Episode 5
Too Strong While Living Alone
Decorating the Apartment
Vroooom!
Inside the SUV driven by Shin Sohyeon.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly and pushed through the traffic.
I stared blankly ahead, watching the scenery pass by.
Then, I glanced to the side.
“Cut in if you’re gonna, step on it if you’re gonna… what is she doing?”
My sister let out a heavy sigh and pressed the accelerator.
She skillfully weaved between cars, overtook vehicles, and sometimes… drove a little faster than the speed limit suggested by the signs.
Seeing my sister acting like such a typical Korean driver brought a satisfied smile to my face.
“Sis, your driving has really improved.”
“Of course, it’s been a while since I got my license.”
I chuckled softly.
A few years ago…
-
“Sis! The light’s red!”
-
“Kyaaah!”
I clearly remembered when she first got her license and we went for a celebratory drive together.
“Phew…”
Sohyeon sighed again, exhaustion evident in her voice.
Dark circles had formed under her eyes, her skin seemed dry, and she massaged her shoulders each time the car stopped at a light.
She looked exactly like an overworked office worker.
I cautiously asked, noticing her condition.
“Are you really busy with work these days?”
“Busy? Yeah, there’s barely time to breathe. And the tower raid’s falling behind schedule, which is chaotic enough, and now I’m dragged into this too—tower’s in turmoil.”
“What happened?”
“Huh? Didn’t you see the news? The person who cleared the first floor in record time changed, and our guild leader lost the achievement.”
“Lost the… achievement?”
My eyes widened.
“Yeah, it’s a legendary achievement that’s normally only awarded to one person per floor. But the hilarious part? Do you know what that player’s nickname is?”
“…What?”
“‘Please Subscribe to the Apartment King.’”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“‘Please Subscribe to the Apartment King.’ That’s literally their player name. Everyone’s going crazy trying to figure out who it is.”
“Ahhh…”
A chill ran down my spine.
A drop of cold sweat appeared on my forehead.
‘All that chaos… was because of that?’
So the commotion on YouTube thumbnails and the news was about me?
I hadn’t been watching anything else because I was busy with Apartment King videos, and now this disaster had unfolded.
I could already sense trouble brewing.
While scratching my forehead, she sighed again.
“Honestly, it looks like a bug in the tower.”
“A bug?”
“Yeah. The nickname’s too silly… and the claimed three-hour clear time doesn’t even make sense.”
“Really?”
“Exactly. And yet everyone’s losing it trying to find out who it is. They can’t even rest properly—emergency mode all the time. Ugh, damn it.”
I awkwardly raised the corner of my mouth.
‘…Uh, the person who caused all this is right next to you.’
I licked my dry lips and asked.
“So, to summarize… everyone’s trying to find the player using the nickname Apartment King? And you’re suffering because of it?”
“Yeah, it’s not just us. The Association and the other four major guilds are all looking too. That person must’ve done something really big.”
…Everyone’s looking?
Do they normally go that far?
I blinked in disbelief.
“What do they plan to do once they find them?”
“Well… they might try to recruit them into their guild, or prevent them from joining other guilds. If someone cleared the first floor in three hours, they’re an unprecedentedly skilled player.”
No, they’re not skilled.
They’re just a regular person… wanting to expand their little apartment.
‘Something’s happening.’
And it’s going in a completely different direction than I want.
Scratching my forehead with an embarrassed look, my sister asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… I just feel bad for you, that’s all.”
“Bad? You have no idea. What a nightmare. Thanks to this, I barely slept last night.”
Sorry, sis.
I didn’t mean for this to happen.
I gave an awkward smile and let out a sigh.
After a moment, I asked, “Um… sis, how about switching guilds?”
“Suddenly?”
“You seem way too busy. ‘Deungjeonghoe’ is famous for being brutal, right?”
The Five Great Guilds: Deungjeonghoe.
I don’t know much about the player world.
But I do know that Deungjeonghoe is especially grueling.
‘Their slogan is something like: For humanity, for Korea, we climb the tower.’
In reality, Deungjeonghoe climbed the tower the fastest among the five guilds.
If the tower isn’t cleared on time, monsters spawn at the top, destroying the city and harming civilians.
They do it with a sense of mission.
And those people naturally have a ton of work.
‘There’s no need to suffer unnecessarily.’
Being in Deungjeonghoe is like being a cannon fodder at the front lines.
At that moment, my sister shrugged.
“Nope, I’m not switching guilds.”
“Why suffer needlessly? Someone else could handle the top floor raid anyway.”
Suddenly…
Screeeech!
At the traffic light, Sohyeon slammed the brakes hard.
“I’m not switching. So don’t even bring it up again.”
Her serious eyes and firm voice reminded me of when she awakened as a player years ago.
-
“Minho. I… I will conquer the top floor of the tower.”
It must be because of that incident that she was so adamant.
I knew better than to push further. Crossing that line was unwise.
I shrugged and responded casually.
