I Can Use Filthy Game Currency In The Real World
Chapter 43: Secret Folder

Chapter 43: Secret Folder

Small, cute trinkets were scattered across the surface, tiny figurines, pastel-colored stationery, and a neatly arranged calendar. The kind of decorations that made a workspace feel personal.

After a few moments, she handed me a small packet.

"Here you go. If you’re really not feeling well, you should rest in the lounge for a bit. Or maybe visit a doctor during lunch?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Ah, I’ll be fine after taking this. Thanks, though... Actually, do you have a minute? My head still hurts, but I wanted to get some fresh air and ask you something."

Hailey tilted her head slightly. "Ask me something?"

"Yeah. It’s a bit awkward to bring it up here."

"Ah... Got it. How about in fifteen minutes? I just need to finish something first."

"Sounds good."

She responded energetically, flashing a small smile before turning her focus back to her monitor.

I watched her for a brief moment before returning to my seat.

Popping the medicine into my mouth, I washed it down with a sip of water. Of course, I didn’t have any real questions for her. Not yet, anyway.

There were too many people in the office—I needed an opportunity to talk to Hailey in a quieter place, somewhere we wouldn’t be interrupted.

’Should I approach this from a romance angle?’ I tapped my fingers lightly against my desk. There was something I had learned from one of Hailey’s office friends.

If you want to talk to a woman, you need to find common ground. And most women, whether they admitted it or not, enjoyed talking about love stories.

Maybe I should go with the classic "I just went through a breakup" approach... It wasn’t entirely a lie. If I framed it right, Hailey would likely listen attentively.

At the same time, it would give me a perfect opening to naturally shift the conversation, from my fake love life to hers.

And once I had that information, I could dig even deeper.

Swish—

Thinking it might be a good strategy, I settled into my seat and unlocked Derek’s phone again, Hailey’s boyfriend.

Despite my exhaustion, I opened the messenger and call log, scanning through the apps for anything that might be useful.

"Hmm."

Swish— Swish—

I scrolled through each app carefully. Unfortunately, nothing stood out.

There were a few timer apps, some schedule management tools, and the usual banking apps. No suspicious video apps or anything unusual.

"Seems like he’s just a regular student studying for exams." The phone looked almost... boring. I reopened the messaging app, scrolling past Hailey’s chat to check other conversations.

There were only casual exchanges with friends, family, and a few promotional messages—nothing worth noting.

"Why did she give me this phone?"

At least when I helped Linda with her quest, carrying that dildo around served a purpose. But this phone? Completely useless.

"Ah... Well, I should at least know his name."

I tapped on the profile section within the messaging app.

[Derek]

His profile picture showed a fairly good-looking guy. According to their old photos, they’d been dating for seven years a long time. As I scrolled through previous profile pictures, I noticed several photos of the two together.

However, recently, Derek hadn’t set any couple photos as his profile picture.

"Tsk."

In contrast, Hailey still had a couple photo as her profile picture. It was clear that their relationship hadn’t fallen apart—if anything, Hailey seemed more invested.

"Alright... Let’s check the gallery."

I opened the Photo Album, browsing through the various folders. Most contained ordinary photos, scenery shots, group pictures, and random screenshots.

A handful of photos with Hailey appeared here and there, mixed in with other memories.

Swish—

The higher I scrolled, the more photos of Hailey and Derek appeared together, dates, anniversaries, and candid selfies.

Just as I was about to give up and close the gallery, a folder labeled Hidden Items caught my eye near the bottom of the screen.

"Hmm... What’s this?" The folder icon had a small lock symbol, signaling that it was protected. Suddenly, my curiosity spiked.

"Alex?"

My shoulders stiffened at the sound of Hailey’s voice behind me—too close for comfort. I clutched the folder tighter against my chest, heart skipping a beat as guilt and anxiety twisted together in my gut.

Damn... I should’ve checked this back in the bathroom. I rushed things too much.

I cast a quick glance toward the hallway leading to the restrooms, pulse drumming in my ears. The logical part of me screamed to step away and act natural, but something deeper, something instinctual, held me in place.

...No. I need to see what’s inside first.

"Ah! I, uh... I’ll swing by the bathroom real quick! Sorry, sorry!" I took a step back, hoping my awkward laugh masked the tension in my voice.

"Huh...? Haha. Sure, no problem." Hailey tilted her head slightly, her smile as warm as ever, though curiosity glinted in her eyes. She adjusted the strap of her bag and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Should I grab some coffee from the café downstairs?"

"Oh! If you could, that’d be awesome!" I forced a grin, inching toward the hallway. My fingers fidgeted with the edge of the folder as if it might slip from my grasp at any moment. "I’ll be down in a minute!"

"Alright! One caramel latte, right?" Hailey’s voice trailed off as she started toward the stairs.

"Yeah, thanks!" I called after her, watching until her blonde ponytail disappeared around the corner.

With that, I rushed to the nearest restroom, closing the stall door behind me and locking it. My heart pounded in my chest as I sat down on the toilet lid, trying to calm myself.

[The folder is locked.]

"Figures..." I was about to chuckle in frustration when, unexpectedly, a checkmark appeared on the screen.

[Folder unlocked.]

"...Huh?" That was odd. I hadn’t even entered a password. Well, not that I was complaining.

"Here we go." I tapped into the folder—and immediately, my decision was rewarded.

"...Wow." As expected, it was a jackpot. The folder was packed with nude photos of various women, clearly not meant for public eyes.

A woman sitting naked on a bed, making a peace sign with her fingers. Another lying in an M-shape, legs spread wide open. Close-up shots of their intimate areas, fingers pulling themselves open in provocative poses.

But frustratingly, most of the women’s faces were either cropped out or obscured.

"...Is this Hailey?" I leaned closer to the screen, examining the photos carefully. If any of these women turned out to be Hailey, this quest might become a lot more complicated than I’d anticipated.