Chapter 442: As You Say
I stared at the grandfather smiling before my eyes.
A protruding belly, a benevolent smile, and a white beard...
"By any chance, do you ride around on a sleigh?"
"Everyone who sees me for the first time asks that!"
The old man laughed heartily.
"But I suppose it's somewhat similar!"
"What, so Santa Claus exists?"
Song A-rin muttered as if it were absurd, and Jang Chae-yeon also looked at the old man with a bewildered expression.
"Of course Santa doesn't exist!"
Then, as if asking why we were questioning the obvious, the old man continued.
"My story has gotten distorted over time!"
Hearing this, Yu Daon approached me and whispered.
"Mr. Jae-heon."
"Yes?"
"What's a Santa?"
"Uh..."
How should I explain this?
For a moment, I was at a loss for words, just staring blankly. Fortunately, Jang Chae-yeon, who heard my flustered muttering, continued for me.
"He's a grandfather who gives presents to children who behave well."
"No wonder I never saw him when I was a child!"
"..."
It hurt my heart just listening to this.
"Santa is a lie."
Then, the old man who had been listening to our conversation spoke to Yu Daon.
"He's just a device to make children behave."
"Aha!"
"And usually, not telling children such things isn't the child's fault, but the adult's."
"I... see!"
Yu Daon tilted her head as if not fully convinced, but she seemed to let it go as if it weren't very important.
Anyway, I gave a slight nod of thanks to the man who had smoothly handled the situation and asked a question.
"...This might be presumptuous of me, but how old are you?"
"I'm quite old!"
[Name : Stationery Store Owner]
[Age : X]
[Specialty : Gift]
[Talent : Gift]
[Background : A monster who loves children and, furthermore, is fascinated by humanity, can sometimes love humans more than most humans do.]
[Weakness : Love can be betrayed someday. Of course, this being who has lived much longer than you might think may not be disappointed in people so easily.]
"Well now! I feel completely exposed!"
It was only after I had finished reading his semi-transparent window that the old man laughed cheerfully and spoke.
"...Did you find out?"
"Anyone would notice if you stare at this old body with such intense eyes!"
The three people who heard the old man's words stared straight at me.
"It's a misunderstanding."
"I know. I just wanted to tease you a bit."
"Hehe."
As I calmly spoke, Song A-rin teased me, and Jang Chae-yeon also laughed playfully.
Right. We've known each other long enough that we don't get surprised or feel betrayed by something like this.
"But I think I kind of understand? Because Mr. Jae-heon sometimes stares at us so intensely."
"That's right."
The other two nodded in agreement with Yu Daon's words.
"Me?"
"You don't know?"
"Sometimes, you stare at us so hard it feels like you're drilling holes through us."
"Then we just think, 'Oh, his condition has flared up again.'"
What does 'his condition has flared up again' mean? It makes me sound like a crazy person.
Thinking that, I closed my mouth, and the old man laughed out loud.
"Hoho! You all seem to get along very well, that's excellent! I called you here to recommend a good game to such fine folks!"
"To be precise, you blackmailed us."
You said you'd kidnap us if we didn't come.
"Even so, would I have actually kidnapped you? I merely escorted you here politely."
"How?"
"By appearing in front of the Management Bureau with my reindeer and shouting your name loudly—"
"I understand."
It seems like it would have been a real disaster if I hadn't come.
Nodding with that thought, the old man gave a kindly smile.
"Don't be like that. Now, why don't you try playing our new game!"
"But why do you need fully grown adults like us to play a new game?"
"Usually, it's children who play, but it's adults who live!"
Well, that's true.
"It's not dangerous, is it?"
"Have I ever given you a toy that was dangerous?"
Well, the toys themselves weren't usually physically dangerous. It's our relationship that's dangerous.
"..."
"Anyway, unexpected good guests have arrived, so I must take responsibility and make sure you have fun!"
The old man laughed and raised his hand, and the woman who had guided us earlier brought a small box.
"...And what is this?"
"A game?"
"What kind of game?"
"Our employee will explain that now!"
"Come on, follow me!"
The employee cheerfully led us away.
"..."
Following behind the employee, I sank into thought.
No matter how friendly this Stationery Store Owner is towards people, there are still points that bother me.
It felt like he was acting as if he knew my weaknesses, or the things I care about.
"Kim Jae-heon."
As I followed the woman, lost in thought, the old man stopped me.
"Allow an old man's worry to give you one piece of advice."
"...Please go on."
"I've seen many people, and everyone has their own hardships."
Unlike before, the old man muttered as if giving advice to a young man and looked at me.
