NOVEL NEXT Chapter 225
That’s unfair.
If only I actually had the charm to attract girls and was popular throughout my college life and in general.
“Casanova? This is just ridiculous.”
If I had at least experienced dating, it might have been different. But every single day is filled with late nights at work, and now I’m fighting for my life in a battle where I can’t even find time for romance.
“No, this is a thing.”
At that moment, Song Ah Rin answered me with a serious look on her face.
“Starting today, I will devote myself to board games.”
“Stop teasing, already.”
“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”
She stares at me intently.
“This is a real thing. I’m the professor, and you’re the Casanova. Yeah, that’s it, that’s what it is.”
I wanted to smack her head that’s nodding away with glee, but I held back with superhuman patience.
“So, that means college life is over for me?”
“I guess so?”
As soon as our words ended, the surroundings faded to black again, and we found ourselves seated at the round table from earlier.
“Wow, it’s Casanova!”
Park Ye Eun exclaimed, pointing at me as if I were some strange creature.
“Shut up…”
“Hey, being a Casanova is great. I used to be really popular back in the day…”
The team leader, spouting nonsense that offered no consolation at all.
“Ha ha… ha ha ha…”
Ahn Sang Hyun was just smiling away.
“…”
“…”
And when our eyes met, Jang Chae Yeon and Yu Da On both turned their heads away.
“Am I the first victim then?”
Finally, Aileen said to me playfully.
“…”
I’m really feeling unfair here, but I figured if I said anything, it would just lead to more ridicule, so I decided to stay silent.
Ding-a-ling!
And right before my eyes, a game window popped up.
[By acquiring your profession, you will gain traits associated with it.]
[The goal of the game is to use these traits to earn as many points as possible.]
[Only you will know your traits, but sharing is completely up to you. You can share or not, it's your choice.]
So basically, this feels like a class transition in a game.
But to be labeled as a Casanova is a real blow to my self-esteem.
I gazed at the translucent window floating before me.
[You are a Casanova.]
[What’s important is not how many hearts you've captured, but how intensely you've toyed with those hearts. That’s what matters.]
[You have judged that it is more beneficial to extort 1 billion from one person than to squeeze 1 million from three.]
[One can only admire your ruthless talent for manipulating people.]
[The abilities you have acquired are 'If you love, you must pay' and 'Backstab.']
The names of those abilities are painfully satirical.
I began to read the explanations for the abilities.
<'If you love, you must pay' makes those with you pay you.>
<'If you love, you must pay' makes people develop a favor toward you.>
[If there’s goodwill, it deepens further, making it easier for you to build closer relationships with others.]
[The more successful those who have chosen you are, the more crumbs you receive.]
This really sounds like they’re saying I should live off someone.
Should I pick someone up and raise them?
<'Backstab' is the ultimate skill of a Casanova.>
[At the end of the game, those charmed by the Casanova must forcibly give 10% of their assets to him.]
“…”
After reading the explanations, I reached a conclusion.
They’ve structured it so that if I cling to one person, I can’t win.
I have to deceive as many people as possible to gain an advantage.
It’s frustrating how well-implemented this skill is, grinding my teeth in annoyance.
If this continues, my image will plummet after the game ends. Should I just give up and aim for last place?
[After this, rewards will be distributed based on score differentials,]
Not interested. I don’t want to do this at all.
Let’s call it quits.
Just as I decided to give everything up and accept defeat, Ding-a-ling. The screen popped up again.
[If Kim Jae Heon wins, I will return your 'lost memories.']
“…”
Lost memories?
My body, which had momentarily relaxed, straightened up immediately.
Lost memories?
Where exactly did I lose my memories?
All my memories are intact—
‘The one who helped you escape here was not you.’
‘It was your younger sister.’
“…”
The words of that child suddenly popped into my mind.
Swallow. I gulped unconsciously.
I looked around.
Everyone was staring at the window with different expressions.
Some looked serious, while others seemed indifferent.
“..”
Okay.
Let’s not try too hard, but let’s not give up either. I’ll give it a shot.
Those memories might not be anything important.
As I reminded myself this and began to walk,
“…Huh?”
I found myself in a small studio.
Is this my room?
It felt just like the room I had before joining the management agency.
But it couldn’t be my room…
-Crinkle.
It was far too clean.
I wasn’t the type to keep my room that filthy, but it was never this clean either.
