GJOW 26
by soapaYoon Chorong, who answered in a very small and thin voice, took the cup.
“Don’t mention it.”
Choi Jeonghyeon, who had replied, sat down in his seat and suddenly recalled what his voice had just sounded like. What kind of voice did I just use to speak? As he tilted his head in confusion, Yoon Chorong spoke.
“Excuse me, Captain.”
“Yes.”
“I also think… stream sniping is not a good thing.”
“…”
“I’m just saying that… since it’s a bad thing… yes… that’s all.”
Is it just my imagination, or am I hearing ‘I’m so uncomfortable and awkward being with you right now’ in my ear?
“I understand. Don’t worry about it.”
Choi Jeonghyeon slurped his grapefruit juice.
🎮
January 10th was a day with no matches.
After the round of 16 ended, they would have a day of rest, and then the first round of the quarterfinals was scheduled to start on the 11th. Since the K-Cup had begun, the morning atmosphere in the practice room, which was usually busy with talk about the previous day’s match and today’s upcoming match, was a little different today. This was because a patch had been implemented on the test server on January 10th.
The players and coaching staff gathered in the practice room, each checking the patch notes. After the details about item ability patches and adjustments to existing champions’ skill abilities, there was an explanation of a map patch.
The most important content in the map patch was the existence of a neutral monster called the One-Eyed, which grants vision and respawns five minutes after the game starts. It was a vision monster that illuminates the area in front of the Serpent’s Nest, where the Hero’s Guardian, which helps with early-game strategy, and Jörmungandr, which gives an important late-game buff, respawn. It had the effect of being able to illuminate one of the main jungle paths without consuming a ward.
It was a patch that allowed for tracking the movements of not only the junglers’ paths but also the laners who came to roam in a straight line along the river. They would have to play the game to know what kind of impact this patch would have on future game strategy, but since vision battles had become more intense due to the limit on the number of wards, it seemed it would be difficult to avoid fighting from the early stages.
The next patch was the addition of a new champion. The WOH team, which introduces three to five new champions a year, had created and unveiled a new AP champion this time. Youngjun, the mid laner, stood next to Yoon Chorong and played the introduction video that had been uploaded to the official video channel.
“Anyone can see this is for mid.”
Yoon Chorong nodded at Lee Youngjun’s words.
“It’s an AP champ.”
“She’s a mage. She looks pretty.”
“She looks like a Disney character. What was it… Rapunzel with the long hair?”
Lee Youngjun laughed at Yoon Chorong’s words. The name of the champion with long hair was Annabelle. Annabelle, who had sparkling gold and pink hair, was a timid mage girl who had lived in the world of fairy tale books before crossing over through a dimensional gate. The champion, who had her friend, a lizard, on her shoulder, had quite a vibrant color palette, even just from the introduction video. Judging by the skill introduction video, it seemed to be a champion capable of burst damage if raised well.
“Getting hit by this sleep skill is going to be fucking annoying as hell.”
As they were talking, Director Ryu Sunghyun approached.
“How is it? Think she’ll be usable?”
“We’ll have to play her to find out. What does Jeonghyeon-hyung say?”
“He’s checking now.”
Lee Youngjun nodded at his words. Park Juwon, who was next to him, asked.
“Will it be applied from Season 1? Seeing as they said it will be released right at the time of the main server patch.”
“I suppose so. We’ll have to see if the item or map patches will be applied to the main server as well, but the new champion will be released. Annabelle will probably be released too.”
The K-Cup was currently being played on patch version 7.1. This patch was patch 7.2(14) and was scheduled to be applied starting from WKC regular Season 1. Ryu Sunghyun, who had nodded, smiled at the murmuring players.
“Alright, alright, let’s finish checking the patch in a little bit. We have something to do before practice today.”
At those words, the players’ gazes turned to Ryu Sunghyun.
“It’s the K-Cup roster list. The decision was made based on the scrim results and data analysis so far.”
The roster is a 10-man system, but you have to make the seven-man lineup to be listed as a substitute player. That was the current league rule. At the news of the finalized list just a few days before the match, Yoon Chorong swallowed nervously and clenched his fists tightly.
Please… please!
🎮
Jehoon-ah are you sleeping?
Jehoonie
nope
taking a walk with the kids
my hands are freezing cold
Right
Jehoonie
why
(emoticon of dancing with joy)
Jehoonie
?
what’s with you you’re making me sick
ㅡㅡ
Jehoonie
??
