Chapter 49 : Everyday (1)

[ Let’s have some fun with our imaginations. ]

In a dim, cramped room, a woman in a black suit rose from her chair and suddenly spoke.
Her voice caused her younger sister, who had been fiddling with her phone, to stop and look up at her, suggesting she’s someone of renown.

Or not.
It seems she just needed an excuse to lift her head and snap a picture of me.
She pretends to be filming her, but the camera’s focus is completely off.

[ Think of the heroes who shook history. ]

Yuna continued talking as if she were performing some bizarre ritual.
Of course, she had to; she was in a TV commercial, after all.

After yesterday’s broadcast ended, I honestly felt confident that I’d wrapped things up successfully.
I had successfully negotiated with the viewers running wild and had hinted at settling things with the women in my immediate reality.

This was significant progress.

To be frank, there’s no denying that I went a little overboard, acting on impulse without thinking, but those who’d pressured me disappeared with happy smiles, so I think it’s okay.

Who knows?
Maybe they really flew off to another world.

[ Cleopatra and Cao Cao. ]

The actress stopped her demonstration, transitioned into her narration role, and approached the displayed images as an Egyptian woman in a sheer, jeweled gown and a woman dressed in ancient Chinese clothing reminiscent of the Three Kingdoms era appeared.

I asked my sister why Cleopatra would be a woman in this world too, and she retorted, ‘Duh!’
Apparently, Cleopatra’s quite the icon in the lesbian community, and my sister treated me like I lacked basic historical knowledge.

[ Caesar and Joan of Arc. ]

No need to explain these two, right?
I felt a bit strange knowing their genders had changed, even though their names remained the same.
I’m relieved that history hasn’t drastically changed, but it’s also a bit bittersweet.

[ Don’t you wonder who would win if they had a war here and now? ]

The commercial was nearing its end.
The actress disappeared, and the game being advertised filled the TV screen.

I thought that even in this advanced age where capsules dominated the gaming market, mobile games still managed to survive.
Even with the technology to deliver realistic sensations, capsules are just a pipe dream for overworked employees stuck in dead-end jobs.

< Global Civilization, Arriving in Korea. Rise of Castle. >

The game’s title appeared on the screen as the camera returned to the actress.
She gave a playful smile and shouted to the viewers,

[ Let’s play! Globally! ]

The game didn’t look that interesting.
…But the actress’s opening line kept replaying in my head.
Even when I was taking the CSAT, forbidden songs never affected me like this.

‘Let’s have some fun with our imaginations.’

This is driving me crazy.
It was a mistake to casually sit next to Yuna, who was lounging on the living room sofa, snacking on fruit and watching TV. That phrase kept echoing in my mind.

‘Let’s have some fun with our imaginations.’

“Oppa,” Yuna, who had been messaging on her phone, suddenly called out as if she’d remembered something important.

We were supposed to go out together tomorrow anyway, so I wondered what was up, but my body, already sprawled on the sofa, refused to move.
Even lifting my lips felt like too much effort.

“A guy quietly sitting next to a girl means he’s giving her the green light to do whatever she wants, you know.”

Figures.
It wasn’t even worth responding to.

I sighed, turning away from the TV to face her, but she didn’t give up.
Instead, Yuna seemed to gain momentum, chattering away.

“But until recently, you didn’t even have any friends besides Yena, let alone do internet broadcasting, right? Some people say men think with their dicks, you know? Once you get a taste, you’ll be like ‘I never knew it could be this good! I’ve wasted half my life!’”

Just how much time did she spend online to grow up unable to distinguish between reality and the internet…?
I shot her a pitying glance, but she remained undeterred.

No matter how much I glared, all I saw was a poor soul whose brain was pickled in hentai.
It made me a little sad that this person was my sister.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, she giggled, so I flicked her forehead.
With a *thwack*, she clutched her head and dropped her phone.

“You’re really good at sugarcoating your bullshit.”

