Chapter 5: The Lee Family’s Pet (5)

　　Doha was a cryokinetic Esper, and his power over ice was a rare and potent ability. To cultivate it, his parents forced him to train in frigid water all day and ingest every medicine rumored to benefit the awakened. It was anyone’s guess how many of those drugs were actually effective, let alone proven safe.

　　By the time Dana first met him, Doha was already frail. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind—how could someone in his condition have defeated a monster the size of a house? But she dismissed it, reasoning that an Esper’s power was the natural enemy of a demon beast.

　　"Are you cold, Young Master?"

　　Seated on a block of ice, Doha’s lips were deathly pale. He straightened his posture and offered Dana a picture-perfect smile as she voiced her concern.

　　"Are you?"

　　"I’m fine," Dana replied with a smile of her own, a dark bruise blooming on her cheek.

　　The Lees were a strange family. They subjected Doha to all manner of painful and bizarre rituals to enhance his abilities, yet they simultaneously treated him like a priceless glass ornament, liable to shatter at any moment. Physical discipline was, of course, out of the question. So, whenever Doha made a mistake, Dana took the punishment. She was, in effect, a modern-day whipping girl.

　　Dana never complained, but she hated the way Doha’s expression darkened every time she was struck. In those moments, a ghastly, chilling aura would flicker in his eyes. She was pleased that he seemed to get angry on her behalf, but she also wanted to tell him not to worry. He was already sacrificing sleep to bury himself in his studies; how much harder could he possibly work?

　　This particular bruise was the result of Doha failing to score above ninety on his tutor’s math test. The tutor had repeatedly insisted to Doha that Dana was being punished for his academic shortcomings.

　　This is absurd, Dana thought. So what if his grades aren’t perfect? Why beat someone over it?

　　She resolved to slip a laxative into the tutor’s drink at the next opportunity. There was so much about the Lee family she couldn’t stand. She could tolerate being treated as less than an insect for surviving the belly of a demon beast, but their excessive cruelty toward their only son was another matter.

　　They say he’s precious, but they’re only words.

　　Whenever that thought surfaced, her resolve hardened.

　　I have to protect him.

　　Dana studied diligently and never missed a day of practice in the practical swordsmanship the family taught for self-defense. She didn’t care about the injuries she sustained; she only wished Doha wouldn’t let them bother him.

　　As the heir to the Lee family, his duties were endless. On top of training his abilities, he had to master every subject befitting a corporate successor—from literature, math, and English to economics and politics. Everyone expected him to be perfect.

　　Doha’s hand hovered over her bruised cheek, and a cold voice slipped out.

　　"Should I kill him?"

　　"Kill who?"

　　"The tutor."

　　Dana flinched, her eyes wide as she looked at him. He was smiling, a beautiful, serene expression. But from the sharp curve of his eyes, a raw, unidentifiable killing intent dripped like poison. Seeing her freeze, Doha’s tone softened.

　　"It was a joke. It’s my fault for not being good enough. I fell asleep before I finished studying."

　　As his anger subsided, Dana felt a wave of relief.

　　"It’s not your fault, Young Master. I put a sleeping pill in your tea."

　　"A sleeping… what?"

　　Doha blinked, feigning confusion.

　　"I put a sleeping pill in it," Dana said nonchalantly.

　　"Why?"

　　For the first time, Doha seemed genuinely bewildered. Dana thought he looked cute.

　　Would he be angry if he knew what I was thinking?

　　To her, Doha was a strange boy. At times, he was so cynical and cold that he seemed more mature than her, but when glimpses of his humanity broke through, her heart would pound uncontrollably. He was cute, even though he was five years older.

　　Just like now.

　　As she beamed at him, Doha furrowed his brow. The expression snapped Dana back to her senses.

　　"Because you need to sleep, Young Master."

　　He was severely sleep-deprived, so much so that she worried he might die from overwork. Her logic had been childishly simple: if he was going to die from lack of sleep, she would make him sleep.

