A Secret Deal in the Rooftop Room
Eun-su immediately pulled out the scale.
Beep.
“Weight is… the same as before.”
She turned on the InBody device right away.
Grabbing the handles, she stepped onto the platform.
“…What the hell.”
The proportions… they’re different.
It went beyond any reasonable margin of error.
Eun-su scanned the results sheet once more.
Then she lifted her head and studied her reflection in the mirror more closely.
At that moment.
“Manager, hello.”
She turned at the voice coming from behind her.
It was Min-ho, the male trainer who worked at the same club.
“Hey. Hello…”
Eun-su answered casually, still examining her own body.
Min-ho started walking toward her but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He stared at her intently.
“…Why?”
Eun-su asked when she noticed his unusual expression.
Min-ho didn’t answer. He took one more step closer.
His gaze was unmistakably blatant.
The appraising look only a trainer would give.
“Ma’am… what did you do?”
“…What?”
“No, I mean…”
Min-ho hesitated, choosing his words, then spoke plainly.
“Your body… has gotten insanely beautiful?”
He circled to her side and examined her from different angles.
His overt stare made Eun-su twist uncomfortably.
“Hold on. Just stand still for a second.”
“Hey!!!”
“Seriously, just a moment.”
With sharp eyes he scrutinized her even more persistently.
“Wow… what is this?”
“What?”
“The lines… they’ve been beautifully refined. It doesn’t feel like muscle gain… and it’s not simple fat loss either… well, the fat is gone, but the way it happened is strange.”
Eun-su’s heart gave a heavy thud.
It matched exactly what she had felt herself.
“…Don’t exaggerate.”
“I’m not. This feels like your entire body balance has shifted. Manager, you always had a great body, but now it’s on another level…”
Min-ho kept tilting his head, still puzzled.
“Did you change your diet?”
“…No.”
“New training program?”
“…I told you no.”
“You’re not on anything, right?”
“Hey.”
Eun-su cut him off sharply.
Only then did Min-ho laugh and raise his hands in surrender.
“Just kidding, just kidding. But it really is amazing…”
“That’s enough. Stop talking and get the PT session ready.”
Eun-su continued stretching as if nothing had happened.
Inside, she began searching for the cause.
Diet?
She shook her head immediately.
No.
The past week had been a mess because of the divorce proceedings. Her eating habits had completely collapsed.
She had even binged several times, along with late-night snacks and alcohol.
Exercise?
That wasn’t it either.
Her training volume had actually decreased.
She used to split her routine into two focused sessions a day, but lately she had barely managed one—and even those were often half-hearted.
Eun-su bit her lip lightly.
Every possible explanation was being crossed off one by one.
Her thoughts quietly converged on a single point.
Sex with Tae-seok? No way… really? That makes no sense. But… that’s the only thing that’s changed.
Eun-su’s gaze wavered for the briefest moment.
Sex with Tae-seok had been ridiculously good… but… this is absurd. To think my body changed because of that.
Name: Yoon Mi-jin
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Emotion Level: 12 / 100
Dominance: 1 / 100
Special Notes:
• In a 2-year relationship with Kim Jung-hoon
***
A little after seven in the evening, a call from Jung-hoon actually came.
She had doubted it would happen, but it did.
The moment Tae-seok hesitated and answered, Jung-hoon’s calm voice flowed through.
“I’m… heading to your place with Mi-jin right now.”
A brief silence.
Then an immediate explosion.
“You crazy bastard… Hey!!! Don’t come over.”
Tae-seok nearly shouted.
“I didn’t literally mean bring Mi-jin. You’re supposed to be smart—why do you play dumb at times like this?”
A short laugh came from the other end.
“Yeah. I know.”
Jung-hoon’s voice remained perfectly relaxed.
“I know that wasn’t what you meant. But I also know that if I actually meet those tough conditions, you won’t be able to refuse so easily.”
Tae-seok was momentarily speechless.
“…For real? You matched every condition I gave?”
“Well. How far Mi-jin will let you go is up to her. That’s her choice. I already told you this part…”
His tone dropped slightly, becoming clearer.
“Still, I’m bringing her. Whatever you do to Mi-jin… I’m ready to deal with it.”
“Hey, Jung-hoon. Quit messing around.”
“I’m not messing around. Would I bring Mi-jin as a joke? We’ll be there soon. See you in a bit.”
Click.
The call ended one-sidedly.
Tae-seok stared at his phone for a long moment before slowly exhaling.
“…Crazy bastard.”
Jung-hoon knew.
He knew that Tae-seok had once liked Mi-jin.
Yoon Mi-jin—the woman who had shaken the entire department the moment she stepped onto campus.
Her striking looks and the natural aura that drew every eye.
Tae-seok still remembered clearly how every man’s gaze would snap to her the instant she entered the lecture hall.
It was hard to think of any guy who hadn’t liked her back then.
Tae-seok had been no exception.
Yet among all those men, she had chosen Jung-hoon.
His confident attitude.
Relaxed tone.
And flawless background.
Honestly, it was an understandable choice.
Perhaps the most realistic and wise decision a woman could make.
And now that same Jung-hoon was bringing his girlfriend Mi-jin here.
The sole purpose: to sleep with Eun-jung.
Crazy bastard…
Tae-seok cursed inwardly.
