“No. You don’t come out. Wait here.”
‘Chirp…’
I said this when Chirpy subtly tried to come out of the jacket on the bed.
Seeing its downcast appearance made me feel bad too, but I couldn’t hide it in the clothes I was currently wearing.
If I were to put on the jacket against his will, a different misfortune could occur, so it felt safer to just leave it behind.
At best, it would just be taken away, but in the worst-case scenario, Chirpy’s identity could be exposed right there.
‘I can’t leave any possibilities open.’
I tried to ignore Chirpy, who was looking at me with poignant eyes, and opened the door.
The man waiting outside quickly scanned me up and down, then urged me forward by pushing my back.
“Let’s go, you are late.”
“Where are we going?”
“It is dinner time.”
With that, he began to guide the way with crisp, efficient movements.
I had felt it since I first saw him, but his behavior and speech were subtly inhuman.
He just said we were late, but there was no sense of urgency in his expression.
I thought even artificial intelligence would have more emotion than this.
In any case, resisting now was pointless, so I quietly moved as the man instructed.
“Oh my god.”
A moment later, the dining room we arrived at had Igor in it, which was a bad turn of luck.
He was sitting pretentiously in the center of the unnecessarily long table.
As soon as he spotted me, he widened his eyes and clapped once.
He literally sprang up from his seat, staring at me spellbound with an expression of admiration.
I was already annoyed at feeling half-naked, and now receiving his sticky gaze made the back of my neck feel taut and sore.
Regardless of my discomfort, Igor openly stared at my chest and moved his lips.
“…As I expected, they suit you so well.”
“Didn’t you say you’d give me something similar to my clothes? How is this similar at all?”
I shook the sheer shirt with a face full of displeasure, but the old man didn’t bother to answer and simply curved his eyes into a smile.
Naturally, deep wrinkles formed around his eyes as he drew a relaxed smile.
That eye-smile, which had seemed benevolent just an hour ago, now felt nothing but repulsive.
“You need to pour it into the master’s glass.”
Just then, the man suddenly thrust a bottle of wine into my arms as I was barely suppressing my anger.
The ornate label was subtly different from the Celeste wine, yet similar in design.
Just by the aroma, it had to be the improved red wine he had mentioned.
“Master, my foot… You’re telling me to pour wine? Ugh!”
Finally, unable to control my temper, I grit my teeth, and the man standing next to me immediately grabbed a handful of my hair.
My head snapped back sharply, and my expression crumpled from the surging pain.
“Watch your language.”
Clang!
But with a dull sound, his hand quickly let go.
I checked what had rolled onto the floor, and it was a crystal ashtray.
Igor, his expression freezing cold, had thrown it hard at the man’s head.
“You bug-like bastard, I told you not to handle him roughly. Can’t you see the bruise forming on his neck?”
The man was an A-Rank Awakened, so he shouldn’t have been physically affected by just that.
Nevertheless, he fell prostrate on the floor as if bowing and hung his head like a criminal.
“I apologize.”
Come to think of it, this whole situation was strange.
The man hadn’t lost his abilities, so why was he sticking by Igor, enduring such treatment?
If he wanted to, he could have burst the old man’s head open in the blink of an eye.
The fact that he didn’t meant he was either being blackmailed or had another reason why he couldn’t escape.
For example, his family might be held captive in the basement.
But my own circumstances were currently dire, so I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about him.
‘Guess I have no choice…’
I briefly pondered in the chilling atmosphere, then chose to be mindful of the situation and walked over to Igor.
Even though I was reluctant, I needed to placate him for the time being.
Glug-glug-
As I carefully poured the wine into the empty wine glass, Igor’s expression, which had been hardened moments before, quickly softened.
I began to think he might be easier to handle than I had worried.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to a day like this.”
“…”
“You are taller and more muscular than on screen. You are much more beautiful in person.”
But that was nothing but my arrogant delusion.
The perverted old man’s hands moved non-stop, instantly shattering that hope.
The hand that lightly stroked my waist soon passed my side and slowly descended to my thigh.
