The Deal
“Why the long face? Eat up before it gets cold.”
The team leader sat across from me, a towel twisted into a ridiculous turban on his head, slurping cup noodles. I had originally planned to prepare funerals for the agents who died in the line of duty, but his forceful invitation had somehow dragged me into the research team’s after-work gathering. Who in their right mind suggests a jjimjilbang for a company dinner? The rumors were true—he really was an eccentric.
“What? Something on my face?”
“No, sir.”
“Come on, your expression says you’re dying to say something.”
“....”
He peeled a boiled egg while smiling. Every time I saw that smile, I found myself lowering my head without realizing it. There was an inexplicable pressure behind it. He was a man in his late thirties, smaller than me, the type who stayed holed up in a lab doing research, yet something unidentifiable lurked in that grin. I couldn’t name it, but I knew one thing for certain: the smile was fake. A mask meant to hide whatever lay beneath.
“...I’m sorry about earlier today. I have a short temper. No, that’s just an excuse, isn’t it? I apologize.”
This time his face was serious as he bowed his head to me.
“..It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
It felt rude to think so, but every single thing this man did irritated me. Dr. Jeong A-un—English name Luke—was the new team leader who had suddenly taken over after the previous one was disciplined and fired. A returnee from overseas, hailed as a genius in biology, he had apparently arrived here around last year.
“....”
I hoped this unpleasant feeling was only because of what happened during the day, nothing more than my own imagination.
“Oh, you’re out already. Min-jeong, want an egg?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Don’t eat too much. We’re going for beef in the second round.”
“Huh? But you already had ramen, sunbae...”
“My stomach’s just that big... haha...”
The research team members emerged from the baths in ocher-colored jjimjilbang uniforms and crowded around Dr. A-un. Since none of them knew me, not a single person spoke to me. I figured it was time to slip away quietly.
“Wait a moment.”
“...Yes?”
“Our pursuit team leader worked hard too, so he should come along. My treat. Call the rest of the pursuit team as well. Team A is... probably exhausted, but call Teams B and C too. Everyone’s been through a lot.”
“All right, then...”
With my index finger still pressed to the professor’s forehead to keep her from moving, I reached into my bag with my free hand and pulled out a small glass vial. Inside were flower petals—the same ones. I hadn’t had time to use them lately because of how busy things had been, but this seemed like the perfect moment. The dome in the sky had closed, which meant the pursuit had been called off. In the middle of all that, I had even gained a new power. But I had no intention of getting complacent, shouting “Whoa! Superpowers!” like before. I would use whatever I could, as much as I could—whether it was a person’s life or anything else. I would experiment when I wanted to experiment, enjoy when I wanted to enjoy. Since I had obtained this power, I might as well kill two birds with one stone.
I clenched my fist and crushed the vial, then carefully picked out the petals from among the shards and brought them to the professor’s ear. As always, the slime-like creature that slowly emerged from the petals slipped into her ear and vanished into her head in an instant.
“...Hngh....”
The professor, whose brain functions were now under my control, could only manage a short moan and a slight twitch of her left eyelid. Because we were connected, I could feel the movements of the parasitic organism. The moment it reached her brain, I gave it an order.
“Stop.”
Instantly, the creature halted. It had reached the host’s brain, yet unlike previous cases, it wasn’t seizing control of her body. The parasites were supposed to lack intelligence before absorbing the brain, but somehow it had heard my command. It felt as if an instruction manual had appeared inside my head.
“From now on, every time the host feels pleasure, you will slowly, little by little, take over her brain.”
I planted the suggestion into the parasite.
“And Professor, you are aware of everything that is happening to you.”
“Yes... There is a monster... inside my head...”
A thread of saliva stretched from her mouth and dripped onto her chest, soaking her shirt.
“You will feel yourself becoming less and less yourself whenever you experience pleasure. But you cannot tell anyone about this fact or about me.”
“Yes, I understand...”
“Above all else, you must obey my commands, even if you hate them.”
“...Yes..”
She answered a beat late, her face twisting slightly. I could sense a trace of resistance. Any more suggestions would strain her brain, so this was enough. I still didn’t understand the details, but it seemed that even a parasite that hadn’t yet taken over the brain could be controlled to some extent. Given how their traits changed depending on the environment and the host’s condition during the parasitic process, this might be a major discovery. The ability to create women exactly to my liking and rewrite their personalities entirely.
