’m sorry...”

My heart stung, but I tried to smile. “It’s okay. Rules are rules, right?”

She nodded, a single tear falling down her cheek. “Rules are rules.”

I caught them with the back of my finger and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Don’t cry. If you’re gonna cry then at least admit it hurts.”

“This one hurts,” she said, weakly. “A lot.”

Her words dissolved into the air, echoing like a lullaby that ended too soon, and the room filled with the faint hum of the night outside.

“There must be other places where I can kiss you, right?” I asked, pulling her waist closer so that our chests were pressed against each other’s, hearts beating in unison.

“Yes.” She exhaled and tried to push my body downwards. “God, it’s been so long since—”

I took her hand instead and pressed it to my mouth. She blinked, lips parting in confusion, as I gently kissed each finger like I was learning their names. Then the soft center of her warm palm, onto the thin skin of her wrist, feeling her pulse tap against my lips. And last, her forehead, where I stayed for a second. “I hope these don’t look bad next life.”

“Wonbin-ah…” she said, looking right into my eyes, as if trying to pierce my soul.

“Yeah?” I asked, cupping her jaw with my hand, wiping the trail of tears off her cheeks.

“I’ve got a secret to tell you.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”

“The game with the dandelions,” she said softly. “I wished…for…you.”

And many more beats after.

When I woke up, she was gone. Her shampoo still lingered on the sheets, but her luggage had disappeared from the hallway. The only thing next to me was a handwritten note she left on her pillow.

I hope I meet you in every lifetime after this, too.

***

“I can’t believe you already know all of this,” Yujin said, jaw trembling. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you myself that day. I was too ashamed to admit it.”

“Ashamed of what?”

She didn’t look at me. “That I was supposed to be an Ace of Clubs,” she said, her hand clenching onto her pants. “But I didn’t make it. There’s what they call a training period, and I was cut before it ended. I didn’t pass.”

Suzy brushed a flogger across Wonyoung’s body—a slow drag over her hip to the inside of her thigh. Then she lifted her wrist and brought it down in a clean, controlled snap, forcing her back to arch.

I winced. “Training? Who trains you?”

“The Queen,” she said, looking at Suzy’s face on the screen. “They’re former, graduated Aces whose only responsibility is to train new Aces.”

On the other side, Master’s palm cracked down on Wonyoung’s ass with a sharp smack, letting the sound echo through the room. “Remind me again what happens to bad girls, Wonnie.”

She jolted forward from the impact, but she didn’t even try to move away. “Bad girls…deserve to get punished…” she said, like reciting scripture.

“Yujin…if you knew about all of this, why didn’t you stop her from seeing me?” I asked, as he continued spanking her. “Why didn’t you warn her not to get involved with me?”

Yujin shook her head. “I didn’t know. The King of Clubs had completely different rules, I really had no idea this would happen.”

“That’s right.” The master put a hand out and signaled someone off screen to come forward. “Bad girls always deserve to be punished.”

Wonyoung’s face twisted—fear first, then disbelief—as a completely naked guy stepped into the frame. He looked young, close to our age, with dark slicked back hair and a wider build. A collar sat at his throat too, but it was just a simple brown leather one that could’ve easily passed for an actual dog’s.

“Is this your new Jack?” Suzy asked, looking him up and down, seemingly unimpressed. “What number is this? Where are all the other ones?”

“Good talent is hard to find these days,” Master said. “Plus, sometimes the new ones are better. Less jaded. Less likely to fall in love.”

I could feel the heat invading my face. “What the hell is a Jack? Aren’t they supposed to be contract negotiators?”

“Jacks are servants for the Queen and King,” Yujin said, setting the phone on the couch. “They’re sometimes used as tools to help with training and punishments, but they’re completely disposable—we didn’t even know their names because they change so often.”

The Jack smirked and licked his lips. “Don’t look so scared. I’ll be gentle. Maybe.”

“Number Four has been really excited to meet you,” the master said, stroking Wonyoung’s cheek, almost pretending to catch her tears.

“She’s even prettier in person,” the Jack said, almost salivating. “The great Jang Wonyoung…tied up like a pig in front of me. What a sight.”

“Hey Four, you don’t ever get to address an Ace by her name,” Suzy scolded. “Is this your first day or something?”

“Third,” he said, smiling wider. “Your majesty.”

Suzy sighed. “Where on earth do you find these guys?”

“I know he’s not the most posh, but he’s got spirit,” Master said. “Perfect for punishments.”

Suzy walked up to Wonyoung and lowered her onto the couch, removing the vibrator from between her legs. “You’re soaked,” she said, almost disgusted. “How many times did you come?”

“T-two,” Wonyoung cried as they spread her long legs apart, the wetness glimmering on video as it caught every detail.

“You came two times?” Suzy repeated, plunging two fingers right into Wonyoung, causing her to moan loudly, falling over onto the couch with her bound hands clenched in front of her. “You don’t feel ashamed by that, at all?”

“I-I’m sorry…” Wonyoung whimpered, her knees shaking as she lay back on the sofa, thighs spread wide while Suzy fingered her mercilessly. “I’m a shameless whore, sunbae…I’m an embarrassment to you and your legacy…”

Suzy smirked, clearly amused. She continued curling her fingers into Wonyoung’s pussy, pinning her hips down to the leather couch. “Looks like your body is giving in,” she said, leaning closer. “The drug is kicking in, isn’t it?”

My heart skipped a beat. “Drug?” I asked. “What drug? Is she drugged?”

Yujin’s breath was heavy as her eyes stayed fixed to the screen. “The pill that she slipped into her mouth earlier. They used it on us during training too. It makes you feel really good. Like really good.”

“I-is it safe? Is she gonna be okay?” I said, fingers gripping anything in sight.

“I think so. It just gives you a crazy hangover the next day, like—”

“Is that why she couldn’t move during practice that day?” I asked, as we both looked at each other in horror.

“Sunbae—sunbae—sunbae—I’m—oh my god—” Wonyoung’s head snapped back against the couch cushions, her bound wrists straining as Suzy dug deeper, relentless, the splashing sounds growing frantic. Her pussy clenched visibly around her fingers, hips bucking involuntarily.

Then it hit—a gush of clear liquid burst from between her legs, soaking Suzy’s hand and splattering the couch. Wonyoung’s body convulsed, thighs quaking, her moans turning into a shattered cry that filled the room.

“You always were the only person who could make her squirt,” the Master said, amused as he watched from the side, arms crossed.

“What can I say? Some things you just need a woman’s touch for.” She stood up, grabbing a towel to wipe her drenched hand, leaving Wonyoung panting and twitching in the aftermath.

“Master, can I taste her?” the Jack asked, his eyes hungry as he stared at the glistening mess between her legs, his cock rock hard and throbbing.

“She’s all yours.”

The Jack dropped to his knees beneath the couch, positioning himself right under Wonyoung’s spread thighs as Master gripped her hips and lifted her ass up and down in a steady rhythm. Her pussy hovered inches from his face, drips of her juices falling onto his waiting tongue. He lapped at them eagerly, catching every drop that leaked from her swollen lips while Master bounced her body like a ball.

“Wow, so this is what a Black Ace tastes like…” he murmured between licks. “She’s even tastier than Pink. Not as sweet, but her flavor is expensive.”

“God, this one talks a lot,” Suzy mumbled from the side.

He continued slurping fervently, tracing his tongue all across her folds, sucking on them along the way before making his way upwards as Wonyoung’s body jerked with each pull. “Wow…what a pretty little asshole,” he said, salivating.

“Wait—” Wonyoung’s back arched even harder as he dove right into her. “Aaahh!”

“My god,” Suzy said, folding her arms. “Is this who you are now, Jang Wonyoung?”

“N-no! Ahhh! I’m not—like this—” she cried out, her bound hands straining against the ropes as she collapsed forward onto the cushion, her face pressing into the fabric. “No! Not so deep!”

“A stranger you’ve never met before is stuffing his tongue in your ass and you’re howling like a dog…”

“S-stop it!” Wonyoung begged, her voice breaking into a whine as his mouth latched onto her backside. “Stop sucking it like that! Aaah!”

“How would Park Wonbin feel if he saw this?” Suzy taunted, pulling her head up.

“Please—don’t say his name anymore—please—just leave him out of this—do anything you want to me, but don’t—ahhhh—”

“Wonbin, turn this off,” Yujin said, twisting in her seat. “Let’s stop watching.”

I shook my head, chest collapsing on itself. “This is my punishment. I deserve this, for ruining her life.”

“Don’t say that, you didn’t ruin her life,” she said, reaching out to squeeze my hand tightly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Neither did she,” I said, staring hopelessly at the screen. “So why is she the one paying the price?”

The Jack’s hands roamed her body greedily, fondling her firm cheeks, spreading them wider as he rubbed his face all over her ass. His tongue forced its way into every crease and entrance it could find, lapping at her pussy for more of her juices before returning to her other hole, licking with sloppy, fervent strokes.

“Who’s Park Wonbin?” the Jack asked, in between slurps, his chin glistening with saliva. “Your boyfriend? Does he lick your asshole as well as me? I bet he doesn’t, huh?”

“Just shut up and do your job.” Suzy smacked him with the flogger. “No one asked you to talk this much.”

“How long is this god damn video?” Yujin muttered in frustration, skipping ahead.

The Jack stood on the couch beside Wonyoung, his cock already hard and twitching with anticipation. “Do I finally get to feel her famous tongue?” he asked, as Wonyoung glared at him in disgust.

“Of course,” Master said, chuckling. “It’s her trademark, after all.”

The Jack didn’t waste a second. He grabbed the base of his cock and stuffed it straight into her mouth, thrusting forward until her nose pressed flush against his skin. Her body swung slightly to the side from the force, cheeks bulging as she took him deep in one go.

“Wow,” he groaned, thrusting in a steady rhythm. “So much better than Pink. Her lips really feel like magic.”

The wet slurps grew louder through the audio.

“Be careful and pace yourself,” Suzy warned. “You won’t last very long.”

“I have my own talents, you know.”

She smirked, folding her arms. “Yeah? Let’s see them then.”

He kept fucking her mouth, clutching fistfuls of her hair to push her head up and down his length, her throat working visibly with each plunge. Gags escaped her—soft at first, then wetter as he went deeper—but she didn’t pull away.

“You can do better than that,” Suzy taunted. “Don’t let the rumors fool you—even Jang Wonyoung will gag if you fuck her throat hard enough.”

“Why isn’t she folding?” I asked, tears welling in my eyes from anger. “Why is she just letting this happen?”

“I don’t think Wonyoung would ever fold,” Yujin said, pressing her palm against her forehead. “That’s just who she is. She’ll never surrender to anyone. It’s probably her way of fighting back. To prove that they can’t break her.”

“They’re already breaking her…” I said, suffocating from the helplessness.

The Jack climbed higher over her, swinging one leg over the back of the sofa for leverage. Wonyoung parted her lips wide, like an invitation she hated, and took his cock back in, sucking hard as her tongue swirled around the swollen head.

“God, this little whore is amazing.” He groaned, threading his fingers through her hair to guide her deeper, her saliva dripping down his length as she bobbed her head into him. “I’ve never felt this good before.”

“Be grateful, scum,” Wonyoung rasped with whatever breath she had left. “Go home tonight and thank every god in existence that Master graced you with this privilege. For the rest of your worthless life you’ll never feel this again.”

“Oh, you really are a mouthy slut,” he chuckled, shoving it back in.

“Call me that again and I’ll finish you off right now,” she snapped, eyes half shutting. “If you’re smart you would savor this moment for as long as you can, you pathetic—”

“I’d like to see you try, slut.” He gripped her hair into rough ponytails and thrust harder, his cock slamming into her throat. Spit sprayed out like an overflowing bottle, splattering her chin and his thighs.

Yujin skipped again.

The camera shifted abruptly, no longer fixed on a tripod but handheld now, shaky as if Suzy or someone else had picked it up to get a closer shot. Wonyoung was on her knees, her bound wrists in front of her, face flushed and streaked with tears and saliva. The master and the Jack stood before her, their cocks hard and throbbing, inches from her lips.

“Please give me your cocks...” Wonyoung leaned forward, palms wrapping both shafts, alternating—wet pulls, messy kisses, slow sucks. “I want your cocks inside me…”

Her tongue flicked over Master’s veined shaft while she pumped the Jack’s with her fist, then switched, hollowing her cheeks to draw him in deep. Saliva coated both lengths, strings of it connecting her lips to their tips as she worked them feverishly.

“Please, I can’t wait anymore,” Wonyoung begged between noisy slurps, her voice hoarse and desperate, eyes half-lidded from the effects of the drug. “Fuck me, please.”

“Can I give her what she wants, sir?” the Jack asked, his voice thick with anticipation.

“It would be rude of you to deny her.”

Jack laid back on the couch, pulling her over to straddle him. “Let’s see if she has any stamina. Pink collapsed after I fucked her for an hour straight.”

She sank onto his cock with a whimper, her pussy stretching around his girth as he fucked her from below, thrusting up hard into her dripping hole. She rocked above him, trying to find some control, but his upward slams drove deeper, pounding into her with each forceful drive.

“Oh my god—your cock is so fucking big—” she said, gasping loudly, voice breaking to pieces. “Holy shit—”

His hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing just enough to make her voice crack, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. “How’s it feel?”

“It’s stretching me out…warping my insides…” Wonyoung whimpered, her hands clawing at his wrists not to pull him away, but to brace herself, her pussy clenching involuntarily around the invading shaft that filled her completely.

“Your pussy is so much better than Pink’s. You really are the real deal, aren’t you?”

“You’re fucking me too hard…slow down…it’s too big for you to be fucking me like this…” she cried, but her hips continued moving despite her words.

“I’ll fuck you until you forget Park Wonbin’s name completely,” he snarled, picking up speed, his cock pistoning in and out with forceful strokes that made her tits bounce wildly, the sound of skin slapping skin echoing through the speakers.

“Shut the fuck up—disgusting pig—don’t say his name—fucker—how dare you—”

He laughed, tightening his grip on her neck. “Your pussy doesn’t agree with anything you’re saying. It’s squeezing me like it’s begging for cum.”

“You wish—piece of shit—I hate you—” But her legs wrapped around his waist harder, pulling him in deeper.

“Say you love it,” he said, playing with her bouncing breasts. “Admit you love my cock more than your boyfriend’s.”

“Fuck you—go to hell—” she started, but Master moved in front of her, kneeling on the couch. He grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her mouth open with his thumb, and shoved his thick cock past her lips in one swift motion. Short, brutal pumps followed, his shaft sliding over her tongue, bumping the back of her throat while the Jack’s fingers dug into her neck from below.

“She’s literally dripping puddles while you two are filling up her holes from both ends,” Suzy said, shaking her head. “How did I train such a whore?”

Wonyoung’s body rocked violently between them, caught in the middle of their thrusts—pussy clenching around the Jack’s pounding shaft, her muffled moans vibrating along Master’s length as saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth while her breasts bounced with each impact.

Suzy stood in front of Wonyoung, gripping onto her leash as they continued fucking her. “Just fold, Wonnie. What are you trying to prove?” she taunted.

Wonyoung shook her head defiantly, even as her body was collapsing under the pressure. “That I didn’t do anything wrong. That Wonbin is innocent, and so am I.”

“Wow,” Suzy gasped dramatically. “An even bigger rebel than Karina. These new Black Aces are really something else.”

After what felt like an eternity, the Jack suddenly pulled out with a wet pop, flipping her over onto the couch like she weighed nothing. He pushed her legs up high, folding them all the way until her knees nearly touched her ears, her ass lifting off the cushions in a display.

