CH 48

Perhaps because he was surprised to hear about the earrings, Han Cha-soo had half of his meal left.

“Is that all you ate?”

Han Cha-soo nodded, and Ki Tae-yeon clicked his tongue.

‘I’m going to get in trouble with the kids at the medical centre later.’

His blue eyes swept over Han Cha-soo. The clothes he wore were probably made for his size, but they were too big for him, as he was too thin for his size.

It was odd that he should be gaining weight after all the hardships he’d endured.

“Then let’s talk.”

Han Cha-soo paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. Nervously, he clutched the mask he’d been wearing a moment ago tightly in his hand.

They said he was mentally unstable. Ki Tae-yeon recalled the words of the medical staff with an indifferent face.

Han Cha-soo’s mental state was quite unstable due to being exposed to too many life-and-death situations in a short period of time.

“He’s already a bit defensive, but I think it’s because he was exposed to too many violent situations in a short period of time.”

His insistence on wearing the mask was for the same reason, the medics speculated.

“It’s probably a manifestation of his need to insulate himself from the outside world and feel protected.”

A psychologist, whom health centres often consult, agreed.

This is a man who looks like he’s going to snap if you touch him wrong, and he’s also very vulnerable mentally. Ki Tae-yeon ran a hand through his hair. Isn’t this a perfect situation for a ‘water ghost’ to occur?

“Hah…”

This is what happens when things go wrong.

A heavy sigh fell from Ki Tae-yeon’s lips. As he sank back into his seat, Han Cha-soo looked at him.

He looked at him, urging him to talk.

“So this is how it happened.”

Ki Tae-yeon slowly unraveled the story. The same way he had told Jung Yiheon, Geum Myeong-yeol, and Baek-dam.

Or to put it another way.

“On the day you collapsed in the Bureau, it seems that one of the potions given to Han Chasoo-ssi was mixed with a potion that caused a status anomaly.”

With a straight face, he said.

“At the time, all the healers in the staffs were out of town, so we had to rush to the medical center for help, and it seems that a few potions we were working on in the development lab got mixed up in the process.”

Han Cha-soo looked predictably shocked, but then his brow narrowed.

Apparently, he didn’t understand how this was connected to the earrings.

Here’s the highlight. Ki Tae-yeon placed his right leg on top of his left and continued.

“Han Cha-soo seems to be in an abnormal state of spiritualization right now. It won’t show up in the status window, so don’t waste your time looking for it, and that’s why the earrings that was said to be an attributed item has been removed.”

He made a short swallowing sound. Ki Tae-yeon nodded in understanding.

“Guild leader Jung Yiheon told me. That the earrings Han Cha-soo was wearing was a valuable item and that he wanted to give it to the guild master.”

“That’s… Cough!”

“Do you want some water?”

Shaking his head with a pale face, Han Cha-soo slowly picked up his breathing and carefully spoke the characters one by one.

“Spiritualization, what’s that….”

“Well, do you want the long one or the short one?”

Ki Tae-yeon raised his hand and pointed in different directions. Han Cha-soo stared to the left. It was the long version.

“As the name suggests, it’s literally a spiritualization, where you become a ghostly presence and your body composition changes all at once, but ah, don’t take it too seriously.”

Ki Tae-yeon cut in.

“It’s a potion we’re experimenting with in the lab and we have all the antidotes. You’ll be fine in a week.”

It was bullshit, of course. There was no potion, no antidote, nothing.

It was the side effects of his blood, not the spiritualization, that had taken over.

Still, Ki Tae-yeon spouted the lie shamelessly. He was confident he wouldn’t get caught.

‘By the way, it must have taken out the blood more strongly than I thought, because it was able to unlock the attributed items.”

As a water demon, the opponent falls under Ki Tae-yeon’s influence, which is technically a vassalage.

This is why Ki Tae-yeon was able to disable his possession item.

‘Anyway, I can’t get a good day because of the side effects of this guy.’

He remembered Jung Yiheon glaring at him like he was going to burn him.

“It’s unlikely that the attributed item will be released unless you’re dead, Chief Ki Tae-yeon.”

He was a man, calling the director directly in the middle of the night. He was full of ambition or should I say life.

If he hadn’t prepared an excuse beforehand, Jung Yiheon would have burned down the bureau. And Geum Myeong-gyeol and Baek-dam would have encouraged it.

‘My head hurts just thinking about it.’

Ki Tae-yeon cleared his mind and focused on the reality in front of him.

Although the bratty S-ranks were a bit annoying, in the end, it was a good thing for him. It was clear that Han Cha-soo had a side effect.

All that was left now was for Han Cha-soo to stay by his side while staying at the medical center and remove his curse left in his body.

