Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 27

—–CROW—– 

This was the Hunter Channel. 

A sort of online rest stop for lonely Hunters, or not-so-lonely Hunters and aspiring Hunters to hang out when they had nothing to do.  

Actually, many ordinary civilians also visited this place.  

Usually, the Hunter Channel shared information related to Awakened individuals: dungeon information, Gate anomalies, raid strategies, and various photos, images, and data on dungeons and monsters.

But these dungeon images and videos were more fascinating and spectacular than movies for ordinary civilians. 

 Real monsters, beasts, grotesque beings, and strange entities appearing in reality were far more exciting than the crude CGI monsters in movies. 

It was natural for people to crave more vivid and dangerous data and videos.

Of course, due to the danger, they rarely had the chance to witness such things directly, but since various materials were routinely shared on the Hunter Channel, many civilians visited out of curiosity.

ㅡ[Goblin Third Kingdom Dungeon Warning Issued]

ㅡMany small and medium-sized guilds usually use the Third Kingdom as a gold mine, but don’t come today. The king has respawned.

ㄴAgain???

ㄴFuck, I have to pay my credit card bill tomorrow…

ㄴThe Goblin King’s respawn cycle is getting shorter and shorter.

ㄴWasn’t it born in just three weeks this time?

ㄴThe Association suspects a female Awakened has been captured. That’s the only explanation for the king respawning so quickly.

ㄴCrazy. Is the missing persons list out yet?

ㄴA subjugation team will probably be formed soon.

ㅡGate Number 39-1. Which idiot left their equipment here?

ㄴ222222222.

ㄴMana overflowed there, so I had to abandon everything and run.

ㄴGive me your address. I’ll send it to you.

ㄴThanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks. Send it COD.

ㄴHey, but does this thing usually glow?

ㄴGet out of there, now.

ㄴWhat?

ㄴ33 Why isn’t this guy posting a follow-up?

ㄴWhat’s up?

ㄴThis guy probably touched a cursed item LOL

ㅡSo, where’s the super cute, short-stacked, female goblin?

ㄴIs this guy crazy?

ㄴThey exist. They’re sometimes sold at auction houses.

ㄴReally???

ㄴWhy does something like that even exist???

ㄴBut it’ll probably cost over 3 billion won. Removing their aggression and ferocity, the breeding process, and training them is incredibly difficult.

ㄴIt’s amazing that they even exist.

ㄴOnly those who earn a lot can probably buy them LOL

Of course, most of the posts were usually nonsense or pointless chatter.

Awakened and Hunters were also human.

Moreover, it had been 20 years since the Great Rift.  It wasn’t surprising that a wave of young people was coming in, so there were many young, energetic users who used all sorts of slang.

And so, the Hunter Channel was once again overflowing with useful information, pointless chatter, NSFW images, nonsense, baseball video links, and countless other data, including artists.

But today, some strange users were caught.

ㅡGoddess, please play one more time, please play just one more time, please

ㅡI know you’re watching this, please, please, please

ㄴBan for personal relationships.

ㅡWhat’s with these guys?

[Mental contamination detected. Activating brainwashing device.]

With the increase in mental contamination terrorism, memetic contamination, and the number of individuals with related abilities in the modern era, most cybernet firewalls had techniques to neutralize or remove mental contamination.

Of course, it cost money later, but it was better than suffering brain death from continuous mental contamination.

In fact, these “strange people” appeared frequently.

Since the Great Rift, AIs had become Awakened on the internet, spreading runaway and frenzied memes.  The internet, without a safety net, was still a dangerous wilderness, so it was only natural.

But today, the number of these people was unusually high.

ㅡGoddess, goddess, goddess, goddess, goddess, goddess, goddess

ㅡMy angel, my devil, my goddess, my lady

ㅡPretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty

ㅡPlay again, play again, play again, play again, play again, play again, play again, play again, play again, play again

ㅡWhat’s going on today?

ㅡDid a women’s community get linked?

ㅡThey don’t do stuff like this.

ㅡAh, the popular posts are ruined.

[Huu, sorry. I’m writing after getting my brain washed.]

[Does anyone know this person?]

(Photo of a woman in a black suit holding a violin)

ㅡOh, who is she?

ㅡAh, isn’t that the person who appeared at Konkuk University Station?

ㅡDid she do a broadcast?

ㅡThe quality is terrible.

