POSSESSED 15

“Don’t you understand? Jang Taeyeon, you either cooperate, or you die by my hand—pick one!”

Don’t you understand? I’m saying I hate both options.

Anyway, if pathetic begging isn’t working, I’ll have to try a different method.

“…If you keep this up, I’m going to report you to the Hunter Headquarters. For me, it’s fine if I just pay the price for scamming a Hunter, but you… no, what will happen if the Headquarters finds out the Jeoksang Guild targeted Baek Joomyeong?”

“This little bastard is really spitting out whatever he wants just because he has a mouth!”

“Ugh, ack…!”

Lee Sunghwan grabbed my neck roughly.

I expected this man to hit me, but I didn’t expect him to suddenly choke me. Unable to block the hand gripping my throat, I struggled to escape his grasp just like before. I was already running out of air, and breathing became difficult.

I intended to use my ability moderately depending on the attack, but this won’t do. Since my physical condition is so lacking compared to this hulking man, I’ll have to use enough to suppress his brute force. I was worried about the pain that would follow, but there was no other way for now.

I strained my eyes and glared at the man.

I had to inject mana into him just like that time. As a mental-type, I should be able to exercise my power with a glance or a gesture even without a physical medium. That was the charm of mental abilities, and Jang Taeyeon was a total psycho who lived enjoying the thrill of his power.

But why can’t I use the ability as naturally as the original Jang Taeyeon? They say things are only hard the first time, and the second time is supposed to be easier.

“This brat is trying to…!”

The man quickly saw through my intention. He threw me to the ground and immediately came over to kick me.

Being hit with a fist was a first in my life, and now, after everything else, I’m being kicked. In the midst of this, I thought I should protect my face since I have to go to work tomorrow, so I curled my body into a ball. Pain radiated through various parts of my body, not my face.

It hurts, it hurts so much. How long is he going to keep hitting me? Is he planning to beat me until I’m on the verge of death?

Contrary to my fears, the kicking stopped. The man grabbed my hair tightly and forced me to look at him.

“Ugh!”

“Actually, this worked out well. The reason I came today… well, Baek Joomyeong is Baek Joomyeong, but I came because I have business with your ability.”

“Haa….”

“The way your eyes looked back then, and how you dominated my mind… are you an E-rank? Are you a mental-type Hunter?”

“…”

“I looked into it, and the name Jang Taeyeon wasn’t in the Hunter database. No affiliated guild, no ability rank. Are you an undercover from the Headquarters? Is that why you’re so confident about reporting us?”

The man began to interrogate me about my identity with a murderous aura. I remained silent without answering. I endured the pain coursing through my entire body and steadied my ragged breath.

Compared to that pain where my eyes felt like they were burning and my head was tearing apart, this much pain is nothing.

“Or are you part of an anti-group? If not that, are you a heretic acting alone? Fuck, tell me the truth about who you are!”

What could I be? I’m just a Teacher at Eden Daycare who pursues peace.

“Well, it’s fine as long as you’re not a troublesome undercover. I don’t care if you’re a stray Hunter or a heretic who avoided getting ranked. I’ll look the other way, so come to Jeoksang.”

“…”

“I’m doing this because you’re acting like such a piece of shit… but guys with mental abilities are quite rare, you see? We had maybe one or two on our side, but they all went crazy and became useless.”

“…”

“I think the Guild Leader would be satisfied with you. So, think of the money I gave you as a scouting fee and come to Jeoksang. Let’s catch not just Baek Joomyeong, but the other guys too.”

“…You are quite arrogant.”

Haa, haa. I exhaled slowly.

The man might have thought this much beating was enough, but I hadn’t given up on activating my ability. I concentrated my mana while being kicked, and when my hair was grabbed, I poured that concentrated mana into him.

I didn’t know it myself, but Jang Taeyeon has a pretty good physical tolerance.

“Did you think it was over after hitting me just this much?”

“You crazy bastard…!”

A green light gradually permeated my pupils.

This time, I could feel what the sensation of my pupils changing was. It felt as if a very thin film was being tightly pulled over my eyes; I even realized that the reason my eyes burned so much was to remove this film.

I even saw a complete illusion. Puzzle pieces that had been spinning out of alignment finally clicked perfectly into place. Only then did I properly understand. So this is what activating an ability feels like. It was a refreshing and liberating feeling.

Before I could even savor the thrill exploding from deep within, I looked at the man. The man, whose mind had been dominated without him even knowing it, had a blank expression and had obediently let go of my hair.

I wanted to take this chance to beat him into a pulp, but I decided not to take revenge this way. For the sake of our children at Eden Daycare. For the children of the Rainbow Class, I had to maintain as generous a heart as possible.

“I am….”

Just as I forgive you, you must forgive me.

“I will return the money I received from you, and you will agree to it and accept it. And you will never use this matter as an excuse again, nor will you come looking for me to cause a scene like this.”

You are to erase the existence of ‘me’ from your head. Even if your colleagues pry about me, you won’t remember; you’ll just think the job was settled well and move on. That is how you will give peace to my life.

To obtain a definitive peace, I have to make him forget everything about Baek Joomyeong. But as I tried to do that, it bothered me that he wasn’t the only one who knew about this. His colleagues and even the Jeoksang Guild Leader know. I couldn’t go meet them all to perform mind control. However, since this man is the only one who knows me directly, I can at least delay things by making him forget me.

Yes, I can do that….

“Huh?”

In an instant, something that had been submerged in the swamp of memory suddenly leaped up and struck my mind. It was the reason why the Jeoksang Guild felt strangely familiar.

I know this guild. Especially the person who is the Guild Leader.

“…What is the name of the Jeoksang Guild Leader?”

“Kim Gitak.”

Kim Gitak?

My jaw dropped. A chill ran down my spine instantly. Kim Gitak. He was the name of the first villain to appear in this novel.

🍥

After returning home, washing Yeonji, and putting her back to sleep, Baek Joomyeong sat on the sofa and leaned his head back. He wasn’t tired. He just closed his eyes quietly because he had things to think about.

He thought that if he were to reminisce, it would be about the moment they shared the tonkatsu, but instead, he retraced the moment he parted with Jang Taeyeon. It was when he passed behind Jang Taeyeon using Yeonji—who was whining that she wanted to say goodbye to the Teacher—as an excuse.

He heard something suspicious then. Jang Taeyeon’s smile looked strained.

‘…We… broke up… why are you waiting…’

Were they perhaps dating? Was that why he tried to send him away in a hurry?

Baek Joomyeong wasn’t surprised by the fact that Jang Taeyeon met men. Since he was gay himself, he tended not to set gender limits when it came to dating. Still, if there was one slightly unexpected thing.

“I didn’t know he’d date a Hunter.”

Baek Joomyeong knew that man from earlier.