Noah Is Smiling
I returned to the dorm after the date.
I'd slipped out quietly and sat on a bench outside the hotel, letting out deep sighs.
"Hoo…."
I should have been nothing but thrilled after the championship win, but my head was a tangled mess right now. And the reason was obvious—the girls I'd spent the day with.
To think we'd grown this close….
To put it bluntly, at first, I'd only planned to keep things casual and use the relationships to my advantage.
But not anymore.
Being with them was fun, and naturally, my thoughts drifted to the next step.
The problem was that it wasn't narrowing down to just one of them. These feelings were coming up for all three.
None of them stood out above the others. They were all precious to me without a doubt.
"…Man, I never imagined this when I first got here."
It wasn't just about the girls. I'd grown attached to this world itself—from my dear teammates at Munhyeok High to my current national team brothers.
We'd forged intense memories battling through hell together, building deep bonds with so many people in such a short time.
Now, thoughts like that even crept in.
Maybe it's okay to stay here?
"Don't be reckless. I can think it over more and decide later…."
"What are you worrying about?"
"Whoa…!!"
I jumped at the girl's voice from behind me. Turning around, I saw a pink-haired girl beaming at me.
"What the—it's you, Noah. What are you doing out here so late at night…?"
"It's our last night, so I wanted to take a walk with you, oppa. I was gonna text, but you were already out here!"
Noah grinned brightly.
She plopped down next to me and asked,
"So, Seong-muk oppa, what big worries were you mulling over?"
"…It's nothing major. Don't worry about it."
I said that and averted my eyes.
It wasn't something I could just spill to anyone, and especially not to Noah.
But then our eyes met, and I flinched.
"……."
Her expression pierced right through me, like she already knew everything. Noah stared straight at me and asked,
"Oppa, who do you like the most?"
"Huh?"
"Doyeon unnie, Olivia unnie, and me. Out of us three, who do you like best?"
"………!!"
I was genuinely shocked.
I hadn't expected her to ask so directly, and certainly not at this timing.
Who do I like best?
I didn't know.
I'd racked my brain over it until my head hurt.
No conclusion.
They were all so captivating that I couldn't bear to give up any of them.
It wasn't a question I could answer easily when I hadn't even settled it in my own mind. I gazed off at the distant mountains, dodging the question.
"…Sorry, I don't get what you're asking."
"Hmm, you really don't know?"
"Yeah, really."
"Hmmm…."
Noah pondered my words deeply.
Then she scooted closer to me.
"Look straight into my eyes."
"……?"
I turned to her, meeting Noah's gaze.
Blue eyes like sapphires.
I stared blankly, and then something unexpected happened.
"………!!?"
Her soft lips pressed against mine.
A total surprise attack I never saw coming.
"……."
"……."
About five seconds passed.
Her lips pulled away, leaving me utterly dumbfounded.
"Heehee, so that's what it feels like. Kissing a guy…."
"Noah, what the hell…."
"…You said it back then, oppa. Even if you have to give something up between precious things, you'll struggle to the end so you don't lose any of them."
"………."
I remembered.
Back when I was invited to her place in Japan, wandering the garden together, we'd talked about that.
"Yeah, I did say that."
"It's no different now. If we're all precious to you, oppa, I don't want you to give up on any of us."
"………."
Noah gripped both my hands tightly, her face deadly serious. I wavered too, but there were harsh realities in the way.
Modern society was fundamentally monogamous.
To promise a future with someone, marriage was necessary—but legally, I couldn't marry them all.
Sure, I could dodge responsibility or marry one and cheat with the others….
But that wasn't my style.
If I committed, I wanted to do it right and take full responsibility.
And right on cue, Noah dropped an unexpected solution.
"…Do you know about the 'Special Law' passed a few years ago?"
"Special Law?"
I racked my brain.
Then it hit me.
A bizarre law unique to this game world that wouldn't exist in reality.
