Bright thinks this is the worst usage of the word âlikeâ ever.
That sentence would have befitted confessing to someoneâs first love, such as in the following scenario.
When spring comes, and everything has started to regrow and repopulate, a rain of cherry tree flowers dance outside the window. The round-eyed girl asks the spiky-haired boy in a slightly frustrated tone, âwhy do you keep messing with me!â
The spiky-haired boyâs lips break into a smile, his tone clean and piercing, âbecause I really like you.â
The girl blushes, âeven if you say that, I wonât let you copy my homework!â
Substituting the characters of him and Shithead⌠there is an awkward feeling throughout his body.
Oh, you like me so you gave me electrotherapy? You like me so you whip me with your whip? You like me so you betray my trust? You like me so you made a child for me and left him in my hands?
Your like is so heavy it is crushing.
Hopkin sees Bright seemingly stunned. He kisses him again, not on the corner of the mouth, but on the lips this time. He digs deep within to explore. Bright regains his focus and remembers thereâs still a u-drive on his teeth! So he responds passionately, fighting for control. He uses offence as his defence, chasing the enemy out from deep within his mouth.
Hopkin assumes what he said has touched the man, and is highly surprised. That seed that has rooted itself in his heart has suddenly stopped spreading downwards, and goes in the opposite direction. A little head sprouts shakily, like a grass that has been hibernating lifting its head up from the ground, and stretches itself.
Discovering how positive reinforcement is more useful than negative stimulation, Hopkin is genuinely glad to have found a new way to tame Bright. He has always been using cruel methods, trying to break his backbones, smash his kneecaps, making him kneel in subservience. He even pretended to be on his friendly side, but even during the pretension he acted coldly. He has rarely, no, never actually expressed his love of Bright.
It is useless to continuously punish a pet, which will only serve to make it fear and distance itself from him. If you want it to grow close to you, you must also employ affectionate strategies. To combine punishment with encouragement.
The two people separate, before sticking together again. They are affectionately cuddling with each other.
âIs this your new trick?â The man with brown eyes look at him imposingly, âI thought you hated me.â
Can you really distinguish between dislike and like, hate and love?
Iâm not good to you either! I resisted you, defended against you, deceived you, drugged you, fought you with brain and brawn, treated you as a mortal enemy, and almost had you gang-raped⌠How could you like me?
It is merely possessiveness⌠Bright is trying to find an excuse for both their sakes.
Yet, Hopkin does not offer him the opportunity.
âIf it were not because I like you, how could I have tolerated you until now? Naturally, I must be very fond of you.â The aristocrat lifts the manâs chin up. There are no stubbles there, having been cleaned very clearly. His pores are also very small. He lets Bright get up from the ground and sit beside him. He puts his hand on his thigh casually.
His tone is clear and cold, slow and articulated, like that of an English gentleman, âwithout my tacit permission and protection, do you think you would have made it this far? Ever since episode three number 56 has asked the vice director to propose to the show to literally fuck your guts out. There have been similar proposals every episode as well. Since you have grown in popularity, several movie companies have asked to buy or to rent you, either to work with sadists or porn stars. Without me, meat grown from your cells would have been on sale on every street, scenes of you having sexual intercourse on every large screen. Your semen, your organs and your genes will be auctioned off. Of course, the show will also consider the long-term profits, so as not to drain the lake for the fish or slaughter the hen for the eggs she has yet to lay, they will temporarily reject these offers and maintain your popularity. They will raise you to the peak of popularity, and sell you off for enough of a profit.â
âI admit I had auxiliary motives towards you. In your eyes perhaps Iâm not so different from the others, but you have to know that, it is because of me that you are not in the hands of the other Inner City aristocrats. After you have shown your unusualness, there were many that wanted to dissect you, study you fully, or transform you into a more obedient, more well-liked form.â A certain word in there has chilled Bright from his core out. Hopkin presses onto his firm thighs, as if to flirt, as if to soothe.
âBright, I often tell you to be appreciative. It is not me being arrogant and prideful, but it is in fact the truth.â
Bright has realised that Hopkinâs like may be the real thing. Though to him, he is more a meal, a riddle, merchandise that looks nice and can be brought home. He has never treated him as a human.
Only speaking of whatâs happened so far, the Shithead has not yet transformed him into a human fleshlight, so he cannot be held guilty for that. His charges would be Inflicting Actual Bodily Harm, False Imprisonment and Attempt to Commit Rape. Directly linking him with the antagonist described in just two or three sentences in the novel would not be completely fair to him.
But Bright is scared! Heâs terrified!
More than a dozen years of torture and degradation, a fate worse than death, how would he ever endure it? If it were to happen, he would go insane for sure!
He cannot even look at Hopkin objectively or calmly, not to mention treating this âlikeâ with a soft heart.
He toughens himself, his thoughts clear as day, looking at the aristocrat with a calm expression.
âI am unable to be thankful of you, of any of you. Whether itâs the Inner City residents, the show or the contestants. To be able to live with dignity should be a birthright, and not a mercy given by any person or organisation, that can be issued at any time and retracted the same way.â
âPart of what you say is correct. Without you, I might be even worse off, even more pitiable. Yet it is also because of you that I have suffered greatly. I am never keen to admit this, that I have ever had the thought of building a friendship with you, because I know this fact will please you greatly. It must be laughable in your eyes.â
Hopkin sees the gushing emotions in his expression. He seems to realise something, but he also seems to have failed to realise anything.
He is certainly happy that there is only himself in the manâs eyes, that he is hurt for him, that he is in pain for him. Is there anything more wonderful than this in the world?
He kisses Bright, fiercely.
