Vol 1 Ch 6

“Goodbye.”

 

As soon as I logged in, ShutUp kissed me.

 

Honestly, when he kissed me, it felt good, like it was real. But the moment the warning sound hit my ears, the ecstasy faded and I grew impatient. All I could think about was prying this guy’s mouth off me.

 

This is the third day I’ve been subjected to this. Still, perhaps because I logged in even for a short while, I was able to receive the experience points ShutUp gained.

 

“Ah, seriously. What is this. So annoying.”

 

Above my character, it still said 23 hours remaining until login. Still, perhaps because I linked up even briefly, I had reached level 36. Of course, my rank was still D.

 

But the ‘power leveling’ effect was really good. Gaining levels like this was truly rapid. When I told Hanwoo, he said he was envious and that he should have just become a guide, saying it in jest.

 

As expected of a B-rank, Hanwoo was enjoying hunting with others. His specialty was [Poison], a Psychic who generated toxic substances to deal continuous damage.

 

Psychic attributes are assigned randomly, so to change them, one had to delete their existing character and create a new one. However, a one-week waiting period was imposed after deletion and recreation to prevent people from creating characters indiscriminately.

 

Thinking I should sleep early today as well, I lay in bed and just browsed the game forums on my phone. As I lay there, I received a text message from ShutUp.

 

[Come in at 9 tomorrow]

 

This wasn’t a question of ‘Would you like to come?’ but a direct command. Receiving such a message on my actual phone, not in the game, made me wonder what he thought of me.

 

‘Unbelievable. Seriously.’

 

I glared at the message and then sent a reply. From what I’d experienced over the past few days, ShutUp tended to get annoyed if I replied late, so I had to send messages as soon as I saw them.

 

[Yes. Understood^^]

 

My pride was hurt, but he had to hunt for me to gain experience points, so I complied obediently. Well, embarrassment is temporary. I even considered partnering with Hanwoo if I couldn’t find a suitable Psychic after reaching A-rank.

 

Then, it suddenly occurred to me, and I pondered whether it was possible to kiss and hold hands with Hanwoo like I did with ShutUp when linking.

 

‘……Ugh, creepy.’

 

I could never imagine it. I felt it was different because I thought of ShutUp as just a character in the game, but if it were my actual friend, I would want to quit the game.

 

I even considered creating a new Psychic character and leveling it up slowly from the start if I wanted to play casually, but the thought of the giant spiders in the castle suddenly made me lose that desire.

 

I really hate bugs. I even have pest control services at home, so I didn’t want to suffer because of bugs in the game. Yet, I couldn’t give up my selfish desire to become high-level and get good loot.

 

‘Becoming a guide was a stroke of genius.’

 

Getting power-leveled by ShutUp like this might have been a really good decision.

 

*

 

As the time for office workers to get off work approached, a client looking for a rental property arrived. While showing the client suitable houses, my phone rang. I was about to tell the client to wait a moment if they were another customer, as I needed to show one more house, but it was the building owner from across the street.

 

[Yoo Doseon. Buy me some condoms. The 0.01 kind.]

 

“Zero point zero……, what?”

 

[Work.]

 

I said okay and hung up, feeling bewildered.

 

This wasn’t a normal errand. What was this, really? I felt like I was being made to run errands like in school. I thought he had been quiet lately and wouldn’t order me around anymore, but here we go again.

 

First, I saw the client out and then went to the convenience store. While buying the condoms the building owner mentioned, I felt embarrassed, even though they weren’t for me. So, I unnecessarily placed a bag of jellybeans, which I don’t even eat, on top of them at the counter.

 

‘But will he pay me for this?’

 

Even while running errands, beyond my pride, I worried if he would actually give me money. This is the perspective of a commoner just trying to get by.

 

And as I was about to enter the building, I felt something was off. The contract had the old address, so I hadn’t paid attention to the new address, but the lettering I had seen somewhere was engraved on the nameplate.

 

‘Jadong-ro 54beon-gil 24.’

 

Where had I seen this before?

 

With all the street names these days, I couldn’t figure out where I had seen it. Yesterday, my eyes were strained from searching for rooms for a client, and I wondered if that was the lingering effect.

 

And, while I was going up, I also picked up the mail addressed to him. It was an action to avoid being asked to run errands later, not out of consideration for him. The recipient’s name read ‘Seomun Jun’.

 

‘Ah, right. His name was Jun.’

 

At first, I thought Seo was the surname and Munjun was the given name, but Seomun was the surname, and Jun was the given name. I chuckled to myself in the elevator and arrived at the 7th floor, standing in front of his apartment door.

 

But, unlike before, the door didn’t open immediately. Even after pressing the doorbell, there was no answer for a long time.

 

“Ah, what the.”

 

Annoyance washed over me, and I pressed it again. Just as I was about to press it again, a voice from the intercom told me to wait.

