The whip whooped against the air and collided onto his back, throwing him once again onto the floor. He could feel his flesh rip open, despite the already excruciating pain on his chest where a rib bone had been broken. One man tugged roughly onto his bruise-littered arm and jerked him up. He screamed in pain as they chained his hands behind him, giving the back of his knees a swift kick so that he would kneel. Another man forcefully took his chin and tilted it up. "This is the boy, Sir."

He looked up, a part of his bangs sticked onto the dried blood that ran down the sides of his face. His eyes were swollen he could barely open them, but from the small slits he saw the man. Sitting five strides in front of him on a throne-like chair, he was donned in satin and silk right down to his slippers, all weaved in gold thread. 

"This boy? This is the boy who took you so long to return with?" the man asked, his tone was measured.

"Yes. He's a clever one. He scaled the walls and went through the sewage."

"Mala herba cito crescit, weeds grow fast," the man smirked in reply, standing up from his place to descend the steps. He approached him, and instantly the captors threw another round of chains around his heavily scarred body to ensure he didn't try anything foolish. He screamed again as the chains dug into his broken rib. His sweat made his wounds bitter. "What is your name?"

He looked into the man's eyes and realised he has never seen anything like that. The pair of eyes that radiated power intimidated him, but the hand on his chin prevented him from turning away. "I'll..I'll pay you back, please.. let me go."

"Why would I need a little beggar thief to pay me for a loaf of bread?" the man laughed. "Then what..what do you want?" he groaned again as the chains around him tighten. The man smiled at him, "I simply asked for your name."

The boy bit his lips. There was another whoop in the air as the whip slashed into his back again. He shrieked, knowing that he was slowly losing control of his body. If he should pass out right here, he was as good as dead. "Answer when the master asks you a question."

"Kyu..Kyu Jong," he breathed, looking up behind swollen eyelids towards the one who warranted his arrest.

"Kyu Jong?" the man smiled again, "and would you kindly tell me why you were stealing in my men's territory?"

"I didn't know it was your territory," Kyu Jong shuddered in pure pain as the chains tightened again. "My sister is starving."

"Your sister is starving, and so you thought it was an acceptable reason for you to commit a crime?"

"Please," a tear escaped his eyes. He instantly regretted it, not because he let himself down, but because the teardrop left pain in its wake as it trickled down all his wounds. "Please.. let me go. I..beg you."
 

"You're begging me to let you go? Wherever shall I hide Hwagang's face then?"

"Please.. I'll do anything you ask of me," Kyu Jong begged, his face was white, and he felt his mind slowly losing its consciousness. "I have to get back to my sister."

"It took my men a whole evening to hunt you down. They said you lured and tricked them all over the city."

"I didn't know, I swear, I'll give you anything. Please let me go," the boy breathed.

"Anything?"

"Please.." The man lowered himself to where KyuJong knelt. "It has never taken my men so long just to nab a pesky thief. You mentioned you have a sister?" The boy didn't answer.

"How about this. I want to give you something, Kyu Jong," the man cleared his throat, fingers going to brush away the hair glued onto boy's bleeding cheeks. "You intrigue me, and so I want to give you a life."

"A..life?"

"Yes. A life where you and your sister will never have to worry about being fed or clothed, where you will never be bullied by these thugs and where you will never live without a roof over your head. A good life."

"What does that mean?"

"It means exactly as I've said."

"But, I...stole from you."

The man laughed, tracing the boy's face with his finger, causing the younger to wince. "Yes, there are no free lunches in the world. I will give you all of that, but only at a small price."

Kyu Jong trembled, "what price?"

"You are to give your heart, your mind, and your body in surrender to me," the man stopped tracing his face, instead he roughly grabbed the boy's jaw, "I will be your master. Give yourself wholly to me. I will own you entirely. Will you accept that, Kyu Jong?"

When he took too long to consider, he felt a foot press against the ripped flesh on his back. He no longer had the energy to scream, but gave a hollow groan instead. "My sister is ill, I need to-"

"The kingdom's best physicians are at my disposal," the man shrugged, "I'll even school her. I want an answer, Kyu Jong."

Kyu Jong looked to the ground. It wasn't worth living like that anyway. If he survived today, he wouldn't survive tomorrow. He couldn't feel his body anymore, but he closed his eyes and mouthed the final words before collapsing onto the hard ground.

"I...I...ac-accept."