HMLU Ch 13
by soapa“So, you’ve got a situationship going…?”
Sujung, sucking down an iced Americano, spat out the words with indignation. I fiddled with the lid of my hot Americano and responded.
“…Yeah, this is a situationship, right?”
“What else would it be? If that’s not a situationship, you’d be walking down the aisle the day you hold hands.”
“No, I… Ugh…”
Unable to fend off the sudden wave of post-clarity, I rubbed my face with both hands. Thinking back, it was astonishing I’d caused such a scene without a drop of alcohol. People really can do outrageous things when swept up in the moment… As I sat there agonizing with my gaze lowered, Sujung asked in a slightly softer tone.
“That’s the handsome guy from last time, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“When a guy like that openly says he likes you, it’s great if things work out. So what’s the problem that’s got you clutching your head all morning?”
“Ugh… It’s a complicated issue…”
There wasn’t time to recount the whole history. I had to be in the lab in ten minutes.
My thesis proposal had passed with flying colors, but for the past six months, it had been shuttling back and forth to the bindery in various iterations without any progress. The seniors’ words—that passing a thesis depends on whether a grad student can master mind-reading—finally hit home. I never imagined the task assigned to me would feel this grueling.
And amidst all this, my love life had turned into this mess.
“He’s kind of young… and I just wonder if this is okay in all sorts of ways…”
“Too young? How old is he?”
“Twenty… two.”
“Three years? Come on, that’s fine. I thought it was some huge gap.”
The problem is that his mental age feels a bit different from your average twenty-two-year-old… But I couldn’t exactly spill Chanhee’s personal details to Sujung, so I shut my mouth there. As I stood up, gripping my still-warm coffee, Sujung gave me a worried look.
“You’re okay, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, totally. I’m fine.”
“If something’s up, tell me right away. Don’t go ghosting like last time and make me worry.”
“Yeah, I will.”
The moment I said it absentmindedly, I realized my mistake. Sujung’s face shifted to a “gotcha” expression, narrowing one eye.
“You swore up and down it was just thesis stuff keeping you from replying, but something did happen, didn’t it?”
“Oh, you… Kim Sujung, what’s with your interrogation skills? Are you a profiler or something?”
“Just go. I’ll grill you properly later.”
Leaving her magnanimous permission behind, I hurried out of the café. God, sometimes she’s downright terrifying… Cold sweat practically dripped as I passed through the main gate toward the humanities building.
If anyone wants a soul-shaking experience, they should go to grad school. The moment I left the lab, my legs felt like they were sinking into mush, and my head spun. Shaking it off with effort, I was hit with a wave of exhaustion.
Getting a master’s doesn’t guarantee a job, but I’d naively thought that more job opportunities would mean something would work out if I just graduated. Now I wondered if I should follow my seniors and sign up for a civil service exam prep course. Lost in thought as I walked, my phone, stuffed in my pocket, buzzed long and loud.
—Hyung, where are you?
The sweet voice flowing through the receiver made me wonder if this was what a sugar rush felt like. I squeezed my eyes shut, opened them, and silently cleared my throat.
“Uh, I stopped by school and I’m heading out now…”
—Come straight over?
“Yeah. Why? Something up?”
—No, I was just in the area and thought maybe we could grab lunch together, so I called.
In the area? I instinctively looked around. The streets near campus on a weekday afternoon were bustling with students, faculty, vendors, and locals.
“Where are you?”
—Here… JMT Bubble Tea…?
That was just one alley over. Letting out an “ah,” I quickened my pace, and Chanhee asked again.
—Should I stay here? Or go somewhere else?
“Stay there. I’m coming.”
—Okay.
I pocketed the phone after the call ended politely and walked like I was running. As soon as I turned into the alley, a familiar vibe hit me. The sparse crowd’s gazes were unmistakably converging on one point.
…And for good reason. Standing in front of a red brick wall, Chanhee was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and a thin coat. The sight of his jet-black hair swaying against the red backdrop was like a meticulously painted canvas. His pale face, with its gaze calmly lowered, looked especially stark, almost shadowless, making it even more striking.
