Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Baek A-young
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"Ugh, you fucking idiot."
Like realizing the mistake you'd made while drunk the next morning, it wasn't until Saturday morning that I came to my senses about what I'd done.
I hated myself so much. Falling for such a cheap beauty trap.
What could I do? It was already done.
If I looked on the bright side, I'd made a connection with a professor. All I had to do was handle it well. It just meant more studying, that's all.
"Haa..."
There were no regular classes on weekends. Most students would rest, catch up on training, or hang out with friends, but I had a ton to do.
First up was the black market, then the orphanage.
Oh right. Now that I thought about it, I also had plans with Lumi on Sunday.
"I've got so much to do."
This was getting complicated. Time to sort things out.
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Goals.
1. Get stronger. (For my own safety.)
2. Woo the heroines. (To avoid dying.)
---
In the end, it boiled down to two goals. Wooing the heroines was important, but so was building my own strength.
For this weekend, I'd focus on heroine strategy.
I'd trained all last week anyway, and there was still plenty of time before any life-threatening events.
"I need to make some money too, though. What to do?"
Sell information? But who to? There were info guilds, but those meticulous bastards wouldn't trust intel from a source like me without verification.
I could try underground gambling, but I didn't feel like gambling.
"I'll just work hard for a scholarship. Time to head out anyway."
I had to hustle if I wanted to avoid the expulsion ending.
With my thoughts roughly sorted, I headed to the bathroom to get ready to leave.
*
The shopping district around the academy.
In stark contrast to the brightly lit areas bustling with massive infrastructure, the shadowy alleys between buildings were dark and foreboding.
"Where the hell is it...?"
I pieced together the bits of info I'd glimpsed in the game.
Thanks to my Memory Augmentation perk, I remembered every detail—even single utility poles that appeared once—so I'd narrowed it down pretty close.
Creeeak—
"Found it."
The alley between buildings 23 and 24.
The one door among the sealed ones that actually opened. It masqueraded as a bar open only at night, but it was really where you got black market access tokens.
Even in the bright daylight, the vibe inside felt like deep night. A single dim light illuminated the dark space.
Crunch crunch.
Across the bar, an elderly man with white hair was polishing glasses.
The old man glanced at me sidelong and let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo, these days even punk kids like you come sniffing around. Look, I don't know where you heard about this, but if you don't wanna see something nasty, turn back now."
Ignoring him, I sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail.
"Whatever. Just give me any cocktail. Make it high-proof."
I slapped 1.5 million won in cash on the counter.
The old man eyed the money, silently served the cocktail, pocketed the cash, and vanished into the kitchen.
Under the cocktail glass was a small coin.
"What a pointless system."
I pocketed the coin and left the bar for the street.
The atmosphere shifted completely—bright and lively now.
At the center was the Samro Department Store. I headed for its emergency stairs.
The side door leading down said "Staff Only," but I ignored it and went underground.
Two burly guys blocking the underground mall entrance stepped aside when I flashed the coin.
The musty underground mall was lined with shops with doors propped open, waiting for customers.
'Now, where's the pharmacy...?'
The place I was after was the "pharmacy."
Not for cold medicine, obviously.
"There it is."
A rundown pharmacy with a sign that looked ready to fall. I vaguely recalled it was the only one in the black market using that name.
Clunk. Ring ring—
I pushed open the glass door, and a pharmacist in a white coat greeted me.
"It's been a while since we had a customer. Come on in. What're you looking for?"
"...Uh, some aphrodisiac..."
"Whoa now, wrong place. We handle sleeping pills and narcotics, but we don't touch aphrodisiacs. Get caught with that, and you're done for—doesn't matter what else you're peddling."
"I know all that. Just came to browse what kinds you've got today."
"Money's money, sure. We'd love to sell 'em, but aphrodisiacs are a pain to distribute and the margins are shit. This here's a narcotics specialist."
