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

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Festival Must Go On (5)

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I was leading the other party members, who were all dragging their feet, to move the Blue Crab corpse.

"Ah, Mr. Jin Yuha, could you stop moving that for a moment and talk to me?"

Shin Se-hee called me aside.

"Hm? What's up?"

"I have a separate favor to ask of you, Mr. Jin Yuha."

"A favor?"

I tilted my head and asked.

The swimsuit festival was over, and all that was left was to clean up the byproducts and go home. Was there more work to do?

'Or did something else happen?'

It was while I was thinking that, my eyes narrowing.

"The public… You need to soothe them, don't you?"

Shin Se-hee said, a smile on her lips but no warmth in her eyes.

"…The public?"

"Yes."

"Why the public? Who?"

"The people in the performance hall."

"…Why?"

"You're not really asking because you don't know, are you?"

I gulped and waited for her next words.

"Hehe, did you really think I wouldn't notice? You could have ended it earlier, Mr. Jin Yuha, but you intentionally dragged it out for a long time."

"…Oh."

"Well, I understand the desire to catch even one more monster, but what do you think happened to the people who were shouting while watching hours of continuous combat?"

"Ah…"

I didn't even need to hear Shin Se-hee's next words; I could already guess.

At first, people were excited and shouted. But gradually, as catching the Blue Crabs became less of a 'hunt' and more of a one-sided 'chore,' the audience's cheers also turned into a mechanical task.

Who was it that coordinated that for hours, constantly soothing and leading them?

I looked at Shin Se-hee, a slightly guilty expression on my face.

"A hero who saves people only looks cool when they step away in movies, you know? Because even their retreating figure is captured on screen."

"So, you're saying I need to go and calm the people down?"

"Yes, you need to do that."

Hmm.

I had been so absorbed in catching even one more Blue Crab that I'd forgotten for a moment, but…

While catching those creatures, I had very slightly (?) threatened (no, asked) the audience to keep shouting, so their feelings towards me couldn't be good.

It would be a miracle if I didn't get eggs thrown at me.

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea for me to go and calm them down…"

"Then who will?"

"Uh, you…"

"Me? Oh no, I can't do that."

Shin Se-hee said, smiling brightly.

That's strange.

She was clearly smiling, but why did she look angry?

"…No, but until now…"

"Hehe, how could I do that, Mr. Jin Yuha? I'm Utopia Party's operator, yet I wasn't told a single thing about this operation, and all I could do was just smile foolishly in front of people. I was already at my limit. Some people call you Utopia's frontman, but that's wrong. *I'm* the frontman."

Shin Se-hee said with a clear smile.

Her precisely articulated words were exceptionally clear.

"So, I'll ask you to handle the cleanup, Mr. Jin Yuha."

"…And you?"

"What are you asking? I'll be helping the other party members load and unload the Blue Crabs. So, Mr. Jin Yuha, you can go load and unload public sentiment."

Shin Se-hee, who always readily agreed to my words, showed a truly stubborn attitude, as if she were genuinely upset.

'Ah, she's really mad.'

It seemed she was furious that I had unilaterally proceeded with the operation this time.

'But I had to, to avoid the butterfly effect…'

Honestly, I couldn't help but feel a little wronged inside, but showing it outwardly was amateurish.

I bowed deeply to Shin Se-hee.

"I'm sorry!"

"Yes? What are you sorry about?"

I didn't make the mistake of just saying, "Everything."

"There was a reason I couldn't tell you in advance this time…"

At that, Shin Se-hee scoffed.

"Ha, do I look like a narrow-minded woman who would get angry over something so trivial?"

"…But, you said you weren't angry."

"…"

Shin Se-hee narrowed her brows and glared at me.

"Ah, no. Sorry. Please continue."

"I would have been fine even if you had just given me a heads-up, like a midterm evaluation, last time. Giving me a clue right before the operation starts, enough to allow for basic 대응 (response). That much would have been enough for me to understand. But this time, there wasn't even a single clue. I was just busy trying to predict your actions and belatedly follow along."

Ah.

I suddenly realized what I had been mistaken about.

The reason the butterfly effect occurred this time wasn't because I hadn't prepared in advance.

It was because I had changed the results that were supposed to happen.

Pushing the party members forward according to my will without any explanation when an incident occurred was just my unilateral decision, not teamwork.

And no matter how much this incident was an event that wouldn't lead to serious consequences, I was the only one who knew that.

'Come to think of it, Shin Se-hee had a very serious expression when the monster wave first broke out.'

Originally, a monster wave was a disaster in itself.

From her perspective, as the one responsible for the aftermath, it must have felt like a bolt from the blue.

And while the other party members could be appeased by saying I didn't know either…

'Shin Se-hee wasn't like that.'

Looking at this incident from her perspective, the standards for the future definitely felt clearer.

A proper apology was indeed needed.

I bowed to Shin Se-hee once more.

"I'm sorry, I forgot the basics. I truly had no intention of ignoring you."

