Chapter Text
Heeseung was slouching in his armchair, watching as Jongseong walked from one side of the closet to the other. Jongseong was talking to himself as he examined a suit hanging high above his head and then crouched down to open an old accessory box, pulling out different pairs of cufflinks. Heeseung slouched even further. Jongseong walked toward him, but instead of addressing him, he went to a small chest of drawers next to the armchair that Heeseung had almost merged with completely.
“How long is this going to take?” Heeseung asked. “And why do you even need me here? You know I don’t care about fashion.”
“I know that,” Jongseong said. He opened one of the drawers to display a collection of silk neckties that Heeseung hadn’t even known existed. “But you can still tell me if I look stupid or not.”
“Jongseong-ah, you never look stupid,” Heeseung said. “You’re always handsome. Your beauty shines above all–”
“You’re not getting out of this, hyung,” Jongseong said. He took a navy blue tie from the drawer and draped it over his shoulder. “This night is important to me. You can at least pretend to care.”
“Okay, fine,” Heeseung said.
He continued to watch as Jongseong seemed to observe every single piece of clothing in the large room. This hadn’t originally been a closet. It had been one of their many guest bedrooms, but Jongseong had remodeled it a few decades ago so that it could hold his expansive clothing collection. Heeseung didn’t share the same fondness for fashion that Jongseong did. He wore what was comfortable and held on to only a few sentimental articles from the past. His 122nd birthday was coming up soon. If he had kept all of the clothes he had ever owned, he would also need a bedroom for a closet.
“Are you nervous?” Heeseung asked. Jongseong was looking at shoes now. He assumed that was a good sign. Hopefully shoes were the final piece of Jongseong’s ensemble. “You have no reason to be nervous, if you are nervous.”
“It’s a good thing that I’m not nervous then,” Jongseong said.
Heeseung squinted his eyes, trying his best to pick up on any subtle clues that Jongseong was actually a nervous wreck. He didn’t see any. Jongseong was completely calm and relaxed as he carefully put together his outfit for the night.
It was the night that Heeseung had been waiting for. For nearly twenty years, he had watched as Jongseong and Sunghoon had been madly, obnoxiously in love with each other. They had no problem with confessing their love to each other every time Heeseung was in their presence. But tonight finally marked the next stage of their relationship. Jongseong had bought a gaudy ring and was planning on asking Sunghoon if he wanted to spend forever together. And that forever would be very literal.
Sunghoon lived in a stone cottage right on top of Seoraksan. He was a talented sorcerer and had enchanted it so that a house on top of a mountain was actually habitable. Heeseung had only been once. Snow was always piled on top of the roof and the inside was much larger than the outside would have one believe. It was completely isolated and Sunghoon had invested in blackout curtains for Jongseong so that he wouldn’t burn to death in the middle of the day.
If tonight went well, then Jongseong would be spending all of his time there with Sunghoon. Which meant he wouldn’t be in their house, and that meant more privacy for Heeseung.
He shifted in his armchair, the dark red velvet fabric rubbing against the backs of his thighs. Heeseung glanced at his watch. Jongseong needed to leave soon. His index finger started to tap quickly against the chair’s armrest. Heeseung crossed and uncrossed his legs.
“Are you thirsty?” Jongseong asked.
At some point he had changed into a pair of dark gray trousers and a white collared shirt. He was tying the navy blue tie around his neck now.
“Uh, no,” Heeseung said. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem antsy,” Jongseong said. “Impatient.” He rose an eyebrow as he scrutinized Heeseung. “Like you can’t wait for me to leave.”
“I’m obviously impatient for you to leave because I’m excited for you,” Heeseung said. “You and Sunghoon! You’re going to get engaged! I’m so happy.”
Jongseong finished tying his tie while keeping his eyes locked on Heeseung. It was like he was waiting for Heeseung to breakdown under his stare and to confess what was really going on.
“Do you need me to get you a blood bag from the kitchen?” Jongseong asked.
“No,” Heeseung said. “I’m fine. I already had dinner.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Jongseong said. “You’re acting weird.”
He finally took his eyes off of Heeseung as he continued getting dressed. Heeseung leaned his head back against the chair. He started to absentmindedly pick at one of his fingernails, digging into the skin around his nailbed.
“I’ll have the house to myself tonight,” Heeseung said. “And, you know it’s been a while since I last,” he waved his hands around in the air even though Jongseong definitely wasn’t looking at him, “and I thought I might try this thing that someone told me about.”
