The Demon of Lust's Return
It had been four years since he'd last heard the voice of Asmodeus, the demon of lust. This wasn't exactly the moment to bask in the joy of reunion, but she was the one who'd upended his life once before, so he felt a sliver of relief at least encountering her like this.
'You said next time you'd choose me, but sorry I couldn't give you the chance.'
'Does that mean you'll let me choose?'
'If you're alive.'
'That won't be hard.'
It was the exact same sensation he'd felt in front of the shrine maiden. A disgusting, slimy mucus enveloped his entire body, dragging him somewhere. Just moments ago, the space had been so sealed he could barely breathe, but now it felt like he was passing through invisible walls one by one, emerging into some vast openness. Was this another life-flashing-before-his-eyes thing?
"Ugh... my head..."
His head felt like it was splitting open. He was like someone who'd spent three straight days pounding booze and had just barely dragged himself out of bed.
"Booze...? Huh?"
He'd expected a completely different world when he opened his eyes. He didn't believe in religion, but he'd half-imagined some stern figure waiting to send him to heaven or hell or whatever. But this landscape was too familiar. The bridge he always crossed on his way to work, and right in front of him, rippling away... the Han River.
He slumped down and looked around for a while, but it was definitely the Han River he knew. He was sure he'd died, though.
They'd force-fed him cognac until he passed out, then thrown him in the car. Judging by how soaked his body was, they'd dumped the car somewhere with water, hoping he'd drown in a drunken accident. But where the hell was the car, leaving him sprawled out here like this?
Ignoring the screams from his joints, he barely managed to stand. His limbs moved as he intended, and he could even distinguish the sound of cars passing in the distance—his senses were returning. He was still alive, somehow.
"Why... didn't I die...?"
Joy? Relief? Fuck that—if he was alive, Park Hyungpil wouldn't let it slide. That bastard would tear the place apart looking for him. Bora noona, Seoah, Hwayoung, Mingyu hyung... In this mess, what was the point of him surviving?
He looked up and spotted the Olympic Bridge in the distance. On impulse, he started walking toward it.
As he passed the entrance to the bridge, a drizzle began. Twisted masses of steel loomed overhead on the span. "Eternal Flame," or something like that? It had never stirred him when he passed by before, but now it mirrored his own turmoil.
Leaning on the railing, he rummaged through his pockets and pulled out his phone. It could've been evidence after his death, but holding it now that he was alive felt strangely surreal.
"It turns on?"
He hadn't even hoped, but it did. He might get tracked, but for someone as good as dead, who gave a shit?
He turned on the phone but couldn't think of anything to do. Checking missed calls or messages would just leave regrets, so like always, he opened the search bar and typed "Olympic Bridge."
"Hah, is this telling me to die here?"
Among Han River bridges, the one with the most jumpers was Mapo Bridge. Seventy percent of suicide jumpers chose it. Next was Hangang Bridge, then Gwongjin Bridge. This Olympic Bridge had the fewest—only one percent picked it as their final spot.
"Hah, fuck. Why the hell is this what comes up? Life starts out shitty and ends the same goddamn way. If I'd known, I would've at least tried choking that bastard Hyungpil."
The drizzle turned into a downpour.
Who was it in the movies that said it was a perfect day to die? That one was clear skies, but for a guy like him, this weather might be just right. If he just climbed that railing, would everything finally be at ease?
[Found you.]
Huh?
This body had been in and out of more places than even Bora noona. It exuded seductive sensuality alongside a cuteness that made him want to bite. He hadn't stripped it bare, but instinctively, he knew—this was pussy on par with Hwayoung's legendary one.
But in this pouring rain at dawn on a Han River bridge, a woman wandering around in smoky makeup and a flowing dress—what do you even call a woman like that?
"Kukuku, kidnapping, threats, murder—amazing stuff, and now I run into a crazy bitch too."
[I thought you'd scream and run, but you hit me with that look and call me a crazy bitch—truly the stud I chose.]
A real crazy bitch, huh?
"Why don't you just keep walking? I'm not in the mood to deal with anyone right now."
[I have business with you. And why keep pretending you don't know me?]
"You know me?"
[I just saved you, and now your ears are busted? Can't have defects.]