He didn’t seem to be trying to hide it anymore, as he continuously fondled my inner thigh, looking up at me with glistening eyes.
‘This madman.’
I was biting my lower lip, trying to inwardly chant ‘patience’ to keep my fist from flying out, when the hand that was persistently massaging my thigh suddenly strongly squeezed my buttocks, making my body lurch.
“Oops.”
The shock made the wine bottle shake, unintentionally making a mess on the table.
I thought he might get angry, but Igor smiled kindly and patted my hip as if to say it was fine.
Seeing him sexually harass me even in this situation confirmed that what the kidnapper in the warehouse said was not a lie.
“Next time, make sure not to spill it.”
“…Yes.”
I should have poured it all over his face and pretended it was an accident.
I chewed out a curse with my mouth shape and walked over to my set seat.
Soon after, the table was instantly cleared, and appetizing dishes began to be lined up.
A delicious-looking steak was placed in front of me, but I had no desire to eat it.
Instead, I felt nauseous, reminded of the skinny children in the basement.
The same went for the wine.
Normally, I should be salivating, but I felt no excitement even looking at the red liquid shimmering in the glass.
It seemed my annoyed and uncomfortable feelings were suppressing ‘Seo Inho’s’ instincts.
Well, if I craved alcohol in this situation, I wouldn’t be human.
“I prepared what you usually like, but are you not happy with it?”
As I stared indifferently at the steak, Igor set down his wine glass and turned his gaze toward the cook.
The cook, who had been standing silently as if a mouse, turned pale from his utterly cold stare.
I wondered why he didn’t come out of the kitchen, and now I thought I understood.
The cook was simply terrified.
Clatter!
At that moment, the plate that had been on the table was hit and dropped against the cook’s abdomen in the blink of an eye.
The gleaming steak flew somewhere, and the plate shattered into pieces on the floor with a sharp sound.
“Heeek!”
The cook, whose clothes were ruined, nearly had a fit at the sight.
It was pitiful to watch him prostrate on the floor, trembling, showing how frequent such incidents must be.
“It seems our cook made a mistake. I will have another one prepared for you.”
Despite this, Igor shrugged with a sickeningly sweet face as if it were nothing.
He slowly savored his wine and raised his hand, and the prostrate cook reacted immediately.
He sprang up like a coil and quickly returned with a new plate.
The steak placed in front of me now looked just as appetizing as the previous one.
The only difference was perhaps the cook’s desperate eyes.
“How is it?”
“…It’s delicious.”
In the end, I had no choice but to force the steak into my mouth for his safety.
It was certainly tasty, but having to forcefully stuff down something I didn’t want to eat was an ordeal.
“What is your reason for doing this to me?”
I felt like I would choke badly, so I had to put down my fork for a moment, pretending to drink water.
It was a question intended to distract Igor, but at this point, I was genuinely curious too.
There are so many people in the world with rare skills, so why me of all people?
The fact that he commissioned my kidnapping to some insignificant thugs meant he had spared no means or methods.
“I think I told you earlier, that I’ve been looking forward to a day like this.”
At my question, Igor comfortably rested his chin on his hand and stared intensely at me.
The blue eyes meticulously scanning my face were tangled with greed and desire.
Whatever he wanted from me, his intentions seemed impure and dangerous enough.
“Hunter Seo Inho possesses an ability that no one can dare to covet. Moreover, you are so beautiful, who wouldn’t want to keep you by their side?”
“…”
“Am I wrong?”
I couldn’t control my expression and kept my mouth tightly shut.
It was the moment I realized that even a compliment could feel this awful.
I wasn’t an object, so I wasn’t something he could just keep by his side if he wanted to.
I wondered what sin the people who lost their lives due to such a dog-like idea had committed.
Having seen and heard what I did in the basement, I could easily guess the end result of this pathological obsession.
“Mr. Igor!”
Just then, someone hurriedly rushed into the dining room.
I turned my head without much thought, and in that instant, I was so surprised my eyes popped open.
The person running toward us, their orange hair streaming behind them, was clearly the man I had seen at the mansion before: ‘Ilya.’
