Chapter 25

Maybe it was the stress from those unique coins, but I was suddenly craving a drink. I grabbed some vodka, tonic water, and a glass from the fridge. It had been a while since I'd checked the shop, so I figured I'd do a status check too as I headed to the pool, opening my menu screen.

My stats had grown to a level incomparable to before. I'd acquired four skills, and recently, I'd even picked up Pheromone Walker, which boosted arousal every time I touched someone.

I adjusted the shade so the pleasantly warm sunlight hit just up to my waist, mixed the vodka and tonic in decent proportions, and lay back on the sunbed to start checking each heroine's stats. From rock-bottom basics with nothing going for them, this was solid progress. Lea was on the verge of D-rank, Haena noona had hit E-rank, and she even had a 2-star Exposure Mania trait that was already more than halfway to max experience. Even Mom, who had seemed hopeless, had recently ranked up to F.

That said, despite all this progress, my situation lately was far from good.

Coins like [Back Hug], which I could farm three times a day for great stats early on, had such low application caps that they were now useless—basically just gold exchange fodder that barely dropped anymore. [House Cleaning] and [You're So Clean] had efficiencies too low compared to the stats needed for the next rank-ups, relative to the time invested. Even reliable earners like [Climax] were dropping off as Haena noona and Lea got used to those acts, reducing drop rates. On top of that, coins like [Even Psycho] and [Watching You] from voyeur play with Haena noona had stopped appearing entirely once we'd openly acknowledged our relationship.

In short, my coin income—skyrocketing just a while ago—had ironically been nearly halved by relationship progress and conquest advancements.

I downed nearly half a glass of vodka tonic in one go. I wanted to get wasted. Was I being too arrogant? Had I been treating the heroines as mere conquest targets, coin vending machines?

They were people too. Sure, stats restrained them and shaped their tendencies, but there were elements beyond the numbers. For instance, even at the same bottom-tier stats, Haena noona was aloof while Lea was a tomboyish little sister. No matter her stats or sexual history, Mom loved me as her son. I'd completely overlooked that.

And now it was biting me in the ass.

I'd simplistically gamified it all: give Lea a massage and she'd climax like clockwork; Haena noona would always voyeur and get turned on. But now Lea was getting used to our acts, and Haena noona no longer watched me that way.

I took another sip of the cool vodka tonic, contrasting the warm sunlight. What were my feelings for my family? Had I loved them with true sincerity, matching the love they gave me?

Sure, in excuse, my life was on the line—I had to optimize conquests. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did that justify treating them like coded machines?

In this coin system, had I become some Industrial Revolution capitalist monster, exploiting even kids for 15-hour shifts, obsessed with coin production?

My head was a mess. I drained the glass and refilled it. This time, neat on the rocks, no tonic. Another gulp. The 40-proof alcohol burned down my throat like fire, feeding on my regrets.

That's when the balcony door slid open with a —shrrk.

"Kangmo Im. What're you doing?"

Haena noona emerged from the house, her silver hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a bikini swimsuit. Eyes like clear ocean waves holding tropical fish, a nose perfectly proportioned in the perfect spot, plump moist lips just right. Her slender neckline dropped to delicate collarbones and fragile shoulders, then exploded into aggressively voluptuous yet flawlessly curved breasts. From there, her body curved in perfect S-lines like a rhythmic dance. And those legs supporting it all in ideal ratios? Fleshy thighs neither too thick nor too thin, calves tapering just right. Near perfection. Was Aphrodite shaped like this?

Yet her beauty only muddled my thoughts further. I emptied the glass recklessly.

"Drinking alone? How depressing."

Haena noona approached the sunbed beside mine with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that signature sly smile she'd been flashing more softly lately and sat down. They say alcohol gives courage, but I couldn't meet her eyes. I'd treated someone this beautiful, who cared for me, like a coin machine. Did I deserve such love?

"Nngh..."

I could feel the buzz hitting. The pool was wobbling. Haena noona was wobbling too.

"Hng...? Drunk already? Kangmo Im's drunk? Heh..."

Noona refilled my empty glass with booze, mixed in tonic, and started sipping. She leaned toward me and asked,

"Something bad happen?"

"Nooo... nothing..."

What did my face look like for her to say that? Haena noona dropped her smirk, her eyes filling with worry as she leaned closer.

"What's with the uncharacteristic mood? Spill it. I'll fix it."

Her voice brimmed with confidence. Makes sense—problems Haena noona couldn't solve were rarer than hen's teeth. But this wasn't her problem to fix. It was about my reality, my emotions.

Honestly, it was funny even thinking that. Was this state from dropping coin income? I disgusted myself. Hypocrite. Puke-worthy hypocrite.

"Noona... can't... fix..."

My tongue kept twisting. No confidence for normal chat. I stood from the sunbed, staggering toward the house.

Stumble stumble. Hard to even walk... But this buzz eased the pressure, if only for a moment.

From behind, Haena noona called, "Hey! Kangmo Im!"

No energy to turn. Just wanted to crash comfortably. Plus, even if I could reply, talking to her would refill the stress I'd drowned with booze. Not her fault, of course.

"What the— this punk..."

—Tatatak.

Suddenly, footsteps charging from behind. What the—?

"Where you going!"

The world spun in an instant. Wait, was I spinning? Slowed thoughts from booze, but the world whirled too fast.

—Splash!

Cold water enveloped me instantly. Sudden shock killed my bearings. Nausea surged then vanished. Where's up? Why am I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here? Can't breathe. My body screamed emergency, booze evaporating in panic.

"Kkheok! Heok! *Cough cough*. Haaah... haaah..."

Flailing senselessly in the pool, swallowing water, Haena noona grabbed under my arms and hauled me up.

"Kangmo Im. Thought you were doing good lately, now you're climbing all over noona?"

My eyes, nose, mouth—all senses screamed. But wasn't this too much? I could have a heart attack. Whatever. Head still messy, didn't know my own heart, her aggressive style pissed me off, but also sorry, grateful. Emotions crashed in, welling up.

No tears fell. They solve nothing. And I'd heard "don't cry like a baby" enough as a kid.

Suppressing the surge left me speechless. Quick on the uptake, noona softened her expression and cupped my face in both hands.

"Kangmo-ya. What's really going on?"

Am I emotional or rational? Closer to which? Hell if I know. But seeing Haena noona's face like this, who wouldn't get emotional? She said, "Talk when you're feeling better," and pulled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me into her embrace.

Noona's warm bosom. Her heartbeat thrummed. Normally just a sexual target, now her chest felt like the ultimate haven.