Yoon Bum x Reader: Mindfuckery

Chapter 7: Conflicted

'Okay... so if the Spring Festival was yesterday, that means I've been here for a grand total of seven weeks.'  That rather surprised you actually, you were sure you had been here much longer than that. Time seemed to stretch on when all you had during the daylight was the steady ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall and an exhaustingly needy host coming home to greet you.

Your trap had not come to fruition, but at the very least you got a hobby out of it, something enjoyable to occupy your time while Bum was out. It was sort of like a little piece of your old life.

Yoon Bum's behavioral conditioning was going splendidly in your opinion; you almost felt like a bonafide shrink at this point. He was like putty in your hands, molding more to your liking with each passing day. Yet, however promising these changes were, they still weren't getting you any closer to freedom. There was still a missing strand in this intricate web of manipulation. You needed to find a way to make your liberation appear desirable to him, and that would take some serious brainstorming.

What began to frighten you as of late was just how easy faking your affection became. It was honestly hard to hate the man when he ruthlessly doted on you. The way he would blush and sigh and melt into your touch, it was so cute it was sick, like something out of a fanfiction. It was eerily charming, and you would forget sometimes, forget that your number one priority was to get away from him. Your more complacent (less sane) side sometimes disagreed, saying that you didn't need to be rid of him entirely; you just needed to be released. He was twisted, broken and damaged, but he loved you. There was no questioning that fact.

You were a logical individual, one who gives credit where credit is due. It was hard for you to deny, that when he wasn't putting on his façade of cruelty, you and he objectively had quite complimentary personalities. You liked to talk and he liked to listen, you liked to demand and he liked to serve. And honestly? He was rather easy to please all things considered. He was no Ariel Castro, that's for sure. He never used you as a sex slave, nor did he have some sick sort of bloodlust needing to be quenched. He just seemed to want affection and a functional relationship, although he clearly had no idea what one was supposed to look like. He was trying to keep you, nothing more, like a pet wife to hold and cherish and protect from the outside world.

He even went through the trouble to keep you occupied. You had grown a nice little routine of spending time together after dinner. Bum did his best (with his average wages) to make his house feel like home to you. He'd picked up some little board games from a discount bookstore; found some movies he thought you'd like. Based on his selection, he must have assumed you were into chick flicks full of mushy romance. They certainly weren't your first choice for an engaging movie night, but he seemed to prefer them. Don't think you didn't notice the way he would tear up at the emotional parts, or squeeze your hand a little tighter during the sweeter scenes. 'Heh. What a sap.' You couldn't help the endearing smirk that crawled up your features.

'Why am I smiling?' You asked yourself and the corners of your mouth suddenly dropped. 'There's nothing to smile about in this situation.'

'Just counting my blessings I guess.' You pondered. 'Things could be a lot worse.'

'...But am I really okay with being trapped like an animal just because the man who trapped me gives me treats once in a while?'

You realized the truth in that thought. You missed your friends and family, you missed the sunshine. You were so busy focusing on the internal struggles with Bum lately that you had neglected the bigger picture, the real goal to get out.

'My last plan failed, which means I need a new one.'

A new urgency swelled within you. There were moments nowadays where you proclaimed your love with such conviction that even you started to believe it was true. You had to act fast, before your resolve dwindled or evaporated completely. The decision was made.

This time you would use his own gifts against him...