Story Of A Villain

The manager checked the back of the checks before glancing over Cheongwoo’s body here and there. Normally, this would have been unpleasant for him, but now Cheongwoo’s body was too exhausted to even feel shame. He was completely drained. All he wanted was to return to his dorm room and rest.Cheongwoo whispered hesitantly.“And I’ll take some fever reducers… and painkillers. I’m sorry, but I think I need to take the day off today too.”“…Alright.”The manager didn’t add more words. He just handed over several over-the-counter medications in a paper bag.Cheongwoo returned to his dorm immediately after and headed straight to the communal bathroom. Although he didn’t have the energy to wash, his buttocks were so wet it was physically uncomfortable. Fortunately, there was no one in the bathroom since everyone was out for morning cleaning.He roughly discarded his top and bottom like shedding a skin, rolled up the sticky underwear smeared with the man’s semen, and tucked it into a gap in his clothes. He would obviously throw it away.“…Phew.”Under the warm stream of the shower, he bowed his head, and the events of the previous night came to mind again. His wrist, holding the shower lever, was already bruised a faint purple.The man never put his mouth on Cheongwoo’s body until the end. The idea of foreplay was unthinkable; he only used his hands to twist Cheongwoo’s ankle, adjust his position for penetration, hold him down so he couldn’t move, or harshly slap his buttocks to make them more pliable.From start to finish, they were intimate with only his pants pulled down, not even removing his clothes. Cheongwoo felt no pleasure or connection in the process. The man seemed to have enjoyed himself thoroughly, though.So, it was just an event that had passed.‘Please stop. Stop…’‘Just one more time.’Quietly, persistently.Whether by nature or habit, the man was not talkative. Even during intimacy, this didn’t change. While forcefully pushing his penis in, he occasionally looked down at the crying Cheongwoo with a chilling, almost soulless gaze, like there were blue beads in those dark eyes.When Cheongwoo tried to avoid that gaze out of pain and fear, the man would grab his chin with a skillful grip, and later, when the pain in his jaw was unbearable, Cheongwoo bit the man’s fingers. Then, a subtle ripple of amusement spread across the man’s sculpted face, which had turned red under his eyes.As if he found it amusing.If Cheongwoo’s perception was correct, the man had gotten his desired ‘amusement’ from Cheongwoo, and Cheongwoo had also obtained what he wanted. He had received ‘money’ from the man.That was the end of it. A clean transaction, no more, no less.The grotesque shape of the man’s organ tried to resurface in his mind again. Cheongwoo shook his head, trying to scrub himself clean all over.The weather was particularly bright on this day after the rain had stopped. In the large courtyard facing the west gate of Dowonhyang, fairies in hanbok and young guests gathered, with the fairies’ skirts swaying gently. There were even a few foreigners among them.Cheongwoo, who had slept like the dead, woke up after two full days. Once he confirmed his body had somewhat recovered, he quickly rummaged through his wardrobe to pack his belongings. In truth, there wasn’t much to pack.He soon finished packing by stuffing a few clothes and miscellaneous items into a black backpack. Cheongwoo then put on a cap and stepped out of his room.Even though he wanted to walk quickly as usual, his sore buttocks wouldn’t allow it. His awkward hobbling seemed to attract attention. An older guest who passed by sneered, asking why he was walking like that. His ears burned, but he gripped the straps of his backpack tightly, enduring the shame.‘Anyway, I’m not working here anymore, so whatever.’These are people he wouldn’t see again. Of course, leaving his cell phone in the office was a bit of a pity, but he had written down important numbers in a notebook separately, and right now, escaping was the priority. He could come back for the phone once the season was over.As he walked diligently, he was already past the courtyard.Dowonhyang had several gates, but to go down the mountain, one had to use the west gate. As he reached the west gate leading to a bamboo grove and tried to walk through the staff exit, the Dowonhyang security team approached for an identity check.Normally, security was strict, but given the circumstances, Cheongwoo felt intimidated. As the security guards in their black uniforms surrounded him, his heart began to pound.Their staring expressions were somehow stiff.‘Could it be…’A cold premonition ran down his spine. Nevertheless, he tried to maintain a calm expression, lifting his head upright.“Ah, I work here, and I’m trying to go to town. I have business at the bank.”“Without a vehicle?”Cheongwoo hesitated, then licked his lips and lied.“There’s a vehicle waiting down below. Someone who works in landscaping is waiting at the halfway point. He drives a truck up here every other day, don’t you know him?”