Chapter 91

EP.91 The Saint Receiving Donations in Reality

"Where are you going?"

"To Uncle's place. He called and asked me to look after the convenience store for a bit because there's an urgent matter."

"Your uncle? Ask him when he's planning to get married. Be careful on your way."

"Sure."

Hyukjin left home and finally arrived at the convenience store around noon.

It was a place an hour away by subway, far from the metropolitan area.

The convenience store was located about ten minutes' walk from the station.

In a small convenience store in a remote part of a remote city, a man was busily moving around.

It was his uncle.

"Uncle, I'm here."

"Ah."

"Are you leaving right away?"

"I have to. But why do you look so gloomy?"

"Because I thought you only call me when you need something."

"Well, I've been busy."

"Busy? What could be so busy for a convenience store owner?"

"Alright, alright. I'll be back by seven, so watch the store carefully."

"Just pay me well."

"Sure, sure. How's your studying going these days?"

"…It's okay."

"Graduation is more important than admission. If you spend all the pocket money you get because your family is rich…."

"I know."

"Don't just play games all the time."

"I hardly play games."

"Really? The last time we met, you were constantly playing some weird game on your phone."

"I don't play them myself. I just watch others play."

"Is that fun? I can't understand the culture of kids these days."

"That's a sign you're becoming an uncle."

"Time flies… Anyway, I'll be back."

"Sure."

Hyukjin hurriedly saw his uncle off, unable to make a sound.

His uncle, who was academically brilliant but seemed to find everything troublesome, had opened a convenience store in a remote area and sometimes acted mischievously like this.

As his uncle left, Hyukjin said, as if taking revenge,

"By the way, Mom asked when you're planning to get married."

"…."

"Since you don't want to meet anyone, she said she might find someone for you overseas if you keep delaying."

"I can never get married now."

"Really?"

His uncle's reaction was different from the usual silence when the topic of marriage came up.

Hyukjin, curious about the reason for this slight rebellion, asked,

"Why not?"

"Because my standards are too high."

"Does someone who doesn't go out and only lives between home and the store have high standards?"

"Country girls can be pretty."

"This place isn't really the countryside. Anyway, you seem strange today, Uncle."

"Why?"

"You're not usually interested in women."

"Is saying someone is pretty the same as being interested?"

"By your standards, it is."

"True."

"Then what is it?"

Hyukjin was taken aback by his uncle's long hesitation after his casual question.

This isn't like him.

The next moment, his uncle's words were shocking to Hyukjin.

"There's someone incredibly beautiful."

"Wow. That stone-cold person… Are you planning to get married right away?"

"Ha! I never even dreamed of it. I always say, you need someone with similar qualities to get married."

"So, you've always complained that no one meets your standards."

"Besides, our ages don't match. Just being able to sneak a peek when she comes in and smile when our eyes meet is enough for me to be happy."

"Ugh. It's cringeworthy."

"…."

"Is this really my uncle? It's unbelievable that such a romantic person is my uncle."

"Shut up."

That's how beautiful she is.

Hyukjin's limbs tingled with embarrassment at his uncle's dreamy expression as he imagined his love interest.

Beautiful? It was a word that had never been used to describe anyone in Hyukjin's life.

Maybe if it were a character in a game, but not in reality.

The idea that someone so perfectly sculpted could exist in reality was too much for Hyukjin to believe.

Was his uncle on drugs? Or maybe he wasn't on drugs. Hyukjin seriously wondered.

His uncle, who had been inspecting Hyukjin's unusually gloomy face, clicked his tongue and said calmly,

"You'll see for yourself."

"Sure, sure."

"Since she didn't come for a few days after the last time, she should be here today."

"That's exciting. Ha ha."

"When she comes, I doubt you'll have to pay me."

"Why?"

"You'll be so charmed by her personality that you'll give away all the store items."

"Ha! That's ridiculous."

"Really? She's so beautiful that even people from neighboring towns come to see her. They say they want to see her face."

