Chapter 13 : Refusal
Chapter 13: Refusal
At the Security Captain’s begging for his life, Baek Woohyun narrowed his eyes. Only his pure white pupils shone eerily above his shadowed face.
He still remembered the atrocities the Security Captain and his gang had committed.
Mocking and beating the test subjects, the things they did to satisfy their vile desires—all of it.
How many times have people who didn’t need to die, die because of the security team’s vile acts?
Knowing all that, the Security Captain groveling to spare his life felt nothing but utterly revolting to Baek Woohyun.
Of course, the Security Captain would have something to say.
That this was only a story from that other world, not here.
But Baek Woohyun could confidently assert that since that other world and ‘Reverse Planet’ were the same world, this bastard wouldn’t be much different from the one he remembered.
From his very first appearance, he had killed a test subject and mocked that death.
“…Krgh.”
Did he sense his end in Baek Woohyun’s gaze?
Suddenly the Security Captain changed his expression.
From a pitiful person seeking mercy, to a vicious person who had tormented countless test subjects with selfish desires and pursued personal advancement.
Gritting his teeth, he threw a punch at Baek Woohyun, who was holding his hair.
“Die!”
Because of his posture, proper strength didn’t go into it, but the Security Captain didn’t seem to care.
Because this attack wasn’t just a punch.
Soon a blade sprouted from the end of the thrown fist and extended toward Baek Woohyun’s heart.
The Security Captain’s secret weapon hidden until the final moment.
Partial body transformation through supernatural ability.
Until now, he had taken the throats of enemies who had let their guard down thinking he had no weapon through this.
This time would be the same!
“……”
—But if.
If the ‘real’ Security Captain had seen Baek Woohyun’s eyes, that confidence would have vanished entirely.
Eyes that went beyond cold to cruel.
Not even a bit of carelessness showed there.
Only madness and murderous intent crouching in the depths occasionally flashed.
-“Kill him!”
-“Tear him to shreds!”
Kwang!
Baek Woohyun readily responded to the specters’ howling.
He forcefully slammed the Security Captain’s head he had lifted into the floor.
With handiwork containing several times more strength than before, a heavy collision sound rang out, and naturally the Security Captain’s extended fist also lost its way.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwajik!
However, Baek Woohyun didn’t stop there.
As if determined to finish it this time, he continued crashing the Security Captain’s head into the floor.
In the space that had become quiet before one knew it, only terrible sounds rang out consecutively.
Soon the Security Captain, who had been trembling, went limp.
It was the miserable end of one who had once committed all sorts of atrocities within the research facility.
“……”
Looking down at the Security Captain’s corpse for a moment.
Baek Woohyun slowly rose from his position.
“…Finally! We’ve even taken down the tutorial boss! All that’s left is going outside, right?”
Kang Soyul, who had been quietly behind until now, spoke with a deliberately bright face. It was to ventilate the atmosphere that had become eerily chilly.
-Ah
-Now that you mention it
-Mooch success is crazy
-How about we call it a draw?
“Ehehe, I definitely asked before starting the mission if it was okay to restart solo instead of in a party. And you guys said no!”
Kang Soyul laughed heartily.
Her expression showed not the slightest thought of accepting the viewers’ request for a draw.
Well, it was natural.
When she, in despair at being matched with a no-assist party, requested to retry, how had the viewers responded?
Hadn’t they firmly rejected her request, mocking her with ‘absolutely no,’ ‘no takebacks,’ ‘deal with it’?
Now, when not even an hour has passed since then.
She had no intention of missing the opportunity to tease the viewers in return.
“Then let’s go, Woohyun-nim!”
“…Yes. Let’s go.”
Since they had defeated even the tutorial boss, the Security Captain, there was nothing to stop Baek Woohyun and Kang Soyul’s escape.
The two people climbed the stairs the Security Captain had been guarding, and succeeded in escaping the research facility that way.