"It might be a selfish thing to say, but how about thinking of it as trying to get a clue and giving it a go?"
"..."
After meeting the old man's eyes, I eventually had no choice but to nod.
Right. If he's gone that far, I should at least hear him out.
Thinking that, I quickened my pace to follow the woman.
*
The place where the woman stopped was a small room.
"Here, we're going to try a new game now!"
"What kind of game is it?"
"It's...!"
The woman pulled out and showed us a card.
It looks like a pack of playing cards.
"It's the fun story-building game!"
A fun story-building game?
"Is there any reason to specifically call adults out to play such a childish game?"
Song A-rin muttered in a serious voice, and this time, I didn't even think of stopping her.
A story-building game? What on earth is that.
"But it's not just any story-building game."
With a 'ta-da!' sound, the woman raised her finger.
"This is about building a random story based on the cards."
"Sounds cliché?"
Song A-rin muttered in a disinterested voice. Hearing this, the woman stared straight at Song A-rin.
"You don't know because you haven't tried it yourself! Our games always prioritize realism!"
"Oh, really?"
Song A-rin scoffed and flicked her finger.
The woman's gaze seemed momentarily nailed to the ceiling.
"Anyone can do realism. The problem is doing it well."
Song A-rin spoke in a calm voice. The woman, who had been staring at the ceiling as if nailed there, lowered her head and looked at Song A-rin again.
"You won't be disappointed."
Her voice was calmer than before, but still confident.
After hearing that much, Song A-rin just shrugged her shoulders and stood next to us again.
"The game is simple."
Finally, the woman began her explanation.
"You just make a story you want to tell together with others. In the process, there might be some, well... minor excessive immersion!"
"Is that all?"
"No! A story always needs plausibility! If the story seems too implausible by my standards, as the game master, I will declare you eliminated!"
It's a rather subjective judgment, but still. More than that, 'minor excessive immersion'? I'm starting to get worried already.
Let's just get started.
Thinking that, I sat down, and the woman began shuffling the cards.
"Shall we begin then?"
The woman closed her eyes and shuffled the cards.
"Once upon a time, there lived a man and three women."
It's our story?
"Does it have to be us?"
"Of course! All stories are structured based on the players! It's a participatory story where you are the main characters!"
I'm not really keen on this.
As I thought that, the woman handed the first card to Yu Daon.
After receiving the card, Yu Daon thought for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
"Um, well... The man's name was Kim Jae-heon, and he was childhood friends with Yu Daon."
Me?
That thought was brief, as a scene began to unfold before my eyes like a movie.
A young me and a young Yu Daon were facing each other.
A shy-looking young Yu Daon and a young me who looked completely clueless.
Then the next card was given to Jang Chae-yeon.
"...Yu Daon and Kim Jae-heon were soon engulfed in discord."
As she said this, Jang Chae-yeon held out a card labeled <Discord>. The young me and Yu Daon, who had been talking shyly, suddenly started fighting.
Even if it's a young me, it feels a bit weird to see us fighting.
"Mr. Jae-heon! I would never fight with you!"
"It's just a game, a game."
I tried to calm down Yu Daon, who was hastily speaking to me, and observed the situation.
Okay. What's next?
Song A-rin received a card.
"...How am I supposed to build a story with this?"
Song A-rin looked at the woman with an expression of disbelief. The woman shrugged.
"Well, you just have to hold onto the card for now?"
"If I hold it, can I use it later?"
"Yes, of course."
The woman smiled kindly. Song A-rin stared blankly at her for a moment, then pocketed the card.
"Now, then next..."
The woman handed a card to me.
"..."
I slowly looked at the card.
<Mistress>
This is a card? You've got to be kidding me.
"You have to use the card you can use, you know?"
The woman smiled a kind smile.
No, even if it says mistress...
"So, that Yu Daon had a mistress?"
"Me?!"
"Oh dear, it seems Yu Daon isn't the type to have a mistress."
Someone appeared next to the young Yu Daon and then vanished.
"It was Jang Chae-yeon, I hear."
"Nope."
The young Jang Chae-yeon also shook her head.
"Song A-rin—"
"Bullshit."
The young Song A-rin also shook her head.
"..."
At this rate, maybe even I would say no?
"Kim Jae-heon had a mistress."
At the same time, a child who looked similar to the Manual clung tightly to the young me.
"Come on, this is ridiculous."
I feel wronged. Seriously wronged.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three women stared straight at me, and the woman laughed as she retrieved the card.
"You handled the Mistress card very well! This is like a killer card, usually hard to deal with. As expected, the person the Owner has his eye on is different!"
I didn't feel good about it at all.