"Even if she's pretty, how pretty can a country girl be?"

"You just said this isn't the countryside. Anyway, you're right."

"Whatever."

"Sure. A couple of cans of Dr. Pepper are fine. Or even a whole box. But anything more will come out of your pay."

"No, I won't give you anything. Besides, Dr. Pepper? It's not my taste…."

"It's the best-selling item here. She buys a lot of it."

"Then who is she?"

"You'll know as soon as you see her."

"Ha."

Hyukjin, who had been left with his uncle, couldn't shake off his gloomy expression.

How beautiful could someone be to make his uncle, who treats women like plants, praise her so much?

I hope she comes today. No matter how beautiful she is, I can tease Uncle about his low standards if she's not that great.

Thinking this, Hyukjin sat at the counter and took out his phone.

He naturally activated the broadcasting app and touched a button out of habit,

『This streamer's account has been suspended, and you cannot access the content.

Time remaining until the 'Saint' account is reactivated: 1 day 22 hours 40 minutes 23 seconds.』

"Oh, right…."

That was why he had volunteered to help at the convenience store, having most of his day free due to his favorite streamer's account being suspended.

Beautiful? He thought, maybe only a character as perfect as the Saint could be called beautiful.

Even though it was just a game character, the realistic graphics made it almost indistinguishable from real life, leading to this natural thought.

If the Saint appeared in front of him, he would probably act the same way.

Hyukjin's thoughts continued.

It wasn't entirely impossible for someone like that to exist in reality. There were photos of a woman with a face similar to the Saint floating around the internet, taken on the subway.

People online would marvel at her beauty but then dismiss it as a fake. Hyukjin felt the same.

If she had such a face and body, she would have become famous by now.

Now, he was almost certain that it was a devoted fan who had posted a deepfake video.

What a ridiculous choice of words.

His uncle, who had been busy, left the store, and the bell rang, signaling a customer's arrival.

Hyukjin, who had been about to greet the customer, gasped.

Because the Saint he had just seen in the video was standing right in front of him in reality.

Am I dreaming?

With his mouth agape, Hyukjin couldn't help but scrutinize her appearance.

There were issues with calling her the Saint.

For one, her attire. The tight, revealing outfit she wore, which could be mistaken for a nun's habit, felt disrespectful to compare her to the Saint.

Moreover, her facial features were identical to the Saint's, but she seemed even more beautiful.

It was probably because she exuded a vitality that the in-game Saint, beautiful as a doll, lacked.

When she started sweeping Dr. Pepper into her shopping basket, Hyukjin's jaw dropped even further.

His uncle's words, which had been echoing in his ears, now made sense.

It's her, Uncle.

Acknowledgment….

What a strange thing to say.

But as if preparing for a disaster, the only items in her basket were Dr. Pepper, mint chocolate ice cream, and a bag of cookies.

Hyukjin, who had barely managed to compose himself, took her card.

But it was declined.

"…."

"…."

An awkward silence ensued.

Her blushing face seemed to contain all the world's innocence.

Hyukjin, unable to resist his curiosity, asked,

"By the way, do you do any broadcasting?"

"Yes? Yes."

"Even if you ignore me, I have a question."

"Sure."

Her slightly puzzled but composed face was incredibly beautiful.

Beautiful women are beautiful no matter what they do, and this was true.

Careful not to stumble over his words, Hyukjin asked,

"Do you do any broadcasting?"

"Yes? Yes."

"Then, are you currently… suspended…?"

"How did you know?"

"Choked."

It was indeed a stretch to assume that someone who looked exactly like the Saint was the in-game Saint or the broadcasting Saint, but the circumstances were too clear.

Her, no, the Saint's face now showed a hint of embarrassment.

Her eyebrows drooped, and her eyes blinked, and

Hyukjin thought it made her look even more apologetic.

How can someone be this beautiful?

"I didn't know you were out of money. I'm sorry."

That was strange.

