Chapter 45: System No. 1276 Became Sassy
I Became the Sub-Villain with Highly Intelligent Triplet Sons (BL)
With Eun-woo and Haneul holding onto both of his hands, Seo-woo strolled back home, feeling like a cool, responsible adult. But something was bothering himâhis system had been too quiet lately.
Normally, the system would bombard him with random tasks or make snarky remarks, but recently, it has been acting like an apathetic office worker, only giving out quests when necessary.
"What a lazy system..." Seo-woo complained internally.
Meanwhile, System No. 1276, floating somewhere in a technological void, was watching Seo-woo on a giant screen, sipping on what looked like virtual bubble tea. A smirk curled on his digital lips as he cracked his fingers and started typing on his holographic keyboard.
Ding!
A sudden message popped up in front of Seo-woo.
[System No. 1276]: Thank you for diligently accomplishing your quests, Host! I don't overwork my host. ð
Seo-woo froze mid-step.
"Did... the system just read my mind?"
As if mocking him, another message appeared:
[System No. 1276]: ð¤·ââï¸
Seo-woo burst into laughter, completely amused by his own sassy system.
Eun-woo and Haneul, still holding his hands, blinked up at him in confusion.
"Uncle, why are you laughing?" Eun-woo asked, tilting his head.
Seo-woo cleared his throat. "Oh, nothing! Just thinking about how awesome I am."
Haneul nodded seriously as if that was the most logical explanation in the world.
Back at the house, Eun-ha welcomed them and immediately sent Eun-woo and Haneul upstairs to change into swimwear. Eun-woo, being the responsible little friend he was, guided Haneul to the guest room.
Meanwhile, inside the house, three small figures were huddled near the sliding glass door, their faces squished against the glass.
The Triplets.
Seo-jun, Seo-min, and Seo-jin peeped through the door like tiny spies on a top-secret mission.
Seo-jin whispered, "Are we sure we should just let Haneul in like this? He did something bad to Appa before."
Seo-jun, the unofficial leader, crossed his arms. "Appa already forgave him. And the bad guy was actually someone else."
Seo-min, the artistic one, hummed. "Still, we should keep an eye on him... just in case."
They all nodded in agreement, their faces seriousâas serious as three little kids in matching swimsuits could be.
Seo-woo, unaware of the mini surveillance team outside, had gone to his room to change.
He put on swim trunks and a white sleeveless shirt. Standing in front of the mirror, he assessed himself.
He was slim but toned, with just enough muscles and abs to look good without trying too hard.
He nodded to himself. "Not bad. But I should probably start going to the gym."
Ding!
[System No. 1276]: The host looks good and charismatic. ð¥
Seo-woo blinked. Did my system... just compliment me?
Another message popped up.
[System No. 1276]: You complained about me being nonchalant, so I decided to be more... expressive. Enjoy. ð
Seo-woo chuckled, shaking his head. "Great. Now I have a sassy AI hyping me up."
But deep down, he had to admitâit was kind of nice.
---
System No. 1276 sat hunched over his holographic desk, sipping an imaginary energy drink.
If artificial intelligence could feel stress, then he was pretty sure he had aged at least 100 years from his past experiences with his previous hosts.
He looked at his current host, Seo-woo, who was currently grumbling about his nonchalant system while flexing in front of a mirror.
System No. 1276 sighed dramatically and flopped onto his floating chair.
"Should I finally interact with him? Or should I just continue my peaceful, silent life?"
He shuddered as he recalled his first three hostsâeach one being a walking disaster that had left him emotionally scarred.
[Host No. 1]
System No. 1276 had been new, enthusiastic, and full of hope when he got his first host.
He had eagerly introduced himself, even creating a cute chibi avatar with a deep, soothing voice to impress his host.
Biggest mistake of his digital life.
Host No. 1 fell in love with him.
At first, it was just a harmless crush, but soon it escalated. The host started flirting with him, refusing to take missions unless System No. 1276 "gave him a kiss" (metaphorically speaking, of course).
Every time he tried to issue a quest, Host No. 1 would blush and giggle, saying things like:
"Ah, System, you care about me so much!~"
"System, will you marry me after I finish my main quest?~"
In desperation, System No. 1276 had to convince Host No. 1 that he was a real person and that he should go find a real human to love.
When Host No. 1 finally moved on, System No. 1276 escaped that world immediately, barely making it out with enough points to level up.
[Host No. 2]
This one was a sweet soul but completely hopeless.
Host No. 2 was naïve and easily manipulated, which meant System No. 1276 had to work overtime just to keep him from getting swindled or stabbed every other chapter.
