Soothing Yerim
"Aigoo, what were you crying about so hard?"
Yerim didn't answer. Instead, she stuck to my side and fidgeted. I spoke up for her.
"My girlfriend isn't used to riding the bus. She got lost on her way here."
At the word "girlfriend" coming out of my mouth, Yerim’s hand tightened on my arm. Oh boy. Is she going to misunderstand this? I shouldn't have just called her my girlfriend in front of the guys at the barracks... I mean, she's more like a partner... a girlfriend-adjacent... whatever. Was that a slip of the tongue?
Doji, oblivious to my inner turmoil, wore a worried expression. "Aigoo, that must have been tough. Did you live abroad?"
Yerim nodded. Well, the Demon Realm is technically a foreign country, I suppose. She looked around the car, fascinated by the passenger seat she was sitting in for the first time.
Doji boasted excitedly, "Ah, the Avante N is pretty, right? I bought it when I made some money with cryptocurrency. But then I got stuck holding the bag on Dogecoin, so between 'averaging down' with my profits and 'averaging down' with my salary, it basically ended up being my own money that bought the car. Do you invest in crypto?"
Yerim shook her head. She glanced at me, looking as if she didn't even know what cryptocurrency was. I don't know how much knowledge the Gate provides, but it seems to have its limits. Aren't they selling the knowledge a bit too carelessly? Even if she doesn't know crypto, they should have at least taught her how to ride a bus properly...
Instead of blaming myself for not paying attention to Yerim, I tried blaming the Gate. *Sigh*, no, that’s not it. If someone told me how to fly a plane and said to come to Jeju Island, I wouldn't have the confidence to do it either. I’d probably be just as lost as Yerim. In the end, this is my fault.
I let out a deep sigh and patted Yerim on the shoulder. Yerim, who had been leaning on my shoulder, suddenly asked, "Um, how much is this car?"
Uh, I don't really know either. Doji chimed in, "With full options, it was 48 million won? Since 30 million was profit, it’s like I bought the car for 18 million."
He says he lost money, but his net profit was 30 million won... Cryptocurrency really does make money. I’ve heard that crypto prices go up, but after paying for living expenses, I never have any money left over. A life spent struggling without the luxury of investing... I’m so sick of being poor. I want to make money somehow.
I glanced at Yerim, who was leaning against the window. What would she think about selling videos on Pornhub or OnlyFans?
Feeling my gaze, Yerim looked at me and smiled softly with her red eyes.
Hmm, a thought suddenly struck me. Now that I think about it, I’ve only been thinking about Yerim. I haven't considered Charlotte at all. What if Charlotte says she doesn't want to? I proceeded with the plan thinking she’d like it because she’s a succubus. If she says no... I could force her to upload the videos by shoving Clause 1 of the contract in her face: 'Charlotte shall provide sexual pleasure in the form desired by Kim Kang-min.' But would that be okay?
Only now, having considered Charlotte's feelings, did I fall into a dilemma. By then, the Avante had arrived near my house. Doji even asked where I lived and kindly dropped us off right in front.
Why is he being so nice? "If you ever want to buy a car, let me know. I have a friend who’s a dealer."
Desperate to keep in touch, he handed two business cards to me and Yerim. Seeing as he gave them to both of us, he’s a person with at least basic manners. But Yerim didn't seem interested at all; as soon as Doji drove away, she handed the business card to me. Then, she lowered her head and asked, "Oppa, am I really your girlfriend?"
Ah—I knew this question was coming. I wanted to avoid giving a definitive answer. "Uh, well... yeah, something like that."
Yerim said, "I see," and changed the subject. Did I make it too obvious that I didn't want to talk about it? But she didn't seem to mind, smiling brightly and linking her arm with mine. "Oppa, I'm hungry."
"What do you want to eat?"
"The one you bought me when I first came to the human world! The fried chicken! The whole chicken!"
Oh, that sounds good. You really have to eat meat after finishing reserve forces training. We headed to the local chicken joint. We sat under the air conditioner and started with some beer.
Yerim must have been starving, as she inhaled the salad and pickled radish like a madwoman. I’m sorry, Yerim...
"Oppa, can I... order more of this? Is it expensive?"
No, the salad is free. And if you ask for it with that face of yours, they’d probably slice up a whole head of cabbage for you. When I told her that, Yerim beamed and ordered more salad. She even added a request for "a lot." The salad that came out of the kitchen was practically a small mountain.
"There's chicken coming too, so don't eat too much."
"Okay, Oppa. But I'm just so hungry..."
I'm sorry! I was trash! I’m sorry for not paying attention and telling you to find your own way to the reserve training ground!
