Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 227. The Person Who Doesn't Exist
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"...So that's why you're here."
Song Arin sighed after hearing my explanation.
Was it because she'd been by my side ever since I acquired the Casanova job?
The moment I appeared before her, she started grilling me about what my ulterior motive was, and in the end, I had nothing to say.
"You're here to steal my points."
"It's not wrong, but 'take' might be a more accurate way to put it."
"..."
Song Arin looked at me and sighed again.
"Fine. Let's say you're here to take them. What's your reason for thinking I should help you?"
"There isn't one."
"Then why'd you come?"
"Daon sent me."
"...Who sent you?"
Song Arin narrowed her eyes and muttered at my words.
"The black-haired one sent you?"
"Yeah."
"So you met the black-haired one first."
"That's right."
"And the white-haired one?"
"I already met Chaeyeon before seeing Daon."
"..."
Song Arin's expression darkened even more at my words.
"So. What did those two say?"
"About what?"
"About giving you points. What did the two of them say?"
"Both were positive."
They even seemed frustrated that they couldn't give more.
Song Arin's face, upon hearing my words, was now twisted in a way that looked like she could kill someone.
Was it really that infuriating?
"I'll give you some too."
"No, you don't have to."
"I'm giving them. Got a problem with that?"
Song Arin crossed her arms and stared at me.
"Or do you not want to take points from me?"
"I never said that."
"Then take them."
One moment this, the next that—what exactly was she trying to tell me?
[Due to the effect of If You Love, You Must Give Money, you receive 30% of Song Arin's points.]
I'd reached the point where points just rolled in without me doing anything.
"...But, Arin."
"What."
I looked at Song Arin, who was finally wearing a satisfied expression.
"Didn't you get a proposal too?"
"A proposal? What proposal?"
Song Arin tilted her head, as if she had no idea what I was talking about.
"Like, 'if you win, I'll do something for you.'"
"...Ah."
Only then did Song Arin seem to understand, nodding her head.
"Yeah. They said they'd do something for me too."
"I see."
"You're not gonna ask what?"
"I don't plan to tell you mine, so you don't have to tell me yours."
It's family business. At least that's how I see it.
A family business that's hard to even imagine.
"...You always keep your stories hidden."
Song Arin muttered petulantly and kicked at the floor.
"You don't tell just us, or do you not tell anyone else either?"
"There's nothing to tell."
Compared to the lives of those three, mine has been peaceful enough.
"Still, you don't talk much about yourself."
"There's nothing to talk about. You even visited my house."
"Even so, your mom was the only one there guarding the place, so I thought there must be something more."
"My mom wasn't alone. No matter how unreliable she is, my little sister was guarding it."
"...I've never seen your little sister?"
"...What?"
Song Arin muttered in a puzzled voice at my words, and I had no idea what she was talking about either.
"What are you saying? You ate with my little sister and slept in her room."
"...You're right that I slept in a different room."
Song Arin muttered in response to my words.
"But your little sister wasn't in the room."
"What are you talking about?"
"It was just an empty room."
Song Arin looked at me.
She was looking at me with a serious expression.
"While staying at your house, I never once saw your little sister or even heard her."
"..."
In that instant, I recalled the time the three of them came to our house.
Did my little sister only talk to me back then?
Did she not talk to the others?
"..."
"Your face looks bad."
"...Yeah. I've got a lot to think about."
"Wait. Let's sort this out."
Song Arin pressed her fingers to her brow and muttered.
"First off, your little sister exists. Right?"
"Yes. At least to me. She talked to me and everything."
"Mental interference type... No, it can't be mental interference. That girl already has a mental barrier."
Song Arin muttered as she crossed her arms.
"A supernatural phenomenon or containment object only inside the house?"
"Please don't call my little sister a containment object or supernatural phenomenon."
Song Arin's muttering made harsh words slip out of me involuntarily, and upon hearing them, Song Arin flinched and stiffened, then replied in a subdued voice.
"S-Sorry. I wasn't trying to insult your little sister."
"...No. It's fine. The situation's just got me on edge right now."
Hearing out of the blue that my little sister might not be human.
"...No. Maybe I... We were wrong."
Song Arin glanced at me cautiously and shook her head.
"Maybe it's something we can't see. Someone who only appears to your eyes..."
