Completely taken by surprise, I cried out, only to fall silent when I realized what was happening.The man leaned against me while pinching my waist hard.Unlike the last time, the man was acting like this was the first time he was putting his hands on me. His movements were subtle and more timid.I could even feel him trembling, especially the arm that was wrapped around my waist.His nails scraped against my skin. I trembled. I was certain that this wasn't the same man from last night.This man's hands were softer like he'd never been exposed to manual labor before. He even had long nails.From the photo, I knew that the man from yesterday had very short nails.Just as I thought of that, the man behind me leaned forward and licked the back of my neck, leaving a warm and wet trail. His tongue lingered on my neck as his breathing got heavier.The passengers around me were whispering. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could easily imagine their disgusted expressions.I pushed
The man ripped open my clothes roughly. I bit his arm hard.He screamed in pain and let go of me. He stumbled backward.I turned around. This time, I saw his face.He was tall and thin. The hand around my wrist looked as fragile as dead twigs.I shook off his hand, turned, and ran away. The man ran after me in hot pursuit."You bitch! Where do you think you're going? I paid 500 dollars for you!"500 dollars?This took me aback.So, the first man sold my information to someone else. That was why a different man was harassing me on the bus today.Just as I expected, this wasn't just a coincidence.Thinking of this, I stopped running.The man smirked lewdly. Rubbing his hands together, he strode toward me. "Don't be afraid. I will treat you well as long as you don't fight back."He reached out and tried to grab me.I did not duck away. As soon as he grabbed me, I feinted and twisted his arm around instead.The man paled instantly and cried out in pain. "What are you doing? I paid for you…
I frowned as I looked at the young women in front of me. I had seen their photographs before this. They had been reported as missing not too long ago.These people were kidnapping women for human trafficking.All the women who were sold by them would end up as slaves. All it took was a few hundred dollars, and the buyer could do anything to them.Then, eventually, these women would be sold to old men in rural places to be their wives.This was the fate of the young ladies who were kidnapped.Just then, the metal grates creaked loudly. The door opened slowly, and the man from before appeared at the door. He was beaming as he pointed at the women in the room. "These are all our best products. You can take your pick. I'll even give you a discount," he said to a tall man beside him.The tall man looked around.The young women curled up together in a corner, not daring to move. They were all sobbing.The tall man rubbed his chin and then pointed at the youngest woman.The man went up and k
How did he know this wasn't the exit?Who was he?Was he trying to help me?But he was a bastard who was participating in human trafficking. Why would he…Question after question floated around in my mind. I lowered my head. I was too exhausted to struggle, much less come up with answers. Then, I collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness.I didn't know how much time had passed when I woke up. Blearily, I heard people talking beside me.Someone slapped me lightly on the face. "Wake up. Hey, hey. Wake up now."I opened my mouth, and then my eyes. I found myself lying on hard, concrete ground.Above me was a grayish sky. I sat up abruptly and put a hand to my head.I had been drugged and passed out because of it."You're finally awake."I jumped at the voice and turned to look at the speaker. The man who had bought me was sitting beside me.He clicked his tongue impatiently. His spectacles, which were now broken, were still perched on his nose.Why did he save me?B
How many people had this syndicate kidnapped?I clenched my fists at the thought.Charles feigned hesitation. Then, he took out a bundle of cash and placed it in the man's hand.The man beamed. He grabbed Charles and was just about to pull him out of the basement when Charles gave me a look. He shook off the man's hand and pointed at me. "I'm bringing her along, though."…Had Charles hit his head and lost his mind somehow?The syndicate already knew that I was a cop. Wasn't he worried that he would raise suspicions by asking for me?I opened my mouth and just barely stopped myself from cursing him out.The man with the slanted eyes looked at me. His smile froze on his face. He gave me a calculative look as if trying to figure out how I managed to captivate Charles so much. "Don't you want another one, brother? You've already done this one before…"Before he could finish, Charles pulled the stack of cash from the man's pocket.A couple of notes fell out of the stack and float
Charles must have really lost his mind.Through the gap at the bottom of the sack, I could see the man walking closer to us until his mud-caked shoes appeared on the ground in front of me.My hands were completely free now.We were done for.Terrified, I grabbed the rope, trying to look like I was still tied up. However, Charles just stepped up beside me and said impatiently, "Where are the women you promised me? Don't tell me you're trying to scam me by bringing me here."I paid you a lot of money, you know."Hearing this, the man abandoned the rest of his sentence and continued leading Charles into the darkness toward a door.I followed them slowly.With a creak, a door opened.A foul odor wafted out from the room. I frowned.I followed behind Charles, who pretended to consider the women before him.Suddenly, he handed me something that felt cold surreptitiously.It was a dagger.We'd only seen the man with the slanted eyes since we came in. By right, this place should b