“Chanhee.”
I had to get him out of here before someone mustered the courage to approach. Calling out as I hurried over, Chanhee looked up and gave a soft smile.
“Hyung.”
I ignored the openly murmuring voices. Quickly grabbing his arm, I started walking, and he tilted his head toward me.
“Got something urgent?”
“…”
Does this guy seriously not feel those stares? The vibe of people itching to strike up a conversation should be overwhelming. Shaking my head, I picked up the pace.
“By the way, what brought you around here?”
Even as I asked, my mind was elsewhere. The first issue was finding a decent restaurant. This guy probably hasn’t been to anything less than fine dining, but being in a university area, the fanciest place I knew was a katsu joint.
“To see you.”
“Huh? What?”
“Wanting to see you was my errand.”
I turned without thinking, and his pale face was smiling faintly. …Oh, my heart, what do I do? I squeezed my eyes shut against the chest pain, then opened them.
“Your… car?”
“I took the bus. There wasn’t a good place to park, and it would’ve wasted time.”
“I see, good call…”
“It’s my first time coming to the area around your school, and there are so many people. Are they all students at your school?”
His grand takeaway from seeing groups of people whispering while gawking at his face was, “Are these people at hyung’s school?” I see… A hollow laugh slipped out.
“There are probably a lot of our students. I don’t know if they all are.”
“Right, universities have big student bodies.”
“Exactly. Even in the same department, you don’t know everyone. What do you want for lunch?”
I paused mid-turn. The sign for a PC bang I used to frequent back in my old guild days caught my eye. …The instant noodles there are really good. Chanhee’s gaze followed mine, perhaps noticing my lip-smacking.
“Want to go to the PC bang?”
“…No, it’s just that the noodles they sell there are tasty.”
“Then let’s go. I want to try them.”
“Huh? Really?”
Have you ever eaten instant noodles? I barely swallowed the question and fell into serious thought. Isn’t PC bang ramen a bit much, even so?
The problem was, there weren’t exactly upscale alternatives either. After deliberating, I decided to head up. The calculation was that a PC bang, where we’d be less visible once seated, was better than a crowded restaurant. Any restaurant we entered would probably make eating in peace impossible.
Luckily, the PC bang was on the quieter side. I reserved two corner seats and ushered Chanhee in first. He watched with fascination as I deftly clicked through the menu to order.
“Anything else you want?”
“What’s sotteok-sotteok?”
“Sausage and rice cakes skewered alternately, drizzled with sauce.”
“Is it good?”
“It’s kid food, but it’s tasty.”
“I want to try it. Buy it for me.”
I almost ordered ten. Regaining my senses quickly, I got two ramens, one sotteok, and two drinks. While waiting for the food, I fired up Asyrus to knock out daily quests. Soon, the owner arrived with a tray.
“Haemin-ssi, Haemin-ssi. Why’s it been so long?”
“Oh, hi.”
When you live as a PC bang regular, you inevitably get chummy with the owner. Which means getting used to the aegyo of a mid-forties man. The owner set down the food one by one, shaking his head as if deeply offended.
“When Haemin-ssi stopped coming, our female customers dropped off, and our sales got cut in half. You know that?”
“There you go again.”
“I’m serious. Even the gaming club kids stopped showing up after you did. I ran into one outside and asked, and they said they go somewhere closer now since that handsome oppa isn’t around anymore… Gasp!”
The owner, rattling off his sales pitch like a rapper, inhaled sharply upon spotting Chanhee. Covering his mouth with one hand, his sparkling eyes made sense. I’d feel the same if a guy like this showed up at my business—jackpot.
“Haemin-ssi, I’m really sorry, but could you move to a seat near the counter…?”
“No way. Let us stay tucked away here.”
“Please… I won’t charge you for gaming today.”
“No, no way.”
Waving him off and refusing again, the owner finally retreated, pretending to whimper. He was just playful, not pushy.
