I Don't Need Money

I skipped the gym on Friday and Saturday since I'd gone on Thursday, but today I hit it hard again. The reason I kept showing up at the gym wasn't anything complicated. After my parents passed away during high school, I realized death could come for anyone at any time. It wasn't something that only happened to other people. So I chose exercise—the one thing I could start right away—as a way to live a long, healthy life in their place too.

Of course, my parents died in a car accident, and no amount of working out could guarantee I'd live longer... but still, it had to be better than doing nothing, right?

"Hoo..."

Even though I'd been thinking about something serious, my expression was light as I arrived in front of my studio apartment building. Tomorrow was Monday. In other words, the day I'd be going on a one-night, two-day trip with Iseor Noona, all because of her wish. From the perspective of a guy who'd always dreamed of heart-fluttering events with women, there was no way I wouldn't be excited.

"Oh my, hello!"

Just as I was about to head into the villa, a bright, clear voice rang out. I turned around to see the yellow-haired woman from the floor below standing there with a bright smile directed at me.

"Ah, yes. Hello."

It was strange. I'd been running into her way too often these past few days. The first time I'd seen her since moving in was three days ago when I delivered a package that had been delivered to the wrong address. I couldn't even count how many times we'd crossed paths since then.

"Judging by that bag, you must be coming back from the gym. Do you like working out?"

"It's not that I particularly like it. I just try to be consistent."

"Ah, I see! I only do home workouts myself. As you can probably tell, if I go to the gym people keep staring at me... heh."

The confident smile she wore was cute. She had the kind of charm that would make any guy fall for her. But for some reason, I felt a strange discomfort around her. Like when a mushroom is too colorful and pretty—you don't want to eat it so much as worry it might be poisonous. I couldn't shake the wariness that had formed because I didn't understand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why she was being so friendly.

"If it's okay with you, could you teach me some exercises next time? I work out alone at home every day, so I'm not sure if I'm even doing it right."

"I'm not really knowledgeable about women's workouts. It'd probably be better if you asked another woman who exercises."

"R-really? Oh right, we're neighbors but I don't even know your name. I'm Park Yuna."

"Ah... I'm Han Jihoon. Well, I have some things to do, so I'll be heading in now."

I gave her a reasonably polite farewell and returned to my place. We'd never even acknowledged each other's existence before, so why was she suddenly acting so friendly? It didn't seem like she'd fallen for me at first sight—I knew very well I wasn't at that level. Was she trying to recruit me for some religion or something? Whatever her intentions were, they didn't feel pure, and her suddenly changed attitude felt uncomfortable in more ways than one.

'Whatever. I'll just play the game I've been putting off.'

Back in her own room, Park Yuna fell deep into thought. She was reviewing what had gone wrong in her attempt to seduce the guy who lived upstairs.

'Was I too obvious? But shouldn't a woman like me get an easy "okay" just by flirting a little?'

She tilted her head, then let out a deep sigh.

"...Haa. Is this really okay?"

She knew full well that going through someone else's house or approaching them for their money was wrong. Since she'd never done anything like this before, her heart was pounding so hard she'd been forcing herself to act bubbly. But even after several days, the heavy feeling wouldn't go away. Instead, it kept revealing itself more and more.

'Should I just apologize honestly and stop...? But an opportunity like this might never come again.'

Sitting alone on a chair in the quiet room, she suddenly missed her mother's voice. She picked up her phone, but Park Yuna hesitated for a long time about whether she should actually make the call.

'It's been a while though.'

After psyching herself up, she pressed the call button. The ringing tone ended, and the voice she'd wanted to hear came through.

—Yeah, Yuna?

"Mom!"

The moment she heard her mother's voice, she lit up like a child. But the reply that came back wasn't nearly as bright.

—What is it?

"I just wanted to hear your voice after so long—"

—Did you run out of allowance? How much should I send?

"Huh? No, that's not it. I really called because I wanted to talk to you..."

Even as her daughter's voice grew heavy, her mother's attitude didn't change.

—There you go again. If you need money, just say so without beating around the bush. Is a million won enough?

"Mom. That's not what I—"

—Not enough? Then I'll send two hundred—no, I'll send three hundred comfortably. If it's still not enough, just tell me.

"No. I don't need money. I just called because I was thinking about you..."

—Sorry, but Mom has a meeting to attend. You know how busy I am, right? It's troublesome if you call this often, so from now on, text me if you have business. I'm hanging up.

"...Okay, sorry. But Mom, you really don't have to send any—"

Click.

The call ended after barely thirty seconds, and silence once again filled the room.

'Troublesome if I call often... when it's been three weeks since the last time.'

