Star Instructor Liliana!
After Scarlet came, we composed our faces as if nothing had happened. We'd been in the middle of a serious conversation, after all.
"Scarlet. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"
The cards in my hand were Nam Da-eun, Nam Daehee, and every skeleton in the Buyer Guild's closet. The moment those were mine, the guild's collapse was a foregone conclusion.
The problem was the process. How I used them to win Nam Da-eun over — that was what actually mattered.
"If it were me, I'd leak the Buyer Guild's scandals to the press this instant. A hunting dog that's lost its value gets thrown away anyway."
"Yeah, that's the logical play."
Any normal person would have said exactly that. The trouble was, I wasn't in a position to be normal. Even if I looked like a complete lunatic to everyone else, I still had to capture the heroines. I had my own problems, all right?
"But… if you're trying to give Miss Nam Da-eun the chance to finish this herself, waiting isn't a bad idea either."
"A chance?"
"Yes. Isn't that why you've been sitting on the exposé?"
"…In a way, yeah."
The truth was, the game had already been over the moment I secured the Nam sisters. No matter how I played the rest of it, my victory was locked in. I'd expected the other side to make a move first, so even after I had the evidence I dragged things out — wondering whether I could spend the delay capturing Nam Da-eun.
Because I remembered the original story.
In the original, Nam Da-eun suffered under Park Min-gyu until she was driven half out of her mind. Poverty, isolation, and grinding hardship dragged on for more than half a year. On top of that, Park Min-gyu's pressure only got worse — and then she lost first place on top of everything else.
By the time the story reached its breaking point, she was one spark away from exploding. The protagonist barely managed to save her in time.
Which meant I could use revenge as the hook to win her over. The Nam Da-eun of that moment was genuinely terrifying — so cold and so sharp you'd wonder if capturing her was even possible. You started with revenge, got close to her little sister Nam Daehee, and then had to pour in an insane amount of effort before her heart opened even a crack.
But the Nam Da-eun in front of me hadn't reached that point yet. After watching her for the past few days, she seemed surprisingly calm. Seeing her bring flowers on hospital visits and spend her days at home with Scarlet and Liliana, I had to wonder whether revenge would even raise her affection. Maybe the hatred hadn't piled up high enough yet.
Scarlet went on.
"Miss Nam Da-eun actually seemed interested in revenge, as it happens… I think it's worth trying."
"Nam Da-eun — Da-eun's interested in revenge?"
That changed things. I could proceed with the original plan after all.
"Yes, I talked with her about it. …But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Ah, yeah. I knew. Of course I knew."
Scarlet gave me a faintly skeptical look, but what was I supposed to do? I said I knew.
If Nam Da-eun was already thinking about revenge, that was actually perfect. It made sense, too — years of hatred don't just evaporate because you got rescued half a year early. It'd be weirder if they did.
"Anyway, thanks, Scarlet. You coming to tell me this made everything a lot easier."
"Yes… In return, once this is handled, please don't forget what I asked for."
"…Yeah. Don't worry."
Asking twice like that meant she was really desperate. I sent Scarlet on her way and went to bed still turning over what to do about Nam Da-eun.
Scarlet finished her report to Lee Ho-yeon and returned to the dorm. Even in a men's dormitory, her stealth skills would have let her stroll through the front door — but old habits died hard, and the window was more comfortable now.
In the living room, Nam Da-eun was staring blankly at the TV, while Liliana lay sprawled out playing on her smartwatch.
"Scout! You're back!"
"Yes. Something urgent came up, so I took care of it first."
She didn't bring up anything serious here — nothing like Nam Da-eun and Nam Daehee are being targeted by an intelligence guild. The owner of this dorm was Liliana, and Liliana and seriousness lived on opposite ends of the universe. Scarlet could be considerate about things like that.
"Ahaha. Let's just eat already. We're gonna order delivery."
Liliana beamed as she welcomed her back. Scarlet glanced around and frowned.
"Where is Miss Daehee, though?"
This was around the time the girl should have been playing in Nam Da-eun's lap. It was strange not to see her.
"Daehee was tired, so she went to bed early."
"Ah…"
Nam Da-eun answered and turned her eyes back to the TV. She was the same age as Lee Ho-yeon, and yet she was so terse, so expressionless. Scarlet felt a pang of sympathy every time she looked at her. Whenever she caught Da-eun staring vacantly into space, she found herself wondering what was going through the girl's mind — and the thought left her unsettled.
Is she thinking about revenge?
Nam Da-eun would sometimes ask the oddest questions with a perfectly serious face. How much Scarlet's clothes cost. Whether her job was a good one. She should have been a child who'd grown up innocent. Seeing her changed like this was pitiful and bitter all at once.
Of course, for someone who worked in an intelligence guild to feel that way was hypocrisy — crocodile tears — so Scarlet never let any of it show.
Nam Da-eun, meanwhile, was thinking about something entirely different.
What exactly is sex?
She was staring into space and thinking about sex, because sex was the only repayment she could think of that she had to offer Lee Ho-yeon. The Buyer Guild had coveted her body when they were threatening her, so maybe all men were like that.
And yet, strangely, the visceral revulsion she'd felt toward Uncle Min-gyu wasn't there with Lee Ho-yeon at all.
It's because he saved Daehee, right?
