I Want to Avoid the Bad Ending - Chapter 3

“Damn, it hurts like hell”

Seo Daejin gasped, his face twisted in pain. Park Sena clicked her tongue in disapproval, looking at him as if he were pathetic. Jeong Haeyoon, standing behind me, put a hand on my shoulder and asked, sounding curious.

“Jaeyi, what do you think we should do with that board?”

“…”

He tilted his head, looking like he didn’t have a clue—almost like he was acting. But since he’s an NPC, he’s programmed that way, so it couldn’t be an act. Still, something felt off.

I carefully removed Jeong Haeyoon’s hand from my shoulder. His expression darkened, seemingly hurt by my reaction.

“Well… I’m not sure.”

“Take a good look. Doesn’t that board look pretty sturdy?”

Jeong Haeyoon dragged out his words, giving me a teasing smile. It was strange—almost like he was giving me a hint. Without thinking, I glanced up at him. He just answered with a smile before looking back at the board.

Is he telling me to touch it?

It made me wonder if the developer had added this character specifically to give hints. Was this a good thing? I felt confused.

Jeong Haeyoon’s hand was quietly reaching for either my waist or shoulder again, but I brushed it off and carefully reached past Seo Daejin to touch the board.

[The wall is boarded up. It looks like it could be broken with the right tool.]

Ah, I need a tool to break it.

“I think if we had a strong tool, we could break this down.”

“Tools? Is there even such a thing here?”

Park Sena looked around the room, but there didn’t seem to be anything useful. It looked like we’d probably have to go search outside.

“Let’s take a look around. We might find something in the kitchen or living room.”

At that moment, Jeong Haeyoon suddenly spoke up with a suggestion.

“Then let’s split into pairs and start searching.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it a waste of time for all four of us to go together? If we split up, we can find what we need faster.”

Seo Daejin, who had been rolling around on the floor, looked a bit better and gave a nod as he limped. Park Sena seemed to agree with Jeong Haeyoon’s idea, too.

Honestly, as long as I didn’t have to team up with Jeong Haeyoon, I’d be fine. Even if he was just a helper NPC, there was something about his suspicious vibe that made me not want to be alone with him.

“Uh… sure. Let’s split up then.”

In the end, I couldn’t resist the stares from the others and reluctantly agreed. Even if it was just a game, I was outnumbered, and Jeong Haeyoon did have a point. If all four of us stayed together, we’d only waste time without getting much done.

In most RPG Maker games, supporting NPCs rarely provide much help, so it’s practically always up to the player to solve everything. So, half-resigned, I agreed.

“Okay, so how are we splitting up?”

“Park Sena and I will look around the living room, so you two can check out the kitchen.”

In response to Park Sena’s question, Seo Daejin casually gestured toward Jeong Haeyoon and me with his chin. I couldn’t help but sigh at how he made decisions all on his own without consulting anyone. As expected, Seo Daejin was as bossy as he’d been when I played the game in real life.

It wasn’t just the lie that bothered me—I also had no desire to team up with Jeong Haeyoon, who gave off an unsettling vibe. So, I spoke up against Seo Daejin’s decision.

“And why are you the one deciding?”

“Well, what, should we play the up or down¹ game or something? I just paired us up in the order we were standing. Got a better idea?”

“No, but like you said, we could just play up or down.”

“Ugh, so much fuss over pairing up. Fine, let’s just do it that way.”

Seo Daejin scowled, clearly irritated, and gestured with his chin.

“Hands out, everyone.”

We all extended our hands with the backs facing up, then shook them at the same time.

“Up or down!”

Following Seo Daejin’s signal, we all flipped our hands, revealing either palms or backs. Seo Daejin and Park Sena showed the backs of their hands, while Jeong Haeyoon and I ended up with our palms facing up.

My gaze met Jeong Haeyoon’s once more and he smiled with his eyes.

“Looks like we’re partners.”

Seo Daejin’s sarcastic voice followed.

“See? We were going to end up like this anyway, so why go through all that?”

We ended up splitting teams because I suggested playing “Up or down” so I couldn’t even make an excuse to change it. Seo Daejin’s smug attitude annoyed me, and I wasn’t happy about teaming up with Jeong Haeyoon, but there was nothing I could do.

Sigh… Let’s look on the bright side. Being stuck with someone who gives hints like that might at least make the game progress more smoothly…

In the end, I decided to drop it for now.

“Alright. I’ll head to the living room with Park Sena. You two can search around a bit more, then check the kitchen for something to break the board with.”

Feeling full of himself, Seo Daejin acted like the leader and walked out with Park Sena. I was dumbfounded by his arrogance, but he was already gone.

Ugh, so annoying. He’s just an NPC—maybe I should just knock some sense into him.

I thought to myself, but it was a pointless idea anyway.

“Jaeyi, should we look around a bit more before heading out?”

“Ah, sure.”

Jeong Haeyoon gave me a friendly smile, so I gave him one back. The best way to match insincerity is with insincerity.

The room suddenly felt emptier, but with two guys still in the cramped space, it wasn’t too awkward. Jeong Haeyoon and I finished checking the bed and drawers.

[Empty.]

[Empty.]