“Hyung,” Jongseong said. “What are you talking about?” He went back to staring at Heeseung, this time while fastening a pair of gold cufflinks to his shirt. “Be more specific.”
“I haven’t…” Heeseung put his hands in front of him, like he was holding a box, and then subtly and tastefully thrust his hips forward into the air. “Done that in a while.”
Jongseong didn’t blink. His stare was so unnerving that Heeseung wanted to jump up and clap his hands in front of his face so that Jongseong would become startled and break his concentration.
“Sex,” Jongseong said. “You’re over a century old and you can’t even say that you want to have sex?”
“Of course I can say it,” Heeseung said. “But you’re a bit conservative, so I didn’t want to upset your… delicate nature.”
“If tonight goes how I want it to, then I’ll be the one ending the night by doing this,” Jongseong said. He also held an imaginary box and pumped his hips toward it. “You want to get laid tonight?”
“Did you just offer?”
“No, you idiot,” Jongseong said. “I’m going to be doing that with Sunghoon.” He gave another thrust. Heeseung was starting to regret doing that motion in the first place. “And what thing did someone tell you about that you want to try?” Jongseong paused and thought about the words that he just said. “That doesn’t make any sense. What thing… you said someone told you about a thing and you want to try it and–”
“Beomgyu downloaded an app on my phone,” Heeseung said.
“And you trust an app that Beomgyu told you about?” Jongseong said.
“He told me that he and Soobin met Yeonjun through the app,” Heeseung said. “It’s legit.” He reached into the pocket of his basketball shorts and took out his phone. When he had the app opened, he showed it to Jongseong. “It has great reviews in the app store.”
Heeseung waved his phone, trying to make it look as enticing as possible. Jongseong sighed and went to one of the many dressers in the room. He opened up a glasses case sitting on top of it, putting on a pair of wire rimmed glasses that made him look like a famous, fictional boy wizard. Heeseung wasn’t even sure Jongseong actually needed glasses to see properly. He had never asked.
Jongseong took Heeseung’s phone from him and frowned at the screen.
“SuccuGlow?” Jongseong said. “That has to be the stupidest name for an app I’ve ever seen. What is this?”
“It’s a succubus hookup app,” Heeseung said with a shrug. He tried to make his voice sound as nonchalant as possible. “They have another app called IncuGlow, but I’ve always been more of a succubus guy than an incubus guy.”
“So, it’s an app for prostitution?” Jongseong asked.
He tossed the phone onto Heeseung’s lap and then crossed his arms over his chest. Jongseong seemed to disapprove. Heeseung wasn’t surprised. It had taken him almost two decades to finally take the next step with Sunghoon. Jongseong was younger than him, but his soul had always felt older, more old-fashioned.
“Well, yeah, I guess, when you put it that way,” Heeseung said. “But it’s legal and safe. Their kind feeds off of sex to survive. We feed off of blood. Vampires don’t kill humans anymore. We pay for donated blood. There are blood grocery stores. How is this any different than that?”
“I guess it’s not,” Jongseong said. “I still don’t like it though. You’re a good-looking guy, hyung.”
“Thank you, Jongseong-ah.”
“You could go to a bar and bring someone back here within an hour,” Jongseong said, ignoring Heeseung’s remark. “You’ve done it before.”
“But this is so easy,” Heeseung said. “There’s no chance of rejection. I just put in my preferences and pay and then I get someone who’s warm and willing and, ideally, gorgeous right at my door.”
Jongseong crossed his arms over his chest, frowned a bit, and then shrugged. Heeseung knew that was the closest to his blessing that he would ever get. Jongseong went back to getting dressed. Heeseung started to look through the app. He had created a profile that morning, but it was pretty basic. Heeseung was scrolling through his camera roll, trying to find a good photo for his profile, when Jongseong stood in front of him with his hands on his hips.
“So, what do you think?” Jongseong asked.
He did a full spin to show off his outfit. Jongseong was wearing a gray suit and his dark hair was slicked back on his head. He had kept the glasses on, which made Heeseung wonder if Sunghoon had a glasses kink. And then he instantly banished that thought from his head because he really didn’t want to think about that.
“You look good,” Heeseung said.
“Good,” Jongseong said. “Just good?”
“Very good,” Heeseung said. He gave Jongseong two thumbs-up. This didn’t seem to make him feel better. “Super good. No one has ever looked as good as you do right now.”
