5. The Hunting Man at the Beach (2)
Past seven o'clock, the sun began to set.
With the lights from the surrounding shops, it wasn't all that dark, but the atmosphere had definitely changed. Mats were laid out here and there on the beach, and by now quite a large number of people had filled the white sands.
I reviewed my strategy.
Though I had no experience with women, it wasn't as if I'd never heard stories passed down through the grapevine.
And those legendary tales I'd heard had a few rules; the most basic was the number of people.
First, a small group was said to be advantageous. Specifically, two or three was the appropriate number.
The reason was that most groups moved in that size, and at the same time, anyone alone was seen as strange.
In that case, I was at a slight disadvantage here.
Because I had to move alone.
I needed something to compensate for that. Furthermore, I didn't have a single penny. On top of that, I was someone with absolutely no experience with women.
Truly the worst conditions.
It felt like quite a high difficulty.
Letting out a deep sigh, I was trying to wrack my brain for some way while believing the stories I'd heard were somewhat exaggerated, when someone approached me.
"Excuse me, are you here alone?"
Should I call it refreshing, or would fresh be the right word? Anyway, it was a pleasant, young woman's voice.
I turned my head to look beside me, and two young women were staring at me fixedly.
The woman who spoke to me seemed like she'd just become a college student. She still hadn't shed her high schooler vibe, giving off a young feeling, but her eyes were big and her face was small and slender.
Moreover, her heavy makeup was a bit overwhelming, but she had a slim figure and was wearing a sophisticated dress.
I quickly checked the scenarios I'd mapped out.
Ah, but there was no scenario like this. No, more than that, why was she approaching me first?
"Ah... yes, I came alone."
I answered reflexively, but my mind was still blank. I'd prepared everything—what to say, where to direct my gaze—but those memories seemed to have faded to white and disappeared.
Even so, the reaction was very good. In many ways.
"Ah, perfect. My friend said something came up, so would you hang out with me?"
[The probability has increased by 1.12% to 5.21%.]
The woman spoke without any hesitation or awkwardness.
Smiling brightly, she naturally took another step closer. A pleasant scent seemed to emanate from her. Lemon? Or some other sweet, fruity fragrance stimulated me.
"Ah, then it would be my honor."
As the situation unfolded favorably, words came out more naturally than I'd thought.
But then, I realized something once again. I didn't have a single penny right now. Who would want to hang out with a guy without a dime?
Ah, perhaps the money issue could be handled somehow.
Regardless of my worries, the situation flowed in an even better direction. Completely independent of my will or intention.
"Perfect. Then let's hang out in the room we booked! I get a little out of it when I drink."
The woman who'd approached me chattered excitedly, and the woman who was supposedly her friend left as soon as she saw me following her.
[It is 7.21%.]
During this time, the probability had continued to rise.
I had no idea what this had to do with 1 billion won, but if Hadin's words were true, the situation was definitely flowing in a good direction.
While heading to the room, the woman introduced herself as Gim Eunhye, and I told her my name too. She seemed the same age as me, but she habitually called me Oppa.
I didn't pay it much mind, taking it in stride. Rather, even though we were the same age now, it felt fresh to be called Oppa by a woman who was actually a year older than me.
"Oppa, where do you live? You don't use any dialect at all?"
"Ah, Seoul."
"Really? That's fascinating. It's my first time seeing a Seoul person who doesn't use Seoul dialect."
Seoul dialect. Perhaps she felt that way because both my parents were from Gyeongnam, and my best friend Seonhyo, who I'd gone through middle and high school with, was from Busan too.
Anyway, what mattered was what connection Gim Eunhye had to my 1 billion won,
"Oppa, what's your number?"
"Huh?"
"Your cell phone number."
Gim Eunhye smiled. The sight of her adorable dimples slightly showing was charming.
Small and cute, sexy and lovely. It seemed like any compliment would suit her aptly. That was how beautiful she was.