“I don’t know him.”One of the Dowonhyang security guards looked Cheongwoo up and down.“I have an appointment, so can I pass through quickly?”He asked while clutching his bag straps tightly, trying to hide his tension by slightly lifting the corners of his mouth. He saw another guard behind him whispering into a walkie-talkie. They then exchanged words among themselves. Cheongwoo watched, his throat going dry.“No.”The guard opposite him declared with an indifferent expression.“Today, due to the cloudy weather, staff are not allowed to go out. Return to your dorm immediately.”What on earth is that about… Cheongwoo was taken aback.What does cloudy weather have to do with going out? In his confusion, his words came out disjointed.“No, if you suddenly do this… I’m in a real hurry right now. I need to deposit money at the bank today…”“Mr. Yeon Cheongwoo.”The guard called out irritably.“Bank or whatever, just go back.”He even roughly tapped Cheongwoo’s shoulder while speaking rudely. Startled, Cheongwoo stepped back a pace.Cheongwoo wasn’t wearing his uniform. There was no way this security guard could know his name under normal circumstances. Suddenly, reality felt like it had turned into a horror movie.‘…No, it’s fine. Stay calm.’He tried to calm himself down. There was no need to panic. If he couldn’t go through this gate, he could just leave through another.With effort, he glared at the men with his round eyes while slowly backing away. They were openly watching Cheongwoo. This made it even more suspicious.He turned around calmly and crossed the courtyard again. Then, he deliberately headed towards the narrow path where the servants’ quarters were located.After walking for a while, he looked back to see, as expected, they were still standing in the same spot, surveilling him.His spine kept feeling chills. Only after entering a place where the guards’ eyes couldn’t reach did Cheongwoo quickly turn onto the path leading to the inner part of the estate, connected to the servants’ quarters. If he kept going here, he would reach the east gate. There, there’s a path leading directly into the mountains with no guards or parking barriers, so he thought he could exit through that gate.“Hik.”But there was a group of men smoking in front of the gate.Shocked, Cheongwoo quickly hid behind the frame of a side gate. Even without a close look, he knew they were the large thugs in black suits who always accompanied Gu Wonjae to golf.…Why.Why on earth?Fearful questions piled up in his mind. Gu Wonjae had paid the agreed 6 million won, and Cheongwoo had given his body in return. They had completed the transaction, and he thought it was simply over. But this looked like surveillance no matter how you looked at it.He felt surrounded on all sides. Cheongwoo felt a terrible sense of confinement and tried to steady his rising breath.‘You might run away.’One day, the man who had taken his bag had said this. When Cheongwoo asked why, he replied, “Because you might run away.” This was the day after Cheongwoo had repeatedly considered quitting Dowonhyang.His neck felt cold. He remembered the eyes that seemed to look not at the surface but into the depths of one’s soul, those cynical eyes that seemed to read through others’ thoughts.‘…Behind the Peony Pavilion.’He just wanted to escape from here. The feeling that Gu Wonjae’s gaze was everywhere in this vast Dowonhyang gave him goosebumps.In the end, he cautiously headed towards the back of the Peony Pavilion, which he thought of as his last resort. There were no gates to block the passage at the hot spring there. If he went through the woods surrounding the hot spring, he might find a way down the mountain. Surely, they wouldn’t be guarding there too.He briskly walked and crossed the arched bridge by Lake Moran.Soon, he saw the stone steps connecting to a forest path. However, as soon as he took a deep breath standing in front of them, Cheongwoo’s eyes lost their light.Two of Gu Wonjae’s subordinates were sitting on the earthen platform at the top of the steps. The man with the scar on his face, who had once blocked him in front of the hot spring, was also there. This time, their eyes met.Upon seeing Cheongwoo, the man stood up at neither a slow nor a fast pace. He was quite large.“He wants you brought to number 7 residence.”“…”His mind went blank. From that moment, he was half out of it.As Cheongwoo tried to turn and run, he was grabbed by his bag after only four steps. Screaming and struggling, he was suddenly hoisted up and slung over the shoulder of the man with the scar like a piece of luggage.The man carried Cheongwoo over his shoulder and strode up the hill leading to the annex village.The gate to number 7 residence was wide open. Seeing this, Cheongwoo’s body convulsed as if in a seizure. But his light body was easily placed inside the gate like a butterfly. After being pushed forward a couple of steps, the gates slammed shut behind him.“…Excuse me.”Cheongwoo couldn’t give up. With a complexion that was beyond pale to blue, holding onto his half-fallen backpack straps, he stood at the gate.