12. Hikikomori Park Seo-yoon

+++

,Hoo… It’s over.

I sent the data to the assistant manager and closed my laptop.

I threw my aching body straight onto the bed.

,Eowoo…

An old man-like sound just popped out of my mouth.

Because I came 10 times yesterday to Seong Yu-a, there’s no place on my body that doesn’t ache.

,Eum…

I stared blankly at the ceiling and fell into thought.

‘How do I cook this…’

Just in time, Seong Yu-a’s capture is over.

While I was wondering if I should mess with Jo Min-ji, something very appetizing appeared.

Park Seo-yoon.

‘Jo Min-ji is… for later.’

I had only been looking at Jo Min-ji like a flower on a cliff for years.

That’s why I don’t want to touch her carelessly.

I want to cook her properly when I have a lot of experience, items, and skills on how to use the app.

‘First, Park Seo-yoon.’

It’s always the most worrying time, and at the same time, the most enjoyable time.

It’s time to decide what concept to modify the target with.

I don’t mind spending hours or days on this.

,Eueum…

[User Information]

Name: Kim Joon-young

.

.

.

Remaining Points: 700point

At times like this.

It would be nice if I could spin the gacha and get something useful and inspiring.

‘I don’t have many points to spin the gacha.’

There are so many good skills to level up, so I haven’t been accumulating points lately.

Regretfully, I went to the store to do at least one skill gacha.

But.

,…Huh?

The store has changed.

[Random Skill Box] – 500point

[Random Item Box] – 100point

[Luxury Towel] – 50point

[Fake Condom] – 2,000point

[Hair Removal Cream] – 1,000point

.

.

.

The store’s items have increased.

They’re all things that came out of the item box.

‘Once you draw from a random box, it gets registered in the store.’

In fact, I didn’t use the item gacha as much as the skill gacha.

A lot of junk items come out, and even if special items come out, they’re not very useful.

A kind of white elephant.

‘But if it’s like this, things change.’

If just one very good item comes out.

You can buy it indefinitely from the store.

‘From now on, I’ll have to do item gacha little by little, even if it’s mandatory.’

I looked around the store items.

I found something strange.

‘Where’s [Awakening]?’

[Awakening]

(One-time use item)

For 6 hours, it raises one designated skill to the master level.

The item I used for Gong Ji-yoon’s first experience in [Sex Master].

That good item is not visible in the store.

‘Are all the items registered just because they were drawn from the box?’

It seems that some items are not registered in the store.

Well, it was too much of a cheat item.

[Would you like to purchase 1 Random Skill Box?]

[Would you like to purchase 2 Random Item Boxes?]

‘Yes.’

I even bought an item box that I didn’t plan on buying.

[Remaining Points: 0point]

Looking at my bank balance makes me want to cry.

What can I do?

The gacha is too sweet.

I opened the skill box.

[You have acquired the skill ‘Eloquence’!]

[Eloquence]

Lv.1

(Always-on skill)

A subtle level of additional correction is applied to communication.

,Sseuup…

Bust.

It’s a thief’s mentality to aim for a jackpot by opening just one.

I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach.

‘Doesn’t a skill that improves luck come out… Huh? No.’

Wait a minute.

‘Park Seo-yoon *nuna*… said she has a mental illness.’

Social phobia.

She said she’s been through several doctors and counselors so far.

‘…Good.’

Ideas started to come to mind.

+++

I ate buckwheat noodles with my team members for lunch.

,Let’s go for a post-meal smoke.

,Call.

Park Young-min and I always enjoy a cigarette after a meal.

But Jo Min-ji hates cigarette smoke.

,I’ll take care of the remaining work.

Jo Min-ji always sticks with me, but she avoids the place when I smoke.

Jo Min-ji walks towards the office as if she’s used to it.

Her petite and haughty butt wiggles.

I want to keep admiring her butt, but Park Young-min is next to me, so I just glanced at it for a moment.

I went up to the roof and lit a cigarette.

Now that it’s October, it’s a bit chilly when you’re on the roof.

,Hey. You said you learned some counseling, right?

Park Young-min suddenly brought it up.

