Interest Rate (1)
Interest Rate (1)
I opened my eyes atop the shattered remains of my bed.
My entire body ached.
...What the hell did I do last night?
I picked up my phone.
[Gom TV Payment Confirmation: 400,000 won]
"Haah..."
Getting up from the bed, I surveyed my room.
It was horrifying.
The floor was soaked from the traces of what I'd mindlessly spilled last night while panting like an animal.
"My...bloody 400,000 won..."
Swallowing my tears, I grabbed wet wipes and began scrubbing the floor.
"What the hell am I even doing, seriously..."
One wipe, two, three...
It took twelve wipes before the floor was finally clean.
The soggy wipes brought back vivid memories of that terrible night.
Starting from the convenience store clerk to watching female streamers, I'd gradually felt something strange.
And the moment I saw Lee Suyeon, my rationality completely shattered.
I did things I would never normally do without hesitation.
After my reason evaporated, only instinct governed me.
What if...that happens again next time?
What if it's not in my room but in the middle of a dungeon swarming with monsters?
A chill ran down my spine.
Tossing the wipes into the trash, I opened my Status Window.
[Trait: Yin-Yang Person]
The Sun still hovered there.
When I saw it at the Settlement Office yesterday, it seemed slightly smaller than in the morning—
but now I couldn't tell the difference.
Does it not change outside the dungeon?
Or was I just imagining things from the start?
No answers came.
***
Growl.
I was hungry.
Not at death's door like yesterday, but my empty stomach churned painfully.
Turning on my phone, I tapped the calculator.
Yesterday's income: 450,000 won.
Donations sent to Lee Suyeon: -400,000 won.
Last night's convenience store binge: -85,300 won.
"-35,300 won...?"
My mind went blank seeing the number on the calculator.
The money I earned by risking my life to defeat the First Layer boss is already in the red within a single day?
I urgently checked my bank balance.
Fortunately, I still had money saved from working as Wolha, so starvation wasn't imminent.
But at this rate, bankruptcy was only a matter of time.
Swallowing a sigh, I headed to the convenience store.
***
Ding-dong.
"Welcome."
The same clerk from last night was still there.
Avoiding eye contact, I went to the food section.
But I wasn't in a position to sweep up lunchboxes and hot bars like yesterday.
After staring at the display for a long time, I put the cheapest large loaf of bread and ten packs of ramen in my basket.
It wouldn't be enough, but...
"...Just these?"
I had to save even this much.
"Yes."
The clerk glanced up at me while scanning the items.
I deliberately avoided his pitying gaze.
"Um...is everything alright?"
"No...I just really wanted bread."
I fled the store like a criminal.
Walking down the street, I tore into the bread.
The dry flour lump clogged my throat, but I forced myself to chew and swallow.
"Never...spending money on female streamers again. Never."
Not even if I die.
...But damn, this bread tastes awful.
***
After choking down the bread to calm my stomach, I headed to the Management Bureau.
Following my memory, I went to the Compensation Processing Department.
Opening the door, I saw Kim Ha-yeon buried under piles of documents, now a familiar sight.
She looked up as I approached.
"Hello?"
"Hunter Kang Yunha, you're early. Here for your reissue?"
"Yes, this is what you emailed me yesterday."
I handed her the forms I'd filled out on the way.
Kim Ha-yeon took the documents.
"You could've done this when you came two days ago.
Why didn't you apply then?"
What do you expect when my brain doesn't work right after becoming like this!
"...I forgot."
"I see."
Kim Ha-yeon flipped through the papers while spinning a pen between her fingers.
"Your body hasn't changed further because of your Trait, has it?"
I wish it had.
"...Not yet."
Kim Ha-yeon stamped the documents and started typing.
She paused mid-sentence and casually remarked:
"There was quite a stir at the Bureau yesterday about a rear guard fleeing during a raid in District 7."
The pen in her hand slowed.
"Heard anything about it?"
"You mean...Lee Yul?"
At Lee Yul's name, Kim Ha-yeon's pen stopped spinning.
"That girl..."
She murmured softly before turning back to her monitor.
"...The Bureau is still investigating.
Only the victims' statements have been submitted,
and we haven't secured testimony from the alleged runaway suspect yet."
Her tone was professional, but there was weight behind it.
"What does that mean—"
"It's personal information, so I can't say more..."