“God damn, so flexible,” he muttered, pinning her thighs down with his forearms, forcing her lower body to angle upward, both holes exposed completely. “And your legs are so small and long—I feel like I'll snap them if I’m not careful. Like fucking a Barbie doll.”

“Put it back in…” she begged, her eyes fluttering as she rubbed her clit desperately. “Keep fucking me…my pussy feels so empty without your cock…”

“I’ll put it back in, but first…let’s see how tight your asshole is compared to Pink’s.” He pulled back slightly, aiming his cock lower, pressing the head against her other hole.

“Stop.” Master shot him a hard glare, his voice cutting through like a whip. “That’s off limits to you.”

He paused, the head of his cock still lodged against her hole, eyes locked on the sight with mesmerized hunger. “But it’s so damn pretty, I’ve never seen an asshole so beautiful before,” he murmured, staring at it in a daze. “I wanna ruin it.”

“I’m not going to repeat myself. You can leave if you don’t want to obey.”

The Jack hesitated, brow furrowing in frustration, a low whine escaping his throat as he fought the urge. “Yes, sir,” he muttered, though his eyes lingered on her ass a moment longer.

He shifted his hips back with a reluctant groan, rubbing the head of his cock against her dripping slit instead, sliding back into her pussy in one smooth thrust, joining the rhythm as Master resumed fucking her mouth, keeping her occupied from both ends. Her body jolted with the renewed penetration, pussy fluttering around him greedily despite her whimpers.

They continued on, shifting positions seamlessly, Jack rising to stand over her as she lay on her back. He straddled her chest, feeding his cock into her mouth from above, his balls slapping against her chin with each downward thrust.

Master knelt between her spread legs, gripping her thighs wide apart to expose her dripping pussy. He slammed into her, his hips snapping forward to bury himself inside, the wet slap of skin on skin filling the room.

Wonyoung’s body arched beneath them. “Master…your cock feels so good…thank you for fucking me…”

Her cries were immediately stifled as the Jack shoved deeper, her tongue pressing flat against the underside of his shaft, swirling involuntarily as he fucked her throat with short, aggressive pumps. Saliva bubbled at the corners of her mouth, dripping down her cheeks while her pussy spasmed around Master’s relentless drives, juices squirting out with each withdrawal.

Then the Jack shifted higher, sliding forward until his ass planted directly on her face, smothering her completely. “Return the favor, slut,” he commanded, and she obeyed, her tongue darting out while he sat on her face, stroking himself. “Oh fuck…this tongue is actually unreal…”

Master kept pounding her pussy without mercy, his hands pinning her hips to the couch as her muffled licks grew more frantic, her mouth buried against the Jack’s cheeks.

“I can’t watch this.” Yujin skipped the video forward again as her face twisted in disgust.

The video jumped ahead again, with the two of them hoisting her up—Master gripping her waist, Jack under her arms—lifting her small frame into the air effortlessly. Her legs dangled, pussy still impaled on Master's cock as they bounced her between them.

“Oh, she's as light as a feather,” the Jack grunted with a laugh, his hands sliding down to squeeze her tits while Master thrust upward into her suspended body. Her body jolted in their grip, walls clenching around him as gravity aided the penetration, forcing her to take every inch over and over.

“Come on, just fold already! What the hell are you doing?!” Yujin screamed in frustration, her hand slamming the skip button once more, the footage blurring forward in a desperate bid to escape the nightmare unfolding on screen before she threw the phone on the floor. The world around me was spinning so badly I wasn’t sure if I was even still on the same planet anymore.

Wonyoung collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving with labored breaths, one hand immediately slipping between her trembling thighs. Her fingers rubbed her swollen clit frantically, dipping into her soaked pussy with desperate urgency, sliding in and out of her dripping folds. “I wanna come again, Master…please let me come again and again until I pass out…”

“That’s my little girl.” Master dropped down, pinning her in place as he fucked her hard on the cold floor, his cock slamming into her with raw force.

“You’re fucking me so hard, Master…I’ll never be able to come from anything besides your cock ever again…you’re reshaping my pussy to your cock…I’ll never be the same again…”

“Good. You can only come for me. For the rest of your life.”

Wonyoung’s hand reached for the Jack’s foot, pulling it close to suck on his toes greedily—first the big one, then the others, her tongue laving between them while Suzy watched with amusement.

“Yes sir—fuck me—ruin my useless pussy—” Wonyoung moaned around his toes, her voice muffled but fervent, body rocking with each of Master's relentless thrusts.

The Jack pressed his sole down onto Wonyoung's face, stepping on it firmly as Master’s thrusts grew erratic, his balls tightening as he railed her pussy without mercy.

“Who owns your pussy, Jang Wonyoung?” he roared, flipping her onto her back without even removing his cock from her for a second.

“You own my pussy, Master.” Her fingers dug into her own throat, self-choking with desperate squeezes that made her gasp and squirm wildly. “It’ll never be used by anyone else but you, I swear. No one will ever have access to this body but you.”

“Don’t ever let me find out you’re offering this pussy to someone else. You understand?!”

“My pussy belongs to you, Master! I’m coming—only you can make me come—I’ll never come without your cock either inside my pussy or my mouth—”

Her voice cracked into a shattered sob, body arching off the floor as she shook violently around his cock, the orgasm tearing through her with savage intensity, her hands tightening on her throat until her face flushed red, eyes rolling back to show whites as waves of ecstasy convulsed her limbs.

“Where do you want your reward?” he grunted, holding onto her waist tightly, fingers digging into her flesh as he impaled her with his length.

“On my face, Master,” she pleaded, voice still trembling from aftershocks. “Cover me with your cum so I never forget who owns me whenever I look in the mirror.”

Master’s roar filled the room as he pulled out at the last second, rising to his knees and stroking his cock furiously over her upturned face. Thick waves of cum erupted across her face—splattering her cheeks, lips, and forehead in hot, sticky bursts that dripped down her chin and onto her neck—while she choked herself harder once more, her pussy clenching around nothing as another wave of orgasm crashed through her abandoned hole, her body twitching in prolonged bliss.

Suzy chuckled lowly. “I look forward to never seeing you here again, Wonnie.”

Master straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow as he reached for his discarded shirt, pulling it on with casual authority. “Use her to finish yourself off, Four,” he said, glancing at the Jack who had been stroking himself.

“Don’t assign him to her anymore,” Suzy said on the way out.

“Why?” Master asked, buttoning his shirt without looking up.

“He’s too greedy. I can tell he’ll fall for her—if he hasn’t already. Plus, I hate how he talks.”

The Jack looked at Wonyoung’s sprawled body on the floor, completely covered in sweat and cum. “I guess I’ll just have to fuck you like it’s my last time ever.”

The video cut to black and finally ended, leaving only the echo of their voices lingering in the room. I couldn’t remember much after—just that Yujin and I cried while holding each other, chugging the remaining bottles of soju until our vision faded.

***

“U-unnie?” Wonyoung asked, dropping her bag at the door, the sound waking both of us up like a fire alarm.

“Wonyoung!” Yujin stood so fast that the couch squeaked. “You’re back.”

“What’s happening right now…?” she asked, her eyes jumping back and forth between Yujin and me.

I wrapped myself completely in the blanket, as if that was going to help the situation at all. “Wait—it’s not what you think—”

It was like air had escaped her lungs too soon. “I-I didn’t…give you guys permission…to…” Wonyoung said, backing away.

“No, don’t misunderstand,” Yujin said, waving her hands. “We didn’t do anything.”

“He’s naked,” Wonyoung said, her back hitting the door. “And you’re only in your bra…”

“Our clothes were wet from the rain, so we—”

“Got wasted and platonically hugged each other to sleep?” she asked, eyeing the empty bottles of soju on the coffee table like they were her witnesses.

“No, it’s really—it’s not like that at all.”

She finally looked at me, almost tearing. “Wonbin…have you two…been hooking up…behind my back?”

“No, we haven’t—” I closed my eyes, confused myself on whether or not it was even a lie. “We aren’t.”

“Wonnie, it’s not like that—”

“I told you to never call me that!” Wonyoung snapped.

“Okay, I’m sorry—calm down, please. Let us explain.”

Yujin and I looked at each other, both of us unsure of how we could explain ourselves without telling her everything that’d been happening.

Silence came in like a fourth person that sat down with us. It stretched. Waited. Made everything else sound loud—the rain on the window, the fridge, my own breath.

“Is this why Yujin has a white heart next to her name on your phone, Wonbin?” Wonyoung finally asked, her voice thin and shaky. “I trusted you, unnie…I should’ve never…that day…I’m so stupid…”

I didn’t know if it was because I was still drunk or if I just didn’t want to sit on this version of the truth, but the room was spinning so bad that I wanted to scream. “Are you seriously talking about heart emojis and trust right now? You, of all people?”

Wonyoung blinked at me like I’d slapped her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Wonbin—don’t—”

“Be quiet, unnie.” Her voice shook. “What are you trying to say, Wonbin?”

I didn’t know what snapped inside me—maybe it was everything, but in that moment all I felt was an overwhelming amount of anger and frustration that made my head feel like exploding. “At least you know the white heart is Yujin. Who’s your black heart?”

“Park Wonbin.” She paused, closing her eyes like it hurt to open them. “Did you…are you…snooping through my phone…?”

“I wouldn’t have to snoop through anything if you didn’t hide things from me!”

“So you did.” She walked over, dropping her bag right on the floor. “That’s what you’ve been doing this whole time? Sneaking through my stuff and sneaking around with Yujin?”

“I’m sneaking?! “ I scoffed involuntarily. “You disappear every other day, sneaking around all of our backs to do—whatever the fuck you’re doing! I don’t even want to know what you think it is or how you justify it.”

Her eyes were shaking. “How dare you, Park Wonbin.”

“How dare I? How dare I? How dare you! How dare you live your secret double life and then get mad at me because I know your secrets—”

“They weren’t your secrets to know!” she shot back. “Are you entitled to know everything? Do I owe you something? Am I obligated to tell you things that don’t concern you?”

“…I’m gonna go home,” Yujin said, getting up like she suddenly remembered she had legs.

“Sit down, unnie,” Wonyoung barked without even looking at her—and Yujin listened. “Don’t go anywhere. Stay here and listen to your stupid boyfriend’s pathetic excuses.”

“My boyfriend?” Yujin said, furrowing her brows. “How is he my boyfriend? Wonbin is your boyfriend! He’s only here because of you! He moved across the world for you!”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Wonyoung said, looking right at me. “Didn’t he tell you? He’s just my slave.”

I took a step forward, legs still wobbling. “I’m not your slave, Wonyoung. I’m your—”

“You’re not?” she cut me off. “If you’re not my slave, then why do you drop your knees when I tell you to?”

“What?”

“Get on your knees.”

“Wonyoung—”

“NOW!” she screamed, almost shaking the room.

It was like my body moved on its own. The carpet scratched my skin, and my shoulders dropped before her. For a moment, I didn’t understand what happened. All I could see her were feet in front of me.

“I guess you are a slave, after all.”

I kneeled before her, my vision blurring from both anger and shame.

“We’re both slaves,” I said firmly, like my mouth was the only part of me left that was willing to rebel. “The only difference is that I’m a slave because I’m in love with you. And you’re a slave because you’re in love with yourself.”

Yujin’s voice shook with panic. “Wonbin—don’t say that! You don’t mean that—Wonyoung, he’s drunk, he’s not thinking straight. You’re both—”

“Sit down, unnie.” Wonyoung said, lowering herself. “I watched you use him that night. Now you have to watch me use him.”

“Wonyoung—don’t—”

She didn’t grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my head up, forcing me to look at her. “Open your mouth,” she demanded.

I didn’t listen.

She slid two fingers through my lips and forced it open, pressing down on my tongue. “I said open!” she yelled.

I finally did as told, and she spit into my mouth repeatedly, occasionally missing—perhaps intentionally—wetting the rest of my face.

“Wonyoung, stop—why are you doing this?” Yujin shrieked.

“Bad boys deserve to be punished,” Wonyoung said, spreading her saliva all over my mouth, before jamming her fingers right back in, causing me to choke.

“Wonyoung! Stop this now!”

“Apologize,” she said, slapping me across the cheek. “Apologize for invading my privacy. Admit you were wrong and beg for forgiveness.”

She continued, gradually increasing strength with each strike like she was looking for a line to cross and couldn’t find it. It didn’t hurt, but maybe it was because I was completely numb inside. I was so empty that even my mouth wouldn’t work anymore.

“Wonyoung, stop!” Yujin screamed, pulling her own hair in horror. “Stop hitting him! Stop it!”

“If you can’t take it, leave.”

“No! I’m not leaving without him! I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do to him if I leave, you fucking psycho!”

Wonyoung stood up and took off her coat, tossing it over to the side as she pulled my face to her crotch. “If you won’t apologize with words, use your mouth to say sorry in other ways,” she said, hooking her fingers into her panties and slid them down. “I know you miss this feeling.”

It was just as intoxicating as it had been every time before. I wanted to resist, but it was like my body was biologically programmed to serve her. She pushed me onto the couch and climbed over me, grinding on my face as she rode it roughly, yanking my hair as she marked me with her wrath.

“Oh my god, is this how you’ve been treating him?” Yujin cried, voice going high in a way I’d never heard from her. “Stop, please!”

After what felt like hours of drowning, Wonyoung climbed off and wrapped her hand around my throbbing cock, cradling and then stroking me like she couldn’t pick a lane. Pre-cum smeared across everything her fingers touched.

“Aren’t you angry?” she taunted. “Don’t you feel powerless?”

“I’m angry,” I finally said, staring right into her eyes that were no longer of the girl I love. “I’m really mad at you right now.”

“You want to fight back, don’t you?” she asked, tightening her grip on me. “Tell me what you want to do to me.”

“I want to fuck you until you apologize.”

She rubbed my cock against her folds, spreading her wetness everywhere like she was branding my body. “Why on earth should I be apologizing to you? You were the one snooping through my private conversations on a phone that you had no business looking at.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that, but you owe me way more apologies.”

“For what?” she asked, wrapping her fingers around my throat. “What did I do to you?”

“A lot. So much that I want to make you beg me to forgive you for everything you’ve done.”

She climbed forward, sitting right on top of my shaft as she rolled her hips like she was writing a letter to me. “Make me beg? How?”

“I want to hold in place on the floor right here and fuck your brains out.”

“Wow…” she gasped condescendingly. “Is this how you see your best friend?”

“It’s not as bad as how you see me.”

“That’s right. I see you as a worthless slave.” She jerked me harder. “That pisses you off, doesn’t it?”

I kept looking at her, not breaking eye contact even for a second. “You don’t even mean that. You’re just saying things to feel better about yourself. I feel sorry for you.”

She squeezed harder. “You think you know so much, but the truth is that you don’t know anything.”

“I know that I want to rip your clothes off and fuck the senses back into you.”

“Too bad you can’t though, right? I’m rubbing my pussy all over your cock and that’s as far as you’ll ever go.” She pressed down enough for her folds to wrap around my shaft like a small hug. “You can’t do anything more than that. You’re so close to fucking me, but you can’t. In fact, you have no idea how it even feels to fuck me to be able to say that you want to do it. It’s like saying you want to hold a billionaire dollars in your hand. It means nothing in reality because your brain can’t even fathom it—”

“Wonyoung, stop, please!” Yujin shouted. “This isn’t you! This is your trauma—”

“My trauma?” Wonyoung asked, her voice shaking from anger. “No, this is yours, unnie. This was never my burden to to carry.”