‘Here it comes.’

The work I had been doing with Modification for the past few days has been bitten.

Surface Idea – [Kim Joon-young studied psychotherapy as a hobby in college.]

Latent Idea – [Kim Joon-young is a competent counselor.]

Latent Idea – [Kim Joon-young is a person who makes you feel comfortable when you’re with him.]

Surface Idea – [Even *nuna* will be able to open her heart if it’s Kim Joon-young.]

It’s part of the idea I instilled in Park Young-min.

,Yeah. Why?

When I went into Park Young-min’s mind, I realized that his worries about his *nuna* were bigger than I thought.

Thanks to that, the Modification using it was able to blend in very well with Park Young-min’s mind.

Plus, the changed eloquence due to the [Eloquence] skill.

It played a big role in making him believe that I am a competent counselor.

,No, well… just. Looking at the way you talk these days, I can definitely see the difference.

Thanks to the modified content, Park Young-min has been talking about his *nuna*, who is his concern, frequently these days.

,Eum… you know. Sseuup…

I chimed in and induced the current reaction.

,Can you… give our *nuna* a consultation?

The result is now.

,There’s no reason why I can’t if you ask me. But why me? Leaving the competent psychiatrists aside. I don’t even have a license.

,I’ve already been to doctors and professional counselors a few times. They weren’t very helpful. And it wasn’t effective. But… um… I just think you’re better than those people.

It’s very interesting to look into the minds of others.

Looking at Park Young-min’s mind, I saw that he had a lot of distrust and dissatisfaction with psychiatrists and professional counselors.

I slightly strengthened those.

After that, Park Young-min complained about them every day.

‘I don’t trust psychiatrists and counselors at all. When I listen to the counseling sessions, they only say useless things?’

‘*Nuna* said that all those things were ineffective. She can’t feel any difference.’

‘The structure itself is wrong in the first place. If you measure the cost per hour, they will obviously not focus on treatment and just try to drag out the time. Damn quacks.’

With some seasoning, add an idea.

Latent Idea – [Kim Joon-young is a trustworthy person.]

Surface Idea – [If it’s Kim Joon-young, he will sincerely fix *nuna*.]

,Okay. I don’t know if it will work, but I’ll try. Let’s meet and talk once.

,Thank you so much!

Park Young-min’s expression brightened rapidly.

He grabs my hands with both hands and shakes them up and down.

,I was feeling so lost for a long time, but now I can finally see a way out!

It’s more intense than I thought.

‘Well, it’s the first time I’ve put so much effort into a man, so you have to show me this much reaction so I don’t feel bad.’

,Oh, get lost. It’s disgusting.

,Kikik. You bastard, you’re denying it! Don’t worry about the money. I’ll talk to my parents and make sure you get paid properly. I won’t rip off a unlicensed quack doctor.

,That’s okay. Counseling is not something you do for money. Buy me *gukbap* for dinner tonight.

,You son of a bitch, you’re saying something trustworthy. I’ll buy you *gukbap* and… I’ll give you money too, you son of a bitch! Anyway, …thank you.

,Do whatever you want. Is this Saturday okay?

,Yeah, I’ll tell *nuna*. I don’t even need to tell her since she’s unemployed and doesn’t have a schedule.

Your *nuna* will pay the price.

With her body.

+++

Ding-dong-

I rang the doorbell.

Without even asking through the intercom, the door opened right away.

,Are you here?

,You’ve come.

Park Young-min greeted me.

His eyes are full of anticipation and trust.

,Come on in. Mom and Dad are waiting inside.

I went inside the house.

Park Young-min’s mother and father, and Park Young-min’s *nuna*, Park Seo-yoon, are sitting on one side of the table.

Park Seo-yoon’s outfit today is normal. Sweatpants and a hoodie.

Both seem to be Park Young-min’s clothes, as they are oversized.

‘Too bad.’

It would have been nice if she was wearing it like last time.

I greeted the family.

,Hello. How have you two been?

,You’re here? It’s been a while.

,It’s been a while. Sit down.

Not as much as Jo Min-ji’s family, but I had met Park Young-min’s parents two or three times.

