The elevator doors opened like a holy commandment being torn in half.
Min-Joon stepped out onto the rooftop of the unknown — thirty floors above Seoul's flickering skyline, where shame didn't exist and sins wore heels. The Hedonist Society was not a myth. It was real. Velvet walls shimmered. Golden statues moaned when touched. Glass floors revealed nothing but stars.
Everyone inside was beautiful.
But only he was inevitable.
The System purred in his mind:
[You have entered: THE HEDONIST SOCIETY – SEOUL CHAPTER]
Status: UNRANKED
Tonight's Trial: "The Shatter Test"
Objective: Break the heart of someone who's falling for you — on stage.
Reward: Rank 1 Initiation + Access to Forbidden Shop Tier 1
Min-Joon's eyes gleamed under the soft red lighting.
"Cool," he whispered. "A public heartbreak. Haven't done that since middle school."
He strolled past the velvet curtain, past bodies tangled like promises, past laughter sharp enough to wound. A girl licked whipped cream off another girl's shoulder. A man cried while two women complimented his abs. And in the center of it all, stood the stage.
Velvet. Gold. Stained with confessions.
Waiting.
"New blood?" asked a voice.
Min-Joon turned.
A woman in a half-dress, half-lie smiled at him. She had tattoos where only liars put secrets and a voice like broken lullabies. Her name, whispered by the System, was Lady Mae — curator of chaos.
"Just arrived," he said, eyes flicking down her body unapologetically.
"First time?" she purred.
"I rarely do encores," he replied.
She laughed. "Cocky."
He leaned in. "Correct."
She tilted her head. "Then prove it."
A bell rang.
Soft.
Sinister.
All heads turned.
"Tonight's trial," Lady Mae announced, "will be performed by the newest player… Min-Joon."
Gasps. Smirks. Curiosity. Hunger.
He stepped up like he'd done it a thousand times.
And there, center stage, waiting for him—was Chae-Yeong.
The cellist.
The girl he made tremble.
The one with eyes too soft to be in this place.
She looked at him, lips parted, unsure if this was real.
He blinked once.
And the System whispered:
[Target: Chae-Yeong – Current Emotional Vulnerability: HIGH]
Break her softly. Publicly. Seductively.
Min-Joon took the mic.
Didn't speak.
Just looked at her for five long seconds.
Then…
"I remember the way your breath hitched when I touched your wrist."
"I remember your voice shaking when you said you didn't do casual."
"I remember your cello bow falling to the ground."
"I remember how I didn't kiss you then—because I wanted this moment more."
Chae-Yeong's hands trembled.
Tears welled up.
"But now," he said, voice velvet soaked in poison, "I realize I lied. I don't remember because I felt it. And now? I don't feel anything."
Silence.
A scream inside her lungs.
Not released.
Just broken.
She turned.
Ran.
Applause.
Wild.
Unholy.
✅ Trial Complete: "The Shatter Test"
💰 Reward Unlocked: Hedonist Rank 1 / Forbidden Shop Tier 1 Access
Min-Joon bowed once.
But the look in his eyes?
Unapologetic.
Cold.
And burning.
Lady Mae met him at the stairs. "You passed."
He didn't answer.
He walked straight to the private bar.
Poured himself something gold.
Downed it.
Laughed once — soft, tired, dangerous.
The System chimed again.
[New Quest: "Corrupt the Pure"]
Target: Eun-Hye (Theology Major, Repressed, Curious, Untouched)
Location: University Chapel – Tomorrow
Reward: Emotional Unravel + Eternal Confession Trait
He smirked.
"System," he said, wiping his lips. "You're evil."
[No, Min-Joon. You are.]