"My head hurts. Can you be quiet for a bit?"
"Ah, yeah."
It wasn't irritation at Song Arin, but the situation was just too sudden.
I pressed my temples and retraced my thoughts.
My little sister.
She's always there when I get home, acting like nothing happened. We've talked on the phone too.
But she doesn't show up in other people's eyes?
"Wait."
Right. The phone call.
I hurriedly pulled out my smartphone and showed it to Song Arin.
"No signal here."
"I know. But that's not what I'm showing you."
I quickly opened the call log and searched for my little sister's name.
"Kim Areum should come up if you search here. We definitely talked on the phone."
"...I remember when we went."
Song Arin stood next to me and peered at the screen.
"It was this day."
"Yeah. Hold on... Kim Areum..."
I slowly searched for my little sister's name on the screen.
"..."
"..."
We both lost our words.
That day, there was no call log.
"..."
"I-It's okay."
Song Arin gently placed her hand on my shoulder.
"We don't know yet. It might not be a big deal."
"..."
"H-Hey? We really don't know anything yet. How about we all go to your house again tomorrow?"
"..."
"Ah, uh. That..."
Song Arin trailed off and just kept her hand on my shoulder, while I sank into thought.
Darkness. My little sister. And lost memories.
An ominous premonition crept in.
"I need some time to think."
"Sh-Should I stay with you?"
"No. I want to be alone for a bit."
"Ah, yeah. I'll step out. You stay here."
Song Arin muttered as she headed out the door.
I noticed her glancing back at me as she left, but I had no time for such thoughts right now.
[Song Arin has decided to give you 100% of her points from If You Love, You Must Give Money.]
Perhaps, in the end, giving me all her points was Song Arin's way of cheering me on.
And with that, the board game ended.
The final round table.
The many participants surrounded it.
"Eileen unnie!"
"Yeah."
Park Ye-eun and Eileen had grown close somehow.
"Mm. I got a great rest."
The Team Leader was pleased, his face glowing smoothly.
"Heh heh... Heh heh heh... Now I can farm even more efficiently."
An Sanghyeon was grinning like an idiot.
The other three were just checking on my complexion.
More accurately, whispering to each other while checking my complexion from afar.
Then.
"Hey."
Jang Chaeyeon stood up and approached me.
"Something wrong?"
"Yes."
"...Got it."
Jang Chaeyeon nodded and sat beside me.
"Don't worry."
Jang Chaeyeon looked at me.
"No matter what it is, I'll solve it with you."
"I don't think it's something Chaeyeon can help with..."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon fell silent at my words for a moment, then nodded.
"Even so, I'll stay by your side."
*-Ring!*
As her words ended, a mechanical voice rang out, and the game window appeared.
[How was the game of looking back on a new life? Were you satisfied?]
No time for this.
I needed to get information from here fast.
[Then, let's reveal the scores!]
Fortunately, the game didn't drag on.
[These scores increase whenever you perform well in what you must do within the game and enjoy the new life.]
[The scores are as follows.]
At the same time, the scores rose.
Dead last was An Sanghyeon.
[An Sanghyeon, in last place, will suffer the misfortune of having braised pollock stew for lunch for a week.]
"Haha! Good for his health!"
I turned my eyes from the laughing An Sanghyeon and continued scanning the scoreboard.
Eileen, Team Leader, Park Ye-eun, Song Arin, Jang Chaeyeon, Yoo Daon in order.
And.
[First place is Kim Jaeheon!]
[The four players he hooked will give their points to him!]
My score appeared, announcing my first-place victory.
[To first-place Kim Jaeheon, we will grant what you so desired.]
At that moment, my vision went black.
"Jaeheon!"
It felt like Yoo Daon's urgent voice came from afar.
*
"..."
I opened my eyes.
In the dark house, my little sister was reading a book.
Not a picture book, just a regular book.
The title was [Seeing the Unseen].
She looked out the window while reading,
"..."
Her expression turned serious, and she went out of her room.
And there, I was playing with my childhood friend.
She was there, exactly as she appeared in the manual.
"Hey."
My little sister called to her, and she looked at my little sister.
"Oh my. What is it?"
"It's dark outside."
"..."
Soon, her expression grew serious too. She slowly walked out the door.
"...Wait here for a bit."
As she muttered that.
Darkness enveloped the house.