Chapter 31
How could Jeong Sanghyeop, a strength-type esper, use hypnosis? No accurate information about that had come out. According to the novel, he would put me under hypnosis and then shamelessly act like he was helping me, asking what was wrong. In other words, he would become the perpetrator while also being the first witness.
When confronted with CCTV footage, he would make excuses that he had simply come to visit me. Looking at just the CCTV content, there was no footage of him harming me. There was only me hurting myself. That’s how he easily escaped the investigation net.
“What kind of crazy bastard is this?”
During the 48 hours I was under hypnosis, I couldn’t stop hurting myself. On top of that, the IV solution was switched out, causing me to fall into a coma. That’s how I became unable to guide Kim Haewon. All of this happened because I was the only person who could properly guide Kim Haewon.
This episode didn’t reveal details about Jeong Sanghyeop’s true identity. It only mentioned that he had become able to use abilities from a type he hadn’t originally manifested. Perhaps he had used drugs or received some kind of medical treatment.
The question was who had done that for him. In the original novel, a lobbyist organization had unfolded some kind of scheme to shake and control the world. A military contractor with global influence… Was there a company similar to that one in the real world? I pondered deeply.
“VENT?”
VENT was a global defense industry group. The weapons they handled were very diverse, but among them, they showed excellence in creating customized weapons that allowed espers to maximize their abilities.
The problem was that Kim Haewon was a member of VENT’s owner family. Kim Haewon was the chairman’s second son. Although he wasn’t the heir who would inherit the business, due to his outstanding abilities, he had become one of the pillars responsible for VENT’s external image.
If it was VENT, would they have planned something to harm their own son?
In the previously serialized novel, there was no such content. Nor was there such a strange relationship diagram.
“What the hell. They changed the content drastically. I wrote harsh comments for nothing. Who knew they’d be so shocked and change it like this. Still, wouldn’t it be okay to go somewhat according to the original?”
If the story continued to develop like this, there would be no meaning to having binged the previous novel. I might be able to get hints bit by bit from this novel, but the development itself had changed.
If I could only see one step ahead, how should I cope? If they were going to change it like this, shouldn’t they do 8 consecutive episodes, 10 consecutive episodes? That way I could prepare for anything…
I sighed involuntarily. Now I didn’t deny that I was the protagonist who had been possessed by this ridiculous real-time novel. There seemed to be no benefit in denying it. All the events had proceeded exactly as described in the novel.
Now I didn’t bang my head against the wall or force myself to sleep. This wasn’t a dream. I couldn’t wake up. The only way was for this novel to completely end.
End. As soon as I thought of that word, the ending of <I’ve Been Possessed by a Real-Time Serial Novel> came to mind. The death of the C-class guide that had enraged me. No one remembered him, no one praised him. That guide was exactly…
“Me?”
Even though I had become S-class, I was originally from a C-class guide background. In this story, who was there among the main characters who could die? That was me. The S-class esper who would become a hero in my place would be either Kim Haewon or Nam Ihyeon.
I didn’t want to die. I also didn’t want to fall into a coma. First, I had to stop Jeong Sanghyeop at all costs. I read the novel carefully once more.
The moment I fell under the hypnotic technique was when I made eye contact with Jeong Sanghyeop. Making eye contact. This seemed to be a necessary condition for hypnosis.
Then what should I do? Should I keep rolling my eyes while talking? How could I avoid making direct eye contact?
Lost in deep thought, I stopped by the internet library operated by the Association. Since it was such a classical ability, I could only find answers in old books.
“I really hate books.”
I sighed deeply as I searched through books. To think I had to dig through such materials just to extend my life—I felt wronged. But what could I do? I had to try everything I could. I couldn’t end my life being dragged around by a novel while suffering like this.
Fortunately, after going through several old research materials, I was able to find information about hypnotic abilities.
