how romantic

Part 6

Ah, I've calmed down.

The delayed realization of mind-numbing panic struck all at once and strangely, the sight of Naru's ceiling was the insane detail that calmed Kim Roksu down.

I was really freaked out yesterday. The amalgamation of panic and confusion had made him rather irrational throughout the day. Whether it was assuming his boss was behind this whole crazy thing or being unable to think straight while holding a conversation with Choi Han, Kim Roksu had stoically lost his shit.

It was a bit like being drunk, he realized upon reflection, everything seemed to make perfect sense at the time but when you sobered up then the embarrassment came after. All things considered Roksu thought that his panic, embarrassing as it was, was handled decently considering the absolute insanity of the situation. It was honestly miraculous that he didn't have a much bigger freak out.

...I still wish that my behavior yesterday wasn't so cringe inducing though... Roksu sighed and sat up, confirming at a glance that time had passed for Naru. She was wearing different clothes and her room had been rearranged in various little ways. Although, the amount of time that had passed would be important for dealing with the plot. He estimated anywhere from one to three days, but it was also possible that magic bullshit followed no rules and this was a month later or something crazy like that.

Roksu figured the best place to check for information was definitely her journal. It would be wise to read that before he met with the knight again and so he sought out the little book in the same place he'd found it before and got the shock of a lifetime.

[Mr. Kim Roksu, if you're reading this then you're back inside of my body again]

Ah, what the fuck. What the hell was his life. It was a bit alarming somehow. Evidence of Naru's autonomy. Aside from the proof that she somehow knew his name and about her possession, there was a part of him that was unnerved because in a very strange way, it felt like he was talking to himself.

Naru had been far more of a self insert character than he was comfortable admitting to.

Oh well, there was no point but to read on with a clear head.

[You can't hear me right now but I can hear you. I'm still here.]

Nevermind, there was absolutely no possibility of remaining calm and clear headed. Roksu tried to track down every mortifying thought he'd had while inside of Naru's body and found too many to count. Ahh... now his self-insert character knew all about his shameful crush and all sorts of other things that Roksu would generally rather die than admit.

...it's probably better to think less but I can't really do that if we want to get through this situation in one piece. At the very least, I should think about Choi Han less.

Belatedly, Roksu got used to the concept fully and realized he should greet his 'host'.

I'm sorry about this, Naru. I'll find a way to stop this from happening. Thank you for taking care to inform me.

It was a lackluster greeting but there wasn't much better Roksu could do under the circumstances. It was also unnerving to be unable to hear her response.

[I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for dealing with my shit boss. It's a relief not to deal with him any longer. I'm leery about the Ellejan Duchy but it's better than starving, I guess.]

It was weird to admit it himself, but her words really did look like something that he would write. It gave him the eerie feeling of I don't remember writing this but it's my handwriting and Roksu didn't know quite what to do with that.