Predator Conversion
A certain club in Seoul thronged with young men and women out to savor their youth.
The men who had been pretending to dance on the stage all fixed their eyes on a single point.
That point was Kim Yu-mi.
Yu-mi’s beauty had already left the realm of the human. Every time the club lights swept across her face, every gaze in the room converged on her. A tank top and skinny jeans clung to her body, tracing every exquisite curve, and each time she smiled the surrounding breath seemed to catch for a beat.
The old human Kim Yu-mi was dead. Only the newly born succubus Kim Yu-mi remained. It was a fatal beauty—all the more dangerous for how completely it captivated.
When the track ended she sat alone at the bar and slowly tilted her glass. After brushing off the first couple of men who approached, her eyes met those of the man standing opposite her.
Gold chain, expensive watch, arrogantly set shoulders. A solidly built thug type.
He studied her for a moment, then lifted one corner of his mouth and walked over.
“Haven’t seen that face around here. You here alone?”
Yu-mi ran her eyes up and down him once, then held his gaze for a slow ten seconds and offered a feminine, almost shy smile.
In that instant the man’s eyes went slack and his expression turned hazy.
“…Wow. You’re really pretty.”
After that he barely kept his wits. Every time Yu-mi raised her glass he drank with her; every time she laughed he laughed like an idiot. When she said, “Let’s get some air,” he rose from his seat without a second’s hesitation.
The door of the black Mercedes parked in the underground garage opened. The man hustled her into the passenger seat and fumbled the engine to life. The destination had been decided from the start: a hotel.
City lights slid past the window. Yu-mi propped her chin on her hand, watched the night outside, and smiled thinly.
At that moment two pairs of eyes were watching the entire process.
One belonged to a woman standing in the darkness across from the club. Her face was hidden in shadow, yet the gaze that followed Yu-mi was razor-sharp. A grotesque smile curved her lips.
“Operating in my territory without a shred of fear…”
The low murmur carried equal parts interest and displeasure. The man Yu-mi had just taken was the prey she herself had marked for tonight.
The second pair of eyes sat a short distance away inside a car. Two men in black suits were exchanging radio traffic. On the dashboard lay an identification badge engraved with a small crest.
Special Disaster Response Division under the Prime Minister’s office. Better known as the Shadow Team. Special judicial police officers.
The man in the driver’s seat kept his eyes on the Mercedes’ taillights.
“Just like the informant said.”
“That’s the one who’s been running wild lately?”
“Yes. Human name was Kim Yu-mi. No succubus name.”
“No way she doesn’t have one. A high-ranking incubus would have baptized her with a baptismal name…”
“We don’t know.”
The man in the passenger seat let out a small sigh and looked out the window.
“But damn… she is filthy pretty.”
“Pretty or not, what are you going to do with it?”
“True… haha. You take her, Team Leader.”
“If I turn into a mummy you’ll have nobody left to boss around. Lucky you.”
A low order crackled over the radio.
“Hold off on capture until we have final confirmation she’s a succubus. Maintain tail for now.”
The Mercedes carrying Yu-mi vanished down the road toward the hotel. Two gazes remained fixed in the same direction.
Sang-hyuk had recently run into financial trouble. After buying a few high-end suits, his bank balance had started to show daylight.
“An incubus is a noble of the dark. I will not tolerate you walking around dressed no differently from the lowborn.”
Valentine’s order. Sang-hyuk had gone from department store to luxury boutique, filling out what he needed one piece at a time.
Suits came from the top Italian houses, Brioni and Kiton. Three handmade bespoke suits plus a cashmere coat—clothing alone ran past forty-eight million won. Casual pieces—knits, jackets, pants—were fitted at Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli, another twenty-two million. Shoes were no exception: two pairs of John Lobb Oxfords and Derbys for formal wear, Loro Piana loafers and sneakers for casual, more than eleven million just for footwear.
