29-100

EP.100 Jeong Seung-ah (3) – Just Confirming 

Slanted sunlight drew a long rectangle on the living room floor. 

I was sunk deep into the sofa, staring at the cold phone screen. I’d just received a reply from Seung-ah agreeing to meet that afternoon. 

========================= 

[Status Window] 

Name: Jeong Seung-ah 

Age: 23 

Bust: B cup 

Erogenous zones: ears, fingers, lower belly 

[Status] 

– Memory confusion due to hypnotic suggestion. 

– Strong protective instinct and attachment forming toward ‘Hyun-woo.’ Beginning to perceive him as a destined existence. 

Even with the “Spoiled Child” effect, for things to progress this much in a single day, Seung-ah was clearly more genuine about this genre than I’d expected. At this rate, I might be able to finish things in a few days… or even today. 

“Hyun-seong-nim, how about a short break? I’ve prepared a cool drink.” 

Lizetta approached silently with a tray. In the frosted glass, ice and orange juice clinked refreshingly. 

As I accepted the glass, I asked, “You’re not going to ask how the plan is going?” 

“There’s no way your plan would go awry, Master.” 

Her answer was calm, but I could see a faint curiosity in her eyes. 

I smiled and took a sip, the refreshing taste filling my mouth. 

“I think this one will wrap up quickly.” 

Lizetta nodded with a knowing smile. “I wish I could have been more helpful. I’m still new to streaming, so my knowledge is lacking.” 

I shook my head at her genuine regret. “It’s fine. I planned to figure things out by experience anyway, and thanks to you, I got all the basics.” 

Plus, there was another informant who turned out to be surprisingly knowledgeable. 

I returned to the app’s main screen and tapped the new icon I’d put off checking. 

[Cash Exchange] 

You can exchange your HP for cash. 

‘Oh, finally something useful?’ 

Until now, the points had just piled up, completely useless. I’d practically forgotten they existed. But if I could turn them into money, that was a relief. Still, I figured it’d just be a month’s allowance. 

I tapped the screen without much expectation. 

Exchange rate: 1 HP = 100,000 won 

Current points: 3,200 HP 

Available amount: 320,000,000 won 

“……” 

I forgot how to breathe for a moment. 

I blinked and counted the zeros again and again. One, two, three… eight zeros. 320 million won. An amount I’d never even seen in my life, shining on the cold screen. 

My heart started pounding wildly. 

Was this real? The sum was so huge it didn’t feel real. 

“Hey, Child.” 

I called out into the air with a dry voice, not even noticing how hoarse I sounded. 

[Yeah?] 

“This… is this for real?” 

[Of course it is. Why would it be fake?] 

His sly voice echoed in my head. 

“No, isn’t there a mistake? Like an extra zero or something…” 

[You’ve never been scammed, huh. That’s the correct rate, no errors. The moment you use the exchange, exactly 320 million won will be deposited in your account.] 

Three hundred and twenty million. 

I couldn’t believe my ears. 

Even if I saved every cent of my salary my whole life, I’d never see that kind of money. For something I’d thought of as a game, the reality was crushing. 

“This is ridiculous! What about taxes? How do I explain the source? If I exchange it, won’t the tax office call me first thing tomorrow?!” 

It was the most realistic fear for a regular citizen of Korea. 

Child seemed amused by my reaction, chuckling. 

[Didn’t I tell you? The world is being rewritten around you.] 

I tried to calm my ragged breathing and waited for his next words. 

[The app didn’t just give you an ‘exchange function.’ It gave you the entire story that you earned that money legally.] 

“A story… as a gift?” 

[For example, you might be a lucky guy whose overseas stock pick from years ago went up 100x, or a young entrepreneur who struck gold with early crypto investment.] 

“That’s just…” 

[Is it any less believable than what you’ve already done? Anyway, all the world’s data has been ‘edited’ to match, so no matter how hard anyone investigates, it won’t change.] 

I fell silent. 

Child, as if reading my mind, drove the point home in a cheerful tone. 

[It’s what they call ‘protagonist buff,’ right? All these convenient things are just the stage being set for the protagonist. So don’t worry enjoy it to the fullest, like a protagonist should.] 

“…Ha.” 

