Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Midnight PC Cafe Rescue
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Long puffer jacket, scarf, mask.
I'd dressed as warmly as I could manage before heading out, but I already wanted to crawl back home. This wind was like a damn knife slicing right through me, howling relentlessly. When the hell is spring coming?
Come to think of it, I'd heard that spring and fall were getting shorter while summer and winter dragged on forever. Comparing it to when I was a kid, the difference really hits home.
Anyway.
"Not cold?"
Han Aebom was wearing the same cashmere coat from the first day she came to our place, with nothing but black stockings standing out as any kind of cold-weather gear.
The frigid wind was slapping her face outright.
Did expensive clothes have better insulation? Or maybe stockings blocked the cold better than I thought?
"A little, but it's manageable."
Watching Han Aebom walk along so confidently and calmly, she really did seem like some noble young lady.
I stuck right by her side, suppressing my shivers as I asked,
"Do you know where Oh Hana is?"
"No. Why not just call her?"
I should've called before we left.
What the hell? How could a modern person's phone be off?
"Hmm."
Han Aebom stopped in her tracks.
"How do we find her?"
"Hm."
Without her phone, even I felt a bit stuck. But considering Oh Hana's wallet situation and the fact that she'd taken ten thousand won from me, her options were pretty limited.
"Let's check the nearby PC cafes."
My guess hit the nail on the head.
As soon as we stepped into Strawberry PC Cafe—the closest one to our one-room—there in the corner was a familiar silhouette. I thought maybe it wasn't her, but as Han Aebom and I drew closer, it was confirmed.
There she was: a blonde woman hunched over like a crumpled cube on the PC chair, head buried as she slept. Her usage time must've expired, leaving a pitch-black screen. In front of it, an empty ramen bowl with a faint lingering smell.
"Ha... seriously..."
Han Aebom let out a sudden, exasperated sigh. Fair enough—I felt kinda pathetic seeing her like that too. She looked like some runaway homeless kid kicked out of home.
"Hey, Oh Hana."
"Mm? Oppa?"
"You've done everything you needed to. Let's go home."
With a groan, Oh Hana cautiously stretched her legs and looked up at me, still half-asleep, tugging at my clothes.
"C-Can I come back? Like, keep living there?"
Damn, that hit me right in the feels. This girl.
"Hey, of course you can. And don't even ask crap like that. It's our house, our house. Where we all live together. Yeah, it's cramped as hell."
"Hee hee hee."
Oh Hana nodded with a goofy grin.
"Yeah. Sounds good. Our house."
Yeah.
I felt pretty good about it too, honestly. Was Han Aebom feeling the same? I never thought I'd say something so corny out loud, but maybe it was something I really wanted to say.
That the three of us here were "us."
"Yaaawn, so sleepy. Carry me, Oppa."
"...No way. I'm freezing too."
"Not very manly, huh? This is when a guy should be all, 'I'll carry you like a gentleman,' and sneak a feel of your butt."
"Shut up. I already did everything I wanted."
"Yeah, sure you did."
The three of us bantered about nothing important as we left the PC cafe. Oh Hana shivered in the blasting cold wind and asked,
"So you two aren't dating?"
"Nope."
"No."
At our answers, Oh Hana smirked, shook her head, and shrugged.
"In the end, you both just wanted sex more than love, huh? You perverts."
"......"
I wanted to argue, but... I couldn't. Facts hurt.
On the way back,
Han Aebom said to Oh Hana beside her,
"Oh Hana."
"Yup?"
"From now on, you can call me unnie if you want."
"Holy shit, for real? I can call you unnie?"
"Yes."
I thought Han Aebom smiled sweetly, but then she added in a voice as cold as a north wind blizzard,
"That doesn't mean you get to talk informally, though?"
"Ah..."
That was the moment.
New messages popped up in front of my eyes.
Quest: Get Oh Hana and Han Aebom, your one-room roommates, to get along—cleared!
Reward: 1,000,000 won deposited to main account.
Reward: Stamina +1, Erogenous Zone Detection Skill acquired.
Quest: Have sex with Han Aebom—cleared!
Reward: 500,000 won deposited to main account.
Strength +1
Watching quests I'd basically given up on clear one after another, I broke into a happy smile.
What I'd said earlier didn't feel like empty words anymore—it was real.
"Hey, let's hurry inside and warm up under the electric blanket. Freezing my ass off."
"Says the guy! I was huddled up sleeping in a PC cafe without proper heat!"
"You should've taken more money in the first place. If we hadn't come, you were gonna crash there till morning?"
"What's wrong with that? Way better than blowing 50k on a motel just to sleep. Buy me some chicken later."
Even in the cold, Oh Hana was full of energy, trading good-natured jabs with us, and before I knew it, our one-room was in sight.
We all rushed in like a pack of wild animals. Even Han Aebom, who'd said she was fine, subtly shoved Oh Hana aside to poke her head in first.
