Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 38

—–CROW—– 

Praise the Empress’s beauty!

Her beauty shakes not just a nation, but the world.

We shall willingly, voluntarily praise and revere her beauty.

Even the beauty of the stars will be blinded before her, an unattainable beauty that will last forever.

Someone—probably a bard—sang these verses, praising Jae-hee’s beauty.

If she heard it now, Lee Jae-hee herself would wave her hands in embarrassment, but the irony is that those words contain only objective truth, not exaggeration.

In the previous world, too.

And after returning to Earth, as well.

Her beauty remained the same.

Her unchanging beauty still shook someone’s heart and soul, as well as the nation and the world.

Anyway, today too, the not-so-cute, not-so-pretty, not-so-gorgeous, but beautiful Succubus Empress, Lee Jae-hee, was…

“Jae-hee-ssi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Hwaaang…”

As if to shake the house… No, actually, the house *was* vibrating from Dan Ah-yeon’s scream.

Jae-hee was such a tremendously important figure, the Succubus Empress, but even the much-put-upon Civil Servant Dan Ah-yeon could stand shoulder to shoulder with the top first-generation Awakened.

It was just that she lacked ambition and had a rather ordinary mindset, and her main job was being Jae-hee’s 24/7 plaything. Otherwise, someone like Dan Ah-yeon, if unleashed as a regular Hunter, would start at A-rank, easily.  With a bit of exaggeration, she could even be ranked among the upper-middle tier of S-rank Hunters.

“What did I tell you?! Tell me, just tell me! Why, why is the leftover fried chicken in the regular trash bag again!?”

“B-But… Last time, you said chicken was regular trash…”

“Not just chicken, the chicken *bones* are regular trash! How many times have I told you! I repeatedly asked you to pay attention so you wouldn’t forget or get confused! Why do you always forget what I say? This isn’t bone-in, it’s boneless fried chicken! Just looking at it, it’s clearly food waste!!!”

“Nweung…”

“And why is the unopened pickled radish still in the plastic container?! You’re supposed to pour the radish juice down the sink, throw the radish in the food waste, and then put the empty container in the plastic recycling! Is that so hard!? I just heard from the management office! They said you threw the cola bottle in the recycling bin without emptying it!?  And on top of that, why did you put tissue in the plastic bag for recycling!!!!”

“Nweeeng…”

The Succubus Empress, who had terrified a fearsome, high-ranking criminal Awakened Defector and whispered enchantments into their soul,

was here being scolded by Dan Ah-yeon, turning into a whimpering, “Nweung,” frog.

“B-But…”

“But what?”

But, but…!

“If I don’t do this, Dan Unnie won’t pay attention to me!”

“Jae, Jae-hee-nim. That kind of…”

Dan Ah-yeon’s eyes momentarily sparkled at those words, but returned to their dead-fish state within a second.

“…Don’t give me that. Do you think I’m falling for that again?”

“Eh.”

Oh? It doesn’t work anymore?

Before, if she pretended to cry a little, Ah-yeon Unnie would immediately back down and apologize for getting angry…

“What’s with the fake tears, like a baby just past its first birthday trying to get their parents’ attention!?”

“I don’t like Dan Unnie when she’s this perceptive.”

“…”

*I don’t like.*

Those words were surprisingly powerful.

Hearing the Succubus Empress herself say, “I don’t like you,” had a surprisingly powerful emotional and spiritual impact.

“…I don’t like Jae-hee-nim when she can’t even sort the trash.”

-Thump!

Their hearts both dropped with a *thud*.

“Hu, Huuh… I’m, I’m hurt.”

“Hurt or not, open that trash bag right now.”

“…Okay.”

*Heung…*

Seeing Jae-hee’s slumped shoulders, unusually dejected, Dan Ah-yeon felt a pang of guilt.

“Heung…”

*Because she’s pretty.*

The prettiest person in the world is tearing up because of my words.

*Don’t fall for it, those are fake tears.*

*No, I know they’re fake, but she’s so pretty that it’s like a tragic, pitiful heroine from a novel who can’t bear it anymore…  She doesn’t even have the strength to burst into tears, just slumping down and crying weakly.*

‘Ugh, this is so bad for my heart… Mental barriers, activate!’

Dan Ah-yeon realized she was about to soften again and forced herself to be firm.

Dan Ah-yeon glared at Jae-hee for 10 seconds.

Behind Dan Ah-yeon’s back, with an *ahem!* sound effect, a narration appeared: ‘This time, I absolutely will not waver.’ ‘No matter how pretty she is, wrong is wrong!’ But as soon as the 11th second hit, the sight of Jae-hee rummaging through the trash bag with teary eyes, looking forlorn and pitiful, was a picture more tragic than a queen who had lost her kingdom.

