Omniscient Victim's Perspective (2)
There was once a reckless fool named Icarus.
He was trapped in a labyrinth with his father, Daedalus.
To survive, father and son gathered feathers from birds near the labyrinth and used beeswax from hives scattered throughout to craft wings.
They attached these enormous wings—large enough for humans to fly with—to their bodies and soared into the sky, finally escaping.
Fools are everywhere, and in this tale, the son Icarus played that role.
Icarus got carried away. Maybe he was drunk on the thrill of slicing through the open sky like a bird.
He ignored his father's warning not to fly too high, lest the sun melt the wax.
Icarus plummeted into the sea.
What happened after that? I don't know. I closed the book.
I wasn't curious about the fool's fate.
But now, I'm wondering about the sequel to that story.
Because there's another fool here who knows no moderation.
"Seon-ha, between pears and grapes, which do you like?"
"I hate both."
"Whoa, same here! I hate pears and grapes too! We're a match made in heaven, huh?"
"Ugh, gross."
Time to pluck those wings.
Save 1 = 2,061 hours 32:21
32:22
32:23
"As expected."
Time flows when he's active.
Time stops when he pauses (though that's rare).
The numbers on the monitor are playtime.
So right now, with time ticking, he's active...
Peek...
A periscope poked its head up through the window.
Whoosh!
I yanked the curtains shut in irritation.
It's August now. Five months since he first appeared in March.
Five months.
But the playtime in this save file is under three months.
Five months for me. Less than three for him.
Just as I predicted—the time density between our worlds differs.
No.
It's a space where time flows according to Lee Yeon-woo's whims.
That's the right way to see it.
He saves and loads at his convenience.
Playing with this world like a toy.
"...What an asshole."
I hated him even more for looking down on my world.
Not that I have any special attachment to this place myself.
Creeeak.
"Ugh, pansies... Miss, what would you like for dinner?"
"Cereal."
"...May I ask why you eat the same thing every day for a year straight?"
Whatever. "No reason to eat anything else."
"How about something more girly for once? Tteokbokki? Shall I order some?"
"You eat it."
Neither is real anyway. The food. Or the one eating it.
I wielded a bit of my student council president authority.
Strengthened the school rules on private interactions between boys and girls.
These rules, made because I couldn't stand the guys swarming girls labeled as heroines (including me), would serve their purpose again.
Next.
If he's using that favorability system or whatever.
Fine. I'll lower my standards to match.
-It's really pouring. Got an umbrella, Seon-ha?
-Yes. Surprise.
-...Huh? Y-you do?
-Problem?
-...No? Check if it got stolen, though.
It was hilarious, like a thief telling someone to check if his stolen goods were stolen. His face when he saw the second umbrella plainly in my bag was priceless.
I log the info I gather each day when I get home.
"Sharing an umbrella... Waving hello in the hallway... Doing the frog dance to make me laugh..."
Scratch scratch.
Frequent behaviors from Lee Yeon-woo walking my way. Probably data piled up from his rough trial-and-error with me so far. Maybe even logged in a file somewhere.
Thud.
Something dropped on the crown of my head. A single pansy from the ceiling.
"..."
Farewell to this damn flower soon, too.
I blocked every action that raised favorability.
Carry item event blocked.
-Seon-ha, that box looks heavy. Let me...
-Oh, you're here. Janitor uncle...! Please take this to the classroom on the third floor.
Delinquent student event blocked.
-Hey, nice vibe here~
-Seon-ha, leave this to me and run!
-You stick with them too and come at me all at once. I'll tie you up and kill you.
Rescue from water event blocked.
-Our Seon-ha finally fell in the water! I'll save you!
-Me? With my silver medal from the youth swimming championships?
-Seon-ha! Glub! Save me!
-Bye.
I even went on the offensive.
"How do you eat your bungeoppang?"
A question tossed after ignoring him for a while.
"...F-fin?..."