"…"

"Thinking about what I couldn't say, I even forgot the things I should have done. I'll be careful from now on, Shin Se-hee."

I lifted my head and stared intently at Shin Se-hee.

"Can you accept my apology?"

Shin Se-hee, who had her arms crossed, sharply turned her head away.

"Hmph, w-well, next time… that, that foot massage we didn't finish today… you can do it again…"

She spoke, sounding embarrassed.

I chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, I understand. I'll do it soon."

"Still, I won't budge on you having to calm the public, Mr. Jin Yuha."

"Ah."

Shin Se-hee headed off to help the party members move the Blue Crabs, and I dragged my feet towards the performance hall.

* * *

The scene at the Haeundae Festival's performance hall was quite desolate.

Dozens of tents and blankets that Shin Se-hee had urgently procured were spread out.

Lights were on overhead, but no one spoke.

Everyone couldn't hide their exhausted expressions.

They had been shouting their lungs out for hours, so it was no surprise they weren't in normal condition.

*Whoosh—*

*Crack, crack—*

Bonfires were lit in front of each tent, and over them, large Blue Crabs were roasting bright red, turning into whole roasted Red Crabs.

'…Did Shin Se-hee prepare that too?'

It seemed she had brought them here while we were engrossed in catching Blue Crabs.

People gathered in small groups around the Blue Crabs, their faces tired, staring at the large crabs cooking before their eyes.

"Cheon Hwa said it's okay to eat this, so we're doing it, but…"

"But honestly, I don't know if we should eat this…"

"Still, the smell is insane… Ah, I'm hungry…"

"I know, right…"

I subtly made my way onto the performance stage, out of sight of the people.

There, a woman with a tired expression was resting her chin on a table.

A middle-aged woman with short hair and glasses.

'Seo A-yoon?'

This person was a named character.

A well-known figure in the broadcasting and culture industry.

And in the game, she was a supporter, an extra who often appeared on TV, helping the protagonist's party from behind the scenes.

She had been saved by Director Rina in the past, so she was favorable towards the user's party.

"…Eek?! S-scared me! Oh? M-Mr. Jin Yuha!?"

She looked startled, as if she hadn't expected me to appear here.

"Ah, hello."

"Ahaha… I saw the video of you catching the Blue Crabs. It was truly amazing."

She said, forcing a smile despite her exhaustion.

"Ah, thank you."

"No, I should be thanking you! Thanks to you, our festival could be protected."

She said that, then scanned the people waiting for the Blue Crabs to cook.

Then she cleared her throat.

"They're just exhausted from playing too much right now."

"I see."

"So, what brings you here…? Ms. Shin Se-hee also said she had things to do and left…"

"Ah, well, they cheered us on, so I wanted to at least say hello."

"Oh, is that so?"

She scratched her head for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

"Then, I'll turn on the stage lights for you, so go ahead and speak."

"…What?"

*Murmur, murmur—*

It was about time the Blue Crabs were fully cooked.

"I-is it really okay to eat this…?"

"I know… They said we shouldn't eat monsters because of miasma."

"But Cheon Hwa said not to worry and to eat it. Maybe he took some measures?"

"…Hmm."

But after a long time of being tormented by Jin Yuha, they couldn't overcome their hunger.

They grabbed the cooked Blue Crab.

"…Ohh, it's, it's delicious!"

"Crazy! It's so good!"

"W-what is this!!! Monster meat is this delicious!?"

*Shimmer, shimmer, shimmer—!*

Just then, the stage lights suddenly came on, and people turned their heads.

What was this?

I had just planned to walk around among the people and offer some words of comfort, but the stage was unexpectedly set.

I thought of various excuses inwardly.

Hmm, what should I do?

'Should I just confess everything honestly and manly admit that I wanted to catch one more monster and just lay it all out…?'

However, to put it simply, my 고민 (dilemma) turned out to be completely useless.

When the lights came on, I stood in front of the standing microphone and began my opening remarks.

"Ah, ah— Hello. I am Jin Yuha, the party leader of Utopia. First of all, I want to thank you all—"

It was as I was starting my speech with such conventional words.

Just then, a woman loudly ripped a crab leg with her teeth and spoke.

"Wow, this place makes good side dishes too."

A very clear, husky voice.

'…?'

Side dish, suddenly?

What did that mean?

"This unnie has always been your fan, so I'm glad you're here, Yuha."

"Yes?"

"Everything's good, but the unnies are really tired right now. Can you just stand there and hold your face up nicely without saying anything? My throat is so sore from all the shouting."

"…Yes?"

At that, others who heard her also started shouting, one or two at a time.

"Yeah, well said!"

"Jin Yuha! Don't open your mouth and make our ears hurt, just keep your mouth shut!"

"Yeah, for now, let's just use your face as a side dish!"

"Ah, that expression is so delicious."

*Munch— Munch—*

And that day, one more moniker was added to Jin Yuha's titles.

[The Rice Thief]