I bought an air fryer, so now I needed a proper internet connection—my holy internet, my gateway to the World Wide Web. I needed more speed!
I visited the Korean Telecom website and began scouring their plans. Soon, I found a reasonable one: Internet Premium Wide.
It was a 2.5 Gbps plan—vastly faster than my old one. I estimated it was about ten times quicker; the calculation was simple. Since 1 gigabit equals 1000 megabits, and my old plan was 250 Mbps, I just divided 2500 by 250.
The plan offered unlimited data, but there was a fair use policy: if daily usage exceeded 250 GB, speeds would be throttled to a maximum of 100 Mbps for the rest of the day. (Usage from IPTV and internet telephone services wasn't counted toward the limit.)
"What the actual fuck?" I muttered, scratching my head. "If you download one triple-A game like Call of Duty, that's already two-thirds of your daily limit gone."
What about streaming? Didn't that eat a lot of bandwidth too? Probably another third, at least. Still, at least the service wasn't cut off entirely—unlike in other parts of the world, where home internet was capped like a mobile plan. Europeans probably didn't have that bullshit policy. Lucky bastards…
Screw it. I logged into my account and renewed my contract for three years. There were also one-year, two-year, and "no-limit" options. Basically, the longer you locked yourself in, the cheaper the price.
The monthly payment came to 45,650 ₩. Not too bad. The faster, the better, right?
…
It was time.
I quietly grabbed my keys from the Genesis and eased the apartment door shut, carefully avoiding the loud click of the latch.
The witch hadn't noticed a thing. I have to move fast, or I'm dead, I thought, a frantic energy taking over. Maybe I should've been more transparent with her? But who cared now? This was about survival.
The drive was quiet. I saw only a handful of cars on the road. Usually, the streets were packed like sardines; the emptiness felt unusual—maybe because of the hour. The road surface was dry, but there was still a lot of foot traffic.
After arriving, I inspected the restaurant. The building was painted black, with a bull mascot on the logo. Its name—Luxury Korean BBQ—was rather generic. Well, I thought, the "Luxury" part is probably debatable.
The inside was a different story. Everything was neatly organized and tastefully decorated. Bonsai trees and sprawling orchids filled the space. Ambient lighting, probably from smart LEDs, cast a warm glow over a collection of carefully curated paintings—likely by local artists.
It smelled of meat—properly cooked and seasoned meat. I wondered if they served hotpot too; it was often part of places like this. Usually, "BBQ" meant lots of meat, but no hotpot. Though China, I knew, was famous for those.
"Dong-seung!" Min-jun greeted.
Dong-seung waved a hand. "Let's eat. I have something to tell you," he said, smiling.
"You drive a luxury SUV now? Why didn't you visit me before?"
Dong-seung scratched his head. "Well, I just recently earned big."
This guy, Min-jun, thought. It made sense; Dong-seung was probably the better programmer. But he didn't like that thought. There had always been a rivalry between them. And of course, Min-jun was envious—who wouldn't be? Dong-seung had the looks and the success. His own life felt stale by comparison. Even his friend's foundation felt like a Level 100 base, while his was still stuck at the tutorial zone.
"Let's sit down."
The hotpot was a marvel of an idea—you could cook the meat exactly to your taste. Medium rare? Well done? Anything was possible.
The waiter approached. Min-jun gestured toward Dong-seung. "The star of the show should order."
Dong-seung scanned the menu. "The premium hanwoo beef set," he said. "And a split hotpot—spicy and bone broth."
"So," Min-jun pressed after the waiter left, "how did you 'earn big'? Don't tell me you bought into some scam cryptocurrency."
"No," he laughed. "I've got a passive income from a program I made."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So… are you interested in joining my future company?"
The question hit Min-jun like Truck-kun. The offer was tempting, but his ego screamed decline. He sat there in silence, lost in thought, while his friend had already started eating.
"Are you listening?" Dong-seung waved a hand, frowning.
Silence.
"I-I am not…"
"Just get over your ego."
Silence again.
Min-jun's expression fell into shame. He'd been caught.
"I'll join you," he muttered, "but I'll bail if it's no good."
This guy's just saying that to protect his pride, Dong-seung thought. A compromise with himself.
"Alright then. I'll pay anyway. Let's drink." He raised a glass of soju in the air.
After a long conversation—life, relationships, misunderstandings—they finally called the waiter.
"I'll pay with a card, please."
He pulled out his silver Amex and tapped it on the terminal.
BEEP.
…
After arriving back at his condo, he decided to try out his new skill.
I'm like the protagonist of a magic isekai anime now, he thought. I've got a huge amount of mana—well, money, in my case. Debatable, but okay. And I've got those OP skills.
Maybe he'd get a mind control skill next. Or maybe he could learn actual spells. Yeah! Even if most of them were trash, he genuinely enjoyed some of them. One man's trash was another man's treasure.
He let out a villainous laugh.
His gaze wandered to the door.
"Appraisal," he thought.
A new prompt materialized, giving basic info:
(Hörmann¹ ThermoSafe Premium RC6)
Type: High-Security Residential Entrance Door
Manufacturer: Hörmann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Status: Locked | Secure
Specifications:
Construction: Ballistic-grade steel leaf (2.5 mm) with reinforced anti-buckling frame and solid composite core.
Locking: Eight-point system with drill-resistant hard plates and hinge-side bolts.
SecurityRating: RC6 (EN 1627–1630)
Cylinder: KESO² Omega 2 Ultra (VdS BZ³)
Features: Triple-concealed hinges with anti-lift pins; thermal insulation U-value ≤ 0.87 W/(m²·K); sound reduction ≈ 42 dB.
