“…Thank you.”
Heegang silently stroked Wonyoung’s head.
Friend. Another word that didn’t exist in his life appeared again. He didn’t know he’d receive help from such a friend, or that he’d receive comfort.
This guy made people laugh and then moved them—truly a natural-born actor.
Wonyoung grumbled like that inwardly to hide his embarrassed heart, but he couldn’t hide his happy expression.
* * *
The next day.
‘I should check it at least once.’
Wonyoung lay in bed and organized his thoughts. He was thinking of checking the affection levels.
Until now, he’d ignored them because he didn’t want to see Taerim’s dropped affection level, but he still needed to check at least once. He couldn’t keep being depressed forever.
Whether it’s a game or life, the fact that you have to move forward doesn’t change. Wonyoung exhaled once and steeled his resolve.
Soon the tacky yellow affection level window opened. Unfortunately, Taerim’s affection level was at the very top, so he had no choice but to check it first. However.
Kyung Taerim
320/999
“320…?”
Clearly until recently it was in the 80s… Why did it increase fourfold?
Flustered, Wonyoung called out the System.
“You called, Player-nim?”
“System-ssi, what’s going on with this?”
“What are you referring to?”
“The affection level. Why did Kyung Taerim’s increase so much?”
At that, the System checked the affection level and tilted its head with an “oh?”
“That’s strange.”
“…”
“…”
“That’s your answer?!”
When Wonyoung glared, the System, sensing the crisis of getting hit like during the last 100 million loan mission, hurriedly said.
“I, I don’t know all the principles of this world either! They also have emotions…”
“What?”
“No, I mean, a-anyway, I’ll look into it! And fix it too.”
At the word “fix,” Wonyoung hesitated.
“Does that mean this is a bug?”
“Prob…ably.”
“Then this… is an incorrect number?”
“I suppose…?”
Wonyoung unconsciously lowered his eyes. Of course. If the affection level dropped, it dropped—there’s no way it would have increased so drastically.
“Player-nim?”
At the System’s call, Wonyoung raised his head and said.
“I understand. Let me know when it’s fixed. Are the other two normal?”
“Um, based on the current numbers, they seem to be.”
“Alright. You can go.”
The System felt puzzled that Wonyoung was letting it go so easily, but fled quickly lest he change his mind. Left alone, Wonyoung also checked the affection levels of the other two.
Ki Siyeon
358/999
Baek Heegang
548/999
‘Baek Heegang went up by another 40. Siyeon’s tends to go up well each time we meet.’
It seemed this game was now passing the midpoint. Wonyoung felt a strange sensation.
Because he could no longer tell if conquest was even the purpose.
“Haah…”
Kyung Taerim
320/999
Looking at that number again, Wonyoung let out a deep sigh. What would it actually be? 30? Or had it become 0?
‘Let’s stop. First, I need to find a new job to pay off my debt.’
Right now he was getting by day-to-day with short-term part-time jobs, but at this rate, he might reach a bankruptcy ending. Though he didn’t even know if such an ending existed.
Wonyoung entered a job search site on his phone to find work he could do.
‘I have experience as a secretary at a large company, though briefly… But it’ll be difficult if they ask about my reason for resignation.’
“Haah.”
As Wonyoung sighed again, suddenly there was a loud banging on the door.
“!”
Startled, Wonyoung approached the entrance, and an unexpected voice was heard.
“Narae-ssi.”
“…”
Wonyoung couldn’t say anything. Only thoughts of ‘no way, no way’ circled in his head.
“Narae-ssi. I know you’re inside.”
“…”
“Narae.”
At the quiet call, Wonyoung opened the door as if possessed. Right in front of the door stood Taerim.
Why. Why are you here.
Wonyoung, who had been dazed for a moment, frowned at the strong smell of alcohol wafting over. Taerim’s appearance was also disheveled in a way unimaginable from usual.
“Director Kyung? Did you drink?”
Taerim said nothing. He was just staring at Wonyoung with bloodshot eyes.
“Director? Oh.”
When Wonyoung hurriedly tried to support the staggering Taerim, Taerim shook off Wonyoung’s hand.
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
As Wonyoung quickly apologized and tried to move away, this time Taerim grabbed his arm.
“Don’t go.”
At that pitiful call, Wonyoung’s eyes wavered. Soon Wonyoung bit his lips and shot back coldly.
“Then what? Don’t go, don’t come, just stay like this? Am I your puppet or something, Director?”
“…”
“If you have nothing to say, let go. And go home right away. I’ll call you a taxi.”
