#112
I first clicked on the post titled “This is why HDW…” that caught my eye.
Issue | This is why HDW…
Author
Hey, HDW’s foresight is amazing
They say he was F-class because KSH stole his power
How did he recognize it;;
Seems like he was trying to claim the out-of-grade first
-Anonymous 1: As expected, the center director is the best! I believed in him!
-Anonymous 2: I thought it was corruption, how wronged must he have felt
└Anonymous 5: To be honest, this place was a mess too
-Anonymous 3: How amazing must power beyond S-grade be
└Anonymous 9: Actually, I heard the matching rate was insane, 99.9%
└└Anonymous 3: You mean it wasn’t 100%?
└└└Anonymous 9: Realistically, does 100% make sense?
└└└└Anonymous 4: Realistically, does out-of-grade make sense?
While Hyun Dowoon was once criticized for choosing someone like me, suddenly he was being praised for his foresight shining through. All because of the single reason that I had power beyond the grade.
‘It’s completely changed…’
The best posts were all filled with amazement about my out-of-grade judgment, various rumors, and praises for Hyun Dowoon who recognized and discovered me.
There were also occasional posts suggesting that Shin Haejun had protected me, implying that I had received special treatment all along.
It’s hard to call it special treatment, but it’s true that I received help for various reasons simply because he liked me, so I skimmed over those with blurred eyes.
Issue | Summarizing the doubts and timeline so far
Author
*Followed friend into dungeon out of jealousy (KSH wanted it first)
*Tried to steal friend’s pair esper (ended up being HDW’s pair)
*Suspicions of privilege/lobbying (HDW just recognized that he was actually out-of-grade)
*Still F-grade after re-verification (KSH was in the same place, who knows what he did)
*Spread bad rumors out of jealousy for friend (KSH’s one-sided claim)
*Deliberately became HDW’s pair for fame (Is HDW blind or something?)
*Rock bottom matching rate (Actually 99.9%, need fact-checking)
*Treated friend badly due to jealousy (LJH is just a rumor, but KSH is a real assaulter)
*HDW cleaned up because he was useless (Continued to show interest afterwards, seems like there’s a reason for breaking up the pair, doesn’t seem like a bad breakup)
Even a brief summary is this much
KSH’s personality seems terrible, wonder how he hid it all this time
There’s talk of HDW and SHJ both courting as pairs at the same time, super interesting
I hear foreign espers are already going crazy trying to recruit him, hope he doesn’t get exported
-Anonymous 1: Looking at the summary, KSH is terrible
└Anonymous 3: Honestly, he deserved to d… ahem..
-Anonymous 2: Absolutely block exports, it’s a national loss
└Anonymous 4: Hey HDW SHJ what are you doing
└└Anonymous 5: If they really broke up the pair because of malicious comments, the people here should apologize too.. I’m being serious but honestly the atmosphere was too heated before and I cautiously suggested we should refrain for now and got reported like crazy
└└└Anonymous 6: I also got accused of being LJH when I said we shouldn’t attack personally, those guys are crazy wonder what they’re gonna do now
└└└└Anonymous 8: They’re writing apology letters because of lawsuits lolololol
└└└└└Anonymous 14: They’re deleting all their posts lol
-Anonymous 7: Honestly I said some bad things before because I was swayed by rumors, didn’t expect it to flip completely like this, should be careful about running my mouth about other people’s business from now on
-Anonymous 9: Super handsome and beautiful. Thought he was F-class but out-of-grade guide, triple hit of misfortune narrative
└Anonymous 9: Sounds like a real hero narrative
The post summarizing the events seemed to know the actual situation, except for achieving a 99.9% matching rate with Hyun Dowoon instead of Shin Haejun. I’m not sure how these rumors spread though.
It was a bit funny to see people who had insulted me with all sorts of words suddenly change their stance and make a fuss. In a way, it was ridiculous to the point of being embarrassing.
‘They’re saying he deserved to die…’
Seeing people say Kim Sehyun deserved to die in the same place where they told me to die just recently, I didn’t feel as satisfied as I expected.
People who had been praising Kim Sehyun until now completely changed their attitude.
Kim Sehyun, who was an S-class guide, seemed like an untouchable sanctuary, but now that the truth was revealed, he was being cursed by everyone like an untouchable.
It was a master stroke for Shin Haejun to have filmed the video with a well-laid plan. If it weren’t for that, there might still be people believing in Kim Sehyun even now that everything has been revealed.
