Riser

22-9

Added 2025-03-29 05:16:26 +0000 UTC

EP.9 1. (Pre-Livestock Female University Student Lee Sol-ah) - Be Quiet, Sis (9)

I calmed down and had a long conversation with him.

We shared our past and present stories without hesitation.

He listened to my story and praised me.

Receiving compliments from the man who would be my owner wasn't bad. However, I shouldn't forget that he is my owner.

Even if my father treats my mother with consideration, she can't be equal to him.

"You're really amazing, Sol-ah. It's not easy to accept things like that..."

"I still have a long way to go. I cry easily now. I never cried much, even when watching sad dramas..."

"No, you're amazing. If I were in your shoes, I would have gone crazy. I wouldn't have accepted marrying a stranger..."

"Thank you for understanding me. It really means a lot."

"Don't say that. I'm just being honest."

"Anyway...I'm sorry for causing trouble. If I had gotten into the National Capital University, this sudden marriage wouldn't have happened..."

"I suppose that's true."

"Yes?"

I was surprised by his unexpected response.

"If you had entered the National Capital University normally, we might have met as equals instead of this unfair marriage..."

He's a great guy. He wants to marry me as an equal.

"But...we're three years apart...we might not have met even if I had attended the National Capital University. We would have been in different classes..."

"Could I have missed meeting someone as beautiful as you?"

My heart started racing.

He's surprisingly good at saying things women like. I don't know if it's intentional or natural, but it seems natural.

"Ah...anyway! I'm trying not to make mistakes. I didn't receive socialization education, so I enrolled in an academy today..."

"An academy?"

"Yes. It's called the Property Bride Academy. It's for women like me who didn't receive socialization education when we were young. They teach us how to behave as livestock and show respect to our owners..."

"I don't think you need to attend that..."

His face hardened slightly. It wasn't anger but concern.

"No, even if you don't see me as a livestock, other people's eyes are on me. If I don't behave properly as a livestock, it could bother you..."

"That makes sense. I understand."

We continued our conversation in a warm atmosphere for six hours, losing track of time.

Jun-seok drove home in his car. His father had given him a high-end car, which was tinted so dark that you couldn't see inside.

The reason for the tinting wasn't explained, but I knew why. My father's car was also tinted similarly.

Inside the car, it's considered private space, so a livestock like me can sit in a human seat without issue. However, some fundamentalists might complain about it, so the tinting is dark.

"I had a great time today, Sol-ah."

"Me too. It was really enjoyable."

He held my hand.

"It feels like you're my destined partner, even though we've only met twice."

"Yes..."

I was convinced that he was a good man. Our conversation was natural, and time flew by.

It was like chatting with a close friend, except my heart was racing.

"I have a wish."

"What is it?"

"Can I call you 'oppa'? I like that term better than 'Jun-seok'."

He has a younger sister, and people with sisters often don't like being called "oppa," but...

"Have you never been called 'oppa' before?"

"It's different when a loved one says it compared to a sibling."

"...Okay, I'll call you 'oppa'. Oppa."

"Ha ha...one of my wishes has been granted. Thank you."

"It's nothing."

Oppa. I can call him that for only a month now.

I vowed to call him "oppa" as much as possible during that time.

The car stopped, signaling our arrival home.

"Today was fun, oppa."

"I didn't realize it was already 11 PM."

"Hehe!"

"What's so funny, Sol-ah?"

"I just realized we had the same thought, oppa."

"We're on the same wavelength."

We laughed together, looking at each other.

For now, it didn't feel like I was a livestock or he was my owner.

I just wanted to spend more time with the person I liked.

"And I have another wish, oppa."

"What is it?"

"Please use informal language with me. You're three years older, after all."

"Well...that's a bit..."

He might be hesitant because once we're married and I lose my rights, he'll have to use informal language with me. That's why he's using formal language now.

But hearing formal language from someone I'm growing fond of is a bit of a burden. Plus, I need to get used to it since I'll be hearing it for the rest of my life.

