By Zephyria ― No! Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t…. I won’t let this go.
The flickering, pale form gnawed at its fingertips until they bled, warning him. But Lee Hyun-muk mercilessly turned his gaze to smash and burn the next collection. Yoon Seung-ryong chuckled and whistled.
“Wow. So cruel.”
Joo Ho-young stomped his foot, watching his cherished possessions being smashed. He screamed, then finally couldn’t hold back and lunged forward. Lee Hyun-muk mercilessly struck Joo Ho-young with a lightning strike.
― Kaaak!
Joo Ho-young, scorched and electrocuted, screamed and fled. He vanished in an instant, only to reappear, flustered, as Lee Hyun-muk began to destroy his possessions again. He repeatedly lunged and fled, crying out, trying to save what seemed to be his most treasured, peculiar doll. After smashing one floor, he went down, and Joo Ho-young began to throw himself in front of Lee Hyun-muk’s attacks. His determination to save his possessions, even at the cost of his own body, was evident.
“Hey, wait! Just a moment….”
Yohan, who had been growing anxious watching Yoon Seung-ryong stand by and Lee Hyun-muk electrocute Joo Ho-young without batting an eye, finally intervened. He couldn’t bear to see Joo Ho-young’s plight. As the attack paused, the blackened, scorched Joo Ho-young frantically began to gather the toys he had so carefully collected. It was an attempt to move them to a safer place. Lee Hyun-muk said with an indifferent expression.
“Yohan, this is for Ho-young’s own good.”
“Still, this seems a bit too much. We have plenty of time, can’t we try a different approach just once?”
Joo Ho-young’s hateful glare felt sharp. The ominous sound of him grinding his teeth grew louder. Yoon Seung-ryong picked at his ear and shrugged.
“Even I think we could catch Ho-young in another hour?”
“Another hour?!”
Yohan was aghast. These cruel people! This meant they intended to electrocute Joo Ho-young for an hour straight.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-muk….”
An idea struck Yohan, and he looked at Lee Hyun-muk with pleading eyes. Seeing Joo Ho-young in pain made him feel distressed. Seeing Lee Hyun-muk hesitate, Yohan added softly.
“Hyun-mook Hyung….”
Lee Hyun-muk flinched. Seeing his reaction, Yohan, thinking it was a good sign, glanced at Joo Ho-young and earnestly continued.
“We’ll try just once, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll give up.”
“Alright, Yohan, if you want it so badly.”
Lee Hyun-muk smiled tenderly and lightly tapped Yohan’s cheek with the back of his hand.
“How could I refuse you?”
Yohan felt a slight dizziness. He needed to gain Lee Hyun-muk’s favor, but for some reason, his own liking for him seemed to be growing instead. He cleared his throat and explained his plan. Lee Hyun-muk and Yoon Seung-ryong seemed intrigued by it.
“It sounds quite plausible. And it doesn’t seem too difficult.”
“Right? I think it’s worth a try.”
Yohan’s simple yet intuitive plan was as follows: purify and repair the Game Consoles to lure Joo Ho-young. Since he was so obsessed with games and toys, he would surely fall for it.
“Do you happen to know what games Joo Ho-young likes?”
“Hmm… I can’t recall clearly, but I think I’d know if I saw them.”
Yoon Seung-ryong said, tilting his head. Fortunately, there were many items Joo Ho-young had collected in this building. They were well-maintained, so their condition wasn’t too bad. The three of them, under Joo Ho-young’s sharp gaze, examined the Game Consoles, found the ones in the best condition, and Yohan purified them. Fortunately, there were many Game Consoles of the same type, allowing them to gather several working parts.
After several days of the three of them scouring for parts and peering at them intently, they managed to acquire two or three small handheld Game Consoles and one arcade-style Game Console that looked relatively intact. Yohan clenched his fist and looked at Lee Hyun-muk with sparkling eyes.
“Now, everything depends on you, Mr. Lee Hyun-muk!”
Joo Ho-young’s murderous gaze, which had been watching them dismantle his Game Consoles, was now so venomous it could kill with a look. While Yohan glanced at Joo Ho-young with a sense of apology, Lee Hyun-muk simply shrugged and took the wires in his hand.
Naturally, electricity is essential for electronic devices to function. That’s why Joo Ho-young, despite hoarding Game Consoles, could never power them on properly. And now, here was a human generator. A generator that could freely adjust voltage, no less!
Lee Hyun-muk held the wires and sent electricity through them. He gradually increased the output, but the first arcade machine didn’t work. As they moved to the second and third attempts, at some point, the arcade-style Game Console lit up. Yohan jumped for joy.
