Don't Make Me Laugh. Why Would I?
I didn't do it. Why the hell would I stalk you?
It had been exactly three months since I first possessed this body and woke up in this world.
I'd been transported into the game I used to play obsessively—Broad Academy Online—and had spent the last three months living here.
For reference, Broad Academy Online was a modern-fantasy academy game.
"Hnnngh—!"
Today, like every other day, I hoisted a mountain of scrap paper and discarded documents—easily weighing dozens of kilograms—onto the old woman's cart.
"Student, thank you so much again... It must be such a hassle for you to keep helping me like this..."
"Hassle? Not at all. I do it because I want to."
Once again, I had helped the elderly woman who collected scrap paper. It wasn't anything grand. I simply gathered all the discarded paper and documents from around the academy and brought them to her. Since she was getting on in years, scouring the grounds for boxes and paperwork every day would have been exhausting. So I simply lent her a small hand.
Every time, she would bow deeply and thank me with such warmth that a strange sense of satisfaction would bloom in my chest. It had become my little daily good deed.
Hoo... I should head to class soon. There was a lot of scrap today, so she was able to collect quite a bit. For some reason, that makes me feel even better.
At first, I'd been consumed by despair at being trapped in a game I didn't understand. But as time passed, my heart had gradually settled. The world was surprisingly rich in resources, food was plentiful, and the infrastructure was almost identical to Earth's.
Smartphones, computers, the internet—everything I had enjoyed on Earth existed here too. In fact, my life here was arguably better. Back on Earth, I'd been an unemployed hikikomori who did nothing but play games in my room.
But now, I had enough peace of mind to help others like this.
Suddenly remembering something, I activated my status window.
Status window.
As always, the utterly mediocre stats stared back at me.
Hmm... Still, just in case something happens, maybe I should start collecting hidden pieces in advance?
In truth, I was a veteran player who had sunk an enormous amount of time into this game. If I wanted to grow stronger, I could hunt down hidden pieces or job change scrolls and switch to a hidden class. It was entirely possible—if I put in the effort.
But there's really no need for that.
I wasn't the protagonist of some novel. The academy provided a steady monthly living allowance, and even if your practical scores were poor, excellent written test results earned you decent treatment. There was no reason to join some adventurer guild and risk my life hunting monsters in the Labyrinth. Besides, becoming a researcher was a prestigious and highly profitable career.
So rather than going through all that hardship to obtain hidden pieces or a hidden class, my plan was simple: use the knowledge I already possessed to score high on written exams, live comfortably, and coast through life. Thanks to the ten-plus years of game knowledge I'd accumulated, I scored perfect marks on every written test. It was obvious that nothing but smooth sailing lay ahead of me.
If I just maintain a top rank in the academy's written exams and enter the Magic Tower, I can live safely while earning a high income.
There was no reason to return to Earth. If I could just graduate from the academy without incident, I'd be able to live like a king—unlike my pathetic existence back on Earth. I knew every minor detail of this game. Once I entered the Magic Tower, I would write papers using my knowledge, gain fame, make serious money, and live an entirely different life from the one I'd known before.
Yes. This is the best path.
I could receive proper treatment at the academy. Graduating would let me join the Magic Tower directly, and my knowledge would let me become famous there in no time. Since I had no one to take revenge on and no desire to return to Earth, there was no point in stirring up trouble just to get stronger. That would have been strange.
Three years... I just need to endure for three more years.
Like an idiot, that's what I thought.
That morning, like any other, I headed to the academy.
My daily routine was the same as always. I arrived two hours early, gathered all the discarded documents and scrap paper scattered across the school grounds before the old woman arrived, and piled them up so she could easily take them away.
"Hnnngh... All done."
I felt a sense of satisfaction looking at the massive pile of scrap paper stacked in the corner.
Even so, living with these basic stats is pretty inconvenient. Maybe I should raise my strength stat a bit? It would make collecting scrap easier.
I soon let out a small chuckle and shook my head.
Thinking about grinding for hidden pieces just to sort scrap paper more easily... I guess I've really started to settle in here.
After killing some time with random thoughts, the old woman who collected scrap arrived at the academy right on schedule, as always.
"Grandma, hello. I already gathered everything for you today."
"Aigoo... You really don't have to do this..."
The old woman looked at me with worried eyes.
"You've been working hard since early morning... Here, take this at least..."
In her wrinkled hands were several boiled eggs.
"You don't have to give me anything..."
She barely made enough to live on by collecting scrap paper all day, yet she still offered me a gift out of gratitude. It wasn't expensive or fancy, but it warmed my heart.
If I had a family, would this be what it feels like?
I was an orphan. I'd grown up in an orphanage, and after becoming an adult, I'd scraped by with part-time jobs while staying cooped up at home playing games. I hadn't had any real friends or acquaintances. But things had changed since coming here. At least now I was helping someone and building a connection.
I immediately peeled one egg and popped it into my mouth.
Chew. Chew.
