"This is impossible."
No matter how many times Maehwa searched the house—checking suspicious spots like under the bed, locked drawers, furniture, and even the back wall of the wardrobe—he found absolutely nothing.
Was this a monk's house or something?
How could a 20-year-old guy not own a single adult magazine? Even a hormone-driven teenager would have at least one!
Maehwa flopped onto the bed in exhaustion.
"This is getting annoying. I thought he only looked innocent, but turns out his soul is pure too. Was he some kind of saint of purity? If that's the case, how could I even use his body?"
Humans who had a high level of virtue were called saints. They had mental fortitude strong enough to resist temptation—as if they had unwavering faith against sin. Meanwhile, humans who possessed massive levels of sin were called sinners.
Maehwa could inhabit this body. So clearly, its former owner had secrets.
But without his main weapons—no magazines, films, or 19+ comics—he was trapped in a body that couldn't enjoy earthly pleasures. His goal on Earth was to farm, as in farm sin points. And his top priority was seeking pleasure.
But how was he supposed to enjoy himself when there was no "material"?
Even though Lust was the sin of desire, he couldn't just walk around naked flaunting his body. This was the human world—they had things like laws. He'd get labeled a pervert and thrown in jail. Envy's dimensional pass would go to waste.
"Haah, I need sustenance."
***
After wandering around for nearly an hour, Maehwa's irritation reached its peak.
What kind of country didn't have a single adult shop? Even the most morally strict worlds had at least one. No one could escape lust! So far, all he'd seen were arcades, cafés, convenience stores, and internet cafés blasting the same pop song on repeat.
"You don't know Ripple Ripple Love? Kid, are you from overseas?"
So said the store owner when Maehwa began grumbling about that damned song. Its cheery tone didn't match his foul mood. He wouldn't even be out here if his phone had data. Not to mention, he didn't have enough money for a top-up. The previous owner of this body was dirt poor!
"Do I have to buy it online? Ck, it's like I'm trying to score illegal drugs."
A sudden ripple of lust energy stopped Maehwa mid-rant. He turned reflexively.
Behind him stood a building with the words KARAOKE BAR, overflowing with sinful energy. Aha! Maehwa grinned. No matter the place, there were always humans committing indecency somewhere.
At last—my sin point farm!
Things looked normal in the lobby. All down the hallway were rooms filled with people singing and dancing like idiots. Among them was a group of high schoolers laughing loudly. But those naive brats weren't what caught Maehwa's attention.
The lustful aura wasn't coming from them—but from the second floor. The problem was, that floor wasn't open to just anyone. A tiny plaque on the wall by the stairs spelled it out: VIP Only.
Maehwa boldly tried to go up, but was immediately blocked by a large man in a sharp suit. "Sorry, this area's VIP," he said coldly.
And just like that, Maehwa was kicked back down to the first floor.
Maehwa scoffed and rolled up his sleeves. Did they think he'd back off while sin points were calling out to him?
Just as he prepared for a second attempt, the door to Room 9 suddenly swung open beside him. A flushed woman grabbed Maehwa's arm and yanked him inside without warning. The scent of alcohol clung to her like perfume.
"Doctor Cheon, it's too early to leave! Come on, let's drink more, hic!"
Oh great. This woman was possessed by Drunken, the sin of inebriation. Not useful at all to Maehwa. With her mind clouded, she'd mistaken him for someone else.
Hm? Wait a minute…Wasn't lust easier to provoke when someone was drunk?
Maehwa flashed a flirty smile. "Fufufu, sweet lady~ Is drinking all you want to do? Don't you want something more? I have special serv—"
His seductive pitch was cut off when the woman gripped his bandaged left wrist, making him wince. "Since when did you get hurt? You were fine earlier…"
She opened her bag and pulled out a large, modern first aid kit—way more advanced than Maehwa's. With surprising care for someone clearly intoxicated, she unwrapped his sloppy bandage and gently cleaned the cut with antiseptic. She even blew on it softly now and then.
"If you don't take care of it properly, bacteria could get in and it'll get infected."
The woman wrapped it in a new bandage, much neater than before, and patted his hand gently.
"There. Now it's all pretty."
Maehwa stared at his left hand, eyes wide.
Wow! Her bandaging skills were insane. It felt nice on his skin. Was she really drunk? Or was this just her specialty? Impressive.
Hah?! What am I doing?! I sound like a fool!
Maehwa hadn't meant to praise her. Yeah, that had totally slipped out. He was a spirit of sin. Giving compliments wasn't in his nature. That was the job of Praise, a virtue—and clearly on the opposite side.
Before Maehwa could react, the woman had already stood up and dragged him forward, fiddling with the song panel. Her face beamed with excitement as she picked the next track.
"This is it!" She exclaimed, handing Maehwa the mic as he sighed. "Your turn to sing, Doctor Cheon! It's Shining Love by the group WoNi! Rara said this song's trending!"
Instead of arousing his target, he'd become the victim of karaoke. Maehwa knew nothing about the song. Whatever. He sang lazily, following the rhythm without thinking.
♪ A spark appears in the darkened lake. I follow the warm light waving to me
♪ When darkness comes, you become the flame, guiding me through the thorns
♪ I should've remembered it all—
♪ Remembered that you're the only lantern lighting up my days ♫
Maehwa sang the lyrics without any trouble. The woman gazed at him with sparkling eyes. On the screen, the score climbed from 80 to 90, with a message that read: "You should become a singer!" Impressive.
"Y-you're really good at singing!"
Technically speaking, he was an expert in all things romantic—like singing. Maehwa was also skilled at fast-tracking human relationships, manipulating threads of emotion until they fell for each other faster than fate intended. Of course, their love always ended up tainted—thanks to his mischievous interference.
"Are you… a trainee, maybe?"
Maehwa tilted his head. "What's that?"
"You don't know? A trainee is a future idol."