The car was a top-spec Genesis G90 Prestige, nearly full options, quoted at around one hundred twenty-four million. Golf clubs—multiple Titleist and Callaway sets from driver through irons and wedges—added another eight million-plus.
When he ran the numbers the total outlay came to roughly two hundred thirteen million won. Everything except the car had been paid in a single lump sum. The timid office worker he used to be would have trembled and hesitated over that kind of money. Not anymore.
Valentine’s voice rang briefly inside his head.
“A noble has a noble’s spending habits.”
“Count, I’m not a noble, and you need money to spend money. How am I supposed to spend what I don’t have?”
“Money… you levy taxes on the serfs.”
“Where are there serfs these days?!”
“Make yourself plenty of slaves.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of host?”
Sang-hyuk was speechless. Still, after the shopping he looked at himself in the mirror. A man of perfect looks in the finest suit smiled coldly back at him.
“I look like a real asshole.”
A flicker of unease—Is this okay?—rose, yet wearing expensive clothes felt good. Clothes make the man; the way people looked at him seemed upgraded, and the self-esteem that had been rock-bottom before the bead was planted had climbed a long way.
Breaking the savings he had been building for marriage with Yu-mi still stung a corner of his heart, but it no longer tormented him the way it once had. What actually pricked his conscience was borrowing money from Lee Yu-na.
Yu-na had handed over the entire hundred million in secret funds she had been stashing away from her husband. Sang-hyuk took only fifty million and returned the rest.
“Thanks. I’ll pay it back soon.”
“Not at all, Master. Everything I have is already Master’s.”
“I’ll put it to good use either way.”
“I will offer as much money as you need. Master, please don’t take only the money—take me as well.”
“Ah… I’ll call you next week.”
“Then at least spit in my mouth right now, please.”
Addicted to Sang-hyuk’s bodily fluids, Yu-na trembled with excitement, breathing hard in anticipation of the pleasure.
“Fine.”
“Yes, thank you, Master.”
Yu-na dropped to her knees at once and opened her mouth like a baby bird. Sang-hyuk grimaced and began gathering saliva.
“Shit, just watching this makes me feel dirty… This really is an extreme job…”
While he was figuring out where to raise cash, it occurred to him that he had lent out quite a bit of money here and there. Most of it was money friends had never repaid. Among them was Kim Ji-hoon, who had borrowed nearly twenty million. Sang-hyuk called, but for days there was no answer. Texts went unread except for the “read” mark.
In the end he decided to go in person.
When he reached the villa where Ji-hoon lived, a humming song drifted from the parking space in front of the building. A pristine white luxury sedan sat there, its hood gleaming in the sunlight. Beside it Kim Ji-hoon was polishing the car with a towel.
As Sang-hyuk approached, Ji-hoon looked up.
“Huh? Sang-hyuk. What are you doing here all of a sudden?”
“Why the hell aren’t you answering your phone?”
His friend wiped his hands on the towel and grinned. His eyes drifted naturally to the new car.
“I’m a busy guy, you know. Anyway, how about this ride? Bought it cash a few days ago. A man of my caliber has to drive something like this or he loses face, right?”
Sang-hyuk just stared at him.
“You’re here about the money, aren’t you? Hey, wait a little longer. Things are tight right now.”
The hand that claimed things were tight stroked the new car’s hood with leisurely ease. When Sang-hyuk stayed silent, the corner of his friend’s mouth lifted a fraction.
“You’re not hard up for a measly twenty million. You lucked out with good parents… I have to make it on my own… so just understand, okay?… Get lost!”
Contempt and insult seeped through the smiling face.
A corner of Sang-hyuk’s brain went hot. School days flashed clear: this bastard cornering the short, weak Sang-hyuk in the classroom under the pretense of “boxing practice” and beating him for fun. Same laugh, same tone. The line he used to toss out in front of the other kids—“the kid who only gets treated like a human because of his parents”—still lived under Sang-hyuk’s ear even after ten years.
