The Perverted Request
Why me? He wanted me to take Lirim and film adult videos? It was a proposal so bizarre it made my head spin. I wondered if I’d misheard him, so I asked again. "Could you say that one more time?"
"I asked you to take Lirim, film videos of her, and upload them to Pornhub."
The sentence had become even more detailed and serious. I clutched my aching head. Park Sungyeon didn't care and began explaining why Lirim needed to film these videos. "Why must she film them? First, my body is at its limit. How old do you think I am?"
"I don't know. Fifty-five?"
His skin was as thin as paper, his hair gray, his face wrinkled. Based on that, fifty-five seemed like a fair guess. But Park Sungyeon shook his head. "I'm forty this year."
Forty? That was insane. But Park Sungyeon produced his ID card, which started with an '82'. The photo on the ID was of a young, vibrant man. It was unbelievable. "You're serious...?"
The price for having his life force drained by Lirim was cruel. Park Sungyeon was dying while still alive. He sighed and poured out his troubles. "If my life force continues to be drained like this, I'll die soon. And what will happen to Lirim, left all alone? She has to wear a necklace that prevents her from using her absorption touch for 140 years. Wouldn't she just starve to death? Or perhaps she'd have to voluntarily enter the prison of the Holy Knights."
...Hmm. That was a bit pitiful.
Park Sungyeon exploited my guilt and began explaining the nature of the Lirim race. "Lirim is a proper succubus-type demon. She can collect magical energy through sexual intercourse. It's just that her race has a prejudice and hates sexual acts. You could even call this a humanitarian act."
When I hesitated, he pushed harder. "I'm not asking you to take Lirim forever. Just for about five years? Looking at your Pornhub growth, five years would be enough to gather the magic to heal my legs and the magic Lirim needs to survive for the rest of her life. I'm only asking for that long."
But I wasn't feeling it. I was getting along just fine with Charle; what kind of hell would break loose if I brought Lirim into the house? I offered an alternative. "Why don't you upload the videos yourself? You know, videos of Lirim masturbating or something. That would still collect magic, right?"
Park Sungyeon waved his hand in disgust. "Damn it, the Holy Knights have completely forbidden me from using magic! If they find out I'm even using magic to write a contract, it's a capital offense! And you want me to openly advertise on Pornhub that I'm collecting magic?"
This guy really had no plan. Then again, he was the kind of person who thought he could bring the dead back to life. What about other methods... "Then why don't you just make Lirim use the magic?"
I suggested it, but it was a problem Park Sungyeon had thought about countless times. "That Lirim is a total idiot who can't even use magic properly! I'd be dead by the time I finished teaching her!" He raised his voice at me, arguing. "Damn it! What is the problem? Why won't you film the videos! Don't you have a conscience? Looking at your Pornhub videos, you treat succubi like mere fleshlights! Tattoos, near-rape level play! Wouldn't adding one more actress be a good thing for you?"
What is this crazy, perverted old man talking about? It's offensive! I'm already pissed off because people keep commenting on Pornhub asking, 'Isn't this too extreme?'
"Pornhub is just about setting a concept for the shoot! Don't be unreasonable!"
"Concept, my foot! She looked like she was enjoying it to death!"
Damn, this old man is impossible to talk to! Persuasion is out of the question!
"Please, I beg you. Take that Lirim with you!" Park Sungyeon was now openly grabbing the hem of my pants and begging. No, why do I have to take responsibility for Lirim? All I need is a remote mana collection contract! Ask another mage! Or wait, is this some kind of scheme to trick us? When I pointed that out, Park Sungyeon cleared his throat. "Ahem. It's disappointing that you'd call my good intentions that. I called you here to give you advice as a senior who has been chased by the Holy Knights!"
But he was avoiding eye contact as he spoke. Seeing that, I got a hunch. There was definitely another motive. I glared at Park Sungyeon and said, "Tell me straight why I specifically have to take Lirim. Otherwise, I'm leaving."
"Even after I taught you how to escape the Holy Knights, you're going to be like this?"
Well... I hadn't thought of the method of calling the Holy Knights directly. I was grateful for that. But it felt like such a trivial solution that I didn't feel like I'd gained much. And why did he single me out as the person to entrust Lirim to? Was he planning something?
Feeling uneasy, I held up the contract and shouted, "Should I take this contract to the Holy Knights? You said it's a capital offense, right? Be honest with me!"
"Damn it, fine! All right! I'll tell you."