“W-what the hell are you talking about?”

“Come over here and suck his cock,” she ordered, stroking me harder and faster.

“No,” Yujin said, firmly. “I’m not playing your game.”

“I know you do it behind my back, so just do it right now in front of me and I’ll forgive you.”

“I’m not your slave, Jang Wonyoung, you can’t order me—”

“An Yujin!” Wonyoung shouted. “I’m not going to ask you again!”

“I’m your unnie, don’t you dare talk to me like that!” Yujin yelled.

Tears rushed down Wonyoung’s face like they’d been waiting for hours. “My unnie?! If you’re my unnie, then why didn’t you protect me? Why did you run away like a coward? Why did I have to be the one—”

“Fold,” I said to the carpet. “I fold.”

Wonyoung quickly froze on reflex, letting go of me completely, and immediately got to her feet. She stumbled backwards and looked at her hands as if she wasn’t even sure whose body she was in.

“Wonyoung-ah,” Yujin said, tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Oh my god—” Wonyoung shook her head frantically, holding onto her hair. “Unnie—Wonbin—I’m s-so sorry—I didn’t mean to—I don’t know what—”

“It’s okay,” I said, completely numb inside and out. “I folded. The game is over now.”

She breathed heavily, like she was having a panic attack. “No…it’s not over. It’s never over until…until…that’s right…not until you burn…burn…have to burn it…”

“Wonyoung?” Yujin sobbed, almost too afraid to come closer.

“Park Wonbin,” she said, her eyes turned to waterfalls. “As of today, you’re no longer my slave.”

“What are—”

“I can’t see you anymore,” she said, covering her face with both hands. “I can’t do this. Please leave.”

“Wonyoung-ah—”

“Leave!” she shrieked, throwing a pillow at me. “Just get out! I never want to see you again!”

***

Subject: Reward

So you finally get it. Consider this your reward.

show.mp4 (430mb)

call.mp4 (240mb)

End of Chapter 10.

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone! Sorry this too so long to write...it was um...a bit of a roller coaster for me lmao. I don't think I've ever written anything so hardcore before, especially with my leads whom I grow to deeply cherish, so I am personally upset at everyone who voted for "harshly" last poll. XD Just kidding, but I do need to go take multiple showers now...

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it! It's the longest chapter so far that I structured really carefully for the emotional impact, so I hope it translated well on the page for you guys! 

Do you have a scene that you enjoyed the most? And whose side are you on for their argument at the end? :O 

Catch you all next time! I have to go watch puppy videos to cleanse my soul now.

I obeyed instinctively, but my eyes couldn’t stay focused.

My attention moved back to Wonyoung as she slid off the red velvet chair and dropped to her knees in front of the Jack, eyes locked in like a predator on a hunt. He trembled before her, swallowing hard as if he was salivating from just breathing the same air.

“I want you to count to ten,” she said gently, planting soft kisses on his throbbing cock that was leaking with pre-cum. “Can you do that for me?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, shaking from pleasure as she continued pecking his cock. “God, you’re so beautiful—I’ve been a fan for—”

“Shh…” She held him still and ran her tongue around his balls. “I’m just an Ace, and you’re just a Jack. Nothing more and nothing less. Do you understand?”

He nodded obediently and bit his lip as her tongue swirled all over his skin, all the way up to his nipples, causing him to moan loudly.

Xiaoting’s pretty fingers traced sloppy circles over her small clit, but all I could focus on was Wonyoung.

“Are you ready?” Wonyoung puckered her lips and wrapped it around the head gently. “Count for me.”

“One—”

The moment he started, she dove into his cock, letting it slide deep into her mouth. His knees buckled, and she held onto his thighs to hold him in place.

“Two…”

She continued, slurping loudly as her mouth worked him thoroughly and carefully while her eyes were completely fixed on his like they were having a staring contest.

“Three—aah—”

The number fractured into a loud moan while her cheeks hollowed with every pull. Saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth, coating his shaft with shiny little trails.

“F-four…”

She hummed around his length and then took him deeper, throat relaxing to swallow more of his cock, her nose brushing against his pubic hair. Her head moved in a blur, taking him to the base each time, and her qipao rode up to expose the curve of her ass as she arched forward.

“Stop looking over there,” Xiaoting scolded, pulling my face between her thighs. Her warm wetness moistened my face immediately. “I’m your Ace. Your job is to please me.”

“Five…” I heard him through Xiaoting’s soft thighs as her juices engulfed my mouth, trying to keep balance with my hands cuffed below.

“Come for me,” she demanded, but I couldn’t tell who said it.

Without even knowing why, my hands moved on their own as I began stroking myself mindlessly while my mouth sucked fervently on her smooth flesh.

“Six…oh g-god…”

My tongue darted out on instinct, lapping at her folds while she leaked onto my lips. “Pay attention,” Xiaoting said, pushing my face harder into her pussy. “Stop looking over there.”

“Se…ven…I-I can’t…I can’t hold it…”

Xiaoting’s fingers tightened in my hair, rocking her hips to fuck my face roughly, painting my lips completely with her lust.

“Eight—I’m coming—I’m com—” His words dissolved into a guttural moan as his body pulsed hard.

Wonyoung held for a moment, letting his orgasm travel through her mouth while her tongue continued massaging his shaft. He screamed in ecstasy, nearly crumbling to pieces.

“You’re amazing…you’re so amazing…oh my god…” he cried, falling to his knees, chest heaving while his face was painted with pure bliss.

“Open,” Wonyoung ordered, her voice muffled with cum.

He obeyed instantly, mouth gaping with his tongue out. She leaned in, tilting his head back with her free hand, and let the load drip from her lips into his mouth.

“Taste it. Swallow your desire for me.”

Then she pushed it deeper with her fingers, smearing it across his mouth, forcing him to swallow his own cum while she watched, eyes gleaming with a terrifying dominance.

“Good boy,” she purred, wiping the remnants from her chin and shoving her fingers into his mouth for him to clean until he gagged. “Savor it for the rest of your life.”

“I love you…I love you so much…” he whimpered, crawling like a zombie as she shooed him away.

“Damn, your High Ace is incredible,” a voice murmured from across the room. “Her mouth is really no joke. Eight seconds? No wonder you went through hell to win her bid.”

The King of Spades’ familiar chuckle filled the room as he swirled the ice around his glass. “I gave up a very valuable asset for her without even knowing about her talent. It worked out quite well in the end.”

“Clubs still thinks he got the better end of that deal, but I beg to differ after seeing this.”

“Just wait, you’ll see that she’s got more to offer than just a killer tongue.” He paused, taking a sip out of the dark liquor. “But hell, I’d like to see the High Ace of Diamonds in action too. It’s been a while.”

“My Red definitely has some tricks of her own. She’s a weapon on her knees.”

“Where are your other two? Your deck’s half empty.”

“Black and White are in punishment right now with their Queen, so they couldn’t make it.”

He chuckled again. “The merciless Queen of Diamonds…I haven’t seen her in ages, how is she doing?”

“She’s great. Maybe she’ll join us next time and you can see for yourself. Bring yours, too. It’ll be a nice reunion.”

“Mine stopped listening the moment she got crowned. But we’ll see—don’t expect a show from her though.”

“Today’s show is good enough for me.”

Their glasses clanked. “When in Macau,” one of them said.

The other laughed. “When in Macau indeed,” he repeated.

“On your knees,” a voice said to the right of me.

I pulled my face out of Xiaoting’s thighs and looked over, her wetness still clinging to my chin. Twice’s Tzuyu was wrapped in a bright red qipao that barely covered her long legs, and a deep crimson collar wrapped her neck like a ribbon on an expensive present.

The two Jacks in front of her climbed over a low padded bench, spreading themselves in front of her as their cocks dangled downwards, swaying with their every move.

“Ugh, just fucking go away if you’re so preoccupied!” Xiaoting snarled, shoving my face away. “You—get over here!” She curled her finger at one of Tzuyu’s two Jacks. He hesitated for a moment just before crawling over to her, leaving her senior with just one.

“Are you stealing my toys now?” Tzuyu asked with a shy smirk as she watched him scurry over like a puppy.

“Sorry sunbae,” Xiaoting said, holding onto his head as she casually guided it between her slender thighs. “That one’s just so useless.”

“You’re just so bold for a Pink, it really throws me off.” Tzuyu smiled before turning back to her other Jack, her tone changing instantly. “And you—aren’t you embarrassed?” she said, slapping his ass loudly. “What kind of position is this for a man to be in?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he cried, but his voice cracked with excitement. “I’m so ashamed right now.”

“Tell me your fantasy again,” she said, spreading his cheeks apart like she was opening a gift.

“For you to—aaah!” His voice cut off as she buried her tongue between his crack and slurped loudly, twirling it around his hole just before running it across his balls and down to his length below.

“Say it properly or else I’ll stop,” she said, stroking his cock slowly as she kissed his twitching hole.

“Lick…” he whimpered, a thin line of pre-cum dripping down like a spider web.

“Lick what?” She continued, repeatedly running her tongue up from his shaft all the way to his ass, flicking in circles each time.

“Lick my ass until I come…please ma’am…” he begged, his face almost as red as her collar.

Tzuyu’s lips curved in satisfaction. “That’s better.”

Without another word, she continued milking him with her face buried between his cheeks. He squirmed on the seat, hands bound on the ridges as Tzuyu devoured him from behind.

“Your tongue feels so good…it’s so deep…” he cried as she spread his cheeks wider, twirling her finger against his hole as saliva dripped down his flesh. “I’ll come buckets for you, ma’am…”

“Come for me,” Xiaoting said, holding a finger to her stolen Jack’s forehead. “Keep jerking yourself while you look at me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding. His eyes were stuck to her crotch like glue, drool falling over the sides of his mouth as he gripped his cock hard in his palms. “I’m gonna come just from the sight of your beautiful pussy.”

“Good boy,” she said, moaning lightly as she played with herself for him. “Look carefully while you come, don’t even blink.”

“You have the most beautiful pussy in the world, ma’am…”

The room pulsed with their combined symphony— Tzuyu’s slurping, the Jacks’ broken pleas, Xiaoting’s breathy commands, and the distant clink of glasses from the watching Kings.

To my left, Wonyoung had already mounted another Jack, spreading his legs open with a strap-on buckled around her waist, the length slick with shiny lube.

“Tell me your fantasy,” Wonyoung said, stroking his cock with her right hand while guiding her dildo around his entrance, teasing it in circles.

“I want Jang Wonyoung to peg me,” he whimpered, eyes teary with both anticipation and fear.

“Tsk tsk tsk…” Wonyoung shook her head, slowly entering his hole. “You can never address an Ace by her name. Is this your first day or are the rules different for you?”

“They’re the same, Wonnie,” Xiaoting said, moaning softly from the side. “Our Jacks are just dumb as rocks.”

“I’m so sorry—” Before he could finish, she had already completely slipped herself inside. “Ungh—”

“I’m the Black Ace of Spades to you,” she growled, thrusting into him while gripping his cock in her hand. “Remember that. Etch it into your soul.”

“Yes, ma’am—ahhh—”

“Come for me,” Wonyoung commanded, jerking him roughly while she continued fucking him without any mercy. “Shoot your disgusting cum all over yourself.”

“Yes—please—please—”

To my right, Tzuyu’s Jack let out a ragged groan, his hips twitching as her tongue assaulted his hole with fierce laps, plunging in and out, slurping up the saliva that coated his balls. She held his cheeks pried open, nails digging into the flesh, her mouth devouring him like she owned every inch.

“Come,” Tzuyu demanded, not touching his length even once.

As if her words were magic, strings of cum bursted out of his cock in waves as she kissed his hole roughly, flicking her tongue in between each peck while his cries filled the room.

“I’m c-coming so much…thank you…thank you…”

Tzuyu rose slowly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before delivering one final, stinging smack to his ass, the red handprint blooming instantly. “Clean it up with your tongue. Every last drop—or else I’ll never do it again.”

“I’m coming—fuck, I’m coming!” Wonyoung’s Jack wailed to my left, his legs shoved up higher toward his chest as she folded him in half while hammering into his ass with wild, punishing thrusts.

“Look at you, crying tears of joy while Jang Wonyoung wrecks your hole,” she said, chuckling condescendingly. “Do you see the difference between you and me? I can say my name, but you can’t. You’re just a pathetic little cumslave.”

“Yes, ma’am—I’m your slave—I’m—”

He exploded upward, cum racing in hot jets across his stomach, chest, and even splashing on his chin and lips. Wonyoung’s devilish smile widened as she watched, slowing her thrusts to grind deep inside him, letting him ride out the spasms around the buried dildo.

“Get out of my sight now.” She tore the strap-on off herself as she stood up, hovering over his trembling body that was covered in sweat and cum.

Tzuyu suddenly turned to me and tugged Wonyoung’s hand. “Wonnie…what are we gonna do about this one? Isn’t he one of yours?”

“Oh yeah,” Wonyoung murmured, stalking toward me on all fours like a feral animal. “I’m gonna have fun with this one.”

“Wonyoung—wait—it’s me—” I stammered, inching away, but it was almost impossible without access to my hands.

She tilted her head like a cat. “Wonyoung? Did you just call me by my name? A Jack of Spades should know better than this…you’re dead meat.”

“I’m not a Jack—it’s me, Wonbin—”

Before I could finish, Xiaoting lunged onto me, straddling my waist and pinning my shoulders to the cold floor with her knees. “You really piss me off,” she said, grinding her soaked folds over my length. “I’m going to fuck you senseless until you apologize for being a useless scumbag.”

“Come to my private room now,” I heard the King of Diamonds say to Wonyoung from afar. “Show me what you spades are really all about. Karina was rather disappointing last time, such a shame she’ll never switch with Ningning.”

“I did warn you that Rina was a serial folder.” Master chuckled from the distance. “My Wonnie’s different though. She can last all night. I’m sure you’ll have tons of fun.”

“Wonyoung—” I yelled, but Tzuyu had already climbed onto my face, smothering my mouth with her pussy.

“She can’t hear you, much less save you. You’re deep in diamond territory now,” she said, gripping the sides of my head with her thighs. “Besides…His Majesty has plans for her tonight. This is her show after all.”

“Wonyoung! Don’t go!” I tried to shout, but Tzuyu pressed her weight onto me, flooding my mouth with her wetness.

“Don’t worry about Wonnie,” Xiaoting said, sinking right into me, her walls clenching around me like a fist. “I’m going to fucking eat you alive tonight.”

Tzuyu yanked my hair and rocked her wetness across my mouth and nose, flooding my breath with her scent. “Oh, and for the record…our Jacks aren’t allowed to fold.”

“Wonyoung! Wonyoung!”

My whole body snapped upright like I’d been yanked by a wire.

“Hey—hey—are you okay?” Yujin’s hand found my forearm and held me steadily. “Relax, it was just a dream.”

“Y-Yujin,” I panted, catching my breath. My back was soaked with sweat, hair stuck to my forehead. “It’s you—you’re here.”

Yujin nodded tenderly and rubbed slow circles around my chest to calm my heart down. “Did you have a nightmare?”

I looked at the dull, gray ceiling as the red room slowly faded from my mind. “Y-yeah. Nightmare. Right. Just a nightmare.”

“What happened?”

I took in a deep breath, trying to recall the dream. “Just that ‘show’ video we watched with Tzuyu and Xiaoting,” I said, my mouth tasting like metal. “Except…I was one of the Jacks, I think.”

She sighed. “I told you not to keep watching that one…”

“You watched it, too.”

