Chapter 10
The System…
So Cheong-young glanced at the silent So Daehae, then gently comforted Madam Jang.
“Mother, don’t worry. Yeo Bak-seung said so himself today. He promised that he would finish separating households before leaving. He even vowed that if, by some chance, he failed to return, he would send me back to my natal home.”
“Is that really true? He said all that? But which in-laws would willingly allow a household separation?”
So Daehae straightened his posture as he asked.
So Cheong-young nodded quietly.
“Yes. He didn’t seem like the type to speak carelessly. Even if his family refuses to allow a formal separation, he said he would divide whatever property he can before leaving so each side could support themselves.”
“If that truly happens, then that’s a relief… a real relief.”
So Daehae nodded repeatedly.
From the sound of it, Yeo Bak-seung didn’t seem reckless or foolish after all.
But Madam Jang glared fiercely at her husband.
“A relief, you say?! If that boy goes off to war and dies, who knows what kind of dreadful family Cheong-young might be pushed into if she tries to remarry later!”
“……”
So Daehae was left speechless.
Cheong-young stepped in again, gently soothing her mother.
“Mother, please don’t worry too much. Even if that happens, I’ll find a way to live on my own. I could adopt a child and raise them. Wouldn’t that make life quieter and more comfortable?”
Yet worry still filled Madam Jang’s face.
“It’s not as easy as you make it sound.”
“Mother, don’t worry so much. I’m confident I can survive on my own no matter what. Besides, at this point, Grandmother wouldn’t agree to cancel the engagement or return the fifty taels of silver anyway.”
At the mention of the silver, Madam Jang erupted in frustration.
“We haven’t received a single coin of that money. Your father and I want to prepare a proper dowry for you, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Her eyes reddened once more.
She hadn’t been able to give her eldest daughter a decent dowry either, and now she was about to send her second daughter off empty-handed as well. The mother-in-law had taken all fifty taels as bride price and hadn’t given the main household even a single copper coin.
So Daehae spoke softly, trying to comfort his wife.
“Don’t take it too hard. At least Father said he’d give one tael of silver.”
Madam Jang burst out angrily.
“What can you possibly do with just one tael?! Buy a few sets of clothes and it’s gone. Forget pocket money—she can’t even afford a single silver bracelet! And you don’t feel guilty toward your child?”
Unable to contain her anger, Madam Jang thumped So Daehae’s back several times before breaking down in tears again.
So Cheong-young quietly comforted her mother.
In truth, she didn’t care much about a dowry. With ability, even rags could be turned into a fortune. Without it, even mountains of gold could be squandered in an instant.
“Mother, didn’t Grandfather say he’d ask the carpenter to make some furniture? Would it be alright if I drew up the designs myself and asked him?”
At those words, So Daehae brightened immediately.
“That old master’s skills go without saying! If you need anything, just tell me—I’ll go order it myself.”
When furniture came up, Madam Jang quickly stopped crying. The two of them leaned in together, discussing what pieces to have made. Since there was neither paper nor brush in the house, they decided to visit the carpenter together the next day.
As the night grew late, the family exchanged a few more words before returning to their rooms.
So Daehae and Madam Jang went to the adjoining room to sleep, while So Cheong-young, now alone in the quiet room, decided to check her “system.”
* * *
The twins fell asleep almost instantly after washing up and lying down. They had walked all day, so it was no surprise the little ones were exhausted.
After tucking the blanket around them, So Cheong-young calmed her mind and began examining how her system worked.
At first, after throwing objects a few times and noticing her strength increase, she thought her special ability—her “skill”—might simply be enhanced strength. But she soon realized that wasn’t the case.
Her father and young brother Cheong-yang weren’t weak either, and her eldest brother, So Cheong-song, had been exceptionally strong since childhood—able to do the work of two or three men alone in the fields.
If her step-grandmother hadn’t been reluctant to send her own grandson Woo-mun to the battlefield, she might have kept Cheong-song behind to toil endlessly in the fields instead.
That aside, this “system” was a real headache. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. When she truly needed it, it would freeze completely, nearly driving her mad. She had studied it for days, yet still couldn’t grasp its activation conditions.
That day, she had gone out to collect a food delivery and met with disaster. Something thrown from above struck her head, knocking her unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself in this unfamiliar era—possessing So Cheong-young’s body in a dynasty that didn’t exist in history: the Great Sak Dynasty.
Whether it was compensation or something else, she had gained a “delivery system” afterward. What was even more absurd was that the food she had ordered through a delivery app that afternoon had followed her here as well.
