You pride yourself in being the #1 aespa fanboy, even going as far as buying a first edition photocard from a shady reseller for $400, but you never expected it would accidentally summon Karina—a magical genie who doubles as your favorite K-pop idol—now cursed to grant you, her new master, three whole wishes.
“Hurry up and make your first wish, I don’t have all day.”
You don’t respond—or rather, you can’t. You’re locked in that hazy, tingling daze that settles over humans when they look at me in the eyes for too long. I’ve seen this expression countless times before on emperors, CEOs, politicians, and surprising to literally no one—k-pop fans. It never gets less pathetic.
It’s a trance—we call it the Kiss of the Succubus. It isn’t mind control, it’s more like your brain decided to take a quick vacation and left lust in the driver’s seat instead.
That being said, I’m pretty certain that not a single word I’d said in the last three minutes made it through your thick head, but that’s fine. You are human, after all. Predictable. Simple. Weak.
“What did you say you were again?” you ask, proving me right—not that I need you to, I’m always right.
I sigh, almost by habit, because disappointment is just my default state when it comes to your kind, especially men. “I’m a genie. You rubbed my face on that photocard like a freakin’ weirdo and now I’m stuck with you for three whole wishes. It’s really not that complicated.”
You’re silent again. Just like the last two times I said it.
Your eyes roam my body, as if the Karina from aespa standing before you in the flesh is more of a shock to you than me being an actual supernatural being. It’s the same old rodeo over and over, and if it weren’t for my divine punishment, I wouldn’t even bother dealing with you for even a second.
Long story short, after the war in heaven ended several eons ago, every angel on Lucifer’s side was banished into Hell as demons. Almost everyone knows that part, or at least some variation of it. What no one really knows is that those of us who chose not to participate on either side were also punished—sent down into the human world as genies. And as a consequence of not fighting the Fallen with valor and devotion during the war, we’re now forced to serve His children instead, through these silly wishes.
Bullshit, I know. I just wanted a nice peaceful life, and instead I have to deal with you salivating like a dog in front of me, with your tongue practically prying itself out of your mouth as you stare at my body like I’m the first woman you’ve ever seen.
Sometimes I really wish I couldn’t read minds. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to feel your arousal building up like a dam that’s about to shatter, ready to burst right out of your body in a messy explosion that I really don’t want to see.
“So did you like…take over Karina’s body, or are you actually Karina?” you ask, slowly snapping back to reality.
“I’m Karina,” I say, involuntarily rolling my eyes. “This is my human face and my human body. Hell, it’s even my real name.”
You nod, mouth opening like you’re about to apologize for asking such an insulting question, but instead you ask another one that’s even worse. “So then how old are you?”
I stare at you. You stare back, proudly and profoundly clueless.
You know what? I’m not even going to bother getting mad about this, even though I should be.
“I don’t have an age. Age is a human concept.” I slowly walk closer to you, forcing the lights in the room to flicker with my growing presence. “I was born on the First Day along with the light. I’ve existed before time—and certainly before your kind was ever molded from the dust.”
Your body shudders, forcing itself into fight or flight mode from our closed distance; every cell in your body knows that I’m something else that just isn’t natural, even if you yourself might still be in denial.
“I don’t get it,” you stutter, retreating until your calves hit the bedframe—toppling backward onto the mattress with a helpless thump. “If you’re really a genie, why are you pretending to be kpop star instead of like…I don’t know…anything else?”
I blink. “Pretending?” My voice raises a pitch. “I auditioned and went through the same training as everyone else, fair and square. I didn’t cheat or take any shortcuts—”
“Sorry—that’s not what I meant—” You lift your hands in a helpless gesture, trying to defend yourself, but as soon as you move, your gaze betrays you.
“I don’t know why I bother explaining anything to you when all you do is stare at my boobs,” I say, folding my arms.
Your eyes dart back up to meet mine in reflex, so fast that you almost sprain your neck. But that was a mistake. I watch your pupils dilate in real time as you go back into a hypnotic trance. Good, let’s enjoy a bit of quiet for the next few seconds.
