Chapter 8
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 8: First Outing (2)
I got on the bus.
Beep-
"Welcome."
The bus driver lady with a husky voice scanned me briefly. Her thick forearms gripping the steering wheel are no joke. The reality of the Reverse World definitely hits my skin.
I passed the fare terminal and went inside the bus. It's packed. And naturally, 99% of the passengers are women.
'...Why aren't there any seats.'
I held onto a handle and stood. And from that moment, I had to feel like dozens of needles were sticking into my back and the side of my head.
Glance, glance. Whisper whisper.
Most are pretending to look at their smartphones, but the gazes scanning me from the corners of their eyes are blatant. Among them, some were openly scanning me up and down.
'It's f*cking annoying...'
Is this what it feels like? Like a tiger trapped in a zoo. No, I'd be lucky if I were a tiger. It feels like being a rabbit thrown into a beast's cage.
With such suffocating interest pouring in, I understood a hundred times why Fake Jin-hyuk or other men of this world became hikikomoris. Guys with weak mental fortitude would probably get drained of energy and lie sick in bed just from riding a bus once.
Honestly, I feel burdened too. But if I get intimidated here, I lose. I pretended nothing was wrong, blocking the gazes by pretending to look out the window.
[This stop is...]
Just then the bus stopped, and a seat opened up near the front. I quickly moved my body there.
Next to the empty seat, on the aisle side, sat a young woman. When I approached, the woman flinched and stiffened her body.
"Excuse me, just for a moment..."
As I signaled that I wanted to go inside, the woman was startled and moved her legs to the side.
"Ah! Yes, yes yes! Please pass!"
She bows almost like someone being punished. I squeezed through the narrow gap and planted my butt on the window seat. The woman next to me was crumpling her body as much as possible towards the opposite side of the window, afraid I might touch her.
'Am I some kind of germ...'
About 30 minutes to the destination. I plugged in my earphones and turned my gaze out the window.
The passing street scenery. Buildings and roads are similar to the original world, but the moment I saw the billboards, a sense of alienation rushed in.
That Soju advertisement over there. In the original world, a pretty female idol should be smiling refreshingly, but here, a slender male model had unbuttoned his shirt and was sending a smoldering gaze.
[Tonight, a drink with Noona?]
...Blegh. Makes me want to puke.
Next to it, a construction company advertisement. A reliable-looking female model wearing a hard hat is standing holding a sledgehammer.
[The Power of Strong Women! XX Construction]
And a military recruitment poster. A female soldier wearing a beret is saluting.
[Proud Daughter of Korea, the Motherland Wants You.]
It's certain. This is not the place I knew. A world where everything is opposite.
I muttered blankly looking out the window.
"Truly... going crazy."
But there is no time to be sentimental. Because soon, the time to educate Yasuo, the immutable law of that crazy world, is approaching.
I withdrew my gaze and inadvertently scanned the inside of the bus.
Seats for pregnant women with pink covers, seats for the elderly and disabled with yellow covers. This much is familiar.
But what is that? At the front of the bus, opposite the elderly seats, I saw two random green seats.
'Are they eco-friendly seats?'
Curiosity rose, so I took out my phone from my pocket. Come to think of it, I haven't done a proper search on my phone since falling into this world. At most, I only used it to check messengers or look at the time.
Suddenly, a chill went down my spine.
'Wait. Fake Jin-hyuk's internet history... isn't it all in here?'
Room-corner loser, hikikomori, male. When these three keywords combine, there is something that inevitably follows. Porn.
If I carelessly turn on Googol now, and embarrassing sites or search history pop up in the middle of the bus for others to see? I would be socially buried immediately. I might have to break the bus window and jump out.
'Googol is sealed.'
I carefully moved my fingers and turned on the default Nae-ip-bar app (Naver parody). This should be safe.
I entered [Bus Green Seats] in the search bar.
A giant portal Q&A search result popped up immediately.
Q. Who sits on the green chairs in the bus?A. Ah, those are 'Male Priority Seats'! Like pregnant women seats, they were made so men can ride comfortably... (See more)
"...Huh."
