Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Everyday Life
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That late evening, I headed out to meet my longtime female friend, whom I'd promised to see a few days earlier.
What is the daily life of brainwashed people like?
Do they just have sex with anyone, kiss indiscriminately, kill without remorse, and live without any sense of ethics?
Not necessarily 100%.
But...
The neon signs of the late evening writhed like snakes on the rain-slicked asphalt.
New Seoul's nightlife was more dazzling and primal than its daytime bustle.
On the outer wall of the massive shopping mall built by the demons, advertisements flashed of scantily clad models entangled with one another, and the faces of the people passing below were glazed over in ecstasy.
I sat on a plastic chair in front of a convenience store and chugged a can of beer.
The cold carbonation slid down my throat, washing away some of the tension that had built up all day.
"Jinwoo!"
I looked up at the familiar voice.
A woman was waving from across the crosswalk. It was Jieun.
She wore a tight vinyl skirt and a T-shirt.
Black boots that reached midway up her thighs made her legs look even longer.
Ten years ago, the plain girl in a hoodie studying in the university library was now just a relic preserved in photo albums.
"Long time no see. You look even prettier."
I stood up to greet her.
Jieun naturally wrapped her arms around mine, pressing her chest against me.
"What? Because it's been a while? You're acting so stiff between us."
Her breath carried the sweet scent of peaches mixed with a faint whiff of alcohol.
She leaned in close to my ear and whispered,
"I didn't wear any underwear today. Want to check?"
This was the greeting ritual in this world.
I chuckled and wrapped my arm around her waist.
The flesh at her side yielded softly under my palm.
"We'll check later. Sit down first. Want a beer?"
We sat facing each other at the table in front of the convenience store.
Jieun cracked open a can of beer and gulped it down.
The motion of her throat under the streetlight was sensual.
Deep in her cleavage was a red heart-shaped tattoo.
The mark of her 'loyalty oath' to the demons.
Something every ordinary female citizen had to have—like an ID card.
"How's work these days? Still stuck with that boring paperwork?"
Jieun asked, propping her chin on her hand.
"Eh, same old. Getting nagged from above and ignored from below."
I gave a vague answer.
I didn't tell her I worked at a magical girl correction facility.
To her, I was a city hall employee in the sewage treatment department.
A dirty, smelly job no one cared about.
"Sounds boring. I couldn't do it. I've been so busy lately. I went to a party yesterday and didn't get home until dawn."
"A party? What kind?"
"Oh, you know. The group ones with low-rank demons and humans rolling around together."
Jieun said it casually.
"Met an incubus there, and wow, he was something else. His skills were insane. The way he used his tongue was art. I came three times."
She held up three fingers and giggled.
I nodded with a smile.
This was the daily life of brainwashed humans.
Sexual pleasure was the center of their existence, and moral judgments had vanished.
To them, sex was as casual as a handshake or a hug.
But that didn't mean they were completely broken.
Jieun's eyes still held the spark from the old days.
She still loved jokes, cheered over good food, and cherished time with friends.
Her values were just twisted a bit—okay, a lot.
Jieun continued.
"Things have changed a lot in ten years. But I think now is better than before."
Jieun smiled innocently.
You... don't know what I've been through these past ten years.
You don't know what I've been thinking.
You don't know what plans I have.
"Yeah, yeah. It's way better now."
But I couldn't tell you that.
"You should enjoy life more too. What's with that face? It's all dry and dull. How long has it been since you were with a woman?"
Jieun pinched my cheek and scolded me.
"Who knows. I've been so beat lately."
"Aw, poor Jinwoo. Guess I need to comfort you."
Ten years.
No, even back during the Magic War,
and after—Jieun had accepted all my crazy antics.
Those were all just old memories now.
She stretched her leg under the table.
The tip of her boot brushed my shin and slid up to my inner thigh.
"Here?"
"Why not? Everyone else does it."
Her gaze swept around.
On the bench in front of the convenience store, couples were locked in deep kisses.
From the alley nearby came embarrassing sounds.
A patrolling drone passed by, shining a red light—not to crack down, but to encourage.
[Sex is patriotic. Love freely.]
The mechanical voice from the drone scattered into the night air.
I just... couldn't do anything else right now.
I took Jieun's hand.
"Sure. It's been a while, so let's both enjoy it. I'll serve you to the fullest."
I pulled my chair over next to hers.
I slightly lifted the hem of her skirt.
Her pale thighs came into view.
