The First Puppet
The conquest of the Doctor had begun.
I had secretly prepared an underground building in Nonhyeon-dong. From the outside, it looked like a logistics warehouse for a fashion company. Well, it was a warehouse—an old, unused one. I waited in the office inside for someone to arrive.
Before long, the warehouse door opened, and a knock sounded at the office door.
“Come in.”
The door opened slowly, and a young woman stepped inside, awkwardly bowing her head.
“Hello…? My name is Lee Ji-hye. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She was the aspiring actress Yeon-su had mentioned yesterday. I offered her a seat with a friendly smile.
“Please, sit down.”
“Ah, yes…”
She sat across from me with a demure posture. I spoke first.
“I’m Song Jihyeok. I’m collaborating on a business venture with WW Entertainment. Has Yeon-su told you anything about it?”
“Yes, she mentioned it. Um…”
Lee Ji-hye glanced at me, hesitating. She seemed unsure how to address me. I gave her a generous smile.
“Call me whatever feels comfortable.”
“Then… I’ll call you Director. Your friend said he wanted to take photos with me…”
“That’s right.”
“Where… is he?”
“He’ll be here soon. By the way, is Ji-hye your real name?”
“No. I have a different real name… The agency president said…”
“He chose a refined name because you have an elegant impression, didn’t he?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I thought so. Would you like some coffee?”
“If you’re offering, I’d be grateful.”
I nodded and stood up to prepare instant coffee. This was my first time injecting malice into an ordinary person, and my heart raced with anticipation. Should I mix it into the coffee? Or knock her out by force? I decided to try the former first.
While she wasn’t looking, I pricked my finger, generated malice, and stirred it into the coffee along with my blood. Once it was ready, I carried the cup over on a saucer. Lee Ji-hye immediately stood up and accepted it with both hands.
“Thank you.”
Her attitude was remarkably polite. It seemed my position within WW Entertainment carried considerable weight. That was only natural—our partnership had allowed the agency to expand its business. Her president had probably instructed her to treat me with the utmost respect. Yeon-su had likely praised me to her as well.
Lee Ji-hye took a sip of coffee while seated. I stared intently at her face, watching for any changes. Perhaps uncomfortable under my gaze, she looked away.
“How old are you?”
The sudden informal speech made her flinch.
“T-twenty-four.”
She was trembling—not because of the malice, but because my low voice and the situation frightened her. Nothing had changed yet. Had one sip not been enough? Or had the change occurred but her original personality remained intact? There was only one way to find out: order her to do something abnormal and humiliating.
“Why don’t you take your clothes off?”
“…What?”
Her eyes were filled with disbelief. She hadn’t changed. Even one drop wasn’t nearly enough. It was a little disappointing, even if the coffee had diluted it. I was the Demon King, after all—how could a single drop fail to subdue an ordinary person? I would have to feed her my blood directly. I had no intention of coaxing her with talk of sponsorships.
Smiling at her fear-filled eyes, I said, “As a final act of conscience, I’ll apologize. I’m sorry.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
Without another word, I slowly approached her. She stood frozen in panic until I drew close, then suddenly bolted for the corner and began screaming.
“Help! Somebody help me!!”
She pounded on the wall with one hand while frantically trying to make a call with the other.
“Hello!? Hello!! Please help me!”
She had no idea the phone was dead. I grabbed her arm and yanked her toward me. She struggled desperately, pushing against me.
“Let go…! Help!! Somebody!!”
My ears rang. She had quite a set of lungs. Timing it with the moment her mouth opened, I shoved my arm inside.
“Mmph!”
With her mouth blocked, she looked up at me. Tears streamed from her terrified eyes. Bite down already. That’s your only way out.
I could feel her teeth gradually gaining strength. I feigned pain, furrowing my brow. Taking the cue, she bit down hard.
Crunch…
Blood burst forth, staining the area around her mouth crimson. I smirked as I watched the dark red blood trickle down her chin. I didn’t pull my arm away—I needed her to swallow the blood.
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
Once she tasted the blood, Lee Ji-hye began thrashing wildly, fighting for her life. But my body didn’t budge. Eventually, breathing only through her nose became too difficult, and she swallowed reflexively.
At that moment—
“Ugh…”
Her eyes rolled back, and a faint dark aura rose from her body before vanishing instantly. Only then did I withdraw my arm.
“Cough! Hack!”
She collapsed to the floor, coughing. Saliva mixed with blood dripped from her mouth, soaking the ground. I pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, waiting quietly.
After a long while of hacking as if something were caught in her throat, Lee Ji-hye finally stopped. She lifted her disheveled hair and looked at me.
Her facial features remained unchanged. Her body was normal as well. She hadn’t turned into a monster like Margaret. That was expected—the monster transformation had only been a virtual effect created within Yuria’s lucid dream.
Pressing a towel to my arm, I spoke to her.
“Stand up and strip.”