[I happened to watch this person’s broadcast, and I was completely captivated.]

ㅡIs she a mental contamination terrorist?

[Absolutely not.  Even while getting brainwashed, there was no detection of charm or contamination. I just fell for her while watching her play.]

ㅡJudging by the reactions, it’s definitely mental contamination.

ㄴLOL

ㅡAh, I saw that woman at Konkuk University Station too.  I was going crazy, the aftereffects were insane.

ㄴ22222222 She played the violin really well.

ㅡSeriously.  Even with her pretty face covered, she was so beautiful that I couldn’t focus.

ㄴIs it really that bad?

ㄴIt really is that bad.

ㄴYou’re exaggerating.

They praised, admired, and were seemingly brainwashed by an unknown woman, searching for her all day on the internet.

However, Jae-hee didn’t actively use the internet and wasn’t even aware of the Hunter Channel.  In the end, those captivated by Jae-hee’s pure charm, appearance, and aura suffered like philosophers searching for an unattainable utopia, only regaining their senses after being brainwashed by the Hunter Channel’s mental contamination detector.

Of course, Jae-hee hadn’t used any charm.

She simply played, but those who had seen her even once were so deeply impressed by the sight that they engraved her image in their minds, developing a mild mental illness akin to mental contamination.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was a modern version of lovesickness.

★

★

★

ㅡOrca Whale Chicken!

“There’s no such chicken.”

ㅡHing…

ㅡBoo!

Of course, Jae-hee wasn’t interested in the small-scale chaos unfolding on the internet.

She didn’t even know it was happening, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care.

Huh, you’re saying it’s because I’m too beautiful?

How obvious.

Ah, isn’t it beautiful how I’m boasting like I have a princess complex?

She would probably mutter something like that.

‘But I haven’t been sleeping well lately.’

Jae-hee’s average sleep time was eight hours.

In reality, she didn’t need to sleep at all, but due to her human habits and the thought, ‘Me, sleeping soundly with even breaths.  Isn’t it beautiful?’, she maintained a regular sleep schedule.

She actually quite enjoyed sleeping.

It made her feel human, and dreams were the only thing the Succubus Empress couldn’t control.

It was similar to how a surgeon couldn’t operate on their own abdomen.

Of course, this allowed the Ego Violin to invade and wreak havoc in Jae-hee’s dreams, but dreams were unpredictable, sudden, and the fun and excitement they offered weren’t bad.

‘Is it because of this?’

As Jae-hee closed her eyes, she began to sense a faint flow of essence, visible only to a succubus.

She didn’t know where it was coming from.

But the strings of essence were connected irregularly from all directions.

A succubus could continuously absorb life force and essence from someone they had a deep connection with, even if they were far apart.  This was referred to as “inserting a straw” or a “string.” While succubi usually preferred direct contact absorption, they could activate these connections in emergencies or when their lives were threatened to replenish their strength and life force.

Of course, excessive use of these strings would brand them as terrorists or criminals, and Jae-hee, especially as the Succubus Empress, hated leeching off other people’s essence.

Me, begging humans on my knees for essence and life force?

Not beautiful at all.

Me, taking essence without permission like a thief or a mosquito?

Not beautiful at all!

That was her thinking.

So, Jae-hee didn’t usually block the incoming essence, but she didn’t prefer it either.

She wouldn’t mind essence given voluntarily by those captivated by her beauty, but essence from unknown sources felt unsettling.

‘The amount has increased a lot lately….’

These “strings” formed whenever Jae-hee went outside.  Even with the suit and veil, the strings overflowed, overwhelming her with calories and energy, as if someone was force-feeding her chicken.

She didn’t dislike this.

As a succubus, increasing essence was a good thing.

It just didn’t align with Jae-hee’s personal preferences.

But the amount had recently increased exponentially.

“…Hmm, have I been going out too much lately?”

She wondered if going out four times in two weeks was too much, but it seemed that her performance at Konkuk University Station had a significant impact.

While Jae-hee enjoyed the attention and gaze of people, seeing the exponentially increasing number of strings felt a bit burdensome.  Of course, it wasn’t bad that the number of people admiring her beauty was increasing…

-Beep!

“Ah, as expected.”

Unfortunately, there were many in South Korea who were wary of this.

Especially those who feared the emergence of “followers” for Jae-hee.

Not just fans, but “followers.”

