Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Found the Culprit (2)
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And another week passed.
I was feeling the unnatural atmosphere in this house down to my bones.
The relationship between my mom and my new stepdad? Extremely good. Watching them from the side made sugar crystals practically rain down.
My mom and I had always gotten along fine, and as for me and my stepdad, there was a bit of distance, but considering our genders and positions, it was passable enough.
Except for one person.
Ryu In-seo, who had become this body's new big brother. He was the only one who didn't fit in and was left out in the cold.
For starters, his living space said it all.
True to my mom's assessment of him as a capable man, his house was a massive residence, not just with multiple rooms but divided into distinct zones altogether.
The two of them shared the second floor, where his workspace was, and I was given a large room on the first floor.
But Ryu In-seo? He lived alone in an outbuilding you had to cross the courtyard to reach.
And it wasn't like he'd been pushed there after we arrived. He'd been there the whole time, even when it was just him and his dad.
He didn't eat meals with the three of us either, handling it later with delivery food or whatever. When I asked why, they said his sleep schedule was flipped, so he rarely came when called, and it had just ended up that way. No need to worry about it.
My mom seemed wary of Ryu In-seo's gloomy vibe too. She'd politely invite him to eat early on in our cohabitation, but now she just left him alone.
Is this even a family? Sure, he's almost an adult now, so it's one thing, but if he'd grown up like this from childhood, wouldn't it be borderline child abuse?
I brought it up as tactfully as possible, phrasing it carefully to avoid offending, and got this response.
"Ye-rin, you're so kind-hearted that you're worried about your new brother. But don't worry. He's always been like that. Even if I suggest working out together or going out, he holes up in his room every day, glued to his computer day and night. He takes care of his own eating and sleeping just fine, so no need for you to fret over him."
"Yeah, Ye-rin. If he doesn't want to join, forcing him isn't right."
I said I understood in front of them, but inwardly, Ryu In-seo was weighing heavily on my mind.
Worried about a big brother I'd just met? As if.
I just wanted confirmation.
Knock knock.
"Oppa, you in there?"
First off, as a prerequisite, I hadn't properly read the book my friend gave me.
So I didn't know how the story unfolded, what characters appeared, what items and events were in the death game, any of that.
—But I had checked the 'cover' and the character featured on it.
And of course, I looked in the mirror every day anyway, for posture if nothing else.
Naturally, I couldn't match the character illustration one-to-one with real life.
Especially since the figure on the cover had a game avatar look—fantasy outfit, flashy hair color, all that.
But the older I got, the more my body grew, the stranger the resonance in my head between the heroine on the cover and my mirror reflection.
And this situation—modern-like, but with virtual reality games commercialized, yet no large-scale multiplayer—matched eerily with the 'pre-blackout incident' environment my friend had described.
"I'm coming in for a sec."
Each one could be dismissed as just a mood, overreacting, laughing it off.
But with so many conditions lining up, I couldn't afford to optimistically pretend it was fine.
Opening the door and stepping into the room, I was greeted by an overwhelming tangle of cables snaking everywhere.
Not just simple lines connecting a PC tower and monitor. Dozens of towers and unidentifiable devices intertwined into one massive apparatus.
The monitors weren't just one or two either—they were like a CCTV control room. My eyes locked onto one screen in particular.
Beyond Elysion
At a glance, just another generic game title.
But to me, at least, that name was special.
It was the title of the book I'd received but hadn't read.
"...Huh? What are you doing here?"
Then, a troubled voice came from behind me.
Seeing Ryu In-seo with his unchanging dark circles, I was certain.
—This guy's the future culprit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Let's talk hypotheticals.
Suppose a man from the modern era reincarnates into the past—specifically, Germany just before World War II.
He knows the future and that if time flows on, some scum named Hitler will unleash a massive genocide.
To stop the future massacre and tragedy, the man shoots pre-art-school Hitler dead. Instead of hero worship, he gets a red mark on his record and spends his life reviled as a murderer.
Coldly speaking, that's natural.
Only he knows Hitler becomes a mass murderer. To people back then, he's just a lunatic babbling about the future while killing someone.
Way to prove his justice? None.
Hitler's already dead—how do you prove he'd have been a butcher?
He might've saved countless future lives, but they'd spit on him instead of thanks. Most wouldn't even know he existed and live their lives.
Sure, some might selflessly devote themselves to the public good regardless of personal gain or loss. But not me.
So, murdering Ryu In-seo or something illegal like that? Straight to the trash.