“Yeah, but I’m not the one having nightmares,” she said, fanning my face. As usual, her tone wasn’t mean—just honest.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” I said, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand.

“It’s okay, you didn’t wake me,” she said, gently rubbing her thumb on my wrist. “I was having trouble falling asleep anyways.”

Weeks had gone by without any word from Wonyoung. She ignored all 24 of my texts and 8 of my calls. I did my best to keep busy with school and my part-time job, but life in Seoul felt so hollow and meaningless without her. Food didn’t taste like anything but paper, and sleep wasn’t even an escape anymore; it was an express trip to hell with these endless nightmares of those god-forsaken videos. For the most part, they just replayed in my dreams, but on some nights like these, I’d be pulled right into them.

Yujin was nice enough to let me stay at her apartment after Wonyoung kicked me out, which worked out fine for the both of us since she spent most of her days at the girls’ dorm anyways. I was mostly alone, aside from the occasional nights she’d come back to give me some company, just to check if I was okay.

And sometimes, for other purposes. We never really discussed it, but we didn’t need to. It was a secret that needed no explanation; one that was exclusively ours.

“How come you can’t sleep?” I asked, feeling my heart rate finally slow down.

She shrugged beside me, shifting her body like she was trying to find a comfortable spot on the bed for the 100th time. “Stress, I guess.”

I could still recall all the chaos that I had been a part not too long ago when I was their assistant manager. “Your schedules must be crazy now that you’re promoting again.”

“Kind of, yeah. We also have to resume our world tour in a couple weeks.”

“Oh yeah. Paris, right?”

“Yep.” She turned over to face me, resting her cheek on her hands. “I guess you can’t join us this time because of school, huh?”

I paused, letting reality hit me in the face for just a second. “School’s not the only reason.”

She sighed and held onto my arm. “Things were so different just a month ago.”

“I should’ve never come here,” I said, staring at the blank ceiling until my vision blurred. “Should’ve just stayed in New York.”

She was quiet for a moment, as if finding the right words to say.

“But then we’d never meet each other,” she finally murmured, her other hand coming up to brush a stray piece of hair off my forehead. Her touch was gentle, almost absentminded.

“Right, and your life would be infinitely less stressful as a result of that.”

She chuckled. “Okay, true.”

“You weren’t supposed to agree with that,” I said, finding myself smiling back.

“Why not? I’m not your girlfriend or your best friend, don’t expect me to coddle you with kind words.”

My fingers found hers under the covers, and I held her hand tightly. “I have no idea what you are, Yujin.”

“How about…a ridiculously pretty noona who’s actually an angel sent from above to keep you from losing your mind?”

I turned to see her holding back laughter. “I’m not your boyfriend or your best friend, don’t expect me to agree with your crazy delusions.”

She faked a gasp. “You don’t think I’m pretty?”

“That wasn’t the delusional part.”

We cracked into laughter and held each other closer, watching the city lights paint the ceiling in strange patterns as our breaths filled the room. My relationship with Yujin had turned into this—something both simple and complicated at the same time. We didn’t have any romantic feelings towards each other, but we were strangely intimate and overly comfortable whenever we were alone. Kissing became super natural, sex was a very regular occurrence, and we almost always cuddled each other to sleep afterwards. But when morning came, or whenever anyone else was around, we were as platonic as can be. It wasn’t even awkward to switch it off. If anything, it felt perfectly right.

“Hey…” Yujin’s hand started moving underneath the covers. “You’re still hard from your nightmare…”

“S-sorry…” I said, shutting my eyes in shame. “Is it distracting you?”

But I already knew the answer.

“A little bit,” she whispered, inching closer to me. Her breath smelled like toothpaste and something peachy from her night-time lip mask. “Can I help at all?”

“Don’t you have to get up early tomorrow?” I asked, but we both knew it didn’t matter.

“Mhmm,” she said, climbing over me like it was already decided. “But I can’t sleep…so maybe we can both help each other.”

She pulled off her shirt in one smooth motion, revealing her gorgeous body above me, right before her lips found mine like they could see in the dark. Her chest brushed against me as she leaned over for a deep kiss, slowly and carefully, in a familiar rhythm that was entirely hers.

Everything was so soft. Her skin, her hair, her breasts, and especially her lips. Somehow, Yujin’s touch had become my salvation. It was the only thing that made sense anymore.

“Do you think we can roleplay again?” she whispered against me, her lips still brushing mine like they were playing tug-o-war. “Like the other night? I really liked it.”

Her sexual appetite grew wilder by the day, and for whatever reason, she became obsessed with roleplaying as master and slave—with herself as the latter. It started as a suggestion, a playful joke, but quickly escalated into a need. She even went as far as buying herself a black collar for some of our steamier nights.

It admittedly helped me cope with the loss that I couldn’t properly mourn for, and if it weren’t for Yujin, most of my nights spent alone would’ve led me to completely spiral out of control from the hole that Wonyoung left in me. We were each other’s anchors—two hearts riddled with guilt and pain that nobody else could’ve understood.

“Does it feel good like this?” she murmured, pulling back just enough to gasp the words, her breath hot against my wet tip before she dove back in, sucking harder.

“It feels good,” I breathed, feeling her warm saliva drip down my thighs. “It always feels really good. God, you’re so good…”

She released me with a wet pop, looking up with pleading eyes, tears already glistening at the corners. “Can you fuck my throat until you come again?” she begged, stroking me to the same rhythm of her ragged breaths. “Use me and then toss me like a toy.”

“Yujin…what’s gotten into you lately?” I asked, but I knew the question was useless.

“Please,” she begged, her voice breaking as she stroked me faster, tightening her grip. “I deserve it. Treat me like your worthless fuckdoll. Choke me with your cock until I can’t breathe.”

I pulled her up for a deep, slow kiss. Our lips tangled as I held her tightly in my arms, trying my best to pour all the comfort I had in me into her. “But you’re not a fuckdoll, Yujin*.* And you’re not worthless.”

“No, no, I am,” she insisted, nearly tearing. “It should’ve been me—I should’ve been the one to—”

Her words were cut short as I spun her around and climbed over her, sinking myself right into her warmth as I gripped onto her wide hips to hold her steady. “Please stop saying things like that. It shouldn’t have been anyone.”

She shook her head frantically, her hands flying to her own throat, fingers digging in as she squeezed. “It’s all my fault. I wasn’t good enough back then.”

“Stop it,” I said, reaching her wrist to pry her hand away. “Stop treating yourself like that.”

But she ignored me, pulling her arm free and slapping her own cheek with a sharp crack that made me flinch. Her skin immediately turned red under her fingers. “I’m a stupid whore, Wonbin. Treat me like one, please. Punish me. It’s my fault that you guys aren’t together. Fuck me like you hate me—”

“Yujin, that’s not true at all. Stop saying that,” I pleaded.

But my body didn’t seem to agree at all. The more she begged for punishment, the faster my hips moved, slamming into her with a desperate, brutal force that wasn’t mine.

“Choke me,” she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling it to her throat, forcing my hand into place. “Please.”

“Isn’t this too hard?” I asked, trying to loosen my grip, but she pressed my fingers down harder.

Her lips parted, and her eyes fluttered shut as I thrusted into her. “No—please—just a little harder. Make me yours. Use me. Please.”

“Yujin, I’m already—”

Without even realizing it, she’d already slapped me across the face. “Stop being a pussy and just fucking choke me!” she screamed, but a horrified look formed on her own face the moment the words left her lips. “Oh my god—I’m so sorry, I—”

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it.” I gave in and tightened my grip on her neck, feeling her pulse race under my palm. “This is what you want, right?”

“Y-yes. God, yes. I want to be your slave so bad, Wonbin. Claim me as yours, please.” Her sobs mixed with moans, but her walls clenched tighter, pulling me deeper as her arousal flooded down my shaft.

“You’re mine, An Yujin,” I said awkwardly. The words didn’t feel right at all.

Instead, my body spoke for me. I picked up the pace and fucked her relentlessly while the bed creaked beneath our sweaty bodies.

“Use me however you want, okay?” She moaned loudly, locking her legs around my waist. “Fuck me all night until I can’t think anymore, please please please…”

Just like every other night, I knew that I couldn’t convince her otherwise. All I could do was give her what she wanted until her guilt—or whatever it was—subsided. Until all that was left of her was a trembling, gasping mess.

I didn’t know if it was even therapeutic or dangerously toxic, but I was in no position to question it. It somehow became a ritual for us; a way for her to punish herself for a crime she never committed, and a way for me to channel the grief and rage that should’ve never existed.

We were just two broken souls trapped in these battered bodies. And maybe somewhere inside me—as much as I hated to admit it—something was being satisfied, too.

***

“Make a wish!” Liz shouted over the chorus of cheers and clapping.

I closed my eyes. The wish came to me instantly without any thought—it always did. The same one I’d made every year since the day I met her.

I wish for us to both be happy, Jang Wonyoung. Whether it’s together or apart.

I took a deep breath. Twenty tiny flames vanished in a single exhale.

Yujin set the cake down, and the girls broke into another round of applause. “Happy birthday, Park Wonbin!”

“What’d you wish for oppa?” Leeseo asked, cautiously picking a strawberry off the frosting, as if anticipating to be scolded.

“He can’t tell you, otherwise it won’t come true!” Rei said, playfully wagging her fork.

I smiled. Everyone always says that, but if that rule were actually true, then I was doomed from the start—because I’d never told anyone, and still, after all these years, it hadn’t come true. Not for me, at least.

“Thanks for taking the time out to celebrate my birthday with me,” I said, my heart warm for the first time in a while. “You guys really didn’t have to.”

“Of course we had to,” Liz said, hands on her hips. “It’s your birthday! You can’t spend it alone.”

Rei passed out paper plates to everyone. “Yeah, you’re part of our family now. Even if Wonyoung breaks up with you, you’re still our Wonbin.”

“She didn’t break up with him,” Gaeul scolded quietly. “Don’t say it like that.”

“How can I say it then? They haven’t seen each other in nearly a month.”

“They’re just fighting. It’s normal.”

“For this long?” Rei muttered under her breath.

“Alright guys, come on,” Yujin interrupted. “Let’s cut the cake already!”

“Finally,” Leeseo groaned. “I’ve been dreaming about cake ever since our promotions ended. Speaking of which, we never got a cake for that, did we?”

I glanced at the empty chair beside Yujin, the one that should’ve been Wonyoung’s. It wasn’t until then that I’d realized how long it had been since I’d last seen her. Not the countless HEYA performances that I’d watched just to catch a glimpse of her face, but *her—*standing close enough to hear her hum under her breath or watch her eyes light up when she laughed.

For a second, I could almost picture her there, a fork in her hand, pretending to scold Leeseo for eating the strawberries too early. The image felt so real that when I blinked, the emptiness hit harder.

“How’s she been anyways?” I asked mindlessly through their chatter.

“Huh? Who? Oh—Wonyoung?” Rei looked around, as if hoping someone else would answer.

But no one said a word.

Silence stretched on for ages until Liz finally sighed.

“Honestly…”

Everyone’s attention snapped toward her at once, eyes wide, silent warnings in their gazes, like they were begging her not to continue.

My chest tightened, and a strange, uneasy chill crept up my neck. “What?” I asked.

Liz glanced at the girls, mouthing, Should I tell him? Some shook their heads; others stared at the table.

“What is it?” I asked again.

“Welp, it’s too late to turn back now…” Rei sank to her seat.

“Don’t,” Gaeul whispered. “You’ll ruin his birthday.”

“No, tell me.” I pressed.

There was more silence as everyone looked at each other nervously.

“…We haven’t seen Wonyoung in almost a week now…ever since our last Inkigayo stage…she’s just been…gone.”

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean, gone?”

“It’s fine!” Gaeul jumped in quickly. “She takes breaks here and there, and we’re done with promotions, so it’s—”

“She hasn’t been answering any messages in our group chat either,” Rei added quietly.

“She’s probably just on another trip or shooting commercials.” Yujin sneaked in a nervous chuckle. “We have to go to Europe next week, so I’m sure she’ll show up again soon.”

But the words sounded forced—like everyone was trying to convince even themselves, not just me.

For whatever reason, the room started spinning, and my heart pounded so heavily I thought I was going to pass out.

“I need some fresh air,” I said, heading towards the balcony.

“Why’d you tell him?” Gaeul hissed as I walked away.

“He deserves to know, doesn’t he? We’re all worried.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, it’s not like this is the first time.”

“But she usually still texts us…”

The warm air filled my lungs as I stepped onto the balcony. The city stretched before me, loud and alive—everything I wasn’t. Cars raced below, a thousand tiny lives moving forward while mine felt like it had stopped.

I gripped the balcony rail, trying to steady my breathing. I told myself she was fine. She had to be fine. This wasn’t the first time she’d disappeared for a few days. She always came back. Always.

The city wind brushed past my face, and for a moment I thought I could smell her perfume again—soft, floral, sweet. I looked at my phone, hoping to see a text from her, teasing me for overthinking like always.

But there was only the reflection of my own face in the glass—just before the screen woke up, taunting me with a photo of us together. Our smiles felt distant, like they belonged to someone else.

“Wonbin-ah,” Yujin’s voice came from behind me—gentle, but hesitant. The sliding door clicked softly as she stepped out, the sound barely carrying over the noise of the city below. “Are you okay?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, eyes still fixed on the skyline that felt so far away, just like her.

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

She hesitated. “A little.”

“Wonbin-ah,” Liz stepped out next, guilt heavy in her voice. “I’m sorry for bringing it up, I really didn’t mean to ruin your mood.”

“No one knows where she is?” I asked quietly as the other girls followed behind her. “Not even Manager Kim?”

They shook their heads. “He just says that she’s taking a break.” Gaeul murmured. “But no one’s seen her since.”

A break.

There was no bigger lie than that. Wherever she was, it definitely had something to do with the King of Spades, but I couldn’t expose her secret in front of everyone. Not like this. Not ever.

I looked at Yujin, wishing I could ask her more questions in private, but the panic in my chest grew faster than I could contain it, and before I could think twice, the words slipped out.

“Are any of you friends with Karina or Yuna?” I said, turning to them.

The girls exchanged puzzled looks, but Yujin froze. Her expression didn’t change much—just a quick, subtle flicker. She understood.

“Unnie…you know both of them, don’t you?” Leeseo asked, trying to break the silence.

Yujin nodded subtly. “We never exchanged numbers, though.”

“But why does it matter?” Liz asked, looking between all of us. “What’s Karina or Yuna got to do with anything?”

I hesitated, glancing at Yujin before answering. “I just…have a strange feeling they might know where Wonyoung is. That’s all.”

“Huh?”

“I’m so confused…”

“Yeah, what are you talking about?”

“Wonyoung’s never spoken to either of them outside of special stages...”

“I think I know how to find them,” Rei said, suddenly raising her hand like a student volunteering in class.

“What? How?”

The girls circled her, as if she was anointed the leader of some devised rescue mission.

“But…the thing is…” Rei suddenly grinned mischievously. “We might have to go clubbing tonight.”

Leeseo shrieked. “Clubbing?”

“Rei…this isn’t the time for jokes,” Liz said with a sigh.

But Rei was unfazed. “I’m serious! There’s a private lounge that everyone goes to called Gachi. Today’s Friday, right? We can probably find them there.”

Liz crossed her arms. “You just want to go clubbing!”

“No, she’s right,” Gaeul said, nodding slowly. “That’s usually the easiest way to find anyone.”

Liz frowned. “How come I’ve never heard of this place?”

“Because you don’t go clubbing,” Rei sang, smiling in triumph.