Let’s see each other at the stadium for a bit
You said you have a front row seat, right?
We can see each other for a bit before the match
Jehoonie
The hell?
Are you playing?
ㅇㅇ
The list of players for the K-Cup was as follows.
Top – Han Yongho, Moon Sejun
Jungle – Ma Dojun, Yoon Chorong
Mid – Choi Jeonghyeon
ADC – Seo Jiho
Support – Park Juwon
Yoon Chorong, who had barely managed to stop himself from screaming the moment his name was called, was KakaoTalking with Ko Jehoon during a short break. After sending a reply and waiting, his phone rang. Yoon Chorong, checking the phone that was vibrating d-d-d-d in his hand, pressed the accept button with a puzzled look.
“Why a video call… Jehoon-ah, move your nostrils…”
At Yoon Chorong’s words, the sound of Ko Jehoon choking with laughter could be heard. Ko Jehoon’s face, which had shown a close-up of his nostrils, came into view on the screen.
“You’re really… still like a little kid.”
『What are you talking about?』
“Are you really going to college?”
『Shut up.』
Regardless of Yoon Chorong’s words, Ko Jehoon snickered and then sat down. Then he hugged his dog.
『Darong-ie, you have to say hi to hyung. Say hi to Rong-ie hyung.』
A white Maltese with beautifully groomed fur appeared on the screen. Chorong’s face brightened at the sight of Darong-ie, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Darong-ah, hello? Where’s Arong-ie?”
『Arong-ie is here. Oppa, hello.』
“Arong-ah, Darong-ah, have you been well?”
『We’ve been well. We’ve been waiting for you to buy us snakies.』
At the word “snakies,” Arong and Darong pricked up their ears and looked at Jehoon. Finding that funny, Chorong let out a small laugh.
『Hyung, you’d better be prepared to die if you don’t play in the match.』
“That’s… not for me to decide.”
『Shut up. You have to be worth my master’s precious, hard-earned ticket money.』
“Don’t talk like that in Darong-ie’s voice. It’s really weird!”
At those words, Ko Jehoon spoke in his normal voice.
『Work hard and make sure you play. So that bastard Kim Hyunsoo’s stomach bursts and he dies from jealousy.』
“Stop it.”
Ko Jehoon slid into the screen where Arong and Darong had been.
『What do you mean, stop it? I was so pissed when I saw that bastard snipe you. That crazy bastard, he’s so bad at the game but his mouth runs a mile a minute. Wow, but what’s really fortunate is that in the past, there were few people who took your side, but, ah! Hey! Your fans made a site for you.』
“Huh? My, um, my fans?”
The word “fans” still felt awkward, so he cleared his throat for no reason. Ko Jehoon nodded and said.
『Yeah, they made one. They’re managing it strictly. In a place you should never even think of visiting to look around… a place like that, but anyway, it exists. But in my opinion, I think that bastard is probably Bluemoon.』
“…What on earth are you talking about? Hyungsoo-hyung?”
『No. It’s just that my gut tells me so… The world is overflowing with psychos, so well, even if it’s not him, there are one or two other guys who would… holy shit…』
Ko Jehoon, who was looking at the screen, froze for a moment.
“Why?”
Startled by the blank-faced Ko Jehoon, Yoon Chorong looked at the screen and then turned his body slightly backward. He looked around to see if there was something behind him, but there was nothing. It was only Kang Yuju, who was walking from behind. Kang Yuju, who was walking while checking something on an iPad in her hand, looked up as if she felt Yoon Chorong’s gaze and smiled brightly.
“Player Yoon Chorong! What are you doing here, ah, you were on a call.”
“Yes, Manager-nim.”
“Oh my, is that a dog?”
“Pardon? Ah… it’s my friend’s dog.”
Ko Jehoon’s face, which had been visible until just a moment ago, was gone, and Arong and Darong were on the screen at an angle. Kang Yuju came closer to his side.
“It’s cute. What’s its name?”
“Arong and Darong.”
“Arong and Darong? Arongdarong… Arongdarong?”
“Yes.”
At those words, Kang Yuju thought about something for a moment and then chuckled.
“That name is a bit common, isn’t it? How cute. The dogs are incredibly cute.”
“Right?”
