I Regressed, But the World Isn’t Destroyed - Chapter 3
Only Noblemtl
003.
widely-
“···this.”
A fast-closing visit.
I thought I made a mistake.
Before I returned, I lived with so much swearing that I forgot.
I had to be careful with what I said in front of my younger sibling.
Gian’s trembling eyes were visible through the gap in the closing door.
It seemed like he was clearly in for a big shock.
‘I… didn’t I ever curse at all around this time?’
I don’t know.
I don’t remember very well.
It can’t be helped.
From Lee Do-hyeok’s perspective, it happened 20 years ago.
But now that I think about it, I think I was as careful as I could be in front of my younger sister, who is 7 years older than me.
“I guess I’ll have to apologize later.”
Lee Do-hyeok lay back down on the bed with those thoughts in his mind.
I don’t want to do anything.
I just want to become water and flow away.
That was Lee Do-hyuk’s honest feeling right now.
“I keep swearing.”
Could it be because my mouth has become swollen during the 20 years I have lived since the outbreak?
Or maybe it’s because of the current situation.
Whenever I think about that guy called ‘God’, swear words keep coming out of my mouth.
Is there really a god?
There were aliens, so there must be some.
Perhaps the unknown force that awakened humanity was the power of God.
The fact that he was able to regress, and the fact that the world he regressed to did not perish.
It could all have been the power of God.
If so···.
“개새끼 소리 들어도 싸지. 적어도 나한테는.”
Lee Do-hyeok did not hesitate to commit blasphemy.
After overcoming everything and making many sacrifices, I finally returned.
There really is no world to save.
No, but that’s good enough.
[Loan balance: 22,328,045 won]
“······.”
Sweat ran down Lee Do-hyeok’s back as he checked his loan balance.
‘When will I pay it all back?’
This was also reduced by half after much effort.
Sell off the survival supplies you’ve been saving through second-hand trading.
They also sell cigarettes little by little on the street stalls.
Above all,
‘It’s been a while.’
‘Oh my. Our customer is here again? Why? You want to borrow more money? This time, the collateral is the eye. Is your eyesight good?’
‘No, that’s not it. I found out that there is such a thing as the maximum legal interest rate?’
‘Haha. What are our suckers talking about? You guys, you have to work to earn money.’
‘Uh… I think it would be better if you didn’t do that…’
A few months ago, Lee Do-hyeok visited places like Loan Korea, 365 Help Loan, and Loan Brothers, where he borrowed 10 million won each.
To summarize the situation at the time, the flow was like this.
An illegal financial sector that charges interest rates higher than the legal maximum interest rate of 20% per annum, which is the limit set by law.
In other words, it was a loan balance that was barely reduced after a few exchanges with them, who were illegal loan sharks.
Of course, there was no third-rate novel-like development where the loan shark thugs said, “Sorry, bro!” and paid off the loan after throwing a few punches.
It was a fistfight between the two (of course, Lee Do-hyeok was the one who hit them unilaterally, except for a few grazes).
‘I got scratched here too, so it’s a double-cross. And you guys are carrying weapons, so it’s special assault. Don’t the thugs have any idea?’
– I could have just passed it off like that.
In the Republic of Korea, a country governed by the rule of law, it was impossible to completely nullify the loan transaction contract that Lee Do-hyeok had signed and stamped with his fingerprint.
The best thing to do would be to simply get back 20% of the loan amount that was initially taken out as an advance interest rate, and change the actual interest rate, which was well over 100%, to the highest legal interest rate.
anyway.
After paying off my debts, I have nothing left.
That’s why loans, especially private loans, are so scary.
There is a reason why it is said that it is better to starve and go bankrupt than to borrow money without reason.
…But knowing that, why did you use private loans?
“Because I didn’t know!”
I know private loans are scary, but
I didn’t know the world wouldn’t end!
Because I didn’t know I would actually have to pay off my debt.
“No, if I had known, would I have borrowed it?”
therefore.
Lee Do-hyeok’s plan, or more precisely, the strategy plan that he came up with after talking things over with other members of the suicide squad, was as follows.
‘Just borrow as much money as you can.’
‘money?’
‘Yeah. I’m preparing for an outbreak by borrowing whatever I can, whether it’s private loans or anything else.’
Preparing for destruction is more realistic than you might think.
First of all, it was because it required a lot of money.
Of course, Lee Do-hyuk, a man in his 20s whose only qualification was his military service, could not have had that much money.
Therefore, they try to borrow as much as possible, regardless of whether it is legal or illegal.
That’s the first step.
‘What next?’
‘Next? What next? If an outbreak happens, it’s all over anyway. Who would go around collecting debts like crazy?’
And then?
It’s a clean way of ignoring debt.
This was the second step.
Chapter 1 of ‘How to Prepare for Destruction After Return’, titled ‘Borrowing Money and Repaying It’.
‘···But it didn’t fail.’
Of course, this is all assuming the world goes to ruin as planned.
The world is not ruined.
Perhaps, it will continue to be peaceful and not be destroyed in the future.
In other words… Lee Do-hyeok was unable to repay the money he had borrowed.
That’s why Lee Do-hyeok is working hard now.
**
The next day.
“Really… It’s not real, is it?”
“Yeah. What kind of pseudo-science is this? It’s not like that. It’s just… there were circumstances.”
