The Fighting Dog of a Ruined Organization

“First, let me ask one thing before we start.”

Shizu asked in a subdued voice.

“Earlier, when Eris-nim referred to herself as Eris, you said there was a reason for it. So, have you also heard that Eris-nim was originally a man?”

“Yes, I heard. I found out by chance and asked Eris, and she told me.”

Eris’s original name was Casey Selenoor.

The body Eris is using now is that of Casey’s younger sister.

“She said she would atone by reviving Fantasia in her younger sister’s body.”

“It seems you’ve heard everything. Then I think you’ll understand the story easily.”

Shizu looked at Eris’s figure reflected through the glass. Eris was eating soup rice frantically.

“As I mentioned earlier, Casey-nim was a thoughtful person who was careful about every action. Whether it was Casey-nim or Eris-nim, anyone could have inherited the organization, but the reason Athena-nim specifically chose Casey-nim as the successor was because of that.”

Athena Selenoor, the mother of Casey and Eris and the previous boss of Fantasia.

She chose Casey as the successor among the twin siblings, Casey and Eris. The reason was that Casey was mature and smart for his young age, and

“Conversely, Eris-nim was extremely immature, childish, and simple-minded.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Eris first said she was sick, Hyungnim thought it was a fake illness. If that was Eris’s usual personality, it’s understandable to mistake it for a fake illness.”

“Correct. Honestly, I have nothing to say either. I thought Eris-nim was faking illness again.”

Shizu, whose expression rarely changes, frowned as if in pain. It seemed difficult for both Hyungnim and Shizu to talk about Eris.

“Although Casey-nim didn’t do well because he inherited the organization at a young age, there were still people who joined as combat personnel, considering Fantasia’s old reputation.”

It wasn’t like the previous Fantasia, rather it was a mess of combat personnel that could be called a ragtag bunch with no argument.

“Seeing Casey-nim’s mature aspect, they believed that even if it was difficult now, someday Casey-nim’s own Fantasia could rise.”

How could such a ragtag organization become the previous Fantasia, isn’t that just a delusion, it’s nonsensical talk no different from fantasy.

Such voices of disbelief arose, but they didn’t give up. As time passed, Casey was being cornered, but at some point, he started to overcome it little by little, and hope began to appear.

“That was until Eris-nim collapsed from mana addiction.”

From the moment Eris collapsed from mana addiction and Casey was engulfed in guilt, it started to fall apart.

“Haven’t you thought about this a lot too, Hyeon-woo-nim? That Eris-nim doesn’t know how to doubt people.”

“Yes, I think about it 24 hours a day.”

“It started from the guilt of dismissing it as a fake illness. At first, when lending money and getting it back, things went well, but after harboring guilt towards Eris-nim, it got tangled.”

“Don’t tell me, from then on, he didn’t doubt any lies the other party told?”

“Yes. At first, the guilt wasn’t that great, but as Eris-nim’s condition worsened, Casey-nim’s guilt grew along with it.”

Shizu sighed.

“The members asked Casey-nim why he readily believed the debtors’ lies. To this, Casey-nim answered like this.”

─ If I believe a lie to be true, I’m the only one who ends up being a fool.

“But if I don’t believe it and it turns out not to be a lie but the truth, that person might suffer an irreparable wound. They might even die.”

“It’s not wrong, but…”

It was complicated.

What Casey said isn’t wrong when you think about it carefully. But lending money and not being able to get it back isn’t just a matter of being a fool alone.

But it’s not that I don’t understand Casey’s feelings. If the guilt towards Eris remained as a kind of PTSD, he wouldn’t be able to escape it.

Every time he tries not to believe a lie, the memory of dismissing it as a fake illness might strongly occupy his mind.

“In the end, the members left one by one… and Fantasia really ended up ruined. We said if that’s the case, we should stop lending money and do other businesses, but Casey-nim’s confidence had hit rock bottom and he wasn’t in a state to do anything.”

His younger sister got a fatal illness because of his misjudgment. And the members started leaving because of his belief that was like a mental illness.

So his confidence fell unknowingly, and when doing business, you need bold execution and drive, but without confidence, there’s no way to do well.

In the end, that’s how Fantasia became what it is now.

“Of course, just because he believed lies at face value, lost confidence, and was engulfed in guilt, there’s no way he would become that stupid. Because humans have an essence.”

“Then why did he become stupid?”

“Because of possession.”

“Because of possession?”

“Yes.”

Shizu put her hand on her chest and continued.

“The human body has a soul residing in it. Possession is extracting that soul through sorcery and putting it into another person’s body.”

“I know that.”

“But what happens after that is the problem. From the moment of possession, the soul and body start a fierce struggle for dominance.”

“What are they fighting over?”

“The essence of that human.”

The soul has an essence.

But the body also has an essence left by the soul living in it. The moment a foreign soul enters the body, the body starts to resist to prevent its existing essence from being taken by the soul’s essence.

“But if the soul’s essence becomes too weak and is reversely devoured by the body’s essence.”

“Are you saying that no matter what kind of person the soul was, their personality becomes similar to the original owner of the body?”

“That’s right. That’s why there are bosses who don’t change bodies no matter how high their position becomes. Those bosses know their soul’s essence is weak, so they don’t change bodies because they don’t want to lose their essence.”

“I see. If they keep changing, the soul would have to endlessly fight with others’ essences.”

“Yes. If you keep changing bodies, the soul gets worn down and you might not know what kind of person you originally were, and eventually, there’s a high chance of becoming empty. Your mind becomes completely vacant.”

“That’s a terrifying story.”

I think I understand why Hua Xue Hua of the North Sea Ice Palace didn’t change her body even after being promoted to one of the Five Great Sects. Especially since Hua Xue Hua was a pretty girl even before, so there was no need to change.

