Episode 6: You've Got Talent.
Lap pillow.
One of the classic romantic poses that comes to mind for couples.
Even though I've spent my whole life single, I'd thought about wanting to try it at least once.
But not like this.
I never imagined I'd suddenly be laying my head on the lap of a woman whose name or address I didn't even know.
Whether she knew how I felt or not, the woman quietly stroked my head as it rested on her lap.
"...Um, excuse me, but who are you?"
With some effort, I managed to ask, and the woman's face peeked out again above the two hills.
Under silver hair shining in the fluorescent light, icy eyes like frozen crystals stared at me.
"My name is Rizeta, and as of today I've been appointed as your personal maid, Hyunseong-nim. Please take care of me."
"A m-maid?"
I'd wondered if she was wearing something besides a ribbon on her head, and sure enough, it was a maid's headband.
Getting a lap pillow from a maid.
That's a kind of romance, or rather-
"I've never hired a maid, though?"
I don't have the money for that, nor the guts to hire a maid in an apartment with other residents.
"You didn't hire me, Hyunseong-nim, but my creator made me as a reward for you."
Creator?
Is she actually a crazy person despite her looks?
"...Ah."
Now that I think about it, there was that weird robotic voice about a bonus or something.
Could the bonus have been this?
"Um, may I ask who your creator is?"
"My creator is-"
[It's me.]
Just as I was listening for the maid's answer, someone else's voice suddenly cut in.
The voice didn't come through my ears but echoed directly in my head, an alien sensation that made me frown.
[It's not very pleasant to have a voice echo directly in your brain, right? But you'll get used to it soon.]
That mischievous, youthful voice sounded familiar.
"You-back then, from the cursed sword...!"
[Oh, so you don't seem to have any memory issues. Just as I expected.]
The one who spoke to me from the sword when I possessed Hans's body.
The very one who made me possess him.
But didn't they just casually say something creepy?
[Let me introduce myself properly. My name is 'Child.' As you've already heard, the maid 'Rizeta' is your bonus.]
"I will serve you with all my heart from now on, Master."
Jiggle
"Ugh."
As Rizeta bowed in greeting, her ample chest gently pressed against my face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"No, not at all."
Thank you.
Rizeta quickly straightened up at my strained breathing, then suddenly reached toward my lower half as if she'd noticed something.
"Um, Rizeta? What are you-ugh?!"
Before I could sit up and check, her hand gently caressed the tent in my underwear.
"You've gotten hard."
[Pfft. After all that, you're still not satisfied?]
"This is just an involuntary physiological reaction..."
Before I could protest, her slender fingers slipped into my underwear like a snake and started groping inside.
"Eek!?"
"Did my breasts excite you?"
"That's not it...!"
[Males always go crazy for boobs.]
"Don't encourage her-stop her!"
[Why? It's fun. Let her do it.]
I'm an idiot for asking for help.
"If you wish, I can help relieve your sexual urges right now. Would you like to see my breasts?"
"More important than that, could you please explain what's going on-!"
Regardless, Rizeta undid the top of her black maid uniform and exposed one of her breasts.
The pink nipple perfectly centered on her milky white breast caught my gaze.
My impatient little guy twitched in her grip.
"You really do like breasts. I'll continue serving you."
[Oh~ Rizeta, you're being proactive. Make him totally hooked on you while you have the chance.]
"Yes, I'll do my best."
"Would you please listen to me for once?!"
The chaotic scene only ended after my desperate cries echoed through the house.
Barely escaping from Rizeta's lap, I got up from the bed and opened the window.
The cool April night air blew in and cleared my mind.
"Child-nim, did I make a mistake in my service?"
[He's just shy. In reality, he's a total nobody.]
"I can hear you."
[See? He can't even talk back because it's true. Pffft.]
I gritted my teeth and ignored the irritating voice, looking around.
Other than the monitor being off, the room hadn't changed much.
Except that there was now a maid.
"How much time has passed?"
I grabbed my phone from the bed and checked the time.
Thursday, 11:30 p.m.
"Only thirty minutes?"
It felt like six hours had passed.
Looks like time flows differently in the game and reality.
But the real problem wasn't the time.
-28 missed calls from 'Hysteria Witch.'
"Why so many calls..."
It was way past quitting time, but my boss had called 28 times in 30 minutes at this hour.
That can't be good. Really can't.
Was there a serious problem?
There hadn't been any recent bookings.
Who even goes on trips in April?
