episode_0009

After finishing our studies in the modern art department, Hayoon and I left school.

“Let’s go to my place!”

Hayoon seemed reluctant to part ways.

“Sure, it’ll be nice to see your sister when we get there.”

“…Are you going to keep calling me ‘sister’?”

“Yes!”

It seemed awkward for her to call me that, even though she was older.

‘But she is my sister…’

We waited for the Angel Bus. Since the world had changed, it was our first time taking the bus.

‘Why is the bus called the Angel Bus? LOL’

I chuckled quietly to myself upon hearing the bus’s name.

Here, buses were identified by names rather than numbers like 5000-1 or 28-2.

Squeak.

The bus arrived.

Apart from its pink interior, the bus was identical to those in the original world.

We sat in the couple’s seat at the back of the bus.

As soon as she sat down, Hayoon leaned her head on my shoulder.

‘She really relies on me a lot.’

I found myself wanting to reciprocate that reliance.

“Well, any female crows bothering you, I’ll shoo them away!”

At this point, if Hayoon were to lose a limb or look at me with lifeless eyes, I wasn’t sure I could keep my composure. That’s how attached I had become to her.

After six stops,

we got off the bus and walked to Hayoon’s house.

“Oh! Welcome, dear.”

Like teenage girls, my sister and I clapped hands together.

‘…This is surprisingly fun.’

I had never high-fived anyone before, let alone clapped hands like this.

‘If guys did this, it would be weird.’

Embracing my sister’s welcome, I followed Hayoon into her room like a bride. She brought her laptop and sat on my lap.

“Umm, Hayoon?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

We were still in our school uniforms.

In other words, with just one layer of skirt separating us, I could feel Hayoon’s buttocks against me.

‘Even though I’m a girl(?), shouldn’t I have more boundaries?’

Fortunately, unlike before, I was somewhat in control of my sexual desires and could prevent any unwanted arousal.

We watched a film noir action movie. Contrary to my prejudice that Hayoon would only watch cute and innocent movies, her taste was surprisingly diverse. The initial erection hurdle was quickly overcome, allowing me to focus on the movie.

“Wow, the male actor is so cool.”

Well, he might be smaller than me in that department anyway.

While engrossed in the movie, Hayoon looked up at me.

“…Why?”

” … ”

Without answering her question, I lowered my head in silence.

‘…What’s going on?’

I decided to ignore it and focus on the movie, which was reaching its climax, making it hard to look away.

Rustle rustle

Despite my concentration on the movie, Hayoon kept fidgeting. She didn’t stop, even while glancing at me.

‘…Why is she acting like this?’

I don’t know what’s bothering her.

* * *

Back to the prestigious Broadcasting Department.

PD Oh Inha announced new information to the students.

“…So, each team should select one member to attend the seminar.”

After PD Oh Inha’s announcement,

all team members, including Park Taei and Kim Soyun, gathered at Studio L-7.

“I’ll go.”

“…W-what?”

Park Taei enthusiastically expressed his intention to attend the seminar.

“We should decide carefully, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah, let’s discuss this further…”

“You don’t trust me now?”

Until now, the girl with the bob cut and the girl with the ponytail hadn’t said a word to Park Taei. But this time, they mustered the courage to advise him. The reason being that this seminar would directly impact their future activities in the department.

PD Oh Inha’s announcement was simple.

Each team selects one member to send to the seminar. During the seminar, they will review this year’s broadcasting schedule and key evaluation criteria.

…It would be ideal if all students could attend the seminar. However, due to the limited number of available seats, it was an unavoidable decision.

Of course, detailed information will be provided later through a general announcement. Missing the seminar puts teams at a disadvantage as they need to listen and prepare in advance.

Feeling uneasy about sending troublemaker Park Tae-i to such an important event.

“…By the way, I didn’t expect him to be this proactive.”

From my perspective, it didn’t matter who attended the seminar. It was simply fascinating to see Park Tae-i taking the lead.

