Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Cold War

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One man, five women.

And then, four more joined as a family unit.

In the current situation, that wasn't particularly important.

The women gathered in one place, excluding Jin Yu-ha.

Lee Yu-ri, Shin Se-hee, Kang Do-hee, Im Ga-eul, Sophia.

Just looking at their faces, it was a combination that naturally stirred a sense of awe.

"Hoo-hoo—"

"Heh-heh."

"Ha."

"Ah-haha..."

"Heh-heh..."

Those gathered offered awkward, embarrassed smiles on the surface,

but deep down, they were all thinking something similar.

'...What in the world are these girls doing? My house was destroyed, so I had no choice but to come. But why are these girls, whose homes are perfectly fine, setting up camp here?'

'...I won't see anything good if I return to the Shin clan, so I suppose I have no choice. But are all of you planning to settle down here? How shameless.'

'...I'm the type who can't stand sudden changes to my training schedule, but that's not true for you lot, is it? Do these girls have no sense of shame?'

'...My juniors, I didn't take you for materialists. *Ahem!* I, for one, have a promise from Junior Yu-ha to check my growth and coach me, but you don't even have that! You're all capable of holding your own, so wouldn't it be better to be independent?'

'...Hmm, I don't have time to be doing this right now. I need to scout for good photo spots... Can't I just leave?'

*Crackle—*

Invisible sparks flew from their exchanged glances.

Breaking the heavy silence, Shin Se-hee, who had convened this meeting, was the first to speak.

She scanned the party members with a displeased look, then clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, it seems you've all decided to settle down here already... I called you all here to share what I've found out."

"Found out what?"

"Yes, after all, I am Utopia's Operator. I'm responsible for rules and management."

Shin Se-hee nodded in response to Lee Yu-ri's question.

"First and foremost, I should tell you that you'll be able to attend the academy from here even after the break ends."

At that, the party members' eyes widened.

They knew that Lee Yu-ri's family would continue to live here.

But for *them*, who had already been assigned dorms or secured lodging, to attend the academy from here?

Those who had felt like they were just on a casual vacation during the break wore surprised expressions.

"Junior Se-hee, of course, we *could* commute from here... but why bother? It's quite a distance from here to the academy, isn't it?"

"From what I've found, there's a warp gate directly connected to the academy here. I also confirmed that permission can be applied for separately with the academy."

"...!?"

A warp gate, one of the few in Korea, *inside* the house?

They had known it was an impressive house, but this easily surpassed their imagination.

Shin Se-hee cast a sidelong glance at Lee Yu-ri.

The decisive reason she had chosen to live here was precisely because of her.

'If Mr. Jin Yu-ha continues to commute to the academy from here... he'll inevitably grow closer to Ms. Lee Yu-ri's family.'

In her own main family, the Shin clan, there was a custom of bringing a chosen partner into the household beforehand.

This was a preparatory step to gradually acclimate them to the Shin clan's atmosphere and make them feel closer to the entire family.

Lee Yu-ri, similarly, had concocted a cunning plan to bring her entire family closer to Jin Yu-ha by keeping them by his side.

Of course, Lee Yu-ri hadn't thought of such a complicated plan,

but in Shin Se-hee's eyes, it was an utterly shameless act, using her weakness as a weapon.

'Ms. Lee Yu-ri's younger sister, Lee Yu-na, was it? That child has already audaciously started clinging to Mr. Jin Yu-ha.'

However, in Shin Se-hee's case, she couldn't bring her family here.

Even if she did, creating a harmonious atmosphere would be out of the question from the start.

Hadn't she already promised to overturn the Shin clan with Jin Yu-ha?

That's why the information, "You can live here even after the break ends,"

which would originally have been advantageous for her to keep to herself, was released to all party members.

If the entire party stayed here, not just her, Jin Yu-ha's attention would be dispersed.

"And, since we'll be living together here, the maintenance cost will be split equally. You'll each need to contribute 1.67 million won per month."

'Hmm... So it wasn't free after all.'

At Shin Se-hee's words, Lee Yu-ri seriously considered.

Every month, 1.67 million won.

Double the amount she paid for the shabby one-room apartment she used to live in.

'...Even though the house became more spacious when I left for the academy, Yu-na and Yu-hyun grew up, and it got more cramped. And they didn't even have their own rooms.'

A move was necessary at some point anyway.

If this incident hadn't happened, she probably would have tried to hold out in their old place for as long as possible, but since they had to move,

there was no better place to live than this.

The best part was that her family's safety was guaranteed.

Even though crimes targeting academy students' families were rare, having been caught off guard once made her dizzy with fear.

'There's no law saying that something that happened once won't happen again.'

In such a situation, a residence like this sky fortress, protected by the Demon Empress's magic and inhabited by Utopia party members, was the best option.

