Park Seongyeon's Shocking Request

Five years ago, that day. Park Seongyeon was on edge. He had poured every cent of the funds he’d scraped together over ten years into buying catalysts and land, and he’d made full preparations by tapping into a spirit vein flowing down from the mountains. There was no way he could fail. He’d sprinkled reagents without restraint and opened the door using an ancient gold coin from a dead man’s mouth as a catalyst. And then, a pitch-black door appeared.

With a trembling heart, Park Seongyeon called out his wife’s name. She should have come out. But he failed. No matter how many times he called, nothing emerged from within the door. Had his wife truly left? Could he never see her again? Was his decade of research all for nothing? Park Seongyeon collapsed in front of the gate and wept desperately.

"Honey-"

Park Seongyeon thought he’d misheard. But it was a familiar voice. How could he ever forget it? His wife’s voice leaked from behind the door. "Honey. It’s so cold here. I’m scared. I miss you—take me out."

Unable to believe it, he stared beyond the gate. Suddenly, his wife was standing there. Wearing her favorite mint-colored dress, she asked him to take her out. Like someone possessed, Park Seongyeon paid the price to the gate. He would lose the use of everything below his waist? He didn't care. In a world without his wife, nothing else mattered.

And then, his wife emerged from beyond the door. She looked exactly as she had in life. There was nothing different from the time she’d smiled and said she’d be back shortly before the car accident. Park Seongyeon wept with emotion. "I missed you, honey." "I missed you too." They embraced. After that, a dreamlike life began again. The joy of what felt like a second honeymoon. She pushed his wheelchair, cooked for him—and then.

About a month after his wife returned, he realized something was strange. She refused the raw fish she had loved so much. Instead, she insisted on Western food. Her taste in food had changed. Park Seongyeon felt a moment of foreboding, but he tried to ignore it. However, it wasn't just her food preferences that had changed. Her sexual preferences had changed, too. She would recoil at his suggestions and refuse them flatly. This wasn't the wife he knew.

Her strange behavior only increased. In the middle of the night, Seong Jihyeon would quietly leave the mansion. And she wouldn't return until morning. When he pressed her on where she had been, she turned the tables and got angry, asking why he was suspicious when she was going out every night to find a way to fix his legs. "...I'll trust you this time."

It felt fishy. The Gangwon News reported that many people were being brought in unconscious lately. Every time that news came on, his wife would change the channel. His suspicions grew, but he didn't want to confirm them. Park Seongyeon ignored the evidence and trusted his wife. She had died and come back to life—maybe her taste buds could change. Going out every night, if it was really for my sake—I'll trust you. It's okay. So just stay by my side.

But then, the Cathedral Knights stormed the house. Aiming Kevlar-reinforced suits and consecrated silver bullets, they dragged Park Seongyeon’s wife out. Park Seongyeon struggled, going berserk. "What the hell are you doing!" "Do you not know your own sins?" "What on earth did I do to deserve this!"

The icy interrogation continued. "Mage Park Seongyeon. You opened the gate to the Demon Realm on your own! And you summoned a Lilim to attack people! There are twenty-three people currently in critical condition! The Lilim attacked civilians to absorb their essence and heal your wounds! Speak if you have any objections!"

The charges coming from the Cathedral Knights were unbelievable. Park Seongyeon desperately made excuses. "A Lilim? That’s impossible! This woman is my wife. She’s the mage Seong Jihyeon. Haven't you made a mistake?" Seeing his wife being dragged away by the Cathedral Knights in silver handcuffs, he felt like he was going insane. My wife is a Lilim—that can't be—damn it—

The Cathedral Knights presented the evidence. A Lilim is a type of succubus-kin that does not engage in sexual intercourse with humans. Instead, they touch humans to suck out their energy. Vampiric Touch, which absorbs human essence. All twenty-three patients admitted to Gangwon Hospital showed traces of energy drain. Park Seongyeon was devastated by the truth. Not my wife—it was a Lilim.