ㅡ[Specially Managed Returnee Lee Jae-hee. Report to the Agency’s 3rd-floor interview room by 19:00 today.]ㅡ

ㅡ[Suspicion of mental contamination meme spreading on the cybernet]ㅡ

ㅡ[Confirmation of outing procedures at Konkuk University Station]ㅡ

It was the government agency.

The so-called higher-ups.

“Haa.”

Jae-hee sighed involuntarily.

There was no real reason to sigh.  After all, she had reasons for her actions, had no qualms, and believed without a doubt that any problems would be resolved.

But she sighed because… yes.

“Meeting those unbeautiful old men is always unpleasant.”

It felt like her eyes were rotting.

★

★

★

Jae-hee’s “old man aversion” was a recent development.  The sweet grandfathers who often approached her on the street were one reason, but the more fundamental reason was that most of the higher-ups who tried to control and manipulate her were old men.

She actually quite liked Ahjussi Mikkelsen, who had aged gracefully.

Unfortunately, humans rarely aged gracefully.

Only those who were beautiful in their youth remained beautiful in their old age.

“J-Jae-hee-nim!”

“Ah, Officer Dan~”

As soon as she arrived at the agency by flying, Officer Dan greeted her.

But her expression seemed to spell out, “I’m sorry.”

“I apologize. I, I tried to do something, but the higher-ups were so adamant that I couldn’t…”

Dan Ah-yeon bowed her head deeply, as if she was about to bury it in the ground.

She seemed so apologetic that her eyes looked teary.

“I’m truly sorry.  Even though I know everything about your situation, Jae-hee-nim, I keep disappointing you… I’m supposed to be your advocate, but I keep failing to fulfill my role…”

“It’s not your fault, Officer Dan.”

Jae-hee smiled softly, seemingly appeased by Officer Dan’s words.

“Oh, you’re here?”

However, at the sound of another voice interrupting them, both Dan Ah-yeon and Jae-hee’s faces briefly stiffened.

“Hahaha, Miss Jae-hee.  It’s been a while.”

“Oh, this is the famous…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.  I’m the newly appointed Minister of Returnee Management.”

“This is Assemblyman… from the ruling party’s Crisis Management Department.”

Normally, she would only have a consultation with the agency head, but there seemed to be many people present today.

‘It seems you brought those who were looking at me like a catalog somewhere.’

Jae-hee’s mood soured, but she smiled.

Ah, desire.

Ah, lust.

My food, my essence, my life force.

My hateful love.

My prey, my sustenance, the foundation of my existence, but such a disgusting taste.

I wanted to kill those ugly old men right then and there.

But me, unable to control my killing intent, swayed by momentary desires.

Not beautiful.

Me, enduring?

Human-like.

Beautiful.

Wonderful.

Officer Dan was watching from the side.

How did I look?

Me, enduring.

Me, restraining myself.

Beautiful, right?

“Yes, it’s been a while, Director.”

“Haha, Miss Jae-hee. Don’t worry!  It’s not really a big deal.  We don’t need to be so stiff with each other, do we? These people are just here to observe the special returnee management process, so don’t feel pressured.”

“……..”

However, Jae-hee smiled even more deeply at the disgusting lust and affection she felt from all directions.

Ah.

So greasy.

Then, she looked at Officer Dan.

Pure and clean affection in a sea of disgust and greasiness.

“Shall we go in then? I’ll show you the way.”

“Officer Dan, please show me the way.”

At Jae-hee’s words, the Director’s eyebrows twitched.

He was about to say something like, ‘I’m offering to escort you personally, what’s with this Returnee…’, but when he made eye contact with Jae-hee, those impure thoughts vanished.

“Hmm? Oh, well.  That… since Officer Dan is Miss Jae-hee’s assigned officer, there’s nothing we can do, I suppose.”

“….”

Of course, no matter how much they expressed their desire towards Jae-hee, the fundamental relationship wouldn’t be reversed.  Jae-hee always held the upper hand.  It was just that there were always those who didn’t know or misunderstood that.

“Um, then… Jae-hee-nim, this way.  Would you like some coffee?”

“Officer Dan.”

“Yes? Yes?”

“Keep your evening free today.”

“…Yes?”

Dan Ah-yeon was about to ask, “Why? Why?” but the snake-like whisper that entered her ear made her shiver.

“If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

“……..”

After eating something greasy, you need something refreshing to cleanse your palate.

—–CROW—–