Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Benjy momentarily blurted back at him.
"Don't make me say it twice. Yes, take everything off."
The man's voice was even firmer than before. Benjy felt slightly intimidated.
Though he had nothing hidden in his clothes, the situation itself was daunting. With trembling hands, he began to undress hurriedly.
He unbuttoned his work shirt and removed the worn undershirt underneath.
After unzipping and pulling down his pants, he hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the man's stern face and stripped off his underwear as well.
Now, he was left with only his white socks.
Benjy stood with his hands modestly clasped in front of him.The man, who had been watching Benjy undress without moving, slowly approached him.
This time, standing closer, he leaned in and began to scrutinize Benjy's entire body from top to bottom.
He touched Benjy's cheek, tapped around his neck with his fingers, and ran his hands down his shoulders, waist, and legs.
His breath was close enough to tickle Benjy's hair.
His hand brushed against Benjy's sensitive area, intentionally or unintentionally, and when it touched Benjy's buttocks, he seemed to grip a bit harder.
Not just once, but two or three times. Sometimes, Benjy wondered if the texture of his buttocks could disqualify him from enlistment.
What exactly constituted suitable buttocks for enlistment?
The man then grabbed the mark he had left on Benjy's arm and looked into his trembling eyes.
"Here, it left a mark because I grabbed it hard."
His tone was ambiguous, making it unclear whether he was expressing regret or amusement.
When he tried to move his hands from Benjy's arm to his chest, Benjy tensed up more.
Thinking quickly, Benjy decided to ask a question to stop his actions.
'What should I do, what should I do? What question can I ask in this situation? Think, think. Please.'
"Um, could you... tell me your name?"
Benjy blurted out the question in a nervous and flustered tone.
The man stopped his hands from moving over Benjy's body.
A brief silence ensued between them. Just as Benjy was about to apologize for the awkward question, the man answered.
"Curious about my name? Hmm... Holden. Call me Holden."
Holden revealed his name after a moment of thought, looking at Benjy with amused eyes. Before Benjy could feel relieved that Holden had stopped his hands from moving over his chest, Holden leaned in close to his ear with a predatory smile.
"Curiosity satisfied? Now, open your mouth."
Benjy was startled by the unexpected command and instinctively opened his mouth with an 'Eh?' expression.
Holden began to inspect the inside of Benjy's mouth.
Suddenly, he used his left hand to hold Benjy's head still and inserted his right fingers into Benjy's mouth, pressing each tooth firmly.
The pressure on his teeth wasn't too strong, but Holden's left hand firmly gripped Benjy's cheek.
Inside his mouth, Holden's fingers not only pressed against his teeth but also rubbed his cheek and tongue vigorously.
The same hand Holden had thought so strong and beautiful earlier was now making a mess inside his mouth.
'A stranger is curious about the inside of my mouth? What does this mean?'
Benjy's mind gave up trying to make sense of the situation. He decided to wait for time to pass. Holden's neat nails and smooth fingers could be felt through the sensitive lining of his mouth.
The fingers moved deeper, almost reaching his throat.Holden examined the interior with a calculating expression. His cautious yet unwavering fingers probed more intimate areas.
Even with his limited experience in this area, Benjy could sense a certain sexual intent. As he endured Holden's fingers, Benjy glanced up to see Holden's intensely focused face. It was slightly flushed, similar to how Benjy looked when he was absorbed in something at the library.
It wasn't unpleasant to look at. After what felt like an eternity to Benjy, Holden finally withdrew his fingers and wiped his hands with a handkerchief before putting his gloves back on.
He then issued another command to Benjy.
"Lastly, turn around and grab your buttocks."
Benjy was more shocked by this command than before. He couldn't believe his ears and thought back over what he had heard. It was unimaginable.
Did all the soldiers here have to go through this to enlist? There was no way to confirm. He couldn't even ask.
Benjy stood hesitantly, then reluctantly turned around and placed his hands on his buttocks. However, he couldn't bring himself to spread them.
As he hesitated, Holden's voice urged him on.
"I told you before, I don't like saying things twice. This is your last chance. We just need to make sure you're not hiding anything, so let's get it over with quickly."
Hearing Holden's emotionless voice made it seem like a simple examination. Benjy felt odd for being embarrassed and suspicious. He placed his hands on his buttocks again, and gripped the flesh firmly.
Holden stood a bit away, watching Benjy stand there with his legs apart and hands on his buttocks. He then approached with measured steps and bent over to inspect Benjy's trembling body in more detail.
