Chapter 14: An Unexpected Encounter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: An Unexpected Encounter
My second morning inside the novel.
I didn't really feel much of anything.
It felt similar to that first week after enlisting in the military, where you're just kind of dazed and out of it.
[Yoo Su-jin]
> Tae-yang, are you awake...?
> We didn't decide where to meet ㅠㅠ...
> Let's just meet in front of the Academy gates at 12:00.
> Don't you dare eat before you come! Let's have lunch together!
I checked my phone and saw the messages.
Yes, Senior.
After sending a brief reply, I got out of bed.
The full-length mirror was in the same spot as yesterday.
"Status Window."
The only difference this time was that I was opening the window of my own volition.
==================================
[Name] Baek Tae-yang
[Physical] Height: 183cm / Weight: 95kg
[Description] !)(*&$ the position of @$%%, must @$(!_$@(Updating information...)
[Main Skill] Coercion (???)
[Sub Skills] Dignity of the Name 'Sun' (A), Virgin Bomber (SSS), Cleanup (F), Licking Eyes (B), Playboy Memory Method (B), Smite (A), ??? (???), ??? (???)
==================================
"What's this?"
The description, which usually took up about four lines, had changed.
It said it was updating information and mentioned something about someone's position, but I couldn't read it.
It had been a bombardment of question marks since yesterday.
In a status window that already looked short, having the description and two skills marked as unknown was frustrating.
Was the novel itself losing its mind because a character who wasn't supposed to appear was running wild?
It wasn't a problem I could solve just by sitting still, so I decided not to think about it anymore.
If thinking quietly could have solved it, the skills would have been visible long ago.
"The biggest problem right now is my outfit for the date..."
I had nothing to wear.
Everything was just school uniforms; I couldn't go on a date like this.
"I should just make the first part of the date going to buy clothes for myself."
Planning a date course was easy; it wasn't like I hadn't done it once or twice before.
I changed into my uniform and headed out.
It was currently 11:30 AM. Arriving thirty minutes before a date was common courtesy.
+++
There are no coincidences in this world.
This was a life rule my father always emphasized.
"Huh?"
When I stepped out of the dormitory, I saw Chubby Ahn.
"No way... what the..."
I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things, but he was still there.
He looked exactly like the face I had met in that damn white space.
I followed his gaze to see what he was staring at so intently; he was looking at the main entrance of the girls' dormitory.
If he were watching from inside a cafe window, he might not look suspicious, but he was leaning against a nearby tree, staring openly.
How should I describe this feeling? Rage? It was hard to say. I felt strangely calm.
I didn't lose my cool and go charging in screaming.
I wasn't stupid enough to blow a sudden opportunity like this.
There are characters who manage to get behind someone only to shout, "Over here!" but I wasn't one of them.
I moved toward Chubby Ahn's rear, approaching slowly.
What if he runs? Should I just deck him the moment we meet? Should I take off the bracelet?
Countless worries filled my brain.
I clenched my teeth so hard they felt like they might sink into my gums.
'But why should I hold back?'
With every step closer, my fingertips began to tremble.
My head told me that starting with a conversation would lead to a cleaner resolution.
My body wouldn't listen.
Even though it had only been a day, and I hadn't suffered any great hardships or humiliations, still...
'Is leaving a single comment a crime big enough to deserve this?'
I felt wronged.
If he thought it was malicious, he could have just sued me. Why did he suddenly do this?
[Smite activated! Great power dwells in your left hand!]
I thought about hitting the back of his head, but there was a high chance he'd dodge.
I aimed for the small of his back—the spine. I needed to shatter it and paralyze his lower body so he couldn't run.
The experience of countless brawls remained in this body, perfectly supplementing my own lack of experience.
I had never really hit a person before, but Baek Tae-yang's body was different.
Power rose from my toes as if I were pushing off the ground.
My slightly twisted waist and leaning torso moved as one smooth motion.
My upper body naturally pulled back as I threw the punch, and my fist drove straight toward Chubby Ahn's waist.
BOOM!!!
"Wha-what?! You... you, who are you...!"
No, I thought it had connected.
The moment my fist was about to touch his back, a transparent film blocked it.
'Tch, a barrier...'
Moreover, the recoil was no joke. If I had hit any harder, the bones in my hand would have been crushed.
"What? Who? You don't remember me?"
Does this guy have no conscience?
He throws a perfectly fine person into a novel and then puts on a face like he doesn't know me?
Chubby Ahn genuinely looked like he had no idea.
He looked at the name tag on my uniform, his eyes widening in shock, and then he started muttering to himself.
"Baek Tae-yang was definitely... I shouldn't have described him in the book... H-how... who is this..."
"It's Lee Tae-ok, you bastard!"
I thought I could hold it in, but I finally exploded.
Of course, it's more accurate to say I'd lost it the moment I threw the punch, but I had vowed not to use profanity.
I had planned to settle things with a gentle conversation if violence didn't work...
Everything had gone down the drain.
"You're Lee Tae-ok...? That's impossible... there's no way..."
Seeing him fall into his own thoughts while I was standing right in front of him made my blood boil.
I wanted to drive a heavy blow into his solar plexus, but he'd surely block it with some trickery.
"No wonder... suddenly something unobserved..."
"You crazy bastard, stop muttering to yourself and get me out of this novel right now!"
At those words, he seemed to snap out of it and looked at me.
Was he worried I'd hit him again? He stared at me with those eyes, but then his expression filled with relief as he remembered his protective shield.