“Okay, okay. I’m just saying it because you look exhausted.”
“Enough. Tell me—what happened to the apartment that got destroyed? Did insurance cover it?”
“Nope.”
“Ugh… what a pain.”
“Whatever. I awakened thanks to it and got a new apartment, so it’s fine.”
I had already told her roughly what had happened.
I awakened my apartment ability.
I had received an F-rank evaluation.
Sohyeon chuckled.
“You really awaken some strange abilities, huh.”
“Why? I like this one. No utilities, no taxes, it’s the perfect skill.”
“Still, it’s you, Minho.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re as ridiculously positive as ever. Just like when you were in the shelter.”
“…Really?”
Compliment… I think?
I tilted my head, and she continued.
“Anyway, you want to invite your girlfriend to the apartment, so you’re decorating it, right?”
“Just a guest, geez.”
“Who’s the guest?”
“…Soo-in.”
“Huh? What?”
“Well, explaining it’s a bit complicated.”
Through some (minor) embellishments, I explained the Infinite Apartment.
You invite tower residents, treat them well, and gain apartment points to expand your space.
Basically.
Venti is a 78th-floor raider.
The secret to the three-hour first-floor clear…
I lied a little to avoid complicating things.
‘Besides, I have no intention of raiding the top floor.’
Sohyeon said,
“Oh, so that’s how you can expand your apartment? That’s some talent.”
“Well, since you’ve climbed the tower, you know more about the beastmen than I do.”
“Roughly? I got close to a few of them. Just decorate the room to suit their tastes, isn’t that right?”
“Exactly.”
Sohyeon clenched her fists.
“Leave it to me. I have confidence in interior design.”
Confident tone and expression included.
A while later.
Inside the mega warehouse-style furniture store, “IKEBA.”
Sohyeon and I pushed a cart around.
Currently, my apartment was empty.
A to Z.
This was the perfect place to get all the interior items at once.
Now, we just needed to buy things matching Venti’s taste…
“Ahhh! Look at that rug, isn’t it cute?”
“Cute?”
“Of course! The color, the texture, everything! Totally cute. My taste!”
“…No, it’s not your taste. Buy what the tower’s beastmen would like.”
“Trust me a little.”
I had a bad feeling.
We were buying what Sohyeon liked, not what the beastmen would.
“Sis, what do beastmen like?”
“Cute things. Small, charming stuff. I guess?”
“Guess?”
She tilted her head.
“From what I’ve seen, they used a lot of small items. So I assumed they like cute things.”
…They use small items because they’re small, not because they like “cute things,” right?
I doubted, but couldn’t do much.
If Sohyeon says so, then fine.
I chuckled.
“Buy this. And this. And that!”
“Do we need all that?”
“It’s cute!”
Tables, rugs, cups, cutlery, everything went into the cart.
After an hour or two…
“Shopping done!”
“Phew… that was tiring.”
Finally.
All the pre-listed items, plus some things she personally liked, were purchased.
Some items didn’t really suit me, but…
‘Venti would probably like them.’
As we were about to leave IKEBA, Sohyeon reached out and stopped me.
“Wait a second.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Don’t you want to buy anything for yourself?”
“For me?”
“Yeah, you’ve been talking about your apartment forever. Surely there are a few things you’ve wanted.”
“Maybe…”
I’ve been following Apartment King for years.
Of course I wanted something.
Sohyeon sat on a nearby bench and said,
“I’ll give you 15 minutes. Grab everything you want. I’ll pay for it all.”
“Really?”
“Have I ever lied to you about money? Go!”
“…Alright.”
I walked quickly and began picking items.
‘Mushroom-shaped table lamp. I’ve wanted that.’
‘Oh, Hinoki-scent diffuser. Smells great.’
Shopping was easy.
I’d already marked a few items while walking around IKEBA.
Only thing I worried about…
‘Might as well buy them with my own money.’
Because Sohyeon was paying, I avoided the expensive ones for now.
If I really wanted them, I could buy them later.
After about 15 minutes, I returned to her.
“All done.”
“Oh? Go pay then.”
Sohyeon smiled, pointing to the checkout counter.
“Huh? Aren’t you paying?”
“I already did.”
“For what?”
“All of this. So you pay for the rest.”
She tapped the cart stacked with all the items we’d bought.
“You paid for all that? Why?”
“You know you, Minho? You’d pick all the cheap stuff.”
Well… yes.
But combined, the remaining items were hundreds of dollars!
“You pay for everything?”
“You got a new apartment, right? This is a housewarming gift.”
“Are you rich?”
“Yes, extremely. But I have no time to spend it.”
Sohyeon crossed her arms proudly.
I frowned.
“Ugh… alright.”
What else could I do?
I couldn’t refund and redo all the items.
‘Geez, makes a person feel guilty.’
In the end, I reluctantly paid for the remaining items and returned to the cart.
Then…
“Huh?”
What the…?
My eyes went wide.
