Min-seo's thighs were still trembling when Seo-joon set her down. Warm, sticky seed leaked slowly down the inside of her leg, soaking into the torn hem of her skirt. She didn't wipe it away. She let it stay there—his claim, wet and undeniable—as she yanked the outer robe tighter around her marked body. Every step sent a fresh ache through her core, a filthy reminder that the monster had been inside her only minutes ago.
"You're still dripping," Seo-joon said, voice low and rough. His eyes dropped to the dark patch forming on her skirt. "Good. I want you walking into Deok-su's house with my cum still inside you. Let them smell it. Let them know exactly who owns you before the magistrate tries to take what's mine."
Min-seo's cheeks burned, but she stepped closer and grabbed his collar, pulling him down until their foreheads touched. "I hate how much I love it," she whispered. "I can still feel you pulsing inside me. Every time I move, it leaks a little more. And it makes me wet all over again. If they drag me away today… I want them to find your seed still dripping out of me while they ask their filthy questions."
The words hit him like a drug. He kissed her hard, biting her lower lip until she whimpered, then shoved her toward the door. "Later. Right now we buy you more time."
He slipped out alone for thirty heartbeats—long enough to reach the cave, unwrap the pot, and feed it the last two premium ginseng roots he'd been saving. One became two. Two became four. Four became eight. He stopped at sixteen perfect roots, fat and fragrant, worth a small fortune. Enough to make Deok-su's eyes bleed silver. The pot went back into the rags. The bundle went under his arm.
When he returned, the crew was ready.
Wol carried the blood-stained statement from Dal-rae like a weapon. Mak-bong clutched a second paper—Chae Jin-gu's shaky thumbprint, even though the man was beaten half to death and hiding. Baek Man-sik had shown up too, knuckles wrapped, eyes promising murder.
They moved fast through the alleys. Min-seo walked beside Seo-joon with a slight limp, the wet slide between her legs making her breath hitch every few steps. She kept one hand pressed low on her belly like she could hold him inside her longer. Every time their arms brushed, her eyes flicked to him—dark, hungry, terrified.
Deok-su's house smelled of tension and old smoke. Kang Yul was waiting, ledger open, face pale. "You're cutting it close. The magistrate's men were spotted two alleys over. They're early."
Seo-joon dropped the new bundle of duplicated roots on the table beside the statements. "Sixteen premium ginseng. Endless supply. Triple revenue in thirty days. Fixed fee. Revenue share. And sworn blood testimony that Gu Chil has been stealing for months. The magistrate's warrant is built on lies from a leaking thief. Burn it."
Deok-su picked up one root, rolled it between thick fingers, then read the blood papers. His eyes narrowed at the sheer volume of proof. "This… this could work. The magistrate hates looking weak. If I present this to his superior—"
A heavy fist hammered on the outer gate.
"Open in the name of the magistrate!"
The door exploded inward. Ten officials poured into the room, swords half-drawn. Gu Chil's cousin led them, face twisted with triumph. Behind him, two men dragged a bloodied, half-conscious Gu Chil out of the back cell—chains removed, grin splitting his scarred face.
"Too late," the cousin sneered. "The warrant is active. The girl is ours. Gu Chil is free by higher order. Your slum games are finished."
Min-seo stepped forward before Seo-joon could stop her. The movement made more of his cum slip down her thigh; she felt it, warm and obscene, and lifted her chin higher. "You want me?" she said, voice shaking but clear. "Then take me. But when you strip me for questioning, you'll see exactly who marked me. Who fucked me this morning. Who left his seed inside me so I'd remember who I belong to even while you ask your questions."
The room went dead silent. The cousin's eyes dropped to the dark stain on her skirt, to the bite marks on her neck, to the way she stood like a woman who had just been claimed hard and deep.
Gu Chil laughed, low and ugly. "Looks like the root boy finally grew balls. Too bad they won't save her."
Seo-joon moved like lightning. He grabbed Min-seo's wrist and yanked her behind him, body shielding hers. His other hand hovered near the small knife at his belt. "Touch her and I swear on every root I own I will make the entire market row rise up. You'll have a riot on your hands before you reach the gate. And Deok-su—" He looked at the slum lord. "—you lose triple revenue and every seller who still trusts you."
Deok-su stood slowly. The weight of the decision pressed on him like a mountain. Profit versus politics. The new roots versus the sealed warrant.
Kang Yul whispered something urgent in his ear.
The cousin raised a hand. "Take the girl. Now."
Officials surged forward.
Min-seo pressed herself against Seo-joon's back. Her lips brushed his ear, voice raw. "If they take me… remember how I felt around you. Remember your cum still inside me. And come get what's yours."
Seo-joon's grip on her wrist tightened until it hurt.
Deok-su's mouth opened—
And the first sword cleared its scabbard.