Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 19

23 minutes later.

A guild member dressed in a black suit came to the house and presented a business card.

“I’m from Phoenix Guild. We’d like to take Miss Yeon Sora for additional investigation regarding the incident.”

Even the mighty Four Heavenly Kings were helpless before a Big 4 guild business card, and they permitted my solo outing on the condition that ‘the guild will take responsibility and bring Sora back home.’

Freedom! Liberty!

After that, everything went smoothly.

I was loaded into a limousine arranged by the guild and transported to the Tower, and after arriving at the Tower, I completed the VIP exclusive red carpet entry procedure, then after finishing my business was quickly loaded into yet another limousine and shipped to Phoenix Guild’s guild hall.

The guild hall was exactly as I’d imagined.

It had been described as Versailles-style in the work, and truly chandeliers, mirrors, and gold leaf were plastered everywhere the eye could see.

“This way, please. The Vice Guild Master is waiting.”

Following the guide and walking along, I arrived at a room at the end of the corridor.

Knock knock!

The door burst open before I could even finish knocking, and Ha Seonwoo popped out from inside.

“Sorry for calling you all this way.”

Today’s Ha Seonwoo is truly dazzling.

He’s wearing a white uniform embroidered with gold thread, and that outfit creates beautiful harmony while displaying insane synergy with his blonde hair and blue eyes.

Add to that a refreshing yet caring smile, and there’s truly not a single thing to fix.

“Want to come in for now?”

“Yes.”

I obediently entered the room as told, but… it’s a slightly strange room.

There were no windows at all, and only a sofa that looked like a massage chair sat alone in the middle of the room. The lamp floating above the sofa was somehow peculiar.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to business. I want to talk about the bug you mentioned before…”

Yes, that’s what I came here to discuss too.

The true culprit of the awakening test incident was the bug.

The bug that toured test sites during the outbreak, releasing monsters and casting noise cancellation magic.

The high-spec bug that fired off advanced magic that only an extremely small number of people could use.

I wanted to know the identity of that suspicious bug, so I’d dumped… requested an investigation from Ha Seonwoo.

“I’m curious about the bug’s specific appearance, so I’d like to do a simple hypnosis investigation.”

“Hypnosis investigation?”

“Your unconscious holds far more information than you think. Can you cooperate?”

“Of course. If it helps, absolutely.”

I spoke as calmly as possible while hiding my excitement.

This is that, right?

The hypnosis investigation used in crime dramas to figure out killer details hidden in the victim’s unconscious!

I wanted to try that!

With a happy heart, I hopped—or rather, walked as composedly as possible and sat on the sofa.

Snap!

When Ha Seonwoo snapped his fingers, all the lights went out except for one small lamp above the sofa.

“Now, close your eyes.”

I closed both eyes, calmed my pounding heart, and surrendered my body to Ha Seonwoo’s narration.

“Think of the inside of the cave. The dark passage, the humid air, the smell of moisture-laden air, the slippery floor you feel with each step.”

I see the cave before my eyes.

No, I’m actually standing inside that cave.

It’s similar yet different from the hypnosis skill I experienced before.

Last time felt like watching a completed movie, but now should I say it feels like I’ve personally entered a movie set?

“You’re walking through the cave toward the test site now. You’ve arrived inside the test site. Can you see the monsters before your eyes?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to worry. Those monsters can’t hurt you.”

The monsters in the rotating goblin device are all frozen.

A strange situation like I’ve entered alone into a world where time has stopped and I’m moving.

“Can you see the bug?”

“Not yet.”

“Let’s wait a little longer. Make sure to tell me when you see it.”

I stared intently toward the bars.

After a while, I saw something fluorescent entering.

A small bug like a firefly.

“It’s here.”

“Can you approach the bug a little closer?”

The world stopped.

The bug also stopped moving.

I carefully stepped forward and approached the bug.

Then I crouched down in front of it and observed properly.

“Can you see what it looks like?”

“Yes, it looks like a grasshopper… but more like a glass craft than a bug. Fluorescent wires are glowing inside grasshopper-shaped glass.”

“Fluorescent wires?”

It looked similar to the Edison snowflake bulbs I used in my previous life.

Wire-like filaments were glowing inside grasshopper-shaped bulbs.

“Any other features?”

“The body’s like that… but the eyes and wings look like a blowfly.”

Red-brown compound eyes, the shape of those wings.

Those are definitely a blowfly’s eyes and wings.

A collaboration between grasshopper craft and blowfly—what a horrific hybrid.

‘Hm? What?’

Then, a strange sense of déjà vu struck me.

A feeling of something on the tip of my tongue.

Somehow I feel like I know this bug.

If I connect the chain of thought, the answer would come, but for now I decided not to use my brain.

Because of the cold slime-like sensation I feel on the back of my neck.

I felt this sensation last time when Ha Seonwoo used his skill too.

There’s a possibility my current thoughts are being read by Ha Seonwoo.

“Are there any patterns on the wings?”

“No.”

“Have you seen a bug like this before?”

“I’m looking at it right now?”

“…Besides that.”

“No.”

Snap!

My consciousness returned.

‘What the hell was that?’

I’ve definitely never seen such a horrific hybrid, so why do I feel like I know it?

As I frowned deeply in confusion, Ha Seonwoo opened his mouth with a caring smile.

“Good work. Shall we go to my office and talk about the rest?”

* * *

A gorgeous tea party was waiting for me in Ha Seonwoo’s office.

