"Excuse me, Yoo Joonghyuk-nim?"
"What?"
"We've arrived. The representative is waiting inside."
Kim Dokja saw a medium-sized tent roughly set up in the middle of the platform. The representative had an assortment of goods.
"Let's go."
Lee Sungkook bowed his head and guided him. The inside of the tent was quite luxurious. It was unbelievably luxurious for such a shabby tent.
There was a red carpet and a bed that seemed to have been stolen from a luxury hotel, as well as a round table for a meeting and a small desk with a computer.
Finally, Kim Dokja's gaze stopped on a boy concentrated on surfing the Internet. The boy with a face that seemed only a few years older than Gilyoung had dark circles and sat on the chair in his pajamas.
There was a navy blue flag held tightly in his arms. He appeared to have not noticed their presence and continued replying to comments.
'The internet?'
Deducing that it may be the boy's skill, Gehrman observed him in more detail.
He gave him a weird feeling.
A face as if he hadn't slept for a few days, yet no trace of motivation driving him to overwork himself so much. Eyes that didn't seem to possess all reason.
Most importantly, the emotions that could be seen in his Spirit Vision…
Gehrman finally realized the source of his strange feeling.
That boy.
He was being manipulated.
Throwing a coin out of people's sight, he obtained confirmation.
'Maybe 'Hypnosis', or from the same person who put a 'Suggestion' on their group members to remain silent about certain things…'
If the same person had applied the skill, would lifting the mind control give the boy a similar backlash?
"Representative Han Donghoon?"
Lee Sungkook called out and the boy raised his head.
"A guest has come. Greet him."
The boy, Han Donghoon's sunken eyes turned to them.
"H, He, H, Hell…o."
Han Donghoon staggered up and sat on a chair at the round table, biting at his nails. He looked very haggard.
Lee Sungkook smiled as if he was satisfied.
"Now Yoo Joonghyuk-nim, let's start the talk with the representative in earnest."
Gehrman's gaze swept over Han Donghoon, then Lee Sungkook, then the rest of the tent.
"Shouldn't the 'puppet master' show themselves first?"
Lee Sungkook was stunned for a moment.
Puppet master? What was this guy talking about?
He was confused before understanding the implications.
Or… did he know that Han Donghoon was only a puppet? How?
Lee Sungkook looked at Gehrman Sparrow again. Who was this man? Was he really Kim Namwoon, or someone else?
Meanwhile, Kim Dokja was internally panicking.
'Why did he talk now?'
Gehrman's actions were about to ruin his act as Yoo Joonghyuk. Especially since he managed to seem more mysterious in one sentence than Kim Dokja could ever be.
Kim Dokja had a feeling. If it continued like this, his plan to cosplay Yoo Joonghyuk would fall apart. But it wasn't like he could have left the madman outside the tent either.
Before Lee Sungkook's doubts could deepen, Kim Dokja tried to salvage the situation.
"You are the real power of this station. Isn't that right?"
Lee Sungkook's attention refocused on Kim Dokja.
"Yes."
"How many other people know?"
"Only a few top executives."
Before he could ask who these executives were, Gehrman Sparrow made an ominous smile.
"We don't need to keep you alive then."
Did seeing Han Donghoon's state make him angry? If this group even went to the extent of mind controlling a child, there was no way they were good people.
In the first place, Gehrman's identity was perfect to act crazy for no reason.
Lee Sungkook's face became blank. He didn't understand the situation.
Next to him, Kim Dokja had chills.
What was this madman doing?
Gehrman politely added, "We can interrogate your spirit after you die."
Gehrman Sparrow potentially having a skill that could get information from the dead was something Kim Dokja hadn't needed to know.
…Would that work on someone with the ability to resurrect? Or would the Fourth Wall block it?
Faced with Gehrman's murderous intent, Lee Sungkook paled.
Moreover, it was better if the information he would tell 'Yoo Joonghyuk' next wasn't heard by anyone else.
At that moment, Lee Sungkook and Kim Dokja unknowingly came to a consensus.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-nim, I have something to tell you in private…"
Internally relieved, Kim Dokja made of show of pretending to resist.
"I hope the information is worth it," he stated, a threatening edge in his voice.
Lee Sungkook panicked.
"Of course! We wouldn't dare to deceive Yoo Joonghyuk-nim!"
The mind-controlled representative in the corner proved otherwise.
Kim Dokja signaled to Gehrman to leave the tent.
Then, he continued to interrogate Lee Sungkook.
Once outside, Gehrman couldn't hear their words any longer.
'A sound barrier?'
However, as long as there was no interference, he could know what was being said with divination.
He took out his pendulum and repeated the sentence 7 times.
'What is happening inside the tent… What is happening inside the tent…'
As expected, the lack of interference let him see the scene clearly.
'I thought there could be a problem since divinations related to Kim Dokja are usually interfered with, but it seems to work since it wasn't specifically targeting Kim Dokja.'
