It was a more intense hour than an entire day.
I was running around like crazy. I rushed to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash and then headed straight to the nearest jewelry store, estimating the range of Kyle’s movements.
I described Kyle’s appearance to the shop owner, who was nodding off from boredom, and urgently asked if the items he had sold had been resold elsewhere.
The shopkeeper, weary from prolonged financial struggles, wasn’t about to pass up the chance to double his earnings. As a result, I had to withdraw more money from the ATM since I ran short, but I didn’t feel even the slightest bit resentful or annoyed.
That wasn’t all. I didn’t even bother haggling, which was something I normally would have done without a second thought.
‘Who cares? If I can buy it, that’s cheap enough!’
Once I cross over to the other world, I’ll never come back here again. Besides, I have more money than I could ever spend. What am I going to do, bring Shin Saimdang’s face to the Meinhardt Empire? They’d probably just shred it up and use it as hamster bedding.
As I was about to put the pendant into my pocket, I noticed that the clasp was loose. My eyes lit up. I had finally found what Kyle needed.
“Sir, do you sell necklace chains? Give me the most expensive one you have here.”
I replaced the chain with a brand-new one, and while I was at it, I even bought back the other gold items Kyle had sold—paying extra on top.
My steps felt lighter, but my bank balance had visibly thinned. Not that it mattered. I wouldn’t be able to use this money anyway, so converting it into gold was far more meaningful.
Patting my now-heavy pocket with satisfaction, I checked my wish fulfillment rate—it was still at 95%.
“Hey, System.”
[You called? (*¯▽¯*)/]
So damn nonchalant. I briefly made a bored expression before shrugging and asking,
“The thing I’m about to do… how much will it increase my wish fulfillment rate?”
[Not sure, but it should definitely reach 100%!]
I responded with a dead serious expression.
“Don’t give me a ‘not sure.’ Get me an exact number.”
[(⊙_⊙)]
“Hurry up.”
One thing I realized after losing connection with the System—it’s always better to buy items from the shop as needed.
‘It’s a waste if I have too much. Might as well stock up in advance.’
My wish fulfillment rate was rising faster than expected. Meanwhile, the shop items were surprisingly cheap.
“Exactly how much do you think it’ll increase?”
[W-Well, I… I’m not sure…]
‘Of course, it’s always useless at times like this.’
[(╬｀◇´)ﾉ!]
The System popped up multiple windows, as if protesting, but I turned my head away and ignored it completely.
What? Why? What now?
It malfunctioned, sent me back to Korea, and even turned my one and only partner into a dog. If that’s not incompetence, then what the hell is?
“Forget it. Just keep the wish fulfillment rate display open on one side and the shop on the other. Update them every second. Got it?”
To emphasize my point, I clenched my fist and shook it menacingly. Then, I picked up my phone and dialed a number.
—Hello?
The person on the other end answered before the dial tone rang even three times. Despite it being Christmas, a weekend, and late at night, it was as if they had been waiting.
The words I had prepared suddenly felt pointless. My throat tightened, and for a moment, I stayed silent. Then, in a small voice, I spoke.
—Soo-hyun.
“…It’s been a while, Team Leader.”
His tone was as curt as ever. He wasn’t the expressive type, and because of that, he was often mistaken for being cold-hearted. Even though that wasn’t true at all.
Well, I had misunderstood him for a long time too.
“Sorry for the late contact. I’m doing much better now, and I’ve started getting back to my daily life little by little.”
We awkwardly exchanged updates about our lives.
The team that had worked on the same game project was still busy. Even though they were sitting on a fortune, none of them seemed interested in quitting. Apparently, they were already working on the next project together.
They were a team that worked well together, so their next project would probably be a success too. At least this time, they wouldn’t have to suffer through starvation and exhaustion just to get by.
Jokingly, I asked what he had done with all the money he made. Without much hesitation, he answered.
—Got my wife a new car, bought my daughter the piano she always dreamed of, took the family out for nice meals. But you know what they said? That they don’t need the car or the piano—just for me to have dinner with them more often.
—Looking back, I realized I had been putting off what really mattered, always using work as an excuse. No matter how much money you make, it’s not everything. And when I heard that you had gotten into an accident and were stuck in a hospital bed, I felt awful…
“Ahaha.”
Team Leader hesitated before adding,
—If you ever feel like you have nowhere to turn, you should say something. You never talked about yourself much, so how were we supposed to know?
“Back then…”
Even though it had only been a few years, it felt strangely distant, like something from a past life.
I let out an awkward laugh and admitted honestly,
“Back then, I thought winning meant handling everything on my own.”
Since I couldn’t escape loneliness, at the very least, I didn’t want to lose to it. Showing weakness wouldn’t have made a difference—no one would have helped me anyway.
So, I learned to endure alone. And once I got used to it, honestly, it didn’t seem so bad. When you withstand something long enough, your heart just becomes numb to it.
“But now, it’s different.”
Things had changed.
