Roxy and Jessica froze in sheer terror. One fumbled for a tissue to wipe away the blood while the other star ted dragging me away. Spotting a large iron drum filled with filthy water, Roxy hoisted me up. The next seco nd, she plunged my head into it.
The foul water flooded my nose and mouth. The feeling of suffocation was immediate, my lungs screaming n agony. Just as I thought I would die, Roxy yanked me out by my hair.
You little shit, how many lives do you think you have to disrespect my Boss!” she roared. “Today, I’ll kill you as an apology to her!”
had only a few seconds to gasp for air before she shoved me back under. After several repetitions, I wa
:00 choked to make a sound.
Roxy threw me onto the ground and scurried back to my sister, bowing. “Boss, since he offended you, he’:
useless alive. What are your orders?”
‘First, pull out all his fingernails. Then, how about we treat him to a special cocktail?”
My blood ran cold. The cocktail. I had seen them use that particular torture on other men. I never thought i
would be my turn.
So be it. Sister, all the sins you’ve committed… let them be paid for through me. It’s not unjust.
The thought calmed me. I closed my eyes, waiting for death. I was going to see Mom and Dad soon. A stra nge sense of joy washed over me.
“Is he… smiling?” my sister’s hesitant voice cut through the haze.
“What the fuck, this bastard still has the nerve to smile?!” Roxy, incredulous, grabbed my hair and yanked my head up.
The filthy water had washed the blood from my face. My sister stared, a look of shock on her features. “Why are there so many wounds on his face?”
In the reflection of her eyes, I saw my own ruined face for the first time. A dense network of crisscrossing scars, like ugly earthworms, covered every inch of my skin. It was terrifying. Disgusting.
And I had thought she would recognize me. In this state, even I wouldn’t recognize myself.
Chapter 2
16:09
“We did it,” Roxy answered quickly. “We were afraid he’d cause trouble, maybe seduce one of the female workers to escape.” Jessica nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. He’s got a pretty face. If we left it, he’d be trouble sooner or later.”
My sister nodded slowly. “A pity. We could have sent him to the casinos to keep the rich old women compa ny. That’s much more profitable than this.”
A flicker of regret crossed Jessica’s face. “Damn, it’s my fault! I’ll know better next time. I’ll look for hands ome, innocent ones just like him.”
Hearing this, Roxy sighed. “Yeah, the ones you brought before were all duds. You finally find a handsom one, and you break him.”
You said he was a pretty boy. What did he look like? Let me see.” Roxy demanded, asking for a photo.
Jessica gave a bitter smile. “They already took my phone. I can’t show you.” Then, her eyes lit up as she patt ed her pocket. “But I have his ID and his diploma on me. You can look at these!”
Roxy’s interest was piqued. “Let’s see, let’s see.”
Jessica pulled out all my documents. Roxy leaned in eagerly.
Tsk, tsk. Not bad at all!” she mused. “This kid’s got the face of a puppy dog, but the chest muscles to drive woman wild. Damn. You’ve got good taste. If his face wasn’t ruined, he could have made a killing as al
escort.”
Just then, my sister, having washed her face, came over, dabbing it with a towel.
‘Alex Song? A name like a fish. He flies.”
Roxy immediately started sucking up. “How could this piece of trash compare to you, Boss! You’re a phoeni> n the sky, he’s just a dead fish that can’t fly. What’s that saying…”
“How can a sparrow know the ambitions of a swan!”” my sister finished, amused. She tossed the towel a Roxy’s face.
‘Get out of here. A high school dropout like you quoting poetry, ha!”
Roxy pulled the towel off her face and laughed along. “I’ve just been influenced by you, Boss! You’re one of the only ones in this whole compound with a degree from overseas! I still remember what you used to tell the young master… to get anywhere in life, you have to study hard…”
At the mention of me, my sister’s expression darkened. She took my diploma from Jessica’s hand, her finge- rs tracing the gold-embossed letters.
“If only Leo were still alive,” she sighed. “He would have been 22 this year, graduating from university…”
1/11
16.09
