Conquering Shim Uran
For his outing, Yunho rummaged through his closet and realized one thing.
'Right, I forgot to buy new clothes.'
Nothing fit. His thickened thighs made his pants so tight they felt like they might burst, and his tops clung like skinny jeans, looking utterly ridiculous. He threw on the largest outfit he had and headed out.
Buying a whole new wardrobe would dent his wallet a bit.
'Whatever. I've got 400 million in the bank.'
He hit up a nearby clothing store, grabbed some outfits to tide him over, and on his way out, headed to a real estate office. Having resolved to live a new life, he planned to ditch the cramped gositel first.
"Real estate? Here to look at places?"
"Ooh, what a handsome young man. Guess I need to show you the good stuff, huh? Hohoho."
A smile spread across his face unbidden. People's reactions were starkly different from before.
Getting praised for looks feels like this, huh.
He could already feel the power of his changed appearance. The realtor lady was unusually friendly and proactive, guiding him eagerly.
No more academy commuting, so no need to stay near Noryangjin. He found a cheap two-room jeonse for 200 million in a quieter spot away from the bustle.
Next stop: the community center. With his face changed, he needed a new ID.
"Hello. Here for a resident ID reissue."
"Oh, come this way. Let me guide you."
"Ah, thank you."
As he finished speaking with a slight smile, the mid-20s clerk smiled back. Her status message showed affection spiking without him saying much. The famously bureaucratic Korean civil servant was nowhere in sight.
The easiest way to change the world is to change yourself. That's what it meant.
The world had truly flipped 180 degrees. A striking appearance was power indeed.
He wrapped up the move over a few days. Changed his number, deleted all contacts except his parents. All ties to his old self were severed. It felt refreshingly light.
With miscellaneous tasks done, he stepped out for a walk to savor the freedom.
Walking the streets, he clearly sensed the shift in gazes—or rather, there used to be none, but now people were actually looking.
Spotting a woman with a decent fashion sense, he subtly checked her profile.
Profile – Seong Suyeon
30 years old, Office worker, 60 points.
Tiredness, Admiration
Whoa, that guy's so handsome.
Her status message showed admiration. His shoulders lifted instinctively.
Beyond her, plenty of passersby glanced at his face. Something he'd never experienced. His self-esteem soared naturally.
"Kya. This is life."
From now on, his life would be bathed in spotlights...
His vision blurred.
Thud.
A bone-deep fatigue like he'd pulled all-nighters for days. He came to in a hospital bed.
"Ah. GP hit zero."
Completing the New Me quest gave 400 GP, so he'd hit 1000 and jumped straight into modifications, draining it dry. The issue: looks only reached 70 points, short of plan. Not zero-level bad, but KakaoTalk was the culprit.
Post-update, visible profiles drained GP passively. Wandering for days like that hit zero.
A nurse approached.
"Oh, you're awake. You collapsed suddenly and came in by ambulance. Any history of anemia or orthostatic hypotension?"
"Not really, but I've been pushing hard lately."
"You need to be careful. Feel better? You can discharge right away. Pay at the front desk."
"Yes. Thank you."
Dragging his unresponsive body, he barely made it home.
"Ugh. Moving with zero GP feels like death."
All desires and emotions burned to white ash—mental nausea.
He fired up delivery apps, ordering every craving. Stuffing till near-burst with top eats satisfied hunger, netting 5 GP.
'Still short.'
In this state, brushing people drained GP, so he needed at least 10 buffered.
Desperate, he jerked off. After three loads, GP hit 10. Used to get 3 per session before. Knowing women tanked solo satisfaction to 1 GP each.
A laugh escaped.
'Turns out I can't live without women now.'
Profiles visible meant streets drained GP; zero meant blackout. Literally couldn't survive without women.
'Need to maintain over 100 GP for safety.'
Sudden skill use might pop up; better always above 100. Problem: no immediate partner. Not a big deal—hunt street beauties, booze, motel. With his looks and mind-reading, it'd be easy. But top-tier beauties might be scarce.
'I'm hot now. Time for pretty girls.'
Mental thrill scaled with GP efficiency; beauties were key. Not greed—beyond Lee Seonyeong's cuteness, someone objectively stunning. Right now.
With that, he pulled out his smartphone, tapping Shim Uran's profile—specifically, special notes.
Flows through life stress-free like water, seems bold but weak to strong men—tough outside, soft inside type.
Exhibitionist thrills from others' gazes, unaware of it.
Open to physical relations; due to tastes, hobby of filming and watching sex videos.
Recently, a partner whose feelings went unrequited leaked her sex video online out of spite.
First Partner quest for sex partner Shim Uran popped post-quest. He'd monitored her profile since.
Days ago, special notes updated.
Sex video leaked.
'Leverage album search for a perfect play.'
Album search deletes videos entirely—online posts, hardware copies, gone from Earth.
Pose as hacker using this? Plan formed smoothly.
Checked her album's sex videos to confirm leaks.
"Still hot on rewatch."
Shim Uran in action? Passionate. Something that instinctively aroused men.
He calmly plotted her conquest. Premises:
Seize relationship control.
Backup for fuckups—no loose ends.
Build long-term positive ties.
Trickiest: second. Approaching as "hacker, your vid leaked" screams suspicion—like he leaked it himself. If she ghosts and cops? Disaster. Needed fallout-proof bind on strangers.
'Need new function.'
Already prepped. Salon visits upgraded KakaoBerryTalk once more, spawning Manipulation Edit.
KakaoBerryTalk +4
• Real Profile (Lv2)
• Album Search
• Manipulation Edit
Manipulation Edit: Unlimited editing of others' chats—steal views, alter content, delete history, etc.
With Manipulation Edit, KakaoTalk made him undetectable hacker—anything goes.
Without this update, might not have eyed Shim Uran.
'Needed functions drop at perfect timing. Wild.'
A hypothesis hit.
'Been wanting this awhile.'
New functions tailored to his desires within constraints?
Felt need for Manipulation Edit long ago. Trigger: politicians.
Bored image searches on celebs led to lawmakers. Slimy bunch ruling Korea—disgusting.
Opposition leaders snarling on TV, arm-in-arm with girls in roomsalon pics. Lawmaker sleeping with young woman's selfie backdrop. Scandal fuel.
Few album searches netted blackmail gold for cash or future leverage.
Growing via quests would demand using them someday. Vs. top brass, needed untraceable comms.
'Bonus for Shim Uran too.'
Used powers to probe her situation, confirm leaks. GP drained, but meals and jerks topped lust.
'Damn, jerks barely give 1 GP now.'
Could fuck if wanted—hot now, snag one-night easy. But no.
His flaw: once hooked, no quitting.
'Got me through hellish exams till third try.'
Flaw activated. No diverting Shim Uran lust elsewhere.
Reread her profile meticulously.
'Shim Uran. Uran. Name sounds lewd.'
Downloaded one leaked vid, sent to her.
Prep done. Bait cast—fisherman waits. Bite starts the plan.