Only then did Park Sungyeon stammer out the truth. "It's a bit embarrassing to say... but the play my wife and I mostly enjoyed was lending my wife to other men and filming it. Of course, my wife had that preference too, which is why she married me."
...What?
My head was spinning. So... his late wife's sexual preference was also being violated by other men while married...? And when he asked Lirim to do that, she was disgusted and refused? I could understand Lirim's feelings... Ignoring my cold, hardening expression, Sungyeon continued. "How could I ask this of my other mage friends? I thought a pervert like you would grant my request! And to be honest, I'm hooked on your videos! The graffiti play, the onahole substitutes... imagining my wife in those situations made blood rush to my paralyzed lower body! Please! You must! I need you to take Lirim!"
Damn it... I thought this guy's love story was some kind of tragic, romantic tale, but it turns out they were just a perverted mage couple...
"And my wife, isn't she pretty?"
"No, she is pretty, but..."
Long hair down to her waist. A gentle smile. She was pretty, sure. She had the kind of looks where she'd have 200,000 Instagram followers and live off sponsorships every day. But I didn't want to stir up trouble for no reason... I kept suggesting other alternatives. "Why don't you just buy magic from us? I heard Charle made a living selling magic. You should have enough magic to heal your legs. And it would be enough for Lirim to live on, too."
But Park Sungyeon shook his head. "It's one of the conditions the Gate set. Only the magic Lirim collects can heal me."
Damn it. They dug the trap very carefully. They probably started planning this the moment they saw Charle's and my Pornhub videos. Park Sungyeon was no longer hiding his tastes and shouted, "And I want to see that Lirim sleeping with other men no matter what! I've endured everything until now just because she has the same face as my wife! Her draining my essence! Her attacking humans and leaving me in this state! But if she's going to imitate Jihyun, she should do it in sexual matters too! I can't take it anymore! I must see my wife being pinned down by another man again!"
...This crazy human...
"If you refuse, I'll run away from Lirim. Then Lirim will starve to death. You'll be the one killing her!"
I sighed, my head throbbing. According to Park Sungyeon, this Lirim would starve to death within a few years. If a person was going to die, I should save them. "What does Lirim say?"
"I'll handle persuading Lirim, so just give me the OK sign."
"I'll talk to Charle. I have to listen to my girlfriend, too. I can't make a decision on my own."
"Girlfriend?" Park Sungyeon asked, puzzled. Why was he like that? "Isn't that demon's love one-sided? In the Pornhub videos, I thought you were just throwing your weight around as a contractor. Are you actually enjoying a romance with a demon? Don't joke around. Does that even make sense?"
"She's my girlfriend, so watch your mouth. We're dating because we like each other."
Then, suddenly, Park Sungyeon's atmosphere changed. He whispered to me quietly. "Don't believe a demon when they say they love you. No matter how good-natured they are born, they live in the Demon Realm. Just as planting a citrus tree in the north yields bitter fruit, to survive in the Demon Realm, one has no choice but to wrap themselves in lies and deception. A demon's words cannot be trusted. Look at me. Didn't I end up like this?"
"...A seashell doesn't rust."
The proverb that those born good are not tainted by evil. Of course, there's the idiom about ink and soot, but there's no way Charle is like that. She's such a kind person. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said. What a sinister thing to say!
With that, I went outside to talk to Charle. But she wasn't there. "Charle, where are you?"
Where did she go? As I passed the hallway to go down to the first floor, a woman in a bike suit opened the door downstairs and glared at me. "What did you talk about with my husband?"
She didn't like being called Lirim, right? Did she say her name was Seong Jihyun?
"Ah, Jihyun. We didn't talk about much."
"Really? Then can you hurry up and get out of here with that succubus? I don't like having a succubus where my husband is."
When I looked at where Lirim's finger was pointing, Charle was fuming. A flowerpot lay shattered at her feet. It seemed Lirim had thrown it. "Damn it, what is this? Charle. Let's go!"
I pulled Charle's hand and checked if she was hurt. Thankfully, she wasn't. But Charle was wiping away tears, looking indignant. "I really hate the Lirim race. It was like that in the Demon Realm, too. I really hate them—they look down on others, they ignore them."
Charle was sobbing. Ha, what do I do? How can I make her live with a Lirim like that... "Hey, Charle. Actually, what Park Sungyeon said to us was... he wants us to take Lirim and, um. How should I put this. He wants us to film erotic videos to earn magic."
For a moment, something seemed to flash in Charle's eyes. Uh... what was that? Something ominous? But it felt like, rather than me, that Lirim was going to be bullied immensely. What is this? What is this? It's just my imagination, right?