Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Sungyoon walked towards his lodging alone . He had drunk alcohol, but he wasn’t intoxicated at all . A couple of beer cans had no effect on him . Connectors had a hearty const.i.tution . At that moment, he wondered why he even drank alcohol .
‘As expected, the prices on the Moon are too high . ’
Sungyoon thought about his wallet, which had gotten lighter . The store where his party gathered was considered to be inexpensive when compared to the other stores on the Moon . But still, it was a shop on the Moon . His wallet had suffered greatly . That was a certainty .
He had been happy because he had made 100,000 dollars in just three months . However, with that amount of money, he wouldn’t be able to live a decent life on the Moon, even for a month .
He looked at the nearby stores, glancing at the items lined up across the display window . Their prices were all mind-boggling .
‘As expected, I have to be frugal with my money . ’
He had never planned on spending much money on the Moon . On Earth, he could live a bit in luxury since it wouldn’t damage his checking account too much . But on the Moon, it was a completely different story . If he were reckless with his spending, it wouldn"t just damage his checking account . It would kill it . Above all else, he wanted to spend all his money on s.h.i.+nhae after he paid off his debt . He had no desire to waste his money .
He had a drinking party with the Ross siblings only because they were his party members . He considered it a basic bonding experience . As someone who had run a company before, he had to wine and dine business partners previously . He was doing something similar here . He wouldn’t drink alcohol on the Moon if it were not for that reason .
As he once again reflected on the crazy prices on the Moon, he arrived at his lodging .
“Ah!”
Someone was waiting for him in front of his lodging . It was a woman wearing a shabby lab-coat and out-of-fas.h.i.+on gla.s.ses . However, her beauty didn’t lose its light from what she had worn .
“It’s been a while, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
Chelsea spoke .
* * *
Chelsea left her room with a paper bag in her arms . She had done this for the past couple of days . Usually, she would be cooped up in her lab, and she would use any spare time to sleep there . It was very surprising to see Chelsea out and about .
The paper bag in her arms contained food . The bag was straining to keep all the food inside . It seemed it held more than the usual potatoes and sausages .
She greeted every fellow researcher she occasionally pa.s.sed by, as she headed towards the exit .
“Uh? You are going out again, Strobe?”
A fellow researcher whom she was close with asked the question when she spotted Chelsea .
“Yes . I have something to do . ”
“Usually, around this time, you are in your lab . You sure are going out a lot these days . Is it a man? Are you dating someone?”
A middle-aged woman with a sly look on her face appeared next to Chelsea . She nudged Chelsea with her elbow . As an extra, she raised her pinky finger and wriggled it . Chelsea couldn’t hold back her laughter when faced with the woman’s playful att.i.tude .
“I am going to meet a man, but I don"t have that kind of a relations.h.i.+p with him . I hope there is no misunderstanding . ”
Her fellow researcher drew back from Chelsea . An exaggerated expression of shock appeared on her face .
“My word! Strobe has a man! You were an impregnable fortress that rebuffed any approach from all men! That Chelsea Strobe has a man now!”
She flapped her two arms as she squawked out her words . She approached Chelsea once again and checked the contents of the bag .
“Are you taking those to that man?”
Chelsea looked baffled by her colleague’s antics, but this shameless woman just blinked her eyes, ignoring Chelsea’s gaze . In the end, Chelsea had to give up . She nodded .
“Yes!”
“Didn’t you take out the same amount of food yesterday?”
“I did . ”
Chelsea had been unable to deliver it . The man in question had been gone for several days, ever since he was clearing the Beginner’s labyrinth .
“… my G.o.d! I never expected Chelsea Strobe would voluntarily give up this much food . You are doing this every day . ”
Her colleague didn’t exaggerate anything . There was pure unadulterated shock on her face .
It was too expensive on the Moon to go out and enjoy oneself . Of course, this was why the daily rationed food was one of the biggest joys for researchers . This was also true for Chelsea . It wasn’t as if she was taking food that didn’t taste good . On a daily basis, she was basically taking food items that were considered to be main menu foods for a man .
“Are you sure he isn’t your boyfriend?”
It was understandable as to why her colleague was asking such a question .
All the researchers, who had been walking by them, stopped in place . They stared at the two of them . Several male researchers looked as if they couldn’t believe what they had just heard .
Chelsea Strobe was quite famous inside this lab facility . She was enough of a genius to be a.s.signed to the Moon’s lab facility at a very young age . At the same time, she had radiant good looks . If she was dropped in Hollywood, there would be people trying to sign her up for a lead role . She was famous for being a mascot for the researchers . She was their sweetheart .
Everyone thought that she didn’t have a boyfriend, yet, she just revealed she might have one .
“He isn’t!”
Chelsea gave a strong denial . However, suspicion still lingered in her colleague’s eyes .
“What are you talking about? I don’t have time for this . Get out of my way . ”
If she stayed any longer, she had no idea what they might say . Chelsea quickly pushed her colleague aside and exited the research facility .
‘He’s not my boyfriend . ’
Chelsea inwardly grumbled at the words spoken by her colleague . She was single because she had been focused on her studies and research . It felt like her colleague was making fun of her life choices . There was anger in her footsteps .
After walking for a while, she arrived at her destination .
It was the Support Center for Korea’s beginner Connectors .
She opened the familiar door and approached the receptionist .
The receptionist raised her head . When she saw Chelsea, her expression changed, as if she had been put in an awkward spot .
‘He hasn’t come back yet . ’
Chelsea had visited this place every day for the past couple of days . When she saw the receptionist’s expression, she could tell what the answer to her question would be . Still, she had to ask the question .
“h.e.l.lo . Is Mr . Sungyoon in?”