I’m not sure what will happen when she gets old and ages though.

“When Casey-nim entered Eris-nim’s body, his soul was already as broken as it could be. Even the shaman who performed the possession tried to stop him.”

“But I guess there was no one who could break Hyungnim’s resolve. It was also the only way to atone.”

“That’s right. In the end, Casey-nim entered Eris-nim’s body and lost his original self. Of course, there are still traces of resistance, as if the soul’s essence hasn’t completely given up yet.”

“Traces of resistance, you mean like the tendency to keep obsessing over wax and pants?”

“Yes. The obsession with wax, pants, and neckties, and the tattoos of dragons and mohanya, which he thinks are the strongest in his own way, can be seen as traces of resistance.”

“Then he’s still resisting. He was singing about wanting a necktie.”

Come to think of it, I still haven’t given him the necktie I bought yesterday. I should give it to him after we finish eating soup rice and pay the bill.

“After hearing the story from Shizu-ssi, I understand. But at the same time, I have a question.”

“What kind of question?”

“Why did Shizu-ssi stay by Hyungnim’s side even as everything was falling apart?”

At that question, Shizu’s eyes flashed.

“I… If it weren’t for Eris-nim… no, Casey-nim, I would already be dead.”

“You would be dead?”

“Yes. The mother who gave birth to me lived such a messed-up life that she didn’t even know who my father was, and because she had no money, she eventually abandoned me when I was 12. That’s when Casey-nim, who was 6 years younger than me and only 6 years old, saw me.”

Seeing Shizu lying on the street, starving to death, Casey asked Athena to take her in.

“Athena-nim asked what use there was in saving such a beggar, and Casey-nim said he wanted to have a personal secretary. It was strange for such an ambitious statement to come from a 6-year-old’s mouth, but Athena-nim liked it, saying he showed promise.”

Of course, Casey didn’t really want a personal secretary. He lied because he thought Athena would save her if he said that.

“So you mean you would have been dead if it weren’t for Hyungnim?”

“That’s right. My life is no different from Casey-nim’s, so no matter what moment comes, I will never leave Casey-nim’s side.”

Shizu’s eyes were wistful.

Perhaps the feelings Shizu harbors for Eris are not just simple loyalty. Originally, they would have been in a male-female relationship too.

“Then did Hyungnim also give you that ill-fitting headband?”

Shizu is unnecessarily wearing her bangs up with a red headband, exposing her forehead. It’s not like it’s sealing her appearance, I always thought it was strange.

“That’s right. Although it was given to me after Casey-nim became Eris-nim, it’s even more precious because of that, so I always wear it.”

“Why is it more precious?”

“Because this headband was given to me as a gift, asking if my bangs were getting in the way of my work. If it was Eris-nim and not Casey-nim, it’s a gift that would never have been given.”

Is she thinking that traces of Casey remained even after becoming Eris, so she gave the headband? Well, sometimes she shows sharp aspects, so it’s not like she’s been completely devoured by Eris.

“So this is evidence that Casey-nim exists inside Eris-nim, and I always wear it with gratitude.”

“I see. Then how about you give this necktie yourself?”

“Me? But you spent your own money to buy it, why…”

“It’s normal to give something back when you receive a headband, right?”

Shizu looked down at the necktie for a moment, then accepted it, saying she understood.

Now many of the questions about Eris and Shizu have been resolved. It feels like the holes in the story have been filled.

I threw away the finished cigarette and went into the store to pay for the soup rice, then we all came out to the street.

As Eris was happily patting her stomach with satisfaction, Shizu took out the necktie and said,

“Eris-nim, here’s the necktie you wanted.”

“Wow! It’s just the right size for me to wear! Did you buy it, Shizu?”

At that question, Shizu looked at me.

Why are you looking at me? Say you bought it. You like Casey, don’t you?

“No, Hyeon-woo-nim personally chose and bought it.”

No, why are you doing this?

“Really?! But why isn’t Hyeonwoo giving it to me directly?”

“It seems he’s shy about it.”

What the hell is shy about it.

“Eheng, Hyeonwoo! Were you that shy? About buying a necktie for this Hyungnim?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

I really don’t understand why Shizu is acting like this. It would have been good if she just said she bought it and gave it.

“Oh, Hyeon-woo-ssi, are you perhaps being shy right now? I’m very interested in this change. So this is a sign that Hyeon-woo-ssi likes the boss, right?”

“You really don’t know anything except mana, do you? Please stop pretending to know about other things.”

“You’re being too harsh. I got it right about the Phone Cash president’s facial muscles malfunctioning.”

“Why is that story coming up here?”

I still regret accidentally killing him and not being able to get that 50 million won, so I wish she’d shut up.

“Hyungnim Agasshi is just the boss. Why would I like her?”

“Huh? Hyeonwoo, are you a liar? You said earlier that you tease me because you like me!”

“I like you as a boss, as a boss.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s completely different.”

It might be a harsh thing to say, but why on earth did Casey try to educate Eris? With a head this bad.

“But still…”

Is it because I learned the secret of how Eris became stupid? Is it because the Casey in that story is too pitiful?

At first, the sense of duty to protect her as a boss was strong, but now I feel a bit of genuine desire to protect her.

Just a little bit.

“…Never mind. You guys wait in a safe place. I’ll go find the items for sale.”

“Huh? Weren’t you going to say something?”

“I wasn’t, so don’t mind it.”

“How can I not mind when it’s on my mind?”

“I was going to tell you to look at the price tag on that necktie.”

“Eek?! 2.5 million won! How many bowls of soup rice is that?!”

Leaving Eris, who was trying to calculate the value of items in terms of soup rice, behind.

“Well then, shall we see if there’s a seller?”