"This is a dream… A nightmare… A wretched nightmare…"
Chloe tore at her hair, denying reality.
Kim Taeyang looked down at her and said,
"Seol Harin's the same, and you're no different—can't face reality, huh? Hey, Kkubburi. Humanize."
'Humanize…?!'
At Kim Taeyang's command, poof—clouds of smoke billowed out.
From within, Kkubburi revealed her true form.
Long, wavy red hair.
Bangs covering her face, cheeks burning red.
Her massive chest jiggled as she danced a vulgar dance.
"She… really humanized…"
Chloe had never seen Lashara's human form.
Humanization was something only achievable through deep, long-built trust.
But Kim Taeyang…
In just a week after stealing Lashara, he'd made her humanize.
"Chloe… I'm sorry… You were a decent hero, but… not as great as Kim Taeyang-nim…♡ He knows exactly what makes me feel good…♡ He stimulated everything I love…♡ My body can't go back now…♡"
"…"
"Compared to the thrilling days with Kim Taeyang-nim… the long time I spent with you was just dull and boring…♡"
"Is that so…"
No tears came.
The overwhelming sense of loss devoured even her emotions.
All that remained was despair.
'Is my hero life over just like that…?'
Meanwhile, Kang Juhyeok watched it all from a distance.
His lips pressed tight, fists clenched, trembling.
Seeing him shake, Kim Taeyang chuckled.
"Hey, scrawny. Why're you clenching your fists? Wanna fight or something?"
"Ugh…"
Their eyes met—Chloe's and Kang Juhyeok's.
'Juhyeok…!'
Her gaze clearly begged for help.
'Sunbae…'
The guy who stole his childhood friend.
The guy who crushed the senior he almost dated.
He wanted to punch him.
In his head, he'd beaten him countless times.
But…
'It's pointless…'
Even if Kang Juhyeok stepped in, nothing would change.
The constellation was already taken.
And right now, he didn't even have his own constellations by his side.
'I'm sorry, sunbae…'
He rationalized Chloe's pleading look as the desperate cry of a creature in danger.
Kang Juhyeok lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.
"Hey, you're just giving up? Looks like you two were kinda a thing, but you're gonna sit there while your crush gets humiliated?"
"…"
"What, the master of surrendering? Well, you wouldn't last a single punch against me anyway, so it's a smart choice. Heh heh heh."
Step-
Kim Taeyang slung an arm around Kkubburi and approached Chloe.
His massive frame looming over the kneeling girl looked dangerously imposing.
"Mini sow, I hear there's a second-year internship evaluation coming up… Sucks to lose your constellation, huh?"
"…!"
Kim Taeyang was right.
The internship evaluation took place in real dungeons.
Without a constellation, Chloe would struggle immensely.
"How about it? As a fellow disciplinary member, I could offer some help."
"H-Help…?"
"If you declare yourself my slave, I'll let you borrow Kkubburi for a bit."
"…"
Slave.
She'd sworn to make Kim Taeyang the disciplinary committee's slave…
But now, she was the one facing enslavement.
The queen of the disciplinary committee, Chloe, a slave?
Unimaginable.
But…
'Should I… become a slave…?'
Chloe was wavering.
If her mind had been intact,
She would've rejected the offer outright.
But her heart was shattered.
'There's no way Lashara-nim fell for that delinquent for no reason… Right… Maybe life with Kim Taeyang really is fun… I could become a slave… and drown in pleasure with Lashara-nim…!'
Chloe made her decision.
To follow her revered Lashara-nim…
She would become Kim Taeyang's slave…!
But one thing held her back.
"…"
Kang Juhyeok.
He was watching.
Chloe liked Kang Juhyeok.
In front of the man she had feelings for,
In the space where he slept and lived,
Would it really be okay to bow her head to the floor, recite her name, age, address, high school, and three sizes, and declare herself a slave?
'I… can't do that…'
Chloe was the disciplinary president.
Even in her weakened state, she clung to a shred of pride.
As she tried to find a way to negotiate with Kim Taeyang,
Unexpectedly, Kang Juhyeok spoke first.
"Sunbae… I'm gonna head back to my room…"
"?"
A strange expression, half-crying, half-smiling.
It looked utterly pathetic.
"I've got a radio show I have to listen to… Feel free to talk… I'll be going…"
"J-Juhyeok…?"