“Yes! I’d like to talk more, but I have a meeting, so I have to go down to the office now. The hell of meetings… Still, I get to see Player Yoon Chorong before the meeting, so I should cheer up! I have a good feeling about today.”
Manager Kang Yuju is so good at saying things like that. How embarrassing.
“Well then, Player Yoon Chorong! Practice well today too! The front office will be cheering for you!”
“Yes!”
Kang Yuju, who gave a bright smile, started to walk away, but then she turned back as if she’d forgotten something. She rummaged through her pocket, took something out, and offered it to Yoon Chorong.
“Have this.”
“Thank you.”
What Kang Yuju handed him was a small piece of candy. Yoon Chorong, rolling the crinkling thing in his hand, looked up and checked his phone.
“Jehoon-ah? Ko Jehoon? Hey, Jehoon-ah.”
After three calls, Jehoon’s voice was heard.
『What’s that?』
“Huh? What’s what?”
『The thing she just gave you.』
“Candy. Orange-flavored candy.”
『Hey.』
“Yeah?”
『Is it obvious I didn’t wash my face?』
“Huh? What?”
『Damn it. I came out without even taking the sleep out of my eyes. No, why the hell did you have to call?』
“I… didn’t call you?”
『Get lost. It’s not like I’m usually this messy-looking.』
“What are you talking about?”
『Forget it. Jeez. Really. Argh! Really!』
“…What’s wrong?”
『Forget it! What would you know! See you on game day!』
“Really, what’s wrong?”
『Crush them all during scrims and make sure you play! Got it!』
“I’ll try.”
『Hanging up.』
Yoon Chorong, who had ended the call like that, looked at the candy and then unwrapped it. Rolling it gently in his mouth, Yoon Chorong glanced back. There wasn’t anything special. What on earth did Ko Jehoon see that made him so surprised? Tilting his head, Yoon Chorong ate the candy and then checked his email inbox on his phone.
[Recipient Unconfirmed]
Yoon Chorong, who had been staring at it blankly, let out a deep sigh.
“It would be really nice if I knew their KakaoTalk ID…”
That would be really nice. Muttering, Yoon Chorong slowly got up from his seat. As he headed to the practice room, his phone rang. JjamongJuice-nim! He checked it with a happy heart, but the sender was Ko Jehoon.
Jehoonie
by the way a video of you duoing with Choi Jeonghyeon yesterday was posted
lol Choi Insung lol as expected he doesn’t disappoint with that shit personality
(youtooblink)
he edited and uploaded a video of Master getting 18 kills. pasumansugo, this guy is also a real piece of shit from that agency
but hey are you getting along well with Choi Jeonghyeon?
is he doing a good job as captain?
That was right.
Yesterday, Choi Jeonghyeon had killed the person who declared they would stream snipe exactly 18 times with a deadpan expression. Without any excitement, with a mechanical expression, he killed as if just killing someone who deserved to die. At the end, before destroying the crystal, there was a chance to kill him for the 19th time, but Choi Jeonghyeon didn’t. Recalling Choi Jeonghyeon, who had deliberately stuck to 18, Yoon Chorong shook his head.
He didn’t swear, but… isn’t that actually a massive insult?
It felt like he was equating the very existence of pasumansugo to the number 18. Perhaps Choi Jeonghyeon was a more terrifying person than he had thought. At the same time, he remembered Master from last year’s regular Season 2, who had mercilessly slaughtered his champion. He had died 13 times back then.
not sure
And so Yoon Chorong, who sent that reply to Ko Jehoon, was honestly confused. I mean… shouldn’t taking the time to make and bring him juice he didn’t even ask for before their duo practice time be considered treating him well?
🎮
“The weather is a bit cold today, so I made it with warm water.”
It wasn’t even surprising anymore. Yoon Chorong accepted the cup Choi Jeonghyeon held out.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Yoon Chorong, who had taken a seat next to Choi Jeonghyeon to do their duo practice after scrims were over, sighed softly and set the cup down. To be honest, it was hard to understand. Why on earth? How should he take the fact that Choi Jeonghyeon, who didn’t even bother to hide his dislike for him, was trying to be nice by making him grapefruit juice? Because he’s the team captain?
The question, Do you happen to make juice for the other players too?, rose up to his throat, but he couldn’t spit it out. Because he had never seen Choi Jeonghyeon prepare juice for another player to drink! That’s why it was even stranger. It was puzzling. It was extremely awkward. As if unaware of his feelings, Choi Jeonghyeon even went so far as to adjust his chair for him.
