Chapter 3
—
Lee Shin looked out the second-floor window at the surroundings. As expected of a chaebol family’s mansion, it was disgustingly vast. There was no end in sight.
But in this ridiculously large place, I don’t have a single ally?
Completely isolated, treated worse than the dogs freely roaming the spacious yard.
Yes, that’s me.
“Sigh, maybe maxing out my lawfulness and ethics stats at zero was a bit much?”
He had adjusted several stats to extremes to bring his character concept to life, but who would’ve thought it would come back to bite him like this?
“Still, it’s fascinating. When the game turns into reality, it fills the blanks with additional story.”
For instance, because his reputation stat was at zero, he was endlessly vilified on TV.
In the game, it was simply a stat that made recruitment harder and turned surrounding factions hostile. But in reality, it meant people literally pointed fingers and said, “That bastard is a scumbag!!”
It felt like his reputation had gone into the negatives.
“When you think about it, it’s no surprise this character ended up as a chaebol.”
From the start, the concept was a character with no real abilities, covered up with charm and wealth.
So what happens when this gets transferred into reality?
A “reason” has to be created.
The process has to align with the result.
“Since I have no abilities, building wealth from scratch is impossible. So naturally, I was ‘born rich.’ And the reason I can still be attractive despite doing all sorts of terrible things…”
The face reflected in the mirror was unrealistically handsome, paired with a figure unattainable in his real life.
From head to toe, everything about him was perfect. The only thing he had done right was being born with a diamond spoon in his mouth.
“A third-generation chaebol.”
In the end, I dug my own grave.
Lee Shin rested his chin on the window sill and laughed.
“Pfft, this is fascinating. It’s so much fun. Ridiculously fun.”
He had been struck by lightning out of nowhere and thrown into a game.
He had been called a junkie, a bastard, and a scoundrel, cursed out in every way possible.
Now, he was being treated worse than a dog.
Yet, Lee Shin was laughing.
So what? What does it matter?
If I’m a scoundrel, then so what? If I’m a bastard, who cares?
It doesn’t matter that I’m a chaebol. It doesn’t matter that I’m being treated worse than a dog.
Look at this pounding heart.
“All right, simple plans are the best.”
* * *
This is a story from the past—when Lee Shin was in middle school.
At this time, Lee Shin was a weak child in many ways. He was small and frail, with no parents. His family was poor, so he wore his older brother’s ill-fitting school uniform, making him a target of ridicule.
It wasn’t surprising that someone like Lee Shin became a victim of bullying.
In those days, school life revolved around the logic of power.
Bread bags flying at the back of his head.
The mocking laughter of the bullies.
The indifferent avoidance of the bystanders.
For someone like Lee Shin, who wanted a quiet life, the classroom wasn’t a pleasant place.
An ordinary kid might have burst into tears at this ridiculous mistreatment. They might have lashed out in anger. A slightly smarter kid might have sought out a teacher.
Lee Shin had tried all of those.
But none of it worked.
On the day he was beaten up in retaliation, Lee Shin could do nothing but retreat to the corner, enduring curses, warnings, and flying fists.
But there was one thing that set Lee Shin apart from others.
Lee Shin wiped the blood from his lips and ran his hand over the cold electronic device in his pocket.
‘This should be enough, right?’
People need to know exactly what they have.
Only then can they achieve what they want.
This was the truth of life that middle school Lee Shin had realized.
.
.
Self-awareness.
It was a term Lee Shin didn’t know at the time, but one he had instinctively grasped. From a young age, he had excelled at this to the point where it seemed coldly calculating.
What do I have to my name? What weapons do I possess?
Understanding this precisely allowed him to maximize his chances of success.
Lee Shin used dozens of IDs to post consistently, with deliberate time intervals.
He didn’t spare a single resource, sending letters to government offices, morning talk shows, news outlets, and even small internet newspapers.
Let’s clarify again: middle school Lee Shin was a frail boy from a poor background.
But he had one stroke of luck—the bully was the child of a major corporation.
The very thing that made him a target of bullying became his greatest weapon.
The frame of victimhood, rapidly constructed. The burning sense of justice.
The flames spread nationwide in an instant, and Lee Shin finally achieved the peace he had sought.
Compared to that time, Lee Shin’s current situation was much better.
Who created the character known as Lee Shin? The very person who crafted and handed himself a weapon was none other than himself.
The character’s overall stats were set below average.
Instead, he had maximized his wealth stat.
But no fool would boast about money inside a chaebol family. Besides, he was currently confined.
‘Even setting aside the money I can’t use immediately.’
Still, God has left me one weapon.
Charm.
The ability to captivate or persuade others.
