Chapter 255 - Ha-young and Min-seo
"Euuueuk..."
A heavy, crushing pain weighed down his entire body, as if every single joint had been pulverized by a steamroller.
Minseo forced his eyelids open.
Through his blurry vision, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Haa..."
Where was he?
He tried to piece his memories together, but his mind was a jumbled mess.
He remembered drinking with Choi Su-hyeon yesterday, then being dragged to the hotel and...
"Ah..."
As the memories flooded back, his face burned with shame.
He had been ravaged like an animal all night long.
Thoroughly broken by Suhyeon's hands and her toys.
Minseo struggled to sit up.
His waist ached as if it were about to snap, and his insides still throbbed with a dull heat.
He looked around.
He was in a spacious, luxurious hotel suite. On the king-sized bed, only the crumpled sheets and dried traces of bodily fluids remained as evidence of last night's fierce encounter.
But the room was empty.
"Suhyeon...?"
He called out, but there was no answer. Only silence filled the room.
Minseo stared blankly at the bedside table.
A white note sat there, and a wave of foreboding swept over him.
With trembling hands, he picked it up.
The handwriting was neat yet sharp—Choi Su-hyeon's writing.
[Oppa, yesterday was really fun. I want to play more, but something urgent came up so I'm heading out first. Oh, and I already talked to Hayoung eonni about it, so don't worry.]
"...What?"
Minseo's pupils shook violently.
She talked to her?
About what, exactly?
No way... Did she tell her she had too much fun fucking me all night to check in?
A chill ran down his spine.
If that was the case, it was a blatant provocation. Baek Ha-young absolutely loathed it when others touched her possessions.
Even if Suhyeon was her closest confidante, she had wrecked her 'toy' all night without permission. And if Hayoung thought I had gone along with it willingly?
"Fuck, I'm so dead..."
Pale with fear, Minseo scrambled to find his phone.
He found it buried among the clothes scattered on the floor and fumbled to turn it on.
Vrrr— Vrrr—
He expected a barrage of missed call notifications the moment it booted up, but surprisingly, it was quiet.
That was even more terrifying.
The calm before the storm.
Minseo pressed speed dial number one with trembling fingers.
The word 'Master' appeared on the screen.
Ring— Ring—
The tone droned on for what felt like an eternity.
"Please, please pick up... Nuna, please..."
His lips were bone-dry. His heart pounded as if it were going to explode out of his chest.
Ring— Click.
The call didn't connect; instead, a recording informed him he was being forwarded to voicemail.
Minseo dropped the phone, his face a mask of despair.
She wasn't answering.
Baek Ha-young was ignoring him.
This was a clear sign. She was either beyond furious or already making arrangements to dispose of him.
"No, I have to go. Now. I have to go and beg."
Minseo staggered out of bed. His legs gave way, nearly sending him sprawling onto the floor, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand.
He could feel a grimy slickness leaking from between his buttocks, but he didn't have time to care.
He practically crawled into the bathroom and cranked on the shower.
Cold water sprayed over his feverish skin. His reflection in the mirror was pathetic—covered in red handprints, bruises, and bite marks.
"Haa, haa..."
He roughly wiped himself dry and threw on his clothes from the floor.
His hands shook so badly he could barely fasten the buttons.
He fled the hotel and hailed a taxi. The scenery passing by the window was a blur; all he could see was Baek Ha-young's cold, piercing gaze.
She wouldn't kill me, would she? No, maybe dying would be better. If I get dragged back to that basement again...
Just the thought made his knees buckle.
The taxi pulled up in front of the massive mansion that served as the Baekhwa headquarters. Minseo jumped out and bolted through the main gate.
He checked the time.
5:00 PM.
Work hours were long over. He had been absent without notice and unreachable all day. And to top it off, he'd spent the night with another woman.
This was a disaster.
The security guards glanced at him, but Minseo ignored them and ran into the main building.
He was completely winded.
"Huff, huff..."
He hurried down the hallway and stopped in front of Hayoung's office. The massive mahogany door loomed over him, imposing and silent.
He took a deep breath.
Calm down. I have to look as pitiful as possible. No, it's the truth. I'm the victim here.
Knock, knock.
The sound seemed deafening in the quiet hall.
"Come in."
Hayoung's voice drifted from inside—dry and low.
Minseo carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Creeeeak.
Inside the spacious office, Hayoung was sitting at her desk by the window, buried under a mountain of paperwork.
She was wearing thin, gold-rimmed glasses—something she rarely did—and was reviewing documents with a pen in hand. She looked so cold and composed that Minseo froze in the doorway.
Hayoung didn't even look up. Only the sound of rustling paper filled the room.
"Uh, um... Nuna."
Minseo's voice was small and strained.
Only then did Hayoung's hand stop moving. She slowly raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes gleamed coldly behind the lenses, her expression entirely devoid of emotion.
"...You're here?"
That was all she said.
Minseo's shoulders instinctively hunched forward.
"I'm—I'm so sorry. For being late... I'm not trying to make excuses, but..."
His words tripped over each other.
Hayoung's gaze swept over his entire body, as if she could see right through his clothes to the marks hidden beneath.
"Yesterday... Suhyeon took my phone... I couldn't call you. I swear."
Minseo rushed to explain, his voice growing more desperate.
"I was trapped in the hotel... all night... she wouldn't let me leave... I really tried to get away... but my body wouldn't listen..."
His face burned with shame, but he couldn't stop. He had to make her understand how helpless he'd been, how unfair it all was.
