POSSESSED 2

Dismissal was divided between children who took the daycare shuttle and children who went home with guardians who came to pick them up in person. Baek Yeonji was the latter. Because she was Baek Joomyeong’s niece, there was a risk of kidnapping, so someone related to Baek Joomyeong always came to pick the child up.

Today, I heard that one of the Wolhwa Guild Hunters would be coming. Despite that, the person who came to pick up the child was none other than the man himself, Baek Joomyeong.

With his neatly swept-back black hair, sharp eyes, and the impressive blue gaze contained within them, Baek Joomyeong entered the center while politely greeting the people who recognized him. I swallowed my admiration inwardly.

Baek Joomyeong was the male protagonist of this novel. Furthermore, he was a psychokinetic Hunter who had officially received an S-rank evaluation. As his top-tier rank suggested, he was incomparably strong among Hunters, and due to a professional consciousness that he exercised without regard for his own safety, he was praised as a literal national hero.

As the Vice Guild Leader of the Wolhwa Guild, he had also performed distinguished services for the guild. He had turned a perennial last-place guild—which had the lowest join rate and the highest turnover rate due to a lack of popularity and reputation—into the top spot.

If one were to weigh the factors behind the popularity of the comet-like Baek Joomyeong, his personality accounted for nine out of ten.

He was righteous. He tended to be kind toward goodwill and firm against injustice. Additionally, he possessed a deep loyalty toward the General Headquarters and accepted his destiny as a Hunter better than anyone else. Therefore, he was often at the forefront of the fight whenever a battle against a villain with supernatural powers occurred or a gate teeming with monsters appeared. The result was always victory.

His achievement, which no one could break—the result of a hundred victories in a hundred battles—was possible because it was founded on the confidence that he could win no matter who he fought. A sense of camaraderie, the feeling that one could win if they were with him, naturally followed and aided those total victories.

Speaking of Baek Joomyeong, one could not leave out his strong sense of camaraderie. As Vice Guild Leader, he cherished those who entered his fence terribly. Respecting that side of him, many Hunters followed him. Even just seeing them step forward to pick up Yeonji revealed their loyalty toward him.

The main “Su” of the novel, Lee Kangseo, was among those he cherished. He was a Hunter with the same psychokinetic ability as Baek Joomyeong and was a rookie of the Wolhwa Guild who had just joined that year.

Lee Kangseo would navigate through incidents and accidents alongside Baek Joomyeong, develop feelings for him, share emotions with him, and eventually even be the first to confess. Baek Joomyeong would refuse due to his position of having to raise Yeonji, but Lee Kangseo would not yield. He would push straight ahead and eventually win Baek Joomyeong over.

Currently, it was a point in time where Lee Kangseo had not yet appeared. Much time remained until his debut.

“Hello.”

Wearing the Wolhwa Guild uniform, he smiled brightly as soon as he saw me.

Did I just say nine out of ten for the popularity factor was his personality? I’ll correct that. His appearance takes up ten out of ten. Baek Joomyeong’s looks were also S-rank.

A sculptural face crafted around a high nose, and superior physical conditions a head taller than others. Not every Hunter in this world is outstanding. However, Baek Joomyeong was exceptionally handsome even among Hunters and possessed a solid physique forged through combat. He radiated light just by existing.

So this is what a “Gong” in a BL novel is.

“Ah, hello.”

I stammered like a fool. Even if the soul trapped in this body is mine, perhaps because the originally assigned role is that of a villain, my heart trembles like a coward’s to the point of dying every time I face Baek Joomyeong.

I communicate just fine through the daily reports, though….

Still, I can’t be like this forever. I lived up to my name and composed my face Taeyeon-ly.

“Yeonji, your uncle is here.”

Speaking softly to Yeonji, who was standing quietly beside me, I helped her put on her bag. Then, just as I was about to take her small sneakers out of the shoe rack and put them on her myself, Baek Joomyeong stepped in.

“I will do it.”

Baek Joomyeong, who naturally knelt in front of Yeonji, began to lift her feet—which were even smaller than the shoes—to put them on. While asking tenderly, “Yeonji. Were you good today?”

Yeonji nodded her small head instead of answering.

Despite having a great Hunter like Baek Joomyeong as an uncle, the child was quiet and timid. Even if her innate personality could be that way, I felt sorry for the gentle child. It was because the story of losing her parents at a young age could not be excluded.

“Yeonji.”

I called her name while matching the child’s eye level before Baek Joomyeong could take Yeonji out. Yeonji turned around while holding Baek Joomyeong’s hand. Her round eyes looked at me.

“Let’s have fun playing with teacher tomorrow, too. Goodbye.”

Yeonji nodded her head again. And then she nodded once more. Every time the child nodded, her swaying pigtails were so cute that a wide smile spread across my face without me realizing it.

Then, my eyes met with Baek Joomyeong’s, who was looking down at me. Those blue eyes he possessed quickly made my heart feel awkward. My heart began to tremble again. Hurriedly straightening my body, I greeted him as well.

Yeonji’s Uncle-Mr., no, Hunter Baek Joomyeong-Mr….?

“Get home safely.”

Returning to the classroom, I took a breath of relief.

Phew. I really need to either get used to that gaze quickly or have the villain cells remaining in this body disappear completely.

🍥

There is an information program I watch when I get ready for work. It’s fun because the content is lighter than the news, and it’s convenient in many ways as it briefly informs me of the major incidents that occurred within the past day following the weather.

I liked the corner that aired toward the end of this program. This corner quickly reported the social section following entertainment and sports, but just because it was about society didn’t mean it was boring. It was because it mainly dealt with guilds or Hunters.

Let’s see, what’s the news today….

I perked up my ears while brushing my teeth.

[Namyangju A-rank Gate, the assigned ‘Wolhwa Guild’ and ‘Baekya Guild’ join the battle]

[Gate subjugation successful, centered around the hundred-victories-in-a-hundred-battles White Tiger ‘Baek Joomyeong’]

[The Director of the Gate Countermeasures Management Bureau decides to personally award a citation and a monetary prize to convey gratitude on behalf of the citizens…]

I was surprised twice by a single piece of news. Bubbles dripped from between my blankly parted lips and soaked the floor.

An A-rank gate occurred in Namyangju? Wow, scary.

I quickly found my phone to check, and it said the gate that occurred a week ago only opened at 1:00 AM this morning. It seemed that as soon as the gate opened, the guilds assigned to participate in advance jumped in and resolved it.

Among the assigned guilds was the Wolhwa Guild. The Wolhwa Guild and Baek Joomyeong. It is said that the man who is the child’s guardian—who came to pick up Yeonji at dismissal yesterday—and an S-rank Hunter of this world, commanded the battle and achieved a great victory.

This was also surprising. To think that the person I saw at dismissal yesterday suddenly fought a gate battle early this morning.

By the way, is he okay? If it was a gate early this morning, what about Yeonji? Is Yeonji alone? Who will drop her off?

I suppose I’ve become a full-fledged teacher before I knew it. Baek Joomyeong is Baek Joomyeong, but I was also worried about Yeonji.

[A non-Hunter, Mr. Lee, who carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians, revealed to have planned the crime out of a grudge against Hunters…]

[The Central Hunter General Headquarters Chief announces, “We will not overlook radical actions by individuals or anti-Hunter groups toward Hunters”]

Radical actions by individuals or anti-Hunter groups toward Hunters. While wiping the bubbles that had fallen on the floor, I stopped and just blinked my eyes.