Exchanging numbers seemed a bit early, but wasn't faster better? I felt like my progress was much faster than the protagonists of the various legendary tales I'd heard. It was truly heaven-sent luck.
"010-XXXX-XXXX. My phone got wet, so I can't save it right now."
Unfortunately, since I didn't have a phone, I made a suitable lie, but I clearly conveyed the number.
"Really? That's too bad."
Gim Eunhye expressed her disappointment adorably with her facial expression, then made a call on her phone.
Ring, ring.
After the tone rang a few times, a machine voice said it was switching to voicemail since the connection couldn't be made.
Gim Eunhye soon closed her phone and spoke brightly.
"Oppa! What kind of alcohol do you like?"
Alcohol.
"I like soju."
"Then let's buy some soju at the convenience store~"
The beauty's coquettish voice, laced with nasal tones, had the knack for melting one's entire body.
But I couldn't relax yet.
I had a firm goal.
1 billion won.
It was too large an amount for me to enjoy my youth moderately like others. Even if I had multiple chances.
And it might sound a bit crazy, but I started to think that maybe my looks were the kind that women found decent. That's probably why Eunhye came running to me.
Which meant that even if not this time, I could hit it off with Eunhye next time, or the time after that. A very plausible story.
Yes, that was it. For a full 21 years, I'd been deceived by my mother, father, younger sister, and countless friends who envied and were jealous of me.
I'd been undervalued due to false criticism and malicious words born of jealousy; in truth, though I might not be a handsome gentleman that women found attractive... I was at least a charming man with personality.
I followed Gim Eunhye with glee and arrived at a convenience store attached to a motel, a short distance from the beach.
"Oppa~ I have a call to make, so buy some alcohol and snacks, okay?"
"Got it."
I answered heartily in an awkward Busan dialect and pushed open the convenience store door confidently.
"Welcome."
Inside, a convenience store part-timer greeted me with a tired complexion.
I didn't have a single penny, but I did have a plan.
This was only possible because I wasn't certain I'd earn 1 billion won this time. Normally, I would never be able to do something like this.
I looked around at various items to put on an act of taking my time. Then I left the convenience store without paying. Outside, Gim Eunhye was waiting for me.
"Oppa~!"
Her cheerfully waving hand was incredibly cute. I walked over to Gim Eunhye with a silly grin.
Gim Eunhye smiled at me but then, confirming my hands were empty, asked in bewilderment,
"The alcohol?"
"Ah, my card got soaked in water too."
I took out the broken credit card I'd found on the white sands and shook it as if annoyed.
Gim Eunhye's expression stiffened slightly. It was more of a lost look than an annoyed one.
Since it was the expected reaction, I delivered the lines I'd prepared in order.
"Don't worry, my uncle lives nearby. If I call him, he'll lend me however much I need."
"Where does he live?"
Gim Eunhye asked, calmly managing her expression.
"There."
What I pointed at was a high-rise apartment that shone brightly even in the darkening evening. A luxury apartment associated with the premium XX brand, whose upper floors were worth at least 1 billion won due to the merit of being located right in front of Haeundae Beach.
Gim Eunhye's expression suddenly brightened, and she held out her phone.
"Call him quickly."
"Uh, sure."
It was true that I had an uncle living in Busan. And it was true that he lived in the direction I'd pointed.
But he didn't live in that expensive luxury apartment. He lived in an apartment with a very ordinary price, just a little further, barely any distance from the apartment I'd pointed at.
I carefully took Gim Eunhye's phone and made the call.
While enjoying the beach during the day, I'd asked Hadin a few things. He'd said that thinking of this as the past was comfortable, and at the same time, current me was just me.
Moreover, though current me should originally be 19, no one would find it strange if I said I was 20. Apparently, changes made to fulfill a wish weren't perceived as strange by those around me...
It was truly a fascinating thing.
"Hello?"
"Uncle, it's me. Hyomin."
