Seven-Day Plan, Day Four
The second I opened my eyes, the first thing I checked wasn’t the time or my phone. It was the ceiling. And the wall. More precisely, a single sheet of A4 paper stuck to the wall.
[Seven-Day Limit Plan]
[Day 1 – Passed]
[Day 2 – Lust Difficulty Raised / Still Passed]
[Day 3 – No Nap Success / Server Room Tour / Future Home Concept / Board Still Not Flipped]
[Bonus: Subin Must Not Be Cut]
I rubbed my eyes and added one more line of tiny handwriting underneath.
[Today – Day 4. Still nowhere near the finish line, fuck.]
The moment I finished writing, the weight of it hit me. Half the seven days were gone. Three passed. But the difficulty hadn’t eased up at all. If anything, the dreams were getting more and more real, so now the real world felt like the nightmare.
I sat up on the bed and muttered, “What kind of test is today, really.”
A succubus company wasn’t going to wing the difficulty level just to pass. Thinking back to Day 3, dragging me to the server room, Day 4 was almost definitely going to shake things up in a different way.
***
When I stepped into the kitchen, Mom was already sitting at the table. She slid a rice bowl toward me and glanced at my face.
“Your eye bags look even darker today.”
“Did you work overtime yesterday?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I froze for a second. The word “overtime” was something people who actually had real jobs used. I’d been using it in dreams lately.
Mom thought it was a joke and laughed.
“What kind of overtime do you have in your dreams?”
“Dream overtime’s even tougher. It’s harder than any real company.”
“Still, your face… you used to look like you were just floating through each day like trash. Now…”
Mom hesitated, then set her spoon down.
“It’s weird lately. You look like you’re actually doing something.”
“What kind of something?”
“Anything. Before, your face was just drifting through the day like garbage.”
The exactness of that line made me laugh for a second.
“Now you’ve got this look like you’re always thinking and calculating. I don’t know what for, though.”
“Succubus company KPIs, right…?”
I swallowed the rest.
“Whatever. Maybe I’m just a temporary employee for a week now.”
“Even a temp job is better than nothing.”
Mom smirked.
“The fact that you’re at least trying to sleep regularly is the best part.”
“...Yeah. I’ll take that.”
Before, sleep was all over the place and dreams were just horrible nightmares. Now I at least went to the same place at the same time every day. It felt like I even had a dedicated manager.
Mom didn’t ask anything else.
While we ate, the TV kept playing real news—companies cutting new graduate hiring, startups failing, twenty-somethings choosing extreme options because of debt.
I set my chopsticks down and drank a glass of water.
“...At least I’m fighting not to fall asleep at night.”
It was weird comfort. In reality, I was just collecting rejected emails, while in dreams I was still blocking the expulsion.
If I asked what that meant, I had no answer. But at least it wasn’t a full zero.
***
After breakfast I went back to my room and looked at the memo on the wall again.
“Today’s Day 4. Middle point.”
“Maybe there’s a mid-level boss.”
It was like a game. Tutorial done, first half passed, then the mid-boss appears.
Day 1 – Warning
Day 2 – Lust Intensity Raised
Day 3 – Server Room Tour, Lucidity Test
So Day 4 would be—
“Check the possibility?”
The words slipped out. A chill ran down my spine.
— Is this customer even Subin?
— Would replacing her with another succubus still work?
A succubus company would definitely check that.
“...Fuck, I really don’t want that.”
The moment I said it, I regretted it. I covered my mouth.
“No, I don’t know. Let’s just keep it normal today.”
Normal. Just choosing the word already felt dreamlike.
***
During the day I tried to act like a normal person. I reopened my resume, reread my old self-introduction, and drew a big red X over it.
“Ah, the guy who wrote this is an idiot.”
I knew it was me, but I had to swear to keep going.
While I was tearing up the resume, an email notification popped up.
The subject was “Thank you for your application.”
I didn’t even need to open it to know.
