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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Shin Seo-yeon
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"Are you really going to give it to me?"
Shin Seo-yeon let go of my collar and clasped her hands together cutely, her eyes sparkling.
Just moments ago, she'd been dying to tear me apart, but her attitude switch was a work of art.
"It's not like I can't."
Whoosh—her face lit up brightly.
"Ah, but I should head home now."
"What?"
I'd forgotten—I still needed to sort my gear and pack my bags.
"We'll talk later."
"Hey! Wait! You're just leaving like this? Finish what we were talking about first!"
Shin Seo-yeon grabbed me with a desperate look, but when I glanced down at her hand, she cautiously pulled it away.
Then she fidgeted with her now-idle hands, peeking at me cutely.
Just like she had with that middle-aged guy earlier.
'She's really something.'
Amazed inwardly by her chameleon-like change, I spun on my heel.
Thud, thud. As I walked away, Shin Seo-yeon stuck close behind, peppering me with questions.
"So, when are you giving me the money? You're definitely giving it, right?"
"Yeah, depending on how you perform. Might even give you more."
"More?"
Shin Seo-yeon's eyes went wide.
"On the flip side, I might give you nothing at all."
Her expression plummeted from heaven to hell in an instant.
"H-how do I get you to give it to me, then?"
"Who knows."
I ignored her and headed out of the buffet.
"Seo-yeon-ah, where are you going?"
The middle-aged guy—probably her sucker number 127—called out to her, but Shin Seo-yeon ignored him and trailed after me.
The money I'd flashed was one thing, but the greed and ferocity in her cat-like eyes screamed that if she wanted it, she could pry a hefty chunk from my wallet.
'She figures it's way better than cozying up on a date tonight and scoring a bag worth a few million won.'
I hailed a taxi, and sure enough, she wedged herself in before I could close the door.
"What."
"Hmph, not my fault, right? Dickhead, you're the one not giving straight answers. I hate vague stuff. I'm sticking with you until you tell me exactly what I need to do for the money."
"Dickhead?"
"No, I mean our Min-jun. I slipped up there. Sorry."
Then Shin Seo-yeon flashed a cat-like grin, her demeanor utterly transformed from the thug girl who'd kicked my shin in the corner of the buffet moments ago.
'Money's that great, huh?'
Numbers that'd be worthless scraps by tomorrow.
But right now, every soul on Earth except me was slaving away for those digits.
Wasn't it all so ridiculous?
The limits of humans ignorant of the future were so starkly clear.
I gazed at the myriad city lights piercing the night, my thoughts drifting to the trials ahead.
'When Earth falls, some of humanity turns to dust in the asteroid collision, and others forfeit the selection process.'
The naive ones who think, No way Earth is actually doomed, vanish. And those too scared to leave stay behind.
Just four billion make it to the otherworld.
Of those, about two hundred thousand reach the final trial.
And among that two hundred thousand, the top hundred rankers get a special grade: S-Rank.
"Kang Min-jun, are you even listening to me?"
Beside me, this cat-girl had been chattering nonstop, eyeing my wallet with sleazy intent. She'd become that S-Rank.
Of course, by then her personality would evolve into something haughty, prickly, and arrogant.
"Kang Min-jun!"
"We've arrived at your destination, sir."
I stepped straight out of the taxi.
"Sir, you need to pay."
Shin Seo-yeon, about to follow, looked up at me with slight panic.
I ignored her and headed to my apartment. She quickly paid with her own money and scurried after me.
"This was fun today."
"Hey, wait!"
But Shin Seo-yeon was one step too late—the elevator doors closed on her.
'Will she still follow after that?'
One minute after I got home.
Ding-dong—ding-dong-ding-dong—
Bang bang bang!
"Kang Min-jun!"
Oh, she actually chased me here?
Impressive. I paused packing and opened the door to find our S-Rank thug fuming.
"Hey!"
"Hey?"
"...."
Hoo, Shin Seo-yeon took a deep breath to compose herself.
Impressive how she could smile sweetly right after that.
"Ah, Min-jun-ah. That was too mean a prank."
I couldn't help but laugh.
She still had it in her to act cute after all that?
"Why're you laughing all of a sudden?"
"Nah, just thinking you could probably squeeze plenty out of me right now."
"Ah! For real?"
Shin Seo-yeon bounced with joy. For Earth's last supper, she wasn't a bad pick.
"Come in."
I smiled and let her inside.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-Kang Min-jun? Why didn't that guy show up to OT?