“Opportunity will be equal. Process will be fair. The result will be just.”

“That’s some real bullshit.”

She showed no signs of remorse and continued spouting nonsense with unbelievable audacity.
Still, I guess it’s more comfortable being with family, even like this.

If it were just Yena and me, I’d be dragged around all day, drained of all my energy.
And with Gaia, I’d be constantly on edge, never knowing what she was thinking.

This was my first time alone, and even then, I couldn’t move freely because Yulia was watching me from a few steps away.

Our newest member explained for two hours why she needed to accompany me to the bathroom. In the end, we agreed that I wouldn’t use any bathrooms outside of our home, and in return, I’d have privacy in my own bathroom.

So, the only one left was Yuna, who was watching TV within my sight, supposedly saving her energy for tomorrow.

Honestly, I’d been worried, but seeing her peacefully lounging and scratching her butt eased my mind.
This is what family is all about.

I decided to ignore the deceptive messages she was sending to her friends on her dropped phone.
If I had a stunningly beautiful sister like her, I’d probably brag about it all the time too.

‘Let’s have some fun with our imaginations.’

Argh, seriously! What fun imagination?
As my attention drifted, the woman’s words started creeping back into my mind. Is there anything, anything to distract myself with?

“Yuna!”

“Huh?”

“Give me your phone!”

[ Jung WooSeok…this…son of a… b*tch…is…f*cking…expensive… 6 million won…donation…ignoring me…? ]

“…”

“…”

Well, I expected this.
Starting tomorrow, I had to meet these four in person, and I didn’t want to control what they did in private.

I could manage the viewers by throwing a tantrum and refusing to broadcast, but right now, I had to focus on these four.

I’d thought long and hard about how to calm their raging hormones for a day.
And the solution I came up with was…

“You all need to get more used to me.”

Their tolerance is too low.

Choi Yena, sneaking touches while playing games and getting flustered all by herself.
Gaia, acting like the mastermind with a grand plan, only to succumb to temptation and lose control at crucial moments.
Jung Yuna, her mind filled with dirty thoughts from countless doujinshi.
And lastly…Yulia, who faints at the mere sight of a smile, forgetting all about her bodyguard duties.

The only way to handle them seemed to be through desensitization.
That’s why we were all going out together.
I couldn’t let them keep talking like that forever.

I deleted the vulgar fantasy Yuna was typing, ignoring her disappointed look. Seriously, if she’s going to lie, at least do it properly.

“Hey, smile.”

Did those guys in the golden light feel like this when they forced girls to take pictures? Yuna, conscious of my hand on her shoulder, started chattering her teeth like a broken robot.

“You seem to be misunderstanding the situation. I’m not letting go until you smile naturally.”

Even teasing her like some foul-mouthed old man didn’t work. Where did all her earlier bravado go? Now, all that remained was a poor, defenseless college student with zero immunity to men.
And this girl has to go to the military…

“Pfft!”

-Click-

I knew it from the moment she started spouting that nonsense earlier. Her sense of humor is just…off. This is some real malicious compliance.

Regardless of her bizarre laughter, I successfully took a picture with her. She’s naturally photogenic, so the picture turned out pretty well.

“There! If you’re going to brag, at least do it right. All those insults and long-winded posts, what’s the point?”

“…”

I smiled contentedly as she stared blankly at the photo, speechless. She must be overjoyed, lost in happy fantasies.

‘Let’s have some fun with our imaginations.’

Besides that.

Anyway, if I keep making progress like this, maybe they’ll be able to treat me normally like in the previous world. I need to get things back on track; otherwise, it’ll only get harder for everyone.

I looked at Yuna, smiling in anticipation. She looked so cute, shyly stroking her phone screen. It made me miss the her from the original world.

“Heehee…weakness discovered. Jung WooSeok is vulnerable to self-deprecating humor. Time to add it to the Triwiki.”

Can I fix this…?