“It worked! It’s on!”
Along with the dazzling lights on the screen, cheerful Japanese music and sound effects flowed out. Curious about the reaction, Yohan looked back at Joo Ho-young. He was staring blankly at the arcade machine like a ghost. The graphic lights flickered brilliantly over his red eyes. Even after Lee Hyun-muk cut off the electricity, Joo Ho-young stood there, staring blankly.
“Does this one work too?”
Yohan handed him a small Game Console that Joo Ho-young had particularly liked. It was one they had struggled to replace parts for and assemble. Fortunately, there were dozens, even hundreds, of the same product stacked up. Lee Hyun-muk silently sent electricity through it. A moment later, the screen lit up, and a character popped onto it. Yohan jumped with delight.
“Wow! This one works too!”
Looking back at Joo Ho-young, he had his head craned forward, sending a burning gaze. However, fear seemed to outweigh his desire, as he showed no inclination to approach. Thinking he needed to tempt him further, Yohan said.
“Anyone want to play a game?”
A moment later, Yohan was the one sitting there. He awkwardly sat in front of the powered-on Game Console.
“I’m not very good at games.”
“It’s fine. You’re an Awakened now, too.”
Yoon Seung-ryong said cheerfully, then whispered into Yohan’s ear.
“And it’s actually better if you’re not good.”
Why would being bad be better? Yohan didn’t understand but decided to take Yoon Seung-ryong’s advice. He carefully took the Game Console’s joystick. Trying his best not to break it with his newfound strength, he inserted a coin from the pile he had gathered, and a cheerful sound rang out.
Perhaps it was because he had become an Awakened, with improved reflexes and reaction speed, but the game didn’t feel particularly difficult. Playing after a long time was very enjoyable, but as Yoon Seung-ryong had advised, Yohan deliberately missed items and wandered around, wasting time. From a distance, Joo Ho-young began to grind his teeth again. This time, it seemed to be out of a different kind of frustration.
― Idiot! Stupid, moron!
Ah. So that’s why he told him to play badly on purpose. Yohan understood instantly and focused on provoking Joo Ho-young as much as possible. He pretended not to see the item at the edge of his vision and passed it by. Joo Ho-young jumped up and down.
― That’s not how you do it! No! Ah! Aak! Ack!
He then showered Yohan with curses and twisted his body. Yohan pretended not to hear, fought the boss, and deliberately lost the game just before defeating it, leaving the boss with only a sliver of health. Then, he shrugged and stood up. Joo Ho-young fell to the ground and pounded it repeatedly.
“I’ll just play another game!”
Yohan, as if Joo Ho-young were invisible, picked up one of the small Game Consoles Lee Hyun-muk had charged and began to play. Joo Ho-young let out a pained sigh.
― Aaaah….
Joo Ho-young couldn’t tear his gaze away, stomping his feet for a long time before slowly starting to approach. Yohan pretended not to notice and looked away. While wary of Lee Hyun-muk, Joo Ho-young’s gaze was fixed on the Game Console screen. After a moment, he approached the Game Console as if entranced and sat on the stool-like chair. Joo Ho-young’s form flickered unstably. For the first time, Yohan could see Joo Ho-young up close.
His skin had turned a pale blue, his body was thin and mummified, and his eyes were a deep, dark red. He was already grotesque, and Lee Hyun-muk’s scorching had made his appearance even more pathetic. After sitting in front of the Game Console, he still dared not touch it. He looked down at his hands, covered in black ash. He seemed concerned about dirtying the Game Console.
Yohan, watching from a distance, cautiously emitted a light. The sparkling particles of light settled on his hands, making the ash disappear and leaving them clean. Only then did Joo Ho-young finally look away from the Game Console and stare blankly at Yohan.
He then reached out a trembling hand to the Game Console, took the joystick, and slowly moved it. Seeing the screen react to the joystick’s movement, he gasped in surprise and then focused on the screen.
― Fun.
Even just selecting menus and options, he moved the joystick a few times and muttered again.
― Fun, it’s fun. So fun.
Joo Ho-young chose to start the game as he was. The protagonist appeared and moved on the screen with its flashy graphics. He remained on the chair, not moving once, and focused on the game for hours.
While Joo Ho-young was engrossed in the game, Yohan concentrated his purification power. As Joo Ho-young sat hunched over, engrossed in the game, the red light in his eyes gradually faded. The black ash on his body became clean, and his pale blue skin slowly returned to its natural color. Thus, he finally returned to the form of a very thin person.