"No way…!"
I remembered.
Some players had bombarded the devs with emails begging to marry multiple heroines, and the result was a patch added to the game.
To sum up the patch:
[Exceeding a certain asset threshold allows polygamy.]
As a visual novel, it was a patch that most players would cheer for. But many didn't know.
The insane conditions required to achieve it.
…The threshold was a whopping 1 trillion won.
One trillion won in Korean currency.
To bypass monogamy's walls with state certification, you needed assets of 1 trillion won. Only after becoming a billionaire could you have unlimited wives.
In this world, no one's hit 1 trillion just from baseball yet… but.
If a top-league star signed a 10-year mega-deal with a big-market team in free agency, it was totally doable.
Members of the so-called 1 Trillion Won Club already numbered five in the league, and with time, this golden generation would produce even more.
But the problem is, qualifying isn't the end….
There was an even bigger issue.
This game's heroines were all exceptional in their fields, with sky-high self-esteem.
Imagine proposing to one of them.
"Will you be my third wife?"
"You crazy bastard…!"
Slap!
That kind of slap-happy ending was the norm.
You could shatter reality's walls with overwhelming wealth, but without permission, no marriage.
The rare cases where permission came were like beans in a drought—when 'the women got along well.'
Of course, with Noah, that might not be a worry.
True to her sociable nature, Noah was tight with everyone. If I ever ended up with multiple wives, the others might even say, 'Noah's fine.'
But the real issue came next.
The relationships among the other women mattered too.
I cleared my throat and asked Noah,
"How are things between Doyeon noona and Olivia? They still seem awkward."
"Ah, it's not awkward—they totally hate each other!"
"What…!"
Hearing they'd fought at the theater earlier made my neck tense up. Noah looked a bit resigned.
"I'm the weird one, really. That's normal. Who'd want to share their man with other women?"
"Hmm…."
She had a point.
Noah was the outlier. No normal woman would accept it easily.
"But don't worry too much. You have your own special weapon, oppa?"
"Weapon?"
Did I? I pondered seriously, but nothing came to mind.
"What weapon?"
"……."
Noah flashed a meaningful smile.
Her gaze drifted from my face… downward.
"Wait, you mean…?"
"Hehe, make 'em bodies that can't live without you!"
What the—? Noah, seriously?
A teenage girl spouting grandpa-level theory like that—what kind of hybrid was she?
As my head spun with all these tangled topics, she suddenly hopped up from the bench.
"I hope that helps with your worries, Seong-muk oppa…! It's late, so I'll head back now!"
There was a taxi stand nearby, so she'd go back to the dorm that way. She waved goodbye.
"Okay, see ya—ah!?"
As she turned to leave, I grabbed her wrist.
She looked pretty flustered.
"O-oppa?"
"We're not done talking. Where do you think you're going?"
Like I'd let her just drop that and bail.
I yanked her in, and she tumbled right into my arms. Maybe because she was so petite.
"Ahh…."
Thump, thump-!
I could feel Noah's heart racing wildly.
She noticed it too and blushed hard.
"Eek, let go!"
"Then answer my question."
"Ehh, question…?"
The composure from moments ago was gone.
She shyly nodded, waiting for it.
I threw the doubt gnawing at me right at her.
"Noah, you really like me, right?"
"Y-yes…!?"
She jumped in shock.
Like it was the most absurd question ever.
"Of course I do! Do I look like the type to kiss a guy I don't like…!?"
"No, obviously not—but."
"But?"
"Something feels off. Our talk in Japan last time, and today too."
"Off how? What's off?"
"You have no greed. Like, way too much."
"………."
I knew Noah liked me.
But she always held back a step or two. Even now.
It felt like she cared more about my relationships with others than ours. Even for her unique type, this was weird.
"There's a reason, right? Spill."
"What if I don't wanna?"
"Then you ain't leaving."
"Ughhh…."