Is he messing with me?
He had that thought, but then erased it, thinking there was no need to think that far. ‘Did you think you would win?’ Yoon Chorong, recalling that cold voice, shook his head.
It doesn’t matter. It’s an irrelevant matter!
While he was making this resolution, a game was found. The practice wasn’t bad. There were games they won and games they lost, but their win rate was high. Since he also needed to practice champions, he was in the middle of a game, picking unfamiliar ones. While deciding on bans and picks and moving around to select a champion, Yoon Chorong suddenly clicked on a certain champion.
“Scarecrow.”
It was a champion that wasn’t used these days. A scarecrow champion possessed by an evil spirit and wearing a crow mask, it had a top-tier CC skill that inflicted fear on the enemy. It had a skill that spread a plague around it and then sucked the enemy’s blood, and because of its unique terrifying atmosphere, it had been quite popular in the early meta. Currently, due to several nerfs, it was a champion that was almost never used, but Scarecrow held a slightly special meaning for Yoon Chorong.
Yoon Chorong glanced at Choi Jeonghyeon. Yoon Chorong stared blankly at the handsome appearance that didn’t reveal the personality of Master, who had bestowed 18 deaths upon a stream sniper, and recalled the past.
The Yoon Chorong of that time was fifteen years old. Ko Jehoon had dragged Yoon Chorong to a PC bang, saying an interesting game had come out, and that was when he first encountered WOH. He did the tutorial, learning from Ko Jehoon, and it was more fun than he thought. As he was getting into it by playing against AI, Ko Jehoon started talking about Master.
‘There’s this one hyung-nim who’s a monster at the game.’
‘He’s number 1 in Challenger. Do you know Challenger? The person who’s the best at the game is Challenger rank 1.’
‘His nickname is Master, and I heard he has a few videos on YouToob.’
‘He’s probably a mid laner.’
Curiosity grew as he listened to Ko Jehoon’s explanation. Just how good at the game do you have to be to be called a monster? He wanted to play a game with him once, but to do that, his tier had to be high. Because Ko Jehoon had told him that you had to at least hit Master 2 to be matched with a Challenger. So he didn’t even expect it, but he had an unexpected talent for it and hit Master 2 not long after. And that was when he was matched with Master for the first time.
Come to think of it, back then, Yoon Chorong had given up mid to Master and gone jungle. Right. That’s what happened. Could it be that things were meant to turn out this way? As he had that nonsensical thought, a chuckle escaped Yoon Chorong’s lips.
[Sunkist: winterchild-nim, you’re not really going to play Scare, are you?]
As he was putting Scarecrow on his list of desired champions, the ADC on his team, perhaps feeling anxious, typed in chat.
[HS winterchild: Ah!]
[HS winterchild: No!]
[HS winterchild: In a sec]
[Master: He’s going to play it]
Yoon Chorong turned to look at Choi Jeonghyeon in surprise. He spoke as he typed in the chat.
“Play it.”
[Master: I’ll carry you to a win, so don’t worry.]
“Play what you want to play.”
“Uh… you don’t really have to.”
“Play it.”
It’s such an old champion, and there are so many champions with better performance, so there’s really no need to use this one… As Yoon Chorong hesitated for a moment, Choi Jeonghyeon picked his own champion first.
“Huh?”
The champion Choi Jeonghyeon chose first was Nightmare. This champion was a decent performer that was still used often these days. This champion’s ultimate skill reduces the vision radius of all enemy champions and stops the enemy champions from sharing vision for eight seconds. No, there was something more important than its performance.
“It’s been a while.”
Those words sounded as if he remembered what had happened five years ago, leaving Yoon Chorong momentarily speechless. Five years ago, in the first game they played together, Yoon Chorong had picked Scarecrow, and Choi Jeonghyeon had picked Nightmare.
Does Choi Jeonghyeon remember that?
He thought about it, but the possibility seemed slim. Five years had already passed, and while for him it was the first game with someone he admired, for Master it must have been just one of many games. Yoon Chorong shook his head from side to side.
“Come to think of it, your original ID was your name.”
“Pardon?”
Choi Jeonghyeon, who had said that, grinned.
“It reminds me of back then.”
“…”
“You were famous for being a kid who was good at the game…”
“Yes, I know that well too.”
