What a Surprise
As soon as I got home, I collapsed onto the bed with a heavy thud. Normally I would have switched on the computer and jumped straight into a game, but right now the thought didn't appeal to me at all. When I stopped to think about it, I realized I hadn't even enjoyed gaming all that much. It was simply that being unemployed made time crawl by so slowly. I had just been forcing myself to kill time until an interview offer arrived after submitting yet another resume.
People really do change. When I was younger I thought I could live happily if I just played games for the rest of my life. Now that I was twenty-seven, my playtime had naturally shrunk on its own.
Anyway…
“This is bewildering. Completely bewildering.”
It felt like I had woken from a short dream. I had opened my eyes that morning not on the playground, passed out drunk, but with a divine power called the Money Ring suddenly in my possession. On top of that, I had even saved someone who had been on the verge of disaster.
“……”
But it hadn't been a dream. The sensation of pulling that woman out of the path of the truck was still vivid in my body. More precisely, the feeling of her pressed against me in my arms.
So women really are that small and soft.
I had been an English literature major. It wasn't as if there were no women around me, but none of them had ever shown any interest in flirting with or dating me. That had been entirely my own fault. I never mixed well with people and spent every day glued to games like some loser, always heading to the PC bang alone.
“She smelled good, though.”
More than anything, simply being close to a woman had filled my chest with unexpected warmth. Was that why people chased romance no matter how difficult their circumstances?
If I had known it would feel like this, maybe I should have tried harder.
Even through clothes the sensation had been that strong. If I imagined being naked with a girlfriend, bodies tangled together in a motel room…
“……”
My face grew hot.
“Maybe I should have at least asked for her number? Ahem.”
I cleared my throat and shook my head. What leisure did I have to think about dating right now?
Current account balance remaining: 280,129 won.
Still, just looking at my account balance brought a smile to my face without me realizing it. It was no exaggeration—when the balance had sat at 129 won, the world had felt impossibly bleak. Without money, there was truly nothing you could do.
Maybe I'll buy a hamburger for the first time in a while.
The moment that modest thought crossed my mind, the ring that had been silent spoke up.
Eating only instant food like that will damage your body.
Then came the next message.
Hot deal service for the owner whose physical condition is currently very low!
A sudden message floated before my eyes.
Hot deal?
You were thinking exactly that earlier, weren't you?
If your physical condition had been even slightly better, that woman's shoulder would not have been dislocated.
And that without money, you cannot do anything in this world.
“Well… yeah, I did say that.”
You are exactly right.
This world is one where the power of capital is especially strong. Conversely, that means if you have money, you can do anything. And with divine power added to that? Even more so!
Watching the ring shout with such excitement left me feeling dazed. Usually when something had this smooth a tongue, it turned out to be a scam… Was this guy finally showing his true colors?
Hey now, true colors?
It read my mind perfectly even at a time like this.
It is not like that.
Have you already forgotten that I granted you a quest so you could earn money?
“No Pain, No Gain, as they say. There is no reward without a price in this world.”
And when I thought about how I had saved a person for two hundred thousand won, it seemed like a pretty good deal.
The greater reward was something the owner had to obtain for yourself.
Whether that meant treating the woman you saved to a meal or asking for her contact information.
“……”
I couldn't deny it. Even I thought it would be too shameless to ask the ring to handle everything.
“…Fine. So what is this hot deal?”
A hot deal is a hot deal.
You could call it an insanely crazy sale. It is a massive service you would never normally see.
Please take a look right now!
With the ring's shout, my vision flashed. When it cleared, a new window appeared.
One-Time Offer That Will Never Return!
Time Remaining — 23:59:59
Ultra Special Starter Package
All basic stats increased by 1 level each!
Price: 250,000 won (50% OFF)
Purchase Now!
This looked exactly like one of those maple-leaf-raising mobile games… No exaggeration—it was the very definition of a hot deal. People always said you were a sucker if you didn't buy something like this. Hmm.
“No, more importantly, what does increasing all stats by one level mean?”
Exactly what it says.
It raises each of the owner's stats by one level.
“Something like that is possible?”
Because it is divine power.
“……”
Honestly, I was strongly tempted. It was only natural. I had felt it while running across the playground yesterday and again when I saved that woman earlier. In every way, I could clearly sense how much my physical condition had deteriorated. If I was already like this at twenty-seven, there was no point even talking about thirty. With a body like this, could I even handle overtime if I somehow got a job?
Stamina is national strength.
