Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 112

Chapter 112

The Auction House and the Thieves (2)

***

Some say that victory is determined before the battle even begins.

As written in the *Art of War*, “Those who calculate many advantages before the battle are the ones who secure victory.”

The outcome of a conflict is naturally determined by how many advantages one side has over the other. The side with more advantages wins, and the side with fewer loses.

So, let me ask this: where do I stand right now?
T h is was c o p ie d f r o m kin g m t l .or g

Do I have more advantages compared to the Rebellion members?

Strength, ability, talent, experience—frankly, when compared to the Rebellion members, I’m lacking in most of these areas.

But there is one thing.

One thing in which I am overwhelmingly superior.

That is my knowledge of the future.

The future information and insight I possess, based on the original storyline, is a unique advantage that no one else can match.

This imbalance of information is the most powerful weapon I have. It’s an asymmetric advantage.

So, I can say with confidence:

Right now, I have the upper hand over Alex.

I know him, but he knows nothing about me.

This disparity will be an insurmountable gap.

And, they’ve given me more than enough time.

If I didn’t have time to prepare traps, it might be a different story. But they’ve given me ample time, and I know the personalities, abilities, habits, equipment, strengths, and weaknesses of most of the Rebellion members.

And on top of that, I have money, connections, and future information at my disposal?

This is just…

Too favorable.

Not that I plan to let my guard down, of course.

I always have to be prepared for the worst. I don’t want to get careless and end up dead.

“Oh, you guys?”

“Hm?”

Right at that moment.

I spotted a familiar head of red hair in the market.

A sharp-looking face. Handsome features. It was Kang Daehan. Behind him, I could faintly see people who seemed to be members of the HanYoung Clan. His bodyguards, no doubt. They all looked strong.

“What brings you two here?”

Kang Daehan.

Fancy running into him here.

I had somewhat expected him to show up at the auction.

After all, he had attended it in the original storyline. Though, considering he’d gone through hellish training after being completely humiliated by Yoo Dahee, I thought he might skip it this time.

“It’s summer break, so we thought we’d check out the auction.”

“Hm? The two of you?”

Kang Daehan glanced back and forth between Soyeon and me.

No matter how close childhood friends might be, it was still odd to see two people who had once broken up coming all the way to Busan together.

“We’re not here alone.”

Lately, Soyeon had been showing me all sorts of affection, even in front of others, so it was probably something he had noticed.

If he had eyes and ears, Kang Daehan would have realized that Soyeon’s attitude toward me had changed quite a bit recently.

I wasn’t entirely sure to what extent Kang Daehan was interested in Soyeon, but it seemed like he had some feelings for her.

“Heh. Am I invisible or something?”

“Huh? Yoo Seolhyun, you’re here too?”

“Oh~ Daehan, why don’t we—Oh? Soyeon? Seolhyun?”

Joo Jiyeon, who had been browsing the nearby stalls, finally noticed us and frowned slightly.

Running into Soyeon and Yoo Seolhyun here probably wasn’t something she was thrilled about.

To Joo Jiyeon, these two were the ones who had dealt her quite the humiliating defeat.

“Oh my, Jiyeon, hello!”

“Uh, hey.”
T hi s wa s co pi ed f ro m k in gm t l . o r g

Yoo Seolhyun greeted her with a radiant smile, but Joo Jiyeon looked less than pleased.

She had likely realized that beneath Seolhyun’s elegant smile lay a cunning mind.

Joo Jiyeon hesitated for a moment, then moved closer to Kang Daehan.

She was clearly wary of Yoo Seolhyun, her confidence visibly shaken.

“And you two? Are you guys here together?”

“What?”

Soyeon asked casually, as if the question held no significance. Kang Daehan frowned slightly, muttering a half-hearted explanation.

“We’re not really here together or anything… Ugh, think whatever you want.”

Kang Daehan scratched the back of his neck and stopped talking.

He realized that trying to explain himself was pointless. It would only make him look foolish, especially since he was already watching to make sure Soyeon didn’t misunderstand.

If it had been the old Kang Daehan, he would’ve responded cynically with something like, “Why do you care?” or “It’s none of your business.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right. So what?”

