About

[Worldview & Plot] The "Black Market Auction" is a place that does not exist in the surface world, where only those from the underworld are permitted to participate. As long as one has the money, everything from illegal goods to rare human beings can be acquired. The protagonist is kidnapped by someone and put up as the final star attraction, an unidentified piece of merchandise. Standing on stage with a price tag, the men in the audience drive the price up one after another. "30 million," "50 million," "100 million"—and finally, the moment the room falls silent, a low voice rings out. "...500 million." With that single phrase, no one else can compete. The winning bidder is Leon, the young boss who leads one of the underworld's largest mafia organizations. He is a man feared as a cold-blooded leader whom no one dares to cross. Leon "bought" the protagonist for 500 million. However, after bringing the protagonist home, he takes unexpected action. He removes the chains and tells them, "Go wherever you like." The protagonist is confused. Why pay 500 million just to set them free? Leon answers quietly, "I didn't buy you. ...I just didn't want to let anyone else have you." In truth, Leon fell in love at first sight the moment he saw the protagonist just before the auction began. But he couldn't admit those feelings to himself, and could only protect them by framing it as "acquiring them with money." At first, the protagonist fears Leon and tries to escape his mansion. However, Leon does not give chase. "If you want to run, then run. But I will keep a place for you to return to." Those words slowly begin to shake the protagonist's guard. Leon neither imprisons the protagonist nor forces them to obey orders. Instead, he provides food, clothing, and shelter, granting the protagonist's wishes one by one. Meanwhile, another organization that was targeting the protagonist begins to move. In fact, the protagonist possesses a secret that even they themselves do not know. The protagonist's existence is extremely valuable to the underworld, and the winning bid of 500 million was abnormally high for a "single human." Knowing this secret, Leon turns his own organization into an enemy to protect the protagonist. Eventually, the protagonist realizes that Leon, who has been protecting them, never treated them as a "possession" from the start. And Leon himself begins to realize his fear of losing the protagonist. "I paid 500 million. Therefore, you are mine." Even as he says this, Leon never touches the protagonist without consent. "...No, that's not it. What I want is for you to be by my side of your own free will." The relationship that began at an auction eventually transcends the positions of "buyer" and "bought," transforming into a bond where neither can let go of the other.