In the now-quiet space, Chanhee picked up a sotteok-sotteok. Then he rolled his eyes, scanning the tray. I could tell what he wanted without asking.
“Need a knife?”
“…Oh. You just eat it?”
“Yeah, you hold it and bite.”
I see… He answered, but he seemed hesitant to put his mouth on the sauce-covered snack.
“Give it here.”
I took the sotteok from him and pulled each piece off onto a small plate. Watching him finally pick it up with chopsticks and eat was kind of amusing. Come to think of it, there was a similar scene in The Saga of Isea. Isea takes the prince to a night market, feeding him all sorts of junk food, and the next day the prince gets food poisoning. Afraid Isea would be charged with harming royalty if he told the truth, the prince claims he was curious about the taste of horse feed, earning mockery from the attendants…
“Hmm…”
Lost in thought, I heard Chanhee let out an ambiguous sound. Turning, I saw him intently chewing a piece of rice cake.
“Not good?”
I asked with a smirk, and he made an even more puzzled expression. He swallowed what was in his mouth, lips pressed together, before answering.
“It feels kind of salty…?”
“That’s how it’s supposed to taste.”
“It’s salty but also sweet…”
“That’s the holy trinity of junk food: spicy, salty, sweet.”
Chuckling and hitting the daily quest completion button, I froze. Suddenly, rainbow-colored text flashed across the top of the screen.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Please stop poaching other guilds’ raid members, certain newbie guild. Let’s play with manners.]
Why not just send a mail instead of sniping with a thousand-won neon sign shout? People who sling vague, subject-less accusations like that never know what’s wrong with it. My fingers, about to brush it off, paused.
Could that be…
[OnTheGo’s Shout: You think cherry-picking main dealers from famous raid guilds guarantees a full clear?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: You’ll soon find out what it means to mess with <legend> and <mandu> in Asyrus.]
[Guild] Popuri: Anyone wanna buy poor Puri a shout?
[Guild] CityBoy: Check your mail.
[Guild] Popuri: Thx.
[Popuri’s Shout: Oh, that tone reeks of total loser vibes.]
[Popuri’s Shout: Aah~ This is the power of <Leg.end> and <Man.du>~]
[Popuri’s Shout: Oops, my bad lol sry sry~]
As Chanhee took a bite of the salty, extra-salty PC bang ramen, he asked.
“Are they fighting again?”
I gave up on everything, laughed, and answered.
“Nah, ignore it and let’s go level.”
Looks like the pushback is starting to come in like this. It wasn’t surprising or upsetting since I’d expected it.
[Guild] Meritocracy: CityBoy-nim, by any chance.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Is OnTheGo Mandu’s sub-master?
[Guild] CityBoy: Yup.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Ok.
The situation’s obvious. He’s throwing a tantrum because the guild member he was hitting on ditched the main dealer spot, and he’s trying to cover his guilt by lashing out.
[Guild] Meritocracy: You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Got any screenshots of OnTheGo’s nonsense?
[Guild] CityBoy: Of course.
[Guild] CityBoy: Got every single dot saved as a PDF.
Meanwhile, the next shout appeared. Probably delayed because OnTheGo was at the cash shop.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol that bat-like jerk is still the same.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: I’m sorry too ^^ lol.]
[Guild] Popuri: Should I go for a shout battle?
[Guild] Popuri: Or call for PvP at this point??
A “shout battle” is short for “neon sign shout battle.” Neon sign shouts are items that display your message in big, flashy text across the server. They’re effective at grabbing attention, but to prevent spam, they’re sold only as cash items. In other words…
A shout keyboard battle costs money. It’s a fight where the one who runs out of cash loses face and it’s over. So, despite the screen-cluttering giant text filled with pointless bickering, more people watch with interest than complain to the system.
[Guild] CityBoy: Use up what you’ve got for now.
[Guild] Popuri: Ok.
With CityBoy’s approval, an excited Popuri unleashed the most effective aggro in a shout battle.
