“Uaaagh!!”
In the end, I had the exact same nightmare again that night.
That moment of terror had been so horrifying that it resurfaced in my dreams. In that dark, bluish water, that pale, bulging eye drifting closer and the maw packed tight with sharp teeth. The sensation of another mouth bursting out from inside its mouth and burrowing toward my neck. More than anything, the panic of being chased—my heart in my throat—lingered in my mind even after I’d logged out of the game.
“Ha… fuck, that was terrifying.”
That was my final impression after finishing the game yesterday.
Maybe because that nerve-wracking moment had burned itself into my brain, I just woke up screaming from a similar dream. Most of all, I couldn’t forget ShutUp’s devilish face as he looked down at me.
Cruel bastard.
Yesterday, my level dropped to 45. Once because of ShutUp, and once because of that eel-like monster…
Still, on the other hand, since my partnership with ShutUp had been severed, I felt relieved—almost giddy—at the thought that I could meet a new Psychic. And now that ShutUp—no, Seomun Jun—wouldn’t be tracking me down, I could protect my real life too.
Since I was already up from the nightmare, I went into the bathroom. Halfway through washing my face, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction.
***
Chanting to myself that it was going to be a good Friday, I headed to work.
This Saturday, the office would be closed. Just thinking about getting off work tonight and gaming late into the night had me excited—maybe I’d meet a great female Psychic.
Humming to myself, I unlocked the office door when a loud engine roared behind me. That exhaust note. I didn’t even have to turn around to know. It was Seomun Jun’s car. I had no idea why he always parked here in the morning.
I pretended not to notice and tried to go inside, but before the door could close, it was yanked wide open.
“Just getting to work?”
“Yeah… I open at 9:30.”
I’d been about to clean up in front of the office for once, but with Seomun Jun barging in, I couldn’t do anything. Instead, I grabbed a drink from the mini fridge and handed it to him as he sat on the sofa.
“But why are you here so early—”
“Ah, fuck. Nothing’s going right.”
The moment I handed him the drink, Jun twisted the cap off, chugged it in one go, and let out an irritated sigh. As far as I knew, he’d had a blazing-hot link with SunlightAngel—the 87% match rate guy who idolized him—last night. So why was he in a mood like this?
I wanted to ask, ‘Isn’t that why?’ But I wasn’t GentleTouch right now, so I swallowed the question and asked instead,
“Did something happen?”
“That guy yesterday. Ha, seriously.”
So… who?
Was he talking about SunlightAngel, or the new tenant? He needed to be specific if he wanted me to respond properly. As far as I was concerned, the only relevant person was the new tenant, so I wondered if there was a problem with the sixth-floor interior work. Just yesterday, when the two of them went into the building across the street, they looked like they’d hit it off enough to spend the night together.
“I can’t even cancel the contract.”
As expected, he meant Namgung Bin. Unfortunate, but I had to say what needed to be said.
“Even if you revoke the contract, I can’t refund the commission.”
I said it firmly—no backing out once the deal’s done. But seeing him lower his head and look up at me from beneath his brows, I felt a flicker of weakness—maybe I could return half. It wasn’t like we’d only run into each other once or twice. There might be more properties of his for me to broker in the future.
“Ah, did you look into that?”
“Into what?”
“The phone number.”
Wow. Persistent bastard.
I nearly snapped, ‘You linked your heart out with SunlightAngel yesterday and even cut off your partner, and you’re still obsessed?!’ What the hell was wrong with him? His fixation was on another level.
“There’s no way for me to find out.”
At that, Jun pulled out his phone and made a call. I didn’t think much of it—until my own phone, charging beside my PC, started ringing.
I rushed over and flipped the phone face down. Then I casually sat at my desk and pretended to rummage through a drawer before switching it to airplane mode. After steadying myself, I returned to sit across from Jun. He pressed the call button again, frowning.
“What the hell? Why won’t it connect? Seriously.”
The very person he was trying to reach was sitting right in front of him, yet Jun spewed a string of colorful curses at my second self—Gentle. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting a little.
“Ah, whatever! What’s the point of saying anything? It’s not like he can even hear me. Just hurts my mouth.”
No. I can hear everything.
I could tolerate any insult—but when he muttered, “There’s another eunuch bastard,” I almost fired back with, ‘I’m not a eunuch!’ How dare he attack a man’s pride like that. Rude asshole.