All the drawers were empty. Just as I thought, breaking the board seemed to be the only way to find a key or any sort of clue. I looked over at Jeong Haeyoon.

“Hey, the drawers are all…”

“Hey?”

For a moment, he frowned, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Did I do something wrong? His expression turned ice-cold, and it was terrifying. The air felt especially tense, as if the game’s background music had suddenly stopped.

“I’m not ‘Hey’”

“Huh?”

“Call me Haeyoon.”

He leaned in a little, tilting his head as he spoke, and smiled softly with his eyes. His unexpected request sent a chill down my spine. It caught me off guard. Calling him by name? Between two guys? It felt awkwardly intimate.

“Ah….”

On any other day, I’d have caused a scene over why I should call him by his name. But we were in a game…

The persistent system window seemed to loom over me like it was watching. I couldn’t afford to act recklessly and have his affection level drop.

I forced down a swallow. As much as I hated entertaining a liar who broke all moral codes…

“Um, okay. Haeyoon… Looks like there’s nothing here. We should probably check the kitchen or somewhere else.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

The moment I humored him, Jeong Haeyoon flashed another broad smile.

What is he, Jekyll and Hyde? Does hearing his name really make him that happy? I almost burst out laughing at how absurd it was, but I managed to hold it in.

As we stepped outside, Jeong Haeyoon grabbed my shoulder, but I pretended not to notice and quickly walked ahead, brushing him off. I couldn’t understand why he was clinging to me like this when his affection level was still only at 65.

Come to think of it, when exactly does the affection level go up or down? I was curious, but the system gave no response. Having to wait for it to give an explanation was slightly annoying.

We walked past Park Sena and Seo Daejin, who were searching the living room, and opened the door connected to it.

[Kitchen]

“Oh, it’s the kitchen.”

The kitchen was spacious and clean. The sink was straight ahead, with a drying rack on the left and a fridge on the right wall. In the middle stood a dining table long enough for a large family. While there wasn’t anything particularly special, the utensils dancing on the cutting board were quite amusing.

“Cute.”

I smiled faintly at the sight of the utensils, when Jeong Haeyoon suddenly exclaimed in an excited voice.

“You think I’m cute?”

“No, I meant them.”

His unexpected remark made me reflexively straighten my expression, and Jeong Haeyoon pouted with a sulky look.

“What about me? Am I not cute?”

“…”

Unbelievable…

If it were any other guy, I would’ve smacked him for trying to act cute. Sure, the way he pouted was kind of endearing, but it didn’t work on me—not only because I’m a guy, but also because he’s just data. I felt nothing.  The only thing that stopped my fist was his handsome face.

“You’re mean.”

When I didn’t answer, his pretty face scrunched up as if he was sulking. At that moment, I remembered the “affection system” tied to him and quickly opened my mouth to say something.

“I mean, you are handsome, but…”

“But what?”

“Uh, well….”

“Nothing else?”

Ugh, so annoying.

As Jeong Haeyoon pouted, I swore I could almost see a tail wagging behind him. What the hell…? We just met, and he’s acting all cute and playful? Isn’t that the real joke here? Still, he wouldn’t hold back hints later just because I don’t play along… right?

“…Hah.”

I didn’t want to give in to his obvious leading question, but my overly moral and kind nature caved to the absurdity of it all.

“You’re cute.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Where exactly?”

▶ Face.

▶ Lips.

▶ Everything.

You’ve got to be kidding me…

Suddenly, a choice window popped up. Is this some kind of event?

My mind was a mess. It didn’t seem like time had stopped, as Jeong Haeyoon was blinking and looking at me with expectant eyes.

That was definitely strange. I hadn’t been in the game for long, but “The Black Mansion” wasn’t originally designed like this.

What should I choose? Face? Lips? Everything?

His face wasn’t exactly cute and more of a blend between a handsome man and a beauty. His plump lips gave off more of a sensual vibe than a cute one. So, “everything”?Is that what he wants me to say?

Damn it, but isn’t saying “Everything” a bit much? Do you have no sense of humility? And we’ve known each other for less than an hour, dude. How am I supposed to know if you’re cute or not?

…Is what I wanted to say, but I held back. Saying anything felt like it would spark an argument where one side is fishing for validation and there’s me, failing to play along.

“Your face.”

“My face?”

“Yeah.”

Damn it, I just couldn’t play along. Even if I had no shame, there was no way I could tell another guy, “Everything about you is cute♡”. Instead, I confidently went with ‘your face,’ because at least that much was true.

He smiled softly at my response, his eyes curving slightly, and brushed his fingers over his lips.

“Thanks. Of course you know me well.”

[Jeong Haeyoon’s affection increased by 3 points.]

[Jeong Haeyoon

Affection: 68]

Oh, the affection level went up! Gotta love events like this!

Despite hearing the smug “of course” and the annoying “you know me well,” I couldn’t help but cheer at the sight of the increased affection level.

So, events like this affect the affection level based on your decisions, huh?

Would it have turned out differently if I’d answered “Everything” or “Lips”? Maybe the affection level would’ve dropped instead.

Looks like calling him “cute” could be a consistent way to boost the affection level. I should try it again later.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───