11. Convenience store
On the way home.
Ryu Won couldn’t keep his mouth shut as he looked at his older brother.
“Tongue, bro. What happened? Where did you learn martial arts?”
“Where do I have time for that?”
“but…….”
As soon as he entered high school, he found a part-time job to earn living expenses.
Since I worked in parallel with school with the intention of at least getting a diploma, I wouldn’t have had time to learn martial arts.
“Then what happened? What about those movements…?”
“You didn’t read the article properly, did you? Players who have been to other worlds can demonstrate their abilities in real life as well. Like this.”
Ryumin opened his inventory and took out stilettos.
“Gasp! What, what?”
The system is invisible to other people.
To my younger brother, it would inevitably seem like a sword suddenly appeared out of thin air.
“Uh, where did you get it? And that knife?”
“I told you. Players can use their abilities in real life as well.”
When Ryumin put the dagger back, it disappeared as if by magic.
I opened my mouth again at the unbelievable reality I saw, but what was even more unbelievable was what happened in the hideout.
‘I never thought my brother would beat Bang Tae-gyu… … .’
Middle school seniors and even high school students tend to avoid Bang Tae-gyu out of fear when they see him.
Ryumin easily defeated such a monster.
Overwhelmingly, without a single hit.
“Can all players move like their older brother? How can they all avoid that?”
“My agility stat is 11.”
“Stats? Those stats in the game?”
Ryumin explained step by step to his younger brother, who still didn’t know much.
“Well, then you’re saying you were that fast because you went all in on agility?”
“yes.”
“How much is normal?”
“You can think of it as a 3 for an average adult and a 10 for an athlete.”
In other words, Ryu Min has the agility of a skilled boxer.
“Well, then what happens later when your level increases and your agility increases to 30 or 50?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t gone to that level.”
Of course it was a lie.
This is Ryu Min, who has reached over 300 in agility.
‘Once you get to around 300, you literally become a monster.’
At this point, you will be able to dodge bullets.
Modern weapons do not work and cannot hit.
It grows into a weapon that cannot be caught unless you are a fellow player.
‘In the future, there will be more players causing accidents here and there.’
Murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, theft, etc.
Some crooked players use their abilities for all kinds of crimes.
It’s not that far away.
This is a reality that will happen in just a few months.
‘Players even fight among themselves.’
Even if they work together to get through the round, it’s not enough, so they aim for each other’s lives.
‘I can’t let my younger brother get caught up in a fight between players like that.’
In episode 11, Ryu Min confessed to his younger brother that he was a regressor.
As a result, my younger brother had to be kidnapped just because he was a family member of a returnee.
‘My younger brother didn’t even go somewhere and boast that he was a family member of a returnee.’
The reason was simple.
Because the kidnapper named Jang Seok-hyeon had a rune that allowed him to read other people’s inner thoughts.
From then on, Ryu Min took revenge on Jang Seok-hyeon.
He even took the [Rune of the Inner Heart], a hidden rune that he accidentally discovered, for himself.
‘Jang Seok-hyeon. ‘I own that damn rune in this episode as well.’
The Rune of the Inner Mind is very useful for obtaining information, coping with situations, and even identifying enemies.
It is also included in the list of 18 runes that must be obtained by Ryumin.
‘If I take the rune, my younger brother won’t have to be kidnapped by Jang Seok-hyeon… … .’
However, I do not want to reveal that I am a regressor.
‘Because of me, my younger brother suffered such humiliation.’
Even though it is a thing of the past and it prevents future threats at the source, it is true that it is uncomfortable.
I felt sorry for my younger brother for having to go through something like that.
That was the reason for not revealing to his younger brother that he was a returnee.
“Brother, thank you for helping me….”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“huh?”
“You’re worried that Bang Tae-gyu might report you to the police.”
“Yeah, that’s right. If we have to pay for treatment even though we don’t have any money…”
“I won’t report it. Unless I want to die.”
Ryumin was sure.
Because it was like that in the previous episode as well.
