Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 8

—–CROW—– 

Hunter Channel.

It was the largest online community in Korea, exclusive to Awakened and certified Hunters.  Usually filled with information about promising dungeons and Gates, or tips on earning money and acquiring gear.

With a large user base, it also had its share of nonsense, humor, funny memes, and the occasional unsavory image. But the information shared here had saved lives and helped many novice Hunters progress.

A new post appeared.

[Public Servant Hunter saw a goddess today.]

『(Photo of the Night Sea observation site)

The embargo’s lifted, so I’m posting this.

A bunch of National Assembly members showed up and made a fuss, but nothing happened in the end.

An S-rank threat appeared, and we were screwed, but then this insanely hot woman showed up and took care of everything.

I’ll post details about the threat later; it’ll be on the news anyway.

The problem is, my head, or maybe my heart, feels really weird.

I only saw the woman from afar, but something feels off.

I don’t know if I’m charmed or what, but my mental stability readings are normal.

She was wearing a black suit or dress that covered everything, long black hair, and she had a veil over her face.

But, seriously…

You know that feeling when you just *know* someone is gorgeous just from their silhouette?

She was completely covered up, but damn…

Wow.  She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I was working on inscription cleanup, and I just found myself staring at her, and then she waved at me from afar, and wow… just wow…

Just thinking about it makes my heart race.』

—You’re charmed.

—That was actually me.

ㄴ[Give me your number, please. I’m a public servant Hunter, decent income, just once, please.]

ㄴ*Wiggles bait*

ㄴ[Fuck off.]

ㄴThis guy’s got it bad.

ㄴMentally contaminated by a Succubus?

—So, who was she?

ㄴ[I don’t know.]

ㄴ?

ㄴ?

ㄴWhy post if you don’t know?

ㄴ[Because, damn it, I can’t calm down!]

—What’s a “Public Servant Hunter,” anyway?

ㄴAllow me, Slowpoke!  It’s short for public service Hunter. They’re called “Public Servant Hunters” because they earn less than other Hunters and get called out for all sorts of tasks. However, their salary is higher than the average C-rank Hunter, so don’t go around saying they don’t earn anything!  Plus, they get potion and equipment support from the government, putting them on par with B-rank Hunters! Ironically, B-rank Hunters can easily earn 3-4 times a Public Servant Hunter’s salary!

ㄴWhy would a B-rank do that, then?

ㄴStable income? Pension? High-speed rail discounts? National museum perks?

ㄴWhy would anyone do that?

ㄴI’d quit immediately.

ㄴ[I don’t know, damn it!]

ㄴLOL

—Boomers and Gen X still think Public Servant Hunters get treated like commanders and are super prestigious.

—Seriously, lol. My grandma still thinks that. She keeps telling me to quit “gallivanting around like a clown” and become a Public Servant Hunter…

ㄴGrandma, the income difference is threefold!

ㄴShow them your bank statement, they still won’t believe you, lol.

The post didn’t attract much attention.  Just a brief exchange between a few people with too much time on their hands.

But later… very soon… this post would become a pilgrimage site.

The first recorded sighting of the [Succubus Empress].

★

★

★

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

Me included.

I was the Succubus Empress, but I still considered myself human, and I tried to live as one.  Even if my body and powers were otherworldly, demonic… if I tried to live like a human, wouldn’t that make me human?

So, naturally, I had strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths?

Well, I was beautiful. That alone was a significant advantage.  So significant, in fact, that it could be considered a weakness.

I was also powerful, with fast regeneration, and various other advantages.

But I had a few… minor flaws. Insignificant compared to my beauty, but still… flaws.

And my biggest flaw was…

“Jae-hee-nim! What is this?!”

I didn’t clean.

Because I had never learned how.

“I told you last time!  Food waste, general waste, recyclables!  You have to separate them! You can’t just cram everything into a box! There are designated days for disposal! How many times do I have to tell you?!”

“….”

“I can’t believe this! Chicken bones are general waste!”

“….”

Jae-hee thought to herself:

Wah!

I don’t know anything!

I’m a Returnee!

Officer Dan will take care of it!

Wah!

The polite speech, usually a hallmark of the Succubus Empress, had vanished, replaced by a childish petulance. She peeked at Officer Dan, her expression like a wide-eyed, pouting emoticon.

Separating trash was a basic life skill, regardless of being a Returnee, but Jae-hee’s shortcomings didn’t end there.

“Jae-hee-ssi! I brought you kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, and braised beef so you could eat proper meals! Why are there only chicken boxes piled up?! Why haven’t you done the dishes?! It smells!”

“….”

“Oh my god… the doenjang jjigae I made for you last time is still here? It’s spoiled!  Haven’t you touched it since I left?”

“….”

“And this, and this! Everything’s untouched! You haven’t been eating only takeout, have you?!”

“But…”

“But what?!  Tell me! Let’s hear your excuse!”

“B-But… doenjang jjigae doesn’t taste good… unless I eat it with you, Officer Dan…”

“Ah.”

Dan Ah-yeon’s expression softened.  The Succubus Empress’s pitiful, watery eyes and melancholic expression shifted the atmosphere, making Dan Ah-yeon feel like the guilty one.

“Don’t give me that.  And please tell me you didn’t leave the rice in the pressure cooker, too.”

“….”

However, as a high-ranking Awakened, capable of withstanding even Jae-hee’s unveiled face, Dan Ah-yeon wasn’t swayed by the Succubus Empress’s pitiful act.  Anyone else would have immediately offered to clean, but not Officer Dan.