“Be honest.”
“You kind of look like you’re going to the bank.”
“The bank?” Jongseong said. He brought his hands to his head, running his fingers through his gelled hair. “I have to change.”
“You don’t have to,” Heeseung said quickly. He was already regretting his honesty. “Maybe Sunghoon is into that kind of thing.”
His words went unnoticed by Jongseong. He peeled off his suit jacket and necktie and then went around the room again, collecting more pieces of clothing until his arms were full. Heeseung slouched into his chair and continued to work on his profile for SuccuGlow.
Name: Heeseung
Gender: Male
Age: 122
Species: Vampire
This was easy enough so far.
“A banker,” Jongseong said under his breath. “He said that I looked like a fucking banker.”
“I said that you looked like you were going to the bank,” Heeseung said. “I didn’t say that you looked like you worked there.”
He went back to his camera roll, trying to find a good photo. Despite popular belief, he actually did appear in photographs and mirrors. Before vampires and other supernatural creatures had been revealed to the world, the few humans who had known of their existence had gotten a couple things wrong.
Heeseung paused on a photo of him standing by the railing of one of the balconies of their home. The moon was shining brightly behind him and he was giving the camera a smirk. Jongseong had been the one taking the photo. He had done it because Heeseung paid him to. It was for his Instagram.
He set the photo as his profile picture and then tapped his chin as he tried to think of a short blurb about himself. It didn’t really matter, he supposed. This wasn’t a dating app. He was a customer who was paying for a service. It wasn’t like he had to make himself marketable.
There were a few other features on the app. One had profiles of actual succubi that he could hire. He read through a few profiles but switched over to a different tab. It was an option for him to put in his preferences and the app would find him a match based on the information he gave. That appealed to him a bit more. He liked the element of surprise.
“Okay, what about now?” Jongseong asked.
Heeseung looked away from his phone so he could take in Jongseong’s new outfit. His hair was still gelled, but it was a bit looser now, with a few strands falling in front of his face. Jongseong had abandoned his glasses and the gray suit. He had a black suit on and had decided against any sort of tie.
Jongseong looked like a waiter, but Heeseung wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“Much better,” he said. “You look like a movie star, like from a 1990s movie.”
If that movie star was playing a caterer.
“Really?” Jongseong asked. He looked at himself in one of the many full-length mirrors in the room. “Do you think Sunghoon will like it?”
“He’s seen you in a suit before,” Heeseung said. “But, yeah, of course he’ll like it.”
That seemed to be enough to convince Jongseong. He pushed his hand through his hair once more and then he finally gave Heeseung permission to escape from the closet. Heeseung trailed behind him as Jongseong walked through the maze that was their home. He was talking nonstop, going over every single detail that he had planned for the night. Heeseung nodded along and made small comments when he was expected to.
When they made it to the front door, Jongseong turned around to look at him. He was sweating. That wasn’t a good sign. Heeseung wanted him out of the house tonight. He didn’t want Jongseong to get cold feet and decide to stay home instead.
“He feels the same way about me, doesn’t he?” Jongseong said. “He has to. I know that he does. I can sense it. But what if he doesn’t?”
This was it. Heeseung had to play his part perfectly now. He placed his hands on Jongseong’s shoulders and squeezed them.
“You and Sunghoon were meant to be together,” Heeseung said. “You both feel it. I’ve never seen two people who were more perfect for each other. He wants to marry you just as much as you want to marry him. Just do everything like you’ve planned and then it will result in you two making love tonight.”
“I don’t know why I thought you would be able to genuinely reassure me,” Jongseong said.
“Me neither,” Heeseung said. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks,” Jongseong said. “You too. Good luck with your… succubus app thing.” He put his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t open the door just yet. “Use protection.”
“Yes, Abeoji.”
“Don’t ever call me that again.”
“Understood, Appa.”
“That’s worse and you know it.”
Jongseong left, disappearing into the night and finally leaving Heeseung alone in their house. He instantly took his phone out of his pocket and went back to the SuccuGlow app. Heeseung thought about showering beforehand and changing into something a bit nicer than an oversized t-shirt and shorts, but decided against that. He wasn’t trying to seduce or impress anyone. This was simply transactional.
Heeseung went to the tab he was on before. He was more than prepared to fill out his specific preferences and requests, but he was met with a pop-up message that he hadn’t gotten before.