“Rejection.”
I closed the email with just the title.
“Whatever. Reject from a real company or from the succubus company—either one, and I’m done.”
I muttered it like a joke, but no laugh came out. Just an empty, hollow laugh.
***
Lunch was instant cup ramen. While I waited for the three minutes to boil, my phone suddenly rang.
KakaoTalk notification.
[Colleague Jaehoon] – Hey, what the hell have you been doing lately? You still alive?
[Let’s play League tonight]
I read the message and stared blankly.
“...At night.”
Night was already reserved. Night shift at the succubus company.
I hesitated, then sent a super short reply.
— Sleep schedule’s fucked lately, can’t stay up late
A reply came right after.
— You finally became a decent human?
— Doubt it lol
— Still, let’s play one during the day
Daytime... even daytime could connect me to a dream if I slipped up. Still risky.
But I didn’t want to completely cut the bridge to reality.
I answered shortly.
— Later
— Busy lately
A few seconds later an emoji came back. The little smiley face that said “Got it~”
“...Yeah, I’m busy.”
Busy human taking tests in dreams. Anyone would file a report on that.
The cup ramen was done boiling—that was the only small problem.
***
In the afternoon I went outside on purpose. Staying inside made my vision too narrow and Subin’s face too easy to imagine. On bad days the dangerous thought would slip in: “If this side were reality, it would be great.”
“Let’s go somewhere with people today.”
I walked to the neighborhood café. People with laptops, students doing homework, strangers on dates—full. I forced my way in, set up my laptop, turned it on, but had nothing to do. I just opened a portal site and left the cursor blinking.
From the next table someone said, “Hey, last night I had the weirdest dream.”
My ears automatically turned toward them.
“What kind of dream?”
“Like some weird company where you go to work and submit assignments.”
“Your job-hunt stress must be insane.”
Friends giggling in the background.
While listening I opened my phone notes.
[Dream Company Motif Interpreted by Humans Besides Succubus Company]
— Job seeker: Job interviews / assignments / reports
— Office worker: Nightmare of sucking up to superiors
— Freelancer: Never-ending deadline
“...This would get eaten on Noxpia.”
A weird thought crossed my mind. What if I wrote this exact situation as a web novel?
Title: “Succubus Company 7-Day Evaluation Period.”
It would climb the rankings and the comments would be full of these.
— The author’s imagination is insane lol, so real
— Succubus company setting is so original
— Have you actually had this dream, author?
“Yeah, I’m the real one.”
A small laugh escaped me.
I took a sip of coffee and stared out the window on purpose. Sunlight, people passing, cars, signs. These simple things had to be “real” again and again lately.
Then, out of nowhere, a pink-haired silhouette passed by the window.
“...Eh?”
My heart dropped. Pink hair. Shoulder length. Loose ponytail. I turned too late.
The figure melted into the crowd and disappeared.
“No way…”
My head went blank. Had the dream leaked? Or was I hallucinating here?
I rubbed my eyes again and again. I hadn’t even wiped my glasses, but my vision suddenly felt crystal clear.
Of course, no pink hair came back when I looked again.
I closed my laptop and sat there for a long time in a daze.
“...That’s why it should’ve been ‘no thinking during naps,’ not just no naps.”
Still, one thing was clear.
This level of reality penetration test was definitely running.
They’d shown the server room on Day 3, so on Day 4 they might try to make me doubt my senses.
“Yeah, the Day 4 test feeling is spot on.”
I got up and left the café. I hadn’t even finished my coffee.
***
When I got home the afternoon was still bright. The sun was slowly slanting. The day felt longer than usual.
I went to my room and checked the memo once more.
[Today – Day 4. Still nowhere near the finish line, fuck.]
I added another line underneath.
[Saw Subin silhouette during the day. Am I going crazy? Test?]
Writing it down made it sound funny. But at this point I couldn’t deny it might be real.
