Chapter 242. Misunderstanding
“Give me a pack of Marlboro Reds.”
Beep-beep—
“It’ll be 4,500 won, sir. Thank you. Have a nice day!”
Toward the customer leaving after buying nothing more than a single pack of cigarettes, Min Dohoon greeted him brightly.
So brightly the customer looked a little awkward.
The reason he was grinning like that was simple.
He had realized how precious life was.
Jingle—
Just then, the person who could be called the reason for his life opened the convenience store door and walked in.
With a dissatisfied expression, for some reason.
“Sweetie! You came to help Dad again today?”
“Dad! Can’t you quit running the convenience store already? What era do you think this is—it’s dangerous… .”
“That again? You really take after your mom when it comes to nagging.”
“Don’t just brush it off!”
“If my daughter protects me, isn’t that enough? And if anything happens, there’s also someone like Black Scythe.”
“How is Black Scythe-nim supposed to protect you? Do you know how busy he is these days?”
“True. A famous person like that isn’t going to drop by our convenience store anyway.”
For a moment, Min Juri wanted to say she had connections to Black Scythe, but she held back.
She didn’t have a deep relationship with him, and it would feel like she was using his status for no reason.
“Anyway, listen to me! How long are you going to keep doing this? It’s been ages since the surrounding stores switched to unmanned convenience stores. We should switch too for safety. Or sell the store and rest at home. With the money I’ve earned all this time, it’s more than enough to prepare for retirement.”
The days of scraping by because they had no money were long gone.
Just the money Min Juri, as a Player, had earned by selling items amounted to around 200 million won.
They had already paid off all the household debt, and they had more than enough living expenses.
On top of that, there was the 300-million-won diamond she had received from Ryu Min.
She hadn’t sold it yet, but still.
In any case, they were in a situation where they could live comfortably without doing convenience store work.
But her father, Min Dohoon, wouldn’t listen.
“Retirement preparation? Are you treating your dad like he’s some old grandpa? I’m only in my early fifties. I should work while I can.”
“Eugh…… You’re so stubborn.”
Knowing exactly how stubborn her father was, Min Juri couldn’t nag any further.
All she could do was sigh and show how upset she felt.
If there was any silver lining, it was that the world had improved a lot these days.
Most Korean Players belonged to the Reaper Church, full of decent people, and thanks to C.P.F and Black Scythe, the crime rate had plummeted too.
By now, Min Juri had changed into her convenience store uniform in the back room.
She pushed her father’s back.
“Dad, go inside and rest. I’ll watch the store now.”
“No. I’ve only been here a few hours. I’ll stay longer before I go.”
“Still, rest. You’re getting older—your body will be tired.”
“You’re openly treating me like an old man now? I’m still fine. And if anything happens, you can just put that ble-what’s-it blessing on me. When I got that, it felt like my whole body filled with energy.”
“A blessing isn’t some cure-all. It just makes you feel that way.”
“Either way, I’m fine, so you should rest. You only just woke up from narcolepsy not long ago.”
“Don’t worry about me—worry about yourself, Dad.”
“In this situation, how can I not worry about my daughter?”
Was it because he thought of his daughter having to play a life-or-death game?
Min Dohoon’s face turned gloomy.
“Things haven’t been too hard lately, have they?”
“H-hard? What’s hard about it? I’m someone who’s survived fourteen months, you know.”
“Still, there are six Rounds left. Who knows what will happen from here… .”
Even he felt his insides burning like this, so how much worse must his daughter feel?
A long sigh escaped Min Dohoon’s mouth.
“I’m sorry. As your father, and here I am talking about depressing things in front of you.”
“No. I’m fine. I have reliable teammates now, and I’ve built up know-how, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Do you know what your dad does every time the first of the month comes? I pray to God all night. I beg him to let my daughter come back safely. I ask him to please take good care of you.”
“You should beg someone who deserves it…… if you think about it, God is the one who made it like this.”
“You never know. He might take pity on my desperate prayers and at least show mercy to my daughter.”
Because she understood her father’s heart, Min Juri didn’t say anything more.
“So to this dad, every hour is precious and something to be grateful for. All I want is to be with my daughter even a little longer, while I still can.”
“What are you saying, getting all sentimental? You think I’m terminally ill or something? Did someone die or what?”
Wiping at eyes that had turned watery, Min Juri spoke forcefully.
“I’m going to survive until Round 20. I’m going to live for sure—and I’m going to make a wish come true too.”
“What wish are you going to make?”
“That’s a secret.”
With a gentle smile, Min Juri put on work gloves and headed outside.
“The delivery should be here soon, right? I’ll go.”
“Juri. Dad will do the hard stuff—”
“Don’t worry. Did you forget? I’m your daughter—a Player who can even break walls.”
She spoke brightly, but the moment she stepped outside, her face fell as if none of that had happened.
‘Can I really hold out until Round 20?’
Somehow, she had made it to Round 14.
She could only call it luck.
That a Buffer, not even an offensive class, had survived this long.
‘It’s all thanks to my teammates.’
Because she had comrades she could trust and rely on, she had managed to endure up to here.
And more than anyone, the people who had supported her were Ryu Min and Black Scythe.
‘If not for those two, I might already be ash… .’
Suddenly, she thought she wanted to be of help to them as well.
Thinking carefully about how she could help, one idea came to mind.
‘Come to think of it, Black Scythe-nim said he chooses next Round information as his reward through something called a Special Reward Selection Box… .’
