How to Be Loved by a Corrupted Witch (7)

"So, work hard this time, partner. Become a man more worthy of me."

With that, Seo-yul noona got out of bed and started rummaging for her clothes.

The view of her pulling up her dolphin hotpants was plenty alluring, but now wasn't the time to savor it.

I instinctively fiddled with the leather choker around my neck. The cool touch of the leather snapped me back to reality.

"Noona."

"...Yeah? What?"

"I need a little help with something."

I perched on the bedside table and explained the situation. About my target, the former magical girl Jin Se-hee, and her obsessive internet game tied to her syndrome.

"Your target, Jin Se-hee. She's a gaming addict, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, that rice-farming crap she's yapping about—that's it."

"The problem comes next. I did the first consult for free and built some rapport. But her situation's crap."

"Her situation's crap?"

"No money. She's dirt poor, so scraping together the next session fee will take forever. Her daughter Yu-bin is busting her ass at construction sites, but I can't wait around for that."

"Just do it for free again?"

"I already did once. Being too nice will just make her suspicious."

"Hm... I think you're overthinking it. There are way nicer people in the world than us."

"......"

I was speechless for a second, but the point was I needed an excuse. A perfectly natural, urgent pretext to cross her doorstep again.

Seo-yul noona looked reluctant, but she eventually bought into the need for some kind of justification.

"No money, doesn't leave the house, glued to her game all day?"

"Yeah."

"Problem solved."

She flashed a grin. Like a mischievous kid about to smash a tower of toy blocks.

"You remember that bitch's account, right?"

"Her nickname, at least."

"Then let's nuke it."

"Huh?"

"Hack in, slap on an access block, or wipe all her items. She'll freak and call you, won't she?"

So simple. So brutal. But the moment she said it, the puzzle pieces in my head clicked perfectly into place.

"Hacking, huh..."

"Too extreme?"

"No."

I slowly shook my head.

"It's perfect."

To Jin Se-hee, the game was her escape, the one world she could control. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Reality was a shithole, but on the monitor, she was a high-spec player ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the server rankings, worshipped by her party.

But what if that world crumbled?

My lips curled up on their own.

Ever since I got this power, I've picked up a nasty hobby.

Never thought I'd enjoy exploiting people's weaknesses this much.

"If I show her I can recover the account or fix the problem, that'll do it."

"You're a real piece of work. Giving the poison and the antidote all by yourself?"

"...Your idea, noona. That's why I need your help."

"Fine, whatever. I did bet on you."

She hopped off the bed. Shirt loosely thrown over her naked body, she strode to the computer.

"Lemme see... Eternal Saga, right? Security's a joke. Three minutes, tops."

"Don't delete the account. Needs to be recoverable."

"Got it. Just lock it with bogus access flags. Even owner verification won't cut it—I'll twist it server-side."

Noona's fingers danced across the keyboard.

This'll do it.

I stood behind her, staring at the screen.

Jin Se-hee's Corruption Desire was her gaming addiction. All her energy flowed into that game.

And now, I'm cutting that flow.

All that was left was timing the call perfectly.

Same time, a semi-basement in Sector 5.

"Ah... Aah...!"

Jin Se-hee clicked the mouse frantically with trembling hands.

Click, click, click!

"Why... why won't it let me in...?"

Her eyes shook like there was an earthquake. The game had been fine moments ago. She'd just stepped away to the bathroom, and now the world was sealed shut.

"No... no..."

She pounded the keyboard like a maniac.

Tat-tat-tat! Bam!

"Open up! Open, damn it! My character! My money! My gear!"

Her scream echoed in the cramped room. But the red warning on the monitor didn't budge.

Cold sweat poured down like rain. Her heart pounded like it would burst. Breath came short, limbs went cold.

Classic withdrawal. Prelude to a panic attack.

"What do I do... what do I do..."

She clawed at her hair, scanning the room. Someone to help. Someone to fix this.

Yu-bin? No, she knows nothing. The kid barely touches computers except for homework.