True to her word, no underwear. Instead, a clear barcode stamped on her lower abdomen.
[Citizen Grade B - Excellent Reproductive Function]
The brand the demons used to manage humans.
"Pretty."
I rubbed my finger over the barcode.
"That tickles."
Jieun twisted and laughed.
I stroked her thigh and slowly moved my hand higher.
Warm, soft skin.
Her body reacted quickly. The muscles in her inner thigh tensed and trembled at my touch.
"Mmm... Jinwoo, your hand's so warm."
She leaned on my shoulder and let out a languid moan.
Pretending to look around, I whispered in her ear.
"How's your health lately? Any pain anywhere?"
It wasn't just small talk.
It was my way of checking for side effects from the demons' biological experiments or forced mana injections.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just sometimes my head throbs... and my stomach stabs a bit."
She answered with her eyes closed.
A sign her uterus was under strain. Demons often dosed human women with drugs or performed magical procedures to maximize their reproductive capacity.
"I see. Let me give you a massage then."
I rubbed her lower abdomen in circles with my palm.
A 'mana circulation massage' I'd learned on Nipple's advice.
It loosened blockages and expelled toxins.
"Ah... ahh... right there... feels good..."
Jieun's breathing quickened.
Her hand gripped my thigh tightly.
I relaxed her body slowly but surely.
"Jinwoo, you perv. What are you doing right now?"
Nipple grumbled in my head.
'I'm treating her. Be quiet.'
"Treating my ass. You're enjoying this. Admit it. Using 'friend' as an excuse to satisfy your urges, huh?"
'Shut up. This is necessary. I need to keep her body in top condition for later...'
"Later? You're not thinking of her as a magical girl candidate too, are you?"
His words hit a nerve.
Truth was, Jieun was a latent mana compatible. Nipple had told me.
The demons just hadn't noticed yet.
A faint but pure mana flowed in her body. If she awakened...
"Mmm, Jinwoo... deeper, deeper..."
Jieun's voice snapped me out of it.
She was already half-dazed, legs spread to accept my touch.
Her skirt was hiked up to her waist, and her private area glistened.
Passersby glanced at us.
But there was no condemnation or disgust in their eyes. They just looked envious as they walked by.
One guy even stopped and whistled.
"Hey, bro! Looking good! Go for it!"
I flashed him a grin and gave a V-sign with my fingers.
Perfect acting.
The model behavior of a brainwashed citizen.
But inside, I was burning up.
The barcode on Jieun's lower abdomen stabbed at my eyes.
How long do I have to keep pretending to be brainwashed?
How long do I have to watch the people I care about get raised like livestock?
"Jinwoo... I'm gonna come..."
Jieun clung to my neck.
I didn't stop my movements. If anything, I stimulated her more gently, more insistently.
Her pleasure was real.
"Haaang!"
Her body arched like a bow.
With a short spasm, she reached climax.
Her hot breath wetted my nape.
I held her tightly and kissed her nape.
This embrace wasn't acting.
I remembered that awkward, innocent hug in the pre-dawn air after pulling an all-nighter at the library before the Magic War.
Still catching her breath in my arms, she murmured,
"Jinwoo... your hand skills have improved so much. You used to be such a total wimp."
"Life happened. You liked it too, right?"
I smiled and straightened her messy hair.
She looked up at me with half-lidded eyes.
"Wanna go to my place and do more?"
A tempting offer.
But I shook my head.
"Sorry. I want to, but I have to go in early tomorrow. The section chief gave me a special assignment."
"Tch, boring. Fine. But next time, you have to go all night?"
She pouted and stood up.
I straightened her clothes.
"I'll get you a taxi."
On the way to hail one,
Jieun linked arms with me and hummed a tune.
I wondered if the barcode on her lower abdomen was faintly glowing.
I put her in the taxi and sent her off, left alone again.
The streets were still rowdy.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.
Nipple whispered,
"Man, you're hardcore. Stopping there? If it were me, I'd drag her to a motel right now."
'Shut up. Just...'
I exhaled a long plume of smoke.
My fist clenched.
The cigarette filter crumpled.
'Just focus on the job.'
I ground the cigarette under my foot.
'Let's start with the plan. If you don't want your head rolling.'
"Finally! Finally! My grand return project begins!"
I turned my steps toward home.
The 'Public Training Show' plan due tomorrow.
A sudden crisis, but the start of a plan I'd dreamed of for so long.