As the three of us filed into the one-room side by side, the pre-warmed electric blanket welcomed us.
"Huaaah! Nothing beats an electric blanket in winter. I love you!"
"If you're taking your clothes off, at least hang them up properly."
"Nah. You do it, unnie."
Grumbling all the while, Han Aebom had already neatly put away her own clothes and lay down. I carefully slipped in between them and closed my eyes.
This was our routine now, our normal. I could barely even remember what life was like before.
"Ah, oppa."
"Yeah?"
"What was sex with Ae-bom unnie like?"
"Mm. Let's sleep first."
Though later,
when Oh Hana heard the details of my first time with Han Aebom, her face was the most disgusted I'd ever seen.
A few more days passed. After having sex with me, Han Aebom's presence made one-room life a bit more open overall. Nothing really changed with Oh Hana, though. Han Aebom no longer bothered changing in the bathroom.
She was still shy about it, but she could change clothes right in front of me wearing just her underwear. We'd seen each other naked, after all.
We even did it a few more times after that. For Han Aebom, it was during times when Oh Hana was at work and out of the house.
Oh Hana? No such reservations. If she wanted it, she'd go for it, Han Aebom next to us or not.
Han Aebom would freak out and yell every time, but that never worked on her.
February ended, and March arrived. College kids were sobbing over the end of their long break as they headed back to school, while office workers just went about their steady, fulfilling days as usual.
We were still scraping by in the one-room with part-time gigs.
But today's schedule was different for me.
Ticket reserved successfully.
NTX 15:12 (Seoul) → 17:49 (Busan)
Bundle discount: 59,800 won
Nearly 60,000 won just to go down, then a taxi from there to Grandpa's place. Thinking about it already made me dizzy.
Couldn't breathe right.
"Haa."
"Earth's gonna swallow you up. Coming back tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Honestly, I'd hoped to take a night train and make it a day trip if possible, but there weren't any scheduled. No choice but to spend the night there. Part of me wanted to fake a sudden illness and bail even now, but I couldn't.
I hadn't gone down for Lunar New Year, and I hadn't kept in touch. Family ancestral rites were non-negotiable, especially in our uptight family.
"Like I said before, walk in with your shoulders back. You haven't done anything wrong. You're living your life just fine."
"Oh Hana's right. Live your own life, Hyunwoo. No need to mind other people. Go easy."
Common sense, sure, but hearing it from these two girls gave me a boost.
"Ah, no cigarette money. Whine, oppa—I'll send you tons of naughty pics later, so spot me ten thousand won."
"You're taking off your worn panties before you go, right, Hyunwoo?"
Give me back my feels, you two.
I sighed deeply and headed to Seoul Station. The place was swarming with all sorts of people. I didn't have social anxiety or anything, but it made my eyes spin.
"Car 17, seat 3B, car 17..."
I sat in my reserved seat. Window spot—nice. And even better, no one sat next to me the whole trip, so it was comfy.
Right as the train pulled out.
Attend the Ancestral Rite
📍 Progress: 0/1
🎁 Reward: 100,000 won, Stamina +1
A new quest appeared before my eyes. Easy enough for the modest reward—just show up.
What was this? Consolation prize? For the wreck I'd be after the rite.
I hadn't even noticed the trip starting, and we were already there. Praying no awkward questions or uncomfortable words came my way today, Busan was suddenly upon us.
"Taxi."
"Yes, hop in."
"Near City Hall, please."
"Got it."
Checked the time: just past 6 PM. Pretty quick for coming from afar, but since the rest of the family lived nearby, they were probably already gathered at Grandpa's, chatting away.
"Where to drop you off, sir?"
"Ah, right up ahead."
Grandpa's place was a two-story house near City Hall. They rented out the first floor and lived upstairs.
"Whew."
Instead of heading straight to Grandpa's, I detoured to the bank for some pocket money. Felt weird for a convenience store part-timer, but whatever.
Recent quest rewards had left me with decent savings. Plus, we'd saved on one-room rent.
Yeah. I've changed.
I'd met Oh Hana and Han Aebom.
And I was changing myself in a positive way. Like the girls said, no need to shrink back.
What crime had I committed?
Withdraw 400,000 won? Fee: 400 won.
40 x 10,000-won bills
Drurrrrk—the ATM spat out forty 10,000-won bills. I divided them into 100,000-won stacks in empty envelopes from beside the machine. If I had a good job, maybe I'd use 50,000s, but for me, this was massive spending.
How many frozen dakgalbi fried rice bowls was this? Still, if it bought me some peace of mind, it wasn't a waste.
I tucked the envelopes carefully into my puffer pocket and started walking.
The first-floor door was open like always from my childhood. Noisy voices drifted from upstairs. I took a deep breath and climbed the stairs cautiously.
That's when it happened.
"Hyunwoo's dad, tell him to get a job when he shows up. Kid's turning thirty next year—thirty. How long are you gonna let him live like that?"
The casual voice hit me, and I froze mid-step like a broken robot.