POSSESSED 7

“I will see you next week.”

“Yes, get home safely.”

In the moment I was repeatedly bowing my head in greeting, Taeyun ran toward me and bumped into my body. It was a strong force, done in jest. Moreover, caught off guard, I flailed about, unable to steady my body as my center of gravity tilted forward.

I’m going to fall flat on my face. I was sure of it.

“…Whoa.”

My body, which I thought would meet the floor, was floating mid-air.

I couldn’t grasp what on earth was happening. When I lifted my head to look at Baek Joomyeong, he moved his arm with a sheepish expression. With that, my center of gravity was restored, and the soles of my feet touched the ground.

The children watching this situation exclaimed, “Woooaaah…!” in amazement. I felt the same. I stared at Baek Joomyeong, dazed.

Baek Joomyeong used his ability. So that I wouldn’t fall over…. Was that psychokinesis just now?

“Th-thank you.”

“Consider it repayment for the ointment.”

Baek Joomyeong pointed to his own jaw. The scratch had disappeared.

“Still, please keep it a secret. Using abilities for anything other than combat is a violation.”

Baek Joomyeong, wearing a bright smile, also smiled brightly at Taeyun who was standing next to me and placed his index finger on his lips, saying, “Shh.” The child, understanding the meaning, nodded his head.

Baek Joomyeong took care of Yeonji, saying he really had to go. Before his body had even fully exited, he greeted me once more.

“Have a good weekend.”

“Ah, yes! You have a good weekend too, Hunter!”

The door closed. Taeyun, who was beside me, quickly forgot his surprise and started playing pranks on me. Uh-huh. You little rascal. While accepting the prank by lifting the child upside down, I suddenly realized something.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I forgot to tell him. The reason why Yeonji was angry. To be honest, I was still debating whether I should say it or not.

Is it overstepping for me to get involved in this? Still, as the teacher in charge of the child, shouldn’t I tell him…

Countless thoughts came and went, and many conflicts crumbled into ambiguity. In the end, I went home while agonizing over it alone.

🍥

I was a person as light as a sheet of paper. Deciding to resume thinking about the child starting Monday, I moved my fluttering steps vigorously while contemplating today’s late-night snack.

The place where Jang Taeyeon lived was an officetel building not far from the daycare. Because it was behind the main road, walking late in the evening was slightly scary, but compared to the house I lived in before the possession, everything was much better. It was pleasant and cozy.

Back then, I didn’t even check the condition of the house properly because I was determined to live close to the company. How did I even live before the possession…

“……?”

…What is it?

As soon as I spotted a man who suddenly popped out of a narrow alley, my thoughts stopped. The feeling was strangely ominous, and my humming ceased as well.

That alley had a gloomy atmosphere, so people rarely used it. Yet, he came out of there as if he had been waiting, and what’s more, he was coming toward me, so I watched the suspicious individual without even blinking.

“Jang Taeyeon.”

The man who arrived in front of me called my name chillingly.

I racked my brain quickly while not taking my eyes off the man—specifically, his fist where sparks were “flick-flick” flying.

Who is this guy?

Even though I searched my mind, I didn’t know. It wasn’t easy because of the tension.

I couldn’t tell if I couldn’t remember the man because I was overwhelmed, or if he simply wasn’t in Jang Taeyeon’s memories. Anyway, since there was no way to know the man’s identity right now, I couldn’t lower my guard.

I can’t help but be wary, if only because of that fist. Is he a man who has a grudge against Jang Taeyeon?

“You son of a bitch… I bet you’ve been living peacefully after swindling people?”

“I swindled you—ugh!”

The man threw a punch without even giving me a chance to respond. It was a relief the sparks had disappeared, but the fist that slammed into my face was so hard that stars “ping-ping” spun before my eyes.

Just as I was about to lose my balance and collapse, my collar was grabbed roughly. Amidst my head being violently shaken, I tasted the fishy flavor of blood filling my mouth.

My lip must be torn. It feels like my jaw itself has been dislocated.

“You’re asking who I am?”

Yes, who the hell are you to suddenly throw a punch?

I glared with wide eyes to see the man’s face properly. I spat blood-mixed saliva toward the ground. It was a sudden act of violence, but I did it to show that I wouldn’t be intimidated.

The man pushed me roughly against the wall.

“Ugh!”

He ground his teeth “grrr-crunch” and brought his face close to mine.

“Where do you think you’re feigning ignorance? Do I still look like the pushover who got conned by you? If I were, I wouldn’t even have been able to find you like this.”

Conned by me?

It was before I could even chew over the man’s words. The infuriated man slammed his fist, where the sparks had come back to life, “thud” into the wall. The punch, stronger than before, left a mark on the wall’s surface.

“……!”

My eyes, startled out of my wits, grew so large they could have popped out. My wide-parted lips couldn’t make a sound. Because all my nerves were overwhelmed, I couldn’t even feel the pain.

This time, I couldn’t help but be intimidated. I froze and stared blankly at the man’s face. What on earth was this blood-curdling situation? I had no idea who this man was or what he was talking about. But amidst all the confusion, I knew one thing.

If I had been hit by that fist, I would have died. I would have died for sure.

“That’s why, fuck, you shouldn’t have played tricks. If you took the money to hand that guy over, you should have delivered, shouldn’t you?”

Jang Taeyeon took money? Who is ‘that guy’?

The man continued to growl with incomprehensible words. I needed distance from the man for a smooth conversation. However, as soon as I grabbed his hand and applied force, the man fundamentally changed his posture.

“Kehek…!”

The man began to press down on my neck with his forearm.

My breathing instantly became difficult, so I grabbed the man’s arm and pulled. I tried to escape his grasp somehow, but the more I did, the more he applied force and pressured me chillingly.

What is really going on! Why on earth are you doing this to me!

In the moment when everything felt bleak because I couldn’t find my bearings, something hanging from the man’s neck sparkled as it caught the light of the streetlamp. It felt familiar, so I watched it incessantly. It was the same as what I had often seen on the Hunters who occasionally came to pick up the children.

Is that… an identification tag?

If I didn’t see it wrong, it was definitely a Hunter’s ID tag. In this world, Hunters also carried ID tags like soldiers. It was to conveniently announce who they were and which guild they belonged to.

I couldn’t see the man’s name clearly, but I could dimly see the guild name written above it. I narrowed my eyes and focused as much as possible.

Jeok… Jeoksang Guild?

It was familiar. It was familiar as if I had seen it somewhere. Did I read it in the novel when I was a reader? Did I hear about it while living here after the possession? Whatever it was, the fact that this man was a Hunter became certain.

The problem was what kind of business Jang Taeyeon and this Hunter were entangled in….

“Did getting hit not hurt enough? This bastard is thinking about something else even though he’s been caught? Why, are you going to drug me again and turn me into an invalid this time too?”

This time too? Does that mean Jang Taeyeon drugged him before? Something is strange.

“What on earth are you—ugh!”

“Shut up. You think I’ll be fooled again? I already got ignored for being conned by a civilian like you…! Rather than getting stabbed in the back by you again, I’ll end up killing you with my own hands.”