Kill Your X Chapter 45

Barely regaining consciousness, the first sensation I felt was coldness. The next was the feeling of hundreds of insects crawling on my skin. I raised my barely functioning hand and scratched myself frantically. The more I scratched, the more intense the itching became.

“So, is everyone ready to enjoy today’s game?”

A familiar voice boomed, amplified. As I tried to recall who it was, my vision suddenly brightened. The curtain that had been blocking my view opened, and the lights on the ceiling turned on. Every single boisterous noise filling the room pierced my skin aggressively.

“Before we officially begin the game, let me first introduce today’s prizes.”

I recognized the owner of the voice. Ma Yubin, the one who invited me here, was holding a microphone, acting as the MC. On the podium, three large cage-like objects were placed side by side. It was grotesque that the beings inside were human, and all naked.

Then, looking at the casino tables in the hall, a realization struck me like lightning. The variant gambling that’s been trending underground these days.

The details vary, but there was a similar theme among the winning entries of an essay contest held at the school library recently. It was a form of gambling that attracted people by adding more stimulating elements to traditional gambling. Behind it, of course, were evil forces like gangs.

It seemed Ma Yubin was working as a gambling broker in the entertainment industry. The seemingly normal party from before, and the story he leaked about Seo Seunghan, were all just bait to lure me in, I belatedly realized.

“First, an aspiring model from the countryside. As you can see, he’s tall and slender, so those who prefer slender types will probably have their eyes on him.”

A spotlight shone on the leftmost cage. The man inside writhed on the floor like an animal, tormented by the intense light. Then, a man standing behind the cage entered and forcibly lifted him up. Whew! Low whistles erupted from everywhere.

I tried to move as much as my will allowed, but it wasn’t easy. It was clear that some strange drug had been dissolved in the water they gave me. The fact that I tried to throw it up immediately probably lessened the effect. The two victims next to me looked much worse than I did.

“The next prize I’d like to introduce is an aspiring actor who used to be an unknown idol. He mostly performed at local events during his idol days, so many of you may not know him. Still, he has a pretty face, right?”

The second victim, damn it, was someone I knew. He was the guy I slept with on a whim a few days ago at the Jerome private party. I remember him saying he was with the same agency as Ma Yubin, so I don’t know why he was dragged here.

I was cursing inwardly when the spotlight finally focused on me. The man standing behind me opened the cage, came in, and lifted me up without my consent. I’ve never been treated like this in my life. Shame welled up at the touch, as if I were an animal being handled at an auction. I wanted to scream, but even that wouldn’t work, so I felt terrible.

“Now, for today’s final prize! It’s been a while since a non-celebrity has appeared as a prize, right? I believe you all know how difficult they are to cast. A quiet, handsome ordinary person, a graduate of B University, with excellent academic qualifications. I highly recommend him to those who are tired of tainted partners.”

What kind of people with twisted tastes were gathered here? Annoyingly, the cheers were the loudest during my turn. Ma Yubin excitedly continued his explanation.

“This gentleman actually has some connection to me. He’s the ex-lover of a company executive I really hate. They’ve broken up now, but I brought him here out of curiosity about what the partner of that picky guy would be like. And incidentally, it would be nice to screw that bastard over too. Haha!”

I needed to get out of this numb sensation to do anything, but even clenching and unclenching my hand once was enough to make me sweat all over, making it difficult. To make matters worse, a heat I hadn’t felt before began to spread through my body. I felt despair, knowing what it was.

After Ma Yubin’s excited voice continued for a while, the game officially began in the hall. People sat around a large table, and a dealer standing opposite them expertly distributed chips. At first glance, it looked like a typical casino game, but the fact that they were offering people as the final prize was perverted.

Could it be that the winner of the gamble gets to take the person trapped in the cage? In this day and age, I couldn’t believe that famous celebrities, whose faces are known to everyone, would gather and do such a thing.

“He… Help… Heut, Ah…ung….”

Why do ominous premonitions always come true? I heard a rather loud moan and looked to the side; it was a spectacle. The man trapped in the second cage was writhing and making aroused sounds. Anyone could see he was under the influence of an aphrodisiac. As he rubbed his genitals on the floor like a dog in heat, the game participants laughed amongst themselves.