[Popuri’s Shout: Nom.]
[Popuri’s Shout: Nom.]
[Popuri’s Shout: Nom.]
The so-called “money tissue” tactic. It’s a taunt: “While you’re cramming your message into one shout, I’m doing this.” Few can beat Popuri in a petty fight like this. Thinking it’d end quickly, I put Black Bear on a whale mount.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Bear-nim and I are hitting an instance dungeon.
[Guild] Meritocracy: If you’re gonna fight, win.
[Guild] Popuri: Yessir ^^)>
[Guild] CityBoy: Can’t you stick around and watch?
[Guild] CityBoy: I’m kinda uneasy with just Popuri-nim.
[Guild] Popuri: Why’s that? ㅠ
As they bickered, OnTheGo seemed to have finished another cash shop run.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol Popuri-nim, famous for raking in profits from carries, is it okay to burn all that hard-earned cash on shouts?]
[Popuri’s Shout: “You make bank from carries?” Translation: I’m dying of envy over your damage and godlike control that can speedrun every instance.]
[Popuri’s Shout: “All that hard-earned cash.” Translation: Nobody signs up for my carry parties, and it ♥ing sucks.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol think what you want.]
[Guild] Popuri: Two left.
[Guild] CityBoy: Go for it.
This might turn into a longer battle than expected. A thousand won per shout sounds small, but it’s not. Ten shouts are ten thousand won; a hundred are a hundred thousand. A shout battle can easily burn hundreds of thousands of won in the name of pride.
“Ugh…”
I finally opened the cash shop and bought a bundle of shouts. I didn’t want to join in if I could help it, but my belief that burning money on shout battles is the dumbest thing ever meant I couldn’t just sit back and watch.
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Sungtan guild master here. If you have an issue with our guild, come to our guild room and say it directly. Vague, subject-less sniping is the kind of childish nonsense you should’ve left behind in middle school.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: If you’re still in middle school, my apologies.]
I’d expected <mandu> or <legend> to pick a fight eventually. If it was inevitable, clearing it up before the Solga raid frenzy wasn’t a bad idea.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol what’s that? Who said I was talking about you? Got a guilty conscience? ^^]
This guy’s really gonna keep this up. I sighed, and Chanhee tilted his head and asked.
“It’s about us, isn’t it?”
“Yup. He’s just pretending it’s not.”
“He’s openly showing he’s got a problem but acting like it’s not us when you call for a direct talk? Why go through all that hassle?”
“Tell me about it…”
I had eight shouts left. Ideally, I’d lure him to the guild room or bait him into PvP, but he didn’t seem likely to bite.
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Then name another guild that recently recruited two main dealers from other guilds.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol why should I?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Who are you to tell me what to say?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Why’re you even butting in? lol self-conscious much?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: I’m Sungtan’s guild master~~ So what, it’s not about you?]
“Is this guy in middle school?”
Chanhee asked in a genuinely innocent and guileless tone. Half-opening my eyes while looking at the screen, I let out a short laugh. I’m usually unfazed by this kind of provocation, but hearing Chanhee’s blunt assessment made it seem even more ridiculous.
[Meritocracy’s Shout: So, you’re saying the raid guild that poached two main dealers from another guild, as mentioned by Mandu’s sub-master OnTheGo, isn’t us?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Alright, we’ll take it as that.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: You joking?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: You’ll take it as that lol what? If you picked a fight with the wrong person, shouldn’t you apologize first?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Sure, sorry.]
[Guild] CityBoy: Ugh, that ♥♥♥’s still as pathetic as ever.
I felt deep sympathy for CityBoy’s exasperation because the more I saw of OnTheGo, the more he reminded me of JangDdo. From their petty ways of venting frustrations to their manner of speaking, they were like soul twins. Maybe they were already in cahoots, pulling this stunt together.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: If you’re sincerely sorry, disband your guild and post an apology on Sasage.]
[Guild] Popuri: ?
[Guild] CityBoy: ?
