My heart pounded.
For the first time in a long while, I felt a pleasant surge of curiosity and anticipation, slowly moving my finger to click on the message’s content.
[Shin Yirin: (Heart)]
“…?”
Contrary to my expectations, the message contained nothing more than an adorable rabbit emoji, clutching a heart cushion larger than its own body.
After staring blankly at it for a moment, a faint smile escaped my lips as I realized it was exactly like her.
“Just as always,” I murmured.
Her somewhat vacant eyes, her four-dimensional personality (TL Note: A Korean slang term ‘sachawonjeogin seonggyeok’ referring to someone with an eccentric or quirky personality, often seen as being ‘out of this world’).
Add to that her relentless pursuit of her goals and a demeanor so utterly charming it was impossible to dislike her.
‘Hmm.’
I suppose I had to admit it.
Even though my own existence had already raised my standards considerably, Shin Yirin still possessed a remarkably charming side.
To wield such an impact with a mere surprise emoji, capable of rivaling this transcendent cuteness, she truly deserved the title of Channel Master.
Click.
Click.
[wldks_08: (Heart)]
Not to be outdone, I responded with an emoji of a cute red panda subtly offering a heart, then, with a faint smile playing on my lips, I set down my smartphone and began accessing the archive.
‘I’m itching to brag (TL Note: A Korean slang term ‘bitik’ referring to the act of showing off one’s rare or valuable items/experiences, often in an annoying way).’
The revelation that I had received a heart emoji from Shin Yirin, the Channel Master, would undoubtedly send the entire channel into an uproar.
However, revealing that fact would be tantamount to disclosing my identity, making it impossible to act on, at least for now.
To savor a more immense surge of dopamine, it was still a time to exercise patience.
[Title: Honestly, High School Grad Middle Schooler is starting to get a little scary…]
[Yirin-chan’s Thighs]
[Content]
At first I just thought they were messing around, but seeing the channel members getting brainwashed one by one, it’s really something…
[Comments]
– Fr.
– If you watch long enough, you start to feel brainwashed too.
– Now, when I see “cute” posts, I don’t feel any strangeness anymore lol.
– Nobody thought Full-time Farmer would be like that, let alone Mint Soboro Bread…
– I think the mod should step in and punish them at this point ㅇㅇ.
[Title: How exactly are you going to stop this genius-level cuteness?]
[High School Grad Middle Schooler]
[Content]
Channel Master, mod, chaebol chairman, even the president—if they cross me, they’re all one-shot.
[Comments]
– I really want to beat them up.
– In a way, they’re truly a genius.
– What’s the secret behind this absurd confidence?
– Even Narcissus would have conceded to this bastard ㅇㅇ.
– But is it right for the mod to be lumped in with them? ㅋㅋ.
[Title: You’ve realized it. Come to the High School Grad Middle Schooler channel.]
[Mint Soboro Bread]
[Content]
hehe
[Comments]
– Does such a thing exist?
┗ Of course not?
– What exactly did this one observe?
– Show me what you saw.
– Is that so…? Are you asking if I don’t know (TL Note: A Korean internet slang term ‘mol?ru’ combining ‘molla’ (don’t know) and ‘lulu’, often used to express feigned ignorance or playful confusion)…?
[Title: If you’re annoyed that they’re monopolizing the super cute High School Grad Middle Schooler, upvote ㅋㅋ]
[Naju Mandarin]
[Content]
I want to see it too, let’s see it together, damn it.
[Comments]
– Upvote ㅋㅋ
– Agreed.
– Seriously, good things should be shared. Why do they keep it to themselves?
– If High School Grad Middle Schooler is really a super cute middle school girl, then Mint Soboro Bread, Full-time Farmer, and Cute Wren, all those bastards, should be hung ㅇㅇ.
‘Hmm.’
It seemed the channel’s users, having seen so many of my nonsensical posts, were no longer as affected as they once were; the impact had undeniably faded.
Perhaps it was time to introduce some new material?
As I was contemplating these future plans, my smartphone suddenly rang, and a name I had temporarily forgotten began to appear at the bottom of the screen.
[Ha Ju-on]
“What’s this sudden call about?”
Though I was a high school graduate rice-bag knight (TL Note: A Korean slang term ‘ssalmeokgisa’ referring to someone who makes just enough money to eat, often implying a simple, unglamorous lifestyle) who had lived secluded from the world, I naturally had people I kept in touch with.
Ha Ju-on, a younger sibling who had lived with me for a long time at the orphanage and had always followed me closely.
However, since she believed me to be male, answering the phone rashly could lead to disaster.
Click.
[Choi Jian: I have a cold, so my voice isn’t coming out well.]
[Choi Jian: Why are you calling?]
After pressing the end call button and sending the message, a reply swiftly arrived.
[Ha Ju-on: Oh, really? Are you resting at home?]
[Choi Jian: Yep.]
[Ha Ju-on: That’s good then.]
[Ha Ju-on: My aunt said to bring you some side dishes while she was going up.]