The Cathedral Knights asked if he had any final pleas. Seong Jihyeon—no, the Lilim in the form of Seong Jihyeon—shouted, "I only gathered essence from people because I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to fix my husband's legs! I didn't kill them! Damn it—who the hell are you people to do this to me!"

The Cathedral Knights only deliver appropriate punishment to those who have committed wrongs. They held up a scale of judgment and asked for the sentence. The answer the scale gave was simple.

And the Lilim was dragged away. Park Seongyeon regretted saving his wife. Even if it wasn't his wife, seeing a woman with his wife's face being dragged away in tears wasn't a pleasant experience. So he closed his eyes. But her voice burrowed into his ears. "Please, please save me—! Seongyeon, please—I beg you—don't abandon me—"

It was identical to his wife's voice when she begged to be saved. His wife's car had skidded on a rainy road. It was an accident that happened while she was on the phone with Park Seongyeon. She hit a roadside tree and died instantly. Like the faint calling sound coming from the other side of the phone—now she was screaming right beside him.

Park Seongyeon gritted his teeth. If the Lilim were dragged to the Cathedral Knights' underground demon containment facility? She would be locked up for 138 years and then banished to the Demon Realm. Would they even provide her with proper essence during that time? The Cathedral Knights weren't cruel, but they were heartless. They would only keep her alive just enough to survive. And in that process, she would suffer endlessly.

He was the one who tried to save his wife. And he was the one who brought the Lilim here. Now he had to take responsibility. Park Seongyeon made a decision he would regret once more.

"I made a deal with the Cathedral Knights. 140 years of confinement. I couldn't let her go through that. With my wife's face, begging me to save her—how could I watch that?"

"What conditions did you set?"

Park Seongyeon said he would offer all the results of his 10 years of research, and asked them to release the Lilim. He promised to work on the recovery of the victims and accept other conditions. The Cathedral Knights placed the conditions on the scale. The scale spoke.

The Lilim would only be able to take essence from Park Seongyeon, and she would eventually realize what kind of things she had done. And Park Seongyeon, experiencing paraplegia and a ban on using magic, would have time to think deeply about what he had done. Park Seongyeon accepted. A magical collar was placed around the Lilim's neck. And a tattoo was carved into Park Seongyeon's wrist. Then the Cathedral Knights withdrew. The Lilim expressed her gratitude and clung to him. It seemed like it had been resolved somehow.

A year passed since then. The Lilim took essence from Park Seongyeon every time. Once a week. Each time, pain like molten iron being poured over his entire body would flow through him. He couldn't even dream of receiving enough mana to heal his legs. She only barely extracted enough mana to keep him alive. It had only been a year, but Park Seongyeon was already feeling resentment. He was already feeling anger toward the demon who had deceived him. He had forgiven her because she had his wife's face, but now he was at his limit.

"Damn it, I can't live like this! Please! If you feel even a little sorry for me, please listen to me!"

Park Seongyeon proposed a compromise to the Lilim. The Lilim refused time and time again. Through that process, their relationship was falling apart. But what was the compromise that she kept refusing?

Kang Min felt curious and asked, "What on earth was the compromise you proposed?"

"...I'll tell you that when your girlfriend isn't around."

What kind of story could it be? Well, since he said he'd tell me, I had to say okay. As Kang Min accepted, this time Charlotte asked, "Does Mr. Park Seongyeon still love that demon?"

At that, deep pain washed over Park Seongyeon's face. "Well. It’s probably 9 parts hatred, 1 part love. She laughs exactly like my wife, acts exactly like her, so even though I know she’s not my wife—I can't help it. You’ll understand someday, too, that you can hate someone while still loving them." He offered advice to Charlotte.

"Well. I think a Lilim is a creature that deserves to be hated."

Kang Min scratched his head. The fact that the Lilim had picked a fight with Charlotte earlier, too. The relationship between the two races seemed incredibly bad.

"Charlotte. Are you on bad terms with the Lilim race?"

"Of course."