"Even being able to see me... an error has occurred..."
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Am I talking to a wall right now? Honestly, I didn't expect things to go smoothly.
But I never imagined communication would fail in this specific way.
Since he said I couldn't go back, I thought he'd at least throw me a hint on how to return.
'This guy is just muttering to himself...'
After rambling on with nonsense, his eyes suddenly widened as if he'd realized something.
"I... I have to go."
"Go where? No, get me out! Did I really do something that wrong? Honestly, I didn't! You're just a loser who's never been in a relationship, so you wrote the story like crap! Why are you taking it out on me?!"
Only then did Chubby Ahn look at me properly. His face was as red as it had been back then—I wondered if he'd even heard me.
He suddenly said he was leaving, so I tried to grab him, but that transparent film blocked me again.
Random words just started flying out of my mouth.
I mixed in some curses, but I think I spoke as calmly as possible to convey my feelings and the situation.
"I don't know... I really don't... A-and... you, you, you... you crazy bastard, you're the one who did wrong first! Why are you doing this to me?! I have feelings too!"
Letting out a sound like a dying pig, Chubby Ahn vanished from before my eyes. It happened in an instant.
The meeting and the parting happened in the blink of an eye. What the hell was that? What did I gain from this encounter?
It felt hollow.
The guy who did nothing but talk nonsense about 'descriptions' and 'observations' had disappeared, and I hadn't even landed a single hit.
I felt so resentful of myself for not taking off the bracelet, as if I had already adapted to the novel.
No matter what happened, even if I couldn't control it properly, I should have hit him with the maximum output I could muster...
"Ha... haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped me. My legs lost their strength, and I slumped down against the tree.
Right, there was no way it would be this easy to leave.
In truth, it wasn't even a 'near miss.'
I had no preparation; my entire plan was just to charge in suddenly and try to get information.
I knew it would fail, but I didn't think I'd come away with absolutely nothing.
"Seriously, fuck..."
I could finally understand why the characters in novels didn't think about escaping, but rather tried to complete the story.
Since there's no immediate way out, they probably just try to fix the story as they go.
But that wasn't me. All I'd read was the prologue, the first chapter, and the latest chapter. How was I supposed to fix anything?
The quests didn't link up immediately after completion either; they only appeared in specific situations, and I had no way of knowing what those situations were.
The message telling me to 'look forward to it' was all I had.
"This is driving me crazy..."
"What is?"
Whoa, startled, I turned my head to see Su-jin.
Her flowy beige dress and pink cardigan were a combination that screamed 'spring maiden.'
Her stockings were light blue, but because the skirt was short and the stockings reached up to her thighs, the band of the stockings peeked out enticingly whenever she walked.
The situation was bleak, but I resented my dick for throbbing the moment I saw what Su-jin was wearing.
My body was reacting more faithfully than anyone else. But it was also ridiculous that I was on the verge of an erection just by seeing her in casual clothes.
'Could this guy even function in daily life?'
Just what kind of life had Baek Tae-yang been living...?
"It's just because you're so beautiful, Senior."
"Why are you saying things like that..."
Despite her words, she twisted her body shyly.
Her long straight hair shimmered, and a black handbag was neatly draped over her shoulder.
Usually, when a woman with a decent chest wears a dress, the curves of the dress don't come out quite right.
But as if she knew that, she had tied a thin string around the waist of the dress into a bow, which emphasized her figure even more.
It was definitely an innocent-looking dress, yet it was inducing an erection.
"Were you waiting for me at the gate? You could have waited closer."
"I could have, but..." She said that while leaning down slightly.
Since I was crouching, the impact of her leaning down to meet my eye level was immense.
Gravity caused the dress to hang open, revealing her cleavage.
'White...'
Her underwear was white.
Looking closely, there was a floral embroidery pattern. It was on a completely different level from when I saw it last time.
Was this Su-jin's version of 'battle' lingerie?
"How could I? It would be a disaster if I were mistaken for a pervert."
"Still..."
It wasn't polite to keep my date standing in the street like this, so I stood up abruptly.
"Senior, after we eat, could you go shopping with me at the department store? I need to buy some clothes..."
"Shall we? Then, can I pick out the clothes for you?"
"Ah, of course. I'd be grateful."
"Then let's eat first."
If a woman was going to pick out my clothes, it was actually better.
I wouldn't have to worry about a thing, as she'd coordinate outfits that women would like.
"Ah... and Tae-yang."
"Yes?"
"You can call me Noona."
Whether that was a bold statement for her or not, her ears were bright red.
To think she'd be embarrassed over something like this... she was truly cute.
Meanwhile, another woman was sending me videos of herself masturbating after we'd had sex...
Was it because I was experiencing both extremes? Su-jin seemed even more pure. I couldn't 'protect' her purity, but I should at least treat her well.
"Let's go. I've already reserved a restaurant."
"Okay, Noona."
The way she beamed the moment I called her 'Noona' was a perfect pass.
+++++
"This is impossible! It's simply impossible!"
In a space filled with countless books, the largest one was spread open.
The cover read Academy Pure Love Diary, and the book was large enough to easily swallow a person.
"The words... the words won't write properly..."
A fat man wearing glasses kept writing with a quill, but very few words were actually being recorded.
The pen was well-inked, but whenever it touched the page, the letters vanished at high speed.
"Baek Tae-yang... that guy is the problem..."
A character who was never intended to appear had shown up.
"I have to fix it... I have to edit it..."
It was a moment that required a bold development.