After saying that, Wonyoung removed Taerim’s hand gripping his arm. However, the next moment, Wonyoung was in Taerim’s embrace.
“…I don’t know what to do with you.”
“…”
The voice saying that was so full of anguish and sadness that Wonyoung couldn’t carelessly speak.
Finally, after not saying anything for a while, Wonyoung opened his mouth.
“That’s what I should be saying.”
At the same time as those words, Wonyoung reached out his arms and embraced Taerim’s back.
“I’m the one who doesn’t know what to do with Kyung Taerim-ssi.”
He couldn’t let go, couldn’t hold on. He wanted to hold on, but he held back knowing he didn’t have the right. He thought he must hate him now, must be angry at him.
Why am I… expecting something?
“…Do you like me?”
At Taerim’s question that seemed to answer the doubt within him, Wonyoung was flustered. Neither denial nor affirmation came easily.
As if not waiting for an answer, Taerim immediately said.
“I like you.”
“D-Director.”
At the unexpected confession, Wonyoung’s heart surged greatly.
“Even knowing you deceived me, I can’t accept it… At first I thought it was because of my pride.”
“…”
“Only after losing you did I realize. I had already fallen for you long ago.”
Only then did Wonyoung understand. The affection level wasn’t wrong. He… came to realize his feelings for Narae through this incident.
However.
If it were Narae, perhaps, but as Heo Wonyoung, he couldn’t readily accept it.
“…The trust between us is broken. You won’t be able to trust me from now on, Director.”
“What if I’m okay with that?”
“I’m not okay with it.”
However, the next moment, Wonyoung swallowed at the choice that appeared before his eyes.
[So I’m sorry. Let’s end it here. (End Kyung Taerim Route)]
End Kyung Taerim Route.
He knew what that meant. From experience until now, no—even without experience, it was possible to infer from the words alone.
And there was only one choice floating before his eyes. As if that was the natural course.
‘I…’
—Do you like me?
He still hadn’t given an answer. But what was certain was that he had no desire to end things with him.
But, what should he do?
Wonyoung was powerless. If this were reality, he wouldn’t have been so powerless. If he were Heo Wonyoung and not Narae, it might not have ended with Taerim.
However, this world was firm and cold-hearted, as if announcing that everything was an illusion and Wonyoung was a fake wearing Narae’s mask.
15 seconds until automatic choice selection.
He knew that after choosing this, it couldn’t be smoothed over like last time. This wasn’t that kind of situation.
Then, should he give up?
Is this as far as we go, Kyung Taerim-ssi?
“…”
Wonyoung tightly gripped the hand he’d placed on Taerim’s back. This warmth, at least, wasn’t fake. And.
‘I’m not Narae. I’m Heo Wonyoung.’
For reference, in the IQ test Wonyoung took as a child, his IQ came out to 150.
“System-ssi!”
“Yes, Player-nim! What’s the… eek!”
Wonyoung lifted the System with both hands. And toward the choice in front of his eyes…
He swung it down.
“Kwang! What are you doing!”
“System-ssi is also part of this game system, aren’t you? But after hitting System-ssi a few times, I found you’re really physically hittable, you know?”
“What? What? Ack!”
Wonyoung kept pounding the panicking System onto the choice window.
“So doesn’t that mean I can break this choice too?”
That was the conclusion reached by Heo Wonyoung with an IQ of 150. And in reality, the choice window was gradually cracking. A faint smile spread across Wonyoung’s lips at the fact that his reasoning was correct.
He swung the System more vigorously. Then the System, which had been screaming, shrieked.
“That aside, why are you swinging me around! You could just hit it directly with Player-nim’s fist instead of beating me!”
“Why should I? Do you know how shitty I feel right now?”
“Yes, I know! I know! Eek!”
“Coming into a game without knowing why, moving around like your puppet, all kinds of insults and humiliation and abuse… You said you’d send me home but made me get attached so I can’t even leave… This… This fuck!”
Thwack! With the vigorously swung glowing sphere, a large crack formed across the choice. And soon…
“…It worked.”
The shattered choice turned into incomprehensible characters, then faded and disappeared. Only then did Wonyoung check on the System.
“You don’t seem hurt.”
“…”
When Wonyoung let go, the System spoke sulkily.
“Really, you’re a strange Player-nim.”
“Are you very angry?”
“No, just… I think I understand why it’s you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The player the game brought in. Probably he also this time…”
The System muttered something in a barely audible voice, then suddenly disappeared without a word.
And as soon as the System disappeared, the world began moving again.
Instead of being surprised, Wonyoung hurriedly opened his mouth.