Male Priority Seat. Male priority?
Since it's a world where women go to the army, it logically makes sense to have priority seats for men... but the nuance is quite strange.
I looked up at those green seats again.
Sitting there very comfortably were two aunties dressed colorfully in hiking clothes. Holding hiking sticks in both hands and chatting loudly.
'......'
You said it's a Male Priority Seat? Shouldn't you move if a man gets on? When I got on earlier, those aunties only stared at me, looking like they had zero intention of lifting their butts.
As expected. Even if the world flips, the combat power and shamelessness of aunties seem to be an immutable law. Just as Yasuo is science, that is also science.
'No. If I think about it, I lose.'
Isn't it funny for me to go there and say "Excuse me, I have a d*ck," and ask them to give up the seat? Let's just pretend I didn't see it.
I turned my gaze out the window again. Before I knew it, the bus was arriving at the stop near the destination.
[This stop is, XX Intersection.]
The announcement flowed out. Finally, the place of the decisive battle.
I pressed the bell and got up from my seat. I felt dozens of gazes stabbing the back of my head again, but I didn't care this time.
There is only one thing in my head right now.
How I will smack the crown of that arrogant Yasuo bastard's head nicely with this 3,000 won toy hammer.
Clack-clack-clack-clack—!
A PC cafe mixed with the thick smell of cigarettes and ramen. This place was the middle of a battlefield.
"Hey! Run to Point A! Ah, no... F*ck!"
"Hey you crazy support b*tch, why did you eat the kill! Are you insane?"
Thick curses burst out from here and there. Of course, they were all women's voices.
A seat near the smoking area in the corner. Kang Min-ji (ID: JungleDoUHaveNoMom), who graduated elementary school this year and is about to become a middle schooler, was currently very displeased.
Clack-clack!
"Ah, our jungler f*cking sucks. Hey, let's surrender at 15. I'm done."
[DEFEAT]
Red letters appeared filling the screen. Min-ji threw off her headset nervously. Just then, the LEL messenger alarm rang.
Min-ji snorted. But her fingers tapped the keyboard restlessly.
As soon as she pressed the send button, Min-ji swallowed dry spit.
'...Honestly I'm a bit scared.'
Don't know what kind of b*tch the opponent is. The tone is quite rough, what if she's really like a gangster unni? Min-ji glanced at her friends sitting next to her. Just in case, she had called a few school friends.
"Hey, Min-ji. Is that bastard really coming?"
A friend eating cup ramen next to her asked.
"Dunno. Says coming now."
"Wow, Kang Min-ji you crazy btch, how much aggro did you pull in the game to do an IRL fight. Real crazy btch."
"Shut up. Anyway, if I really end up fighting, you guys put in some interference (gensei) from the side."
"Bullsh*t. Really, you're the only bastard in the world who calls friends to help with an IRL fight after pulling aggro in a game."
The friends grumbled but glanced toward the entrance as if finding it interesting.
Like that, about 5 minutes passed nervously. The PC cafe door opened and a female customer walked in.
Min-ji's eyes snapped open.
'Is it that b*tch?'
Physique is small... hair is bobbed... looks frail overall. A type that looks like she can't use strength at a glance.
"Is it her?"
Friends whispered too. It's ambiguous...
Min-ji sent a message for confirmation kill.
Send complete. At that very moment, that frail woman standing at the entrance took her phone out of her pocket and fiddled with it.
Ding.
A reply popped up on Min-ji's screen.
It's certain. The timing was perfect. That b*tch is exactly that arrogant Tryndamere.
Min-ji's corners of the mouth went up crookedly. With that level of physique, it seemed she could trample her enough alone without friends' help.
"Hmph. Ending it in 2 minutes."
Min-ji confidently pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Hey, let's go. Gotta educate her..."
Jingle—
Just then, the bell on the PC cafe door rang cheerfully. It was the moment Min-ji was about to stand up.
