Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 25

—–CROW—– 

I wrote “convenience store, stroll, outing” on the receiver for the Returnee Management Agency, located outside my house. Last time, I had left Officer Dan at home and snuck out, but if I didn’t write anything down for the agency, they would complain. It’s not that their words scare me, but I really didn’t want to meet that middle-aged ahjussi who would nag me, saying, “Again, you left without writing anything down! This is troubling, Jae-hee-ssi!” Also, that ahjussi kept texting me, asking me to have dinner with him. Should I just break his mind one day? No, I should endure it.

People have a hard time with the first step. If I broke someone’s mind every time I felt annoyed, I might become a crazy psycho who thought, ‘Oh? You made eye contact with me in the elevator? Eeyah! Your mind is destroyed!’

They say the human mind is like a triangle. In the beginning, it’s sharp, difficult, and painful, but later, it becomes worn down and you start doing inhuman things without thinking about it.

Anyway, when I went outside, there were quite a few people today.

The veil….

Good. I’m wearing it well.

The buttons….

All buttoned up to the neck.

My preparations for going out were perfect as usual.

As I began to walk, gazes instantly began to gather. No matter how hard I tried to block the charm that unconsciously emanated from me, it wasn’t something I could control.  Fortunately, most people just looked at me with admiration, thinking, ‘Wow, she’s pretty…’, ‘That veil is unique’, or ‘Is she a celebrity?’

Occasionally, like the grandfather I met before, they would suddenly hand me money and…

“My dear… I want to hold you in my arms today… Please be merciful and be this old man’s servant… just for a day…”

“….”

Well, he actually appeared.

And he was different from the person I met before.

I shouldn’t engage him in conversation.

I shouldn’t even make eye contact.

Just a smile would do.

“Hoo…!”

At that, the grandfather stumbled backward, gasping for air.  Even though it wasn’t a full release, it must have been hard for an elderly man to withstand even a slight leak of my charm.

Oh my, he wasn’t collapsing?

“…M-my dear… please, please…”

Please what?

But he was quite strong-willed for a non-Awakened person.

The grandfather I had met last time had passed out, but this one didn’t pass out and was persistently trying to talk to me.

Haa.

In the end, I had to smile with my eyes and even open my mouth.

“Go home.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

Only then did the sweet grandfather move away from me.

But why was he so strong-willed if he wasn’t an Awakened?  He did heed my words, but he maintained his composure even after making eye contact with me.  He must have been incredibly resilient to survive to that age, enduring the Great Rift and various other disasters.

I didn’t know why he was trying to express his mental strength to me, though.

Anyway, after turning away the sweet, more beast-like than human, grandfather, I went down to the subway.

Grandfather.

Please live the rest of your life wisely and peacefully, without being a burden to others.

And please don’t cross my path again.

Let us never meet again in this lifetime, okay?

Fortunately, aside from the sweet grandfather, other people didn’t come within a certain distance of me.  Most ordinary people wouldn’t approach and ask for a phone number or make a pass, no matter how beautiful someone was.

If they did, they would mostly be people who trampled on the other person’s feelings and threw away all sense of etiquette.  Well, I suppose there were some cases where those encounters turned out well, but it didn’t apply to me.

I boarded the subway.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a crowded train.

It wasn’t rush hour, so there weren’t many people. I stood quietly in a corner, stroking my violin to avoid drawing attention.

ㅡWhere are you going!?

ㅡLeopard penguin!

ㅡThere’s no such thing as a leopard penguin.

ㅡ!!!

I heard the children’s voices.  A slight annoyance rose at their tantrums, but these poor children had been disassembled by a psycho villain criminal without ever seeing the light of the world, becoming a violin.

They must have had many things they wanted to do and see, so I should give in here.

Children were the treasures and future of this world, after all.

“I’m going to play outside today.”

ㅡWow!

ㅡWoooow!

ㅡAre you going on TV?

ㅡAn idol?

ㅡA dome concert!

“That’s impossible.”

ㅡ!!!

When I said it was impossible, they got sulky and started screaming curses and lamentations.  If ordinary people had become the owner of this Ego Violin, they would have already been mentally eroded, their bodies taken over by 187 children.

