Chapter 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49
Dokyun’s good mood was on a steady rise—right up until the moment he swiped past the main banner.
‘Wh-what is this…’
He swiped again, and as he scanned his list of favorite works, his eyes were met with a veritable feast of notices.
What they all meant was one thing: serialization suspended. In other words, they were dead.
The screen reflected a cruel truth back at him.
The blissful feeling he’d had just a moment ago came crashing down into the abyss.
Dokyun frantically scrolled through the device, checking his remaining novels.
[A message from the National Association of Ahjummas…]
This one, too.
[I’m not feeling well, so I’ll be taking a short break. T_T]
This one, too.
[No chapter tomorrow.] (Posted 9 days ago)
This one, too.
[I’m planning to remake the beginning.]
This one, too.
Every single novel he had his eye on was dead.
“Ah… ah…”
Meaningless gasps escaped his lips at the devastating sight.
His fingertips trembled, and his eyes grew moist.
The swelling emotion, the happy moment he had envisioned, deflated completely.
Was this his fault? Had this happened because he’d gone and gotten himself kidnapped?
Regret for a moment that could never be undone washed over him.
He moved his fingers aimlessly, like a man grasping at a mirage, scrolling past the chapters he’d missed. With each one, the words in the author’s notes transformed into daggers of sorrow, crushing his heart.
[Author’s Note: Thank you for reading today!] (13 days ago)
[Author’s Note: The comment count went down by one… T_T Is it because I’m not good enough? I’ll work harder so the rest of you will keep following!] (11 days ago)
[Author’s Note: I’m not sure how you all felt about today’s chapter. I tried my best… but writing is not easy…] (7 days ago)
[Author’s Note: I think your supportive comments are what give me strength. My writing is lacking, but… if you enjoyed it, please leave a recommendation and a comment…! (Bowing emoticon)] (4 days ago)
[Author’s Note: My real life has been a bit busy lately… I think the release schedule might become a little unstable.] (2 days ago)
Looking at the wretched traces left behind, Dokyun felt a sorrow so sharp it felt like his insides were being torn apart.
A lingering warmth told him that this story had not been dead for long.
She tried so hard…
She had struggled so desperately to live, only to perish so valiantly, unable to endure my absence. The thought of that small, fragile child was so pitiful that tears welled in his eyes.
I’m sorry…
I’m sorry I couldn’t read it.
I’m sorry…
I’m sorry I couldn’t leave a comment.
I’m sorry…
I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.
“I’m sorr—”
He tried to apologize out loud, but his throat was choked with a grief that crumpled his heart, and no more words would come out.
A pain like his heart was being squeezed tight.
This is all…
Go Eun-chae.
It was all because of that bitch.
The sorrow that had been crushing him began to smolder with heat.
If only that bitch hadn’t instigated Eun-ah.
The nascent flame began to spread throughout his body, growing in size.
If only she hadn’t been so greedy.
The fire, not content with consuming his entire body, grew even hotter, blazing more fiercely.
No, if only she had never been born!
The name of this flame, which threatened to incinerate his entire being, was hatred.
I will never, ever forgive her…!
Grind.
Just as he clenched his teeth, overcome with rage, he sensed a presence behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Consumed by the flames of hatred, Dokyun whipped around to see Eun-seol staring at him, a vaguely sour expression on her face.
Still leaking raw emotion, Dokyun greeted her.
“I was steeling my resolve.”
“…Right.”
She subtly avoided his gaze. Watching her, Dokyun opened his mouth and asked a question.
“Are you finished with your work?”
“More or less.”
With that, she sat down across from Dokyun, leaning back against her chair.
“What about your organizing?”
“I’m more or less finished, too.”
Yes. It had been a time for finishing his organizing and for steeling his resolve.
As he looked at her, letting his feelings show, he saw the lines on her face deepen once more.
Their eyes met for a moment before she averted her gaze and continued.
“…Check your bank account.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, check it.”
Puzzled by her abrupt command, Dokyun opened his banking app and checked his account. A moment later, a shock so great it made his head go blank washed over him.
“…Huh?”
Something was wrong.
It was definitely his account, but the number of digits in the balance was off.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands…
All the way up to the hundred-millions.
There was 500 million won in his account.
He stared across at her, his mouth hanging open dumbly. She had been watching him silently and now spoke.
“It’s the down payment.”
“Pardon?”
“For the 5 billion. That’s the down payment.”
“Ah.”
Her explanation finally made the number make sense.
When he’d first heard the offer, the amount had been so large it didn’t feel real. But now, holding a part of it in his hands, he could certainly feel its weight.
If he got rid of Go Eun-chae, he would receive ten times this amount.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
“So? Are your doubts cleared up a bit?”
He lifted his head at her relaxed tone and saw her looking at him with a smirk.
“Y-Yes…”
He answered her with a stupidly dazed expression, then looked at his account again. At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom for a moment.”
The idea shot through his mind, and Dokyun stood up. He hurried past Eun-seol, who was now looking at him with that sour expression again, and rushed to the bathroom, where he launched the novel app.
With this…!
With this money, it might just be possible.
With movements thick with urgency, he transferred money to his burner account on the novel site.
Immediately after, confirming that the coins had been charged, Dokyun quickly navigated to the main page of the novel he had just been looking at and pressed the [Donate] button tucked away in a corner.
A small blank field appeared. Dokyun typed the number 10000 into the space and, without hesitation, hit the confirm button to send the donation.
