GJOW 27

Choi Kyeol, nodding, crawled out of his tent and rummaged through his drawer. Choi Kyeol, with a guilty Yoon Chorong behind him who felt he had woken him up, took out an aromatic candle and placed it on the small table.

“Kyeol-ah, what are you doing?”

“Lighting a candle.”

“After waking up from sleep?”

“Because I had a nightmare. I need to calm my mind and body.”

“…”

“Lighting this seems to calm my mind a bit.”

Choi Kyeol, speaking in a sleep-drunk voice, squatted down in front of the table. Before long, a fragrant scent filled the room. Yoon Chorong let out a deep breath and squatted down next to Choi Kyeol, who was sitting and watching the candle burn down. As he was staring at the flickering candlelight, a drrr sound rang out. It was his phone alarm.

🎮

To: winterchild

From: JjamongJuice

Chorong-ah. Can you spare some time, by any chance?

January 11, 4:14 AM

When are you free?

Let’s meet in-game for a bit. So we can have a short conversation.

I have to cheer you on a bit before the K-Cup.

🎮

To: JjamongJuice

From: winterchild

Ah! JjamongJuice-nim! Are you still awake?

January 11, 4:28 AM

^—-^ I was about to write an email but the alarm went off!! Why are you still awake ㅠㅠ you must have a lot of work ㅠㅠ
Time? I have time.. Hmm!!!

47 PM

1011 PM

These are my break times according to my schedule! There might be a slight change because of scrims but this is the set schedule! As for personal practice, like I said, I’m doing it as a duo these days so I can’t take time off whenever I want ㅠㅠㅠ Or should I log in a little early? Practice is at 12 so before that is fine too! When would be good for you??? ㅇㅂㅇ

🎮

To: winterchild

From: JjamongJuice

It’s fine

January 11, 4:35 AM

I’ll get on at 4 PM.

After composing the message, he pressed the send button. While waiting for a reply, he thought he might have sent it too short, but it had already been received. Knowing that, due to his personality, the email would arrive in a few minutes, he read through the emails he had sent before.

To: winterchild

A belated Merry Christmas.

December 25

I’m glad you like the practice room.

The facilities look good. If you can, use everything that’s there. Use the massage machine often too. But Chorong-ie, you really are bad at taking pictures.. The focus is so off and what’s with the composition… Still, I enjoyed the tour. Thanks to you, I got to see the gaming house too.

And of course.

Whose skill did I vouch for? If I acknowledged you, who wouldn’t acknowledge you? That’s ridiculous. So don’t worry.

Merry Christmas to you too, Chorong-ie. Have a happy Christmas.

🎮

To: winterchild

I’ve been a bit busy

December 27

I couldn’t log into the game because I was busy. JjamongJuice hasn’t been able to log in at all. My tier has probably dropped. If you were going to wait, you should have told me by email in advance. I would have squeezed in some time to log in then. And even if I do log in, it’ll be just for chatting, and it’ll get harder to play games together. When your tier goes up, I mean. Mine will drop. Oh no. That’s a bit of a bummer.

And I saw the photo posted on the official Twitter.

Official photoshoot. You took a two-shot with Choi Jeonghyeon..

I’ll be looking forward to the video.

And if you can, send a picture of you in your uniform. What’s with sending a picture of just the uniform. I already know what your face looks like. I’m curious about you wearing it. Send me that.

Oh right, you’re eating well, right? Being a pro gamer is a battle of stamina. You have to take good care of your body. You have to eat well and sleep well.

🎮

To: winterchild

The uniform suits you well

December 28

It suits you well.

I’m glad to hear you’re eating well. You’re healthy, right? I’ve never heard of a celebrity I look like. And I don’t really have a nickname. Are you curious about what I look like?

🎮

To: winterchild

Are you really that curious?

December 29

I don’t have a nickname, but I’ve heard this a lot.

They say I look like a shiny Go stone.

But they say I look like someone who can’t play Go.

🎮

To: winterchild

Is Chorong-ie mad?

December 30

Are you really mad? I really just said what I heard?

Are you mad at me? Reallyㅠㅠ?

‘Did I do something wrong again?’

Chorong-ie had said no to the question he had just asked, but he couldn’t let it go easily. Did I make another mistake? He was pondering this when it happened.

“Hey… aren’t you sleeping?”

Choi Jeonghyeon, who had been reading through the past emails he had sent, looked back. It had been quite a while since he returned, but Choi Jeonghyeon, who hadn’t even changed his clothes, was just sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark room, staring at his phone screen.

“I told you I’m sensitive to light and can’t sleep. You punk… if you’re back, you should wash up and crash, why… aww, damn it. If only you weren’t the captain.”

Han Yongho, who had grumbled, continued to whine for a long time before turning over with a whoosh. Han Yongho, who had pulled a cushion over and buried his face in it, started snoring, as if by magic, a few seconds later. It was an attitude that completely contradicted his words about not being able to sleep with the lights on. Choi Jeonghyeon, who was looking at Han Yongho without any particular emotion, felt his phone vibrate in his hand. Drrrr, drrrr.

To: JjamongJuice

From: winterchild

Yes, okay!

4 PM! I’ll log in then too!

It’s been a while since I played a game with JjamongJuice-nim!!! No, actually, maybe it hasn’t been that long? But I still feel really happy to see you! If we can’t play ranked, let’s at least play a normal game! After the game, I need to get some encouragement from JjamongJuice-nim too! This means I’m openly asking you to cheer for me!! ^—-^ Well then, please go to sleep soon! I’m going to wash up and sleep now too! Then have sweet dreams, JjamongJuice-nim!

It was a cheerful email, as always, but it felt somewhat different. Was it because he had just seen Yoon Chorong caressing his neck under the pale lighting of the elevator? His face, turning pale, had been out of place. Because it was so different from the dazed expression he showed others, or the coy expression he showed only to him.

“I’ll turn it off after I wash up. You go to sleep, Kyeol-ie.”

At Yoon Chorong’s voice, heard faintly from beyond the door, Choi Jeonghyeon raised his head. Light streamed in from the crack under the door. It seemed he had come out to wash up now. As the signs of his presence faded, Choi Jeonghyeon slowly stood up. He briefly considered opening the door and going out, but thinking there was no need to make things more uncomfortable, he headed for the bathroom attached to the room. He turned on the water in the sink and washed his hands.

It was very strange. The expression that seemed so out of place on Yoon Chorong left a strangely long afterimage. To him, he was like a delicate and fragile kitten with its fur all bristled up, but to others, he was just a slow and gentle harp seal; it was an expression that didn’t suit Yoon Chorong. No, rather than not suiting him, it was a bit…

“They resemble each other…”

Choi Jeonghyeon turned off the water and looked up at the mirror. He stared at his own light-colored eyes. Come to think of it, they did seem similar. The emotion that had been on Yoon Chorong’s face that day he said, ‘Did you think you would win?’, as he shed tears, and the emotion that had briefly flashed by today.