Clap - 27
Ihyun started humming a tune as soon as the rice was halfway finished. It seemed like he found it amusing to watch Jaemin eat. Was it like playing house? Jaemin stared at Ihyun with a puzzled expression.
“Is it fun?”
To me, this situation is terribly horrifying. But to you, it seems amusing.
He wanted to ask, but his mouth was full of food. Yet, tears welled up. Thick tears rolled down Jaemin’s cheeks. He cried sorrowfully, his jaw moving diligently, in a strange manner.
“Oh…”
Seeing Jaemin like that, Ihyun shook his head. His voice conveyed genuine pity. But he didn’t console or comfort him. Jaemin’s tears were solely his own fault.
Ihyun and Ichan didn’t ask why Jaemin tried to escape. They didn’t scold him harshly. They had already imposed the punishment that matched his actions.
Yet Jaemin understood. If he dared to attempt another futile escape, he might face severe consequences. He might end up crippled and crawling for the rest of his life.
Jaemin continued to shed tears while diligently cutting the rice grains. Hunger was more pressing than fear, sorrow, or pain. He had adapted to being treated worse than an animal all his life. But he could never adapt to the relentless hunger.
So maybe, he thought, he might be able to adapt to this horrific situation now. At least Ihyun and Ichan hadn’t starved him like the cursed world they lived in.
Now, he had grown accustomed to the hands that split his buttocks like cutting dough. He had even grown used to the fingers stretching the wrinkles of his backside and the fingers expanding the narrow walls inside him. But he couldn’t adapt to the injections that wrinkled his skin and filled his belly with hormones.
The sticky liquid always disgusted him. It would be better if it stayed cold. Every time it was injected, it was nauseating.
Jaemin, lying like a dog, blinked with a doll-like face. While Ichan injected hormones behind him, Ihyun pricked Jaemin’s wrist. Long needles pierced his skin, injecting unknown substances.
The medication seeped into his veins like a slow, persistent snake. It made his body numb. His senses dulled, and he couldn’t perform his duties properly. Jaemin, with half-closed eyelids, gazed blankly at Ihyun. Ihyun gently stroked Jaemin’s hair.
“Feeling a bit numb, right? I added painkillers. Your body is dying and being reborn right now, so if left alone, it would be very painful.”
“…”
Being reborn. It was a phrase he couldn’t understand or didn’t want to understand.
As if Jaemin didn’t want to talk, he turned his head away. The slippery wall provided a strange sense of comfort. The medication filled him up, and the syringe was removed. A round, hard stopper was inserted. Jaemin’s toes trembled.
Ichan lightly tapped Jaemin’s buttocks. It was a sign that the treatment was over. Jaemin let out a sigh of relief. Now he could finally rest. His body, crumpled from being folded all night, was desperate for some rest.
As Jaemin lay weakly, Ihyun pricked his fingertip with a needle. Lately, they had been drawing his blood frequently. They inserted it into an unknown machine, checking the numbers and graphs that emerged. Of course, Jaemin couldn’t understand those mysterious symbols.
Sometimes the numbers pleased Ihyun and Ichan, and sometimes they saddened them. Based on their reactions, Jaemin thought his body was gradually transforming into an Omega when they were happy, and when they were sad, he thought there was no progress.
Today, the two of them were happy. They didn’t jump for joy, but they looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. A gentle smile played on their lips.
“There’s not much time left now.”
Ichan whispered in Jaemin’s ear. It was a voice filled with excitement.
“Just hold on a little longer, Jaemin. We’ll love you a lot.”
Ihyun also spoke in a similar tone.
“…”
Jaemin didn’t respond. He buried himself deeper into the blanket as if he didn’t want to hear anything.
Shackles were fastened around his ankles. The weight pressing on his shinbone made his jaw tremble. The two people who had been watching Jaemin intently injected something into his vein with a syringe and then left the room. Jaemin didn’t look back until they disappeared.
Sleep poured over him.