Why Ha Yeeun Must Be Corrupted (3)

Meanwhile, a little before Lee Junwoo arrived at the café—

Ha Yeeun was so anxious she nearly bit clean through the veil of her nun's habit.

He'll come, right? He said he would this time, so he has to come… If he doesn't show… I'm seriously finished!!

Saintess TV was teetering on the edge of total collapse.

The stress had grown so crushing that Ha Yeeun had genuinely considered quitting streaming altogether—but that was no longer an option.

Not long ago, at the Pure White Festival—the Saintess's official visit to Korea—Ha Yeeun had been granted the rare privilege of personally attending the Saintess, both as a nun of the Goddess Religion and as a candidate for the next Saintess. It was a special VVIP seat that even the other two members of Aegis could never have secured. There, she had been given a brief chance to speak with the Saintess herself.

"You've been doing hero work all this time to glorify the Goddess's name? You've done wonderfully!"

Saintess Marianne.

Ha Yeeun had poured out every detail of her activities—not only Aegis's hero work, but her streaming on Saintess TV as well. Marianne had praised it all lavishly.

"Your broadcasting is no different! The farther the Goddess's name spreads, the more it delights Her!"

The Holy See of the Goddess Religion was obsessed with gathering more followers. Believers of the faith were hardly scarce across the world—but the Holy See wanted still more power, and so it actively encouraged any promotional work that could swell the flock.

Not only the Saintess, but the bishops of the Seoul diocese who had been present that day had spoken highly of Ha Yeeun as well.

"Then we shall look forward to your future endeavors, Sister Ha Yeeun!"

At those words, her entire body had trembled.

If she could catch the eye of the current Saintess, Marianne—then becoming the next Saintess was truly within reach.

That day, Ha Yeeun had sworn to herself:

No matter what it takes, I have to become even more famous than I am now.

She had been brimming with confidence. Saintess TV might have temporarily sunk into a slump, but a girl this earnest would have no trouble climbing back up.

Then the Saintess's final words rose unbidden in her mind.

"The Goddess has prophesied that a most ominous presence will visit this city of Seoul. But with a faithful nun like Sister Ha Yeeun here, I can rest easy!"

A Saintess's prophecy was nothing like an ordinary cleric's. It was absolute—something that would inevitably come to pass.

A most ominous presence? Don't tell me something dangerous is going to appear in Seoul…

Whether it meant a villain or the arrival of a top-tier monster, she couldn't say—but the Crimson Teeth terrorist attack that erupted shortly afterward proved that something was definitely going to happen in Seoul.

Well, that's none of my business.

She had no particular conviction about protecting Seoul as a cleric. She had put on a decent enough show during the Crimson Teeth attack, sure—but as long as she kept spreading the Goddess's name as Her nun, her holy power would keep growing even if she barely prayed.

So she had tried to throw herself back into streaming with renewed drive. The problem was that public opinion on the live-stream community boards had turned far worse than she'd expected.

It's terrifying… I'm so scared I can't even bring myself to go live.

She had been on an unannounced hiatus for nearly ten days. In that time, the toxic fandom of the Mungseokkyu Crew and the anti-fans of Aegis had seized control of the streaming forums. And then that damned VTuber crew, Underdolls, had suddenly blown up—dragging Saintess TV into every comparison, every fabricated rumor, every pile-on.

She glanced at the community boards on her phone.

How can I possibly be compared to those pathetic girls who can't even show their faces on camera!!

Just seeing the name Naharing made rage surge up her throat. That girl was obviously some hideous pig. No confidence in her looks, so she hid behind a model and put on a pretty voice to milk otakus for content—that was all VTubers were.

Still, she couldn't ignore every last comment. The boards had turned into a one-sided beatdown.

Even my fans' shields… they've stopped.

Before the unannounced hiatus, Saintess TV's fans had desperately tried to defend her in the comments. Now even her own fandom had flipped. Between the constant breaks and her self-indulgent streams, her fans were turning on her too.

I'm… completely screwed.

Just reading the community reactions made her head burn with heat—but she still didn't have the courage to start a stream alone. After a hiatus like this, her viewer count was guaranteed to have cratered.

I… I can't get my streaming energy up if the viewer count is too low. But abandoning Saintess TV like this…

She had even secured special filming permission from Theia for the midterm dungeon raid. Jeong Ungyeong had joined as the new operator of New Aegis, and the other two were still posting solid grades in their respective departments and the High Class. If she wanted to become the next Saintess, she simply could not throw away Saintess TV. Streaming was still the best way to put her name out into the world.

That's right! All of it for the Goddess's will!

Which was why she needed Lee Junwoo. At this rate, she would never crawl out of this hole. Bearing this anxiety and desperation alone was beyond her. But if he was there, everything would work out. She was cornered so badly now that—short of abandoning her vows as a nun—she would do almost anything he asked.

