Geumho Station (1)

"I'm not sure if this is okay..."

"What is?"

"Just... everything about this room?"

Lying on the single bed tucked into the corner, Kim Dokja muttered the words under her breath with an awkward look on her face. Park Jinwoo set aside the book he'd been reading, glanced at her once, then swept his gaze over the entire room created by his exclusive skill, My Small Hideout.

When he and Kim Dokja had first stepped inside, the place had been a bare five-pyeong box—no furniture, no belongings, nothing but empty space. Now it was almost unrecognizable. The five-pyeong room had expanded to ten. A kitchen and bathroom had appeared, just like a modern studio apartment, along with all the everyday furniture that made a space feel lived-in. It had become a place that actually looked like someone could call home.

Once he'd turned it into a proper living space, the two of them had spent their time here eating cup ramen and other food, resting well and eating well.

When we first came in I had 8,200 coins. Four days later I'm down to 6,700...

Well, what choice did he have? Spending four days just sleeping in a completely empty room would've been miserable. Sharing the space with Kim Dokja—someone he'd only just met—had felt so awkward that five pyeong started to feel mentally cramped. Expanding the room cost 100 coins per pyeong, so he'd spent 500 coins to add five more. After ten pyeong, the price jumped to 200 coins per additional pyeong. The remaining thousand coins had gone into furniture and household goods.

"It looks like a place people actually live in. Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is, but... we've already been here four whole days. It just feels unsettling somehow."

And I'm worried about the others, too.

Ah...

So that was why she'd been acting so restless. She was fretting over Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, Lee Gilyoung, and Han Myungoh. Well—maybe not Han Myungoh.

"There they go again. Take your medicine, Constellations."

I already told you to take your meds on schedule. Early-onset dementia already?

They're at it again...

Kim Dokja found herself thinking that the Constellations who'd spent four straight days sending snide messages to both of them were exhausting—but Park Jinwoo, who fired right back at every single one of them, was pretty impressive in his own way.

Kwaaaaaaaargh……

"Ugh. How long is that thing going to take to die?"

On the first day the ichthyosaur had screamed with raw, powerful agony. Now, four days later, it could only manage the thin death-rattle of a creature on its last breath. From that first thunderous roar through the second day, the third, and finally the fourth—reduced to this pitiful terminal cry. Almost made you feel sorry for it.

Jinwoo was clicking his tongue at the monster's stubborn vitality when a heavy thud suddenly echoed from outside, as if something massive had collapsed.

Then the messages appeared before his eyes.

【……Truly impressive.】

Along with the message announcing the ichthyosaur's death came a crackle of sparks and a flash of golden light in midair. From the center of that light, Bihyung appeared.

"Oh, it's been four days."

Bihyung completely ignored Park Jinwoo's cheerful greeting. Narrowing his eyes, he looked back and forth between Kim Dokja and Park Jinwoo with an expression of pure disbelief.

【Stone Hogs primarily inhabit coastal areas and prey on smaller sea species. They drive their spines into a victim's hide and slowly drain it dry. Who would've thought you'd jam those spines straight into the Sea Commander's digestive fluid ducts?】

Bihyung gazed at Kim Dokja with open admiration, then turned to the Stone Hog spines still embedded in the dead ichthyosaur's stomach wall and began explaining their properties—clearly speaking more for the Constellations' benefit than for the two of them.

【On top of that, even I—a Dokkaebi—didn't know that the mucus of the Hammer Seahorse, the ichthyosaur's natural prey, grants immunity to the ichthyosaur's digestive fluids….】

Still explaining the Hammer Seahorse mucus for the Constellations, Bihyung shot a sidelong glance at Kim Dokja standing behind him.

【Incarnation Kim Dokja, who knew the properties of those junk items—the Stone Hog's sharp spines and the Hammer Seahorse's mucus—and put them to perfect use, was truly remarkable as well. Wouldn't you agree, Constellations?】

Smiling as he praised Kim Dokja for knowing and skillfully using item information even he himself hadn't possessed, Bihyung shifted his gaze to Park Jinwoo standing beside her.

【And of course, the help of Incarnation Park Jinwoo—who possesses a type of skill even a Dokkaebi like me has never seen before—was considerable as well.】

"Here."

"Hm? Dokja-ssi, what's this?"

While Park Jinwoo stared blankly at Bihyung talking away in midair and the Constellations sending sponsorships, Kim Dokja somehow already held two Stone Hog spines in her hands. Jinwoo watched her diligently slurping the droplets clinging to the tips, then snapped out of it when she gave him a look that asked why he was staring so hard. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He pointed at the spine she was offering him.

"The concentrated fluid at the tip of these spines contains the ichthyosaur's powerful vitality. Eating the seahorse mucus beforehand wasn't just to protect our insides—it was also so we could absorb this concentrate more easily and safely."

If we're lucky, consuming this concentrate will raise our Stamina stat.

"Ah! Thank you for telling me, Dokja-ssi. I'll just finish this one and pull out all the rest right away!"

Park Jinwoo accepted the spine with a mix of admiration and gratitude, then licked the concentrate from its tip.

Whoa. Nice.

His Stamina had only been 4 to begin with, so this was perfect. And unlike the mucus, it didn't have any weird texture or taste—just water with a faint splash of vinegar. Eyes gleaming at the message about the slight Stamina increase, he quickly finished the concentrate on that one spine, then yanked every remaining spine from the stomach wall and split them evenly with Kim Dokja.