“What’s not possible is not possible. But I won’t say it’ll never happen. Maybe in the future.”

ㅡUnnie is the Emperor Penguin!

“Thank you. But I’m an Empress, not an Emperor.”

And so, as I spent time having trivial conversations with the children, I arrived at what could be considered my destination.

I usually avoided crowded places, but today was different.  As I walked further, breathing the dusty air of the city, I arrived at a bustling street.

[Konkuk University Station]

While the Mapo District had become an underground world, this area had flourished, with new buildings and a large influx of people, becoming a bustling street.  There was a university nearby with many students, and residential areas were also close by, so there was a high volume of foot traffic.

‘Oh my, that sushi buffet is still there. I should go there sometime. Should I invite Officer Dan or Ahjussi Mikkelsen? Ah, a kaymak dessert cafe. That looks delicious. Milk is good for the body. It’s good for me too.’

By the way, it feels like there are more people around me than usual.  I must be imagining things, right?

“Wow…”

“Whoa…”

“Look at her face… you can’t see it, but she’s beautiful…”

“Unnie…”

“You crazy bastard. You’re a man.”

After walking for about 50 meters, a considerable number of people were still following me.

Hmm, it seemed pointless to go any further.

Should I look for a suitable open space?

Ah, that place looks good.

There were benches and a small park-like space.

People often performed busking shows there.  While busking performances were usually held on weekend afternoons or evenings, I could see people setting up large speakers, amps, and electric guitars nearby, preparing for busking or small performances.

Fortunately, I seemed to be first today.

Ah, I felt a little nervous.

The gaze of so many people.

Awe, curiosity, fondness, love, affection, various gazes.

I even felt jealousy and envy at times, but all those emotions were love and essence to me.

“Who is she?”

“A celebrity…?”

“Ah, the veil is a shame.”

“She looks beautiful even just by her figure.”

“Maybe she’s an aspiring idol?”

“A sellout. Look at her, pretending to be different by going out like that.”

“I know, right?”

“Alright, alright, put your knives away, people.

“Hello, is that the security Hunters? There’s a crazy woman here who’s trying to start a fight. She’s short and weighs about 80kg.”

Oh, oh, please don’t fight.

It was such a sad and pitiful sight to see those who couldn’t receive love spewing their anger and hatred into the world.  In the past, I also hated and despised those who blindly spewed hatred, but now I understand that those people are just pitiful and sorrowful beings, shrieking in emptiness because they never received love or gave love.

“So, I’ll try to make today a good day.”

Well, then, what should I play?

A violin.

It wouldn’t be easy to choose a song that was familiar to people. Moreover, I had no knowledge or experience related to music during my human life, so I had to rely solely on my vague memories and feelings, and on the racial ability of the Succubus Empress, which gave me a certain bonus for all things beautiful.

‘Ah, I’ve got it.’

A melody and tune that came to mind when I thought of a violin.

Now that I had chosen the music, all that was left was to play it.

I snapped my fingers, and the violin appeared.

The 187 children cheered.

We were finally going to play, finally going to sing.

They were cheering in front of so many people.  And they whispered to me, asking me to play immediately, promising to give me much love.

Ah ah, Violin-ssi?

I have to correct you on one thing.  It’s not because of you that I receive love.

It’s because of me.

I firmly adjusted my veil, making sure it wouldn’t fall off. Then I placed the violin on my shoulder. The bow, made from a young boy’s leg tendons, and the strings, made from the vertebrae of a young girl, were placed in my hands.

“Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin.”

A song that came to mind when I thought of violin.  A collection of PTSD triggers that would make any violin major foam at the mouth just by hearing the title.

In the cool air, the melody began to flow on the wind.

The melody flowed like a living serpent.

And it began.

In the most ideal posture, with the most comfortable and efficient bowing and fingering, with all the techniques the Succubus Empress could muster, and the sound I produced began, not as a gothic classic, but as a seductive melody.

“Wow…”

“What’s that violin sound…”

“Whoa…”

The theme.

A familiar note that went up and down.

People showed interest in the notes, familiar from commercials, classical music, or somewhere else.

Then came the first variation.