“Neither do any of you!”

I stayed quiet. Their voices started to fade again, not from distance this time, but from the noise inside my own head.

Whether or not Rei’s idea was going to work, if there was even a sliver of chance at finding the other Aces—or even a small hint, it would’ve been worth it. No matter what, it was still better than sitting around waiting for answers.

“Let’s go,” I finally said. “To this club.”

Rei’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“I’ll go with you,” Yujin said immediately.

“Me too,” Gaeul added.

“But I’m not old enough to go clubbing!” Leeseo whined, tugging on Liz’s arm as if she could magically make her age a few years.

“I’ll stay home with you,” Liz said, patting her back. “We can bake cookies and watch romcoms together while these hooligan delinquents go hunting.”

“Don’t get too cozy just yet,” Rei said, putting her arms around both of them. “There’s something we all need to do first.”

“What?”

Rei’s grin widened, her eyes glinting with excitement. “Go shopping.”

The girls had collectively decided to pool in money to buy me a really expensive outfit for my birthday, which I had turned down multiple times, but Rei insisted that we weren’t going to blend in if I didn’t look the part—whatever that meant.

The six of us ended up spending almost four hours at a giant department store. Rei and Gaeul took turns arguing over which designer brands looked best on me, while Yujin kept fixing my collar like a stylist on set. After about thirty minutes of fussing, they all split off to hunt for their own outfits. Rei immediately zeroed in on Yujin, determined to make her look ‘as dangerously hot as humanly possible’, for reasons no one could quite understand. Even Leeseo and Liz went on a shopping spree, pretending to ‘supervise’, but somehow leaving with more shopping bags than anyone else.

While waiting for them, I’d sent Choi Mingyu a few texts out of desperation to ask if he knew anything of Wonyoung’s whereabouts. As expected, he didn’t reply, and that alone made me more anxious than anything else.

As promised, Liz stayed home to keep Leeseo company while Rei, Gaeul, Yujin, and I took a private company cab to an address that Rei had dug up from the Notes app on her phone, since the nightclub apparently did not exist on Naver maps. That alone should’ve told me everything I needed to know about what we were about to get ourselves into.

When the driver stopped, we were in front of a giant glass building that gleamed under the city lights. It looked more like an ultra luxury hotel than a club, and was connected to a smaller building with a sign that read GACHI NIGHTCLUB in white sans-serif letters.

“What is this, the next Burning Sun?” I muttered, stepping out of the car.

“Of course not,” Rei said, adjusting her earring in the reflection of the tinted window. “That was where all the shady rejects went. This here is for all the real industry people.”

I looked at the short line forming near the entrance—everyone dressed in black, sleek and effortless, like they’d stepped straight out of a magazine. The men wore tailored suits that probably cost more than my rent in New York, and the women looked impossibly elegant, every detail—from their jewelry to their perfume—was radiating wealth. Some had the kind of faces you only ever see on billboards; others carried themselves with the calm assurance of people who were used to being noticed. Even from where I stood, I could feel it—the quiet, intimidating glamour of people who’d never once worried about the price of anything.

“How am I supposed to get in?” I asked, tugging lightly at the cuff of my jacket. “There’s gotta be a crazy strict guest list for places like this.”

“Oh, come on,” Gaeul said with a smirk. “Look at who you’re with.”

“Three girls who’ve never went clubbing before?”

But for the first time that night, I did look at them.

Yujin wore a sleek black bodycon dress that hugged her figure in ways I’d never seen before, and admittedly, my eyes lingered way longer than I wanted them to.

Rei was bolder—a deep wine-red mini dress with an open back and a high slit that revealed just enough when she walked.

Gaeul, on the other hand, looked ethereal. Her dress was silver, fluid like liquid mercury under the streetlights, catching hints of every color around it.

The three of them stood in front of me, confident and composed, as if they belonged here more than anyone in that line. I’d spent so much time with them in sweatpants, hoodies, and bare faces that I’d almost forgotten—they were IVE, after all.

Meanwhile, I straightened my tie and tried my best to convince myself I belonged here too.

“Damn, is that IVE?”

“Are they old enough to be here?”

“Jesus, An Yujin looks insanely pretty in person.”

Their voices floated from the line beside us—sharp and deliberate, almost meant to be overheard. I felt the weight of a dozen curious eyes trace over us—glances that lingered on Yujin a second too long, then moved to me.

“Who’s that kid next to them?”

“Must be some Starship trainee.”

“Trainees can’t go partying, though.”

“One of their boyfriends, maybe?”

“He’s too young to be a sponsor, right?”

“Could be a chaebol heir.”

“Give me a break, he looks so tacky.”

The closer we got to the entrance, the quieter everything seemed to get. The thud of the bass slipped behind the glass doors, replaced by the low murmur of security radios and the soft scrape of designer heels on marble.

“Name?” the bouncer asked, not bothering to look up from his tablet.

“An Yujin,” she said, confidently.

His head lifted immediately. Curiosity flickered in his eyes—first at her, then at the others, and finally at me.

“IDs, please,” he said, voice neutral but polite. “Sorry, company policy.”

Rei fished hers out first, followed by Gaeul and Yujin. The bouncer gave them each a quick glance, then returned them with a small nod.

He paused, scanning me last. “And you?”

“He’s with us,” Rei said, giving him a small, confident smile.

I handed him my card, trying not to fidget under his stare.

After a moment, he pressed a finger to his earpiece, muttered something I couldn’t catch, then unclipped the velvet rope. “Welcome to Gachi,” he said finally.

It was like we stepped into a completely different world.

The bass hit first—deep, steady, like a heartbeat you could feel in your chest. The club wasn’t loud the way I expected. It was controlled—every sound, every beat, every laugh seemed to fall exactly where it was supposed to, as if the room itself demanded order.

“Holy…” I muttered, taking it in. The place looked less like a nightclub and more like an underground gala. Gold railings, velvet booths, walls lined with mirrors that made everything look endless.

Rei turned to me, grinning. “Still think it’s another Burning Sun?”

“No one seems to even care that you guys are here,” I said, looking around. “They glance at you for like two seconds and then just look away as if you’re not even that important.”

“That’s the beauty of it. No paparazzi, no stress, no managers, just vibes.”

“That’s great and all, but how we find Karina or Yuna like this?”

“We don’t,” Gaeul said, smiling. “We just let the night play out and sooner or later, they’ll find us.”

The club stretched before us like a maze of gold and smoke—mirrored walls, bodies moving to a slow, hypnotic bassline. Laughter melted into the rhythm, glasses clinked like windchimes, and every face in sight looked impossibly perfect—the kind of beauty that came with money, power, or both.

We stood there for a second, unsure what to do next. Rei looked perfectly at home, already moving to the music, but the rest of us hovered like tourists in a place we weren’t supposed to be.

“Come on, guys, at least pretend we’ve been here before,” Rei said, snatching a glass of champagne from a passing tray with a confident, “Why, thank you!”

“Um…I don’t think that was free champagne,” I said, leaning closer. “He was bringing those glasses to that table over there.”

Rei froze, glass halfway to her lips. “Eh? You sure?”

“An Yujin! No way, is that you?” A bright, familiar voice cut through the music.

We turned to see Kwon Eunbi waving behind us, her black halter dress sparkling with every small movement. The fabric plunged low, putting her cleavage on full display, but she wore it with unapologetic confidence.

“Unnie! Oh my god, it’s been so long!” Yujin exclaimed, startled but smiling brightly as Eunbi pulled her into a quick hug while the other two girls bowed a full 90 degrees.

“What are you all doing here?” Eunbi asked, laughing. “Wait—don’t tell me. First time?”

Rei made a small sound of protest under her breath. “Is it really that obvious?”

Eunbi grinned. “You’re all standing like it’s a red-carpet photoshoot. Relax—it’s just a lounge.” She glanced at the glass in Rei’s hand. “Also, that’s probably a VIP’s drink.”

Rei cleared her throat and quickly set it down on a nearby ledge. “Noted.”

“Our resident clubbing expert…” Gaeul tried to hide a laugh behind her hand, while Yujin jokingly turned away as if pretending not to know us.

“Unnie! Unnie!” More voices shouted from every direction.

Eunbi turned around and waved excitedly. “Oh my god, hi! Wait, everyone’s here tonight!”

The crowd seemed to part as a small entourage of familiar faces made their way through. aespa’s Giselle in a cropped blazer and glittered tank, ITZY’s Lia and Yeji shimmering like twin spotlights, Le Sserafim’s Yunjin and Chaewon laughing arm-in-arm, (G)I-DLE’s Minnie radiant in silver satin, and Julie from Kiss of Life trailing just behind—all weaving effortlessly through the haze like they’d done this a hundred times before.

“Yujin-ah!” Chaewon yelled with her arms wide open.

“Oh my god—wait!” Giselle shouted when she spotted Rei. “Look who it is! You guys never come out!”

The next few seconds blurred into a flurry of hugs, squeals, and 90-degree bows—perfume, laughter, and camera flashes of light all colliding in a perfect mess of greetings.

Huh Yunjin clasped Gaeul’s hands, eyes sparkling. “Girl, you look gorgeous.”

Rei got pulled into a side-hug by Chaewon, nearly spilling her stolen drink. “You look amazing! Red is so your color.”

“And you…” Minnie purred, eyeing Yujin with a knowing smirk. “Oof, that dress should be illegal.”

Lia gasped dramatically with a hand over her heart. “No, seriously. My god, mommy.”

Yujin flushed, half-laughing, half-embarrassed. “I—I didn’t even want to wear this! Rei made me!”

Rei smirked proudly, flicking her hair. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m gonna be completely honest,” Minnie chimed in with a playful grin. “If I looked like that, I’d never wear anything else.”

Yujin covered her face with one hand. “Oh my gosh, stop—”

Julie laughed, then leaned toward me with a curious tilt of her head. “Wait, so is this your boyfriend?”

“Oh no, we’re just friends!” I said quickly, stepping away from Yujin.

“Hmm…” Giselle teased, squinting her eyes. “Be careful, Yujin-ah—your friend can’t seem to take his eyes off you.” Everyone burst into laughter.

Someone handed me a shot—I wasn’t sure who—and within minutes, more glasses appeared. It became impossible to tell where they came from.

Rei was the first to loosen up, throwing her hands in the air like she’d been waiting for this night all her life. Julie joined her immediately, and within seconds Gaeul was laughing too hard not to follow. Lia dragged Yeji toward the center of the dance floor, while Chaewon and Yunjin disappeared together into the crowd.

“Come on!” Rei shouted, waving for Yujin and me to follow.

“Sorry—I don’t dance,” I said, raising my glass in defense.

“Then you better drink. A lot.” Eunbi grinned, clinking hers against mine before pulling Yujin into the crowd.

The lights shifted from gold to violet, the music heavier now, the air warm and sweet with perfume and cocktails. Rei and Julie were now in the center of the crowd, pulling strangers into their circle. Gaeul was dancing with Lia and Yeji near the bar, silver and white dresses catching the light like mirrors of each other.

And then there was Yujin, laughing at me like I was some lost child in a mall.

“Still not dancing?” she teased, voice barely audible over the bass.

“Nope, still not gonna—”

She didn’t wait for me to finish. Her fingers hooked around my wrist, pulling me closer. The scent of her perfume—something peachy and floral—hit me all at once.

The bass hit harder now, fast and steady, every beat pulsing through my ribs. She didn’t slow down. Instead, she moved with it, pulling me in until the space between us barely existed.

Yujin didn’t ask me to dance; she just made me. At first, I was stiff, awkward—some guy trying not to look out of place—but she kept pulling me in, and soon I wasn’t thinking at all. Her hands found my shoulders, then my arm, guiding me closer, laughter spilling out of her like I was her entertainment for the night.

Then she turned, her back brushing against my chest, and caught one of my hands mid-motion. Without saying a word, she slid it around her waist, pressing it gently against her hip until both of my hands rested there. The movement was so effortless that by the time I realized what she’d done, I was already moving with her, our bodies practically fused together.

The sound of the club fell away—the laughter, the chatter, even the song—and all I could focus on was the way she moved and the warmth of her curves pressing against me.

I’d never realized how easy it was to forget the world when she was this close.

“What’s wrong?” Yujin teased, as our noses touched. “Do I take your breath away?”

I laughed for the first time all night. “You look really good tonight,” I confessed, loosening my collar.

“Just tonight?” she asked with a flirty smirk.

“I’m not your boyfriend, don’t expect me to shower you with compliments.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Give me one more, it’s a special occasion.”

Her smile was almost contagious. She was glowing—cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming, lips parted in a grin that I hadn’t seen in so long.

“This dress suits you perfectly,” I said, running my hands down the fabric.

“Does it?” She leaned in just enough for her breath to graze my ear. “Help me take it off when we get back home later,” she whispered, grinning before spinning away, her laughter vanishing into the crowd.

The night blurred after that—music, lights, laughter. For a brief, reckless stretch of time, it didn’t feel like we were searching for anyone or anything at all.

Yujin and I eventually drifted back to the edge of the floor to catch our breath.

“This isn’t so bad, right?” she said, taking a sip of water.

Before I could respond, Giselle came stumbling over, still laughing, dragging Lia behind her. “Okay, okay, that’s it,” she said, fanning herself. “I’m done. I need water.”

“Same,” Lia said, grabbing a glass from the table and taking a sip. “I can’t believe you dragged me back out here.”

Yunjin and Chaewon slid into the booth next to them, both flushed from dancing. Minnie followed right after, still clutching her drink.

Rei leaned in, still moving to the music. “This is so fun! Do your other members ever come out to play? I feel like I can dance all night long.”

Giselle thought for a moment, swirling the last bit of wine in her glass. “Well, Minjeong’s a total homebody. She and Ning are usually holed up at the dorm playing on their Switch or watching dramas. Jimin comes out sometimes, but she’s been kinda MIA lately. I think she’s taking some personal time or something.”

Rei turned toward Lia, still flushed from the dance floor. “What about you guys?”

“Yeji and I do sometimes,” Lia said, nodding toward Yeji, who was scrolling through her phone beside her. “Chaeryeong only comes out if there’s food involved, Ryujin’s hit or miss, but Yuna usually shows up. Except lately she’s been kind of off the grid too, actually.”

Yeji looked up briefly. “Yeah, she said she was taking a break.”

“Wait—really?” Yunjin chimed in. “Sakura unnie’s been on break too. She said she needed time off but didn’t really say why.”

Minnie perked up. “Whoa—Miyeon, too. She canceled a bunch of shoots last week and hasn’t replied to anyone since.”

Julie giggled. “That’s so weird. Natty’s been doing the same. She told us she was taking a break, but we haven’t seen her since then either.”

Yujin glanced at me, then at Rei and Gaeul. The look in her eyes said what none of us could*.*

“Everyone’s on break,” Giselle laughed. “Maybe we’re the ones missing the memo. What about you guys? What made you come out tonight? And where’s everyone else?”

“We just decided to go out for the first time tonight, but Jiwon stayed home to keep Hyunseo company since she’s not old enough.”

They laughed. “Ah, she’s on babysitting duty. What about Wonyoung?”

Rei looked at us for a brief moment before faking a smile. “You’ll never catch Wonyoung in a club—she’d leave the moment she sees the lights.”

They all laughed again, and the moment stretched further than I could reach. Giselle’s voice said something about schedules, Lia added a joke about hangovers, but the words blurred together, turning into background noise—faint, muffled, meaningless.

Wonyoung, Karina, Yuna.

All three of them.

All Aces of Spades.

All gone quiet.

All on a so-called break.

What about the other girls?

