Chapter 6
"Wow. The young guy can drink, huh?!"
"I've lived a long time, and I've never seen anyone drink whiskey this boldly before."
Several of the old men nearby came over and showed me their goodwill.
"I'm in a good mood! I'm opening this one!!"
"Ooh...!! Ballantine's! Can't lose now!"
The old men opened the high-end liquor they'd been keeping and poured me some.
Thanks to that, Hong Siyeon, who had gotten a good drink, could only look apologetic.
The old men just laughed carefreely and kept drinking.
"By the way, what's your relationship? Are you dating?"
"You two look like you'd make a good match."
"Ahahaha..."
"Go out! Go out!"
"Kiss! Kiss!"
No way.
"The people who came to a high-end bar like this were just like the kids at our orphanage."
I thought maybe it wasn't okay to be this noisy in a place like this, but the bartender was laughing too, and the people around us were only snickering, so it seemed fine.
While the drunk old men laughed, Hong Siyeon let out a small sigh.
"You all seem too drunk, so let's call it a night here."
"Ah. Before you go, just a second."
Since I'd been treated to drinks, I should return the favor.
I borrowed two sheets of paper and a pen from the bartender.
"Old men. Want to turn these over and take a look?"
"Huh? What's this?"
"Cards? Heh. I'm pretty good at poker, too."
I held out the deck of trump cards I'd brought just in case.
After shuffling them and laying them out in front of them, the old men turned the cards over.
"Hmm..."
"Are you doing fortune-telling?"
"Yes."
In fact, I'd noticed it when I took out the cards earlier.
This slightly balding old man here, Mr. Lee Hyeongseok, will get into a traffic accident three days from now.
So I need to make sure he avoids it.
And this Mr. Kim Hongsan here will roll down some stairs and break his leg a week from now.
After writing down the futures they would face, I folded the papers neatly and put them into their pockets.
"Old men, be sure to read them when you wake up tomorrow. If possible, please don't ignore them."
"What's this about?"
"Could it be a lucky letter?"
"Haha. It could be."
Fortune, huh.
I guess you could see it that way.
***
Hong Siyeon looked at Kang Noa.
She had questions about what had just happened.
This person's fortune-telling is real.
Anyone would be curious about the future.
Isn't that obvious?
It's something humans can't control.
Kang Noa simply learns it through nothing more than the pretense of fortune-telling.
"Mr. Kang Noa."
"Yes?"
"Why did you do that earlier?"
Some people would come with a fortune and beg him to help them.
But just now, he had looked at their futures and helped them avoid misfortune for only a few drinks.
"I thought you were doing that part-time fortune-telling job at the hotel to raise your profile."
"Haha. Yes."
"But that wasn't it just now."
They were just people you'd happened to meet at a drinking party.
Did you really need to use your ability on them?
At Hong Siyeon's question, Kang Noa gave a small snort of laughter.
"I'm an orphan."
"Yes? Yes... I know that."
"But there's no need to live like an orphan."
Looking out the window, Kang Noa spoke casually.
"When you live in an orphanage, there are too many people who look at you through colored glasses just because you're an orphan."
"Well... I guess so."
"I hated that. When you go through life, there are lots of people who live like they don't have a mom or dad, you know?"
"That... is true."
The one who had just betrayed her was like that too.
Hong Siyeon, who sympathized with that more than anyone, nodded and agreed, and Kang Noa gave a small snort of laughter.
"Fate made me an orphan, but that doesn't mean I have to live like one."
A trashy, parentless brat who was never taught any better.
I don't want to hear that.
He said it casually.
"If you've been helped, paying the price for it—that's what it means not to live like an orphan, isn't it?"
"...Ahaha."
A laugh escaped her.
Then would Kang Noa have helped her like this too?
At first, it had only been curiosity.
Curiosity about the person who had so lightly changed even her younger sibling's heart, something she herself couldn't change.
But he had helped her and gotten her out of harm's way.
Even though she had repaid him for that, Kang Noa had been the one to reach out to her first.
How could anyone not be interested in someone like that?
"You're an interesting person."
"Actually, I'm pretty interesting."
Hong Siyeon, her face slightly flushed, said to him as he puffed himself up and bragged that he'd been quite popular at the orphanage.
"I hope we can meet often from now on."
Hong Siyeon's face as she said that,
perhaps because of the alcohol,
or perhaps because of something else, was tinged with a little warmth.
***
I moved.
This house is seriously nice.
It's a 27-pyeong officetel, but is 27 pyeong really allowed to be this spacious?
On top of that, they said the furniture and other household goods were used, but if I sold even one of them, I'd easily make back the rent from the place I used to live in.
"The internet's installed too..."
Then let's happily go crush DunSa again today?!
-Ding!
Mail?
All of a sudden?
"Huh! No way, did I win?"
When I checked the mail, I was shocked to find that the Dungeon and Saga event I'd applied for around the time I left the orphanage had won.
It's almost the 7th anniversary, and they're inviting the veterans, giving out prizes, and even having the guest singer sign autographs.
Those are things you can't buy even with money, so I have to go.
"Nice... then next..."
For the 7th anniversary, they released a new class, and the experts should already have guides on how to use it.
Since nearly half my life has been made up of DunSa, guide-searching is a must, so let's look it up before the update and do a simulation.
