Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The World Beyond Both Eyes - Poppi's Constellation (Part 2)
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Shin Ki-chul felt a dizzying shake in his soul.
At the same time, anger and empathy surged through him as he shot back at Poppi's Constellation.
"I get it!"
Heroines are best when they're compliant.
He didn't want to see a heroine causing trouble for the protagonist.
If there's romantic tension with a heroine, for the sake of the time and emotions invested, they absolutely had to end up together.
He wanted every heroine he met to stay true and pair off with the protagonist without any deviations.
"As a reader myself! I've thought the exact same thing plenty of times!"
But in reality, no one goes around saying, "Women who argue and act up with men all deserve to die," or "Gotta build a harem. Gotta two-time. Why? 'Cause a harem's every guy's dream!"
That kind of crap is trashy, morally warped bullshit that only a total lunatic would think, and voicing it out loud is basically announcing you've crossed a line no human should.
Webnovels are different, though.
"Selfish, unlikable heroines piss me off—kill 'em off! Heroines gotta be pure and devoted! Heroines should be virgins! I've thought all that too!"
Because it's a webnovel.
Genre fiction.
Fantasy.
A novel written for fun, for entertainment, spinning out fantasies that could never happen in real life.
Does liking a war comic where people get killed make you a budding murderer?
Does watching a drama about a genius criminal outsmarting cops and pulling off stylish heists make you a wannabe thief?
Does enjoying a novel where monsters wipe out the world make you an anarchist dreaming of society's collapse?
"It's a novel, so it's totally fine!"
No, it's not.
Vicariously satisfying deviant impulses impossible in reality through various media is human nature.
If anything, it helps people as an outlet for proxy desires they could never fulfill in real life.
"But me! I'm—"
This is reality!
I'm a living human being!
It might look like a novel from your constellation perch, but please consider my side!
"......"
That's what he meant to say.
But suddenly, he changed his mind.
"Huh? That bitch? Someone like me deigns to meet her, she should be begging on her knees, and she dares doubt me and throw a fit?"
Like a character switch had flipped.
His thoughts and values shifted too.
"You crazy bitch, it's obvious a guy like me is popular with women, and you can't get that and start arguing? Man, I seriously wanna heroine-kill her ass."
"About time you snapped out of it. So, what're you gonna do?"
"What do you mean, what? Obvious."
Shin Ki-chul laughed.
"Gotta heroine-kill her. I'll give her a chance first, though. Why? 'Cause I'm the protagonist. This ain't picaresque fiction—can't have me doing bad shit first."
"Nice! That's the spirit!"
It was the benevolent smile of a webnovel protagonist.
'Is he trying to reel me back in?'
Baek Yu-hee, who attended the same university and department as Shin Ki-chul, had come to his place to reply to the message she'd received an hour ago.
'So that's why they say you shouldn't date someone too perfect.'
He was undeniably the ultimate guy.
Looks, talent, bedroom skills—nothing lacking in the perfect package.
She absolutely hadn't wanted to let him go, but a moment of jealousy and pride had blown it, and up until an hour ago, she'd agonized over whether to reach out amid deep regret.
'If we get back together, I'll do better this time.'
A mistake anyone that young could make.
Standing before Shin Ki-chul's one-room door, she knocked.
"I'm here! Open up."
"Come in, you bitch."
"What?"
In that instant, the suddenly opened door revealed Shin Ki-chul reaching out, yanking her in, and hurling her onto the bed.
"You think I gotta grovel and cater to a bitch like you!?"
"Guh, guh!"
The woman who had hoped to reunite with him was gone.
All that remained was the terror of death squeezing her throat.
"A heroine's gotta act like a heroine! Cater to the protagonist! Bitches like you are just sweet potatoes dragging the story down!"
"S-save... me..."
"You ruin stories, got it? So take your licks."
Shin Ki-chul throttled her throat with one hand while pummeling her body with the other.
It was masterful torture artistry—inflicting maximum agony without leaving marks, like a seasoned technician.
"P-please... spare me."
She wept rivers, begging over and over.
"Whew, gotta heroine-kill ya, but... wanna give you a shot?"
"Please..."
"Huh? Oh, Constellation?"
Shin Ki-chul muttered to himself, then suddenly grinned and placed a hand on her head.
"You're blessed. Constellation says it'll normalize you too."
"...Huh?"
And soon, she felt her soul gripped and shaken.
'Ah.'
Unlike the incarnation Shin Ki-chul, she saw her life flash before her eyes.
Memories of holding her mom's hand at the mart.
Her first errand, praised for it.
Pinning a handmade carnation on her dad's birthday.
Playing house with school friends.
Family dinner celebrating her college acceptance.
Her late-born little sister Baek Yu-ha's birth, fumbling to change her diaper.
'Aah...'
All memories faded.
They remained, but the ones once precious were now just worthless trivia.
'I am... a heroine.'
Shin Ki-chul was all that mattered.
Helping him was her life's joy, her duty as a heroine.
Her body to pleasure him, her abilities to aid him in tough times, never to hinder his path.
'A being who must aid the protagonist.'
Her soul had changed.
Just before, her soul whispered.
'Mom, Dad, Yu-ha...'
The 'human' Baek Yu-hee died.
"Ki-chul."
"What."
"Wanna suck your dick?"
The 'heroine' Baek Yu-hee was born.
"Yeah. Let's have makeup sex."
Poppi's Constellation was pleased.
"Phew, finally acting like a proper heroine? You really made me work for it."
From that day on, Shin Ki-chul's trajectory shifted.
"You weren't dating Yu-hee?"
