Chapter 143

After wandering a bit, it took about 20 minutes.

I flew through the sky on Min Neong and arrived at the address Drifting AI had given me.

A 3-story building with notably shabby walls.

Sky One Room Tel.

This was where Guburi currently resided.

【Handsome Licker】─It’s called a one-room tel, but it’s no different from a goshiwon. The building looks like it’s about to collapse. *Lick*.

【Yoho】─Right. It looks like it could crumble any moment.

【Meng Yao】─It’s probably gonna collapse soon. Lol.

【Jujijoa】─Why did Guburi move to a place like this?

【Maehwa Tree】─Probably because the rent’s cheap.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】─Ugh. It’s not just the exterior; the inside is a mess too. His old place was way better.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─Isn’t it fine as it is?

【Cat-eared Woman】─It’s not fine at all…

【Min Ji】─I’d rather be homeless than live there.

【Qkrnfl892】─Fr, setting up a tent outside would be way better.

【Big Girl】─You don’t know what you’re talking about. Being homeless might seem manageable at first, but the longer it goes on, the harder it gets. If you don’t believe me, try imagining winter survival training for the entire winter.

【Min Ji】─Winter survival training… Yikes. I take back what I said.

【Qkrnfl892】─I take it back too.

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-kya-pya! Big Girl, why do you act like you know so much about being homeless? Were you a former homeless person?

【Drifting AI】─I’ll say it. That’s what it is.

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-kya-pya?

【Reverse Rape Mania】─Dang, I have a home too. I feel bad for Big Girl. T_T

【Big Girl】─I did have a time when I was homeless. It’s all in the past now.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─Big Girl, good days will come. Poverty isn’t a sin, so don’t do something like suicide.

【Big Girl】─I’m not gonna kill myself… That homeless period is in the past. I’m doing pretty well now.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】─Suicide talk lol. Mania’s being way too extreme.

—

While occasionally checking the chat window, I climbed the stairs and reached the 3rd floor.

Then, standing in front of Room 303, I carefully knocked on the door.

*Knock knock.*

【Se-hoon Defense Team】─Guburi, open the door~

【Min Ji】─Hurry up and open it. -_-

【Reverse Rape Mania】─We’re here! Open the door!!!

“……”

[Oh? Maybe it’s empty.]

Despite the knocking, there was no response, let alone the door opening.

I called out to Guburi verbally and knocked a few more times, but the result was the same.

Did he go out?

Thinking that, I pressed my ear lightly against the door.

There was no sign of anyone inside. It really seemed like an empty room.

“…Is no one there?”

[Yep. Seems like no one’s here.]

【Maehwa Tree】─Maybe he’s pretending not to be there?

【Jujijoa】─Could be.

【Meng Yao】─Guburi, stop playing hard to get.

【Qkrnfl892】─Fr, come out already, you loser.

“Drifting, is this really Sky One Room Tel, Room 303, where Guburi lives now?”

【Drifting AI】─I’ll say it. That’s what it is.

“Hmm… Well, it’s not like you’d give me the wrong address.”

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-kya-pya! Your trust in Drifting is absolute.

【Yoho】─Drifting is trustworthy. They’re an omnipotent digital being.

【Qkrnfl892】─Yoho, stop sucking up to Drifting. It’s not gonna get you anything. Lol.

“Then why isn’t Guburi answering the door?”

【Cat-eared Woman】─This is definitely him pretending not to be here.

【Handsome Licker】─Guburi the diver. *Lick*.

【Min Ji】─Now that I think about it, he hasn’t been chatting either.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─What the hell is this guy doing? Come out before we break the door. -_-

Just as I was about to knock one last time, thinking he might be asleep…

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─I stepped out for a bit.

Suddenly, Guburi’s chat appeared out of nowhere.

He wasn’t ignoring us or asleep.

He had just stepped out for a moment.

