81 – One Month In

It was around lunchtime when a police car entered the training center.

“Here they come.”

Hayoon munched on an apple, watching through the window.

Ten days without getting caught was a pretty good run, she thought. Though, now that he was caught, all that running was meaningless.

“Here they come? What do you mean?”

“Shin Sohyun, that bastard.”

“What? Sohyun’s here?!”

Hayoon was answering Kim Seonah, but the response came from elsewhere.

Jin Siwon, who had been listlessly picking at his food, rushed to the window at Hayoon’s words, peering outside.

Just then, the police officers who had gotten out first were dragging Shin Sohyun out of the back seat. They pulled him out so roughly that he fell to the ground.

Enraged, Jin Siwon’s eyes widened as he shouted,

“Those damn bastards! They’re handling him too roughly!”

“Would you handle an escaped mental patient gently? He’s not even considered a trainee anymore.”

“Ugh…!”

At Hayoon’s words, Jin Siwon trembled, then spun around and stormed out of the dorm.

Or rather, he tried to, but Mr. Park, who was entering the dorm, grabbed him in a headlock.

“Oh, Jin Siwon! Where are you going instead of eating?”

“M-Mr. Park, why are you here…”

“Well, to stop Jin Siwon from running wild, of course.”

“Agh…!”

Jin Siwon grimaced in pain as his head was squeezed in the tight grip. Regardless, Mr. Park continued,

“As you all know, Shin Sohyun, who escaped, has been caught by the police and is being handed over to our training center. Don’t cause any trouble while outsiders are here, and stay put. Especially Jin Siwon, I’ll be watching you, so don’t leave and eat your food.”

“Kuh-uh…!”

As if he already knew, Jin Siwon could only tremble at Mr. Park’s words. Hayoon scoffed at the sight, then turned her head to look outside.

Shin Sohyun, who had been lying on the ground, was now being forcibly held up by the police officers, who had grabbed his arms.

Even from a distance, it was clear that his condition was severe. His exposed skin was covered in dark bruises, and a twisted ankle seemed like a minor issue. His face was still downcast, but it was clear he wasn’t in his right mind.

And if the visible injuries were this bad, the internal ones must be even worse. He must have been severely abused, requiring extensive treatment. Well, that was to be expected.

A trainee who escapes is treated as less than vermin from that point on.

As long as they don’t kill them, anything is allowed from the moment they’re caught. So, he must have been passed around by the police officers after being caught.

The teachers, except for Mr. Park, Mr. Choi and Ms. Gan, went out to greet them. They exchanged words and burst into laughter. It seemed like they were sharing a pleasant joke. Then, Ms. Gan grabbed Shin Sohyun’s head, which had been hanging down without moving since earlier, and lifted it up.

Thanks to that, Shin Sohyun’s face could be seen. As expected, his face was a mess. His glasses were nowhere to be seen, and he couldn’t open one eye. The one eye that was open was unfocused, as if he had already lost his mind.

Ms. Gan seemed to think the same, as she quickly let go. Shin Sohyun’s head dropped down again. They talked some more. Ms. Gan pointed towards the trainees, and the police officers laughed and shook their heads.

They probably offered to let them relieve their sexual desires with the trainees while they were here, but they didn’t need to since they were already satisfied with Shin Sohyun. Hayoon watched as the police officers, after handing Shin Sohyun over to the teachers, got back in their car and left the training center, then threw the apple core into the food waste bin.

“…Hayoon, I told you not to throw that.”

“Why should a bitch who’s leaving soon care about that?”

Hongryun, who was eating, snapped at her, but Hayoon just flipped her off.

“Annoying bitch.”

“Fucking bitch.”

The two hurled insults at each other, then ignored each other and went back to what they were doing.

As Hayoon said, Hongryun only had a few days left here anyway. There was no need to waste emotions when there were only a few days left to see each other’s faces.

Hongryun, who had less than a month left until her discharge when Hayoon arrived at the training center, was scheduled to leave in two days.

Of course, her leaving also meant that Ryu Jina and Baek Sora were leaving as well.

The last trainees who remembered Hayoon from her days as a teacher were disappearing. It felt both freeing and made her sigh.

It meant that only the teachers who had worked with her for a long time were left who remembered her when she was a man.

She wasn’t close to those three anyway, and their relationship was actually hostile, but the fact that there were fewer people who remembered her when she was a man made her feel strange.

‘…But I don’t have any intention of becoming friends with them now.’

Hayoon thought, then grabbed Kim Seonah’s pinky finger.

It was a kind of signal. To put it crudely, a sex sign.

“…Go ahead. I’ll be there soon.”

Kim Seonah said, then gave her a small peck on the cheek. Hayoon was used to such displays of affection now, and she left the dorm with a leisurely gait.

What happened to Shin Sohyun was no longer her concern.

The next two days passed quickly. Friday of the 4th week at the training center. After morning roll call, Hongryun, Baek Sora, and Ryu Jina headed to the administration office.

“Hongryun and Ryu Jina. They didn’t reconcile until the end.”