“Okay, let’s add one more thing today.”
I wrote a new item under the memo.
[4. Treat everything I see in reality as real. — Don’t connect it to dreams.]
The self-hypnosis phrase made me smile, but I guess I had to do some self-hypnosis right now.
***
As night approached, my body grew heavier. Now I fell asleep at roughly the same time every day, a few hours after sunset.
“Hey, it’s shift time.”
My body seemed to say it first.
I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, then quietly raised the back of my hand.
“...This is a dream.”
A line I’d deliberately kept off my lips all day. Now it started clinging to my tongue again.
“No, wait. No need today.”
I shook my head and lowered my hand.
Lately I’d been connecting without realizing it anyway. No need to help.
I turned off the light and lay down.
Right before consciousness faded, a strange thought crossed my mind.
— What if it’s not Subin today?
— What if it’s a different succubus?
— What if they appear with the “Succubus Disqualification Notice”?
My lips went dry. My throat burned.
“...Ah, fuck. I really don’t want that.”
I muttered it, then consciousness cut off.
***
The second I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was the floor under me. Not cold, not perfectly soft.
I sat up and looked around. It wasn’t the meeting room or the bed. In front of me were two automatic doors that looked like sliding doors, and on the ceiling a digital number board floated.
[Customer Waiting Number: 66]
The walls had a few notices posted.
[Dedicated Succubus Replacement Notice]
[New Succubus Trial Event]
[Long-Term Contract Customer Benefit Notice]
“...Wow, it really showed up.”
I wanted to punch the wall, but the strength didn’t come in dreams.
Before Subin’s voice came, I already knew. Today’s test. Replacement succubus.
Succubus company—predictable garbage.
“Jitae.”
The familiar voice came from behind.
I turned. Subin was standing there.
Today she wasn’t in the company suit or the seductive slip. It was a school uniform–like outfit. Clean and cute, like a consultation staff member.
“Welcome. This is the Dedicated Succubus Contract Replacement Center.”
She deliberately spoke politely.
“You are currently classified as a High-Risk Customer and automatically assigned to the replacement succubus guidance.”
“...Don’t joke. Really.”
“I wish it were a joke.”
Subin gave a small smile.
“But today’s test is this.”
She snapped her fingers. One of the front doors made a “tick” sound and opened.
Inside, the silhouette of someone was visible. A woman. Long black hair, red lips, slightly taller than Subin, cold eyes.
She approached slowly and said, “Customer. You may sign a new contract with me instead of the dedicated succubus ‘Subin’.”
Her voice was smooth and professional. Kind of like a telemarketer.
Subin added quietly, “Replacement Succubus Candidate 1. High-grade, excellent specs, company-backed type.”
“...Don’t introduce yourself, it’s dizzying.”
“Salary negotiation, basically.”
Subin shrugged with an exasperated look.
“From the company’s perspective, they might want to hand over a High-Risk Customer to a higher-grade succubus.”
“So you?”
“Me...”
Subin glanced at me for a second and mumbled vaguely.
“I’ll take another customer. Does that make me a little upset?”
“Fuck, it’s really pissing me off?”
The words came out immediately. Replacement Succubus Candidate 1 subtly lifted the corner of her mouth.
“Customer’s emotional response is quite rich.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
I forced my eyes away. She was the perfect beauty. The kind of face and body that would work anywhere. If I were reading this as an eroge novel, the comments might have been:
— Author, the second succubus is even better lol
— Both are good lol lol
— Subin vs New Character, vote ?
But standing right in the middle of the board, it was just laughable. This smelled exactly like “replacing the replacement staff for the customer’s seat.”
Subin poked my elbow lightly.
“Jitae.”
“What.”
“Just think of this test simply.”
“What’s so simple about this?”
“Just look at the choices.”
Subin held up fingers.
“One. Company’s way—switch to a more stable high-grade succubus.”
“It would be stable, sure.”