From Hyukjin's perspective as a devoted fan of the Saint's broadcasts, especially after her voice was revealed,

She just won the 1:1 tournament. The prize was ten million won.

She also won the team game last time. They said she took home almost ten million won.

And the constant donations. I donated a lot too.

How could she have spent it all so quickly?

"Why are you out of money?"

What a stupid question.

Why are you out of money? You could be.

Hyukjin thought his question was strange, but he couldn't help his curiosity.

The Saint's eyes blinked again.

They seemed to be filled with moisture, and he felt like he might be sucked in.

The Saint's face made him feel sorrow just by looking at it.

She seemed to be recalling something, hesitating but eventually speaking,

"I donated… everything to an orphanage…."

An angel.

An angel is here!

An angel with a bizarre taste in food, like Dr. Pepper, mint chocolate ice cream, and pineapple pizza, but with a heart as warm as an angel, is here!

Hyukjin, who had fallen into a delusion, shouted desperately.

Thinking this was the only thing he could do.

"I'll buy them for you!"

"Really?"

"These things. I'll buy them for you!"

"Because I think you're beautiful!"

His exaggerated, joking compliment made the Saint's face blush again.

Even though she must hear it every day, it seemed to make her happy.

Hyukjin, who had been staring at her half-lidded eyes, heard her polite refusal.

"Even if you do, that's a bit…."

"Please let me buy them for you!"

"You sound like a con artist…."

"Who cares! You're beautiful!"

"Please stop saying I'm beautiful."

"Why?"

"Because it's embarrassing…."

Her cheeks turned red, and she hunched her shoulders, truly embarrassed.

Ah, no.

This is no good.

This is too beautiful.

Hyukjin, already out of his mind, stuffed whatever he could find into a bag for her.

"These aren't my choices…."

"It's a freebie!"

"Even this…?"

"Yes!"

"…."

Hyukjin, feeling like he might hand over his entire wallet if he lost any more of his sanity, quickly completed the transaction.

The Saint smiled sweetly and politely thanked him.

As she left the store,

Hyukjin, who felt like he was possessed, started muttering to himself.

"I should have acted like I knew her. At least I could have said I watch her broadcasts and to keep it up…."

"But maybe it would have been awkward…."

"But she really looks the same. Even more beautiful than in the game. It's unbelievable. Wow."

"What if she saw my nasty chat messages from before? No, that's impossible."

"But if she did, I apologized when I revealed my voice and donated a lot, so it should be okay, right?"

"It probably won't be. She seems so kind. She must have been hurt back then. Why did I do that?"

"Ugh."

Hyukjin's muttering, as he pulled his hair, continued for hours.

Even when other customers looked at him like he was crazy, he couldn't stop.

His behavior continued until night.

"Mutter, mutter, mutter, mutter…."

"I'm back. Why are you so spaced out?"

"Uncle!"

"Why? Ah, I see. She's here."

"I want to work at this convenience store for the rest of my life."

"What?"

"Why didn't you call me sooner!"

"Do you want a scolding?"

"…."

"So, should I pay you or not?"

"I might have to pay you…."

"How much?"

"Up to my forehead."

"Ugh."

"I have no regrets."

"I told you. I knew you'd do this because of your personality."

"She's really, incredibly beautiful."

"More importantly, where's the item on the counter?"

"What item?"

"Poppie Rice."

"Poppie? The dog Uncle keeps?"

"Yes."

"It's dog food?"

"Yes. It's gone. It looked like a snack from the outside."

"Oh, that. Could it be…."

"Could it be?"

"I think I gave it to her… I was so distracted."

"…."

Author's Note:

Thank you, Charlejung, for 10 coins.

Thank you, Ctys, for 123 coins.

I'll update the donation thank-you note later.

Summary of this episode: Wow, she's insane. The Saint is really incredibly beautiful.

I wrote this episode thinking it would be good to tease her, but also to show a softer side.

Even though the author's bad habit left a seed of suffering (…),

Thank you for reading, and I'll be back tomorrow night!