Dark Elf
Siwoo brought the cash home and hid it deep under the bed.
Every time he opened the envelope, the whole thing felt unreal.
He had graduated from a university in Seoul, but it was no prestigious school. It was a third-rate place whose name people might vaguely recognize, and the money he had scraped together bouncing between construction gigs and part-time jobs could never have touched a sum like this.
He had wanted a big-company job, but document rejections had been the daily routine. In the end he decided to start something of his own, and that something was a convenience store.
The next afternoon, Siwoo opened the store as usual. During the quiet hours he left the storage-room door open, came out to the main floor, and began the day's business.
No texts arrived. Not from Liria. Not from Sera. It was a peaceful day.
When evening came, Siwoo put one decision into action. He called the building owner. The moment he offered to pay three months' rent in advance, the landlord sounded startled and delighted. Once the transfer went through, Siwoo felt his shoulders lighten a little. At least for a while he would not have to live as if he were being chased.
Around ten at night, when customers had thinned out, Siwoo checked the storage room. The door was trembling, just slightly. He locked the glass entrance at once and stepped inside.
When he opened the door, Liria was standing there. Today she wore something different from yesterday—a pale green dress that bared more of her shoulders. In her hand was a cloth pouch thicker than the one she had brought before.
"Siwoo... may I come in again today?"
He nodded and let her through. Liria opened the pouch and poured gold coins onto the box. There were more than yesterday.
"With these I want to buy more goods than last time. And... I want to buy some of your time as well."
Her cheeks colored faintly as she spoke. Siwoo sorted the coins and asked,
"Time?"
Liria stepped closer and caught the edge of his collar.
"Like yesterday... I want to be beside you. Body and conversation both."
Her silver hair brushed his arm. The sweet scent rose again. Siwoo confirmed the glass door was locked, then lightly circled her waist with one arm.
"How long can you stay today?"
Liria rested her forehead against his chest.
"About an hour... Any longer and it's dangerous to leave the house empty."
He tipped her chin up gently and kissed her. She answered at once. As the kiss deepened, her hands slid to his waist. The two of them moved naturally farther into the storage room.
Liria untied the dress strings herself and looked at him.
"Today... I'll try being more proactive."
She sat him on a crate and sank to her knees. The green hem of the dress spread across the floor. Liria freed him, wrapped her hand around the length, and looked up.
"What I learned yesterday... may I practice?"
Siwoo gave a short nod. Liria brought her mouth closer, slowly. She licked the head with the tip of her tongue, wetting him thoroughly. Once saliva coated him she parted her lips and took him in with careful care. His hips shifted, just a fraction. She began to move her head, lengthening the stroke a little at a time. It was still clumsy, yet her hands already felt more sure than the day before. One hand held the shaft and stroked in slow rhythm.
When Siwoo brushed her silver hair back, Liria lifted her eyes. Desire had glazed them. She took him deeper and swallowed a soft moan.
A little later she drew off and stood. She hiked the green dress to her waist; bare white skin appeared. She wore no panties. She was already slick and glistening. Liria settled over him and rubbed slowly. The wet friction teased them both.
"May I... put it in?"
He nodded. She lowered her hips and took him inside, inch by careful inch. Each descent brought a hot, tight squeeze. When she was fully seated she let out a thin sound.
"Nngh... it's all the way in..."
Liria gripped his shoulders and began to rise and fall. Her breasts swayed free of the dress; Siwoo cupped the soft flesh with both hands. Her pace quickened. Wet sounds filled the storage room. When he thrust up from below, her whole body shuddered.
"Siwoo... right there... aah!"
Her inner walls clenched hard. She buried her face against his neck and came. Hot fluid spilled; the same surge pushed him over the edge with her. They held each other and trembled.
For a long while Liria stayed slumped against him, breathing hard. Sweat traced her collarbone. At last she lifted herself free; mixed fluid slid down her thighs. She rested her forehead on his chest again and spoke softly.
"...I like this. I feel more used to it than yesterday."
Siwoo stroked her back. She raised her head and gave his lips a brief kiss.
"I'll leave the gold coins here. Next time I'll bring more."
She straightened her clothes and looked toward the door.
"I should go back now. I can't leave the house empty too long."
Siwoo nodded and opened the door for her. As Liria crossed the threshold she glanced back once.
"Siwoo, lock the door carefully. See you again next time."
She vanished down the stone path. Siwoo shut the door and locked it, then unlocked the glass entrance of the main store. He sat at the counter and picked up the gold coins she had left. Their weight was substantial. He murmured under his breath,
"With this... I'll have a little more breathing room."