Tsk, high-ranking Awakened indeed…

“Don’t avoid my gaze! Open it! Oh my god…! The rice is moldy!  Have you seriously been eating only takeout?!”

“…….”

Officer Dan, channeling a mother’s fury, was terrifying.

Managing Jae-hee’s daily life was Dan Ah-yeon’s primary responsibility.  She occasionally assisted with Awakened or Gate-related incidents when her schedule allowed, but her main job was taking care of Jae-hee.  This included managing her finances, living arrangements, daily schedule, and everything in between.  Naturally, she visited Jae-hee’s apartment regularly.

The problem was Jae-hee’s utter lack of basic life skills.  It drove Dan Ah-yeon crazy.

“Seriously! Jae-hee-ssi! You’re supposed to fill the trash bags completely! Why is this one half-empty and already tied up?”

*Whimper*

She wasn’t even using honorifics anymore.  Just “Jae-hee-ssi.”

“It… it smelled…”

“Wait, it smelled? Did you throw kimchi or other liquids in here?”

“….”

“Open the bag! Now!”

“Can’t I just make it disappear?  Poof!  No more trash…”

“Are you crazy?! Do you think your ancestors will clean up the ashes and fine dust?!”

“….”

Lee Jae-hee.

The majestic, elegant, and beautiful Succubus Empress.  But in terms of daily life skills, she was utterly useless.

Despite being given an expensive vacuum cleaner, she had never used it. The floor was covered in dust.

After a flurry of cleaning and lecturing, Dan Ah-yeon, for the umpteenth time, explained the intricacies of recycling, cooking rice, reheating food, storing leftovers, and proper trash disposal.

“Now, do you understand? Paper goes here, plastic bottles go there, empty the contents before discarding…”

“…I understand.”

Thanks to Dan Ah-yeon’s thorough, motherly instructions, Jae-hee’s apartment was finally clean.

Dan Ah-yeon checked her watch.  It was already lunchtime.  She had wasted the entire morning cleaning and repeating instructions she had already given.

‘I need to get back to the office, file the observation report, update the Old Ram’s information… so much to do.’

She sighed involuntarily, and Jae-hee glanced at her.  Dan Ah-yeon looked tired.  She had been working tirelessly for the past two days, setting up protective inscriptions and barriers at the observation site.  And today, she had been monitoring the Night Sea since early morning, even fighting an S-rank threat.  Even a high-ranking Awakened would be exhausted.

“Officer Dan.”

“Oh, yes.  Jae-hee-nim, I should probably get going…”

“Don’t go.”

“Huh?”

Dan Ah-yeon looked at Jae-hee, confused.  The helpless, incompetent Lee Jae-hee had vanished, replaced by the Succubus Empress, sitting demurely on the bed, her gaze fixed on Dan Ah-yeon.

“Come here.”

“N-No, I really should get to work…”

“You seem busy, Officer Dan. What do you have to do?”

“Well, I have to check in at the office, file the observation report, update the Old Ram’s information…”

“Those are tasks others can handle.”

“But…”

“Come here.”

Dan Ah-yeon longed to rest. Jae-hee, patting the space beside her on the bed, was incredibly tempting.

She wanted to dive onto the bed and yell, “Bed! I’m home!”

“N-No, it’s okay.”

It wasn’t her bed.  And this was the home of the Special Management Returnee, the Succubus Empress.  She couldn’t just… sleep here.

“You’ve worked hard, Officer Dan. You stayed up all night protecting others.”

“But I…”

“If I’m truly important to you… come here.”

Jae-hee removed her veil.

Dan Ah-yeon’s resolve crumbled.

Oh no.

“Come…”

A delicate hand beckoned.

“Come…”

“….”

“…to me.”

—Wiggle, wiggle.

Long, slender fingers gestured towards Dan Ah-yeon.

She could withstand Jae-hee’s unveiled face.  That’s why she was assigned to her, a high-ranking Awakened with strong mental resistance.

But right now…

She wanted to surrender to the temptation.

No, wait.  She couldn’t. She had to work.

Jae-hee-nim, even if we’re friends, you can’t just invite people into your bed, especially with your veil off…

“Good.  Well done.”

“…Huh?”

Why… why am I lying in bed?

As Dan Ah-yeon’s confused mind began to clear, Jae-hee whispered, “Time to sleep.”

“…Uh… ah… haa…”

“Yes, for our hardworking Officer Dan…”

Dan Ah-yeon tried to sit up, but she felt weak.

Why am I so weak?  Why am I lying here?

As these questions formed in her mind, Jae-hee’s fingers gently pressed against her forehead, urging her to stay down, to sleep.  The touch was so gentle, so warm, that she couldn’t resist.

And Jae-hee’s unveiled face, her soft, gentle smile… it was impossible to fight.

I… I’m falling asleep.

But… is that so bad?

It’s not bad, right?

Right?

“Yes, you deserve some rest, Officer Dan.”

Jae-hee wasn’t incapable of cleaning.

She simply chose not to.

It was a way to ensure Officer Dan visited regularly.  To make her feel needed.

“What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice,

And all that’s nice;”

A gentle, loving touch, like caressing a baby, a precious doll.

Sleep tight, Officer Dan.

“That’s what little girls are made of~”

“….”

A sweet, seductive voice, impossible to resist.

“What is our Officer Dan made of~?”

With that, Jae-hee replaced her veil.  She stood up, leaving Dan Ah-yeon fast asleep.

—–CROW—–