Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The World Beyond Both Eyes - Constellation of Poppi (Part 1)
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Various images came to mind at the word "Poppi."
An AOS game character, poppy flowers, toilet paper, and even the dog breed known as a poodle.
The associated images were newly organized through the words mentioned by the constellation.
"PowerHideSatisfy, tags, reader-participation novel, xianxia."
In the past, I wouldn't have understood them.
But now, after helping Mr. Min Sung-ho recently and learning the slang and abbreviations from web novel communities, I understood everything perfectly. Each word sparkled in my mind, revealing its meaning.
PowerHideSatisfy was a novel genre that thrilled readers with the catharsis of a protagonist hiding their power and revealing it at a critical moment.
Xianxia was an Eastern-style fantasy novel depicting the life story of a protagonist striving to become an immortal sage.
A reader-participation novel was exactly what it sounded like—a story driven forward by reader involvement.
And tags were keywords that categorized a novel's genre.
"All related to novels. The constellation's speech treats our world like a novel. So, the 'Poppi' it means must be that web novel slang I learned."
I quietly jotted down related terms in my notebook.
[Norung-i: Slang for a 'reader who devours any novel without discrimination,' likened to a countryside mongrel dog eating food scraps. Low-grade Norung-i ignores only genres. Mid-grade ignores tags too. High-grade reads everything indiscriminately—from novels with just one chapter out, to overseas novels, machine-translated ones, amateur works, and even community board short stories.]
Below that, I wrote Poppi.
[Poppi: Slang for the opposite of an indiscriminate Norung-i—a picky reader who fastidiously selects works. Modeled after a city poodle contrasting the rural mongrel, with 'Poppi' being a common poodle name. Poppis discriminate based on genre, presence of heroines, harem or not, protagonist strength, narrative perspective, atmosphere, historical accuracy, pacing, serialization platform, and more. They rarely touch a work first without a review or recommendation.]
Norung-i was an omnivorous reader who devoured any novel without fuss.
Poppi referred to a reader who meticulously picked novels based on various picky criteria.
"So, the Constellation of Poppi... is a Poppi?"
I still didn't know for sure.
And since I couldn't grasp its significance yet, I spent the entire class observing Mr. Shin Gi-cheol and the constellation, gathering plenty of information.
Hey, doesn't your dimension have anything special? Like yokai or aliens? Otherworlders or hidden underworld groups... Oh, you don't know? Right, you were a regular guy until recently? Tsk, so it's just a modern story then? Would've been more fun if it were modern fantasy.
First, Mr. Shin Gi-cheol could communicate with the constellation.
Whether it was through thought alone or a ability gained from becoming an incarnation, they were definitely conversing in real time.
Whatever, as long as it's fun. My help ends here. If this were modern fantasy, I'd actively support you as a constellation story, but it's not, right? A fantasy element like a constellation intruding on a pure modern story without fantasy feels forced. So, appearance change and talent implantation are my limits. The rest is up to you to shape the story as the protagonist.
Second, the Constellation of Poppi seemed uninterested in interfering with our world.
It looked like he wanted to spectate our world through his incarnation, Mr. Shin Gi-cheol, as if he were a real reader—but I couldn't fully trust that.
So spill it—what are you planning? PowerHideSatisfy? Idol? Entertainment industry? Trendsetter? I like political stories too, so politician's fine!
Third, unlike the name Constellation of Poppi, it didn't seem picky about genres.
Huh? Oh, why isn't Poppi picky? Nice, you know the term too? Well, you've been reading web novels since day one.
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol was a web novel enthusiast.
Finding the Constellation of Poppi's attitude odd given that, he must have asked about it—and got an amusing response.
I've got tons of pickiness. I only read stuff with human protagonists. No tentacles, insects, machines, etc. No stories with constellations as protagonists, or settings outside the solar system—filtered. Dimensional stuff? Out. 4D to 127D perspectives? Nope. ReversePowerHideSatisfy? No. Scent fetish? No. Typing fetish? No. Corpse fetish...
The Constellation of Poppi was picky by constellation standards, not human ones.
Anyway, I've given you all the powers you need. Fixed your looks, implanted talents—too bad it's not modern fantasy. If it were, I'd have raised you properly as a constellation story.
By the time class ended, I'd finished observing Mr. Shin Gi-cheol and the constellation.
