The Nature of Possession – Chapter 90

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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My heart sank. How did she know?

But why should I care?

Why should I feel like I’d been caught cheating?

Her smug tone was unsettling.

I felt a brief moment of cognitive dissonance.

“So what if I am?”

[Are you trying to pick her up?]

Her unexpected question caught me off guard.

“What? No. Wait, how did you even know I was watching her stream?”

[You can see what streams your friends are watching if you add them.]

We were friends? I hadn’t even noticed.

I never bothered with my friends list, so I hadn’t realized such a feature existed.

Why would a streaming platform even have a friends list?

Hana, sensing she had struck a nerve, continued, her voice regaining some of its usual energy.

[Are you embarrassed that you got caught trying to hit on some newbie streamer?]

“Not really. It’s not like that anyway.”

[Oh, please. A leopard can’t change its spots. Do you think I don’t know you? You’re the same Kang In-ho who throws money at every female streamer, trying to get their number and asking them out.]

“…”

[Have some shame. I admit, I took advantage of you, but it’s pretty hypocritical of you to act like you’re some reformed saint now.]

“There it is. What’s your point?”

[I won’t tell her about you, if you give me some money. Just support me until the end of the year.]

Her audacity left me speechless.

[Let’s drop the pretense. This is strictly business. I won’t interfere with your little pursuit, and you’ll lend me some money. Just until the end of the year.]

Her seamless transition from playing the victim to proposing a business deal was impressive.

I had to give her credit for that.

This was a whole new level of manipulation.

Every interaction with her was a new and horrifying experience.

[You wouldn’t want those messages you sent me to get out, would you? What woman would appreciate that?]

I remained silent, and she pressed on, sensing my hesitation.

[So, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Just help me out. Just this once.]

I was starting to think this dimension was a crash course in the worst aspects of human nature.

“Sigh…”

[You’ll do it?]

She mistook my sigh for agreement.

“Get lost.”

[……]

[You’ll regret this.]

That was the last time I spoke to Hana.

“Ugh, my head…”

My vision blurred, and the back of my neck throbbed.

The conversation had clearly agitated me.

I tossed my phone onto the desk and collapsed onto the bed.

This body was so fragile.

I needed to sleep.

I was exhausted.

I didn’t even have the energy to eat.

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The gym was empty, as usual.

Ga-ram sat at the reception desk, reviewing her client files.

Her only personal training client was In-ho, who was currently in Donghae, but she was still meticulously planning his workout program.

She knew about his health issues, so she had decided to remove the more strenuous exercises from his routine.

She was trying to figure out how to compensate for the reduced intensity by increasing the number of repetitions when her phone buzzed.

“Huh? What’s this?”

It wasn’t a text message or a KakaoTalk notification.

She tapped the notification, and the OceaniaTV app opened.

A chat window popped up.

>> Hana (hanazzing): Hello. Are you Solitary Trainer?

>> Hana (hanazzing): Do you know someone named Kang In-ho? Or maybe the username “SupremeLandlord”?

Ga-ram froze.

How did this person know In-ho?

A sense of unease settled in her stomach.

>> Solitary Trainer (LonelyTrainer): I know In-ho… He’s my landlord.

>> Hana (hanazzing): Has he asked you out or anything?

‘We see each other almost every day. Why would he need to ask me out separately?’

Ga-ram thought.

Hana, sensing her hesitation, continued, her messages taking on a warning tone.

>> Hana (hanazzing): I’m just giving you a heads-up, since you seem new to streaming.

>> Hana (hanazzing): You should be careful. He messed with me pretty badly.

Ga-ram frowned and typed a curt reply.

>> Solitary Trainer (LonelyTrainer): I don’t know how you know him, but this seems like a personal matter.

>> Solitary Trainer (LonelyTrainer): But talking behind someone’s back like this isn’t very nice.

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“Alright, let’s start the stream~”

Hana, dressed in a thin pajama top, smiled brightly at the camera.

She scrolled through the chat, still smiling.

“Why do I look so down? Just a lot on my mind lately.”

She answered a question no one had asked.

She paused, letting the anticipation build, and the chat started to focus on her cryptic statement.

“Honestly, my ranking has dropped, and I have some business debts to pay off.”

She waved her hands dismissively.

“I’m not asking for donations or anything. Really. I’m just… stressed. I’m supposed to be cheerful and positive, but I guess I’m just venting. Sorry.”

She closed her eyes and bowed her head, and a donation notification popped up.

She forced a frown and looked up at the ceiling.

“I’ve been trying so hard to improve my ranking, but it’s not working. The competition is fierce.”

>> NewbieHunter: Haven’t seen your biggest donor around lately.

Hana pounced on the comment like a shark.

“Oh, my top donor? Well…”

The viewers, sensing a story, urged her to continue.

“There’s been a… misunderstanding.”

>> SpeedyFingers: A misunderstanding?

“He seems to have heard some… untrue things about me. And now he’s not coming to my streams anymore…”

>> Lazenka: ????

“Let’s not talk about it. He’ll come back eventually. Anyway, let’s get this stream going!”

The stream continued for four hours, Hana putting on a show of forced cheerfulness and enthusiasm.

After the stream ended, rumors began to circulate on online forums about who might have spread those “untrue things” about Hana.

“Let’s see who dares to cross me.”

Hana muttered, scrolling through the forum posts with a smirk.

That newbie streamer should have been grateful for the advice.

Who did she think she was?

“I’ll crush anyone who gets in my way.”

She scrolled through her contacts, looking for potential donors.

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