KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Master, it's me, Yuki."
"Come in."
When Yuki finally stepped into the owner's office, the tension inside was suffocating. The man who had summoned her was seated with his hands clasped, his piercing gaze fixed squarely upon her. Yet the cruel, harsh face she was accustomed to seeing bore an unsettling smile today—one that sent a shiver down her spine.
CLICK!
The door closed behind her, sealing her fate in the dimly lit room. Yuki's heart tightened. She knew Hiroshi's behavior was strange, but there was little she could do. The leash around her neck was still very much in his grip. In front of him, resistance was useless. Even with Ivan on her side now, Yuki knew there was no true escape as long as she stood in this man's den.
"Are you alright?" Hiroshi asked.
The question caught her off guard. He had never once cared for her well-being—no matter how broken she was after a night with a client. His sudden concern could only be a trap. Suspicion coiled within her as she remained silent, standing stiffly at the door while his eyes roved over her body, stripping her bare without a single touch.
"Twice," Hiroshi finally said, rising slowly from his chair. "You've spent the night with him twice, and somehow you survived both times."
His footsteps echoed as he closed the distance between them. When he reached Yuki, his hand lifted to caress her cheek delicately, like a collector admiring a piece of porcelain worth a fortune.
"Sakura," his voice dripped with false sweetness, "will you show me what exactly you did to make a man like him… change so drastically?"
Yuki took a sharp step back when his fingers tried to pull at her clothes. She kept her expression calm, though her voice was steady with warning.
"Sir Ivan has forbidden anyone else to touch me… Master."
"Is that so?"
Hiroshi's smile twisted. In an instant, his hand shot forward, seizing her chin with a vice-like grip and forcing her head upward.
"Since when did you belong to him, Yuki? You are mine. Don't you dare forget why you're even here in this brothel."
The reminder sliced through her heart. She had been sold here as collateral to the yakuza, spared from organ harvesting only because her beauty promised greater profit as a courtesan. She had survived this long by obedience alone. Any show of defiance would mean death. And yet…
"But Master—"
His grip tightened cruelly, as though he might snap her neck with the slightest added pressure.
"Don't think I don't know what runs through that simple little head of yours," he hissed. "But it's useless. After yesterday's commotion, even that man won't last long in this country."
His smile was chilling, empty of warmth. Yuki swallowed hard. For the first time since Ivan's arrival, doubt shook her heart. She had begun to believe her fate might finally change, but Hiroshi's words struck terror deep into her soul.
"You promised him about me. If you break that promise—"
SLAP!
Her ears rang violently as his palm cracked against her cheek. He released her roughly, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
"You are mine. Even if I asked you to die or become dog food, you would still have to do it for me. Now strip."
From the beginning, Hiroshi's obsession with Yuki had been twisted and suffocating. Whenever another man touched her, Hiroshi would claim her afterward, as if to overwrite their existence. It was why Yuki had long dreamed of sunlight—because her nights belonged to clients, and Hiroshi consumed her mornings. She had no life of her own.
Ivan's appearance had made her forget that hell for a brief moment. But now, Hiroshi's confidence in Ivan's downfall dragged her back into the nightmare.
"…No."
The word left her lips in defiance.
Rage flared instantly in Hiroshi's eyes. He struck her again, harder this time, and she collapsed to the floor, her vision spinning.
"Take off your clothes!"
"No!"
Yuki's voice rose, raw with fury, as Hiroshi lunged at her. He pinned her down, fumbling at her garments. For the first time in her life, Yuki fought with everything she had. Her arms clawed, her legs kicked, her teeth bit down—wild, desperate, unlike the broken doll she had once been.
The struggle grew violent, so loud that the guards rushed in at the sound of chaos.
"Hold her down and strip her! Let's see what makes that man so captivated!" Hiroshi barked.
"No!" Yuki screamed, her voice feral with rage. She knew she couldn't win against all of them. Still, she thrashed, refusing to yield even as pain bloomed across her body from their rough handling.
"Shut up and obey, Sakura!"
"I'm not Sakura!" she roared back, tears and blood mingling on her lips. "My name is Yuki! And I swore to Sir Ivan—I will never serve anyone else again!"
"YOU BITCH!"
Her words snapped the last thread of Hiroshi's restraint. His fists rained down on her mercilessly. Blow after blow marred her beautiful face until even the hardened guards flinched at the sight. Yuki's resistance faltered, her strength drained, yet Hiroshi continued—beating her as though he meant to kill her outright.
"B–Boss—" one guard stammered.
BANG!
The interruption came too late. None had noticed the intruders until the door slammed open. A couple of men stormed in, weapons drawn, cutting down anyone in their way. Gunfire erupted, shouts filled the air, and the room dissolved into chaos.
BANG!
Hiroshi was struck, his body thrown violently across the room. The hands restraining Yuki vanished. She collapsed onto the bloodstained floor, too battered to rise, her vision blurring with every passing heartbeat.
All she could sense were the sounds of breaking bones, screams echoing from every direction, and the sharp stench of gasoline mingling with blood.
"Yuki."
Her name. The voice cut through the haze like a blade, deep and commanding. She was too broken to reply, but she felt the brush of lips against her own, tasted the iron tang of her own blood as someone kissed her roughly.
A whisper slithered into her ear, low and devilish.
"Good job. You kept your promise to me until the very end."
Through the haze of agony, Yuki smiled faintly. For the first time, closing her eyes no longer felt frightening. And so, she let the darkness consume her whole.