Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Price of Passion
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Lying in the recovery room, Jung Hye-na looked haggard.
Her eyes, looking up at me, were filled with apology.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? It’s all my fault. Just focus on getting better.”
“...Okay.”
“They said you can go home. You need to rest for a while. You can go back to work tomorrow.”
We both put on our masks and left the recovery room.
As I helped her out of the waiting area, I could feel everyone’s eyes on us.
In the past, I found this kind of attention burdensome, but also a little enjoyable.
Now, it was just mortifying.
The other visitors probably didn’t know we were here because we’d had so much sex that her vagina tore.
But that’s how I felt.
We left the hospital without a word.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Contrary to the extremely handsome man’s self-deprecation...
The nurses’ gazes held no ridicule or mockery.
Only wonder, admiration, envy, and jealousy.
“He’s so ridiculously handsome. I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind.”
“Wow. Just... wow, his face.”
“I’m so jealous. The guy put his mask on halfway through, so we didn’t get a good look at his face.”
“When I saw the state of the patient’s vagina, I was about to curse the man out, thinking, ‘What the hell did he do to this woman?’ But then I saw his face, and I wanted to curse the patient instead.”
“With a face like that, the woman must have lost all self-control and gone wild. It was a self-inflicted rupture.”
“The director was worried about the man’s penis and asked to take a look, but he refused to the end. Ah, if he’d agreed to the examination, I could have seen it too.”
“Somehow, I bet his dick is as handsome as his face.”
“That must be why she let him go at it until she tore. I’m telling you, she was the one begging for more, more, more.”
“That face and that stamina... He’s a perfect, extremely handsome man with no flaws. What would it be like to date someone like that?”
“I want to be brought in with a torn vagina, too. I want to do it so much that I get rushed to the hospital.”
“With your current boyfriend?”
“With that handsome man, obviously.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the taxi, I checked the message from my boss.
He sounds like he’s in worse shape than Hye-na.
My boss thinks I was in a serious accident.
[Me] I’ve put out the urgent fire for now. I think I can come in around lunchtime.
[My Boss] Are you hurt? Don’t push yourself.
[Me] I’m perfectly fine.
I would have preferred to stay with Hye-na all day.
But she insisted I go to work.
“If you’re by my side, Oppa, it’ll be harder for me to hold back....”
When she puts it like that, I have to let her rest alone.
To be honest, I was also scared of what I might do if the two of us were alone in her studio apartment.
So, I tucked Hye-na into bed.
After setting out water, food, medicine, and a towel beside her, we shared a kiss before I left.
The kiss alone was enough to get me fired up again, and it was a struggle to pull away.
“Should I at least use my mouth?”
“No. You know what you said about how finishing in your mouth just makes me more fired up.”
Suppressing my disappointment, I headed to the cafe.
I expected the tables to be empty, but surprisingly, it was a full house.
My boss and the staff greeted me with a huge welcome, as if I were a triumphant general.
“You’re here?”
“I heard. You went to the hospital? Are you okay?”
“Ah, it wasn’t me who was sick or hurt. I just had to go as a guardian.”
“Who? Who was taken to the hospital?”
“A family member.”
Gong Ji-hyun tried to press for more details but got a flick on the forehead from my boss and was pushed away.
“Chang-woo, are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yes, boss. She’s already been discharged, and I just dropped her off at home. The doctor said she just overexerted herself and needs to rest for a while.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With Lee Chang-woo’s return, the cafe was once again bustling and incredibly busy.
The female customers who had secured tables since opening, undeterred by his absence, could be called the true victors.
The female employees stole glances at Lee Chang-woo and whispered among themselves.
“Doesn’t Chang-woo seem different lately?”
“You felt it too, unni?”
“Me too, me too. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels like he’s getting even more handsome. And more... dangerous?”
“Look at his skin. How can a Korean person’s skin be that white? It looks like it’s been bathed in milk.”
“His vibe has definitely changed in a subtle way. He’s becoming a more dangerous man.”
“Maybe we don’t feel it as much since we see him every day. But the reactions from the new pilgrims who see Chang-woo for the first time are completely different now.”
If the customers who first saw Lee Chang-woo in the beginning squealed and jumped with joy...
The customers seeing him for the first time these days looked like they were on the verge of fainting or passing out completely.
His already fair face was becoming so clear and pale that it was almost translucent.
He gave off the feeling of not being Korean, but a different species altogether.
It was as if a prince from a fantasy had torn through the pages of a comic and stepped into the real world.
“Angels exist, and they take the form of the manager at the Roasting Cafe.”
“It’s dangerous. Too dangerous. He even got a casting offer from a major agency last time. What if he really leaves the cafe for the entertainment industry?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I stared intently at my reflection in the washroom mirror.