A radio show, of all things?
Couldn't he come up with a better excuse?
Click-
Regardless,
Kang Juhyeok went into his room and shut the door.
His retreating figure looked utterly pitiful.
'That pathetic piece of trash…?!'
The rose-colored glasses fell off Chloe in an instant.
"Hey. Do it. Recite your name, age, address, high school, and three sizes, and declare yourself my slave!"
Her feelings had already crumbled.
Her body could be treated as harshly as he wanted.
Chloe slammed her forehead to the floor with a thud!
Her curled-up posture made her look even more pathetic.
"My name is Chloe Maiden… I'm 21 years old. I live at the Ark dorms… I graduated from Aram High School, and my three sizes are 29-23-34…"
She had given up everything.
So she spoke calmly.
'Even if worse things happen, I don't care… I'll follow Lashara-nim…'
Chloe imagined what might come next.
If it was Kim Taeyang,
A lowlife like him,
He might repay her past attempts to ruin him two, three, or a hundred times over.
Yeah.
He might crush her head underfoot or strip her and violate her right here.
They were enemies from the start.
Chloe had genuinely tried to throw him in jail.
No one knew that hostility better than Kim Taeyang.
So,
No matter what he did to her,
She would accept it…
"Huh? You're not even embarrassed, so it's no fun."
"?"
"Whatever, mini sow, you're my slave starting today. You're probably tired, so go back to your dorm and rest."
With that, Kim Taeyang left.
'T-That's it…?'
Chloe felt a sudden wave of deflation.
Awkwardly standing up, she scratched her head and left the room.
***
I let Chloe go because of Pomi.
"Master! I missed you so much!!"
Even though we'd met in between, Pomi had been away from me for a whole week.
As a result, her favorability had dropped quite a bit.
'Pomi's the kind of constellation whose favorability tanks when you're physically apart.'
True to her dog-like nature, the reasons for her hurt feelings were dog-like too.
Being physically apart from me is a disaster for Pomi.
"Let's do it quick! That thing!!"
"Heh heh heh. Alright, I missed you too."
So, we decided to spend the whole day doing that (tug-of-war play).
Beep beep beep beep-
Out of nowhere, the sound of the door lock being punched in.
The door swung open, and, of course, it was Seol Harin.
"Hey, I said no workout today. Didn't you get my message?"
"I know."
"Then why're you here?"
"To work out. Personal training's fine, right?"
"?"
Seol Harin strolled in like it was her own place, casually kicking off her shoes.
She headed straight to the home gym room, letting out grunts like "Hng…!" and "Hah…!" as she started exercising.
"Hey! Who said you could use my home gym?! Just go to the school gym!!"
"There are too many people there—it's distracting! Plus, the guys keep sneaking glances!!"
"That's just your ego talking!!"
"It's true!!!"
Has she become so addicted to fitness that she can't skip a day…?
Well, better than being lazy.
At this rate, stamina won't be an issue for her.
Woof woof-
How long had we been playing tug-of-war?
Seol Harin, lightly sweating, emerged from the gym.
"Phew. Now I feel better. This should prevent muscle loss, right?"
"Stop acting like a gym bro, it's pathetic."
"Tch. You're the one who drilled this into me."
Seol Harin mixed her own protein shake and sat next to me.
"Where's Kkubburi?"
"In the drawer. She's not exactly high-energy, you know."
Every constellation has unique looks, personalities, and traits.
Pomi's an active constellation, spending most of her day running around.
Kkubburi, on the other hand, sleeps more than she's awake.
A bit of a gloomy one, you could say…?
Going against a constellation's nature lowers their favorability, so keeping her in the drawer like this is usually best.
"Thinking about it, it's pretty amazing. Pomi and now Kkubburi… How do you win their hearts so fast?"
"I just know what constellations want."
"How, though…?"
Seol Harin's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Those eyes were so bright and earnest.
Not long ago, her gaze was full of contempt for me.
But lately, she's been showing these softer looks more often.
"You observe closely. Pay attention, and you'll figure out what they want. Sometimes, you pick up clues from the smallest things."
"If that's all it takes… you must have a sharp eye."
"Of course! There's nothing about me that isn't impressive…!"
"…"
I handed the tug toy to Seol Harin.
I was about to take a break, but the moment the toy went to her, Pomi let out a "Hmph-" and ran off to pee.