"Ah, Hyomin. Have you been well? But what's this about?"
Fortunately, the uncle's number I remembered wasn't wrong.
"I'm sorry, but I was wondering if I could borrow some money. I lost my wallet near Haeundae."
"Oh my, you rascal. What were you doing to lose your wallet! Tsk, I can't right away. What's your exact location?"
I told my uncle my exact location and ended the call.
And returning the phone to Gim Eunhye, I spoke as gently and politely as I could. I felt like I understood what it meant to oil one's voice.
"Sorry, but could our Eunhye buy them for now?"
"Sure!"
Gim Eunhye agreed without much opposition, and with her card, bought four bottles of soju and several bags of snacks. She still didn't come into the convenience store, saying she had an urgent call.
Holding black bags in both hands, I headed to the lodging where Gim Eunhye was staying. It was a motel behind the convenience store, but the interior was clean compared to the exterior.
While taking the motel elevator, the probability changed once again.
[It has become 10.11%.]
I now calmed my excitement and thought seriously.
No, why on earth was the probability rising? Gim Eunhye seemed completely unrelated to 1 billion won. Had I perhaps wished for a girlfriend?
[That is something I cannot tell you.]
Whenever I grumbled about the probability, Hadin only repeated that he couldn't tell me yet. It was probably because of that 'Soul Level' or whatever it was.
As the situation progressed this way, a question arose. How would Gim Eunhye bring me 1 billion won? Could she perhaps be the only daughter of a wealthy family?
No, that didn't fit the conditions. I'd clearly asked for money without any risks, right? Wasn't marriage itself a risk? If we divorced, there was a risk the money would crumble to dust.
With these various thoughts, I entered Room 302 where Gim Eunhye was staying.
My head was so complicated that I hadn't realized, but I'd never been alone in a room with such a young, pretty woman.
Ah, now that I realized it, it felt somewhat burdensome.
"Oppa, what are you doing? Hurry up and come in."
"Uh, uh!"
I hesitated at the entrance but pretended I couldn't resist Gim Eunhye's urging and entered the room. The room was clean, as if it had been cleaned and never used.
I was thinking that women sure are neat when Gim Eunhye opened a soju bottle and poured it into a paper cup bought from the convenience store.
Soju, half-filled, sloshed in the paper cup.
"Cheers~!"
"Cheers!"
Gim Eunhye playfully shouted a toast, and I followed suit, drinking.
After a few drinks like that, the buzzed feeling was nice. The awkwardness of being alone together also subsided a little.
"By the way, Eunhye, what university do you go to?"
"Gyeongsan University. I'm a freshman. My major is economics."
"Really?"
Once school talk came up, Gim Eunhye brought up trivial stories no one had asked. Common stories like how the senior she met during orientation wasn't great, or how the school was shabbier than she'd thought.
I chatted with Gim Eunhye about university for a bit, then went to the bathroom.
Then I asked Hadin.
'Is it still 10.11%?'
[Yes, that's correct.]
Hmm, I couldn't quite believe that there was a 10% probability of obtaining 1 billion won here. I'd have to look more carefully into how it connected to 1 billion won.
And what kind of relationship I should form with Gim Eunhye... Wasn't she someone I might see often, or might never see again?
While I was worrying, I came out of the bathroom, and Gim Eunhye was waiting for me, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol.
"What took you so long?"
Gim Eunhye said sharply, holding out a paper cup filled to the brim with soju.
I smirked and accepted the cup, downing it in one shot. I was fairly confident in my alcohol tolerance and enjoyed drinking, but I'd put on a bit of bravado because I was in front of a woman.
But.
[The probability has become 1.12%.]
Moreover.
'Huh, I'm suddenly sleepy.'
My head grew foggy, then heavy, and strength drained from my entire body.
Huh, Gim Eunhye's refreshingly beautiful face grew blurry, and Hadin's voice rang clearly in my ears.
[Recycle will now begin.]