Warning: abuse, manipulation
(Dohyan pov)
The second the café doors shut and the police finally left, Hyok's polite mask disappeared in thin air. My heart started to beat faster than 1 second. I was afraid that I'd be punished. After all, he'll blame me for "creating a scene". He always does that. And how? By existing of course. Maybe if I die then I wouldn't be able to create this scene by just existing?
The moment we stepped inside the car, he grabbed me by my collar and yanked me forward. His voice dropped to a low, spitting danger
"You damn whore. Do you have any idea what you just did?"
Like hell I would know when it comes to his weird nonsense point of view.
I kept my eyes on the dashboard. "I didn't—"
"Didn't what?!" His voice cracked like a whip. "You didn't ask that idiot to make a scene? You didn't sit there like some pathetic stray begging to be rescued?"
What now? I have telepathy to insert the word "help" in his head. I swear in my next life, I'll seek revenge.
My throat felt tight. "I didn't do anything, master!," I said softly. Careful. Always careful.
"Are you speaking back to me?" He lifted his hand up as a warning sign I bet.
"I-i am Master. I'm s-sorry."
Then he slapped me again. It's not like I wasn't expecting it. "You better be. You are nothing but a worthless omega."
He stared at me, waiting for me to say something. Right, he wanted me to insult myself as always. I am nothing but a useless, good for nothing omega.
"Yes I am a worthless omega. Who doesn't deserve to be saved. Just your lab experiment."
"Good. Something is understanding."
He stared at me. For a split second, I thought I did something wrong. I started to tremble.
"You know what the problem is," he spat. "You just sit there. Staring. Letting people think you're some sad little victim. I told you to keep your head down. But no — your face just begs for pity and attention. I was even nice enough to take you to a cafe and this is the outcome!?."
Then Hyok began to release his pheromones, hence suffocating me. One of his punishment.The ride home was silent after that, but not peaceful. His anger filled the car. His pheromones spread like smoke, sharp, thick and suffocating. My hands stayed clenched in my lap, nails biting into my palms. I knew what was coming. I tried to hold my breath not inhaling his pheromones as it always made me pass out. If I dare to do so, I'll be severely punished.
When we got home, Hyok dragged me out of the car by the wrist. The door slammed behind us.
"Basement. Now."
"B-but M-master, I didn't do anything wrong."
Somehow this anger. Hyok. His grip tightened. He paused and turned to me.
"Did you just speak back to me!?"
"I-i am r-really s-sorry master. Please f-forgive me." I tremble in every word I speak. I was afraid, just like a shivering cat in water.
He pulled my hair and dragged me. My legs moved automatically — I didn't even think about running. Running only made it worse.
"You really are a stubborn brat. You still need more punishment to be more obedient."
Once we reached there. He pushed me against the wall really hard. I thought I'd broken my back.
"Strip." Hyok said in a deathly stare with a cold voice.
I stood up and did what he had asked me. I slowly took off my shirt and pants until I was fully naked. After that he grabbed me by my ear and dragged me further to the basement unlocking the secret room.
The chains waited in their usual spot, coiled on the floor like sleeping snakes. He fastened them around my wrists behind my back and tied my legs against each other. The cold bite of iron is familiar now, almost routine. Then he shoved me down, the concrete floor bruising my knees.
"I told you," Hyok hissed, grabbing a leather strap from the wall. A whip.
He looked at me, hitting the whip against his hand.
"No noise, no mistakes. If you dare speak a word. I'll add 30 more whipping."
Then the first strike landed across my shoulder. Then another. Then another and continue it again. Pain bloomed hot and sharp, radiating down my back, but I didn't make a sound. I never did. Crying only just triggers him to do something worse.
"Turn around you damn slut!." Hyok smirked.
He started to whip me like always. My body became numb. I knew that if I dared to react, my life was over.
"You embarrassed me today. Do you even understand what this means?"
Am I supposed to answer or not? All I know is that it's a warning.
Hits me again but harder for 7 more times. I bit hard on my lips bearing the pain as hard as I could.
"You made me look like an abuser. What if I lose my company because of you!?
Another whip 4 whips.
"You're lucky I didn't let that fool drag you out of there."
Yet again, another strike.
What does he mean by I'm lucky that he didn't let that man help me!? Does he think I enjoy this pain?
"You are nothing but a whore, who spreads their legs for anyone. How pathetic."
A bitter laugh escaped from him.
After a while, I lost count. He continued to spout nonsense insults which actually hurt. I tried to ignore him but how could I? The pain was there. Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. I'm not made of iron. When it was finally over, he tossed the strap aside and crouched down to my level, gripping my chin so hard it hurt.
"Next time someone tries to 'save' you, you'll regret it even more. Understand?"
"B-but master I never even asked him to-". But before I could even finish he punched my stomach.
"Repeat what you just said."
My lips were cracked and bloody, but I nodded. Always nod. Always agree.
"You're lucky I didn't have fun with you. You do need the money to pay off your debt. Oh well, once my successful experiment worked to convert your useless recessive self to a dominant one. We'll have plenty of fun and have a child. With that kid, he'll be the heir of my company. You can die for all I care." He paused for a second. "You're staying here for 3 more days."
After that he left.
The door slammed shut upstairs, and silence swallowed the basement whole. Only the soft rattle of the chains remained, a cruel lullaby in the dark. My wrists burned, my back screamed, but the pain was just… another thing to get used to. Like the cold floor. Like loneliness.
Only when he left, footsteps receding up the stairs, giving me a lil joy. I let myself slump forward against the chains. Though I am still stuck in chains. I tried to make myself comfortable but it was hard when you have a sore back and a painful shoulder.
What made me sad was that somewhere above, life went on — traffic outside, neighbors talking, the world pretending not to see. Just like in that café.
I let my head fall against the wall, exhaling slowly. That's when his name slipped into my mind.
Tae Jihwa.
It sounded soft, even in my thoughts. Softer than anything in this world. The way he had said, "Call the police"—firm, unafraid. No one had ever raised their voice for me before.
Tae Jihwa.
His smile. I want to smile like him. He tried to help me. I probably wasted his time, since there was no benefit behind saving me.
Tae Jihwa.
I don't know why I felt oddly comfortable by his name.
Tae Jihwa.
His smile. It came next, bright enough to burn through the darkness here. That smile… I wanted to touch it, just once. I want to see it. Just one more time. To know what it felt like to smile like that. To be someone who could make others feel warm, instead of… this.
I tried. God, I really tried. My lips twitched, and I pulled at the corners like I'd seen him do so effortlessly. But it hurt. It felt wrong, cracked and broken, like me.
A bitter laugh scraped out of my throat and tears streamed down. Pathetic. I couldn't even smile without failing. Useless. Good for nothing.
Still, I whispered his name again. "Tae Jihwa…"
And for a fleeting second, chained and bleeding in a basement that smelled like rust and despair, I let myself imagine a world where that smile wasn't just something I envied—where it was something I could share.
That is why I want to smile just like him. I want to be happy and carefree. I stared on the floor trying to remember how he looked. Brown eyes and blonde hair. Light brown skin. The shining smile. I swore it shines brighter than the stars or moon itself.