Side Story Chapter 41 - To Live as a Human (2)

Side Story Chapter 41 - To Live as a Human (2)

“I think this is the first time we’ve gone out on a date, just the two of us,” said Lilith as she grabbed Kang-Woo’s hand with a smile.

The gentle sea breeze of Gwangalli Beach blew over them. They called it a date, but they were not anywhere special like when Oh Kang-Woo went with Han Seol-Ah to an amusement park. They had gone shopping, to a coffee shop, and chatted as they walked along the beach like a regular couple.

“Oh, my king. May I try a bite of that?”

Lilith pointed at a restaurant as they were walking along the beach. It was a corn dog chain with restaurants all over the world.

“Huh? You want to eat that?”

Kang-Woo stared at Lilith wide-eyed. He was not belittling corn dogs; he was just shocked that Lilith of all people wanted to eat something.

“But you can barely taste it, can you?” he asked.

Demons generally did not eat since demonic energy was all they needed in terms of sustenance. Hence, unless one was like Kang-Woo, who went from human to demon, taste buds were atrophied for most demons.

“Fufu. I’ve been gaining a sense of taste lately,” Lilith replied.

“Really?”

Kang-Woo’s eyes gleamed with great interest. This was the first time he had heard of a demon gaining a sense of taste.

“Yes. It could be because I’ve been using a human body all this time.”

“Oh,” Kang-Woo expressed, recalling something he had forgotten because it had been such a long time. “Come to think of it, that’s not your body.”

The body that Lilith was using at the moment was originally that of the woman Kurosaki Yurie. Kang-Woo had forgotten because it looked as if Lilith had taken full control over it.

“Come to think of it... Kurosaki Yurie, was it? Is the former owner of that body still asleep?”

Kang-Woo recalled Lilith saying that Kurosaki Yurie was asleep inside her consciousness when he asked her a very long time ago.

“Oh...” Lilith subtly flinched. She averted her gaze from Kang-Woo, her expression reflecting slight anxiety, and continued after a short moment, “Yes. Sh-She’s still asleep.”

The way she replied as she tapped on the ground with the end of her foot was slightly unnatural. Kang-Woo stared at Lilith doubtfully.

“She’s been sleeping for a while, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, it has been a long time.”

“Mmm... Perhaps her consciousness is being suppressed by that of a demon.”

That was the only logical reason he could think of for why Kurosaki Yurie had yet to awaken.

‘Well, it kind of makes sense.’

The one in control was none other than the Succubus Queen. Considering Lilith had lived far longer than Kurosaki Yurie, it wouldn’t be strange for her consciousness to be overwhelmed by Lilith’s and be unable to wake up, even if she were the original owner of the body.

‘I feel a little bad for her.’

Forget frustrated; she might even resent Lilith for stealing her body.

‘Well, it has nothing to do with me.’

Kang-Woo shrugged leisurely. Ethically speaking, Lilith could be seen as a villain who stole the body of an innocent woman.

‘So what?’

He was not acquainted with Kurosaki Yurie, nor had he spoken to her even once. He couldn’t care less about someone getting his body stolen by a demon. Rather, he couldn’t be happier that Lilith had turned from a tentacle monster to a stunning beauty.

‘Though she still thinks tentacles are the most beautiful things in the world.’

At the very least, Lilith realized that Kang-Woo did not like tentacles and did not manifest them in front of him unless she was ecstatic or flustered.

‘The problem is...’

She seemed to think the reason why Kang-Woo despised her tentacles had to do with his tastes in particular. She didn’t think that her tentacles were hideous but that Kang-Woo’s abnormal tastes rejected her stunningly beautiful tentacles.

“Haaa,” Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

He had done his best to explain it to her multiple times, but the beauty standards deeply rooted inside her head did not change. It was difficult to change a notion in one’s head once rooted in place.