Night in the Gangnam entertainment district rolled on.
As usual, Siwoo left the storage-room door open during the quiet afternoon hours. He had nudged a shelf aside and was sitting at the counter sorting the ledger when he felt the door tremble. He locked the glass entrance at once and stepped into the storage room.
When he opened the door, it was not Liria.
A woman with short-cropped black hair stood there. She was a little shorter than Liria and wore a short leather vest and pants. A small dagger hung at her waist; her eyes were sharp. She looked Siwoo up and down and said,
"What is this place...? I just saw a weird door suddenly appear in a neighborhood wall, got curious, opened it, and walked in."
Siwoo asked warily,
"Who are you?"
The woman shrugged.
"Name's Seraphin. Dark elf. This door popped up out of nowhere, so I opened it and found this strange shop."
Siwoo's tension eased a fraction. Same pattern as Liria—someone who had simply walked through a door that had appeared without warning.
Seraphin pulled a black pouch from her clothes and showed him gold coins along with a small gem.
"Is this a place that sells things?"
Siwoo said it was.
"I want to buy some goods."
With that, Seraphin looked around the convenience store interior. She examined everything with open curiosity, then said,
"Cold drinks, and that food wrapped in weird paper. Will this much cover it?"
Siwoo hesitated a moment, then nodded. He decided to sell. He brought the items and handed them over. Seraphin checked them quickly and looked satisfied.
"Not bad. Can I come again?"
Siwoo answered briefly.
"Only people with magic can see this door. Don't go spreading rumors."
Seraphin curved one corner of her mouth.
"No plans to. I'd rather keep it to myself."
She looked him over once more and added,
"The shopkeeper guy... looks better than I expected, too."
She did not press further. She simply went back through the door. Siwoo locked it, then unlocked the glass entrance. After Liria, another otherworld woman had found her way here. The door seemed to be drawing more and more magic-sensitive people.
That evening, while Siwoo was preparing to close, his phone buzzed. A text from the man who had bought the gold coins the day before.
Siwoo stared at the screen and frowned. The gold coins came only through his door. Yet already interest was stirring among the buyer's circle. He deleted the message and slipped the phone into his pocket.
Night in the Gangnam entertainment district glittered the same as always, but his secret had begun to send ripples through the real world as well. Siwoo sat at the counter and muttered low,
"I'll have to be careful..."
He glanced once toward the storage-room door. Beyond the shelf, the door remained quietly shut.
The next day Siwoo again left the storage-room door open during the quiet afternoon. Customers were few. He was checking his phone at the counter when another text arrived from the gold buyer.
Siwoo looked at the screen for a moment and did not reply. Moving too often was dangerous. He decided to rest for a few days first.
When evening came the door trembled. Siwoo locked the glass entrance and entered the storage room. When he opened the door, Seraphin stood there again. Today she wore something lighter than the leather vest—a black sleeveless top and short pants, the dagger still at her waist. She saw Siwoo and lifted one corner of her mouth.
"Back again. The stuff I bought yesterday was better than I expected. Especially those cold drinks."
Siwoo asked shortly,
"What are you buying today?"
Seraphin took gold coins and a small gem from her clothes and set them on the box.
"More drinks, and some of that weird sweet stuff. And..."
She stepped closer. She was small, yet her presence pressed forward.
"Shopkeeper. When I left yesterday I noticed—your body smelled like a woman. Silver-haired elf scent."
Siwoo's expression tightened slightly. Seraphin smiled and caught his collar.
"Don't tense up. I didn't come looking for a fight. Just... curiosity got the better of me."
Her gaze dropped toward his pants.
"I started wondering what kind of man lives on the other side of this door. Wanted to check for myself."
Siwoo gently removed her hand and said,
"Just buy what you need and go."
Seraphin pouted as if disappointed, yet she did not force the issue. She took the goods, walked toward the door, and looked back once.
"Next time I'll stay a little longer. Don't refuse me then."
She vanished beyond the door. Siwoo locked it and unlocked the glass entrance. The dark elf named Seraphin did not seem the type who came only for merchandise.
Siwoo sat at the counter and let out a breath. Liria. Seraphin. The door had been open only a short while, and already two otherworld women were coming and going. And in the real world, people were taking interest because of the gold coins.
He took out his phone and sent a short text to the buyer.
Siwoo turned off the screen and looked out the window. Neon in the Gangnam entertainment district flickered. His secret was beginning to unravel in more and more directions.