“Hey, hey, someone who picked number 2 needs to get him out of there quickly. He’s gonna piss himself.”

“Oh dear. Baby, just wait a little longer! I’ll save you soon! But you’re okay with multiple people, right?”

I was also on the verge of losing my mind due to the uncontrollable sensations, but I was worried because the person trapped in the second cage seemed to be particularly affected by the drug. He was panting with his eyes completely glazed over, and it looked like something serious would happen.

Meanwhile, the game proceeded steadily. The sounds of chips being exchanged on the table and the cheers of those who won money spread noisily. Even when someone threw things or screamed as the game heated up, no one stopped them. The mutually agreed-upon chaos was hell itself.

“Ugh, damn it.”

Now wasn’t the time to worry about the well-being of the man trapped in the second cage. My condition deteriorated rapidly from the middle of the game. Every time I took a breath, a searing pain ripped through my lungs. The sensory abnormalities that had been at the level of insects soon intensified to the level of needles piercing my skin. The situation down below was beyond words.

I felt disgusted and started crying at the sight of my erect penis, unable to control my body. I wanted to crawl away, but the large man standing guard right behind the cage made it impossible.

“Sob…”

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t understand why I had to suffer like this. I resented Si Yeonho, no, Seo Seunghan to death. I knew that Ma Yubin’s resentment towards him had misfired and hit me, but I couldn’t bear it if I didn’t hold him responsible.

If I hadn’t met you, my life would have been smooth. I wouldn’t have fallen into this abyss.

What will happen to me now? Will it be over after being used for one night? Will I be able to go out and report it to the police? Was it Ma Yubin’s intention to choose only men as prizes, and for everyone except me to be in the entertainment industry? What kind of backing does he have, and how dare these people participate in this crime?

“Now, it seems like today’s winners are being chosen, right? Those who covet the prizes should increase their bets.”

By the time Ma Yubin said those words, all the people trapped in the cages were hardly recognizable as human. Only their base instincts remained, wanting anyone to touch them. They were vulgar prizes, befitting the purpose of a secret party prepared for the winners. I was no exception.

“Oh dear. Our third prize is crying so beautifully today. I’ll watch until the end to see which lucky person takes him.”

As the heat engulfing my whole body crossed a certain line, my eyes kept closing. My breath was so hot that I wanted to strangle myself. Just as I was desperately wishing I could die like this, I was assigned to someone as a prize that day. The sounds of jubilation, the angry noises made by those who couldn’t accept the outcome, quickly faded away.

“The winners can now take their prizes. We hope you have a good time upstairs, and for the rest of you, we’ll see you at the third-part party, uh…?”

The atmosphere suddenly changed. It was a stir quite different from what had been going on. Amidst the murmuring people, I heard Ma Yubin’s words as he put down the microphone.

“Oh my, he really came? How dare he come to our den alone.”

That was the last complete sentence I heard.

“Kugh!”

“Uwaaagh!”

“Help, help me! Ghk!”

I could picture the scene of indiscriminate violence even with my eyes closed. The people who hadn’t batted an eye when innocent people were offered as sacrifices and ruined all knew how to cherish their own bodies. With the same, or even greater intensity as before, the man easily subdued them. The fact that the other side had more people didn’t matter at all. The big guys who had been standing guard in the back tried to attack, but they couldn’t even touch a hair on the man’s head.

Even if he were raised as a killing machine from birth, it wouldn’t be to this extent. The man’s ability in a fight was that overwhelming. He was like a being born to end lives.

Click.

I was huddled up, trembling, when the cage door opened behind me. The sound of footsteps approaching, one step, two steps, echoed abnormally, amplified. Amidst my mangled senses, the smell of blood from the man was particularly vivid. His very presence felt like death to me.

“H… Heuu…”

Then, a large hand slowly descended upon my face. Even though the touch was almost without force, I couldn’t resist.

“You’re really high-maintenance, Sunbae.”

The words didn’t reach my brain, scattering and disintegrating. My terrified reflection appeared in his jet-black eyes.