There was no need to look far for an example. People in the past thought that being obese was an indication of health and wealth and thought those with more fat were more beautiful. Would those people think the celebrities and models of today were attractive?

‘No way.’

It was easier to picture the other way around. The people of today would not envy the obese people of the past who were considered the epitome of beauty.

‘I mean... I guess it’s fine as long as she doesn’t flaunt them around me.’

It didn’t matter to Kang-Woo if Lilith thought he had abnormal tastes or kinky fetishes; all that mattered was that she knew he didn’t like tentacles. Kang-Woo stopped thinking about useless things and turned to the restaurant Lilith pointed at.

“Sure. Which flavor?”

“Mozzarella cheese!”

Kang-Woo ordered two mozzarella cheese corn dogs and paid at the card machine placed in front of the restaurant. Two delicious-looking corn dogs covered in sugar and ketchup arrived soon after.[1] Kang-Woo gulped and took a large bite out of the corn dog.

“My king...?” Lilith looked at him with her head tilted.

“It’s nothing.” Kang-Woo focused back on Lilith and smiled. “Let’s finish what we were doing.”

“Ah! P-Please, wait!”

Lilith’s screams continued.

***

“Haaa, haaa.” Lilith panted heavily and leaned her head on Kang-Woo’s chest once he let go of her shoulders after punishing her until he was satisfied. “It was... just a joke.”

Lilith pouted adorably. Kang-Woo patted Lilith’s head.

“That aside... Spending time with you like this makes it feel like I’ve become human,” Lilith remarked.

“Human?”

Lilith smiled bitterly and replied, “Yes. Spending time alongside humans as I eat and laugh like them... it’s just a feeling I get.”

‘Does it mean she’s getting accustomed to human culture?’

It was only natural since it had been a while since she first arrived on Earth.

‘Wait...’

Kang-Woo’s eyes lit up as if he thought of a good idea. If she was getting used to human culture, it also meant she was developing human values. In other words, Her beauty standards, which he couldn’t change no matter what he did, could adapt to human standards as well.

“Lilith,” he called.

“Yes?”

Kang-Woo grabbed her hands and asked seriously, “You love me, right?”

“Of course.”

“That means you’ll be living on Earth with me from now on, right?”

Lilith nodded.

“In that case, you have to start living as a human than a demon.”

“Living... as a human?”

“Yeah.” Kang-Woo gripped Lilith’s hands harder. “You have to know human values, notions, thoughts... and what they like and dislike.”

“...”

“We’re not demons anymore. To live alongside humans in a society made by humans... we need to become human.”

That was what it meant to live as a human.

“Ah...” Lilith’s eyes widened as if she were enlightened. “Human values...”

She fell into thought as she placed her hands over her chest. She fell into deep thought and raised her head.

“Does that mean I also have to learn about the morals and ethics of human society?” she asked.

“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”

‘Morals and ethics are a part of human values.’

“...”

Deathly silence fell. Lilith bit her lip with a gloomy expression. She shut her eyes tightly as she thought long and hard, then slowly opened her eyes.

“I have something to confess, my king.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“To tell you the truth... Kurosaki Yurie, the former owner of this body, woke up not long ago.”

“What?”

‘She woke up?’

“To live as a human like you said... I would have to follow human morals and ethics. If that is the case...” Lilith said sorrowfully, “It would be the right call... to give this body back to its rightful owner, right? After all, from a human point of view, I am... a wicked being who stole the body of an innocent human.”

“...”

Kang-Woo reached out to grab Lilith’s shoulders as her eyes shook. He could feel her anxiety and worry just from touching her. She was likely thinking that if she returned this body to its rightful owner, Kang-Woo would start running away from her again like he had in Hell.

“Listen carefully, Lilith,” Kang-Woo remarked in all seriousness. “We are demons to the core.”

‘We can never be human.’

1. Yes, we sprinkle sugar on corn dogs... I don’t like it being so sweet but if others like it then whatever... ☜