A moment later, a popup appeared on her phone screen announcing that three million won had been deposited. It was news that would make anyone happy, but Park Yuna's expression remained dark.

'I told her not to send money... I don't need money. What I really need isn't money...'

These inner words didn't match what she'd done to Han Jihoon at all. Still, she had her own desperate reasons, so she clenched her previously limp hand into a tight fist.

'...In the end, I have no choice but to seduce that guy somehow.'

As she made that resolution, small tears welled up in her eyes.

===

After eating dinner and playing games to my heart's content, it was already past midnight. I'd spent more time on the game than planned, but if I packed my bags now and went to sleep, there wouldn't be any big problems.

'This... and this too...'

It was my first time going to a pension, so I had no idea what I'd need. I threw everything that came to mind—clothes to change into, toiletries, towels, and so on—into my suitcase. I'd bought this suitcase in excitement, thinking about going on a one-night, two-day trip with Noona.

'And... oh right.'

I picked up my phone and opened Sexmuwiki. It was a one-night, two-day trip with just the two of us. If the mood was right, maybe Noona would understand if I finished inside her? I planned to set up some contraceptive measures just in case.

After using up all my points last Monday, I'd been spending time with Noona consistently until today. No special information had been added to her document, but the fact that we'd had sex had been recorded in detail, earning me two points.

'Should I try writing in my own document this time instead of Noona's?'

Since I could edit it anytime I wanted, I made sure to use the word "absolutely" to make it ironclad.

Oh, it applied properly. Now I could finish inside as much as I wanted whenever the opportunity came. What else did I need to pack?

"Ah!"

I'd almost forgotten the most important thing. I hurried to the kitchen and opened the drawer under the sink.

"Huh?"

The ribbon on the Schrödinger's Gift Box that I'd secretly hidden was untied. There was even a slight gap, and something could be seen inside.

With a bad feeling, I looked inside to find several bank books I'd never seen before.

'What are these?'

The Schrödinger's Gift Box I'd obtained as a Sexmuwiki reward was a special box that gave the other person whatever they desired most. If the owner of the gift wanted a watch, a watch would appear. If they wanted a wallet, a wallet would come out. But these bank books hadn't appeared because of me. I hadn't wanted bank books, and Sexmuwiki users couldn't use this box anyway.

'The ribbon was untied, which means someone other than me opened it first. The only person besides me who's been in this house is Iseor Noona.'

The moment that thought crossed my mind, the most suspicious person around me recently came to mind.

'That woman from downstairs...!'

When I'd first gone to deliver her package, she'd shown a natural wariness toward an unknown man. But at some point, she'd started acting friendly. As if she wanted something from me. And she was the only outsider besides Noona who'd ever entered this house. While she was showering, I'd stayed in my room, so it would've been entirely possible for her to search the place.

'She approached me aiming for money, opened this box, and got bank books?'

With my suspicions growing stronger, I picked up the top bank book and opened it.

'Ten billion won?!'

It was an amount that would make anyone's eyes roll. But was this real? It even had my name and account number. Just to be sure, I opened my phone and tried checking the account.

'Holy shit, this is real!'

With slightly trembling hands, I entered the account numbers from the other bank books.

Except for the ten billion won account from earlier, they all said the account numbers didn't exist.

'What the hell is going on?'

The description in Sexmuwiki had never mentioned that fake items could appear. So why was only one of these bank books real while the rest were fake?

One possibility came to mind as I pondered. The Schrödinger's Gift Box was a tool that Sexmuwiki users couldn't use. In simple terms, I wasn't supposed to take it—someone else had to. Yet the woman from downstairs had opened the box expecting money, then left all the bank books behind. The moment she abandoned the gift in my house, they became mine. And because of the rule that Sexmuwiki users couldn't use the box, they'd become useless.

'Wait. Then why is one of them real?'

As I thought about it again, another possibility occurred to me.

'What if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she only opened this ten billion won bank book? So only this one was recognized as her gift?'

It meant ownership of the bank books went to the first person who opened them. The ones she hadn't checked had become mine when I opened them first, turning them into fakes.

'I checked the top one right away, and she might not have seen the rest because she heard my voice.'

When I'd discovered the box, the ribbon hadn't been properly tied, which meant she'd probably been in a hurry when she checked it.

'Honestly, this is all conjecture, but there's no other way to explain it.'

Still, it was clear that the woman from downstairs had approached me for money, and thanks to that, I'd suddenly gained ten billion won.

'To think that a woman who approached me for money ended up giving me real money... what the...'

