Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 17

[…A total of 50 students were taking the test. Thanks to Phoenix Guild’s swift response, the situation was quickly brought under control, but regrettably, there were 6 casualties.]

News of the outbreak is being broadcast.

It’s on air already?

In the original work, they didn’t make the announcement until three whole days later.

‘Is it because of me?’

Thanks to my efforts, the casualty count decreased, and because of that, the first catastrophic incident was downgraded from an ‘unmanageable disaster’ to a ‘manageable accident.’

In other words, it’s the butterfly effect.

[…It’s presumed that some restraint devices malfunctioned due to mana fluctuations. The exact cause is under investigation.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Guild has announced they will provide 100 million gold in compensation to the bereaved families, taking responsibility for this incident and promising to implement preventive measures…]

On screen, an impeccably dressed Ha Seonwoo was bowing 90 degrees in apology.

“An outbreak? Inside the Tower?”

“What! Then you guys were at the outbreak scene?”

Yeon Sora’s family has entered shocked mode.

They’d only heard there was some kind of accident during the test—they had no idea it was an outbreak.

After that, chaos reigned for quite a while.

The family members were horrified, Yeom Juwan maturely calmed them down, and we all had a ‘We’re so glad you’re alive’ hug time and tear time together.

After performing all these processes befitting Yeon Sora’s role, I pricked up my ears and focused on the family’s conversation.

From now on is important.

I need to know what kind of reaction they’ll show.

“Ahh, those poor 6 people.”

“The families must be heartbroken.”

“But wasn’t it academic consensus that outbreaks can’t occur inside the Tower? Phoenix Guild wouldn’t have an obligation to pay compensation…”

“They’re fulfilling their moral responsibility as test site managers.”

“How admirable! Phoenix Guild really is something!”

‘There won’t be any parent protests this time.’

Perhaps the difference between a ‘disaster’ and an ‘accident’ is just numbers.

Since the casualty count changed, the awakening test incident became ‘another person’s tragedy’ instead of ‘a crisis that could happen to all of us.’ The public will probably offer condolences to the victims, but won’t unite and take action.

This means there’ll be no nationwide anti-awakening test movement, City Hall won’t become known as downtown Seoul’s camping ground, and camping equipment company stocks won’t surge.

This butterfly effect has quite the scale, doesn’t it?

I was sampling Yeon Sora’s family to observe the butterfly effect when—

Fwit—

The TV suddenly went dark and Yeon Sora’s father began setting up a camera in the living room.

“Since both Juwan and Sora need to sleep early today, let’s do the interview first.”

Yeon Sora’s father is an independent film director.

However, in the <On the Brink of Destruction> worldview, the film industry is on the verge of extinction. It’s one of the reasons this household is dirt poor.

Anyway, the father regarded Yeon Sora and Yeom Juwan as the ultimate subjects, and he harbored the ambitious dream of making a film about their life stories.

Having gone through the massive event called the awakening test, there was no way he’d just let it pass.

Before I knew it, Yeom Juwan and I were sitting side by side in chairs being interviewed.

“What abilities did you both awaken?”

“Dad, you can’t force them to answer that! Noona and hyung have Friday, so you can’t invade it.”

“Privacy, not Friday. Are you really the kid who dreams of being an English instructor?”

For reference, the younger brother’s dream is to become an English instructor, and he displays remarkably creative English skills.

Somehow I get the feeling poverty will be passed down through generations.

If I don’t succeed as a hunter, this household is really going bankrupt, isn’t it?

Anyway.

To be a conscientious imposter, I decided to answer Father’s questions sincerely.

I was conducting an honest interview within the bounds of keeping the ‘confidential matters’ I promised Ha Seonwoo, when—

“How fortunate that Juwan was there! If our princess had to take the test alone, who knows what would have happened!”

“Our princess always has a reliable knight by her side, so what’s there to worry about!”

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

Here it comes—these cringeworthy nicknames!

Yeon Sora’s family calls Yeon Sora ‘Princess’ and Yeom Juwan ‘Knight.’

It’s because Yeom Juwan took such thorough care of the weak-bodied Yeon Sora.

“Sir Yeom Juwan, I entrust my daughter to you from now on as well.”

Still… this is a bit much, isn’t it?

I was thinking I should seriously propose discontinuing these nicknames at a family meeting later, when I heard a voice shrinking away right next to me.

“I… didn’t do anything. I actually received help. Sora… saved me, you know.”

Yeom Juwan was bowing his head deeply with a bitter smile.

Completely deflated.

Today’s achievements went to Yeon Sora, but the family who knew nothing assumed as usual that Yeom Juwan had saved Yeon Sora. They were even busy praising him for thoroughly performing his knight duties.

So my baby’s spirits are down.

Don’t be discouraged! You were amazing today too!

“Juwan saved me! I can’t give details, but at a truly critical moment, he risked his life to save me… If not for Juwan, I wouldn’t be here. I always feel so secure having him watch over me!”

“…Until now.”

“…?”

“Now Sora’s much stronger than me.”

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

“Yeah, how could our Sora…”

“They said it’s a talent that maybe one in a million people has. Compared to that, I’m… ordinary.”

Yeom Juwan had gone beyond deflated to seemingly ruminating on the meaning of his existence.

The princess he’d cared for his entire life suddenly became a munchkin.

Isn’t it something like that feeling?

Like the troublemaker young master I escorted every day suddenly becoming the Heavenly Demon, or the boss I protected every day suddenly becoming Iron Man.

