From Useless Son to Proud Son
Name: Theo (Kim Minseong)
Age: 20 years old
Job: Villager
Titles: Useless Son
No matter how I looked at it or analyzed it, I was just a villager with the title Useless Son. It didn't even give me any stats. I really felt like the extra of extras.
That's just how it was in games. No face, no presence, no lines. Just one of those nameless villagers lumped together in the background. And that seemed to be me right now...
So what the hell were they expecting me to do about it?
"Haa..."
Usually, that's how it went, right? Getting possessed meant something like, "You're a rotten guy from your old world, so use that knowledge to save this one!" But how was Villager #1 supposed to help the protagonists? At the very least, they could've given me a noble title or something to work with...
No, wait—did I even need to help?
"The world keeps turning anyway, and everything works out in the end."
This wasn't just some game world anymore. Now that I'd been possessed, it was a real, existing one. And no real world just crumbles, falls to ruin, or shatters that easily.
"Am I being too complacent?"
But still... with this peaceful scene unfolding before my eyes and my status window labeling me a lowly villager, the whole apocalypse thing didn't really hit home. Future events? World-ending doom? It all felt so distant.
If I'd possessed a game villain or something, sure, I'd scramble to survive. But this? Nah.
"No one gives a damn about me."
Not the protagonists, not even the villains. The only person who cared about me right now was probably my suddenly acquired mother, dying to smack her runaway son across the back for ditching farm work.
"...So what am I supposed to do?"
There weren't even any signs of the world ending yet. The protagonists were both amazing people—they'd handle it themselves, right? The game made everything so extreme, but in a world where real, living people went about their ordinary lives... wiping them all out in some dramatic apocalypse just seemed weirder.
"Yeah, sounds good."
I'd made up my mind. Since I'd possessed a villager, I'd just live like one. Call it complacent if you want. But honestly... what could I even do from this position? Nothing. What was a random villager supposed to accomplish?~
And if the world ended? Eh, I'd die with everyone else. Until then... I'd soak up all the love from my new family and try to erase that Useless Son title.
Like that, a month passed. I woke up earlier than anyone, crazier than a madman, helping with my parents' farm work. I handled villagers' requests like I was picking up NPC quests in a game.
Name: Theo (Kim Minseong)
Age: 20 years old
Job: Villager
Titles: Proud Son, Village's Greatest Handyman
The Proud Son title came with a bit of a sting—"proud" felt a tad backhanded—but I'd even snagged Village's Greatest Handyman. I had no clue what these did, but they boosted my pride by +1, at least.
"Theo, why don't you take it easy today?"
Mom, who used to scream bloody murder at my laziness, had turned butter-soft. Now she was the one suggesting a day off.
Was I that good at farm work? Nah. Even in my old world, I'd never touched a plow. I still sucked. But I could show effort like nobody's business. That's one thing I knew I could nail.
And what my parents had wanted from Theo all along was that diligence. So even if I messed up, the scoldings dropped off.
"Should I head to the village and pick up some groceries, then?"
"Aw, it's your day off—why bother?"
"Still, you don't have time with all the work, Mom."
"Aigoo, always saying the sweetest things. I love how you've been lately, my boy."
Seeing her eyes sparkle at me made me shy, but it also hit me: This was family love. An orphan like me would never feel this anywhere else. Screw the game, the possession, the original plot. If this was for my happiness, possessing a protagonist would've sucked compared to this.
"Hand me the shopping list, then. I'll grab everything on my way back."
"Sure, and thank you—always. Oh, take this for when you're out having fun."
"Whoa, I still have allowance left from last time...!"
"Doesn't matter. Mommy wants to give it to you."
Early on, she'd yelled about having no money when I asked. Now she was slipping me pocket cash...! Kugh, perfect. This was success! A happy home!
Tucking the coin pouch into my belt, I headed to the village, buzzing as always.
"Hey, Theo. Day off today?"
"Yeah, Mom told me to rest."
"Good kid. So when you gonna get a real job?"
"Heh, I wanna learn the sword."
"Sword, blade—same difference!"
The butcher uncle, who'd started eyeing me as successor after I mentioned swords, always hit me with the job question.
"Theo, veggies are fresh today."
"Ooh, those onions look crisp."
"Hmm, the more I see you, the louder and more charming you get. I like it."
The veggie vendor uncle, scouting me for my "big voice" talent.
"Oh my, Theo looks handsome as ever."
"Haha, you're the only one who says that, ma'am. But thanks."
"No flowers today? That's rare."
"Looks like we're good for now."
The flower lady, my one fan who called me handsome every time.
Watching the lively village, I couldn't know why I'd possessed here or when I'd vanish as an outsider. But until then, I just wanted this happiness.
Kugh, getting sappy in my old age? Theo was twenty, sure, but Kim Minseong inside was twenty-five, pushing thirty.
"Heard the Crown Princess finally made an appearance."
"Really? First time at an official event, right?"
Hanging at the square, I'd catch protagonist news—mostly about the Saintess. The Crown Princess hadn't debuted yet, so I'd brushed it off...
Wait—what? Crown Princess? Not Prince?
"Uh, excuse me...!"
I squeezed into the chatting group, face panicked. "Did you just say Crown Princess?"
"Oh, Theo. What's up?"
"Yeah, the Crown Princess, right? You interested too? Here's the paper."
I snatched the newspaper and scanned the palace article.
It was real. Crown Princess, not Prince.
"You okay? You look pale, Theo."
"N-no... I'm fine! Thanks—here's your paper!"
"Heh. You never cared for gossip, but turns out you're a guy after all? Crushing on Her Highness."
"Pfft, status too high. In that case, how 'bout my daughter? You'd be perfect for her..."
"What nonsense! I already called dibs on Theo!"
Uncles who'd sworn off marrying off daughters now treated me like hot stuff. Grateful, but not the point right now.
"Gotta run—somewhere to be. See ya!"
"Alright, head in."
"Why's he in such a rush? Got a girlfriend?"
I bolted through them, racing home—not to the fields, but the storehouse opposite.
Inside, my stack of Saintess articles. Pulling them out... still all Saintess. Protagonist 1 swapped to female Crown Princess, but no miracle making Protagonist 2 a Saint? Wait, she already was.
"N-no, no way... I must've misread. Yeah, that's it."
I glared at papers for hours, checked palace news inside... denied it endlessly. But denial didn't change facts.
"Crown Princess means Protagonist 1's a girl. Saintess means Protagonist 2's a girl too."
Yuri mode.
...Ah, fuck. We're screwed.