In truth, the old me wasn't someone who had any wealth worth coveting. My monthly earnings from YouTube were around 200,000 won—just pocket money. I was living off the money I'd saved in the military by diligently contributing to my military savings account and holding back from going to the PX. As for my parents' inheritance, it was just the jeonse deposit from the small house where the three of us had lived and the bit of money my father had saved. Even that, I'd given ten million won to the relatives who'd taken care of me for a while as thanks. Even though they'd refused to the end saying they absolutely couldn't accept it, I'd forced the transfer. The remaining money I'd kept safely in the bank, planning to only use it when I really needed it.

'And now I suddenly have ten billion won.'

I had no idea what to do. Should I just leave it as is for now? What about the woman in room 101? Should I thank her and give her the ten billion? No, that wasn't right. She was a woman who searched someone else's house without permission and approached me for money. If anything, I should be the one receiving an apology. But if I was going to see her anyway, it was a shame she hadn't opened all the bank books. My head was spinning from all the random thoughts mixing together.

I shook my head vigorously from side to side, trying to calm myself.

'Hoo. Calm down. Tomorrow I have to go to the pension with Iseor Noona, so I'll think about this money and that woman problem after I get back.'

Vrrr!

'Noona?'

"Yeah, Iseor Noona."

—...Can you talk?

"O-of course. Why?"

—You know we're going tomorrow, right?

"Of course... I mean, it's your wish to go on a trip with me. How could I forget?"

—...That's not wrong, but it somehow hurts my pride. Why is your voice shaking?

"Huh? Ah, I was just running around the neighborhood a bit... no, I must have done squats too intensely. Haha..."

My mind still wasn't organized, so I was babbling nonsense. Should I just tell Noona? With this money, we could do all sorts of things together. But I didn't know how to explain it, so I couldn't bring myself to say it.

—When we arrive tomorrow, I'm going to film some footage of the surroundings before entering the pension. Can you hold the camera for me while I shoot?

Before answering Noona, I took a deep breath to settle my mind.

"Got it. After we're done filming, can we do what I want?"

—I'll be filming inside too, but it won't take long. Why? Do you have something in mind?

"What do you think? Sex with you, Noona."

—....

"Noona?"

—You really only have that on your mind. Hearing her voice, which sounded slightly amused and exasperated, somehow made my heart feel at ease too. She still didn't seem to realize just how important she'd become to me.

"I wasn't like this before. It's all because of you, Noona. Why did you turn me into a pervert?"

—I'm the one who's become weird because of you, you know?

"Then I guess we've turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each other into perverts."

There was a brief silence, then Noona's voice came through the phone again.

—I'm glad it's you.

"What is?"

—I'm glad the thing that makes me aroused is your scent. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened if it had been someone else's scent.

"I don't want to imagine that either."

—...I'll hang up now. Don't oversleep and come out on time tomorrow.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Noona."

I couldn't be late like she said, so I needed to get some sleep soon. But would I even be able to sleep? What should I do with this money? Should I buy Noona some expensive luxury gifts? What would she like? Oh, I should repay Noona's mom too. What would be good? Maybe I should ask Noona about that. All sorts of thoughts were already swirling in my head, so in the end, I lay awake with my eyes open until late.

===

"I'm glad the thing that makes me aroused is your scent. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened if it had been someone else's scent."

—I don't want to imagine that either.

"...I'll hang up now. Don't oversleep and come out on time tomorrow."

—Okay. See you tomorrow, Noona.

The moment the call ended and the room grew quiet, a different sound filled the bed.

Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch!

"Mmm, hng... Haa, mmm! Mmm...!"

Kang Iseor was busily moving the hand she'd slipped inside her pants. Her fingers moved in and out of her wet pussy while her other hand held the underwear she'd received from Han Jihoon.

"Slurp, haa... Hng! Ung, haa...!"

When she'd called Han Jihoon, she hadn't intended to do this at all. She'd simply gotten so excited thinking about spending one night and two days with him alone that she couldn't sleep. That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why she'd called. But the moment he said the word "sex," her body had heated up.

Schlick, schlick, schlick, schlick!

"Haa, ah. Hng, he won't notice, right...?"

Since she hadn't been able to do it properly during the call for fear of being heard, she now dug into her slit with intense movements. The tension of secretly doing something lewd while Han Jihoon was on the phone kept her hand from stopping.

"Haa, ung, I'm coming... Uck, haaah...!"

Kang Iseor pressed his underwear tightly against her nose as she reached climax. The energy drained from her body along with the fading afterglow, and she collapsed onto the bed.

"Haa... Haa..."

'Starting tomorrow, it'll be just the two of us...'

Though the trembling in her body had subsided, the pounding of her heart remained. Whether from anticipation or nervousness, her heart felt like it was tickling. In the end, even after finishing the call with him, Kang Iseor had to toss and turn for a completely different reason.