“Ugh… Where…”
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in a different place than before.
It was already unfamiliar, but the voice was also unfamiliar, a frail voice that made it even more unreal.
For some reason, I was on the back of a masked figure wearing pink clothes.
In front of me… is that a door?
There was a huge iron door.
Once again, my memory was hazy, and I couldn’t remember how I ended up like this.
[Thump-]
[Bang!]
As the huge iron door in front of me opened, a familiar place came into view.
Countless rows of bunk beds… a high and comfortable place… and women wearing yellow and orange skirts…
It was the auditorium.
I couldn’t remember anything from just now, but I could remember this place.
…Perhaps because I had been here for so long, it was deeply etched in my memory.
Is today the 7th day… or was it the 8th…?
I should check the monitor later.
I turned my head to the right and saw a beautiful woman with yellow hair being carried on someone’s back.
…Is that Yujin?
Seeing Yujin, memories from before slowly began to flow back.
I… did that with Yujin…
Now that I remembered it to some extent, I didn’t want to remember it anymore.
As I gradually remembered, I became ashamed of how pathetically I had gone.
“Ugh…”
As more and more memories surfaced, only ugly memories welled up, and my eyes squeezed shut.
At that moment…
[Thud-]
[Thump-]
“Ouch… What are you doing…!”
The masked figure carrying me suddenly pushed me off, and I fell off the stage, snapping me back to my senses.
My backside throbbed, probably because I landed on my butt first.
Worried that Yujin might be treated the same way, I turned my head towards her…
Ironically, the masked figures were carefully moving Yujin to a bed.
These discriminatory bastards…
Looking around, I could hear people whispering about the sudden intrusion of the masked figures.
“We sincerely apologize for interrupting your dinner in the auditorium.”
As soon as the masked figure in the center of the stage finished speaking, someone emerged from the auditorium.
Black hair, a handsome face, and a muscular build…
With the white patch that read ‘107’, I was sure it was Seongho.
“What on earth happened to these participants!?”
Seongho was still worried about us.
…Usually, he would hide in a situation like this, but this is also a chronic problem.
“Participants 164 and 456 violated the rules of the game and have received appropriate measures.”
“Due to an unavoidable accident in the middle, they were only given a warning… but if such a situation occurs again…”
“Regardless of warnings, punishment will be carried out.”
In a way, it was a final warning and a threat.
It seems I might have to give up on escaping this game altogether.
…After all, escape was a pipe dream inside the lair of these guys with technology straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Still, I wanted to at least figure out the game this time…
“Then please continue to enjoy your dinner, and rest assured that the next game will proceed as planned tomorrow.”
“We hope you enjoy it.”
[Thump-]
[Bang!]
I could breathe a sigh of relief as the masked figures left… but on the other hand, I was worried about Yujin.
Have I been influenced by Seongho’s personality?
Maybe going to save Yujin was also influenced by those around me.
I’ve only received help so far…
I should go check on Yujin after all.
…
“Yujin… Yujin, are you okay!?”
As Seongho touched Yujin, she slowly opened her eyes.
Considering what had just happened, it was a relief that she seemed alright.
“Ugh… Where am I…?”
“The auditorium.”
As I spoke, Yujin turned her gaze towards me, and I could see her face gradually turning red.
…She must have remembered what happened.
“What… what happened to you two?”
“Well… that’s…”
Seongho asked directly, and I wanted to make an excuse, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
If I were to talk about what happened…
Seongho seems to be asking out of concern, but I was reluctant to even mention what happened.
“Nothing happened… haha…”
Yujin made an excuse that wasn’t really an excuse, but her face remained red.
…Her tone was awkward, so even Seongho might notice…
“Yujin!? Tell me honestly… what happened?”
Come to think of it, Seongho’s perception was almost zero.
Yujin’s red face, trembling voice, and saying that nothing happened.
He should have noticed.
[Tap, tap]
“Seongho… that’s enough…”
I barely touched Seongho’s shoulder and pleaded with him, and he seemed to have noticed to some extent.
