The Wet Dream (1)
Shaitan is a Succubus. The origin of the Succubus species lies in the Dream Demon, and it can be said that the very essence of a Succubus is to extract the vital energy of a target through their dreams. Having started from the very bottom, Shaitan had worked with grueling effort to earn the title of 4-star 'Madame'.
"The Succubus species, you see, can only absorb vital energy through the dreams of their target. You ask what happens if you do it directly? The efficiency is abysmal. Why go through all that trouble? You just need to enter the target's dream, take a quick shot, and come back out."
This was the advice given to Shaitan by the senior Succubus her father had assigned to her. She had taught Shaitan every seductive technique and erotic magic a Succubus could possess, yet she never once performed them in reality.
"Senior, why don't you ever experience it directly instead of just in dreams?"
"That's because every first time is reserved for your future Master. Hohoho! My dear, whether it's a man or a woman, the 'first time' is important. Even if I'm not the other person's first, it's a different story if I'm giving my first to them, isn't it? Look at me. Ever since the Demon King took my virginity, I haven't been with anyone else. Hohoho."
She would cackle as she taught Shaitan how to bewitch the hearts of men. Shaitan had truly honed all sorts of techniques through her dreams, and in the dream world, she was a technician rivaling the Demon King himself.
"At this rate, you're ready to graduate! Hohoho."
When Shaitan entered her dream and satisfied her, she would stroke Shaitan's hair playfully in the bed. The woman, with the same purple hair as Shaitan, would hold her tight and offer advice.
"Don't forget. Your first time isn't something to be handed over cheaply. So, make sure you use it on someone worthy. It would be good if your physical compatibility is also a match. That's why you verify it through dreams, isn't it? Hohoho."
She was a senior, a mentor, and a mother figure to Shaitan. Although she was no longer in this world, she was the benefactor who had shaped Shaitan's outlook on life.
"......."
However, the values that had defined her life until now were being shaken to their core. The Orc man before her eyes, her Master, openly displayed his lust for her but never once took her.
'I don't know the reason.'
At first, she thought it was due to his inherent disgust for the Succubus species. But this was an Orc who would mate with a tree root if it had a hole, and if he didn't care about the eyes of others, he would have had a Unicorn and a Dullahan in the same bed, bedding them both. Why would a Master who was the very incarnation of such carnal desire—a Master who could be called the Commander of the Legion of Lust, a Master to whom one would gladly offer their name upon seeing the Legion of Wrath—not touch her?
'Could it be that I lack charm?'
Though she didn't show it, Shaitan was a being with immense pride in herself. Even though the women around the Legion Commander possessed legendary beauty, she never once thought she was inferior to them. He was an Orc who ate first and thought later when hungry, so how could he not try to eat Shaitan?
'That's right. He even beds Gremory, so how could he not bed me?'
But in reality, he didn't touch her. He treated Shaitan as if he were teasing her, and even when Shaitan sent signals by pressing her lips against his glans, her Master didn't even glance her way. So, she would find out the reason herself.
Shaitan sat upright beside her Master, who was sprawled out on the bed. Two Elves and one Witch were already clinging to him. They each had their characteristic colors—white, black, and red—and they immediately noticed Shaitan's approach.
"The Master is sleeping."
"Don't wake him.... If he wakes up now, tomorrow's quota will drop."
"Looks like the Princess has finally decided to spread her legs? Hohoho."
Shaitan couldn't help but laugh at their grumpy tones, each trying to keep her in check. Seeing their movements—protecting the Master's lower half with their hands, bodies, and breasts—Shaitan thought the Master was truly a blessed being. And she couldn't help but chuckle at the way they tried to assert their seniority.
"......Today, I intend to connect to the Master's dream."
Shaitan pointed at the sleeping Master with her eyes.
"In other words, with my help, you can be with the Master in his dreams."
"How can we help you?"
"Oh my...."
"As expected of the Princess."
The three of them changed their attitudes immediately. Shaitan had risen to the position of 'superior' in an instant, and the Master had no idea of the power struggle unfolding on the bed.
"First, may I go in and verify things myself?"
The three of them nodded immediately. Shaitan neatly smoothed her flowing hair and firmly grasped the Master's hand.
"Connect."
Shaitan's consciousness seeped into the Master's dream. The world shifted, and in the blink of an eye, Shaitan opened her eyes.
"Where is this...?"
The Master's subconscious world. It was a jungle of gray skyscrapers she had never seen in her life, and a sleek mirror, hard to find even in the Demon King's dungeon, was reflecting Shaitan.
