Part 1: The Relentless Vibration
The phone's insistent buzzing started seeping into my ears at some point, yanking my sleep-fogged mind back to reality. Even though it had already done its job by waking me from a deep slumber, the damn thing kept vibrating furiously, refusing to stop until I touched it. I twisted and turned in bed to match its rhythm.
'Ugh...' So fucking annoying. It was kind of amazing when I thought about it. Normally, I'd miss vibrations like this all the time, but set it as an alarm and it drills right into your skull. Lost in such trivial thoughts, I forced myself upright. And that's when I realized it—my body felt unusually heavy today. Like some invisible force was gripping my limbs and dragging me down.
Was it because Jina had wrecked me extra hard in our last workout before my break? Or maybe the past few days of dragging myself up early? Either way, it made me respect Gayeong all over again. Getting up early to prep breakfast—simple on paper, but these last few days had shown me just how exhausting it really was. And it was only day three for me. If I was this beat, how wiped out must Gayeong have been doing it every day for over ten years?
Sure, for a homemaker like her, seeing her kids eat their fill probably made it worthwhile. But not for me.
'Not a chance.' Watching Sena, Jina, and Gayeong devour the meals I'd made did feel satisfying, of course. But enduring this fatigue just for that? The cost-benefit didn't add up at all. Unlike Gayeong, I'd set my own reward. And that was the real reason I was rubbing my sleepy eyes and crawling to the bathroom.
I washed up quick. The water helped wake me up a bit. Once clean, I stood in front of the mirror.
'Fuck, it's straight-up cheating...' I nodded at the sight in the mirror—enough to draw a sigh-like gasp of admiration—before shoving a toothpaste-loaded toothbrush into my mouth. I brushed meticulously. With what I had planned, I couldn't risk bad breath. I even gargled thoroughly, making those murk-like gargling noises, then blew on my palm to test. A fresh minty scent wafted out.
'Okay.' Good enough. Now just change and head downstairs. As I rummaged for clothes and slipped them on, the phone on the bed started buzzing again.
'Huh?'
Did I forget to turn off the alarm? Nah, impossible—the first thing I'd done getting out of bed was kill it. So why was it going off? Spam call at this hour? Sad to say, that was the most likely. The only people who'd call Yuhan were Gayeong, Sena, and Jina, and none of them would ring this early.
Sure enough, the screen showed an unsaved number. I reached to hang up—
'...Huh?'
Right as my finger hovered over the red button, a weird sense of déjà vu hit me. What the hell? Unknown number, but it felt familiar.
'No way...'
One possibility flashed in my mind, and I fumbled to answer. From the speaker came—
"How've you been holding up?"
It was the voice of the woman—no, the Goddess—who'd kidnapped me into this world. The number had felt vaguely familiar, so I'd guessed it might be her. But hearing my guess confirmed left me more stunned than thrilled.
"What, surprised? Thought I'd never call again, and here I am?"
"Honestly... yeah."
"Sigh. Were you trying to make me anxious or something?"
She'd been chatty a second ago, now sighing? As unease crept in, I recalled her last call's warnings.
"...Am I getting kicked out?"
"Good thing you're quick on the uptake. Saves me explaining."
"It's only been a few days..."
"Calm down. Not right this second."
"So that means..."
"Not now, but keep going like this and you might be in danger."
She explained why she'd called: couldn't stand watching anymore.
"I dropped you into a gender-reversed world as a pretty boy for once. So why aren't you taking charge—fucking or getting fucked?"
"Well..."
"Then why the fuck do you have a dick?"
Dick? Could a goddess say shit like that?
"Who cares if I say dick or cock? What, call it a baby injector?"
Her snappy tone cut through my genuine confusion.
"Anyway, you're too damn relaxed."
"It's not even been a week..."
"Keep foreplaying and you'll get booted back."
"Should I just pounce then?"
"No, you picked the wrong first target. Common sense: who rushes the boss mob at game start?"
I got it. Secure easy guarantors first for stability, then go for Gayeong or Sena. Problem was...
"Pass."
"What?"
"First one's gotta be Gayeong."
"...Didn't you hear me? You'll get nothing done and booted."
"Speaking of, Goddess, one question."
"Shoot."
"You said guarantors need mucosal contact, right?"
"Yeah."
"So not just sex—kissing or something works too?"
"...It can."
"Then why'd you push sex like a sex maniac?"
"Other stuff's less efficient."
"Huh?"
"Sex is sex—what else? Baby-making, that's it."
This self-proclaimed goddess talked way too crudely.
"It's a sacred ritual for creating life. Gets bonus points. Kiss confirms love? Noble, sure, but—"
She scolded me when I pointed that out.
"Kids from kissing? Blowjobs? No! Cock in pussy, creampie in the womb—that makes babies. Right?"
"Y... yeah."
"So sex is best for certainty."
"Wait, so no-condom means no recognition?"
"Duh. Why use 'em? Bareback or bust."
I asked what if a kid happened. Sounded scummy, but I hadn't enjoyed this world yet—couldn't afford getting tied down.
"Worried? Buy something from the shop."
Contraceptives, obviously.
"No-condom or nothing, you said?"
"Condom blocks mucosa."
"So no condom, good?"
"Yep. Creampie doesn't always mean baby. Key's mucosa contact and internal cumshot."
"Anyway, said my piece. Hanging up."
"Fuck... because of you I wasted □■■ on this shit..."
"Huh? What was that?"
"N-nothing! Oh, your deposit and stocks? Converted to Cash. Use it or whatever."
Her voice cracked with slight panic—she'd slipped something big. But before I could ask, the call ended. Call log? Empty, as expected.
'Goddamn it...' A chill ran through me at the vanishing record, but I shook it off, etching the new info into my brain as I stood.
'Not just sex, got it...' Easy. If risky, grab a cute girl for a blowjob or whatever. But now...
'She said she deposited it, right?'
I summoned the shop window to check the amount while heading downstairs. Bad move—my legs buckled mid-stairs, nearly tumbling me.
'What the fuck...'
Why so little? My memory: 50 million from the deposit, 40 million in stocks—90 million total Cash. But the shop showed—
[Current Cash: 62,238,750]
About 62 million. Plenty, sure, but...
'Where's my 30 million?'
Stocks fluctuate, fine. But 30 million? Time flowed similarly here and there—maybe five days passed. What the hell happened for 30 mil to vanish? CEO strip-dancing publicly? Even then, not this bad...
Unbelievable.
'Did she scam me?'
Leaning against the stairwell wall, laughing bitterly, my pocket phone chimed cheerfully, oblivious to my turmoil.
My "sure thing" stocks. People say avoid them for a reason. Without her heads-up, I'd have nothing—now 30 mil gone in days. My chest ached like a hole punched through. Rage boiled toward that "guaranteed rise, no way down" friend.
'GME can eat shit... fuck.'
Watching live would've given me a heart attack.
'Healing... need healing...'
Stumbling downstairs to the first floor, where my personal healing potion—Gayeong—awaited.