Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: New Millennium Truth Church (1)
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I'd left all the company operations entirely to Bartoli.
I had no idea how she planned to support me by running a company, but I decided not to worry about it.
It was a hassle, and it'd just give me a headache.
She said it was for my sake, so whatever.
"What, you think something big's gonna happen?"
"Usually, when people say that, it does..."
"Shh."
I let Chae Seol-ah's snark go in one ear and out the other.
Right now, there were more important matters anyway.
"Bored."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing fun happening."
"Fun...?"
Chae Seol-ah gave me a strange look.
A hint of concern flickered in her eyes.
"You're not hoping for some incident to happen, are you?"
"Incidents are great."
"They're not!"
Chae Seol-ah shook her head emphatically, as if to say absolutely not.
But what could I do about the boredom?
I never imagined returned-Earth life would be this dull.
Back in hell, I'd thought coming back to Earth would be paradise. But now that I was here, it was boring as hell.
Is it because it's too peaceful?
I'd made a huge list of things to do once I got back, just in case, but sadly, I'd burned through it in less than a month.
Is my imagination that lacking? How does it not even last a month?
Hmm.
"Nothing to do."
As I propped my chin on my hand, lost in thought, Chae Seol-ah cautiously suggested,
"Why don't you play some games?"
"Quit that."
I shook my head firmly.
Damn shitty game. Never again.
Chae Seol-ah glanced at me hesitantly before saying,
"Th-then how about watching movies or dramas?"
"Ooh, got any recommendations?"
"...Now that I think about it, I don't know much about that stuff either."
"You're kidding."
Chae Seol-ah looked crestfallen at my words.
She must've been so focused on work that hobbies fell by the wayside.
Sitting around like this wasn't going to solve anything.
I let out a sigh and stood up.
Chae Seol-ah tilted her head curiously.
"Where are you going?"
"Figured wandering outside might spark some ideas for something to do."
Staying cooped up at home might be making it worse, right?
Going out, seeing people and streets, might inspire me.
"Th-that's..."
Chae Seol-ah's face filled with worry at my words. She soon stood and hurried after me.
Her expression screamed anxiety, like she feared what I'd do if left alone.
"I-I'll come with you."
"Fine."
And so, Chae Seol-ah and I headed out.
Our first stop was near the nearby subway station.
Was it because it was the weekend? There were more people around than I'd expected. It felt like the street was packed solid with them.
"Crowded."
"It's the weekend."
"This much swarming feels kinda gross."
"...?"
Chae Seol-ah shot me an odd look.
"Just saying."
I muttered that and scanned the surroundings.
Something to do. Something to do...
Nothing jumped out. Just restaurants and karaoke spots. Right as I started feeling disappointed, I spotted a game center in the distance.
"Game center?"
An arcade, maybe?
As I tilted my head, Chae Seol-ah murmured in surprise,
"Huh? These still exist these days?"
"We'll know when we check it out."
With that, we headed to the game center.
Stepping inside, familiar electronic beeps assaulted my ears.
"Whoa. It's real..."
Chae Seol-ah, who clearly hadn't expected a place like this to still exist, looked around in wonder.
"Bigger than I thought?"
There seemed to be more machines than expected too. The game center must be doing good business. I pondered why for a moment before concluding,
"Must be popular as a date spot."
"A date course...?"
"Yeah. Unless there are tons of arcade fanatics keeping it afloat?"
"Even I doubt that."
I slowly walked around, eyeing the machines.
Long before falling into hell, I'd come to a place like this with friends. What did we play? Fighting games, I think?
"Have you been to places like this often, Miss Kim Hyun?"
"When I was a kid."
As Chae Seol-ah looked around the machines,
"This is my first time. At a place like this."
"First?"
"Yeah. I knew arcade games existed, but I'd never actually been to one."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"So, what's your take on your first game center?"
"T-take? Nothing that grand..."
Leaving flustered Chae Seol-ah behind, I stopped in front of a suitable machine. It was a two-player fighting game.
"Wanna give it a shot? You too?"
"F-fighting game?"
Chae Seol-ah stared at the machine in bewilderment. A muscle-bound male character growled on the screen.
"I-I don't know how to play..."
"These are meant to be figured out by bumping into walls."
I checked the coin slot. Hilariously, it had a card reader attached. Cards worked too, apparently.
"Heh. Modern game centers do cards now."
I let out a hollow laugh. Of course, I didn't swipe a card.
Games taste best with coins.
