Chapter 5
"Here, check the amount. Did it come through?"
"Yeah. It just arrived."
Just in case, I had raised my transfer limit as well, and although I had to go through the annoying procedure of making a call because it was a large transfer, the 350 million won was successfully sent.
Maybe that's why?
Gulp.
"Why?"
"No, I just didn't think you would really transfer that much money."
Could 350 million won really have seemed like such a large sum to Shin Seoyeon, a first-year college student from a poor family who was nevertheless very greedy?
Surprise, rather than joy, hung on her face.
Shin Seoyeon had been staring blankly at her smartphone screen when she suddenly raised her head and fixed her gaze on me.
"You're not going to take this back later, are you?"
"Why would I? That paltry sum is nothing to me."
Shin Seoyeon's eyes went wide.
"Paltry sum?"
Whether it was ten won or ten trillion, money on Earth would be no more than scraps of paper tomorrow.
"If you ever feel like doing this again, let me know. If you put your ass down and crawl between my legs to suck me diligently like today, I'll take good care of you then too."
At that, something changed in Shin Seoyeon's expression as she looked at me. An emotion began to appear in her eyes.
"Minjun, you know... I was sorry about everything."
"Huh?"
"For treating you like shit and swearing at you, and for extorting money from you…."
What was she plotting, apologizing all of a sudden?
"Anyway, I'm sorry. Let's be friends from now on."
"Yeah, sure."
Being friends with an S-rank mage, the Witch of Crimson Flames, would certainly be good for me.
"And, this may be a little soon, but…."
"What is it? Why are you dragging it out?"
"How about we date?"
"Huh? What kind of hook comes out of nowhere without even signaling?"
I spoke, somewhat dumbfounded.
"And you already have a senior you're dating."
"After what we did over a video call today, do you think I can keep dating him?"
Well, that's true.
"Now that my face has been exposed, I won't be able to marry anyone but you. You have to take responsibility."
She said this with a smile in her eyes, and I roughly got the picture.
She'd mistaken my family for a rich one because I was throwing money around.
"I don't know."
When I vaguely trailed off, Shin Seoyeon clung to me and rubbed her breasts against my arm.
"Aww, Minjun."
Her nasal, sultry voice made me understand, at least a little, why King Zhou of Shang had been swayed this way and that by Daji's coquettish charms.
When I wiggled my toes, she came over to my feet, sucked each toe one by one, and smiled coyly.
'Seoyeon at this point has become utterly consumed by money.'
This was worse than most prostitutes.
It was truly laughable to think that this girl would later become humanity's hope, a woman who would stir the hearts of countless men and steal their cum in their dreams every night.
"Kiss. Mwah. How is it? Do you like it? Should I lick between your toes too?"
As she eagerly inserted and swirled her tongue between my toes, I smiled brightly and said,
"Yeah, that's enough. Why don't you get the hell out of here?"
"What?"
"I'll call you if I want to do this again, so keep your phone on at all times. I'll make sure you get paid handsomely then too."
"Uh, huh?"
"Come on, go."
At that, Shin Seoyeon looked flustered and didn't know what to do. She hugged my leg and spoke with a miserable expression like a drenched cat.
"Minjun. It's really late, so can't I sleep here tonight?"
"No."
"Don't be like that…. We're in that kind of relationship now. You're the first man in my life."
The delinquent girl who had been cursing and kicking my shins just a few hours ago was now acting coquettishly and whining for me to sleep with her tonight.
But we'd had our fun, and now I needed to pack my things and get a good night's rest for tomorrow.
"Aww, Minjun."
But when Shin Seoyeon clung to me and refused to let go, I smiled and said,
"Sorry. I'm a little particular about where I sleep. I don't want to sleep in the same room as a whore."
"You…!"
"What? Are you mad? Feel bad being called a whore? Then acquire enough ability that you won't be ignored. When you do, I'll treat you like a person too."
"……."
In the end, Shin Seoyeon clenched her fists and leaped to her feet.
She pulled on her panties and clothes while the semen I had ejaculated dripped down between her thighs, then slammed the door shut and stormed out.
"See you next time, Shin Seoyeon."
***
'Damn it.'
After leaving Kang Minjun's house, Shin Seoyeon gnawed on her fingernails in the taxi on her way home.
'I thought things were going well… She must have caught on.'
Naturally, Shin Seoyeon had no intention of marrying Kang Minjun and living with him until they grew old just because she'd had a video call with him.
She'd simply planned to date him while wringing every last penny out of him,
and if he had more money than expected, marry him and split his assets down the middle,
while also taking the opportunity to satisfy her sexual appetite.
