🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
People often say that humans are sturdier than they look.
Paradoxically, they’re also far more fragile than they appear.
Heyeon thought that saying applied to both the body and the mind.
“Why is it so cold in here when we’re indoors?! And why is a single cup of coffee so expensive?! What kind of filthy business are you running?!”
“…”
The customer grumbled for quite a while before finally placing his order, only after the people waiting behind him started muttering in annoyance.
“Coffee.”
“…Sir, what kind of coffee would you like?”
“Can’t you understand what people are saying? I said coffee! What’s so hard about that?!”
Her customer-service spirit nearly suffered the same fate as a sunfish and dropped dead on the spot.
They had only exchanged a few words, but the mental damage was severe.
The fact that she hadn’t immediately picked up the tray in front of her and inflicted physical damage on him was proof that she possessed extraordinary patience.
“…”
The brown serving tray continued to flash temptingly before her eyes.
Heyeon forced herself to endure.
She decided to think positively.
He’s not human.
He’s a dog. No, something even lower than a dog.
I’m human, so I should act with patience.
“You’ll need to tell me exactly which beverage you’d like, sir, before I can prepare it.”
Although her tone remained polite, Heyeon couldn’t bring herself to smile.
The dog masquerading as a customer twisted his mouth.
“Why’s your expression like that when you’re supposed to be providing service?!”
As soon as he said that, he reached out and shoved her shoulder several times.
If there were someone who could still smile brightly in this situation, they were either a saint…
…or Buddha himself.
No.
Even Buddha, free from all earthly suffering, would have slapped him.
However, contrary to her expectations, the one who got hit in the face—
more specifically, right in the face—
was Heyeon herself.
Before anyone could intervene, bills and coins came flying at her.
She’d been splashed with water before.
But getting showered with money was a first.
And for her first “money shower” to happen like this…
Clang! Clatter!
The sound of coins hitting the floor echoed loudly.
The spots struck by the hard coins throbbed painfully, and Heyeon rubbed her face.
“…”
Would throwing money at someone count as assault if reported?
Being splashed with water counted as assault.
Would the police take this seriously?
If the police showed up, would she lose her part-time job that very day?
By the time those thoughts crossed her mind, Heyeon decided she’d already endured enough.
So she immediately grabbed the brown tray that had been beckoning to her this entire time—
and smashed it into the man’s head.
“Argh!”
The customer stomped his feet and shrieked after getting hit.
Yet, glaring at her with wide, bloodshot eyes, he demonstrated that he was very much alive.
Human bodies really were both fragile and durable.
Since she was probably getting fired anyway, Heyeon decided to return exactly what she’d received.
She gathered up the money he’d thrown…
…and hurled it back into his face.
Thus, she brought the matter to a perfectly satisfying conclusion.
And, just as expected—
she lost her part-time job that very same day.
“I was planning on quitting anyway…”
It was nothing more than a forced attempt at positive thinking.
Still, it counted as a moral victory.
It wasn’t like she was the only person living this kind of life.
Other people probably struggled just as much.
Right.
Everyone else lived like this too…
Like this…
“…Those sons of bitches.”
Terrible people didn’t only appear while working part-time jobs.
[Park Sungjun]: Hello. This is Park Sungjun from our Literature and Film elective class. I ended up being in charge of the PowerPoint presentation, but the thing is, I don’t know how to make PPTs. So I was wondering if maybe…
It had started with the person assigned to make the presentation admitting he didn’t know how to make presentations.
Heyeon ignored the text.
Then the group chat exploded.
[Park Sungjun]: Is there anyone who can switch parts with me? I’m really not confident with PPTs… I asked Baek Heyeon first, but she hasn’t replied.
[Yoo Heean]: Ah, um, sorry, but the presentation date happens to be my great-aunt’s eightieth birthday party…
[Kim Hojin]: Sorry to bring this up suddenly too, but after reviewing the materials… isn’t the content kind of bad?
[Me]: Sorry to say this too, but weren’t you the one who researched that part?
If everyone else acted like dogs, what should you do?
Heyeon decided to become a dog too.
The person responsible for the PPT and the presenter both vanished without a trace.
The one with the split personality who kept complaining while researching alone eventually left the group chat with a:
“Then just do it by yourself.”
So…
Heyeon did it all by herself.
After finishing the presentation and giving the closing words of thanks, the professor stared at the role-assignment slide with a dumbfounded expression.
But Heyeon felt rather proud.
Presenter: Baek Heyeon
PPT: Baek Heyeon
Research: Baek Heyeon
Others: Blue Pororo, Colorful Rainbow, Serious Gungsuh Font
With the submission of her final assignment for the second semester of freshman year—
and the blocking of three phone numbers—
that chapter of her life came to a spectacular end.
Still, tying things up neatly didn’t mean she wasn’t exhausted.
She had lived while thinking:
At least do as much as everyone else does.
Yet smiles gradually became rarer.
Everything became bothersome.
If becoming an adult meant realizing how uninteresting life truly was…
then adulthood was a terribly sad thing.
“Haa…”
For now, she’d go home and look for another part-time job.
Heyeon tried to motivate herself.
But lately she’d become increasingly lethargic, and her body simply lacked energy.
“…Everything’s such a hassle.”
She shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the gloomy mood.
People felt better when they kept busy.
Maybe if she forced herself into motion, this helpless state would disappear.
However, the moment she opened the front door and stepped inside—
that thought vanished.
“Oh… you’re home.”
“…”
Her older brother, Baek Heejun, shuffled around the house with messy hair.