"Excuse me! Could I get your number?"
"Pardon?"
Numerous female students approached Mr. Shin Gi-cheol to exchange numbers.
Whoa! The pheromone talent for seducing the opposite sex is finally shining! Look at those girls' lewd expressions! How's it feel? Epic, right? Harem route? HAREM ROUTE!?
The Constellation of Poppi cheered joyfully.
Hey! Say something! Organize a drinking party yourself! What? Too burdensome? Then make it a group thing! Less pressure if everyone's drinking together! They're all strangers? That's why you drink, idiot!
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol, who had a stiff expression, suddenly shouted.
"Excuse me! What day is it today? Friday, right? So, how about we all meet at a dakgalbi place this evening!"
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol's face turned red.
The female students nodded eagerly, firing off questions like "Really? What time?" Male students whispered "Should I go too?" seeing the crowd of girls.
"A drinking party."
A great chance to learn more about Mr. Shin Gi-cheol.
That evening, students gathered at a college-town dakgalbi restaurant.
"Oppa Gi-cheol, try this! It's so good!"
"Gi-cheol, you gotta have a shot!"
"Wow, Gi-cheol, you're in business admin? Me too! How didn't I know?"
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol was surrounded by female students.
The other tables were packed with male students.
"Life sucks..."
"Wanna chug Lax..."
"The ultimate incel isn't a goldless incel—it's a looksless one..."
Soju bottles multiplied like weeds on the male students' table.
"Life isn't all about looks."
"..."
"So cheer up, everyone."
I filled their glasses and tried to encourage them.
"You're saying that, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon?"
"They say the haves don't get the have-nots..."
"Isn't this guy worse? He's got looks and money!"
Their moods worsened.
"Chairman Lee Seung-hoon is here too?"
"Thought the auditor wouldn't come."
"For real? Should we head over?"
My name came up among the girls.
Lee Seung-hoon? Who's that? Oh, a guy? Don't care about dicks... What? Korea's richest? Conglomerate chairman? Released a VR game? Dude, you gotta network with him! Befriend him NOW!
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol, hesitating, grabbed a soju bottle and approached my table.
"Um, hello? I'm Shin Gi-cheol. Since we've met like this, it's fate—have a drink with me?"
"Sure, I'm Lee Seung-hoon. Nice to meet you."
I accepted the glass.
After one shot, I poured him one back.
"Why are your hands shaking so much?"
"Uh, haha, I'm just nervous..."
Sigh, when will you ditch that small-time mindset? Well, watching it change is the charm of a growth story. But don't drag it out too long. This frustrating personality turns into sweet potato torture if prolonged. Fix it quick.
But his hands shook too much, dropping the glass. Fumbling to pick it up, he tripped and fell.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yes! I'm f-fine!"
I helped up the fallen Mr. Shin Gi-cheol by the hand.
In that instant, the power of my right eye and left eye pierced through him via our touching hands.
"I see it."
Mr. Shin Gi-cheol's life.
The karma his soul would bear.
The catastrophe his constellation would unleash on the world.
Humanity's destruction.
"Oh no."
In a fleeting moment, it played out through both eyes.
Shin Gi-cheol's life had been ordinary.
He graduated elementary, middle, and high school like everyone else, entered college ordinarily, finished military service ordinarily, took a leave ordinarily, worked a convenience store part-time ordinarily, and returned to school ordinarily—just an utterly ordinary life.
"Don't wanna struggle in senior year, so let's knock out credits with summer sessions early."
That day, he was ordinarily applying for summer classes.
After finishing, he killed time reading web novels, his one hobby.
[Constellation, "Emperor of the Reincarnated Corpse," shows interest in you.]
[Aaah! A constellation for me at last!]
The novel he was reading lately was a constellation story.
A genre where god-like constellations grant powers to the protagonist, who then lives a flashy life on that strength.
"If only a constellation descended on me."
Wouldn't my life become more special?
To Shin Gi-cheol, his life was boredom incarnate.
If novelized, it'd be a dull, ordinary, featureless daily-life story no one would read.
"Sigh, Constellation-nim, descend upon me."
He muttered under his breath without realizing.
Done, descended.
"!?"
You asked for descent, didn't you?
That was the moment his life changed.