Thinking back, even when making videos, Park Tae-i was very passionate. While being a dreadful punching bag, I could feel firsthand how passionate he was because of his role as one. At least he wouldn’t go to the seminar just to have fun.

“Are you guys unhappy that I’m going to the seminar?”

…If not stopped, there might soon be a bloodbath. It seems like definite traffic control is necessary.

“Let’s just send Park Tae-i to the seminar. I trust Tae-i.”

“… ”

The girl with the messy hair and the one with the ponytail fell silent.

“What a bunch of complainers, huh?”

“Even if we take his side, what can we say? Devilish woman…”

Approaching confidently, Park Tae-i grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up. I dangled in the air like a dried squid.

Before any misunderstandings arose, I met Park Tae-i’s eyes directly and spoke.

“I believe you’ll work hard.”

“… ”

“…She’s suffocating me, darn it.”

Park Tae-i released his grip on my collar with a bewildered expression.

Thud!

I hung in the air, but Park Tae-i let go without warning, causing me to fall flat on the ground.

“She’s a woman even Satan would admire!”

She had no consideration for others.

I casually dusted myself off and got up.

“If there are no further objections, let’s send Park Tae-i.”

“…Okay.”

“…Our team. Are we just hopeless?”

They either opposed or remained silent. Except for the reckless Park Tae-i, their execution was close to zero.

“Of course, the main reason for this is because of Park Tae-i and Kim So-yoon… It’s frustratingly unproductive.”

Kim So-yoon remained silent throughout the meeting.

Even when the team atmosphere became strange, she always appeared relaxed. It felt like she had no desire for broadcasting at all. Frankly, I couldn’t understand why the heiress was studying broadcasting.

“It doesn’t seem like she wants popular appeal…”

Except for when she fought with Park Tae-i, she was always fiddling with her phone. Once, out of curiosity, I secretly took her phone.

“…The profit margins are insane.”

She was trading stocks.

With nothing else to do, I tried to pass the time, but suddenly, Park Tae-i started picking a fight.

“Hey, Chili.”

“Don’t call me ‘Chili,’ you idiot… It gives me the chills.”

“…Chili?”

The girl with the messy hair looked puzzled at the word “chili.”

“…Did you just call me ‘Chili’? What does that even mean?”

“What? Pretending not to know when you actually do?”

Park Tae-i playfully put his hand on my shoulder.

“Hehehe.”

“…Hahaha.”

It was a threat, implying that he had found a weakness and I should watch my back.

My laughter now was not genuine.

“… ”

The sight of Park Tae-i and Lee Ji-yoon resembled a scene where an old man selling fur coats caught a notorious pickpocket red-handed.

* * *

Today marks the beginning of attending Queen Bartz and experiencing my first weekend there.

I’m not one to waste time idly due to my personality, so I decided to buy a refrigerator and visited an out-of-town electronics store. The store was so brightly lit that it strained my eyes, involuntarily causing me to squint.

“…This brightness is overwhelming.”

The ceiling was flashing so much that I thought I had entered a light bulb store rather than an electronics store.

“If you look at the performance chart of the products here, you’ll see that they’re not significantly different from this year’s models. Just because it’s last year’s model, we’re offering over 40% off. Through special authority abuse, we’ll even go up to 55% off!”

“너무 과하게 친절하시네요…”

“You’re being overly kind…”

…This male employee. He’s been blatantly flirting since earlier.

“I’ll pay for this.”

The offer was too good to refuse, despite feeling uncomfortable. Plus, the sleek design of the fridge appealed to me.

“Yes! By the way, it might be heavy to carry. Shall I help you with that?”

As he swiped the card, the man subtly offered. Indeed, even though it was a compact fridge, it would be challenging for a woman to carry it on her own.

“Since there’s a delivery service, don’t worry about it being heavy.”

” … ”

“He’s even nitpicking about the chili looking small. Damn.”

The man looked at me in shock.

‘What can I do when I’ve already paid?’

