Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 32

—–CROW—– 

“No…”

“How did the broadcast become a ‘no mother’ broadcast from the start?”

“Huh.”

“Crazy…”

“A government-sponsored streamer declares she has no mother instead of introducing herself…”

Jae-hee’s sudden statement left the viewers a bit… no, quite bewildered.  The casual way she mentioned not having a mother, as if she were talking about having eggs for breakfast, felt somewhat inhuman.  Was it because of her inhuman beauty that her heart had also drifted away from humanity?  Actually, among Returnees, especially those who had transformed into something other than human, there were many cases where their humanity diminished.  However, the public rarely had the opportunity to witness this firsthand.

Anyway, Jae-hee seemed quite relaxed.  She wasn’t flustered despite it being her first broadcast, and she maintained a calm composure even though most people would struggle to stay sane after seeing the barrage of comments from the viewers.  Could it be that this Returnee was very familiar and comfortable with the internet broadcasting ecosystem?  Then were her actions so far deliberate?  Was it a confident move to weed out unsuitable viewers from the start, a way of saying, “This is the kind of broadcast I do, so if you don’t like it, leave”?

[This streamer must be a veteran in this industry!]

[Rather than becoming controversial later, she’s weeding out the ants from the beginning?!]

[As expected, someone who starts a broadcast casually is different.]

[That’s right. How could someone who’s government-sponsored sleep for an hour on their first broadcast? There must be a reason!]

It seemed like they could look forward to the broadcast content.  After all, she was government-sponsored.  In fact, the viewers were already captivated by the Succubus Empress’s overwhelming beauty from the very beginning.  Considering the mental protection techniques installed in every home, and the mental safety net and barriers Dan Ah-yeon had set up in Jae-hee’s broadcasting room just in case, the viewers weren’t directly affected by the succubus’s “charm.”  The fact that they were captivated solely by Jae-hee’s beauty and appearance, without any charm, showed how easily her beauty could sway human hearts.

However, unlike the viewers who were mesmerized by Jae-hee’s appearance, the reality was different.

‘Hmm, what should I do now?’

Lee Jae-hee, as a human, knew nothing about internet broadcasting.  She had never watched internet broadcasts in her ordinary human life, and even after being swept away by the Rift, falling into another world, and returning to Earth, she hadn’t engaged in any broadcasting-related activities.  She occasionally browsed the internet to pass the time or watch dramas and movies, but nothing more.

Weeding out the ants?  What was that?

I just honestly explained my situation…

ㅡWhat’s your name?

ㅡHow old are you?

ㅡWho are you?

ㅡPlease introduce yourself.

ㅡCan you look at the camera and tell us your name, age, and occupation?

ㅡTake off your veil!

ㅡYou’re pretty! Unnie!

ㅡPretty

ㅡBeautiful

ㅡBeautiful

ㅡPretty

ㅡPretty

“…Hmm.”

Jae-hee frowned as she read the chat.  While she was lost in thought, countless questions poured in from the viewers, but Jae-hee just stared at the camera.  Like a woman preparing to go out, looking at the mirror on her vanity, she gazed at the camera, brushing her bangs aside and checking if she was in frame.

‘Hmm, I’m beautiful today as well.’

Actually, according to the government guidelines she had received beforehand, Jae-hee’s obligations for the broadcast were simple.

Turn on the broadcast.

Introduce herself.

Play the Ego Violin, which was whining as usual.

Since the broadcast was advertised as a “music broadcast,” she had complete freedom in what to play.  Even if she just played forgotten classical music on the violin, people would be thrilled.

“Everyone.”

-Yes!

-Yes!

-What’s with that voice…

-Yes!

-Yes1

-Yes sir!

-Yes!

The viewers instinctively responded to Jae-hee’s words like obedient children.  Considering the average internet broadcast viewer, the typical responses to a streamer’s call would be something like, ‘What the fuck do you want?’, ‘Yeah, so?’, or ‘ㅗ’, showing a lack of seriousness or sincerity.  But the viewers, already influenced by the Succubus Empress’s charm, unconsciously replied with polite “Yes!” to Jae-hee’s call, even though they didn’t understand why.

