Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 9: Circle (1)

The day it all began.

The day when the person who shared his worldview with the world was given a ‘story’ and Yoo Seon-woo was forced to solve the problem without anyone knowing.

However, it wasn’t just Yoo Seon-woo’s day.

For someone else, it was also the day her hair, which she had never dyed in her life, turned white and her head hurt like it was going to break.

“Hmph…….”

As soon as Seol Do-yeon woke up, she grabbed her phone and checked her backlog of notifications.

News video algorithms, social media notifications, and…a message from Seon-woo from a few minutes ago.

-Seon-woo: You know what?

-Seon-woo: I didn’t get to talk to you yesterday, can you make me a mask?

…She received a DM as if she was a blacksmith who customizes masks as if it were a given.

‘What mask…….’

But Seol Do-yeon prepared to reply without much thought.

She was still more intrigued than annoyed.

Seol Do-yeon: Are you coming back here again?

-Yoo Seon-woo: Send it by courier.

-Yoo Seon-woo: It only takes a day these days.

Seol Do-yeon sighed heavily.

It was easy to draw a mask, so she didn’t mind the request.

But the thought of having to get out of bed, walk on her own two feet, and go to the computer was horribly annoying.

At one point, she thought, “I’ll just send it in time, and I’ll sleep in.”

-Yoo Seon-woo: You just woke up, right?

-Yoo Seon-woo: Don’t lie down, get up and make the mask.

‘…He knows me too well.’

The two had grown apart since their high school days and didn’t see each other often, but they still knew everything about each other.

“Ugh.”

Seol Do-yeon reluctantly got out of bed and slumped into the chair in front of her computer.

The computer turned on with a click, and the screen of the illustration program immediately appeared but she paused for a moment before sending another DM to Yoo Seon-woo.

-Seol Do-yeon: How do you want me to make it?

The answer came back quickly.

-Yoo Seon-woo: I’ll tell you over the phone.

* * *

I called Seol Do-yeon and asked her to share her screen.

If I left her to her own devices, the finished mask would be very different from my expectations, so I needed to keep an eye on her.

Soon, Do-yeon’s screen and voice were shared through the messenger program.

“Can you see it?”

“Yes, I can see you.”

But there was a moment when the screen was clear.

[Pause]

Suddenly, the screen turned off, and I heard a worried voice.

“You didn’t, uh, see anything else, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. Why?”

“Oh… yeah, I didn’t want you to see it.”

The screen came back on, but nothing had changed.

“…Do-yeon.”

“Huh?”

“Do you have anything on your computer that you don’t want anyone to see?”

“What!”

“Do you have such a thing?”

“No!?”

The answer came back without a moment’s delay.

“Because I don’t want you to see my private DMs or anything!”

“That’s true.”

“It’s all private, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

I decided not to ask any more questions.

We got back on track and started discussing the design of the mask.

“But I don’t have a design in mind, just a plain mask.”

“Like the Phantom of the Opera?”

“That’s kind of…?”

It just so happened that the main character in Text Thief wears such a mask.

But should I use the same one?

It’s supposed to make the story more effective, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

“And the design has to be cyberpunk for you to materialize. We have strict production standards.”

“So this is what we’re going to do?”

Do-yeon scribbled on the screen and drew several masks.

From a gas mask that only covers the lower part of the face, to a mask with night vision goggles for eyes, to a helmet that looks like something a fighter pilot would wear.

They’re all cyberpunk-inspired designs, but they’re not quite right…….

Somehow I don’t think they’re all “masks.”

“Which one do you like best?”

“…The fourth.”

I chose the design that was the closest to a mask out of the five candidates.

It’s an elaborate metal mask, like a cyborg, but I can’t help it.

If I asked Do-yeon, she’d come up with something far more practical for cosplay.

“Mmm…….”

Do-yeon added details to the drawing.

She kept the framework of the design, but reduced the embellishments as much as possible.

It was exactly what I wanted.