"Whatever. I don't care."
I rolled my eyes, weighing all the possibilities, but soon gave up thinking.
If it's really serious, they'll just fire me.
I didn't have a good reason to quit anyway-this works.
Despite my thoughts, I was sweating nervously.
"Ugh. Even with the window open, why is it so stuffy?"
[Where are you going?]
"Bathroom."
"Shall I accompany you?"
"N-no, that's fine!"
I quickly stopped Rizeta, who started to get up from the bed to follow.
I practically ran to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the water.
"What a strange guy."
Splashing cold water on my face jolted me awake.
But-
"Was the sink always this low?"
I felt a strange discomfort as I bent over more than usual, so I wiped my face and looked in the mirror.
To my surprise, the reflection wasn't my old body.
Arms and thighs so firm the veins stood out.
A straight back and broad shoulders.
Ripped abs with not an ounce of fat.
It was almost identical to Hans's body, which I'd admired when I possessed him.
"Is this really my body?"
But my face was still the same, with dark circles from exhaustion.
"Yeah, it's me."
If that's the case...
Gulp.
With trembling hands, I reached into my underwear and grabbed my little guy.
And-
"...Oh shit."
The unfamiliar sensation made me shudder on the spot.
The snake had become a dragon.
[Done checking out your body?]
After a while admiring my new body in the bathroom, I returned to my room, and Child asked in a sly tone.
Rizeta was now standing demurely in a corner of the room.
"Ahem. So what's going on?"
[You passed the first stage, so you got a fitting reward.]
As Child's voice faded, a hologram window popped up in front of me.
It read:
==============================
[Status Window]
Name: Lee Hyunseong
Age: 28
Occupation: Travel Agency MD
Stamina: 30 → 90
Libido: 39 → 100
Penis Length: 20cm
Compatibility: 92%
Immersion: 10%
[Possessed Traits]
[Protagonist's Wish]
[Brutal]
My profile and stats were displayed in the status window.
The most striking thing was my stamina and libido.
They'd skyrocketed from their original values.
I didn't have a comparison, but visually, I looked as fit as a pro athlete.
Another thing that caught my eye-
"Traits?"
At the bottom of the status window was a list of traits.
I tapped [Brutal] with my finger.
[Brutal]
A trait acquired from 'Hans,' the protagonist of
A body honed through harsh training and real combat, meant solely to satisfy unquenchable lust.
– Greatly increases stamina and libido.
– As long as you possess this trait, your body remains in perfect condition.
– During sex, it's easy to dominate your partner.
"Ohh."
So this is why I became ripped-thanks to [Brutal].
And my body would stay this way.
It was like achieving a modern person's dream.
I quickly checked the other trait.
[Protagonist's Wish]
The realization of your wish to become a protagonist.
– The world starts to revolve around you, who was once just a cog in the machine.
– When returning from possession, you gain one trait from the possessed character.
"Ohh."
Thanks to this, I was able to get Hans's trait.
The description was a bit cringey, but the effect was even better than [Brutal].
With this, I could use protagonist-level traits in real life.
[So, how was my sample dish?]
Only after Child's question did I tear my eyes away from the status window.
"Hmm."
If you ask how it was-
It was, without a doubt,
"Amazing."
It felt way too generous for just a sample.
Not only did I get to meet heroines I'd only seen on a monitor, I even got to sleep with them until I was empty.
And on top of that, I got an awesome body.
[If you want, I'll let you taste my cooking again. The full course.]
"Really?"
[Of course~. Why else would I come back to see you?]
Child's offer was so tempting it made my ears perk up.
But before nodding, my rational side stopped me.
"Why are you doing all this? What do you get out of it?"
If there's one thing I learned from dramas, it's that there's no such thing as selfless kindness.
Especially when it's someone mysterious whose face I've never even seen.
Of course you should worry about getting burned before blindly accepting.
[Really want to know?]
Suddenly, Child's tone grew serious, and I swallowed and nodded.
After a brief silence, Child answered.
[I'm bored.]
"What?"
It was so simple, it made my tension seem silly.
[I'm sick of playing alone in the game world I made. Now I want to watch someone else play.]
"Are you really some kind of god or something?"
Possession, telepathy, even creating people.
You'd have to be a god...
[Hey, we're not close enough to share that kind of sensitive info yet, are we?]
It was suspicious how they kept hiding their identity.
"So how am I supposed to trust you?"
[In a relationship, what matters is ability, not a face. I think I've already shown you plenty.]
