Chapter – 02
Enough with the K-Drama Melodrama
“Hah, my life.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
With all the debt I have to pay back, who am I to be picky now? The offer is too big to refuse.
“Ah, what the heck, I’ll just contract… No, no, no—! Not yet—!”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ says it’s a shame to let one mouth handle two matters.
“You said earlier that what Mom said was a lie! Why is it a lie? Show me proof, and I’ll consider the contract!”
That was a close call.
In my confused state, seeing such an incredible item blinded me.
‘In a crisis, you must be even more cautious.’
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ suggests trying out a trial version of his divine power to see how it feels.
Wasn’t giving me that S-grade item in advance part of the power experience?
I grew even more confused, unable to imagine what kind of being this constellation was.
“Fine. Yeah. A trial sounds good.”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ bestows an oracle upon the individual ‘Kim Eun-sol’, showing her the future!
Unseen scenes unfolded before my eyes in an instant.
Since I hadn’t made the contract, I couldn’t know the details of the constellation’s power. Broken status windows popped up wildly, and faint smoke clouded my vision.
**Oracle (D)**
**Clarity: 70.5%**
What I could see through the gaps in the white smoke was…
‘It’s Mom and Dad.’
They were arguing outside the convenience store under my dad’s name, near our main house.
It was a familiar sight, making me think they were fighting again, but…
The words they were spewing were unbelievable.
“How are you going to fix this mess! I don’t know anything about this! Handle it yourself!”
“Don’t be like that, help me out… You said you needed this too!”
“Even if you lie, how could you lie like that! What? Cancer? Saying you made a bad investment would be more believable! Huh?!”
“I did it because I thought the kid wouldn’t give us money lately! I just thought if I said I was sick, she’d manage to get some emergency funds from somewhere…”
“The kid says she sold an organ, can’t you read the situation? The money. Did you deposit it?”
“Not yet…”
“Sigh. Just ask her to send whatever money she has for now!”
Even my dad, who was furious at first, ended up talking about money.
The conclusion was that Mom having cancer was itself a lie.
‘My life is just screwed.’
Mom had lied to get a large sum of money from me, intending to give it to my brother.
I was seething inside. Such intense rage surged that I couldn’t even scream.
As I plopped down under a broken streetlight, the constellation urgently asked.
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ asks how it was.
How was it? He was practically my savior. If it weren’t for you, I would have fallen for it again like a fool…
I pressed my palm against my forehead. Feeling the moisture soak into my hand, I realized I was drenched in cold sweat.
By this point, my feelings toward the constellation had softened a bit. Although he had aggressively come onto me, causing significant mental damage, this one act was substantial enough to largely make up for it. At least enough to consider the contract more seriously.
“…What’s in it for me if I contract with you?”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ guarantees:
Wealth, fame, and health!
Is this the life of Qin Shi Huang?
“I… don’t really need fame. Just wealth and health are enough. Can you tell me exactly how much wealth is guaranteed?”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ says it already showed you with the trial version, and looks at individual ‘Kim Eun-sol’s inventory.
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ sets a condition.
If one problem is resolved.
I knew there was a catch.
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ says if humanity goes extinct in two months, wealth and health would be useless.
“Humanity goes extinct? What are you talking about?”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ says there’s something it wants to ask of contractor ‘Kim Eun-sol’.
“What is it.”
Perhaps because of the sudden statement, my guard went up again.
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ suggests changing a certain oracle together.
“Change an oracle? Is that possible? You mean change the future now?”
In response to my question, a status window cut in, saying ‘Correct’.
!Field of view is restricted due to the ‘Veil of Night’ debuff!
Passive skill activated!
**Oracle (SSS)**
**Clarity: 57%**
!!!Warning: Statement regarding SSS-grade oracle locked due to non-contractor status.
It was similar to before. I didn’t even have a chance to say anything.
A dizzying, unfamiliar scene spread before my eyes.
This time, it showed a temple of immeasurable size. A temple glowing white as if about to flash, surrounded on all sides. Symbolically, three tall chairs were placed in the center.
Compared to before, incomparably thick smoke filled my vision, and a strange scent numbed my senses. It felt like I was instantly transported, as if space was being sucked into it in a circular motion.
Soon, a familiar yet alien red landscape appeared before me.
The neighborhood I lived in was gone without a trace; the city was in ruins. The ground was entirely red. People swaying their bodies as if dancing amidst the shimmering flames.
No. They weren’t swaying; they were being swayed, having surrendered their bodies to the flames and what looked like blood. Everything humanity had built was trampled under the feet of non-human entities, turning to dust.
A scene straight out of a movie depicting the apocalypse.
I was witnessing the future that was soon to come.
* * *
In the 21st century, humanity faced a novel crisis of extinction.