It was the moment they stepped into the forest outside the research facility, with bright sunlight pouring down, that system messages came flooding before their eyes.
[Tutorial Mission “Research Facility Escape” Complete!]
[Your level has increased!]
[You have acquired 1 supernatural ability point!]
Mission success and level up.
And the accompanying supernatural ability point acquisition.
“……”
Baek Woohyun skimmed through the system messages as always. In case there might be differences from that other world.
But still nothing had changed. Not only the content, but even the words composing it and every exclamation mark were all the same.
It proved once again that that other world was based on ‘Reverse Planet.’
Or that the opposite was proven.
“Well, then-”
“Good work.”
“Ah, yes! Good work, Woohyun-nim!”
Baek Woohyun, who finished the brief greeting, turned around.
He intended to move to a suitable location then end the game.
Since he learned through this connection that he couldn’t cross over to that other world, he needed time to organize his thoughts.
“Ah!”
-? Where’s he going
-What, is this the end?
-Hurry and catch him, what are you doing!!
It was rather Kang Soyul and the viewers who were flustered by Baek Woohyun’s excessively indifferent attitude.
To end so abruptly like this.
Wasn’t it a situation no one expected?
‘He really doesn’t care about broadcasting at all!’
“W-wait a moment, Woohyun-nim!”
“…? Yes.”
“Are you not doing more of the main story today?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of stopping here. Did you have something to say?”
-Today ends here~
-Try to persuade him to do more
-She’s surprisingly bad at that kind of thing
-Not easy;
“Then I guess it can’t be helped…”
Kang Soyul mumbled, unable to find words.
Like during the tutorial mission when she couldn’t speak properly once he answered, she was the type who shrank back when the stage was set for her.
It was like a conditional Lu Bu who would recklessly charge in when competitive spirit arose, but couldn’t show that side once she belatedly came to her senses.
If Baek Woohyun had at least given a nuance of being more interested in appearing on broadcasts, she would have attempted persuasion, but at a glance he clearly didn’t care about such things at all.
“Would adding friends be okay? We might play together again later.”
“Yes, well- sure.”
Baek Woohyun didn’t refuse Kang Soyul’s desperate-looking request.
It wasn’t that difficult a demand, and he wasn’t so lacking in leisure that he couldn’t do that much for someone resembling a past connection.
But his kindness ended exactly there.
Having finished adding friends, Baek Woohyun tried to leave immediately as he had before.
…That is, if Kang Soyul hadn’t subtly grabbed his arm.
She looked up at him with a face that had made some decision.
“Um, could you wait just a moment? About five minutes would be enough-”
At Kang Soyul asking hesitantly, Baek Woohyun chuckled. Because this too closely resembled a past connection.
The other comrades had really adored and cherished her for the way she approached resolutely while afraid of being rejected.
“Understood.”
“Thank you!”
Kang Soyul bowed her head with a bright face.
She turned her head to look at the chat window, earnestly asking him to wait since she’d finish quickly.
In an instant, smugness filled her face.
“…Alright! With this, the no-assist tutorial clear mission is a success! Yay-!”
Clap clap clap.
-Really shameless
-If it were me I’d press fail saying I can’t acknowledge a mooch
-Fake success fake success fake success fake success
-Forbes-selected broadcaster most delighted by mooching
“Ahaha! Mooching is so sweet~ The person who set the mission, please press success! If there’s no one, I’ll press it myself?”
[Mission ‘No-Assist Tutorial Clear <150,000 won>’ Success!]
“Thank you!”
Kang Soyul lightly ignored the chat window reactions and bowed straight toward the broadcast camera.
No matter what the viewers said, the legitimacy of the victory she had seized wouldn’t fade.
If only because of the karma they had built up.