To be honest, I wasn't particularly fond of boiled eggs. But the ones she gave me always tasted strangely sweet. They were precious. Not the eggs themselves, but the heart behind them.
I was changing. I had come to understand the satisfaction of volunteering, the joy of mutual benefit, and even the value of having someone by my side.
"Grandma, these eggs are really delicious. Thank you."
"Aigoo... No, no... I feel bad that I can only give you something like this..."
"Not at all! I really like eggs!"
I spent the morning chatting with her about this and that. When it was finally time for class, I headed into the classroom.
Buzz. Buzz.
What the...?
It was strange. Normally, everyone should have been sitting down preparing for class, but all the students were standing.
Wait... Isn't that my desk?
And they were completely surrounding it.
One of the male students, Seong Hyun-wook, spotted me and shouted.
"Hey, the bastard's here. Fuck, Lee Hyunseung, have you lost your damn mind?"
Seong Hyun-wook was someone I barely ever talked to.
He was a main character with a significant role in the game's story, but since I had no intention of following the original plot and only planned to enter the Magic Tower, I hadn't bothered forming deep relationships with any of the important characters.
That's why I was confused. Someone I wasn't even close to was suddenly yelling at me and hurling insults. It was understandably bewildering.
I answered, utterly baffled.
"What are you talking about? What did I do?"
At that moment, Yoo Heeyeon glared at me from behind him.
Yoo Heeyeon was also one of the game's main characters—someone who had nothing to do with me.
She shouted at me as I stood there in a daze.
"You're saying you didn't do anything? Then what is this?"
She pulled a phone out of my desk drawer.
What the hell is that?
I only kept academy-related textbooks in my drawer. That weird-looking phone definitely wasn't mine.
But that wasn't the important part.
Click.
When Yoo Heeyeon opened the phone, the gallery was packed with photos of her.
Fuck... What is this?
Photos of Yoo Heeyeon at school, at home, at the sparring grounds, the training fields, cafes, restaurants—clearly taken without her knowledge, from every possible location.
Yoo Heeyeon looked at me with eyes full of disgust, as if she were staring at trash.
"A phone containing secret photos of me was found in your drawer. What exactly have you been doing behind my back, you piece of garbage? Tell me why you were stalking me."
"What? I stalked you? Why would I?"
My goal was to live quietly. To graduate normally, enter the Magic Tower, and live off a stable income. Why would someone like me mess with a main heroine and stalk her? It was ridiculous.
She let out a hollow laugh and spoke to me.
"Because I'm pretty, obviously. That's how all you men are. Too pathetic to talk to me face-to-face, so you resort to these filthy acts behind my back to satisfy your twisted desires, right?"
"No...? What are you even saying? I didn't do it! That's not even my phone. My phone is right here in my pocket."
I pulled out the phone from my pocket, desperately pleading my innocence. But it didn't work at all.
"You're using a burner phone and think that pathetic excuse will work? You're a truly pathetic piece of trash. Low-class and disgusting. I expected better because your written test scores were decent and thought you might be somewhat intelligent, but it seems I was foolish to expect anything from a failure who couldn't even awaken a class."
Let me be clear—I didn't fail to awaken a class. I simply chose not to. There was no need. But that wasn't what mattered right now. I had to clear my name. The question of why a phone with secret photos of Yoo Heeyeon was in my locker was critical. And how to overcome this situation was even more important.
Fuck...
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't see a way out of this. They had already decided on the answer and were cornering me. What was I supposed to do?
So, against my better judgment, all I could do was stupidly repeat my innocence over and over.
"I... I didn't do it, I swear... W-what are you talking about...?"
Countless classmates glared at me. Among them were several of the game's heroines.
"Disgusting... Gross..."
"Die, you trash."
They looked at me like I was actual filth.
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"I didn't do it! I'm telling you! This is bullshit! Why the fuck would I stalk anyone?!"
I shouted like a madman, but all that came back were cold, contemptuous stares.
Then Seong Hyun-wook stepped forward and spoke.
"Weren't you jealous because Yoo Heeyeon is both beautiful and strong? No matter how hard a loser like you tries, you'll never reach her level. Not only that, she's gorgeous and gets top written scores too. Isn't that why you liked her? Or maybe your practical scores are trash, so you followed her around like a creep hoping to get stronger."
If I wanted to, I could become far stronger than that bitch Yoo Heeyeon. Jealous of her strength? Because of practical scores? Don't make me laugh.
"What the fuck is this bullshit...! Why the hell would I...!"
I tried to shout more, but stopped.
Because I realized it.
They weren't listening to a single word I said.
"Pathetic."
"Why does he even live like that? Such garbage."
"Look at him cursing... Ew, how scary..."
I had already been branded as a filthy, perverted criminal who stalked Yoo Heeyeon.
Yoo Heeyeon stared at me from a distance with eyes full of pure loathing.
The countless other students in A-class also seemed to have already labeled me a criminal. Their gazes were chillingly cold.
Fuck... So this is how it's going to be, huh?