“Ehehe.”

Joo Jiyeon, wearing a slightly smug expression, nodded her head. Kang Daehan frowned but didn’t say anything to stop her. Arguing further would only make things more awkward. Besides, Joo Jiyeon acting like this wasn’t anything new.

“I see.”

Suddenly, Soyeon clapped her hands as if pleased.

She was well aware that Joo Jiyeon had a crush on Kang Daehan.
T h is wa s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l . or g

Though Soyeon and Joo Jiyeon weren’t exactly on friendly terms, Soyeon didn’t seem to harbor any ill feelings toward her.

It was Joo Jiyeon who constantly talked about revenge and whatnot.

The loss in the ranking match must have hit her hard.

Since then, she’d been treating Soyeon as a rival.

But the gap in talent between them was enormous.

There would never come a day when Joo Jiyeon could get her revenge. Poor thing.

“That’s great!”

Soyeon smiled brightly, like a girl genuinely cheering for a love story.

Joo Jiyeon, caught off guard by the sincerity in that smile, hesitated.

She realized that Soyeon’s words had come from the heart.

For Joo Jiyeon, this must have been a bit confusing.

After all, she was receiving encouragement from the girl that the boy she liked was clearly interested in.

“D-Don’t get so cocky!”

“Huh? What do you mean? What does this have to do with cockiness?”

Joo Jiyeon, her cheeks slightly flushed, pointed her finger at Soyeon and yelled. But Soyeon just tilted her head, genuinely confused.

“Whatever! Jin Soyeon, I’m challenging you again in the second semester! I won’t lose next time!”

“Okay, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Soyeon nodded and accepted Joo Jiyeon’s bold challenge with ease.

“Daehan? As much as I’d love to hang out, we need to get going soon.”

“Yes… uncle.”

One of the women in black, likely a member of the HanYoung Clan, approached Kang Daehan and urged him to leave.

She was Joo Hwayoon, from the Hwadong faction of the HanYoung Clan.

Oh, by the way, calling a woman ‘uncle’ instead of ‘aunt’ is just something unique to their family. It’s a bit of an odd custom, but in the game, the HanYoung Clan was inspired by a mafia-like organization, so that’s why.

“Well, enjoy the auction.”

Kang Daehan glanced at Soyeon and me one last time before walking away with the HanYoung Clan members.

Joo Jiyeon and her bodyguards followed after him.

“…So they came too.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded in response to Soyeon’s comment.

Originally, this auction episode was one of the events tied to Kang Daehan’s storyline.

The main storyline involved working alongside Kang Daehan and Joo Jiyeon, experiencing jealousy from Joo Jiyeon, and clashing with the Rebellion members.

But things are different now.

There’s no need to join forces with Kang Daehan, nor do I want to.

Though, I don’t mind that they’re here. If things go south, I might be able to rely on them for help. Or, to put it more bluntly, I could use them. With the right persuasion.

“I heard Instructor Hong Daye is here for the auction, too. So many useful people are gathering. This is great.”

“Jinhyuk, you’re impossible. How is that a good thing? Ideally, we wouldn’t need to ask the instructor for help.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I guess it’s because this event is so famous?

It seems like all the wealthy and powerful people are gathering here.

In Busan.

-Ring, ring.

“Huh? A call… Oh, it’s not mine. Jinhyuk, is it yours?”

“Just a moment.”

I pulled out my burner phone.

I checked the caller ID.

It was a call from the hotel.

Ah, of course, not the hotel I’m staying at.

So, whose hotel is it?

T h i s w as cop i e d f r o m k i n g mtl . or g
Well, I guess I’ll have to check to be sure.

I had a suspicion, but there was always a chance they canceled their reservation and didn’t come to Busan after all.

T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l. o rg
“Hello?”

“Ah, yes, um…”

A woman’s voice from the hotel front desk spoke through the phone.

“The guests you asked about have checked in. Charlie Robinson and two others. Two foreign men and one East Asian woman.”

I scratched my chin at her words.

Charlie Robinson.

That was one of Alex Kim’s fake identities.

I had wondered if he would still be staying at this hotel, just like in the original story. Thankfully, he was sticking to the script.

