“Tsk… He really told me to take Olympic Boulevard…”

Chae Suhyeon gripped the steering wheel, deep in thought as she considered her options.

“From Apgujeong to Gimpo… Even if I speed, it’s going to take at least 40 minutes.”

Ignoring most of the traffic signals still wouldn’t get her there in time. The navigation app estimated nearly an hour of travel.

But there was no time to worry. She set off immediately.

“Ugh. How can he expect me to get there in 30 minutes when it takes an hour?”

“What is going on with this guy?”

A surge of irritation rose within her, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in years.

She could sense Baek Jihoon manipulating her.

“Is this revenge? Huh? Are you testing me?”

But Chae Suhyeon wasn’t easily swayed.

“Hmph. I’ll let it slide this one time.”

“No, it’s not about letting it slide. We’re just trying to communicate on equal footing.”

“I just need to ask him to stop the retrieval.”

Driving like a madwoman, she nodded to herself. All she could think about was the point retrieval. She was preoccupied with planning how to handle Baek Jihoon when she arrived.

“Hah… And if he refuses, don’t blame me for beating him up.”

“And then with the traits…”

She glanced at her skill tree, reluctant to use it.

“Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?”

“Maybe it’s because I kept my distance…”

For years, she had been compliant, confident she had tamed him well. But now, it felt like their roles had reversed in an instant.

Chae Suhyeon could no longer stand the current situation.

Bam!

“Ah! Seriously!”

She honked the horn mid-drive. In front of her, cars were lined up slowly, their red brake lights illuminated.

“Ugh. Of all times, it has to be rush hour.”

Olympic Boulevard had turned into a parking lot.

Seeing the gridlock in front of her, Chae Suhyeon began to tremble. Today was crucial. She believed that if she could just get through it, everything would fall into place.

“Damn it. I don’t care. This isn’t what’s important right now.”

She sharply turned the steering wheel and headed for the shoulder.

“No matter what anyone says, this is more urgent right now.”

There were only 20 minutes left. Anxiety began to tighten around her throat.

*

“Wow. It’s already been 10 minutes,” Hyungseok said, arms crossed, looking very satisfied.

“She’s probably driving like crazy right now. She probably doesn’t even have time to send a message. Hehe.”

He looked pleased, as if everything was going according to his plan.

“But what if she actually makes it in 30 minutes? Won’t I just look like the jerk who gave her an impossible task?”

“Come on, Senior. It’s impossible to get from Apgujeong to Gimpo in 30 minutes at this hour. Just think about Olympic Boulevard. It’s got to be completely packed.”

He was very confident.

“Anyway, she won’t make it in 30 minutes. The important thing is whether she tries to obey what you told her. That’s where you gain the advantage.”

He treated the situation like a fun game.

Listening to him, I started to get a general idea of what to do. Though I had never experienced like this before, it felt like learning along the way.

“You lived too much like a nice guy,” Hyungseok said cautiously.

“Really? I don’t even know why I did that.”

I realized I shouldn’t live like that anymore.

“Well, what can you do? Who wouldn’t be charmed by the Succubus Queen?”

Hyungseok tossed out the comment casually.

“Succubus Queen?”

“Yeah, that’s Chae Suhyeon’s nickname, right? Although, we only use it among ourselves.”

“Huh?”

I had never heard that before.

‘What is this all about?’

‘What does ‘Succubus Queen’ even mean?’

The word succubus isn’t exactly a compliment for a guy.

No man would like a woman who drains his vitality and uses it as she pleases.

“Succubus?”

“You really didn’t know?”

Hyungseok looked puzzled.

I was certain Chae Suhyeon had acted all innocent.

I could understand now, but back then, I had no idea.

I didn’t even notice.

“Oppa… you’re my first. Please take care of me.”

“Please understand if I’m a bit inexperienced. I’ll try my best.”

“Oppa, I’m so shy… Hehe.”

“Aww, Oppa.”