They said effort was only possible when you had the stamina to back it up. Above all, the phrase “50 percent sale” was seducing me like crazy. Ah, so this was why people lost their minds the moment they saw 80 or 90 percent discount signs.
“Sigh. It's money I got from you anyway. Fine, I'll buy it even if I get scammed.”
Hey, get scammed? This is genuinely good stuff!
Still, thank you for purchasing!
A clear chime rang out.
Hot deal product, Ultra Special Starter Package, has been purchased.
250,000 won has been deducted.
Would you like to check the contents?
[YES / NO]
This really was just like a mobile game.
I am merely presenting it in a familiar format.
The ring sounded oddly excited.
Checking contents.
Strength level has risen by 1.
Agility level has risen by 1.
Stamina level has risen by 1.
Charm level has risen by 1.
Virility level has risen by 1.
The moment the messages about my stats increasing appeared, my body became noticeably lighter in an instant. Just to test it, I threw a few shadow punches in the air.
Bang!
A sharp sound that could never have come from my hands before rang out clearly.
“Wow, that was seriously an overpowered instant boost.”
Just buying one starter package had changed my physical condition this much all at once?
This is the power of God.
Now I had no choice but to believe it. That God truly existed.
“Thank you, oh God.”
I offered a reverent prayer, then added one more shameless request.
“I know it's incredibly shameless to ask for more after receiving this much, but if it's possible, I would be truly grateful if you could make sure I pass the part-time job application I submitted earlier.”
It was only a fifteen-minute walk from home, and working at a café seemed like the perfect part-time job. Still, even though I said that, I didn't think the odds of actually getting hired were high. Cafés hired female employees more than ninety percent of the time.
But then…
Was I the type of person God favored?
How long has it been since I last received a positive message?
In an era where submitting over a hundred resumes still made it difficult to land even a single interview, the situation was the same for part-time work. Still, the minimum wage was high enough that simply being able to work meant you could earn enough to do something meaningful, even if it wasn't a full-time office job.
I replied, unable to hide my joy.
The other side was surprisingly quick as well. I changed into neat clothes at once and thought to myself that somehow, the feeling was good.
Under the dazzling sunlight, my steps felt especially light. If I passed the interview, I would probably start working today. Strictly speaking, it would be far more difficult and stressful than lying in bed or playing games all day…
Even so, people still needed to work. Simply resting as an unemployed person wasn't really resting at all.
[Novel Cafe]
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the café sign came into view beside the crosswalk. Good design, good location… Opening a café in a spot like this must have meant the monthly rent and key money were no joke. The owner must have taken out quite a few loans.
“Hello, I'm Kim Hyun-woo. I submitted my resume through the part-time job site…”
Emphasizing the importance of first impressions, I entered with a polite smile and bow, only for my eyes to widen in shock. The woman wearing a shoulder brace under her apron had a face that looked very familiar.
“Welcome. Thank you so much for saving me earlier.”
It was the exact woman I had saved.
“……”
She greeted me with genuine warmth.
“Ah, hello…”
I scratched my cheek, bewildered. Could there really be a coincidence like this? The person I had saved from a traffic accident turned out to be the owner of the café where I had submitted my resume?
No. This isn't a coincidence.
I realized a beat too late how the whole event had begun. If I thought about it carefully, the exact moment I had received the quest was the moment I had submitted my resume to this café.
Could it be…?
My thoughts spiraled.
Surely the Money Ring didn't manipulate the traffic accident too?
The moment that chilling possibility began to form—
That is absolutely not the case, so please do not worry.
The divine power would never harm an innocent citizen for personal emotion or gain. The fact that the woman nearly suffered a traffic accident was purely a coincidence.
Well… I did know that she was the owner of the café you applied to, though.
Good grief. Goosebumps ran down my entire body at the ring's words.
Divine power, divine power… It had been noisy about it, and I had received money from the quest it gave me, but part of me still hadn't fully accepted it. Seeing an ability so close to reading the future, however, I finally understood that it truly was the power of God.
Just how much more do I need to show you before you believe me? Really.
“I was actually regretting not asking for your contact information, but when I saw the familiar face on the resume that came in, I was so startled. I couldn't believe something like this was possible in the real world.”
It was only natural for her to be surprised. Even I, who already knew about the Money Ring, was so flustered I couldn't speak.
“I'll be in your care from now on, Hyun-woo. My name is Moyong Sunae.”
I had no experience and nothing particularly outstanding to offer, yet I was hired on the spot.
This really was… surprising.