Once they'd finished every last drop of concentrate from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spines they'd pulled—

"Thanks to you, Dokja-ssi, I just saved 600 coins. Seriously, thank you!"

"Not at all. I'm the one who got to clear the Hidden Scenario so comfortably thanks to you, Jinwoo-ssi."

【Hey, quit having a private conversation over there. Ahem! Anyway, that was some impressive survival work. Right, Constellations?】

"Enough. Just open the Dokkaebi Bag. And Jinwoo-ssi, wait here for a moment."

"Got it."

【……….】

While Kim Dokja and Park Jinwoo smiled warmly at each other, Kim Dokja shot a secret glare at Bihyung for butting in so cluelessly.

I still need to recruit Park Jinwoo as a companion, and this tone-deaf Dokkaebi has to go and interrupt…

Clicking her tongue inwardly, Kim Dokja told Bihyung to open the Dokkaebi Bag and asked Park Jinwoo to wait, then walked over to the stomach wall where the spines had been embedded. She grabbed one of the spines and slammed it hard against the wall.

A sharp cracking sound rang out as the wall began to fracture. Before long, she discovered a sphere glowing with a luminous blue light inside the broken wall.

Kim Dokja carefully peeled away the scraps of flesh clinging to the Ichthyosaur's Core, then stepped back out holding it and met Bihyung's dumbfounded stare.

"I'm selling this. Put it up on the Dokkaebi Auction for barter."

【You really are…. No, haah… How do you even know about that function?】

Bihyung's mouth worked as he stared at Kim Dokja, who somehow knew far too much information. He seemed about to ask where she'd learned it, then gave up and simply sighed.

"The exchange item has to be Broken Faith. No exceptions."

【Is there even anyone who has that…?】

"And the items I want to buy are…."

【Hold on. Before that—Constellations~! Let's watch one quick ad and then move on to the next scenario~!】

"………."

"Urgh…."

【What the fuck… is my aegyo that nauseating?】

Bihyung pressed both hands to his cheeks, eyes sparkling toward the floating Constellation messages, and launched into an ad in the cutest voice he could manage. Kim Dokja stared at him with a look of pure disbelief. Park Jinwoo, who happened to be standing right in the path of that forced cuteness, gagged at the sudden Dokkaebi aegyo.

Bihyung, unable to help himself, muttered a curse under his breath at the retching Park Jinwoo.

"Ready to talk about the contract now?"

At Kim Dokja's words, Bihyung—who had just blocked the Constellations' eyes and ears with the ad—glanced at the blankly standing Park Jinwoo, then turned back to Kim Dokja and nodded.

【I was on the fence at first, but after watching your performance in this scenario, I'm a little more convinced. Take a look at this contract first.】

"We're Party A?"

【Humans like that kind of thing, don't they? It doesn't mean anything anyway, so I figured I'd give it a try.】

Surprisingly clean contract—no real tricks. Except for one thing.

"There's one important part missing."

【The seal? You just have to say you agree out loud. A Stream Contract is a soul vow, so—】

"The split. What kind of scam are you trying to pull?"

【Ah, aah. Haha… ha. Right.】

When Kim Dokja fixed him with a freezing stare, Bihyung flinched, cold sweat pouring down as he avoided her eyes.

【Fifty-fifty, how about that? In exchange, I'll waive the channel fees you'd normally have to pay!】

【We split whatever sponsorship money you receive from now on exactly according to the ratio! Say you get 100 coins—we each take 50….】

"Do you think I'm a sucker?"

【Wh-what?! B-but this is the standard settlement ratio in the industry….】

Bihyung kept babbling explanations through a sheen of cold sweat while Kim Dokja continued to stare him down with that same icy look.

"We're Incarnations without Sponsors. And when Constellations sponsor Incarnations without Sponsors, they have to pay the Dokkaebi a massive fee."

You've already made a tidy profit off us, haven't you?

Bihyung flinched hard. His face went pale blue and his mouth fell open.

"Ten to zero."

【Wh-wh-what?!! Th-that's imp-impossible—!!】

"You make plenty just from the fees. We pay nothing."

【How about seven to three…?】

"Ten to zero. Or we switch channels. I hear that 'Gildal' guy's been doing pretty well lately?"

【E-eight to two! I can't go any lower than that!】

"Ten to zero. And I'm adding a penalty for being annoying."

Bihyung glared at Kim Dokja with murder in his eyes. Kim Dokja, by contrast, looked perfectly at ease.

Damn. She really knows how to negotiate.

Standing a short distance away from the two of them, Park Jinwoo watched Kim Dokja with a look of pure admiration—or maybe respect.

I should handle scams and deals like that from now on.

"The ad's about to end. The Constellations are going to start complaining any second. You okay with that?"

Right on cue, the Constellation messages floated up in the air. Bihyung clutched his head with both hands and threw his head back.

【Damn it, fine…. I lose. So we're making the contract, right?】

After a moment of agonized hesitation, Bihyung finally gave up, trembling all over as he asked Kim Dokja if they were going through with it.

"Ah, one more thing."

【What?! What now?!】

"You still have to pay a signing bonus. Hand it over—five thousand coins each."

【F-five thousand total, not…?!】

"Separately. Five thousand each."

Tears welling at the corners of his eyes, Bihyung let out a hollow laugh. With sunken cheeks and hands that shook violently, he handed over 5,000 coins each to Kim Dokja and Park Jinwoo as the contract fee.