Demons Are Demons for a Reason
"Hey, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Wait a second."
Just as we were about to demand an explanation, several male customers came bursting out of the store where the succubus had been soliciting customers moments earlier. Every single one of them looked furious, radiating an aura so murderous it seemed like they wanted to tear someone apart. They immediately unleashed their rage on the succubus, who remained smiling brightly as if nothing had happened.
"You crazy bitches! You said it was about breast size!"
"You think I came here to see this crap? Are you insane?"
"You goddamn whores! Why the fuck are you showing off half-naked guys hunting deer?!"
The succubus, unfazed by the barrage of anger, responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh my! We never told a single lie!"
"Bullshit! You said 'breast size'!"
"That's not true! We said 'deer guys'—and they're absolutely stunning! Isn't that amazing?"
"You little—!"
Unable to hold back his rage, one of the men swung his fist at the succubus. Her expression instantly went blank. Before he could react, she grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air with ease. Despite her slender arms, she possessed considerable strength. Holding the struggling man aloft, she spoke in a mechanical voice.
"Sir. Causing a disturbance in the store is not allowed."
"L-let... go... you bitch..."
"As you wish."
She hurled him far into the distance. The other men, clearly his companions, stared in horror, but the succubus simply dusted off her hands and gave them a cold stare.
"Would anyone else like to file a complaint?"
They gritted their teeth but chose not to push their luck, quickly fleeing in the direction their friend had flown. They must have decided they stood no chance. Once they were gone, the succubus resumed her bright smile and went back to soliciting customers as if nothing had happened.
Staring blankly at the scene, I turned to Jeong Bia for an explanation.
"Hey, what the hell was that?"
"They use that kind of bait to lure customers. It's pretty common around here."
"Isn't that straight-up fraud?"
"Not at all."
Jeong Bia spoke with complete confidence.
"This is a world of competition. If you fall for it, that's your own fault."
"If that's not fraud, then what the fuck is it?"
"They didn't say anything false, did they?"
It was infuriating, but she was right. The promotional line hadn't contained any outright lies—just enough misleading elements to cloud judgment.
"And even if someone gets caught by that kind of bait here, who are they going to complain to?"
"These vicious bastards."
"Succubi always play fair and square."
It was nonsense, but again, she had a point. Complaining openly wouldn't earn any sympathy. On paper, this place existed in the light, but it was the kind of space that never received favorable looks. And according to her, this kind of solicitation wasn't even illegal—since there were no actual lies, they could brazenly claim it wasn't punishable.
As if to prove her words, angry shouts from customers echoed from shops all around us. Most of the voices belonged to men.
"You bastards! Why the hell is a hedgehog actually playing guitar?!"
"The fact that it's good makes it even more infuriating, you damn thumbs-up hedgehog!"
"You snow-white boarding bitch! Give me my money back!"
"And why the fuck is that annoying hedgehog in its Alola form?!"
Watching them deliberately mess with people's heads through such vicious bait tactics, I had to admit—these succubi really were demons. Hye-ji and Elsia wore expressions of pure exasperation, clearly desperate to get out of this area as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Caersi was grinding her teeth as she watched the scene unfold.
"I can't forgive this!"
"Hey, at least she's acting like a proper saintess."
Her genuine anger at people suffering really did make her seem like a saint. A truly moving display of saintly virtue.
"All that money is going to those demon bastards! It should all be offered as donations instead!"
"Money-crazed saintess bitch."
[......There's not a single normal person here.]
'Give me back that moving feeling, you bastard.'
She was just a money-obsessed saintess after all. Of course, not everyone was furious about the bait tactics. Just as I was thinking that, a middle-aged man came storming out of a store and confronted the succubus who had been soliciting customers.
"Oh my! Is there a problem?"
"You said the employees were super hot! Why the hell is a guy coming out?!"
The succubus slowly looked him up and down. Her gaze eventually settled on his lower half, and she gave him a charming smile before speaking softly.
"But you still got turned on, didn't you?"
"......Yeah."
The middle-aged man muttered with his head lowered in embarrassment. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned around and walked right back into the store.
[Now that I've built up a tolerance, the fact that it doesn't even faze me is even more fucked up.]
'I still don't have any tolerance, you bastard. Seriously.'