A face I saw every day, yet a sight I still wasn’t used to.
The memory of being startled when I first woke up in this body and saw myself in the mirror was still vivid.
It had been eight days since I chose the Path of Appearance.
My reflection in the mirror was changing, slowly but surely.
First, my skin was not that of a Korean person.
It was a clear white that couldn’t be achieved without makeup or CGI.
But it didn’t look artificial at all; it suited me naturally, as if it were my own.
My subtly reddish lips formed a strange harmony with my white skin.
It’s embarrassing for me to say it, but I looked like a vampire duke from a movie.
Both the customers who knew me before...
And the customers who saw me for the first time after the appearance enhancement...
Their reactions were stronger than before.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [From now on, all differences in personal preference will be ignored.] [Anyone who sees you will acknowledge that you are the most beautiful person in the world.] [This imprinting effect is permanent.] The imprinting effect of appearance.
Anyone, regardless of their taste, would admit that I was the most handsome.
Lately, I’d been feeling this imprinting effect through the cash register.
The daily sales were changing.
At first, my boss predicted I would take home around 6 to 8 million won a day.
But lately, even working from 9 to 6, my share was exceeding 10 million.
“It’s not like I can even do it anyway.”
With the sex ban in effect, I couldn’t do anything.
I might as well just focus on selling coffee.
[Me] I’ll work until closing today before I head home.
[Jung Hye-na] ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ,,,,,,!
[Me] You’re sick, so I should at least earn a lot of money, right? ㅋㅋ
[Jung Hye-na] ,,,,♡♡♡♡♡♡
I returned to the counter.
“Boss, I’ll work until closing this week. I’ll try to come in on the weekends too, if possible.”
“Really? For real?”
“Yeah. The raid leader posted an announcement saying there won’t be any raids for a while.”
The overtime pay was 50%, not 40%.
Might as well use this face to charm some women and rake in the cash.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That Ten Million Won Girl with the mask from yesterday came again.
This time, she wasn’t wearing sunglasses, only a baseball cap and a mask to cover her face.
The eyes visible above the mask were definitely large and pretty.
There was no way she had an ordinary face.
I was worried she might try to tip me again, but thankfully, the Ten Million Won Girl quietly got her takeout and left.
If our fingertips touched, I could probably get some basic information.
But I didn’t want to do it on purpose.
I was afraid of giving the wrong impression.
This time, my boss saw her in person too.
As soon as she left, he came over to me and made a fuss.
“I guarantee you, she’s a stunning beauty. There’s a prettiness that can’t be hidden by a mask. And her figure and proportions are absolutely insane.”
“Yeah.”
“And did you see her clothes?”
“What about them? They just looked like a normal, everyday outfit.”
There was nothing particularly eye-catching.
It seemed like the perfect style for a walk around the neighborhood.
“She’s decked out head to toe in genuine luxury brands.”
“I didn’t see any logos.”
“It was all Hermès. The slippers she’s wearing probably cost three or four million won alone.”
They didn’t look much different from the cheap slides I wear at home.
Those cost three or four million won?
“Seeing how quietly she came and went today, she doesn’t seem like the troublesome type. I bet she has a clean personality and good manners.”
“Didn’t you tell me to be careful before?”
“That was before I saw her myself, and I had less data.”
I was already worried sick about Hye-na.
Running simulations in my head about the Ten Million Won Girl on top of that was just too exhausting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I was definitely feeling the effects of the appearance enhancement privilege.
After closing up at 11 PM, my boss quietly whispered to me.
“This is insane. I think your cut for today will be around 17 million won. The hours from 6 to 11 were calculated at 50%.”
“At this rate, I’ll pay off my debt in no time. Aren’t you getting nervous, boss?”
“I know, right? Hey, have you ever thought about buying a building? I can look for some good properties for you.”
My boss, who understood my love for gaming, was no longer worried that I would leave for the entertainment industry.
I got home around 11:30, and Jung Hye-na was in the living room, editing on her MacBook.
She greeted me with a bright smile when she saw me.
“You worked hard.”
“It was crazy. My share for today was 17 million.”
“Wow, really? Oppa, you’re amazing.”
After showering, I intentionally kept my distance from Hye-na.
I felt like just touching her would get me all worked up.
“How’s it... down there?”
When we were having sex, I had no problem saying ‘pussy,’ but now that it was an injured area, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“It’s still sore.”
“The doctor said we absolutely have to abstain for at least two weeks, and then he’ll see how it is. Let’s try to hold back.”
“I’m fine, but you, Oppa...”
“That’s why I’m going to sleep separately starting tonight.”
“Separately?”
“If we sleep together, I might end up fucking you in my sleep. I’m in a very dangerous state right now.”