A Bet Beneath the Streetlights
I left the presentation hall and stepped outside the hotel. I checked my watch. [PM 11:40] Public transportation had already stopped running for the night. The train back to Elphon Academy was long gone too. A taxi was an option, but the fare would be outrageous and the trip would take forever.
“Maybe I should just listen to Cha Jiyun.”
She had said returning to the academy tonight was impossible and told me to stay in the guest room at her house, then head home tomorrow.
“Yeah, that’s probably the best call.”
No matter how I looked at it, spending the night at Cha Jiyun’s place made the most sense. I also had a meeting with the Principal tomorrow, so I needed to be well-rested.
I climbed into the luxury sedan parked behind the hotel. The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, then turned around and gave a polite bow.
“Miss Jiyun already informed me! I’ll take you straight to the residence. Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks.”
Vroom—
The car pulled away. Before long we arrived in a residential area. The streets were nearly empty and eerily quiet. It felt like Seoul, yet not Seoul at all.
“Where are we?”
“Ah, this is 27-gil, Itaewon-ro, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.”
“Ah…”
Hannam-dong. The neighborhood where Korea’s wealthiest conglomerates lived. Almost every major chaebol family had a home here. The land prices were so astronomical that ordinary people could only dream of it. That explained the lack of pedestrians.
Screech—
The sedan stopped in front of a house.
“You can get out here.”
“Right.”
When I stepped out, a four-story mansion came into view. Even the exterior looked exorbitantly luxurious.
“I’ll show you inside.”
The driver got out and rang the doorbell. The gate opened with a soft mechanical whir.
Creak—
Inside, several women who appeared to be staff greeted me with curious glances.
“Ah, you must be the guest Miss Jiyun mentioned. I’ll take you to your room.”
She led me down a seemingly endless hallway. At the very end stood a door.
“This is the guest room.”
“Thank you. By the way…”
I glanced to the side. Directly across from my room was another door.
“Ah, that’s also a guest room.”
“Is someone staying there right now?”
“Yes. One of Miss Jiyun’s acquaintances is—”
Creak—
The door opened and a girl stepped out. Our eyes met.
“…Huh?”
She tilted her head, studying me.
“What are you doing here?”
It was Jeong Hayeon.
“Me? Cha Jiyun told me to stay the night.”
“Do the two of you know each other?” the staff member asked, looking back and forth between us in surprise.
“Yeah, we’re in the same class at the academy.”
“I see.”
“…More importantly, where are you going?” I asked.
She was dressed in what looked like outdoor clothes.
“Just wanted to look around Cha Jiyun’s house. Anyway, I’m heading out.”
She waved her hand dismissively and walked down the hallway. I entered my room.
Even though it was just a guest room, it was enormous—easily the size of three normal studio apartments combined.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
I dove onto the bed. My body sank into the mattress like it was swallowing me whole. It was incredibly soft.
“This thing must cost a fortune.”
I really wanted a bed like this. Sleeping here would probably knock me out instantly. But it was definitely way too expensive. Once the bio stock goes public, I’m buying one of these first.
Being alone in such a huge space made all kinds of stray thoughts surface. Ever since I’d been possessed, life had been nonstop chaos. I’d only been desperately trying to survive. Suddenly, a wave of loneliness crashed over me.
All my friends and family were in the original world. I’d been thrown into this world completely alone. There wasn’t a single person here I could truly open up to. In a world where I knew no one, I had to live by myself. No one to rely on. Just me, enduring this solitude forever.
The thoughts kept spiraling. I felt like I might actually get depressed.
I shook my head vigorously.
“I should go for a walk.”
When my mind got too cluttered, a walk was the best way to sort things out.
Creak—
I opened the front gate and stepped outside. The fresh night air helped ease some of the weight on my chest. I walked down the quiet streets. I felt a little more alive.
Step. Step.
While walking, I noticed a familiar back ahead of me. The person must have heard my footsteps, because they turned around.
Our eyes met.
It was Jeong Hayeon.
“…What the hell?” she said, frowning.
I walked up beside her. Seeing a familiar face was oddly comforting. I fell into step next to her without saying anything.
“…What? Why are you staring?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad to see your face.”
