Chapter 13: Ants Today – 3

Ayoung’s back arched like a bow.  

“Ooogok, oogogok…”  

Thud-thud-thud—  

The massage chair had loosened her stiff back.  

I sat nearby, sipping coffee and watching her.  

“…”  

“Oogogok…”  

Ayoung trembled as she praised the chair.  

It wasn’t the kind of sound an idol should make, but since I’d decided to be the ever-positive tall uncle this round, I accepted it.  

“…”  

I nodded vaguely, my eyes half-lidded. 

I couldn’t force roleplay on a virtual idol who’d just stepped off stage.  

‘…Life must have been hard for her.’  

Our baby idol trainee Ayoung is struggling.  

Aki-chan?  

Who’s that…?  

Hmm.  

No idea.  

“Oogok…! Oho…!”  

“…”  

Friday evening.  

Ayoung and I were in the “employee break room” set up on the second floor of the vacant convenience store building. 

We were there to check out the employee welfare facilities I’d prepared.  

The space had opened up during the building’s remodeling.  

The employee welfare facilities were lavish:  

– Coffee pot  

– Massage chair  

– Simple bed  

– Gaming PC  

– Karaoke machine  

– Free vending machine  

– And more…  

The break room even had Wi-Fi and soundproofing. 

There was also a screen connected to the store’s CCTV, so we could always check on customers before heading down.  

A perfect base camp.  

An ideal space for rest.  

The remodeling and other costs had totaled around 200 million won, but it was worth it.  

“…”  

‘With this much space, she can practice dancing without feeling self-conscious. She can also bring her laptop to manage her channel or plan content.’  

Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  

From 6 PM to 6 AM the next day.  

That was the schedule I’d agreed on with the previous owner. 

Since this was a quiet location, it was relatively easy as far as convenience store part-time jobs went.  

‘…But the problem is that it’s a side gig, not her main job.’  

“Oogok…!”  

“…”  

Even though Ayoung was in her early 20s, the grueling schedule of weekday broadcasts and lessons, paired with overnight shifts on weekends, had to be exhausting.  

‘That’s why, despite her dance-trained, agile body, her muscles are all knotted up. Her proportions are good, so it’s not obvious, but she’s tiny.’  

How long did she plan to burn out that small body?  

‘…Unlike me, she only has one life.’  

Beep!  

“!”  

The massage chair’s timer ran out.  

Ayoung sat there, her eyes dazed and relaxed.  

“Huu…”  

“Want to go again?”  

“Huh…?”  

I could hear the reluctance in her voice.

So I pressed the button on the massage chair once more.  

Beep!  

“!”  

Ayoung’s back arched again.  

Thud-thud-thud—  

“Oho-hok…! G-g-g-good, th-th-thank y-you—!”  

“Take it easy. Today, I need to organize some things quietly on my own too. …If anything comes up, just text me.”  

“Ah-huk…! I-I-I’ll h-help t-too—!”  

“It’s fine. Just think of today as another part-time training day and relax. I’ll make sure you get paid properly. I’ll call if I need you, so if you’re tired, take a nap.”  

“Th-th-thank y-you…!”  

Leaving her voice behind, I stepped out of the break room. 

I went up the stairs to the rooftop of the two-story building, where a small rooftop room stood.  

It was cramped,  

But enough for living.  

Easy to move around.  

“…”  

I decided to ditch my old studio apartment and move here. 

Commuting for dozens of minutes like this was too much of a hassle.  

‘It’s more convenient for running the store on weekdays too.’  

Since this convenience store was essentially a rest space for Ayoung, whether it turned a profit or not didn’t matter. 

My main income came from regression-powered investments and stocks anyway.  

Still, I felt compelled to keep this place.  

Specifically, to keep someone working at the first-floor convenience store.  

“…”  

So that Ayoung wouldn’t have to burn herself out in pain to shine… but could smile as she pursued her dreams.  

That was this round’s “promise.”  