Suddenly, the noise inside the PC cafe subsided. The clacking keyboard sounds, the "F*ck!" curses all stopped momentarily.
Murmur murmur. Whisper whisper.
"Wow... What is that?" "Crazy... That's dope." "Did he come alone? A man?"
An unusual atmosphere. Min-ji turned her head with a puzzled expression and looked toward the entrance. And, froze on the spot.
Standing there was a giant rock-like figure with a black hood pulled over.
A tall height that seemed well over 180cm. Shoulders like the Pacific Ocean revealed over the hoodie. And a sharp, murderous gaze flashing under the shaded hood.
It was definitely a man. And not the sickly and frail men commonly seen in this world, but a sturdy physique that looked like he worked out at a glance. Moreover, the jawline and nose bridge slightly visible through the hood... were secretly, no, openly handsome.
What that man was holding in his hand... was surprisingly a bright yellow toy hammer.
Gripping the toy hammer as if it were a weapon, that man stood in the middle of the PC cafe, looking around with a savage gaze.
"......"
At that moment, the scary unnis... no, a group of high school girls sitting in the corner saw that man and started whispering.
"Wow, crazy... F*cking handsome..." "Did you see? Look at the shoulders. Look at the veins on his forearms... Wow, really my ideal type."
One female student gulped and her eyes shined.
"Hey, let's try hitting on him. Women need courage to win a man."
"Crazy b*tch, don't do it. With that physical, he might have bodyguards attached. You'll get reported for sexual harassment for nothing."
The friend next to her stopped her, but her eyes were already heart-shaped.
"Don't know, f*ck. Rather than regretting later saying 'I should have at least asked for his number then', I'm going for it. Hey, you guys help a bit from the side. Set the mood."
"Ha... This b*tch is starting again."
The group of high school girls exchanged glances, then jumped up from their seats. And strode toward the man.
'Where are you, you Yasuo bastard.'
I was busy looking around. But suddenly my vision was blocked. Three or four female students with heavy makeup blocked my way.
"Excuse me... what brings you here?"
The female student standing at the front asked, shifting her weight on one leg. Her gaze was strangely sticky.
I retorted with a reluctant expression.
"Who are you?"
"Did you come alone? If you're looking for a seat, the seat next to us is empty."
The female student twirled her hair and leaned her body towards me. A strange scent mixed with shampoo and cigarettes hit me.
"A style like yours, Oppa, is really rare. If you have time, do you want to play a game of LEL with us? I'm good at support. I can protect you, Oppa."
"......"
I was flustered. Is this the 'hunting' (picking up) I've only heard about? No, is it daily life in this world for women to come on to men this openly?
It's the first time in my life being hit on by a woman, so my brain froze on how to handle it.
"Um, I'm a bit busy right now..."
"Ay~ Don't play hard to get. We aren't bad kids. It's just that you are so my style, Oppa."
The female student seemingly took my refusal as playing hard to get, and reached out her hand to subtly touch my forearm.
Swish.
I reflexively pulled my body back. No, wait. Come to think of it...
These women, are they perhaps assassins sent by Yasuo? A plot to make me let my guard down with a honey trap and then ambush me?
I narrowed my eyes and asked.
"Ah, no... I'm looking for someone... but by any chance, are you Yasuo?"
"Uh... Who?"
A question mark floated on the female student's face. She seems not to know who Yasuo is. Is it acting? No, that stupid expression is real.
'Ah, this got annoying.'
I took a deep breath. It's not the time to care about surrounding gazes or women hitting on me. My goal is only one.
I decided not to care about the surroundings, and shouted loud enough for the PC cafe to ring.
"Yasuo you son of a b*tch!!!"
Silence flowed. Even the high school girls who were hitting on me shut their mouths.
"I'm Tryndamere!! Where are you, come the f*ck out right now!!"
The ringing shout struck every corner of the PC cafe.
And at that moment. Kang Min-ji (JungleDoUHaveNoMom), who was sitting in the corner seat, slid down under her chair.
'...I'm f*cked.'