ETHTKE Chapter 2

Wait, did Baek Yigang just call one of the knights ‘Ken’? The only Ken I know from ‘’The Catastrophe of Initia’ is…

Something felt off, so I turned to look at the knight holding my shoulder. As expected, a very familiar face greeted me.

“Wow, it’s the traitor Ken!”

“…What?”

‘Ken Verdo,’ with brown hair and eyes, and the appearance of an utterly ordinary person. This guy is the second prince’s confidant.

Disguised as the crown prince Baek Yigang’s guard, he secretly reports everything about Baek Yigang to the second prince, a literal ‘traitor.’

“Oh, sorry. Is that still a secret?”

I lowered my voice with a friendly smile, and Ken’s face twisted.

It was quite satisfying to see the expression of someone caught off guard.

You have no idea how much frustration this guy caused in the original novel for me and countless other readers.

But seeing him up close, he looks so ordinary and stupid for a villain that it’s almost disappointing.

“Hey, criminal, what did you just say?”

At that moment, Baek Yigang, who had been walking away, turned his gaze back to me.

Even from a distance, it seemed he had heard my words.

“Your Highness, it’s just the nonsense of an uninvited guest with an unclear origin.”

Ken’s brown eyes filled with panic as Baek Yigang’s gaze landed back on me.

“I called him a traitor.”

Ignoring him, I calmly answered, causing Ken’s face to turn pale.

“How dare you speak so rudely to His Highness…!”

He hurriedly reached out to shut my mouth, but his frantic hand grasped only air.

“Ken, I’ll take the criminal myself.”

Baek Yigang, who had been watching thoughtfully, simply nodded and ordered Ken to stop the arrest.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of being dragged off to prison, so this was a relief.

Whatever the case, being around a familiar villain seemed less dangerous than being locked up in the dungeon of a world I knew nothing about.

“What? But, Your Highness! We can’t bring someone so filthy and unidentified into the palace…”

“Did I ask for your opinion?”

“…As you command.”

Ken, meeting Baek Yigang’s icy gaze, reluctantly released his grip on my shoulder.

“If you keep running that cheap mouth of yours, you’ll die before you know it. Remember that.”

Ken glared at me with a face full of displeasure, spitting out a low-threat.

A knight with a sword threatening me wasn’t scary at all, but out of courtesy, I nodded and responded quietly.

“Mind your own business.”

Having said that, I quickly walked over to Baek Yigang.

When I glanced back, Ken was fuming, his face flushed with anger as he glared at me.

But my response to Ken wasn’t a taunt; it was sincere advice.

Because, after all, one day Ken will be killed for knowing too many secrets after completing all the tasks ordered by the second prince.

“Follow me quietly.”

Baek Yigang glanced at me as I approached, then nonchalantly turned his head and began walking forward again.

To me, Baek Yigang was more than just a character I liked from a novel; he was the benefactor who had saved my life.

If it weren’t for Baek Yigang, my head would have been chopped off by now.

Or I’d be rotting in some cold, lightless dungeon.

“Criminal, tell me everything you know.”

As if intending to interrogate me in secret, Baek Yigang waited until the following guards had fallen back before speaking.

“Cheong Dowoon.”

“…What?”

“My name is Cheong Dowoon, not ‘criminal.'”

What have I done to deserve being called a criminal? I’m an innocent person who almost got executed without even knowing why!

Perhaps not expecting such a reaction, Baek Yigang fell silent for a moment before letting out a short, dry laugh.

“…Let me rephrase the question. Cheong Dowoon, who are you?”

“I’m someone from another dimension.”

Since it was just a dream, I decided to be honest. It was the truth, but certainly enough to make me seem crazy.

But Baek Yigang, without the slightest hint of concern, listened quietly to my words.

“Are you… from the demon world?”

The seriousness in his voice as he asked that question made me burst out laughing.

Just a moment ago, he was talking about execution, but now he’s asking about my identity? I couldn’t make sense of his intentions at all.

What’s more, it was surprising that he knew about the demon world before he even turned to the dark side.