With the power of a Necromancer…!
Necromancer.
That was the title given to a reader who donated 10,000 coins—in other words, a cumulative donation of one million won.
With this power, he should be able to revive the little child who had only recently died.
Tension mounted. After a short loading screen, a pop-up confirmed the donation was complete. Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to the heavens.
Please… please bring my child back to life…!
His prayer was a desperate plea.
*
Coming out of the restroom, he looked for Eun-seol and saw her sipping coffee, gazing out the window.
He hadn’t realized it because she was always so close, but seeing her from a distance like this, it really hit him that she was a person living in a world entirely of her own.
She’s just oozing plot armor, isn’t she?
Glancing around, he noticed several other people in the cafe stealing glances at her.
She didn’t seem to care in the slightest, but her unique aura, combined with her looks, was perfectly designed to draw attention.
Just as he’d thought on the first day he was kidnapped and saw Eun-ah, that face was definitely a cheat code.
Dokyun stared for a moment before shaking off his stray thoughts and walking back to his seat to speak to her.
“I’m sorry. It was urgent.”
Her gaze shifted from the window to him. After looking at him for a moment with that sour expression, she spoke in a low voice.
“…Don’t let Go Eun-ah find out.”
Flinch.
She must have noticed.
Dokyun flinched at her sharp words, then replied with an awkward expression.
“I was careful. She won’t find out.”
He had deliberately used his burner account for lurking, so there was no way he’d be caught.
As he said this, she took a sip of her coffee and spoke again.
“Fine. Let’s go eat after I finish this.”
“What are we doing after we eat?”
“A movie.”
He looked at her, puzzled by her answer. She added an explanation with a nonchalant air.
“Something I wanted to see just came out.”
“Ah, yes.”
Dokyun gave a short reply, his eyes fixed on the coffee in her hand.
It was a drink with flecks of turquoise granules visible throughout.
Mint chocolate, too?
Jinsun ramen and mint chocolate. This woman was really one of a kind.
*
Given her taste preferences so far, he’d worried she might choose something strange for their meal, but thankfully, she led him to a handmade burger joint in the building next to the cafe.
Despite the extensive menu, she ordered with a familiarity that suggested this wasn’t her first or second visit.
After a simple meal, they arrived at the movie theater. It wasn’t until the movie started that Dokyun realized what it was she had been so eager to see.
On the giant screen, a ghost leaped out from the dark scenery.
“Gyaaaahk!!”
Dokyun, who loathed horror movies, shrieked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the ghost.
Startled, he grabbed her arm. He felt a flinch and heard a small voice.
“Don’t touch me. You’re pissing me off.”
Her tone was threatening. He looked up at her and could see, even in the darkness, that she was scowling down at him.
It was unfair. So unfair.
Fucking horror movies!
Who releases a horror movie in the middle of winter?
Common sense dictated that horror movies were released in the summer.
If he had known it was this kind of movie, he would have refused with every fiber of his being. He would have rather stayed behind at the cafe and read another chapter of a novel.
He felt like crying. Even if he closed his eyes and covered his ears, the ghost’s unearthly screams echoed through the entire theater, shaking him to his core.
He had nowhere to lean, so he’d tried to hold onto her arm, but she’d gotten angry the moment he touched it, leaving him with no support.
Please, please let it end soon…!
Feeling utterly defeated, Dokyun simply closed his eyes, covered his ears, and desperately prayed for this moment to pass.
He just didn’t have the courage to face that screen.
Doo-woong—.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been like that, but a gentle melody seeped into his ears. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw the ending credits rolling across the screen.
“Is it… is it over?”
As Dokyun spoke in a trembling voice, he heard a click of the tongue in reply.
“Tsk, yes, it’s over.”
He glanced up at her and saw her looking down at him as if he were pathetic.
His mind slowly began to clear, and the memory of his disgraceful behavior came flooding back. As Dokyun let out a slight cough, she muttered, condemning him.
“Ahem…”
“Pathetic bastard.”
Her words stabbed into his chest like daggers.
He wanted to protest, but after his recent display, saying anything more would just be pathetic.
“Well…”
“Don’t say another word. You’ll just make it worse.”
“Yes, sir…”
He was mortified.
He may be a proud member of the 1181st class of the Marine Corps, but there was no way in hell he could take on a ghost.
He stared at the floor for a moment in embarrassment. When he saw her get up and leave the theater, he scrambled to his feet and followed.
Catching up to her as she walked out in silence, Dokyun stood beside her and looked down to ask a question.
“Where are we going now?”
“To buy a gift.”
A short reply.
Then, she added an explanation.
“For Go Eun-ah.”
“Ah.”
He wondered for a moment what she meant, but he soon understood.
To Go Eun-ah, Go Eun-seol was a completely separate person.
She was perceived as an older sister who lived outside the house and only visited occasionally. It seemed Eun-seol was playing along with that perception.
…Huh?
Realizing this, Dokyun suddenly felt a question rising within him.
She doesn’t hate her?
Based on her behavior so far, he had thought she disliked Eun-ah.
But seeing as she’s going out of her way to buy a gift, that doesn’t seem to be the case…
Even if Eun-ah perceived her as living separately, was there really a need to buy a gift like this? The thought sparked his curiosity.
Watching her walk forward with her eyes fixed ahead, Dokyun felt his mind grow complicated at her inscrutable behavior.
I really don’t get it…
She was truly a person you could never figure out.