A Pathetic Watchdog
I let out a low chuckle as I scrolled through Sehwa’s Twinkle account—[0 Following, 32,812 Followers]. Wow… she’d only posted it last night, and not even ten hours had passed, yet the follower count had skyrocketed. As expected, raw, primal shots were the best. The DMs and comments were locked, so I couldn’t see the reactions, but the sheer number of likes told me it was a hit. The provocative title must have helped too.
“Jihyeok, massage my hair.”
Sehwa poked her head out from the bathroom door. It was her way of asking me to dry it. I answered with a bored expression.
“There are towels on the shelf.”
“Ugh, hurry up!”
She raised her voice in a whine. I closed the laptop, got up from the bed, and shook my head as I walked over to her. Grabbing a towel from the bathroom shelf, I placed it on Sehwa’s head and gently massaged her scalp.
“Stop being so spoiled. How long are you going to act like a child?”
“It’s my heart’s desire.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t indulge you.”
I clicked my tongue and continued drying her hair with care. Sehwa, who had been melting under my touch, started acting cute again.
“My lower belly hurts too. You were too rough yesterday.”
Aaah… how could I possibly refuse when she was this adorable?
“That’s because you kept teasing me on Twinkle. I’ll rub it for you once your hair’s dry.”
“I’ll dry my own hair. Touch me now.”
Sehwa raised both hands to hold the towel. In the mirror, I could see her perfect waistline, smooth armpits, and perky breasts. Wouldn’t it be fine to snap a photo like this and upload it to Twinkle? The moment that thought crossed my mind, Sehwa lowered one hand, picked up the phone resting by the sink, and turned on the camera.
Our minds really were in sync. Excellent.
I placed one hand on her breast and the other on her lower belly, waiting for the shutter. After a few clicks, Sehwa checked the album and giggled.
“I’m uploading this to Twinkle.”
“Go ahead. Are you going to mosaic the breasts and below? Or just crop them?”
“No. I’ll just add a light blur.”
“You sure that’s okay?”
“I uploaded yours exactly as it was yesterday, and my face isn’t visible anyway. What’s the problem?”
She had grown quite bold. Her exhibitionist tendencies were blooming beautifully. If she reached the point where she felt pleasure from toying with Yu Seunghyeon like this… it would be perfect. I’d nurture her just a little more.
While kneading her lower belly, I rested my chin on her shoulder.
“Feeling better now?”
She stroked my short bangs and answered.
“Yeah. You’re coming with me tonight, right?”
She meant the festival. When I made a troubled face, Sehwa’s expression crumpled the moment she noticed.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to say you have work?”
“What should I do? I’m sorry. There’s an issue at the new company I acquired recently.”
“Where?”
“A restaurant franchise.”
“Ah… that place? Why? What happened?”
“The executives are strongly opposed to the acquisition, so an emergency meeting was scheduled for tonight. The text came in while you were showering. Want to see it?”
Sehwa let out a long, heavy sigh and shook her head.
“No… if you say so, then it must be true.”
“I really am sorry.”
“Can’t you finish it as early as possible?”
“I’ll try my best.”
I had no intention of trying. Why? Because Yu Seunghyeon would get the day off. He had to go to the festival with his girlfriend. What would be the point if she went with me?
Sehwa would find it hard to refuse. It had been a while since she’d seen Yu Seunghyeon, and she’d been distant with texts and calls lately, so she’d probably feel guilty. I’d enjoy watching the two of them closely.
“No school today?”
“Yeah. It’s closed for the festival. It’s such a shame… I wanted to see my old classmates after so long… Senior Park Dayeong even said she’d give me rolled omelets as a service…”
Who the hell was Park Dayeong again?
“That is a shame. Have fun instead. Take some cash from the drawer when you leave.”
“Why cash?”
“Most of the university booths only accept cash.”
“Hmm… okay.”
As we chatted casually, Sehwa’s phone buzzed with a vibration. Right on cue.
Sehwa checked the message and looked genuinely surprised.
“Huh…?”
“What? Who is it?”
“It’s Seunghyeon… He got the day off and wants to go to the festival with me. He says he’ll sleep now and meet up in the evening…”
“What? Does Yu Seunghyeon know there’s a festival at Korea University today?”