After agonizing, his answer was wrong. Did his favorability drop? His face went pale instantly. The answer isn't tail, fin, or head. It's the red bean filling first.
I prepared a major trap too.
"Miss... this is a bit dangerous..."
The hypnotist's face was full of worry.
"Don't care. Just once—"
"...Only this once."
Perception alteration. I brainwashed myself, completely swapping out a few things I supposedly loved most.
"How could you give someone carrot juice!?"
"Wh-what...? It's your favorite juice, right? You drank it every morning until last week..."
"Aaaah... I feel insulted! I want to cover your mouth and nose! Disappear from my life forever! I can't even look at you!"
Thud! Crash!
Did my favorability hit rock bottom again? His face turned blue. Ah, thinking about it pisses me off again. I hate carrots. Hate them. Die.
Tomato juice staining the floor red. He hung his head, dejected. Favorability at zero now, maybe no hearts left. His three months down the drain. Good.
"Miss, please."
Yu-ri held out her palm.
"What?"
"The bet's reward. It's been a month as of yesterday."
...
She meant the bet from a month ago. Whether Lee Yeon-woo would give up within a month or not.
"You said I won back then. It's over."
"...Cheap."
"Did you just call me petty?"
"Y-you can't tell from one syllable...?"
I'd been ruthless, but Lee Yeon-woo hadn't quit.
Everything was the same as before. Lee Yeon-woo. The pansy flowers with no intention of leaving this room.
"Miss. Can I decide the bet's reward?"
"...Persistent. Fine, I'll buy it. Spit it out and get out. Gotta plan tomorrow's defenses."
"Not an item. Just answer one thing."
"What."
"Can I ask straight up?"
"No."
"Do you actually like Yeon-woo?"
"...What do you think I've been doing—no, what I've been doing for the past month?"
"You don't?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Honestly, I thought if you got serious, it'd be over in a flash."
Same here. He's really sloppy. No standout talents. But his persistence was impressive.
"It's seven. Dinner?"
"Cereal."
"Tteokbokki?"
"You just want it yourself, right? Order it alone."
"Yes, ma'am."
Click. Thud.
The chair back tilted.
"Haa..."
Exhausted. Tilting my head back, an upside-down field of flowers greeted me.
'...Me? That guy?'No.
Whether I like Lee Yeon-woo or not... that's not the issue.
'...'
A fake world.
Liking a fake person... that's the question first.
Thud.
One flower fell from the field. Onto my face.
'...'
I gripped the flower stem and twirled it.
"...What an asshole."
I hate Lee Yeon-woo.
I hate the people coming from over there.
I hate that world over there.
Hate it. Why? Why do I hate it? ...
"Yeah, got it. I'll say it straight too."
You guys have it good.
"Must be nice."
Yeah, I was jealous.
Jealous from way back.
Jealous of the things coming from over there.
This space, everything to me, is just a cheap knockoff modeled after over there.
A birdcage where fake people from that inferior world tangle and live.
A human who stepped into that cramped cage of his own accord says he likes me...
"Is it pity?"
The petals spinning like a pinwheel crumpled in my fist.
"Don't make me laugh... I don't need it."
Bang Yu-ri doesn't know this, so she brings up such trivial nonsense.
So, I have no intention of becoming the fool who genuinely likes Lee Yeon-woo.
The guy who casually spends a few hours stealing my days.
...What was the past month like for him?
'...Playtime.'
I wanted more reasons to hate Lee Yeon-woo.
I turned on the computer.
Last time was a month and a half ago.
Click.
...
I rubbed my eyes.
Rubbed them again.
".........?"
Save 1 = 43,106 hours 17:21
17:22
17:23
A month passed in this world. Over there, four years passed.
"............"
This ruthless month I put him through. His four years, gone.
Whoa...
"............Idiot?"
He's an idiot.
"...What the hell..."
Over a dump like this.
Save 1 = 43,118 hours 08:04
When I finally tore my eyes from the clock I'd been staring at in a daze, it was the next morning.