Durability: 98% — Minor surface scuffs from daily use.
Note: Purely mechanical barrier. No integrated electronic access.
A small disclaimer appeared at the bottom, noting that the skill only worked on objects.
Pretty neat.
Everything was detailed. He knew from his uncle that the Germans were obsessed with their standards. He didn't even bother looking up "VdS BZ"—it sounded complicated and was probably just a quality rating. Even the insulation values were listed, but that was too much info for him. He was a business graduate, not an engineer.
A new idea began to form. He still had his monthly concierge quota left. If he was going to start a company, he needed a proper company vehicle. Sure, the Genesis looked luxurious—but real executives drove Mercedes S-Classes or Rolls-Royce Phantoms. If he pulled up in a Genesis, people would laugh.
So why not have his concierge get him an S-Class? It was free, after all. And if he didn't end up needing it, he could just sell it. Import fees and taxes? Hah! Who cared? Let his Swiss—or was it German?—minion handle it.
Beep—Beep.
"Hello? Mr. Joel Kornberg is on the line."
"Hello, it's Mr. Dong-seung. Can you get me a Mercedes-Benz S-Class?"
"Sure, no problem. We can organize it within one to two business days. It will be delivered via DHL Air Freight."
"Have a nice day."
The line went dead.
Nice. Soon, he'd have a proper vehicle. After that, he could register his company—and maybe invite that graphic designer. She was Korean, after all. If it didn't work out, well, he could always charm her.
Bah—why do I still have these evil thoughts!
He gave himself a light tap on the head as repentance.
…
A wide grin spread across his face. He had just become the Joker.
He immediately turned toward his fridge.
(Liebherr F 3151-30 iComfort NoFrost)
Type: Professional-Grade Integrated Column Refrigeration System
Manufacturer: Liebherr-Hausgeräte GmbH (Germany)
Status: Operational | Climate Control Active
Specifications:
Construction: Dual-compressor, quad-evaporator system with platinum-sealed insulation. Commercial-grade stainless steel interior and reinforced frame.
Cooling: BioFresh+ compartments with precise humidity control (0%–95%). NoFrost DualCooling with independent zones for refrigerator (-2°C to +14°C) and freezer (-32°C to -14°C).
Connectivity: iComfort SmartDevice with integrated touch display, AI-powered inventory management, and automatic fresh food ordering.
Features: GlassDoorLighting, SoftSystem door damping, vitamin-preserving VitaLightSport LED, integrated ice maker, sparkling water dispenser, and zero-degree BioFresh compartments.
Energy Rating: A+++ (-60%)
Durability: 99% — Pristine condition.
Note: Requires professional installation and calibration. Compatible with the Liebherr HomeConnect ecosystem.
Man, this was just too much fun!
He studied every term in the detailed report. He didn't understand half of it, but it didn't matter. A giddy sense of power washed over him. He felt like a divine being—a god peering into the soul of matter. It was utterly intoxicating.
…
I could flaunt this, he thought. Imagine meeting some stuffy executive at a car dealership or tech conference. They'd start droning on about specs, and I'd just nod and say
"Ah, yes, but does it use platinum-sealed insulation with a quad-evaporator setup? My Liebherr, you see…"
He practiced in the mirror, puffing out his chest.
"Yes, this is the model F 3151-30 iComfort. The BioFresh+ compartment is simply unparalleled. Haha!"
The villainous laugh returned, echoing through his hyper-secure condo. Knowledge was power—and he had just been handed the ultimate cheat sheet.
His legs carried him toward his roommate's room.
…
"Seo-yeon?"
She was watching something… interesting.
If he had to describe it, there were two people doing what nature intended. In various poses—and yeah, some crazy stuff too. He wasn't a stranger to that kind of NSFW content, but he usually abstained. After all, he practiced that self-control trend from Reddit. It was pretty popular in the U.S.
Still, he found himself studying the scenes.
After a while, Seo-yeon finally closed the tab.
She turned her head, eyes half-lidded.
"Uh? Did you see that?"
Silence.
Dong-seung just stood there, mortified. He hadn't expected his shy college acquaintance to have such… particular tastes.
"Yeah," he said bluntly.
She started to blush.
Then, she leaned in close.
"It's very disrespectful to enter a lady's room without permission. Keep this a secret, or you'll be turned to mush by my father," she said, gently caressing his cheek.
"Uh-ha."
Her hand tightened on his face.
"No 'uh-ha.' Say 'Yes, ma'am,'" she whispered in a commanding tone.
"Yes, ma'am!" he said, his face twitching slightly.
"Good."
…
Footnotes:
^1 Hörmann: A leading German manufacturer of industrial and residential doors, as well as garage doors and drives. Founded in 1935, the family-owned company is renowned for its high-quality materials, precision engineering, and rigorous security standards, making its products a benchmark in the industry.
^2 KESO: A Swiss brand known for producing high-security locking cylinders. The KESO Omega 2 Ultra model mentioned is a high-end cylinder certified to resist sophisticated attack methods like picking, bumping, and drilling, often featuring complex key profiles with magnetic elements for enhanced security.
^3 VdS BZ: A certification mark from VdS Schadenverhütung, a highly respected German institute for fire protection and security. The "BZ" stands for "Beschluss Zylinder" (Lock Cylinder). A VdS BZ rating certifies that a locking cylinder has passed rigorous tests for resistance to manipulation, forcing, and drilling, making it a key standard for insurance companies and high-security applications.