Chapter 14
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 14: On Hiatus
Ah...
What am I doing today? Not playing games. No, I can't play.
I'm just in a severe state of 'Sage Time' (post-nut clarity) after going to that Sperm Donation Center or whatever sh*tty place yesterday.
'Oh my, human-san... you pulled one out really refreshingly desuung~' 'Det-de-ro-ge~'
F*ck...
The auditory hallucinations of Cham-pi (internet gremlins) leaving my head. Is my life okay like this.
Yeah... let's think positively. Instead of not going to the army, I can resolve my accumulating sexual desire legally, and even receive money (support funds) for it, so let's consider it not bad. If I don't self-hypnotize like that, I can't endure it.
Suddenly, the question the nurse asked right after it finished yesterday came to mind.
"Donor-nim, how would you like to set the registration option?"
"Yes?"
"It's setting the disclosure range for when the beneficiary (fertile woman) wants to view information later. Whether you want to disclose your real name, only your surname, or remain completely anonymous..."
Hearing it, the system was quite systematic. Women in this world shop at the sperm bank, looking at the donor's specs (height, education, appearance, etc.) and choosing to get pregnant. At that time, the donor's identity disclosure status is also an important option or something.
Hmm... Come to think of it, there's no dad in our family, but now I know why me, my sister, and my older sister all have the surname 'Seol'.
Mom is 'Go'.
In the original world, it was natural to follow the dad's surname, but here since Mom is the head of the household, it would make sense to follow Mom's surname, so I wondered why it was Seol. Turns out, they either chose the donor's surname or followed the designated donor's surname.
'...But then, is my biological father, or that gentleman named 'Seol', alive somewhere in this world?'
He might have died early like in the original world, or he might be living well somewhere as a Sperm King.
"Ah, I don't know. Just annoying."
I stopped thinking. Whether it's another person with the same surname or whatever, what's the use of racking my brain. It's not like I'm going to find that gentleman and call him "Father!". I have zero intention of filming a 'Finding Birth Father' drama.
So I answered the nurse very coolly.
"Please make it completely anonymous. My genes are public goods."
"...Ah, yes."
The nurse looked at me with strange eyes, but who cares. I decline any soap opera drama where a kid who inherited my genes comes looking for me calling "Dad!".
"Phew..."
I got up from the bed. I enjoyed Sage Time enough, and the useless contemplation on family history is over.
I sat on the computer chair out of habit. Playing games feels annoying for some reason... should I try some productive activity?
"Diary... no, should I try writing a novel."
Come to think of it, there was a time when I dreamed of becoming a great writer. I wanted to make my nickname coolly 'Writer A', shortening 'Class A Writer', but searching it up, there was already a famous author with that name.
Digression was long. Anyway, speaking of writing reminds me of the old days.
Once in the original world, I had a friend named Eun-seong. Lee Eun-seong. One of the few close friends in my life.
The way I became close with that bastard was quite dramatic... but I'll talk about that later. Anyway, why I'm talking about this is something that happened in high school, 2nd year.
That bastard wrote quite well. He used to sweep awards not only in school writing contests but whenever he went to external literary competitions.
So I asked him. What's the secret.
Then the guy passed down his secret technique with a face that mastered the world.
"Hey, wanna win an award? There's a cheat key."
"What is it?"
"Poverty, and Grandmother."
"...Huh?"
"If you mix and rub these two materials together, you can forcibly open the judges' tear ducts. It's a kind of tear gas. So unconditionally sell out your grandmother."
Innocent me believed those words literally. Grandmother and poverty. Thinking I could become a great writer with just those two things, I stayed up all night writing a manuscript.
And ambitiously submitted it to the competition.
The result was elimination. And not just elimination, I was called to the teacher's office and got scolded to death by the Korean literature teacher.
I felt aggrieved so I complained to Eun-seong.
"Hey you son of a b*tch! I did as you said but I got eliminated!!"
Then Eun-seong, reading my manuscript, couldn't hide his shock and shouted.
"Crazy b*tch! I told you to write about a poor grandmother, who told you to put prostitution into the grandmother?!! Are you human?!!"
"...Since she's poor, she could do that to earn money right? It's realism."
"Realism my ass! Crazy bastard!!"
Because of that incident, I broke my pen. Quit writing? No, it was a forced hiatus. My ambitious dream of becoming a great writer was thrown into the trash can like that.
What's more terrible is, I don't know where the text I submitted at the time leaked from... but a rumor spread in some community about a 'Legendary Cursed Text' that made judges bleed tears from their eyes.
Was the title perhaps:
"......"