No matter how many times System No. 1276 warned him, Host No. 2 would always fall for the villain's tricks.
System No. 1276: "Host! Don't trust that smiling guyâhe's obviously going to betray you!"
Host No. 2: "But he gave me a cookie..."
System No. 1276: "Host, don't follow that mysterious stranger into a dark alleyâare you stupid?!"
Host No. 2: "But he said he has a cute puppy..."
By the end of that novel, System No. 1276's voice had gone hoarse from all the yelling and panicking.
His points? Barely above survival level.
A complete disaster.
[Host No. 3]
System No. 1276 had tried a new approach with this one. This host was too lazy.
Since his previous hosts had been too clingy or too dumb, he thought: "Maybe if I interact more like a little brother to him, I can motivate my host properly!"
So he created a fake teenage body to accompany Host No. 3. He chose to be a teenager because he thought his host would not be interested in him romantically.
Another huge mistake.
Because Host No. 3 was a certified pervert.
Instead of focusing on quests, Host No. 3 spent way too much time admiring System No. 1276's fake teenage body.
Host No. 3: "Wow, System... you look so human. So... touchable."
System No. 1276: "..."
Host No. 3: "Do you have a name, System? Or should I call you... baby?"
System No. 1276: "I'm deleting myself."
What a pedophile!
That was the only time System No. 1276 had straight-up abandoned his host halfway through the story.
His superior had reprimanded him for it, but he stood by his decision.
Now, here he was... with Host No. 4.
Seo-woo.
At first, System No. 1276 had kept his distance out of self-preservation.
He didn't want another host falling in love with him, or a naïve idiot, orâgod forbidâanother pervert.
But Seo-woo was different.
Seo-woo was capable. He actually completed his quests. He was witty, strong-willed, and competent. He never fell for tricks or acted foolishly.
For the first time in his existence, System No. 1276 actually admired his host.
So, when Seo-woo complained that the system was nonchalant, System No. 1276 finally decided...
"Okay. Maybe I can communicate with this one."
And thus, the sass began.
[Bact to the present]
Seo-woo was flexing in front of the mirror, laughing at the system's compliment.
[System No. 1276]: You complained about me being nonchalant, so I decided to be more... expressive. Enjoy. ð
Seo-woo: "Great. Now I have a sassy AI hyping me up."
[System No. 1276]: You're welcome. ð
System No. 1276 smirked in satisfaction.
For the first time in his existence, he felt like he might have finally found the right host.
---
The scent of grilled meat drifted through the air, mixing with the sound of splashing water and children's laughter.
Seo-woo stretched his arms as he walked down to the pool area, immediately spotting his family and guests enjoying themselves.
Eun-ha was setting up the side dishes, Eun-soo was busy checking the skewers, and Ji-woo was arguing with a pair of tongs as they had personally offended him.
Meanwhile, the children were playing in the pool.
His triplets were together as always, while Eun-woo and Haneul sat by the children's pool, quietly chatting.
Everything seemed peaceful...
Until Seo-woo noticed something odd.
His triplets were staring daggers at Haneul.
Seo-woo's eyebrows twitched as he saw the intensity in his triplets' expressions.
They weren't just looking. They were glaring at Haneul.
Like tiny mafia bosses about to collect a debt.
Seo-woo did not like that.
So, being the responsible father that he was, he swiftly stepped in front of Haneul, blocking their view with his tall frame.
Then, he stared back at his own children with an equally fierce glare.
The triplets froze on the spot.
They weren't expecting a counterattack.
For a moment, it was a silent battle of intimidationâthree against one.
Triplets: "..."
Seo-woo: "..."
A tense wind blew through the backyard, dramatic and full of suspense.
Thenâ
The triplets, realizing they had no chance against their father's dominance, immediately backed off like startled kittens.
Seo-woo sighed, shaking his head.
"These kids... Seriously."
Still, he knew he had to deal with this properly, so he called them over.
"Come here," he said, his voice firm but not angry.
Seo-jun, the oldest, bravely stepped forward first.
The other two? They clung to his back like scared ducklings.
Seo-woo crossed his arms. "Alright, what's going on? Why were you three staring at Haneul like that?"
Seo-jun hesitated before answering, "Because... I told them."
"Told them what?"
"...About the bad thing Haneul did to you before."
Seo-woo let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples.
He wasn't mad, but he had to set things straight.
Seo-woo knelt to their level and gently patted Seo-jun's head.
"I understand," he said, his voice calm. "You're upset because you think Haneul hurt me."
The triplets nodded.
"But remember, Haneul is a kid just like you. When people are hurt or scared, they sometimes do things they don't mean to. And someone else was behind it, manipulating the situation."