After finishing shopping, I strolled along the bustling city border. It was a developed area with various sights like shops selling stone carvings, street food stalls, and more.

‘It’s quite healing. Despite the allure of modernity, sometimes the familiar streets are just as comforting.’

As I crossed the street to catch a bus, a strange green light blinded me through the bushes.

“Ah! Blinding!”

– Ding. An item has been discovered.

[Bush Glove for Hunting]

– Shoots concentrated toxic thorns when flicked.

– A consumable item. Once all thorns are shot, it reverts to a regular glove.

Available ammunition: 4/5

“What is this?”

This item seemed out of place for a romantic game.

“…It’s not like I have to pay for it. Let’s just take it for now.”

While the slime bag was somewhat acceptable, the hunting bush glove felt too alien.

If they were going to create an item, they should have made something more fitting for the game, like a ‘Seductive Cologne to Attract Same-Sex Characters.’

The item was hidden within thick tree roots among the bushes. As I retrieved the glove, the roots crumbled like powder.

The item was lighter than expected.

Quietly taking the item, someone approached me on the road.

“Where are you off to for fun?”

A big man with a crew cut asked.

Flanking him were two shady-looking individuals, one with a scruffy beard and the other with long unkempt hair.

The crew-cut man blocked my path with a sunny smile.

“…Please move aside.”

“We’re heading out for fun too. Care to join us? It’ll be a blast.”

Their insistence, blocking the path, was more of a threat than an invitation. Feeling uneasy, I spoke up again.

“…Let me be clear. I don’t want to go with you, so please move.”

Trying to pass by, the man with long hair blocked me.

Today, there seemed to be an unusual number of persistent men.

“Hey, come on, let’s have some fun together.”

“I decline.”

This time, as I tried to pass on the other side, the scruffy man blocked me.

‘Damn… What’s with these guys in broad daylight.’

Normally, I would have given them a piece of my mind, but in my current state, it was impossible. Moreover, the crew-cut man seemed formidable.

‘I can’t run away with my current condition…’

In the end, I made a reckless decision.

“Hey, hey? …Catch that crazy woman!”

I dashed across the busy road.

“I said I don’t want to, you shrimp dicks!!”

I narrowly avoided being hit by a truck.

As I crossed the street and tried to hail a taxi, I saw men running towards me in the distance.

“Damn, she’s feisty, isn’t she?”

…Their obsession was insane.

“I’m not interested in what you’re offering, you bastards!!”

I had no choice but to flee barefoot. Despite a visibly distressed woman being chased, nobody came to help.

‘It seems like the ways of the scholars have fallen to the ground!’

I could almost hear my ancestors scolding me.

I turned into a dead-end street.

‘Is this the only time clichés come true!’

Although the bush glove in my bag came to mind, I couldn’t use it hastily without knowing its capabilities.

“If I were to die, what would happen.. I’ve never killed anyone before!”

*Huff.. huff.. Did they all run away?*

*Heuk heuk. …Damn it.*

Though I was out of breath, my stamina was terrible.

The three thugs, panting heavily, scanned me with eyes full of desire.

‘This is giving me chills.’

“Hey, tie up his arms.”

*”Yes.”*

Malaggangi grabbed my left arm. Eumchimnam held onto my right arm.

“Hehehe, damn, this bitch looks pathetic.”

Bbakbbakmari placed his hand on my chest. It felt like thousands of bugs crawling all over my body.

“You son of a b*tch…”

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll feel better soon.”

“I wish I could just kill you with an item!!!”

“…What are you saying?”

I never expected things to escalate this quickly.

As I felt my balls shrivel and my d*ck go limp.

Booang. Booang. Booooaah!

“Aargh, what the f*ck. Who is this guy?”

A motorcycle appeared, circling around the men.

Kkiieeek.

The motorcycle stopped after circling for a while.

Stepping off the motorcycle was someone I had recently become familiar with…

“Do you guys want to die?”

The original gangster with blonde hair and a tan, Park Taei, had arrived.