Bang Tae-gyu was not stupid enough to ignore Ryu Min’s warning.
‘He’ll just say he got hurt in a gang fight. The witnesses around him will make sure he gets caught.’
Ryumin could rest assured, knowing that he would never open his mouth.
It doesn’t matter if you open your mouth.
‘Just pay the settlement and kill him and that’s it.’
Right now, I don’t even have enough money to pay rent, let alone the settlement amount, but I wasn’t worried.
‘It’s enough to make money.’
But my younger brother’s thoughts were different, and his face still looked deep.
The thought of what you might not know will continue to linger in your head.
‘Well, it’s not like you repeat dozens of situations like me and know the outcome.’
Ryu Min chuckled, saying it was worth worrying about money, but Ryu Won had something else to worry about.
‘Is this really the brother I know?’
When he glanced at his older brother, his appearance was clearly the same as yesterday, but Ryu Won saw it clearly.
The image of my brother breaking his fingers without any mercy despite Bang Tae-gyu’s pleas.
I didn’t feel appalled or scared by the cruelty.
On the contrary, I even found it refreshing to see Bang Tae-gyu crying out in pain.
‘The problem is that the brother I know is not this cold-hearted and cruel.’
Does becoming a player change a person?
Or did the harsh experience of killing and killing change a person?
‘I’ve never played a survival game before, so I’m not sure… … .’
Ryu Won glanced at his brother.
Ryu Min then felt his gaze and looked at him with suspicion.
“why?”
“Oh, no. Nothing.”
Ryu Won turned his head and felt relieved.
‘I didn’t know it when we were fighting, but now I definitely know him.’
When he was fighting, he seemed like a completely different person, but now he was no different from his usual brother.
‘That’s enough.’
Ryu Won let go of his worries.
What’s the problem just because my brother has changed?
I came back alive and strong like this.
‘That’s enough. ‘That’s it.’
At that moment, when he decided not to care anymore, Ryu Won saw a convenience store.
At that moment, an embarrassing signal came from the ship.
Growling-
It’s because I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up in the morning.
Ryumin, who did not miss the sound, chuckled next to him.
“Are you hungry? Would you like to have breakfast at the convenience store?”
“Uh, Joe, that’s good.”
The younger brother scratched his head in embarrassment and followed his older brother into the convenience store.
Although it may seem shabby for a meal, there was no paradise like a convenience store for the brothers who were on a tight budget to cover their monthly rent.
These days, convenience stores are doing so well that there’s almost nothing out there.
They could have eaten out at other restaurants, but for the brothers, going beyond a convenience store was just a luxury.
At that time, Ryumin approached the ATM next to the convenience store.
“Hyung? What are you doing?”
“Wait a minute, take out some money.”
When I insert my card into the ATM, I see a shabby amount of money.
[Amount available for withdrawal: KRW 133,202]
Total assets: 133,000 won.
Although it was a small amount of money, it was all of the money for the brothers who were not making much money.
Still, Ryumin worked part-time at a meat restaurant every weekend, so he was able to make ends meet.
Compared to the average person, my life was quite poor.
However, Ryu Min withdrew most of the small amount of money.
“brother?”
Ryu Won was surprised to see his brother withdrawing 100,000 won in cash and asked.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Because it’s useful.”
Ryumin smiled at his curious younger brother and entered the convenience store.
My younger brother followed me in and tried to choose cup ramen as usual, but to my surprise, he ended up in the frozen food section.
“Now, choose from here.”
“Hyung? There are only expensive things there.”
Although Ryu Won refused frozen foods worth at least 5,000 won.
“It’s okay. Eat as much as you want for today.”
For some reason, Ryumin decided to indulge in extravagance unlike usual.
“Hyung, did the owner of the meat restaurant give you a bonus?”
“You know you’re not the type of person to do that.”
“But why do you suddenly want to eat something expensive?”
“It’s the New Year. You can’t fill yourself up with ramen on a day like today.”
“I don’t usually do that, so why….”
Monthly rent, cell phone bill, and even food expenses.
