A few days later aboard the prison cruise Paradise Lost.

Deck 2, aka “the Ladder.”

Thump—!

Unexpected guests had arrived.

Jae-hee Han, the Deck Leader of Deck 1, and his followers.

“It’s the Deck Leader from Deck 1!”

“That sensational rookie?”

“What’s he doing here?”

The residents of Deck 2 stirred, murmuring as the group strode confidently down the corridor.

“Rumor is he’s got a connection to the commander.”

“What? With that snake demon?”

“They say he’s taking out the old bosses, deck by deck, on the commander’s orders.”

“Does that mean our Deck Leader is in danger?”

Fearful whispers swirled around them. Jae-hee chuckled to himself as he walked through the crowd. This kind of awe wasn’t half bad.

Of course, there was also…

“The commander’s pet quokka!”

“Ooh, look at that baby-smooth skin! I just wanna suck it right off!”

“Lemme me smack that ass just once yo!”

…the usual crude harassment and mockery one would expect in a prison.

Jae-hee gritted his teeth, quivering with fright as he pushed through. His followers, just as intimidated, scurried close behind him.

And so they arrived at the aft section of Deck 2: the lounge.

Jae-hee’s party had entered the den of Jail Mojik, the leader of Deck 2.

“Oh, Boy.”

Jail Mojik looked exhausted, sprawled on a cot in the lounge. Her complexion was sallow; she didn’t look well.

“Hello, Jail Mojik sis. First time seeing you since the mission.” Jae-hee bowed politely and asked with concern, “How are you feeling?”

“Not great. I haven’t been able to sleep properly since that mission.”

Jail Mojik let out a long sigh. “I’ve always prided myself on my ability. It’s not lethal, but it’s great for containment. Against her, though… it was torn apart like paper.”

The mere memory of it made her fingertips tremble.

“Of course,” she said, her tone shifting, “even in this state…”

Jail Mojik raised an index finger and pointed it at Jae-hee. “I can still handle the likes of you without breaking a sweat.”

The memory of her terrifying binding threads flashed through their minds.

Jae-hee swallowed hard. Status Window bowed so low his back arched like a drawn bow. Patissier, utterly lost, just looked around in confusion.

Even for a renowned Speedster like Jae-hee, evading Jail Mojik’s instant restraints was impossible with ninety-nine percent of his power sealed.

A strength-based Awakened might have been able to break her threads, but for Jae-hee, a specialist in speed and evasion, she was a near-perfect counter.

Inside this prison, at least, a direct confrontation was a losing battle.

“So, what’s your game, rookie? Coming all the way up here?” Jail Mojik asked with a malicious grin. “Are you here to fight me or work for me?”

Jae-hee swallowed again before answering. “I… came to negotiate, sis.”

“Negotiate?”

“Yes.” Jae-hee laid out his pre-planned proposal. “Open the gate to Deck 2. Let the inmates from Deck 1 come and go as they please. Let us use your facilities.”

“And why would I do that?” Jail Mojik snorted. “That’s nothing but a loss for me and the residents of Deck 2. What could Deck 1 possibly have that would make us accept?

“I remember you coming down to borrow bleach the other day, sis,” Jae-hee said with a smirk. “Deck 2 has about half the population of Deck 1, but I hear you only get a quarter of the supply shipments.”

“…”

“If we share our resources, life will be easier for everyone.”

Jae-hee gestured behind him.

“Of course, that’s just the official pretense. The real terms of our deal are right here.”

At his signal, Status Window and Patissier stepped aside, revealing the final member of their party, who had been hidden behind their large frames.

It was the small-framed Razor.

He’d been washed and dressed in new clothes. In casual wear instead of a prison uniform, he looked even fairer and younger than usual.

And… a high-quality leather collar—the same one from the Gate “picnic”—was fastened around his neck. Jae-hee held the end of the leash.

Jail Mojik’s eyes widened in astonishment, and a trickle of blood ran from her nose.

“If you accept my proposal,” Jae-hee said, flashing a grin.

It was the wicked grin of a depraved slave trader.

“I will present Razor to you, sis!”

***

“Hngh…!”

Collared and leashed, Razor’s face was beet red, his shoulders trembling.

His eyes, welling with tears, glared at Jae-hee. He bit his lip, his voice shaking with humiliation.

“How could you do this to me… I’ll kill you, Jae-hee Han. I swear it!”

Status Window exclaimed in admiration, “That’s it, Razor-kun! That’s the exact line!”

“What the hell are you talking about, you crazy fucking otaku!”

Though shaking with shame, Razor exchanged a look with Jae-hee.

This was, of course, all part of the plan.

He thought the plan was for him to be the honey trap: if Jail Mojik accepted, he would get close and threaten her with a knife. It was a strategy guaranteed to work on Jail Mojik, who had already shown a clear interest in him.

One of Sun Tzu’s Thirty-Six Stratagems: the Honey Trap.

But then, events took an unexpected turn.

Jail Mojik, who had gotten a nosebleed at the mere sight of the collared Razor, gave her answer.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse.”

“What?”

“I won’t deny that your offer is incredibly tempting. Honestly? It’s hot as hell.”