Normally, she would have trembled at the thought of an additional 800,000 won suddenly being added to her expenses.

However, Jin Yu-ha's continuous gaslighting—"You'll earn an unimaginable amount of money in the future!"—and the steady income she received every time they cleared a dungeon made Lee Yu-ri much bolder than before.

Now, she even indulged in the luxury of ordering a 30,000 won premium chicken once a month instead of a rotisserie chicken!

'And it bothered me that my family was struggling while I was living comfortably alone...'

Finishing her calculations quickly, Lee Yu-ri nodded.

"Alright. I can afford that much."

As for the others, excluding Lee Yu-ri, the idea of living in such a place for 1.67 million won a month was practically a steal, so they readily agreed.

Once everyone nodded,

Shin Se-hee brought up the main topic.

"Then, next, we need rules."

"Rules?"

"Yes, even if the floors are separated, this is now a space where we'll officially be living together."

Shin Se-hee hid her true thoughts and put on her mask.

"Mr. Jin Yu-ha is a man. No matter how easygoing and laid-back he might be, that doesn't mean you can cross the line."

That's right.

This building was originally designed for a single owner, so every floor had a spatial transfer device installed.

And within the building, one could freely enter and exit each other's floors without permission.

If someone here wanted to go to Jin Yu-ha's floor,

which was the top floor, there was no way to stop them from secretly entering!

"When moving between floors, you must always announce it in the group chat before moving."

This was the rule Shin Se-hee considered most essential.

"This is a rule that must be followed, except in truly urgent situations. If it's not followed, it will result in immediate expulsion."

Everyone nodded firmly.

Expulsion.

It was a restriction that was light as could be,

but who among them wouldn't take those words seriously?

And everyone agreed with Shin Se-hee's words.

After all, the sight of another woman secretly visiting Jin Yu-ha's floor and emerging with him was something they absolutely couldn't tolerate.

"And I apologize to Ms. Lee Yu-ri, but I plan to prohibit your family members from registering for the spatial transfer device. This building belongs to the 'Utopia Party,' after all..."

Shin Se-hee then used the "Utopia Party" as a pretext to prohibit Lee Yu-ri's family from using the spatial transfer device.

"Oh, uh, yes. I-I understand! We live on the second floor anyway, so I'll tell them to use the stairs!"

"Hmm."

Kang Do-hee, who had been listening quietly for a moment, let out a low hum.

"Is something wrong?"

"...If it's an urgent situation, can one move without an announcement?"

"Yes, that's right. In the case of an immediate, sudden situation, or an urgent matter requiring Mr. Jin Yu-ha's decision or help, it will be an exception."

"I see."

"What do you think? Do you all agree?"

Thus, a political drama unfolded.

A system where everyone kept each other in check was created.

Of course, deep down, they all harbored different intentions.

'Heh-heh, how foolish. Why do you think I made such an exception? I'm the Operator who discusses strategies with the party leader, you know? If a situation arises where I need to hold an urgent strategy meeting with Mr. Jin Yu-ha, an exception is certainly permitted.'

'Hmm, if Goldie were to be late for the training we agreed on, that would certainly be an urgent situation.'

'Hmm, but if *I* go to Jin Yu-ha, that's a problem, but if I make *him* come to me, is no separate announcement needed?'

'Urgent situation? Then my situation is the most urgent right now, isn't it? My situation as a senior being pushed aside by juniors is the most urgent!'

'So, does that mean it's fine as long as I don't get caught?'

* * *

"Aaaaagh! Wh-what did we do wrong to deserve this?! We were behaving ourselves!!!"

"Behaving yourselves? Then let me ask you one thing."

"Th-that kind of thing, before you cut—"

"If you truly were behaving yourselves, I'll spare your lives. Did you, by any chance, kidnap a hunter's family member?"

"Th-that kind of thing..."

"As expected, it seems you did."

*Slice—*

Baek Seol-hee looked down at the demon's corpse with cold, sunken eyes.

"Leader, what in the world happened? Kidnappings increased exponentially without us even noticing..."

"They're rotten to the core, those demons."

Baek Seol-hee clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"This, the youngest one asked us to look into, didn't she?"

"Not the youngest. My disciple."

"How did she even know about this? Seriously, these guys were moving around, avoiding our surveillance net..."

Baek Seol-hee didn't specifically reply to the words of the squad member wearing a fox mask.

She had known for a long time that her disciple possessed a wider information network than herself.

Baek Seol-hee surveyed her surroundings with cold eyes, then gave an order.

"Extract information from the ones who are still alive. And the rest of you, continue the search."

*Whoosh—*

Behind Baek Seol-hee, the Elimination Squad members dispersed.