Looking back now, he could not understand how his past self had ever called this piece of shit a friend.
Sang-hyuk took one step closer. The height difference alone cast a shadow over Ji-hoon’s 174-centimeter face. A hollow laugh escaped him.
Why did I ever find this bottom-feeder intimidating?
“Got a cup of coffee?”
Sang-hyuk’s voice was low. It was not the usual slick tone. It was a rumble pulled up from under the throat, closer to the growl of a beast about to hunt.
Ji-hoon’s weak grin stopped. At the low growl his body locked up like a herbivore before a predator. The man in front of him was no longer the cheerful, easy-to-ignore Sang-hyuk of old. The pressure in the voice said that refusal would not end well.
“S-sure… let’s have a coffee.”
Sang-hyuk followed him inside. He had no desire for cheap instant coffee; he had asked for it because the house, free of outdoor CCTV, was better for intimidation.
The moment the door closed, Sang-hyuk slammed Ji-hoon against the wall. A dull thud sounded as his back hit.
“When are you paying my money back?”
“Whoa? You’re kinda scary… What’s this about… between friends—”
“Friends? Cut the crap, mister. That money was due six months ago. Why the hell haven’t you paid it yet, you piece-of-shit bastard?”
“I just can’t right now… I’ve got a wedding coming… You know my girl, right? Hye-seon and I are getting married this winter.”
“Can a guy with his dick cut off still get married?”
“W-what? What did you just say?”
“Hey, mister… a man who can’t keep a promise gets his dick cut off… right?”
“…”
“If not the dick, an eye works too. One cornea’s worth ten million, so even if you’re blind you can still get married.”
Sang-hyuk surprised even himself as he spoke. Threats he had never made in his life were pouring out smoothly.
“Y-you… you bastard.”
“Write a body-waiver right now, you fucking asshole!”
“Are you threatening your friend?”
“Oh, mister. It’s not a threat—it’s a notice, you bastard. Shut your mouth and write.”
“A-are you… really Sang-hyuk? Why the hell did you change like this?”
“Unbelievable… It’s because of you, you lowlife piece of shit.”
“…”
“If you don’t write that waiver I’m taking your kidney and your eyes right now! I brought an icebox and a scalpel in my car just to harvest your organs.”
“…”
“Oh, and starting today I’m charging five percent interest a day.”
Ji-hoon felt shock and rage at the fact that the quiet nerd who used to sit in the corner all through school now had him by the collar and pinned to the wall.
“You bastard, who do you think you are, some gangster? Barging into someone’s house and threatening them! Get out right now!”
In that instant Sang-hyuk’s pupils narrowed vertically and his eyes blazed red. Sharp fangs showed. A low-frequency growl like a beast’s roar filled the entire room. Sang-hyuk’s eyes burned crimson.
For the first time in his life Ji-hoon felt absolute terror.
“Y-Sang-hyuk… you’re not Sang-hyuk… Wh-who… who are you…?”
Ji-hoon’s hands shook. He could not breathe properly. Strength left his legs. He clearly felt the warm wetness spreading through his pants.
Sang-hyuk jammed the paper from the table into Ji-hoon’s mouth, snatched up a pen, and drove it hard into one of Ji-hoon’s nostrils.
“Ugh.”
Blood began to run from Ji-hoon’s nose, yet he was so overwhelmed by Sang-hyuk’s murderous gaze that he could not even resist.
“Write. If you can’t pay, you forfeit your body, your fiancée, and everything you own. Write it and stamp your thumbprint.”
Shaking handwriting began to appear on the paper.
Just then the front door opened. A woman stepped in.
“Oppa, you said you were washing the car… why’d you leave the door open…”
A slender, delicate figure any man would find appealing, and a pure face. Ji-hoon’s fiancée, Hye-seon.
(End of Chapter 10)