Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Siren's Alleyway Song
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After several years, the feast was nothing short of perfect.
So much so that I bolted out of the house, unable to resist the lingering aftertaste.
I wanted to raise a toast, but everything around me was booze.
I couldn't just shove it all into the closet.
Staying like this, I was scared I'd turn back into the boozehound Lee Jin-cheol.
Now I had the clean lungs and liver of a 20-year-old... well, the liver, I wasn't so sure about.
Anyway, I'd become young and healthy Kang Ji-min.
Wouldn't it be a waste to squander that?
Instead, I raised a toast with cola.
I stepped out and headed into the alley on the opposite side from the bustling streets.
The night was late, and it had gotten pretty chilly, but I could handle it.
That first day when I'd felt chills must've really been a fever after all.
Thankfully, it was gone now, washed away clean.
Like I'd said over and over, a young body was just better.
I walked through the dark alley toward the convenience store.
It was the same one where I'd bought the lunchbox before.
The alley, which had few people even during the day, was deserted at this late hour—not even an ant in sight.
Being in a tucked-away corner, the streetlights were sparse too.
The worn-out lamps cast a faded orange glow. It actually had a nice atmosphere like this.
Was I in a good mood? Or did the alley just have charm?
Or maybe the cocktail buzz hadn't worn off yet.
A tune started humming through my teeth.
"Over there—in the shadowy al...ley...?"
...Hold on.
I'd thought Kang Ji-min had a nice voice.
I'd figured she could probably sing well too.
But this... wasn't it a bit too good?
"...Fallen—we—."
I tried it again experimentally, and it was confirmed.
No, her timbre was straight-up cheat-level.
The singing itself was nothing special since my technique sucked, but the voice was a total thug.
It was on the lower side for a woman, but when I hummed, the range was surprisingly wide.
I tried humming every song that came to mind.
Not a single one was worse than what Lee Jin-cheol could do.
High notes, sure, women naturally hit higher.
But even the lows had this flavor. That was almost unfair.
I recalled sections I'd practiced endlessly at coin karaoke but never nailed perfectly.
With this voice, even slacking off made it sound impressive.
Should I be thrilled or bummed?
Nah, good is good.
Thanks to it, even with my crappy skills, it didn't feel pathetic compared to the original in my head.
Not amazingly good, but charming in its own way.
Or that it flowed smoothly without getting stuck, even humming casually.
It felt like more than just timbre.
Unlike the unfamiliar grip on a mouse, singing felt inherently familiar.
I'd heard vocal cords could be trained too.
Maybe Kang Ji-min had worked on hers.
...No, wait a sec.
That wasn't the point right now.
Come to think of it... could this mean...?
My forbidden karaoke dream song,
"Never Ending Story" was now possible?!
I couldn't hold back.
Just as I dove into that devilish section,
"In some mo—vie’s sa—d..."
"Ack."
A woman in a suit popped out from the side alley.
Perfect timing.
"..."
"..."
I pulled my hat low and hurried away.
Pfft—.
A stifled laugh came from behind.
Ah.
Aaaah.
'...Kuaaaah!!!'
A scream swirled in my head.
No, this was mortifying as hell!!
If there was any consolation, it was that Kang Ji-min looked young for her age.
Precisely, she was actually young, but whatever.
Yeah, that's right.
I was twenty.
Twenty. Freshman in college. Fresh out of society.
Meaning, up until last year, I'd been eating school lunch.
Thinking of it that way improved my mood a bit.
Everyone has one or two embarrassing black histories from their school lunch days, right?
...I just hadn't expected to update mine right after getting a new body.
I'd had a few dumb memories with friends too.
I didn't know what had happened to that body, but I'd left my past buried with it, no regrets.
I'd never imagined I'd start filling the new one right away.
If I'd gone through this in my late twenties, could I have handled it?
No confidence. Better not dwell on such horrors.
"Checking out."
I placed the cola—which was my original goal—and some beer on the counter.
...No. Too embarrassing, screw it.
After something like that, I craved booze.
