As he desded the stairs and stepped outside, the midday sued him with a warm embrace, casting long shadows on the pavement. A gentle breeze carried the mixed sts of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, exhaust fumes from passing cars, and the faint trace of someone's floral perfume. He squinted slightly against the brightness, adjusting to the lively energy of the city before pulling out his phone.

  "I o find the store where the MC works. That’ll make things much easier." His thumb scrolled across the s, the soft glow of the map refleg in his eyes.

  "The only issue is that most of the girls here are already infatuated with him." He exhaled sharply. "That might make things... tricky."

  From what he remembered, the women in this world weren’t shy about their desires. They practically flocked to the protagonist, eager for his attention. That kind of devotion could be a roadblock for his own pns—but no challenge was impossible. He would find a way.

  The map showed that the venieore was only a few minutes away. Smirking, he slipped his phone bato his pocket and started walking, taking in his surroundings as he went. The city was a maze of modern buildings, small alleyways, and bustling sidewalks filled with people going about their day. He made a mental note of key ndmarks—just in case he ever got lost without his phone.

  As he walked, he couldn't help but notice the women around him. The city was full of them—some casually dressed in summer skirts and tank tops, others in work attire, moving with purpose. A few of them stole g him, their eyes lingering just a little too long.

  One woman, in particur, caught his attention. She was ing straight toward him, her gaze locked onto his as if testing him. Intrigued, he held her stare, turning his head slightly as they passed. To his amusement, she did the same, a small smile pying at her lips before she looked ahead and tinued on her way.

  "hought I’d get attention from women, holy," he mused. He didn’t remember much about his past life, but something told him that back then, his luck with women had been... ent. "I probably averaged zero girls my whole life. Funny how things ge."

  With a smirk, he kept walking, his destination growing closer with every step.

  He finally arrived at the venieore, its gss doors sliding open with a soft chime as he stepped ihe cool air from the store's AC provided an immediate trast to the warmth outside. The faint st of instant noodles, freshly brewed coffee, and pstic-ed snacks lingered in the air.

  As his eyes adjusted to the bright fluorest lights, he immediately spotted the protagonist, Nam Juho, standing behind the ter. His gaze was locked onto someone further ihe store, his expression tense, his face slightly flushed.

  Curious, Travis followed his line of sight and saw her.

  Lee Ruri.

  One of the heroines of this story. She was crouched down, cheg the sto the lower shelves, pletely unaware of the attention she was receiving. Her short, vibrant e hair framed her face perfectly, the strands catg the artificial light in a way that made them almost glow. Her blue eyes, sharp and lively, could probably stop anyone iracks if she chose to look up. And then there was her body—slim, toned, yet carrying just the right curves to make her presence impossible to ignore.

  Travis smirked before shifting his focus ba Juho, whose face ractically burning red.

  ' Of course. Another clueless protagonist who thinks with his distead of his brain, ' Travis thought, shaking his head. ' I swear, if these guys actually strategized, they’d have all the girls by the end of the series. '

  He made his way through the aisles, grabbing a random sele of snacks and a bottled drink from the fridge. By the time he returo the ter, Lee Ruri had straightened up and was now teasing Nam Juho, her voice pyful, her expression amused. Juho, oher hand, looked like he was about to bust.

  As Travis approached, Lee Ruri's eyes flickered toward him. For the briefest moment, her fident demeanor wavered—her gaze hesitating as she took him in. But just as quickly as it happened, she recovered, her expressiourning to its usual cool indifference.

  Travis smiled slightly. Guess it won’t be that easy. He exhaled through his nose and prepared to pay.

  Then, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.

  Love: 0

  I: 2

  His eyebrow twitched. ' Oh. That’s ve.'

  Pg his items on the ter, he pulled out his card and made his payment without an her.

  Lee Ruri, still standing nearby, watched him carefully. Her arms were folded, her fiapping lightly against her elbow.

  Nam Juho was trying his best to work professionally, but Travis could see his fingers fumbling slightly as he bagged the items.

  Ohe transa was doravis gave a curt nod. “Thanks.”

  With that, he turned ahe store without so much as a backward gnce.

  Lee Ruri watched him go, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  "He didn’t even g me." A pause. Then, a frown. "Is he gay?"

  Travis sighed as he popped open the of Coke, the carbonation hissing softly before he took a long sip. The cold, fizzy liquid ran down his throat, providing a refreshing trast to the lingeri of the day.

  'Well, time to buy this store before the beautiful MILF does,' he thought, pulling out his phone. His fingers moved swiftly across the s as he searched for the store’s ownership details, quickly log the manager’s taformation.

  He smirked.

  'Let’s hope this gets me to meet her before the protagonist.'

  With the kind of wealth he had, buying this entire try wouldn’t be an issue—he’d still have ge left over. So why not use that advantage whenever he could?

  As he arrived back at the apartment plex, he noticed a familiar figure walking ahead of him. It was the woman he had seen earlier. She was dressed in a pair of tight shorts and an oversized bck hoodie, her toned legs fully on dispy. She carried herself with casual fidence, moving up the stairs without sparing him a gnce.

  Travis slid his phone bato his pocket and picked up his pace, closing the distaween them before lightly tapping her shoulder.

  She turned, blinking in fusion. "Uh, hello?"

  Her eyes flickered over him, briefly sing his face. He could already tell what she was thinking—she assumed he was about to hit on her and was likely preparing to reject him immediately.

  "Hey, my name is Travis. It’s o meet you. I just moved into this apartment. May I have your name?"

  She hesitated for a moment.

  'I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to tell him my name. Plus, he’s so respectful,' she thought.

  "It’s o meet you too. I’m Yeo Juyeon. I live ohird floor, room 24. But I’m a little busy, so could we talk ter?" She adjusted her hoodie slightly, already shifting to leave.

  "Wait, please listen to my request," Travis said, raising a hand. "I think you're really beautiful, and I’d like to—"

  "Sorry, I’m not ied," she cut in, turning away without hesitation.

  "—have you model for a webtoon I’m making."

  She froze mid-step.

  'Did he just say webtoon?'

  Slowly, she turned back to face him, her cheeks warming as realization hit her.

  'This is so embarrassing.'

  Travis smiled. "Since you're busy, could I give you my number? If you're ied, feel free to tact me ter."

  Still flustered, Juyeon nodded and quickly accepted his number without a sed thought.

  Travis walked up the stairs, and she followed closely behind, her eyes locked on the floor as if trying to process everything. When they reached the third floor, he stopped in front of room 23 while she hurriedly unlocked room 24.

  The moment she stepped inside, she shut the door behind her and pressed her back against it. Her face was beet red. Slowly, she lid down to the floor, burying her fa her hands.

  'Even worse, he's my neighbor.'

  TO BE TINUED

  [ A/N : Check the patreon if you wara chapters. You also choose which pornhwa Travis will go to . As long as it's pleted ]