First time users must make an outbound call to request services.
He stared at the message, and read it over several times.
“I have to call?” Heeseung mumbled to himself. “It’s 2023 and I have to make a phone call?”
That was fine. He could do that. Heeseung was an adult.
He dialed the number that was provided and put the phone to his ear as it rang. An automated message greeted him. Heeseung walked through his house, making his way to his bedroom as he listened to the menu options. Option five was for new customers making their first request. He tapped the number five on his dial pad and someone was instantly on the other line. At least he didn’t have to wait on hold.
“Hello, thank you for calling SuccuGlow.” The tired, monotone voice wasn’t a surprise to him. Heeseung didn’t think he could ever enjoy working a customer service job either. “Is it your first time using our services?”
“It is,” Heeseung said. “I wanted to make a request on your app, but it said I had to call first.”
“That is correct,” the phone rep said. “Let me pull up your account. What is your username?”
Heeseung’s entire mind went blank. When he made the account, he never thought that he would ever have to say the name out loud to anyone.
“Sir, are you still on the line?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m here,” Heeseung said. “It’s, uh, sexyvamphee1901.”
“How charming.”
She didn’t sound charmed at all.
There were a few loud, most likely exaggerated keyboard clicks from the other line. She sighed heavily.
“I see your profile here,” she said. “I do have to ask one of your security questions to verify your identity. What year was your mother born?”
“1874,” Heeseung said.
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “Now, are you calling today to request your first service?”
“Yes,” Heeseung said. He sat down on the edge of his bed. This was going to take a while. “I wanted to put in my preferences and have someone be chosen for me.”
“I can help with that,” she said. “I’ll be asking you just a few questions, and then we’ll match you with one of our succubi.” He heard more loud typing before she asked the first question. “Do you have a genital preference?”
Heeseung started to cough. His own saliva had gotten stuck in his throat and he felt like he was going to choke.
“Sir,” the woman said, completely unbothered by his coughing fit. “I need you to speak clearly so that I can understand you.”
The question made sense, but he hadn’t expected it to be the first one she asked.
“Sorry,” Heeseung said once he managed to get a hold of himself and form words. “I prefer… vaginas.”
“Next question,” she said. Heeseung was almost grateful for her bored, clinical tone. “Do you have a gender preference?”
“Not really,” Heeseung said. “That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Do you prefer your partners to appear masculine, feminine, or androgynous?” she asked.
“Androgynous,” Heeseung said. “Or feminine. Or masculine. I guess that doesn’t matter either.”
“I’ll put androgynous down as your first choice,” she said. “Do you have an age preference?”
“Well, I’m 122,” Heeseung said. “But physically, I’m only 23 since that’s how old I was when I was turned.”
“I didn’t ask for your backstory, sir.”
“Right, of course,” Heeseung said. “I’ll just go for someone who’s physically close to my age.”
“Would an age range of 19-25 work for you?” she asked.
“That’s fine,” Heeseung said.
Most supernatural creatures were either born immortal, or were immortal because they were changed, like vampires and werewolves. Heeseung always liked to date someone who was a similar age to him. He never dated humans, so it wasn’t difficult to find someone else who was over a century old. Even though he supposed it didn’t matter tonight. This was just sex and a onetime thing.
“When it comes to a sexual partner,” the phone rep said, “do you prefer someone who is more dominant or submissive?”
“Submissive,” Heeseung said. He fell back against his bed, letting his back hit the mattress as he stared up at his ceiling. These questions were getting easier. “I’m not really looking for a BDSM scene though. I’m not really into that sort of thing.”
She asked a few more questions, ranging from a preferred height to the exact kind of acts he liked to perform with his partner. By the time she got to the final question, Heeseung was more than ready to actually meet this person who would perfectly fulfill all of his needs.
“This is the last question,” she said. “It’s optional, but we do recommend you answering as specifically as possible. Is there any particular fantasy that you wish to be fulfilled with this service?”
A fantasy? He hadn’t thought about that. Heeseung wasn’t the biggest fan of roleplaying. He liked it when sex was straightforward. Acting and playing a character didn’t exactly interest him.
There was one thing that he was into, but he had never told any of his past partners about it. If there was any time to do that, he supposed it was now.
“I like the idea of being with someone who’s a little… innocent,” Heeseung said. “Not naïve or childish, but someone who’s inexperienced. Kind of virginal.”
