Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Roommate Wanted
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No. What the hell.
Quest? System window?
New Year's Blessings
📍 Quest: Accept new residents into your one-room apartment.
⏰ Progress:0/3
🎁 Reward: 300,000 won per person
New Year's blessings?
Am I hallucinating right now? Did I chug some soju before bed for New Year's or something?
Or maybe the booze from the year-end party hasn't worn off yet...
No.
That's not it.
"I'm losing my mind..."
I muttered in a daze and reached out with my hand.
It passed right through.
Just in case, I wondered if this was a hallucination only I could see. System windows are all the rage these days.
Well, not just these days—from way back.
I searched online for "suddenly seeing a system window."
All that came up were endless fantasy novels.
When I looked for personal posts, they were all from fantasy galleries, car galleries, idol galleries—stuff like "I want to reincarnate as a girl" or "I wanna awaken as a hunter ASAP."
Pure delusions everywhere.
No one seemed to understand my situation.
"Ow."
I pinched my cheek just in case.
It hurt.
"..."
I'd wished a million times for my life to change this year. But I'd never imagined it flipping this drastically.
Who could've pictured it?
A status window popping up out of nowhere overnight.
'Ah.'
Wait.
People fantasize about this stuff all the time these days. What if this is just my mind conjuring an escape from reality?
"First things first... let's wash up."
Maybe something like dust got in my eyes and I'm seeing wrong.
I spouted nonsense and washed with cold water.
"Ugh."
I thought washing up in a daze would make the cold less brutal.
Like hell it did.
Still freezing my ass off.
I dove back under the covers with the electric blanket like I was fleeing and stared straight ahead.
Accept new residents into your one-room apartment.
[0/3]
It was gone while I washed up.
But now that I'm looking, it's back in front of me.
Is this real? At this point, wouldn't it be more realistic to assume it is? Maybe some god really delivered a New Year's gift just for me.
'Well. The fastest way to confirm is to just do this quest myself.'
Still.
How?
Accept new people into my one-room?
Call up a friend?
But "accept" here probably means live together, right? And one-rooms are usually for solo living.
Well, mine's pretty spacious for the filthy rent.
But it'd still be cramped for two.
"Friends. Friends..."
I scanned my friend list for anyone who'd live here even for a month, and suddenly felt deflated.
[Shin Taehoon]
[Park Byunghyun]
[Jang Sung-hoon]
...
...
All of them had proper jobs and lived independently on their own dime.
No way they'd suddenly move into my one-room now—their workplaces weren't even nearby.
"Ha. Am I the only unemployed loser here?"
Makes sense at 29.
Time to get a job.
Sure, average job-hunting age is around 30 these days, but that's just the average. The ones who land jobs already have.
I didn't hustle hard enough.
Yeah.
I slacked off, unlike the hustlers. No right to complain about them.
My own damn fault.
"..."
In my gloom, I flipped my phone over and booted up the computer.
Thinking about it, sharing a roof with those working stiffs wouldn't be as fun as I dreamed in high school.
We figured once we grew up, VR games would drop.
Like those game-fantasy stories—living together, grinding the game to make a living. Yeah, we know that's not happening.
[Naver Cafe]
[Share House/One-Room/Two-Room Search]
[435,902 Members]
I wasn't in the mood for heavy thinking.
I mindlessly logged into the cafe where I'd found this place four years ago. First time in ages.
With 430k members, posts popped up in real time.
[Help with wedding gift amount?]
[How much for iPhone snap at wedding?]
[Best jacket size?]
[Where to meet guys?]
Mostly pointless free-board crap.
Used to not get why people sought answers online like this or played buddy-buddy.
Now I do.
Years of solo living with frozen fried rice crammed in the fridge.
Enough to drive you nuts.
Wanna feel some human warmth, even like this.
[Roommate Wanted]
[Write Post]
Obviously.
There was a roommate board for splitting rent. I hit write.
White screen, pick font. Hesitated instantly.
Really post here?
Stranger under one roof outta nowhere? What if they're a psycho? Would a normal person bite?
[Really exit?]
[Ongoing posts may not save.]
Felt insane, hit back. Warning popped.
Mashed confirm, maybe prep for convenience store shift.
"..."
If I bolt out the door like this...
Gut said another year same as last. When did I turn such a coward?
Kid me posted crap without shame.
Now, proper post, and I'm fretting eyes and what-ifs.
Guess 'cause I'm 29 now...
"Fuck it."
Still.
I wanted change.
Old or not, nothing achieved at this age.
[Hello. 29M resident of Terra One-Room 303. Rent around 600,000 won. 11 pyeong...]
I poured heart into the post.
Highlighted spaciousness above average one-room.
Honest situation: wanna split rent.
Interested? Shindong Station 8-min walk, can pick up. Or visit directly.
"Phew. Nothing weird?"
Anyone see, pure roommate post to save rent.
"Just in case. Really unlikely, but... no girl gonna show, right?"
I cracked up saying it.
Ridiculous. What crazy chick visits solo guy's one-room?
Bathroom's the only change spot, tiny.
Gonna be guys.
Army flashbacks. Dingy, shoulders bumping.
For quest, four dudes here? What's diff from barracks?
Maybe lining blankets for electric heat.
"..."
Depressing just thinking.
Think positive.
Guys easier than girl. Talk better, no awkwardness.
Winter cold now.
Spring warm, roam naked. Sleep in boxers.
Booze, smokes...
Views climbed: 10, 20, 30...
No comments. Still zero.
1:1 chats trickled: Rent split how? Daily life? Job?
Questions on stuff I skipped shyly felt like rocks on chest.
Those askers ain't coming.
"..."
Chats quieted.
Maybe phone alerts silent? Still zero messages.
Shift time.
[Novel24]
"Good work."
"You too."
Even after handover, couldn't sit still.
Checked phone nonstop.
Installed Naver Cafe app too. Waited endless for comments or DMs.
Lotto vibes.
Fear of unknown mixed with hype.
'Who'll come?'
This kimchi soup dreaming? No confirm, yet fantasizing arrivals.
Three days, nada. Depressed again.
'Figures.'
Not that easy.
Day two, reposted copy. Same useless chats, spam.
Comments rarer than thought.
YouTube spoiled me thinking easy.
'System whatever. Can't even snag this, what's point.'
Microwaved expired bento, hamster wheel day.
Gotta do something—brain said, body no.
Pathetic.
Then.
「Ding-dong!」
Neighbor?
「Ding-dong! Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong!!」
Mad button-mashing. Realized my door.
What? Huh?
'Damn. Personality clear from doorbell alone.'
Cult preacher pissed me off. Potential male roommate? Nah, that temper'd tire me. Better solo 600k.
Thought pretend gone, phone rang.
"Hey!! You're in there!!"
Yelling mad outside.
Voice... huh?
"What!! Posted on Naver Cafe yourself! Looking for roommate! Open up!!"
Girl's voice.
Fresh, young—like freshman uni girl.
Crazy?
Stunned, but girl lured hand to knob. What if voice fake, gangster BF behind?
"Hurry!! So cold."
Snappy urge triggered shop-karen PTSD, flung door open.
Creeeak. Door swung.
There: blonde in brown coat, luxury bag crossbody, coffee in hand. Standing alone.
Real... a woman came?