-Guess he's broke. No time to hang out—says he goes straight to his part-time job after class.
-Hmmm.
So I'd really thought he was poor.
"Whoa, this is your place?"
But Shin Seo-yeon, following Kang Min-jun home, couldn't help but gape.
Truth be told, she'd been shocked since we got out of the taxi. Apartment prices in Seoul weren't cheap.
'This guy's loaded? I thought he was some broke kid busting his ass at part-time gigs just to get by?'
"Uh, where are your parents?"
"They're gone. It's just me, so don't worry about that."
"!!"
Own place in Seoul, and tons of cash in the bank?
No way he's some mid-tier company president's son or something?
'Fuck. If I'd known he was this well-off, I wouldn't have messed with him—I'd have played nice.'
Regret suddenly washed over Shin Seo-yeon.
'Too late to fix my image now, huh?'
Fine then. She'd just stick close and milk him dry for a while.
With that in mind, Shin Seo-yeon plastered herself to Kang Min-jun, beaming innocently as she asked,
"Min-jun-ah, tell me now. What do I gotta do for the money?"
Kang Min-jun patted the floor by his legs. Quick on the uptake, Shin Seo-yeon knelt and massaged them diligently.
"Simple."
"What?"
"Suck me once, and it's five million."
Shin Seo-yeon, who'd been kneading away with a bright smile, froze cold. Her face twisted fierce as she shot up, yelling,
"Are you fucking insane?!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'Oh.'
Shin Seo-yeon sprang up and grabbed my collar roughly, no hesitation.
'Even this version of her has a fiery temper.'
No wonder she earned the Crimson Flame Witch title.
"You wanna die for real? Remember high school? Huh?"
Caught by the collar, her sharp voice dragged up old memories.
Poor family, but she'd seized what she wanted with beauty and violence.
-Aing, oppa.
Cute and flirty with those stronger than her.
Crash!
"You think I'm a fucking joke?! Huh?!"
And ruthlessly menacing to the weak.
Shin Seo-yeon, glaring like she wanted to kill me, started smashing nearby stuff.
Kicking chairs, vacuums...
"Fuck, say that shit again! Say it, you dick! What? 'Suck me'?! "
Back then, I'd have trembled. But after ten years betting my life, it didn't faze me one bit.
Shin Seo-yeon scanned for the next target, eyes landing on the backpack I'd prepped cheaply for the tutorial.
"That's expensive."
She hesitated, then charged and started kicking me.
"Say it again! Spit more bullshit!"
Thud thud thud thud thud.
Honestly, girl kicks didn't hurt much, and compared to the Shin Seo-yeon who'd died days ago, this was nothing scary.
-What's that charred mess? Who did it?
-Crimson Flame Witch, they say. Burned two girls alive right there for glancing at her boyfriend.
-Whoa, brutal.
'Yeah, compared to then, this is cute.'
Felt childish. Her kicks lacked any killing intent, arms crossed—I just chuckled inwardly.
"Huff. Huff."
She looked winded, so I stood and said to the sweating Shin Seo-yeon,
"I misspoke a bit earlier."
"Fuck off. Think a sorry fixes it? If you wanna shut me up..."
"Let you suck it once, and it's one hundred million."
"What...?"
Shin Seo-yeon blinked her pretty eyes.
Haha, seeing that haughty S-Rank witch flustered.
Prime Shin Seo-yeon had that fresh charm.
"Too low? Fine, one fifty."
"!!"
"FYI, won't go higher on the same terms. Your call."
Suddenly, Shin Seo-yeon went quiet.
Her shocked eyes darted around before she asked cautiously,
"Y-you're really saying one blowjob for 150 million?"
Up to now, she was just a tough-talking delinquent girl, nothing more.
Poor college kid with beauty but no power or skill.
Honestly, not worth 150 mil as is—but in a few years, she'd be an S-Rank mage, Rank 19 superstar.
Popping that cherry?
'Bargain at 150 mil.'
Best deal ever.
"What's it gonna be?"
After agonizing, Shin Seo-yeon said,
"But I got conditions too."
"Shoot."
"Can't trust your word. Pay upfront."
"Obviously. Gimme your account."
I wired thirty million as advance. Her lips curled ear-to-ear.
Grinning, Shin Seo-yeon said,
"Hey, let's start right now."
Hard to believe this was the girl who'd flipped out minutes ago over the same suggestion.
What a honest little slut, I thought, sitting on the sofa, dick out, and nodding at it.
"Want your money quick? Suck it first then, bitch."