"Park Hyun-seok sent me. Just browsing today."
"Tch, shoulda led with that, you damn brat. Hack, ptooey."
"..."
Tss. Tss.
The pharmacist spat on the floor, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, stuck it in his mouth, and lit up.
"Sip, fwooh."
This reaction was bewildering. For the record, Park Hyun-seok was an extra who got busted later for using aphrodisiacs.
"Sorry 'bout that. Association's been sending in undercover types a lot, so... I was rude. Take this as apology."
He pulled a bottle of what looked like calming pills from his other pocket. Meant to relax my nerves, I guess?
"Sample pack. Level 3 out of 10. Try it and come back."
I could guess what the "levels" meant.
"...Price?"
"30 mil won per pill for that. Better stuff costs more, but you won't regret shelling out once you try it."
Free sample? Hell yeah.
"We've got powders that don't show, all sorts... But you don't look like the type who'd need it for non-consensual stuff, so I gave you that. Want something else?"
"Nah, this'll do."
"Figured you for some scumbag kid hitting up a place like this, but you're surprisingly polite. Now I feel bad for cussing you out."
"Huh?"
What the hell was this guy on about? Bipolar or something?
"Here, take this too."
"Wait, isn't the sample just one? You giving a whole bottle?"
"That's real calming pills. Relaxes you, steadies the mind."
"..."
"Heh heh heh..."
Crazy old coot.
Whatever—calming pills or sample, no harm in taking 'em. Might come in handy someday.
"Come back anytime. Folks who try the sample always return."
I left the shady pharmacist behind and exited the black market.
"...Feels kinda gross."
I didn't wanna come back, but life's unpredictable. Better to have a face there.
Next: the orphanage.
This time, it was legit volunteering.
The gate that spawned smack in central Gangnam wiped out tons of lives and property before vanishing. It left a barren field in the city heart, where Victoria Academy was built.
Being central Seoul, the surrounding shops were well-developed from the start. Further out, you had orphanages and shantytowns aplenty.
My destination: Sunlight Orphanage.
It housed kids orphaned when their hunter parents died in gates or dungeons.
And heroine Baek A-young volunteered there every weekend.
On the way, I grabbed some snacks kids would like from a convenience store and called ahead to say I'd visit.
I even changed out of my casual black market clothes into my academy uniform.
The building was surrounded by a white fence. I opened the gate, entered, and rang the bell at the entrance.
"What brings you here?"
A woman who looked like a caregiver came out. The academy uniform probably helped—no suspicion.
"Hi. I'm the one who called earlier. I, uh, wanna donate personally."
"Ah! Lee Ho-yeon, right? Come in!"
The inside was neatly kept. Not huge, but the kids and staff looked happy—good vibe.
"This way to the director's office. Talk to him inside."
"Sure."
Knock knock.
"Come in~."
Inside sat a kindly middle-aged man.
"Welcome. Oh my, Ho-yeon. Your voice sounded young on the phone—Victoria Academy cadet?"
"Yes. Like I said, not a huge amount, but I wanna donate personally. And volunteer when I can."
"We're grateful. Donations have been down lately—we were worried. Truly, thank you. Want some tea at least?"
"No tea, thanks. Can I see the kids right away? I wanna know who I'm supporting."
"Well, we don't usually let outsiders handle kids... But one's already here volunteering, and you're academy, so I trust you. Follow me."
"Thank you."
Volunteering at orphanages ain't easy.
Quitters hurt the kids bad emotionally, and there's crime risks too.
Hard to judge trustworthiness at a glance.
Lucky the uniform smoothed it over this time.
"Famous hunter here's volunteering too. Hey, kids! New big bro's here!"
The kids playing in the yard turned to look.
Among them, Baek A-young eyed me like, 'Who's that?' She was swarmed—popular.
"Hey, kids. Hi?"
I waved nervously. Lukewarm response. Too young to be wowed by the uniform, maybe.