Ji-an seems to finally be able to put her doubts to rest after continued explanations.
But he still looks at him with a suspicious look, wondering if he has completely reaped it.
Looking at her like that, Lee Do-hyuk felt truly absurd for the first time in a long time.
A cult… You were fooled by a cult, weren’t you?
‘Well… it’s easy to misunderstand.’
When I think about how he suddenly acted like a different person, came in carrying a bunch of survival supplies, and searched the news and iTube like a madman for a while to find out about the end of the world…
It was a misunderstanding that was understandable for Ji-an, who had been watching from the side.
‘Where have I not been treated like a crazy person?’
By the way-
“You want help with the broadcast?”
Lee Do-hyuk was lost in thought.
‘Because it’s an internet broadcast.’
Even before his return, my younger brother had challenged himself to become a professional streamer by saying he wanted to try internet broadcasting.
I remember that it was sold out for a few months and then it all fizzled out when an outbreak occurred.
But it seems like we’re on that path this time.
It’s already been more than half a year since the outbreak was supposed to have occurred.
Gian is now a professional streamer with over a few months of broadcasting experience.
“Are you talking about that full dive thing?”
“huh!”
A new technology that appeared like a comet a few years ago: full-dive games.
It is said that it took the gaming industry by storm as soon as it appeared and became incredibly popular.
Lee Do-hyeok had never played before.
The only VR games he had ever encountered were the old-school ones, with things like VR goggles, motion capture, and suits that gave him a sense of touch.
Although I was able to recreate the shock and vibration to some extent, it didn’t feel real.
That’s why I remember losing interest quickly and not playing it.
‘But now it’s almost the same as reality.’
It’s a full-dive game that I’ve never played myself, but I’ve heard a lot about it.
In recent years, the emergence of full-dive games has also made capsule rooms incredibly popular.
Among the hunters active after Outbreak, there were many professional or famous players in full-dive games.
“I have to finish a two-player game this time… Oppa, help me out.”
“Me? I don’t even have full dive experience?”
“You were already good at sports and such, oppa. You’ll be able to adapt quickly. And there’s no one else I can ask you to do it for me.”
My brother’s explanation was like this.
There is something called roulette, where items are chosen based on probability, a donut is shot, and the streamer follows the result that comes out randomly.
They say that a 2-player horror game called [It Kills Too] has been cleared there.
That is, since it is a two-player game, one more person is needed besides Gian.
But he says he’s having a hard time making progress because he doesn’t have anyone to do it with.
‘The female streamers I know refuse because they’re scared of public games, and the male streamers… they say the viewers hate it when they get involved.’
Viewers who want to see horror games played, but don’t want to see them played with male broadcasters.
It was a mysterious world of people that was difficult for Lee Do-hyeok to understand.
“If we’re doing it together, shouldn’t I have a capsule too? I heard they’re really expensive.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of buying another one. I need it for a merger anyway. The trend these days for mergers is to meet in person and play together.”
“aha.”
I’m buying it because I need one more.
That could be… No, wait a minute.
Didn’t you just say something as simple as needing a sub phone and buying another one?
Surely the capsule price isn’t that cheap?
Lee Do-hyuk looked at his younger brother with that thought in his mind.
Then, suddenly, the sight of a house caught my eye.
“···Huh. Was the TV at our house always this good?”
Of course, the house he remembered.
I’m sure it wasn’t like this when I first moved into my parents’ house a few months ago.
The TV back then was about half the size of the one hanging on the wall now.
It’s not just TV.
Other furniture and appliances in the house.
All sorts of things were on my person – they were all showing off.
Lee Do-hyuk tilted his head.
My family has been secretly playing the lottery…
“Oh! I bought it for you. My mom complained that the screen of the one we had was too small.”
···what?
So, your younger sibling bought that TV that looks like it costs over a million won?
Then, could there be anything else···?
“The refrigerator too···?”
“huh.”
“Cleaning robots too···?”
“huh.”
“Isn’t that worth five million won since it even has a washing function?”
“But it’s cheaper than capsules.”
“······.”
Lee Do-hyeok’s gaze turned to Ji-an.
“My dear little brother.”
“huh?”
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me how much your broadcasting revenue is?”
In response to Lee Do-hyeok’s question, Ji-an manipulated her smartphone.
Then he showed me a screen.
“······!”
‘0 is one, two, three… month thousand…?’
Lee Do-hyuk’s eyes opened wide.
No, it’s so expensive?
If there’s one thing he’s realized since his return, it’s the horror of capitalism.
The principal and interest that slips away from your hands day by day is more vicious than the pursuit of the alien race that was chasing the survivors.
Now that I realize it.
Looking at my brother’s broadcasting income…
“Ugh! It’s dazzling!”
The saint, Eliza, who saved him and his party members during the 4th great invasion when he was a novice hunter.
It was Lee Do-hyuk who saw the moment when she was chasing away aliens by generously spreading her divine power around and the current appearance of her younger sister Ji-an overlapping.
But even so,
I have pride as an older brother.
‘As a younger sister, how dare you try to buy your heavenly brother with money!’
“Anyway, can you do it with me? I’ll give you a guest fee of 50 and split half of the broadcast profits that day. If you can just clear it, your share will probably be over 1 million won.”
– It was too much money to be scolded for.
His Debut (2) – [It Kills To]