A sudden, ominous sensation crept up my spine.
Confirming Ju-on’s message and deciphering the hidden meaning in her words, I was startled and immediately began to ask questions to ascertain the necessary information.
[Choi Jian: You’re coming? I have plenty of side dishes, you don’t really need to bring more.]
[Ha Ju-on: What can I do? I’ve already brought them.]
[Ha Ju-on: I’m almost there, so just take them and put them in the fridge or something.]
[Choi Jian: What? How do you know my address?]
[Ha Ju-on: The director just told me?]
No, my privacy!
While it certainly wasn’t done with malicious intent, it had nevertheless put me in an extremely difficult predicament.
‘Hmm.’
Having already stated that I was resting at home, the option of locking the door and remaining silent was now gone.
Should I tell her to leave them at the door, claiming I might infect her with my cold?
I doubted this one would ever listen.
She would undoubtedly try to force her way in, claiming curiosity about the interior.
“I’m screwed,” I muttered.
Though I rapidly put my brain into overdrive, no viable solution came to mind.
If only I were highly educated, could I have found a breakthrough with some brilliant idea?
I doubted it.
Honestly, this situation was akin to an inescapable checkmate.
Knock-knock.
Knock.
“Ugh,” I sighed.
She said she was almost here, yet barely two minutes had passed before she was already knocking at the door.
There was no way out.
No solution presented itself.
Ultimately, I cleared my mind and simply decided to accept the reality laid out before me.
Click.
Creak.
“Ugh, it’s so heavy, why did you take so long to open the door? Are you feeling alright?”
“Hi,” I responded.
“Huh?”
At my sudden appearance after opening the door, Ju-on paused in surprise, then subtly shifted her gaze to reconfirm the address.
“Oh? This is the right place…? Oh, I’m so sorry! I must have mistaken the house…”
“This is the right place, so just come in for now.”
“What?”
As I firmly pulled her arm, Ju-on, wearing an utterly bewildered expression, stepped inside and stood awkwardly by the shoe rack in a state of confused readiness.
‘Hmm.’
Even if I pretended this wasn’t my house, she would undoubtedly text me to ask for the address again, and ultimately, it would only be a matter of time before my true identity was exposed.
In that case, it was better to simply be audacious.
After all, even if Ju-on discovered my identity, no immediate problems would arise, would they?
“Um, excuse me… so this is Choi Jian’s house, right…?”
“It is, so take off your shoes.
And give those to me too.”
“Is Oppa (TL Note: A Korean term used by a female to refer to an older male, typically a brother or close male friend/boyfriend) inside? Or is it a girlfriend? But the age…”
As Ju-on subtly scrutinized my entire body, her expression hardened as if she had realized some hideous truth, prompting me to hastily deny it and open my mouth to defend my honor.
“I know what you’re thinking… but that’s not it.”
“Huh?”
“I am Choi Jian.”
“Huh?”
“I said, I am Choi Jian.”
Despite my blunt declaration of the truth, Ju-on showed no signs of accepting it.
That was, of course, understandable.
If some burly, muscular man appeared before me and claimed to be Ha Ju-on, I’d probably run away and call the police first too.
‘Hmm.’
This, it seemed, was a moment that called for extraordinary measures.
It was time to apply the law of ‘staircase presentation’ I had once read about in some gallery.
“Alright, let’s take this step by step.
First, how do I look?”
“…Just cute?”
“Not that.
My eye color and hair color are unusual, aren’t they?”
Honestly, one couldn’t naturally possess such exotic features unless they were an Awakened being.
Ju-on, too, seemed to accept the fact that I was an Awakened being, as if she had finally grasped it.
“Alright, then what’s the probability of Choi Jian, the high school graduate rice-bag knight, taking such a beautiful and cute Awakened being as a lover or inviting them into their home?”
“Well… almost none, I suppose?”
Only after offering that reply did Ju-on seem to realize just how abnormal the current situation truly was.
“No, but even so…”
“Just accept it.
Or try reporting me to the police.”
“What happens if I report you?”
“Your precious benefactor, who raised you on their back, will be arrested as an illegal immigrant.”
Ju-on clutched her head as if in pain, then began to pepper me with various questions to confirm the truth.
Though I couldn’t properly answer even half of them, Ju-on seemed to become even more convinced that I was indeed Choi Jian.
“Something feels off.”
“You were always making a fuss about earning money just by holding your phone all day; there’s no way you’d remember all these little things.”
In any case, her believing me was enough.
I shoved all the delivered food into the refrigerator, then began to push Ju-on out with my small hands.
“Now that you understand, go.
And don’t spread rumors anywhere.”
“Hey, why?
If you keep doing this, I’ll really report you, you know?”
“…”
It struck me as an utterly absurd sophistry for someone to visit another’s home and then threaten to report the homeowner, yet since I was the one who would actually be arrested, I had nothing to say.
Ju-on, who had been striding further into the room, then grabbed the closet door handle and began to pull it open with force.
Creak.
“Huh?”
Hey, you brat, why are you suddenly opening that?