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📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Unyielding Volunteer Spirit!]
Baek A-young wants someone who enjoys helping others just like her!
Successfully volunteer with Baek A-young and earn her favor!
🎁 Reward: Random Stats +2
But I came prepared for this.
"Heh, kids must find you awkward still. They're like that at first."
"It's fine. Hey kids, wanna see this?"
Whoosh—
Three fireballs ignited above my palm.
The kids who'd kept their distance out of fear now stared wide-eyed.
"Here goes...?"
Toss one from left hand up, then right—catch the first. Toss right, catch the previous. Juggling fireballs.
"Whoa... wow!"
"Whoa! Big bro, awesome!"
"Oppa! Can you do four?"
I practiced 30 minutes this morning. Easy with mana control—drop 'em if needed. Great reactions, felt good.
"Bro brought snacks too. Who wants some?"
*
The sun was already dipping low.
Kids tuckered out, resting inside.
"Good work, Ho-yeon."
"Nah, you worked harder, A-young."
"Pfft. Says the guy who juggled for over an hour."
⚙ QUEST COMPLETE! ⚙ Baek A-young and I were chilling on a sofa inside the orphanage. Playing with the kids together had warmed us up naturally.
"Why're you volunteering, Ho-yeon? Heard you're donating too. Academy kids got spare cash?"
Baek A-young was pure good. She did stuff like this purely for the joy. So she vibes with similar people.
"Squeezing it from my dignity stipend for now. Volunteering's always interested me."
"That stipend's peanuts. Don't academy kids have study time?"
"You're prying hard. Heh. Feels weird. What's a student like me to you? This a crime?"
"I graduated academy not long ago. Hmph."
"Joking. Just joking."
"You're intriguing, Ho-yeon. Other volunteers here lost interest in the kids once they saw me. But you focused more on them than me."
Obviously—I targeted that. Saw it in-game, quest hinted it. She wants pure volunteer spirit like hers.
I'm faking, but I can act if I know the play.
We were friendly enough. Time for the emotional pitch. I rubbed my eyes raw to redden 'em.
"Truth is, I'm an orphan too. Lost my parents to a gate."
"Ah, so that's why Sunlight... Sorry. Must hurt, but I pried selfishly."
"Barely remember it anyway. Whatever."
I laid on the saddest eyes I could muster.
"I came from a place like this. Scraped by to get into Victoria. Thought admission fixed everything... Didn't."
"..."
"Money was tight, but emotionally worse. Couldn't laugh with others, checked balance every coffee, skipped meals after group dinners. Heh, boils down to cash. Anyway, don't want other kids feeling that."
Even acting choked me up. Canon: Lee Ho-yeon's parents died in a gate, orphan real. Probably orphanage too, somewhere.
"These kids did nothing wrong."
A faint smile, final emotional hook.
Baek A-young's eyes misted; her gaze warmed.
"Ho-yeon... Don't worry. It'll be okay. I'll help you."
Strike!
★ Heroine Status Window ★ [Baek A-young] ❤️ Affection: 50 💋 Lust: 30 🍽️ Appetite: 20 😴 Fatigue: 70 Current Status: Extremely happy about her connection with this academy underclassman. Damn, first meeting and affection at 50? Worth the acting.
"Getting late. You look tired, A-young. Shall we?"
"Yeah. You're a freshman, right?"
"Yep."
"See you soon then. Hehe."
"Huh? Where?"
"Nothing~. Bye for now!"
She skipped out happily.
I knew when next: dungeon training soon, guild hunters assisting. Healer Baek A-young coming, naturally.
"Guess I'll head out."
Left the orphanage. Playing with kids was exhausting. Maybe just donate cash next time, skip volunteering.
"Bye, big bro!"
"Oppa! Do five next time!"
Two of the clingiest kids waved from behind.
"Sure! See you next time!"
Whatever, couldn't risk suspicion from Baek A-young. A few more visits, maybe.