Obtained a Fated Encounter
Obtained a Fated Encounter
Wiiiing―!
"Haa."
Park Ajin looked down at his ringing phone.
"The bank again."
Just as he had expected, the sender of the text was indeed the bank.
As the loan repayment date approached, texts from the bank kept coming.
"Sigh, I want to pay it back too, you know."
If you borrow money, it's only right to pay it back.
"But what am I supposed to do when I don't have any money?"
Park Ajin was talking to himself about his pathetic situation.
He lifted his head and looked inside the massage shop he was running.
Just flies, no.
Looking at the inside of the massage shop where not even a fly was buzzing, he sighed once again.
Ajin was 26 years old.
He thought he had worked hard.
However, regardless of that process, he was currently living a life struggling with debt.
"Should I fold the massage shop?"
The massage shop had only been operating for 6 months.
Ajin was thinking that it would be more helpful to his life to just fold the massage shop and do manual labor instead.
"They both definitely said my massage was good, though......."
His parents had passed away in an accident.
Ajin started learning massage because of their praise.
However, making their praise meaningless, the massage shop only thrived for the first 2-3 months after opening.
"Tsk, I really don't want to fold it."
His parents' inheritance was invested in the shop.
That's not all.
'If massage is removed from my life, I feel like my connection with my parents will be severed.'
A normal family.
A normal life.
For someone like me, massage is one of the few memories I have with my parents.
'I don't want to throw away massage, which is such a special memory.'
My head is screaming at me to escape quickly.
But my heart is asking if I'm really going to throw away the memories with my parents.
This dilemma had been going on for a month.
'Since there are no customers, I'm getting lost in my thoughts.'
Some customers still had remaining sessions on their memberships, but there were no reservations.
-So I'm saying~!
-Is that true?
Hahaha!
My heart was troubled, but laughter flowed from the TV I had turned on, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
"Let's close early today."
Being alone for so long, I was just digging a hole for myself.
I hurriedly got up from my seat.
I decided to go back home before being consumed by negative emotions.
**
'Let's buy some alcohol before I go home.'
Thinking of going home, I turned my steps toward the convenience store right below.
Thinking about the past made me crave alcohol.
'I didn't drink at all back when I was discharged from the military.'
When my parents were alive, I was someone who couldn't even drink a single glass.
After the shock of my parents' passing, I started drinking one glass at a time, and my tolerance increased.
Now I've reached the level of enjoying it.
But I haven't reached the level of addiction.
'I make a living with my hands, so I can't have them shaking from withdrawal symptoms.'
Jingle―!
As I opened the convenience store door, a cheerful bell sound welcomed me.
"Welcome."
I saw the part-timer who had become familiar as I frequented the convenience store.
Her chest came into my view before her face.
A chest that looked bigger than watermelons.
"......."
My gaze was stolen for a moment, but I snapped to my senses and quickly turned my head.
'Didn't they say women are sensitive to gazes like this?'
I acted like nothing happened, walked straight ahead, picked up the alcohol with the red cap, and headed to the counter.
Beep―!
"Yes, it's 1900 won. Please insert your card in the front."
The payment was finished, but I hesitated for a moment.
Seeing me like that, the part-timer spoke up.
"Do you need a bag?"
"No."
I don't know why I did it, but after a moment of thought, I took a business card out of my wallet and handed it to her.
"I, uh, run a massage shop at the intersection just ahead."
"Ah... yes."
The expression on the part-timer's face as she looked at me started to turn sour.
"If you have time, please come visit. I'll give you a free 1-session trial."
Ajin blurted out the words like a machine gun.
"I'm not a weird person.... Well, I'll be going now."
He scrambled out of the convenience store.
The part-timer just alternated between looking at Ajin's retreating back and the business card held in her hand.
**
'Have I gone crazy?'
Why did I suddenly snap there?
Is it because I frequent this convenience store so the face became familiar?
I have a timid personality, so I've never done anything other than online promotion, but.......
I don't know what kind of courage I got this time, but I handed over the business card and promoted it.
"Uwaaaaah―!"
Of course, I'm stomping my feet and regretting that action right now.
"Still, it's better than doing nothing."
Yeah, when you're failing, is embarrassment the problem?
I need to scatter business cards everywhere.
Perhaps because he had already done it, he felt courageous, and as Ajin walked home, he pondered whether to try foot-work promotion starting tomorrow.
Thump―!
"Ugh!"
Just like that, when he had almost arrived home.
He saw an old man collapsing.
"Uh, uh-uh?"
Ajin usually thought that if something like this happened, he should avoid it.
Ajin thought it was a rational judgment because one could get unnecessarily bothered in the bleak society of Korea.
However, contrary to that thought, Ajin was moving quickly toward the old man.
"Are you okay?"
When he got closer, the old man was wearing neat clothes and an expensive-looking watch.
An outfit that could be called the epitome of a gentleman.
"Kkeol-kkeol... thank you."
Ajin reached out his hand toward the old man who laughed cheerfully.
"......."
The gentleman looked at that hand for a moment.
"Excuse me?"
Seeing the gentleman staring blankly without taking his hand, Ajin was looking at him with a worried gaze.
"Oh my, excuse me."
The gentleman bowed his head, seeing Ajin sending a worried gaze even though it was a situation where he could have been offended.
And he took his hand and stood up, then opened his mouth.
"Do you do massage?"
The gentleman who suddenly guessed Ajin's job.
"Yes? How did you know that?"
"I'm retired, but I was a masseur too."
"That's a huge coincidence."