My face was still burning.
I closed my eyes to swallow the shame, but no sound came.
Odd. I opened them and met the clerk's eyes.
"...Checking out."
"Ah. Yes."
The clerk flinched and looked away.
She'd been staring holes into me, but dodged when I looked back.
The male part-timer just focused on the register.
Meanwhile, I could scrutinize his face leisurely.
Fun. He couldn't stare back even if I did.
Was this the selfish pleasure of being a pretty girl?
But the slow checkout wasn't amusing.
Was he staring on purpose? Nah?
"Um, do you have the Future Card affiliate discount eve—"
"Nope."
"Ah. Then the receipt, if possible—"
"Nope."
"Thee...n, maybe—"
"Bag's fine."
"Ah. Okay."
Her curt cuts finally wrapped it up.
Yeah. Let's stop.
I don't have the bandwidth if you start acting up too.
Looking closer, he was young. Too young, really.
Skin all pale, probably hadn't done military service yet.
Face was decent enough.
Popular, huh? Full of confidence.
"Um, if you're okay with it—"
"Nope."
"Yes."
Felt harsh, but unavoidable.
Wrong target, buddy.
"Thank you for your business..."
I left the store and laid out some snacks on the plastic table outside.
Snacks being just one tamagoyaki.
Two bites for Lee Jin-cheol, but Kang Ji-min's mouth was small.
I nibbled it while chugging the beer.
"Kuh..."
The beer sliding down my throat felt vivid.
My flushed face was finally cooling.
"Haa... Man, this voice is a scammer."
What would've sounded like a pathetic uncle from me came out oddly sexy with this timbre.
What couldn't this voice do?
I could probably set legendary records even in voice phishing.
I tilted the can as I pleased.
Emptied my stomach and shoved in the last egg bit.
Hmm. Mouth really is small. Hard to chew.
"Heh."
A chuckle leaked out.
Acting all frugal, house full of booze, yet drinking beer outside.
I'd dove headfirst into gaming without a plan, problems unsolved.
Then embarrassed myself singing. Augh, still cringing.
When that guy my age eyed me for his number, it felt kinda shitty too.
Too much in such a short time.
Still didn't feel real.
But the mood wasn't bad.
Anyway, Odin's Son? I could do it. Good enough.
Something like that.
Man, I was one heck of a guy.
-A simple guy like you—that's the bad and good part.
-Shut up, mister.
-It's a compliment. Few can dive in that deep. Ragazzo fortunato.
-Italian again? You're drunk.
-I've said it before: half body means half the alcohol to get drunk...
-Ugh, enough with the Tarulla already!!
The old man was one weird dude.
Rocked music young, became an engineer later, lost a leg to industrial accident, then got hooked on games and hit world rank 1.
When players dwindled, he crossed to Korean servers and somehow spoke Korean fluently like a native.
One of a kind.
Top talent among folks I knew.
-How the ping that bad and you still offset?!
-Ha. Ha.
-You freak!!!
-In a one-eyed village, two-eyed gets persecuted.
...Anyway, a total jerk.
But he'd pulled me from the brink, gasping on the floor.
Wonder what that guy's up to now...
Wouldn't shock me if this world's twist had him as a politician.
"Two-eyed in a one-eyed village..."
The recent 10-win duel came to mind.
For a moment, it felt like the opponent was in my palm.
Vague possibilities sharpening into clarity—a weird thrill.
The rush when instinct hit and manifested before my eyes.
The satisfaction when fingers kept up without lag.
Had the old man always lived like that? Selfish bastard.
I tossed the can into the recycling bin and trudged home.
Yeah. Home first. That was my place now.
*Beep beep beep beep*
*Ding~*
I shuffled back the way I'd come and arrived home.
Unlocked the door and entered... entered?
"...Hold on?"
What did I just do?
The door lock.
I'd unlocked it.
Not with a card.
With my hand?
"...How the hell?"
I'd definitely punched in the code?
I stared at my fingers, mumbling blankly.
How'd I do that.