Viewer Leorona's Support and a Gentle Broadcast Introduction

Ever since I declared that anyone who so much as teased me would be excommunicated, the interviews had proceeded in an atmosphere of solemn gravity.

The applicants who had been laughing and chatting at the start now answered every question with grave expressions, every trace of playfulness wiped clean from their faces. Seo-yun and Hwang Jun-seok were no different. The mischievous smiles they had worn at the beginning had long since vanished from their faces.

And so the interviews unfolded exactly as I had hoped.

This is more like it.

Everyone, it seemed, would rather not be excommunicated. A fact I could only welcome. A proper interview demanded that every person present conduct themselves with the utmost seriousness. That was the only way to identify genuine talent.

If all anyone did was laugh and chatter, there was no hope of gauging an applicant's true capabilities. I had taken a necessary measure, and I felt no remorse for it.

I continued the interviews with a satisfied smile. It was about time to wrap things up.

"Seo-yun, please ask the final common question."

At my instruction, Seo-yun promptly addressed every applicant in the room.

"Please take turns telling us what you personally find most charming about Her Holiness. If you can't answer, you're out, and we'll keep going until only one person is left."

A game-style question about my most attractive qualities. It was not exactly solemn, but it had a uniquely Gen-Z flair that I rather liked.

It also had a fatal flaw, which is why I put a stop to it.

"That will not do."

"Why... can't I?"

Perhaps because this was an official setting, Seo-yun asked in her most professional register. Leave it to a working adult to know how to read a room.

I offered her a benevolent smile as I answered.

"Because I have far too many charms, don't I? If we keep the game going until only one person remains, we will be here all night. Let us simply have each person name one."

"...Yes."

Seo-yun's brow twitched, then smoothed itself back into a professional mask.

"You all heard her. Kim I-jeong, you go first."

The moment she was called on, Kim I-jeong — the original inventor of the nickname Gyojumma — opened her mouth without a second of hesitation.

"The first charm that must be mentioned is, of course, your beauty. Judging by appearance alone, I genuinely believe you still look like a high school girl."

"......"

The instant Kim I-jeong laid that out, the applicants waiting their turn let out incredulous little laughs of disbelief.

I was somewhat stunned myself. How could anyone deliver that kind of flattery with such a perfectly straight face?

Of course, it was true that I could pass for a high school girl. Put me in a uniform and I would look exactly like one. But saying so out loud was embarrassing, and it was the sort of thing most people would struggle to bring up so casually. Kim I-jeong's expression, however, remained utterly serene.

How reassuring.

The primary duty of an external affairs officer would be managing Liam. Shameless praise of that caliber would be an enormous asset. Liam obeyed no one outside his own family — with one exception. He at least pretended to listen to advice from people who worshipped him.

He never fully took it to heart, of course, but the fact that he listened at all was what mattered. In a manner of speaking, it was like a beast tamer keeping a violent monster in check with food.

"Na-yeong, you are next."

"I-I think it's how you're always so courteous..."

The next applicant had her turn, but nothing about it was particularly memorable. The rest were much the same. Every answer had the strained look of something wrung out under pressure, and I was disappointed.

Why were they wracking their brains like that? Face, figure, voice, character — the easy ones alone already made four.

In the end, the only person who had answered that sudden common question with any composure was Kim I-jeong. My preference could not help but tilt in one direction.

It is just that one, then.

Out of fourteen applicants in total, there was only a single person worth passing. In other words, the successful candidate was all but decided. I would still give it careful thought until tomorrow, though. There was no reason to be hasty.

"You may all go now. Thank you for your time."

Once the third group's interviews had wrapped up and the applicants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had filed out, Seo-yun slumped her head against my shoulder.

"I'm exhausted..."

"You did well. Let us go home and have some fried chicken."

"Order the Hwangol."

"What is Hwangol?"

"The expensive, delicious kind."

These days even an ordinary fried chicken order ran a fair amount of money. If she was going out of her way to use the word expensive, how much could it possibly cost? It would easily clear fifteen dollars, I suspected. A bit of a stretch, but I nodded anyway.

"Today is my treat. The sponsorship payout is coming in soon, after all."

Money donated through Tribe was settled at the beginning of each month. It was the end of the month now, so it really was just around the corner.

At least I will not have to worry about money for a while.

I had not streamed much this month. There had been too much to do, and I still needed to adapt to modern society. I had also deliberately stayed offline even when I had time, all for the sake of building a real reputation — bursting the hype bubble, as it were.

And I had still earned a comfortable amount. Combined with the child-rearing support from the government, I would not have to worry about a month's living expenses. Deciding to become a streamer had been the right call after all.

"From now on, I will need to take streaming more seriously."

The bubble had almost entirely deflated. For the second broadcast, as many as fifty thousand people had flooded in, but these days the viewer count drifted somewhere between ten and twenty thousand. It meant people had grown reasonably accustomed to Korea's first returnee.

So I figured it was about time I started running things properly.

"Starting today, I will be streaming every day."

"Well, you've got a husband and kids to feed."

Seo-yun snorted, her head still resting on my shoulder.

"Let's start Itube too. I'm quitting my job soon anyway."

"Understood."

We were briefly mapping out the days ahead when Hwang Jun-seok, who had been awkwardly fidgeting with a paper straw beside us, suddenly spoke up.

"The two of you... what exactly is your relationship?"