In ‘The Catastrophe of Initia,’ the demon world was considered nothing more than a legend.

To prove that, people here didn’t believe in supernatural beings like ghosts, demons, or vampires.

Not that they don’t exist, but their presence is so rare that it’s a rather dull fantasy world.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s funny. This feels so real for a dream.”

My words made Baek Yigang’s expression twist in a peculiar way.

His violet eyes were filled with exasperation.

More importantly… I couldn’t shake the unwelcome feeling that had been creeping up inside me.

An unsettling premonition that this might not be a dream after all.

“A dream? …Do you really think this is a dream? I should have let that sword stab you earlier. Then you would have known whether this was a dream or not.”

His sharp words were accompanied by an openly hostile gaze that sent shivers down my spine.

“…Is this reality?”

“Can’t you tell the difference between a dream and reality? Your intelligence is lower than I thought.”

Meeting his cold, piercing gaze, I finally had to admit the truth.

I, Cheong Dowoon, had once again been possessed by a character in a novel.

No wonder that system window looked so familiar. It really was another possession.

Honestly, I’d suspected it wasn’t a dream for a while now. I just didn’t want to accept it.

“Well, whatever. I’ll wake up eventually, so it’s no different from a dream. It’s not like this is my first time.”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve come to another world?”

For the first time, Baek Yigang, who had remained composed throughout, showed a flicker of surprise in his expression.

“Ah, this makes it the third time. My last transmigration was in my first year of high school… so it’s been almost eight years.”

Having experienced multiple transmigrations since childhood, it didn’t take long for me to grasp the situation.

Once I accepted the reality I had always brushed off as a mere “dream,” I felt a weight lift off my chest… just kidding.

I thought I’d outgrown this nonsense of possession by now, but seriously, I’m screwed… damn it!

“Anyway, nice to meet you, Baek Yigang!”

First impressions are important no matter what world you’re in.

No one would think ill of someone who offers a handshake with a friendly smile.

Though, honestly, it’s a bit late to be calling this a first impression, but whatever.

As I lightly extended my hand, hiding my bitter feelings, Baek Yigang’s delicate brow furrowed once again.

Wait, is he refusing to dine with a commoner just because he’s the Crown Prince? Royals are the same wherever you go…

Suddenly—

Whether he noticed my silent grumbling or not, Baek Yigang reluctantly took my hand.

Although he quickly let go as if to discard it, the coldness of his touch left a strong impression.

“I don’t care how many lives you’ve lived. I saved you from the brink of death, and in return, you have to work for me. Whatever it takes.”

“Sure, whatever.”

I responded lightly, without much thought.

As the system had informed me earlier, the protagonists in my previous possessions inevitably needed my help.

And I always woke up from the dream only after helping them and receiving a sincere thank you.

Of course, this was an absolute secret.

If anyone found out, I’d be reduced to nothing more than a slave.

Simply put, to the protagonists, I was like the genie in a magic lamp that grants wishes.

Just like in the fairy tale, where the genie only gained freedom when the lamp’s owner wished for it, I was in a similar situation.

Naturally, I didn’t accept this ridiculous situation so easily from the start.

But after experiencing similar possessions multiple times, I had no choice but to adapt to this crappy rule to wake up from the dream.

Now that I think about it…

Didn’t I get a “Welcome Gift” earlier that said, “Your chances of receiving a thank you from the protagonist increase by 2%”?

Great, but why did the first of one important characters I meet have to be Baek Yigang?

If I had to get involved, couldn’t it have been someone simple and straightforward like the second prince or the main protagonist, the third prince?

But even for me, granting multiple wishes at once would be difficult.

So, having already crossed paths with Baek Yigang, I had to be cautious about approaching other protagonists.

The silver lining was that, thanks to the Welcome Gift, my chances of getting a thank you from Baek Yigang started off higher than with the other protagonists.

So, in the end, Baek Yigang was my best bet.

Honestly, the wishes of novel protagonists are all pretty much the same, so this possession should be an easy one to wrap up.

I’ll just play along for a bit and then head home.