A three-tier dessert tray. Colorful macarons, various cookies and tarts, cupcakes and scones. Even teacups and a teapot with splendid rose patterns.

Quite full-scale.

“It’s from the Tower’s most famous dessert shop. Try some.”

Ha Seonwoo began drinking tea with a bright smile.

The sight of him placing the saucer in his left hand and holding the teacup with his right hand to drink was elegance itself.

The only flaw is the gloves.

No matter how I look at it, it seems more comfortable to drink and eat without gloves…

“Actually, there’s a real reason I wanted to see you today.”

“The real reason?”

“The day I talked with you, I went straight to the test site. Because I thought it would be good to see the bug you mentioned with my own eyes.”

As expected, so diligent!

You who have both talent and sincerity, you are qualified to rise to my bias ranking!

“But it wasn’t there.”

“?”

“Not at the test site, and even searching the entire cave thoroughly, I couldn’t find the bug you mentioned.”

No, it’s not like a dead bug could crawl away on its own, so why isn’t it there?

“So I wanted to ask you. When you left the test site, was the corpse still in that spot?”

“I don’t know. After killing it, I didn’t really pay attention…”

I definitely killed the bug.

It made a crunch sound when I stepped on it, and fluorescent liquid flowed out under my shoe.

There’s no resurrection magic in this world, so there’s no possibility a dead bug revived and escaped.

Then…

‘Someone took the bug?’

All the fine hairs on my body suddenly stood on end.

The grasshopper bug wasn’t the true culprit of this whole incident.

It was the weapon used to kill a total of 51 people.

The weapon disappeared from the crime scene.

Who took it?

Obviously the true culprit took it.

“Could it be among the guild members…”

The first thing I suspected was Phoenix Guild members.

It wouldn’t be hard to steal evidence while pretending to help clean up the incident.

But Ha Seonwoo shook his head.

“None of the guild members saw that bug.”

“How do you…”

I get it.

Ha Seonwoo has lie detection ability.

He must be asserting this so confidently because he checked each guild member deployed to the scene individually, right?

Then…

“Did someone hide and secretly steal the corpse?”

The culprit hid gloomily in the shadows, then entered and recovered the bug as soon as my team members and I left the test site.

But Ha Seonwoo shook his head again this time too.

“There’s no trace of an outsider breaking in. Everyone who enters and exits the test site is recorded in the entry log.”

This is also wrong.

Then there’s only one remaining possibility.

A possibility I’d suspected a bit from earlier but hoped wouldn’t become reality.

I was vigorously shaking my head to deny it when Ha Seonwoo’s sharp voice delivered a truth bomb.

“A total of 6 people could approach the bug corpse. Only the examiner Ham Sobong and your team members. I’ve already finished investigating Examiner Ham Sobong.”

“Then…”

“Right, we have to assume one of the 5 students who were in that test site took the bug corpse.”

The culprit was closer than I thought.

One of our team members.

Shiiiver!

‘Who is it?’

First of all, it’s not Yeom Juwan.

My baby doesn’t have the gloomy hobby of raising bugs that kill people.

Then who?

No Jitae and Lee Hyojun who drew goblin aggro at the risk of their lives?

Or Park Rahee who healed my wounds with glistening tears?

Were they making good faces in front of me while thinking things like ‘Tsk, what a shame’ inside?

The back of my head tingles.

Humans who betray like this really do exist.

Like a novel.

It is a novel, though.

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I don’t know. I was unconscious at the time…”

How would I know?

I was knocked out with one arm torn off at the time.

“Why not call them all in and investigate again?”

“That’s unreasonable. We can’t call people in without evidence.”

That’s total bullshit.

With Ha Seonwoo-level authority, he can call anyone in anytime, anywhere. He just won’t do it.

The reason is obvious.

If he calls in the culprit and asks ‘Do you know about the bug?’, the culprit learns ‘Ha Seonwoo knows about the bug.’

Ha Seonwoo doesn’t conduct such sloppy investigations.

Clink.

Ha Seonwoo set down the empty teacup on the table, poured fresh tea water drip-drip-drip, then turned his gaze toward me.

“Be careful of the other team members. If you’re not careful, Sora, you could be in danger.”

“Yes, I know.”

I’m the only eyewitness who saw the bug directly.

That’s why Ha Seonwoo called me.

So the witness wouldn’t approach the suspects of her own accord and interrogate them thoroughly about the incident.

“And if someone tries to sound you out about that matter, never try to handle it alone and contact me first. It’s dangerous alone. Understand?”

Clear sea-blue eyes gaze straight at me.

A tsunami of emotion washed over me.

As expected, Ha Seonwoo!

Just one sentence makes me feel reassured enough that tears might trickle out.

Right, our Ha Seonwoo is a good person…

‘?’

No, wait!

Ha Seonwoo isn’t that kind of character, is he?

He’s not a good character who takes care of this person and that person.

Ha Seonwoo’s character is beginning-middle-end Phoenix Guild.

He’s a person who doesn’t discriminate between means and methods for Phoenix Guild’s sake.

If I add character interpretation, his current behavior looks different too.

‘He’s trying to use me.’

Ha Seonwoo must be desperate to find the culprit who tried to ruin Phoenix Guild’s main business.

He must be planning to use me as bait and informant to catch the culprit.

I’m prepared to grant anything if it’s my bias character’s request.

I need to investigate the bug anyway, so our interests align…

But it seems a bit unfair to just be used like this.

After all, isn’t the world give and take?

“I’ll do as you said.”

I raised both eyes straight and looked at Ha Seonwoo.

“But I have a condition.”