“Please, open this. Please open the gate. Okay?”He knocked on the solid door frantically with both hands, but then he stepped back with a start as a thought came to mind.If he caused more commotion here, Gu Wonjae would appear. From inside or outside, he’d show up to grab him by the hair.Cheongwoo swallowed his sobs, looking around. The garden was still wet, and the wind had turned colder since the rain stopped, blowing ominously. The next moment, he saw a five-story stone pagoda set up as an ornament by a small pond. Wanting to hide, he hobbled over and crouched behind it.The surroundings were oppressively quiet. The chilly late autumn wind brushed through his entire body. Cheongwoo put his arms on his knees and buried his forehead there. His lower part, which had been stretched wide two days ago, still ached. Even a little pressure made it throb.“…Huh, grandma.”He suddenly missed his grandmother’s warm embrace, which had always felt so comforting when he was little, with the scent of ginseng and fragrance.He also missed his friend Gyujin. He longed to go back to living peacefully with his grandmother and attending school normally.How did he get caught up in such a mess?Everything was strange, scary, and unpleasant. There wasn’t a single familiar embrace to comfort and soothe him, which made Cheongwoo feel the most miserable.His crying was slowly subsiding.Thud. Thud. He felt something cold hitting the back of his lowered neck. As he slowly lifted his head, the raindrops held by the pagoda’s roof dripped onto his forehead. Even though it was still bright around, rain started to fall.‘They call this fox rain, don’t they?’Rain that falls briefly at dawn. It was also called the rain when a tiger gets married. As he blankly watched the raindrops on his wet arms, the drops gradually grew larger. The surroundings began to darken.“…”The long shadow of the man who approached silently was already cast over Cheongwoo’s forehead.Crouched down, Cheongwoo slowly lifted his head. The moment his eyes met that cold gaze, he realized there was no escaping this man. No matter how much he tried to run, he always found himself back in front of him.“Why do you keep hiding here and there?”Under the round shadow made by the umbrella, a voice, chillingly low, dispersed. With a cigarette in his mouth, his pronunciation was blunter than usual. Cheongwoo sniffled and mumbled.“Because you’re gross.”Gu Wonjae’s eyes momentarily forgot to blink at this unexpected answer.“Your… yours is too… too gross.”His body, huddled with his knees drawn up, looked particularly small. Tears dropped onto the black training pants covering his knees.“The beads, uh, the beads especially…”“…”“They’re too gross. I, uh, it hurt so much because of them… I thought I was going to throw up… no, I’m just scared. I don’t want to see it. Really, it’s too…”Really. Too.As Cheongwoo stubbornly repeated these words, he buried his forehead into his knees and finally burst into loud sobs. His hunched neck turned faintly red. Gu Wonjae’s eyes, at a loss for words, settled into a cold expression. The cigarette between his teeth tilted slightly, and a clump of ash fell with a ‘thud.’🧸By the time Cheongwoo was feeling embarrassed and trying to stifle his sobs,“The meal is ready.”The manager from the dining hall peeked in from the entrance of number 7 residence. Startled by the unfamiliar sound, Cheongwoo’s shoulders jumped.“Have you cried enough?”Gu Wonjae asked in a lazy tone, bringing the cigarette to his lips. Cheongwoo was still crouched down, sniffling, his hands quietly pulling at the dead, yellow parts of the grass.“I… I don’t know.”He curled a blade of grass with his finger, the tip of which was red. Gu Wonjae watched the tears clinging to his wet eyelashes as if admiring them, then tilted his head slightly.“Gross, painful, nauseating, scary. Anything else?”“…”“Any more complaints?”Cheongwoo shook his head a couple of times. The man stepped back and whispered.“Then get up.”As Cheongwoo awkwardly stood up, his feet tingled from sitting too long, and his legs felt weak.Seeing Cheongwoo unable to walk properly, Gu Wonjae naturally grabbed his arm. It was a touch devoid of any ill will or hostility, but Cheongwoo’s body stiffened reflexively. The man supporting him let out a faint sneer.They went to the living room of number 7 residence in this awkward, hobbling manner.Cheongwoo was momentarily taken aback by what he saw. On the wide, low table, there was an array of dishes known as the Dowonhyang course meal. These were things he had only glimpsed while occasionally being called to the dining hall to help with dishwashing.