He cringed, hoping that the woman on the phone wasn’t judging him. But he highly doubted she was. Heeseung was sure that what he was asking for was particularly tame compared to what others might have requested.
“I’ll take note of that,” she said. “That is the end of our questionnaire. Now, I have a few questions about your payment.”
Giving her his credit card information was much easier than any other question she had asked that night. She gave him the price for one night and one morning and he paid it in full without thinking. The morning after had been an impulse decision. He had always liked that part about spending the night with someone. It was romantic, even if he knew that this service wasn’t going to be romantic at all. Heeseung was sure that whatever succubus he was matched with could at least pretend.
“How long until they arrive?” Heeseung asked.
He lifted his t-shirt up to his nose and sniffed. Maybe he really should take a shower. It would be the polite thing to do.
“They’ll arrive when you summon them,” the phone rep said. “I’m sending you a message to the app. It has the summoning information for the succubus you’ve matched with.”
“I’ve never summoned a demon before,” Heeseung said.
“It’s not difficult,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. We ask that you give them 15 minutes to get ready. After the 15 minutes have passed, you must summon them within one hour.”
That gave him time to shower and clean up a bit. He looked around his room and winced at the state it was in. His dirty clothes were on the floor and one side of his bed. On his nightstand were a few empty blood bags that he had been too lazy to throw away.
The woman on the phone gave him a very tired, bored sign off, including asking him to take a quick survey about their call, and then she hung up. Heeseung took note of the time and then got to work on cleaning his room, and himself. He didn’t know why he suddenly cared so much. This wasn’t romantic. Sex was the only thing he was getting out of this exchange. The succubus was getting paid, as well as the chance to use his sex energy for… whatever succubi used it for. He didn’t actually know how that whole sex energy thing worked. That didn’t matter though.
Heeseung went to his bathroom, stripping off his clothes and jumping into the shower. He acted fast, and didn’t let himself think of his unknown future partner. Heeseung tried his best not to create images in his head. He didn’t want to appear disappointed if they fell short of his increasingly high standards.
After showering, he changed into a pair of jeans and a clean shirt. He threw away the blood bags and tossed his dirty clothes into his normal, non-Jongseong sized closet.
Heeseung checked the time to see that the 15 minutes were up. He took a deep breath and opened the app on his phone. There was a tiny red dot next to the messages icon. He opened it and read over the steps to summon the succubus. An image of a pentagram was on the phone and he was instructed to place it on a flat surface. Heeseung put his phone down on the bed and then pressed play on the audio file that was attached to the message. A robotic, AI-sounding voice read out a short script of what had to be Latin.
The audio stopped and Heeseung stood there, waiting for something to happen. He was about to wonder if he had messed up the summoning somehow, when he blinked and then found himself looking at someone sitting on his bed, right on top of his phone.
Heeseung stared, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything else to do. The person was beautiful, with short black hair and angular eyes and a small, pouty pink mouth. They stared back at him and eventually Heeseung felt so self-conscious of their gaze that he looked down. Thankfully, they were fully dressed. The succubus was wearing a pale blue sweater and a pair of white shorts that ended just above their mid-thigh.
“Hi,” Heeseung said. “I’m guessing you’re the person that I summoned… from the app?”
“I am,” they said.
Their voice was pretty. A little high-pitched, smooth, soothing, perfectly matched to their other features.
The succubus slid off the bed and stood in front of Heeseung. They were shorter than him and looked up at him with their big eyes.
“I’m Heeseung,” he said.
“My name is Jungwon,” the succubus said.
“Cool.”
He couldn’t stop himself from wincing. This was so awkward, but he didn’t know how it could be anything but awkward. Heeseung had never used a service like this before. He was used to striking out at bars, not having a beautiful creature delivered right to his bed.
“Your profile said that you’re a vampire,” Jungwon said. They glanced around Heeseung’s bedroom. Suddenly, Heeseung wished that he had tidied up even more. “You’re not allowed to suck my blood during this.”
“I know,” Heeseung said. It was one of the terms that he had to agree to when he made an account on the app that morning. “I would never do that. I haven’t… I can’t remember the last time I drank someone’s blood.” He put his hands in his pockets, just so he could have something to do. “I’ve never drank from a succubus before either.”
“Some say that succubus blood is even better than human’s,” Jungwon said.
