Blissful Connection and Deadly Rush
‘Finally!’
Chae Seong-ah beamed with joy at the mere fact that she’d finally spoken to Kim Jihun. She’d always watched him from afar, so just being this close—close enough to chat with him—was pure bliss.
Kim Jihun, oblivious to her excitement, carried on the conversation as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“Out grocery shopping, huh?”
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, exactly. Grocery shopping.”
Chae Seong-ah startled at his words and hastily grabbed a shopping basket. She’d come to the mart solely to talk to him, so she hadn’t even bothered with one at first.
Glancing at his basket, she asked, “Just snacks and drinks? You must love junk food.”
“Yeah, I do like snacks, but there’s also someone who eats the ones I buy without even asking.”
“Ahaha. I see.”
In response to her question, Kim Jihun grumbled about Kanna, his face twisting in clear annoyance. Chae Seong-ah watched his aggrieved expression and ventured further.
“Hey, do you do internet broadcasts by any chance? I watch CaprikaTV now and then, and I swear I’ve seen a BJ who looks just like you.”
Truth be told, she knew full well he was a game-streaming BJ. But this was her excuse to keep the conversation going.
Delighted by the question, Kim Jihun replied, “Ah! So you’re a viewer. I never thought I’d run into one of my audience members out here.”
“Hehe, I’ve only caught a few streams here and there. But you’re really good at games—pro gamer material, for sure.”
In reality, she tuned in every single day. But she spent the broadcasts just staring at his face, barely registering whether he won or lost. Still, to prolong their chat, Chae Seong-ah lavished praise on his skills she didn’t even know about.
Jihun’s mood lifted at the compliments. “Nah, I’m not that good.”
Even as he downplayed it, his face lit up brighter than the sun. Having grown up without a shred of talent in anything, praise like this was rarer than gold for him—and it never failed to make him feel on top of the world.
And so, Chae Seong-ah and Kim Jihun chatted amiably as they shopped through the mart. They’d only bumped into each other a couple times before, so strolling the aisles together felt oddly intimate, but she kept the conversation flowing so effortlessly that it all seemed natural. She was more sociable than she let on.
Once their shopping was done, they emerged from the mart, each lugging hefty bags. They walked together toward home. Before long, they reached a crosswalk where their paths diverged.
Time to part ways. “Your streams are so fun. I’ll make sure to tune in more from now on.”
“Haha, thanks. Looking forward to it.”
As they exchanged goodbyes, Chae Seong-ah suddenly remembered something and turned back to him. “We ran into each other like this—it must be fate. Mind giving me your number?”
“My number? Why would you—”
Jihun blinked in surprise. They were just casual acquaintances who’d crossed paths a few times on the street—hardly close enough to swap contacts.
But Chae Seong-ah cut him off. “Because I’m interested in you.”
“...Pardon?”
He couldn’t quite process it. Asking for his number out of the blue, then declaring interest?
She pressed on relentlessly. “Come on, your number—quick.”
“Uh, sure.”
Stunned, Jihun rattled off his digits. Chae Seong-ah whipped out her smartphone and fired off a text right then and there.
*Bzzz!*
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the message.
Jihun looked up at her. Her cheeks flushed pink as she flashed a shy smile.
“I’ll text you when I get home.”
Just then, the signal changed. The pedestrian light flipped from red to green, and Chae Seong-ah spun on her heel, dashing off across the crosswalk.
She ran, overflowing with ecstatic joy. I finally confessed!
Whether it counted as a confession or just snagging his number, she didn’t care. All that mattered was she’d drawn one step closer to Kim Jihun. That thrill blinded her to her surroundings—and at that exact moment, a car barreled through the crosswalk without stopping.
...
*Vroom!*
Hyeon Chang-sik shifted gears, muttering to himself. “Yeah. Just a few years in the slammer, and it’s all over.”
Until a few months ago, he’d been a stellar elite employee at a major corporation. A top student in school, he’d adapted seamlessly to corporate life and climbed the ranks fast.
