Chapter 68…………………
I glanced at my phone. Notifications kept popping up, as if the phone was begging to help me. Because the alerts looked like urgent messages, even Hwansung-nim turned his gaze toward my phone.
“Let me just check my messages real quick…”
Reluctantly, Hwansung-nim let go of my hand.
He still had an odd trace of annoyance on his face, but whether he was determined to keep playing the pitiful act or not, he opened his mouth with his brows drooping.
“It’s not him, right? Don’t tell me it’s that bastard?”
“It’s not!”
Seriously… even though I denied it, Hwansung-nim seemed uneasy. He muttered terrifying things like, “Even if I get pushed down to being a concubine, as long as you don’t abandon me, it’s fine. I can just get rid of him.”
Ignoring him, I picked up my phone. The moment I lifted it, the flood of notifications abruptly stopped.
Of course, there’s no way he could see my screen from across the table—but with how obsessive he was, it felt like he just might be capable of it. Look at him now, staring holes into the phone as if he could burn through it…
Just in case, I held the phone almost vertically and turned on the screen. There were two messages.
One was from Mom.
[Mom: Hae-a, where are you right now? Hyeseong is home on leave.]
What? My brother’s on leave? I knew he’d be coming out soon, but today?
Still, as much as I felt sorry for my brother, he wasn’t the priority right now. I checked the other message below Mom’s.
[GM ■Az&]
Knew it!
It was a message from the game master.
I quickly replied to Mom that I’d finish coffee with my friends and head home soon, then tapped the GM’s message to read it.
[GM ■Az&: Chosen advenⱥurer, we believe this situati○n must be very difficu1t for you. For the sake of your smooth advent□re, we’ve f○rcibly sent this message.]
Just like they said, it seemed forced—letters were glitched and broken, unlike the first message.
[GM ■Az&: We’ve judged that you yourse1f may not be able to escap∑ this situa7ion. If left unsolv3d, we’re very concerned about Hawon’s □Rm.]
The part after Hawon’s name was garbled, but I could guess. Probably something along the lines of my earlier fear—that Hwansung-nim might curse Hawon.
[GM ■Az&: The way we can help is thi5.]
[GM ■Az&: By consuming one of the favor-check items you’ve been given, you can escape this situa6ion.]
Use one favor-check item… to escape this situation?
I’d expected at least a hint about escaping, but this wasn’t a hint—it was basically a straight-up solution. And not even all my items, just one?
‘That’s a total win-win for me, isn’t it?’
After all, I’d only planned to use those items on Hwansung-nim anyway. No reason to hesitate.
[GM ■Az&: Would you like to consume one favor-check item to escape this situation?]
[GM ■Az&: Accept / Decline]
Without hesitation, I chose Accept.
[GM ■Az&: We’ve received your reply. One of your favor-check items has been used.]
[The event will now begin.]
After that message, a system window appeared announcing the start of the event.
Still, where exactly were these items stored? Unlike in the quest window, there’s no separate inventory screen in real life…
And sure, the GM used their authority here, but solving this whole mess with just a favor-check item? Isn’t that totally unbalanced?
I was about to wonder whether I should ask where the items were stored when—
Jingle.
The bell above the door rang, just like when Hwansung-nim first entered. And louder than the bell, someone stormed inside.
“Man, the party vibes today are awful. Just terrible.”
They were so noisy that even I, focused on my phone, couldn’t help but look up. Since I was already facing the door, it was easy to see.
Hwansung-nim, of course, didn’t care—still staring only at me and my phone.
But when I saw who it was, my eyes widened slightly.
It was a familiar face. The guy who had scolded me earlier at the PC bang.
Noticing my gaze, the man turned his head and, when our eyes met, looked surprised.
“What the—aren’t you that noisy miss from the PC bang earlier?”
Then he started walking toward me.
“Sorry for yelling before. I really thought you were cheating,” he said with a laugh. And suddenly, I wondered—Is this the event that will get me out of this situation?
‘Though honestly… he doesn’t seem helpful at all.’
Without ordering anything, the man reached our table and frowned.
“Not the short kid you were with earlier, huh?”
By “short kid,” he must’ve meant Yuchan.
“Oh, he went to the bathroom…”
Wait—what was Yuchan doing in there? Why so long?
The man looked back and forth between us, then suddenly stared hard at Hwansung-nim, as if he’d realized something. Hwansung-nim, noticing, met his gaze warily.
“Ahh, so you must be that, what’s his name… Hwanseong-hyung the short kid mentioned?”
Hwansung-nim seemed uncomfortable, glaring silently. The man either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and instead broke into hearty laughter.
“Judging by that reaction, I’m right!”
“……”
Then he turned sharply to me.
“Miss, really! To be mistaken for cheating when you’ve got a man like this? Must’ve been frustrating.”
“……”
“I mean, if I were a woman, no way I’d cheat on a guy like him.”
“Uh, that’s not really what happened—”
“But hey, was the guy crying?”
Before I could respond, he clapped Hwansung-nim on the shoulder knowingly.
Hwansung-nim looked outright offended now. But the man was either bold or just meddlesome, because he laughed louder and kept patting his shoulder.
“Ha! I get it now. You ran here thinking she was cheating.”
“……”
“So just to check again—you are this young lady’s husband, right? The Hwanseong-hyung the short kid talked about?”
“……”
“Why no answer? You’re not her husband?”
“I am.”
……
Seriously? When his name was called earlier, he stayed silent, but when asked if he was my husband, he jumped to answer?
“Pfft, look at you. You’ve got the face of a heartbreaker, but I saw at the PC bang—it was just a close little brother. Why be so insecure?”
Hwansung-nim snapped, irritation plain.
“Of course I’m insecure!”
“Wait, you’re insecure even though she’s a girl?”
“What?”
Oh no, damn it…
“She’s just a close younger sister, but you’re still insecure? What, are you jealous of every man around her? That’s too much. Are you paranoid or something?”
The moment he said that, my face drained of all color.
Don’t tell me this is how the GM decided to “solve” things? Forcing Hawon’s gender reveal like this?!
Is the GM insane?
And right on cue, a system window popped up mockingly before my eyes.
[The event has ended.]
So that was the GM’s “solution.”
Unbelievable. If I hadn’t mentioned Hawon’s gender even in a crisis, it was for a reason. And now the GM just… broadcast it? When Hawon hates Hwansung-nim so much?
As I clutched my head in despair, the man clicked his tongue above me.
“Miss! Don’t tell me you didn’t tell him you’re a woman? He’s crying for you, for god’s sake. No matter how much you enjoy seeing a handsome guy chase you, this isn’t the way, tsk tsk…”
“That’s not it at all… sigh…”
And with that, the man who had thrown my world into despair casually said, “Ah, almost forgot to order. My bad,” then strolled off to get a coffee to-go.