 

After a short while, the front door opened, and a long, toned arm stretched out. Looking at his palm, it was empty. I hadn’t known because only his arm came out, but he was shirtless, wearing only pants.

 

When I didn’t hand them over, he reached out further. As I moved the convenience store bag behind me and stated the amount, he clicked his tongue.

 

‘Hey, Jun. An errand is an errand. You have to give me money.’

 

As he turned to go back inside, a man came out of a room.

 

But… he was in his briefs. The unfamiliar man handed Jun his wallet and patted his back. Seeing men patting each other’s backs like that, I had only seen it in bathhouses, so I was flustered.

 

‘What, what did I just see?’

 

I hid my expression as much as possible and didn’t show my surprise.

 

Jun took out ten thousand won from his wallet and was about to close the door, as if he didn’t need the change. But I disliked such awkward relationships. He was the type to bring it up later if he asked for something else.

 

“What?”

 

I quickly stuck my foot in to prevent the door from closing, and he replied irritably. His hand, gripping the doorknob, was handed the jellybeans I had bought on impulse and the change in my pocket.

 

“Here’s the change. Combined with the jellybeans, it should be exactly right. Oh! And this is your mail.”

 

Then I quickly pulled my foot out and gently pushed the door to help him close it.

 

Click.

 

Even after hearing the front door close, Jun stood there, looking down at the jellybeans in his hand.

 

“Why would you buy something like this when you buy it?”

 

On the jellybean wrapper, a mushroom-shaped character was smiling cheerfully.

 

–

 

That evening.

 

ShutUp’s requested login time of 9 PM was missed because I had to attend a meeting of real estate agents in that area. After finally finishing the meeting, I only checked the message after 10 PM. I checked my phone while on the bus.

 

The message arrived exactly at 9:01 PM.

 

Several more came after that.

 

[Why aren’t you coming ― 21:00]

 

[Not replying? ― 21:03]

 

[If you don’t reply within 2 minutes, I’m cutting off our partnership ― 21:05]

 

[gg ― 21:08]

 

In less than 10 minutes, ShutUp had cut ties with me. When I logged into the game, the partner slot would probably be empty.

 

But I was too tired today. I didn’t even have the energy to get angry. Talking with the so-called successful real estate CEOs in that area felt draining.

 

As expected of a profession dealing with people, this field is full of strong-willed individuals. Moreover, they were so cunning. Even though they clearly knew who had contracted which property, they complained about how difficult things were and the recession.

 

I was the one who truly needed to complain tearfully. Still, I smiled and accepted everything they said. As I offered drinks to the nearby bosses while saying “Please take care of me,” they showed territorial behavior, saying, “Why did you come all the way here when you could have done it elsewhere?”

 

I just smiled and said, “Please take care of me,” and sat down where the chopsticks were originally placed, then overheard a conversation across from me.

 

「So, that building owner. A young punk, you know. It’s one thing to break a contract, but how did you, a kind real estate agent, manage to sign a contract?」

 

That’s right. My real estate agency’s name was ‘Kind Real Estate.’ I don’t know why that word ‘kind’ appealed to me so much. I took a sip of the poured drink and then raised my head as I felt their gaze.

 

「I pleaded with him.」

 

「He wouldn’t budge even when I pleaded. What’s your secret?」

 

‘That… is running errands.’

 

I couldn’t say that the contract was finalized after running errands to buy 0.01 condoms. I just smiled and vaguely explained that I showed consideration for his car parked in front of the store.

 

「Seriously, even if you want to ignore that building owner, he owns those fully furnished studio buildings that are a bit further away, right?」

 

The people across from me complained and lamented. But, with hundreds of buildings around, they wouldn’t starve to death by skipping a few. It just seemed like his buildings, which were like landmines, stood out particularly.

 

‘But, I’m really envious. Two buildings.’

 

Listening to them grumble, I heard that customers flocked to his buildings because they were so beautiful and nice. However, even when conditions were met, he would arbitrarily decide whether to proceed or not, so surrounding real estate agencies refused to show his properties at all.

 

‘If things go well… I might be able to monopolize it.’

 

I was looking for an opportunity in their grumbling conversation. Customers can come and go at any time, but buildings cannot. I could run condom errands every day.

 

As I was sharpening my resolve inwardly and heading home on the bus, ShutUp’s message ruined everything.

 

“Yeah. Goodbye, goodbye.”

 

The game is just a game; reality is more important.

 

Still, at level 36, it wasn’t a complete loss, but it felt a bit unfair. I was still D-rank, and this was different from our agreement. I calculated it in my head. That ring was worth so much, and he’s cutting me off for not replying for just 10 minutes?

 

It was an hour’s journey from the real estate office to my home. I had spent all my money finding an office, so I had looked for the cheapest place possible, but now I was spending more on transportation.

 

When I arrived home, it was past 11 PM. I didn’t even have the strength to wash up. I was so bewildered that I didn’t reply, and his messages also stopped.