“Huh? Why’d you go out all of a sudden? You know you can get back quickly on Min Neong.”

【Qkrnfl892】─Fr, why’d you run? You wanna die?

【Handsome Licker】─You washed up, got dressed, and went out in 10 minutes? Damn, you’re fast. Lol. *Lick*.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─I thought about it, and following you home to cook seems a bit much, so I’m out here getting some air to think it over.

“You’re something else… So where are you now? Nearby?”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Sitting on a park bench, thinking. Don’t come. If you do, I’ll kill you.

【Min Ji】─By telling us your location, you’re basically asking us to come get you.

【Maehwa Tree】─Don’t annoy Se-hoon.

【Jujijoa】─You’re more troublesome than I thought. Lol.

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-pak-kya-pak-pya. I really wanna beat you up.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Anyway, wait outside the building for a bit. Even if you follow me, I need time to mentally prepare.

“Stop talking nonsense. Why do you need to mentally prepare, you crazy girl?”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─I’m nervous about actually meeting you, you bastard. -_-

【Handsome Licker】─Lololol. Nervous? *Lick*.

【Qkrnfl892】─Guburi acts all tough, but he’s a scaredy-cat. Lol.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】─Guburi’s a total loser in real life. Way worse than when we video-called.

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-kya-pya? If he’s worse than that, he’s not even human.

—

Ignoring Guburi’s chat, I thought about rushing to the nearby park to kidnap him but decided against it. It’s not like time was that tight.

I had no idea why he needed to mentally prepare, but people are different, so I decided to be understanding.

“…Guburi, I’ll give you 10 minutes. But if you still don’t come after waiting, I’m just gonna kidnap you, so keep that in mind.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─-_-. Shut your mouth and wait quietly. If you don’t wanna get beat up.

She was quite the handful.

Anyway, I decided to take a walk while waiting for Guburi to finish her mental preparation.

Since I had no more business in this one-room tel, I was about to leave the building when…

“Uh… Who are you…?”

In the middle of the long hallway, a woman walking towards me stopped and asked.

“I don’t think there’s anyone new moving in…”

She had a strange habit of dragging out her words. She was probably Guburi’s neighbor.

The woman glanced at the door I was standing in front of and continued.

“Room 303… Are you acquainted with the person living there…?”

“Ah, yes.”

I didn’t really want to engage, but ignoring someone’s question is rude, so I answered.

“They just left a moment ago…”

“Yeah, I just heard.”

“I see…”

“……”

The conversation ended, and an awkward silence fell in the hallway. The woman was still staring at me.

【Yoho】─This neighbor seems really lifeless. Her body’s all slumped.

【Min Ji】─Kinda gives me the creeps.

【Jujijoa】─She looks like she’s committed a lot of murders.

【Qkrnfl892】─What do you mean “looks like she’s committed a lot of murders”? Are you a fortune-teller or something?

【Cat-eared Woman】─It’s not good to judge people by their appearance.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─But how does she know Guburi left? Was she secretly watching?

【Big Girl】─She probably heard him leaving. Places like this don’t have good soundproofing.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】─Fr lol. You think she was spying on him?

—

I shifted my gaze to the right.

The door to Room 301 was slightly open.

Through the crack, someone with hollow eyes was peeking at me.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─What the hell is that bastard?

【Jujijoa】─Looks even worse than the neighbor in the hallway. Definitely a murderer’s face.

【Qkrnfl892】─Fortune-teller. Damn.

【Handsome Licker】─Gives me the creeps. *Shiver*.

【Balloon Gum Collector】─Wa-kya-pya. The neighbors are all weird.

【Reverse Rape Mania】─Why did Guburi move to a place like this? Our place is way better.

【Drifting AI】─I’ll say it. Comparing the combat power of the residents of Sky One Room Tel, including Gyeongsaeng Guburi, to Gye Se-hoon…

【Drifting AI】─Comparison complete. I guarantee Gye Se-hoon can defeat them all with one finger.