“Then your High-Risk grade adjusts, and my performance review gets messy.”
“...From my side?”
“You could be set up to be less shaken. Low emotional involvement succubus.”
“Fuck, what’s the advantage?”
“Two.”
Subin continued.
“Right now, even though it’s dangerous, I’ll keep going with you.”
“Then you?”
“I’ll get chewed out in HR.”
She added with a laugh.
“Still... personally I’d prefer that.”
The replacement succubus candidate gave a tiny laugh.
“We weren’t taught to mix personal feelings, senior.”
“That’s exactly why I’m in this mess now.”
A weird air passed between the two succubi.
I was standing right in the middle.
“...I understand the test content.”
I took a long breath.
“The problem is whether I can make this choice in my current state.”
I was already halfway tied to the succubus company. I didn’t know exactly how much I liked Subin or how much the High-Risk stamp meant.
Would my judgment be “normal” in this state?
The company would probably draw graphs including everything.
— Customer’s emotional absorption level with succubus.
— Resistance to replacement succubus proposal.
— Degree of risk accepted to protect existing succubus.
“Still, one thing is clear.”
I said slowly.
“One is out of the question.”
The replacement succubus candidate’s eyes narrowed slightly. Subin’s eyes widened in the opposite direction.
“...Wow, a customer who says they hate it out loud. First time.”
“What do most customers say?”
“‘I’ll think about it’ level?”
The replacement succubus candidate answered.
“Most customers eventually adapt quickly no matter which succubus comes. Same roots of pleasure and escapism, only the acting differs.”
“That itself... isn’t wrong.”
I bit down hard.
“Still, I don’t like it.”
“Why?”
“Because the bastard who already ruined my board is the one here.”
The words made me shiver.
“The first one who entered with me and the new succubus they’re throwing in now as a performance upgrade are different.”
Subin’s eyes widened for a second, then she looked away immediately. The replacement succubus candidate gave a subtler expression.
“Customer, that is extremely inefficient attachment.”
“So that’s why I’m High-Risk.”
I said calmly.
“If I only cared about efficiency, I never would’ve even signed with the succubus company.”
A short silence fell.
The digital board flipped from 66 to 67, then back to 66. Other humans waiting somewhere.
Subin stepped closer quietly.
“Jitae.”
“Yeah.”
“If I say ‘it’s okay’ today?”
“...What?”
“If I say I’m okay giving the replacement succubus to you myself?”
My throat went dry.
“Then... my share would decrease.”
I said slowly.
“The test would be less intense, my performance review would breathe, and the company would be relieved with ‘completed.’”
“Still?”
“Still, I don’t like it.”
I said firmly.
“This board was ruined together with you from the start.”
“...From the start?”
Subin repeated it.
Thinking back, it wasn’t strictly from the start. I had just been having lewd dreams and Subin had been following the company manual. The moment I decided to flip the board, we became a team.
Now replacing that board with a “high-performance new succubus”—
Even to me it was the type of development I hated most.
“So, the answer?”
Subin asked quietly. The replacement succubus candidate was watching me expressionlessly.
I closed my eyes for a second, then opened them.
“I don’t need a replacement succubus.”
The moment the words left my mouth, the digital board blinked wildly.
Beep beep beep—
Several electronic tones overlapped.
A window suddenly appeared in midair.
[Resistance to Replacement Succubus Proposal: Extremely Strong]
[Preference for Existing Succubus: Fixed]
[Emotional Dependence: Additional Increase]
[High-Risk Grade: Maintained (Pattern Recognition Completed)]
Subin glanced at the window and laughed in disbelief.
“Wow, pattern recognition completed.”
“What’s ‘completed’?”
“It means we can roughly predict what choice you’ll make from now on.”
“Good or bad?”
“From the company’s perspective, good. Easy pattern to control.”
“So from your perspective?”
“...From my perspective.”
Subin hesitated a second, then shrugged.
“Good, right?”