“Hmm.”  

Anyway.  

That wasn’t the priority right now.  

I turned on my phone and checked my balance.  

“…”  

It was May 28th.  

My balance had dropped from 7.1 billion to 5.9 billion won.  

‘If this were a round where I was grinding for money, I should’ve crossed 10 billion by now. But after hitting 100 billion last round, I slacked off…’  

I sighed.  

The reason I needed to push past 10 billion by May was to catch the big event on May 31st—a coin surge that would double my assets. 

It was a crucial step to reach hundreds of billions.  

But I’d already missed that train.  

So I had to settle for the next best option.  

‘…At least with 5 billion, I can still grow it to 10 billion. That’s something.’  

Compared to hundreds of billions, it was small.  

But 10 billion was no trivial amount.  

It was a “blade” that could cut through the rules.  

The world that had driven Ayoung into a shabby convenience store—  

To collapse part of that unyielding wall,  

I needed to bring her dreams within reach in this short regression period.  

“…”  

To obtain that blade,  

I pressed the “Buy Coins” button. 

In a market ruled by madness and chance, it was the regressor’s cheat code—the only answer sheet.  

Following my preset orders,  

5 billion vanished in an instant.  

[Balance: 900 million]  

“…Hmm.”  

No excitement.  

The outcome was already set.  

At that moment,  

A shy knock came from behind.  

Knock-knock—!  

“!”  

“Manager, are you here?”  

It was Ayoung. The same Ayoung who’d been groaning in the massage chair had come up to the rooftop, holding two cans of soda.  

She looked around the rooftop in surprise.  

“Wow, I’ve worked here for a year, but this is my first time coming up.”  

“Really?”  

“Yeah. The second floor was always empty, so… it was kinda scary.”  

“Brave of you to work night shifts alone.”  

“Hehe, guess so…”  

She handed me a soda can.  

“Here.”  

“Thanks.”  

I took it.

The cool condensation and refreshing sensation spread across my palm.  

We both opened our cans at the same time.  

Fizz—!  

“…”  

“…”  

We drank quietly, 

I gazing blankly ahead.  

In Seoul’s darkness,  

The distant city lights glittered as if within reach.  

“…”  

“…”  

Ayoung spoke first.  

“Manager.”  

“Yeah.”  

“Why did you buy this place? No one comes here, and it’s kinda creepy. It must’ve cost a fortune, right? People said this place was really bad.”  

“…”  

It wasn’t a mockery. 

Just genuine curiosity from someone who’d spent a year guarding this place every weekend.  

I answered.  

“That night, I happened to pass by alone, and it looked nice.”  

“Huh?”  

“It seemed like a good place to chase dreams. So I decided to give it another shot—seriously this time. …No matter what others say.”  

“…!”  

Ayoung’s eyes widened.

She nodded as if she understood, her yellow side-tail swaying under her baseball cap.  

“I think I get that feeling.”  

“…”  

“I like it here too. No one judges you for dreaming alone.”  

“Yeah?”  

“Mm-hmm.”  

Her voice was wistful.  

“You surprised me when you asked if I was okay… but other people asked me a lot of things.”  

“…”  

“Like, Why an idol? Why dance? Why bother with that?”  

“…”  

“And…”  

“…”  

She caught herself and stopped.  

“…”  

“…”  

She didn’t say it,  

But I could guess the rest.  

-Why a VTuber…?  

Only [Big Man] would understand that feeling.  

So I didn’t press further.  

Ayoung quickly changed the subject.  

“B-but, y’know. The Seoul night view kinda looks like Tokyo’s.”  

“Tokyo?”  

“Yeah, something about the vibe feels similar.”  

“Hmm, maybe. They’re neighboring countries.”  

“…”  

This wasn’t the main topic.  

She seemed to be leading up to something.  

I waited.  

“…”  

“…”  

Finally, she spoke.  

“I’m actually Japanese. I naturalized.”  

“I see.”  