The man remained unflinching even when the dagger cut into his cheek and drew blood."I already knew you were a cop when I noticed you taking that bus regularly," he said.So who was he?Was he part of the syndicate? Was he the first man to molest me?I ran through all the faces I remembered from the bus, but none of them matched up with the man standing in front of me.Just then, he waved his hand provokingly.My breath hitched. Immediately, I remembered the unknown person waving at me with a phone in his hands outside the window beside my bathroom.It was him.So, they had known that I was a cop from the beginning. Were they just playing along with my ambush?But why would they do that? Shouldn't they be avoiding me because I was a cop?Did they do all this just to kidnap me?Question after question filled my mind. I could barely think through the buzzing in my ears.Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside. A woman screamed as the doorway got filled with people.They
Late at night, on the bus, a hand slowly crept under my skirt as a man's warm breath brushed against my ear.As I was pressed against the glass door, I couldn't see what the man looked like. That only made my other senses more sensitive. All I could feel was his knee pressing against my thigh."This is the first step of your addiction, Miss."…It was the height of summer. The air was suffocatingly humid, even at night, with the clammy feeling that typically comes right after rain.I was completely drenched when I got onto the bus.The smell of petrichor mixed with body odor filled the entire bus. I found a spot near the door and stood there.Every so often, the cold rain splattered on my face.I took in a sharp breath and looked down at my wet clothes. I couldn't help but pull on my collar as the fabric was stuck uncomfortably to my skin. The bus was filled with employees from a well-known IT company nearby. They were just getting off work after a long day. I kept feeling something b
The man remained unflinching even when the dagger cut into his cheek and drew blood."I already knew you were a cop when I noticed you taking that bus regularly," he said.So who was he?Was he part of the syndicate? Was he the first man to molest me?I ran through all the faces I remembered from the bus, but none of them matched up with the man standing in front of me.Just then, he waved his hand provokingly.My breath hitched. Immediately, I remembered the unknown person waving at me with a phone in his hands outside the window beside my bathroom.It was him.So, they had known that I was a cop from the beginning. Were they just playing along with my ambush?But why would they do that? Shouldn't they be avoiding me because I was a cop?Did they do all this just to kidnap me?Question after question filled my mind. I could barely think through the buzzing in my ears.Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside. A woman screamed as the doorway got filled with people.They
Charles must have really lost his mind.Through the gap at the bottom of the sack, I could see the man walking closer to us until his mud-caked shoes appeared on the ground in front of me.My hands were completely free now.We were done for.Terrified, I grabbed the rope, trying to look like I was still tied up. However, Charles just stepped up beside me and said impatiently, "Where are the women you promised me? Don't tell me you're trying to scam me by bringing me here."I paid you a lot of money, you know."Hearing this, the man abandoned the rest of his sentence and continued leading Charles into the darkness toward a door.I followed them slowly.With a creak, a door opened.A foul odor wafted out from the room. I frowned.I followed behind Charles, who pretended to consider the women before him.Suddenly, he handed me something that felt cold surreptitiously.It was a dagger.We'd only seen the man with the slanted eyes since we came in. By right, this place should b
How many people had this syndicate kidnapped?I clenched my fists at the thought.Charles feigned hesitation. Then, he took out a bundle of cash and placed it in the man's hand.The man beamed. He grabbed Charles and was just about to pull him out of the basement when Charles gave me a look. He shook off the man's hand and pointed at me. "I'm bringing her along, though."…Had Charles hit his head and lost his mind somehow?The syndicate already knew that I was a cop. Wasn't he worried that he would raise suspicions by asking for me?I opened my mouth and just barely stopped myself from cursing him out.The man with the slanted eyes looked at me. His smile froze on his face. He gave me a calculative look as if trying to figure out how I managed to captivate Charles so much. "Don't you want another one, brother? You've already done this one before…"Before he could finish, Charles pulled the stack of cash from the man's pocket.A couple of notes fell out of the stack and float