"Okay, Sol-ah."

He finally used informal language.

"Thank you, oppa."

My body moved on its own.

I kissed his cheek. Even his acne felt soft.

"Ah..."

His face turned red.

"What did I just do?!"

"Then, oppa, let's meet tomorrow as planned! See you tomorrow!"

I quickly got out of the car and entered my house.

My heart was racing.

My face was hot. I had kissed a stranger's cheek for the first time.

At first, I thought he was unattractive, but that wasn't all there was to him.

He was someone who understood me and cared for me.

Tomorrow was something to look forward to, especially after failing to get into the National Capital University.

I went to the academy. Unlike other schools, the principal introduced me to the other students.

"This is Sol-ah, who joined us mid-term. Please welcome her."

Twenty students applauded, but their applause lacked enthusiasm. They seemed to have lost their spark.

They were all like me initially, unable to escape the overwhelming sense of defeat.

"You came to register alone?"

"What? Really?"

The classroom filled with murmurs from the students. They were likely forced to enroll by their fathers.

But a woman in the same situation registering voluntarily was surprising.

"What did we learn last week? It was about finding a good husband..."

The students murmured again, but this time it was different. It was envy.

They were learning how to find a good husband who would treat them well as livestock.

"Look at Sol-ah's face. It's bright. You can all be like that if you try..."

The students' gloomy faces began to brighten, seeing a glimmer of hope in their dark futures.

The lesson began.

"What kind of education do women who didn't receive genius education receive?"

"They probably learn subjects like Korean and math..."

"That's half right. They learn the same subjects, but they repeat what they learned in middle school until high school."

The projector screen changed.

[Women have no rights by nature.]

"This is the true purpose of regular girls' schools: to make them accept this reality through persistent education."

The classroom fell silent, shocked by the revelation.

"Is the government doing something wrong?"

"The government wants one thing from women: pregnancy. This law was created after the nuclear war 500 years ago to restore humanity. You must accept it. We're still not even half of what we were 500 years ago..."

"But taking away women's rights isn't right..."

"My goal is to address this. You have doubts because you didn't receive socialization education. Our education will help you eliminate those doubts..."

The screen changed.

[-1st Lecture- Living a Happy Life with Your Husband-Master]

"Now, you must hypnotize yourselves. Let go of your doubts and accept reality. Otherwise, it will be hard to accept the upcoming lessons..."

The classroom was somber, with some students crying.

"Accepting this harsh reality is necessary for a brighter future. You must steel yourselves. Each lesson will be harder than the last..."

The lesson ended. The content was humiliating for women with rights.

We learned to think of ourselves as pets, how to flirt with our owners, what to say and not say, how to greet others as livestock, how to treat parents and friends as livestock, etiquette among livestock, how not to react when touched by others, how to get pregnant, and how to raise children.

Even I, who had prepared myself to be a livestock, found it hard to accept.

Two students cried and ran out of the classroom during the lesson.

It was easier to accept submitting to a husband and public etiquette as a livestock, but learning how to raise children was difficult.

I wouldn't be able to raise my own child without my husband's permission. I couldn't even breastfeed without his consent.

Many women despair and commit suicide with their children because of this.

[Children and livestock should never be left alone.]

If the man is always at home, there's no problem. But if he's not, it becomes an issue. Men rarely take parental leave.

So, we have to hire expensive, rights-holding nannies or send our children to state-run daycare centers. I would have to watch someone else raise my child.

It was unfair. That's my child, the one I carried for ten months...

I couldn't even cherish or breastfeed my child freely...

It was a sad story.

"I want to see oppa soon. I want to forget this feeling..."

I checked the time. I had an hour before our meeting.

I lied to oppa about the end time of my class, so he wouldn't wait for me like yesterday.

"But as a livestock, I should leave before oppa does."

My footsteps quickened.

I wanted to see oppa.

I wanted to spend fun times with him and forget this gloomy feeling.

Suddenly, I felt my mouth covered and my body being pulled into an alley.

What's going on?!