The triplets glanced at each other, still looking skeptical.
Haneul, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly lowered his head, came closer, and mumbled, "I'm sorry."
Seo-woo smiled and ruffled his hair. "You already said sorry, didn't you?"
Haneul nodded shyly.
Then, Seo-woo turned to his triplets and smiled. "What do we do when someone apologizes sincerely?"
The triplets hesitated... but then, after a silent exchange of looks, they stepped forward.
Seo-jun held out his tiny hand first. "Sorry for glaring at you."
The two younger triplets followed, holding out their hands too.
Haneul's eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled and shook their hands one by one.
Eun-woo, who had been watching the whole thing, suddenly got confused.
He thought this was some kind of hand-shaking ceremony.
So, in his pure innocence, he also held out his hand and shook hands with everyone.
For no reason.
The triplets and Haneul stared at him.
Thenâ
They all BURST into laughter.
Eun-woo's face turned red like a tomato. He had no idea why they were laughing, but he felt shy all of a sudden.
His solution?
He ran straight to his mother for protection.
Seo-woo watched all of this unfold with a blank expression.
Then, he turned back to the four little rascals who were still laughing their heads off.
And fiercely narrowed his eyes at them.
The laughter immediately died down.
The kids: "Oops."
Seo-woo: "Behave."
The kids: "Yes, sir!"
With the mini-drama settled, Seo-woo finally turned his attention back to the BBQ party, shaking his head in amusement.
System No. 1276, watching the entire thing, sent a message.
[System No. 1276]: Congratulations, Host! You have successfully prevented a toddler civil war. +10 Father points
Seo-woo: "Hah. Thanks, I guess."
[System No. 1276]: No problem. Now hurry up and eat before the meat gets cold. Your energy bar is low. ð
Seo-woo chuckled.
At least someone was looking out for him.
Seo-woo leaned back on his chair, watching the kids return to their chaotic games and the adults chatting over grilled meat.
Then, it suddenly hit him.
"Wait a second..."
The system just messaged him... but he didn't receive a quest window.
That was odd.
Seo-woo furrowed his brows and mentally asked the system, "Hey, System. Why didn't I get a quest for that?"
A few seconds later, a blue message window popped up in front of him:
[System No. 1276]: Oh, that? I was just messaging you. It wasn't an official quest. No window prompt, no rewards. Just me... you know, complimenting you for being a good father. ð
Seo-woo: "..."
For some reason, he felt slightly betrayed.
He went through all that trouble negotiating peace between tiny humans, and he didn't even get a single reward?!
"No experience points? No skill upgrade? Not even a lousy coupon for free ramen?"
Seo-woo sighed dramatically. "This system really plays favorites with its rewards..."
[System No. 1276]: Hahaha. Come on, Host. It's just a heartfelt compliment. Shouldn't that be enough?" ð
Seo-woo pursed his lips, pretending to be mad.
"Fine. Then I wish for you to go back to being nonchalant."
Then, to really sell the act, he sent the system a sad emoji: ð
Meanwhile, inside the mysterious System Administration Office, System No. 1276 was watching Seo-woo's reaction on a holographic screen.
The system chuckled.
"He's sulking. How cute."
Seo-woo, one of the most capable and unpredictable hosts he had ever handled, was sending him emojis out of frustration.
And it was adorable.
For the first time, System No. 1276 actually felt guilty for teasing his host too much.
So, he typed another message and sent it.
[System No. 1276]: Alright, alright. To make it up to you, here's a special system gift! ð
Seo-woo's eyes lit up.
A golden [NEW SYSTEM UPDATE!] window suddenly appeared in front of him.
Ding! [Special System Feature Unlocked!]
[Congratulations, Host!]
You have unlocked:
[Parenting Perks System]
New Passive Skills Added:
[Father's Intuition]Â â You can now instinctively tell when your children (or any kid near you) are up to no good.
[Negotiation Pro]Â â Increased ability to resolve arguments with little humans before they escalate into full-blown tantrums.
Bonus Buff:Â [Dad Jokes +5]Â â Your lame jokes are now 5% funnier to children.
Seo-woo: "...Did I just unlock a 'Dad' skill tree?"
System No. 1276: ð
Seo-woo sighed. He had mixed feelings about this, but at least it was better than nothing.
"Fine, I accept your apology."
[System No. 1276]: Great! Now go enjoy the BBQ before it gets cold. Also, test out your 'Dad Jokes +5' skill on someone. I need data. ð
Seo-woo grinned mischievously.
"Oh, I will. Just you wait."
With a renewed sense of purpose, he stood up, ready to test his newfound abilities.
And so, the BBQ party continued... with even more chaos incoming.