Clandestine Vow //Taehyung X Reader | 18+

Chapter 24: VIP list?

Yoo-seon's hesitated. "No... If you're on that list, it's because he wants you for himself first."

I frowned. "Who is 'he'?"

Sera's breath hitched, and she glanced toward the dim light pooling under the locked door, as if afraid someone might overhear. "The boss," she muttered.

My stomach twisted into knots remembered that day and that person who ordered Dong wook to put me on VIP list. "Have you met him?" I asked.

"No. He doesn't waste his time on us." Yoo-seon shook her head. "But... I heard about him. From one of the girls who was sent to the VIP list."

My stomach churned, but I couldn't stop myself. "What did she told you?"

"She said he makes you stand in front of a camera," she began. "Like a fucking doll. He tears your clothes apart piece by piece. You're not allowed to speak unless it's to call him 'master.' Every word, every move, every breath is controlled. And if you disobey..." Her jaw tightened. "There's punishment. Always punishment."

I felt bile rising in my throat but she continued.

"He'll tie you down, spread you wide, and make you scream. Not out of pleasure. Forget that. It's pain. Raw, brutal pain. He'll force you to beg. They call it BDSM," she sneered, "like it's a fucking kink. But what they do here? It's not sex. It's torture. They'll shove things inside you, use tools you didn't even know existed, and laugh while you're crying, bleeding, screaming for it to stop. And it doesn't. Not until he's satisfied."

"Why the camera?" I choked out. "For blackmailing?"

Yoo-seon chuckled bitterly. "No, it's to show the VIPs. So, they can see your limits—and how far past them they can push you. It's to prepare you for the market. To see how much you're worth and how long they can keep you alive before you're ruined."

For the first time, the reality of where I was truly hit me. I knew time was running out. Waiting for a miracle was pointless—it wasn't going to happen.

"What the hell? What about that girl? Did they send her back here?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Yoo-seon scoffed in disbelief. "She didn't come back on her own. They sent her back because she was no longer useful. And soon after, she died—right in front of my eyes."

Sera's silence spoke louder than any words. "Once you're there, you're gone. If you do come back, you won't live for more than 12 hours."

The words sent a chill through me. What did that mean?

Sera smirked bitterly. "There's no hope here. No escape. You'll beg for death soon. Just like I do."

Tears blurred my vision, but I didn't dare to wipe them away. Every word she said echoed in my head, louder and louder, until it drowned out everything else.

Another girl, who looked no older than seventeen, crawled closer. Her dark hair was tangled, and though her eyes were pretty, they were hauntingly empty. "I'm Eun-sae," she said softly. "They brought me here two weeks ago. I thought if I did what they said, if I stayed quiet, maybe I'd survive. But I was wrong."

I forced myself to look up and meet their eyes. "How long do I have?"

Ae-na hesitated, glancing at the others, who all looked away. "Eight days. After that..."

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. The silence spoke louder than any words could.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. "I'm not going to wait around for that," I said firmly. "I can't."