I swallowed and forced my brain to spin as fast as it could.
While coming up with every possible reason to ask whether I could really accept this, I asked again—pathetically, even—if I truly didn’t have to pay it back. ShutUp said that was fine, but placed one condition instead: “stay partners until I’m the one who ends it.”
[I like you. Especially your character.]
“Me? I’m just an ordinary character though……”
I roughly went along with ShutUp’s mood.
Seomun Jun definitely preferred good-looking guys—he even looked for male roommates for his one-room apartment and wanted someone decent-looking. The type who only chased people as handsome as himself. Well, my real face didn’t show in the game anyway. It was just something a faceless stranger said, so I could let it go in one ear and out the other.
“Thank you.”
ShutUp let out a low breath at my reply and repeated that he “really liked me” once more. Then he told me to give him my bank account number, but of course I couldn’t. My name wasn’t exactly common, and it felt unsettling. So I came up with another way to get what I could out of him.
“Give it to me as game items. That’s easier for me too……”
[Items will take some time though. But didn’t you say you sold your access device?]
“I can log in using a friend’s. I’ll contact you once I’m online.”
[Can’t you come in today?]
I already knew exactly what would happen if I logged in—would you go in if you were me?
His shameless words made me pull my phone slightly away from my ear and frown. Still, he was someone offering me something, so I couldn’t coldly refuse and just gave a polite excuse.
“Sorry. I’ll log in as soon as I can.”
ShutUp had definitely changed. It was subtle, but there was a hint of gentleness in the way he spoke now. Someone like me, obsessed with the word “gentle,” could notice that shift. And if I had to pinpoint when it started… it was after we linked through sex.
He’s gay. I remembered when I’d gone to his place earlier and bought those zero-point-something condoms for the man who’d been there.
Ah, this is bad…….
If he was treating me better after the sex link, that meant ShutUp liked the GentleTouch user as a man. And then……
“He even asked me to look into where I live.”
The more I thought about it, the more dangerous it sounded. I’d come to Seoul to escape the Panty Guy, but now it felt like I’d fled a fox only to walk straight into a tiger’s den.
What if… he really tracks me down?
Anxiety crept in. But then I reassured myself—if people could be found just from a phone number, there wouldn’t be criminals the police couldn’t catch.
Still not fully at ease, I searched online for “phone location tracking.” Some so-called expert had written that unless someone knew your Goggles ID, there wasn’t really a way to track you in real life.
Just in case, I turned off the GPS on my phone too. I didn’t know if he’d really give me items, but I wasn’t expecting much. That was separate from feeling a little excited, though.
***
“Hand it over.”
The next day.
The moment I opened the office door, Juni stood behind me with his hand outstretched. But what was I supposed to hand over…? Don’t tell me he knew I was GentleTouch and was asking for the Relax fee right now? While I stood there flustered, he added, “The credit card I gave you yesterday.”
“I gave that to the partner who was at your house yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you two were close enough to sleep over there together, so I handed it to him.”
“Is everyone your lover or something? The way you think is so one-dimensional.”
“I just have a healthy mindset.”
“Then if I sleep over at your place, does that make me your lover too?”
“No, you know that kind of sleeping isn’t that kind of meaning…….”
People were walking by nearby, so I trailed off. Juni looked at me like I was ridiculous, about to say something, but then shut his mouth.
And right then—perfect timing, wasn’t it? His phone went ding—. He glanced at it casually, then muttered a low curse. He tried calling someone, but it seemed they didn’t pick up.
“Ah, fuck!”
He cursed loud enough that passersby turned their heads. The owner of the hardware shop next door had come out to sweep but, hearing Juni swearing like that, quietly went back inside with the broom.
After trying several times to call, Juni turned back to me with an “Agh!”
“Why would you give it to that bastard?!”
“But you said you were close…… you were in the same house.”
“We’re not close like that!”
“Just report the card lost quickly. Even if he took it, what’s he gonna do? Probably buy tteokbokki like I did.”
“Look. Does this look like tteokbokki to you?”
Juni shoved his phone in front of my face. A payment notification filled the screen, and for a moment I couldn’t even count how many zeros there were. Instinctively, I grabbed the phone and started counting the zeros with my finger. Six zeros meant a million. And the number in front was seven.
“Seven…… million? Seven million? No, does that even make sense? What the hell did he buy to swipe seven million?!”
My mouth fell open when I saw the word “lump sum” under an amount that far exceeded my own card limit. The 7,000 won I’d spent on tteokbokki looked adorable in comparison.
“Po—police! We need to call 112. Since this is Seoul, do I dial 02 first?”
“Forget it.”
Juni snatched his phone back and called somewhere else, stopping the card. I was trembling as I grabbed my phone to report it to the police when a large hand covered both of mine.
“I said it’s fine. Just think of it as bad luck tax.”
“What do you mean bad luck tax?! That amount counts as that?!”
“What, you want me to hunt him down and kill him?”
“Not kill him, but we should catch him! Catch him and take back whatever he bought so we can cancel the charge!”
“Anyone would think it was your card.”
Saying it was actually a good thing since the guy kept coming around and clinging to him anyway, Juni spoke frankly and headed back toward his building.
Just when it looked like he’d go inside, he suddenly went “Ah,” turned around, and strode right back to stand in front of me again.
“Did you look him up?”
“The card thief?”
“No. You took his number that time, remember?”
“Ah…….”