âYou are seducing me,â Hopkin says.
Bright is thinking, no I fucking arenât!
The twoâs relationship is, strangely, starting to warm back up. Perhaps it is in preparation for the next stage of the schemes, or perhaps it is to hold back for the final objective. All in all, the atmosphere between them is less tense now.
âI will investigate who made you,â Hopkin leans himself on Bright. They look intimate together, like a real couple. He says, âwith me here, you will win the championship.â
This is his promise to Bright.
âNext episode, the show plans to have you duel with Alpha. With your physical strength, it will not be difficult to beat him.â He retrieves information of the werewolves. Brightâs smart chip at home is shared with the little werewolf, and itâs not safe. He lets the man read it on his own smart chip.
It is a bit like spending time with the patron to acquire insider information. Bright bites his lips, focusing his attention on the information. The aristocrat reads it with him, his hand on his waist.
âSo, I will have to let the Inner City know of the abnormalities of your physical strength. I will tell them that your origins have just been revealed.â
âCan you not tell them that yet? I will use my âBattle Refusalâ card at Alpha the next episode.â
The aristocrat makes an oh sound in surprise. He raises his brows, an expression of understanding flashing over his face. So that was why Bright worked that hard to take it. So it was for the werewolves. He is also highly alerted by this and his grip tightens somewhat. He quickly realises the man is planning something. Why must he avoid conflict with Alpha? To continue to hide his strength means he has a stronger enemy to go against.
Who is it?
Is it the show, the Inner City residents, or⌠himself?
The black pair of eyes flicker, and the aristocrat relaxes his fingers so that the man does not notice his defensive posture. He pretends to be nonchalant and say, âI thought you would save it for later, like during the quarterfinals.â
Brightâs chest tightens, he âmmâs in agreement, so that he does not say any more and have the possibility of the aristocrat realising something.
Hopkin pinches his waist, satisfied with the touch. He temporarily refrains from asking him directly. There are other means he can use.
Episode nine turned out to be uninteresting. Despite the show having planned for the encounter between Bright and Alpha meticulously, the former immediately used the âBattle Refusalâ card. The latter coldly chuckles, and turns around and leaves. Everyoneâs jaws were dropped to the ground.
There was a slew of negative comments online, and the show takes the pressure head-on, preparing to retaliate in full. This motherfucking number 199 made their overtime work increase exponentially, they want to tear him to pieces. So they arranged for Alpha to be the first guest of Brightâs vlog. Alpha orders the meal and Bright makes it, and the staffâs fury is thus barely satisfied.
The Alpha is not going easy on him either. Following the advice of his agent-cum-analyst, says, âI want to eat your meat.â And it can be prepared, however, even raw.
Wolfie starts to drool as soon as he hears it, saying, âI want to eat too.â
Bright slaps the foodie away â his just over a hundred kilograms isnât even enough for just him.
Hope sits next to them listening in, tears rolling in his eyes. He is too young to hide his emotions well, and hearing how Wolfie wants to harm his dad, he stares at him fiercely.
Bright is cursing his own carelessness in his mind, for having completely ignored the little guyâs mental ability to accept things. He eyes Wolfie, asking him to take the kid inside to play, and do not come out. The little guy is not happy about it, but he listens obediently. He refuses to talk to Wolfie, only talking to the pet doggy.
Bright prepares to make a steak (of human flesh, of tiger flesh, however it might be called). While a steak is a chunk of beef, different parts of the cow are used depending on where theyâre grown. Chateaubriand , for example, uses the centre of tenderloin. Only five to six pounds of it can be extracted from one cow. Filet mignon uses the smaller side of the tenderloin, being more tender.
Usually, starmeat is grown in a lab and they do not directly cut the meat from the person, because it increases the cost due to medical needs. Yet this time, the show, to punish number 199, does not allow him to be let off easy in preparing his ingredients. They did not even give him anaesthetic, only emergency medicine for stopping the blood and treating wounds.
Bright remains expressionless, shutting off his sense of pain. He exposes his eight pack in full view of the camera, flexes it tight before cutting it. It is done quickly and precisely, and now the ingredients are there.
If he can see the livestream screen right now, he will perhaps discover the full screen of live commentary covering the whole screen up.
The Big Tiger in the screen looks unfazed, without a change to his expression, seemingly completely unaffected by his wound. After a simple treatment, he wears his clothes and apron, and starts working in the kitchen.
With how excellent the ingredients are, it does not need a complex taste. He does not cook it in any fancy manner, only giving it a dressing after marinating, so that its original taste is emphasised.
Alpha only comes strolling by when it is almost done. He is dressed casually, looking less unruly and undisciplined than in the show. He also brought wine.
âPlease have a sit.â Bright greets him casually, serving the meat out in front of Alpha.
Alpha cuts the meat open, and the camera zooms in. It is not fully cooked, and there is still blood oozing out. The texture of the meat is clear and beautiful. He comments on the ingredient, and praises the cooking. Bright thinks he might have had to recite a script. His tone is professional and also inflammatory, not glossing it over with just âdeliciousâ or âgood.â
Both the guest and the host have a good time and Bright has finished his part of the mission. He can give his own request now, so he orders Alpha to bark, little puppy dog style.
The Alphaâs expression looks so dark ink seems to be dripping down, but the mission is still completed. Now there is both viral and comedic content, and the first episode of the vlog is very successful.
After the camera retreats, Wolfie happily runs out and sticks onto Alpha asking about this and that.
âIs it really delicious?â
âThe meat is overdone.â
âLeader, I miss you so much. Do you have something else to do? Can you stay longer?â
Alpha and Bright look each other in the eye, before deciding to stay.