Slap, slap.

Lee Soo-ah was sitting in her office, repeatedly slapping her cheeks.

“Soo-ah, get it together. What’s wrong with you?”

She was doing her best to pull herself together, thinking back to the S-rank dungeon she had just returned from.

‘It’s clear now... This is all Ji-hoon’s doing. He’s definitely messing with me somehow. Is he trying to seduce me on purpose? Is that his power?’

Lee Soo-ah was resolute in her decision to resist.

‘I’m not that kind of woman. I’m not someone who just falls head over heels for a guy...’

She was fully aware that her mind was in turmoil, swinging back and forth.

‘Yesterday... That was just a mistake... And last week too...’

Reflecting on her actions over the past week, she realized how strange she had been acting.

‘Why did you do that, Soo-ah? You’re not like this. You’ve always been proud, strong, and confident. So why... why did you start wagging your tail like that last week?’

Memories of the past few days flooded her mind—conversations with Assistant Manager Cha, comments from Park Hyung-seok.

‘Submissive...? Training...? Ha! I’m Lee Soo-ah. Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I’d fall for Baek Ji-hoon? I’m not that kind of woman.’

She mentally whipped herself into shape, trying to regain control.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Yes?”
“Uh... Soo-ah?”

It was Assistant Manager Cha.

“Huh? Why are your cheeks so red...?”

He looked shocked when he saw her face.

“What? My cheeks are red?”

Lee Soo-ah finally glanced in the mirror.

Her cheeks were bright red and swollen from slapping herself so hard.

“Soo-ah... What’s going on?” Cha asked, his expression full of concern.

“Oh, I was just trying to snap myself out of it...”
“What do you mean, ‘snap yourself out of it’? Is this some kind of self-discipline? If you need someone to do the slapping, I can help with that,” he joked.

“Oh, stop it, Manager. What brings you here?” Lee Soo-ah snapped, trying to regain her composure.

“Well, I found a dungeon where Departments 1 and 6 could collaborate. Thought it might be a good idea to check it out,” Cha explained, while still eyeing her curiously.

“And about Ji-hoon...”

“Hmph! I’m not interested in Ji-hoon anymore!!!”
“Why... all of a sudden?”

“I... I just don’t care about him anymore. I never liked him, to begin with. It was just a momentary lapse.”

“Hmm... I’m not so sure about that...”

Lee Soo-ah shot him a glare.

“Okay, okay, no need to glare at me like that...”

“What’s going on with Soo-ah? Why is she acting like this?”

I sat in my office, deep in thought.

Lee Soo-ah’s behavior seemed all over the place.

My guess was that she was struggling to accept that she had feelings for me, or that she had been excited by me in some way. People with strong self-regard sometimes react like that—they can’t stand the idea of losing control or falling for someone else, so they whip themselves back into shape.

It was clear that Soo-ah’s affection for me was strong. Even now, as I checked her status screen.

‘Looks like she doesn’t want to accept the situation.’

I found it intriguing.

Due to my Incubus trait, she was naturally drawn to me, but it seemed she was fighting it with every fiber of her being.

‘Hmm... I wonder if my Incubus trait is stronger or if Soo-ah’s willpower will win out...’

I hadn’t done anything intentionally, but it felt like she was shadowboxing with her feelings. Yet, I couldn’t help but be curious.

As I scanned through the status screens, something caught my eye.

‘What’s this?’

[Incubus Trait Fully Activated]

‘Fully activated?’

I had to investigate further. It was an unusual term.

‘Ah...’

It dawned on me.

‘This happened because of Cha Soo-hyun’s apology.’

The sudden shift in my Incubus trait was triggered by Cha Soo-hyun’s tearful apology yesterday. Her Succubus abilities had formed the basis of my Incubus trait. Now that she had made amends with me, the trait had fully awakened.

‘So, last week wasn’t even the full activation? And yet, it still made them so attached...?’

[Incubus Trait Fully Activated]
[Women will begin to resist the Incubus influence. However, the more they resist, the deeper they’ll fall. Break through their resistance!]

‘So they’re starting to resist...’

This explained why Soo-ah had been acting so strangely.

‘Hmm... I wonder if I-seul or Yoo Hana will start behaving like this too...?’

