When Mark, a reserved and mild-mannered young man, finds himself in desperate need of a new place to live, he moves into a city apartment with Julia — a confident, sharp-witted woman just a few years older. She's assertive, clean, independent, and makes it clear from day one that she values order, respect, and clear boundaries.
At first, their roommate dynamic is neutral — polite but distant. But Julia quickly begins to notice something: Mark never pushes back. When she asks him to take out the trash, he does it without hesitation. When she leaves a note asking him to vacuum, it’s done by the end of the day. One night, as a joke, she tapes a weekly “Chore Chart” to the fridge with stars next to her name and blanks under his.
To her surprise, he fills it out.
The experiment begins.
What follows is a shift in power. The tasks start small — sweeping, dishwashing, folding laundry — but Julia begins testing the limits: having him iron her clothes, run errands, take instructions for how her room should be cleaned, and eventually, report his completed chores each evening.
She remains calm, playful, but always in control. Mark, unsure how to refuse, finds himself increasingly drawn into a domestic structure where Julia calls the shots — and she knows it.
Over time, the power imbalance grows. Mark’s role subtly changes from “roommate” to something closer to “personal assistant” — or perhaps, a “house servant.” She begins to correct his work, reward obedience, and mock minor failures with light sarcasm. The control is firm, constant, and increasingly public. Guests begin to notice. Julia doesn’t hide it. In fact, she seems to enjoy flaunting the fact that he listens to her.
What started as a living arrangement becomes something more unbalanced, unspoken, and deeply psychological — a quiet surrender to her authority, without a single contract signed.
At first, their roommate dynamic is neutral — polite but distant. But Julia quickly begins to notice something: Mark never pushes back. When she asks him to take out the trash, he does it without hesitation. When she leaves a note asking him to vacuum, it’s done by the end of the day. One night, as a joke, she tapes a weekly “Chore Chart” to the fridge with stars next to her name and blanks under his.
To her surprise, he fills it out.
The experiment begins.
What follows is a shift in power. The tasks start small — sweeping, dishwashing, folding laundry — but Julia begins testing the limits: having him iron her clothes, run errands, take instructions for how her room should be cleaned, and eventually, report his completed chores each evening.
She remains calm, playful, but always in control. Mark, unsure how to refuse, finds himself increasingly drawn into a domestic structure where Julia calls the shots — and she knows it.
Over time, the power imbalance grows. Mark’s role subtly changes from “roommate” to something closer to “personal assistant” — or perhaps, a “house servant.” She begins to correct his work, reward obedience, and mock minor failures with light sarcasm. The control is firm, constant, and increasingly public. Guests begin to notice. Julia doesn’t hide it. In fact, she seems to enjoy flaunting the fact that he listens to her.
What started as a living arrangement becomes something more unbalanced, unspoken, and deeply psychological — a quiet surrender to her authority, without a single contract signed.