But now all of that had fallen through.
'If only I'd treated him better. Who could've known he had that much money? Ah, what a waste! What a waste, what a waste, what a waste!'
Was there any way to milk more money out of him? If she played it right, she felt like she could get a huge amount.
Just then, Shin Seoyeon, who had been stamping her feet, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
'Aha.'
A somewhat eerie chuckle escaped her lips.
***
I quietly opened my eyes.
It was still early morning.
After taking a shower, I went outside and put on the clothes I had prepared in advance.
『9:14 AM』
I packed the wind-up pocket watch that didn't need batteries.
I checked tools such as the compass and put on winter clothes to ward off the cold.
Once I had securely packed even the sleeping bag and finished checking my backpack, the time had reached [9:51 AM].
'Nine minutes left, huh.'
In nine minutes, everything would begin again.
The long journey that had lasted ten years.
At the thought of returning there and facing the trials again, a tremor spread through my body.
Was I worried?
There was no way. How could I be worried about walking a road I had already traveled?
If I had to put this trembling into words, I'd call it excitement.
The joy of welcoming the rosy future that awaited me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
While I savored that anticipation, someone knocked on my front door.
Bzzzz.
My phone vibrated too. Wondering what it was, I checked and found a text from the police station. In short, a report had been filed, and they wanted me to come in to the station.
That was when the KakaoTalk notifications started chiming incessantly.
-Shin Seoyeon : Did you see the message? You know what to do if you want to settle this, right?
'This brings back memories. Since high school, Shin Seoyeon had been vicious and adept at cheap tricks.'
Even the delinquents she used to run with would shake their heads at her. Sure enough, her handiwork came swarming in from all sides.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Kang Minjun, you son of a bitch! Come out right now!"
That roar belonged to the anguished boyfriend whose girlfriend had been fucked the night before.
"Come out, fucker! Come out! If you don't, I'll break down the door!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He must have brought a baseball bat to pound on the door, because it was quite a racket. Rather than going after Shin Seoyeon and making a scene, he had come looking for me first thing in the morning. She must have sweet-talked him.
'What a fucking mess.'
An enraged boyfriend barging in.
The police demanding my appearance.
And Shin Seoyeon demanding a settlement.
The reason she had arranged all of this was obvious.
'She intends to milk more money out of me.'
Well, I had no money left anyway, so I already knew exactly what reply I would send.
I sent Shin Seoyeon a message while watching the front door buckle.
-Me : Yeah, go fuck yourself
-Shin Seoyeon : You'll regret this
-Me : Me? I have no regrets.
I had taken the virginity of the 'Witch of Crimson Flames,' ranked 19th.
She had also given me exceptional service in bed—plenty that even most prostitutes couldn't provide.
'So how could I possibly regret it?'
That was why I sent her an honest reply.
-Me : I got a good taste of your virgin hole
-Me : Also, the blowjob you gave me yesterday was fucking great. I'll remember it for the rest of my life.
-Me : It's okay if I brag about it to other people, right?
-Shin Seoyeon : You fucking bastard
"Come out right now, you little shit! What you did to our Seoyeon! Our Seoyeon!"
Ah, I really wanted to teach him that he, too, was just another sucker being used.
I quietly listened to Sucker No. 51's screams, then confirmed that the time was up, stood, and shouldered my backpack.
'I've got all my equipment.'
All that remained was to wait.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Then I recalled the trials of the past ten years and waited for the portent of what was to come.
The tragic prologue I had replayed and dreamed about countless times.
3, 2, 1.
[We have an announcement.]
The front door immediately fell silent. The phone vibration that had been ringing furiously since my last message to Shin Seoyeon also stopped abruptly.
[As of this moment, Earth's lifespan has come to an end. Unfortunately, there is no plan for Earth's recovery, and exactly five hours from now, Earth will begin the extinction process.]
"W-What is this?"
The two of them must have been looking at the message floating before their eyes as well.
[From this moment, migration to other worlds will be possible.]
[However, residents who wish to migrate must undergo an evaluation. Through the selection process, you must prove that you are useful bugs.]
A flash of light burst out, and the floor trembled.
An asteroid fell too.
[An asteroid has collided. Earth will cease to exist in 4 hours, 53 minutes, and 21 seconds.]
'So it begins.'
Then a notification appeared before my eyes and began blinking.
[Will you participate in the selection process?]
I had been waiting for this moment more than anyone else, so I answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
At that moment, light enveloped me.
In the space where Kang Minjun had been standing, only a smartphone remained amid tiny fragments of light.