Seol Harin, used to this treatment, didn't seem fazed and continued talking.
"So, after stealing Kkubburi… next is Chloe-sunbae?"
"Yup."
"So, Chloe-sunbae will become a slave like me…?"
"Obviously."
"I see…"
Surprisingly, Seol Harin's mood sank.
Wait, she's not jealous of more slaves, is she…?
"But, is Chloe-sunbae even worth it as a slave?"
"Huh…?"
Worth as a slave?
What kind of nonsense is this?
"I'm just curious. I'm your classmate, in the same class, so I'm always around. I can run errands anytime. But Chloe-sunbae? She's not like that."
"…"
"Plus, she's the disciplinary president who's desperate to lock you up. Becoming a slave doesn't erase her position. What if she tries to spy on you? She seems cunning enough. Maybe her agreeing to be a slave is a trap."
"…"
"And her personality's an issue too. I was raised with manners and respect, so I could grit my teeth and handle your ridiculous demands. I've adapted pretty well by now. But Chloe-sunbae? Can she adapt? She's used to wielding power as the disciplinary president. Can she accept being a slave overnight…? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't make her a slave. It's not personal or anything. I'm just being objective."
My head's spinning…
Why is she worrying about my problems…?
"We'll see how it plays out! It's not your concern, sow!!"
"Tch… As part of the family, I should at least have a say, right?"
"Huh?! What's that, you?! Don't sneak your way into my family!!!!"
"That's not what I meant! I meant as part of the crew!"
Sigh…
This is gonna end the world…
"Starting tomorrow morning, we're training together, got it!"
Anyway.
I've finally got Slave No. 2.
Chloe's stamina isn't a weak point, at least.
But building stamina isn't a bad thing.
More importantly, exercise is likely the perfect way to make Chloe submit.
To Chloe, Lashara is more than just a constellation.
By now, her mental state must be in tatters,
And her world-class masochistic instincts are probably stirring.
Humiliating her thoroughly would make submission easy.
The problem is, if Chloe becomes a full-blown masochist…
'It'd be the end of her as a hero.'
So, I need a way to tame her without breaking her.
The answer? Iron-pumping!
A healthy mind comes from a healthy body!
Physical pain paired with mental healing!
A strategy that delivers both the disease and the cure…!
***
Chloe woke up with puffy eyes, dragging herself out of bed.
Chirp chirp-
A peaceful morning with sparrows singing.
"Good morning, Lasha—"
It would've been a normal morning, except for one thing: Lashara wasn't on the desk.
"Oh… Lashara-nim…"
Lashara was no longer by her side.
Drip. Drip…
Tears flowed endlessly.
She thought she'd cried a lifetime's worth last night,
But they kept streaming down.
'I'm so sad and miserable… Why am I so unlucky…'
Chloe wallowed in her sorrow.
Her active indulgence in pain and grief hinted that her masochistic instincts were awakening.
But she didn't have much time to linger.
Kim Taeyang.
The man who was now her master.
He'd summoned her to his dorm early in the morning.
Chloe dressed to look as pitiful as possible.
She wore a deliberately wrinkled shirt and left her hair disheveled as she stepped out.
She soon arrived at Kim Taeyang's dorm door.
-Ughhh…!
-Kieeeek…!
Groans, likely Seol Harin's, echoed from inside.
'What are they doing so early in the morning… Like animals…'
It was obvious what those two were up to.
Kim Taeyang's a sex-crazed maniac…!
Seol Harin's been tamed into a female beast…!
The rumors had already spread through the school, so it was as clear as day.
And…
'I'll… soon be making those pig-like noises too…'
She'd end up the same way.
Her hair grabbed,
Pounded from behind like a dog,
Her butt and cheeks slapped,
Her head stomped underfoot,
Begging for mating naked,
Cleaning him with her mouth,
Her whole body treated as a masturbation tool…
'He might drip hot candle wax on me… Maybe make me walk naked around school, or have guys shower me with their piss… Or worse… My life is over…'
Chloe's imagination ran wild.
Her small hand knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
Click-
The door swung open.
"Huh?! You're late!!!! Since it's your first day, I'll let it slide!!! But from now on, one extra set per minute late!!!! Got it?!?!?!"
"?"
A new world unfolded before Chloe.