The long-winded apology he wrote when faced with the threat of a lawsuit didn’t leave much of an impression, but seeing people sincerely reflecting now gave me mixed feelings.
It was good that I received apologies and that there wouldn’t be controversies about my skills and personality in the future, but somehow I felt bitter. It was because I felt that they were reflecting only because it became known that I had out-of-grade power.
Issue | But how did he really do it
Author
Is it really possible to steal someone else’s power?
What’s the principle behind it
-Anonymous 1: If that gets revealed we’re all screwed
-Anonymous 2: How did Kim Sehyun find out, he’s quite skilled
└Anonymous 3: Don’t you know to use initials for names? Read the board rules
The moment I saw this post, I realized why people were so angry.
Of course, they would feel sorry for me, but more than that, there was greater fear and anger about what might happen to themselves.
I was the one who suffered, and Kim Sehyun was already dead… but it was clear they were worried that a second Kim Sehyun might appear and harm them. Especially here, in a community of awakened ones, it would feel more real as “something that could happen to me”.
That’s why they’re making such a fuss, all united like this.
“What are you checking? Ah…”
Shin Haejun, who had quietly sat down next to me, turned his head towards me and looked at my phone screen. Seeing that he could normally see the community posts I was checking, he nodded.
“If you’re feeling anxious…”
“I’m okay.”
I was extremely calm, feeling both embarrassed and subdued.
I’m not sure if I’m disappointed in the nature of internet forums, or why I’m feeling bad, but it felt a bit sad. Maybe it’s because I’m certain that these people praising me now would change their attitude again if my out-of-grade status was overturned or something else happened.
“There’s a lot of talk about you, isn’t there?”
“Well…”
“What are they saying?”
“Just… you know, the kind of things you’d expect.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that all kinds of embarrassing praises were pouring in, or that posts celebrating Kim Sehyun’s death were overflowing.
“How do you feel? Are you really okay?”
Even though it was full of favorable comments about me, Shin Haejun closely observed my mood. It seemed he understood that I was a relatively sensitive person.
“Well… I’m okay. Just a bit dumbfounded.”
“You’ll get used to it soon. You can’t help but get used to being praised wherever you go.”
It sounded like words from experience. Since it’s certainly good to always receive good treatment, I felt I would have no choice but to adapt.
“Jaeha-ssi, we’ll do the re-verification in about three hours. At that time, you’ll need to take the test in front of many people via video call. Shall we raise your condition a bit by having a meal first?”
Hyun Dowoon, who was sitting across from me tapping something on his phone, shared the new information. It seems the schedule was set while I was browsing the community.
“I’m not really hungry…”
“Then it would be good to rest a bit.”
Saying that, Hyun Dowoon suddenly stood up and held out his hand to me. When I unconsciously took his hand, he led me to a side door.
Inside the connected room was what seemed to be a rest area, with a bed and sofa. In the midst of that, there was no TV or entertainment devices, which was very like Hyun Dowoon.
“What’s this room?”
“I rest here when I can’t go home. Sometimes urgent matters come up and I have to come back to work in two or three hours.”
I looked at Hyun Dowoon with sympathetic eyes. Having to keep a bed at work, if it were a regular company, wouldn’t it be an evil corporation…? Of course, Hyun Dowoon is the head.
“Anyway, rest here for a bit. I’ll wake you up in two and a half hours.”
Saying that, Hyun Dowoon lightly bowed his head and kissed my forehead.
“Can I sleep together too? Is that okay?”
Shin Haejun approached and joked as he sat on the bed. Hyun Dowoon glared at where Shin Haejun sat with a displeased face.
Regardless, Shin Haejun gently grabbed my wrist. Then, as if out of habit, he gently rubbed my wrist with his thumb.
“Hey, hey. Not here…”
The room owner is watching! I was startled and slightly pushed Shin Haejun away, glaring at him. Shin Haejun shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
“What here? What were you thinking? What were you planning to do in someone else’s bed?”
Ugh… He knows everything! I thought he might be trying to ease the tension, but Shin Haejun pretending not to know annoyed me and I pouted my lips.
“Shin Haejun esper, you need to clean up the situation now. Set up a response strategy with the center’s PR manager.”
As I turned my head away sulkily, Hyun Dowoon indirectly stopped Shin Haejun. Shin Haejun, who suddenly had to work, looked displeased, but Hyun Dowoon didn’t back down.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