I couldn’t help but laugh. 

Protagonist buff, huh. 

With that much money, the term really hit home. 

The timing was perfect, too. I’d been thinking about moving… was this also part of the protagonist buff? 

Well, if this was a privilege I could enjoy, there was no reason to refuse. 

I stood up from the sofa and stretched. I wanted to try the exchange function, but it was almost time for my appointment. 

As my joints popped, a soft glow shimmered around my body. My adult male frame shrank and softened, and in a few seconds, a perfect boy “Hyun-woo” stood in the living room. 

I changed into the cute bear T-shirt and knee-length shorts Lizetta had prepared. 

‘…Isn’t this too childish?’ 

Sensing my embarrassment, Lizetta straightened her posture. “I carefully selected these designs to highlight your cuteness, Master.” 

“Uh, in what way is that…?” 

I was at a loss for words. Still, it was clear she was now shopping according to her own “taste,” and that change felt new. 

Heading for the door, I tossed a comment to Lizetta, who’d come to see me off. 

“By the way, Lizetta, how about we go out somewhere later?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Staying home all the time gets boring. It’s summer, and I’ll be free for a while. What do you think?” 

“…I don’t really know about boredom, but I would like to see other places.” 

It was a clear change from her old “I’ll do whatever you say” attitude. I was surprised, but smiled. 

“Great. Let’s talk about it when I get back.” 

“Yes, Hyun-seong-nim. I’ll be waiting.” 

I left the house, went down two flights, and stood in front of the familiar first-floor door. 

Ding-dong. 

After a deep breath, I rang the bell. In a few seconds, the door cracked open and Seung-ah’s face appeared. 

“H-Hyun-woo, you’re here?” 

Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, and her smile bloomed the moment she saw me. 

Seeing that expression, I remembered the phrase from the status window: “destined existence…” 

She would probably never know that this “destiny” was an intricately designed inevitability. 

Once, I too lived expecting such fateful coincidences, just another character in a story. 

But now it’s different. 

Looking up at her through the door, I smiled brightly. 

“Yes, noona, I’m here!” 

The bell rang right on time, and my heart felt like it dropped to the floor. 

I rushed to the intercom, covering my bare face with my hand. 

On the screen was Hyun-woo, in a cute bear T-shirt. 

I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and finally opened the door. 

“Noona, I’m here!” 

His smiling face filled my vision. 

I hadn’t seen it clearly yesterday, but today his smile seemed dazzling. 

Like a child who owned the world, his joy was impossible to hide. 

“Welcome, Hyun-woo.” 

I awkwardly smiled and let him in. 

He tilted his head, then grinned. “I guess I was just excited to see you, noona!” 

My heart started pounding dangerously again. I hurried to the kitchen to hide my blushing face. 

“Do you want some juice?” 

We sat side by side on the sofa, sipping cold juice. Just chatting about school and what we did yesterday made me feel like I had all the happiness in the world. 

While talking with Hyun-woo, I glanced out the window. The orange evening light had crept deep into the room. 

The clock was nearing 8 p.m. usually I’d be busy prepping for my stream. 

“Oh…” 

A sigh slipped out. 

“Noona, what’s wrong?” 

He tilted his head, and I waved it off with a smile. 

“It’s nothing. I just have something to do. Sorry, but could you read comics on my bed for a bit?” 

“Okay!” 

Once I saw Hyun-woo obediently head for my room, I sighed and sat at the computer. 

‘I should stream…’ 

But if I started streaming now, Hyun-woo would find out I was “Moka.” 

‘I have no choice. I’ll take today off.’ 

I felt a little guilty toward my fans, but mostly I just wanted to spend more time with this boy. 

I logged into the fan community, hesitated, then posted: 

[Notice] Guys, noona’s taking a day off! 

‘Mokarungs! Noona’s suddenly not feeling well, so I’m going to rest up for a day! Don’t worry, I’ll be back with an even more fun stream tomorrow! Sorry!’ 

After all that self-justification, I hit enter, feeling both guilty and strangely liberated. 

When I returned to my room, Hyun-woo was lying on the bed, engrossed in a comic. 

But the cover looked familiar… Of course, it was from my own shelf. 

But that one… 

My heart dropped. 