I had decided not to live like that anymore. I no longer needed to shoulder everything by myself. I didn’t have to force myself to swallow loneliness and adapt.
Because now, I knew there were people who wouldn’t leave me alone. Even if we weren’t together physically, I was still connected to them.
“I have someone to rely on now.”
I had always wanted to say that to someone.
“I think… I can finally be happy.”
I wanted to hear those words spoken out loud.
“And even if that weren’t the case, having someone like you, Team Leader, made my past bearable.”
Maybe, even in all the times I thought I had been alone, I had never truly been completely isolated.
“Thank you for looking out for me, Team Leader.”
—Soo-hyun.
As I spoke, my wish fulfillment rate continued to rise. Casually, I flicked through the shop and adjusted my purchases, stocking up on things that would be useful in the North—jade candies and walnut sweets, mostly.
‘If I’m buying in bulk, at least bag them up properly. All at once.’
While responding to Team Leader, whose voice had started to waver with emotion, I whispered cheerfully to the System.
‘Not the inventory! Give it to me here! What if it disappears?’
‘Just set up an auto-purchase. When I’m about to hit 100%, just buy one more jade candy at a time!’
The System was practically sobbing as it spat out the items.
[Σ(ﾟДﾟ；)!!]
“….You’re ugly.”
—What did you just say?
“Oh, nothing. I just saw someone wearing an incredibly ugly sweater.”
I had accidentally spoken my thoughts out loud, but I quickly covered it up.
“It’s Christmas, after all. Enjoy it with your family, Team Leader.”
—Yeah, by the way, you’re really not coming back?
“Nope. Thinking of going on a long trip.”
—Where to?
I grinned.
“Somewhere unbelievably cold… and ridiculously warm at the same time.”
—Well, living life the way you want is what matters most. I won’t worry anymore. Just be happy, whatever you do.
“Of course. I’m sure of it now. Merry Christmas.”
With that, the call ended, and Team Leader’s voice faded away.
Inside my coat pockets were five walnut sweets, five honey rice cakes, and a whopping eight pieces of jade candy. And yet, my wish fulfillment rate was still stuck at 99%.
‘It went up more easily than I expected.’
I must have really wanted to open up to someone in this world. More than just achieving my goal, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest—both refreshing and bittersweet.
“Good. Now Team Leader won’t have to worry anymore.”
As if to confirm that thought, a system notification popped up.
[The final connection to this world has been safely removed.]
It would be a lie to say I felt no regrets. But it was okay.
“Time to go back.”
I already knew exactly where I wanted to be.
With that thought, I headed toward Kyle. My pockets were full. So was my heart.
***
“Your Highness.”
By the time I returned to him, the sky was pouring down thick, heavy snowflakes.
A White Christmas. The night skyline of Seoul. And standing in the middle of it all, like a scene from a painting—my partner.
The moment Kyle saw me, he opened his arms wide. I ran straight into them, embracing him tightly.
And just like that, in the simple joy of being together, my wish fulfillment rate finally hit 100%.
“Merry Christmas. The day isn’t over yet.”
I smiled and held out the pendant to him.
“We may not be kids who believe in Santa, and this might not even be the right culture for it… but still, a good adult who’s waited patiently deserves a gift.”
“This is…”
“It’s precious to you, isn’t it? Don’t take any more losses. Let’s gather up everything important and go back.”
Kyle just stared at me, looking utterly dumbfounded. I waved the pendant in front of his eyes.
“Hello? Your Highness? Can you hear me?”
Then, he pulled me into a fierce embrace.
He held me so tightly that, for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“I love you.”
“……”
“I love you. I’m in love with you, Shu. I’ve never met anyone like you. There will never be anyone but you. You’re just… incredible. You always manage to surprise me, always showing me something beyond what I ever imagined…”
“Y-Your Highness… I can’t breathe.”
“…I love you.”
“I love you too—cough—but could you—gasp—please…!”
As I flailed in his grip, I screamed internally.
‘I need a freezing Northern wind to snap him out of this! System!’
[You called? (≧▽≦)ノ]
‘Send us back! Right now!’
Thankfully, for once, the System didn’t dawdle. It immediately began carrying out its final task.
[Beginning synchronization…]
[Adjusting default settings.]
[‘Reload’ function and all status abnormalities will be erased.]
[Setting coordinates for transfer.]
[Destination: □□□□□]
Huh? Where exactly are we going?
Before I could even ask, the space around us began to distort. Sensing the shift, Kyle quickly wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me even closer to him.
I patted his back reassuringly and whispered,
“It’s okay, Your Highness. We’re going home.”
Our eyes met. A single snowflake drifted down and landed on the tip of his nose.
On impulse, I pressed a soft kiss to that very spot.
“Wherever it is, as long as we’re together, I’m not worried.”
Kyle smiled.
“…Alright. Let’s go home.”
Blue system windows flickered in and out of existence around us, surrounding us like a cocoon.
Then, the final popup appeared.
[Wishing you luck! (ღ˘ω˘ღ)]
It was time to return—to our cold yet warm home.