In GM, players used this to interact with various in-game characters.
It could be used to increase favourability, gain more rewards, or even obtain valuable information through goodwill.
Depending on the value, it could unlock hidden quests or interfere with hidden storylines to recruit characters otherwise unattainable.
‘Of course, it’s not all advantages.’
Just like the saying, “Where there’s an issue, there’s trouble,” a character with high charm may draw attention but also easily make enemies through unexpected events like jealousy or envy.
Charm can yield incredible effects if used well, but if not actively utilized, it might as well not exist. That’s precisely why players often view it as a mediocre stat. However, Lee Shin has a lot of it.
No, even “a lot” is an understatement.
The most.
The best.
At least in the realm of charm, Lee Shin is unmatched in this world.
[Charm 101]
An extraordinary stat, exceeding the player limit of 100, with his charm sitting at an unrivalled 101.
It was the ultimate weapon Lee Shin gained by sacrificing nearly all other stats.
Once you’re sure of the weapon you hold, the next steps are easy. All that’s left is to wield it actively.
He moved.
As Lee Shin grabbed the doorknob, his expression changed.
The mischievous smile he usually wore disappeared, replaced by a soft, gentle smile, complete with a twinkle in his eyes.
When he stepped through the door, the full-length mirror reflected Lee Shin as someone who had transformed into an irresistibly charming man.
“Good morning! It’s such a beautiful day!”
* * *
Every household has its unique atmosphere.
A quiet family’s home will exude a calm mood from the moment you step inside, while a lively family’s home will radiate cheerfulness.
The atmosphere of the Lee family mansion leaned toward the former.
It was more than just calm—it was stiff, almost oppressive. And when the head of the household, Vice Chairman Lee Young-bin, was present, it bordered on hostile.
However, the atmosphere had been changing recently.
In just a few days, the mansion’s mood had shifted, and the people most sensitive to this change were the staff.
“It’s strange. Something’s really strange.”
“What do you mean, sister?”
“When I first came here, it felt cold. Like, bone-chilling cold, almost like I was catching a cold. But for some reason, that chill has disappeared over the past few days.”
“Maybe you were just sick?”
“Do you think I can’t tell the difference between a cold and something else?”
“Hehe, just joking. Actually, I feel the same. It used to feel uncomfortable here, but lately, it feels more relaxed.”
“Right?! You feel it too?”
They weren’t alone.
The gardeners who cared for the vast estate, the security guards patrolling the grounds, and even the chefs responsible for the staff’s meals—all of them felt it.
The peculiar pressure that had once weighed down the mansion seemed to have lifted.
Everyone was curious.
Why? What had changed?
At that moment, a cheerful voice called out from the distance.
“Good morning, Sujin! Hello, Mi-young! Good morning to you too~”
“Good morning, young master.”
“Good morning, young master.”
“Ah, stop calling me young master; just call me Shin! Oh, Lucky! You’re so full of energy today. Good morning, high five!”
It was Lee Shin.
He greeted everyone with the sweetest voice, one by one. Occasionally, he even threw in some playful charm that made people smile.
As he bent down to high-five the Samoyed dog, even the staff couldn’t hide their grins at his adorable actions.
The man who had been confined to his room for bad behaviour had suddenly turned over a new leaf. He now greeted everyone with a cheerfulness that was hard to dislike.
‘Look at that smile. His face really is a work of art.’
‘He acts like a scoundrel, but his face screams innocence. That contrast is lethal.’
Honestly, setting aside his scoundrel behaviour, Lee Shin was a naturally likable person. Especially to women, it was nearly impossible to dislike him.
For one thing, he was ridiculously handsome.
Tall, with an impressive physique. His slightly lean build only accentuated his broad shoulders.
And his face—don’t even get started. His puppy-like features and droopy eyes that sparkled when he smiled made him seem like the most harmless creature on Earth. He had an aura that instinctively triggered protective instincts in everyone, regardless of gender.
To think that someone this harmless-looking had done such unspeakable things…
It’s like the saying, “If cats weren’t cute, they’d have gone extinct.” If Lee Shin weren’t this absurdly attractive, he’d probably have been buried alive by now. For real.
While the two women were lost in their thoughts, admiring Lee Shin’s face, he interrupted them.
“Hey, sisters, I have a quick question.”
“Yes, yes! What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing big. I just haven’t seen the butler today. Where is he?”
“The butler? I think he’s off today, isn’t he?”
“Yes, it’s his day off. Did you need something from him?”
“Oh, it’s just that today is grocery delivery day. It’s usually the biggest event of the week, and he’s always around for it. I just noticed he’s not here.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Lee Shin casually waved his hand and turned away.
