Chapter 5
Translator: IPO
Chapter 5
Dan Ayeon offered me a cup of coffee and then bowed, asking me to wait for a moment.
In truth, when the call came suddenly in the early morning, I did feel a little mischievous.
The time when a person is most relaxed and at ease.
Someone receiving a call while in deep sleep would be lying if they said it wasn’t even slightly inconvenient.
It was fine because the person calling me was still the familiar and friendly Dan Ayeon. From his eyes and posture, I could tell he felt apologetic and sorry just for having to call me.
Since I was already out, waiting a little longer was okay.
"We will begin collecting the lambs’ corpses! Everyone, equip the mental barrier artifacts, and injured personnel, proceed to the medical room!"
"Yes!"
"Separate the corpses of the Young Lamb and Lamb! If there are any moving entities, immediately apply the distributed supply-type sealing ritual!"
Because unlike the way Dan Ayeon bowed and fawned at me, his composure and the way he commanded the government hunters with style and precision was quite impressive.
That’s also my taste.
The way his demeanor shifts depending on necessity.
Perhaps showing me a flustered side is his true intention… Oh, maybe the composed way he commands his subordinates is his real self?
That too is beautiful.
Lovely.
On days when my mood is low, I walk the streets.
I watch people.
And from the ordinary and nothingness,
I offer small praise for that beauty.
Some people glance at me while working.
Naturally.
Since a person like me, unheard of and unrecognized, came to a dangerous place where the Night Sea opens, the government hunters couldn’t help but be attentive.
Ah, of course, sometimes they just look at me absentmindedly because I’m pretty, without doing any work.
"Hey! What are you doing there! Everyone is handling the site, focus!"
"Ah, y-yes! Sorry!"
"If you notice any anomalies or signs of mental corrosion, report immediately and retreat to the rear!"
"No! Mental corrosion… no."
"Is that so? Then get your mind straight."
The poor government hunter who had been staring blankly at me panicked at Dan Ayeon’s bark and finally went to handle the site.
Heh heh heh, that’s understandable for someone just starting out in society.
Above all, I am beautiful.
Even with a veil, it’s no wonder people are enchanted.
Considering the convenience store clerk I met earlier even had a nosebleed, the government hunters still had commendable mental fortitude.
"Everyone… good work."
While others are struggling, I wonder if it’s okay for me to sit comfortably drinking coffee.
I want to quietly help, but even with the veil, me going there would probably be a nuisance.
It would likely paralyze the work.
Ah, someone is staring at me again.
I wave my hand.
Heh heh heh, keep going.
Oh, dear.
A nosebleed.
Perhaps I shouldn’t wave next time?
The young person working so hard was pleasing to watch, and I couldn’t help it…
Today seems to be that kind of day.
Even though I was urgently called at 4 a.m., just observing these things fills me with satisfaction.
"There’s a certain joy in finding beauty in such trivialities."
People moving busily at 4 a.m.
Seeing people like Dan Ayeon, either government hunters or those fulfilling their respective roles after receiving requests, is impressive.
I came here driven by light impulses and emotions, but compared to me, they risk their lives to fulfill their duties despite their lack of strength.
Low pay, the government offering them little, yet they don’t run; instead, they face the Old Lamb together with courage.
People whose names I don’t even know, yet they have courage, kindness, and conviction. The beauty of ordinary people subtly intoxicates me.
"Jae, Jaehee?"
"…Ah, yes. Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment."
"Ah, no. I just… you were smiling, so I wondered if something was wrong…"
Even though he had just commanded the government hunters with charisma, he seemed overly cautious around me.
Of course, even now with him shrinking back, the gap is noticeable and charming.
"I just like seeing it."
"Oh… I see! Then if you need anything, please let me know immediately! Ah, you finished the coffee? Shall I bring you more?"
"I’m quite full today, so it’s fine."
"Yes, and if you ever want more or need something, you can have someone else fetch it, not just me!"
"Yes, yes. Please, go back to the site, Ayeon. Others are waiting, aren’t they?"
"Ah, yes."
With that, the official bowed his head again, perhaps several times, then stomped on the still wriggling Lamb beside him.
Oh my, even though he is much shorter than me, he exudes power.
"Do you need anything from me?"
At that moment, someone approached me.
It wasn’t the hunters working hard.
"Huh, are you the one? The returnee, succubus or whatever?"
"…."
Ah, dear.
My mood instantly soured.
***
"Hooo, such an accident at the Night Sea observation…"
"Hey, chief, how did that guy even handle the situation?"
"Come on, everyone, let’s go for round two. At least nothing really happened, right?"
"Where is Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo going?"
"Ah, I have something to discuss with the site manager for a moment."
"Yes, yes, please go. I’ll wait!"
Interestingly, politicians are incompetent but not foolish.
Especially regarding their own safety, they are remarkably sharp.
They know exactly when to form ties, when to cut off someone in danger or useless, and say, 'I only had a few meals with that person, no personal connection.' Such is the politician.
There are rare righteous people driven by a sense of mission, but they are truly a tiny minority. Most high-ranking individuals are textbook examples of clever yet incompetent and cunning.
Naturally, the actions of the assemblymen were often intentional.
Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo, present at the Night Sea observation, was such a person.
’Dan Ayeon is the one responsible for the [Special Returnee Management].’
The reason he attended the Night Sea observation was because of Dan Ayeon.
Specifically, Dan Ayeon’s [Special Returnee Management].