Before he knew it, the game had started. The champions, gathered together in the respawn zone, were dancing before the gate opened.
“You know it well?”
“Yes, when you hit Challenger rank 1.”
“I’m not talking about myself, though?”
“Pardon?”
Then who is he talking about? As he looked on, Choi Jeonghyeon, who had been looking at the monitor, sat back deeply in his chair and gave Yoon Chorong his attention. Choi Jeonghyeon, who was looking at Yoon Chorong as if observing something, laughed with a sound like air escaping.
“Chorong-ie really doesn’t know himself well. How can he be this clueless?”
“…”
“Not me, you were pretty famous too. For being good.”
“…”
“That there was a monster who suddenly appeared and was climbing the tiers like crazy.”
Yoon Chorong blinked his eyelids, unable to believe it.
“Chorong-ah, we have to play the game.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yoon Chorong, who had been staring blankly at Choi Jeonghyeon, quickly bought his items. Then, after moving his champion to its waiting position, Yoon Chorong finally let out a breath and asked.
“Do you… by any chance, remember?”
“What? The first time we played a game together?”
“Do you really remember?”
“Of course.”
“You’re lying…”
“I’m not lying, though?”
“You’re lying. How could you remember that?”
“Then how do you remember, Chorong-ie?”
“That’s because… Master-nim was incredibly famous and…”
“Right, so you’re saying you can’t believe what I say.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re saying you can’t believe me when I say you were famous too. Or are you doubting my memory? Whatever it is, I guess I’ll have to show you.”
“Pardon?”
At the same time, the sound of a first blood rang out. A system message appeared.
<Master has slain an enemy.>
“I got the first blood back then, too, didn’t I?”
Yoon Chorong’s mouth fell open. He didn’t know how the game progressed after that. He was in a complete daze because of Master, who was right next to him, directly explaining the similarities and differences between that day and today.
“Back then, Chorong-ie didn’t get a kill here, but you’re doing well today, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Didn’t Chorong-ie push the mid first-tier tower back then? You went bot today. Is this an ADC difference?”
Should I call this a good memory? After being flustered and swept along in a daze, the game finally ended.
“We won back then, too.”
That voice, full of amusement, sounded faint. Yoon Chorong checked Master’s KDA and turned pale.
Master 7/2/7
It was the same as five years ago. Yoon Chorong, who had been staring blankly at the screen, shot up from his seat. Rumble, rumble. The sound of his chair being pushed back could be heard. Choi Jeonghyeon, who had exited the game window, was resting his chin on his hand, his body turned at an angle, watching Yoon Chorong. Yoon Chorong, soaked in astonishment, hesitated several times as if to speak before finally asking.
“Is this, is this humanly possible?”
At those words, Choi Jeonghyeon laughed.
“You remember my KDA?”
“Of course I remember! How could I forget that! No, but, how did you match it?”
“By trying very hard?”
Isn’t he a real monster? Not only does he remember most of the game’s details, but he also matches the record similarly? Does this make sense? As he stared in disbelief, Choi Jeonghyeon said breezily.
“Because my head is quite good.”
“Because your head is good, this, this? This is possible?”
“For me, it is.”
“…”
“Now, that’s enough, let’s go back.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s already 4 o’clock.”
Startled by his words, Yoon Chorong belatedly checked the time. It was 3:58 AM. As it was so late, there was no one left in the practice room except the two of them. The players who had finished practicing around 3 AM had left first. Yoon Chorong, who had once again stayed the latest in the practice room today, looked around the empty space. Normally, he should head back now.
But…
“I’m going to practice a little more before I go.”
At those words, Choi Jeonghyeon’s hands, which were packing up his gear, paused.
“How much longer are you going to practice?”
“Uh… just one more game.”
“One game?”
“Yes.”
Since he was included in the seven-man roster for the K-Cup, he had to practice even harder. Since he had emailed JjamongJuice to tell him he was included in the seven-man lineup, he wanted to play in the match and show a good performance if possible. If he could get a chance to play even for one set, if he could just get the chance, he wanted to show a good performance. To do that, practice was essential.
“One game.”
“I can do it by myself. I need to increase my proficiency too. You must be tired, Captain, so you should go first.”
At those words, Choi Jeonghyeon, who was holding onto his chair, paused.
“Go on ahead. I’ll stay a bit longer before I leave.”
“It’s okay. I’ll play one more game too, I guess.”