Thinking about it makes me want to kick the blanket again.
"...Let's give up on writing. I have zero talent."
I quietly closed Notepad. As expected, the consumer position is perfect for me. Give the pain of creation to the dogs.
I stared blankly at the monitor again. Nothing to do, bored...
"Should I pack."
Tomorrow is the long-awaited moving day.
I opened the suitcase and stuffed clothes in first. Most are training clothes at the level of a fashion terrorist, but there's nothing better for wearing comfortably in a studio apartment.
And the most important item.
"Computer... should I buy a new one... no, let's take it."
This is my alter ego. The specs are great, and above all, it's an item with my hand stains (accurately, Fake Jin-hyuk's hand stains). I was about to unplug the tower but stopped my hand.
'But if I take this whole thing... what will Seol Ji-hye use?'
This desktop in my room is the only one in this house. If I take it, does Ji-hye have to go to a PC cafe to listen to online lectures or do assignments?
'Is there a laptop at home or something.'
I should check. I left the room and paced in front of Ji-hye's room.
Knock knock.
"Hey, coming in."
"Huh? Uh uh... Come in!"
An urgent voice came from inside. I opened the door and entered.
A subtle diffuser scent hit me. A pleasantness on a different dimension from my bachelor-smelling room.
Actually, I haven't entered her room much except to pick a fight in the past, wonder if anything changed.
I scanned the room. Desk location, bed cover color... not much different from the room in my memory. They said it's a parallel world, but these details are the same.
Ji-hye was sitting in front of the desk with a book open.
"Were you studying?"
"Yeah... I was previewing the high school curriculum a bit."
"Uh... Okay. Commendable. Good luck."
As expected of a model student. Her brother only thought about raising his game rank. I cleared my throat once and brought up the main topic.
"But do we have a laptop or another computer at home? If I take the tower, you have nothing to use."
"Yeah... Over there."
Ji-hye pointed under the desk. A silver laptop bag that looked quite usable was placed there.
"There is one?"
Ah... It made sense. The Fake Jin-hyuk of this world lived locked in his room with the door locked. There's no way he would have lent his computer to his sister. Eventually, Seol Ji-hye must have had to get a laptop as a self-rescue measure.
"Okay, that's a relief. It's fine if you have a laptop."
I was about to leave but stopped, holding the doorknob and looking back. I saw Ji-hye looking up at me with bright eyes.
"Ah, right... Study hard."
I gave a blessing with a feigned solemn voice.
"Study hard, and get into a great university like me."
"...Pfft. Yeah, okay. Brother."
Ji-hye couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter. I smiled bitterly inside too.
Of course... I got in receiving the overwhelming 'Male Only Special Admission' buff rather than skill. But so what. If the result is good, it's all good.
"Yeah... Work hard."
I was about to close the door awkwardly but paused. Before leaving the room, an old textbook stuck in the bookshelf caught my eye.
What... is that, f*ck?
"Sister... what is that, that book?"
"Huh? Which one?"
I went back into the room. And pointed with my finger at that book sitting in the corner of the bookshelf with light dust on it.
"That."
"Ah, this? It's the Military Drill textbook I used in middle school... But why?"
Ji-hye answered nonchalantly.
"Uh... Military Drill...?"
Did I hear wrong? It's not the 80s, nor the military regime era. They distribute that crap in school? And to female middle schoolers?
"Is that a regular textbook?"
"Yeah. It's a required subject?"
"......"
My head spun. Clearly, this is not the 20th century but the 21st century where smartphones operate. Yet they teach such relics, and to female middle schoolers with sensitive sensibilities?
I couldn't understand, no, I couldn't accept it at all, so I just asked straightforwardly.
"Why do they teach that? In this day and age."
At my question, Ji-hye tilted her head, and answered as if it were very obvious.
"Because... we have to go to the army later too."
"......"
"There's a practical evaluation when we go to high school, so we have to learn the basics in advance. Drill ceremony, first aid, map reading, things like that..."
Ah. I see.
The women of this world... were receiving reserve forces training since middle school.
In Ji-hye's calm eyes looking at the textbook, I realized anew the weight of national defense shouldered by the women of South Korea.
"...No, I didn't know. Since we don't go."
"Tch... I'm envious. It would have been good if I was born a man too."
Ji-hye pouted. I patted her shoulder a couple of times.
"Uh... Yeah.. Hang in there. Brother will buy chicken when I visit you."
"Really? You promised?"
"Yeah. Painfully delicious one."
I left the room with a bitter smile.
As expected, this world is definitely running crazy. And I realized painfully once again that I am a beneficiary of that crazy world.