"Coincidence, you say."
The gentleman was trailing off his words, thinking deeply about something.
"Kkeol-kkeol, I think it's destiny."
"Destiny?"
Ajin's face scrunched up, wondering if the gentleman talking about destiny was a cultist.
"Hahaha, I'm not a cultist, so don't look at me like that."
"Ah, sorry...."
"Hmm, I want to give you this as a reward for helping me. This isn't something you can just give away whenever you want to."
The gentleman took an old book out of his clothes.
'Does he always carry that in his clothes?'
On the book cover he saw briefly, it was written "ㅁㅁㅁ Massage".
The characters in front were blurred so he couldn't read them.
"Yes, equivalent exchange! That will do."
The gentleman said, looking at Ajin's bag.
"Do you have anything worth trading for this book?"
"You don't really have to give it to me."
He hadn't done it expecting a reward.
Above all, it felt like he was dumping trash, so Ajin refused.
However.
"It's an item I don't need since I'm retired."
Perhaps reading Ajin's thoughts, the gentleman snatched Ajin's bag.
'How does an old man have such strength!'
He tried to hold on, but thinking of the unexpected strength and that the old man might get hurt, Ajin eventually gave up the bag.
"I'm not dead yet!"
Whatever was so good, the gentleman laughed heartily and rummaged through Ajin's bag.
"This will do for the exchange."
What was held in the old man's hand was the soju with the red cap that Ajin had just bought.
"Here, I'll put this back in your bag."
The gentleman returned the bag to Ajin and then turned around and left.
"Kkeol-kkeol-kkeol, here's a tip: you'll have to completely change your massage shop. To female VIP only. If you keep taking general customers, your stamina won't last."
The gentleman disappeared, leaving behind incomprehensible words.
**
"Haa, should I go back?"
He turned his body toward the convenience store direction and looked for a moment.
He had almost arrived home anyway.
And since he had already handed over the business card, he gave up on going back to the convenience store.
"Ah, I'm tired."
From the sudden outburst at the convenience store to the strange old man.
A lot of things happened during the short time it took to get home.
"I should wash up quickly and sleep."
Ssaa―!
Arriving home, Ajin splashed cold water on his body, which was drenched in sweat from the hot weather.
'Anyway, what did that old man give me?'
The image of the gentleman had dropped from "gentleman" to "strange old man" in Ajin's mind.
Ajin wiped his body roughly and opened his bag.
He took out an old book from there.
'It seems to be a massage-related book, at least.'
Does it contain the old man's know-how?
Out of curiosity, Ajin immediately opened the book.
And something different from his expectation happened.
-Legitimate ownership transfer confirmed.
"W-what?"
At the sudden mechanical voice, Ajin looked around.
-The Body Modification Massage training book is transforming to suit the owner.
The AI, not caring about the flustered Ajin, just kept saying what it had to say.
After the word "transforming," the sound was no longer heard.
"Is it an auditory hallucination?"
Ajin thought he had gone crazy for a moment.
As if to deny Ajin's thought, this time a blue window unfolded before Ajin's eyes.
[Body Modification Massage System]
[Owner : Park Ajin]
[Massage Shop : Samseon-dong, Seongbuk-gu]
[Regular Customer Count : 0]
-Stats-
[Hand Technique : D]
[Stamina : E]
[Sexual Technique : F]
-Owned Skills-
[Amateur Massage : E]
A status window that looked like it would appear in a game.
At the same time it appeared, the old book Ajin was holding disappeared without a trace.
"Have I gone crazy?"
Despairing in life, now I'm even seeing things.
"It won't be visible when I wake up after sleeping."
**
"Okay, I'll admit it."
Even though I opened my eyes, this damn status window was still shining.
"That old... gentleman was a fated encounter."
If I'm not crazy, the status window floating in front of me is a fated encounter that will change my life.
And I'm not a fool who will dumbly miss the opportunity in front of me.
"But, sorry, I can't look at it right now."
The reservation for the first time in 2 weeks is 2 hours away.
It's a bit tight to open the shop, clean, and prepare.
I washed up quickly and went to work at the shop.
Jingle―!
"Eunbi-nim, it's been a while."
The woman who opened the shop door and entered.
I welcomed her warmly, wearing the "missy look" that was famous back in the day, and holding coffee in one hand.
"Yes, Sajang-nim, it's been a while."
Go Eunbi is a customer who bought a 10-session pass at the beginning of the opening.
Even though she had been using the 10 sessions over 6 months, she was one of the few remaining customers.
'I have to make her pay for an additional session somehow.'
I solidified my determination to make her a regular customer no matter what.
Perhaps reacting to my heart, a blue window popped up.
[Quest : Escape Amateur]
Escaping amateur status starts with attracting regular customers.
-Goal : Go Eunbi's additional payment
-Completion Reward : Level up of Skill [Amateur Massage : E], Unlock Body Modification System
-Failure Penalty : Hand Technique rank decrease
"......?"
A system that gave quests like a game.
'I have to achieve this no matter what.'
Even now at D rank, there are no customers, but what if it drops to E rank from here?
Even the few customers I had would all leave.
'I'll make Go Eunbi my regular customer no matter what!'
Ajin, who made a resolution inside, quickly finished the setting.
"Eunbi-nim, I'll take you inside."
He laid Go Eunbi, who came out after changing clothes, on the massage bed.
"Then, I will begin the massage."
[Customer confirmed.]
[Activating Massage Assist System tailored to the customer's disposition.]
Along with the start of the massage, the fated encounter began to be properly exerted.