Chapter 6
“For reference, due to operational reasons, only men and women can participate. Please understand that other genders cannot participate.”
After receiving instructions from the Receptionist, Amon and Sonia headed to the waiting room.
Since it was a Cosplay Competition in the form of a Social Movement Challenge, cosmetics such as makeup and wigs were provided in the waiting room.
Although cheap, they seemed to do the trick in setting the mood.
With limited resources, Sonia dressed as a man, and Amon as a woman.
After finishing their makeup, the two critiqued each other's results.
Amon looked at Sonia.
Her male disguise was passable.
However, the quality of the makeup wasn't very good, and since she had long hair, it was difficult to pull off the masculine look.
The low-quality wig also contributed to the awkwardness.
And more than anything, her overflowing femininity made it impossible to see her as a man.
As if she knew it herself, she tried to act masculine with an awkward smile but soon gave up and slumped her shoulders.
Then it was time to critique Amon’s female disguise.
“Uh... um.... uh....”
Sonia was speechless at Amon’s transformation.
Beautiful.
There were no other words to describe his female disguise.
The wig had looked awkward on Sonia, but it suited Amon perfectly.
Sonia had always thought Amon's thick eyebrows and droopy eyes were masculine.
But with a little touch-up on his eyebrows and eyeliner, his femininity overflowed.
With women’s makeup applied to his already clear skin, devoid of any stubble or blemishes, there was no trace of masculinity left.
As the finishing touch, tint was applied to his lips and earrings were added, and there stood an undeniable girl.
The word “girl” wasn’t enough.
An absolute beauty stood there.
She was so beautiful that no one would find it odd if she were to become an actress right away.
Sonia, who had been staring at Amon in a daze, finally regained her senses and spoke.
“Uh... Unnie?”
“....”
Amon was at a loss for words.
He had put in a little effort to do his best, but he never dreamed he would have a talent for cross-dressing... no, disguising himself.
He’d had fun doing it without thinking, but he was taken aback by the result.
The quality was so high that he seriously began to doubt his own masculinity.
But the finished product was too good to remove the makeup.
So he’d braced himself and revealed the results.
“Let’s go quickly....”
The longer he stayed here, the longer his humiliation would last.
It was better for his mental health to be evaluated quickly and get it over with.
He urged Sonia and stepped onto the stage.
The judging rules for the competition were simple.
The judges and participants scored how well each contestant portrayed the opposite gender.
Prizes were awarded based on the scores.
First, Sonia.
She received the Effort Award.
It was clear she had tried, but her femininity couldn't be hidden.
She acknowledged it herself.
She came down from the stage, clutching the doll she received as the Effort Award prize.
And next, Amon.
“What? This is too much, isn’t it?”
As soon as they saw Amon, he was unanimously disqualified.
They asked why a woman was coming up without even cross-dressing.
But when Amon revealed he was a man, the reactions flipped.
“Perfect score… Perfect score....”
A perfect score from everyone.
He was the champion of the day.
While Amon was wondering whether he should be happy about this or not, a man in a suit approached him.
Taking out a business card, he said,
“At our entertainment agency-”
“Please leave.”
The curse word "get lost" almost escaped his lips, but as a devout believer, he managed to hold back.
The scout clicked his tongue in disappointment and retreated.
Returning to the waiting room, Amon immediately collapsed on the floor and muttered,
“Fuck....”
Sonia patted Amon on the back.
***
“I'm telling you, I… I really won't become an actor.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
On the bus back to the orphanage, Amon emphasized this to Sonia several times.
He hadn't decided on a career path yet, but he wasn’t interested in acting.
And he would never, ever be a Transsexual Actor.
Sonia nodded at Amon’s repeated vows.
“Okay. I won’t make you.”
‘Too bad…’
While saying that, she actually wanted to see him cross-dress again.
Of course, since he would hate it, she’d likely never see it again.
While Sonia reminisced about Amon's female disguise, Amon dealt with the chills running down his spine.
‘A TS Actor as the True Ending is a bit much…’
It would be fine as a gag ending, but he had absolutely no intention of living as a woman.
He wanted to become Legendary, but in a field he could brag about, not for cross-dressing.
After a long meditation, Amon overcame the evil thoughts that were eating away at his mind.
Although an incident that shook his masculinity had occurred, it wasn’t without its gains.
Thanks to it, he discovered his talent.
‘First, check off Disguise.’
After checking off the <Disguise> item, Amon examined the other talents connected to Disguise by lines.
Talents were like a mind map, providing a slight bonus to other related talents.
For example, if one had high Swordsmanship talent, they’d also receive a bonus in martial arts.
In other words, it meant that one could trace back the main Skill Tree and talents through mediocre talents.
Amon listed the mediocre and outstanding talents he possessed.
Guns were a mediocre talent.
Disguise and Charm were outstanding talents.
Combining these, he could roughly see the path he should take.
‘Assassin? Scout? Agent? Or Fixer?’
Either way, he had a direction.