[Ongpak has logged in.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Or think you’ll never step foot outside a major city again lol.]
[Guild] Popuri: Is this ♥♥ ♥♥♥ insane?
[Guild] Ongpak: ???
[Guild] Ongpak: What’s up? What’s going on?
“What’s he talking about?”
Chanhee asked, picking up his iced tea. Looking into his pure eyes, I felt my own heart calming down.
“He’s threatening to PK us every time we meet unless we disband the guild right now.”
“Why?”
“Hmm, probably…”
If you get technical, it’s to isolate CityBoy. I hadn’t expected them to go this far with such an aggressive strategy, so it was a bit disorienting. People like this are usually obsessed with game forum public opinion, and going this hard means they’re either confident they’ll win the PR battle or…
[OnTheGo’s Shout: For the record, this is a unanimous decision by all members of <mandu> and <legend>.]
Knew it, they’re already in cahoots. So OnTheGo wants CityBoy dead, and JangDdo wants Popuri gone, which is why they’re resorting to these extreme measures.
Looks like we need to settle this with a straight-up fight and end it cleanly…
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Why go through all that trouble?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Let’s just have the guild reps do a clean character-deletion bet and call it a day.]
The silver lining is that all their attention is on Popuri and CityBoy, so they’re not paying much mind to me. The easiest fight to win is against someone who underestimates you.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol character-deletion bet, seriously?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Running out of shouts, huh? ^^]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Shouldn’t have picked a fight if you can’t even afford shouts lol.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: No money, no pride lol. The answer’s disbanding, just disband.]
It’s true I’m running low on shouts. Two left. Should I buy another bundle or not… As I deliberated, the guild window flashed.
[Guild] CityBoy: Ugh…
[Guild] CityBoy: Guild master.
[Guild] CityBoy: I’ll just go settle it with them.
[Guild] CityBoy: Pretty sure they’re freaking out like this because of me.
On the screen, CityBoy was slumped on the guild room floor. The sight of a lavishly decked-out elf crouching pitifully was almost comical.
[Guild] Popuri: Cheer up ㅠ.
[Guild] Popuri: Hyunsung, I’ll go with you and wreck them.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Hyunsung.
[Guild] Meritocracy: They said Legend’s on board too.
[Guild] Meritocracy: You’re one of the causes of this mess.
[Guild] Popuri: Teehee;
If I can somehow steer this into a straight fight, I’m confident we can win. The problem is they won’t easily play along with our intentions. Unless OnTheGo’s an idiot, he won’t fight Popuri or CityBoy, and while he might accept a fight with me… if he figures out I’m Nickmer in the process, he’ll back off for sure.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol a fight?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Out of cash? Disband ^^.]
“Do you need that shout item?”
As I mulled it over, Chanhee, who’d opened the cash shop, asked.
“I’ve got some leftover cash. Want me to send it?”
“Hmm… Sure. Just send what you’ve got.”
I didn’t want to make him spend money on something like this, but since I’d taken on these troublesome top-tier dealers, I figured I should do what I could. I can pay him back later. Thinking lightly, I accepted the trade and unsealed the cash item. That’s when it hit.
[Neon Sign Shout x999]
“…”
Seeing the number on the flashy item icon, my heart sank. I instinctively right-clicked, but since it was already unsealed in my inventory, the refund button was grayed out.
“Hey, are you insane…!”
“What?”
“What’s this? You spent a million won on this!”
The moment I raised my voice, I felt eyes glancing from the counter. Quickly shutting my mouth and scolding with my expression alone, Chanhee blinked slowly with wide eyes, his face asking what the problem was.
“You said to send as much cash as I had?”
“…How much cash did you have?”
“I don’t know…? I just sent the maximum purchase limit at once.”
Without thinking, I leaned over to his monitor. Clicking his user info at the top of the screen, my jaw dropped.
[Welcome, Kkamamgom: Remaining Cash 19,001,000 KRW]
What kind of game item cash balance is 19 million won? My head was ringing as I looked up, and he just shrugged. The forgotten rumor about Kkamamgom being a developer resurfaced.