Pressing a tissue to her nose, Jail Mojik glanced at Razor one last time.

“But what I wanted was his heart.”

“…”

“I’ve always had the means to take him by force. But that’s not what I want.”

Jail Mojik smiled bitterly. “I’m serious about him, and I want him to see me for who I am.”

“…”

“I don’t know how much longer it will take, but I’m willing to wait.”

A tremor ran through Razor’s eyes. “Jail Mojik…”

“So please, untie him. It hurts my heart to see him like that.”

Jae-hee tilted his head, then grumbled as he undid Razor’s restraints. “Tch. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

And so the honey trap failed.

Once he was free, Razor looked down at his unbound hands.

“H-hey, Jail Mojik!” he stammered after a moment of hesitation. “That confession you made… can I answer it now?”

“Of course.”

“I-it might be a little hard to start dating right away, but y’know…”

Razor stared at the floor, squeezing his eyes shut. “I was thinking… maybe we could start getting to know each other. Properly. From now on.”

“…”

“Unless… you don’t want to?”

“Razor.” Jail Mojik opened her thick arms. “Can I hug you? Just once?”

Razor didn’t refuse.

He cautiously approached and let himself be enveloped in her embrace. Just as he liked, her arms were more than wide enough to hold him.

I’m sorry, Miss Hellth. But I…

Wrapped in Jail Mojik’s warmth, Razor let out a long breath.

I… don’t dislike her.

As this unexpected, rosy atmosphere blossomed, Status Window and Patissier randomly broke into a chorus of “Confession” by the band Delispice.

Still holding Razor, a deep smile on her face, Jail Mojik announced, “I accept your proposal, Boy.”

“…!”

“As of this moment, I declare an alliance between Deck 2 and Deck 1!” she proclaimed with a hearty laugh. “Let us freely use each other’s facilities, interact, and prosper together!”

Jae-hee, Status Window, and Patissier began to applaud.

Jail Mojik’s followers joined in with a cheering roar.

The alliance was forged. The new couple held each other tightly, showered with applause.

***

A few hours later, in a dark corner of Deck 2.

“Another job well done.”

Three figures sat huddled on a stairwell landing, speaking in hushed tones.

Jae-hee, Status Window, and Jail Mojik.

Status Window pushed up his glasses and chuckled. “Everything went according to my scenario desu.”

“Why did that even work?” Jae-hee muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Jail Mojik, however, smiled in satisfaction.

“It was an excellent script, little brother Status Window. You have a real talent for screenwriting.”

“Fufu. And you, Jail Mojik sis, have a remarkable talent for acting desu.”

The two shook hands, a pointless friendship blossoming between screenwriter and actor.

Jae-hee sighed softly as he watched them.

That’s right. Today’s events had all been a carefully staged play, and Razor was the only one not in on it.

He thought the plan was for him to be the honey trap: if Jail Mojik accepted, he would get close and threaten her with a knife.

The real plan was for Jail Mojik to deliberately refuse the offer and make a public declaration of her pure, unwavering affection.

The strategy was that Razor, already wavering because she was his type, would be hit with a wave of guilt for trying to deceive her. The combination would make him fall for her, hard.

When Jae-hee first heard it, he’d been skeptical. This will actually work?

It had.

“Razor-kun—and it feels weird for me to say this as his roommate—is a hopeless lover boy at heart,” Status Window said with a chuckle, his glasses glinting. “He’s weak to a direct approach. I knew if we set the stage properly, it would work desu.”

“How are you so good at this…?”

“If you played more dating sims like me, Boy-kun, you could become a Love Doctor too. I can recommend a few masterpieces if you’d like desu.”

“Uh… Thanks, but no thanks…”

Jae-hee shook his head and turned to Jail Mojik. “But is it really okay to win his heart like this?”

It felt strange for him, one of the architects of the scheme, to be the one asking.

But they had deceived him. Was it really all right for them to become a couple this way?

“I won his heart, didn’t I? That’s all that matters.”

As long as you get what you want, the method doesn’t matter.

With a villainous smile to match her villainous words, Jail Mojik handed Jae-hee something. “And you got what you wanted, so it’s a win-win.”

It was a Deck 2 Facility Access Pass.

Deck 2 had many facilities that Deck 1 lacked, and some required this pass for entry. The gym was one of them.

Jae-hee took the pass, tucked it away, and bowed obsequiously. “You’re one hundred percent right, ma’am.”

He pumped a fist.

There may have been some psychological manipulation involved, yes.

But in the end, Razor and Jail Mojik had confirmed their feelings for each other, Deck 1 and Deck 2 had formed an alliance, and Jae-hee could finally hit the gym.

Everything had worked out, just as Jail Mojik said. A win was a win.

As Jae-hee nodded to himself, lost in self-justification, Status Window spoke quietly. “Boy-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve finally become a true villain.”

“N-nah, I’m not!” Jae-hee denied frantically, waving his hands. “Not yet!”

And so, the Boy Jae-hee Han, one month into his sentence at the prison cruise Paradise Lost, had successfully advanced to Deck 2—aka “the Ladder.”

By selling out his roommate’s pure heart!

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