Chapter 7: Bad Friends (2)
Chapter 7: Bad Friends (2)
That’s definitely what I told Noona.
I said the quests in this game are automatically generated by an AI reading brainwaves, reflecting the individual's deep-seated subconscious.
Even as I said it, I thought it sounded plausible.
I had seriously weighed the possibility and, deep down, thought it might actually be true.
But looking at it now, that didn't seem to be the case.
If this quest had popped up for my Eldest Noona, I could have accepted it to some extent.
Who was I kidding? Back in middle school, the primary cause of my wet dreams was my Eldest Noona. Every time it happened, I was riddled with a sense of depravity and self-loathing, often taking my frustration out on her when she’d cling to me, asking to bathe together, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
If it were Eldest Noona, I would have just shrugged it off, thinking that some faint trace of sexual desire for her was still clinging to my subconscious.
After all, her influence on my taste in women was anything but small.
But Kang Yu-min is the target?
There was absolutely no way.
Just as Kang Yu-min would barge into the bathroom while I was washing, I had barged in on her more than a few times myself. I knew her well.
Kang Yu-min was not my type.
I don't get turned on by Kang Yu-min. And that’s a fact she likely knows all too well.
So, even if she saw the quest, it shouldn't have mattered... but still, Kang Yu-min was someone I considered a close friend, in her own way.
You could call us "Bad Friends." We bickered and fought, but it was always more like a game to us.
It was all part of a long-running game of "Bad Friends" that started back when she cried her eyes out just because I pushed her, and it had continued until now.
I didn't want to ruin that relationship. That was why I waited until the quest window vanished before helping Kang Yu-min up.
"Ugh..."
Kang Yu-min was clinging to me, complaining of dizziness. She didn't see it, right? It was the kind of quest that would be hard to ignore if she had.
"Is it... always this dizzying?"
It seemed she hadn't seen it. Relieved, I spoke up.
"Noona was fine."
Kang Yu-min glared at me with her usual venomous eyes.
"Are you seriously comparing me to Unnie? You want to make me mad?"
Good, she definitely didn't see it. I shrugged and teased her like I always did.
"If it bothers you so much, why don't you try being as awesome as her?"
"This brat is worshiping Eldest Unnie again."
"If it bothers you—"
"Fine, I get it! I get it already. I'm already dizzy enough as it is..."
Fuming, Kang Yu-min let go of my arm and stood up straight.
She scanned the surroundings and asked, "So, what kind of game is this?"
"...I don't know."
"How do you not know? Aren't you the one playing it?"
"The genre changes every time. I'm on the QA Team, so I don't get to choose."
"What kind of system is that...?"
Kang Yu-min grimaced in confusion.
Soon, as if trying to guess the genre herself, she checked her attire.
Her outfit wasn't much different from before.
A sleeveless top and dolphin shorts that were easy to move in. It was Kang Yu-min's usual casual wear.
I wasn't much different either, but the one thing that set us apart from our usual selves was the presence of outerwear.
I was wearing my usual long cotton pants and a T-shirt, but I had a jacket on, and Kang Yu-min had the blue jacket she often wore in the fall draped over her shoulders.
We looked toward the abandoned building in the distance, our only clue.
I had a flashlight in one hand and a journal in the other.
As if by unspoken agreement, we glanced at each other.
If there was one thing Kang Yu-min and I rarely agreed on, it was this:
Neither of us liked or could handle horror.
We looked at each other's tense faces and let out awkward laughs.
*
But there was no option not to go in.
After all, the open journal stated that we had been cursed and had to break the curse inside this building.
Since I didn't like this genre and Kang Yu-min was a total scaredy-cat, we could have just backed out.
But I couldn't. Because the settings menu, where the option to exit the game would normally be, was where I could view the quests.
And I still vividly remembered the quest that had appeared before my eyes.
In fact, beyond just remembering it, I could see it right now.
[!Cooperation Quest!]
[!This quest is visible to both players, and rewards will be given to both simultaneously!]
[Ejaculate 10ml of semen into the mouth of your Second Noona, Kang Yu-min. 0/10ml]
[Reward: 2,500,000 Won Cash]
It wasn't a welcome sight, but there was nothing I could do.
I closed the settings window with a flick of my eyes and let out a sigh.
"What is it?"
"...I've played horror games before, and they weren't exactly fun."
"Wimp."
"Look who's talking, you're the wimp here."
"Calling your Noona a wimp, the nerve..."
"Calling your younger brother a wimp, the nerve..."
Still, I could take comfort in the fact that it was Kang Yu-min here with me.
I don't like horror games much, but as is often the case...
Horror games become a bit more bearable when there's someone even more terrified than you are.
With that sense of relief, I stepped into the abandoned building.
"...Oh, hell."
And as soon as I stepped inside, I wanted to leave.
"...Can't we just go back?"
It was the worst in every way.
First, the damp air. There was a heavy sense of isolation, as if no one had set foot here in years.
And then there was the darkness, stretching out to the horizon. Even though the flashlight in my right hand was high-performance, it barely illuminated what was right in front of me.
