The situation was spiraling in a direction I never could have anticipated.
“Where do you think you’re going? Why do you keep stepping back?”
The Hell Duke was striding after me, closing the distance with long, purposeful steps.
“Wait a minute. Hey, listen, Hell Duke. Calm down first, okay? Can we just talk for a bit?”
I tried soothing him with gentle words, all the while backing away.
No, seriously. Earlier, I’d only offered a few comforting words out of pity. But suddenly, he nodded as if agreeing with me, his eyes sparkling as he advanced. And then Hwajeong closed her eyes once and urged me to lean on her. What on earth was going on here?
“Hmm? I am quite calm, thank you. Or perhaps… a little excited with joy?”
At least one thing was fortunate: the Hell Duke wasn’t completely unreasonable.
Watching him finally stop, I tried to steady my heart. Yes, the Hell Duke was a being of high intellect—I was confident we could resolve this through conversation.
“Are you calm now?”
“Hmm.”
“Have you settled your excitement?”
“Hmm.”
“Good. Then first—”
Before I could finish, the Hell Duke gave a half-hearted nod and began stepping forward again, lightly and deliberately. Watching him approach like that was beyond frustrating—it was maddening. Was I dreaming?
—Ugh, this is so suffocating! Just sleep with him already! That’s all it takes!
…He was really losing it now.
“Please, just shut up already.”
Hwajeong shouted, clearly exasperated, but I begged her to be quiet. I was already dizzy enough as it was…
But Hwajeong completely ignored my plea.
—You want me to shut up? After all the ‘you’re so pretty, you’re so cute’ nonsense, now you’re trying to compete with me? Have you forgotten what we are to each other?
By this point, I felt a strange, inexplicable sense of injustice. This was betrayal.
—Unbelievable. Why so hurt? Why betray me?
Suddenly, a surge of anger flared up inside me.
‘Hwajeong, I never thought you’d do this.’
—Don’t say you didn’t expect this. Then speak properly.
‘No, seriously. You say “lean on me” so casually? Are you really my wife?’
—What nonsense.
Hwajeong dismissed my protest with a single word.
—What are you even saying? Honestly, I’m so dumbfounded I could die.
‘That’s exactly what I want to say.’
—Shut up. …Ugh, now I’m really pissed. If you were impotent or something, fine, I’d understand. But after all the wild times you’ve had with other women, now you want me to be jealous? Are you kidding me?
‘…….’
Hearing her words made me angry. But having nothing to say made me even angrier.
—Fine~. If you want me to, I will~. Suhyun~. Listen~. I just don’t want you sleeping with her~. I don’t know if you’ll be able to come back if you do~. But still, I don’t want you sleeping with her~. …Happy now?
Hwajeong deliberately adopted a childish, nasal tone and mocked me with a smirk.
—Get a grip! You…!
Her nagging continued, but I couldn’t focus on it.
“Finally caught you.”
Suddenly, a satisfied voice sounded, and I felt gentle hands grasping my shoulders. Before I could react, my vision began to blur and shift. When I saw the sky and those fiery red locks, I knew I was caught.
Thud!
The hard ground pressed against my back as the Hell Duke’s hips settled between my legs. Then his hands pressed firmly against my chest.
“N-no!”
I screamed without thinking, shaking my head wildly. I felt like I was about to be overwhelmed.
“Hmph, truly incomprehensible behavior.”
The Hell Duke, perfectly mounted astride me, tilted his head in confusion.
“Are you afraid? Is that why you’re resisting?”
“N-no, it’s not that…”
“If you are afraid, there’s no need to worry. You only need to sow the seed. Fertilizing the womb and enduring the union—that’s entirely my responsibility.”
“That’s not it!”
He spoke calmly, trying to reassure me, but when I shouted back, his expression grew even stranger.
“Ah.”
Then, suddenly, a flicker of realization crossed his face. His tone softened, becoming cautious.
“Then… could it be a problem with your function?”
Seriously.
I couldn’t take his borderline sexual harassment any longer. I roughly pushed his hands off my chest and sat up with all my strength.
Just as our faces were about to be dangerously close—
“Enough already…!”
“Why are you angry…?”
Our voices overlapped.
Smack.
Our lips met. A moment later, I felt a warm, soft sensation teasing my mouth. I’d been too reckless and hadn’t controlled my strength.
“Uh, uh….”
“Hmm.”
Still, the Hell Duke merely brushed his lips once over mine, his expression utterly calm.
As our breaths mingled and his glowing red eyes blinked slowly, I involuntarily took a deep breath and tried to tilt my head back.
“What’s the matter? Why so startled?”
His voice reached me just as my head froze, as if caught on something. Then I felt the soft touch of his palm around my neck.
“You hugged me twice without permission in the human world. Where did all that boldness go?”