　　A smile spread across Doha’s wide, surprised eyes. It wasn’t his usual picture-perfect smile, but a faint, simple one, as delicate as baby’s breath.

　　In that instant—

　　SLAP!

　　Searing pain erupted across her cheek. Dana gasped, stumbling back as if struck by lightning. Clutching her face, she stared at Doha. He was still smiling.

　　"If it had been anyone else, I would have thrown them out," he said, his voice a low murmur.

　　Dana swallowed hard. "I’m sorry."

　　"Yes. That’s enough to make it up to me. You are someone I have permitted."

　　He rested his forehead on her shoulder and let out a cold sigh, his breathing slowing as if he were about to drift off. She doubted he could actually sleep in this freezing place, but after being struck, she didn’t have the courage to ask. She remained perfectly still, letting him use her as a pillow.

　　It was her first memory of being afraid of him.

* * *

　　Time passed. Dana entered middle school, and Doha, high school. As a Contaminant with purple eyes, Dana was an immediate target of contempt and disgust. Boys desired her not as a girlfriend, but as a pretty toy to be played with and discarded. They watched her with avarice, but none dared to touch her. Someone who had once laid a hand on her had been found brutally beaten in a back alley.

　　Doha, attending a private school for the elite, reigned like a king. Teachers praised his maturity and polite nature, a stark contrast to his privileged background. The other boys, intimidated by a cool, commanding presence far beyond their years, fell in line behind him. The girls, finding no fault in his looks, personality, grades, or family, either harbored secret crushes or openly vied for his attention.

　　Through it all, the dynamic between Doha and Dana remained unchanged. She was still his pet, and he kept his obedient pet closer than anyone else.

　　But the world outside their bubble was in an uproar.

　　"The Park family heir is really an A rank? How does a B rank suddenly become an A rank? I heard he wasn’t even in his right mind after his parents died! What kind of trick did they pull?"

　　"If he could reawaken, there’s no reason our Doha can’t."

　　"That’s right. If that Park brat can do it, so can we."

　　The nephew of the head of the colossal BM Group, the Park family’s longtime rival, had been officially designated an A-rank Esper.

　　Yangwoo was inferior to BM Group in every way. While their construction company ranked higher in contracts, it was only because BM Group had no interest in the industry. The Lees, however, refused to see it that way. The superiority of the heir who would one day lead the corporation was President Lee and his wife’s greatest obsession. Besides, their son was exceptional by any standard. They were certain that their responsible, intelligent son, now an awakened Esper, would be the one to finally eclipse BM Group.

　　Though rumors had circulated that the BM Group heir was also a remarkably capable awakened being, they had dismissed them as exaggerated tales bolstered by the company’s prestige.

　　And now that very heir was an A-rank.

　　While only one level apart, the gap in ability and status between B-rank and A-rank was immense. A-ranks were subject to special government management. The public adored the awakened, and leveraging the benefits afforded to them could dramatically influence a corporation’s profits. If the BM Group heir was truly A-rank, Yangwoo would fail to surpass its rival in this generation as well.

　　President Lee, who had been locked in a rivalry with the BM Group siblings since his school days, refused to overlook this news. He was determined to humble them during his tenure. Gritting his teeth, he ordered his chief of staff, "Summon teacher, Mr. Joo, at once."

　　The standard path to raising one’s rank was through relentless, bone-breaking training. But as with all things in life, shortcuts existed. And the more money one had, the easier they were to find.

　　On President Lee’s orders, Mr. Joo acquired an item from the Black Market that could amplify the Lee family heir’s Esper energy. It was dangerous, but precious. The price was so exorbitant that an ordinary person couldn’t even dream of it, but Mr. Joo paid in cash without a second thought. It wasn’t his money, after all; it would come from his employer’s deep pockets. President Lee was not a generous man, but he spared no expense to ensure his son’s superiority. Mr. Joo procured the item at a premium, guaranteeing its quality.

　　"Are you certain this can raise his rank?"

　　"If he succeeds, yes. But, President, this item contains an energy that is difficult for the human body to withstand. If he fails, I cannot guarantee he will survive."