"Ears?"
Wait, that voice...
"You... no way. That voice from before?"
[Good, you haven't totally forgotten. So you should've listened to me. You nearly died.]
"You saved me?"
[What if I did?]
"Why... did you save me?"
[What?]
"Why'd you save me! You think I'd break down in tears of gratitude? Fall to my knees and kiss your feet thanking you? Why, why! Why not just let me die instead of saving me and dumping all this shit back on me!"
Suddenly, the ground rippled, strange patterns etching into it. Snakes? Tentacles? Rope-like things sprouted endlessly, wrapping around his body. The sensation clinging to his skin was disgustingly creepy. As they climbed up and squeezed his throat, he couldn't breathe properly. So this was what the shrine maiden had gone through.
"Guh... guhk. Wh-what... the fuck is this."
[Calm down a bit. You're a fallen soul, but I'm a noble being beyond compare to lowly humans. If you don't get it, just remember this feeling.]
Moments later, the things around his throat vanished into the ground. Air rushed in, and his stomach flipped. He finally puked up the bile and the forced cognac. Fucking disgusting.
"What the hell did I... do to deserve this... you save me and then pull this shit."
[Watch your language from now on. I'll be your savior, after all.]
"Savior?"
[Yes. With the condition that you contract with this body.]
"Before that, what the hell are you? What kind of bitch are you?"
[Sigh, I said watch your language. I'll let this one slide. No next time.]
She'd tormented him with her voice, twisted his senses, and now tentacles to choke him. Goddess? Demon? Succubus? What the fuck was she?
[Aishma-daevas, servant of Angra Mainyu, one of the seven deadly sins, one of Solomon's 72 demons—humans call me all sorts of things, but I like Asmodeus best. It's still long, so call me As.]
He'd heard of Asmodeus before. The demon ruling lust among Christianity's seven deadly sins.
[Also the being who grants a contractor's wishes in exchange for pleasure.]
"Contract?"
[Simple. I grant your wish, and you harvest pleasure from the women I desire and pass it to me.]
"How do I harvest pleasure?"
[What a weird question. What pleasure between man and woman isn't sex?]
"So I just have to fuck the women you pick?"
[That's the result, but no forcing or reluctant sex. That doesn't give me the quality I want.]
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"
[Satisfy her sex fantasies to the max first. The pleasure from a one-night stand who's head over heels for you is on another level. That's what I need.]
"Sex fantasies—what's that?"
[Looks, seduction skills, location, positions, all kinds of fetishes. Every woman has her own sexual fantasies. Fulfilling them skyrockets satisfaction.]
"I have to go hunting down those fantasies myself?"
[When the target is set, I'll tell you. No need to worry.]
So basically, become a male prostitute. Was it okay to make a ridiculous deal like this with a non-human?
"If I give you the pleasure you want, you'll grant my wish?"
[Exactly. You need power for revenge, right?]
He'd done plenty of dirty work under Park Hyungpil, so he wasn't exactly clean. But to protect his people, he had to take that bastard down by any means—kill him or bury him socially.
"The target's a chaebol third-gen. He's got no shortage of money or power. He commands an organization with gangsters too. Crucially, he can't know I'm alive. My people around me would be in danger."
[Hmm, then I'll change you into someone else. Someone with as much money and power as that third-gen, right?]
"Change me into someone else?"
[Conveniently, there's a perfect body.]
As snapped her fingers into the air without waiting for his answer. His body floated up, and everything around him streaked by rapidly, like he was flying toward somewhere.
Dizziness made his stomach churn, but thankfully, the surroundings stopped moving. This was... an officetel. As took his hand and passed right through the door. Wow, this was some sci-fi movie shit.
His own officetel was pretty upscale, but this place was on another level. Modern furniture and luxurious interiors made it feel like a six-star hotel, not an officetel.
"Where is this?"
[Where the contractor I chose instead of you used to live.]
Why past tense? Doesn't he live here anymore?
They entered a room. It was dark, but there was a bed on one side, so probably the bedroom.
"Whose room is this? That contractor you mentioned?"
[Right. Now a former contractor, though.]
As flicked on the light, and he understood why she'd said "former."