Gates opened through rifts, monsters rushed out through those gates, and Awakened ones emerged—a cataclysm had occurred.
‘When I was young, I thought by this age I’d be traveling to space stations.’
Now, ten years later, low-level gate dungeon tours targeting non-Awakened had even sprung up. YouTube videos about handling E-grade slimes as pets hit 1 million views. It was an era overflowing with ordinary people desperately trying to awaken to become Hunters rather than civil servants.
In such a world, I became my family’s emergency fund pouch, or their nest egg.
But that nonsense ends now.
“Mom, I can’t give you the money.”
-Why!
“I’m so deep in debt I’m looking for places to sell my organs. Sorry for telling you now.”
-Wh-what?
Of course, the organ trafficking story was a blatant lie.
Why would I sell my organs? I sold the two S-grade items the constellation gave me, the Essence of the Black Dragon Gailand, and made enough money to buy two prime real estate apartments in the new city.
“I’ll be a credit delinquent soon.”
-No, how?! You were giving us living expenses fine until last month!
This, of course, was also a blatant lie.
With the money from selling the two S-grade items, I paid off all my debts, including student loans and secondary financial sector loans.
And a hefty sum still remained in my account.
“That was money I borrowed from a coworker. Separately, I borrowed money and invested my entire fortune in stocks, and it failed. I can’t even handle the revolving interest anymore, so I’m moving to a goshiwon today. I called to come clean before I go.”
Mom was speechless, probably flustered.
They probably thought I’d always manage fine on my own, so it was okay to borrow money from me anytime, but they never expected this.
I recited the prepared lines like a madwoman.
“If selling my organs can cover Mom’s surgery, I’m willing to try. First, there’s actually someone who matches my kidney? When is your surgery, Mom?”
-I, I… Eunsol-ah. Is there no other way? Are things that bad? What on earth did you…
“So, about that, Mom.”
-Huh?
“Lend me some money.”
Silence followed.
“I need emergency living expenses right now. Just a few hundred thousand won, just 500,000 won. Okay?”
No answer came.
“No? I’m really struggling now. I’m too, too tired to give any more money. Didn’t you sell Oppa’s officetel? Tell him to sell it quickly, okay?”
-Why are you telling your brother to pay for your stupid stock losses?!
…Ah.
I remembered the time they told me to get a part-time job when I was in high school because the house was short on money. I thought they were just saying it, but I ended up working at a butcher shop owned by Mom’s friend.
I only found out much later that all the money I earned from that job went into my brother’s repeat-year academy fees and textbook costs.
I didn’t mind the house being poor due to reasons like Dad’s frequent business failures. But even in that situation, my brother went to college without a hitch, while I almost couldn’t go, unlike him.
What era is this, using your daughter as a nest egg to send your son to college? Even though gates opened and the world almost split in two, that much remained the same.
‘You won’t even give me 500,000 won? After all I’ve given you.’
To hell with the Kim family. Let’s cut ties.
This might be a chance akin to having died and regressed. Plus, now that I know about the future extinction of humanity, I’m no longer in my right mind.
“…That’s too much. Did I ask you to pay off all my debt? I just asked for some living expenses. I’m serious about selling my organs.”
-……
“Besides, most of that debt was incurred because of our family. And even when I say I’m selling my organs, you don’t care?”
-Well, who, who told you to spend money so recklessly? There are so many things to spend money on, why on earth did you…!
“Sounds like you think my money is your money.”
It was always like this. My brother and dad weren’t much different.
“Don’t contact me anymore. Live as if I don’t exist. This is my final act of filial piety.”
I suppressed my churning stomach and continued.
“The next time I visit home will be the day I’m determined to get my money back. It won’t matter if you don’t open the door or hide. Be prepared for me to call the police.”
-Are you threatening me?
“I’m just going to get my money back? Tell Oppa to prepare himself, because if he doesn’t give me the money, I’ll come looking for him with an axe.”
-Wh-what…
“Mom and Dad raised nothing but unfilial children for half their lives.”
It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. It felt like water was about to gush out between my eyelids like a broken faucet.
But the tiresome family drama ends here.
Having just become unfilial child number 2 through my lies, I quickly ended the call.
“Let me know when you set a date. I’ll get your surgery done with the money from selling my organs.”
-Wa-wait…!
Of course, I’m obviously not selling them.
Without any lingering attachment, I hung up and immediately blocked all my family’s phone numbers. Then I threw my phone onto the bed.
“There! The melodrama is really over now!”
The constellation ‘Versatile Handsome God’ says it was waiting so long it thought its neck would break.
It was my wish to cut ties with my family. And to think I achieved it like this.
I glanced at the message window with the constellation.
Even if I didn’t want to believe it, I could feel it. The constellation I contracted with was a high-tier existence.
‘Why did it come to a lowly F-grade like me?’