Of all the comics, he’d picked my most treasured onee-shota doujinshi! My most secret, guilty pleasure was now in the hands of my ideal boy. 

All the blood rushed to my face. 

“Uh… Hyun-woo! Kids shouldn’t be looking at that…” 

I tried to snatch the book away, but Hyun-woo dodged with an innocent smile. 

“It’s fine. It’s fun!” 

His casual reply left me frozen, my mind blank. 

‘No, he’s just a kid… He probably thinks it’s just a story about a sister and brother. Yeah, that must be it.’ 

I tried to calm myself. 

Then, as he lay on the bed reading, my eyes drifted between his legs. 

And I saw it. 

A small mound, unmistakably outlined through his thin shorts something hard and hot, impossible to believe for a child. 

Snap. 

I felt the last thread of my reason snap. 

Kids these days… really are fast. 

My head spun, my breath quickened. Awkward silence filled the room. 

Just then, Hyun-woo closed the comic and looked up at me with innocent eyes. 

“Noona, you said you stream, right?” 

“Huh? Uh, yeah.” 

His sudden question caught me off guard. 

“Have you ever met Moka?” 

I froze. 

I am Moka. 

“I haven’t met her, but… I’ve talked to her a bit.” 

“Wow, really! I want to talk to Moka too.” 

Hearing my other self praised, I couldn’t help but smile, even in this bizarre situation. 

“So, Hyun-woo, how did you come to like Moka?” 

“Um… YouTube’s algorithm recommended her.” 

‘Of course.’ 

I nodded inwardly. That’s how it is these days. 

But the fact that he found my channel meant he watched a lot of VTubers. 

“Moka seems really energetic and strong, but sometimes… I just feel like she’s actually deep and really sensitive inside. That’s why I like her.” 

“Huh?” 

I thought he’d say something about her being fun or good at games, or maybe her voice or art. But this… 

This wasn’t a comment about “VTuber Moka.” 

It was a direct hit on the real me Jeong Seung-ah, curled up alone in a cramped, dark room behind the mask. 

Maybe that’s what they mean when they say children see more clearly than adults. 

Of course, he couldn’t know I was Moka. 

But he’d seen through to my core. 

That made me unbearably happy and terrified. 

‘If… if he found out I was Moka, he’d be disappointed.’ 

The real me is nothing like the confident Moka just a mess. 

I didn’t want to shatter his fantasy. 

I must never let him find out. 

“Noona? Are you okay? Your face is really red.” 

“Huh? Oh, no! It’s just… the room’s a bit warm!” 

I waved my hand, changing the subject. 

“Sorry for making you wait! Want to watch something fun? Like a movie?” 

“Sure!” 

We picked a recently released anime movie and sat side by side on the sofa. 

The screen was full of dazzling visuals and lively music, but my attention was all on the little boy beside me. 

The warmth of his shoulder against mine, the feel of our legs brushing under the blanket. 

The scent of his shampoo made my heart pound. 

Time passed. As the movie reached its emotional climax, I felt a weight on my shoulder. 

I turned and saw Hyun-woo fast asleep, breathing softly, head resting on my shoulder. 

“…Hyun-woo? …Asleep?” 

“Mmm.” 

I whispered, but all I heard was his steady breathing. 

On the TV, the characters were having a moving reunion, but I heard nothing. 

In the dark room, only the boy’s breathing and my pounding heart filled my ears. 

Thump, thump, thump. 

It felt like the whole world could hear it. 

As if hypnotized, I reached out. 

My trembling fingers brushed his plump, warm cheek. 

The soft, yielding sensation sent a shiver down my spine. 

‘You’re crazy, Jeong Seung-ah. This is a crime!’ 

My rational mind screamed warnings. 

But the dam had already burst, the reins were off. 

The image of that small mound in his shorts flashed before me. 

‘Just… just checking.’ 

Yeah, just checking. Boys sometimes do that, right? 

I just need to see if it’s real, or if it just looked that way. That’s all. 

My trembling hand slowly, very slowly, moved down. It felt like time was crawling. 

Past his chest, his belly, until my fingertips reached his thigh. 

And finally  

My fingers touched, through the thin cotton shorts, the hot, hard outline making its presence known.