Seeing this, Jae-hee thought, ‘Ah, this won’t do.’

“Am I not beautiful?”

The beauty of the Succubus Empress was originally meant to be hidden like a precious jewel, something not easily revealed to just anyone.

ㅡSuddenly narcissistic?

ㅡBut she is beautiful.

ㅡYes!

ㅡBeautiful!

ㅡYou’re awesome, Unnie!

ㅡHeeung

ㅡYes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡMy lady… this is fate… this old man will sponsor… why is sponsorship disabled… please enable it…

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

The chat was filled with “Yes!”, as if everyone was brainwashed.

“But I had a thought.”

What thought?

The viewers leaned closer to their computer screens, captivated by the Empress, whose voice and face were more beautiful than an angel descending from heaven.  Everything Jae-hee said was enchanting, like the ultimate truth, and the instantly captivated viewers were ready to listen attentively to her every word.

“I believe beauty is beautiful because it’s hidden, concealed, and not easily attainable.”

ㅡYou’re right!

ㅡThat’s true!

ㅡYes! The streamer is pretty too!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes!

“More than anything, isn’t beauty precious and brilliant because it’s unattainable, rare, and sparkling like a distant star?”

ㅡI don’t know what you mean, but it sounds right.

ㅡThat’s right!

ㅡNow that I hear it, it’s true!

ㅡThat’s right!

ㅡYes!

ㅡYes

ㅡYes

ㅡYes!

The chat now resembled an online sermon of a cult rather than an ordinary internet broadcast.

Seeing the viewers completely agreeing with her, Jae-hee smiled, nodded, and said, “Therefore, to preserve the rarity of my beauty, I’ll end the broadcast.”

ㅡ?

ㅡHuh?

ㅡWhat?

ㅡ??

ㅡ…?

ㅡWhat?

And without any further explanation, the screen went black.

-Click!

ㅡ[Broadcast Ended]

And so, the Succubus Empress, Lee Jae-hee, ended the broadcast.

Today’s broadcast content:

One hour of sleep.

And a short conversation instead of a greeting.

Actual broadcast time, excluding sleep: about 6 minutes.

No self-introduction.

No violin performance.

Even the viewers who had watched from the beginning couldn’t understand what kind of broadcast it was.

The only information they gleaned was that the streamer was inhumanly beautiful, had a beautiful voice that made people say, “What’s with that voice…”, and that she didn’t have a mother…

Yes.  The most important information was that the streamer was pretty and didn’t have a mother.

ㅡWhat the fuck.

That was what a viewer wrote on the black screen after the broadcast ended and they returned to their senses.

What the hell was that?

What kind of broadcast was that?

★

★

★

“What the hell did you do, Jae-hee-nim!!!!”

“…….”

And as expected, Jae-hee was being scolded by Officer Dan.  Jae-hee had intended to greet her with her usual, “Ah~ Officer Dan~ you’re here?  Shall we have some coffee~?”, but seeing Officer Dan charging towards her like an angry bull, radiating mana like shimmering heat haze, Jae-hee couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

Oh my, so assertive…

“Jae-hee-ssi! Do you realize what you just did?! You messed up a government-sponsored broadcast that cost hundreds of millions of won just for the studio and equipment?!  Does this make any sense?! This is beyond disrespectful!  How could you not even properly greet the viewers on your first broadcast!!!”

“…Ah, well…”

“If you didn’t want to do the broadcast, you should have said so! You could have said it at the hearing!  That it’s difficult to broadcast in front of so many people, that too much attention is burdensome, and you would like to refrain from it!  Even if it was difficult to tell others, you could have told me! I would have taken care of it!  I’m your spokesperson! I’m your caretaker!  I’ll take care of anything you find troublesome! I cook for you, prepare side dishes, do the recycling, clean the house!  Was it that difficult to say!?  Was it that difficult to tell me that you’re uncomfortable with broadcasting!? What is this!  What the hell is this!!!!”

“…….”

This was bad.

