The Seductive Curse
I had dreamed of becoming a hero ever since I was a child. Perhaps it was because I had clung to a single thread of hope in my wretched previous life. I had often imagined heroes from comics and movies existing in reality, coming to save me. Sadly, no such heroes existed in the real world. Villains, however, did. The father who should have been my hero, the father whose love should have been endless, had instead been a villain who tormented me without end. A pitiful boy who suffered from the moment of his birth until the end of his life—that was who I had been in my previous life, a boy whose name I no longer even remembered.
That was why, in this life, I wanted to become a hero. I wanted to be the magnificent hero who reached out to those in pain and saved them.
"Sihyun's ability appears to be pheromone-based."
"...Pheromones?"
In this new world where heroes and special abilities truly existed, I had wanted to become a ray of hope. "Yes. Please wait a moment. The analysis results will be out shortly."
Special abilities awakened in only a select few. When I heard that I possessed such a rare talent, I had been so overjoyed that I spun around my room in circles. I can become a hero too. I can help other people.
"Ah..."
But then—
"This is a dangerous ability."
The petty gods never granted two wishes at once.
"And quite a wicked one at that. The potential for abuse is far too high."
"What do you mean...?"
The staff member's kind expression darkened in an instant. That gaze was painfully familiar—the same look I had received countless times in my previous life. Pity. She was pitying me now.
"You said you wanted to become a hero, didn't you?"
"Y-yes! I have to become a hero..."
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
I finally understood what it meant for the world to come crashing down. Why? Why was this happening?
"With an ability like this, the moment you became a hero you'd be stripped of your qualifications and branded a villain. If you could control it, maybe... but it's already active even now."
The ability I had finally obtained after living an ordinary life and seizing a rare chance. The power I thought would illuminate my entire existence had instead—
"J-just what is my ability that makes you say that?!"
"Simply put... it's a pheromone that seduces women. An ability that can turn any woman into a love slave, no matter who she is. If misused, it could place half the world in your grasp... a truly, truly dangerous power."
In an instant, it dragged my life into darkness.
"...What? That's a lie, right? I didn't cause any problems on the way here!"
At first, I couldn't believe it. An ability that seduced women and made them slaves? I had received confessions from both men and women before, but never anything on the level of turning someone into a slave. So I assumed she was lying—to prevent me from becoming a hero, to make room for someone more worthy.
"Well, of course. Your ability only grew significantly stronger after taking the manifestation drug. If you'd grown normally, it would have taken twenty years to reach this level."
Which also meant it had already reached this level in far less time. After muttering something gloomy under her breath, the staff member began scribbling furiously across the documents. Page after page flipped at an incredible speed until she finally stopped at the last sheet.
"Listen carefully, Sihyun. If you stay like this, you'll be dragged off to a reform facility and won't see the light of day for years. There's nothing there—it's an incredibly boring place. The absolute worst."
"But I didn't do anything..."
"I know. It's a facility meant to reform potential villains. Of course, these days it's little more than a simple detention center."
This was the worst. It was already heartbreaking that I couldn't become a hero, but now I was going to be locked away too? If I had known this would happen... I never would have awakened this ability. I would have lived quietly, as if I didn't exist at all.
Tears began to fall, one drop after another, onto my thighs. Even after receiving a new life, even after everything had changed, was I still fated to suffer until the end?
"So sign this document."
"This is...?"
"It's the enrollment form for Justitia, the nation's top hero training academy."
Beyond my tear-blurred vision, it felt as though light had broken through. She had just said I could never become a hero, so why...?
"I've recommended you as a special student at my discretion. If you learn about heroes there and train hard to suppress your ability, you may not become a hero... but you could become a nationally certified villain."
"A nationally certified villain?"
"Yes. A villain officially recognized by the country. There are restrictions, of course, but at least you won't be wanted or have your life restricted like other villains."
A gentle, beautiful smile spread across her face. Without a word, she reached out and stroked my hair, then continued in a low, resolute voice.
"Depending on your efforts, you might even earn recognition from others. Like that legendary villain from the past—the only one of her kind. They say she was treated better than heroes."
A single lifeline. Her words were nothing less than salvation, pulling my life back from the brink of darkness.