No matter how many times he turned it over, the situation refused to make sense.
He knew Jung-hoon’s nature better than anyone.
Quick with calculations, a man who never took a loss.
For someone like that to willingly offer his own girlfriend—especially a woman like Yoon Mi-jin?
It couldn’t be explained as a simple joke or impulse.
Tae-seok slowly leaned back and stared into empty space.
He began dissecting the situation piece by piece in his mind.
Is Eun-jung really that attractive…?
It was possible.
Having received the full Blessing of Beauty from Tae-seok, she was an undeniably captivating woman.
Even setting age aside, her figure, aura, and the subtle sensuality she gave off were more than enough to attract any man.
But whether that was worth staking Mi-jin was another question entirely.
Mi-jin wasn’t simply pretty.
She was the kind of woman who made people turn their heads on campus, the one chosen among countless men.
To offer a woman like that to another man?
Tae-seok let out a small sigh.
In the end, only one answer remained.
He’s convinced I won’t be able to do anything to Mi-jin.
Jung-hoon knew.
He knew Tae-seok had once liked Mi-jin.
And that in the end he had never confessed, convincing himself by watching from afar before stepping back.
If he remembered that, he would naturally assume the same thing this time.
That Tae-seok wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway.
That even with Mi-jin placed right in front of him, he would hesitate like before and ultimately retreat without acting.
Because he was so certain, he could casually set up such an outrageous deal.
“…Ha.”
A short laugh slipped from Tae-seok’s lips.
It was a hypothesis too plausible to deny.
No… it was the most realistic one.
He lowered his head for a moment, then slowly breathed out.
It’s stirring up my competitive spirit.
A quiet heat bloomed inside his chest.
Like something long suppressed had been poked.
Yet apart from that feeling, another uncomfortable sensation slowly crept in.
Was it right to let himself be led onto a board created by a guy like that and allow his woman Eun-jung to sleep with that bastard again?
Even if the first time had been driven by momentary rage toward her, doing it again felt like truly using her as nothing more than a tool.
Mi-jin wasn’t the woman he once liked anymore—she was simply another trophy in this game.
Thinking of women not as people, but as pieces placed on a board.
Can I really go through with this?
It wasn’t the kind of question he could simply brush aside.
At that moment, a familiar screen rose in his mind.
The status window.
Emotion levels, dominance, target information.
An interface that converted human feelings into numbers and displayed relationships through dominance—a literal game UI.
Yeah… the being that showed me this is probably playing a game with me too. Guiding me to play the game… which means I’ve become its tool as well.
He laughed bitterly.
In the end, this status window… is telling me not to see people as people. It’s telling me to enjoy the game.
Tae-seok was already doing exactly that to some extent.
With Eun-jung.
And with her sister Eun-su as well.
A refreshed smile formed on Tae-seok’s lips, as if something had been resolved.
To the being that made my life this entertaining, I should show it something entertaining too. That way… maybe this status window will stick around longer?
***
A cool evening breeze blew across the rooftop of the rooftop room.
The distant noise of cars and people’s chatter overlapped like a thin veil, creating a silence that made the small space feel completely cut off from the world.
Tae-seok leaned against the railing, placed a cigarette between his lips, and lit it.
The moment smoke began to rise, footsteps sounded from the stairwell.
Light dress shoes, followed by even lighter steps—probably sandals.
Tae-seok slowly turned his head.
Jung-hoon came up first.
His shoulders stood out clearly under the light, and Tae-seok’s gaze naturally slid past him.
And then,
time seemed to stop for a moment.
Yoon Mi-jin.
She appeared at the top of the stairs.
Name: Yoon Mi-jin
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Emotion Level: 12 / 100
Dominance: 1 / 100
Special Notes:
• In a 2-year relationship with Kim Jung-hoon
The wind gently lifted her hair, and the faint lighting brushed across her nape, casting soft shadows.
Jung-hoon stepped forward first, but Tae-seok’s eyes refused to leave Mi-jin.
For a split second he remembered how she had looked back then—dressed in black, head bowed, standing quietly at the funeral.
But the Mi-jin before him now carried a completely different aura.
Brighter. More polished. And above all, far more sophisticated.
Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders, neatly arranged without looking overdone. The thin blouse flowed softly along her body lines, subtly revealing her silhouette.
Her skirt was neither too short nor too long, giving a neat yet distinctly feminine impression. The elegant lines of her legs beneath it were more than enough to draw the eye.
Simple sandals adorned her feet, and just above them a bag naturally caught attention.
It didn’t flaunt a loud logo, but anyone could tell at a glance it was an expensive luxury brand.
Must be a gift from Jung-hoon.
A fact that needed no confirmation.
The thought that it suited her strangely well crossed his mind.
Mi-jin glanced around briefly. When her eyes met Tae-seok’s, she bowed her head politely.
“Hello, sunbae.”
Her tone was calm, her expression measured.
A perfectly balanced greeting—neither overly warm nor awkwardly distant.
Tae-seok looked at her for a moment, then gave a short nod.
“Yeah… it’s been a while.”
“Have you been well?”
“Yeah… I guess. So-so. You look good.”
After the greetings, an awkward atmosphere settled over them.
“Hey, why are you two just standing there? Let’s sit.”
Jung-hoon spoke lightly and took a seat first.