The receptionist looked more uncomfortable than before .
“No . He hasn’t come back yet . ”
There were numerous beginner Connectors residing within the Support Center . The receptionist didn’t remember every one of them . However, Chelsea had been coming here for the past couple of days on a daily basis, and every time, she asked about Sungyoon . This was why the receptionist knew about Sungyoon a little bit now . It was inevitable .
“Alright . I’ll wait a little bit . ”
As she spoke those words, she exited the building . It seemed that she planned on waiting nearby .
A man was receiving such interest from a beautiful woman like her . She was so beautiful that even the receptionist wasn’t jealous of her as a woman . The receptionist wondered who this Sungyoon was . She wondered what kind of a man could receive interest from such a woman .
Chelsea’s eyes were unfocused as she leaned against the wall of the Support Center . She had done this for the past couple of days . She still wasn’t used to the boredom that quickly came to her as she waited .
She chased away men who occasionally hit on her . However, she wasn’t too dismissive when turning them down . She had been burned too badly in the past against Nicholas .
Still, she couldn’t continue to wait here . It happened when she was about to give up on meeting Sungyoon for the day .
She caught sight of someone trudging along the street .
He was the same as ever, looking shabby, a gloomy atmosphere surrounding him . It lessened the effect of his handsome face . However, if one looked closely, one could spot a handsome man weighed down by a heavy past .
“It has been a while, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
She had wasted her past couple of days, but she was finally able to meet him . Chelsea greeted him as she stepped towards the man .
She heard groans from nearby . People couldn’t believe that a beautiful woman like Chelsea had been waiting for such an outwardly unattractive man . However, Chelsea didn’t pay attention to them . Sungyoon also didn’t care about outside opinions, so he ignored them too .
“h.e.l.lo, Ms . Chelsea . ”
“I knew it was about time for you to come to the Moon . ”
Chelsea shook the paper bag . Sungyoon"s nose smelled something very delicious . He had just eaten food, but it wasn’t as if he had eaten until he was full . He was only a beginner Connector, so the purchase of a couple beers and side dishes put his wallet in a dangerous territory .
The two of them headed towards their regular meeting place, the park . They sat next to each other on the same bench . Sungyoon took the paper bag offered by Chelsea .
‘It is heavy . ’
It had looked large on the outside, but he realized it was quite heavy too . It seemed that it wasn’t just potatoes and sausages like before .
He opened the bag .
There were the potatoes and sausages she always brought . However, there was also half of a well-done steak, a salad in a small container, half an apple, bread, and cheese .
Sungyoon looked at Chelsea with surprise in his eyes . The food within this bag would cost several hundred to several thousand dollars on the Moon . It was too expensive for him to receive it as a simple gift .
“What is all this?”
“What do you mean? It is your provision . ”
Chelsea purposefully spoke as if nothing was wrong . However, the amount of provision given wasn’t something he could just accept .
“I can’t take this . This is too much . ”
Sungyoon once again pushed the paper bag towards Chelsea, but she didn’t take it back .
She was searching for the right words to say . She bit her lips as she took a moment to breathe in an even manner .
When he saw this, he took the bag back into his possession . At the very least, she wasn’t going to take back the food right now .
“I heard about that guy Nicholas . ”
Nicholas . Sungyoon really didn’t like hearing that name .
“I heard he caused you harm?”
‘Is that why she’s doing this?’
Sungyoon looked at Chelsea, whose head was lowered . Her fine hair completely hid her face .
“It seems that you are under a misunderstanding . It isn’t your fault, Ms . Chelsea . ”
Some psychotic a.s.shole picked a fight with her for some asinine reason . He held a grudge from the disagreement, and his idiotic actions ruined his own life . For Sungyoon, that was all there was to it in regards to that incident .
However, Chelsea couldn’t let it go there . The ill-fated relations.h.i.+p with Nicholas started with her in the first place . Somehow, the grudge against her was directed towards Sungyoon, and he had almost died . She couldn’t shake these thoughts .
Normally, she looked like a woman with an easy-going and cheerful personality . However, she had a tendency to think things too deeply . In her heart, this incident had given rise to a sense of guilt towards Sungyoon .
“However, thanks to me, you were unnecessarily harmed . That’s the truth . ”
Everything was a mess . In these types of situations, the more kindness and innocence one possessed, the more guilt one felt . Chelsea fulfilled these two prerequisites in abundance .
Sungyoon looked inside the paper bag in his arms . The bag was still filled with scrumptious food .
‘Should I view this as an apology?’
She probably thought that it wasn’t enough . It looked like she had gathered as many things as she could get her hands on .
Sungyoon picked up the bread with a hole in the middle . It was a bagel . He took a big bite out of it . A nutty taste filled his mouth, and without realizing it, he took another bite .
Of course, Sungyoon never had a decent meal since he had come up to the Moon . The only things he had eaten were water and vitamin packs . He had drunk beer and ate some snacks earlier . However, it wasn’t a proper meal .
He ate the bagel in no time, and he also silently ate the other food . The sausage and steak were cold . He couldn’t lie . The salad was not fresh at all . However, he would be greedy if he expected more than this . The last remaining food was the apple . He stood up after he finished it .
Chelsea had said nothing as Sungyoon ate the food . She raised her head . Sungyoon gestured to her to stay there, and then, he headed towards the store where he had bought coffee last time .
He bought the same two cups of coffee, and just like last time, he had burned an enormous amount of cash .
He had promised himself not too long ago that he would be frugal, but he had to once again spend a lot of money . He sighed as he headed towards where Chelsea sat .
“Here . ”
He gave her a cup of steaming-hot coffee .