-Actually pressing success;
-From now on need to add no-mooch clause
-Why is there a bus driver at exactly this time
-Please implement justice ㅜㅜ
“Oh, come to think of it, you guys have never cleared the no-assist tutorial, right? But I have~ From now on, without proof of clearing the tutorial with no-assist, training is banned on ‘RePla’ related topics~”
-Ah lol so annoying lol
-To say this after riding the bus
-Frustrated? If frustrated go no-assist tutorial ㄱ
-Wait I’m going to prove it right now
Kang Soyul, who had been grinning and teasing the viewers for a moment, made an ‘oops!’ expression. She recalled the existence of Baek Woohyun waiting beside her.
No matter how good an opportunity to tease the viewers, after saying to wait a moment herself, dragging out more time wouldn’t do.
She swallowed her regret and shook her head.
“Anyway! Since we cleared the tutorial mission too, today’s broadcast ends here!”
-Ah; I just got here;;
-Ending late is a bad habit
-What, it’s already been broadcasting over ten hours ㄷ
-Part 3 was RePla so well…
‘LateStreamNotifier’ donated ‘10,000 won’!
[Sob sob today’s broadcast was fun]
“LateStreamNotifier-nim, thank you so much for the donation~ Everyone have a good night, and I plan to stream at the same time tomorrow too, so please come again! Bye bye!”
Having ended the broadcast, Kang Soyul exhaled long. Her expression had become much more comfortable.
Even though personal broadcasting looked comfortable from the outside, like all things, it had its own hardships.
Having to maintain high energy throughout the broadcast to keep viewers from getting bored, or being careful with verbal mistakes to avoid being archived as controversy on Ant Wiki.
That’s why it was inevitable that turning off the broadcast felt more comfortable than turning it on.
“Thank you for waiting!”
Toward Kang Soyul bowing down to her waist in greeting, Baek Woohyun lightly waved his hand.
“Not at all. It didn’t take very long.”
“Still, you waited. Just not leaving is already something to be grateful for.”
Kang Soyul smiled brightly.
Having broadcast for quite a long time and met various types of people, she had seen several times those who said they’d wait but disappeared.
Compared to them who vanished for unknown reasons, Baek Woohyun who waited obediently was like an angel.
“More than that, the reason I asked you to wait is because I have a proposal…”
“A proposal?”
“Yes! Would you consider appearing on my broadcast regularly? Of course I’ll pay an appearance fee! It won’t be much, but fairly substantial!”
A proposal for regular broadcast appearances.
This wasn’t a proposal offered simply thinking it would be good on impulse.
Kang Soyul had closely observed him while proceeding with the tutorial mission with Baek Woohyun, and through that time could reach the conclusion ‘This person becomes content just by existing!’
She wasn’t simply talking about excellent physicality.
Beyond that, Baek Woohyun had a charm that drew people in.
A charisma like watching a precariously perched blade, that made one unable to look away all the more.
There was also his handsome face contributing—though viewers couldn’t see it because of privacy protection mode.
Kang Soyul knew people who, though the grain was somewhat different, had similar charm to Baek Woohyun.
Broadcasters called ‘major corporations.’
The aura emanating from them, whom she had met a few times, was exactly like that.
She’d bet that even if Baek Woohyun played other games or lacked gaming skills, many would willingly turn on broadcasts to watch him.
Simply because he was that attractive.
“Broadcast appearances.”
“The content will mainly proceed with ‘Reverse Planet’ main missions, and occasionally taste PVP! Don’t worry about the schedule! I can adjust to whatever Woohyun-nim wants as much as possible!”
Kang Soyul quickly spoke in a chattering manner.
Seeing Baek Woohyun’s pondering appearance, she seemed to think it was an opportunity.
“Hmm…”
Baek Woohyun, who had been listening to Kang Soyul’s story, stroked his chin with a sunken expression.
In his head, the pros and cons of accepting the proposal and the pros and cons of refusing alternated, and soon a proposal buried in a corner also subtly announced its existence.
Contemplation that continued for not a short time.
At the end of it, the conclusion Baek Woohyun reached was.
“I’m sorry.”
Refusal.