He spoke with a hint of disdain, then slowly closed the small gap between us again. I struggled to pull away, but the pressure around my neck only tightened. No matter how hard I tried, my head wouldn’t budge.
When our noses finally touched—
“So, no other problems, then?”
The Hell Duke asked, as if confirming something.
I barely managed to open my mouth, staring into those red eyes filling half my vision.
“W-what are you trying to do?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious?”
Despite my desperate tone, he answered simply.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to go this far if I could avoid it…”
“……”
“But now that I’ve found a way, I have no patience left to wait.”
“……?”
His next words sent a strange unease through me.
“Anyway, if there’s nothing to worry about, and your function works normally… and you just dislike me for no reason…”
He trailed off, then smiled faintly.
“I have no choice but to exercise the rights of the victor.”
Hearing that, an inexplicable dread deepened inside me. Suddenly, alarms rang in my head.
“I—!”
Just as I tried to speak, the Hell Duke’s palm clamped tightly over my mouth. I struggled to make a sound, but his grip wouldn’t loosen. It was as if he’d grown tired of waiting.
“That’s enough. I don’t want to struggle with you any longer. From now on, I’ll do as I please.”
Then—
“Just think of it as a pleasant dream.”
Flash!
Suddenly, the Hell Duke’s eyes, right in front of me, began to glow with a wicked light. It happened so abruptly, and since we were so close, I had no time to react.
‘W-what is this…?’
The light overwhelmed my vision, and I felt my mind go blank.
“It’s alright…”
His voice faded, becoming distant and faint, like a whisper heard in a half-sleep.
After a while—
“Just sleep deeply and wake up…”
I felt as if I were slowly sinking underwater.
“…everything will be over.”
The world gradually darkened.
Suggestion.
Suggestion is a psychological phenomenon where a person’s senses or judgment are influenced unconsciously by external stimuli, bypassing rational thought.
A person under suggestion typically enters a state similar to hypnosis or light sleep, often feeling as if they are dreaming. In this state, they barely perceive external stimuli and accept them unconditionally, leading to changes in their inner psychology or behavior.
However, the effects of suggestion are not always consistent. The stronger the suggestion, the more room there is for external interference.
When weak, suggestion induces only slight emotional changes while maintaining alertness. But when properly applied, it can awaken deeply buried memories and, if wielded by a skilled practitioner, even manipulate the subject’s memories.
And now—
“Heh heh.”
The Hell Duke gazed down at Kim Su-hyun, who remained motionless with his head bowed, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. The suggestion he had implanted was clearly taking hold.
Some time passed in that stillness.
“Khh….”
Suddenly, a low, hoarse sound escaped from Kim Su-hyun’s lips—the subtle signal that he was beginning to stir. The Hell Duke’s eyes gleamed with interest as he watched.
“I’m curious to see what kind of dream you’ll awaken from.”
In truth, the Hell Duke’s reason for using the suggestion was simple: he was frustrated by Kim Su-hyun’s repeated evasions without clear cause. Even Hwa-jeong had reluctantly allowed the Duke’s suggestion this time, without protest.
As a result, Kim Su-hyun was now under a powerful suggestion—not enough to alter his memories, but far stronger than the subtle hint the Duke had slipped earlier at the tower. For someone with such strong willpower, Kim Su-hyun had fallen into a light trance almost instantly.
The Hell Duke’s goal was clear: to draw out the most intense, desire-laden memory related to Kim Su-hyun’s ‘nature’ and provoke simultaneous changes in his attitude and psyche. In a way, it was similar to the state Kim Su-hyun entered when using mind training.
Then, after a moment, Kim Su-hyun slowly lifted his head.
“…Huh?”
Almost instinctively, the Hell Duke sensed something was wrong. He held his breath and began to study Kim Su-hyun carefully.
The man before him was indeed Kim Su-hyun.
Yes, definitely Kim Su-hyun.
But he didn’t look like himself.
Had time sped up just for Kim Su-hyun?
Only moments ago, he had appeared to be a man in his twenties, but now signs of age marked his face. His weary expression suggested he was no longer in his thirties but edging toward forty.
Moreover, his once calm eyes were now dull and unfocused, reminiscent of a lifeless gaze. His face was so bleak and somber that it wouldn’t have seemed strange if he suddenly took his own life.
Kim Su-hyun’s vacant eyes scanned the surroundings before suddenly locking onto the Hell Duke. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“…Lilith?”
A hoarse, rasping voice barely escaped his throat.
‘Lilith?’ The Hell Duke frowned, unfamiliar with the name.
“You…? What kind of dream are you having right now?”
At that moment—
“Lilith…!”
Kim Su-hyun shouted as if his breath was about to give out and lunged fiercely at the Hell Duke. In a flash, the Duke was caught off guard and toppled to the ground beneath him.
The situation had reversed from before. Though the Duke had no intention of harming Kim Su-hyun, he had allowed the latter to approach while momentarily distracted.