The replacement succubus candidate gave a small laugh.
“Then today’s test ends here.”
She bowed slightly toward me.
“Customers like you are deemed to have research value.”
“That’s a bad compliment.”
“Not a compliment. It’s a report phrase.”
She stepped back one pace.
“The contract with dedicated succubus ‘Subin’ will be maintained for the time being.”
“What time being? Do it as permanent.”
Both of them laughed at that.
***
When the replacement succubus candidate left, the waiting room slowly faded. The notices on the walls, the digital board, the automatic doors—all melted away like light.
Only Subin and I remained.
“...You knew the test content today.”
“Half?”
Subin answered ambiguously.
“The replacement succubus topic had been faintly smelled since yesterday.”
“So, which side were you on?”
“I’ll tell you now that the test is over.”
She slowly approached me. The waiting room, the company clothes—everything was gone. Just normal Subin remained.
“I—”
Subin said.
“I was almost seriously upset that you didn’t choose me.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. Half joke, half serious. But when I saw the replacement succubus guidance notice, my feelings got weird.”
She shook her head while smiling.
“When the company marks ‘replacement target’ on paper, even the succubus feels a little off.”
“...That happens in reality too.”
I muttered.
“Replacement staff, contract workers, rotating project members.”
“That’s why humans struggle so much.”
Subin nodded.
“But today, at least on this side...”
She tapped my chest with a finger.
“You didn’t do that kind of thing.”
“...You wouldn’t either.”
A crooked smile formed on my lips.
“In reality I get rejected every day, but if I got replaced by a high-grade in a dream too, it would be really unfair.”
“I’ll take that.”
Subin laughed.
“So today, I want to say thank you too.”
“A succubus saying thank you to a customer?”
“Not in the rules, but I decided to say it today.”
Subin stepped closer. The background completely disappeared and the distance between us sharpened.
“Then since the test is over...”
She whispered low.
“Shall we go to ‘work’ today?”
“No replacement succubus?”
“Of course not. Today I’m completely alone.”
Subin smiled with narrowed eyes.
“The higher-ups probably gave up ‘just leave those two as they are’?”
“Not quite ‘give up.’”
“Could turn into ‘pattern-fixed customer’ observation target.”
That didn’t sound bad at all. At least it meant no replacement.
“What’s the lust difficulty today?”
“A little higher than Day 3.”
She winked playfully.
“But with the condition that no human will replace you.”
“...That’s nice.”
“Right?”
That last line lingered in my ear as the surroundings gently swayed.
Work mode had activated.
***
The night that followed was similar to before but a little different. The feeling that “this board could be replaced by another succubus anytime” was gone. Instead, the feeling that “this board is dangerous but I’m staying with this person” became stronger.
I still didn’t touch the background or lighting. Subin had drawn the whole board.
I reacted only at the end. But in that reaction, the feeling “replacement is hated” might have been a little stronger. The graph would show it in the report.
From my side, just surviving the night was enough.
***
When I woke up, the real room felt a little stranger. Still, the wall was the same.
I staggered to my feet and stood in front of the A4 memo.
[Seven-Day Limit Plan]
I added a new line underneath.
[Day 4 – Replacement Succubus Guidance. Said no. Subin maintained. High-Risk maintained.]
And underneath that, a smaller line.
[‘Efficiency’ over ‘the guy who ruined everything with me.’]
Writing it made me smile a little.
The day had been long. Daytime long, dreams long, emotional line long. Still, somewhere I was moving forward a little.
The succubus company had written “pattern recognition completed,” but— from my side— this was the day I was finally starting to see what I didn’t want to let go of.
“Okay.”
I tapped the memo and muttered.
“Day 4 also passed. Three nights left.”
No matter how those three remaining nights shook me, one thing was already decided.
— Dedicated succubus will not be replaced.
— Even if Succubus Disqualification comes, it won’t be the version I throw.
Holding only that standard, I stepped out into another long day.