Frankly, basing it solely on original knowledge I'm not even sure about (haven't read it) and erasing a person isn't sane anyway.
The plan to induce a breakup before we became siblings—before Mom and stepdad married—got scrapped on the first try.
"If living with In-seo is uncomfortable, we can have him move out. He's plenty old enough to take responsibility for his own life."
"Yeah, from what I heard, In-seo prefers being on his own anyway."
This was what they came to me with the next day after I vaguely hinted at not meshing well with my new brother—not even outright complaining.
Is this for real? Daughter drops one gripe, and they jump to 'chuck the source out!'?
I wasn't trying to build resentment with a future blackout candidate, I insisted multiple times, before they backed off. Alone in my room, I couldn't help but sink into deep thought.
What would the original Kang Ye-rin have said to this?
Growing up under immense stress from family issues and environment, sharpening into a prickly, sensitive personality?
She probably wouldn't have warmed up to her new brother. Might've fought with Mom nonstop before that.
Home atmosphere in shambles, Ryu In-seo holed up making games after all relationships imploded.
Too obvious a backstory. Haven't read the book, so no clue how Ryu In-seo's incident resolves, but I can already picture post-case broadcasts: 'The culprit endured a deeply unhappy childhood, shaping values and personality that heavily influenced the crime'—like a shorts video playing in my head.
Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while.
I reached a conclusion.
"—Better to make him an ally and subtly redirect him than be enemies forever, keeping him in check. Way less risk."
Even Hitler might've lived well as Painter A if he'd gotten into art school, no dictator or massacre nonsense.
Same for Ryu In-seo.
Positive feedback while he makes games might stop him from death game lunacy.
If not, easy to stab him in the back later when he tries something.
Best part? Sneak my tastes into the game dev process.
Bold, flashy outfits flipping the bird at strict censorship!
Details and Easter eggs that aren't cost-effective for devs but thrill players!
Diverse NPCs with real, personalized interactions, plus fun mounts tough to implement!
Sub-content for fun beyond endless combat!
Hard to demand that full set from a real studio—they're a business chasing profitable, efficient updates.
But Ryu In-seo? Somehow solo-completed a full VR game others failed at repeatedly—a fictional-level genius ignoring efficiency and manpower limits. Hook him, and I get my dream game, realities be damned.
How could I resist?
Alright then.
Operation 'Gal to the Otaku'—let's begin.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The world is trash.
That was the absolute proposition etched deep in Ryu In-seo's mind.
A bit embarrassing for a nineteen-year-old to claim boldly—middle schoolers might get a pass—but he didn't think he was wrong.
His mother died from postpartum complications shortly after his birth.
His father harbored love-hate for the son who 'caused' her death. Once a successful outdoor athlete, the growing personality clash with his indoor son turned his attitude increasingly cold.
His dismal social skills, inversely proportional to stellar grades, isolated him at school. Teachers, with their typical office drone mindset and no real sense of duty, only intervened to avoid personal liability—otherwise, they ignored it.
Objectively, not an uncommon misfortune somewhere in the world.
But plenty for a growing youth to view the world pessimistically.
What set him apart from others in similar straits? A genius beyond common sense.
Dark room.
After confirming completion of the program he'd slaved over for years, Ryu In-seo let out a deep sigh of relief and accomplishment.
'Guess that covers the basics.'
His goal: realize his ideal world.
But hand-coding every element was inefficient. As a middle schooler, he'd concluded he needed an assistant to handle details from broad directives.
Years of grinding led to success: an AI surpassing all existing ones, a true technological singularity.
Any TS-reincarnated girl would mutter, 'Holy shit, it actually works?'
Core tool ready, now just wield it to build the world.
'But what form should it take?'
He still harbored plenty of resentment toward the world and society, but hadn't yet spiraled into 'Die like bugs revealing your ugly natures in my world!' madness.
That came later: half-exiled by a father seeing him as an obstacle to remarriage, his hard-earned work nearly stolen by the company without fair reward, betrayed and scammed by his first love.
Bluntly, his venom wasn't fully brewed yet.
"Hm."
Like a painter with perfect tools but hesitating before a blank canvas, he pondered, then stood to eat—fuel, not flavor, via his stocked frozen stash.
Knock knock.
—Um, can I come in?
Startled by the clear voice outside, he stared at the door warily, anxiety churning.
'What? Why's she here?'
No clue, but ignoring her wasn't an option.
He cautiously opened the door. A smiling beauty held a tray of snacks.
"Shall we talk for a bit?"