And so, they didn’t see it. The genuine smile tugging at Lee Shin’s lips.
He walked outside without hesitation. As he stepped onto the large yard, several staff members greeted him with polite bows.
Once again, Lee Shin responded to each of them with his signature warm smile.
“Chang-seok, did you have a good holiday? I heard you went out with your girlfriend yesterday. No wonder you look so worn out, haha!”
“Take it easy, take it easy. Eh, looks clean to me. Weren’t you saying your back’s been acting up? Someone with back pain shouldn’t be working this hard.”
In just a week.
Lee Shin had broken through their defenses and won their favour.
Even if the mansion’s owner had explicitly warned them, “Don’t associate with Lee Shin,” they would’ve found it unbelievable. Who would’ve guessed that the rude and arrogant Lee Shin could charm the staff with such a gentle smile?
If you’re always kind but fail once, you’re called a scoundrel. But if you’re always distant and kind just once, you’re called an angel. Lee Shin had already become an angel to them.
“Are you going to the arboretum again today?”
“Looking at plants soothes my mind. Oh, by the way!”
Lee Shin paused just as he was about to enter the arboretum and asked a question.
“My laptop is still in its usual spot, right?”
“If you mean the central lounge, I believe it’s still there.”
As the arboretum caretaker said, the central lounge.
The laptop was exactly where Lee Shin always sat. Lee Shin’s eyes immediately checked the Ethernet cable plugged into it.
The eraser he had placed on the cable was still in its position, indicating that no one had touched it. Lee Shin smiled in satisfaction and sat down.
Before turning on the monitor, he glanced around to ensure the coast was clear.
After pressing the power button and entering his password, the screen immediately displayed a window.
The black background was filled with numbers and English letters. It was code.
‘Let’s finish this up.’
Lee Shin licked his lips and ran his fingers over the keyboard.
He entered commands, converted code, and deleted or inserted variables.
New windows popped up—this house’s security protocols.
There were many.
As expected of a chaebol family’s mansion, its security system was absurdly robust compared to an ordinary home.
But like any security system, it was designed to defend against external intruders. By accessing it internally through the Ethernet cable and working meticulously for a week…
‘Knock, and it shall be opened unto you!’
He inserted a USB key containing his access code.
The dummy programs he had carefully installed over the past week all activated simultaneously.
Bzzzzt―
The lights in Lee Shin’s room flickered. Soon, the CCTV cameras nearest to his room began blinking in the same pattern.
The cameras in the second-floor hallway with the guest rooms, the staircase, the living room, and finally the kitchen—all began to blink.
Occasionally, unexpected code errors popped up.
This was beyond his expertise. However, Lee Shin didn’t panic. After all, today was the day for a showdown.
“All right, done!”
He had hijacked access rights.
This house now belonged to him.
Forty minutes later, Lee Shin cheerfully greeted the caretaker he had seen earlier.
“Ah~ Phytoncides! Coffee tastes best in the arboretum.”
“I’m glad you feel refreshed.”
“Oh, and as always, please leave my laptop where it is. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure to let everyone know.”
“Thank you.”
After leaving that request, Lee Shin walked off.
On his way to the dining room.
And as he passed people along the way, he continued to flash his eye-smile, charming everyone he met. His go-to phrase was, “Enjoy your meal.”
His route—from his room to the arboretum and then to the dining room—had been the same all week. No one found his behaviours suspicious.
Even while he ate.
Even when he returned to his room.
Even the security guards monitoring his room’s CCTV.
― “He just lay down on the bed. He’ll probably fall asleep soon.”
― “Confirmed.”
Wrapped in the aura of his extraordinary “Charm,” Lee Shin had dismantled their suspicions.
Through repetition, he created gaps in their vigilance.
And into those gaps, he inserted his secret plan—one no one noticed.
Lee Shin closed his eyes and silently began his own countdown.
“3, 2, 1. Ding!”
At that moment, the laptop he had left in the arboretum roared to life, and the security room’s TV screens froze before their feeds were replaced.
The new footage was yesterday’s recordings.
And at that same moment—
Beeeep―!!
The fire alarm blared furiously!
While everyone’s attention was drawn to the commotion in the arboretum, Lee Shin stood up leisurely and walked through the hallway.
Carefully, he slipped out the back door, hid in a laundry basket, changed clothes, and descended to the basement.
What would take a long time to describe in words was, in reality, a swift escape.
Before him now stood the ark that would grant him freedom.
It was none other than the delivery truck carrying the day’s groceries!
“Ah, the sweet taste of freedom.”
Lee Shin hopped right into the cargo hold of the delivery truck waiting in the basement.
—
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