They started to walk slowly around Heeseung’s room. Their teeth dug into their bottom lip and Heeseung felt a swirl of desire run through his stomach. He wouldn’t be opposed to drinking directly from a willing individual. That was too intimate for this type of exchange though. And of course, it wasn’t allowed.
“When I requested you,” Heeseung said, “I gave a, um, genital preference, but I didn’t really–”
“I have a vagina,” Jungwon said.
“That’s… great,” Heeseung said. He held up a thumbs-up but Jungwon’s back was turned to him as they continued to inspect his belongings. “Gender was a bit more open though. I think they put androgynous down as my first pick, and you are pretty androgynous, but just so that I know–”
“I identify as a male,” Jungwon said.
“Great,” Heeseung said, nodding his head. “That’s awesome. So cool. I have no issue with that.”
Jungwon finally stopped inspecting his room. He turned around to face Heeseung again. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and, unlike before, he was having trouble making eye contact.
“So, what do you want to do?” Jungwon asked.
He went to Heeseung’s bed and sat back down. His shorts rode up his legs just a bit and Heeseung tried his best not to stare at the newly exposed skin. Even though, why would he look away? Jungwon was a professional. He seemed a little nervous now, but that was probably just an act. Heeseung had said that he liked a partner who seemed a bit… innocent.
“Nothing too crazy,” Heeseung said. He was starting to gain more confidence. It’s not like this was Heeseung’s first time. He wasn’t a virgin. Jungwon wasn’t the first or last person to come to his bed. “I’m a pretty simple guy.”
Heeseung grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Jungwon’s eyes flickered away from staring at the floor. He looked at Heeseung and his flush became even darker. Thoughts of drinking his blood came back to Heeseung, but only for a single second. He was a mature vampire. The bloodlust and lack of control that newly turned vampires experienced didn’t apply to him.
“How do you define ‘simple?’” Jungwon asked.
He leaned back against the bed as Heeseung approached him. Jungwon leaned back so much that his back ended up flush against the mattress. Heeseung’s phone was still resting on the bed. The image of the pentagram illuminated the screen.
“I’d like to kiss you,” Heeseung said. He got onto the bed and put his legs on either side of Jungwon’s waist before resting his elbows on the bed as well. Jungwon’s face was impossibly red now. “Get you naked. See how wet I can make you. Fuck you until you come on my cock. I just want to take care of you.”
“Oh,” Jungwon said.
His voice was now a tiny squeak. He couldn’t look at Heeseung any longer. His eyes started to dart around the room and his lips pressed together.
This was… not exactly what Heeseung had in mind. He had expected innocence, and he was sure that Jungwon was putting on a show, but it was a bit too extreme for his tastes. Heeseung had been thinking of a shy, nervous succubus who was still enthusiastic and willing.
Jungwon seemed to be looking for the nearest escape.
“Sorry to ask this,” Heeseung said. “But it’s probably better for me to mention it now than later. You don’t have to act so unsure. Maybe I could have worded my request better, but I just wanted someone a little nervous. Kind of shy and sweet.”
His response was a quick nod from Jungwon. None of his nerves seemed to ease though. Heeseung put his hand on Jungwon’s waist and felt him jerk away from the touch. His entire body was tense.
Before he could tell Jungwon that this was not at all what he wanted, Jungwon pushed his shoulders and sent Heeseung toppling backward onto the floor.
“Sorry,” Jungwon said quickly as he got off the bed. “I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t.” He started to pat his pockets and scowled. Jungwon’s face was still red, but his expression was more determined than it had been since he arrived. “Why didn’t I take my phone with me?”
Jungwon spotted Heeseung’s phone on the bed, still unlocked, and picked it up.
“What exactly can’t you do?” Heeseung asked.
He slowly stood up and watched as Jungwon dialed a number and pressed his phone to his ear.
“Hyung, it’s me,” Jungwon said into the phone. “I need you to come get me.” The other person spoke for a bit and then Jungwon’s attention was back on Heeseung. “What’s your address?”
Heeseung was still so confused and caught off guard, that he gave the address without thinking. Jungwon relayed the information to his friend or brother or maybe even boyfriend, before ending the call.
“So, I feel like a need an explanation,” Heeseung said. He continued to stand in the middle of the room, watching as Jungwon pulled open the door to his closet. Jungwon grabbed a long trench coat and wrapped it around himself. “Are you leaving? Did I do something wrong? Are you stealing my coat?”
