Shock
"Seojin... oppa?"
A voice that was familiar, yet far from welcome.
Past days flashed through my mind—days when I used to bring Hyojeong here, introducing it as my favorite gukbap place.
'Ha... They say you should never share your favorite restaurant with your girlfriend.'
I failed to follow a life tip I read somewhere a long time ago, though I couldn't even remember where.
Haa.
To think I'd bump into her so soon, only a few days after she gave me a sense of humiliation, called me pathetic, and broke up with me.
The world really is small...
"Oppa, how... how are you with Player Jeong Eunchae-nim?"
Huh?
Unlike me, who was surprised simply by the fact that we ran into each other, the point of Hyojeong's shock seemed to be a bit different.
Ah,
This woman who had sat in front of me without a word. She was a celebrity, wasn't she...
"......"
No particular reply came to mind.
Because I hadn't heard yet why Jeong Eunchae had arbitrarily walked up and tried to join my table.
'Still, auntie boils the boiled pork insanely well. Was this my first time ordering the suyuk?'
Funnily enough,
even in this thrill-filled moment, my mouth was tirelessly chewing on the boiled pork.
"I asked what happened! Oppa, why are you—"
"You are Ms. Kim Hyojeong-ssi, who was selected as a new player for the Bureau this time, right?"
Huh?
Snatching the glass in front of me, pouring herself a drink, and knocking it back, Jeong Eunchae pretended to recognize Hyojeong.
Wait...
"What? Bureau's new player? Hyojeong, did you awaken?"
This was news to me entirely.
Well, it was natural I wouldn't know if she didn't tell me, but...
Still, hadn't we been dating as a couple for five whole years?
I couldn't believe I was hearing such a massive fact from the mouth of a stranger I was seeing for the first time.
"...It's recent. I'm still only on the 15th floor of the tower..."
"15th floor? That means at least 15 days, right? No, it must be longer than that. You wouldn't have cleared a floor every single day. Why didn't you tell me? That was before you broke up with me."
So that was how it was.
My standing within the Bureau was probably that of someone who barely mattered, or at best, an annoying nuisance.
Nobody informed me that the Bureau was reaching out to her—who was still my girlfriend at the time.
That was proof enough of how much I was being treated as a nobody.
Ah.
When even the girlfriend right beside me didn't tell me about such a major matter, blaming the people at the Bureau might be laughable in a way.
"So... that's why you were so cold. Because you awakened, and now you don't need me."
"Th-That's not it, but..."
"Seeing how you cleared up to the 15th floor in such a short time, you must have become a far more talented player than the old me. Well, it's something to congratulate. What's the point of bringing up useless talk now? Just enjoy your meal before you go."
Only a calm, indifferent feeling arose.
Neither her consulting me about nothing, nor her dumping me coldly as soon as her situation improved—
none of it made complete sense to me, but
it didn't matter anymore.
It wasn't as if the past would change just because I felt hurt and grieved internally.
And,
with how I felt right now, even if there were a chance to turn back her decision, I wouldn't bother trying.
People who are bound to leave will leave anyway, won't they?
Slurp.
I focused back on my gukbap.
This combo gukbap loses a lot of its taste once it cools down...
Snatching back the glass and liquor that Jeong Eunchae had taken, I poured myself a drink and took a sip.
"I don't know what brings you here either, but why did you arbitrarily join someone else's table uninvited and steal their liquor? What is your business?"
Hwaak.
Jeong Eunchae's pale, jade-like face instantly flushed red as a carrot.
Ah,
it seems touching my liquor hadn't been intentional.
"Ah... th-that is, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to steal your drink... Ah, no, that's not it! U-Um... the reason I came looking for you is none other than the Sage's Necklace."
"......?"
"I understand that you are the owner of the Sage's Necklace, correct?"
"Whaat? What are you talking about?"
The answer came not from my mouth, but from Hyojeong's.
"Oppa is the owner of... the Sage's Necklace? The Sage's Necklace that I know? The one Japan rented for 20 billion won?"
Hyojeong's eyes looked ready to pop out.
Her expression was one of cognitive dissonance, unable to accept reality.
Since she was now part of the Bureau as well,
the higher-ups over there must have called emergency meetings several times, so there was no way she wouldn't know about the existence of the Sage's Necklace.
Before I knew it, she pulled up a seat and sat down at the table where Jeong Eunchae and I were sitting.
Seriously... It was my first time ordering the suyuk, too, making things so uncomfortable.
"Since I arrived first, I will speak first."
When Jeong Eunchae glared sideways and radiated a chilly aura, Hyojeong, who had been shocked multiple times, read the room and covered her own mouth.