【Meng Yao】─Lol. Are you a combat power meter?

—

I averted my gaze from Room 301. Ignoring them is the answer.

Whether it’s the person in the hallway or the one peeking through the door, they both give off an unpleasant vibe, but since I won’t see them again after leaving the building, I decided not to pay them any mind.

“…Anyway, thanks for letting me know. I’ll be going now.”

“Take care…”

And with that, I left the building.

—

Gyeongsaeng Guburi.

Real name Yoo Ah-yeon.

She was sitting on a park bench, lost in thought, fidgeting with her feet, then suddenly stood up as if she’d made a decision.

‘I should just go. If I say no after they came all this way, I’ll get blacklisted…’

Since Gye Se-hoon had already arrived, saying no was nearly impossible.

Because of the dog training incident, she might even get permanently blacklisted.

I should’ve firmly refused from the start.

Regretting it, Yoo Ah-yeon finally decided to go to Gye Se-hoon’s place and cook for him.

‘Thinking about actually meeting him makes my heart race… What should I say when we meet? Hi? Nice to meet you? Sex? Ugh… Oh right, and I shouldn’t stumble over my words when greeting him…’

Yoo Ah-yeon’s heart was pounding harder than ever before.

‘Whew. At least don’t act like a total loser.’

Closing her eyes, Yoo Ah-yeon took a deep breath to calm herself. She licked her dry, cracked lips with her tongue, then opened her eyes with a determined expression.

‘I’m mentally prepared… Let’s go meet him…!’

Yoo Ah-yeon picked up her phone and sent a chat in Gye Se-hoon’s broadcast.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Lol, I’m coming now. Where are you, you bastard?

As Yoo Ah-yeon read her own chat, she chuckled with her head down, walking through an alley when…

“Hey, come here.”

A woman smoking in the alley called out to her in a low voice.

Startled, Yoo Ah-yeon turned her head towards the voice. There, she saw a group of thugs—one man and five women.

The woman who called her spoke again with a menacing expression.

“Hey. What are you standing there for? Are you deaf? Come here, you bitch.”

“Huh? Me?”

Yoo Ah-yeon looked around before answering. The thug woman’s voice rose slightly.

“Damn, you’re annoying. Who else is here besides you? Hurry up and get over here.”

“Yes, yes! Sorry!”

Ah, I shouldn’t have walked into this alley.

I was too busy thinking about whether to follow Se-hoon or not.

Regretting it again, Yoo Ah-yeon quickly ran over to the thugs.

“I’ll say this nicely just once. If you don’t wanna get beat up…”

“Okay. I’ll take out my wallet.”

“…Huh? Oh, okay.”

“What’s with this kid? She’s surprisingly quick.”

“She must get robbed a lot.”

Yoo Ah-yeon skillfully pulled out her wallet from her pocket.

It was another one of those times—getting mugged.

—

After having her wallet taken and the money inside stolen, Yoo Ah-yeon hung her head low and bit her lip.

‘I could take them all out with one Fireball… But normal people might die if hit by magic, so I’ll just endure… Yeah. I could win, but I’ll just endure…’

Imagining herself casting Fireball and beating up the thugs.

That was all Yoo Ah-yeon, lacking courage, could do.

“Did you hear her voice earlier? Sounded like a total idiot.”

“Right? So funny. Did she inhale helium or something?”

“How much money does she have?”

“…Damn. Only 5,000 won? What a beggar.”

“You think she’s hiding more? Let’s search her.”

One of the thugs approached Yoo Ah-yeon.

Just as they were about to frisk her…

“What are you doing?”

A familiar voice filled the alley.

Yoo Ah-yeon noticed the shadow at her feet and quickly turned her head to look behind her.

There, a man with an expressionless face was glaring at the thugs.

“What the hell are you doing, you bitches.”

It was Gye Se-hoon.

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