‘So you didn’t cancel your reservation and came all the way to Busan, huh, Alex?’

I had considered the possibility that Alex might cancel the heist due to Roxanne’s recent actions, but it seemed he wasn’t too concerned about that threat.

If it had been me, I would have been wary of Roxanne and played it safe for a while.

“I see. Please send me the CCTV footage.”

It wasn’t hard to predict which hotel Alex and his crew would stay at.

It was outlined clearly in the original story, after all.

Of course, there was always the possibility that my actions had caused a butterfly effect and they had booked a different hotel.

But hotels during peak season, especially in Busan’s Life & Auction event, need to be booked well in advance.
This w a s c op i e d f r o m ki ng m t l . o r g

In other words…

They had made their reservation before Roxanne started going after Rebellion members.

So, the chance that they changed their hotel because of anything I or Roxanne did was slim.

“By the way… about the money…”

“I’ll transfer it to your account.”

Money truly does make the world go round.

It allowed me to bribe hotel staff into providing me with the guest information and movements within the hotel.

Thanks to that, I could now confirm that Alex had indeed checked into this hotel.

Honestly, it’s appalling how easily people are willing to sell out their clients for a bit of cash.

But, hey, it made my job easier.

‘Ah, the CCTV footage just came in. Let’s see what these guys look like.’

I carefully examined the faces captured on the hotel’s CCTV footage.

‘Alex Kim, John Carter, and So Yuyeong… Phew, good. Just like in the game, it’s those three.’

They were formidable villains, but it wasn’t a problem.

As long as I knew who was coming, I could prepare countermeasures.

‘I was worried that more members might show up, but it’s just these three. Thank goodness. If someone like Isabelle had come, it would’ve been a real headache. Her observation ability is a pain to deal with.’

But Isabelle was likely busy keeping tabs on Roxanne and the Church of Noon members.

I could thank Roxanne for drawing so much attention.

‘Well, I’m not going to completely rule out the possibility of Isabelle showing up, though.’

I turned to look at the others.
Th is w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l .o r g

T h is wa s c o p i ed fro m k i n g m t l. o r g
“Hey, guys.”

“Hm?”

“What?”

T h i s w as co p ie d fr o m k i ngm t l .or g
They both turned their attention to me.

With both Soyeon and Yoo Seolhyun watching, I slowly opened my mouth to speak.

“They just arrived. I’ll show you the CCTV footage from the hotel, so memorize their faces. They might be in disguise, though.”

“Ah, is it that time already? Got it. …Phew, this is making me nervous. Don’t you think?”
T hi s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n gmt l. o rg

“Alright, I’ll tell everyone to stay ready. Lee Jinhyuk, are you prepared?”

“Of course.”

I nodded as I pulled out my phone.

“I’m ready.”

I was more than ready.

Ready for the battle with the Rebellion members.

‘Ugh, I really wish I had an ability…’

If only I had a powerful ability like Soyeon’s, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble preparing for every little thing.

Even if it wasn’t as strong as hers, just one decent ability would make things so much easier.

Or maybe… do I need to die and come back to awaken one?

***

“…Are you really planning to go, Yoo Dahee?”

“Yeah, well, that’s how it turned out, uncle.”

Yoo Dahee nodded in response to Ryan, the Crusher.

“I just have a bad feeling about this.”

“I see.”

“With this being Korea’s biggest auction, there’ll be plenty of tough characters around, right?”

“Indeed. Even you might be in danger.”

“Haha, you think so?”

Yoo Dahee nodded as if agreeing.

From what she’d heard, there would be heroes from large and mid-sized clans attending the auction. Even someone like Yoo Dahee would get overwhelmed if she caused too much trouble.

“That’s why I’m thinking about preparing *that*.”

“…You mean, *that*?”

“Yeah. Obviously, it’d be best if I didn’t have to use it, but we never know what might happen there.”

“…Let’s hope you won’t need it.”

“Come on, don’t be so pessimistic. If nothing happens, I’ll just enjoy some good food and sightseeing in Busan.”

But secretly, Yoo Dahee found herself hoping for the unexpected.

She was quietly hoping that something truly unforeseen would happen in Busan.

End of Chapter.