NOVEL NEXT Chapter 222
-Pingururu!
With a loud noise, the spin starts to turn.
It stops at the number 7.
[In college life, Kim Jae Heon is a good couple.]
What the heck does ‘good couple’ even mean?
You need a partner for there to be a couple at all.
Unless it’s someone among the characters here? If that’s the case, would it be fine to just pretend to date?
I stared intently at Ahn Sang Hyun, but he was too busy watching the wheel spin in front of him.
[Participant Ahn Sang Hyun's wheel is spinning.]
The wheel stops.
The number 1 appears.
“Ajja!”
He shouts with delight.
What the heck? What kind of ridiculous role did he draw—
[In college life, Ahn Sang Hyun is an inconspicuous classmate. No one cares about whatever he does.]
Why does he like this?
But seemingly unfazed by my thoughts, he looks around with a joyful expression before rolling away…
“…”
What is he doing?
I knew he wouldn’t answer my question, but with a happy demeanor, he rolled… and disappeared into that forest.
Even in our shock, the wheel continued to spin.
[Participant Park Ye Eun's wheel is spinning.]
“I’m a little nervous about this.”
Park Ye Eun mumbled, and the wheel displayed the number 5.
[In college life, Park Ye Eun is the early bird genius youngest.]
“I’m not very smart, though.”
She murmured with concern.
The Team Leader let out a deep sigh.
“Couldn’t I have sat this one out?”
The wheel spins again.
The number 6 shows up.
[In college life, Heo Chan is a returning student uncle.]
The Team Leader just shrugged his shoulders and didn’t say anything else.
Lastly, Aileen’s wheel spins.
It stops for her.
“…Ah.”
Aileen, who was nearby, mumbled in shock.
Her number was also stuck on 7.
[In college life, Aileen is a good couple.]
“Wait, what does it mean to be a good couple—”
Click!
I felt something get strapped to my arm.
“…”
“…”
It was a watch.
Where there should have been time, only the number 00 was displayed, with nothing else visible.
<0 points>
What’s with the 0 points?
As I stared blankly at the handcuffs, an explanation popped up.
[You need to act according to your role to earn points.]
[The rankings are determined based on points, and those with higher rankings will receive rewards in reality after the game ends.]
[Conversely, as points decrease, there will be penalties in reality.]
Why wasn’t this mentioned earlier?
Aileen and I exchanged bewildered glances.
“Do you know what a good couple is?”
“I’ve only worked since joining; how would I know?”
Aileen sighed as she answered my question.
“For now, let’s just ignore it and live.”
“Yes. I agree with that.”
I looked around.
Yu Da On, Jang Chae Yeon, and Song Ah Rin were watching us with enigmatic expressions.
“…What is it?”
“…Nothing.”
Jang Chae Yeon rolled her eyes slightly.
“I just thought it doesn’t really match.”
“Yeah, should I say it’s like beauty and the beast?”
Surprisingly agreeing with Jang Chae Yeon’s words, Song Ah Rin chuckled.
“After all, she might be a bit younger.”
“A-Rin isn’t exactly old either, right?”
Isn’t it odd for Song Ah Rin to point out someone’s age?
“…I’ve crossed many lines already. In my heart, I’m definitely your older sister. Want to call me that?”
“Have you finally lost it?”
Though I wondered if it had something to do with the Response Team’s line-crossing, Song Ah Rin shrugged.
“Anyway, don’t push yourself too hard. If you two don’t click, it’ll wear both of you out. Especially for the Response Team; it’s going to be even tougher.”
Song Ah Rin smiled lightly, and Yu Da On awkwardly grinned.
Seeing that, Aileen raised one eyebrow.
“When that happens, I just want to hit someone.”
“Huh?”
Before I could say anything, Aileen grabbed my hand.
I felt the hardness of calluses.
“Sorry. Carrying a gun around can make holding hands less… romantic.”
“…You don’t need to apologize for that.”
She’s so boldly holding my hand.
I can feel the generational gap. Back in my day, we didn’t do this kind of stuff. Has the world really changed this much in just five years? Or was I simply that lonely in my college days?
-Ding ding!
A cheerful sound rang out from my wristwatch.
When I turned to look at it, the number 00 changed to 10.
Did my score go up? Because I did something couple-like?
What about the others?
“The three of them—”
Before my sentence could finish, Yu Da On awkwardly smiled and looked at Aileen.
“Um, I’m sorry, Aileen. Jae Heon seems a little uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable?”
“Uh, no.”
“They said no.”
“I see.”
Yu Da On smiled faintly.
At the same time,
-Ding!
A bell-like sound rang, and my vision went dark.
“…!”
And when I regained consciousness, I was inside a college classroom.
The professor was teaching.
It reminded me of old times, but…
What floated in my mind wasn’t nostalgia but a sense of urgency.
Where is everyone? Where are Aileen and the HR Team members?
I hurriedly pulled a manual from my pocket.
-Shrrsh!
The manual unfolded.
[Manual for Office Staff]
[RG – How to Respond to Temptations]
1. Throughout life, there will be many temptations. Here are rejection lines to use in such moments.
2. [I have a fiancé back home.] This is effective, but some people may not understand and think a goalkeeper will let one in, so be cautious of these folks as well.
3. [I have someone I like.] This one works great. But there are also hopeless romantics who thrive on such things.