His face was bright and healthy, as though he’d never experienced stress in his life.
Unlike Heyeon, whose complexion looked gloomy beneath dark circles despite her cheerful hair color.
“What?”
Noticing Heyeon’s stare, Baek Heejun asked lazily.
That relaxed attitude irritated her for no reason.
I…
I’m struggling this much…
“…What time did you go to bed yesterday?”
“Nine this morning.”
More accurately—
he’d stayed up gaming until nine in the morning.
He was a truly unfilial son.
But honestly…
Heyeon envied him.
And resented him.
The worst part?
He even earned money through gaming, leaving her with nothing to criticize.
She wanted to punch him.
So instead, she ran over and kicked him.
“What the hell?! Why are you doing this?!”
“Why am I the only one living such a hard life?! You should work too! Stop being the only one lazing around!”
“Seriously! Then you should slack off too!”
At those words, Heyeon stopped kicking him.
The way he said it so casually was absurd.
But…
Thinking about it…
Couldn’t she really just do that too?
Heyeon hadn’t slept properly because of final exams.
Her exhausted brain wasn’t functioning at full capacity.
She’d become impulsive enough to be persuaded by a single sentence.
“You’re right.”
“…?”
“I can slack off too.”
Pushing back her messy pink hair, Heyeon declared proudly,
“I’m taking a leave of absence.”
“…Why are you telling me that?”
Ignoring Baek Heejun’s confusion completely, she shouted again.
“I’m going to play too! I’m going to play games too!”
Right now…
she needed healing.
At first, her parents didn’t think much of it when she said she wanted to play games.
Summer vacation was approaching, after all.
But Heyeon wasn’t talking about the short, sweet dream called vacation.
“…You meant taking a leave of absence from school?”
That statement nearly gave her mother a heart attack.
As an excuse, Heyeon immediately pointed toward Baek Heejun.
“Mom, look at Oppa. Games these days aren’t things you only play for a few months. And… Oppa told me I should relax.”
“When did I ever—?!”
It wasn’t the most effective argument.
Nevertheless…
Heyeon managed to secure one entire year of freedom.
The problem was…
she had no idea what game to play.
She wasn’t particularly interested in games to begin with.
She’d only declared she’d play because Baek Heejun’s lifestyle annoyed her.
To someone like her, Baek Heejun said,
“If you’ve got nothing else to do, play the game I play. The most popular games become popular for a reason.”
“Isn’t your game one of those games where you just kill people and monsters all day?”
“It’s not.”
Baek Heejun answered immediately.
“It’s a healing game.”
His words weren’t especially convincing.
But it was true that the game was the most popular one around.
At the very least, it couldn’t be terrible.
With that thought, Heyeon decided to play the game Baek Heejun recommended.
She spent all the money she’d saved from part-time jobs, tutoring, and allowances to buy a capsule-style gaming device.
That alone nearly drained her entire savings, leaving her unable to afford the game chip.
Fortunately, Baek Heejun took pity on his younger sister and donated one to her.
Well…
She’d basically stolen half of it.
Either way, the scenery she’d glimpsed through the free trial version had been fantastically beautiful.
And at the end of the trial, the desert fox who said—
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
—had been unbelievably cute.
Heyeon’s anticipation grew.
It was a day of beautifully falling snow.
Using the snow-maker Baek Heejun had bought at some point, she made little snow ducks while waiting for the gaming device to arrive.
Even though she’d stayed outside long enough for her cheeks to turn red, she found it satisfying.
The row of tiny snow ducks she’d created reflected her excitement.
At one point, a child who wandered close received one of the snow ducks.
The child promptly threw it at another kid while shouting,
“Snow Duck Charge!”
The child who got hit retaliated with a snowball, and the whole incident ended in a heartwarming snowball fight.
Heyeon was having a wonderful time.
Then—
she hurriedly set down the unfinished snow duck she’d been making and looked up.
In the distance…
she heard the unmistakable heavy rumble of a truck.
It had finally arrived.
Delivery workers climbed out carrying numerous boxes into the apartment building.
Like a duckling following its mother, Heyeon trailed after them.
Passing them in the elevator, she sprinted up the stairs two at a time and arrived, panting, outside her fourth-floor apartment.
Soon, the elevator doors opened.
“I live here! I’ll open the door for you!”
The delivery workers looked slightly bewildered by the breathless girl shouting at them.
Still, acting professionally, they said nothing and entered to install the device.
About an hour later, the installation was complete.
After seeing them off, Heyeon turned back excitedly.
Rushing into her room, she found a smooth, egg-shaped machine occupying one corner.
Inserted into its game-chip slot was the silver bookmark-shaped chip she’d obtained from Baek Heejun.
Elegant cursive letters were engraved upon it.
Märchen Horizon.
A virtual reality game released around three years ago.
It had become customary for players to complete the basic tutorial through the free VR trial before properly logging into the game.
And Heyeon had diligently followed that tradition.
All that remained…
was the real thing.
She lay down inside the machine and placed the headset over her head.
Soon, darkness enveloped her vision as the opening sequence began.
Watching scenery far more lifelike than anything the trial had shown, Heyeon spoke with genuine emotion.
“Skip.”
Even if the trial had been low-resolution, she’d already watched it dozens of times.
There was no need to see it again.
Darkness returned.
She’d been transferred to the character creation area.
After waiting briefly, a tiny glowing star—the only source of light in the void—bounced energetically toward her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you! From now on—”
“Skip!”
Too many words!
