The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn't Hold Back the Second Time Around-Chapter 255

Step Two: Show the Saintess to Ellington.

These were the same people who had declared him a saint just because he temporarily held divine power.

If they saw the Saintess now that she had regained her divinity, they’d practically think they were meeting their god.

It was bound to secure their help with this situation.

[Mir, could I ask for your help with this?]

[Of course, anything for our Yujin.]

[Thank you!]

Step Three: Have the Saintess persuade Ellington once contact is made.

On paper, it was a flawless plan.

Yet Yujin’s expression was far from bright.

"If there’s one issue, it’s that if things go wrong, it could backfire spectacularly. Those elders are unbelievably fanatical."

"Yeah. Even if that’s not the case, involving religion in political battles is risky. One misstep, and it’ll all fall apart."

Kkong’s expression grew equally serious.

He knew all too well how dangerous it was to involve a group of zealots to upend the board.

"……."

‘Why does he even look cute when he’s worried? It’s so annoying.’

The way Kkong chewed on his lip in thought was strangely irritating to Yujin, but still…

The earnest young man placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders.

"That’s why you’re the most important part of this."

"H-Huh?! What are you—oh, ah! Because of my foresight, right?"

"Yeah. First, I’d like you to run through the plan here. Then, I want you to monitor things in real time on-site to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Kkong’s foresight—the ability to glimpse brief moments of the future—was invaluable in situations like this.

By guiding events toward the best possible outcome, he could ensure the success of even the riskiest plans.

That Yujin entrusted such a dangerous task to him without hesitation showed how much faith he had in Kkong.

"…Then don’t say it so weirdly, you idiot. Grabbing my shoulders and telling me I’m the most important, geez."

"But it’s true, isn’t it?"

"……Ugh."

Kkong sighed deeply.

His face flushed slightly as he let out an exasperated breath, but he ultimately nodded.

"Fine. It’ll be a bit of a stretch to manage things a day from now, but I’ll do my best."

"Thanks, Kkong. Now, first…"

And so began the duo’s plan revision.

Yujin presented the scenarios.

Kkong used his foresight to observe how they played out.

If the future showed them smiling in success, it was a go. Otherwise, they scrapped the idea.

It took less than an hour to finalize a perfect plan.

"Okay. I think we’re ready… Whew, I’m exhausted."

"Thanks, Kkong!"

Kkong was visibly tired after overusing his abilities.

Feeling both grateful and guilty, Yujin scanned his surroundings, pondering how to properly thank his friend.

And then, Yujin thought:

‘I’ll treat him to some gukbap later….’

[Mom! Timing! I’m off!]

[Hypnosis-chan furiously rummaged through her backpack.]

[She pulled out a yellow rubber band and loaded it into a pre-made rubber band gun fashioned from chopsticks.]

[And then, aiming at her master—bang!]

Ding.

[Skill 'Perfect Hypnosis+' has been activated.]

‘…Maybe treating him to gukbap every time is getting old?’

Deciding to show his gratitude in a slightly different way,

Yujin remained oblivious to Hypnosis-chan’s antics with her rubber band gun behind him.

A small smile played on his lips.

"Kkong, you bastard, going so far for me like this… Come here, you!"

Grab!

Yujin pulled Kkong into a tight embrace,

a manly, firm hug filled with gratitude and camaraderie.

It wasn’t something Yujin usually did.

He had always believed that the only physical contact between men should be a good fistfight.

But Kkong?

This was the same friend who had rushed to Korea without hesitation in its time of need.

The same friend with whom he had shared vulnerability—albeit mostly Kkong’s—in the bathhouse.

So, as a gesture of thanks, Yujin held him tightly.

For once, he allowed himself to indulge in such sappy nonsense.

It was the first time in all three regressions that Yujin had hugged Kkong.

Squish.

"H-Huh?!"

"……!!?"

Unfortunately, the touching moment was short-lived.

The soft, squishy sensation Yujin felt immediately upon embracing him shattered the atmosphere.

"What… what are you doing all of a sudden!?"

"Ah, um. Sorry. I was just so grateful, I acted without thinking."

[You’re doing this even though you know my secret!? You saw everything in the bathhouse!!]

[…I’m sorry.]

Kkong stepped back, covering his chest defensively.

Yujin, bowing his head in shame, looked utterly defeated.

"……."

‘Does this guy… have gynecomastia or something?’

Yujin lowered his head, mortified.

The thought that his friend might suffer from such a condition left him feeling deeply regretful.

He quickly pieced it together—why Kkong always wore suits.

Of course, surgery could lead to bizarre rumors, like speculation that Kkong was pretending to be a man.

In a world as cruel as theirs, such gossip could ruin him.

It made sense that Kkong chose to keep it hidden.

‘Buddy… Let’s go to the hospital together sometime. Don’t worry; I’ll use hypnosis to keep everything under wraps.’

"……."

‘Why is Yujin staring at me like that? Am I the only one embarrassed here?!’

Thanks to this, Kkong’s composure completely fell apart.

It was yet another moment of chaos that was so quintessentially Yujin.

***

Although a brief commotion had erupted on the plane, everything eventually calmed down.

After that, Kkong acted as planned, following the outline Yujin had entrusted to him.

While the media’s attention was entirely focused on the "righteous young man," Kkong moved discreetly.

"Well then, Saintess… or should I call you the Holy Vessel now? Let’s go."

"……."

Thud, thud. Taking along the small yet profoundly significant figure,

it didn’t take long for Kkong to meet High Priest Ellington.

"Bozzi-Kkong? What brings you here… no, how did you even get here?"

