Ah? A Life of Futility
Kim Arin suddenly remembered that she was boiling kimchi stew. The delicious aroma filled the air, but it didn't stir her heart.
It's all boiled now, so I'll eat first—
She scooped some rice. Egg fried rice with kimchi stew and steaming hot rice. Made with top-quality kimchi and pork belly. It was sure to be tasty.
Arin sat down and took a bite.
Oof!
The sound of a door opening rang out.
"Y-you're awake, Master? Should I prepare your meal too?"
"Nah, it's fine. I didn't sleep. I'll just grab some snacks and crash, so don't worry about it."
Ah...
Her master's schedule was irregular. They ate together maybe once a month at best. There were times when he ate the food she'd cooked or she ate the semi-prepared stuff he'd bought, but shared meals were rare.
Even when those tough conditions aligned for a meal together, it was too barren to call it "eating together." He didn't pay attention to Arin. She desperately watched his every mood. Those meaningless moments just kept flowing by.
Hm?
His face looked much older than usual.
...Ah?
Glancing absentmindedly at her reflection in the glass window, Arin realized her own appearance had withered too. Still beautiful, but no longer young.
"...You've worked hard all this time."
"Pardon?"
Only then did Arin recall that her time in this house as a slave was nearly up. It had been 14 years since she'd first entered as a slave. Unbelievable, but the face in the glass showed the passage of time.
"...Yes."
In all that time, Arin had done nothing. It was comfortable. Not uncomfortable. He'd done his best to accommodate her, and she'd spent the years "doing nothing" just as he'd intended. Playing games. Watching dramas and movies. Wasting days away pointlessly.
...After retirement—
Her parents, successful in business, had already prepared a spot for her. At 40, she'd take a simple managerial role at their store and live out her days. A bit harder than her life so far, but not painful.
Just keep living like that. Continuing a meaningless existence. Without getting close to anyone, without chasing pleasure with her youth, without bringing happiness to others. She'd lived 14 years of utter meaninglessness, and she'd live the rest until death the same way—
"Aaaaaaaah!!!"
Arin bolted upright in bed.
"A d-dream... right?"
She looked around frantically for a while, then checked her reflection in the glass window. Young. But she couldn't be sure. The dream had been too vivid.
Only after checking the date on her phone and shining the front camera on her face did Arin realize she'd been dreaming until just moments ago.
"Hoo, ha, huu..."
It was scary. On reflection, it wasn't the stuff of nightmares. If she'd been sold to a cruel or violent master, she might have seen that "peaceful, everyday, comfortable life" as a dream come true. Unrealistically happy, so obviously a delusion she'd spot right away.
"Ugh..."
But Arin couldn't accept it. She couldn't admit her life was set on that path, that all she could do was wait eagerly for that future.
She drank some water and washed her face. Finally coming to her senses, Arin turned on the computer.
"There has to be... some way..."
It might be dangerous. Maybe even a betrayal of his expectations. But she had to do it. No choice. Otherwise, that dream becoming reality was inevitable.
"How to get close to master... how to seduce him... how to have sex... No, why is it all this kind of stuff..."
Expecting a slave to offer genuine loyalty might be a fool's delusion, head full of flowers. Even accounting for that, the info from the "slave community" was utterly worthless.
"Why is it all this crap..."
None of them seemed to truly love their masters. No one trying to get close, no one seducing without ulterior motives.
"Ugh..."
Stories of scamming owner's money to buy family a house, faking illness to dodge sex—that was it. To find what she wanted, she'd need more effort.
"Kissing..."
Her body trembled. Arin's master was pretty handsome. Even without the family debt, she wondered if she'd ever meet someone like that.
"L-let's be brave."
Maybe he was just shy. Or holding back out of consideration or worry for her.
"I-I was already chosen once!"
There were so many stunning women. Even the ones who'd entered his room were intimidatingly gorgeous. Arin steeled her resolve.
/////
"Insufficient balance."
I'd gone out for cigarettes and tilted my head at the unexpected message.
"Really? Hold on, that can't be..."
After striking it rich on coins, I'd loaded massive sums into all my cards.
"It's really insufficient."
"One sec."
Opening the banking app on my phone, I realized she was right.
All the money's gone...
I hadn't touched savings, but some time had passed since quitting my job. Not weird for it to run dry.
Asking Mom and Dad for money feels awkward...
I'd quit on my own whim, so being broke was natural.
Coin jackpot? What bullshit...
Come to think of it, I'd never even bought coins. Ridiculous. The dream felt way too real. I'd been acting like it was reality these past few days.
How bad did I want to get rich...
"Um, sir?"
"Ah, sorry. I'll come back later."
Leaving the convenience store, I took the elevator back home.
She didn't do anything weird, right...?
Couldn't tell where dream ended and reality began.
But no weird stuff.
Might've overspent, but even if I couldn't distinguish dream from reality, the funds weren't endless anyway.
Not being able to tell dream from reality is kinda shocking.
Too much gaming, maybe. Sleep was fine, but my schedule was irregular lately.
Anyway...
Dream or not, my life hadn't changed much. Even if it was all a dream now, I could just job hunt. Rich or poor, same house, same store for smokes, same games.
So all of it meaningless—
"Huh?"
Opening the door at home, I saw someone who shouldn't be there. A young woman. I knew her face. Her name too. Kim Arin. Beautiful, but not celebrity-level. No reason I should know so much about her. No reason she should be in my house.
I... bought a slave.
Then it hit me. I hadn't dreamed of a "coin jackpot." This moment, my "insufficient card balance," was the dream.
"Ugh!"
I woke up. My back was soaked in sweat. Breathing ragged. Grabbing my phone in a panic, I opened the banking app. Incalculable wealth stared back.
The computer was upgraded. Not many new buys, but I remembered them. And buying the slave a computer like mine.
"...Just a dream."
I'm rich. No need to work again, no skimping at the store, no begging parents.
Not much changed, but better rich than broke.
With a faint smile, I pressed the computer's power button. Stepped out, grabbed a mix coffee sachet from the cabinet, and tore it open. Sipped the coffee. Mind cleared.
The sun was high. Fridge had kimchi stew Arin probably made this morning. Nuked some frozen rice, reheated the stew. Decent meal. Not as good as Mom's, but better than mine.
I ate in silence until the bowl was empty.