“I mentioned it casually last time. That it was a shame we couldn’t go together…”
“Really? Then go with him. You can tour the festival together. I felt bad leaving you alone, so this works out perfectly.”
I deliberately let my tone imply that Yu Seunghyeon was nothing more than a convenient toy to keep Sehwa company when she felt lonely—nothing more, nothing less. She took my words at face value and nodded weakly.
“Yeah… I did feel bad… Might as well meet him while I have the chance.”
Good. Time to push a little further so Sehwa would look down on him even more.
“Think of it as walking the guard dog. It’s a nice thing to do.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh…?”
“Look at how he acts. He’s a pure-hearted guy who only has eyes for you. If he’s not a guard dog, what is he?”
“.... Then what are you?”
“I’m your owner. We’re fundamentally different.”
“.....”
Sehwa’s face flushed red. She must have remembered the Twinkle post from yesterday. Still, she didn’t seem upset; a faint smile played on her lips.
After that, something seemed to occur to her. She left the bathroom, lay on the bed, opened the laptop, and began editing the photo. She completely erased our faces, added a blur over her nipples and lower abdomen, and uploaded the post.
"Master’s lovely morning♡"
She even proudly showed me the laptop after titling it that way.
“What do you think?”
“You did well. Should we try a video for the next post?”
“I’ll… think about that and decide later. When are you leaving?”
“We’ve got time until evening. Let’s watch a movie together. I should spend time with you while the guard dog is sleeping. He’ll start barking the moment he wakes up.”
Sehwa let out a helpless laugh. But she didn’t look angry. Even though I was degrading her boyfriend so blatantly, she stayed quiet. Tonight was going to be fun…
That evening, I was wearing a neatly ironed white dress shirt when I turned at the sound of Sehwa’s pout.
“I wanted to go to the festival with you… but the kids… never mind.”
She cut herself off mid-sentence. Did she want to introduce us as a couple to her friends? Sehwa, I prefer to corrupt you slowly. What am I supposed to do if you keep stepping on the accelerator like this?
“There’s the autumn festival, right? Let’s go together then, without fail.”
Her expression softened a little at that.
“For real? Promise me.”
“I promise. Even if the company goes bankrupt, we’ll go together. And…”
I looked her up and down. Her outfit didn’t please me at all. Long jeans, a striped Sprite T-shirt, and a thin field jacket on top. It was ugly. She was covering up all that beautiful skin. How was Yu Seunghyeon supposed to get turned on like this? She must still be hesitant to dress provocatively in front of her classmates… Well, suit herself.
Maybe my gaze had turned lewd, because Sehwa asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“I was thinking it’d be nice if you showed off your legs a bit.”
“If I were going with you, I would have changed… I’ll just go like this.”
With that, Sehwa grabbed the shoulders of the suit jacket I was about to wear and held it out for me. I turned around and slipped my arms into the sleeves. She even patted my shoulders to smooth them out. She even came close to check if my tie was properly knotted. I was being waited on hand and foot. It felt like a devoted wife seeing her husband off.
Sehwa even tugged my shirt cuffs forward a little before speaking.
“You look handsome. Have a good day at work.”
“I will. Oh, and today I’ll specially allow hand-holding and hugging.”
I was referring to the permitted range of skinship with Yu Seunghyeon. Sehwa shrugged.
“I don’t mind. If it gets embarrassing I can just pull away.”
“But if Yu Seunghyeon suddenly hugs you or grabs your hand, you’d be breaking the promise you made, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Just do that much. The poor guy. But nothing beyond that. Absolutely forbidden.”
“Okay…”
“I should get going. I’ll be late.”
I headed to the shoe rack to put on my dress shoes when Sehwa grabbed me.
“Wait… just a second!”
When I turned around, she stepped close and pressed her lips to mine. Then she smiled brightly.
“Have a good day.”
I answered with a grin of my own and opened the door.
A high-rise building in Gangnam. On one of the middle floors, inside an office with an old-fashioned atmosphere, I sat with my legs propped up on the desk. This was the actual company Marcela and I had acquired—the headquarters of a famous Korean restaurant franchise.