It felt as if the darkness itself was swallowing the light.
Even without any signs of life or traces of anyone having passed through, I was certain.
There was definitely something inside.
I would have preferred a ghost type, but the atmosphere didn't feel like that.
Like a horror game where a reporter visits a psychiatric hospital, or one where monsters appear in a medieval setting.
This was clearly the kind where some kind of monstrous creature would show up.
I gulped and stole a tense glance to my side.
Fortunately, I wasn't alone.
"W-W-What? Why?"
I had a meat shield I could throw if things went south. My Second Noona, Kang Yu-min, already looked pale with fear.
Seeing her so terrified actually helped me regain my composure. Right, if she's this scared, it'll look pathetic if I'm scared too.
"Scaredy-cat."
Kang Yu-min looked like she was about to snap back at me, her face contorting in annoyance.
Clatter!
At the sudden sound, her shoulders jumped violently, and she clung to me.
...Of course, I was startled too.
"Wimp."
"Hey!"
"Look at the wimp. Such a wimp."
"You little...!"
Teasing Kang Yu-min helped me regain my calm. I was still nervous, but I was brave enough to venture further into the building.
Above all, this was a game. Even if I died, it wouldn't be a big deal.
In fact, in these kinds of horror games, the chase and the atmosphere are the scary parts; once you're caught, it's not that bad. You just see a common death scene and it's over.
The last horror game was a bit disappointing because the enemies were ghosts, but I wondered if this one would be different.
I thought to myself as I led the way.
"Hey, h-hey... wait for me..."
Naturally, Kang Yu-min had no choice but to follow closely behind me.
Horror games have a formula.
It's hard for me to put into words since I don't play them often, but I think those who know will understand.
You know, those jump scares that pop up exactly when you expect them to, or making it seem like something is behind you so you turn around in fear only to find nothing, then something jumps out when you look forward again.
I was terrified that something like that would happen in this virtual-reality-but-not-really-virtual-reality world, but I was also trying to anticipate it based on those formulas.
"...It's cleaner inside than I thought."
All my expectations were being subverted.
As we walked down the long hallway, I listened to the sound of our two sets of footsteps.
Since nothing was appearing, my mind naturally began to wander. Especially since Kang Yu-min and I had shared a certain experience.
"This reminds me of the past."
"...When we got lost?"
"Yeah, that..."
Even as we walked, her voice trembled slightly from fear, but Kang Yu-min had a faint smile on her face as if she were recalling an old memory.
"Man, how many years has it been? Dad was still alive back then."
"It's been ten years. That was our last family trip."
Before my father became completely consumed by work, back when our family was still harmonious.
I smiled, remembering that last family trip.
It was fun. Even getting lost could be looked back on as a pleasant memory now.
"You, the supposed 'Noona,' whining that you were hungry and stealing my chocolate bar. You were just as immature then as you are now."
"Hey! Why bring that up!"
Kang Yu-min's face flushed with embarrassment. I ruffled her hair and kept walking.
"Looking at you, you're more like a younger sister than an older one. We're only a year apart, so why don't we just swap roles?"
"What are you even talking about, seriously."
"Oh, look at that. You say that, but your face..."
"Ugh, stop looking at my face, you pervert!"
I chuckled and turned my head away, and Kang Yu-min followed me quietly, grumbling all the while.
This was why I couldn't truly hate Kang Yu-min. Was it family affection? It felt like we both enjoyed our bickering as a form of entertainment.
If only she’d stop looking at my smartphone, stop using my computer, stop barging in when I'm washing, and stop stealing my pillow and then acting annoyed when I try to take it back, she’d be great.
"Hey, but do you ever date—"
Gr-gr-gr-gr-grind.
I froze mid-sentence.
I felt something. A presence, or rather, something like it.
It was massive. It was a sensation similar to when a self-propelled gun passed by me in the military.
Something huge and powerful. An overwhelming pressure that was inevitably etched into my very being.
It was a presence that made a wild beast seem tame by comparison, and I felt something faintly mixed into that presence.
Something that my limited knowledge couldn't put into words. I held my breath and turned my head away from Kang Yu-min, who was staring blankly past me at the owner of the presence I was feeling.
And what stood there was...
"...Kang Yu-min, run!"
I shoved Kang Yu-min and started running. I couldn't even begin to explain it.
That appearance, those giant eyes, that twisted form.
My teeth chattered involuntarily. I forced my legs to move even though they wanted to give out. Kang Yu-min was already stumbling. I pushed her back and urged her on.
"Keep running, keep running!"
I heard her gasp for breath. Kang Yu-min was already a coward. I, being the relatively better one, had to lead her.
If we get caught, well, it's a game, but...
Yeah, it would be a pain. I gritted my teeth, pulling back the reason that had been swept away by the situation.
"Kang Yu-min, get it together! This is a game!"
Her frozen shoulders flinched. Wait, why is this girl so fast?
Oh, right. She used to play soccer.
I remembered that sudden fact and struggled to keep pace as Kang Yu-min began to pull ahead at an incredible speed.
