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EP.65 The Seed of Doubt, The Wind of Change
[High-risk dimensional interference detected – Codename: Forest Echo]
[Occurrence coordinates: 'DN-2000', Sector-G, Isang City, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea]
[Energy pattern analysis: 92.8% match with registered dimension 'IDN-057', unique flora wave series]
[Source of interference undetermined. High likelihood of 'Child' involvement]
...
[Situation analysis result: Danger level raised to 'A'. Protocol 7 activated for containment and source investigation.]
[Directive: On-site investigation and identification of the interference source, initiate 'Purge' procedure if necessary. Immediate dispatch requested for codenames 'Seraph' and 'Kelpie'.]
[Approved.]
[Coordinates transmitted. Agent dispatch procedure initiated.]
A city in early May, full spring weather.
The familiar cityscape I passed through every day.
Though it was a weekday before the weekend, the streets were unusually busy.
I, too, stood among the noise, blankly staring at the cause of the commotion.
A single tree, towering sky-high as if it had been rooted there since ancient times.
In the face of its bizarre and immense presence, the surrounding modern buildings looked like mere miniatures.
Wide police lines were set up around the tree.
At the intersection, curious onlookers and news crews gathered in a noisy crowd.
Beyond them, I saw a building with a familiar sign.
About half of the building was literally destroyed by the giant roots and branches, as if attacked by a monster.
That building was my workplace, the Travel Wiz Isang branch, where I'd been working just a week ago.
'Came back from a business trip and my office is wrecked!'
It's already been three days since I saw this shocking news at the airport.
Because of this surreal disaster I faced right after returning, the company building was half-destroyed and going to work was out of the question.
...Not that the company itself disappeared, but we switched to working from home.
With the company systems down and all the aftermath to deal with, work was basically paralyzed.
In other words,
I'm basically unemployed right now.
And yet, the reason I bothered to come all the way to the office building instead of resting-
Was the intense sense of déjà vu I'd felt since first seeing that tree on the day I returned.
'...I've definitely seen this somewhere before.'
A height that pierced the sky.
Branches twisted in a bizarre, living way.
The more I looked, the more it stirred memories deep in my mind.
"Hey, Child, what do you think?"
Escaping the crowd, I leaned against a quiet building shadow and asked the one who was surely watching all this.
[What do I think about what?]
"That tree. No matter how I look at it, it looks just like the one I saw when I was possessed in 'Elf Hypnosis'."
The endless green forest.
The elf mother and daughter I met there.
It nags at me too much to dismiss as coincidence.
[Hmm~.]
With a brief burst of noise, Child's sly voice echoed in my head.
"You remember, right? You were watching when I was possessed."
[Who knows? Maybe it's just a coincidence. There are plenty of weird-looking trees in the world.]
"Sure, it could look similar. But the timing is just too strange. The headaches, the noise-everything happened when I experienced anomalies."
And the rising immersion rate, too.
There are just too many things that fit together for it to be a coincidence.
[Aren't you being too sensitive? I've told you many times that headaches can be a side effect. Hallucinations too.]
"If it were just headaches or hallucinations, fine. But this is different!"
If only I saw hallucinations, fine. But this is a real event, big enough to make the news.
If this is a side effect of my possession or app use-
If this much damage was caused because of it-
...Miraculously, no one was hurt, but what if someone had died in the building collapse?
[Hey, I keep telling you, there's no proof that tree is directly related to you. Don't overthink it.]
As always, Child skillfully dodged the point and mocked my suspicion.
[When have I ever lied to you?]
"..."
He's never lied, but he's often hidden important things or been vague.
So far, trusting Child has always benefited me, so I've just gone along with it.
[Even if you're right and it's all side effects, so what?]
"...So what?"
[If you're worried about side effects, that means giving up possession and hypnosis. Are you going to give up all the pleasure and status you've gained, and all the fun you could have in the future?]
Child's words left me speechless.
To give up the pleasure and power I'd gained with this ability-
I didn't even want to imagine it.
But...
[Think positive. The building got wrecked, but nobody died or got hurt, right? If something bigger happens, you can quit then. It's not too late, right?]
His intentions were obvious, but he wasn't wrong.
Child's wordplay to tempt me aside,
I had no way to investigate what was happening right now.
The only one who might know is missing, and I don't even know what they look like.
In short, there's nothing I can do in this situation.
[Come on, stop worrying about boring stuff. You've got a few days off from work-go find your next pleasure.]
"Sigh."
I let out a deep breath and turned away from the giant tree.
For now, I'll go along with Child's suggestion.
Still, one thing is clear: Child is hiding something important.
I'll need to keep a close eye on that from now on.
"Whoa!"
"Ugh?!"
After staring at the tree a few more minutes, I turned to head home.
Lost in thought, I bumped shoulders with someone turning the corner.
She was a much shorter woman.