I planned to watch Sehwa and Yu Seunghyeon through a tracking monster from here. One might wonder why I came all the way to the company when I could have watched from the base. The truth was simple. It was more fun when I at least pretended to be working. It also drew less suspicion, helped me blend in with humans, and improved the mood. Besides, the South Pole Secret Base was full of monsters and too gloomy for my taste.
In any case, this company had been acquired smoothly, without any executive backlash. Marcela held the real power, and I was just a figurehead president. Thanks to that, I could comfortably do whatever I wanted here.
Marcela had grumbled that it created unnecessary workload, but… I compensated her by gently biting her tail, so she was satisfied.
Knock knock!
The moment I tossed my jacket aside, a knock came from the office door. I answered in a warm, benevolent voice.
“Come in.”
The well-oiled door opened quietly. A young woman with neat side-swept hair—something a flight attendant might wear—entered carrying an expensive tray and bowed.
“Good afternoon, President.”
She was the secretary who had been with the company before Marcela and I took over. Pretty face, pleasant voice, great figure, and competent. A perfect four-star beauty. What was her name again…? I couldn’t remember. I’d have to ask again.
I lowered my feet from the desk and smiled.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve prepared some tea. Where should I place it?”
I silently pointed in front of me. The secretary placed the tea on the desk with a nervous expression. Steam rose gently from the pu-erh tea. She had brewed it properly.
I took a sip and nodded with satisfaction.
“It’s delicious. You brewed it well.”
“Thank you…”
“What was your name again?”
“Choi Aram.”
“I’ll enjoy the tea. Aram, you may leave for the day.”
Her face brightened at that. Of course—Friday evening. Leaving early would be nice. She bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s work well together from now on.”
“Yes, President.”
She left the office, trying her best not to make noise with her heels. I noticed a ring on her ring finger… Was she married? Or was it a couple ring? She had a pretty face, so once I got bored of seducing the Beast Slayers, I might taste her as both dessert and snack. She would also be useful for breaking down the solid walls inside Sehwa’s heart.
Buzz—!
My phone vibrated. The sender was… Yuria.
> Uncle Taegon, what are you doing?
> Just having a meal. Let’s meet soon. I have something to tell you.
> What is it?
> I had a strange dream… Let’s talk in person. How about next week on a weekday evening? I’ll be busy through the weekend starting today, so please refrain from contacting me.
> Can’t you at least give me a hint?
> I think it’s better to talk when we meet.
> Okay… You’ll definitely meet me, right?
> Yes. Let’s definitely meet.
I set the phone down beside the desk and took a tablet out of my briefcase. When I tapped the screen, the tracking monster hovering near Yu Seunghyeon showed him clearly. The location was in front of Korea University. And with Sehwa… they had just met.
“Sehwa!”
Yu Seunghyeon waved cheerfully. Sehwa gave a half-hearted smile and walked toward him.
“It’s been a while, Seunghyeon. You’ve gained some weight, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. The auntie at the pub is an amazing cook… I kept eating her food. I’m planning to start exercising soon. Did I gain a lot?”
“No, it looks good on you. Shall we go in?”
“Before that…”
Yu Seunghyeon trailed off and approached Sehwa. He spread both arms, clearly intending to hug her. After a brief hesitation, Sehwa gave him a short embrace.
‘Hmm…’
Since a message from Yuria had arrived and I was watching Yu Seunghyeon anyway, I had an interesting thought. Yuria’s walls were on the dominant side. I had originally planned to satisfy that side before corrupting her… but as the Demon King, I had my dignity. Why should I do something like that? There was a perfect guinea pig right in front of me who could satisfy her tendencies.
I would make sure Yu Seunghyeon took care of all of Yuria’s dominant desires. He had done a good job accepting her tastes in the past, so this time shouldn’t be any different. She would submit to me, but to Yu Seunghyeon she would show her sadistic side… I’d shape her that way. A slave who sincerely worships and serves me—Tyrat—the enemy who killed her parents. What a wonderful ring that had.
I’d think about that later. For now, let’s enjoy watching Sehwa and Yu Seunghyeon’s date.