As the 12th second passed, Dan Ah-yeon’s heart was filled with pity for Jae-hee.

A sense of shame washed over her, wondering if she had overreacted over such a trivial matter.

A feeling of remorse, thinking she could have just given in a little.

A sense of injustice, that this wasn’t a matter of good or evil, not something to be so furious about.

“Jae-hee-nim… Look, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s all for your own good…”

“…Hmph, I don’t care.”

“…I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad…”

“I don’t like it. Stay 3 meters away from me.”

“…Okay.”

“But stay within 5 meters.”

“…”

Somehow, she felt like her blood would drain if she stayed within that range, replenishing someone else’s life force, but Dan Ah-yeon obediently listened to Jae-hee like a well-behaved puppy.

Then… suddenly, Dan Ah-yeon tilted her head.

‘Wait, what?  A minute ago, Jae-hee-nim was sorting the trash, but why am I doing it now?’

So naturally.

Somehow, it just happened.

“Hmph, I’m angry. Dan Unnie needs to treat me more preciously, more beautifully.”

“Ah, yes…”

“So, you should clean that up too.  Since it’s Dan Unnie’s fault today, you have to give me another day.”

“…?”

Dan Ah-yeon stared at Jae-hee with a blank expression.

Normally, she’d be dazed by Jae-hee’s beauty, but now she was dumbfounded.

But the fact that even this shameless behavior wasn’t hateful, but beautiful, was utterly unreasonable.

“…Okay, I understand.”

Wait, this is ridiculous.

Jae-hee-nim is the one who made the mistake, so why do I always end up apologizing?

Seriously, I should just…

Dan Ah-yeon was hit with a wave of frustration and wanted to spank Jae-hee’s bottom.  Hard.

Ah, but if she actually did that, Jae-hee-nim might let out a “genuine moan,” and every sentient being within a 1km radius would be forced into a state of arousal. Or, Dan Ah-yeon herself might end up on the receiving end of the spanking.

-Ring! Ring! Ring!

Just then, the smart hologram connected to Jae-hee’s home phone began to ring loudly.

However, Jae-hee seemed to ignore the ringing phone.

Moreover, the ringing stopped automatically after 3 seconds.

“Jae-hee-nim? There’s a call.”

“Ah, you don’t have to answer that.  It’s only spam calls or weird public opinion surveys on the home phone. I set it to automatically reject calls.”

“Ah, I see.”

Even in the era of the Great Rift, the world was still full of spam calls from who-knows-where.

Besides, most of the calls Jae-hee received weren’t pleasant anyway.

Once, she received a call from an unknown number, and an old man’s voice said, “My dear…,” so she immediately hung up and blocked the number.  Other times, a group of high school students, looking like delinquents with dyed hair and cigarettes dangling from their lips, showed up at her door.

Of course, Jae-hee had sent those high school students away after giving them a good talking-to.

They might have lost their minds for 360 days out of the year, but she hadn’t killed or harmed them, so it could be said that she let them off easy.

‘Hmm, even though I’ve been diligently trying to control it, Jae-hee-nim’s information seems to have leaked out quite a bit…’

Someone from the bank, community center, or district office must have leaked Jae-hee’s number and personal information.

Leaking the personal information of innocent citizens was a problem even in the old Republic of Korea, and it seems some things haven’t changed, even after the Great Rift.

*Ah~ How proud~ My patriotic spirit is soaring.*

Anyway, the calls kept coming.

Thanks to the automatic call rejection setting, they disconnected after 3 seconds.

“Phew, today’s work is done.”

“Waaa~ Good job, Dan Unnie~ Want some coffee?”

“Ah, sure.”

As Dan Ah-yeon drank the instant coffee Jae-hee made for her, she thought,

…*Why am I being praised?*

*This is all Jae-hee-nim’s work.*

…*Oh well, whatever.*

*The coffee is good.*

*It’s instant coffee, but still…*

Dan Ah-yeon didn’t visit Jae-hee’s house solely for official business.  She also came over for trivial chores, trash sorting, and to be Jae-hee’s meal companion. Once, Jae-hee called her in a panicked voice, making Dan Ah-yeon drop everything and rush over.  It turned out that the original cast of the popular variety show “2 Days & 1 Night” had reunited, and Jae-hee insisted they watch the live broadcast together, having already ordered fried chicken and waiting.

It was absurd, but even then, Dan Ah-yeon sat next to Jae-hee, watching TV and eating together.