Charlotte briefly explained the Lilim. In the Demon Realm, Lilim mainly act as owners of brothels. They are a race that exploits mana by using succubi. Originally, they were on equal footing, but when the Great Plague spread, they locked their doors and maintained a closed community. They survived and flourished, and then burdened the weakened succubi and used them. Lilim loathe sexual intercourse and look down on succubi. Yet they live off the mana the succubi earn, stealing their life force—to Charlotte, they were the most disgusting race of all.

"They are a race I really don't like. You saw how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rude they were to me the moment they saw me today, right? Treating me like some dirty person..." Charlotte wiped the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠corners of her eyes, perhaps remembering the past. Park Seongyeon apologized once more. "I'm sorry."

Charlotte replied sharply. "So, why did you call us here?"

Park Seongyeon said hesitantly, "Lately, both my body and mind, having my essence drained by the Lilim, are at their limit. So I would like you all to help me out a little."

Hmm. There had to be a give and take. "What price are you going to pay?"

"I'll make sure you don't get caught by the Cathedral Knights."

Charlotte and I looked at each other. He would make sure we didn't get caught by the Cathedral Knights? It was a very attractive offer, but how?

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well. If I tell you even that, I'll be revealing all my cards."

As he said that, he placed a contract on the table. In exchange for setting us free from the Cathedral Knights—Kang Min would grant Park Seongyeon's request.

"You aren't going to be unreasonable, are you? Like, asking for Charlotte or something."

At that, Charlotte was horrified and clung to me. Park Seongyeon also waved his hands, disgusted. "That won't happen! Look at the contract carefully. In the first place, you can't drag other people into the contract! This woman isn't your property!"

The two of us examined the contract thoroughly. There was nothing strange. When the three of us stamped it, the contract increased to three sheets. One for each of us. As we stored them away, Park Seongyeon opened his mouth. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Hmm, then... first, I should tell you how to become free from the Cathedral Knights."

Park Seongyeon hesitated and delayed speaking. I, feeling impatient, urged him on. Then he gave an absurd answer.

"Call the Cathedral Knights yourselves."

"Excuse me?"

Call them yourselves? Those guys? Then Park Seongyeon answered with a smile. "Can't you tell by looking at the punishment first handed down to the Lilim? The Cathedral Knights judge based on the charges, but they don't kill you just because you're a demon. It’s only 140 years of imprisonment for a demon who put twenty-three people in critical condition. Has Charlotte done anything bad?"

I thought about it for a moment and shook my head. Charlotte had never done anything bad. "I noticed it after seeing the contract for Pornhub. That succubus—she’s quite upright, should I say? Or perhaps stubborn. She doesn't cause harm, and she barely takes any profit."

I thought about talking with Charlotte while watching the sunset. 'I won't deceive humans. I will definitely trade by giving a fair price.' Perhaps it was because she had suffered in the Demon Realm. In that respect, she was meticulous and didn't cause harm. It was true.

Park Seongyeon continued to explain. "Even though the Cathedral Knights hate demons, they only give punishment equal to the crime committed. If you haven't committed a crime, you don't need to worry."

It was a more anticlimactic solution than I thought, but unexpectedly, it was correct. As I accepted it, Park Seongyeon opened his mouth. "I think I’ve told you the method. Now, will you accept my request?"

"...I suppose I have to. Please, speak."

Then Park Seongyeon showed discomfort and looked at Charlotte. "Ahem. Miss Charlotte. Could you step out for a moment? It’s a bit embarrassing to say."

Charlotte looked a little scared, but when I nodded that it was okay, she trusted me and stepped out the door. Good. Now, shall I hear the story? I swallowed my saliva and asked, "Please tell me what you want."

Then Park Seongyeon hesitated for a long time. What on earth is he going to say—just before I was about to urge him once more, Park Seongyeon blurted out a shocking statement.

"...I want you to take that Lilim and film adult videos for me."

"WHAT?????"

I screamed in horror. No, this guy—he said he lived and died for his wife—what? What did he just say?