“I’m not stealing it,” Jungwon said. “I’ll have it dry cleaned and sent back to you. About the service, just ask for a refund. I’m sure they’ll fire me, but that’s fine. This was all a mistake.”
He left Heeseung’s bedroom without another word. Heeseung stood there, a bit in shock, before he came to his senses and followed Jungwon into the hall. He didn’t offer Jungwon any direction as he went traipsing through the house, getting lost at a couple of dead ends as he tried to navigate the many halls and corridors.
“Why are you working for a company that offers these kinds of services, if you don’t actually want to do it?” Heeseung asked.
“Because my parents own the company,” Jungwon said.
As he descended down a flight of stairs, Heeseung’s coat fanned out behind him like a cape.
“Your parents want you to do this kind of work?” Heeseung asked.
“Of course they do,” Jungwon said. “I’m a succubus. It’s what I was born to do. They were already so disappointed when I told them that I wasn’t polyamorous like they were. I didn’t want to break their hearts again by telling them that I didn’t want to have sex with strangers.”
“How many times have you done this?” Heeseung asked.
It must have been a few times since it seemed that Jungwon had finally snapped. His nerves and panic in Heeseung’s bed had been genuine then, not a character that he was putting on.
“This would have been my first time,” Jungwon said. He stopped at the landing of another staircase and turned around to face Heeseung. “You really could have gotten your virgin fantasy. Sorry I had to ruin it.”
He continued throughout the house and Heeseung felt the strong need to defend himself.
“It’s not that I have a virgin fantasy,” Heeseung said. “It’s more like a roleplay kink thing.”
“Isn’t that the same thing as a fantasy?” Jungwon asked.
“Well, no, but maybe,” Heeseung said. “I guess I kind of do like the idea of – Wait, you’re actually a virgin?”
“Yes,” Jungwon said. “Why would I lie about that?” He came to the end of another hallway and threw his hands up in the air out of frustration. “How do you get out of this place? Where’s the exit?”
“I can show you,” Heeseung said.
“Why didn’t you offer to do that earlier?”
“Because you didn’t ask for help.”
“Well,” Jungwon said, looking up at Heeseung and putting his hands on his hips. “I’m asking for help now. I want to leave. Please show me the way.”
“Follow me,” Heeseung said.
With Heeseung leading the way, the journey through the house was much less chaotic. Jungwon walked behind him instead of by his side. Heeseung glanced back at him a few times to see that he had wrapped Heeseung’s coat around himself. He looked so tiny in it, and adorable.
“Do you live in this house by yourself?” Jungwon asked.
“No,” Heeseung said. “I have a roommate. He’s off wooing the love of his life.”
“Good for him,” Jungwon said.
They continued to walk. The closer they got to the front door, the slower Heeseung made his steps.
“You’re a succubus,” Heeseung said, “and a virgin.”
“Do you not believe me?” Jungwon asked.
“No, I do,” Heeseung said. “I guess I’m just trying to figure out how you survive. A succubus not having sex is like a vampire not drinking blood, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily,” Jungwon said. “I was a child once, you know. There are other ways for my kind to survive.”
“Like how exactly?” Heeseung asked.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
That was a fair response.
Heeseung couldn’t put off their arrival to the front door any longer. He stopped in front of it and then watched Jungwon scour his shoe rack for a pair of slides that were also too big for him.
“I’ll return these too,” Jungwon said, pointing to the shoes. “Or I can buy you a new pair. These are kind of old.”
He lifted one of his feet and frowned at the worn and dirty material of the slides. Heeseung bit his tongue and did his best to not reply to that innocent insult.
“They’re my roommate’s shoes.”
“Are they really?”
Jungwon’s dubious look made Heeseung keep his mouth shut. He almost missed the nervous, panicked virgin who had been in his bed. At least that version of Jungwon wasn’t so sassy.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” Heeseung said.
“It is,” Jungwon said. “I’ll let the company know that I bailed on you. You’ll get a refund, or you can call again and get someone new for the night. It’s up to you. Bye!”
He swung the front door opened and then ran out into the front yard. Heeseung walked onto the porch and watched as Jungwon jogged to a figure who was standing at the end of the front walkway. Their arms were outstretched for Jungwon to fall into.
That must have been the “hyung” that Jungwon had been speaking to. They were probably a sorcerer, if they were able to travel to Heeseung’s house so quickly. Heeseung ignored the twinge of jealousy in his chest. He kept his eyes on them until they disappeared into thin air, leaving Heeseung alone again.