Snake Venom Ch 6

Chapter 6

President Park would occasionally place a demi-human or a human into the rooms of high-value participants under the guise of an “encouragement bonus.” Naturally, most of them were for the purpose of sexual gratification, and the resulting sounds were often unbearable. Yeonwoo covered his ears.

“Aaagh!”

“Come here, you fucker.”

The one offered as tribute had to endure the room owner’s lust and rage in full.

“Don’t do this. Please. Please spare me. It hurts, it hurts! Aaagh, agh, aaAAAGH!”

The more the victim begged, the more brutal the violence became. The sobs and screams echoed down the hallway with a despair so raw, it was impossible to imagine what was being done to them.

“Hey, rat bastard! You’re listening, aren’t you?”

Even with his ears covered, the man’s voice came through loud and clear. Loosening the strength of his hands over his ears, Yeonwoo lifted his gaze.

He thought he knew who it was. Even without ever seeing the man’s face, he clearly remembered the pheromones. The uniquely acrid stench that always made Yeonwoo wrinkle his nose—it was overwhelmingly violent and aggressive.

“Ugh, ngh! Nngh! Agh, agh!”

“Huff, huff, fucking bastard, what do you take me for?”

The voice, biting down on the words, blended with muffled moans.

He was one of the few men who had survived as long as Yeonwoo in this hunting ground. While Yeonwoo increased his value through ingenuity, this man raised his through the brutal methods the arena demanded. He endlessly sought others’ pain, committing socially forbidden acts without a trace of guilt. He prowled the building like a fish in water, embodying the ideal predator this place desired.

Unlike Yeonwoo, who desperately wanted to escape, it made sense that this man behaved as if he meant to die here. When President Park didn’t provide him people as bonuses, he bought them with borrowed money and indulged in rape and slaughter. Now, he panted as he shouted:

“Shit, fuck. Just thinking about how I missed you yesterday—!”

It had been two months since they began playing hide and seek in the same building. Unlike the others, Yeonwoo had never been caught, which only heightened the man’s frustration. Recalling the close call from yesterday, Yeonwoo rubbed his frozen arms.

“I’ll make you like this—I’ll fucking break you one day, you bastard!”

The man’s furious threat rang through the hallway.

Looks like today won’t be easy either. Sighing, Yeonwoo leaned his head against the wall. He covered his ears and forced his eyes shut. To survive, he had to conserve every bit of strength, but his clueless stomach roared in defiance. It had already digested the scant food and now wailed in hunger. Yeonwoo ignored it and cleared his mind.

After ten minutes of shallow sleep, Yeonwoo’s door burst open. As always, the men who entered roughly threw a black cloth over his head.

Dragged and shoved around, Yeonwoo eventually arrived in a room. The scent alone told him where he was and who was in front of him. A sigh escaped.

What kind of bullshit would they spout this time? As he swallowed back helplessness and disgust, he was forcibly seated.

As soon as the cloth was removed, the first thing that caught his eye was, as expected, President Park’s greasy face. But Yeonwoo’s eyes reflexively dropped, following a specific scent that gripped his reason the moment he entered.

“……”

White rice and soybean paste soup, three kinds of seasoned greens, stir-fried pork, and rolled omelet. Yeonwoo stared at the food without blinking.

Common fare outside, but to Yeonwoo, it looked like a feast. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw a proper meal like this. Just as he swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, President Park drawled.

“Looks good, doesn’t it?”

Lately, President Park had started to dig into Yeonwoo with means other than violence. Yeonwoo didn’t answer, only stared at the unreachable food. Park’s greasy eyes slowly roamed over Yeonwoo’s ravenous gaze. Then, with a magnanimous tone, he said:

“Eat.”

Yeonwoo nearly reached out before jerking his hand back and shaking his head. He didn’t even want to ask how much the meal cost.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. It’s on me.”

“……”

Don’t ask questions lightly. Remembering the lesson from his “training,” Yeonwoo kept his mouth shut. But he lifted his eyes to Park, silently asking him to get to the point.

Instead, President Park only gave a crooked smile.

“I’m serious. No strings attached. Right, boys?”

When he turned to the men beside him for confirmation, they nodded and bowed.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

There wasn’t much time left until the game began. For the sake of maintaining condition, it was best not to provoke them. Still, pressure from every direction had sharpened Yeonwoo’s gaze.

“I said I’m buying.”

This time, Yeonwoo didn’t refuse. He picked up the spoon. The sudden change of heart was quick. Now wasn’t the time to uphold pride—too many starving nights had proven that. Better to eat something than leave empty-handed. Besides, it was obvious what they wanted to trade for the food. Exhausted to the bone, Yeonwoo needed the warm energy a full stomach could offer.

He shoved a spoonful of white rice into his mouth. The nutty flavor lingered. So this was what people meant by “a taste that could turn your eyes.” His gaze shifted as hunger took over, and he began devouring the meal.

The clatter of spoon against teeth echoed. Yeonwoo ate like a fugitive on the run, stuffing his mouth. The more, the faster, the better—he didn’t know when Park would say “that’s enough.” Just as he swallowed his third bite and reached for the side dishes—

“That’s enough.”

Of course, it wasn’t outside expectations. He had known this would happen, but today of all days, he’d been so hungry it felt like everything was collapsing. Swallowing a curse, Yeonwoo lifted his eyes.

“Your play two days ago left an impression. Profits were pretty sweet, too.”

“……”

“If you’re going to flash your cock that easily, at least give me a heads-up. So I can do some pre-promotion.”

He’d only done it as a desperate last resort. To hear that it had been sold—and that more would be sold—made him want to smash his head into the table. But shame and self-loathing were Yeonwoo’s burdens alone. There was no denying he had given them exactly what they wanted, submitting to an invisible pressure.

The defiant light in his eyes dimmed. President Park watched with satisfaction and leaned back in his chair. One of his men lit a cigarette for him.

“My sweet Yeonwoo, since things are like this, are you still not thinking about a side gig?”

Eyes downcast, Yeonwoo didn’t react to the suggestion.

“You remember the proposal from last time.”

“……”

Watching for a response, Park trailed off. But silence meant rejection. Annoyance crept into his face.

“Tsk. Still a line of clients who want to see you privately, you know.”

Taking a slow breath, Yeonwoo’s lips barely moved.

“My body…”

“Just two. You only have to deal with two.”

Park cut him off, pressing harder.

“I’m fair with money. I’ll wipe out a year’s debt in one go.”

“……”

“Come on, Yeonwoo. How long are you going to live like this? Bet your debt’s not going down as fast as you hoped, right? That’s how this place works. More efficient than you think.”

It was both a threat and a curse: fail to comply, and he’d never pay off his debt.

“Two months is more than enough suffering. Change course now, pay it off faster, yeah?”

The syrupy tone meant to coax a child triggered sudden nausea. Yeonwoo bit down on his lower lip.

He hated how he was tempted. Part of him pitied all the others who must have caved to Park’s disgusting persuasion.

Fidgeting with his clasped hands, Yeonwoo felt the sting from fingers cracked red from brushing against walls. Recalling that pain, he shook his head.

“I’m not selling my body.”

At that, Park sneered.

“How’s that different from showing your cock on camera? You’ve already started.”

How could he ever win against such manipulative cruelty, always ready to dig up the shame he had buried? Yeonwoo’s expression faltered for a moment, but he managed to recover his composure.

“…Still, I won’t.”