Luckily, there was an ATM, so no tragedy of lacking cash. The fee was a bit much, but pocket change for me.
Like scooping a ladle from the Han River.
I handed Chae Seol-ah a few 500-won coins and fed the machine.
The screen lit up brightly, bringing up the character select.
"What to pick."
I casually chose a blond male character.
"Uh, umm."
Chae Seol-ah hesitated forever before gingerly inserting a coin and picking a cute female character.
"Ready?"
"Huh? Oh, not yet. Wait. What buttons do I..."
While she fumbled, the game started.
Thus began round one.
Chae Seol-ah's character moved clumsily every which way. She was testing buttons one by one, so it just flailed limbs in place.
I smoothly chained combos from memory.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
"Aa! Block, block! How do you block?!"
"Pull the lever left."
"Huh? Isn't that for moving?"
Before Chae Seol-ah could even block properly, her character crumpled under my attacks.
"Ah..."
Chae Seol-ah stared at the machine with a dejected expression.
She looked oddly cute, so I chuckled.
"Another round?"
"No... This isn't for me."
"Wanna try something else?"
"Yeah. Sure."
We spent quite a while at the game center like that. Tried racing games next, then rhythm games. Thankfully, she was decent at rhythm.
"Eut, uut."
Chae Seol-ah hammered the buttons furiously before throwing her hands up.
"Cleared it!"
I glanced at the screen in mild surprise.
"Ooh, perfect clear?"
"Yeah! Hit everything perfectly!"
"Damn, impressive."
I was genuinely impressed. Chae Seol-ah might actually have talent for rhythm games.
"Hehe."
She smiled awkwardly at my praise.
After enjoying games for a bit,
"Time to go. Getting hungry."
"Okay. Wait... Gopchang?! You wanna eat gopchang now?"
"Ooh, gopchang sounds good."
"Gopchang for lunch..."
We headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
By the time Chae Seol-ah and Kim Hyun arrived near the restaurant they'd found on an app,
A certain man suddenly blocked Chae Seol-ah's path.
"Excuse me."
The man smiled brightly at Chae Seol-ah as he asked,
"Do you know the way to the nearby subway station?"
"Station? It's that way..."
Chae Seol-ah turned to point, then flinched hard. She had good reason. The station was right in front of them.
As the flustered Chae Seol-ah hesitated, the man took another step closer.
"Thanks. Are you a student?"
"Uh, huh? No...?"
"Ah, you look so young, I thought you were."
The man smiled kindly.
"But you seem really worried. Your face looks so down."
"Uh, th-that's..."
Caught off guard, Chae Seol-ah floundered awkwardly.
Finally unable to stand it, Kim Hyun cut in.
"Hey, creep. Wanna die?"
Kim Hyun kicked the man as she spoke.
"Ugh, aaack!"
Not expecting the kick, the man tumbled away. Flyers spilled from the bag he was carrying.
"K-Kim Hyun! You can't just kick people!"
"Easiest way, isn't it?"
"N-no..."
As Chae Seol-ah panicked, the man who'd rolled on the ground got up. His face beet-red, he bellowed,
"Y-you! What the hell? I'll report you for assault!"
"You nuts?"
Kim Hyun fixed the man with a murderous glare. Overwhelmed by the pressure, he groaned and staggered back.
"Uh, ugh."
"Get lost."
"Uwaaaack!"
The man bolted the instant the killing intent eased.
Kim Hyun dusted off her palms and shook her head.
"Tch. What rotten luck from the morning. Seol-ah, you gotta ignore guys like that firmly. Why fall for it?"
"S-sorry."
"No need to apologize. Just don't play the pushover... Huh?"
Mid-lecture to Chae Seol-ah, Kim Hyun glanced down and tilted her head.
The ground was littered with the flyers the man had dropped.
They were bizarre. Covered in strange patterns that vaguely resembled magic circles.
"These..."
Kim Hyun's expression shifted.
Sensing the mood change, Chae Seol-ah eyed her nervously.
"S-something wrong?"
"These papers have brainwashing magic on anyone who sees them."
"What?! Wh-what do you...!"
Chae Seol-ah hurriedly scooped up a flyer to inspect it. She could sense mana, but nothing beyond that.
Kim Hyun stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"Modern cults are using magic for brainwashing now?"
"Wh-what do we do? Report to police or the bureau...?"
"Nah, hold off. I'll handle this one."
"Huh? R-really?"
Chae Seol-ah blinked in surprise.
Kim Hyun grinned.
"Looks like it'll be fun."