He meant me. He was asking if he’d looked me up. If I said I hadn’t at all, it felt like pouring oil on a fire, so I vaguely said I’d tried searching the contact but nothing came up.
“Hmm……. Maybe I should really contact a private investigator.”
“Th-that’s illegal!”
My voice shot up without me realizing it. Afraid he might actually hire one, I started throwing out desperate arguments.
“I don’t know who that person is, but think about it. If someone found me like that, it’d be creepy and disgusting and honestly nauseating. Wouldn’t it be better to just ask directly?”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Think about it the other way around—what if someone stalked you and waited in front of your building? Would that feel good?”
“Wouldn’t it be fine if someone who looks like me was the one stalking?”
He walked over to his sleek-looking car that resembled him. Then he turned his face side to side in the window reflection and smiled, clearly pleased with himself. What an insufferable sight. Though he wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Aside from that, some people just don’t like others showing up in front of their house.”
“Are you like that too, Yoo Du-seon?”
“Of course I am. Also, could you please say my name properly?”
Juni ignored my last complaint, acting absentminded instead. Since he looked like he was actually thinking about something, I figured if I left him alone, he’d eventually drop it.
Bzz—. Bzz—.
Right then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked the screen, thinking it might be a client—it was Han-woo.
“Uh, hello.”
[Hey, when are you logging in today?]
“Later.”
I answered briefly while looking around. Thankfully, Juni was heading into his building across the street. After closing the office door, I spoke more comfortably.
“Hey, I probably can’t log in for a while.”
[Why? Heh heh. Because of ShutUp? Feeling awkward after holding hands with a guy?]
“Cut it out. My stomach already hurts ’cause I skipped breakfast.”
[What level are you now?]
Probably higher once I logged in, but I’d been level 42 when Moment helped me defeat the level-60 boss. Eight more levels until 50.
“Forty-two. Might’ve gone up a bit if ShutUp hunted well.”
[That’s fast. Guess a Guide’s fate really depends on their Psychic. So when are you logging in?]
“Once I pass level 50, I’m switching servers. I learned Relax, so I’ll probably be loved even on another server.”
[Oh right, you learned Relax. If you split from ShutUp, wanna be partners with me?]
“Nope.”
[Ah, why?]
Han-woo kept whining like a kid, and it felt like the call would never end, but then I heard someone calling him from the other side. In the end, Han-woo said we’d talk later and hung up first.
***
After a hectic morning, I spent the time past lunch reviewing newly listed properties. Recently, more buildings around here were being used as officetels and offices, so it helped to know them in advance to guide clients quickly.
The full-option one-room deal from before had fallen through. There was nothing I could do once he said women weren’t allowed. Besides, begging any further didn’t sit right with me.
“Ah, that’s roughly done.”
After organizing the documents, I turned on some music for a mood change and hummed while pushing the cordless vacuum when the office door opened and a rather well-put-together man walked in.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, yes. Welcome.”
I quickly parked the vacuum to the side and approached him. I’d noticed a strong perfume scent the moment he entered, but up close it felt like he’d bathed in it. A literal human diffuser had walked in. The office diffuser felt completely pointless now.
“Please, have a seat.”
I was about to make coffee, but he lightly raised a hand to stop me. He just asked for water, so I poured him a glass. Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like someone who would only drink premium Jeju bottled water.
“I’d like to find an office. Something spacious enough to use an entire floor, with good natural lighting.”
“What’s your budget?”
“The deposit doesn’t matter, but I’d prefer somewhere with rent under seven million won.”
For some reason, seven million didn’t feel unfamiliar today. Still, it was a big number in a good way, so I had a good feeling about this.
But since there could be landlords like Seomun Jun around, I had to ask about the intended use. Sometimes I’d rented to pyramid scheme companies before, and outsiders constantly coming and going caused trouble for parking lots and nearby offices.
“May I ask what kind of work you plan to do……?”
“A studio.”
“Ah.”
These days, wedding photos and personal profile shoots were trendy in dedicated studios, often decorated to match specific concepts. That meant they needed a decent amount of space, sometimes even rooftops or parking areas for prop setups. And the landlord had to allow some interior modifications. Looking at available listings, the only place matching his requested size was a basement.
“Would a basement be alright?”
“No.”
There wasn’t much choice left. With a bold expression, I looked across at Juni’s building. Then I picked up my phone.
“One moment.”
Stepping outside, I called the same person I’d been bickering with just minutes ago. I didn’t expect a friendly answer. The name [Juni] lingered on the screen before finally connecting right as it was about to go to voicemail.
[What.]
“Is the sixth floor still empty by any chance? I have a client who wants to use an entire floor.”
[I left that place empty on purpose. Too noisy.]
“He says it’s for a studio. It should be quiet.”
[They’ll bang around like crazy doing interior work. Forget it.]
I heard rustling like he was about to hang up. I had to stop the phone from leaving his ear.
“He’s handsome! The guy who came in is handsome!”
[……Really?]
I didn’t expect his tone to change just from hearing that word. Wow, what a filthy world ruled by looks. When I asked if he could come see right now, he immediately said yes.
“Haah… it’s hard to make a living…….”
Staring at the disconnected phone, I let out a sigh, feeling embarrassed for even briefly thinking he might’ve been serious about me—the version of me inside the game.
As if someone like him would.
At the same time, I felt relieved. At least he didn’t seem like he’d obsess over me the way the Panty Stalker had.