"Ugh… when is he getting here…"

She was gnawing on her pure white nun's veil again when the man she had been waiting for finally arrived.

Ha Yeeun greeted him with a bright smile.

"Lee Junwoo!!"

And the moment their eyes met, she froze.

Why… is this happening?

Her heart was pounding for no good reason. He had always been handsome enough—but with every last trace of that blonde-tanned punk look gone, he had the kind of face any girl would fall for.

"First time since Hell Week, huh. You been well?"

And his voice was gentle. Just hearing that soft tone again made her heart race.

Right. While I'm at it… I should try seducing Lee Junwoo.

If they became a proper couple, he would move even harder for her sake. She was sure of it. Back in Aegis, even with An Yumin and Song Sia around, he had willingly made himself her pack mule and errand boy.

A moment later, Lee Junwoo sat down across from her.

The two of us sat facing each other across the table. I listened to Ha Yeeun in silence.

"It's all those Underdolls VTuber fans… they're definitely brigading me with hate comments!!"

She was cornered far worse than I had expected. Honestly, quitting streaming altogether would have been the smarter move.

She doesn't even grasp reality anymore.

Ha Yeeun spent nearly thirty solid minutes ranting about Underdolls. Saintess TV was freefalling while Underdolls skyrocketed—given her childish personality, of course she would hate them to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠death. But the stream dying was entirely her own fault. Even the toxic haters of Saintess-ddang were mostly the Mungseokkyu Crew's fandom, the fallout from her clumsy attempt to freeload off their popularity and failing. Add her own blackened former fans on top of that, and the picture was complete.

Well, there are still a few people shielding Ha Yeeun…

I had skimmed a few decent posts on the streaming boards. Anyone who actually watched streams shared roughly the same take: Underdolls—especially Naharing—were genuinely skilled broadcasters. Ha Yeeun, by contrast, was disqualified as a streamer. Naharing's streams were short, but she packed every minute with pure entertainment. Lately, Ha Yeeun treated her viewers as nothing more than an emotional dumpster.

Coldly speaking, Ha Yeeun has zero chance of succeeding as a streamer again.

If she had spent that hiatus analyzing why Naharing was thriving, she wouldn't be able to trash-talk her for thirty minutes straight. On the flip side, the fact that she was this jealous meant Naharing's recent rise had been genuinely terrifying.

"Hic… sob… I just… all I ever wanted was to make my viewers happy… but those Underdolls with their filthy streams… and the haters… hic… sob…"

In the end, she started crying in front of me and spouting nonsense.

For the viewers, my ass.

But I wasn't particularly displeased. Deep in my mind, a single Holy Grail was rising into view. That angel's chalice needed to be filled to the brim with holy water. And the one who would hold that Grail was Ha Yeeun.

Before long I intended to corrupt her and cast her into a pit of despair—but first, I needed Ha Yeeun to fill that Authority's Grail with holy water. The more false hope she cradled, the fuller the holy water would rise.

Corrupting her after that is my job.

Corruption held many meanings, but as the Authority's owner, I understood it instantly. In short: make a nun commit every mortal sin she was never supposed to touch.

I thought of Hwang Yonggyun's business card. In the original story, his connections had been enough to make contact with people from the underworld. I already had a method in mind that would manufacture false hope and corruption at the same time.

"Hic… Junwoo… no—Junwoo-nim…"

We were seated in a corner of the café. I scanned the surroundings.

No reason to let anyone else see this.

I stood, moved around the table, and sat down beside her. Naturally, the two of us were pressed close. Ha Yeeun's eyes went wide for a moment.

She had put on weight like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a pig around the time of enrollment, but the Pure White Festival preparations seemed to have forced a real diet. The long hiatus had also cut down on the stress she took directly from streaming. That pretty blonde face—cute enough to have once been a popular streamer—had returned to its former self. A classic face built to milk fanservice. But I felt nothing. Compared to being with Choi Hana before coming here, there was no comparison at all.

Ha Yeeun dipped her head slightly, then carefully began to toy with my hand. The way she touched it was strange. Her voice was huskier than usual.

"About… before. I'm sorry. It was all… a misunderstanding, I think. So… so…"

"Junwoo-nim…"

And then she quietly leaned into me. Looking up, she said:

"Will you… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will you help me? If my viewers keep dropping like this… I… what's going to happen to me…"

"Yeah. I'll help you."

"Really?!"

Ha Yeeun hugged me even tighter. I patted her back as if soothing her. False hope was flooding through her—and in the Grail within my mind, the holy water was rising fast. Of course, she never saw my expression.

I was holding a girl who was still popular even at Theia Academy, and my heart was colder than ice.

"If you go back live right now, your viewer count will be a mess."

"I know… after a hiatus like that… but if I get compared to that Naharing again and keep getting insulted…"

"You don't have to worry. I've got a very good way to fill those viewer numbers."

"W-what kind of way?"

She asked urgently. I leaned in and whispered into Ha Yeeun's ear.