Stored intact—inside the system’s space.
When she first arrived, surviving on watery porridge and salted vegetables every day had nearly driven her insane with craving.
If only I could order delivery food here and eat whatever I wanted…
On a sweltering summer day, wouldn’t an icy cola, a Thai-style watermelon juice, or a bite of mango sago be heaven?
As she lay there swallowing her saliva while imagining delivery food, the system suddenly appeared before her eyes. Shockingly, it was identical to the delivery app she had used in her previous life—even the errand-running service was perfectly intact.
Her eyes lit up as she excitedly tapped the floating screen in midair.
Then everything stopped at the payment stage.
That’s right.
She had no money.
There was no balance in her delivery app wallet—she couldn’t pay.
Without money, nothing could be ordered.
If this is how it’s going to be, couldn’t you at least transfer the money left in my bank account? What am I supposed to do with a system and no money?!
She was about to explode. Money wasn’t everything, but without money, you really couldn’t do anything.
The delivery system was filled with delicacies from all over. You could even use the errand service to get medicine from pharmacies.
But—
No money.
What could be more ridiculous than that?
I wasn’t rich, but I had money in my account! Shouldn’t you have transferred at least that much?!
She was losing her mind. If there were no escape at all, fine—but the system gave her hope, only to block the path again. At that point, dying one more time might’ve been better.
When she opened the system space, only the food she had ordered that day remained inside. If she hadn’t remembered it, she might’ve been fine—but thinking of it only made her angrier.
Braised pork glistening with oil, honey-roasted duck, sweet-and-sour tomato shrimp, savory braised goose, soy-sauce grilled chicken…
If she had ordered those that day, how delicious would she be eating right now?
And yet—of all things—why had she ordered salad for weight control?!
A miserable salad with only chicken breast scraps, a slice of ham, not even a boiled egg—just a pile of greens!
Tears welling in her eyes, she chewed the salad, but her mouth still felt dry and unsatisfied.
After lying awake and pondering for several days, she finally discovered a clue.
This damned system accepted ingredients.
What a moment of revelation!
If she sold ingredients to the system, they would be converted into money stored in a special wallet, which she could then use to buy food from the system.
After some thought, she asked Cheong-haeng to secretly cut one geun of chives from the field. Immediately, the system displayed large words: “Organic Chives.” The price was higher than expected.
Enough to exchange for one plate of chive-and-egg stir-fry!
Overjoyed, So Cheong-young cheered toward the sky and hastily placed the order.
But—
Still not enough money!
“Damn it!”
The food price matched—but the delivery fee was outrageously expensive.
This is highway robbery!
The image of glossy chives and golden eggs floated before her eyes. Swallowing her saliva, she sent Cheong-haeng back to cut another geun of chives.
Only then could she finally place the order.
About half a shi-chen (roughly one hour) later, the special chive-and-egg stir-fry arrived in the system space.
Excited, she took the dish out and called the twins to eat together—only for the children to say they couldn’t see the food at all.
What? You can’t see it?!
The stir-fry was clearly sitting on one of their coarse ceramic plates, yet the twins insisted they could only see the plate, not the food.
So Cheong-young nearly fainted.
Of course! What use was this kind of system in ancient times?!
Later, she cut chives several more times and exchanged them for ointment to treat bruises. Though she had felt dizzy for days from drinking bitter medicine, modern medical supplies healed her head wound quickly without complications.
After more experiments, she finally realized that items taken out of the system could neither be seen nor touched—nor used—by anyone else.
Is it bound to me alone? Did some god send me here and give me this so I wouldn’t starve or die of illness?
What a useless god.
If you’re going to give something, at least give it properly!
While fuming, she checked on the twins and found them sleeping soundly. Reassured, she continued studying the system, but no matter how much she explored, she found no clear answers. Eventually, she gave up.
The system clearly operated on a “buy low, sell high” principle. But since whatever it produced was invisible to others, she couldn’t sell it for profit anyway.
What a truly damned system!
Frustrated, she closed the system window and collapsed back onto the bed.
Ice cream?
Available.
Fresh fruit?
Available.
Mouthwatering roast chicken?
Available.
But—
No money.
Not even a single copper coin to spare.
And the system couldn’t be charged with local currency—only by trading goods. Yet now she didn’t even have ingredients to offer.
Just earlier, Grandmother had discovered that a section of chives in the vegetable patch had been cut bare and was now hurling vicious curses toward Hwa-pyo’s house. There was no way So Cheong-young dared to sneak out and cut more vegetables.
