Chapter 47

Our detached house was a place I had been using alone for a long time.

So, even though it had been neglected for several years after I moved out, I had called a cleaning company to tidy it up before coming back home, so there was no inconvenience in using it.

It was a two-room size, so it was good for sharing.

“Unnie, what’s this?”

Bunny Run brought something over. It was a wooden box.

Curious, I took it and opened it, and inside was an outfit.

A black Gothloli dress, an eyepatch, and a cane.

“……Unnie? What’s this?”

Bunny Run was flustered.

I was equally flustered.

So this was here.

What I used to wear was a different outfit that went with this, but in this worldline, I probably actively used this outfit.

“Wait a moment.”

I took the box into the room and quickly came back out.

Wearing the eyepatch and changed into the Gothloli dress, I struck a pose and changed my voice.

“‘Fufu. Was it you who summoned me?’”

“Unnie?”

“‘Behold. All humans are like ants.’”

“Unnie?”

“Bunny Run, you have zero immunity to subculture.”

I was disappointed that she couldn’t figure out what this was right away.

“Is it an anime character?”

“There might be similar characters, but strictly speaking, it’s my original character.”

“Then how am I supposed to know?”

Tsk tsk. Even if it’s an original character, any otaku would know exactly what this is.

I gave her the answer.

“Don’t you know Middle School Second Year Syndrome?”

“Middle School Second Year Syndrome? Ah, I think I’ve heard of it.”

Middle School Second Year Syndrome. It’s a condition that occurs around the second year of middle school.

Simply put, it’s a self-absorbed illness.

‘An immature self, searching for something special, ends up reaching for characters in creative works,’ but I didn’t know the exact mechanism either.

You’d have to experience it to know.

“Unnie, weren’t you also into Middle School Second Year Syndrome?”

“You can’t get Middle School Second Year Syndrome unless you’re in the second year of middle school. So I tried to force it, but it didn’t really work.”

Let’s say you grow up and want to make a game related to Middle School Second Year Syndrome. If you lack experience, it’s a big problem.

Unless you can turn back time, you can’t experience Middle School Second Year Syndrome.

So, as soon as I entered the second year of middle school, I tried to get into Middle School Second Year Syndrome.

I didn’t see much effect, though.

“But I did learn exactly how people around you react when you have Middle School Second Year Syndrome.”

“That’s so like you.”

Bunny Run fiddled with my Gothloli dress and muttered.

“This design is exactly the same as Han Yoorim’s outfit.”

“Like I said earlier, creators usually infuse their own experiences into their works.”

“…Really?”

Bunny Run’s voice dropped for a moment. She seemed lost in thought.

After a while, Bunny Run cautiously opened her mouth.

“Unnie, by any chance, do you have a younger sibling or older sister—”

“Yoorim! Dad’s here!”

“Got it.”

Responding to my mother’s voice from afar, I looked at Bunny Run.

“What did you say?”

“……Nothing.”

She seemed to have a lot to say, but I decided to hear it later.

Right now, meeting the person who called me back home was the priority.

I went to the main house with Bunny Run. My father was drinking water.

Bunny Run bowed her head.

“Hello!”

“Are you Yoorim’s friend?”

“Yes. She’s a close younger sister.”

After greeting Bunny Run, my father looked at me.

His stiff expression and cold gaze.

It was the usual father.

Similarly, I faced my father and asked.

“Why did you call me all of a sudden?”

“That.”

“That?”

My father’s gaze softened. That cold gaze stared straight at me.

Tightly. Bunny Run hugged my arm tightly. As if she was trying to protect me.

Finally, my father opened his tightly closed mouth.

“Yoorim. Dad’s store went under. What should we do?”

“I expected that.”

It was already lunchtime, and my father had come back early, so I had anticipated it.

“Huh?”

Bunny Run let out a dumbfounded voice beside me.

Oops. I brought up something too heavy in front of a guest.

My mistake.

“Bunny Run, go rest in the detached house. I need to sort things out with my father.”

“Huh?”

“Yoorim. Call me Dad, not Father….”

“Go quickly.”

*

Bunny Run followed us in a daze.

I don’t know why she’s like that.

I arrived at my father’s store and looked up at the sign. The lights were off.

“The store’s completely closed?”

“It’s not even the holiday season yet.”

“Hmm.”

I went inside the store to check the condition.

“The cleaning’s been done well.”

“Cleanliness is important.”

“The kitchen… Hmm.”

The layout had changed from before, but there was a rational reason. This was the kitchen of a ‘cooking’ store.

“I’ll need to taste the food to judge. Make me a seafood soup and bring it over.”

“Got it.”

After waiting a while, a pot full of seafood soon came out.

Click. I lit the burner and waited, and soon a rich aroma rose.