"Huh...?"
Shaitan was dressed in an OL (Office Lady) outfit with a suit and black hair, just like Estu. Only the color of her purple, sparkling eyes proved her identity.
"What on earth is this...?"
"What are you doing here?"
A familiar voice reached her. Shaitan turned her head immediately, and there stood a 'human' man she had never seen in her life, dressed in a suit.
"Are you going to be late?"
"M-Master...?"
"Did you drink yesterday? Why is your pronunciation like that? And I'm not a Section Chief. I'm a 'Deputy' now. Deputy. Hehe."
Even the low laughter was identical. But his skin was distinctly different from that of an Orc, and his physique went without saying. The man pointed at the building's entrance with his finger and grinned.
"Time to go to work?"
"Yes...."
Shaitan. Succubus, 74 years old. In the dream of the Commander of the Legion of Wrath, she set out on her first commute.
* * *
"To our... eternal development and glory!!"
"""Cheers!!!"""
The company dinner, which started with a toast and ended with "You son of a bitch," had already reached its third round. The date had already rolled over to the next day, and everyone was drunk out of their minds, but this godforsaken dinner showed no signs of ending.
"Ughahaha, back in my day! We'd run until four in the morning, grab a hearty meal at the soup place in front of the office, and then go straight to work!"
The Department Head, who had downed who knows how many bottles of straight soju, was still there, shouting senselessly until the third round. The Section Chief, who was supposed to cover for the Department Head, had died a heroic death in the second round. He was a master at climbing the corporate ladder, drinking until he ruined his liver, but he couldn't overcome the Department Head's sleazy willpower, which was fixated on the young women.
"In that sense, I have high expectations for our two new employees! Look at this, it's completely different from when this guy was a rookie!! Ughahaha, isn't that right?!"
The Department Head wrapped his pot-lid-sized hand around my shoulder and cackled. Didn't this bastard tear apart chicken with his bare hands at the pub earlier and not wash his hands? My anger boiled over, but I calmed myself by looking at the female employee sitting across from me, who was smiling awkwardly with a calm face.
"Ha, hahaha. That's right. Department Head, you like octopus sashimi, don't you?"
"Ughahaha, this guy, he remembers everything! Order it! And two more bottles of soju!"
'If the parachute rookies are enduring it, I can't be the one to explode.'
Maybe it was because the Department Head was acting like a total creep, but the rookies, who were quiet today, looked lovely. They were beauties to begin with, but maybe because of the alcohol, they looked even prettier today.
"Now, I must serve the daughter of our Director!"
"O-oh, no. Hoho...."
Except for that bitch. Short and stubby, with makeup caked on, she was using her background as the Director's daughter to treat the Department Head like her subordinate while pretending otherwise. Unfortunately, the Department Head was riding the Director's coattails, so if I stepped in for no reason, I'd be the one getting crushed.
"Our employee Lee-dan, you have a drink too! You did a great job today!"
"It's nothing."
Employee Saidan, who had been staring blankly at the glass in the morning, smiled faintly and accepted the drink. Perhaps she had been drinking heavily the day before, as she had been dazed for about an hour like a newcomer, but as time passed, her work became so sharp that I felt proud.
"Thanks to you, our project was saved. Ughahaha."
"I was just lucky."
"......."
The Director's daughter frowned and grumbled. How many times had I had to dig through the trash to shred documents because that bitch stuffed confidential papers into the bin without shredding them? It was a daily routine for the Deputy or Section Chief to pick on me, saying, "You should have paid more attention!" but today was different.
"Hehehe, it's good, it's good! You, you lucky bastard!"
"...Yes."
The Department Head, already drunk beyond belief, started rambling on his own even if I just gave him a moderate response. Before his war stories from his rookie days could repeat, I slipped away to the restroom.
"Phew."
I was already well past my limit, but the fact that the Department Head was still there was driving me insane. He said he'd been caught by his wife for having an affair with a caddy at a golf course last time, and today, he was clearly trying to make a move on the pretty female employee.
"Fuck...."
But I had no power. I was just a bottom-feeder who had just become a Deputy, and with student loans going out every month, I didn't have the confidence to pay for a settlement. Above all, except for the occasional infuriating event, I earned more than the average person, so I just thought about that to soothe my anger.
"Haa-ah."
