The Seeds of Obsession
"Hmm… she's not here."
I'd hoped Seong Sua might be online before I logged into Watch of Legends, but her friends list showed her as offline.
I don't know. I just wanted to see her face, even for a second.
"Nothing I can do about it. Might as well hop into Watch of Legends."
If SaintBlue wasn't there once I connected, I'd just log off and go to sleep. No harm done.
Fortunately, the first kind of misfortune didn't repeat itself. The only friend on my Watch of Legends account was marked online — and she wasn't even mid-match.
I messaged SaintBlue right away.
"What are you up to?"
"Ah… h-hello…."
Something about her felt completely different from usual. We hadn't known each other long, but still….
"…It's been a while."
"Yeah, work kept me busy. Is something wrong?"
"Ah… well…."
Talking through the friends chat had its limits — we weren't sharing a lobby. And more than anything, I wanted to know a little more about this woman.
So I sent her a request to join her waiting room. The moment she saw it, SaintBlue's voice jumped with fluster.
"Ah…."
"It's always better to talk face-to-face, right?"
She hesitated for a beat, then accepted.
"I don't know the full details, but it sounds like a rough situation."
"Yes…."
SaintBlue explained as carefully as she could without giving away any personal information. She and her boyfriend worked at the same place, she said. Recently he'd been assigned an important mission, something had gone wrong, and now he was facing disciplinary action.
Apparently his accumulated record had kept the punishment from being too severe — but she still hadn't been able to see him, or even get him on the phone.
"I think I'll be able to see him once the disciplinary period ends. I went to work today and waited the whole time, but we didn't exchange a single word…."
"Damn. That must've been hard."
I couldn't understand it. From what I'd seen of Bug Killer in-game, the guy was a total loser. What the hell did a woman like this see in him?
Sure, the cloak and the eerie vibe threw people off — but strip that away and SaintBlue had the face of a news anchor.
First impressions really were terrifying. My entire evaluation of Bug Killer boiled down to one word: insect. After what he'd done to Cho Seohyun, I couldn't rate him as anything else. Unless that bastard saved my life someday, he would remain a bug to me for the rest of his existence.
"The disciplinary action is a personnel reassignment, so his workplace is probably going to change. I put in a transfer request to go with him."
"Ah…."
Don't follow him…. Just break it off already….
I genuinely could not figure out what a woman like her was lacking that she'd trail after a guy like that.
…I hope he's good-looking. Good-looking enough that his face crumples the way Han Yeo-rum's did.
[….]
Come to think of it, that bastard Han Yeo-rum was still handsome even with his face all twisted up. Son of a bitch….
Selfish goddamn genes….
In the end, SaintBlue had gone to her workplace on a Saturday and still failed to meet her boyfriend. She hadn't wanted to fall asleep in that miserable state, so she'd logged into the game to clear her head and look for me. When she couldn't find me, she'd ended up sitting alone in her waiting room, lost in thought. That was her story.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Come on… I was just waiting by myself."
"It's pretty late, but since we're already here — want to run a match?"
"Yeah. I'd like that."
SaintBlue's voice wasn't as bright as usual, but as the games went on she loosened up. By the time we logged off for the night, the worry had drained out of her tone, replaced by something almost cheerful.
Winning streaks really did have a way of hitting that sweet, mood-lifting high.
The moment I woke up, I headed straight for the cafeteria.
It was Sunday morning, and the place was so empty it practically had room to spare. No classes meant no real reason to force yourself out of bed for breakfast — which was probably why.
Honestly, I was feeling lazy about it too. The only reason I'd dragged myself here anyway was Seong Sua. I was sure she'd come down for breakfast.
Did she collapse from exhaustion? She's not here….
I'd considered contacting her the night before, but by the time I got back to the dorms it was already past dawn. And since she'd returned before me, I'd figured she was asleep and left it alone.
Calling Seong Sua always feels a little awkward anyway….
"Did you not call Cho Seohyun?" Armonia asked.
That was different. I needed to check on her that time.
After rescuing Seong Sua, I'd called Cho Seohyun because Sua had just been attacked by a monster and was in no state to talk. The result was that I could call Seohyun now without a second thought — but with Sua, if I didn't have a concrete reason, I hesitated to pick up the phone.
Inside VR, though, there was zero awkwardness between us….
I'd even considered texting, and then decided against that too. Waking her up with a message would've been its own kind of embarrassing.
Should I text her now?
"Why not call her while you're at it?"
Aww, that's embarrassing.
[….]
What was that? Was I imagining the disgust in that silence?
I was still savoring Armonia's pointed quiet when someone tapped me on the back. I turned, recognized her instantly, and greeted her with a bright smile.
"Good morning."
It was Seong Sua.
Seong Sua, yes — but not the Seong Sua I usually saw, the one with that fresh, radiant smile. This version wore a faintly haggard expression, forcing a smile that looked like it cost her something. You wouldn't notice unless you looked carefully.
She smiled as she spoke.
"I'm so glad. I was really worried."
"I'm sorry. There were circumstances…."
I gave her the same explanation I'd given Cho Seohyun. She listened, then answered with a smile.
"It's fine. From now on…."
"…?"
"If anything happens, make sure you call me."
She stared straight through me, waiting for an answer. The look on her face was nothing like anything she'd shown me before.
What is this? Is she just tired?
"Suho, look at this…."
Armonia pulled up Seong Sua's disposition window in front of me. Two traits I'd never seen on her before were attached to it.
[Obsession] [Jealousy]
I hadn't seen that coming at all. Of all people — Seong Sua, with Obsession and Jealousy?
What? When did this happen?
"What's certain is that they weren't there at the time of the attack."
