Kim Taehyun—a third-generation executive at a construction conglomerate and a close friend of Director Kim Hansoo—received a special message from a Paradise Project insider. Shockingly, the insider sent someone in person.

He was in the middle of masturbating while watching the rooftop orgy party.

Startled by the unexpected visitor, Kim Taehyun hurried to wash his hands, straightened himself up, and received the guest.

Without any self-introduction or extra explanation, the envoy handed over an envelope sealed with red wax.

It was an invitation.

Dear Great Whale, thank you for your patience.

Would you like to taste a fish you caught with your own hands—fresh from the water?

Don’t you want to feel its flapping life against your skin?

If so, attend Hide-and-Seek.

The rules are simple.

You will be the seeker. Find the fish that are hiding. What you do with the catch is entirely up to you.

The game runs for 24 hours, and for your safety two soldiers will be assigned to you. However, the soldiers cannot directly participate in Hide-and-Seek and cannot find the hiding fish on your behalf. Only you can find them.

You have only one chance to attend.

Will you seize it?

Or will you, like a hyena, lick up the scraps your colleagues leave behind?

The choice is yours.

If you wish to attend, hand the invitation back to the envoy. Then a special gift will be provided to you.

If you do not, burn the invitation in front of the envoy. With the smoke, your chance will disappear.

We await your correct decision.

—From the Paradise Project.

It wasn’t merely sounding out his intent to attend. It was a kind of challenge thrown at Kim Taehyun, who, of the seven Guests, had the largest cock and thus held the “Great Whale” title.

Kim Taehyun handed over the invitation without a second’s hesitation.

The envoy set down a gold box, no bigger than a palm.

That was all.

Just as when he arrived, the envoy gave a polite bow without a single extra word and left Kim Taehyun’s office.

“Hah!”

Kim Taehyun let out a dry laugh and pulled the box toward himself.

“This better not be some shitty prank, right?”

Rubbing his palms, he thought of his mischievous friend Michael—Kim Taehyun called Director Kim Hansoo “Michael.”

He’d been getting sick of watching only through a screen anyway. Lately he’d been stewing: why wait this damn long?

And right then, a special offer landed.

“Shall we see what’s inside?”

Muttering to himself, he untied the ribbon with both hands.

He raised his brows at what he saw in the box.

A bracelet. Except for being made of gold, it was the exact same model currently worn by the twenty-nine Crew members.

Kim Taehyun had expected something special and felt a flicker of disappointment, but it didn’t last.

Under the bracelet lay an instruction card.

You must attend Hide-and-Seek within 12 hours. Make ready to depart within 3 hours. As soon as you finish preparing, put on the bracelet. Once wear is confirmed, a limousine for you will be waiting. See you in Paradise.

See you in Paradise.

A shiver ran through him the moment he read those words.

Swollen with anticipation, Kim Taehyun couldn’t do anything.

How many meetings did he have today?

Lunch and dinner—who was he drinking with?

He immediately called in his secretary to check the schedule.

“Cancel everything. I’m going to Hawaii. I’ll be out three to four days, so plan around that.”

Hawaii—the handiest, most plausible excuse.

Hawaii was where the company’s real owner—Kim Taehyun’s mother—lived. Her mood swings were so wild she’d often throw hysterics, ordering him to come all the way there. Everyone took it—her own son, board directors, department heads—no exceptions. No one at the company was unaware of this.

By habit, Kim Taehyun rubbed his hands together and left the office.

He hurried home and, for the first time in a while, packed his own suitcase.

Let’s see.

Once he started packing, he realized he didn’t really need anything special.

All the odds and ends for sex would be there.

Let’s see.

Since he could do whatever he wanted with fish he caught himself, he thought about what he’d do with the catch.

Right. Bring the armor.

Kim Taehyun headed to the secret room he’d built for his private life.

Armor—commonly called a cock case—was a sex device just for him.

He had a cock other men envied, but unfortunately it tended to lack hardness. In his youth he assumed that was typical of big ones, and since it hadn’t caused issues during sex, he hadn’t thought much of it.

But once he entered his thirties, a problem emerged. He could get hard, but went so floppy insertion was difficult. Frequent sex, frequent ejaculation, and heavy use of stimulating devices had dulled his sensitivity.

What good is size if you can’t put it in?

As stressed as he was about his hair loss, Michael recommended a device.

A leather cock case studded with a mass of beads.

Custom-made for his cock, once he strapped it on, he could boost both hardness and size at the same time. Insertion became noticeably easier, and he could enjoy a more stimulating sex life than before.

Kim Taehyun opened the safe in one corner of the secret room. Alongside gold bars, the safe held only custom-made sex gear. Inside rested the most special of all his cock cases.

One was set with twelve diamonds; the other was studded with sharp spikes. The diamonds were perfect for swelling a peacock’s vanity; the spikes were ideal for feeding Kim Taehyun’s kink.