"Besides, this salad is delicious! In the Demon Realm, you’d only find this at high-end restaurants!"
Is that so? Yerim chewed on the salad like a cow and asked, "Oppa, how much money do you have?"
Between the studio apartment deposit, my savings, and the salary that came in the day before yesterday, it’s about 5.5 million won? Though the amount Yerim spent on my debit card is deducted from that, it was only at restaurants and pharmacies (looking at the payment history that piled up while I was gone, it was mostly just food and snacks, which made me feel even worse). And I have 10 million won in student loan debt. And quite a bit of debt at home, too.
I was about to say it, but I remembered Yerim looking at the Avante with such fascination earlier. Some people buy 50-million-won cars without batting an eye. The shabbiness of having only 5.5 million won... I was too embarrassed to say it out loud. After hesitating for a long time, I finally opened my mouth.
"The money I can use is... about 2.5 million won. Plus the 3 million won deposit for the studio. But I have a lot of debt. It’s not like I have to pay it all back right away, though."
I expected her to be disappointed, but she wasn't. Instead, Yerim wore a worried expression. "Oppa, should I get a part-time job? If we live together, it’s going to cost a lot of money. How about we work together at Leon PC Cafe?"
Ah. I was a little touched. But is that really necessary? It’s not a bad suggestion, but I also kind of want Yerim to stay home. The cafe where I used to work part-time is on the complete opposite side of town, but with Yerim’s looks, there’s a high chance rumors would spread. And what if some pests start clinging to her if she goes out? Of course, Yerim said she wouldn't meet other men. Wait, then is it okay?
I tilted my head, then remembered the problem I’d been agonizing over throughout the reserve training. That’s right. Pornhub!
"Um, Yerim. What would you do if someone wanted to pay to buy a sex video of you?"
Yerim waved her hands dismissively. "Eh, who would want to watch a low-level succubus like me having sex? You can hold me for just half a day’s wages at a brothel. And it’s much cheaper if you just want to dream about it."
Hmm? She didn't react with horror. Instead, she had the mindset of a merchant, wondering if there was any demand for such a thing. "Think about it. This is the human world, right? Creatures like succubi who die without men don't exist here. That means the demand for women is overflowing."
Oh, I hadn't thought of that. As Yerim paused, the chicken arrived. She chewed on the chicken diligently, her eyes sparkling. "Oppa, tell me more about it. I’m not saying this to tease you, I’m serious."
She doesn't hate it! One problem solved! I took out my phone and pulled up Pornhub. Watching men and women tangled up naked, Yerim had a strange expression. "People really want to watch recordings like this! My goodness. I never imagined it. How many of these are there?"
I pointed to the total number of pornographic videos. 5.6 million. Yerim’s eyes widened.
"...Should we upload one? How much money could we make?"
Well... I don't really know the revenue structure of Pornhub. I moved to sit next to Yerim and searched diligently. There was an interview with a Japanese couple. The Pornhub playback revenue was 300,000 yen.
"How much is 300,000 yen?"
"About 3 million won?"
3 million won a month. That’s not that much, is it? Should we sell on OnlyFans too? But as Yerim scrolled down the phone, she let out an exclamation.
"Fan club, monthly subscription... so... the revenue from a service where you pay to see the full version of the video is 30 million won!"
What? 30 million won? That’s enough money to buy an Avante every month. Suddenly, a rosy dream swelled in my chest. Just in case, I asked one more time. "Yerim, are you really okay with uploading them?"
"Eh, I’ve worked in a brothel, so what’s the big deal about this? I’ll just think of it as being a popular succubus that everyone’s seen."
"Hmm. Okay. But since there’s the issue of Yerim herself, let’s think about this a bit more."
"Ah, that’s true." Yerim stopped talking for a moment and sipped her beer. And this is something that helps you too, Charlotte. "Also, you said your magic power increased because you watched my video and masturbated, right?"
"I did?" The eyes of Yerim, who was answering, widened. Wait, then?
"Does that mean I can earn magic power through this video too?"
Shh! Your voice is too loud! Yerim couldn't hide her excitement and stuck to me. Uh, this kind of experiment has never been done before, so I don't know if magic power will really be generated. But if you think about it, isn't it fundamentally the same? You gained magic power by relieving your desire while looking at me. The magic power that came from the passage in the dream is mine, and my magic power went up when Oppa masturbated, so...!
After muttering to herself for a while, Yerim hugged my neck and kissed me. "Oppa, I love you! This is so great!! I think you’re a total genius!!!"
Aww. I’m embarrassed. The customers are all watching. My face turned red, but I didn't hate it. I enjoyed the attention and savored the joy.