“Can I make it like this?”

“Oh, it won’t take long to draw, just wait a bit.”

Do-yeon put the doodle aside and began to draw more detailed drawings.

Since she was only drawing one mask, it would take her a few tens of minutes no matter how long it took.

That was enough time to chat and wait.

As I was thinking about it, Do-yeon asked me.

“Seon-woo, are you sure you need a mask?”

“Of course, I need to wear the right clothes for the story, so I can write the character well.”

“Is there such a thing…?”

“You should know.”

In the original, it was called “synchronicity.”

In short, the idea is that the more you look like your story, the more buffs you get.

For example, if you’re a secret agent, wear a suit.

If you’re a medieval knight, armor.

If you’re a Mad Scientist, you’ll need to wear a white coat to be effective.

Someday, when this setting becomes known, everyone will be wearing the same weird outfits in real life as they do in cosplay.

At least thieves don’t have such an iconic costume.

If I hid my face and didn’t stand out, my ‘synchronization rate’ went up quickly.

“But it has been a long time since I’ve heard the word ‘synchronization,’ hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it feels so old.”

Someone might say, “You’ve forgotten a masterpiece.”

But since no one else was around, I spoke my mind.

“Huh? Wasn’t that the name you made up?”

“No, so call it whatever you want. It’s still between us anyway.”

“You know I can’t name myself that-”

“I do.”

Knowing the cartoons Do-yeon usually drew, I had to agree.

She’s… what can I say?

She was the type of person who couldn’t name things well, so she’d make up weird names, or at least make them up as she went along.

Like the fantasy protagonist in a video game who gives his pet a weird name when it’s just born from a pampered egg.

I once tried to force her to come up with a proper name but I gave up when she spent half an hour trying to name the main character of a short cartoon.

I can’t tell how long it’s been since I’ve seen Do-Yeon in such a state of mind.

-Jiaying.

Suddenly, my cell phone vibrated.

“Do-Yeon, I need a minute.”

“Huh?”

I turned off the microphone for a moment and checked to see who the call was from.

[Class of 20, Kang Hyunseok]

The moment I recognized the name, my mouth dropped open as my heart sank.

Two years my senior in college but although we were in different majors, we were in the same club, so I had talked to him often.

However, I don’t know him personally, which is why I saved his contact information along with his class number.

I had minimal interaction with all but one or two people in the club.

“Haha…….”

At one point, I thought about asking them how they were doing. I was worried.

But I didn’t expect them to contact me first.

It’s so easy to do, why didn’t I think of it?

I guess it’s okay to take it.

It’s only the president of the club who I’m on bad terms with, not the other members.

We’re all acquainted, but we’re not really close.

I braced myself and moved my hand to pick up the phone before the call was disconnected.

“Seon-woo, how’s it been?”

Soon, I heard a voice I hadn’t heard in a month.

“…Yes, big brother.”

“I hope you’re okay, I’m calling all my contacts right now.”

“Oh, about yesterday?”

“Yeah, but I hope you’re okay!”

I could hear his forced, high-pitched laughter over the phone.

“How’s everyone else?”

“Ha, they’re all fine, even Lee Seorin.”

I let out a small, inaudible sigh.

Yeah, as long as nothing happened to the club president, I’d be happy.

“But she did say some weird things.”

“Strange things?”

“Didn’t you have a story…? She said something weird like that, but I didn’t understand, so she said it was okay.”

“Oh…She said that?”

Wow. You have a story, President.

Unlike Kang Hyunseok, who is in charge of programming, she is the chairman.

She probably got into an accident while writing a story because of her excitement.

“Actually, I made this call because she asked me to. She wanted me to ask if you were okay.”

“Oh… tell her thanks.”

“You should call each other yourself, not me, just this once.”

Anyway, thanks to you, I know what’s going on.

It’s been awkward, but we’re worried about each other, so I think it’s a good idea to visit……tomorrow.