"When I woke up this morning, I was alone... Suhyeon just left a note and disappeared... so I came straight here. I wasn't doing anything else, Nuna. Please believe me..."
Minseo's voice began to crack, bordering on tears.
But Hayoung remained silent. She simply set down her pen, propped her chin on her hand, and stared at him intently.
It was a heavy, meaningful stare. There wasn't even a trace of a smile on her lips.
She's furious.
He could feel it in his gut. This wasn't just a bad mood; it was the stillness before an explosion.
Cold sweat trickled down Minseo's back. His legs were shaking so violently he could no longer stand.
Step, step.
Minseo approached her desk and, without hesitation, dropped to his knees.
Thud.
"I was wrong..."
Regardless of the reason, if the master was displeased, it was the slave's fault. That was the rule.
Minseo bowed his head low and waited for his punishment.
"..."
The longer the silence stretched, the more his terror multiplied. The sound of his own heart thundered in his ears.
And then.
Rustle.
He heard Hayoung stand up. Then, her hand reached out toward his head.
She's going to hit me.
Minseo flinched, squeezing his eyes shut. Would it be a slap? Would she grab his hair? Whatever it was, he had to take it.
But.
Stroke, stroke.
Contrary to his expectations, her touch was gentle. Hayoung's hand slowly and tenderly smoothed down his disheveled hair.
"...Huh?"
Minseo opened his eyes, looking dazed. He carefully lifted his head to look up at her.
Hayoung took off her glasses, set them on the desk, and let out a soft chuckle.
"Why are you so scared? It's cute."
"Uh...? I, I mean..."
As Minseo blinked, struggling to process the shift, Hayoung sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs.
"I already knew everything."
"...What?"
"Suhyeon contacted me before she took you away yesterday."
Minseo froze. The words were a total shock.
"She told me not to worry because you were with her. And..."
Hayoung wore a mischievous smirk as she hooked a finger under Minseo's chin, tilting his face up.
"She asked to borrow you for a day. Said you looked so delicious she couldn't help herself."
"Ah..."
Minseo's jaw dropped.
That meticulous woman, Choi Su-hyeon, had asked for permission beforehand. And he had come running here, imagining every horrific scenario possible, completely unaware.
"So I wasn't really worried. You know Suhyeon—she handles things properly. I figured she'd play with you just enough without breaking you, then send you back."
Hayoung spoke casually, as if she were talking about lending a friend a book.
Minseo felt a wave of relief, quickly followed by a surge of indignation.
"Then... why didn't you answer the phone...?" Minseo asked, his eyes welling up. "I was so scared... You didn't pick up, and you looked so angry just now..."
Hayoung finally had an 'oh' moment and fished her phone out from under a pile of papers.
"Sorry, sorry. I've been buried in executive meeting agendas since this morning. I didn't even know where I put my phone."
She checked the screen and shrugged.
"There's the missed call. Sorry I missed it."
"Then... that look on your face earlier...?"
"My face?" Hayoung rubbed her eyes. "Ah, that? My eyes were dry from reading all these documents, so I was probably scowling. I tend to get a stiff expression when I'm concentrating."
"..."
Minseo felt the air leave his lungs. It had all been a misunderstanding. Hayoung wasn't angry, and she hadn't abandoned him. She was just busy.
"Haa..."
He let out a long, shaky sigh. As the tension drained away, his muscles felt like they were melting. The relief of being safe was so overwhelming that his eyes grew hot.
"God... seriously..."
Minseo leaned forward and buried his face in Hayoung's thigh.
"Oh? Is our Minseo crying?" Hayoung giggled, clearly amused. "Heh."
Minseo didn't even have the strength to pull away. The warmth of her firm thigh was too comforting.
"I really... I thought I was going to die..."
Minseo gripped the hem of her suit pants tightly. The cool, distinct scent of her perfume filled his nose, strangely calming his frayed nerves.
"Aww, is that so? Suhyeon does play a bit rough sometimes."
Hayoung patted his back soothingly, like she was comforting a child. Her touch was surprisingly affectionate, so Minseo pressed himself deeper into her lap.
"Next time... tell me in advance..."
"Yeah, yeah. Next time I'll give you a heads-up. 'I'm loaning Minseo out today.'"
"That's not what I meant..."
Minseo mumbled, but Hayoung ignored him, smiling as she massaged the nape of his neck.
"By the way, Minseo." Her voice dropped an octave.
"Hm...?" Minseo answered without looking up.
"Suhyeon said your hole was incredibly tight."
"...!"
"How good did it feel for you to scream like that, huh?"
Hayoung's fingers toyed with his earlobe. Minseo's face flushed a brilliant crimson.
"Th-that was... she forced me..."
"Liar. I saw the video Suhyeon sent. You looked like you were loving it."
"V-video?!" Minseo flinched, snapping his head up in shock.
Hayoung waved her phone with a wicked grin. "Let's watch it together later. I was curious to see how you look while you're getting fucked, so this works out perfectly."
"No! Please, delete it!"
Minseo reached for the phone, but Hayoung easily dodged him and pressed his head back down.
"Tsk. Don't give orders to your master."
"Ueu..."
Minseo had no choice but to bury his face in her thigh again.
Looking down at Minseo, whose ears were beet-red with shame, Hayoung wore a satisfied smile.
Still, it was a relief. She wasn't angry. He hadn't been discarded.
Minseo felt more relieved that his master was in a good mood than he felt bad about his own pathetic situation. His body and mind had already been completely tamed by Baek Ha-young.