Jaeho stared at the cyan screen hovering in his line of sight with a raised brow.
It didn't make sense, it shouldn't exist, but there it was, floating in front of him like some kind of holographic interface from a video game.
[Ding!]
[Cashback System activation requirement met!]
[System binding in progress...!]
[System successfully linked!]
He could feel his heart pound in his chest, this couldn't be real, was he hallucinating? Had the stress finally broken something in his brain or was this schizophrenia? But there was no doubt the screen was right there.
[Spent ₩50,000. 2X critical hit. Earned ₩100,000. The money has been transferred to account XXX-XXX-XXX]
That was, that was double of what he had just sent. Everything felt surreal.
[Spent at least ₩50,000 on a lewd item for a MILF!]
[Received 1 lottery ticket. Do you want to use it?]
[YES] [NO]
Jaeho stared at the options as his hand didn't move nor did hr reach out to touch the screen. He just... thought about it.
"Yes."
The screen responded instantly.
[Lottery ticket used!]
[Drawing in progress...]
A spinning wheel appeared, filled with different rewards he couldn't quite read as they spun too fast. It spun for what felt like an eternity before slowing down, the needle clicking past option after option until finally stopped.
[Congratulations! You have drawn Debt Elimination!]
[Debt Elimination: This card completely clears all outstanding debts the host has!]
Jaeho's phone vibrated right away in his hand to the point he nearly dropped it.
With shaking fingers, he unlocked the screen and opened his banking app. A notification stared back at him.
[[Transfer Received: ₩100,000]]
[[Sender: CASHBACK SYSTEM]]
[[New Balance: ₩100,003]]
"What the hell..." Jaeho whispered under his breath, making sure no one else heard him.
His phone vibrated again and again, and again.
Text messages flooded in, one after another, each one from a different creditor.
[[Loan #47382 - PAID IN FULL]]
[[Outstanding Balance: ₩0]]
[[Thank you for your payment!]]
[[Debt Settlement Confirmed]]
[[Total Amount Cleared: ₩85,000,000]]
[[Account Closed]]
[[URGENT: Payment Received]]
[[Your debt of ₩120,000,000 has been cleared.]]
[[No further payments required.]]
One after another. Loan sharks, banks, credit companies, medical bills from his father's final days, and overdue rent payments he'd been juggling for months.
All of it gone in the blink of an eye, ₩737,500,000, paid in full.
Jaeho's jaw hung open as he felt his knees getting weak. He gripped the counter to keep himself from falling.
"How..." he muttered under his breath.
"How is any of this possible?" Jaeho was speechless, this had to be some sort of prank.
The cyan screen was still there, hovering silently, as if waiting for him to acknowledge it.
He looked around the laundromat and noticed no one else seemed to notice. Customers went about their business, loading machines, folding clothes, and chatting with each other. Mrs. Park was restocking detergent in the back which meant no one saw the screen but him.
Jaeho's gaze drifted toward the woman that had activated this strange system.
She had moved to one of the washing machines in the corner, loading her laundry. She didn't need to be here.
She could afford a service to do this for her. Hell, she probably had a washing machine in her expensive apartment.
But Mrs. Park had told him once that this woman came here because she always had, even when she was younger, before the money, before the marriage. It was a habit done out of habit.
Jaeho watched her for a moment, then his brain caught up with what the system had said.
"Spent at least ₩50,000 on a lewd item for a MILF," Jaeho thought to himself.
"Lewd... MILF," Jaeho muttered under his breath.
His face flushed red, the system had called her a lewd MILF!
That meant she had also bought something... perverted. Something she didn't want showing up on her regular payment history, there was a good chance this was what she did but Jaeho knew this was a stretch even for him.
Jaeho's eyes flicked back to her but he was looking at her differently.
She bent over slightly to reach the bottom of the washing machine, and her skirt rode up just enough to reveal the curve of her thighs. Her blouse stretched tight across her chest, and for a split second, Jaeho's mind and heart raced.
He pictured her, alone in her apartment, wearing something lacy and barely there, touching herself while…!
"Stop," Jaeho controlled his thoughts right away before it could spiral. This wasn't the time or place for such thoughts.
Jaeho quickly looked away, his heart pounding for an entirely different reason now.
"Get it together," he muttered under his breath.
This was a gift, a miracle. Life had just handed him a fresh start, cleared every debt, and gave him breathing room for the first time in years. He wasn't going to waste it by being a creep.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to focus.
The woman finished loading her machine and walked back toward the counter, her phone still clutched in her hand.
"Do you have a charger I could borrow?" she asked, her voice softer now, less desperate.
"Of course," Jaeho said, pulling one from behind the counter.
"Here," Jaeho handed her the charger.
"Thank you." the lady showed him her gratitude.
She plugged it in and waited but she didn't have to wait for long, after a moment, her phone came back to life. She checked the screen, then let out a relieved sigh.
"Oh, thank god. It went through," She exclaimed.
She looked up at Jaeho, her expression genuinely grateful.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," she said.
"Let me pay you back right now," she added
"It's already taken care of," Jaeho said quickly because whatever just happened was because of this woman.
"What?" She questioned, genuinely confusion plastered across her face.
"I mean…!" Jaeho fumbled for an explanation.
"Don't worry about it. Really. It's fine," Jaeho rephrased the sentence.
She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to figure him out.
Then she smiled. It was a small smile, but it was warm.
"You're a good kid," she praised Jaeho.
"What's your name?" she questioned.
"Jaeho. Han Jaeho," Jaeho officially introduced himself to this bombshell.
"Well, Jaeho," she said, extending her hand.
"I'm Yura. Choi Yura. And I owe you one," Yura had taken the first step to know him on a first name basis.
Jaeho shook her hand, trying not to notice how soft her skin was.
"No need, really," Jaeho once again tried to politely reject the gesture she was trying to extend to him.
"I insist." She pulled out her phone before pointing it towards him.
"Give me your number. I'll make it up to you sometime," Yura wasn't backing down.
Jaeho hesitated, but eventually gave in because he had nothing to lose. Yura saved it, then slipped her phone back into her purse.
"See you around, Jaeho," Yura said with a friendly wink.
Jaeho watched her walk out and the view was heavenly, that body was defintiely something kind on the eyes.
The cyan screen flickered in his vision one more time.
[System active. Good luck, Host.]
Then it vanished.
Jaeho stood there in the middle of the laundromat, surrounded by the noise of washing machines and the whispers of customers, and for the first time in five year
He didn't feel like he was drowning, there was light at the end of the tunnel.