*Hypnotic ability is a power that can only be used by A-class or higher psychic-type espers. Not everyone who manifests it can use it, and it causes excessive energy consumption.*
*In 1988, due to a rampage by psychic-type esper Choi OO, about 200 casualties occurred. After the incident, through discussions between the government-led fact-finding committee, bereaved families’ council, and National Safety Management Agency, the use of this ability was prohibited.*
*Punishments related to hypnotic techniques were very severe. International judicial measures were taken to permanently restrict and monitor the relevant esper’s abilities.*
The overwhelming majority of espers were strength-type espers. More than 50% were strength-type, and the rest manifested their abilities through combinations/transformations of the four elements: fire, wind, water, and earth. The small number of espers who didn’t fall into such major categories were psychic-type espers. They were usually deployed for profiling work.
Unlike other espers who were superior in all physical aspects, most of them had stamina weaker than ordinary people.
“A D-class strength-type esper using the highest level psychic abilities… Something’s fishy.”
There were still several days left before the incident would occur. It would be great if the novel was uploaded during that time. But even if it wasn’t, I had to prepare countermeasures.
I started digging through more books. What characteristics the survivors of 1988 had, what needed to be done to avoid falling under this hypnosis.
After reading several interviews and investigative reports, I finally found a method. It was an easier method than I thought.
I could easily obtain the necessary items too. I examined carefully whether there might be any problems. No matter how I looked at it, there was nothing better than this.
Using it would give me a slight headache, but it didn’t seem like there would be any major issues. I held the object up high and smiled. I was staring at it for a while when I heard a knock-knock sound.
I quickly put the object away and spoke.
“Yes, please come in.”
The person who opened the door was Kim Haewon. He entered the hospital room with a displeased expression. He probably didn’t want to come, but we had an obligation to faithfully perform guiding. When I brought that up, Kim Haewon had no choice.
I planned to meet Kim Haewon every day for the next week. This was to prevent the situation where Jeong Sanghyeop would actually hypnotize me a week later.
Since no major gates had opened after the four-directional gate incident, it was easy to coordinate schedules with him.
“You know why I called you here, right?”
I stretched out both hands toward him. I couldn’t give this bastard a chance to talk. If I did, he would definitely upset me again.
Kim Haewon also seemed to dislike arguing with me. He quietly looked at my hands, then placed his hands on top of them.
I carefully examined Kim Haewon’s interior. It seemed better than the first time—he appeared to have adapted somewhat. I spread my guiding energy widely. Not quickly, but slowly, I had to organize his wild energies. It was like cutting away wildly growing vines, and there were so many that moderate efforts wouldn’t even show.
Still, if I kept cutting and cutting, about one spot where I stood would become clean. Even if that was just a very small part of Kim Haewon, who was like a great mountain.
Guiding Kim Haewon felt very strange. It was cautious like walking on water, yet had a refreshing feeling like forest air approaching. When I was drawn to that feeling and actually reached it, there were branches that were pitch-black and rotting.
It seemed like I would need to purify and purify again for the clean appearance to emerge. Thoughts of rain-soaked, old and rotting wood, polluted rivers, cloudy skies, moss-covered rocks came to mind. It was like some kind of wetland.
The more I guided, the stronger my desire became to restore this wetland to its complete form. It was like an instinct as a guide. How much I could do wasn’t important. I poured out guiding energy like someone who knew no limits.
“Wetland… beautiful…”
As the guiding continued, my mind became a bit hazy. I couldn’t tell what I was babbling about. Normally I would know to stop guiding at this point, but I couldn’t stop. The air of the wetland was changing. Kim Haewon gripped my fingers and shook them, asking.
“Shouldn’t you stop guiding? Park Garam-ssi. Guide Park Garam.”
I gripped those fingers very tightly and spoke. I could do a little more. I could still do more. In my hazy state of consciousness, I rambled randomly. It was about a very distant future.
“Later, much later when I completely guide Esper Kim Haewon.”
“……”
“This wetland will become a very wonderful and fantastic scene from a fairy tale.”
Unlike your shitty personality.
I should have added that, but my mouth wouldn’t move. I felt my guiding energy hitting rock bottom. I slowly withdrew my energy. My eyelids immediately became heavy. I collapsed into his arms with a thud.
