episode_0059

The bath was filled with a faint steam, blurring the vision.

The hot, humid air rushed in, making it feel a little suffocating to even breathe.

Perhaps it was connected to an outdoor bath, as one wall was made of glass, letting in the night sky and faint moonlight.

On the other side, a small bamboo ornament that made a gurgling sound added to the ambiance.

Steaming rocks and a bath where warm water rippled.

The atmosphere itself was incomparably beautiful.

But to Mina at the moment, it felt like nothing more than a beautifully decorated prison from which she couldn’t escape.

“…”

As the damp warmth enveloped her bare skin, Mina stood at the entrance of the bath, gripping the towel wrapped around her chest.

“Haa. Why do I have to do something like this even on a business trip…”

The words she softly uttered were light, like a complaint, but they held a sharp venom within.

At Mina’s sarcasm, Hyeonseong, who had been following, replied in an indifferent tone.

“If you don’t like it, you can go back even now.”

At his tone, as if he would gladly let her go if she wished, Mina scoffed.

‘As if he had even the slightest intention of doing so.’

At Hyeonseong’s ever-approaching presence, Mina was pushed forward, stepping into the bath.

She went straight to a secluded corner of the bath and submerged herself. The water reached her shoulders, and her body seemed to relax a little.

Yet, her heart remained heavy.

Then, with the sound of water parting, Hyeonseong approached Mina.

“Ugh.”

The moment his water-beaded shoulder touched her, Mina’s entire body shivered, and she instinctively flinched.

Hyeonseong, however, seemed unfazed. With a calm expression, he made her lean against him and spoke in a leisurely voice.

“It certainly feels like all the fatigue is washing away, doesn’t it?”

“It would have been perfect if you weren’t here, Senior-nim.”

“That’s harsh.”

Even at Mina’s retort, delivered as if spitting, Hyeonseong merely chuckled.

“You worked hard today.”

“What’s with you? You’re just spewing empty flattery.”

“I’m genuinely praising you as your superior, you know? Why do you think I picked you as my assistant?”

“You needed an obedient slave, didn’t you?”

“I needed an obedient and diligent subordinate.”

Bullshit.

Even at this moment, you’re only thinking about how to toy with my body.

“…What’s your relationship with that woman?”

As Mina stared blankly at the water’s surface, half-embraced by him, such a question suddenly escaped her lips.

Mina herself couldn’t understand why she had brought up this question.

But the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back.

“That woman?”

“That woman who came to see you off at the airport. Lizetta, was it? You two seemed incredibly close.”

Mina raised her head and glared directly at him.

Hoping the derision in her eyes conveyed itself even through the steam.

“Did you manipulate and play with her, too, like you did with me and Team Leader-nim?”

She drew out the end of her sentence, laughing sarcastically.

“She even called you ‘Hyeonseong-nim,’ with the honorific. I guess you ordered her to play that kind of game, too?”

Though her mouth spat venom, her body, like a traitor, held its breath wherever his touch brushed against her.

“That’s nice for you. You have an obedient slave, unlike me. I guess you don’t need me anymore, do you?”

Ah, well.

Perhaps you never had any affection for me from the start?

“I wondered why you were so quiet today. Were you jealous because of that person?”

“…Go to hell, seriously.”

At his playful tone, Mina, whose anger flared to the extreme, growled fiercely.

It was absurd that she had even grown accustomed to this kind of conversation.

‘How did my life end up like this?’

Day by day, she tried to please him, careful not to upset his mood.

She gave her body without resistance whenever he desired.

What’s more, unlike her childhood, she wasn’t even allowed to run away now.

A life of a slave, worse than livestock.

It was more dreadful than her mother’s situation, which she had so despised.

“Ha.”

Mina inadvertently let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

In response to Hyeonseong’s question, Mina turned her head to look at his face instead of answering.

He used to be such an obvious man, as if he were on the palm of her hand.

Lately, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.

Did he want revenge?

Or did he just want to play with her?

…Well, still, these days she didn’t need to worry about other people’s eyes as much, so there were some aspects that had become easier.

As for her reputation, there was no image left to worsen within the company, so acting had become meaningless.

She could simply get through each day safely as long as she didn’t go against this man’s words…

‘You’ve lost your mind, Park Mina.’

Mina abruptly splashed the hot spring water onto her face.

To think her current situation was comfortable — she must have truly lost her mind.

“Are you okay? Are you really feeling unwell?”

Ah, seriously, he’s annoying.

At his calm tone asking what was wrong, Mina’s insides boiled with irritation.

“Hmph?!”

Just then, Hyeonseong’s arm suddenly wrapped around Mina’s waist.

As her slender back pressed against his firm chest, her whole body tensed sensitively.

“Let’s see, it feels like you might have a fever.”

“It’s natural for my body to be hot when I’m in here. Get away!”

Mina instinctively tried to push his chest away with her palms, but there was little strength in her push.

Soon, his hand cleverly slipped under the wet towel clinging to her body.

His firm hand began to caress her chest gently yet persistently.

It was as if he was asserting that this body was a toy he could play with whenever he wanted.

“Haa… Seriously, pervert…”

Mina mumbled, yet she didn’t try to avoid his other hand as it swept up the inside of her thigh.

