Substitute-Chapter 50

“What the hell are they doing that they’re not even feeding them?”

Park Gunwoo tossed the comment out as he stared down at his own meal.

“Maybe they’re eating somewhere else? I mean, they’re obsessed with body shape, but no way they’re starving them.”

“Now that you mention it... yeah. Those guys act like skipping a single meal will kill them.”

Park Gunwoo made an effort to savor the small portion on his tray.

Jiwon ate slowly, steadily. Kim Yunho, who always ate fast, cleared his plate quickly and headed off to the unmanned café alone.

They still had to eat by teams under the team leader’s supervision in the cafeteria, but they no longer needed to move on the captain’s command. Everyone started together, but now they ate and left at their own pace.

Of course, the muzzled ones were the exception. They still couldn’t do anything without their team leader’s permission. Even now, they were eating in complete silence, disciplined and mechanical.

“You’re not going?”

Jiwon asked Park Gunwoo, who hadn’t gotten up even after finishing his meal.

“How long are they gonna keep doing that?”

Gunwoo was waiting for Gwak Chan.

“He’ll come to the café eventually. He’s always late.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

With a sigh, Park Gunwoo picked up his tray and stood.

As they entered the lobby with coffee in hand, they found it buzzing with chatter.

“The results are in.”

Kim Yunho raised a fuss, acting like they were late.

“What results?”

“The honey collection results from yesterday.”

Park Gunwoo, who had just gotten scolded by the instructor, acted like he couldn’t care less as he plopped down.

“Hyesung came in first. That prick. Took Woojoo’s spot and now he acts like he owns the place. You think he cut a deal with the instructor or what?”

Yunho grumbled, throwing in some conspiracy just to vent.

“So? Did he really get the ten million won?”

“He’s at the bank checking right now.”

“Yeah? You think we got our three hundred?”

Gunwoo, who’d seemed indifferent, asked casually. Three hundred thousand wasn’t a small amount, so of course he was curious.

“Hyesung and Jihoon went to check, so we’ll find out soon.”

The three of them, who hadn’t ranked, chatted about the others on the list.

Second and third place had gone to muzzled ones. Not surprising—they were definitely attention-grabbing in a lot of ways.

What was Hyesung like again?

Jiwon hadn’t watched, so he didn’t remember.

“Those fuckers piss [N O V E L I G H T] like it’s nothing. It’s like watching professional actors.”

Yunho was still blown away by what he'd seen yesterday.

“Hyesung must’ve been like that too. Maybe he’s a pro.”

“Come on, hyung. If we’re being honest, who here isn’t a pro in some way?”

Jiwon defended him.

“I don’t like the guy either. But still.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s not ruin the morning talking about him.”

Gunwoo clearly didn’t want to continue.

“But why’d you blow your load?”

Gunwoo turned to Yunho, who had ejaculated late in the training room, and asked like he was scolding a kid.

“Because I fucking wanted to.”

Yunho fired back without missing a beat.

They started bickering like children, switching topics in the process.

But a little later, Gwak Hyesung and Lee Jihoon showed up, all smiles, and the muzzled ones—who had just finished eating—joined them. The honey collection talk flared up again.

The muzzled guys who’d placed second and third were visibly puffed up with pride.

There was a kind of camaraderie between them. Unlike the Sailors, who wouldn’t want to see each other after this was over, the muzzled crew were already talking about treating each other, throwing parties, like they were closer than anyone here. And among those men was an undercover cop.

Wild Dog 6, Choi Minjae.

He blended in like he’d been part of the group from the beginning. Gwak Chan was a big part of that. Somehow, he’d charmed Minjae into sticking to him like glue, even helping him make friends. Last night’s joint outing was part of that too.

Training resumed after the thirty-minute break, but the cops didn’t show up again.

Nobody complained this time, so it didn’t cause a fuss.

The instructor said it was unfortunate that attendance had dropped, but really, he just missed Number 3 and Son Gunwoo. With fewer people, this round of honey collection wrapped up in under an hour.

Jiwon still thought the whole thing was surreal. He never imagined he’d get used to whipping out his dick and pissing in front of an audience. But now, on day three, it honestly didn’t faze him. He still avoided looking whenever he could, but if he wanted to, he could.

The best part was that no one said anything about his mutilated genitals. They all seemed used to it by now.

“Damn, these sly little things—why are they so good at this? One hour, really? Maybe I’m just too good at teaching.”

The instructor looked genuinely moved as he admired the improved quality of the “honey.”

“But you know not to get cocky, right? You’ve gotta do even better than the amount going into your bank account. That’s how we keep our guests coming. Right?”