“You didn’t actually buy this yourself…?”
“Probably got it as a gift.”
“A gift? From who?”
“Hmm… I think they said instead of paying part of what I was owed in cash, they’d give it in game cash but double the amount? Something like that.”
I was increasingly lost. At least it wasn’t Chanhee’s own money, which was a relief. After some thought, I returned to my monitor. Since it wasn’t his money and the item was non-refundable anyway…
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Then there’s no helping it.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Let’s have the losing guild in the shout battle disband.]
Whatever happens, happens. I let out a hollow laugh and sent it, and the gallery, who’d been watching, went wild with shouts.
[Kyomirobi’s Shout: lolol agree!!! Shout battle guild deletion bet let’s go!!!]
[EternityDeadline’s Shout: If Mandu loses, does Legend disband too?]
Naturally, the guild window froze.
[Guild] CityBoy: Guild master??;;
[Guild] CityBoy: If they buy even one shout each, that’s hundreds… What are you planning ㅠㅠ.
[Guild] CityBoy: I’ll buy a hundred for now; hang on.
[Guild] Meritocracy: No no.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Got enough shouts.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Just stay put.
[Guild] Popuri: ????
[Guild] Popuri: Did you hit the lotto?
Well, there’s a human-shaped lottery sitting next to me. I must’ve smirked wickedly because I heard Chanhee’s low chuckle.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lolololololol.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol ridiculous, I was trying to settle this peacefully, and you’re picking a fight?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Forcing a newbie guild to disband for offending a major guild is peaceful?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: We’ve only got five members… Threatening to have hundreds of people gang up on us every time we leave a major city is peaceful?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: If that’s how it’s gonna be, I said let’s settle it with a character-deletion bet, but you kept pushing for guild disbandment—that’s peaceful?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Do you cry at home every year during the Nobel Peace Prize announcement? If I were you, I’d be so pissed wondering why I didn’t get it.]
My fingers were on fire as I typed, and I heard a mumbling sound beside me. Turning, I saw Chanhee staring at me with a piece of sausage in his mouth.
“…What?”
“It’s just cool how you type without even breathing.”
“…”
“It reminds me of old times.”
His cryptic comment and intrigued smile were puzzling, but I didn’t have time to get distracted.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol you’re fuming.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Just disband and be done with it ^^ Unless you want to be broke and kicked out when next month’s phone bill hits.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: With all due respect, the idea of stripping and kicking out a misbehaving child is a notorious practice from the 50s and 60s, when misguided values about early education were rampant…]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Could it be… your age…?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol probably younger than you.]
[Guild] CityBoy: That jerk’s in his 40s.
[Guild] Popuri: ???
[Guild] Popuri: Didn’t he hit on you?
[Guild] Popuri: How old are you?
[Guild] CityBoy: Me? Twenty-five.
[Guild] Popuri: Oh, a noona.
[Guild] Popuri: My bad, Hyunsung’s a Confucian boy, no misunderstanding.
“Isn’t this guy insane?”
My voice must’ve gotten loud because a drink cup was suddenly pushed toward me. I sipped the cold Americano through the straw perfectly positioned at my lips, and the heat surging to the top of my head cooled a bit. Despite the situation, being attended to by a handsome guy didn’t feel half bad.
[Guild] Meritocracy: He hit on you knowing you’re twenty-five??
[Guild] CityBoy: Not knowing x, the moment he found out o.
[Guild] CityBoy: I was dumb… Blinded by the gear ㅠ.
To summarize, OnTheGo pulled a rare cosmetic item, <Fairy Queen’s Earring>, from a summer kit. CityBoy asked him to sell it, and that’s where it started. OnTheGo offered a million won in cash, and CityBoy agreed, but when asked for bank details, OnTheGo insisted they exchange ID photos with only the last digits obscured.
[Guild] Meritocracy: Even photos?
[Guild] CityBoy: Yup.