He let out a low sigh.
"Ah..."
When Holden's breath touched the sensitive part of his body, Benjy reflexively closed his legs and released his grip. With a trembling voice, he asked Holden.
"Um... is it over now? Can I put my clothes back on?"
"Yes, you can."
As soon as Holden gave permission, Benjy hastily began to dress. He felt as if every spot Holden had touched or looked at was itching.
However, when he glanced at Holden, he seemed lost in thought, no longer paying attention to Benjy.Holden was thinking to himself.
That body was as beautiful as that face. He felt a tightness below. His breathing started to become slightly rough.
But he couldn't act on it now. He had no interest in scaring away a recruit who hadn't even enlisted yet. Benjy would eventually come to him on his own.
He had a feeling that this boring life in the Imperial Army was about to become interesting.
Fully dressed, Benjy began to head towards the door. He worried momentarily about whether Holden would let him leave. But to his relief, Holden walked ahead, opened the door, and instructed him.
"Continue down this corridor. Enter room 1988."
As Benjy passed by Holden, he caught a faint whiff of a soft, sweet scent mixed with a hint of wood. In that moment, Benjy realized something.He had started to become conscious of this man.
He wasn't sure yet in what way, but the realization struck him as he walked down the corridor, seeing the room number 1988 ahead.'Why did it take so long for me alone...?'
* * *
Children from the highest class near the capital's Q district or the upper class of J district might live their lives oblivious to the hidden parts of the world. They might not know about the market where everything from sex, crime, and betrayal to all things in the world is bought and sold.
But Benjy, who had never left the lower D3 district, had no choice but to know about all of it. At least if he wanted to survive until he was twenty-one.Benjy's mother, Maria, left home at seventeen after getting pregnant with a sergeant's child who managed the D3 district. Her pregnancy was a criminal act against the strict laws prohibiting inter-class relations.
Benjy's father secretly contacted them until Benjy was five, but one day, the contact stopped. Late one summer, during a continuous monsoon, Benjy overheard people whispering in the alley behind their house.
"Isn't that girl's lover one of the soldiers monitoring this area? Is that true?"
"Oh, yeah. Seems like it. Remember that one guy who used to patrol around here and looked particularly gentle?"
"Oh, him? He was the dad? But I haven't seen him lately. Did he run off, abandoning his kid?"
"Word is, he got caught living with that girl and was dragged off by other soldiers about a month ago. Should've just had his fun and left it at that. Tsk, tsk..."
"So she's alone again? Might try my luck with her..."
Benjy began to understand why his mother had kept her distance from him after his father's contact stopped.
Without any special skills and unable to find a formal job because of her situation, Maria started laundering clothes for the local people and soldiers. It was grueling work, especially for someone as frail as her. Moreover, the men who came to drop off laundry often behaved strangely towards her.They would use strange insults and demand things from her, and if she refused, they would trash the house.
The pay from laundry work was meager, so Maria often went hungry to give Benjy food. a very young age, Benjy instinctively understood his surroundings were harsh. He joined a gang of kids like him and started doing any 'work' that came their way.
Theft, smuggling, courier jobs, surveillance, tailing, lookout—anything that could make money. He never hurt anyone directly, but he couldn't say he lived a virtuous life.
Fortunately, the money made from these 'jobs' kept him and his mother from starving, but escaping poverty was impossible. Survival, survival, survival. Everything revolved around survival in those days.It had only been three years since he started working in the factory.
Four years ago, massive protests and riots broke out nationwide. It wasn't just in the D3 district; the national broadcast showed the Imperial Army violently suppressing protesters. The military promised to ensure all the poor at least had enough to eat after many died in the protests.
Since then, Benjy had been doing menial tasks like sorting bullets at the Peyton munitions factory as ordered by the military. People stopped complaining. Not starving was one reason, but the grueling factory work left them too exhausted to protest at home.
Benjy wasn't one to question why he had to live this way. Despite his harsh life, he found little joys.When his mother handed him pretty buttons and trinkets she found while doing laundry, with a small smile.
When he found the world of mathematics vast and exciting, unlike his narrow world. And when he transferred the beautiful things from TV into his mind, making his world seem beautiful. Those were moments when he quietly felt a strong will to survive.
But Holden's actions left Benjy completely confused.It was ridiculous to think Holden might be interested in him, but his gaze held a certain desire.This kind of attention and experience was new to Benjy. He couldn't figure out how to act to ensure his survival.
But pondering it further was a waste of time. Benjy decided to face whatever came his way directly.