‘The flame magic I used—that was originally yours! You’re a calamity-class ability user! Lift your head!!!’

…I want to tell him that, but of course I can’t say those words out loud.

“Congratulations. Sora, I always knew you’d do it someday.”

When Yeom Juwan forced himself to smile, guilt strangled my throat.

But I don’t know what to say.

“I’m a bit tired, so… I’ll head in now.”

Yeom Juwan entered the room with a rueful smile.

* * *

‘Should I follow him?’

No, if I try to comfort him now, it might backfire.

Deciding to give Yeom Juwan some alone time for a while, I turned my gaze to my surroundings.

But here is uncomfortable in its own way too.

An imposter surrounded only by the original body’s family.

How should I put it—it’s like being a criminal who crawled alone into the crime scene.

Should I stop lurking around here and head to my room too…

“But don’t you think Phoenix Guild’s Ha Seonwoo is really wonderful?”

…When a topic I absolutely couldn’t pass by came up.

“I know! He’s young but capable, and such a good person!”

“He’s one of this era’s top geniuses but not arrogant at all—should I say his character shows on his face? I can see why he’s so popular.”

Ahem.

If that’s the topic, I too have a little something to contribute.

“The Vice Guild Master? He was really kind in person too.”

“You saw him in real life?”

“Yes, when we were being questioned after the incident…”

“How was he? Does he really look like he does on screen?”

“His voice?”

Yeon Sora’s mother, aunt, grandmother, and younger sister united in a collective chorus.

Tell me more! Tell me more!

I cleared my throat to meet those expectations.

I’d been itching to get my Ha Seonwoo eyewitness account out of my system anyway.

“When he first entered the investigation room, I thought a crown prince was walking in. Even sitting still, you could feel his dignity, and the way he speaks clearly shows respect even to students like us…”

I was speeding along covering his elegant bearing, his ingrained refinement, his incomparable gentlemanliness, his precise gestures, his swaying hair, his neat forehead, his elongated eyes, his marble-like skin texture, his superior proportions, his slender fingers—

|Ha Seonwoo| Did you arrive safely?

A DM arrived.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

|Yeon Sora| Yes, I arrived safely. Thanks for arranging it, I had a comfortable trip. Thank you!

|Ha Seonwoo| Good. Rest well today, and I’ll contact you soon about the magic stone settlement.

|Ha Seonwoo| If anything comes to mind, feel free to contact me anytime 🙂

I calmed my startled heart as I replied, when—

“Sora? Why did you stop mid-story?”

“You can’t just cut it off there.”

The audience urged me on.

“Sorry. I was suddenly overcome by the emotion of that moment…”

I hurriedly closed the message window, finished the rest of my Ha Seonwoo praise, and only then could I chew over the meaning of this DM.

‘Why did he contact me at this hour?’

Right now Ha Seonwoo should be at his busiest dealing with the incident.

If he sent a DM in the middle of all that, there’s only one reason.

He got an alert.

Ha Seonwoo has the ‘language tracking’ skill.

It’s an alert service where he gets notified when someone he’s set the skill on uses certain keywords—he probably set keywords like ‘outbreak,’ ‘bug,’ or ‘noise cancellation magic’ on our entire group.

But I didn’t use any of those words.

I was busy praising Ha Seonwoo’s appearance.

Which means…

‘I’m also a special management target, aren’t I?’

Ha Seonwoo registered keywords like ‘Phoenix Guild,’ ‘Vice Guild Master,’ and ‘Ha Seonwoo’ for special management targets.

And whenever his name was mentioned, he sent a DM to that person.

It’s aiming for a kind of telepathy effect.

When I’m thinking about someone and that person contacts me, the thought ‘Do we have some kind of connection?’ naturally arises.

In the original work, Ha Seonwoo specially managed Gyeon Junhwi, and Gyeon Junhwi made quite thorough use of it.

It’s like an emergency bell that can summon the number two of a Big 4 guild anytime.

‘I’ve gotten that too!’

I haven’t even enrolled in the academy yet, but I’m not only living with my 3rd place bias, I’m also being specially managed by my 7th place!

Good start.

Since talk of cohabitation came up, shall I enjoy this cohabitation life a bit?

“Then I’ll head in and rest too.”

“Alright, you worked hard today.”

“Good night!”

Having declared my intention to sleep, I entered Yeon Sora’s room with an excited heart.

For reference, in this house I share a bed with Yeom Juwan.

Although it’s a bunk bed, we share one bed.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the two of us using this room—the twin siblings, aunt, and uncle also use it together.

“Juwan, are you asleep?”

Yeom Juwan was lying down rolled up in his blanket like kimbap.

Seeing no answer, he must have fallen asleep quickly.

I wanted to hear a goodnight greeting from Yeom Juwan…

But waking a sleeping kid just to hear it seemed wrong, so I gave up quickly and heave-ho climbed to the second level of the bunk bed, then lay down.

‘He’ll feel a little better tomorrow, right?’

Yeom Juwan’s dejected expression really bothers me.

Still, it’s better than the original work.

If things had proceeded as in the original, by now Yeon Sora would be dead and Yeom Juwan would be corrupted by the shock of losing his childhood friend.

This life’s Yeom Juwan didn’t lose his childhood friend.

Without a trace of darkness, clean and bright, he’ll grow up treasuring his pure appearance.

I’m already contributing to my babies’ happiness!

As I celebrated my successful first day of possession, my eyes naturally closed.

I heard something rustling, and somehow felt a presence watching me, but I had no strength to open my eyes.