Breathing in the cold night air, my mind started to clear up a bit. Thinking about the upcoming rent payment, loan installments, and car payments, I couldn't afford to lose my head. In my empty wallet, which had only one card, there was only the 100,000 won for a designated driver that the Section Chief, who had thrown up three times and been kicked out by the Department Head, had left me.
"Sigh, I don't know."
It'll work out somehow. I shoved my wallet into my pocket and returned to the shop. Amidst the noisy atmosphere of the pub, the Department Head was—
"Whoa, what the fuck?"
He was sitting with his hips pressed against Saidan's, with his arm around her shoulder, pouring drinks. Saidan was accepting the drink with a stiff face, and the colleague sitting next to her was playing with her phone with a look of schadenfreude.
"......."
For some reason, anger welled up inside me. I wanted to smash the back of the Department Head's head right then and there and report him to the police for sexual harassment. But even if I did, what power did I have to overcome him? It wouldn't be a problem if only I were fired, but what crime did she commit?
"Oh my, what do I do...?"
The part-timer at the counter also noticed the Department Head's misconduct. I glanced at the CCTV monitor next to the counter and started walking, swaying as if I were drunk. I bumped into a middle-aged man at the next table, stumbled against a pillar between the tables, and walked toward our table.
"Hehe, so, Employee Sa. Employee Sa? Ughahaha!"
The Department Head, finding something hilarious, cackled to himself and started lowering his hand toward Saidan's waist. I clenched my eyes shut and tripped my own legs, which had been walking in a zigzag. As it happened, the floor was covered in moisture, likely spilled from the Department Head's side.
"Ugh?!"
My shoes slipped, and I pitched forward. I was just trying to pretend to fall, but it was slipperier than expected, and I slipped much harder than I had intended.
Grab.
My hand caught something soft and hair-like. The original plan was to mess this up, but seeing the hand touching Saidan's waist made my blood boil.
'Fuck, fire me if you want.'
I yanked the artificial hair—the wig—I had grabbed. RIIIIIP!!
"Aaaargh!!"
With the sound of something being torn away, the Department Head rose from his seat with a roar of fury. But I, the target of that fury, was already diving toward the floor.
Thud!
I landed on my shoulder and closed my eyes. Amidst the sound of people screaming, I quietly closed my eyes, pretended to faint, and peeked through my eyelids.
"......."
Beside the Department Head, who was fretting over whether to take the wig back from my hand, Saidan was looking at me with an absurd expression, letting out a dry laugh. Why was it that behind Saidan's back, it looked like bat-like wings were flapping....
[Recording in progress.]
'Whoa.'
Did I do something unnecessary? I looked at the smartphone in Saidan's hand and squeezed my eyes shut. Now it was time for a performance with all my might.
"......Awoooo."
Before anyone could call an ambulance, I let out a groan and pushed myself up. Thanks to the man at the next table who helped me up, I was able to rise easily.
"I-I'm sorry. The floor was slippery...."
I checked the object in my hand, bowed 90 degrees, and held it out to the Department Head.
"I'm sorry—-!!!"
* * *
"I'm going to get fired."
I stood with my back against the wall in the alley next to the convenience store. The Department Head had left in a fit of rage, the Section Chief who had been playing dead had finally gotten up to scold me before leaving to serve the Department Head, and the Deputy, having heard the situation, had returned with a corpse-like face, paid with the corporate card, patted my back, and left.
"Hey, fuck."
"Master?"
"No, I told you I'm not a Section Chief...."
Tap.
I felt a chill at the cold sensation touching my cheek. Saidan was sparkling with her characteristic purple eyes, holding out a chocolate milk to me.
"What is this?"
"I heard it's good for hangovers."
"Is that so.... Well, I don't even know if I can go to work tomorrow."
"I'm not going anyway."
Saidan took off the employee ID hanging around her neck. Then, she crushed it with one hand and tossed it away.
"......That's intense."
"Even though it's a dream, I don't welcome this situation either."
"......?"
Your name is strange, and your mind is on another dimension, too. I couldn't understand a word Saidan was saying. Was I drunk? It must be because I'm drunk. Otherwise, there's no way she could throw away her ID so easily.
"Master, if you're going to rest, wouldn't you like to rest over there?"
"I told you I'm not a Section Chief—"
The place Saidan pointed to was a motel, with neon signs flickering beyond the dark alley.
"......Over there?"
"Pfft."
Saidan laughed and pulled my wrist. The strength was so great that I was dragged along by Saidan.
"W-wait, wait, wait?"
In the blink of an eye, I was thrown onto the bed.