"Are you okay?"
"..."
I apologized first, but the woman just looked me up and down with a very annoyed expression.
Short white bobbed hair.
Sharp, rebellious eyes.
She had a striking appearance, but her gaze was full of open wariness and displeasure.
"Tsk."
She stared at me for a moment, then clicked her tongue and quickly walked away without a word.
"What's with her?"
What a temper.
Is she a delinquent? Her flashy clothes too...
Annoyed, I stared after her, then started walking toward my villa again.
Nothing else happened, and I arrived at the villa.
By the time I got there, the sun was already setting.
Clutching my hungry stomach, I was climbing the stairs past the first-floor unit when-
Bang!
"Kyaa!"
A loud noise came from inside.
It sounded like a woman's scream.
Maybe something hard breaking.
'What's going on? A fight in there?'
The first floor was Miss Seungah's place.
It was usually quiet, so I was even more concerned.
I pressed my ear to the door, but didn't hear anything else.
Now that I think about it, I haven't run into Seungah in the hallway lately.
We're not close, but as neighbors, I worried something might have happened.
'Still, it's not my place to butt into someone else's business.'
But listening closely, I could hear bits of conversation.
Relieved, I went up the stairs to my place.
But who was she talking to, screaming one moment and sounding so excited the next?
A boyfriend?
After the tiring climb, I entered my apartment and, as always, was greeted by Rizeta.
"Welcome home, Hyunseong."
"Yes, I'm back."
Unlike usual, when she'd come to the door to greet me, she was sitting on the sofa, focused on her tablet.
Curious, I glanced over and saw a woman with a flashy 3D avatar interacting live with viewers.
A so-called VTuber stream.
"You're watching a VTuber?"
I sat next to her and asked. She nodded.
"Yes. Do you know about VTubers, Hyunseong?"
"Not really. I watched a bit a long time ago, but after I got a job, I haven't had time."
Just playing eroges took up all my time.
And lately, with work and life, I had even less time.
"When did you get interested in VTubers?"
"I found out a few days ago."
She answered calmly, eyes still on the tablet.
"I've been spending a lot of time alone lately, so I looked for things to do."
So she found it by chance.
But for some reason, her words felt a little prickly.
It's true, I'd been away from home a lot lately for work and trips.
"Anyway, VTubers are pretty interesting."
"In what way?"
"The way they hide their real selves and interact with the world through a created persona."
Her calm tone belied a different emotion in her eyes.
Maybe she felt a sense of kinship?
I sometimes forget, but despite her human-like appearance, she's not an ordinary person.
Maybe she sees the world differently from regular people.
"Oh, and the content itself is quite entertaining."
She added, showing me the tablet.
On screen, the mature "Moka" avatar was skillfully charming viewers and drawing donations.
Judging by the chat, she was very popular.
"Are you interested in streaming yourself, Rizeta?"
"Streaming?"
She tilted her head.
"I've never thought about it, but if you or Child ordered it..."
"Haha. I want to know your own opinion."
Streaming, huh.
I wondered what it would be like if Rizeta streamed.
With her looks, she'd be popular even as a camgirl, not just a VTuber.
But thinking about all the people who'd see her online, I wasn't sure I liked the idea.
"Oh, I made dinner to match your arrival. Would you like to eat now?"
Her question broke my train of thought, and I nodded.
That's when I realized how hungry I was.
"Yes, I'm starving."
"I thought you would be, so I made a meat dish."
The delicious smell from the kitchen made my mouth water.
There was no doubt about Rizeta's cooking skills now.
After dinner, I lay on my bed.
From outside the room, I could hear Rizeta washing dishes.
"Tomorrow's the weekend again."
The project was finally done.
It was my first free time in a while.
In the past, I would've been thinking about which game to possess next.
'What should I do...'
Bzzz.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, ending my endless thoughts.
It was a messenger notification.
[Jooyoung: Assistant Manager? Are you free this weekend?]
[Jooyoung: If you have time, want to meet up? We haven't seen each other in a while.]
[Jooyoung: My husband starts his new job tomorrow, so I'll be home alone. Want to come over?]
[Mina: Senior? What are you doing this weekend?]
[Mina: You probably have nothing to do, so let's have a drink.]
[Mina: If you don't like drinking, anywhere else is fine. Let's just meet.]
[Mina: Or... if you don't want to, never mind. Hmph.]
I laughed as soon as I saw the two women's messages.
How could they both have the exact same idea, as if they'd planned it together?
Even with all their excuses, their texts were dripping with desire.
It's a hassle to meet them one by one-maybe I should just invite them both over?
I don't have to hide Rizeta anymore.
I'm curious what will happen if all three are together.
It'll be the perfect way to change things up.
Smiling in satisfaction, I put down my phone and closed my eyes.
My mind was complicated in many ways, but for now, I decided to focus on the pleasures of the coming weekend.
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