How did he know this wasn't the exit?Who was he?Was he trying to help me?But he was a bastard who was participating in human trafficking. Why would he…Question after question floated around in my mind. I lowered my head. I was too exhausted to struggle, much less come up with answers. Then, I collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness.I didn't know how much time had passed when I woke up. Blearily, I heard people talking beside me.Someone slapped me lightly on the face. "Wake up. Hey, hey. Wake up now."I opened my mouth, and then my eyes. I found myself lying on hard, concrete ground.Above me was a grayish sky. I sat up abruptly and put a hand to my head.I had been drugged and passed out because of it."You're finally awake."I jumped at the voice and turned to look at the speaker. The man who had bought me was sitting beside me.He clicked his tongue impatiently. His spectacles, which were now broken, were still perched on his nose.Why did he save me?B
I frowned as I looked at the young women in front of me. I had seen their photographs before this. They had been reported as missing not too long ago.These people were kidnapping women for human trafficking.All the women who were sold by them would end up as slaves. All it took was a few hundred dollars, and the buyer could do anything to them.Then, eventually, these women would be sold to old men in rural places to be their wives.This was the fate of the young ladies who were kidnapped.Just then, the metal grates creaked loudly. The door opened slowly, and the man from before appeared at the door. He was beaming as he pointed at the women in the room. "These are all our best products. You can take your pick. I'll even give you a discount," he said to a tall man beside him.The tall man looked around.The young women curled up together in a corner, not daring to move. They were all sobbing.The tall man rubbed his chin and then pointed at the youngest woman.The man went up and k
The man ripped open my clothes roughly. I bit his arm hard.He screamed in pain and let go of me. He stumbled backward.I turned around. This time, I saw his face.He was tall and thin. The hand around my wrist looked as fragile as dead twigs.I shook off his hand, turned, and ran away. The man ran after me in hot pursuit."You bitch! Where do you think you're going? I paid 500 dollars for you!"500 dollars?This took me aback.So, the first man sold my information to someone else. That was why a different man was harassing me on the bus today.Just as I expected, this wasn't just a coincidence.Thinking of this, I stopped running.The man smirked lewdly. Rubbing his hands together, he strode toward me. "Don't be afraid. I will treat you well as long as you don't fight back."He reached out and tried to grab me.I did not duck away. As soon as he grabbed me, I feinted and twisted his arm around instead.The man paled instantly and cried out in pain. "What are you doing? I paid for you…
Completely taken by surprise, I cried out, only to fall silent when I realized what was happening.The man leaned against me while pinching my waist hard.Unlike the last time, the man was acting like this was the first time he was putting his hands on me. His movements were subtle and more timid.I could even feel him trembling, especially the arm that was wrapped around my waist.His nails scraped against my skin. I trembled. I was certain that this wasn't the same man from last night.This man's hands were softer like he'd never been exposed to manual labor before. He even had long nails.From the photo, I knew that the man from yesterday had very short nails.Just as I thought of that, the man behind me leaned forward and licked the back of my neck, leaving a warm and wet trail. His tongue lingered on my neck as his breathing got heavier.The passengers around me were whispering. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could easily imagine their disgusted expressions.I pushed
Who was that? What kind of perverted expression did he have when he was molesting me?I swallowed, still sitting dazedly on the floor.Muddy water dripped from my clothes and pooled by my feet.I wanted to slap myself at the thought that many people might have seen me in that vulnerable situation.I didn't know how to deal with that.Standing up, I took off my clothes and got ready for a shower.Just then, my phone rang with a notification. It jolted me out of my thoughts.The screen flashed on. Confused, I picked up my phone.I had a message request from an unknown number on Instagram. The profile picture was blank, and the account handle was just a random string of numbers.I hesitated for a moment before accepting the request.As soon as I accepted the request, the person sent a photo over to me.My heart skipped a beat. I lost my grip on my phone. It fell onto the ground.Eyes wide and heart pounding, my hand trembled in mid-air.The person had sent me a photograph of
Late at night, on the bus, a hand slowly crept under my skirt as a man's warm breath brushed against my ear.As I was pressed against the glass door, I couldn't see what the man looked like. That only made my other senses more sensitive. All I could feel was his knee pressing against my thigh."This is the first step of your addiction, Miss."…It was the height of summer. The air was suffocatingly humid, even at night, with the clammy feeling that typically comes right after rain.I was completely drenched when I got onto the bus.The smell of petrichor mixed with body odor filled the entire bus. I found a spot near the door and stood there.Every so often, the cold rain splattered on my face.I took in a sharp breath and looked down at my wet clothes. I couldn't help but pull on my collar as the fabric was stuck uncomfortably to my skin. The bus was filled with employees from a well-known IT company nearby. They were just getting off work after a long day. I kept feeling something b