Chapter 14: Search Results and Alarms

The rest area air was still quiet and peaceful, but my heart felt as desolate as if a massive storm had swept through.

The confidence that had brimmed over, making me feel like I could handle anything whenever I met a new capture target, had shriveled like boiled cabbage in less than half a day.

Maybe because I was so tense, my legs went limp and I plopped down right on the spot.

“Still, at least with Rayoon I had some confidence I could get close…”

One mountain after another, as they say.

Kang Taeyang was too stormy a person for me to handle.

Taking him in was absolutely impossible.

Sadly, I’m just not that big a vessel.

Then again, Kang Taeyang was a character you could only meet after meeting certain conditions as the game progressed, so it made sense the difficulty kept rising.

If that’s the case, then how difficult were the two characters I hadn’t even met?

I’m already overwhelmed with just Kang Taeyang…

“What am I supposed to do from now on, seriously?”

A sigh was unavoidable.

Then, startled by my own sigh, I shook my head hard.

No, no.

There’s no need to worry about things that haven’t happened yet.

Besides, I safely met Kang Taeyang, right?

That alone means today’s goal is achieved.

Yes, Yeon Wooju, you’re doing great!

Worrying alone like this has no end.

It was better to do something right away before the stray thoughts spread.

Yes, strategy!

This is exactly the moment for a strategic approach!

I took out the game-dedicated phone that had been buried deep in my pocket.

Kang Taeyang (25), soccer player for Club Seoul

• Affection [2/100]

• Route entry condition: If you earn a child’s affection during volunteer work, you will meet Kang Taeyang, who is undergoing rehabilitation training at the hospital.

As with Lee Rayoon, the character info had updated automatically.

But it didn’t seem to contain much useful information.

In the newly updated profile photo, his cheeky grin somehow looked infuriating, so I pressed hard on his cheek area.

Of course, it dealt zero damage to the Kang Taeyang on the screen.

Meanwhile, the affection level had solidly gone up by 2.

Should I call that funny, or fortunate?

Either way, one thing was clear: I had to keep a firm grip on my sanity to escape this game safely.

I focused my mind and wrote out play notes with the force to pierce the screen.

• Narcissistic prince.

• Handsy (?) master of push-and-pull.

• Looks like a total player.

True to a protagonist of a dating sim, Kang Taeyang looked like he’d be amazing at romance.

I shook my head.

Thinking back, his skill at captivating and expertly toying with people even in a short meeting was impressive.

Could I, who had no proper dating experience even with women, let alone men, ever safely win Kang Taeyang’s affection?

“Hmm…”

I debated whether to wrap it up there, then added one final line.

• Doesn’t seem like he has a bad heart.

Of course, he charged at me like a violent yaksha, but with Minju he had honey-dripping eyes.

They say no one who is kind to children and animals is a bad person.

I wrote down everything I knew about Kang Taeyang at this point, shaking it all out.

But rather than clearing my head, it only felt more hopeless.

A groan leaked through my clenched teeth.

“Right, didn’t I say Kang Taeyang is a hugely successful soccer player?!”

If he’s a celebrity, a public figure, wouldn’t searching him online bring up his info?

Why didn’t I think of this before!

Certain this would work, I immediately accessed a portal site.

[Kang Taeyang]

Even though no one was watching, I couldn’t help glancing around while typing his name into the search bar.

Still, digging up info on someone I’d met face-to-face just moments ago felt a little stalker-ish…

“Ah, but this is business, business~”

It’s not like I have any personal feelings for Kang Taeyang.

This isn’t to improve a personal relationship; it’s to proceed with the official game strategy, so it’s fine.

I, Yeon Wooju, am a man who knows how to keep public and private completely separate.

After quickly rationalizing, I examined the related search terms floating up.

• Kang Taeyang injury: Kang Taeyang, who had been leading the scoring charts and performing well in the league, was reportedly injured by a violent retaliatory tackle and was now in rehabilitation.

• Kang Taeyang overseas transfer: Not only was he an undisputed top-class domestic striker, but recently a prestigious English Premier League team was also eyeing him…

• Kang Taeyang thigh: Other related searches included “Kang Taeyang abs,” “Kang Taeyang shirtless,” “Kang Taeyang hip-up,” and so on. I was too embarrassed to click them, but recalling his solid physique, which made me swallow hard just from being close, it was easy to understand.

• Kang Taeyang scandal: ……!

Finally, what had to come came.

Of course, my main interest was his love life, even if it was for business, so I clicked the search term with trembling hands.

Could I at least find out his usual tendencies in dating, or his ideal type?

[INTERVIEW] “I plan to marry my first love” first revealed, Kang Taeyang’s secret confession

Whoa, an article with a clickbait title popped up right on the first screen.

Don’t tell me he hasn’t gotten over his first love…?

This is only the second capture target.

What’s with Kang Taeyang’s difficulty?

I clicked the article immediately, holding a handful of complaints toward the developers, and read down.

“Ah, what a clickbait title.”

Fortunately, the title was just bait.

It came out during his explanation of the flashy rumors and scandals surrounding him.

Saying he’d marry his first love was because he’d never loved anyone that much in his life yet.

But that didn’t mean he refused dating or relationships; the article said he was enjoying plenty of life’s pleasures.

[BEST] lov*** They say you shouldn’t even glance at scum like Kang Taeyang. Not only does he not stop people from coming and not hold onto people leaving, but on top of that he pretends to be a sincere guy and gives you false hope… Ugh, enough to dry up my cigarettes. This man, somehow you think he’ll be different for you? Think you can turn him into a new person with the power of love? Remember, people neever change easily ^^

[Debate] pyw*** His self-packaging is top-notch lol. I heard Kang Taeyang is really famous for his dirty private life. He’s utterly shameless, doesn’t care about nationality or gender, and swaps partners almost every night. I’ve seen plenty of proof posts myself. First love lol, even a passing dog would laugh.

↳ [Reply] sun*** That’s all because our Taeyang doesn’t know how to refuse and he’s too soft-hearted. And how pure is our Taeyang for not discriminating by nationality or gender? Isn’t our Taeyang the true egalitarian? If the commenter felt our Taeyang’s overflowing love for humanity, they’d brighten up tooㅠㅠ Don’t do that, go outside and get some sunlight!

No wonder.

My bad premonitions are always right.

As I watched the controversy in the comments and the fierce shielding from his fans, my face gradually turned the color of dirt.

Kang Taeyang was a far bigger deal than I thought.

Then what he did earlier, throwing his body at me… wasn’t just playing around to embarrass me.

It was highly likely genuine.

The moment I realized that, a belated sense of crisis made my spine tingle.

The affection increase was one thing, but I’d have to protect myself, including my lips and other vital areas, from being targeted.

‘What do I look for in the opposite s*x? Just one thing: the face.’

With a troubled heart, I put the phone down on the table, but that line from the interview played automatically in my ears, buzzing.

I recalled his gaze as he touched my chin and studied my face closely.

Should I say it’s a relief that at least my appearance is within Kang Taeyang’s defensive range?

“God, Buddha, spirits of heaven and earth, please give me strength!”

Even so, I still felt the capture journey would be rough, so I wanted to lean on some transcendental being.

Brrr.

A vibration came from the table.

I glanced down and saw a message had arrived from Kang Taeyang.

Ugh, I squeezed my eyes shut with a groan.

I’ll rest for just one day and read that tomorrow.

Even if looking at the sky won’t let me pluck a star, at least I’d know what a star looks like, but a wave of weakness welled up on its own.

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