Chapter 79: Family-Friendly Game (2) (End)
Chapter 79: Family-Friendly Game (2) (End)
They say marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Of course, for some, it isn't—whether due to remarriage after a divorce or other circumstances—but generally, people enter into it with the mindset that it will happen only once.
It is a ceremony where one promises a lifetime to a partner and pledges future happiness, so such a mindset is only natural.
Few people think about "the next time" while they are getting married. I was the same.
Even though the brides, the groom, and the very nature of this wedding were vastly different from any ordinary marriage.
Still, I hoped this marriage would last forever. Though, in all likelihood, it probably would.
Regardless, as the groom, I stood there welcoming the guests.
"Oppa, congratulations on your wedding!"
"Ah, thank you. Are you Yuri’s friend?"
"Yes!"
Even so, there were things I still couldn't quite get used to.
For instance, a younger sister’s friend brightly smiling and offering her blessings as her friend married her own biological brother.
Or the employees from Noona’s company looking at me—the man marrying their boss, who was also my biological sister—and asking me to take good care of her, or explaining just how lucky a man I was.
Or my high school alumni coming by, expressing nothing but envy without a hint of confusion at the fact that I was marrying the very sister they had actually seen during our school days.
It was true that a sense of dissonance lingered.
I couldn't help but think that the being who had perfectly achieved this Social Perception Modification was no ordinary entity, while simultaneously wondering what their ultimate goal could possibly be to go this far.
But I couldn't demand answers. I didn't know how deep the truth of this game went, and any attempt to investigate the company was impossible.
I could only hope that the transcendent being who had bestowed this game, these benefits, and these abilities wouldn't suddenly change their mind and undo everything.
As I stood at the entrance receiving new guests with those thoughts in mind, I froze, startled by a face I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Hello."
A woman stood there, waving with a beaming smile.
Her hair was wrapped around her neck like a scarf, and her crimson eyes sparkled.
Looking at her again now, I realized she was a being who might even be more beautiful than Noona, Kang Yu-min, or Yuri.
Dressed in a suit and sporting horns on her head that hadn't been there before, the woman greeted me as naturally as an old friend.
"...You."
How could I ever forget her? I knew her, and because I knew her so well, I struggled to relax my expression even as my tension flared.
I recalled the moment I first received the Family-Friendly Game. Back when I was at home, worrying about how to live my life, completely unaware of what was to come.
She was the one who had appeared at the perfect moment, as if she knew me inside out, handed over the game, and vanished.
I didn't know her name or her purpose.
But one thing was certain.
"Why are you here?"
She was the owner and the Creator of the Family-Friendly Game.
At my words, the woman cocked an eyebrow. Her thick eyelashes brushed softly against her eyes as she gave a broad grin.
It was a smile that looked incredibly innocent, but I wasn't fooled.
"...Have you come to collect the price?"
It wasn't something one should say at a sacred wedding. However, I felt the same applied to her presence here.
I didn't know if a God existed in this world, or if such a thing even could exist.
But if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that even if such a thing existed, the being before me was not a God.
If anything, she was closer to a Devil. I suspected she was enjoying the sight of this depravity and these twisted relationships.
Thinking back, everything had been strange from the start. She reacted as if she could read my thoughts, and with a perfect grasp of my psyche, she handed over the Family-Friendly Game using a plausible excuse.
I only realized later that the process of her handing it over and me accepting it was what truly mattered.
And in any game, novel, or manga, whenever a devil appears, they always have something they're after.
I had a vague idea of what that was.
"You've come for my soul, haven't you?"
I had no intention of giving it up easily. I would persuade her desperately. I would promise her that she could enjoy even more depravity and pleasure in the future, appealing to the fact that only I could provide it.
Then...
"Nope."
My ironclad resolve crumbled in an instant.
"Huh?"
"I just came to see if you've been enjoying the game, if there's anything to improve, what you really think of it... It's my hard work, after all, so I wanted to see how it turns out, and maybe get a little 'thank you.' It hurts my feelings when you're so guarded, even for someone like me."
She crossed her arms as if pouting and huffed, turning her head away. Stunned by her behavior, I blinked blankly and looked around.
No new guests were arriving. The guests already inside were taking their seats and chatting, and the people passing by me didn't seem to perceive the woman in front of me at all.
I knew she was a clearly alien and transcendent being, but that transcendence didn't match the flippancy she was displaying now.
It felt as if she were acting.
As if reading my thoughts, the woman flashed a dangerous smile.
"You're right, it is an act. This is more comfortable, isn't it?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Now then. First of all, have you enjoyed the game?"
I blinked at the desperation in the woman's expression—a desperation pushed forward as if she wanted me to notice it—and then nodded.