But who's the target? Me? Cho Kang-hyun?
Without knowing what had happened in between, I couldn't make sense of it.
I was still locked on her disposition when Seong Sua stepped closer, laid a hand on my forehead, and whispered,
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Ah — yes! I'm fine. I'm sorry. Next time I'll contact you right away."
"…Please make sure you do."
She gave me that familiar, fresh smile again and led me into the cafeteria.
After eating with Seong Sua, one thing stood out.
…I'm not imagining this, right?
"From a third party's perspective, no. You are not imagining it."
She had changed.
The cafeteria tables were long rectangular units linked end to end, designed so you could talk to the person across from you. Seong Sua had always sat opposite me when we ate together.
But today….
"It's Chinese food today — Instructor Sung Suho's favorite."
"Haha…."
She was sitting right next to me. Pressed close.
The place was nearly empty, so there was no real reason to mind. The problem was that if she'd done this before I knew about her disposition shift, I would've grinned and gone along with it. Knowing what I knew now made the whole thing distinctly uncomfortable.
First I needed to figure out exactly who the jealousy and obsession were aimed at….
"Anyone can see the obsession is directed at you, Suho."
….
Sure, I'd saved her from a dangerous situation — but was that really enough to trigger this level of attachment?
Seong Sua had been living the hero life for a while. I didn't think she'd get this hung up over a rescue. She must have saved colleagues and been saved herself plenty of times….
I was turning over the cause of the new traits when Armonia spoke up over the link, as if something had just occurred to her.
"Could she have seen what happened with Cho Seohyun on the rooftop yesterday?"
….
That little performance?
I'd called it a performance, but I'd genuinely put effort into coaching Seohyun's archery from the side. Not that I knew the first thing about archery — I'd mostly just enjoyed putting my hands on her and adjusting her form.
Normally Rena might have sensed someone watching….
"I had Rena on standby inside the warp cape as a precaution. That may be why she didn't notice."
If Seong Sua really had seen that and developed Obsession and Jealousy because of it, it was significant progress. Her heart had been nearly impossible to pry open — and now I had a crack to work with.
That didn't automatically make it a good thing, though.
If that's real, it's a great situation. The problem is the problem….
"What kind of problem?"
As Armonia asked, Seong Sua turned her head toward me with a worried look.
"Are you feeling unwell? You haven't taken a single bite."
"No, I'm fine."
I smiled as best I could and started eating. She watched me with a faint, drained expression, then leaned in and whispered so no one nearby could hear.
"Or… is it uncomfortable having me sit next to you?"
"Come on. Of course not."
"That's a relief. I was being silly. Please eat."
She smiled at me. It only lasted a moment — but the look in her eyes, just then, was faintly unsettling.
The second breakfast was over, Seong Sua suggested we play Animal Village. It was absurdly early for gaming, but I agreed without hesitation.
Before we logged in, Cho Seohyun messaged me about meeting up. I apologized and pushed it to another day.
Today, I need to match Seong Sua's pace no matter what.
"Personally, I see a moderate amount of obsession and jealousy as a positive…."
Right. Moderate is ideal.
But the only real way to know if it was moderate was to look inside her heart — and that was practically impossible. Dream Intrusion could give me a glimpse, but even that wasn't perfect.
Was she truly obsessed with me? Was it affection, or just camaraderie…?
And if this goes too far, it gets genuinely dangerous.
The moment ordinary attachment tipped over the edge, it was over. Beyond the mission-critical problems it would create, there was a bigger issue — one that would land on Seong Sua herself.
I wasn't in a position to look at only one woman for the rest of my life. Even if what she felt for me wasn't love, I always had to plan for the possibility of leaving her side.
"All right. Let's log in."
I put on the VR headgear, connected, and opened my eyes in the center of Animal Village. Seong Sua stood beside me, looking down with a bright, open smile.
"This is our first time logging in together in the morning, isn't it? It's so nice."
She was watching me with a warm, gentle expression. I couldn't feel it now — but the smile she'd worn in the cafeteria earlier had definitely been different from usual.
I smiled back at her.
"It's nice for me too. It's been a while."
Looking at her, I thought to myself,
Seong Sua becoming a yandere is unlikely… but it never hurts to be careful.
I took her hand, and we started the game.
A single spotlight cut through a space drowned in darkness. In the center of that light, one man sat alone in a chair. He twisted around, staring into the unlit void, and shouted,
"Don't screw with me! Why the hell should I do something like that?!"
After his cry died out, voices rose from the darkness where no one seemed to be.
"Go Chungshin… considering the mistake you made, we've already cut you a lot of slack."
"Because of you, we nearly went past failure straight into exposure. We almost got caught."
"Still, your abilities have been useful enough. That's the only reason we let it slide this far."
The voices kept coming from the dark, framing his mission failure as something they'd already been generous about. Go Chungshin snorted and muttered under his breath.
"Bullshit…. Why should I have to—"
"One year!"
"Ngh…."
He flinched at the deep, heavy voice that cut through the dark. The pressure behind it was nothing like the others. The man who had shouted earlier lowered his tone, almost humming the words.
"Infiltrate the Hero Academy as a spy for one year. Follow my orders well, and I'll give you the captain's seat."
"!!"
Go Chungshin's face went blank with shock. Even in the darkness, the murmur of conversation surged like a wave. He composed his expression, furrowed his brow, and asked,
"Is that… true?"
"It is… provided you carry out the mission diligently without being discovered. Keep that firmly in mind."
Go Chungshin closed his eyes for a moment, thinking in silence. Then he opened his mouth.
"Haa… Fine. I'll infiltrate… as Hero Academy security."