Still, this kind of money-making scheme was crossing a line. They squeezed every last drop out of customers by any means necessary, then discarded them like used tissues once the money ran out. And most of it was bait to begin with.
"Hey, Jeong Bia. Is it really okay to milk even potential regulars dry like this and throw them away?"
"What are you talking about? Succubi have never thrown away a single customer."
"If that's not throwing them away, then what the hell is it?"
Jeong Bia gave me a matter-of-fact look.
"They're just playing a little push-and-pull."
"They pushed them off a goddamn cliff, you crazy bitch."
"And no matter how difficult the customer is, we always give them the best treatment on every return visit. We're professionals, after all."
Now she was looking at us with an expression of pure pity. I really wanted to punch that face.
"Once they save up enough money to climb back up, we let them bungee jump down again. It's the ultimate thrill."
"You crazy bitch, there's no safety harness on that bungee jump!"
With that, Jeong Bia started leading us forward again. We were all eager to leave the area, so we quietly followed her guidance. Even as we moved, the sounds of furious shouting continued to echo around us. The succubi had adapted to Korea's spicy flavors and were now serving an even hotter version. Maybe Killing Succubus Korea Branch would have been a more fitting name than Healing Succubus Korea Branch.
***
At the center of the Healing Succubus Korea Branch. While the outskirts were filled mostly with entertainment facilities, this area at least had simple cafés and restaurants. There were still plenty of entertainment spots here too, but without the aggressive solicitation, it felt almost saintly compared to the outer district. And at the very center stood a massive mansion. It looked exactly like the kind of estate owned by the ultra-wealthy that you'd only see on the internet. Surrounded by wrought-iron fences, the mansion featured a vast garden and gold ornaments decorating its exterior, flaunting its owner's wealth with every detail.
And right now, we were standing right in front of it.
"This is our house."
"Oh."
"Surprised? I guess that's normal."
Jeong Bia turned to look at us, her expression dripping with superiority—as if to say, 'You guys don't have anything like this, do you?'
But then—
"Husband! Let's rip off a few of those gold decorations!"
"Kkanp! I want the golden robot!"
"I want that golden dinosaur ornament over there, please."
[There's a golden mecha dinosaur over there too.]
'Ah, I can't let that one go.'
To us, it just looked like a treasure vault. Meanwhile, Caersi stared at the mansion with a completely indifferent expression.
"What a shitty house. I just want to buy it and demolish the whole thing."
"......"
Jeong Bia fell silent at Caersi's remark. Still, she forced herself to maintain that superior expression—perhaps her last shred of pride. It was certainly an imposing and truly magnificent house. But something about it felt off. It was so bright that you could clearly see it was white even in the darkness. Yet somehow, it only looked blood-red, as if it had been painted with blood.
"Husband! Someone's banging their head over there!"
It really was red. In the distance, several men were repeatedly slamming their heads against the white outer wall, smearing it with fresh blood. The blood-covered men showed no sign of pain. No—if anything, they seemed to be screaming in even greater agony.
"You scamming bastards! You said you were managers!"
"Give me my money back, you sons of bitches!!!"
"You job-position bastards!!! I don't give a shit about your positions!!!"
Moments later, succubi emerged from the mansion, subdued the men, and dragged them away. I watched the scene before turning my gaze to Jeong Bia, whose expression had completely collapsed.
"How much blood must have been spilled to build that house?"
"......Shut up."
Unable to deny it, Jeong Bia simply looked away. In any case, she tried to lead us into the mansion, but—
"I'm sorry. You cannot enter."
The succubi standing guard blocked our approach. They clearly recognized Jeong Bia's face, but that didn't stop them from firmly refusing entry.
"What do you mean?!"
"I'm sorry, but your father instructed us not to let anyone in until the wedding is over."
"This is my house! Where am I supposed to go?!"
"That's not my concern. He told us to make sure you stay out of sight."
Jeong Bia fumed and tried to force her way in, but the guards remained resolute.
"If you continue to cause trouble, we'll have no choice but to remove you by force."
"Shit..."
With the guards threatening to use force, we had no choice but to turn back. We gathered at a convenience store a short distance from the mansion to discuss our next move.
"Alright! Who's the next homeless bastard? Oh, here we go!"
"There's a house in your imagination!"
"Our house's special trait: it's not our house."
"You bastards!!! Shut the hell up!!!"
Of course, the teasing came first.