Thus, provoking a somewhat careless, drunk assemblyman in the VIP room with, ‘Please check what’s going on, assemblyman,’ was part of the plan.
It would be nice if it worked, and if not, oh well.
Even if it didn’t go as planned, at least it would leave a political record from the Night Sea observation.
He didn’t expect the assemblyman to lock eyes with the Old Lamb, which would provoke an unexpected stir, but the situation unfolded as intended.
They were confident that the protective rituals in the VIP room would keep them safe.
They also guessed that if high-level Awakened Dan Ayeon became endangered, the [Special Returnee] would be urgently summoned.
It might seem absurd that an assemblyman would be so concerned about a [Special Returnee], but ironically, the [Special Returnee] and Succubus Empress Jaehee was someone every major political figure, including the president, would want to meet at least once.
Politicians can usually obtain anything they desire.
Money, power, prestige, women.
A single banquet allows them to select women of their preference; a few legislative gestures affecting hunters’ taxes can gain much.
Once intoxicated by power, they cannot let go, yet there is one thing they cannot obtain.
The [Special Returnee], Succubus Empress.
A being whose very existence embodies beauty and intense allure.
It would be strange for any politician, having tasted ordinary pleasures and wealth, not to covet her.
In fact, the Succubus Empress was already famous in political circles.
There was no way she wouldn’t be.
’She is the first-generation returnee. No, to be precise, effectively the 0th generation returnee who appeared on Earth before the Rift.’
In politics, her fame was more than mere notoriety; her existence was a singularity. Many praised and admired her beauty in reality.
Until witnessing her in person, anyone could think it exaggerated.
Overstated, overly amplified like an urban legend.
Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo thought the same, until today.
’Oh, even with her face so covered, such beauty…!’
It was striking.
No intention to appear striking, yet her existence itself was intensely alluring.
Under the soft starlight of the dark dawn, she seemed forlorn, quietly losing her light, yet simultaneously wrapped in cold gravity.
Long eyelashes, violet eyes as calm as if sunken deep in the sea.
Hair darker and deeper than the night sky, flowing slowly like autumn leaves in the wind, covering her shoulders.
Hands like delicate porcelain rested on her knees.
Fingertips seemed fragile and gentle, yet just seeing them stirred an impulse to grasp them.
Like a canary trapped in a snare.
Her existence seemed fragile, like dust scattered by the wind, ready to vanish instantly.
’Too, too beautiful.’
Even the exaggerated rumors were understandable.
Even if rumors about her spread in Yeouido, Lee Hyun-woo thought that for a woman like her, the story was likely understated.
Admiration for her beauty soon shifted to desire.
’I want to have her…’
Though the Succubus Empress hadn’t actively seduced, his mind was already captivated by her beauty.
Thus, it prompted him to act in ways he normally wouldn’t.
Even as a member of the National Assembly, he approached a woman under her spell.
"Ahem, my lady…"
Thus, Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo spoke to Succubus Empress Jaehee.
With the absurd dream of making her his own.
"Do you have some time? I…"
He exuded confidence.
Don’t I look like I’m in my 20s for a man in his 40s?
I’ve exercised diligently, and I’ve never been called unattractive.
I’ve been told I resemble certain celebrities during banquets.
With the huge title of a National Assembly member and money, what could stop me from pursuing a woman with the grandiose title of Succubus Empress?
A typical swinging forty example.
"If you have time, shall we go somewhere? I know a nice, atmospheric place."
"…."
"A lady overly shy, hmm? That’s fine. When hearts align, men and women drink and grow close naturally, don’t they?"
Objectively, Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo didn’t look like he was in his 20s, and while not ugly, he wasn’t particularly handsome.
At banquets, of course, only flattering comments are constantly heard.
Initially, he seemed a bit frustrated that the Succubus Empress gave no response, but when she glanced at him with a pitiable expression, his heart melted immediately.
Ha ha, well, if a woman is that beautiful, she can act a little haughty.
But she’s a Succubus?
A base and lustful species that dances in bed and remains silent under men.
It’s understandable that she’s acting haughty now.
"…Hahaha! Our young lady seems to be the shy type. Ah, may I see your face? When men and women converse, we must face each other directly…"
Even if he were the President of the United States, the Succubus Empress would not care.
Above all.
The Succubus Empress loves beauty.
Conversely, she intensely dislikes the unattractive.
Like the Old Lamb, frail and decrepit.
Heh heh heh…
Jaehee sighed or laughed, instead of getting angry.
Time she has endured makes such trivial matters unworthy of anger.
So she removed the veil.
"Ha ha, indeed, even with the veil, this is how it is; imagine without it…"
And one heart melted.
"Ah…"
No, the heart melts. The mind flows down. The soul fuses.
Melts.
Flows.
Blends.
Once enchanted by beauty, nothing returns to its original state.
Assemblyman Lee Hyun-woo didn’t move.
Did not scream, did not bleed.
Like a statue.
He remained still.
He had no choice but to remain still.
Seeing this, Jaehee casually donned the veil and rose from her seat.
Click-clack, click-clack.
She then headed toward where Dan Ayeon was.
"Ah! Jaehee! I was just about to fetch you after finishing the site survey!"
"Is that so? Then please take me home."
"Yes!"
Under the veil, Jaehee’s face returned to a smile.
This time, a genuine smile.
’Even for Dan Ayeon’s sake, I want to be a better person, but perhaps it’s still too soon.’