"Ugh."
[Just keep it simple. I can give you what you want. And you can give me what I want.]
With that, the voice in my head vanished.
Guess that means I won't get any more answers unless I decide.
Child. A shady character.
But if I could experience that world again...
"...Sigh. Fine."
Recalling the vivid sensations in my hands and lower body from possession, I eventually nodded at the empty air.
My life wasn't much anyway.
Even if what I chose was a poisoned chalice, I'd rather die quickly in a sweet dream than live forever in bitter reality.
[Okay~. Deal!]
Child's voice sounded relaxed, as if they'd expected my answer.
[Any more questions? Anything else you're curious about?]
"...No."
These things usually come up as they happen.
[If not, get some sleep. You have work tomorrow, right?]
Hiding their own identity while knowing everything about me.
"Work, huh."
My excitement turned to gloom in an instant.
Still, just one more day and it's the weekend.
I took comfort in that as I took a step toward the bed.
"Huh?"
Suddenly dizzy, my vision swam.
I tried to steady myself, but it wasn't easy.
Just as I was about to trip over my chair's wheels and fall forward-
"Are you all right, Hyunseong-nim?"
Rizeta had come over at some point and caught me, preventing a bad fall.
Her ample chest made a perfect cushion.
"Yes, thanks to you... thank you."
"Please lean on me more. I'll take you to the bed."
"No, it's fine. I can walk on my own."
But my body wouldn't cooperate, so I had no choice but to accept her support.
"Whew."
Sitting on the bed and catching my breath, the dizziness quickly faded.
My body still felt heavy, like wet cotton.
[Guess the first possession was a strain.]
"A strain?"
[It's only been 30 minutes here, but you spent hours over there. And you were pretty intense. Of course you're tired.]
[Possession is always mentally exhausting,] Child added nonchalantly.
"Hyunseong-nim, let me help you lie down slowly."
"I can do it myself..."
Despite my protest, Rizeta wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
Reluctantly, I let her help me lie down on the bed.
As soon as my back touched the mattress, drowsiness washed over me.
"I'll wake you in the morning, so rest easy."
Kneeling beside the bed, Rizeta reached out and stroked my hair.
Her gentle touch brushed my bangs aside, and my eyelids grew heavier with each stroke.
"Child."
[Yeah?]
Before I lost consciousness, I used the last of my strength to ask Child one last question.
"Why did you choose me? There must have been plenty of people you could use as players."
[Not just anyone can be a possessor. Remember that compatibility stat on your status window?]
"Yeah."
I don't know what it means, but it was as high as 92%. Hard to forget.
[The lower it is, the less likely possession will succeed. In the worst case, you could be devoured by the original's consciousness and die.]
He said it so casually, but that's pretty scary.
So I was only able to succeed because I had a high compatibility of 92%.
[Compatibility is innate. I can count the number of people with your score on one hand. You could call it talent.]
"Talent?"
For someone like me who's just drifted through life, to have talent...
Even if it's just flattery, I couldn't help but feel something in my chest.
But-
"So you're saying there was still about an 8% chance I'd fail?"
Silence.
He'd been so chatty, but now that it was inconvenient, he shut up.
"Yawn."
I'd reached my limit.
I didn't even have the energy to think anymore.
I closed my eyes and let myself sink into sleep.
Rizeta knelt by the bed, quietly watching the sleeping Hyunseong's face.
To memorize every detail of the master she would serve from now on.
After a while, her creator's voice echoed in her mind, and she looked away from Hyunseong.
[Is he asleep?]
"Yes. He must have been very tired."
Rizeta does not know her creator's face.
She had been in Hyunseong's room since she was made.
All she knows is that Child is her creator and the knowledge he implanted in her.
That was enough for a maid to serve Child.
[You know your role, right?]
"Of course. As Hyunseong-nim's loyal maid, my role is to serve my master in everything from housework to sexual needs."
[Good. Your master is Lee Hyunseong now. For now, focus on earning his affection as a devoted maid. But don't forget, before you're his maid, you're my creation.]
"Yes. My existence and will belong entirely to my creator, Child."
Her reply was cold and emotionless, like a machine.
For a mere creation like her, obeying her creator's orders was her very reason for being.
When her creator's voice faded and silence returned to her mind, the maid's blue gaze settled once more on Hyunseong lying on the bed.
In the quiet room, under the calm night air, the maid watched over her master's side with an unreadable expression for a long time.