“Oh. And if that tenant from yesterday shows up wanting to terminate the contract, just let him. I don’t want to see him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
All I needed was to add ‘Your Majesty’ at the end. I answered like a court eunuch, and Jun shot me an irritated look before leaving without another word.
What, punk? You’re the one who said eunuch. I answer like one and now you’re annoyed?
As Jun shoved the door open roughly on his way out, I saw Hyesun—the owner of the clothing shop next door—startle with a “Wah!” as she stepped inside my office.
The door was meant to be pulled open, but some people shoved it instead, startling passersby. I’d even installed a stopper so it would catch if pushed, but it had become useless in no time.
“Geez, that scared me. What’s with that jerk…?”
“He’s got no manners.”
I added my two cents as she looked at Jun’s retreating figure heading toward the building across the street.
“Why was he here so early?”
“Well, he signed a contract yesterday, but I guess he’s clashing with the new tenant. Yesterday they were practically glued together like best friends. Anyway, what brings you here so early, Hyesun?”
As I asked, I quickly stood and handed her the same drink I’d given Jun. She accepted it shyly, took a sip, and looked at me.
“Um… are you doing anything next weekend?”
“Next weekend? Umm… not really.”
“Then… would you like to go somewhere with me?”
“…Huh?”
They say love comes without warning. The clothing shop owner was asking me out on a date. Maybe because she ran a boutique, she always dressed well and looked polished—like someone who definitely had a boyfriend. I’d never once looked at her in that way. But now… my heart was pounding, and I felt strangely elated.
“I’ll go. What time and where should we meet?”
“Let’s meet at Samseong Station at ten. I’ll tell you where we’re going once we meet.”
“But why next week and not this week…?”
“Well, I need a little time to prepare. Anyway, make sure you keep your schedule open next week.”
Was I finally escaping singlehood next week? I’d thought she was pretty, sure—but only objectively, as the shop owner next door. I’d never considered her as a woman. But now that we’d made a promise with personal intentions behind it, she seemed different.
This week would’ve been nice, but next week was fine too. Didn’t they say life was half misery and half happiness? Now that the misery called Seomun Jun had been swept aside, happiness in the form of Hyesun was waiting for me.
“Okay, I’ll get going then.”
“Yeah.”
I waved her off as she left.
“Ha…”
But when I saw that black car, another sigh escaped me. Some of the nearby real estate owners had even joked, “Is that your car?” Of course, they knew it wasn’t—they were just teasing.
When I swept the sidewalk in front of my office, I usually only went as far as the hardware store. But today, I extended my territory all the way to Hyesun’s clothing shop.
“Good morning, President Yoo. Busy from early on, I see.”
Someone greeted me. It was President Heo from Jackpot Real Estate up the street. Judging by the fact that he was already showing properties to a client this early, he had real business savvy.
“Good morning.”
His comment about me looking busy was just empty courtesy. I wanted to snap back, Does someone holding a broom and sweeping the sidewalk look busy to you? But what was the point? So I just scooped the trash I’d gathered into the dustpan.
Then I overheard them stop in front of Seomun Jun’s building.
“Sir, there’s a very spacious office on the sixth floor here. Would you like to take a look?”
“The building’s clean too. Not bad.”
“Let’s see…” President Heo muttered as he called Seomun Jun. I’d already finished sweeping and only needed to throw the trash away, but I lingered nearby on purpose.
I wanted to see President Heo’s face crumple when he heard it was already contracted. He was the one who’d scolded me at the local realtor meeting, saying, “Why’d you even come all the way here? Should’ve worked somewhere else.”
“Oh! President Seomun Jun? This is President Heo from Jackpot Real Estate. I was wondering if we could take a quick look at the sixth floor? Yes, we’re right in front. …Oh? I see.”
See? It’s already contracted. Get lost, you pot-bellied bastard. I smirked inwardly.
“Ah, what a shame. It was leased recently. Sir, let’s head somewhere else. Honestly, the landlord here isn’t that great anyway…”
“Oh, really? The building looked nice. That’s too bad…”
The client clicked his tongue regretfully. President Heo led him away, shooting me a glare as he passed.
“Looks like you’re busy early in the morning too, President Heo.”
I returned his glare with a bright smile. Then, thinking, Ah, the world is delightful, I headed back inside to throw away the trash.
Nothing but good things from the morning on. I’d gotten a small victory over President Heo, who usually annoyed me, and I’d grown closer to Hyesun personally. It was one of those days where I wished every day could be like this.