“I think it’s just a cold, and if you keep taking the antidote and resting, you’ll get better.”

And that was that. Ki Tae-yeon ended the conversation. He tried to be gentle, but he doesn’t know if it worked.

Well, seeing that Han Cha-soo didn’t sulk, he guess it worked.

“I’ll see you later, then.”

The Awakening Management Bureau’s biggest scammer walked away, leaving it at that.

“…….”

And Han Cha-soo, left alone, collapsed onto the bed with a thud.

“Ha, haha….”

A stifled chuckle escaped from between the hands clasped over his face. How long had it been that way? His grey eyes stared at the ceiling, filled with despair.

‘Fuck, thank God.’

He never thought things would turn out like this…

‘I guess this is a gift from the gods for playing the villain.’

It wasn’t without some trepidation. He was told that he was suffering from a peculiar condition called spiritualization, but he didn’t feel any symptoms.

But there were many other conditions that didn’t show up in the system window. Didn’t Jung Yiheon suffer from one such condition in the original novel?

Besides, it’s not something you have to live with for the rest of your life, and it heals in a week. On top of that, the attribution items have been unlocked.

‘That’s enough.’

Han Cha-soo was an adult who was satisfied as long as his body was healthy. He was a man who didn’t waste his time digging into questions that wouldn’t lead anywhere.

One way or another, he got what he wanted.

Complete freedom from Geum Myeong-yeol.

“Huu…”

An exhilarating sense of release filled his body. It was the first satisfaction he’d tasted since possessing.

Now that he’d cleared his name, all that remained was to remove the restrictions on his regeneration skill. There was no way Jung Yiheon would listen to him if he asked to leave in a mute body.

To do that, he’d have to eat well.

“You want more?”

Han Cha-soo nods at the surprised medical staff. The post-it note he was holding was a request for more food.

“Well, I think it’s best not to overdo it. It’s important to eat well, but there is such a thing as a sweet spot. I don’t think your body can digest a lot of food right now.”

Han Cha-soo shook his head with a determined face. No one knew his body better than himself.

Right now, his body needed energy. Not just energy to maintain vital activity, but a large amount of energy for the regeneration skill.

‘At least two or three times more than I have now.’

Rapid recovery required both a large input of energy and a disciplined expenditure, which was why he was still deliberately not speaking up.

‘It’s not worth every minute.’

Once he get my body back on track, he shouldn’t leave the house at all.

Han Cha-soo ate his meal with determination. If he was discharged from the medical center and sent home, he would not step out of the house for a while.

Han shook his head with a determined face. No one knew his body better than himself.

Right now, his body needed energy. Not just energy to maintain vital activity, but a large amount of energy for the regeneration skill.

‘At least two or three times more than I have now.

Rapid recovery required both a large input of energy and a disciplined expenditure, which was why he was still deliberately not speaking up.

‘It’s not worth every minute.

Once I get my body back on track, I shouldn’t leave the house at all.

Han Chae-soo ate his meal with determination. If he was discharged from the medical centre and sent home, he would not step out of the house for a while.

It’s a great place to start, and it’s a great place to end.

As soon as he was reincarnated, he will be torn apart instead of the protagonist’s brother. He barely managed to escape with his life, but the protagonist caught him and rooted him out and the Geum Myeong-yeol attacked….

What happened at the Item Trade Association and Baek-dam’s house was painful to say.

It was a miracle that he was still alive with his tattered body.

‘I’d rather be rolling around on a battlefield.’

At least there he doesn’t have to deal with a bunch of people. Han Cha-soo sighed and took a long drink. The medics had left him a box of it, claiming it was good for his health.

“Yuck.”

This doesn’t taste right. Han Cha-soo hastily shook off the water and checked the label with a squint.

<Cool pear juice blended with red ginseng and deer antler!>

In the place where the manufacturer’s name should have been written, the words ‘Awakening Management Bureau Development Support Office’ were written.

“…….”

What the hell is the Development Office? Han Cha-soo’s eyes lit up with questions.

The medical device that revolutionized his life, the potion that gave him a strange condition, and this strange, flavored drink were all the work of the Development Office.

“Hmm….”

After a moment’s consideration, Han Cha-soo concluded neatly.

‘It’s not a good place to get involved.’

Tucking his masterpiece out of sight, Han Cha-soo closed his eyes. He figured a nap would be good for his stamina.

He was right. Two days later, he woke up to good news.

[Alert!]

[Energy supply for skill ‘Regeneration’ is preserved]

[Restriction ‘Watch Your Words’ has been lifted]

He also received one not-so-pleasant surprise.

“I have some good news, Han Chasoo-ssi.”

It was Jung Yiheon.