College Crossroads and the Concert to Save Su-ah
Seo Joo-hwan entered the second Lust Quest room and lay on the bed, lost in thought.
"College, huh..."
Before his regression, he'd reenrolled after discharge. Both his mother and father had urged him to go. With a bit of anticipation, he'd returned to campus life—only to find no dreams or romance there. He was already older and had a higher enrollment number than his peers, and his withdrawn personality from school and military days made it impossible to form proper relationships.
"Hmm."
Thinking back, he shouldn't have reenrolled. It would've been wiser to write one more line instead. But the situations now and then were completely different. His mind was that of a 32-year-old, and he'd overcome much of his past trauma. Plus, he planned to take responsibility for Han Su-ah's incident and prevent it, so skipping college for that wasn't a valid reason.
"Sigh. This is tough. Lucy, what do you think I should do?"
> I have no ability to calculate the future. If necessary, I recommend acquiring a talent like Precognition and raising its rank.
"What? Haha, I didn't mean it like that. I was just curious about your opinion."
> ...My opinion, Master?
"Yeah."
Lucy fell silent for a moment. Seo Joo-hwan wondered if he'd asked something pointless and opened his mouth to correct himself—but just before he could speak, her reply came.
> Master must go to college.
"R-really? Why?"
Seo Joo-hwan hadn't expected such a firm answer and stammered in surprise. Lucy responded once more in a resolute tone.
> Because Master has no friends.
"...What?"
> If Master skips college, he'll end up as a shut-in. Then he'll live a friendless life again.
Lucy's words hit like a bone-chilling truth. Seo Joo-hwan tried to defend himself.
"W-well, it won't be that bad. Sure, there's an age gap, but Su-ah's a friend... Once I finish the story I'm writing now, I'll go learn all sorts of things. Singing, instruments, sports. Oh, and I got the Parktu talent from So-ra noona, so maybe martial arts too?"
> If you follow through as you say, that would be fortunate... But according to the data inputted in me, humans struggle to change all at once. Especially without external stimuli.
"Ugh."
Seo Joo-hwan couldn't easily refute that. He knew full well how hard change was. Only a rare few actually followed through on their intentions. Lucy continued.
> In that sense, for Master to live a happy life, college seems like the best choice. And...
"And?"
> Master said before: this life, you'll live as you please. If you're truly living as you please, agonizing over college is pointless. Just try it—if you don't like it, quit.
"What?"
Seo Joo-hwan's eyes widened. He never imagined Lucy would say something like that. He chuckled at first, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Puhahaha! Thanks, Lucy. My head feels clear now."
> I'm glad your dilemma is resolved.
"Yeah. Thanks for real."
In the end, Seo Joo-hwan decided to go to college. As Lucy said, this life was for living as he pleased. If he didn't like it while attending, he could just drop out. No need to agonize over it.
"Oh my. You're really reenrolling?"
"Whatever you choose, do it without regrets."
His mother was delighted, and his father patted his shoulder as if full of trust.
"Yes. So, about that... I'm planning to start living independently once I reenroll."
Seo Joo-hwan acted swiftly on his decision. He immediately searched for rental listings. Naturally, rooms near campus with good amenities went fast. It was already January—if he didn't sign quickly, he'd be stuck commuting by subway.
"Living alone? Just commute from home."
His mother clearly wanted him to stay home. It hadn't been long since his discharge, so leaving felt disappointing.
"Sorry, Mom. I don't think I can handle hell trains. I'll visit often, though."
The school was about an hour away—not too far, but transit was the issue. Morning trains were pure hell. He didn't want to endure that for unavoidable morning classes.
"Hmm. How much are one-rooms these days?"
While his mother pouted, his father offered to cover rent. Seo Jae-pil asked about deposit and monthly costs, but he waved it off.
"I'll handle the money."
"You're not even discharged yet—what money?"
"I wrote before enlisting. Enough left for rent. If not, I'll part-time."
His Bitcoin investments had yielded over 300% returns. He was eyeing a two-room place, not a one-room. Unaware of this, Seo Jae-pil admired his son's maturity. Whatever had happened, his son had become so reliable. Meanwhile, Seo Joo-hwan calculated inwardly.
Withdraw just enough.
Bitcoin wasn't at peak resale time yet. Sell minimally, set aside for rent. Other ways to earn existed too.
Write instead of part-time.
He chose writing over jobs. He was a full-time author before regression. Better pay than minimum wage—6,030 won per hour in 2016.
Once my current series picks up, it'll bring in cash.