The hand that had been kneading her breast soon found her sensitive nipple and gently pinched and twisted it, not hard enough to hurt.

“Hnnngh, ahnng!”

Mina bit her lip to stop the moans that escaped her involuntarily.

But Hyeonseong continued his caresses, as if he wouldn’t tolerate silence.

The hand that had been stroking the inside of her thigh had now penetrated the most intimate part between her legs.

Because they were in the water, his fingers slid in without resistance, accurately finding her already hot and sensitive clitoris and beginning to rub it.

“Ah… Hnnngh!? No, not there!”

Mina writhed her waist, trying to escape his embrace, as an intense pleasure like an electric current flowed through her.

But the more she struggled, the tighter Hyeonseong’s arm wrapped around her waist.

As the movement of his fingers grew faster and more intense, Mina’s mind turned white, a mix of shame and pleasure.

“Hah! I-I’m coming, ahh!”

Ultimately, under his persistent touch, Mina succumbed helplessly.

As his fingers, rubbing her clitoris, intensified their pressure, Mina’s body trembled and convulsed.

“Haah. Haa.”

After her climax, Mina buried her face in his embrace, gasping for breath.

Again, by this man.

She had succumbed to the pleasure he gave.

Soon, she would be violently ravaged by his monstrous penis.

As always.

Mina closed her eyes, waiting for the next stage.

“Oof.”

However, contrary to her expectations, Hyeonseong simply rose.

With the sound of water splashing, he slowly moved away from Mina.

“I’ll stop here. You can enjoy yourself leisurely and come out later.”

“…Eh?”

What was that sound…?

“Ah, you’re not going to put it in?”

Mina looked up at him, her gaze filled with doubt.

The question of why she was even asking such a thing didn’t even cross her mind.

“Hmm. I don’t really feel like it today.”

Don’t feel like it?

Mina’s gaze naturally fell to the object between his legs, which was emitting an overwhelming presence.

It’s standing like that, and he doesn’t feel like it?

“Forcing it on someone who says no is only okay once or twice. If you really don’t want it, I’ll just do it with someone else.”

Mina held her breath at Hyeonseong’s meaningful smile.

If he meant “someone else” here, only one person came to mind.

No, more than that, what kind of whim was this, when he had been so eager to penetrate her until now?

Leaving Mina, who was frozen in place, Hyeonseong leisurely walked out of the bath.

Was he really going back without doing anything?

After tormenting her like this?

“Oh, right.”

Then, just before leaving the bath, Hyeonseong turned his head as if something had occurred to him.

“I don’t really hold any ill will towards you anymore.”

“Wha—”

At his sudden words, all sound disappeared from Mina’s world for a moment.

“But don’t get the wrong idea. It doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.”

He added in a light tone.

“It’s just that if I keep getting angry about past events, only I get tired. And in the end, there was no real harm done to me, was there?”

At Hyeonseong’s words, Mina’s heart felt like it sank.

No feelings, at all?

That can’t be.

That was not an act that could be easily forgiven with time.

And why would he suddenly bring up such a thing at this moment?

However, what Mina found most incomprehensible was.

Her own feelings, which felt both relief and disappointment at his words.

“Then, take your time and come out.”

Hyeonseong left the bath, leaving only those few words behind.

Silence quickly settled in the bath, and Mina, left alone, replayed the words he had left behind in her mind.

‘I don’t hold any ill will anymore.’

‘I don’t feel like it.’

Among them, the last words he left seemed to imply “don’t bother me.”

Then, isn’t that good?

It means she’ll be tormented less by that man now.

It should be so.

Then why does her heart feel so restless, as if an empty space has opened up inside?

What remained where his touch had disappeared was not the liberation she had expected, but a cold, chilling emptiness.

“Ugh.”

Mina, unable to bear the surge of emotions she herself couldn’t understand, and furious that her feelings were violently swaying with every word and action from that man, plunged her head into the hot spring water as she was.

How wonderful would it be if she could just melt away and disappear like this.

Mina thought so, letting out a silent scream underwater.

****

I came out of the bath, put on a yukata, and returned to the guest room.

Opening the sliding door, I saw Kang Jooyoung, who had returned first and gone to sleep.

“Eung…”

She seemed quite drunk, as Jooyoung let out steady breaths, unaware that the front of her yukata was slightly open.

I quietly approached her and sat down beside her.

Her cheeks were flushed red, perhaps from the alcohol, and her lips were slightly parted.

Her exposed neckline and collarbone emitted a strange sensuality.

Her disheveled appearance, completely unlike her usual sharp and haughty demeanor, heated my lower body.

“Tonight’s main dish is definitely this one.”

What I said to Mina was half-true.

Her continuously provocative attitude and brazen refusal to show any remorse were unpleasant.

But, of course, I also had the urge to violate her.

Still.

‘I want to see her begging for it herself soon.’

Watching her wail in misery as she’s forcibly violated is certainly something to behold.

But even that gets tiresome when it’s repeated.

Seeing her reaction when I dangled the bait in the bath just now, it doesn’t seem like it’ll take much longer.

I smiled contentedly and reached for the obi of sleeping Jooyoung’s yukata.

Sleek, the knot came undone, and the thin fabric parted to reveal the pale skin and underwear hidden beneath, visible in the faint moonlight.

It was time to unleash what had been building up on this side as well.