Are they perhaps also Aces from different suits?

My heart started to pound. Too fast. Too hard. I forced a breath through my nose, but it caught halfway. My chest felt tight, the kind of tight that made you want to run, even if you didn’t know where.

The lights suddenly felt too bright. The laughter too sharp. The bass too heavy, vibrating through my ribs until I couldn’t tell if it was the music or my heartbeat.

Yujin’s voice broke through the static. “Wonbin?”

I didn’t look up.

The crowd swallowed me whole before anyone could say another word. I moved through the bodies, trying to find space to breathe, but the air felt heavier with every step. The lights blurred into streaks of color. The laughter, the chatter, the bass—all of it bled together into one low hum that wouldn’t stop.

Air. I just need air.

But the moment I turned, I collided with someone hard, and a drink splashed straight across his chest from his hand.

“Ah—shit, I’m so sorry!” I stammered, staring at the mess spreading down his shirt. “I’m really sorry—”

“Hey, it’s fine,” he said, his tone low and smooth. “You’re good.”

The guy stepped back, and whiskey dripped off the collar of his white button-up, catching the gold lights above. He looked up at me—not even remotely upset, for some reason.

I couldn’t tell if he just had a very classic Korean celebrity face, or if I’d seen him somewhere before, but he appeared in his mid-thirties, had really kind eyes, a razor-sharp jaw, and was just effortlessly handsome, like an actor or model.

But what surprised me the most was that there was a really calm and gentle aura to him that was the complete opposite of what I’d expect from someone in a place like this.

“No, I—seriously, I wasn’t looking, I—” I stumbled, trying to do something with my hands to help, but ended up doing nothing.

He chuckled softly. “It’s just a shirt.” The way he said it made it sound like he actually meant it.

“Damn, I told you guys we should’ve stayed on the third floor,” another guy behind him said in English, passing over a napkin.

“Screw that, if I have to listen to one more investor talk, I’ll kill myself,” a third one with glasses shot back. “Besides, the party’s always down here, dude.”

“So are all the drunk weirdos.”

“Oh come on, it’s just a kid who got too wasted. That was us at one point.”

“It’s still you every other weekend.”

The two of them kept bickering back and forth, while the guy I’d bumped into only smiled and shook his head, dabbing at his shirt with the black tissue. The light caught on the silver band around his finger—a wedding ring that gleamed for just a second before he lowered his hand again.

“You guys speak English?” I asked out of instinct.

“Oh—shit, yeah—hey, dude,” one of them said, grinning.

“Yeah, we’re from the States,” another added. “What about you?”

“Me? I’m from…all over the place, really.”

“James,” one of them said, offering his hand.

“O-oh—I’m Wonbi—” I took it nervously, unsure if there was a specific way rich people greeted each other. “Adam.”

“Jake,” the one with glasses said, raising his glass. “And this is John.” He swung his other arm around him like they were best friends.

“Hey, John—I’m really sorry about your shirt,” I said in English. “I hope it doesn’t stain.”

“Don’t worry about it, really. Maybe now I’ll have an excuse to go home early.” John studied me for a moment—steady, polite, almost too calm. “Rough night?”

I hesitated. “Something like that.”

“You seem kinda young to be here,” Jake said, leaning closer. “Or maybe you just have a baby face like me.”

“Maybe he’s just New Money—you know how they are,” James muttered, too loud to be a whisper but too casual to be taken as an insult.

“We’re also New Money, idiot,” Jake shot back. “You say it like we’re Old Money or something.”

“Shut the hell up, if it weren’t for me we’d all be No Money.”

“Do you come here often?” John asked, still wiping his shirt.

“Oh, no, it’s my first time here,” I said, slightly panicking, as if I was somehow in trouble. “I just came here with some friends who are in the industry. We’re, um, looking for my…uh…g-girlfriend...”

He raised an eyebrow, faintly amused. “Oh yeah? Did you find her?”

“No,” I said, instantly reminded of what had just happened.

He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder to stop me from shaking. “You know, funny enough, I came here for the first time when I was around your age with my industry friends, also looking for my then-girlfriend.”

“Really? Did you find her?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, thankfully not.”

“Thankfully?”

“It’s a long story,” he said, then tilted his chin toward something behind me. “Is that your girlfriend there?”

“Wonbin-ah!” Yujin’s voice cut through the chaos, grabbing my hand. “Are you okay?”

“Damn, is that An Yujin from IVE?” Jake said. “Never seen them here before.”

James took a sip of his drink. “Another random kid dating an A-list idol, eh? That was us at one point, too.”

“Bruh.”

“What?”

“Us?”

“Yeah. Us.”

“As in, all three of us?”

“Yes. That’s what us means.”

Jake stepped back. “To clarify, you mean, us—including you and me? And not just John?”

“Look, you know what I mean, dipshit.”

“Wonbin-ah, are you okay?” Yujin asked again, lacing her fingers through mine. Her body swayed back and forth as if she was trying to keep balance.

“Yeah,” I said, steadying her by the waist. “I’m okay.”

“Well, maybe I’ll see you around, Adam.” John smiled, raising his glass to me. “Have fun and get home safe. Oh, and—try not to get in a fight on your way out like I did.”

“Who’d you fight?”

He paused for a moment, as if recalling a nostalgic memory before walking away. “Just some crazy ex-manager.”

“Huh? Whose ex-manager—”

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

A call from Choi Mingyu.

My throat tightened. It felt like the entire room pulled away, the sound flattening into a dull, distant hum. Yujin’s grip on my hand tightened so hard it hurt.

I pressed the phone to my ear, not even bothering to find a quiet spot. “Hello?”

Static. Then a faint voice, drowned under the bass.

“Park Wonbin. Where are you?”

“Mingyu?” I pressed a finger into my other ear, trying to block out the noise. “Can you hear me?”

“I hear you.” His voice was barely there, cut apart by the music.

“Where’s Wonyoung? Do you know where she is?”

“I do,” he said, the word warping through distortion.

“Please—tell me.”

“She’s getting ready for Blackjack.”

My stomach dropped. “What? Blackjack? What the hell is that?”

The connection crackled. A burst of static. Then his voice again, urgent, lower. “It’s an auction. An auction of Aces.”

“What—what do you mean an auction?!”

The noise of the club seemed to vanish all at once.

“Choi Mingyu!” I yelled, my voice shaking. “Are you still there?”

There was another pause.

“We can save her,” he said finally. “Together.”

“What do you mean save? Is she in danger?” I shouted, cupping the phone tighter against my ear. “Hey, Choi Mingyu! What are you talking about?!”

No answer. Just a hiss of feedback. Then—

“I’ll send you the address tomorrow,” he said, the words so faint I almost missed them. “Bring An Yujin with you.”

“W-what? Why?”

“Act like you’re a married couple. And make sure to dress like billionaires.”

The call cut.

The music came back in a crash of sound and light. For a second, I just stood there, frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear.

The words repeated in my head, warped and meaningless.

Blackjack. Auction. Aces. Save her.

“Wonbin-ah!” Yujin’s voice broke through the chaotic mess as she pulled at my sleeve, still wobbling. “Let’s find the others and go home. We got what we came for.”

And then, before I could even say anything back, another vibration.

Subject: Dear Knight in Shining Armor

How far will you go for love?

love.mp4 (302mb)

End of Chapter 11.

---

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update, I went on vacation so I couldn't get any writing done, but I'm glad I did, because I'm a lot more recharged now, especially after that last chapter XD

I definitely had a great time writing the end of this chapter since it took me 11 chapters to reveal to you guys that this story exists in the same universe as My Sone Secret XD Hopefully that brought a nice wave of nostalgia back to you all the way it did for me! 

In fact, I didn’t even need to see it to know that she was tasting herself when she got down on her knees. It didn’t matter that his body blocked her from the camera. Her long legs were spread apart behind his silhouette, peeking out from behind him as her upper body bobbed back and forth, just long enough before he lifted her upwards onto the desk.

She held herself up, hands flat against the wood, legs parted wide, her heels scraping against his white shirt as she wrapped them around his waist. The red bra hung loose over her shoulders, hooks undone but not discarded, still allowing her breasts to sway freely with each impact.

It continued for what felt like eternity, even though I skipped ahead in futile attempts to escape. One moment he was on his knees with his face between her thighs, the next she was straddled on the chair, bouncing up and down his body.

A few more clicks and she was on her knees again, one hand frantically rubbing herself as he sprayed his ownership all over her chest. She cleaned him up with her mouth as his cum dripped down her breasts, her body trembling harder with every passing second—just before the video finally cut to black.

I didn’t need to see more. Nobody did.

But I wanted to. I deserved to. After all that she put me through, all that she denied me of, surely I deserved to at least know what she was doing behind my back.

parking_lot.mp4

The video was taken vertically on a phone somewhere in an unfamiliar parking garage. Distant echoes of car doors slamming and tires rolling sneaked through the speakers, but other than that, the audio was mostly hushed.

My stomach twisted as the camera zoomed out toward the far end of the lot, focusing on a tall figure anxiously power walking, her heels clicking sharply against the ground, hips swaying with that effortless elegance I knew so well. It was Wonyoung—still in her concert outfit, a white blouse covering her sweat-dampened skin, paired with a black skirt and thigh high socks. The same outfit she wore after coming back from her ‘interviews’ in LA.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breathy and apologetic as she approached the camera, close enough now that you could see the flush creeping up her neck. “I tried to get here as fast as I could, but—”

“He’s waiting,” the man behind the phone cut her off. His tone was flat and robotic, like he was just a cog in this machine of her secret life.

She bowed and stepped forward, and the camera panned over to a single black Rolls Royce with dark tinted windows, one of them rolling down slowly. There were two other men standing by the doors, dressed in all black suits. Surely bodyguards. Their faces were stoic and unchanging, unlike Wonyoung’s, which was filled with urgency.

“I’m sorry,” Wonyoung said again, her voice lowering as the car door shut behind her.

“Are you usually late to your interviews?”

The footage suddenly plunged into darkness, the phone clearly shoved into a pocket, muffling everything to a haze. But the audio persisted, filling in pictures my eyes couldn’t see.

“I’m so sorry, master,” she pleaded, her words spilling out in a rush. “The concert ended la—”

“I don’t need excuses. Come here.”

“Yes, master.”

“Don’t look so scared, Wonnie,” he murmured, almost tenderly. “I won’t bite you.”

“Y-you’re not mad at me?”

“Shh…how can I be mad at this pretty face? Come sit on my lap.”

“I missed you so much,” she said, a hint of relief in her voice. “I couldn’t wait for the show to be over with so I could be with you again. It’s been too long without you…”

“You smell so good,” he said, inhaling. “Did you follow my instructions?”

“Yes, master…I didn’t shower yesterday or today—ahh!” Her gasp cut through the darkness, sharp and involuntary.

“God, you smell fucking incredible,” he groaned, inhaling even louder. “Oh? You’re not wearing any panties? With a skirt like this?”

“Is that okay? I wanted to make it easier for you…”

“Such a naughty girl…turn around for me…”

“Ahh—don’t breathe so hard—p-please—I’m embarrassed—so dirty—no! Not there—ah!” she cried, but her protests easily melted into whimpers.

“You smell like a woman.” His voice was low and muffled. “My woman.”

“It feels so good—but I’m so disgusting—I’m so sorry—”

“You’re perfect like this,” he said, still slurping. “My delicious, dirty little princess.”

“I’ll always be your dirty girl if that’s what you want, master…” she whispered back.

“You’re such a good girl…I want you to show me how much you’ve missed me now.”

The audio shifted then—car doors clicking shut, the low rumble of the engine coming to life beneath her soft, escalating moans. The bodyguards must have climbed in up front.

“Yes, just like that…”

The slurping sounds grew louder, wet and rhythmic, as if her mouth was working him with desperation. I could picture it all too vividly—Wonyoung on her knees in the back seat, her concert skirt pulled up around her waist, lips stretched around his cock, saliva dripping down her chin as she hollowed her cheeks and sucked harder, chasing his approval.

“Where are we going, master?” she asked in between breaths.

“Somewhere I can properly punish you for ignoring me.” A firm smack filled the car, followed by a loud yelp. “Did you think masturbating to me in a public toilet was good enough?”

“No, master. I know I deserve mor—umph—ack—”

I closed the laptop shut, and yet somehow, the voices continued playing in my head.

***

“Wonbin?” Yujin’s voice cut through the hallway as she cracked open her apartment door, eyes widening at the sight of me.

It was barely 6 a.m. The sky, bruised with gray, looked cold even from the inside. I’d been up all night, pacing in the library like a starving caged animal, the videos’ echoes robbing me of my sanity. My face felt hollow, eyes bloodshot, and my clothes looked like I’d slept in them for days on a bus that never stopped.

“What happened? Why do you look like an escaped patient from a mental asylum?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Her hand found my arm and pulled me inside before I could collapse in the hallway.

The door clicked shut and the apartment wrapped around us—the air filled with the clean scent of laundry sheets. She steered me to the couch like she was holding glass and didn’t trust the floor.

“Yujin,” I said, my chest heaving like I’d sprinted for hours nowhere. “I need your help.”

“Are you okay? Breathe for a moment.”

“Wonyoung.” Her name tasted like ash on my tongue.

“Did she do this to you?”

I shook my head, the motion making the room spin. “No, I just need to know.”

“Know what?”

My voice cracked. “Everything. There’s stuff you’re keeping from me, isn’t there? Things you know about her.”

She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. “There are a lot of things I know about her that you don’t. We spent the last—”

“You know what I’m talking about,” I interrupted, leaning forward. “The black heart.”

She furrowed her brows. “What is this ‘black heart’ you keep talking about?”

“The person she’s always texting,” I said, my words rushing out before I could even process them. “The places she goes whenever she randomly disappears. You guys notice all of this, you just choose to pretend it doesn’t happen, don’t you?”

She didn’t answer; her gaze simply dropped to the floor. A faint hum from the fridge filled the silence.

“Yujin, please tell me,” I begged.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” she said, shutting her eyes. “It’s not worth it.”

“It is worth it. She’s worth it.”

She pressed her forehead into her palm, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I’m in love with her!” I yelled, echoing off the thin walls. My heart pounded desperately, like it was fighting to stay alive.

“Then love her!” she shouted back. “Keep loving her! Stop asking questions and just love her! Don’t do anything else besides loving her!”

“I can’t!” My voice cracked yet again. “I want to know, Yujin, please. What’s happening to her? Why?”

Her shoulders deflated. “Some things are best left unanswered,” she said, her voice softening. “Trust me.”

“Either way, I’m going to find out—with or without you. So please just help me, otherwise, I’m going to track down Choi Mingyu and—”

“How did you even find out about him?”

“I kicked him out of a Hi-Wave line back in Oakland. He was trying to record you guys with smart glasses, but Manager Kim realized it was him and had him escorted out the venue. But he told me things along the way—he knew my name, and that someone else knew who I was. And then he gave me his card, saying I’ll find him one day. Yujin, tell me what happened with him. Tell me the truth.”

She hesitated, then rose slowly and walked to the kitchen. The water filter ran briefly, and she returned with a cold glass, pressing it into my shaking hands.

“Like the others said, he was our first manager since before we even debuted,” she said, sinking onto the coffee table across from me. “He was really nice. Always made our lives easier, let us mostly do what we wanted within reason. But he was always…a little too interested in Wonyoung, and the older we got, the more obvious it became.”

“What did he do to her?” I asked impatiently, as her eyes drifted somewhere past me.