This might seem trivial and insignificant, but it was part of her job to provide mental care for a “Specially Managed Returnee.”

As she sipped her coffee, Dan Ah-yeon suddenly remembered the repeated calls from earlier.

‘But do spam calls really come that often?’

Of course, some spam calls were persistent, but usually, they moved on to other targets after one unanswered call.

But for spam calls to keep coming meant…

‘Gasp, could it be that Jae-hee-nim accidentally answered a call and said something!?’

Repeated spam calls meant the target was deemed potentially profitable.

‘Jae-hee-nim might have innocently answered a call and given out some personal information before realizing something was wrong and hanging up!  Spam calls often impersonate public institutions, so Jae-hee-nim probably didn’t realize it right away!’

Dan Ah-yeon’s mind raced.

If that was the case, she couldn’t leave it be!

*Aheem, I’m Jae-hee-nim’s handler, Dan Ah-yeon.*

*It’s only natural that I step in for such a minor issue.*

Dan Ah-yeon naturally approached Jae-hee’s smart hologram.

Jae-hee was busy drinking coffee and watching YouTube Shorts, oblivious to Dan Ah-yeon.

Dan Ah-yeon opened the hologram and checked the call log…

[Missed Calls: 176]

What? So many missed calls…

Well, these days everyone had smartphones or smartwatches, so no one used home phones anymore…

Seeing so many missed calls, it seemed Jae-hee didn’t use her home phone at all.

As Dan Ah-yeon examined the hologram, her eyes narrowed.

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Ilshin Call Center]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Unavailable Number]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: International Call]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

[Missed Call: Hunter Association]

“…Huh?”

There were a few missed calls that looked like spam.

But the rest were all from the Hunter Association, an organization Dan Ah-yeon knew very well and considered highly credible.

Was there any reason for the Hunter Association to call so many times…?

If there was, it meant something urgent and official?

Just in case, Dan Ah-yeon checked the message box on the home information hologram.

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, please renew your license.  Failure to renew will result in the revocation of your Hunter license…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, we wish you eternal peace and prosperity.  We are writing to inform you about your Hunter license renewal…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, your Hunter license renewal period has 30 days remaining. Within 7 days of receiving this message…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, your Hunter license renewal period has 15 days remaining. Within 7 days of receiving this message…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, your Hunter license renewal period has 3 days remaining. Within…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, your Hunter license renewal period has 1 day remaining. Within 24 hours…]

[Hunter Lee Jae-hee, information regarding urgent Hunter license issuance.]

[Lee Jae-hee, information regarding Hunter license reapplication.]

“…”

Dan Ah-yeon looked at Jae-hee.

She was sitting comfortably, drinking coffee.

“…Jae-hee-nim.”

“Yes? Why? Dan Unnie, come sit next to me and watch TV.”

“Jae-hee-nim, did you quit being a Hunter?”

“Huh?”

Jae-hee tilted her head.

Jae-hee, even without showing it outwardly, consumed a tremendous amount of life force and essence just by living.

To survive, she needed to regularly visit dungeons and absorb the life force of monsters. Though it was impure life force, it was abundant and much better than killing humans, so Jae-hee thought she had properly maintained her Hunter license.

“No?”

“…”

Dan Ah-yeon briefly closed her eyes at Jae-hee’s innocent reply.

In other words…  her Hunter license was, in a way, Jae-hee’s livelihood, her lifeline, the most important thing, essential for her life.

Unlike other administrative tasks, Hunter-related matters had to be handled by Jae-hee personally, something Dan Ah-yeon couldn’t do for her.

Dan Ah-yeon enlarged the hologram messages and displayed them in front of Jae-hee.

What Jae-hee saw were countless missed calls, messages from the Hunter Association, and hundreds of notifications demanding license renewal.

Seeing this, Jae-hee, who had been leisurely drinking her coffee, started to shift her eyes back and forth.

“…Ah.”

“Ah? Ah? Did you just say ‘Ah’? Jae-hee-nim?”

Veins bulged on Dan Ah-yeon’s forehead.

Her lifeline.

Her very means of survival.

She hadn’t renewed such an important thing that no one else could do for her.

She even treated the calls from the Hunter Association as spam and ignored hundreds of them?

But Dan Ah-yeon held back again.

Let’s hear what kind of excuse she comes up with.

“I… forgot.”

“…”

A crosshair appeared on Dan Ah-yeon’s forehead.

“Jae-hee-nim!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Nweung…”

Dan Ah-yeon made a promise.

*Someday, I will definitely spank this infuriating woman’s bottom.*

[T/N: Unnie sounds better, doesn’t it?]

—–CROW—–