Before wrapping up the session, the instructor called the top three performers to the front and praised their results.

Since the morning class ended in just an hour, they were given an early break.

“Where you going?”

As Jiwon and Gunwoo, still puffy-eyed, were heading to the clinic, Choi Minjae called out.

“Clinic. My eyes are like this.”

Gunwoo looked pleased to see him.

“What about you? You coming too?”

Then he turned to Jiwon.

“I’m getting painkillers.”

“For your arm?”

He acted like he knew all about it.

“I saw it earlier in the gym. The surgery scar.”

Like he needed an excuse.

“...Yeah. So what?”

“I’m just bored. Yunho and Chan are always whispering like they’ve got secrets. Makes me feel left out.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Whether it was an act or just his natural personality, Minjae wore the same kind of clueless charm as Nam Gyuwon.

“Aww, is our little Minjae sulking?”

Gunwoo laughed, finding him endearing.

So Minjae tagged along.

The clinic doctor handed Jiwon a pill bottle like he’d been waiting.

“Six pills a day. But if it still hurts, you can take three more. Don’t worry.”

“Is it safe to take that many?”

“Of course. But just in case, here’s something for your stomach.”

They gave him a GI protector too. The amount of pills alone felt enough to fill him up.

Jiwon took the meds reluctantly and waited with Minjae while Gunwoo finished his checkup.

“You’ve got something they’re holding over you too, right?”

Minjae asked quietly.

Did he not know about the surveillance? Or did he get no warning before coming in?

Jiwon glared at him, but Minjae didn’t flinch at all.

“Same here. Who would ever understand something like this?”

He gestured subtly at his outfit, then sighed.

“But you know what? It might’ve been for the best. I didn’t think it would be like this, but it’s way beyond what I imagined. Honestly, it might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He smiled, satisfied.

Must be nice.

As Jiwon feared, Choi Minjae wasn’t here for the same reasons he was.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to know anything about Jiwon—just the name. That was good. Jiwon didn’t know much about Minjae either, so mutual ignorance was safest.

“Don’t bother with me. I’ve already got someone.”

Jiwon said it deliberately.

“Huh? No, I just—oh!”

It took Minjae a moment to catch his meaning.

He winked and gave a thumbs up.

“Sorry. I just want to be friends. That’s okay, right?”

“...Sure. Just don’t get too friendly.”

If they were exposed, neither of them would make it out alive. Best not to get tangled.

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

Minjae scratched his head awkwardly.

“But hyung, you don’t have to be so formal with me.”

“Okay.”

Jiwon answered coldly on purpose.

The air got awkward for a moment.

Then Gunwoo came out of the exam room.

“All good?”

“Yeah. They said it was an allergic reaction to the pool cleaning chemicals. Nothing serious. I’ll be fine after taking some meds.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Right? I was worried it might be pinkeye.”

Gunwoo looked genuinely relieved.

If it had been conjunctivitis, he would’ve needed an eye patch and maybe even isolation. He’d been anxious about that the whole time.

They’d only gone to pick up meds, but break time was already over.

They rushed back to the auditorium.

The instructor had changed—this was the third one now.

He said they’d spent two full days doing honey collection, and it was time for some real training. As if collecting piss for hours had been a waste.

Everyone hoped it would be a special class, but it turned out to be server training. It wasn’t as boring as the first day, but it wasn’t exciting either—just a routine lesson.

Even then, the cops didn’t show up.

Where the hell was Team 1, and what were they doing?

If they were being moved separately like the others, there should’ve been rumors—but there were none.

Jiwon, surrounded by fidgeting, dozing crew, kept thinking about Team 1.

****

At 5 a.m., Team 1—the cops—were taken to the dojo on Basement Level 3.

It was a place no one even knew existed. It wasn’t on any blueprint, and it was a secret area completely off-limits to the general crew.

Summoned at the crack of dawn, Team 1 was trained in self-defense. More precisely, in techniques for subduing others. Not to protect themselves—but to overpower the ones they were supposed to protect.

Of the eleven, three already held black belts in martial arts. Two others didn’t hold official ranks but had prior experience in similar types of combat sports. One was an active lieutenant in a crime syndicate.

The rest weren’t to be underestimated either. Each had some level of fighting skill and none of them were afraid. They learned quickly.

They were kept hungry all morning as they trained, and the hunger only sharpened their aggression. Their progress was shocking. They picked up techniques fast—and grew even more violent than expected.

It was obvious why these particular team members, already stronger than the rest, were receiving special training.

They were being prepared for something.

More specifically, something both the Hosts and Guests wanted to see.

From behind the CCTV monitors, Deputy Director Kim watched the scene unfold—and smiled with satisfaction.