A Psychological Approach to Supernatural Abilities (1)
This class was called A Psychological Approach to Supernatural Abilities. It was my first elective, unlike the required or core courses I’d taken until now. While Baekryeon Hall—the building for mandatory and core subjects—had that long, circular design, Suguk Hall looked like an elegant European manor dropped straight into the academy grounds. Not that a building’s appearance had anything to do with whether the class would actually be interesting….
Anyway, since the subject was psychology, I’d expected something student-friendly, maybe a little like MBTI. Instead, the instructor was a sharp-eyed woman who looked every bit the researcher in her lab coat. She seemed incredibly intelligent.
“My name is Choi Hyeon-jeong. I am the instructor for A Psychological Approach to Supernatural Abilities and a researcher at Baekhwa Academy’s Academic Institute. My primary field is biotechnology, but this subject is especially important for students, so I volunteered to teach it.”
Her crisp, precise voice carried across the room as she looked down at us and continued.
“What exactly goes on inside the minds of ability users? It may sound vague, but this question is actually the most crucial one for people like you. Based on countless testimonies from ability users and the latest conclusions in academic circles, the power of a supernatural ability is determined above all by the user’s mental state.”
A beam projector clicked on, casting a neatly organized PPT onto the large blackboard.
“This is a famous paper that gave significant weight to the hypothesis that psychology influences supernatural abilities. The study sampled ability-related criminals across the United States and found that those suffering from mental illness demonstrated far higher ability levels than the control group. This became the foundation for numerous follow-up studies.”
Professor Choi’s rapid explanation accompanied a flurry of reference materials and papers that flashed across the screen.
“In a way, the result is only natural. The source of supernatural abilities lies in the pineal gland beneath the cerebral hemispheres and the ether it produces. Therefore, these abilities must be deeply connected to the chemical substances the brain secretes—emotions. We’ll stop the neuroscience discussion here; students interested in the brain can come see me later. What matters at your level is this: the power of your supernatural ability depends on your mindset.”
I stared ahead with a slightly sour expression. After wading through all those incredibly scientific and profound papers, the conclusion was basically it’s all in how you look at it…. In other words, if you wish hard enough, the whole universe will help you. Yeah. I’ve heard that one before.
“Students who have used supernatural abilities for a long time may have already noticed this. Abilities activated during intense emotional states exhibit greater power than usual. Combat-track students in particular will have felt it strongly. Aggressive emotions like anger or killing intent increase destructive force and allow smoother ether manipulation. However, if you become too immersed in those emotions in an attempt to induce them, your lack of composure may put you in danger.”
“Support-track students experience the opposite. Emotions that don’t match your ability will actually weaken it. A healer using their power while harboring killing intent toward the target won’t produce good results, will they? Therefore, the most important thing is to clearly understand which thoughts and emotions can strengthen your ability, and to discipline yourself so you are never controlled by them.”
As the final PPT slide ended and the blackboard went dark, Professor Choi took a step closer to the class.
“Accordingly, the objective of this course is as follows: to analyze each student’s psychological state and develop it in a direction that strengthens their ability. Today we will begin with individual interviews to establish baseline data. Starting now, come to the room in the back one by one according to your number. While you wait, the rest of you will watch a movie.”
The film she put on was one that had once been wildly popular, centered around ability users. I’d never seen it myself, but I recognized the title. It was definitely the one with that cool bald man in the wheelchair….
Before long Professor Choi had disappeared with the first student, and the classroom filled with the quiet chatter of friends talking over the movie soundtrack. I rested my cheek on the desk in a comfortable position and thought, Yep. First day of class really is just free time.
Creak—
I cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. Professor Choi sat in a comfortable-looking chair behind the desk.
“Um…”
“Ah, yes. Come in and sit down.”
As soon as I took my seat, a sharp gaze swept over me and settled on the file in her hands.
“Baek Seol, correct?”
“Yes.”
“An A-rank right after admission… You’re a student with a promising future.”
“Hahaha… Thank you.”
While I let out a stupid laugh, Professor Choi rapidly scanned the documents in the file.
“Good. Before we begin, I must emphasize that everything discussed in these personal interviews is strictly confidential and will never be leaked outside. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about anything you say leaving this room.”
“Umm…”
Even if she said that… most people wouldn’t spill their deepest thoughts to someone they’d just met, right?
“From now on, I will ask you several questions. Answer with the first thing that comes to mind. However, you must not take more than three seconds. If there is a question you truly do not wish to answer, you may skip it. Understood?”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded at the somewhat abrupt instructions. Was she going to do some kind of psychological test after all? It suddenly felt a little more interesting….
After confirming my response, Professor Choi flipped through the binder until a page filled with a grid of boxes lay on top. She fixed me with a clear, penetrating stare and opened her mouth.
“Then I will begin with the first question. Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Yes?”
Yes? Wait, that wasn’t an affirmative “yes.” The completely unexpected question caused my brain to overload and shut down, so the word slipped out unconsciously.
“Ah, no. I mean, that wasn’t—”
“Understood. Next question.”
Before I could even finish correcting myself, she scribbled something on the sheet and moved on.
“What emotion did you feel the first time you used your ability?”
“…”
The moment I heard the question, a wave of disgust surged up from deep inside me. Why was she asking something like this?
…No. Stop. I let out a mental sigh and steadied myself. Logically speaking, it wasn’t a strange question at all, but for me… it was one I really didn’t want to answer. She had said I didn’t have to answer if I didn’t want to, so I decided to let it pass.
“…”
I stayed silent, waiting for time to run out. After a while, even though I hadn’t responded, Professor Choi nodded as if she had learned something and moved to the next question.
“I see. Next. Is there anyone you want to kill?”
“…No.”
What kind of questions were these? This definitely wasn’t an MBTI test….
“Who is the most precious person to you?”
“…My aunt?”
“Between someone else getting hurt and you getting hurt, which is better?”
“I hate both…”
“Do you like yourself?”
“Not particularly…?”
“What do you want to do when you grow up?”
“Be a rich… I mean, I don’t want to be a poor unemployed person…”
The questions kept coming after that. The first one had been incredibly shocking, but the later ones were more normal, so I answered them casually, as if taking an ordinary psychological test. At some point I even relaxed and the answers started flowing easily.
The only strange thing was that for several questions she kept jotting things down on the paper before I could even speak. Still, she had marked things even when I stayed completely silent, so I decided there must be some meaning to it and let it go.
“Then this is the final question.”
Oh, it was already the last one. I’d been answering so mindlessly that time had flown by. Professor Choi straightened her posture, looked at me, and spoke with a glint in her eyes.
“Is a supernatural ability a blessing, or a curse?”
…What a poetic question. Most normal students would probably feel differently from me. She might think it was strange, but I didn’t feel the need to hide this.
“…A curse.”
This tiresome ability. I never wanted it. It could have gone to someone else instead of me. That day, the day I first used it… that incident didn’t have to happen to me.
When I answered with whatever came to mind, Professor Choi nodded the same way she had for the previous answers, finished writing with her ballpoint pen, and closed the file.
“Mm. Thank you for answering so sincerely.”
“Ah, yes.”
It’s nothing. There had seemed to be about a dozen students waiting, so she was the one who had to repeat this process over and over. She had to be the most tired.
“Then I will now summarize today’s interview results.”
Despite whatever I was thinking, Professor Choi showed not the slightest hint of fatigue or laxness on the surface as she suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“Baek Seol. With your current mindset, you will not be able to graduate from the academy.”
…Yes?