"Why? Jealous?"
"Uh, but..."
First off, he hooked up with every girl on campus hailed as a goddess.
Most sensed something off in his bold approaches and tried to refuse, but couldn't resist the pheromones wafting from him and ended up dating.
"Oh, didn't mention—you're my fifth girlfriend."
After their first time, he always confessed he was building a harem.
"What? You crazy bastard!"
Naturally, the girls flew into rages.
But the anger vanished quickly.
"Ugh, this is why fantasy's better? Legally banning harems means I gotta bust my ass every time you wanna expand."
Poppi's Constellation, harem fan, gripped and shook their souls.
Each time, the women died as humans and reborn as heroines.
"College life's getting stale. No real reason to keep going."
After recruiting his 27th harem member, he ordered the girls.
"You all grind through school, study hard, build stable social status. Heroines gotta support the protagonist when he's down, right? Prep to help me anytime."
"Yeah."
"Got it."
"Sure."
"And come running when I call, legs spread. Body maintenance is mandatory. Gain a pound, and you're done. Keep that model figure forever."
Afterward, Shin Ki-chul unleashed his talents, stunning the world.
[Whoa, this guy's vocals are insane?]
[Faceless singer brrr nuts]
[Amazing Iron? Subbing lol]
The fastest way to grab attention: internet streaming.
He streamed with cam off, blew up as a killer vocalist, then "accidentally" revealed his face.
[????]
[Insane face?????]
[Celeb???]
[Streamer's an idol???]
[Holy shit wtf real deal]
The ripple effect was massive.
Some viewers cried "fake," a viral plant by an agency, but Shin Ki-chul quashed rumors with idol-unthinkable streams.
"Today: girl group World Cup."
"Dated a ton? With this face, lying about it would be the scam."
"Haha! Urp! Bleeech! Ugh, burp came up?"
Rating girl groups.
Admitting girlfriends.
Clowning around—stuff fantasy idols living in bubbles could never do.
"What's next?"
Once famous, he flexed other pro skills.
[Amazing Iron debuts as singer-songwriter.]
[Amazing Iron drops debut album, cover: 'Protagonist']
[Amazing Iron's 'Protagonist' hits Billboard #1 in 2 weeks!]
Singer, conquering the globe.
[Amazing Iron now pro boxer?]
[Amazing Iron real name Shin Ki-chul, successful pro boxing debut!]
[Korean Shin Ki-chul goes undefeated to heavyweight champ!]
Athlete dominance.
[Shin Ki-chul films street artist life in France.]
[His art charms Paris streets.]
[Louvre director begs to buy his work on sight!]
Artistic flair proven.
[Shin Ki-chul debuts as actor!?]
[Shin Ki-chul releases indie game as programmer, 1M pre-orders!?]
[Fantasy novel 'Me and My Constellation' hits 10M views in a month—author is Shin Ki-chul!?]
And countless more talents.
"Woo! Fun times! This is how novels should be! Kinda intense, but genius protag stories are all about that kick!"
Poppi's Constellation chimed in periodically on his achievements.
'Please take care of me today too.'
"You got it, keep building that harem. Love it."
Harem recruitment never stopped, surpassing 100 members worldwide.
Their rapport was stellar.
But one day, Poppi's Constellation flipped out.
On a flight to Japan, killing boredom in a webnovel community, someone dropped a gay joke.
["Ah! My bittersweet memories with Tanning Skin Tomboy I Love So Much Marine Corps Guy!"]
["All tadpoles, fire the cream!"]
["Eek! Fire!"]
["You there! Wanna be marine stew? Enlist NOW!"]
Guys flexing gross muscles in over-the-top exposure, hamming gay for laughs—niche community humor.
Some loathe homosexuality in shadows or spotlight, others caricature it for jokes. This was that, and Shin Ki-chul dug it.
"Hey."
'Oh, Constellation?'
"What the fuck are you laughing at?"
'This? Marine jokes—self-deprecating gag from our world...'
"You think this shit's funny?"
Uh, yeah?
He couldn't say it.
"This is gay as hell. Herpes. BL."
"No, it's not—gay gag..."
"Gay's the joke? Laughing at this? Foreshadowing, right? Sprinkle gay gag likes, then real gay shows up, turns into gay docu, paints gays nice, then boom—you're gay?"
"No! Really no!"
"Smells like BL drift bait!?"
Feeling the constellation's rage, Shin Ki-chul shook his head desperately.
"No gay drift, seriously. Do it, and I scrap the novel, tear it all apart."
'Y-yes, got it!'
"Good, let's keep it smooth?"
Gotta watch it from now on.
Shin Ki-chul figured avoiding that one thing meant smooth sailing forever.
"Hello? Mr. Shin Ki-chul?"
"Yes? Who're you?"
"From the Foundation."
"Foundation?"
"Look at this first."
"Huh? What is..."
If not for the sudden suited agents.
Activating their silver rods flashed light, clouding his mind.
On the verge of blackout, Shin Ki-chul's consciousness sharpened—thanks to Poppi's Constellation.
"Just tried memory wipe!? Those force fields on 'em! Superpowers! Mental barriers too! No way in pure modern fic! It was modern fantasy all along!"
Constellation power erupted from Shin Ki-chul's body.
"Getting bored anyway! Modern fantasy means I can flex without breaking genre!? Right!? And this! Reader-immersive novel!? Yeah!? So I can tweak the world!? Admit it!? Admit!"
Constellation power blanketed Earth.
"Modern fantasy? Gotta have this!"
The first day he met the self-proclaimed Foundation agents.
Gates opened on Earth.