“He never actually did anything, not that I knew of, but I always saw it in his eyes. They always lingered too long, always searching for her, always hiding something from the rest of us. Sometimes she would ride in a separate car with him, or go to schedules that we weren’t a part of. She never told me where they went.” She took a slow breath. “I didn’t pry. We all shrugged it off, maybe because we were scared of finding out.”

“Why did he get fired then?” I asked, the glass of water untouched in my hand. The condensation had begun trailing down my fingers.

Yujin sighed, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back. The faint light from the window casted shadows across her face, highlighting the exhaustion that we both felt.

“I don’t know why exactly, but I think I saw him try to make a move on her while he was drunk at one of our company parties. He got a little too close, whispered something in her ear, and she pushed him away. The next morning, he was gone, like he never existed. But for some reason, I don’t think it was her who made it happen.”

“Her master,” I muttered, the pieces clicking together like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. “The black heart.”

“Wonbin, please.” Now she was the one pleading. “Let it go. For you, and for her.”

“I can’t let it go!” The words bursted out my chest, and the glass tipped, water streaking my jeans. “Don’t you get it? Whatever’s happening, it’s still happening. What if she needs my help?”

“You can’t help her, Wonbin!” she snapped back, her face flushed with a mix of anger and sorrow. “Don’t you get it? What can you possibly do? You’re just a university student!”

“I’m her best friend!” I shouted back, my voice pounding against my skull like a drum.

“That means nothing in the real world! Can your friendship end contracts? Can your love break chains?” Her voice was cracking, but she didn’t stop. “Listen to yourself! I get it, you want to be her knight in shining armor, but life isn’t a fairytale!”

I froze. Her words slammed into me like a freight train, stealing the air from my lungs. The room spun, colors blurring at the edges, and the weight of my helplessness crashed down in waves that threatened to drown me. My knees gave in, and I sank back onto the couch, letting the cushions swallow me whole.

“Not every door will close just because you open them,” she added quietly, her anger softening. “Please. Just stop. Even if you don’t care about yourself, at least do it for her.”

I knew she was right. I wasn’t a knight, and certainly not a hero. The dragon was far beyond anything I could ever dream to face. I was never meant to save the princess. Not in this story.

But how could I stop? The videos replayed in my mind like a curse—her body arching under his command, her moans echoing my failure. Stopping felt like letting him keep her. Stopping felt like losing her, again. Stopping felt like surrendering.

Tears leaked down my cheeks as I buried my face in my hands. My shoulders shook with silent sobs, the weight of it all crushing my chest until even breathing felt hopeless.

“Wonbin…” she said, resting a hand on my knee.

“I can’t stop,” I choked out, my words muffled against my palms. “It’s too late. Either way, I’ll lose everything.”

Her grip tightened. “What do you mean?”

“The black heart found me. Last night, he emailed me. I don’t know how, but he really does know who I am. He knows everything.”

She sucked in a breath. “What did he say?”

“He sent me photos of me and her hugging each other. And then he told me to stay away from his property. And then sent me proof. Video proof.”

“Proof of what?”

I looked at her, not bothering to hide the tears. “If I show you, will you help me?”

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

“There were three, but I couldn’t watch this one earlier,” I admitted, my fingers fumbling as I pulled my phone from my pocket. My hands shook so badly that I nearly dropped it.

“Is this why you were up all night?”

“Yeah,” I said, thumb hovering over dressing_room.mp4. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I’ll tell you if I can’t,” she said firmly, shifting to sit beside me on the couch, our thighs pressed together as if that would keep us protected from what we were about to witness. But nothing could’ve.

I hit play.

There was no warning. No build up, no fade-in, just another vertical shot of Wonyoung on her knees, in her concert outfit with a cock already in her mouth.

“Oh my god,” Yujin whispered, her hand clamping over her mouth.

Wonyoung gazed up at the camera with wide, desperate eyes, lips stretched around a thick shaft as it slid in and out of her mouth. The wet, slurping sounds filled the room, her tongue visible as it swirled along the underside, saliva dripping down her chin in glistening strings.

I hit pause, the phone slipping in my sweaty grip, nearly tumbling to the floor. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat that drowned out everything else.

“What the fuck…” I gagged.

Neither of us had been ready. The air thickened with our unspoken horror, my vision blurring as fresh tears welled up.

“Are they all like this?” Yujin asked, her voice barely above a breath, face pale as she glanced at the frozen screen.

“No,” I said, swallowing the acid taste in my mouth, forcing the words out. “This one’s the worst. I’m sorry, I should’ve—”

“It’s okay,” she replied, exhaling shakily, her hand finding my arm in a steadying squeeze. “I just wasn’t ready.”

“Do you want to keep going?”

“Do you?” she asked, her eyes locking onto mine.

I nodded, jaw clenched. “I have to.”

“No, you don’t,” she protested softly, but there was no conviction left. Only worry.

The video resumed, the shaky camera capturing every detail. Wonyoung knelt on the tiled floor of what looked like a cramped dressing room bathroom. Her knees pressed into the cold porcelain as she bobbed her head with frantic urgency, cheeks hollowing.

“Please finish quickly,” she begged between slurps, pulling back just enough to gasp, her tongue tracing the edges of his shaft.

“That’ll be all up to you,” he said, and for some reason, it didn’t sound like the person from the car in the previous video. Was this someone else entirely? Just the thought made my blood boil.

“Everyone’s waiting for me,” she whimpered, diving back in with renewed frenzy, her mouth engulfing him fully, lips sealing tight as she sucked him noisily. “I have to get back.”

“This—” Yujin gasped, turning to me. “The day you had to go find her?”

My heart stopped. “That day in the…dressing room bathroom…”

“We don’t have to keep watching—”

“No,” I said, fist clenching. “I’m fine.”

“Then use that famous mouth of yours properly,” the man demanded, hips buckling slightly, the camera dipping to show her throat bulging with each deep swallow.

She obeyed without hesitation, tongue swirling masterfully along his length, tracing every vein.

“Come,” she pleaded, voice muffled around his shaft. “Use my mouth to come.”

“Fuck, you’re so god damn pretty like this,” he said, thrusting into her throat, causing gurgling sounds to fill the microphone.

My skin crawled.

“You think I’m pretty?” she taunted, pulling off with a pop. She stroked him with both hands, pumping firmly, her gaze locked on the lens. “Why don’t you hurry and come in my pretty little mouth then? You’re going to make this pretty face wait for your cum?”

“Damn, she does seem really good,” Yujin said, her tone a mix of awe and discomfort, unable to tear her eyes away. “Is she better than me?”

“I wouldn’t know,” I spat bitterly, jealousy ripping through my chest.

She cleared her throat softly, cheeks flushing. “Right—sorry.”

“Come inside my throat,” Wonyoung begged, then pushed forward until her nose pressed his skin. She stayed there, swallowing against him, throat throbbing as she gagged softly but still held on.

“Oh fuck…that feels incredible,” he moaned, his voice breaking. “Since you’re so slutty, I’ll come on your face—”

“No!” she said, in panic. Strings of spit connected her lips to his throbbing head, glistening under the harsh fluorescent light. “Please don’t, the show’s starting, I have to get back, you can’t—”

“You’re so fucking pretty, I can’t resist,” he growled. “You’re painting my cock with your lipstick like a little slut.”

She shook her head frantically, putting her hands around her back like she was wearing invisible handcuffs as she impaled herself with his cock, fucking her own face relentlessly. The wet, choking sounds filled the air, her gags turning into whimpers as she pinned him in place, refusing to let him pull out.

“Holy fuck…” he moaned, falling backwards, but she grabbed him by his thighs, holding him tightly in place as she gagged over and over on his length.

“Stop it,” Yujin said, pressing her legs together. Her breaths were heavy, eyes closed shut. “No more. That’s enough.”

I dropped the phone to the ground, my vision now hazy as the both of us gasped for air.

Yujin’s fingers wrapped my forearm as she leaned her forehead to mine. “Hey—breathe.”

In that moment, it was like an invisible force was tugging at us, drawing our faces closer—so close that ours lips lightly touched for just a second.

“No,” she said, pulling back just an inch, shaking her head. Her thighs rubbed once, an involuntary shiver, then stilled. “Not like this. Not because of that.”

There was only silence. I grabbed the water, the cool liquid burned down my throat as I swallowed hard. My pulse thundered in my ears, the ache in my chest spreading like wildfire.

Without another word, she held me tightly, until my body gave up and sank into the couch. At some point the ceiling went gray, and then there was nothing.

***

I wasn’t in any condition to show up to a lecture hall and pretend to take notes. Yujin had already left for practice, and since I’d basically decided this was an unofficial day off, I ended up dragging myself there too. It felt stupid—walking right into what I’d been avoiding—but as much as my stomach flipped at the idea of facing her, I needed to see Wonyoung’s face, even if it was just for a second, just to prove she was still real.

“Manager oppa’s here!” Leeseo sang the second I stepped in. “But he has no chocolate…”

“Do you only like me when I bring food?” I asked, hauling myself into the practice room like a zombie that decided to give life a try.

“No, but I like you more when you do,” she said, smiling like a little kid before she wrapped her arms around me anyway. “But why do you look so dead?”

“Looks like you two had one hell of a night,” Rei said, glancing between me and Wonyoung, who was sitting on the floor with a bottle of water and that perfect posture the everyone loved to praise like it was a personality trait.

“Well, can you tone it down? She has no energy lately…”

“It’s getting kind of annoying,” Gaeul said under her breath, not bothering to mask the irritation. “We keep having to stop for her.”

Yujin didn’t jump in or scold anyone; she just looked at me with this steady concern, then flicked her eyes toward Wonyoung like she was telling me to go.

I sat down beside Wonyoung, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off her skin. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, her smile almost convincing if you didn’t know her. “Just really tired.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

She furrowed her brows subtly. “Don’t you have class today? It’s Friday.”

“You memorized my schedule?”

“Am I not supposed to know your schedule?” she asked, tilting her head. “You told me yourself.”

“I didn’t think you would remember,” I said, pressing my lips together with the little energy I had left.

She gave a tiny nod, closing the cap on her water bottle. “You don’t know much about me after all, Park Wonbin.”

“I guess not,” I said quietly.

The words left a dull sting, like touching a bruise I hadn’t realized was still there.

“Alright, one more time from the top,” Yujin called out, clapping her hands, gathering everyone back in. “Wonbin, since you’re here, can you run the music?”

“Yeah,” I said, grabbing the remote.

A demo I hadn’t heard before came through the speakers, and Wonyoung pushed herself up, scurrying to the center next to Yujin.

“Let’s get it. Look at it. Pay attention.”

They started, and right away her knee wobbled. It was nothing huge—the kind of thing a camera wouldn’t notice—but then on the third count her ankle rolled and she had to catch herself. It was small, but watching it made my throat close like someone had reached inside and pinched it shut.

“Sorry, unnie,” she said, hand going to her temple. “I’m still a little dizzy.”

Yujin shot me a quick look to pause the track, then smiled at her with forced warmth. “It’s okay. Take a break.”

“No,” Wonyoung said, extending her hand like she could push the room back into place with just her palm. “I’m okay. Let’s keep going.”

They did. But she wasn’t okay. Her timing slipped half a beat behind; her eyes blinked as though clearing static none of us could hear. By the fourth stumble, Gaeul’s jaw had set tight, and the air thickened—heavy, humid, waiting for something, or someone, to snap.

I hovered by the speaker with the remote in my hand, counting her breaths without meaning to. On eight, her shoulders dropped. On sixteen, she forced them back up. And for a second, all I could think was that the floor wasn’t supposed to be catching her—it should’ve been me.

“Unnie!” Leeseo cried, scrambling to lift Wonyoung off the wood.

“Wonyoung-ah, just go home and rest,” Rei said, more concerned than her usual playful tone.

“No, I’m not going to let you guys—”

“You’re already letting us down,” Gaeul cut in, visibly annoyed. “Just rest properly so we can actually go through a full verse without stopping.”

“Unnie, aren’t you being a little too harsh?” Rei snapped. “She’s not feeling well.”

“I’m not saying she’s not allowed to feel unwell, am I?”

“You’re being insensitive.”

“Which part was insensitive? Telling her to rest?”

“There are other ways to say it,” Liz said, gently pressing a water bottle into Wonyoung’s hand.

“And there are other ways to spend your nights without wrecking your health.”

“What are you saying right now? That Wonyoung can’t take care of herself?” Rei fired back.

“She’s not doing a great job, is she?”

“Are we not allowed to be sick sometimes?” Liz said, her voice starting to crack. “Is it not bad enough that we have to be perfect all the time in front of them? Even here amongst each other, we’re not allowed to be human?”

“That is not what I said. At all. Not even close. Stop putting words in my mouth.”

“How dare you tell her that she’s letting us down! Wonyoung would never, ever, say that to you no matter how annoyed she is.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Yujin said, cutting them off. “Wonbin, take Wonyoung home. The rest of us will—”

“I can go myself,” Wonyoung said, gently pulling Rei’s hand off of her. “Sorry for ruining your afternoons.”

“Wonyoung-ah…”

“Let him drive you,” Yujin insisted, glancing at me.

“He can’t even walk straight right now,” she said, swinging her towel around her neck. “Manager Kim can take me.”

“Yujin, don’t encourage them to spend even more time together,” someone muttered under their breath behind me.

“Wonyoung…” I said, trying to follow her.

But she didn’t stop. I watched as her body disappeared through the double doors, and the room erupted again.

“Really? You’re blaming Wonbin for this?”

“Apologize to Wonyoung!”

“For what exactly?”

“For being mean!”

“She had a point though…”

“Not you too?”

“What’s the point of having a point if your point sucks?”

“Aren’t you the one always criticizing her? Why suddenly so protective?”

“She’s clearly not feeling well.”

“And why is that? Why are both of them like that? Nothing is off to you?”

“You both piss me off, that’s what’s off.”

“Rei! Where are you going?”

“Home to rest properly. Apparently it’s highly recommended around here.”

“Rei, come back here, you’re fine! Aish—Jiwon-ah, you’re leaving too?”

“I don’t wanna be here anymore.”

“Guess practice is over today…”

***

I tapped lightly on Wonyoung’s apartment door—a strange gesture, considering I’d spent more nights here than anywhere else since coming to Korea. But something told me she wasn’t returning to her dorm tonight.

After spending the evening at Yujin’s, processing everything we’d seen, the silence between my thoughts grew unbearable. So I mustered all the courage and strength left in my body to come here, even though she hadn’t replied to a single message.

“Wonyoung?” I called softly as I eased the door open.

The room greeted me with darkness. No lights or sound, not even the faint hum of her air purifier. There were no shoes at the entrance, although that didn’t mean much; Wonyoung always kept things extra neat—shoes always tucked away, jackets always hung in perfect symmetry. It was like her armor—order against the chaos of her life.

“Are you here?” I said again, my voice low, almost a warning—to her or to me, I wasn’t sure.

The living room was empty, and I walked carefully, each step sinking me deeper into the stillness. The air was faintly warm, still carrying the clean hint of her favorite shampoo—light, floral, and sweet. The curtains were half-drawn, city light spilling across the couch where her throw blankets were folded too neatly to be have been used.

Her bedroom door was shut, but she was home. I could feel it—not in any sound or movement, but in the quiet weight of the air, like the room itself was aware of her.

I knocked once. No answer.

Twice, still nothing.

“Wonyoung?” I said, turning the handle.

“I didn’t tell you to come over,” she said, soft and steady from beneath the blankets.

“I know,” I said quietly. “I just came to check on you.”

“Without permission.”

The Cheongdam city lights leaked through the tall windows, painting the edges of the bed in faint silver. She was still beneath the covers, her back facing me.