[Guild] CityBoy: Thinking back ㅠ I was the one paying, so why… But I was so desperate for the earring ㅠ I showed it.
[Guild] CityBoy: Then, right after seeing my ID, he asked for my contact info, saying it’d make the trade safer.
[Guild] CityBoy: I was dumb then too ㅠ He probably realized I was a woman but didn’t say anything about it, so I thought he was just trying to keep the deal clean…
Reading the rambling chat, my heart ached for some reason. I sighed and flexed my fingers.
[Guild] Meritocracy: City-nim.
[Guild] Meritocracy: OnTheGo probably already had a hunch you were a woman.
[Guild] Meritocracy: That’s why he used the trade as an excuse to get your ID.
[Guild] Popuri: Yup, same thought.
[Guild] Meritocracy: That’s how these jerks operate.
[Guild] Meritocracy: They act like they want nothing, all detached.
[Guild] Meritocracy: But they subtly prod to confuse people.
[Guild] Meritocracy: If you hadn’t given your ID or contact, he’d have found another excuse to make a fuss.
[Guild] Meritocracy: This situation isn’t your fault, so.
[Guild] Meritocracy: No need to say you were dumb or anything.
[Guild] Ongpak: Agreed ㅠ That guy’s an idiot.
Even the usually quiet Ongpak chimed in, but CityBoy didn’t reply. I felt bitter, wondering if I’d stirred up bad memories. Then, out of nowhere, Popuri popped a question mark above his head.
[Guild] Popuri: But the earring?
[Guild] Popuri: Why aren’t you wearing it?
…Yeah? The <Fairy Queen’s Earring> is a cosmetic that covers the entire ear and drapes down to the neck. It sparkles and sways by your face with every move, creating a dramatic effect on elf characters. (It’s not expensive for nothing.) But CityBoy’s ears only had plain diamond earrings.
[Guild] CityBoy: I didn’t end up giving him my bank details.
[Guild] Meritocracy: ??
[Guild] Popuri: ??
[Guild] Ongpak: ??
[Guild] CityBoy: Even after getting my contact, he kept asking pointless stuff instead of talking about the trade.
[Guild] CityBoy: I told him to discuss personal stuff in guild chat and give me his account first, and he flipped out, asking why I was being so cold when he hadn’t done anything…
“Hyung, can I ask something?”
As I rubbed my brow, feeling my blood pressure spike, Chanhee asked in the purest voice.
“What?”
“I’m not following the situation well, but the person fighting with CityBoy-nim is a man in his 40s, right?”
“Yeah? Yeah.”
“But what does it mean that he hit on CityBoy-nim? Didn’t you say CityBoy-nim is your age?”
I couldn’t grasp the intent of the question, and my mind went blank for a moment. Was he asking what “hitting on” means after a fight? As I blinked, Chanhee calmly added.
“So what I mean is… Is this OnTheGo person approaching CityBoy-nim with rational interest?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. Then when his true intentions got exposed, he threw a tantrum.”
“Then shouldn’t we report it to the police?”
“…Huh?”
“There’s almost a twenty-year age gap, and approaching someone with that intent… Isn’t that criminal?”
He asked so seriously that for a moment, I thought, really? Snapping out of it, I shook my head, and Chanhee looked puzzled.
“No, unless CityBoy-nim is a minor… OnTheGo’s a creep, but he didn’t do anything illegal.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah, if we’re just talking about criminal or not, he’s not…”
[Guild] Popuri: He did pull that earring, right?
Meanwhile, Popuri threw another sharp question.
[Guild] CityBoy: He showed me a screenshot…
[Guild] Popuri: But didn’t wear it himself?
[Guild] Popuri: 532% chance it’s a lie.
[Guild] CityBoy: If even that was a lie…
[Guild] CityBoy: I’d really want to strangle him.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lolol why’d you go quiet?]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Out of cash?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: OnTheGo-nim.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: “Gapbun” is short for “sudden atmosphere.”]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Writing “Why the sudden atmosphere of shutting up?” makes an awkward sentence.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: When using outdated slang, at least know the meaning.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: So you don’t get embarrassed mimicking younger folks.]