'The Possessed Master is a Martial Arts Public Enemy' had started serialization days ago with solid initial scores. On track, it could outperform his past life.
Words are mysterious— a trivial phrase can bring fortune or disaster. Proverbs like "Think three times before speaking" or "One word repays a debt of a thousand nyang" abound for a reason.
"Cheer up," "Don't worry," "You can do it." Even positive words can hurt depending on context. When consoling someone in despair, consider if it's too hasty.
At 23, Seo Joo-hwan hadn't known this. He'd unwittingly hurt her.
"Cheer up? Hwan oppa, how am I supposed to cheer up...?"
Han Su-ah, tears streaming, face scarred, leg amputated, wheelchair-bound. Her arms too damaged for self-propulsion—movement required help. Recklessly telling her to cheer up naturally drew resentment.
"If... if oppa had just come pick me up that day..."
"......"
Seo Joo-hwan's lips moved, but no words came. Even an apology might wound her more...
Days later, Han Su-ah left letters for family and friends—then took her life. A short note reached him too.
"Sorry. It's not your fault, oppa."
Even in death, she'd spared him blame. Her kind nature made it hurt more. Reading it, tears flowed endlessly. Everything felt his fault—self-curse for his misfortune.
His smartphone alarm blared. Eyes opening, Seo Joo-hwan stared blankly at the ceiling before cursing.
"Fuck."
Han Su-ah's tragedy happened the day he and Seo Joo-hee went to a concert. Returning home, she caught the eye of the brutal killer dominating news. Dragged to a deserted spot, raped, mouth sealed, body dismembered. The perp wasn't just a rapist—he was the infamous serial torso killer.
"Fuck."
Tears welled again. The dream— that day's memory—felt too vivid. Her pleas for pickup, tears at "cheer up," smiling portrait at her funeral. These buried memories resurfaced sharply because today was that day.
Ding!
Save Han Su-ah!
▶ You've regretted it endlessly. "If I'd picked her up on time, it wouldn't have happened." It wasn't your fault, but you could've stopped it. Your trauma deepened daily. Blameless, yet you cursed your misfortune.
But now you're different. You know the future and have the power to save her. Overcome the trauma now.
▶ Achievement Condition: Han Su-ah's safety
▶ Reward: 20,000 LP
The system seemed to cheer him on too.
As usual, he grabbed lunch at the family snack bar. At one table, Han Su-ah and Seo Joo-hee exchanged determined words.
"Ready, Su?"
"Of course, Hee."
They stacked hands dramatically. Watching, Seo Ae-ra spoke disapprovingly.
"Can't you skip the concert? News is full of that brutal killer."
"No way, Mom! Miss this, might never get another!"
"Auntie, we'll be careful. Straight there and back, no detours."
"Sigh. With news like this..."
Despite their replies, Seo Ae-ra eyed the TV anxiously. It covered recent Bucheon serial killings. Perp unidentified—only known: likely large male from crime scenes.
Seo Joo-hwan, watching, naturally placed his hand atop theirs.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll go with them."
"Oh, really?"
"...What?"
"Hng?"
His mother lit up; Seo Joo-hee shot a baffled look; Han Su-ah made a weird sound.
Seo Joo-hee scowled accusingly.
"What're you talking about?"
"What else? I'm going to the concert too."
"Nooo! Why you? Know whose concert?"
"Swing Lady. Hey, I'm a batta too."
'Batta' was Swing Lady fandom slang. Official was 'bat', but fans used 'batta' for its punchy vibe.
"Liar. You a bat?"
"So suspicious. Here—ticket I got in the army. Proof enough?"
He proudly pulled a ticket from his pocket. Seo Joo-hee still eyed it skeptically, snatched it, compared to hers, verified authenticity.
Convinced, she eyed him anew.
"Weren't you not into idols?"
He explained casually.
"Locked a year with dudes everywhere—see if girl groups don't appeal. Mornings start with K-pop, nights end with it."
"Whoa. For real."
As if. Total bullshit. Morning/evening K-pop was true, but Swing Lady got little army love. Honestly, aside from the leader, looks and vocals were unremarkable. Just an excuse to dispel doubt.
How'd he get tickets without being a fan? Scalped, obviously. First thing on leave.
Time passed...
"Let's go."
"Yeah. So excited—our Swing Ladies concert. Mid-tier group, probably low profits."
"Tickets pricey, so maybe breaks even?"
Seo Joo-hwan and the two high schoolers headed out for the show.