“Do I have your permission to come closer?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, but I did it anyways.

“I didn’t say yes,” she murmured, as I sat down beside her.

“Sorry, I’ll ask for forgiveness later.”

“Why are you here, Wonbin?”

“I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Am I not allowed to be worried?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head under the blanket. “I never gave you permission to do that either.”

“I’ll have to beg for forgiveness for that too then.”

“Dummy.”

“That’s me,” I said, smiling to myself. “The kid who ate sand thinking it was injeolmi.”

“I almost forgot about that.”

“You forgot a lot, didn’t you?”

“No,” she protested. “I remember you saying it was pretty sweet.”

“I think I was just embarrassed and didn’t want you to think I was dumb.”

“I definitely thought you were dumb.”

“What about now?”

“You’re even dumber now.”

“Why’s that?”

“For being here,” she said, with hesitation. “For always coming back to me when all I ever do is push you away.”

“Why do you do it then?”

She paused for a long time.

“Because you deserve better,” she finally said, her voice shaky.

It felt like someone yanked at my heart. “Who could possibly be better than you?”

“Everyone. I’m just a burden to everybody around me.”

“Wonyoung-ah,” I said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder through the covers. “You’re not a burden. Not to me, not to anyone.”

“Saying it won’t make it true.”

“Then I’ll keep saying it until it is.”

She turned slightly, just enough for me to see her eyes—tired, red at the corners, reflecting faint streaks of city light. “You haven’t changed, have you? Always trying to fix everything you see.”

“I’m not here to fix you. You’re not broken.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know,” I said, more honest than I expected to be. “I just didn’t want you to be alone.”

“I’m always alone. With or without someone there.”

“I’ll have fix that, then.”

For a moment, she said nothing. Her gaze flicked toward the window, where car headlights passed like quiet ghosts beneath us. Then she sighed, her shoulders softening just a little beneath the blanket.

I swallowed, the words catching in my throat before I managed to say them. “Can I have permission to hold you?”

She looked at me like she hadn’t expected the question—as if no one had ever asked her that before. “What if I say no?”

“I’ll just beg for forgiveness, as usual.”

“Don’t beg,” she said, pulling my arm around her. “Not tonight.”

I slipped under the blanket slowly. The warmth of her body embraced me immediately as her back brushed against my chest. For a moment, she stiffened, but then exhaled, letting her small shoulders ease into me.

Neither of us spoke. The room felt suspended in time, only the low hum of the city bleeding through the windows.

Her voice finally broke the silence, smaller now, almost fragile. “I hate how much you care about me. It makes it that much harder for me to hate myself.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Her words hit somewhere deeper than they should’ve. I wanted to tell her she was wrong—that she deserved every ounce of care I had left—but all that came out was, “I know.”

“You don’t know anything, Park Wonbin.”

My chest tightened. “I know a lot more than you think.”

For a moment, she was still. Then she turned over in my arms, slowly, until we were face to face as her eyes pierced through the dim light. I felt her fingers shift slightly under the blanket—just enough to find mine.

She pouted. “No, you don’t. Dummy.”

We stayed like that for a while, eyes locked, searching for answers to questions we never dared to ask each other. Her breaths brushed against my face, warm and uneven, carrying a thousand words she’d never say. The world outside kept moving, but in that moment, it felt like time had folded in on itself—like we were kids again, before everything got so complicated.

“Do you remember,” she said in almost a whisper, “that one summer when you tried to build a treehouse behind my grandma’s place?”

I smiled faintly against her hair poking my face on the pillow. “The one that collapsed before I even climbed into it?”

She laughed quietly. “You said it was an open-concept design.”

“It was open concept. There weren’t any walls.”

“You almost broke your arm that day.”

“I remember you crying harder than I did.”

“I was scared, I thought you were going to die.”

I chuckled. “I was twelve. I didn’t think I was capable of dying yet.”

“Right, because no one in human history has ever died before reaching the ripe old age of thirteen.”

“Would you have cried if I died?” I asked, tilting my head.

She furrowed her brows. “What kind of question is that? Of course I would have!”

“What about now?”

She squeezed my hand. “I’d die with you.”

“Whatever, Juliet.”

“You better not do anything stupid because I love my life.”

“Are you sure?”

She sighed softly. “On most days, yes.”

I hesitated for a moment. “Can you give me permission to fix that too?”

“Do you think you’re a handyman? I’ve seen your skills, you know.”

“So that’s a no.”

“I’ll think about it. You’re asking for a lot today.”

The silence returned, but it was different this time—warmer, slower. I felt her body relax completely against mine, her fingers still looped loosely around my hand.

“Hey,” she murmured, in a sleepy voice. “What was that thing we used to do? That game with the dandelions?”

“Whoever blew all the seeds off got their wish.”

“Right, you always won,” she complained. “What’d you wish for anyways?”

I smiled faintly. “For you to stop crying all the time.”

“That’s a dumb wish. When did I ever cry enough for you to wish that?”

“Let’s see,” I said, counting on my fingers. “When your cat ran away and all you did was sit there and wait for her to come back. When I beat you in Mario Kart even though you’d been practicing with your cousins for weeks. When your ice cream melted because you wanted to take a hundred photos first, even though it was the middle of summer. When you tripped on the sidewalk because you wanted to learn how to wear high heels outside. When Mrs. Heathers made you read in front of the class for the first time, in English. When I said I was moving away—”

“Okay, hold on—of course I’d cry when you moved away. You can’t count that one.”

“How long did you cry for?”

She breathed. “A really really long time.”

“Me too.”

The words hung there for a moment, quieter than I meant them to be. She turned slightly, as if she wanted to look away, but didn’t. Instead, she just breathed—slow, steady, like the air between us made her feel safe, finally.

After a while, her voice came again—fainter, almost drifting. “Do you think we’d still be best friends if we met now?”

“Of course not.”

“Why not?” she asked, in a baby voice.

“Because you wouldn’t even look at me twice. I’d be a nobody to you. We live in completely different worlds now, don’t we?”

She shook her head—or at least, attempted to. “My world is wherever you are.”

“That sounds like something you’d make me say with a leash around my neck.”

“Say it then.” She weakly pulled ours interlocked fingers to my neck. “I command you to.”

“My world is wherever you are, mistress,” I said, channeling my own submissive tone.

“No,” she said, pouting. “Say it properly.”

“My world is wherever you are, Jang Wonyoung,” I corrected.

“That’s better. Etch that into your soul,” she said in a low voice, mocking herself.

I kissed her on the forehead, softly.

For a moment, I thought my touch had magic, because her lips curved in a way I’d never seen before.

“Oops, you’ll have to forgive m—”

“Forgiven.”

Her smile lingered for only a second before her eyes fluttered shut, but the corners still lifted like she was afraid to let it go completely.

I felt the warmth of her breath against my chest, as she drifted off to sleep. Outside, the city stayed awake—cars sliding through puddles, lights blinking in rhythm, a world still spinning while ours finally slowed. I closed my eyes and let the silence pull me under; pretending, just for a moment, that this would last.

***

Just as I had predicted, peace was fleeting like a broken winged bird. In between breaks at my part-time job, I kept catching myself replaying words that weren’t from my school lectures, and at night I’d read one paragraph five times just to push the stills from the videos out of the way.

Yujin took a different, lighter approach; she sent me reels, sent me memes, sent me ‘eat something’ texts. It helped, sometimes. But there were days when she typed slower, or even left me on read for whole hours like she was saving her energy for when it really mattered.

Times like these.

It was 11 p.m. when another email invaded my inbox while I was scrambling to finish a paper that was due the next morning.

Re: Proof of Ownership

Have you had enough?

competition.mp4 (723mb)

My hands started trembling again before I’d even realized it.

What more did he want from me? I hadn’t replied since the last message, hadn’t told anyone except Yujin—hadn’t done anything to warrant a follow-up.

Maybe he wanted a reaction. To see how far he could push me before I broke. Was I falling right into his hands?

I stared at the file for a long time before pulling my phone out of my jacket after rummaging for a few seconds.

Park Wonbin 11:08 — I just got another video.

Yujin 🤍 11:11 — no way. there’s more?

Park Wonbin 11:11 — Should we?

Yujin 🤍 11:12 — should we what? have sex while watching it?

Park Wonbin 11:12 — Jesus Christ, Yujin.

Yujin 🤍 11:12 — meet you at my condo

Yujin 🤍 11:12 — jk about the sex part btw

Park Wonbin 11:12 — You better be.

Park Wonbin 11:12 — I’m coming now.

Yujin 🤍 11:13 — not to the video i hope

Park Wonbin 11:13 — Shut up.

The last train nearly left without me, but I managed to squeeze through the closing doors, lungs burning from the sprint. By the time I reached Yujin’s building, my heart was still racing—not even from the run, but from what was waiting in my inbox.

“Come in,” she called from inside. “It’s not locked.”

I slipped in quickly and shut it behind me, flipping the lock as if that tiny click could keep the rest of the world out.

“Why do you always look like that?” she asked, towel in hand, still drying her hair. Her legs were smooth and bare, an oversized shirt slipping off one shoulder like it was bored.

“You know, Yujin, maybe one day when some psycho who probably runs the entire black market is stalking you and sending you threats every other day, you’ll understand.” I dropped my backpack by the couch.

“Considering I’m not stupid enough to pry into that world and make enemies with people who can literally purchase my life with their credit card, that won’t be on my calendar,” she said, disappearing into the bathroom.

“And exactly what did I do to warrant being his enemy?” I said, across the living room.

“I don’t know, maybe don’t try to date his prized possession.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Is what your next email is going to say if you keep this up.”

I don’t know when it started, but Yujin became more casual about the whole situation, almost forcefully so—purposely making jokes out of everything, as if she was trying to drown the trauma away. It admittedly helped me calm my nerves a bit, but deep down, I knew that it was wrong to drag her into the mess that was meant for me; I just didn’t know how to continue without her.

“I didn’t ruin your late night plans or anything, right?” I asked, sliding onto the sofa.

She came out of the bathroom, and flopped down next to me, her face glowing from skin care products that I couldn’t even begin to identify.

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing on a Sunday night than watching secret sex tapes of your star-crossed lover who also happens to be my bandmate,” she asked, rubbing what appeared to be lotion onto her long, shapely legs. “So, new release just dropped, huh? What’s this one called today? evidence_for_law_enforcement.mp4?”

“competition.mp4,” I corrected, checking the phone.

“Ooh, nice and catchy. Hopefully followed by send_me_to_jail_final_final2.mov, director’s cut.”

“Aren’t you taking this a little too lightly?”

“The alternative is that I throw up on your lap,” she said, pretending to lean over me.

“Save the vomit for after,” I said, dodging.

She started fanning her face with her hands. “Okay, on a more serious note—scale of one to we have to call an exorcist, how cursed do you think this file is?”

“8, hopefully.”

“Hopefully?”

“Better than a 10.”

“If he starts the video with a black screen and a whisper, I’m walking out and moving to Jeju to become a potato farmer.”

“Do they even grow potatoes in Jeju? Why not hallabongs?”

“I’m sure somebody is growing potatoes down there, and if not, then there’s a new market for me.”

I pulled my laptop out of my bag, and pried it open on the coffee table, like we were setting up for some sick, twisted horror movie night.

She scooted closer until our knees matched, then propped her chin on my shoulder to read the screen. Her skin was cool from lotion, while my palms were hot and sweaty.

“Have you had enough?” she read. “Why yes, how nice of you to ask, we have had enough, actually.”

“Ready?” I asked, swallowing hard.

“No,” she said, taking a deep breath. “But go ahead.”

I nodded and hit play.

The video opened with a close-up on Wonyoung’s face, her makeup perfectly done—smoky eyes, lips glossed a deep crimson to match her lingerie. Strands of her wavy black hair dropped over one shoulder, framing a seductive smile far removed from her usual idol persona. She wore sheer red lace that hugged every curve of her gorgeous body, and around her slender neck sat a red collar embedded with red diamond spikes, glinting under the soft lights.

“Damn, who did her makeup for this?” Yujin muttered to herself. “She looks hot.”

“Introduce yourself,” a voice said. The same voice from the Rolls-Royce. Him.

“I’m IVE’s Jang Wonyoung,” she purred, her voice dripping with lust, as if she was rewritten from the inside. She eased onto all fours, knees spread wide on the plush carpet, her ass arched high to display the thin strip of a red thong disappearing between her firm cheeks. Her hands pressed flat against the floor, fingers splayed as if ready to crawl toward him at any moment.

“And what will you do today?”

“Today, I’ll prove to my master that I’m his number one slave who deserves the black collar.” Her eyes locked on the camera, burning with a fierce determination.

He chuckled satisfyingly. “And what’s your greatest strength?”

“My mouth,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “I’ll remind him once and for all that only I know how to properly worship his cock.”

“Does she have a teleprompter?” Yujin asked in a whisper.

The camera panned smoothly to the right, and my breath got stuck in my throat.

It was Yuna, kneeling obediently beside Wonyoung, her posture almost a perfect mirror. White lingerie clung to her accentuated curves, the lace translucent enough to reveal the peaks of her nipples and the smoothness of her folds were visible beneath the delicate panties. Her white collar, edged in a gleaming gold, hugged her neck like a halo that slipped down too far.

“Okay, what in the ultra high budget multi-verse porno is this?” Yujin said, slamming the spacebar on the laptop. “Is that Yuna? Gotta give it to him, this production value is already at an 8 from just the casting.”

My eyes were stuck on the frozen frame of Yuna’s face. Just who was I going up against?

“And the costumes?” she continued, perhaps too quickly. “Wardrobe worked overtime for this one. What’s the plot though? Devil versus angel, fighting over who gets to be…charcoal?”

Even though her mouth was rapid firing jokes, her shoulders were tense, and her hands were trembling, hovering above the laptop.

“Or is this some anime cosplay party that I’m just not cultured enough to understand? If Wonyoung says Flame Breathing: Second Form, I’m going to—”

“Yujin,” I said, putting my hand over hers. “It’s okay—”

“Hey, just think of it this way. Your jealousy arc has supporting characters now.” She smirked, but her eyes didn’t match the smile.

I gently pulled her down, feeling her muscles unclench as she returned to the cushions. “You don’t have to watch if you’re—”

“I’m fine,” she said, immediately resuming the video.

“I’m ITZY’s Yuna,” Yuna said, her tone a lighter echo of Wonyoung’s, eyes raised just enough to catch the light, lashes fluttering like an invitation to sin. She leaned forward slightly, her cleavage jiggling in front of the camera, and the golden edges of her collar caught the light as she licked her lips slowly. “I’m here to prove I’m his favorite slave.”

“And what’s your specialty, Yuna?”

She smirked devilishly, despite her angelic outfit. “There’s no one tighter than me. I’ll show my master how my pussy was made specifically as a sleeve for his cock.”

The lens lingered for a torturous moment, capturing the way their thighs trembled with restrained eagerness, before drifting further. Slowly, like a predator’s stalk, it revealed the edge of another, third figure entering the frame.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Pink flooded the screen. Pink glossy lips parted in a teasing pout, rosy cheeks blooming with heat as if freshly kissed or slapped, pink lacy lingerie clinging to her milky skin, the sheer see-through bra doing absolutely nothing to hide stiff pink nipples underneath. Below, a crotch slit wide open to expose another set of perfectly pink lips, and a matching pink floral collar tightened around her slender neck, covering lines of tiny pink marks left behind by the leather.

“I’m gonna be sick,” Yujin said, covering her mouth.

End of Chapter 8.