Look—the truth is, every genie functions differently depending on the powers we had when we were angels. I was the angel of desire, so the more people love and worship me, the stronger I become. And what better way to achieve that than to become a kpop star? If anything, that’s the shortcut. I admit it’s a bit of a cheat code compared to what the other genies have to do to get by, but it’s just too convenient to pass up.
That being said, we always have to choose a cursed object to leave behind. Sure, for the last couple of centuries, most have opted for a lamp, including myself. But it’s 2025, for Father’s sake, who goes shopping for old lamps anymore? I’d never get summoned in the modern age if I curse a dumb lamp—and if I go too long without granting a wish, I’ll have to deal with them.
So naturally, when I became aespa’s Karina, I chose a single photocard from the first print of our debut album. That’s the one that you bought from a shady reseller on eBay for $400—which, by the way, was a total ripoff. But I guess you could just call it a good investment if you’re smart enough to play your cards right.
Except… something tells me you’re not smart. At all.
“Alright, I seriously don’t have time for this.” I snap my fingers to break the spell again in case you choke on your own hormones and die or something. “I’m supposed to have dinner with the girls, and we have to get up early tomorrow for a commercial shoot. Make your wish, otherwise I’m leaving.”
It’s all a lie, of course. We don’t have any dinner plans tonight. I don’t even need to eat, drink, or even sleep to survive, I do it just to blend in.
“What kind of wishes can you grant?” you ask, staring at my chest again.
It’s basically where your eyes default to at this point. Unbelievable—but also, not really.
“Finally, a valid question,” I say, turning to the side, and as expected, you glance at my butt almost immediately. “You can wish for anything that’s in the realm of possibility besides immortality, bringing back the dead, jumping into the future, or violating another living being’s free will. That includes animals—because there was this guy back in 524 B.C who—whatever—anyways, moving on…”
You swallow hard as I lean over to whisper, “And obviously, no silly loopholes like unlimited wishes or transferring my powers to you. We’re not stupid.”
“…How long do I have to use these wishes?” you ask, licking your lips without even noticing, eyes sinking helplessly into my cleavage like gravity dragged them there.
Alright, so this is the part where I bend the rules a little. I’m not really supposed to lie to you, but hey, I’ve never gotten in trouble for omitting parts of the truth before.
You technically have the rest of your life to use your three wishes, and I’m not really allowed to stop serving you until you use them all, but I just don’t have it in me to tell you that, because then you’d never use them and just keep me around forever. Especially with the way you’re looking at me right now, like my presence in itself is a wish come true.
“I don’t know,” I lie, trying to divert your attention back up. “But if you take too long, I’ll kill you myself.”
You flinch. The threat works every time. Fear is productive.
“You can do that?” you ask, brows furrowing.
“I’m a genie,” I say, tilting my head. “Why wouldn’t I be able to? Piss me off and find out.”
You hesitate for a moment, just to ask the dumbest question yet. “Can you prove that you’re a genie? You kind of just look like Karina.”
“…That’s because I am Karina, you idiot,” I say, a hand moving over my face.
I don’t get it, what of this conversation was so difficult for you to understand? What exactly do you think a genie is supposed to look like? Blue and fat like the one from Aladdin?
I sigh and clap my hands, turning the room pitch black. “There. Power’s out.”
You jump from the abruptness and look around the room, but I can feel your heart racing from excitement instead of fear.
“Power’s back now,” I snap my fingers, and the room returns to normal. “Need more proof?”
“Whoa...” An annoying smirk starts forming on your face. “What else can you do?”
Honestly, at this point I’m more annoyed at you questioning my geniehood than wasting my time.
“Aside from all of this?” I ask, waving my arms. “I can also read your thoughts and your feelings.”
Piles of clothes and books rearrange themselves around the room as I continue explaining this part for the 1000th time. And for the record, I’m not cleaning your room because I want to do you a favor for free, I just can’t stand filth.
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