He certainly did not waste any time. No wonder he had been sneaking glances at us. Then again, Seo-yun and Hwang Jun-seok had not even properly introduced themselves yet. The interviews had kept everyone too busy.

It seemed I ought to do this properly, even if a little late. The two of them might be seeing a great deal of each other from now on.

I smiled and pointed to Seo-yun first.

"This is Lee Seo-yun, my younger sister. Not by blood, but you may think of us as family."

Seo-yun dipped her head in a light, practiced greeting — the easy courtesy of a seasoned professional.

"And this is Hwang Jun-seok. As you know, he is to be appointed as a priest."

"H-hello..."

Unlike Seo-yun, Hwang Jun-seok bent at the waist with a distinctly rigid stiffness. The difference between a working professional and a job seeker could not have been clearer.

"If there is anything you have been wanting to say, please feel free to say it now."

I tried to open the floor, but the painfully shy Hwang Jun-seok kept his mouth shut, just as I should have expected. Seo-yun, who was the outgoing type, studied our priest-to-be for a moment and then spoke.

"So what kind of blessing did you receive, anyway?"

"We are of one mind. I had been meaning to ask that myself."

"Really? Even the Pope doesn't know what the blessing is?"

"That is correct. Blessings created by the Goddess herself are difficult even for me to identify."

"Wow. So he's a pretty big deal, then?"

Hwang Jun-seok had been sitting quietly through our conversation, but now he turned to me with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠careful hesitation. For some reason, his eyes were unsteady.

"Y-Your Holiness? Then... does that mean even you cannot remove this blessing?"

"I beg your pardon?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Remove a blessing from the Goddess? What on earth was he talking about?

"The Goddess bestowed it herself, so no, I cannot remove it. I doubt even a great demon could erase that blessing if one showed up in person and tried."

"......"

Hwang Jun-seok's mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a moment. Then he let out a short, hollow laugh. When he met my eyes again, his face had the look of a man who had already passed through to the other side of despair.

"Did you have something to say?"

"Yes. A message just came do— I mean, I have something I need to say."

"Please, go ahead."

Just as he had when pointing out my fashion sense, Hwang Jun-seok hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

"Your Holiness. Last time, on stream, you said that you were more beautiful than the Goddess, didn't you?"

"...I did."

I answered reluctantly and got ready to open the notes app on my smartphone. I had a feeling I was going to need to write something down.

Sure enough, Hwang Jun-seok spoke again, this time with a sigh.

"Honestly... I think the Goddess would be far more beautiful. Wouldn't she be on a completely different level?"

"......"

I had braced myself in advance, so the blow was not as heavy as it might have been. I calmly took out my phone and began to type.

It seemed my evaluations of the priest-to-be would need to continue on a regular basis.

"That was good."

The chicken we ordered once we got home was, just as Seo-yun had promised, expensive and delicious. I still could not tell how it differed from any other fried chicken, though. Next time I intended to just order from somewhere cheap.

At any rate, after we had eaten our fill, I took over playing with my daughters so that Liam — who had been watching the children all day — could have a break.

"Sleepy..."

"Going to bed."

Fortunately, Erina and Evaila toddled off to sleep not long after we started. They must have played themselves out with their father.

Playing interviewer all day had drained every last drop of my energy, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep myself. But I could not skip the stream. That was a promise I had made to my viewers.

"Rohan, let us go."

Fighting off the drowsiness, I scooped Rohan into my arms, headed into the master bedroom, and sat down in front of the computer. I intended to start today's stream by introducing my son.

I changed the stream title and waited. Before long, the chat began scrolling at a rapid clip.

"Hello, everyone."

I took Rohan's tiny hand and waved it. He moved along with me without the faintest idea what was going on, but he seemed to be enjoying himself all the same — he broke into a bright little grin. It was a smile sweet enough to soothe even the viewers who had been stewing over how many days it had been since my last stream.

As I watched the chat, though, a few comments started coming in that I found distinctly irritating.

Everyone seemed convinced that Rohan had inherited Liam's looks wholesale. I thought so too, which was precisely why the whole thing left me feeling so uneasy.

"Everyone, is personality hereditary as well? I am losing my mind worrying he will take after his father and grow into a good-for-nothing who does nothing but loaf around all day."

I had asked because I was genuinely anxious, but the chat just exploded into laughter, everyone hammering out lmao as if I had been joking.

I was still watching the chat bloom with amusement when a donation came in. I recognized the username.

Lerorna — the original inventor of Gyojumma, and the leading candidate for external affairs officer. A donation from a viewer who was very likely about to become a colleague.

The resident troublemakers kicked up an enormous fuss. A reaction I was perfectly happy to ignore.

Viewers began lining up to express their distaste through donations as well. It was a reaction I could not begin to understand.

I turned my back on the blazing chat and the incoming donations and bowed at the waist, Rohan still in my arms.

"You must have feared the fierce backlash from the others, and yet you pushed through that pressure to speak the truth. You have my gratitude."

The courage to speak a pure, unblemished truth in a world where everyone else dealt only in lies. It was a donation so moving that I decided it deserved a fitting reward.

"To Lerorna, who held fast to her convictions, I hereby grant the privilege of being forgiven for any wrongdoing, no matter what it may be."

I was still basking in the full warmth of my gratitude when another donation arrived. Lerorna again.

"......"

I stared blankly for a moment. Then I stroked Rohan's hair and smiled.

"It was single-use, actually."

No privilege, after all, was ever meant to last forever.