Killing the Possessor - Chapter 22
“Where are you going? You need to help me get out of this.”
Her finger pointed to the strap of her dress on her back. Now, she was even asking me to help with undressing?
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I retorted, irritated. As I defied her, she turned her head and peeked at me. Her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into a sharp, almost amused smile.
“You’ve got some attitude, huh? I like it.”
“….”
“Still, you need to help with this. I came here alone to talk to you.”
Reluctantly, I helped her undress as requested. It seemed like I wouldn’t be able to get the information I needed until she tried on the dress.
Dressed in just a slip, Bali began to examine the clothes hanging on the rack, gazing at them in the mirror. Whether she knew my frustration or not, she took her time, humming as she selected her outfits in slow motion.
Finally, when I let out an exasperated sigh, Bali, glancing at the mirror where I stood, suddenly spoke.
“Here’s a rule to remember. Don’t pretend to know things without the right scenario.”
Her words were confusing. I furrowed my brows and asked,
“…What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“I am, of course, Bali Aidepen. But this is the first time we’ve met. It would be problematic if you pretended to know me before we even had a proper introduction.”
That was when I understood what she meant.
She was talking about the rules to follow when meeting with Hongik Ingan. It seemed like her earlier criticism about not picking up on things was due to me showing that I knew this meeting was planned.
Glad to finally be on the right track, I straightened up. Perhaps her sudden request to look at the dress was part of the ‘proper scenario’ for this meeting, even though it seemed absurd.
There were no other customers in the shop, so it was surprising that she was being so cautious given her personality. Was she perhaps being watched?
“I’ve heard you’re a reader. It’s good news, but if you expected special treatment just because of that, you might want to let go of that idea. Do you understand Hongik Ingan’s true purpose?”
“…To benefit humanity broadly?”
“Exactly. For us, that ideology is absolute. We don’t help lazy people who just sit around waiting to be spoon-fed.”
“……”
In my confusion, I clenched my fists. The help of Hongik Ingan was my only lifeline.
She made it clear that she wasn’t going to help me for nothing, but the real problem was my remaining time.
I glanced at the translucent numbers at the edge of my vision.
[D-12]
Only 12 days left. It made me feel gloomy again. Technically, only three days had passed, but for me, each moment felt like gold.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by her words, but it was clear that renewing my residence permit was urgent.
“I want to cooperate with Hongik Ingan, of course. But with my life running out, I can’t just keep stalling. I desperately need your help.”
“Life?”
“Do you know about the residence permit?”
I explained what had happened three days ago: the mysterious message that had suddenly appeared, my current status as an illegal resident, and the residence permit situation.
Though this wasn’t something mentioned in the original story, I hoped that as the head of Hongik Ingan, she might know something about it. However, based on her expression, she seemed clueless.
“You don’t know anything about it?”
I tried explaining with gestures, even mimicking the mechanical sound, but her lack of response made it clear that she still didn’t understand. I let out a disappointed sigh and hesitated.
Bali blinked, her wide eyes blinking in surprise.
“I’ve seen countless possessors, but, hmm. I can honestly say I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s not some game, is it?”
“……”
“Do you maybe have a history of seeing hallucinations, or some sort of condition?”
“No, I don’t.”
I immediately countered with a firm answer, but sighed in frustration. A million question marks were floating in my mind.
Am I the only one suffering with this cursed setting?
Why? Could it be because I played that game?
Is this really happening just because I played that damn game? Is that why I’m getting special treatment, and it’s the reason I’m going to die in 12 days?
As my face twisted with those grim thoughts,
“I think I know how to renew it.”
I heard words that sounded like salvation.