“……Yes.”
With a weak nod, Lee Ji-hye rose unsteadily and removed her T-shirt and pants. It worked. I watched her with a satisfied expression. Without the slightest hesitation, she stripped down to nothing and stood still, waiting for the next command.
“Tell me your real name and your family situation.”
“My name is Lee Yu-yeong. I’m twenty-four, and I live with my parents in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu… I have one older sister, and I own a cat…”
That was enough. I cut her off.
“That’s enough.”
“……”
Startled, she clamped her mouth shut. I crossed my legs in front of her. It was good that her emotions showed, but she was too passive. Let’s try this.
“From now on, you’ll wear a mask in front of others—and in front of me—and live normally, just like before.”
“Yes, Director…”
“What did you do here today?”
“I took photos with Director Jihyeok’s friend…”
“And after that?”
“After that… um…”
She pondered for a moment before continuing.
“After that, I’ll receive several outfits as gifts from the warehouse and go home.”
Perfect. If she could fabricate excuses on her own, she was an active enough puppet. I nodded.
“There’s a shower in the corner of the warehouse. Shower, put on any clothes you find here, then go home. My calls take absolute priority.”
“Yes…”
Smiling, I left the warehouse, leaving her behind. The first experiment had been a success. I now knew how much malice was needed to corrupt someone, and the amount of demonic energy Lee Ji-hye emitted was minimal. Unless someone got extremely close, they wouldn’t notice. She would blend into human society just fine from now on.
Corrupting her family was an option, but if I created too many like a zombie horde, Adeline might accidentally discover them while walking around. I wouldn’t expand recklessly—I would only create the necessary people and use them as safehouses in emergencies.
Neither Sehwa, Yuria, nor Marcela knew about my first safehouse. Creating it had been a resounding success.
**
When I stopped by the lab, the Doctor emerged from her room rubbing her eyes. I chuckled.
“Were you sleeping?”
“Yeah… I got drowsy.”
The lab desk was spotless, meaning she hadn’t been working on equipment development. It was amusing that she stayed holed up here even though she had a home. Well, I understood—going home would remind her of her husband.
After washing her face in the bathroom, the Doctor put on her glasses.
“How are those two doing?”
She meant Silvia and Adeline. I shrugged.
“They’re still in Uijeongbu. Studying the language diligently.”
“Should we start working on the devices soon?”
“Hmm… If Silvia and Adeline transform using devices, wouldn’t that be like giving wings to a tiger? The best outcome for me would be if both of them completely exhaust their Aether. The next best thing would be if they become close enough with Sehwa and Yuria to potentially stab them in the back.”
“For now, we should hold off since we don’t know how they’ll act. Besides, Adeline mentioned receiving an oracle about Tyrat. She’s quiet now, but we don’t know when she might attack again… We should start making them right away.”
She was stubborn. Still, it didn’t matter. I would discard her before the devices were completed anyway. The devices she would create once she became my subordinate would be ones that sealed Aether’s power.
“Understood.”
“I’ll start tomorrow… You go take care of your business. Once you’re done, come back and help me make them.”
“Excuse me?”
I widened my eyes. I hadn’t expected the Doctor to make such an offer. She had never taught me how to make devices before. Of course, Marcela had successfully copied the method, so I knew it, but at least from the Doctor’s perspective, I had never learned it.
“Making three of them will take a long time… I want your help. Can you do that?”
If I could spend extended time with the Doctor, our relationship would naturally grow closer. Things were going well. The feeling was good. I would need to finish installing the safehouse and completing Sehwa’s weapon within a week before returning. Yuria’s bow was already being made by Marcela, so that was fine.
“Of course. I should be done with my work within a week.”
“A week? You said it would take about a month.”
“Fortunately, things progressed quickly. I met some good people, and the discussions went smoothly.”
“Is that so…?”
The Doctor crossed her arms and gave me a suspicious look. Her large breasts were practically swallowing her arms. Was she not wearing a bra today? The way they swayed seemed suspicious. Looking at her with innocent eyes, she asked,
“You’re obsessed with future science. You’re not thinking of abandoning your work to come back early just to make the devices faster, are you?”
“Come on… Would I really do that? It really went well. I think I’ll be able to secure more funding for the lab too.”
“No. We have plenty of funding as it is.”
“We have to make three suits, though. And weapons. That’ll require a lot of Polymus…”
“……”
The Doctor sighed. She couldn’t find a counterargument. I smiled, showing my white teeth.
“Don’t feel sorry every time. I’m genuinely happy to help.”
“What can I do about feeling sorry…”
“Still.”
“Fine… But I have to say this. Without you, I wouldn’t have known how to run this lab.”
“I feel like I’ve heard that a few times before.”
“Did you…? Anyway, that’s how I feel. If you’re not busy today, want to grab a meal? Let’s take a breather before things get hectic.”
I was more than happy to accept.
“I’d love to.”