"I'll do it! I'll become a nationally certified villain!"
There had never been any option to refuse that hand.
"Good. I'll explain the formal procedures in a moment, Sihyun."
She nodded, stood up, and used a remote on the desk to emit soft beeps throughout the room. What was she doing? From what I could tell, she seemed to be turning off the security cameras...
"Sihyun, I should mention—I don't usually help people like this. Do you know how many people I'm in charge of in a single day? I'm the only civil servant with immunity to special abilities."
"I-is that so?"
"Call me Cassie. Just Cassie, Sihyun."
"Ah, yes!"
The staff member—no, Cassie—removed her cap and placed it on the desk. Her blue hair, freed from its confines, cascaded down in a breathtaking sight. I couldn't help but gasp. I had thought she was beautiful, but she was this stunning?
"...Cassie? Why are you taking off your jacket?"
"I thought my ability was absolute defense—something even high-ranking heroes or villain executives couldn't break through."
The moment she removed her jacket, revealing her ample chest beneath a single shirt, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
"But I never expected a little girl like you to break through it."
Click. Click. The sound of the lock echoed as I rushed to the door, but no matter how many times I turned the handle, it wouldn't open.
"Help! Cassie's acting strange—"
"Aah... I suppose it can't be helped. Having an ability like this while being so adorable is cheating, isn't it?"
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
In an instant, Cassie was behind me, covering my mouth as her hand slipped beneath my uniform. An unfamiliar touch crept slowly inside. For someone like me—who had never made a single friend even after becoming a girl in this life—it was an overwhelmingly intense sensation.
"I tried. I really did try to hold back. But when you look up at me with those eyes... how could I possibly resist?"
She chuckled.
"Look. Even now, you're staring at me with that aroused gaze."
The moment our eyes met after I turned my head, a chill ran down my spine. It wasn't the gentle look from before. It was the gaze of a predator eyeing its prey. From Cassie's ocean-like eyes surged a massive tidal wave.
"Mmm! Mmmph..."
She removed her hand from my mouth and kissed me without giving me a chance to speak. It was only a light brush of lips against lips, but for someone completely unaccustomed to anything intimate, it was far too powerful a stimulus. Soft. Wet. Pleasant... A whirlwind of emotions began to consume me. The sweet sensation of her lips, the gentle embrace of her soft hands—everything felt so good, so happy. Before I knew it, I was clinging tightly to her waist.
"Cas... Cassie..."
How much time had passed? After losing ourselves in each other's saliva, we finally parted and looked at one another.
"Heh, hehe... it tickles."
Even the feeling of Cassie's ragged breath against my nose bridge was pleasant, and I found myself smiling bashfully.
"Ugh...!"
It'll be fine. If it's Cassie, it'll be fine, right? If she was the only one who had shown me kindness in this life—even though I was nothing more than an orphan—then maybe it was okay to give her everything. With that thought, I took a step closer, but for some reason Cassie backed away.
"S-stop! Don't come any closer!"
"Cassie? You're... bleeding!"
Blood trickled down her translucent skin. At first it was just a few drops, but the flow grew heavier until it threatened to drip from her chin.
"Haa... haa. That was dangerous..."
"A-are you okay...?"
"Don't come near me!"
I flinched.
"I-I mean... my condition isn't good right now, so please stay back, Sihyun. It's not that I dislike you. In fact, I love..."
Crunch. The sound of her biting into her own flesh echoed again as she slapped her own cheeks repeatedly. While I watched in a mixture of fear and worry, Cassie staggered toward the desk after finishing her self-harm.
"It's too dangerous... far too dangerous. And you've only just awakened."
She rummaged through a drawer and pulled out an unfamiliar pill. It was filled with blue granules. She let out a sigh of relief upon finding it, then approached me once more.
"Sihyun. I've made up my mind."
"Made up your mind...?"
"From now on, you'll be under my supervision. Whether it's at Justitia or the dorms."
After saying something I couldn't understand, she placed the pill on her tongue.
"Please take care of me, Sihyun..."
Without another word, she kissed me again. This time it was far more intense—a sticky, tongue-entwined kiss. Feeling the pill slide down my throat, I poured all my focus into the kiss.
...It felt so good.