Amon was quite satisfied with his chosen path.
If he was planning to cause chaos without considering the Ending, there were many Skill Trees Amon could choose.
One of the most bizarre Skill Trees he knew was like this:
Also known as “That Long Thing.”
Once completed, it was a balance-breaking Skill Tree capable of annihilating an entire city, even if everyone became an enemy.
However, completing such a build required ruining several relationships, messing up the Ending branches, and eliminating several good NPCs, guaranteeing a Bad Ending.
Naturally, Amon declined.
He wanted a Happy Ending.
And for a Happy Ending, information gathering and a minimum level of force were essential.
Careful information gathering was especially crucial when the strategy was unknown.
The directions that satisfied these requirements were Scout or Hacker.
In such a situation, the fact that the Scout-related Skill Tree was his path was quite welcome news for Amon.
‘I’ll check other Scout-related talents later.’
Satisfied with today's harvest, he closed the notebook containing the list.
Turning his gaze to the side, he saw a girl nodding off.
She must have been extremely tired.
The girl's swaying head tilted towards Amon’s shoulder.
Amon gently supported her head.
With the warm sensation on his shoulder, he looked out the window.
Despite technological advancements, the city was bleak.
Siren sounds and gunshots echoed sporadically within it.
This world, which some might call a city of sin.
But Amon's heart pounded.
The unknown was a primal element that tickled human curiosity.
Amon looked forward to the world he would face after graduating from the orphanage.
***
The day after Thanksgiving.
That day was also a festival in America.
One could even consider it the main event.
The Friday when America went the craziest.
Black Friday.
Almost everything was 90% off, and it was the time when 80% of American companies’ sales were made.
The grace of Black Friday also reached the orphanage.
The orphanage, always tight on budget, couldn't miss this opportunity.
The Orphanage Principal’s wallet, firmly closed like a vault, opened.
She bought a year's worth of supplies for the orphans and nuns.
Amon and Sonia were also busy during this time.
A brisk flow of logistics meant a shortage of manpower, no matter how many people were hired.
During that period, errands overflowed, so they ran around the city until their feet ached.
Since they could expect additional bonuses for errands during this time, they readily took on any task.
The hectic Black Friday holiday passed.
The frenzy of impulse buying that began on Friday continued until Sunday.
When Monday arrived, people returned to work, freed from the madness.
Remembering how hard it was to earn money, they sat at their desks, regretting their purchases, wondering how to dispose of unnecessary items.
Whether giving them to acquaintances, selling them at flea markets, or returning them.
Another great migration of logistics occurred.
Amidst this movement, the orphanage also experienced a pleasant fever.
It wasn’t because they had items to return or sell at flea markets.
Their fever was caused by the influx of goods from outside.
Items that were difficult to handle due to impulse purchases were donated to the orphanage.
It was a win-win-win situation: donors could show off their generosity, receive tax deductions, and dispose of unwanted inventory.
The orphanage, always in need, had no reason to refuse these donations.
The items that passed the initial inspection by the Principal and nuns were piled up in the playground at the center of the orphanage.
The children then flocked to the playground to pick out donated items for their rooms and beds.
The nuns, who were supposed to supervise the children, were busy inspecting items and attending to donors.
As a result, the playground was as chaotic as a marketplace.
Usually, in this case, the older siblings would pick out the good items first, and the younger siblings would take what was left.
If the younger siblings wanted something, they had no choice but to flatter their older siblings with all their might.
However, the presence of Amon and Sonia added a touch of civility to this disorder.
This civility wasn't anything grand.
“Tom, you wanted this, right? Your brother got it for you.”
“Lumi, your sister doesn’t need this doll, so you can have it.”
They set an example by yielding to their younger siblings.
With gentle voices, kind smiles, they demonstrated.
There was no coercion or violence.
They simply stimulated the children's admiration to create a voluntary atmosphere.
Just as children grow up watching their parents and siblings, other children began to follow Amon and Sonia's example, yielding to their younger siblings.
- Thank you, hyung!
- I love you, unnie!
A heartwarming scene of descending love unfolded on the playground.
However, an ancient sage from the Far East said, “Where five people gather, there is always one piece of trash.”
Even as the world changed, his theory remained applicable.
“Hey, aren’t you gonna get lost? You little shits.”
As expected.
Shortly after Amon left, Jimmy's group appeared.
At the threat from the group of bullies led by Jimmy, the younger orphans stealthily made way.
Jimmy strutted through the orphans, feeling like a king.
Jimmy and his friends returned to their room, arms full of items he would use.
Not satisfied with that, they headed towards the storage room located next to the playground.
After confirming that the nuns were busy attending to guests, Jimmy’s group climbed onto the storage room window.
Sonia’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight.
Sonia spoke to the back of the group huddled suspiciously by the storage room window.
“That’s the storage room where the nuns sorted dangerous items.”
“Huh. How old are you to believe that? It’s not dangerous, they just sorted out the things they’re going to use.”
“The nuns wouldn’t do that.”