"Phew, that's a relief. That was the most important part. It'll make it easier to persuade them."
"Persuade who?"
"Hmm, how should I put it? Like persuading a boss who's only thinking about firing me so that I can keep this project going?"
She tilted her head as if the analogy wasn't a perfect fit, but soon gave up on explaining, as if she wasn't actually trying to persuade me.
Instead, she said:
"But that's not what's important right now. Is there nothing else you want to ask, nothing you want to know? I bet there's quite a lot."
She pointed her index finger at me teasingly, and only after seeing that gesture did I manage to gather my thoughts and speak.
"...What... are you? What do you gain from me committing incest that you would go this far...?"
"Oh my, straight to that? How bold~"
She chuckled as if mocking me, but then organized her thoughts.
"But I don't think that's really what you want to ask. You're worried about why I made this, what I want, and whether I'll suddenly take back everything I gave you, right?"
She hit the nail on the head. When I remained silent, she smiled. It was a kind smile.
"You don't have to worry about that. There's meaning in every single action you've taken. In fact, I almost want to give you something more as a reward."
I blinked, not understanding.
"So, to answer you... the things you're worried about will never happen. This isn't just a game, there's no chance you're in a coma, and it's not a hallucination you're seeing because you're dying. None of that."
She put her hands behind her back and gave a clear smile. Letting her hair unravel from her neck to flutter in the air, she spoke.
"You don't need to overthink it. In fact, you should be proud."
"Of what?"
"What you've achieved, what you've gained. The harmonious and desirable relationships of your family—it's all reality."
"Desirable...?"
At that point, I realized that this being in the form of a woman had a very warped perception, but I didn't bother to point it out.
"Agh, just roll with it. This is the reality you're going to live in anyway. Just say, 'I guess that's how it is!'"
When something that could be a God or a Devil tells me to do so, who am I to argue? I nodded, and only then did she smile.
"And! I'm the type who provides excellent after-sales service. The children will be born healthy, they won't be shunned by society, and they'll grow up peacefully in a harmonious home. How happy! Ah, I'm so jealous!"
She let out a giggle and said as she brushed past me:
"The children will be properly registered under the somewhat... twisted family registry you have now."
That was something I had been inwardly worried about. As I nodded, she glanced back at me.
"From now on, until the moment humanity eventually vanishes, no one will ever think it's strange. So don't worry. I had fun thanks to you; the least I can do is this much."
At those sincere words, I reflexively turned my whole body to look at her, and the nameless entity said to me:
"Why go this far, you ask? Because... it's rare to find a human who goes this far just because they were given a little push."
It felt as if I could hear what she really wanted to say. She seemed to be saying that it was rare for someone to commit incest so thoroughly just because it was encouraged.
"I suppose my eye for talent and my reputation weren't wrong after all. I've eaten my fill thanks to you, so I'm very pleased. If you want, feel free to enjoy the game to your heart's content from now on."
With that, she stepped into the wedding hall. I stood there dazed, listening to the clicking of her heels as if I were in a dream.
But seeing her humming as she took a seat among the guests made me realize it was all real.
I let out a hollow laugh despite myself and nodded, just as she had said.
Yes, that's how it should be.
Because this is my reality. I locked eyes with her one last time and stepped forward into the wedding ceremony that was about to begin in earnest.
*
"Today, in this place, amidst the blessings of all the guests, these eight have become a family! As the groom, the brides, and the children born of this family prepare to move toward happiness, please bless their march and their first steps once more!"
As the officiant finished, the guests clapped joyfully, watching the four who began their march with tender gazes.
Kang Yu-jin and the three who had chosen to be his lovers, his wives, and his family.
Kang Yu-dam, Kang Yu-min, and Kang Yu-ri. The three of them began their march, their bulging bellies clearly visible even through their dresses.
It was a wedding that no one in history had ever permitted, and one that no one would ever be able to replicate.
Yet, the people blessed the four polygamists who had reached a happy ending, avoiding the tragedy that should naturally follow the path of incest, as if they felt no dissonance at all.
They began their march—some dignified, some timid, some nervous. And as Kang Yu-jin led them from the front, with his arms linked to theirs on either side.
Amidst thunderous applause, Kang Yu-jin locked eyes with the transcendent being who protected him one last time and nodded.
Just then, something floated before Yu-jin’s eyes.
[A Proper Wedding to Remember Forever! 0/1]
[Reward: A Forever Happy and Harmonious Family!]
Seeing that, Yu-jin burst into laughter despite himself.
[A Proper Wedding to Remember Forever! 1/1]
He began his new days amidst the blessings of a mysterious entity.