“Go sit down.”Gu Wonjae said calmly from behind. Though he wanted to refuse, Cheongwoo reluctantly shuffled towards the seat.Cheongwoo was momentarily speechless as he looked closely at the food.Dowonhyang’s special juice made from mixing honey, peaches, and milk, steamed dumplings wrapped in crunchy white kimchi and tied with water dropwort, vegetable tempura shaped like cake slices, savory black sesame porridge and millet porridge, sweet and slightly bitter ginseng salad, glossy beef sirloin, grilled shrimp with butter, and thick sea bass, among others…There were also appetizing side dishes with elegant plating, along with black rice and seafood stew spread across the table.It was too much for just one meal. Most of these dishes were ones he had never tasted in his life. Moreover, the VIP meals here were made with precious natural ingredients without any artificial seasoning, making them very expensive. One could tell just by looking at the price of the ingredients.Meanwhile, Gu Wonjae crossed the living room. He then sat down, stretching out on the wing chair by the wide window, where a small, round table beside him held designs of various buildings, a tablet, and photos of land, all neatly filed.“Sit.”The man, half-reclined in the wing chair, spoke casually. Cheongwoo bit his wet lips lightly. His mouth was still swollen somewhere from where the man had hit him. He had no desire to eat any of this food, even if it meant his life.Of course, he was hungry. After fasting for two days, his stomach ached more than just hunger. But in this terrifying and anxious situation, even soft porridge would be hard to swallow. His throat kept feeling tight.“I’m not really hungry right now.”Cheongwoo opened his mouth, swallowing a small breath.“Please, you eat this. I can just go to the staff dining room to eat…”“Does this seem like an offer?”Gu Wonjae cut him off quietly, lifting the tablet.“Huh?”“Does it look like I’m asking for your opinion?”He took a deep breath to calm down.Cheongwoo’s gaze briefly went to the man’s hand. The large hand holding the rectangular tablet loosely.Those veiny hands had slapped Cheongwoo’s cheeks and buttocks without hesitation when he displeased him. He still hadn’t forgotten the shock of the first slap. It felt like a rock had flown and hit his face. It hurt that much.“You don’t seem interested in my opinion.”Cheongwoo tried to answer calmly.“But right now, I’m not in the mood to eat anything, so I just…”“Do I need to know how you feel?”The man’s tone remained consistently calm, his eyes fixed on the tablet. It suddenly felt like his forehead was turning cold.All Cheongwoo had to do was apologize, and it would be over. He knew that. But ever since he had burst into tears in the garden, his mouth, now free from its usual constraints, began to speak against his will.“Yes, I know well that you have no interest in how I feel. So, I understand why you treat me so cruelly like this.”Gu Wonjae, who had been looking at the documents, finally lifted his head slowly. His gaze was quiet.“Cruel? For laying out a feast for you in the morning?”“I don’t want to eat, but you’re forcing me to. How is that different from torture?”“Torture, huh.”The man echoed the word softly, his expression making Cheongwoo freeze again. It was a calm face, but it was the same serene and beautiful one from last night when he had grabbed Cheongwoo’s hair during sex. Cheongwoo’s breathing started to get heavier.“You… you just want to do everything your way. You handle my body so roughly…”“Your words are going in odd directions.”Gu Wonjae leaned back into the wing chair, resting his head on the cushion and turning just his head to look this way.“Are you talking about the day we had sex? Was my bedroom manner a bit lacking for someone who came to sell themselves?”Cheongwoo opened his mouth slightly, blushing at both his eyes and ears. He hated how the man could so casually shame him. Unconsciously, he took a step back.“What do you mean, sex… that was just…”Even if Cheongwoo was young, he knew what it was. That was definitely not sex.Gu Wonjae tilted his head, asking mischievously.“Just?”“Just…”It was rape.He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest, only moving his lips.Why did speaking his mind make him feel like he was losing ground? Even so, the man’s shameless attitude was exhausting his patience.“Even if you paid money, I don’t think you needed to treat someone so cruelly.”“Really? Then I’ll ravage you gently from now on.”“…”“Sit down, Cheongwoo. The food’s getting cold.”The end of his unusually gentle tone clearly carried a hint of mockery.A hopeless person. Cheongwoo, feeling despondent, unconsciously repeated words his grandmother used to say about his gambling-addicted father.In the end, he sat down. Various thoughts surged, but he no longer had the energy to deal with the man. And as he started to smell the food, his appetite slowly grew.“This, there’s too much. I can’t eat all this by myself…”He mumbled timidly, and a crisp reply came back telling him to eat what he could and leave the rest. However, his white hand holding the chopsticks hesitated before moving toward the dishes. The man was still half-lying down, looking at the tablet, seemingly uninterested in him, perhaps having already eaten.If so, this lavish spread was prepared for him. That made him more uncomfortable.