 

The connections in games are originally this fleeting. Still, as a senior in life, I had to say something. It was too harsh to act like this when everyone was living their real lives.

 

[I’m home now because of work. You can’t just cut off our partnership like that, it’s not what we agreed ― 23:01]

 

I considered using swear words, but getting angry wouldn’t solve anything. Sigh, I let out a sigh, loosened my tie slightly, and sprawled on the sofa.

 

‘Ah, I should wash up….’

 

As I thought that, I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. I had fallen asleep like this more than once before.

 

Just as I was drifting off, my phone rang. At first, I thought it was my morning alarm and tried to turn it off, but then I remembered, ‘Ah, right, I just got home,’ and looked at my phone screen.

 

My eyes were bloodshot, and my vision blurred for a moment. After blinking a few times, I could properly read the text on the screen.

 

[Mouth]

 

It said ‘Mouth.’ I had intended to save it as ShutUp, but I saved it like this because he was being rude. I rubbed my eyes and answered in my tired voice. My voice was hoarse and didn’t come out well.

 

“Hello, cough.”

 

[What? Hello?]

 

At ShutUp’s questioning, I sat up straight, my expression serious.

 

“No. Hel-lo.”

 

[Aren’t you logging in?]

 

“Why would a guide go alone? And, I’m sleepy.”

 

[Just come in for a moment and take this. If you don’t come, I’ll give it to someone else.]

 

ShutUp’s final words, “It’s expensive,” struck me.

 

Fine, I’ll take at least one thing and cut ties with him. It’s unfair to just give up like this. I slapped my face with my palms to wake myself up and sat on the sofa, putting on the helmet.

 

<<Welcome to Blood Planet.>>

 

<<Moving to your last login point.>>

 

The screen soon appeared, and the land where I had logged out yesterday came into view. The gentle breeze felt pleasant. Perhaps because of that? I felt even sleepier.

 

Game or whatever, I was so tired that I lay down on the grass. My desire to sleep was well reflected, and my character lay on the grass with its eyes closed.

 

‘If I fall asleep like this, I’ll be completely stripped. If those sorry guys catch me, I’ll lose everything now… and my head will be chopped off….’

 

So, even if I slept, I had to sleep in the village.

 

“You’ve got it easy.”

 

At that moment, I slowly opened my eyes to a taunting voice. I saw ShutUp’s face looking down at me. Looking closely, he was still in the partner slot. The threat he made via message earlier must have been just empty words.

 

‘That brat played me.’

 

I sat up. When he sent a trade request, I accepted, and a magic scroll and potions appeared in the trade window.

 

“Use the scroll right away.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

As I used it immediately from my inventory, my body felt slightly warmed, and a skill appeared at the bottom. I wondered what skill he had given me and checked…

 

“Re…lax. Wait, Relax? The one you just gave me, was it Relax?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Wow! Crazy. This! This! How much is this!”

 

While I was flustered and stammering, ShutUp, standing beside me, casually said, “Maybe a few hundred?”

 

The magic scroll I had just used in my sleep was the same one Hanwoo had sold to make a fortune. I had used a skill worth millions of won on a character I was casually leveling up.

 

My sleepiness vanished instantly. I got up and grabbed ShutUp by the collar.

 

“Hey! You should tell me before I use it! If it’s this expensive!”

 

“You complain even when I give you something.”

 

Wait, as a guide, learning Relax would be a huge plus if I were to set my own direction. Even if I parted ways with ShutUp later and looked for a Psychic I liked, the difference between learning Relax and not learning it would be immense.

 

I quickly let go of his collar and tidied his clothes.

 

“Th-thank you. I was just too surprised.”

 

Just then, I saw ShutUp try to grab my arm while we were talking.

 

If he caught me, I’d be kissed again, and I wouldn’t be able to log in until this time tomorrow. Thinking this, I dodged him. Most importantly, it was unfair to keep being subjected to this.

 

“Oh? Trying to avoid me?”

 

As ShutUp approached, I quickly pulled out my keyboard screen and pressed Alt+F4. The screen instantly turned off, revealing the living room scenery. This is why prior learning is important.

 

“Hahaha! Did you think I’d get caught again?”

 

I took off the helmet, humming cheerfully. As soon as I did, my phone started ringing again. I didn’t need to look to know it was ShutUp.

 

‘Hmph, amateur.’

 

I decided to ignore the call deliberately for a while, making him suffer. He gave me such an expensive magic scroll; it would be his loss if he cut off our partnership. This felt like the power dynamic was finally shifting.

 

“Do you think I play this game just to kiss you?”

 

I said to the incoming call on my phone screen.

 

After ringing about three times in a row, it finally went quiet. For now, I planned not to log in after work, making him frustrated. I set my phone alarm for 4 AM and lay down in bed.

 

‘I’m going to log in at 4 AM now. Hehehe. To eat the experience points you worked so hard to hunt!’