[UnicornMask: Damn it, isn't the new female class they released this time totally not a virgin? Just look at that juicy ass and the way it jiggles every time she walks; she gives off a total non-virgin vibe.]
ㄴMerleTittySucker: Ah! I wanna suck Merle's tits!! Tits, tits, tits!
ㄴWho even cares about that;;; you crazy bastard
ㄴThis bastard's at it again with the virgin rant today...
ㄴIf a game character is hot and strong, that's all that matters
ㄴSupremeSwordGhost: Dude;; stop talking crap and go to sleep;;
ㄴYou shithead, stop spamming already
The same lunatic in the game gallery who always took over the place with virgin/non-virgin arguments over characters was at it again.
That bastard was spamming again...
"...Hm?"
What is this?
Something I normally didn't see was visible.
Even though it was just a post, I began to see who the author was, and what that person's past and future were like.
"Hah."
Has my ability gotten stronger?
Why?
Thinking about it, I came up with the closest answer.
Maybe it's because the futures I saw changed?
Actually, I don't know.
It's just a guess.
But right now, there's only one thing I can do.
[MushroomMuncherMushroomMushroom: Kim Chung-seo of Hyerim Asvil, Oncheon-dong, Asan, Chungnam, you're at it again, posting virgin-checking crap all day long. What the hell are you doing on a nice Friday evening?]
ㄴWhat the hell?
ㄴTemple Run?
Another comment was added to my comment.
But this one comment alone was enough to stop the spam.
With just one comment that hit the bull's-eye, the board's peace was preserved.
This is what righteous justice is, isn't it?
Maybe my ability was strengthened to protect the gallery's peace...?
Then let's look up some info today and go in right away...
"Huh?"
[Huh?]
[Huh??]
[Why is that guy turning blue;;]
Just by chasing off one gallery ghost, the board manager had turned me blue.
Damn it, that wasn't what I wanted...!!
I logged out right away and started browsing the gallery.
"Oh."
There's an interesting post among the ones that were uploaded.
[BbyuBbyu PpuniHani face reveal!][61]
PpuniHani is a game VTuber I sometimes watch too.
As you'd expect in this sort of place, female VTubers tend to get thirsted over way too hard, so there were some pretty nasty clashes in the gallery too.
[Photo of the VTuber face reveal]
ㄴYou fucking bastard!
ㄴYou made me furious!!
ㄴI won't forgive you! I won't forgive you!!
There were a lot of idiots again today.
Let's just finish the search I was doing.
The gallery was overflowing with crap and nonsense posts, but there was plenty of good info too.
After checking the info post about the new class that would be updated, I ran dungeons, killed bosses, and got rare items worth three sacks of rice.
It was another rewarding day.
That was when I was lying in bed, thinking it was about time to sleep, and watching YouTube on my phone.
"Oh..."
The official Maple Saga broadcast is starting.
This time's invited singer is... NC.A?
A girl idol who became famous for her outstanding singing and stunning looks.
She'd better spend that money on some avatars instead...
Anyway, she was one of the invited singers this time.
Wow. She must be making a lot of money.
NC.A was invited too...
....Huh?
***
"P-please... help me... please help me..."
"Yurim. I, I like you this much..."
NC.A.
Real name Seo Yurim.
A female idol in her fourth year since debut.
She drew everyone's attention from the moment she debuted with her outstanding dancing, singing, and looks, and had now become famous enough to be called a world star.
In front of her, a man dressed like a security guard was grinning as he held a knife.
"Why!! Why!! Are you smiling at someone else!!!"
"Kangsu oppa... why are you like this... please, please stop..."
The knife in the man called Kangsu's hand was already dripping with blood.
Near NC.A were two men collapsed on the ground, covered in blood.
They were bodyguards wearing the same clothes as Kangsu.
Even though he was a bodyguard.
Even though he was a manager too, he'd harbored a twisted fixation and warped affection for the idol.
In the end, he had caused all this.
"Y-You got everything I sent, r-right...!!"
"What did oppa send..."
"My underwear!! My toothbrush and my clothes!! I sent them because they'll be with you soon!!"
"....! T-then the one who sent that... was it you, oppa...?"
"And... I got yours too..."
"...J-just a second. Lately, the things I own have been disappearing..."
Recently, among the stockings, underwear, stage outfits, and shoes she'd worn, some had gone missing.
Because of that, she'd asked for tighter security, and as a result this man stayed even closer by her side.
NC.A's big eyes trembled.
"Then... oppa. It was you... You were the stalker..."
"Don't call me a stalker!!! You love me too! You love me too!! You always smiled at me!!"
The man shouted, his face twisted with rage.
Her expression crumpled under fear, contempt, and disgust.
"How... how could it be you, oppa..."
"Heh, heh. I love you this much... I cherish you this much...!!"
Twisted love dwelled in his eyes.
"You're mine... forever..."
The hand holding the knife approached.
Toward Seo Yurim's thin, long, white neck.
And then.
That white neck was stained red.
***
"...Wow."
A woman dancing onstage with a seductive smile while trembling in terror was a truly bizarre mismatch.
The problem was that this woman would die soon.
By a stalker.
Because of the bastard disguised as her manager and bodyguard.
"Hmm..."
How am I supposed to handle this?
It wouldn't be hard to tell her.
But would that woman believe me?
After thinking for a moment, I stood up.
Still, after seeing this, I couldn't just let it slide.
If I just let something like this pass, I'd be no better than an orphan brat.