No, did he really notice…? At least his face didn’t show it, but I decided to trust him for now.
I turned my head towards the monitor to change the subject, and it read ‘DAY – 9’.
Come to think of it, the masked figure said we were having dinner…
The fact that the next game would start right away tomorrow made me tense again.
“Seongho, I couldn’t find out about the next game… I’m sorry.”
“It’s enough that you came back safely.”
Looking at Seongho’s face, even he seemed quite disappointed.
…Would it have been better to keep going through the ventilation shaft back then?
“Seongho… could you leave us alone for a while? I need to talk to Yujin…”
“Can I at least have my meal…? Ah… I understand.”
Perhaps he realized that the atmosphere had become heavy, Seongho quietly packed his case and left.
If I left any resentment like during the flag stealing game, I would only be at a disadvantage in the future games.
It was better to resolve it now.
“Yujin… can we talk…?”
“Senior Jiyoon… I’m so sorry…!”
She seemed to feel quite guilty about what happened before.
“I was the one who accepted the bet… I was the one who did wrong…”
“I was the one who should be sorry.”
I wonder if I can alleviate Yujin’s guilt even a little with these words…
But she still seemed to be contemplating.
“…I’m really sorry, but could you give me some time to think…?”
“Okay. But let’s both do our best in the next game.”
After a brief greeting, I was about to return to my seat when Yujin gave me a short greeting.
Her face still showed a conflicted look, so the resentment didn’t seem to be completely resolved.
…But I can’t hold her back, and it would be better to call her out and talk to her tomorrow.
…
When I returned to my bed, the scarlet blanket and pillow welcomed me.
I thought I was calming down a bit, but it only made me feel worse.
It felt like I was being completely treated like a woman.
[Thump-]
“Haa…”
But what can I do?
Now that I think about it, I have to spend 20 days in this bed.
I’m past the age where I feel uncomfortable with pink, so I might as well just adapt.
I haven’t eaten anything for the past day, so I was quite hungry.
…But I didn’t feel like eating.
I covered myself with the blanket and looked at my hands, which were so thin that they looked like they would break if I touched them.
Just as I was about to adapt, something new welcomed me, and my body was exhausted in many ways.
“I wish all of this was just a dream…”
I wish I could go back home, even if it was a semi-basement.
There was no shortage of food or welfare here, but I suddenly missed home.
I didn’t feel like sleeping, but as I covered myself with the blanket up to my head, my eyes closed on their own…
✦✦✦
[Thud-]
“Hoo…”
My body, which had been sleeping as usual, seemed to have hit the wall.
…I had to find a part-time job again today.
I got up for a moment, poured water into a cup, and looked around the part-time job hell, and I saw quite a few part-time job postings.
But I decided to have hope until I escaped this semi-basement life.
Was it the influence of the people around me…? I sometimes felt frustrated, but I didn’t feel like dying.
It was difficult to find a high-paying part-time job due to my career issues… but I should do my best as long as I have my body.
…
[Thud-]
“Shit…”
I fell off the bed again today.
The first thing I saw was the poorly fitted maid outfit and the abnormally large breasts, which only made me feel unpleasant.
I couldn’t remember the details of the dream, but it seemed better than my current life.
[Step… Step…]
Fortunately, there were high-end coffee mix and hot water available, so I could follow my usual habits.
Rather, the habits that remained even in this situation seemed to protect my identity.
I drank coffee for a while and looked at the monitor, which read ‘DAY – 10’.
Is it already the 10th day…?
Time felt fast and slow at the same time.
Especially since I was castrated recently, time felt like it was flowing even slower.
…Is it because everything has become unfamiliar?
Looking around, I could see other participants getting up one by one.
Most of them seemed used to being women since it had been quite a while.
Will I ever get used to it like that…?
I already felt somewhat used to it, but I hated change too much now.
During my semi-basement life, I yearned for change in order to escape…
[It’s meal time]
[Participants, please take one of the cases in front of you]