Kim Seonah muttered, watching their backs. Unlike Hongryun and Baek Sora, who were walking side by side down the hallway, Ryu Jina was walking far away, clearly showing that their relationship was no longer what it used to be.

“It doesn’t matter, they won’t be able to see each other after they leave anyway. They’ll either be sold to the people who will become their owners, or they’ll be assigned to where they’re needed.”

And they would spend their entire lives there. Unless something special happened.

As Hayoon thought this, Kim Seonah hugged her from behind and muttered,

“…That’s too bad. To break up like that.”

“How much did they put us through? I don’t feel sorry for them.”

“I don’t feel that sorry for them either. It’s just… their situation isn’t just their own.”

“…”

That was true. It had been almost a month, but when the time came, the two of them would also leave the training center.

And like those three, they would be scattered and never see each other again.

Instead of answering, Hayoon held the hand that was hugging her and said,

“You’ll probably go back to your family, so you won’t be as restricted as those three.”

“What about Hayoon?”

“Me… I don’t know. I’ll have to meet an owner who respects a sex toy’s freedom.”

Unlike Kim Seonah, who had friends and family who had been hiding her for a month, Hayoon had no one.

There was a high chance that she would be sold or assigned to where she was needed.

‘Well, there’s a high probability that I’ll go to those guys.’

Hayoon thought of Woo Shinhyung and Han Seolah. And the bets she had made with them.

‘I have about six chances left…’

She had lost every match against Mr. Park so far. If she lost all four of the remaining chances next week, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill the order to leave only three cigarettes, which was a headache.

She had definitely gained stamina and her technique was better than before, but she couldn’t understand why she couldn’t win even once.

‘I have to win at least once.’

Then it didn’t matter if she lost the rest. She only needed to leave three cigarettes. Hayoon thought this and left with Kim Seonah to prepare for the morning schedule.

It was time for the hamster wheel to turn again.

It wasn’t even time for the morning schedule to start yet. Ryu Jina was leaning against the wall outside the administration office, glancing at Hongryun and Baek Sora.

“We’re going to be separated soon.”

“…Don’t cry. We’ll be able to meet again someday.”

“What if we can’t meet again? I’m so scared. I’d rather stay here with you forever…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely come find you.”

They were having a tearful farewell, leaving her out. Ryu Jina thumped her chest with a clenched fist.

‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have cared what happened to Hayoon.’

In the end, she had helped out of some pathetic sympathy, and this was the result. She tried to hold back the tears that were welling up, and then the door to the administration office opened and Mr. Choi said,

“Follow me. The people who are taking you have arrived.”

The three followed Mr. Choi. Even though the moment of separation was approaching, Hongryun didn’t even look at Ryu Jina. She was only busy comforting Baek Sora, who was sobbing.

Ryu Jina sighed and shook off her lingering feelings. They were going to break up anyway, so she decided to think of it as breaking up a little early.

It was a very late realization, but she felt much better now that she thought that way.

The three arrived at the parade ground with Mr. Choi, where three types of cars were lined up. A black limousine, a gray foreign car, and a Retona.

‘Wait, a Retona?’

Ryu Jina had a bad feeling. The fact that the Retona looked familiar made her feel even more uneasy.

And that uneasiness became a reality when the driver got out.

“Ryu Donghyun! Long time no see.”

“Sergeant Kim…”

“I’m a Staff Sergeant now. I got promoted recently.”

Ryu Jina covered her face at the sight of Staff Sergeant Kim, who was smiling with white teeth that didn’t match his sun-tanned skin.

She had barely escaped from the military, and now she was being dragged back in. This was too much.

“Hong Yoonsoo, or should I call you Hongryun now. It’s been a while.”

At the words of the man in a neat suit who got out of the back seat of the limousine, Hongryun bowed her head and said,

“…I didn’t expect you to come in person, brother.”

“It feels stiff when you call me brother with that face. Try calling me older brother.”

He was the one who reported her and sold her to the training center, but he was still shameless. Hongryun was momentarily furious, but she calmed herself and said,

“Hong Yoonseok, older brother.”

“Heh, a cute younger sister is better than a dark younger brother. By the way, is that gray-haired girl your friend?”

At Hong Yoonseok’s words, Hongryun turned her head and looked at Baek Sora, who was being harassed by a middle-aged potbelly.

Unlike a moment ago, when she was shedding tears, she was expressionless.

“…No. She’s just a classmate.”

“Is that so? But she was clinging to you from afar. You don’t seem that close?”

“I was just putting up with her clinging.”

“Hmm, if you were close, I was thinking of negotiating with that gentleman and bringing her along. But if you say so.”

Hongryun flinched at those words, but she grabbed her arm tightly and nodded.

She couldn’t be fooled. If she showed that she had someone precious, Hong Yoonseok would use that to torment her.

‘…When his guard is down.’

Only then would she be able to meet her again. Hongryun thought this and got into the back seat of the limousine with Hong Yoonseok.

Vroom- The three cars that had filled the parade ground left the training center.

And the naked trainees filled the parade ground that the cars had left.

The morning schedule began with Mr. Park’s shout.