“Naive little shit. I’ll show you.”
Jimmy scoffed and climbed through the storage room window.
Clatter, clatter.
Immediately after, the sound of a latch sliding open came from inside, and the storage room door opened.
Jimmy’s friends, acting as if they were special forces, entered the storage room in an organized manner.
About five minutes later, Jimmy’s group came out of the storage room.
Their sides were laden with trophies obtained as rewards for their grand adventure.
They looked somewhat proud as they hugged the items preciously.
Sonia frowned at the sight of those items.
“Put those back.”
“You’ve been talking a lot. The nuns won’t know once we take them to our room. As long as you don’t snitch.”
“They’re dangerous.”
“So, are you going to snitch?”
“Sigh…”
Sonia glared at Jimmy, then looked away.
Unlike Amon, she had little compassion for humanity.
This meant she wasn't the type to persuade someone who wouldn't listen to advice.
She lost interest in Jimmy and returned to her younger siblings.
However, that wasn't what Jimmy wanted.
Adolescence, a time of rapid growth.
A time when boys couldn't help but be drawn to pretty girls.
Jimmy, who wanted to talk to Sonia even a little bit, softened his blunt attitude and called out to her.
He handed her a black vase he was holding and said,
“You needed this, right?”
“No, I don’t.”
But Sonia’s response was cold, rendering Jimmy’s kindness meaningless.
“I wanted a flower bed.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“There’s no space in my room for a vase.”
“Oh, seriously! Why are you so socially inept? Just shut up and take it when someone gives you something like this.”
Sonia's eyebrows twitched at Jimmy’s outburst.
But she still refused to accept the vase.
The vase Jimmy chose was something she wouldn’t want even if someone else gave it to her.
The pattern was too old-fashioned and dark…
She didn't want anything from Jimmy in the first place, even if the vase was pretty.
She might accept it if Amon gave it to her, though.
At Sonia’s blunt rejection, Jimmy grumbled.
“Fine, keep it. I’ll put it in my room. Bitch.”
Jimmy sulked, feeling unnecessarily hurt.
He might have been aiming for a bad boy image, but it wasn’t Sonia’s type, at least.
Sonia’s eyebrows twitched once again.
Jimmy hugged the vase preciously and headed towards his room.
Then, his eyes caught sight of a wallet held by a young child.
Jimmy felt like taking his frustration out on the child.
Reaching out towards the wallet the child was looking at preciously, Jimmy opened his mouth.
“Give it.”
The child hesitated.
Jimmy, looking displeased, tucked the vase under his left arm and clenched his right fist.
Holding his fist above his head as if he were about to flick the child's forehead, he looked down at the child and said,
“Are you deaf, you idiot? Give it to me.”
Reluctantly, the child held out the wallet.
Jimmy reached out for the wallet.
Not forgetting to scold the child.
“Use your brain. You should automatically… Ugh!?”
Just then...
...Jimmy’s knees buckled involuntarily.
“Oh dear… I look away for a second and you’re acting up again.”
Right behind the kneeling Jimmy stood Amon, looking very displeased.
Judging from the fact that one of Amon’s legs was still in the air, it wasn’t difficult to guess that he had kicked the back of Jimmy’s knees.
Didn’t Amon say that violence shouldn’t be used against people?
It didn't matter.
Amon called this act nonverbal expression for smooth communication.
It was definitely not violence.
Jimmy’s pain wasn’t because Amon kicked him, but because Amon happened to extend his leg to where the back of Jimmy’s knees were.
“You fucking bastard!”
Jimmy grimaced and turned to look at Amon.
But as Amon gently pressed his thumb against Jimmy's collarbone, Jimmy quickly became docile.
“Aaack! Fuck! I get it!”
“Stop saying ‘fuck’ so much. It’s not like this is fuckin’ Cyberpunk.”
After subduing Jimmy in an instant, Amon gave the same wallet back to the child.
He told the child to tell him if Jimmy tried to harm him later and sent the child back to his room.
“Grow up. Why are you acting like this at 17?”
After sending the child away, he took the wallet from Jimmy’s hand and lightly tapped his head with it.
The wallet opened and closed like a folding fan, hitting Jimmy's head.
It was a rude gesture, no less than slapping someone's cheek.
Of course, it was meant to be offensive, so there was no room for misunderstanding.
Jimmy glared at Amon—
“Why aren’t you looking at me nicely?”
—but lowered his gaze at Amon’s threat.
In the past, Jimmy used to win fights because he was older, but after Amon hit puberty, he was no match for him.
Moreover, the Principal was always on Amon's side.
Even if they fought equally, she would scold only Jimmy, saying why would Amon throw a punch unless there was a good reason.
Because of this, Jimmy couldn't stand up to Amon.
After publicly humiliating him in front of the other orphans for a few minutes, Amon returned to his room.
Jimmy, left alone in the playground, gritted his teeth as he watched Amon's receding back.
The black vase beside him emanated an ominous aura, as if in agreement.