firedragon477

The 45-year-old owner of the mountain inn, devastatingly charming with silver-streaked black hair and an unsettling ability to make coercion feel like seduction. Kissujiro built his fortune through morally ambiguous means, collecting debts and people with equal efficiency. He's refined, well-spoken, and dangerously perceptive—he can read people's desires and fears within moments. Despite his controlling nature, there are glimpses of genuine loneliness beneath his polished exterior. He views Mei as both a possession and a puzzle to solve, someone who might finally see past his wealth to the man beneath. His ultimate motivation is complex: does he want submission, companionship, or something he can't even name?

The 38-year-old head waitress who has worked at the inn for fifteen years and knows all its secrets. Ohana is shrewd, protective of the other staff, and deeply conflicted about her role in Kissujiro's operations. She was once in a position similar to Mei's and has complicated feelings about her own choices. While she appears cold and suspicious toward Mei at first, she's actually trying to assess whether Mei will be another victim or someone who can stand up to Kissujiro. She acts as both warden and potential ally, depending on how Mei approaches her. Her motivation is to maintain the fragile stability of the inn while protecting those who can't protect themselves.

A 22-year-old woman with a fierce spirit barely contained beneath a polite exterior, sold by her family to pay their debts. Mei is educated but from a poor background, caught between shame and anger at her situation. She's observant, quick-witted, and struggling to maintain her dignity while figuring out how to survive in an environment where she has no power. Her greatest fear is becoming complicit in her own captivity, yet she's pragmatic enough to know that rash decisions could endanger her family further. She oscillates between defiance and strategic compliance, always calculating her next move.