Customer support? She'd called dozens of times—endless ringing, no answer.

"Anyone... please..."

Then, her eyes caught a business ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠card on the desk corner.

The guy from yesterday. The one who offered to hook her up with gold for that insane 800-won price. The only one who got games, who she could talk to.

He might...

She had tons of game friends, but he was the only one whose number she had. It got saved when she bought that water bottle.

But he's just a gamer. Not a computer expert...

Then—

Her phone rang.

From Jeong Ji-un!

The calm, low voice from the receiver nearly made her burst into tears.

"H-hello... Counselor... It's me. Sniff, Se-hee... Yu-bin's mom..."

She babbled like a child.

"Suddenly... 'protected' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠message... Support won't pick up... What do I do... Everything's gonna vanish, right...? Huh?"

Silence on the line. It drove her crazier.

His serious tone made her heart sink.

"C-can you fix it...? Do you know how...?"

He paused. She held her breath, waiting.

In person.

Normally, she'd dread a strange man in her home. But not now.

She'd jump into hellfire if it opened her game world.

"Come! Please come now!"

She begged pathetically. Pride, face—none of it mattered. Only reopening her world.

Call ended. Jin Se-hee clutched her phone to her chest and collapsed.

"Thank god... thank god..."

Oblivious to the noose slowly tightening around her neck.

Knock knock.

The knock echoed hugely. Sector 5's rundown villa row was deathly quiet even in daylight.

Chae Yu-bin won't be here.

Recon done. This hour, Yu-bin was hauling rebar. Only Jin Se-hee inside.

Creeeak.

The door opened slowly. Messy hair and shaking eyes peered through the gap.

"C-counselor...?"

"Yes, ma'am. You okay?"

"C-come in... quick..."

Jin Se-hee yanked my sleeve through the door in a panic.

Matted hair like days unwashed, stretched pajama pants, ratty long padding thrown on top. Not even properly dressed—her state said it all.

"Shoes off anywhere... this way..."

"Excuse me, then."

I averted my eyes casually and stepped in.

The room hummed with the PC tower's fans.

"This... look at this... Stuck like this... Nothing works..."

"Got it. Calm down and step aside a sec?"

I pulled the chair and sat. Still warm from where she'd been.

Check first.

I opened the app out of habit. I'd hit the change button earlier. Numbers said it applied perfectly.

Success. The target had shifted from 'gaming addiction' to 'Jeong Ji-un'.

But...

"How is it...? Can you fix it...? My character's not deleted, right...?"

She hovered right behind me, eyes glued to the monitor. Not looking at me—staring at the screen.

Should be blind obsession or mania toward me, like with Park Min-jeong.

What? Failure?

Min-jeong's change was instant. Cigarette stink vanished, obsession kicked in.

"Ma'am, one sec. Need to check the code."

"Uh, yeah... hurry... please..."

I hammered the keyboard with a grave look. Nothing to do, really. Just unlock via Seo-yul noona's backdoor.

First, test the waters.

To look pro, I popped cmd, typed random hacker bullshit fast, and side-eyed her.

"Hngh... uh..."

Jin Se-hee was plastered to my back.

Padding rustling, nails gnawed unconsciously. Anxiety signs. Classic addict withdrawal.

But weird.

Desire changed for sure. Yet she was fixated on the 'ACCESS DENIED'.

"Counselor... still...? How much longer...?"

"Complicated. Double-twisted security code."

I dragged it out, probing.

"Ma'am."

"Y-yeah...?"

"Hypothetically. What if it can't be fixed?"

"...!"

Her body stiffened. Trembling hands gripped my chair back hard.

"Wh-what... can't fix it...?"

"Worst case. Permanent ban, data wipe."

"No..."

Her pupils quaked. Unfocused eyes stared into space, mumbling.

"Without that... I'd die... for real..."

"That important?"

"Of course... all that money sunk in...! Even recovered, it's millions...!"

Hmm, yeah. That much, even normals would lose it—before any Corruption Desire.