“I can do it by myself, though…”
“Duo.”
“…”
“We’re a duo, aren’t we?”
Choi Jeonghyeon began to connect his gear again. It really seemed like he would stay by his side until practice was over, so Yoon Chorong thought for a moment. There was no need for Choi Jeonghyeon to stay late because of him. He should call it a day.
“Then I’ll stop too.”
Having made his decision, Yoon Chorong unplugged his gear. Yoon Chorong, who unplugged his keyboard and mouse cables and rolled them up before shoving them into his bag, finally couldn’t hold back and asked Choi Jeonghyeon.
“By the way, what on earth is your IQ then?”
At that question, Choi Jeonghyeon, who was slinging his bag over his shoulder, finally let out a small laugh.
“I have a friend whose IQ is incredibly high. He’s a Mensa member. He even has a membership card…”
Yoon Chorong, having tidied up his spot, chattered on as he zipped up his bag. He made a small square shape with his thumb and index finger for Choi Jeonghyeon, who was waiting beside him, and said.
“On a membership card about this big, it’s written Mensa Korea, Ko Jehoon. And underneath, his membership number is also written.”
“Chorong-ah, come over here, I’m turning off the lights.”
“Ah, yes! Anyway, that friend’s IQ is 155. I heard you can join Mensa with an IQ of 146? Or 148 and up. Jehoon-ie said that for a guy who put all his stats into his brain, his stats weren’t that great, but… that’s still incredibly high, isn’t it?”
Choi Jeonghyeon turned off the air purifier in the practice room and then switched off the lights. The two of them, who came out after closing the door to the empty practice room, headed for the elevator, and Yoon Chorong’s voice echoed down the hallway.
“His memory is incredibly good too. He even remembers the first conversation we ever had. I don’t even remember it well… but according to him, he remembers the day we first hung out together! Does that even make sense?”
“When did you first meet?”
“When we were in middle school. We were in the same class when we were fifteen.”
“Fifteen years old? You were a baby.”
“That was five years ago, though? A baby… I don’t think so?”
“You were a baby, of course. Get in.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yoon Chorong and Choi Jeonghyeon got on the elevator that had arrived in the meantime. Yoon Chorong, who was staring blankly at Choi Jeonghyeon’s hand pressing the close button, was thinking deeply and was about to ask something again.
“By the way, did you say his name was Ko Jehoon?”
“Yes, Jehoon-ie!”
“By any chance…”
“By any chance?”
“That friend, the friend named Ko Jehoon… is he Trigo?”
Choi Jeonghyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked. Yoon Chorong’s eyes widened; until recently, he couldn’t have even imagined being able to ride in an elevator alone with him and have a conversation. Yoon Chorong, standing with his back to the indicator panel that pointed from the 7th floor to the 6th, and from the 6th floor to the 5th, blinked his eyes and asked.
“Jehoon-ie’s nickname is Trigobanhamyeondeonjim, but… how do you know that?”
“Ah. I heard it from Sunghyun-ie hyung.”
“From the director?”
Understanding, Yoon Chorong nodded his head.
“That friend is a Mensa member?”
“Yes, he’s going to medical school this year! Y University Medical School, where the semifinals will be held!”
“…Y University Medical School?”
“Jehoon-ie was first in our entire grade. He never lost that spot once. In the past, he used to win awards when he went to math competitions. We didn’t study together, but he was first in the grade.”
“…He was?”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Anyway, Jehoon-ie’s memory is really, really, really good. It’s as good as yours, Captain. No, is it better?”
“Better?”
“Jehoon-ie says he even remembers things from when he was a real baby. He says he remembers what his mom said while changing his diaper when he was a newborn. I don’t know if he’s lying, but he says it so seriously that it seems real… He teases me a lot, so it might be a lie… but anyway, his memory is incredible. I remember when I was five, but other than that, I have nothing.”
“Five years old?”
“Yes, and even that is just fragmented. The day we moved, I don’t know when that was, some cherry blossoms that were incredibly beautiful, I don’t know where I saw them, and the smell of a hospital roo…”
The smell of a hospital room. The beeping sound of a machine. His father, holding him and trembling like a leaf. The smell of blood. The sharp scream, “Chorong-ah!” The screeching sound. The sound of murmuring. The sound of an ambulance. The blood on the palm of his hand and the ringing beeeep— in his ears. The memory of when even that stopped ringing.