Kidding, I didn't descend 'cause you called—I won a free premium pass event. Picked this after debating. No tags, no reviews, almost skipped it, but sometimes that itch hits, y'know? Adventure mood? Glad it's not a head-exploding gore fest right off the bat.
"I'm a normal straight guy!"
Good, keep it that way. Got it?
The constellation, introducing itself as the Constellation of Poppi, provided tons of help right away.
Truth is, I don't wanna interfere much. But dude, your protagonist is too plain. Tsk, even so, this is excessively ordinary. Lemme tweak just a tiny bit?
"Yes?"
Done! Now that's a protagonist. Check the mirror!
First, his appearance changed.
His body, teetering between overweight and obese, turned muscular; his height shot up; his face became a handsome look no surgery could achieve.
A protagonist needs special talents, right? No fantasy elements here? Hidden wizard, yokai, aliens?
"Uh, no?"
Bummer! Fine, modern talents it is. S-grade music, S-grade martial arts, S-grade math, S-grade gaming, S-grade dance, S-grade...
He received a bunch of over-the-top talents.
Implanted talents to bloom with practice. Even for reader-participation, too much is no fun. Now I'll just watch.
After that, the Constellation of Poppi interfered no more.
How's it? Seeing girls flock to you at the drinking party?
"It's... a feeling I've never had before."
That's protagonist life, cha-ching! Expecting big things. No more chats—reader mode from here. Shine as protagonist! Bai~!
It stopped talking altogether.
"Was it a dream?"
The mirror showed a handsome man blending idol charm and masculine appeal.
"Ahh, memories of you~♪ The past love~♬ Piercing~♪ My heart~♩ Like thorns~♬ Becoming~♪"
Heavenly singing skill.
His other talents held strong too.
"Not a dream!"
I'm the protagonist of my life!
"I'm a web novel protagonist!"
Once the semester started, his life flipped 180 degrees.
"Gi-cheol! Cafeteria? My treat!"
"Gi-cheol! Team project group? Join us! Or just lend your name—watching us work is enough!"
"Gi-cheol! Drinks tonight? On me!"
He fended off dashes from countless female classmates.
"Wow, Gi-cheol! Lost weight and you're unrecognizable?"
"Hey, club tonight?"
"Gi-cheol-shi! Drinks-shi tonight-shi?"
Even aloof male classmates approached to befriend him.
"This is the popular guy's life?"
Gi-cheol adapted quickly and soon had a girlfriend.
"Hehe! Can I crash at your place again?"
"Of course!"
Living with his girlfriend was peak college romance, right?
But that happiness vanished just over a month in.
"Who's this girl?"
"Uh, classmate. Team project—couldn't avoid it."
"Team project at a bar?"
He was too popular; meetings with women never stopped.
Naturally, his girlfriend hated it, and fights grew frequent.
"If you're like this, we're done!"
"Yeah, break up!"
Even pheromones couldn't save it; they reached a breaking point.
"Sigh, why do girls try to tie you down so much?"
Days after breaking up with his girlfriend.
Hey.
'Whoa! Constellation-nim!'
Gi-cheol replied inwardly.
As the constellation's incarnation, he could converse via thought.
'What’s up?'
What the fuck are you doing right now?
'Huh? What did I do?'
You fucking gave away a heroine?
Heroine giveaway.
As a web novel fan, Shin Gi-cheol knew the term well.
'Huh? Giveaway!?'
Severing romantic ties with a female character linked to the protagonist, turning them strangers—then pairing her with another male character.
That's what heroine giveaway meant in web novels.
'What are you talking about?'
But that's just web novel lingo.
Reality isn't a web novel.
Everyone's the protagonist of their life; no one's extra or heroine.
Meetings lead to breakups, breakups to new meetings.
That's reality. That's life.
You just gave her away! Fucked her too! Then broke up! Thought you'd win her back! Waited for the hiccup fix! But it's over!?
'No, giveaway? My life isn't a novel...'
No.
Shin Gi-cheol realized as he started to say it.
'Ah.'
My life is once-in-a-lifetime.
But to the Constellation of Poppi, it was mere entertainment.
Ha! This guy's hopeless? Daring to giveaway a heroine? Should've bailed during break if I knew. Too sunk cost now to drop!
The Constellation of Poppi's power burrowed into his soul.
I really tried not to meddle, but this is unacceptable.
The invading power gripped and shook Shin Gi-cheol's soul.
Time for some normalization.