Then came the fatal mistake on the job—one that cost the company millions. He was fired on the spot.
Desperate, he job-hunted everywhere, but no one would touch the guy with that black mark on his record. He drowned in booze, turned violent at home, and drove his wife and kids to flee to her parents’. Left alone, he rotted away in a dingy room, nursing bottles and regrets.
One day, amid the haze of despair—
Are you Hyeon Chang-sik?
A rep from his old company showed up at his door with an offer.
Do this one job for us right, and we’ll compensate you handsomely. Serve a few years inside, then we’ll reinstate you. It’s nothing big—just a little something we need.
He agonized for days. Then decided.
I’ll do it.
He had a wife and kids he loved. For them, he’d do anything—even this monstrous deed. Now he gripped the wheel, tasked with running down the rival company’s heiress.
Steel resolve. He slammed the accelerator.
*Vroooom!*
The car hurtled toward Chae Seong-ah on the crosswalk.
...
Kim Jihun watched Chae Seong-ah dash off, clutching his number like a treasure, her bobbed brown hair whipping in the wind. He smiled.
“Am I finally getting some luck with women?”
Chae Seong-ah. Seo Yerim. Two women showing interest, directly or not. He thought of them and grinned softly.
But I’ve got Yerim noona.
He truly liked Seo Yerim—dreamed of sweet college days together. Still, as a guy, having multiple women take a shine to him felt damn good, regardless.
Basking in the glow, he watched her joyful sprint.
Then—
*VROOOOM!*
A sedan—a sleek dark blue domestic model—charged straight at Chae Seong-ah mid-crosswalk.
Jihun’s eyes widened. Danger!
He flung his shopping bags aside and bolted. Muscles surged, propelling him at superhuman speed. His enhanced physique, honed by the Creator God Manual, sliced through the air.
But even that wasn’t enough.
Too late!
The car closed in on her—seconds from impact.
His mind raced at hyper speed, brain burning as he scrambled for a way to save her.
No time to reach her. Creation Force would take too long without my computation assistant. How? What can I do?!
Pushing her out of the way? Too far. Crafting a tool? Too slow.
His face fell as doom loomed.
Then his gaze dropped to the ring on his left hand—the subspace ring from Asrie. He always wore it, even outside.
His eyes flashed. This!
He poured Creation Force into the ring. A subtle glow of blue and gold shimmered from it.
Desperation fueled his cry: “Please, not too late!”
*SKREEECH!!*
The car screeched far past the crosswalk, brakes locking in long skid marks.
At the same instant, Jihun, who’d leaped forward, tumbled to the ground.
...
I did it.
Hyeon Chang-sik exhaled shakily, stepping out of the car. Eyes bored into him from all sides.
Tense, he scanned the road ahead. Chae Seong-ah’s body should be there, mangled.
To confirm the “mission.”
But—
“She’s gone?!”
Nothing. No broken body tumbling across the asphalt. He’d seen her final terrified glance at the car.
The road was pristine—no blood, just the skid marks.
Stunned. I hit her! Where is she?!
He remembered her horrified face dead ahead. Yet... vanished.
Someone grabbed his shoulder.
“Hey, mister.”
He whipped around, startled. A young man stood there—strikingly handsome, solidly built, glaring with hostility.
“Wh-what?”
“You tried to run down Chae Seong-ah on purpose, didn’t you?”
“What nonsense! Got proof?!”
Chang-sik flinched. He’d hit her—or thought he had. Maybe a hallucination? The sudden accusation rattled him.
The young man—Jihun—fixed him with a steely glare. “I saw your face when you entered the crosswalk. You were staring her down with grim determination.”
Chang-sik’s heart plummeted. Panic twisted his features.
Jihun growled, “No proof this time, so you get a pass. But if there’s a next—”
He slapped a hand on the hood and crushed it inward with raw grip strength.
*CRUNCH!*
!!!
Chang-sik gaped. Denting solid steel with bare hands?
Jihun leaned in. “Get lost.”
Chang-sik scrambled into the car and fled. Only the skid marks remained.
============================
Author's Note