This doesn’t seem like my room.
As I slowly walked around, the door suddenly opened with a clank.
“…”
White hair sparkled in the sunlight.
“…Did, did you come here?”
“…What are you doing here?”
Jang Chae Yeon tilted her head as she looked at me.
At the same time,
-Ding-a-ling!
A bell ring echoed, and more text appeared.
[The two of you have been lovers since college, and currently, Kim Jae Heon is living in Jang Chae Yeon's house.]
[As long as Kim Jae Heon resides in Jang Chae Yeon's house, Jang Chae Yeon must give 30% of her earnings to Kim Jae Heon as allowance.]
As I shuddered at the garbage-like circumstances that I couldn’t express in words, Jang Chae Yeon nodded her head.
“I’ll give it to you.”
“Ah, no. I don’t want it.”
“I don’t want you to have it.”
Jang Chae Yeon shook her head at my words.
“I can give you half, no all of it.”
“I just have to be here.”
Her gaze pierced through me.
“…”
Is this what it feels like to develop goodwill?
Jang Chae Yeon has a somewhat scary tendency toward those with goodwill.
“…Yeah, well, if you say that, I guess I should be here.”
After all, I have nowhere else to go anyway.
Jang Chae Yeon smiled softly at my words.
“Okay. Great.”
Then she stared blankly at the sky for a moment and began gathering her things.
“…What are you doing?”
“I’m going to class.”
“Are you making me work?”
In the game too?
Jang Chae Yeon nodded and nonchalantly packed her bag.
She did say she was a teacher.
“…”
She put on her shoes with a tap and looked back at me.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Take care.”
When she heard my words, Jang Chae Yeon’s face broke into a bright smile.
She stepped outside, and
[You receive 30% of Jang Chae Yeon's points due to the effect of 'If you love, you must pay.']
[You currently have 200 points.]
“…”
My conscience hurts too much.
I’m not even married, yet I’m living off my girlfriend’s earnings while doing nothing at home.
No, this is seriously messing with my conscience.
Suddenly, I bolted upright from my seat.
I need to do something.
I should go look for ways to make some money.
Resolving myself, I stepped out, and as if teleporting, I found myself inside an indoor tennis court.
“..Jae Heon?”
A familiar voice reached my ears.
“…Da On?”
Yu Da On was looking at me, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
“What are you doing here?”
“Uh, well, that’s a long story…”
“Yes.”
I explained to Yu Da On how I suddenly appeared in the tennis court.
I didn’t mention anything about waking up in Jang Chae Yeon’s house.
As she listened to me, Yu Da On furrowed her brow slightly.
“That’s interesting. I regained my senses while already swinging a tennis racket.”
“Oh, you can swing it now?”
“It’s easy, actually.”
At first, I could only hit the ball. How did she improve so much in between?
She seems to have athletic skills that we lack.
“Well… I was just swinging as directed when suddenly I smelled Jae Heon.”
“…Smell?”
Yu Da On nodded at my words.
“There’s a scent of Jae Heon. It’s hard to explain, but when I smell it, I think, ‘Wow, Jae Heon must be nearby!'”
Maybe it’s because she’s recognized as having a remarkable sense of smell at the hospital. This is something I can’t understand.
“But did you just come here?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“What about home?”
“Uh…”
If I say I’m at Jang Chae Yeon’s house now, it’ll just make Yu Da On, who just quarreled with her, more concerned.
“It seems I don’t have a home.”
“That’s great!”
Did I hear that wrong?
Yu Da On nodded excitedly, smiling brightly.
“Then you can stay at our place!”
“No, that’s not possible.”
“Then where will you sleep?”
“Well, I’ll just manage somehow…”
“Don’t be like that, just stay at our house!”
Yu Da On beamed at me.
“Our house is really big and nice!”
*
Is this really okay?
“See, there’s a kitchen, and there are also guest rooms…”
She excitedly explained her house, seemingly enjoying it.
[The effect of 'If you love, you must pay' begins to take effect.]
“What do you think, isn’t it nice?”
“Yes, yes, it’s nice.”
While I casually replied as I gazed at the window that had popped up, Yu Da On looked at me firmly.
“Then Jae Heon.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Do you want to live at our house?”
Yu Da On said enticingly in a subtle voice.
Her wide-open eyes met mine.