By the time the Hell Duke regained his senses, he was pinned beneath Kim Su-hyun.
“W-what is this…?”
Turning his head with effort, the Hell Duke looked up at Kim Su-hyun and was momentarily speechless.
The dullness in Kim Su-hyun’s eyes had vanished. Instead, his bloodshot, fierce gaze burned with a murderous hatred so intense it could tear the Hell Duke apart. The raw fury was so overwhelming that even the Duke felt a flicker of fear.
Yes. The Hell Duke had used suggestion, and Hwa-jeong had consented.
But there was one critical oversight.
They had no clear understanding of the life Kim Su-hyun had endured and had made assumptions based solely on his current appearance before applying the suggestion.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ah, I’m quite late today. I changed the story’s direction midway and rewrote a lot, which delayed things.
Originally, I planned to write about the Hell Duke and Hwa-jeong provoking Kim Su-hyun, leading him to fall into an SM play scenario. But no matter how I read it, Kim Su-hyun’s anger felt forced and unnatural. So I debated what to do and ended up cutting that part.
Still, I didn’t want to delete everything, so I left a bit of the content below. Please take it as a light read. (__)
“It’s different now than it was back then.”
I said in a weak voice.
Then, feeling utterly drained, I slumped my shoulders and finally spoke.
“…Could you just give me a little time? Just a moment?”
The Hell Duke didn’t answer. Only a soft sigh came from him. But soon, he relaxed his stance and quietly sat down beside me, which I took as silent permission.
Though I’d regained some freedom of movement, everything felt so chaotic I barely knew what was what. Suddenly craving a cigarette, I reached into my pocket and thankfully found one. I sighed deeply, lit it, and took a drag.
“Hey! I told you not to use the cigarette lighter for that!”
Hwa-jeong shouted, but I ignored her and exhaled a thick plume of smoke.
As I burned through the cigarette in frustration, the Hell Duke quietly sidled up and assumed a kneeling posture.
“Don’t just bottle it up inside. Tell me—why won’t you help me?”
Why won’t I help him…?
Of course. That’s what the Hell Duke was thinking. Our lives and experiences were so different that our perspectives naturally clashed, but still, his words made me smile bitterly.
I understood why Hwa-jeong had said what she did earlier. She probably shared the same goal as me, which was why she was so frustrated.
I understood their feelings, but still, I strongly felt this wasn’t right.
“……”
The Hell Duke kept staring at me. I gathered my thoughts, flicked the ash off my cigarette a couple of times, and finally spoke.
“So… you want me to bear your child.”
“That’s right.”
“Then that means I’d be the mother.”
“…Huh?”
I looked away and saw the Hell Duke’s eyes widen in surprise. What’s with that reaction?
“Isn’t that so?”
“Y-yes. You’re right.”
“Exactly. So, if that’s the case, then I’d be the mother, and you’d be the father.”
“…But?”
“But what? That means we’d both have the responsibilities of parents.”
“……”
That’s it. As Hwa-jeong said, the reason I hesitated to ‘just have sex’ earlier was because of the word ‘conceive.’
If the Hell Duke had simply wanted to sleep with me once, I might have agreed—though I’d feel a bit guilty toward some women, I’d have my reasons. Maybe I’d even be excited by the idea of being with such a being.
But if a child was involved—my child, my offspring—that changed everything.
About three years ago, I used the Zero Code with my brother and Han So-young, determined to return to Earth. Since starting the second cycle, I’ve been careful to avoid anything that might shake that goal.
More precisely, I’ve avoided leaving any regrets or attachments that could hold me back later.
From that perspective, having a child was one of the biggest risks. Because if a child were born, the parents would bear full responsibility. If I saw the end of the second cycle with a child, returning to Earth wouldn’t be so simple.
Think about it. If I had a child in another world, wouldn’t I be constantly worried? At worst, I might even long for the whole plane while on Earth.
…To return to Earth and still yearn for the whole plane?
That’s a situation I absolutely don’t want. That’s why I’ve avoided relationships with residents as much as possible. Who could have predicted this?
“…Kik.”
Just then.
While I was lost in thought, someone suddenly stifled a laugh.
“……?”
I looked up and saw the Hell Duke had turned his body completely away from me. His head was bowed, and his shoulders shook lightly, as if trying to hold back laughter.
Not only that, but Hwa-jeong, who had been nagging nonstop, had fallen silent.
This sudden change felt strange, so I quietly spoke.
“Hell Duke?”
“……!”
At that moment, the Hell Duke’s whole body jerked. Slowly, very slowly, he raised his head and looked back at me, trembling. When he fully faced me, his cheeks were puffed out as if he’d been holding his breath. …Why is he acting like that?
Just as I was about to speak again—
“Kik…!”
“Ah, ahahaha!”
The two women’s joyous laughter echoed in my ears and mind all at once.