Did he really need to give up a personal reward just to choose information?
When there was Ryu Min, the Prophet.
‘If I get the next Round info from Min, then Black Scythe-nim can choose another reward too.’
If they shared information, they could choose different rewards, so it would benefit Black Scythe as well.
‘Then why aren’t they doing that? Are they not coordinating opinions? Or… could their relationship actually be bad… .?’
Now that she thought about it, that might be true.
Even when she told Ryu Min to join the Reaper Church, he would dodge it with some nonsense and gloss over it.
As a result, he still hadn’t joined.
And Black Scythe, too, kept choosing next Round info as his reward when he could just hear it from a prophecy… .
‘Looking at it like this, it really does seem like they’re on bad terms.’
It would be nice if they helped each other—so why weren’t they?
Did something happen between them?
‘Maybe I can help.’
If she mediated between the two and eased their distant relationship?
Once her thoughts reached that point, Min Juri texted Ryu Min.
[Min, I have something to talk about in person. Do you have time today?]
After finishing work and returning home, Min Juri stared blankly at her phone.
“…….”
She waited for a reply all day, but none came.
Even when she called, he didn’t answer.
‘Did something happen?’
Worried, she grabbed her coat.
She had visited Ryu Min’s home before.
Recalling that memory, she put on her shoes.
“Dad, I’m going to go meet a friend!”
“It’s not a guy, right?”
“If it is a guy, so what!? He’s j-just a friend!”
“So it is a guy. Got it. Go on, then.”
He seemed to be misunderstanding, smiling to himself, but for some reason she didn’t want to correct him.
Because he was a guy she had liked for a long time.
“I-I’ll be back soon. Don’t eat dinner without me.”
Trying to hide her embarrassment, Min Juri went outside, took a taxi, and headed to the apartment where Ryu Min lived.
An apartment called Galleria Forest—worth around 9 billion won.
A year ago it had been around 7 billion won, but as the world grew unstable and security became important, the price had shot up.
“Please drop me off here. Thank you.”
After getting out of the taxi, Min Juri walked up to the main entrance.
Her finger, about to press the call button, froze.
‘What unit number was it again?’
She knew the building, but she couldn’t remember the unit.
As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, a voice of salvation reached her.
“Min Juri-nim?”
“Huh? Seo Arin, actress-nim.”
Turning around, she saw Seo Arin wearing a casual outfit with a hat pulled low.
In one hand, she was holding a bag that said GS24.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well… I came to meet a friend, but I can’t remember the unit number.”
“A friend… would that be Prophet-nim, by any chance?”
“Huh? You knew?”
“I heard, vaguely, that you two are friends.”
As she said that, Seo Arin opened the door with her keycard.
“This works out. I had something to ask Prophet-nim too. Let’s go together.”
“Thank you.”
After greeting the security guard, the two went into the elevator.
Woooong—
Was it because the silence felt awkward?
Min Juri smiled and started the conversation.
“I heard too. That you live upstairs from Min… .”
“Ah, yes. Somehow, Prophet-nim moved into the unit below me. Back then, he even handed out rice cakes with his younger brother… but I never got to try them. They looked really delicious.”
“Ah, he lives with his younger brother… .”
In the past, when she had followed Ryu Min out of curiosity, she had seen him talking with his younger brother.
After that, worried it might be a sensitive topic, she hadn’t asked directly about his family.
“He has a younger brother four years apart. He’s probably at home, I think… You didn’t know?”
“I-I didn’t know… .”
Since she hadn’t met him publicly, she pretended she didn’t know.
“Then that’s even better. It might be awkward, so I’ll introduce you myself. I’ve been to Prophet-nim’s place a few times, so I’m familiar with his younger brother.”
“A few times… you’ve been there?”
Just imagining a female celebrity living next door—and visiting the home of the man she liked—made Min Juri feel a needless surge of jealousy.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, n-no, it’s nothing.”
Just then, the elevator stopped on the 43rd floor with a ding.
The two stepped out and went to Ryu Min’s home.
When they rang the doorbell and waited, Ryu Won opened the door with a flushed face.
“S-Seo Arin, actress-nim?”
“I told you to call me Noona.”
“Ah, Noona… who’s next to you?”
“She’s Ryu Min’s friend.”
At that, Min Juri stepped forward with a smile.
“So you’re Min’s younger brother? Nice to meet you—I’m Min Juri, Min’s classmate.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Is Min inside? If he is, I want to talk to him… .”
“Hyung isn’t home right now.”
“He’s not? Do you know where he went? He’s not even answering his phone… .”
“Well… .”
After hesitating, Ryu Won seemed unable to lie and confessed the truth.
“He went to Japan to meet his girlfriend.”
“Girl…friend?”
“Lately he’s been traveling a lot to see his Japanese girlfriend.”
“Ooh, to think even Prophet-nim, who looks so innocent, has a girlfriend. That’s unexpected.”
Seo Arin grinned at the information she hadn’t known, but only for a moment.
She glanced to the side, then startled.
Because Min Juri was staring blankly into empty space with a soul-lost expression.
“W-what’s wrong, Min Juri-nim?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. He had a girlfriend… and she’s Japanese… .”
Muttering, Min Juri turned around without even saying goodbye.
“A-are you leaving? Uh, I should get going too, little brother.”
“Yes, Noona. It was nice to meet you!”
Watching the front door close, Ryu Won tilted his head in confusion.
‘Did I say something wrong?’