Thinking back to the beginning, she seemed nothing like a succubus. Maybe she was just a good actress.

“How is she a succubus? Am I not her first love?”

Pfft.

Hyungseok spat out his beer. “What are you talking about? Senior, you were at least her 32nd.”

What the hell.

Without realizing it, my fist clenched, and I cursed inwardly. “32nd?”

Was she just a total slut?

My mind was completely knocked out, almost shattered.

“Yeah… the number I know is at least that much, so it might actually be more. You didn’t know…”

Hyungseok started to notice my struggle to hide my shock.

No man would be happy to find out that his ex-girlfriend, whom he thought was a virgin, was actually promiscuous.

‘How could this happen? She definitely wasn’t that experienced when we started dating.’

It was a complete disaster.

My head was spinning.

“Oppa… you’re my first love. You know that, right?”

“I’ve given you everything, so I hope you can give me everything in return.”

“Let’s last forever. I want you to be my first and last love.”

Her words came flooding back, one by one.

Looking back now, it was undoubtedly a lie.

“Ha… so why is she nicknamed the Succubus Queen?”

It was frustrating, but I had to ask.

“Well… it’s because she completely drains the life force out of her boyfriends. The guys who date her end up looking like walking skeletons within a week. The way she cycles through boyfriends is almost an art…”

I was pondering whether to continue the conversation, watching Hyungseok closely.

It was annoying, but I guess it’s because she was my ex.

“Hey, Hyungseok. Just tell me everything. I don’t care anymore. I don’t have any feelings left for that b*tch. I don’t understand how she managed to hide all this from me.”

“Could it be some kind of trait?”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

“Well, everyone says that once a guy gets involved with Chae Suhyeon, he becomes completely infatuated and can’t escape. People started avoiding her without even realizing it, fearing they might fall for her. The thrill is exhilarating, but…”

Hyungseok licked his lips, clearly intrigued.

“But what about you?”

“Ha… I’m still a virgin, you know? She didn’t seem interested in me at all.”

His reaction hinted at some disappointment.

“Haha… I guess that’s something.”

I wasn’t sure whether to feel envious or not.

“So what the hell has she been up to?”

“Well, I don’t really know. She drains the life force out of men and turns them into skeletons within a week, but I have no idea why. Everyone who knows just keeps quiet, pretending not to know, because they could end up as her next victim.”

“What was she doing? And what about me?”

After hearing all this, I was filled with questions.

I was fine, after all.

Based on Hyungseok’s words, it seemed that any guy who dated Chae Suhyeon turned into a skeleton within a week, no matter how fit or muscular he was.

“Senior, it’s a relief. Everyone was surprised. I thought it would be over in a week, but look at you—you’re doing just fine.”

Hyungseok looked puzzled, as if he was trying to understand the same thing.

“Hmm… this is a bit awkward, but…”

He hesitated for a moment.

“How many times did you meet with Chae Suhyeon in a day?”

It was a question that might seem a bit awkward.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“Maybe 12 times? I think it was even 15…”

“Ugh…”

Hyungseok leaned back, looking nervous while he waited for my answer.

“As expected. A succubus is a succubus. But, Senior, did you never suspect anything?”

He looked genuinely baffled.

“Well, now that I think about it…”

I realized I had never considered it before, as if my thoughts had been blocked.

Looking back, it was truly strange.

“Ah, everyone else was saying similar things. Of course, most of them barely lasted a week. But saying 12 times in a day is just ridiculous.”

Hyungseok’s words made everything seem bizarre.

Yet, I had never sensed anything strange.

“Ha… I think I’ve completely fallen for Chae Suhyeon. It’s truly bizarre that I never found it strange for years. What state was I in?”

It felt like I was under some irrational influence.

A strange force that made me feel like a fool.

“Surely, Chae Suhyeon… there’s something going on.”

“This f*cking woman. What on earth did she do to me?”

I was starting to realize that something unusual was happening beyond my control.

“I don’t know what it is, but I will find out.”