Even running into someone I knew made the loneliness feel a little lighter.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
She whipped her head forward and sped up.
“Hey, wait up.”
I immediately regretted saying it. Knowing her personality, she’d probably walk even faster just to ditch me.
But contrary to my expectations, her steps slowed. She glanced back over her shoulder.
“You coming or not?”
“…Didn’t think you’d actually stop.”
“Hurry up already.”
She gestured impatiently. I tilted my head, puzzled, then caught up to her. Her usual brisk pace had noticeably slowed to match mine.
“…Are you matching my pace?”
“Me? Why would I do that?”
Jeong Hayeon furrowed her brows.
“You normally walk way faster than this.”
“…That’s because I’m wearing heels today. My ankles are sore. Satisfied?”
“Ah… yeah, that makes sense.”
We continued walking through the quiet alleys. Only the streetlights illuminated our path. Not a single person passed by.
“This place really is nice,” Jeong Hayeon said, looking around with a satisfied expression.
“What is?”
“Whenever I think of Seoul, all I picture is crowds everywhere. It’s suffocating. But here… it’s different.”
“True.”
“Even when I come out at dawn to clear my head, I don’t run into anyone. It’s actually kind of nice.”
I agreed. Seoul really was suffocating with how many people were everywhere.
“But this place feels like Seoul without actually being Seoul. You get all the convenience, none of the crowds. I like it.”
“Would you want to live here?”
“Yeah.”
“Then just move in.”
“…”
She shot me a glare, then sighed.
“Even the cheapest house around here costs over ten billion won. How am I supposed to buy one?”
“Your dad’s the Hunter Association President.”
“Still impossible. Even if he is the president, he’s still a public servant. No way he could afford a house here on a government salary.”
“Hmm. Guess not.”
I nodded.
“I think I could live here, though.”
The unlisted shares Cha Jiyun gave me would go public soon. I’d probably make several billion won. With my knowledge of future stock trends, turning that into ten billion shouldn’t be too hard.
“What?” Jeong Hayeon snorted.
“In a year or two, I might actually be able to buy a house around here.”
“……”
She stared at me in silence, then burst out laughing.
“Oh please, stop bluffing.”
“It’s not a bluff.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
She clearly didn’t believe a word. Not that I could blame her.
“If I actually buy a house here within the time limit, what would you do?”
“……You’re insane.”
She shook her head. As expected, she wasn’t taking me seriously.
“It’s so ridiculous I don’t even need to consider it.”
“Then how about we make a bet?”
“…What kind of bet?”
She looked at me skeptically.
“If I manage to buy a house here within the deadline, how about you move in with me?”
It had just occurred to me—living alone in such a massive house would probably feel incredibly isolating. Depression would likely follow. Having someone I knew around would make the loneliness much more bearable.
“…W-What?”
Jeong Hayeon stammered.
“You said it yourself—there’s zero chance of it happening.”
“E-Even so, why would I agree to that bet? Why would I live with you? No way.”
Her face had turned bright red. She couldn’t even meet my eyes.
“Well, that means you’d only take the bet if there’s actual value in it, right? So if I fail to buy the house in time, I’ll grant you any wish you want.”
“…A wish?”
“Yeah.”
“Any wish?”
“Any wish at all.”
“Really?”
She stared at me wordlessly.
“…F-Fine. I’ll take it. It’s a bet I’m guaranteed to win anyway.”
“Great. By the way, are you cold?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Your cheeks have been red for a while now.”
“M-My skin’s just like that. It turns red whenever I’m outside too long.”
“There’s skin like that?”
“Of course there is. A-Anyway, just so you don’t misunderstand—I only accepted the bet because of the wish. Not because I want to live with you. Got it?”
“Who said anything?”
“You’re the complete opposite of my ideal type anyway.”
“What’s your ideal type?”
I wasn’t particularly curious, but she looked like she wanted me to ask.
“My ideal type is someone over 190 centimeters tall with a super masculine, macho face. Basically the exact opposite of you.”
My current height was in the mid-170s. My face wasn’t bad, but it was more on the pretty side. Completely different from what she described.
Still, I wasn’t interested. Why was she suddenly bringing this up?
I stared at her.
“……”
She glanced at me nervously, then quickly looked away when our eyes met.