She really didn't want to say.
Soon, her body went limp.
"…Okay, I'll tell you."
I nodded for her to sit and talk, releasing her. She gathered her thoughts and began.
"There was a time I really hated my dad, Takahina Ryuken. We're close now, of course."
"That's surprising. He seemed like a good guy."
Was "good guy" the right term for a yakuza? But that was my impression.
"He was great to us kids, but not to our mom."
"Mom?"
"Yeah. Dad's got insane stamina from his dragon blood or whatever. He always brought home young women, shoving Mom aside. He'd sleep with her out of duty sometimes, but that was it."
"Hmm."
"Still, Mom never complained once. Even though she's from a powerful Japanese family. I asked her once why she never said a word to him. It was so frustrating."
"What'd she say?"
"That she's happy like this. Heroes can't help being womanizers, and his occasional love was enough."
"……."
"Isn't that pathetic? I hated seeing her like that. Swore I'd never live that way."
"I wanted a sweet guy who only had eyes for me, living all lovey-dovey. But then I met you, oppa, and that all fell apart."
"Me? I don't get it. Why?"
"…This is super embarrassing. Can I not say?"
"No."
"Ugh, fine."
Noah fidgeted, face red.
Then she met my eyes and said,
"I fell for you at first sight, from that one-on-one meeting…."
"Huh…?"
"Desperately showing off what I could do? That was 'cause I fell hard."
What was this now?
A question mark popped over my head.
"Weird? That you're my type."
"No, not weird. Just… first time hearing it, feels weird."
I scratched my head and looked away.
This was pretty embarrassing.
But if she'd fallen for me from the start, a natural question arose.
"Doesn't add up."
"How?"
"You falling for me at first sight, and your dream of a lovey-dovey life with one guy who only sees you—how do they connect?"
"Might sound vague, but I can see people's 'vessels'."
"Vessels?"
Come to think of it, some heroines in this world had heightened senses for things others couldn't perceive.
Noah must be one.
She continued,
"My dad and Ryu Ji oppa have way bigger vessels than normal people."
"Yeah, makes sense for them."
"And there's someone with an even huger vessel. That's…."
"Me?"
"Yes, exactly."
Noah added that my vessel wouldn't bow to any 1 Trillion Won Club player.
With a slightly bitter look, she went on.
"After falling for you, I got why Mom put up with it. To her, Dad must've been that kind of existence. Too vast for one person to hold—afraid of losing him if she got greedy."
"……."
"I probably won't get greedy either. I'm scared. I'm nothing special compared to the unnies—what if I get selfish and can't stay by your side?"
Noah, always bright and outgoing. Who knew this shadow hid behind her.
Loved by so many, yet insecure about being loved by the one she wanted.
"…Man."
How high did she think I was?
What made me so great?
"Noah."
"Yes? Ah, whoa…!?"
I yanked her wrist, pulling her face right up to mine.
She panicked at the bolder move.
Her face flushed like never before, even hiccuping.
To her, I stated my resolve.
"I've decided. I'll take responsibility for all of you. No question."
"………!!"
Noah's eyes went wide.
But I wasn't done.
"Might take time, sure. Can't make that much money overnight. But one promise I can make."
"What promise…?"
"I won't make you like your mom. Once a month? Screw that. You won't have a second to feel lonely. Get ready."
"Eek…."
Tears welled in Noah's eyes.
She looked ready to burst any second.
"Wah, nooo… If I like you even more, I might get greedy too."
"My vessel's huge, right? Don't worry. I'm not the guy who can't handle your little greed."
I chuckled, and she started sniffling.
Soon she clung to me, sobbing her heart out.
"Hic, sob. I like you so much, oppa…."
"Yeah, yeah."
She buried her face in my shoulder, crying a messy storm of tears and snot. I stroked her hair for a good long while, spending the last night in England.
How should I live from here on?
This was the turning point that decided it.