It began at a rapid speed, breaking the rising and falling sections into three.  I rapidly repeated those parts with flying staccato (a technique using the upper bow to bounce the strings).

“Whoaaa…”

“Wow.”

“The sound, the sound… the sound…”

“Amazing…”

As if I was playing a guitar.

But not too excessively.

Softly and naturally.

And then came the second variation, the bow rapidly moving back and forth, evoking a tense situation, like a cheating man being chased by his wife.

Huhu, it’s a bit funny when I put it that way.

“…Hahaha.”

“Pwahahaha!”

Was it that people were empathizing with my emotions?

Everyone was laughing as they listened to the violin melody.  It was a strange sight to see a crowd laughing while listening to a violin melody.  At the same time, I felt a slight sense of superiority knowing that they couldn’t take their eyes off my performance.

And then, I played a finger octave.

I began the third variation.

Holding down the strings with fingers that felt like they would break, very slowly and softly.

A section that was played cantabile (song-like).

Then the fourth and fifth variations.

A rapid section where the melody rose from a third to a tenth.

Violinists would probably vomit blood during this part.

The people in the crowd seemed dazed.

Well, aren’t I beautiful?

But it’s alright.

Me, playing the violin.

I’m beautiful, aren’t I?

If I made a mistake or a blunder while playing the violin, that wouldn’t be beautiful.  Unbeautiful scenes shouldn’t happen to me.

However, I didn’t remember the entire song, so I couldn’t play a full version from my subconscious.

I’ll have to look at and listen to the song more, maybe even practice, next time.  It was unfortunate that the music was incomplete because I didn’t know the middle part.

So, I jumped straight to the eighth variation.

A series of chords that required triple stops (playing three strings at once).

Powerful.

Brilliant and energetic.

The strings vibrated as if they were about to break, but it was okay.

For me…

And for the children, as well.

Because the moment of playing was so enjoyable.

It wouldn’t break just from this.

By the way, did you know?  Paganini was born with a hand deformity.

That was why his compositions were so difficult that no one but him could play them, leading to rumors that he had sold his soul to the devil.

Of course, it was fine for me.

Because I was the Succubus Empress.

I could do anything that seemed beautiful.

Then came the ninth variation.

A series of pizzicato chords with the left hand (plucking the strings with the left hand while holding down the notes, without the aid of the right hand). Especially this part. I plucked the strings with one hand, feeling like my finger bones would break.

Like a guitar.

No, even more intense and lively than a guitar.

Without stopping, I went to the tenth and eleventh variations.

Repeated arpeggio chords.

Moving across four octaves.

And then, the performance quickly moved towards the end.

The last.

The twelfth variation.

A fast arpeggio played continuously, ending on a major chord.

The people were captivated by me, or perhaps they were captivated by the melody. They stopped walking and held their breath.  The streets were as if enchanted, and the only sound was the violin’s solo, crying out a melody that bordered on a scream.

Each note was a human heartbeat.

And my fingers and the strings were tearing apart that heart.

“Finale.”

A finish like a burst of fireworks.

End of the performance.

“……”

The streets at daytime became silent.

So many people.

The bustling street, where hundreds of people would usually be passing, had turned into a library.

Passersby, shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and ajummas working at restaurants.

The man and woman who had been arguing earlier.

Even that pitiful woman who had been about to start a fight.

Everyone had become silent.

Huhu, it’s so fun.

I can control people’s love and admiration!

‘Hmm, but this is delicious… huhuhu…’

The children seemed satisfied as well.

The silent crowd.

Dazed gazes.

Admiration, love, fondness, respect, curiosity.

Everything poured towards me.

The children must have felt it as well.

I lowered my body slightly with composure.  Although I wasn’t wearing a dress, I subtly held the air with my fingertips and bowed, as if I was wearing a transparent silk dress.

Deep gratitude to everyone who listened to my performance…

“Thank you for listening to my humble performance.”

Only my voice echoed through the bustling street.  It was as if time had stopped in that serene moment.

“…What do we do…”

“Ah…”

“Let’s move our performance spot…”

“Let’s just not do it today.  I can’t do it…”

Ah, the other bands and singers who had been preparing for busking had all lost their motivation.

I’m sorry.

—–CROW—–