There’s a reason for breaking up sentences. In a shout battle, the basic attack is using two or three shouts for every one your opponent uses. Right now, someone’s probably tallying how many shouts OnTheGo and Meritocracy have used.
[Meritocracy’s Shout: By the way, buying a Fairy Queen’s Earring.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Anyone selling?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Heard Mandu’s sub-master OnTheGo pulled one from a kit.]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Is that true? ^^]
[YaongILove’s Shout: I’m buying a Fairy Queen’s Earring.]
[YaongILove’s Shout: Sell to me, I’ll pay 10% more guaranteed.]
What followed was a parade of nonsense. It was a battle of who’d give up on buying shouts first, so naturally. The childish taunts and even more childish retorts continued until my shout count dropped below 500, when things finally took a new turn.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: lol this won’t end.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Fine, we’ll do it your way.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: Reps do a character-deletion bet and call it done.]
Here we go. I must’ve flashed a sly grin because Chanhee, who’d been focused on decorating the guild room, whispered in slight surprise.
“Hyung, your face just now was really scary and cute.”
What’s he on about? I glared, and he gave a small smile, turning back to his screen. The guild room was now filled with purple flower decorations.
[Meritocracy’s Shout: What’re you talking about?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Is this a surrender in the shout battle?]
[Meritocracy’s Shout: Then Mandu and Legend need to disband.]
[IsrilRing’s Shout: Agreed agreed.]
[IsrilRing’s Shout: For reference, current shout count: Meritocracy: 524 / OnTheGo: 305.]
[Kyomirobi’s Shout: lololol isn’t the winner pretty much decided?]
[Kyomirobi’s Shout: Don’t drag it out and just delete your guild.]
“Did you win, hyung?”
“Pretty much…?”
“Hmm, thanks to me, right?”
I instinctively started to agree but stopped short. The eyes meeting mine were sparkling with an unusual intensity.
“Then don’t I deserve a reward?”
A reward…? I stared at him, trying to hide my confusion, and Chanhee raised his left hand to cover his mouth. Then, with the index finger of his right hand, he tapped the back of his left hand twice.
“…”
The meaning of the simple gesture wasn’t hard to grasp. Feeling my face heat up, I couldn’t help but lightly smack his shoulder. I wanted to hit him harder, but I couldn’t bring myself to put any strength into it.
“…I told you that’s too soon.”
“Then when’s the right time?”
For some reason, it reminded me of a conversation I once had with my younger cousin. Hyung, when are you coming to our house? How many nights do I have to sleep? Clearing my throat awkwardly and averting my eyes, Chanhee’s tilted head and persistent gaze followed me.
“I came all this way because I missed you, and you’ve left me hanging for an hour like this…”
“I… I’m sorry about that…”
“You let me kiss the back of your hand, but it’s kind of weird that you won’t let me do it on your face…”
“Hey, we’re out, we’re outside. Watch what you say.”
Is it just me, or is this guy getting cheekier by the day? Was he putting on an act all this time, and this is his true self? Perhaps taking pity on my flustered state, Chanhee backed off first.
“That guy’s saying something again.”
At his words, I looked at the monitor and saw OnTheGo’s verbose shouts popping up.
[OnTheGo’s Shout: First, to stick to the facts, I never agreed to a shout battle or staked the existence of Mandu and Legend.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: I have no obligation to take responsibility for Meritocracy’s unilateral misunderstanding.]
[OnTheGo’s Shout: That said, if you insist on continuing this fight, my maximum concession is to go with your initial proposal of PvP.]
[YaongILove’s Shout: lol OnTheGo’s backing down.]
Yes! I almost shouted “Let’s do it” but stopped my hand. If I seem too eager, he’ll try to weasel out through some loophole. I had to carefully maneuver to lock him into an undeniable promise. This jerk…
I’ll make sure you delete your character. I swear on my two years of honed skills, I will.