I had to find a direction. Where to?
I scanned the area. From my experience with horror games, I knew there was bound to be a "Safe Zone."
It was a choice clearly made because it was difficult to emphasize controls and gimmicks unlike in traditional games. Following the knowledge I had gained from dying at least a hundred times, I reached out toward a room lit with a comforting beige light.
"To that lit room! It's a Safe Zone! Run!"
I felt a faint presence behind us. This was something that was a born predator and hunter. I knew that much from the fact that its running was faint, its speed was considerable, and it barely made a sound.
My heart hammered in my chest, driven by instinct. Kang Yu-min and I ran and ran, diving into the Safe Zone as it drew closer.
"Close the door! Block it!"
The door was manual. Even if it was a Safe Zone, we couldn't leave it without at least some security.
"With what?!"
"That wardrobe over there!"
Kang Yu-min groaned as she dragged the wardrobe over, and I was nearly blown back by the sensation of something thumping against the closed door.
Sweat poured off me. My body felt heavy. Fatigue filled the space where adrenaline had been. But I couldn't collapse yet. I stacked the wardrobe Kang Yu-min had pushed in front of the door, and piled various other pieces of furniture in front of it as well.
BOOM!
Even then, it didn't stop. The door rattled. It was a reaction that seemed to say this wasn't enough. I had to prepare for the worst.
"In there!"
I spoke in a roundabout way, considering the possibility that this 'monster' might understand speech. Kang Yu-min and I squeezed our bodies as much as possible into a cabinet that could barely fit one person.
Our bodies pressed against each other, and our breaths, hot from the long run, tickled each other's skin and eyelids.
But we didn't care and stayed inside the cabinet.
The thumping continued. The door, which had been shaking as if it would break, barely held on, and the furniture we had piled in front of it was tossed around haphazardly.
Just how strong is it? Are we really going to be torn apart if we get caught?
I tried not to imagine the worst as I breathed heavily, and Kang Yu-min did the same.
We stayed like that for a long time. Until finally, the door stopped shaking.
"...Kang Yu-min. You're not hurt, are you?"
I asked. I figured it was probably okay to speak now.
"...Huh?"
Kang Yu-min asked back blankly. Was she hurt or not?
I lowered my eyes from the gap I was using to peek outside and looked down at Kang Yu-min.
"It's just like back then."
I saw Kang Yu-min smiling with a somewhat wistful expression.
I couldn't help but flinch.
That was, how should I put it...
It was a thought so audacious and unexpected to have about someone like Kang Yu-min.
It was something I didn't want to admit at all.
But I had no choice but to admit it.
Her hair, damp with sweat and clinging to her skin.
Her eyes, moist from the few tears she had shed.
Her clothes, clinging to her skin like her hair, revealing her form, and that faint smile on her face.
It was incredibly... stimulating.
My heart was already racing. My heart, heated by fear and excessive exercise, made my blood flow rapidly.
I felt a reaction. My lower half, which had already been stimulated by my Eldest Noona but had barely been calmed down, was reacting.
"Are you worrying about me first again? Even though you're just Kang Yu-jin, eh...?!"
Kang Yu-min, who had been speaking, was startled by the strange sensation pressing against her lower abdomen.
Her face, which was usually expressionless, quickly flushed. Turning red all the way to the tips of her ears, her gaze slowly traveled down as if she were seeing something truly terrifying.
Until finally, her gaze landed on my bulging crotch above her stomach.
Kang Yu-min's mouth hung open.
She tried to say something, but her mouth just opened and closed repeatedly as if she didn't know what to say.
My eyes were drawn to those lips.
I unconsciously recalled the quest I had seen when I started the game. Naturally, my bulging crotch twitched.
The squirming sensation was vivid. So much so that Kang Yu-min's mouth hung open even wider.
Naturally, Kang Yu-min's face flushed even deeper.
The fingers she had placed on my shoulder trembled and pulled back.
Kang Yu-min's eyes naturally turned toward me. A gaze that seemed to ask if this was really what she thought it was.
But I couldn't answer.
I just looked at Kang Yu-min's face. I could see everything in detail.
First, I saw her moist lips.
Behind them, I saw Kang Yu-min's flushed face.
Then, her two eyes, trembling slightly.
And finally, I saw Kang Yu-min's expression, melting in a faint heat.
It was an expression I couldn't even tease her about. An expression that would be more than enough to drive even a mindless man. My Second Noona.
So, I couldn't do anything until something appeared before my eyes.
[!Cooperation Quest!]
[!This quest is visible to both players, and rewards will be given to both simultaneously!]
[Ejaculate 10ml of semen into the mouth of your Second Noona, Kang Yu-min. 0/10ml]
[Reward: 2,500,000 Won Cash]
Kang Yu-min's pupils also moved. She was definitely seeing the same thing I was.
So, I closed my eyes, expecting the scolding that was about to be poured upon me.
"...Pervert."
My eyelids flickered at the strangely moist voice.
Regrettably, this time, I had no way to talk back.