“…”By now, the rain had stopped, and light was pouring through the wide window. Cheongwoo picked at the dishes that made no sound while eating. He did this for a while.As he ate, counting each grain of rice, which was unlike his usual way, Gu Wonjae broke the silence.“Where were you heading?”Cheongwoo swallowed the food in his mouth before answering slowly.“To the bank.”“The bank.”“Yes… to transfer the money you gave me.”“Is that so?”“Yes.”“I heard you handed over the checks to Manager Yoon the day before, asking him to transfer the money.”“…”So, he was in cahoots with the manager.His heart skipped a beat, but he calmed himself, thinking it wasn’t surprising, and maintained a composed expression.“Besides that, I had money to transfer to my grandmother’s hospital.”“Ah, I see.”“I did…”A moment of silence followed. Cheongwoo glanced at the man’s face while sniffing once.The gaze looking down at him seemed devoid of any regret, which only made Cheongwoo more nervous.Thinking about it, Gu Wonjae hadn’t explicitly threatened him. He just had a large net spread around, observing with an air of refinement. And when the opportunity came, he’d tighten the noose. That seemed to be his method.From the beginning, he intended to keep Cheongwoo as his personal fairy in his annex. No matter what variables or mistakes occurred, the outcome would be as he wanted. Though this situation was still terrifying and infuriating, Cheongwoo couldn’t struggle anymore.Because he was scared.If he were to reveal his true feelings here, saying how much he disliked him and that he would do anything to escape Dowonhyang, how would this man react?There were many questions he wanted to ask. Why him? Was it that fun to toy with him? What kind of person was he? What was he thinking now?There was no way to predict. That was the kind of man he was. But if he decided to keep Cheongwoo captive, he would be trapped here without a doubt. That was something he was certain of.Therefore, he concluded that the best course of action was to pretend to comply with the man’s wishes and quietly eat the meal.“…Mr. Gu, in the future…”However, he wanted to make one thing clear.Cheongwoo, who had been holding his chopsticks in his mouth for a while, cautiously continued.“What will happen to me in the future?”“…”“Can’t I go anywhere anymore?”“…”“Do I have to stay in Dowonhyang like this forever?”He asked quietly, looking down, but for some reason, Gu Wonjae did not respond.Cheongwoo silently thought about what a fairy in Dowonhyang does. Eating, sleeping, warming the guest’s bed… Then, the man’s grotesquely shaped penis suddenly flashed through his mind. It felt like his heart dropped.“Huh? And every night, do I have to… with you…”Do it?The question he was about to hurriedly ask slowly sank back into his mouth. Cheongwoo blinked slowly. Gu Wonjae had fallen asleep by then.A short, sharp breath escaped.Looking at the man leaning his profile against his broad shoulder, the term ‘sleep demon’ suddenly came to mind. ‘Ground demon.’ The thought that even his nickname suited him made him suddenly feel drained of strength.“…”The tightly wound tension slackened on its own, and Cheongwoo unknowingly put down his chopsticks slowly. And for the first time, he began to observe the man closely.The bright light streaming through the wide window enveloped the man’s sharp profile. The light softly traced the thick eyebrows, the chiseled nose, the deep-set eyes, and the healthy-colored lips. His breathing was so low it seemed almost nonexistent. His typical cold demeanor and the shadows cast across the contours of his face remained. But seeing Gu Wonjae asleep so vulnerably was just strange to Cheongwoo.He had only thought him inhuman, but it seemed he was human after all.The man was almost devoid of expressions, spoke very little, and rarely smiled, yet he was startlingly handsome. In his life, Cheongwoo had never seen anyone as good-looking. He seemed more like some kind of creature than human…‘And not bad.’He had never seen such a bad person in his life either.Gu Wonjae awake was terrifying, and Gu Wonjae asleep in peace was annoying. Cheongwoo, who had been sneaking glances, sighed quietly and picked up his chopsticks again, thinking he could finally eat in peace.He was originally the type to eat slowly and quietly. Cheongwoo liked to chew his food for a long time, savoring it with his mouth full. His left cheek was still swollen, so he stuffed as much rice as he could into his right cheek. And as he habitually paused his chopsticks to chew thoroughly, he felt a gaze on him. Curiously, he looked up.Gu Wonjae, who had woken up, was now leaning back in the wing chair, watching him eat.The silent, serene gaze continued. The slightly tilted chin and the sleepy, languid eyes made Cheongwoo feel embarrassed again. He seemed to be thinking, ‘How can you eat in this situation?’It was awkward. Maybe that’s why he instinctively gave a sharp look with his round eyes. Perhaps it looked funny with his cheeks puffed out and staring.Gu Wonjae laughed. It was a low, soft sound, the first time Cheongwoo had heard it.“You eat cutely.”Cheongwoo’s face was fully reflected in those lazy eyes.