[18+] ADULT'S PLAY | ʜɪᴘ ʜᴏᴘ ᴜɴɪᴛ

xvi.

I wake up disoriented, my vision swimming in and out of focus, a dull ache pulsing at my temples. Muffled voices filter through the haze, but I can't discern who they belong to.

As my sight clears, I realize I'm lying on the damp, cold floor of a dark, enclosed room. The air is heavy with a bitter, musty odor that makes me scrunch my nose in disgust.

What is this place?

My gaze falls on the single door in front of me, imposing and ominous. Just as I'm about to move, a shrill noise cuts through the silence—a microphone being tapped. I jerk my head up to see a speaker hanging from the ceiling.

"I see our new Diamond has awakened!" a voice booms, echoing in the confined space.

I frown, the voice sending a chill down my spine. It feels so familiar, yet unsettling.

I gradually sit up, my mind struggling to piece together the disjointed memories. The last thing I remember is the party, hiding in the hedge maze with Vernon, and then... everything faded to black.

"Where am I?" I murmur, a surge of anxiety coursing through me as the gravity of the situation sinks in. I know I'm not alone, and I need to prepare for whatever's coming next.

My eyes dart to the speaker above, then I scan the room. It's stark and unwelcoming—just four plain walls, the door, and the speaker that looms over me. There has to be a camera watching my every move.

"What do you want from me?!" I demand, my voice firm but not quite a shout. I focus on the speaker again. "Why are you doing this to me?"

I can almost envision someone behind the speaker, lips curling into a cruel smile as I speak.

"Wasn't your goal to be a Diamond?" the voice replies, dripping with sarcasm.

I suddenly realize that the voice belongs to a woman, but it's not Miss Nana. Then who...?

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice steady despite the growing unease.

"I'm disappointed that you've forgotten me so quickly," she responds, a hint of mockery in her tone.

I frown, trying to recall any interaction that could have led to this moment. There's an unsettling familiarity to her voice, a sense that I should know her, yet I can't place her.

"Well, I don't expect you to remember immediately, but let's move on to the initiation. Kim Sohye, how did you come to know our Playground?"

Her use of 'our' sends a chill down my spine. I respond cautiously, "Someone gave me an invitation to the club."

"Someone gave you an invitation to the club," she echoes thoughtfully, as if weighing the significance of my words. "And who was it?"

"Jeon Wonwoo," I reply, feeling a mix of confusion and frustration. The room feels suffocating, the walls closing in around me. Why are we conducting an interrogation in this pitch-black room?

"Interesting," the voice muses, a tinge of amusement seeping through. "So you're the one who caught his attention. And now you're here, ready for your initiation."

My heart races at the thought of being thrust deeper into this dark world. "What initiation? What do you want from me?" I demand, trying to regain some semblance of control.

"You know, the last one wasn't this chatty," the voice replies, a hint of amusement creeping into her tone.

The last one?! I can feel a chill run down my spine.

"Anyways," she continues dismissively, "there will be a Watcher who will come in and explain the initiation process to you. We aren't inhumane, after all. Therefore, we will give you time to read the NDA. Only when you've given your consent to participate in the initiation will we begin. If you choose not to, we'll let you go without harm."