"There were too many people swarming around Yujin. I figured I could be of help with my abilities."

"Yujin… so you’ve come because of that matter, haven’t you?"

In front of Kkong, who had arrived unannounced, the devout elder’s expression grew uneasy.

Yujin was currently at the center of a storm of controversy, entangled in a fierce political battle.

Even someone as devout as Ellington would find it burdensome to support Yujin in such a situation…

"I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Jushin Church can be of much help…"

"Saintess. Come over here."

[Child, it’s good to see you.]

"……!!!!!?"

Ellington’s demeanor changed in less than a second.

The moment he saw the Saintess’s gentle smile, he was struck with awe.

He immediately fell to his knees.

The believer instantly recognized that his god’s power had returned.

"Ah, ah! Saintess… no, this radiant glow, brighter than the sun itself! How could such divine grace overflow like this!?"

[Thank you for your help last time. You endured three days and nights to follow my prophecy, didn’t you?]

"It was nothing!! It was my honor… Hahhh!!"

The Saintess gently stroked the head of the bowing elder with a kind hand.

Tears filled the old man’s eyes.

It was the moment his lifelong faith, nurtured since his youth, was finally rewarded.

Kkong watched the scene with a satisfied smile.

‘Whatever’s happening, this is going great. Now he’ll surely help Yujin…’

"———Excuse me? Did you say Yujin is the Saintess’s benefactor?"

"Uh."

The touching atmosphere didn’t last long.

For some reason, an unsettling tension filled the air.

[Yes. So, could you help him out a little?]

"Anything for you, Saintess. The four million followers of the Jushin Church will humbly obey."

[Could you vouch for the money Yujin borrowed? Don’t worry, he’ll pay it back in full.]

"Hoho."

Ellington lifted his face, gazing up at his god with fanatical reverence.

"So, the four billion dollars are tied to the Saintess’s grace? That’s why you personally traveled all the way here?"

[That’s right. Without Yujin, this world would have been destroyed.]

"Hoho. Hoho… Truly, he is an Apostle chosen by the Lord Jushin."

And then…

"Understood. We’ll declare a holy war against those heretics who do not recognize such grace."

"……!!!?"

Ellington abruptly mentioned a holy war.

Kkong, who had been quietly observing, was utterly shocked.

"High Priest!? What are you talking about!?"

"Ah, Bozzi-Kkong. I’m merely following the Saintess’s words, so you don’t need to worry."

"What do you mean!? A war!? That wasn’t part of the plan!"

"Of course, we don’t actually intend to wage a real war. Such violence is not what the compassionate Lord Jushin desires."

Despite his alarming words, Ellington remained calm and composed.

He even smiled warmly at Kkong, as one might to a cherished angel or Awakened.

"We’ll peacefully educate them instead."

[Don’t get aggressive just because they don’t listen, okay?]

"Then we’ll only mobilize around 200,000 people."

"T-Two hundred thousand!?!"

The casual mention of a massive protest was concerning.

It was exactly the kind of scenario Yujin and Kkong had feared.

‘Why is this happening…? In the future I saw, everything was fine!’

Kkong couldn’t hide his confusion.

Even though he had checked the future with his foresight, he couldn’t understand why things were spiraling out of control.

[Is your foresight working, Kkong?]

[No. Even with the enchantment liquid you gave me, it’s blurry. She’s at least transcendent-level….]

‘…Wait. Could it be that the Saintess is a transcendent too!?’

In that instant, a realization struck Kkong like lightning.

His ability didn’t work on transcendent beings.

It was useless against Yujin in his transcendent state.

Even enhanced with divinity, it could only glimpse faint outlines of transcendent figures.

If his foresight couldn’t fully observe a transcendent,

then it was utterly futile against someone like the Saintess—who was not merely transcendent but nearing the level of a divine entity.

Planning with her as a critical variable meant his foresight was destined to fail.

It was a truth he only now realized.

‘I only checked the outcomes, and now this mess…!!’

One more thing:

Kkong’s ability was limited to "viewing" the future.

It skipped over the process and showed only the result.

While that was usually enough…

‘If I look at the future now… Yeah, it’s completely different.’

The Saintess, an immeasurable variable,

had altered the future simply by meeting Ellington.

Kkong’s foresight couldn’t account for her influence.

The fact that she never appeared in his visions?

He’d dismissed it, thinking she was too small to notice in the scene.

But now he realized he’d underestimated the irrationality of transcendent beings,

and he’d paid the price.

"No, this can’t happen! Yujin wouldn’t want—"

"Don’t worry. We’ll handle it. We won’t let them get even a single dollar, let alone four billion."

"But Yujin intends to repay it! We just need you to co-sign—"

"No. Those who cannot recognize such grace don’t deserve a single cent."

"High Priest!!!"

Desperate to stop him, Kkong tried to intervene,

but it was too late.

Ellington was already holding his phone.

Ding.

"To all Jushin Church members residing in Washington, I command you. The Lord Jushin has shown mercy to His Apostle and has decreed a holy war. Therefore…"

"Eek!! Stop that call, now!"

"———Assemble."

It was a disaster unfolding behind Yujin’s back.

***

Moments Later

[Yah, Kkong. You said this would work. Didn’t you see it with your foresight?]

[Well, actually…]

Kkong couldn’t even lift his head.

After hearing the entire situation, Yujin…

Instead of getting angry, simply grinned.

[No? Actually, this is great. Good job, Kkong.]

‘This is a win-win for all four of us: me, Sibylla, Brother Morrison, and the Jushin Church!’

It was the perfect moment to turn a crisis into an opportunity.