Although they are receiving support for part-time work and basic living expenses, it is not easy to cover the cost for two people.
As the situation was like this, Ryu Won also showed good sense in choosing delicious food.
Would you want to eat ramen every day when you are already at the prime of your eating age?
“It’s okay, so choose.”
“Are you serious, bro? Even if I eat this, will we still have money to live on?”
“there is.”
“Really? Then it’s okay if I choose?”
“Even if it’s okay.”
Even though I repeatedly asked him to choose what he wanted to eat, his younger brother only gave him a skeptical look.
‘Why is my brother acting like this all of a sudden?’
But think about that for a moment.
Thinking that his brother would have left some money for living expenses, Ryu Won chose what he wanted to eat.
“Are you going to eat that? Gochujang pork belly?”
“Yeah. I really wanted to try this.”
“…….”
Ryumin’s expression darkened slightly at those words.
In the meantime, I didn’t have the chance to try pork belly because I didn’t have money.
“Wonah. I’ll let you eat to your heart’s content at a meat restaurant soon. Korean beef.”
“It’s okay. What kind of Korean beef is this for our situation? This is enough for me.”
I’m trying my best to smile, but I know it’s not true.
At a young age, I could never go out to eat like everyone else did, so of course I wouldn’t want to go there.
‘Just wait a few days. I’ll make you eat only meat until I’m so sick of it.’
What Ryumin just said was not empty.
There was a reason for being so extravagant now.
Because a large sum of money is about to arrive in a few days.
“I’ll choose this.”
What Ryumin chose was frozen steamed chicken.
“It sounds delicious, bro. Can you give me a little? I’ll share mine too.”
“okay.”
Ryumin, who had chosen two more Hetbahn, went to the counter and handed out his card.
After I finished paying, I came back, opened the package, and put it in the microwave.
It was more convenient to eat at a convenience store like this than to eat in a small house.
“It’s done. Let’s eat.”
“I’ll eat well, bro!”
I sat down and enjoyed a small dinner with my younger brother at a convenience store.
“it’s good!”
“Is it delicious? Eat a lot.”
When Ryumin reduced his share, his younger brother was overjoyed.
“Thank you, bro!”
My younger brother must have been tired of eating only ramen, but he enjoyed it.
I ate it ravenously, like someone who had starved for several days.
“Ah, it was a good meal.”
After the meal, my younger brother, who was patting his stomach, asked with a puzzled expression.
“But brother.”
“why?”
“I saw earlier that you were paying with a credit card… If that’s the case, why did you take 100,000 won?”
It looks like he thought he could buy it with 100,000 won in cash.
“I told you. It’s useful.”
“So what are you going to use it for?”
Instead of answering, Ryumin took a piece of paper and a felt-tip pen from one side.
It was none other than a lottery paper.
“Brother, why is this…?”
“You wouldn’t know it if you saw it?”
Only then did the younger brother realize why his older brother had chosen 100,000 won.
“Are you sure you want to play the lottery?”
“huh.”
“Bro, you’re still in high school. You can’t buy a lottery ticket, right?”
“Did you forget? I’m an adult starting today.”
“Ah… I see.”
Today was also Saturday, the day of the lottery.
But when I looked closely, I saw that Ryumin had brought more than one or two sheets of paper.
“Wait a minute, how many tickets did you bring? Twenty? Are you really going to buy 100,000 won worth of lottery tickets?”
“Because the purchase limit is only 100,000 won per person.”
I said it with an expression of regret, but my younger brother jumped up.
“Bro, are you crazy? How can we afford to spend 100,000 won?”
Even if you only buy one to commemorate becoming an adult, purchasing 20 copies was a huge luxury.
“It may seem like a luxury, but it’s not. You have to pay for this.”
“I don’t know if it will work or not! I’m sure it will all be messed up….”
“We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Ryumin was full of confidence.
As if he was sure to win.
But this wasn’t the only absurd thing.
“What are you doing? Why are you taking just one number in a row?”
Ryumin said with a grin.
“Well, these are the winning numbers.”