I still wasn’t sure how this would play out. But it seemed that Soo-ah would continue to struggle with self-denial.

‘Well, I guess the Incubus trait is probably stronger... I doubt Soo-ah’s rational mind will hold out for long... Let’s see how this develops.’

I hadn’t intended to seduce her, but if the trait’s description was accurate, Soo-ah was likely to drive herself crazy.

“Sniff... Sniff...”

Cha Soo-hyun sat at her office desk, tears streaming down her face.

“It’s over... I was so stupid. Why did I ever let go of Ji-hoon? You idiot.”

She even tried hitting herself in the head, but it didn’t help. It only made her feel worse.

‘I’m such a fool... How could I do something so stupid... Ji-hoon oppa, please... can you give me just one more chance? I could be so good to you...’

She opened her secret photo album, flipping through pictures of Baek Ji-hoon.

Creeeak.

Lee Jin-hyuk walked in.

“Huh? Are you crying?”

Seeing him, Cha Soo-hyun hurriedly wiped away her tears.

“Why are you crying? What happened? Did something bad happen?” Jin-hyuk asked, his tone a bit harsh as he pressed her for answers.

“N-no... It’s nothing. I just read a sad story online. Something about someone with cancer who couldn’t afford the treatment...”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. It’s nothing. But why are you here?”

“Are you not planning to go to any dungeons? I just heard that Blue Guild is planning to tackle S-rank dungeons now.”

“What??”

The mention of S-rank dungeons made Cha Soo-hyun jump in surprise.

“An S-rank dungeon... that means purple mana stones, right?”

“Yeah. It looks like they gathered those S-rank Hunters for that very reason—to collect purple mana stones and rake in the cash.”

Jin-hyuk looked as if he had been caught off guard by the news.

“That Baek Ji-hoon guy... he’s quite the strategist. He’s really shaking things up. I’m actually a bit impressed. I’d even consider recruiting him for our group. Once they start gathering those purple mana stones, they’re going to be making money even faster than they are now.”

“Even faster?”

“If this keeps up, Blue Guild might grow into a financial powerhouse.”

“A financial powerhouse...?”

Cha Soo-hyun’s tears started to fall again.

‘Why, Ji-hoon oppa... Why were you hiding your abilities when you were with me...’

“What’s really going on with you?”

Lee Jin-hyuk’s gaze grew even more suspicious.

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry. I just suddenly felt sad.”

“Anyway, we need to figure out how to handle S-rank dungeons too. Is there anything you can do on your own?”

“There’s... nothing I can do. If there was, the other S-rank Hunters would have done it already...”

Cha Soo-hyun was holding firm.

“I’ll focus on my entertainment career. I’ll become more popular than Yoo Hana. That should help, right?”

“Ha... This isn’t about the entertainment industry. That’s just pocket change. Purple mana stones are where the real money is.”

“It’s not about the money.”

“It is about the money. Why do you think I’m with you? To make money, of course. So if they start outpacing us, we’re in trouble.”

Jin-hyuk spoke bluntly.

“Oppa... Are you with me just for the money?”

“Of course. Why else would I be with the top S-rank Hunter? And you’re the same, aren’t you? Why are you with me? Don’t you want to be part of my group? Maybe even become the wife of the future head?”

He cut straight to the point.

“T-that’s...”

Cha Soo-hyun looked deeply troubled. He wasn’t wrong, but it still hurt.

“Fine... I’ll figure something out... Just give me some time...”

She made a promise she didn’t really believe in. With her E-rank status, there was nothing she could do. She was only stalling for time.

While Baek Ji-hoon was rising to success, she was stuck at rock bottom.

‘Should I just seduce Jin-hyuk oppa and get pregnant...’

She was seriously considering it as her last remaining card. As an E-rank, her only way out seemed to be pregnancy—using it as an excuse to avoid S-rank dungeons and protect herself.

‘No one’s going to send a pregnant woman into an S-rank dungeon... It’s the ultimate cheat code...’

‘But... Jin-hyuk oppa is so difficult... No matter how much I try to seduce him, he’s not easily swayed... I need him to lose his grip on reason... Ha...’

She sighed in frustration.

‘Alright, I need to come up with a plan.’

Cha Soo-hyun began quietly plotting her next move.