The real reasons were countless. A potbellied middle-aged man and Lee Ho-yeon simply didn't feel the same, no matter how kindly the former's face was shaped. On top of that, he had saved her little sister. He had helped her in more ways than she could count. The affection that had built up from all of it had left Nam Da-eun with a feeling she couldn't shake free of.
So she felt no resistance to offering him her body. But sex wasn't a simple thing. A man and a woman joining together. Mixing their bodies. Doing something intimate and secret.
Before the Buyer Guild's threats had started, Nam Da-eun had lived an ordinary school life, so she wasn't completely ignorant — but her knowledge was shallow, and she had no actual experience. Offering that as repayment put her in a very strange position.
She turned the problem over, trying to decide how to solve it. Then Scarlet, sitting nearby with a cup of coffee, caught her eye.
A woman that beautiful and capable has to have plenty of experience, doesn't she?
Nam Da-eun looked straight at her and opened her mouth.
"Miss Scarlet. May I ask you something?"
"Yes. Anything at all."
Scarlet had been relaxing after settling on a delivery order with Liliana. She smiled as she answered.
"…How do you get good at sex?"
"Khk—!"
The coffee that had just gone down came right back up. Even as she suffered through the coughing fit, Scarlet tried to work out how on earth this situation had come about.
"M-Miss Da-eun. Why so suddenly…"
"Was that too abrupt? I'm sorry."
"No, no. It's fine, but…"
Scarlet understood well enough that years of gaslighting had left Nam Da-eun short on social graces. A sudden question was fine. The topic was the problem.
"Why the sudden interest in… that?"
"I want to repay Ho-yeon."
"…"
Who in the world had taught Nam Da-eun about sex? Scarlet's eyes went, naturally, to the succubus. Liliana was the only person in this house who would pull something like that.
But contrary to every expectation, Liliana was staring this way with her eyes wide open. Scarlet ran through every expression she had ever seen on that face. That one was genuine shock.
"You… you're curious about sex!"
Liliana spat the ice cream stick she'd been sucking onto the desk and bolted for the bed in the living room.
"Yes…?"
"Whoa, you came to the right place. This is the best house in the neighborhood for that, you know."
"…?"
"…Haa."
So it hadn't been Liliana. That made the situation worse. Because once Liliana got like this, there was nothing Scarlet could do to stop her.
"I'll definitely help you. I already liked how nice you are anyway."
"…Me?"
Nam Da-eun blinked, flustered that Liliana — someone she'd barely even spoken with — was suddenly closing in like this.
"Mhm mhm."
Most of the humans Liliana had ever met, she'd met online, as a streamer facing her viewers. Of course none of them had better manners than Nam Da-eun.
"Thank you, Miss Liliana."
"Yeah. I like that you talk polite to me, too. Best human I've met. No wait — Lee Ho-yeon's here, so second. Ah, Scout's here too. Sorry. Third."
"…Yes."
Nam Da-eun didn't know Liliana was a succubus, so the talk about humans didn't quite land — but it seemed like a compliment, so she bowed her head. She thought of Scarlet and Liliana as benefactors who had helped her, even if not quite on Lee Ho-yeon's level. Simply not turning her and Nam Daehee away when they'd suddenly ended up staying here, and treating them warmly, was more than enough to be grateful for.
Liliana nodded along, smiling.
"I'll teach you the true essence of sex. C'mere, Scout. Live demonstration!"
"…Liliana. I really don't think this is appropriate…"
Scarlet, who had been watching the situation unfold in silence, shook her head as Liliana called her over. This was really not okay. How hard had she worked to remain a decent adult in Nam Da-eun's eyes…!
"Hup. Get over here! Strip!"
"…"
But Scarlet had no right to refuse an order from Liliana. And the moment she saw that tail swaying after so long, her womb started to throb. It brought back the sensation of those days when Liliana used to play with her using that tail.
Scarlet slowly undressed. Her heart pounded with every layer she peeled away. It was pathetic, but… she was looking forward to this. She had waited so long she'd gone to Lee Ho-yeon to ask for it, so even with Nam Da-eun sitting right there, she couldn't suppress the ache in her womb.
"There. Good. Lie down, Scout."
"…Yes, Liliana."
She did as she was told, lying back on the bed and spreading her legs. She couldn't bear to look at Nam Da-eun's face, so she covered her own with her hands — but Scarlet's already-trained pussy began to grow wet the instant Liliana stepped in front of her.
"Okay, Da-eun. See that? That's called the clitoris… and this right here is a woman's erogenous zone."
"Ah…"
"What men like is…"
Nam Da-eun was thrown by the sudden turn of events, but the more she listened the more every word sank in, and she decided this was going to be useful. She sat up straighter.
Squelch. Squelch.
Every time Liliana's fingers touched Scarlet's sex, lewd wet sounds filled the room.
"Hup. Scout. You're interrupting the lesson."
"I-I'm sorry…. Liliana… ha, haah."
This… this is what I've been waiting for.
Feeling Liliana's touch after so long, Scarlet forgot to cover her face at all. She gripped the sheets and let herself get more and more worked up.
Nam Da-eun swallowed.
To see Scarlet — that always-composed adult — come apart like this… just how incredible was Liliana? She'd thought the girl was someone who sat around eating all day, but of course there was a reason she belonged in Lee Ho-yeon's circle.
Having unintentionally taken on the species best at sex in the human world as her teacher, Nam Da-eun began listening to Liliana's lesson with rapt attention.