She’s tough to deal with.

“Well, I’ve got to go, I was just talking to my friend about something.”

“Oh, yeah. I saw on the news that a part of downtown was briefly sealed off by a wall that just appeared out of nowhere…Don’t go out there if you can help it.”

…You mean yesterday?

“Oh, yeah.”

I answered and hung up like I was being chased.

For some reason, it felt strange to hear what I had been through from someone else’s mouth.

In my head, I knew it was on the news, but I hadn’t prepared myself to hear it in person.

“I’m back.”

I took a breath and activated the microphone again.

As if I’d been waiting for it, Seol Do-yeon answered immediately.

“What are you doing?”

“I just got a call from someone in my club.”

“Wow – you have someone to call at this hour?”

Seol Do-yeon said in a tone of genuine admiration.

“You’re right. I’m not even in college, so I’ll have fewer friends for the rest of my life.”

“What?”

“In a few years, when I’m broke because all my friends are gone, you’ll forget about me too…….”

“Bullshit.”

“Sob sob…….”

Whether I panicked or not, Do-yeon repeated her fake crying and betting but I ignored her.

“Oh, did you hear that what happened yesterday was on the news?”

“Huh?”

When I tried to change the subject, Do-yeon turned the question back on me.

“Didn’t you know? Each news video got millions of views.”

…What?

How many views?

[An unspecified number of people have found out about your deeds.]

The moment I heard that from Do-yeon, a status window popped up in front of me.

“Do-yeon…I’m so, so sorry. Wait.”

I turned off the microphone again and focused on the status window.

It was a message I’ve never seen in real life but I knew when this status window appeared.

In the original game, after completing a main or sub-mission, it would show how much the main character has grown.

The idea was that the protagonist’s deeds would become known to the world, and he would become more ‘recognized’ and stronger.

[The case you solved became known as a ‘mystery’.]

[You gained a lot of recognition!]

The message that was stated at that time is now before my eyes.

[Your awareness is increased by the Talent, ‘Behind the Mask’.]

[Since it was not revealed that it was ‘Yoo Seon-woo’, some of the Awareness settlement was withheld.]

[Text Thief’s Awareness rating has become C+.]

At that moment, I felt like something was filling my body.

It wasn’t unpleasant. It was more of a relaxing sensation, like being immersed in warm water.

‘Text Thief’ took control of my physical abilities.

It was clear that my body itself was undergoing a radical transformation as it strengthened itself.

“…Huh.”

Soon, the unclear sensation subsided, and I slowly opened my eyes.

I clasped and unclasped my hands and looked around my room.

Nothing seemed to have changed, yet somehow everything felt new.

The way I turned my head, the way I moved my hands, the world I saw with my eyes.

It was because something invisible had changed.

—

[Text Thief]

Awareness Rating: C+ (B)

Proficiency: Lv. 3

The ratings to the right of my current awareness rating indicate the status of my pending settlement.

—

All of this is due to the fact that my physical abilities have also increased along with the level of recognition I have gained.

This trait is probably the reason I’ve already gained so much awareness.

—

[Behind the mask]

You don’t grow by gaining fame for your work.

Instead, you gain a 200% increase in recognition from your actions.

You have a story about a thief.

So keep your identity behind a mask and be judged solely on your actions.

—

It was a one-tier increase, despite the fact that I’m capped on how much awareness I can gain.

In order to fully embrace this recognition, it was necessary to take action.

So, what’s next…….?

“Seon-woo, I’m done with the mask-”

…before I could think of what to do I unmuted the microphone again and spoke.

“Ah, uh, are you done?”

“Who were you talking to again this time?”

“I wasn’t on a call, I was looking at my status.”

“Five minutes?”

“Uh…….”

Has it really been that long already?

I took a moment to correct her misunderstanding, even if it meant rambling.

“You asshole.”

“Would you like to hear my story?”

“I wish you would die.”

…She didn’t seem to want to listen.