Ding.
With the sound, the elevator door that had arrived on the first floor clanked open. The sound of that friction seemed strangely loud in his ears. Clank, clank. The sounds from that day, when the elevator door hadn’t opened properly, were rushing into his ears.
Choi Jeonghyeon, who got off the elevator first, looked back at Yoon Chorong, who hadn’t followed him out.
“Chorong-ah?”
Yoon Chorong, staring blankly at his own right hand, showed no sign of getting off. Yoon Chorong, who was staring at his small hand as if possessed by something, wiped his palm on his padded jacket and frowned. Yoon Chorong, who grimaced as if something was uncomfortable, was breathing heavily and fidgeting with his neck.
“Chorong-ah?”
As he called his name in confusion, swish, the elevator doors began to close. Choi Jeonghyeon, who was gazing at the blinking Yoon Chorong, hurriedly moved his feet. He pushed his hand into the gap between the almost-closed elevator doors. Clank, a loud sound echoed, but it didn’t matter. Choi Jeonghyeon, who forced the doors open, looked down at Yoon Chorong.
“Uh…”
Yoon Chorong’s aimlessly wandering eyes slowly turned towards Choi Jeonghyeon. After pressing the door with his right hand, he pressed the open button. The elevator, which had been trying to push Choi Jeonghyeon’s body away and confine Yoon Chorong in the pale box, made a scraping sound and finally opened its jaws. Choi Jeonghyeon carefully took hold of Yoon Chorong’s wrist.
“…”
“You have to get off.”
After the doors were fully open, Choi Jeonghyeon carefully pulled Yoon Chorong out. Behind Yoon Chorong, who was led out with his wrist held by him, thump, the elevator doors closed.
“Thank you.”
It wasn’t necessary to force the doors open, but there was no need to say it out loud. Yoon Chorong bowed his head towards Choi Jeonghyeon, made an awkward expression, and scratched his cheek. Choi Jeonghyeon just stared at Yoon Chorong.
Woooooong.
The sound of the wind filled the first-floor lobby. He hadn’t realized it when they were on the seventh floor, but the first floor, which was connected to the outside, was filled with the loud roaring of the passing wind.
“You can let go of my hand now…”
At those words, Choi Jeonghyeon, without a hint of surprise, slowly let go of Yoon Chorong’s wrist. Yoon Chorong quickly hid his hand in his pocket and watched Choi Jeonghyeon. The strange expression from before had vanished, and the usual timid Yoon Chorong was in front of him.
“I should get going now…”
“The wind is chilly. Zip your jacket up more.”
“Ah, yes.”
At Choi Jeonghyeon’s suggestion, Yoon Chorong zipped up his jacket all the way before leaving the building and even pulled up his hood. Yoon Chorong, wearing a white long padded jacket and trotting after Choi Jeonghyeon, idly rotated his wrist once.
The two of them were silent until they arrived at the dorm.
When Yoon Chorong and Choi Jeonghyeon arrived, the dorm was quiet, with only the living room light on, as if all the other players had gone to bed. Yoon Chorong, who had returned carrying the full chill of the winter wind, unzipped his padded jacket and headed to his room.
“Did I do something wrong again?”
At the low voice, Yoon Chorong looked back. Choi Jeonghyeon, who was holding the doorknob to the room across from him, had turned his body to look at Yoon Chorong.
“I feel like I did something wrong again, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
“Ah, no.”
“…”
“I just thought of something from the past for a moment. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“…”
“You don’t have to worry about it. Well then, sleep well.”
After replying, Yoon Chorong entered his room as if fleeing, took off his clothes and hung them on a hanger, then flopped down on the bed. Yoon Chorong, who was staring at Choi Kyeol’s tent across from him, lowered his gaze and let out a trembling breath.
His stomach was churning. It was a very old memory, but it seemed the emotions were not easily forgotten. Yoon Chorong, who was forcing his queasy stomach down, let out a trembling breath.
“Rong-ie hyung?”
Yoon Chorong, who hadn’t realized Choi Kyeol had woken up and was watching him because he was trying to calm his stomach, looked up in surprise. Choi Kyeol, who had his face sticking out of the tent, had a placid expression.
“Did I wake you? Sorry.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
“…”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
Choi Kyeol, who was watching Yoon Chorong wipe at his face as if to hide it, rubbed his eyes and asked.
“What time is it?”
“4:10.”