However, Kim Dokja's appearance appeared blurry.
Gehrman didn't have time to dwell on the matter as the conversation inside the tent was relayed to him.
"I'm a Prophet. To be precise, I am one of them."
Prophets?
"Yoo Joonghyuk-nim, you will never know the enormous joy we are feeling right now. My colleagues and I have been waiting for this day of great victory for Yoo Joonghyuk-nim."
From this context, it seemed right to assume that the word implied knowing the future, and not 'an apostle of god' like on earth's religions, or the Sequence name of a potion from where he came from.
"We know about Yoo Joonghyuk-nim's special ability. A miracle that allows you to go back to the past after dying. In this world, only Yoo Joonghyuk-nim received such a special power!"
…What?
'What kind of novel plot is this?'
「"You. Who are you?"」
However, it confirmed his previous doubts.
「"Mister, how do you know my name?"」
"Yoo Joonghyuk-nim, this time will be different. It is because we are here. We Prophets have received a special blessing and have been sent to help you."
Prophets. Regressor.
He shouldn't take their words at face value. Most likely, instead of 'being sent to help Yoo Joonghyuk', they wanted to receive Yoo Joonghyuk's help to survive.
Kim Dokja appeared to know about the future. Was he also a prophet?
However, Klein felt like he was missing something. A decisive element that could change the whole puzzle.
"You must be wondering. Why did these guys who didn't appear last time suddenly show up now? It is very confusing but I hope you can trust us. It is because we have already received a revelation for this day 10 years ago."
Kim Dokja finally answered, "Revelation?"
"Yes. In our world, there is a 'revelation' that is secretly shared among the Prophets. Yoo Joonghyuk exists in it and is a living myth. It is a single revelation that records all of the past and future."
After a while, more information was revealed.
"My attribute is… Hypnotist."
"I see. Is that all?"
"…Huh? O-one more."
"Tell me."
"T-the 9th."
"The 9th?"
Leaning against the tent, his eyes closed as he stood next to the back entrance, Gehrman listened.
"The 9th person… to get off."
Huh?
'What does it mean?'
"Ahjussi?"
A voice woke him up from the divination.
Shin Yoosoung approached him. She was staying on the other side of the tent and shouldn't know he had come out, but it seemed she had found him.
Checking that nobody else was around, Klein put his hand on her head.
"Why are you wandering alone?"
Shin Yoosoung hummed, "I wanted to see ahjussi."
***
After Jung Heewon had caused a commotion, Lee Sungkook had apologized and left Kim Dokja alone in the tent to have a talk with Jung Minseob—who had picked a fight with Jung Heewon.
(Kim Dokja had thought that the madman who would the one who may cause an accident if left alone and had prepared himself to see a bloodbath, but it turned out to be Jung Heewon.)
Then, Kim Dokja had called Gehrman Sparrow into the tent again (after asking Bihyung for hearing enhancements to listen to the prophets' 'private' conversation at the same time). To the reader, this was the perfect opportunity to explain the situation to Gehrman while they had some time alone.
…Although staying out of others' sight with the madman and nobody else around in a closed space didn't seem very reassuring.
Shin Yoosoung stood alone in front of the back entrance, at the same place where Gehrman had been previously.
When she was waiting with Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung, the adults had looked at her with strange gazes.
「"Who is she?"」
「"Was there such a child around Yoo Joonghyuk?"」
And some who knew more than others recognized her name, 「"Shin Yoosoung, at this point in time?"」
「"What regression is this?"」
Shin Yoosoung weakly kicked a stone on the floor.
'I don't understand.'
From the back of the tent, there were no adults looking at her while saying weird things.
'Why do strangers know my name?'
It didn't even look like they were referring to 'another person also called Shin Yoosoung', but to her, yet she didn't know them.
It was as if they were looking at her, yet didn't see her.
「As if they were looking at another 'Shin Yoosoung' through her.」
But that Shin Yoosoung was supposed to be her.
'I'm not.'
She wasn't anyone exceptional, so why would anyone know herself? They must be mistaken.
'And… 'regression'.'
She had read novels. She also knew what 'regression' was. 'The act of turning back time'.
Yet, what did it mean? Who regressed, and how did it relate to this situation?
The child was unable to put the puzzle pieces together.
「Sometimes, it felt like everyone was in on a secret that she wasn't privy to.」
Shin Yoosoung cast her gaze on the ground.
'Do I deserve to know?'
「Is that why they didn't tell me?」
Should she ask? Would she receive answers?
Squeak! Squeak!
She controlled the rat that passed by.
Muffled sounds reached her from inside the tent. It seemed that, since the one casting the skill had left, the sound barrier wasn't present.
Then, relaying the information conveyed by its five senses to the child controlling it, the rat entered the tent.
Kim Dokja continued speaking, unaware of the animals eavesdropping on the conversation.
"—So, could you pretend to be Kim Namwoon while I collect information?"
Gehrman stared at him blankly.