“Can you tell from my accent?”  

“A little.”  

“Hehe…”  

She kicked the rooftop floor lightly.  

“So, um… I think I get how you feel.”  

“?”  

“Wandering alone at night… not really belonging anywhere…”  

“…”  

“So, that’s… um, well…”  

“…”  

“It’s not weird. You’re not weird, Manager.”  

“Really?”  

“Yeah.”  

We fell silent again.  

“…”  

“…”  

A manager and a part-timer.  

It was a ridiculous conversation for their first meeting.  

But it was their way of defining their relationship.  

A promise not to laugh, no matter how foolish things got.  

So we quietly watched the same night view.  

I spoke while gazing at it.  

“Ayoung.”  

“Yeah?”  

“Let’s get along from now on.”  

“Okay.”  

“I’ll cheer for you, no matter what. If you ever just want to rest alone, feel free to use the break room anytime. I’ll keep it open. You can lock the door and relax.”  

“…!”  

Ayoung held her breath for a moment.

Hesitating, she finally replied.  

“…Okay. Thank you.”  

*

《Live: Aki-chan’s Regular Broadcast – Idol Weekend Afternoon Talk Time~!》  

-Real-time viewers: 97  

Aki-chan energetically greeted everyone on Sunday afternoon.  

“Shining in your hearts like a star! Idol trainee Aki-chan here! Hi, my Aces—! Everyone, hiiii—!”  

-Hi  

-Hi  

-Hi  

-Hi  

-House  

-Hi  

…  

…  

…  

And right on schedule, the god of promises arrived.  

Ding!  

【‘Big123456Man’ has donated 2.5 million won!】  

“!”  

Aki-chan beamed and clapped. 

Not because of the money, but because he had come.  

Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap—!  

“Thank you for the 2.5 million won—! Everyone, let’s take a moment to pray, okay—?”  

-LOL Aki-chan’s a money-grubber now  

-Remember her trying to act calm at first? LOL  

-Smoothly guiding Big Man into prayer LOL  

-ABCD fully adapted now LOL  

-But with 10 billion, it’s possible LOL  

Aki-chan pretended not to see the chat. 

She tilted her head up and gently closed her eyes.

Her yellow side-tail swayed.  

“Big Man…”  

-Big Man  

-Big Man  

-BM  

-Big Man  

-BM  

-BM  

…  

…  

…  

After a brief prayer, the chat quickly returned to normal. Big Man had become as natural as the sun in the sky.  

-So what’s today’s plan?  

-Tell us about Big Man oppa~!  

-Aki-chan,,, sing us a song,,,  

-No covers? LOL your lisp is lowkey addicting  

-Facts LOL  

-Are you dating Big Man?  

Aki-chan shook her head side to side.  

“Covers are… still in prep! Today, I’ll sing a few songs. I thought hard about what to sing at the convenience store. I picked only masterpieces, so look forward to it!”  

The chat buzzed.  

-? Convenience store part-time?  

-You got 10 billion but still working?  

-LOL is this RP?  

-For real?  

-Still working?  

-Stop the red pill…!  

-Even with 10 billion, you still need a job…  

-Scary red pill LOL  

Aki-chan hesitated before replying brightly.  

“It’s okay. It’s a really nice convenience store. Want me to tell you where it is?”  

-?  

-Whoa, stop!  

-Stop right there!  

-Ugh… my head hurts…  

-Red pill withdrawal LOL  

-Air raid alert! Air raid alert!  

Aki-chan whispered mischievously.  

“…It’s a secret!”  

-What’s with her LOL  

-Seriously LOL  

-Why’s Aki-chan suddenly acting cute?  

-Hehe, gal move…  

-LOL  

-Just sing already LOL  

Aki-chan laughed along with the chat.  

*

The next day.  

A notice was posted on each ABCD member’s channel.  

《Platform Migration & 3D Showcase Announcement》  

No longer on Hako Platform,

The announcement stated their move to a major streaming platform.