"Player Kang Seojin-nim. I'll get straight to the point. In two months, when you receive the Sage's Necklace back from Japan, please rent it to me after that. I've already received a promise from the Bureau that they will pay the rental fee."
Aha.
So this was it.
Having heard the reason Jeong Eunchae sought me out, though uncomfortable, I scooped up the very last spoonful of gukbap into my mouth. And then,
"I don't know. Negotiations with the Bureau always leave a bad aftertaste."
"I am asking you directly, not the Bureau. The Sage's Necklace... please lend it to me."
Her expression was quite resolute and serious.
A magic-type player.
The Bureau's next-generation ace cheered on by the entire nation.
From her expression, having been stagnant on the 59th floor for several months, I was reminded of my own past plight stuck on the 24th floor for months.
"Well, it's not an item I can use anyway, so if the price is right, let me think about it. But I don't know if those cheapskates at the Bureau will match the price. Two months from now, I doubt the Sage's Necklace will remain at its current price..."
That was true.
Once Suzuki, the player on the Japanese side, succeeded in clearing a new floor,
the rise in the Sage's Necklace's value was as obvious as night following day.
Magic Power +40 and Skill Level +2.
The Sage's Necklace, with its absurd effects, was undoubtedly raising its own value at this very moment.
"Is money everything? Don't you even consider the risk of the Tower of Trials collapsing?"
Jeong Eunchae questioned me with an indignant voice.
Unlike her appearance, it seemed her patriotism or sense of duty was quite strong, huh?
However,
"Treating people like money is what the Bureau does best. A player of your stature might be coddled, pampered, and supported, but there are players who get judged just for consuming a potion while dying. And do you know how many livelihood-dependent players there are across the country? Because the Bureau fucked up the magic stone market prices, plenty of players worry about every single meal. If protecting the nation from the collapse of the Tower of Trials is truly the top priority, should they really treat low-floor players like this? Who knows if someone's potential might burst mid-way and grow as much as you?"
It wasn't like Jeong Eunchae represented the Bureau,
and she was just someone desperately begging to borrow my item,
yet perhaps because old memories surfaced, I needlessly couldn't control my emotions.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's not your fault, after all. But don't go around saying things like 'Is money everything?' in front of other people. There are players who get dumped by their lover for having no money and press the 50-Year Button out of pure anger."
Since Hyojeong belonged to the Bureau now anyway, it was something she was bound to find out in the future regardless.
I didn't hide the fact that I had pressed the 50-Year Button.
"Wh-What? Oppa... What did you just say? The 50-Year Button? That thing that cuts a player's lifespan to boost stats? The one made from the Stone of Time you took? Oppa, you promised me you would never even think about it! You swore to me time and time again five years ago!"
Back when Hyojeong and I were head over heels for each other,
she was terribly worried that I might press the 50-Year Button out of a desire to become stronger.
Back then, I would soothe her over and over,
but what did it matter now?
"It has nothing to do with you anymore. And since I was the one who introduced this place to you, I'd appreciate it if you avoided coming here from now on."
Leaving the two women in front of me, I stood up to take my leave first.
For some reason,
both women's faces held astonishment in distinctly different ways.
Hyojeong was one thing, but why did that woman Jeong Eunchae have such an expression?
Anyway, since it was none of my concern, I tried to leave the place.
However,
suddenly, tears began to drip from Hyojeong's eyes.
"I tried!! I tried to endure well right beside you, oppa! No matter how poor and hard it was, I tried to overcome it somehow... sob... But you know it well too, oppa! My mom... she's almost cured now. Thanks to the Bureau's special medical technology, Mom, who was bedridden her whole life, will be able to stand up and walk soon! Hearing that you got fired from that Bureau... can't you understand why I was disappointed in you? How can you only think about your own feelings, oppa?"
I was dumbfounded by Hyojeong's screeching outburst.
Looking into Hyojeong's eyes, I calmly answered.
"The reason the Bureau poured all kinds of items and technology into curing your mother's illness was because of my contract condition. The condition I set five years ago in exchange for handing over the Stone of Time! Just who on earth have you been living your life feeling grateful to? Do you think the Bureau is some kind of volunteer organization? Where in the world is there a volunteer organization that calculating and cold-hearted?"
"In exchange for handing over the Stone of Time...?"
Hyojeong's face looked completely soul-drained at my words. Suppressing the uncomfortable feeling, I made an effort to leave the gukbap restaurant.
By the way...
Jeong Eunchae, who was beside us... why was that woman tearing up?