“Gave me something seriously broken.”
....Just what exactly was that shining apple that had granted me this broken power, and why had they possessed it? There was still far too much I didn’t know.
“......”
Thinking about it now wouldn’t give me any answers. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and lifted my finger from the professor’s forehead. I had finished experimenting, so now it was time to enjoy myself.
“...Ah, ah? What just...”
The moment I removed my finger, the professor regained consciousness, her face turning deathly pale. Thanks to the suggestion I had planted earlier, she realized exactly what had happened to her the instant she woke up.
“Ch-Chan-woo? What is this...”
“Be quiet, Professor.”
She still couldn’t process the situation. That was understandable—who would believe there was a monster inside their own head?
“Professor, your chest is an erogenous zone, isn’t it?”
“What are you even—Hngh?!♡”
The professor had tried to raise her voice at being sexually harassed by a student, but the moment I grabbed her breast, her voice rose for an entirely different reason. Startled by the sound she had made, she covered her mouth with both hands, her face flushing red.
“...Why... am I...?”
“Why? Because I ordered it, didn’t I?”
“...What?”
“I told you your erogenous zone was your chest. The suggestion worked much better than I expected.”
“You... don’t tell me...”
“Don’t you remember what I said? Every time you feel sexual pleasure, the monster will take over your body.”
The words seemed to flash through her mind. I barely held back a laugh at the sight of her face turning ashen in an instant.
“...Hik...!!”
As she bolted down the hallway away from me, I spoke softly.
“Cum.”
“....Mmph...!!♡♡”
She stopped awkwardly mid-step, her entire body convulsing. When her legs gave out, she collapsed on the spot, lost in the afterglow. I approached her and spoke again.
“It’s not like you can ask anyone for help even if you run away.”
“....”
“...If I feel like it, you’ll disappear and only your body will remain. You know that, right?”
“..Why are you doing this to me...”
The professor looked up at me with terrified eyes, on the verge of tears. I bent down to meet her gaze and continued.
“..You and I don’t exactly get along, do we? This is just a game to help us get closer.”
“...A game?”
“If you can last two weeks, I’ll let you go. After that, you can report me to the police or do whatever you want.”
“...And if I lose?”
“...You already know.”
While she wore an expression like she had lost everything, I put on the most insincere smile I could manage. I extended my hand to her.
“We’re going to become very close from now on.”
My head was spinning. Where was I?
“...seyo? Are you all right?”
“Augh, yeah...”
“If you can’t drink, just say so. Are you okay?”
Dr. A-un patted my body. Right. We had finished dinner at the barbecue place, so this place must be...
“Well, at least we saved ourselves the trouble of anesthesia.”
“...What...”
I tried to get up, but my hands and feet wouldn’t move.
“Ah, don’t move. You’ll get hurt.”
“Where the hell is this, you crazy bastard? Untie me!”
“Hmm, this is my house. A secret lab behind the study. And I can’t let you go~”
Wearing a mask and safety goggles, Dr. A-un gave me a playful wink and spoke in a teasing tone.
“I’m not supposed to enter the lab for three days, but I’ve got nothing else to do, right? Time doesn’t come back. It’d be a waste to spend it doing nothing. We should use every day preciously.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Untie me, you psycho!”
“Now, now, swearing is bad.”
In that instant, a cold yet burning pain shot through my thigh.
“Aaaaargh!!”
The doctor had picked up a scalpel and stabbed it into my left leg.
“...Aagh, ugh....”
“Does it hurt? That’s what happens when you interrupt someone.”
“Doctor, Doctor...!! I was wrong. Just untie me first, then we can talk, okay?”
“Anyway, I’ve got nothing to do for three days, right? But now I’ve got research material—a ‘male specimen.’ How exciting is that?”
He didn’t even pretend to listen to me. Or rather, he couldn’t hear me at all. From that purely smiling face, I saw the same “something” I had noticed back at the jjimjilbang.
“Please... Please, save me...”
Throwing all dignity aside, tears streamed down my face as I begged pathetically for my life.
“..In that case, if you just keep me company for three days, I’ll let you live! I’ll even overlook the fact that you stole the power source.”
“No, please, don’t do this, please!!”
“Even if something goes wrong, I’ll remember you. I remember everyone who’s brave and diligent. Rest easy, and I’ll see you in three days.”
A devil. He was a devil.