Earth: Blind Date Desperation

"Huh? Your face looks a bit swollen too?"

"Ah… I ate ra… ramen last night and went to bed…"

"Ramen? Whoa, what's gotten into you? Even at drinking parties, you were all about body management, skipping greasy snacks because they ruin the booze vibe?"

"Come to think of it, he didn't show up to the gym yesterday or the day before."

"And no posts on Face○book all weekend."

Suspicious glances converged on Baek Hamin.

And right then.

- Aaah! The male classmate who first spotted me let out a gasp of realization.

"On Friday… was that why your mental broke?"

"Friday? What happened Friday? You guys said you were just grabbing drinks casually among the dudes."

"Huh? Nah, nothing happened! Right, guys?"

"Yeah! Nothing at all…"

The guys, sweating bullets at the near-miss of their secret Friday night hunting trip getting exposed to the girls, scrambled excuses. Was he seriously implying a failed hunt was the kind of thing that'd shatter my mental? Whatever. It had nothing to do with me anymore. I tuned it out.

The chatter continued. Chatter. Chatter.

They looked ready to keep yapping until class started. But that didn't last.

The professor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arrived, and everyone settled into their seats.

… I shoved the viciously thick textbook—thick enough to be a murder weapon if swung right—into my bag. Monday lectures ended with this one, so I decided to bolt ASAP. Constantly ignoring Baek Hamin's obvious stares was getting annoying anyway.

I missed Anzelli's tea. One sip, and stresses like this would've vanished…

As I rose from my chair to leave the lecture hall.

Prodded by his friends, Baek Hamin—who'd ditched his glasses for the lecture—raised his voice deliberately, speaking to the group around him.

"Guys… guys! I wanna… go on a blind date! With a girl from our department! …"

…Was that shout meant for me to hear?

He was trembling all over from nerves, looking utterly ridiculous. This could get fun.

That bastard on a blind date? I slowed my exit, deciding to spectate.

No one but Baek Hamin gave a damn if I left early or not anyway.

Sneer. Confirming I'd stopped, he deliberately smirked, curling one side of his mouth upward.

…That punk needs more practice with expressions. His acting was so stiff, I nearly burst out laughing.

The situation was painfully predictable.

Harboring lingering inferiority even after the body swap, Baek Hamin must've stewed over the weekend. How to provoke me. How to act so I'd blow up over losing my body. True to his web novel roots, he probably craved that satisfying revenge pop. He'd racked his barely-functional brain for it… but no matter how I sliced it, this was just digging his own grave, you idiot.

That loser on a blind date? Dating? Wow, missing this would be half a lifetime wasted.

What hilarious clusterfuck was about to unfold? My heart raced with anticipation.

His loud declaration widened his friends' eyes.

"…Blind date? With someone from our department???"

"Didn't you swear off CC last time? You rejected every confession from girls in our year, juniors, seniors…"

"I… changed my mind!"

"…Whoa, talk about coincidence. That girl we were talking about before class… she's got some serious luck."

"Doesn't feel like pure coincidence… Hamin. Did you know about this?"

"Huh? Know what?"

"Hmm… is it really just chance? …There happens to be a girl who officially asked me to set her up with you. From our department."

A girl who'd asked him to formally introduce her to me? Honestly, no clue. There'd been more than one or two like that.

I'd avoided CC to dodge the nightmare of a breakup tanking my college life—like catching some curse. I'd made it clear, repeating it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Baek Hamin probably thought he'd snag a girlfriend from our department to rub in my face… but would that plan even work?

"Wha? For real? Wh-who is it? That girl?"

"She's super famous—you'll know right away. Go Dayeon. The dance club president, right? It's her."

…Wow. I knew exactly who.

She was that famous. More people knew her than the university president.

Kind, pretty, friendly, outgoing—zero haters. Her dance-honed curves and genetically blessed killer rack would steal any monk's gaze, no matter how devout. Especially when they jiggled during her intense routines.

But I knew her hidden side all too well.

Ugh… her personality clashes hard with mine…

No one at uni knew, but I'd rejected her confessions three times.

*

Huff! Huff!

Baek Hamin confessed to Go Dayeon three seconds into their blind date, turning the whole school upside down. And she accepted on the spot.

With two celebs linking up, it was bound to be huge news.

A week? Nah, too long. Three days, tops.

I'd bet my life they'd split in three. I knew Baek Hamin's personality. I knew Go Dayeon's. The disaster was obvious.

*

Huff! Huff!

Man, Baek Hamin's about to become the campus laughingstock. That punk.

Breakups sucked, but CC hell came after—unavoidable face-to-face encounters on campus.

Wait… but now, even if I make a CC and it blows up, does it matter?

As long as the system existed, dropping out was no biggie. A messy breakup nuking my rep and forcing a leave? Zero impact on my life.

*

Huff! Huff!

Of course, no plans to quit uni right now. A degree from this decent school might help way down the line. You couldn't even buy one with the system, right?

But if shit hit the fan, I'd submit resignation without hesitation. No way I'd pay tuition and stress just to attend.

…Should I try it? NTR…?

It might take time, but stealing Go Dayeon—my ex and first love—would twist Baek Hamin's guts into oblivion, right? Worst case, I take a leave and bail.

*

Huff! Huff!

Plus, success odds were decent. She didn't know me. But I knew her personality well enough. No personal deets stuck, but I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could dig 'em up step by step.

My brain spun, forming a concrete plan. Yeah! First off…

"Trainee Park Chanyoung! Focus on training!"

- Whack!

"Gahhh!"

Brack's massive palm slammed my back. My mind snapped back from thought-ocean to reality.

"Too many distractions! Hell training restarts now! Focus!!"

"Ugh… we got raided yesterday… why…"

"Don't worry! The camp's guarded by other combatants! No time to waste!"

"Fuuuuck…"

Save me from this hell before NTR…

*

"What the hell…"

1,000 Karma for just 10g of tea? That's 6-7 cups at 1,000 Karma—meaning each cup Anzelli casually hands me is worth 150 Karma?

No way I'd shell out my own Karma for this unless I needed to butter up some tea nut later…

For now, cloud tree tea stays Earth-exclusive.

- Dring!

Brack was out cold the second his head hit the ground… Lucky for me. No prying eyes while I pull up the status window.

Chapter done, hard mode quest cleared. Next up: new goals.

Skill level-ups? Senryeong Ilil Manyo Wolwol and the fresh Cheonkwon Ilgak demanded insane Karma. Probably need more proficiency to drop the price before buying.

Stat investments? Check other stuff first. No rush on stats—delays don't hurt.

New skills? Fantasy-light, but Earth-evolved martial arts. No mana cost, all passives—no actives.

Still, mastering 'em would help. Buy early, build proficiency, watch level-up costs drop. Plus, test if proficiency alone levels skills. Low-grade ones should rack proficiency fast—perfect for experiments.

Solid option.

Finally, unlock functions. I opened the shop, filtered like before. Roughly 20,000 Karma budget.

Scroll!

No need for other tabs. Functions only.

…

"…Goddamn it, I'm losing my mind."

Wanna buy 'em all. Every function looks clutch.

I clicked each for details.

Item info check, inventory, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠novel entry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spare slot—all straightforward by name. Except Status Window Lv2.

"Haa… 'General quest completion rewards +10%'…"

Ah… Seeing that text… relapse incoming. Wanna gut myself. Buy this first, max gains.

Unlock Status Window Lv2, and that's three functions total, right?

Can't hold back.

"Ah! Screw it! Buying this first!"

No one's stopping me. Eat, sleep, buy. I'd profit more than anyone.