Kim Ha-yeon handed me the reissued Registration Certificate.
But as she extended it, her hand hesitated briefly before she spoke in a slightly softer voice.
"She's not a bad kid.
If you meet her in the dungeon, don't hate her too much."
But immediately after.
"If your body changes again, contact me right away."
Her cold expression returned.
Taking the certificate, I left the Bureau.
So they still don't know why Lee Yul ran away?
***
Returning home, I sighed and rummaged through the debris scattered in my room.
With my finances in the red just from breathing, I couldn't afford to rest at home.
I needed to rush into the First Layer dungeon to make money immediately.
"Can't even afford armor... This is insane."
I searched for wearable pieces but found almost nothing intact.
After digging through drawers, I pulled out duct tape.
Tearing off strips, I patched together leather scraps over my clothes.
Even just covering vital areas like the solar plexus, groin, and shoulders left the leather supply dangerously low.
I stood before the mirror.
"......"
The sight of my massive 190cm+ frame covered in duct-taped leather scraps looked ridiculous.
I would've laughed my ass off if this wasn't me.
Damn it.
But I had no other choice.
"...No helping it."
Before leaving, I checked my Status Window again to confirm the Sun's size.
No noticeable change from this morning.
***
I arrived at the District 7 dungeon entrance.
But the area was unusually noisy since morning.
A crowd had formed a circle around someone.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), my transformed body's height let me see over the crowd without pushing through.
The three men who'd caused trouble at the Settlement Office yesterday had surrounded a woman.
"We almost died because of you, you crazy bitch!"
"Our gear's wrecked—pay up!"
"Yeah! If you've got no money, hand over that staff and robe!"
Amid their rough threats,
a pink-haired woman trembled with a pale face.
It was Lee Yul.
Just like when she'd trembled in fear before the boss yesterday,
she bit her lip while staring at the ground.
Ah, what a pain.
I clicked my tongue internally.
I can barely take care of myself.
And how can I step forward looking like this?
I was about to quietly enter the First Layer gate.
"Hand this over now!"
One man shoved Lee Yul's shoulder roughly.
She staggered and fell onto the ground.
The man then grabbed her staff.
"S-stop it!"
Lee Yul clung to the staff with both hands, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.
"Kyaah!"
When the man forcibly twisted the staff, a scream escaped Lee Yul's lips.
Instantly, my footsteps halted.
Kim Ha-yeon's words from this morning flashed through my mind.
"She's not a bad kid."
So what?
She's nothing to me.
I tried to turn away.
But in that pale face being publicly humiliated...
I saw myself from three years ago, struggling at rock bottom.
Nobody helped me back then either.
So?
Should I help every pathetic person I see?
My rationality said to ignore it.
But the wretchedness I felt yesterday after wasting 400,000 won and scrubbing the floor—
that miserable feeling of being alone in my suffering—
I sensed it from that woman now.
Was it pity?
Sympathy for my past self?
Or just plain irritation?
"...No idea."
The only certainty was my foul mood.
Scratching the back of my head, I pushed through the crowd with heavy steps.
This is an investment.
I might need a rear guard when tackling the 2nd Floor anyway.
I forcibly rationalized the emotions boiling in my chest.
Otherwise, my true feelings might spill out uncontrollably.
"Hey, don't push! Who the— Gah!"
Spectators scrambled aside in shock at my massive frame.
"Coming through."
I strode straight between Lee Yul and the men.
Then grabbed the man's wrist and forcibly pried it from Lee Yul.
"Aagh!"
The man screamed and recoiled from my bone-crushing grip.
The crowd stepped back at the sight of my intimidating bulk.
I looked down at Lee Yul collapsed on the ground.
Her lips trembled as she recognized my face,
then her eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Yu-Yunha ssi...!"
"Are you alright?"
---
[Streamer Gallery]
Title: Wolha's 4th day off
When's she streaming?
ㅇㅇ: Still no news
ㅇㅇ: She'll appear on next week's Haneul Company broadcast, right?
ㅇㅇ: At this rate, she might actually get fired from Haneul Company
ㅇㅇ: Park Haneul's contract is vicious—the penalty fee would be insane
ㅇㅇ: Heard her debt's already 300 million won, add penalties and her life's over
ㅇㅇ: Wolhaㅠㅠ
---