4. Ignoring it. The best method.
5. Always have a reliable person to rely on—
-Tap!
Since it seemed like nothing much was going on, I closed the manual.
I surveyed my surroundings.
The professor was lecturing, and the sunlight poured in gently.
“…”
Should I sit in on a class for old time’s sake?
I spent a moment taking notes as the professor talked.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been in the workplace; surprisingly, a quiet study session didn’t seem too bad.
Back in the day, I really didn’t want to go to class.
When the class wrapped up,
-Ding ding!
The same sound rang out, and a new screen appeared in front of me.
[You’ve been enjoying life quite well! Your score has increased!]
“…”
If you study hard, you earn points, and if you don’t, you don’t earn points, huh?
But isn’t that just a predetermined way of living, not enjoying life?
This is complicated.
While I pondered, my gaze was drawn outside the window.
Yu Da On was running around the tennis court.
She looked stylish in her tennis skirt.
“…”
But her swinging form was clearly that of someone who had never played tennis.
The interesting thing was how she managed to hit the ball perfectly with that absurdly wild technique.
Song Ah Rin was struggling with a pile of books, seemingly on her way somewhere.
She looked like she was about to be buried in them.
Jang Chae Yeon was…
“…”
She was hidden behind a crowd and was not visible.
“What are you doing?”
“Just people watching.”
Aileen, who had approached me without me noticing, looked around.
“Is this what college life feels like?”
“It feels starkly edited, but in some way, it feels somewhat right.”
“I see.”
Aileen observed her surroundings.
“It’s not bad.”
“…Do you wish you lived this kind of life?”
“No?”
Looking at me as if I said something odd, Aileen refrained from answering my question.
“I shouldn’t regret my choices. I chose to save the unfair rather than just live through college life.”
“…Right.”
“That makes me happy.”
In the now-empty classroom, she sat next to me.
“The only reason these people can enjoy this life is because we’re all working hard behind the scenes.”
She gazed out the window.
As the sunlight reflected off, it looked like vitality returned to her eyes.
“That’s enough for me.”
“…”
I always feel this way, but both she and the Team Leader, as well as the Branch Chief, have their own unique traits. Yet they all seem to share a common driving force.
Perhaps that’s the standard for selecting team leaders in the Management Agency.
-Ding!
Hearing the sound again, I looked at my watch, which now displayed 20.
So this counts as interaction too, huh.
“…Why, did I catch your interest?”
Aileen, who had been looking at her watch, turned her head and smiled.
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
“Oh, then you weren’t interested?”
“No, that’s not it either.”
She sure knows how to make me tongue-tied.
Seeing my flustered expression, Aileen chuckled lightly.
“I’m just joking.”
“…”
“Anyway, let’s try to earn some more points.”
“All of a sudden?”
“An idea just popped into my head.”
Nodding at my question, Aileen, at that moment…
“-ssi!”
Lost in thought while gazing out the window, I noticed Yu Da On looking my way, waving her hands and shouting loudly.
Is she not tired? After swinging that racket nonstop for an hour, she has the energy to bounce around and wave at me.
I thought about that.
Then darkness engulfed my vision again.
“…”
When I opened my eyes, only the eight participants of the game were seated around a round table.
Yu Da On, Jang Chae Yeon, Song Ah Rin, Aileen, and then there was me, but…
“…What was the Team Leader doing?”
“Doing all the group assignment by myself.”
The Team Leader replied wearily.
Such is the fate of a returning student who cares about grades.
“…And you?”
“I just answered, ‘One plus one equals two.’ The professor said I was a genius.”
Park Ye Eun muttered, as if it didn’t make sense to her.
“I just rolled around.”
“I see.”
Did he really just roll around? Why?
Ahn Sang Hyun, with dirt smeared all over his face, smiled.
“Isn’t that nice!”
“I suppose.”
Maybe it is.
In the center was a box labeled [Game of Life].
A game screen appeared in front of me.
[Did you have a wonderful year?]
I attended one class, had one entrance ceremony, and that’s it?
[Originally, I was going to extend the number of turns, but due to excessive immersion in board games, many customers couldn’t distinguish between reality and dreams, so we had to reduce the number of turns. We apologize for the inconvenience.]
The screen popped up, as if answering my thoughts.
[This is how you will spend your life, gaining points, and the one who earns the most points wins.]
So, it’s all about living life well. That’s the gist.
[But, if that’s all there is, it wouldn’t be fun.]
As soon as those words appeared, we all tensed.
Whenever it’s like this, something abnormal always happens—
[We want to introduce some variation into life.]
Variation?
[Each of you will experience a significant obstacle or opportunity based on your current role as a college student.]
[Through this opportunity, some will earn more points, while others will earn fewer.]
“…”
[Each obstacle will only be visible to the individual.]
“…Wow…”
“…I don’t feel confident…”
“…”
What kind of changes is everyone going to go through?
I sincerely hope it’s something easy.
With a musical chime, a screen popped up right in front of me.
[During military service, your old flame has left you. It's time to find a new girlfriend.]
[They say there’s no eternal love in this world. Your love ended during military service.]
[But don’t worry. Original love tends to be forgotten by new love.]
[Among these, choose the one you think will be easiest to confess to and quickly find a new girlfriend.]
[Note: There are conditions.]
[You must find the girlfriend who you believe can most easily accept your confession.]
[If you fail to do so, you will lose 100 points.]
“…”
My vision went dark.