The aunt and uncle also know that I am close to Park Young-min.

,Hello.

I greeted Park Seo-yoon.

,……Yes.

She avoided my eyes and answered in a small voice.

‘It’s a relief she didn’t ignore me.’

Park Young-min and I sat across from the three of them.

,So, you learned counseling?

+++

I talked with the family.

Like Park Young-min, I have already finished modifying them.

They will trust me, and that tendency will become stronger over time.

Without knowing what I will do to their daughter, *nuna*.

,Then please take care of her.

,Please take good care of her.

,Yes. Just leave it to me.

Every Saturday, I come here and talk to Park Seo-yoon.

If necessary, I left room for additional counseling during the week at my discretion.

I firmly refused the money.

In their minds, each of these attitudes of mine will be compared to other counselors.

And they will trust me more.

Park Young-min just decided to buy me a meal once a week.

,Shall we go in?

,…

Unlike those who have been brainwashed.

Park Seo-yoon is a patient with social phobia, in her raw state.

Park Seo-yoon did not make eye contact with me throughout the conversation.

She was just fidgeting with her fingers under the table.

Even the conversations we had from time to time were just Park Seo-yoon giving the minimum answer when I asked a question.

‘She’s very reluctant to go into a room with me.’

Park Seo-yoon’s shoulders are trembling slightly as she walks in front of me.

But the conversation with the whole family is over. Plus, Park Seo-yoon is even timid.

That’s why she couldn’t show me her dislike.

‘But… she sweats a lot.’

Park Seo-yoon’s hair is sticking to her cheeks and neck.

The neck of the gray hoodie is already wet and turned black.

‘Could that all be cold sweat?’

It’s too much for cold sweat from being nervous.

‘…Is it hot?’

Squeak-

I entered Park Seo-yoon’s room.

Just the two of us.

‘It’s very dark.’

It seems she lives by lighting up the room only with the light of the computer.

A huge number of internet tabs and windows are open on the monitor.

Two cup ramen containers are stacked in front of the computer.

A mug half-filled with milk is also visible.

The blanket on the bed is messed up and scattered.

‘Still… it’s not that messy.’

I think her parents often clean it up.

Several books are scattered on the floor.

Looking at the types, they are all self-help books.

‘She said she’s also impatient.’

That point will be very useful in Modification.

,Then shall we start talking?

,…Yes

I sat Park Seo-yoon on the computer chair, and I sat on the bed.

The inside of the blanket is still warm. It seems she was sleeping until right before I arrived.

,I’m your younger brother’s friend, and you’re two years older than me, so feel free to drop the honorifics. I’ll talk comfortably too.

,Yes…

She doesn’t seem comfortable at all.

,It’s been… 9 years since you graduated from high school.

,…Yes.

,When was your last income-generating activity?

,2 years ago, convenience store part-time job… yo.

I talked about useless things for a while, conscious of the fact that it would be heard outside.

During that time, Park Seo-yoon consistently answered with only the minimum words.

About 10 minutes passed, and I thought it would be enough.

I turned on the app.

[Would you like to start Modification Mode?]

[Target: Park Seo-yoon]

‘Yes.’

[Modifying the mind of target Park Seo-yoon.]

The scenery changes.

+++

[Enter a keyword to search.]

[    ]

,Family

It’s the first Modification.

I refrain from Modifications that may cause resistance as much as possible and focus on the groundwork.

‘I’ll touch the existing spheres first.’

[Feels guilty about being supported by the family.]

[Doesn’t want to cause trouble for the family.]

The size is very large.

It seems to be at least 15m class.

‘Enhance.’

The size of the sphere became even larger, reaching the 20m class.

,Keyword search. Um… social phobia?

Will it come out even if I search like this?

Fortunately, the mind map rotates as if it’s working properly.

My body arrived in front of the sphere.

No, I was wrong.

The target sphere is still far away. But it was so big that it looked like it was right in front of me.

After a little time passed.

,…Crazy.

The sphere that appeared in front of my eyes was.

,What is this?

It was more gigantic and black than any sphere I had ever seen.

[People are scary.]