“Bunny Run, you’ve already eaten a lot, so just have a little.”

I could eat all day (fat-wise) and be fine, but Bunny Run couldn’t. She needed to control her meal intake.

“Hmm. Yum.”

After eating abalone, octopus, clams, and slurping the broth, I made my judgment.

“Father.”

“Is it not tasty?”

“Do you usually not taste the food?”

“…I do taste it.”

“But I don’t think you’ve ever eaten it properly.”

“That’s true.”

The reason why Father’s store wasn’t doing well was simple.

It wasn’t food he really liked.

But does it make sense for someone who dislikes seafood to run a seafood specialty store?

It’s actually surprising it lasted this long before failing.

“Father, how long has it been since you started the store?”

“About 3 years?”

“Just close it cleanly and start something new.”

“That’s why I called you, Yoorim.”

Father twisted his body. Why are you doing that?

“Dad’s planning to open a store in Seoul. Can you persuade your mom?”

“Persuading Mom is your job.”

“But if you say something, Mom will understand right away, won’t she?”

“What about the money?”

“We can sell the house and the store.”

“Alright, I got it.”

It’s a waste to give the house in Donghae to someone else, so I’ll buy it.

No, there’s no need for that. I don’t have to sell the house, just add some money.

But no matter what, I couldn’t help with the store.

I asked just to confirm.

“What kind of store are you thinking of opening?”

“…A raw fish restaurant?”

“First, try to get away from seafood.”

“I’ve lived by the beach all my life, shouldn’t I make use of that?”

That was a huge misconception.

Just because you’ve played RPGs all your life doesn’t mean you’re good at making RPG games.

Of course, it generally helps, but there are exceptions in the world.

And in my eyes, Father was that exception.

“Father.”

“Yeah.”

“You like meat, right?”

“Right. Meat is amazing. Is there any other ingredient that becomes delicious just by adding it? Especially pork—”

“Open a meat restaurant. That suits you.”

“…A man from Donghae running a meat restaurant?”

Let me ask this instead. Does it make sense for someone who loves meat and kimchi stew more than anything in the world to run a seafood restaurant in Donghae?

“I’ll chip in some money.”

“Where do you even have money? Forget it.”

As expected of Mother. Even while the store is failing, she doesn’t even mention the word ‘super developer.’

At this point, it’s okay to say something, but she firmly keeps her promise.

I showed it through actions instead of words.

“Let me know if you need more.”

“…Did you really become a celebrity?”

“Ask Mother for the details.”

Family problem, perfectly solved!

After neatly wrapping up the solution, I returned to the detached house.

Bunny Run was still in a daze.

Worried about her, I poked her lightly.

“Bunny Run, are you okay?”

“…Unnie.”

“Speak.”

“Didn’t you have a younger sibling or an older sister?”

“I told you before, I’m an only child.”

I was disappointed that she didn’t remember that.

“Back then, we were in the middle of a keyboard battle. I thought you were lying.”

“I always speak the truth.”

“I thought your older sister or younger sibling died in an accident when they were young.”

“What kind of anime is that?”

“You found an escape in game development because you couldn’t handle the excessive expectations from your family. That’s why things are awkward with your parents.”

“Stop watching morning dramas.”

“That’s the plot of your game!”

I shook my head vigorously.

No matter how realistic <Resurrected Students Also Need Love> is, mistaking it for real life is too much.

Is it because she’s a broadcaster? Her immersion is incredible.

“Unnie, you kept saying meaningful things!”

“Me?”

“You said creators always infuse their own experiences into their work!”

“That’s true, though?”

‘Han Yoorim’ was also created by infusing my middle school second-year syndrome experiences and various events.

It’s not a lie.

“…I thought the ‘Han Yoorim’ story was also based on your experiences.”

“You’re so naive.”

Using reality as it is isn’t fun.

You have to reference reality but add variations. Only then does the content become interesting.

It’s the same principle as why exaggerated stories are fun.

I smiled contentedly.

“So that’s why you hugged me earlier? To protect me from Father?”

“Ahh. I can’t hear you.”

“It’s a good talent, you know? Over-immersion is a powerful tool even top broadcasters use.”

“Ahhhhh.”

Even though it’s been 5 years since she started broadcasting, Bunny Run still has plenty of room to grow.

With this level of immersion, it’s okay to have high expectations.

She might even reach that ‘Ga Joon-sik’…!

“Unnie, stop.”

“Okay.”

Bunny Run sighed and fanned herself. It must be hot.

I turned on the air conditioner and said,

“I’m going to broadcast. What about you, Bunny Run?”

“I’ll broadcast too.”

Then I’ll get to witness Bunny Run’s over-immersion live?

This is getting exciting.

“Unnie, stop.”

“Okay.”