The spikes were pointed, but not needle-sharp—each traced a measured curve. He’d poured effort into minimizing damage to a partner, but “measured” was still “pointed,” so getting it in was no easy feat. For that reason he’d only mimed it; he’d never achieved a full insertion while wearing it.

So he’d been waiting for a chance to use it in this Project—and the chance had come sooner than expected.

The invitation explicitly said “do as you please,” making this the perfect opportunity to go all in. Whoever the brat in his hands turned out to be, he planned to pound until the inside tore open.

The thought alone made him shiver.

He cackled at the sight of a 25-inch carry-on with only two cock cases inside.

Outfits and gear needed for the game would be provided there.

Skip underwear. Maybe bring slippers and a pair of shoes.

He decided against a watch—too easy to lose or have stolen.

Wedding ring off, bracelet off.

But he couldn’t give up the necklace.

After lingering a long while before the jewelry display, he finally picked up a black leather necklace. It carried a caduceus pendant. It didn’t look particularly expensive, but it was a custom piece that cost as much as the luxury items here.

Once he hung it around his neck, it paired perfectly with the cock cases.

Pleased with his choice, Kim Taehyun changed into an off-white resort look.

He didn’t pack spare clothes—he doubted he’d be wearing anything there.

In the mirror, he looked every bit a traveler heading for a resort. Someone who fit right in on a flight to Hawaii.

Whistling, he snapped shut the feather-light suitcase.

There was no need to drag this out.

He decided to head out as early as possible and get a feel for the terrain.

He opened the box from the Project’s ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) envoy and put on the bracelet. With a click, a blue light blinked.

Ready.

Kim Taehyun poured himself a whiskey and sat on the sofa.

Savoring the amber liquid, heart fluttering, he waited for the limousine that would come to pick him up.

Kim Taehyun wasn’t the only one who received an invitation.

All seven Guests selected for the Paradise Project received one.

The exact wording on each invitation varied, but the message was clear.

Will you attend Hide-and-Seek?

Gwak Tan was angry at the fact that, even as the Project Director, he still knew nothing about “Hide-and-Seek,” but he indicated he would participate for now. Since he happened to be inside the building, he put on his bracelet first.

The other Guests also finished their preparations without using the full three hours allotted to them.

Only one of the seven refused. A severe voyeur, he was aroused only by watching, and chose voyeurism again this time.

That didn’t mean they would leave the seeker slot empty.

Six seekers weren’t enough for a proper “Hide-and-Seek.”

A ratio of seeker to non-seeker of about 1:2 was appropriate, so this time they made a special exception.

They decided to recruit participants for “Hide-and-Seek” from outside.

Naturally, the selection criteria were set by The Host, Gwak Hoon.

Choosing suitable seekers from among the many who longed, sleepless, for Gwak Hoon’s summons turned out harder than expected.

Under forty, physically healthy, and able to get an erection without drugs.

Visibly beautiful or attractive enough on the surface.

A pervert among perverts—capable of any cruelty.

And above all, discreet.

Gwak Hoon combed through the names of those who had attended his sex parties countless times and pared down the list.

And one more.

Attorney Oh—one of the Legal Office’s lawyers and a hidden helper—stood at Gwak Hoon’s side and re-checked the list.

The two were more focused than ever.

Time was tight.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Alerts chimed in succession: the seekers had put on their bracelets.

Each time the alert sounded, Gwak Hoon and Attorney Oh turned their eyes to the big screen.

The seekers’ current locations appeared on the map. Limousines would soon depart to pick up the red dots.

Ding, ding.

Five.

Ding.

Six.

Gwak Hoon and Attorney Oh barely managed to find three more.

Attorney Oh personally drafted the invitation texts. He wrote the messages by hand, carefully, on memo cards.

At last, the seeker line-up was complete.

With nine Guests, plus Gwak Hoon, and finally Attorney Oh as well, a total of eleven would be seekers.

Watching Attorney Oh set down his pen, Gwak Hoon smiled a satisfied smile.

“Here you are, Chairman.”

When Gwak Hoon checked the card contents and nodded, Attorney Oh rose from his seat.

“Make sure they’re delivered without delay.”

“Rest easy, Chairman.”

“And don’t you be late.”

“Of course. When else would I ever get a chance like this? The moment I send the invitations, I’ll prepare as well.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“Thank you, Chairman.”

Watching Attorney Oh’s back as he left the office, Gwak Hoon picked up a remote. He pressed a button and changed the feed.

The screen filled, wall to wall, with flesh.

Even without sound, their movements were so vivid he could almost hear them in his ears. He felt the heat of those flapping young bodies radiate through the display.

Eat and drink your fill, foolish youths.

Your rapture will turn to screams.

That place is Paradise—my kingdom. A heaven I made.

Your master is coming.

Gwak Hoon’s lips curled into a smile.

Ding.

Seven.

Another red dot appeared.

It was the dot created by the bracelet on Gwak Hoon’s wrist.