Officer Dan Ah-yeon was truly angry for the first time in a while…

Jae-hee wasn’t so stupid that she didn’t understand what she had done wrong.

She had messed up the broadcast?

No, it was beyond messing up.  It was an insult, an affront.  A tremendous insult to everyone who had supported her broadcast.

Fortunately, the viewers’ reactions weren’t too malicious. They were mostly making comments like, ‘This bitch is crazy lol’, ‘I’m starting to like her’, ‘Honestly, she’s pretty so it’s forgiven’, and ‘Is she really that pretty?’, creating various discussions on the Hunter Channel and internet broadcasting communities.

However, there was someone who interpreted the situation differently.

“Be honest.  Do you hate me?  Do you enjoy seeing me in trouble?  Did you not like me reporting good things about you to the higher-ups?  If you hate me, just say it!!!”

Dan Ah-yeon was often caught in the middle.

Between the higher-ups…

And the struggling field agents and lower-level civil servant Hunters.

Officer Dan Ah-yeon was perfectly sandwiched between them.  It was always stressful and difficult, but she persevered because Jae-hee was by her side, and because Jae-hee’s genuine smiles and friendly gestures gave her strength.

“Officer Dan, first of all, I apologize… I made you very angry.”

“…….”

Dan Ah-yeon’s cheeks were puffed out like an angry hamster, showing no signs of calming down.

“Actually, I tried to do the broadcast diligently, thinking of you and all your hard work.  I was going to play too.  But…”

“But?”

“Did you see the chat at the end?”

Of course, Dan Ah-yeon had been monitoring the chat, so she remembered it.

What was the problem…?

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Dan Ah-yeon recalled the increasingly uniform chat.  Countless viewers, people seeing Jae-hee on screen for the first time, all chanting “Yes!”  No matter what Jae-hee said, they shouted “Yes!”. No matter what she did, they complimented her beauty and agreed with her.  Dan Ah-yeon finally remembered how eerily similar all the viewers’ reactions were.

“It seems the mental protection techniques can’t completely block my beauty.”

“Is… is that even possible?”

“There are many impossible things in this world.  While broadcasting, I felt the ‘strings’ connected to me multiplying… so I thought I shouldn’t continue broadcasting.”

“…Ah.”

Dan Ah-yeon finally understood why Jae-hee had abruptly ended the broadcast.  Jae-hee had almost turned all the viewers into her “followers.”  That’s how terrifying Jae-hee’s charm was.  Even with all sorts of mental protection techniques active beyond the screen, they couldn’t block her charm.  And Jae-hee hadn’t even intentionally amplified her charm or removed her veil.

“I… I see.  So that’s why Jae-hee-nim…”

“Yes, I think it’s best to continue broadcasting after securing proper safety measures.  If I had played the violin… it could have been a real disaster~”

Dan Ah-yeon nodded and bowed her head to Jae-hee.

“I’m sorry, Jae-hee-nim.  I jumped to conclusions.”

“It’s okay.  It’s true that I ended the broadcast without a word.  I’m the one who should apologize, Officer Dan.”

“…Come to think of it, the reason Jae-hee-nim slept for an hour at the beginning of the broadcast… was to test the intensity and influence of your charm.  I didn’t even realize and I…”

“….”

Actually, Jae-hee had slept for an hour simply because she wanted to sleep, but she decided not to say anything.  And to be honest… her beauty was world-class.  How could ordinary internet viewers handle it so easily?  In the other world, people had gone through all sorts of trials and tribulations just for a glimpse of her beauty!

★

★

★

“Huh.  Crazy…”

“She’s a monster…”

Some of those watching Jae-hee’s broadcast felt her intense charm and expressed their awe and astonishment.  That level of charm, even through a screen?  Charming not just ordinary people, but even high-ranking Awakened and heroes?  This was beyond the realm of ordinary phenomena.

“She’s… dangerous.”

Jae-hee’s broadcast left a strong impression on some people.  No, it was more than just an impression; it shook their common sense.

“If we can’t recruit her…”

“We have to kill her.”

—–CROW—–