TGMND 85

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of Yeo-woon’s character hammering echoed loudly in front of the central bank in the aquarium.

‘Enchantment successful!’

‘You have obtained <Sea Rabbit’s Rage Orb +6>!’

There was no better way to relieve stress than by enhancing items. It was content that could be done mindlessly while listening to loud noises, and selling the items could earn a decent amount of money. Quietly hammering away at items like this brings peace to the mind…

‘Enchantment successful!’

‘You have obtained <Sea Rabbit’s Rage Orb +7>!

But seriously… damn.

‘Enchantment successful!’

‘You have obtained <Sea Rabbit’s Rage Orb +8>!’

This is truly unbelievable.

‘Enchantment successful!’

‘You have obtained <Sea Rabbit’s Rage Orb +9>!’

This is seriously infuriating…

Yeo-woon kept attempting enhancements with the enhancement fragments he had won at the auction house and retrieved from his mailbox. As Yeo-woon, who had been in the same spot for a while, kept getting success messages without a single failure, a user lingering nearby also discreetly attempted an enhancement.

[Global] Rat’sTemptation: Sob ㅜ

He tasted failure immediately and trudged away.

Much later, a passing guild member suddenly stopped in front of Yeo-woon and spoke to him.

[Guild] CatMeowMeowMeow: Neuta-nim, what’s wrong with your clothes?

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: Why?

[Guild] CatMeowMeowMeow: I met him at the aquarium, and he was just wearing a pair of weird leaf panties.

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: No way?

Bored guild members came to take a look. They quietly watched Yeo-woon, who was diligently enhancing items without a word, and felt something was off.

[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Why aren’t his items breaking? Hasn’t he tried like ten times?

[Guild] ParkRoach: Is there a superstition that taking off clothes increases buff chance?

[Guild] al0ha: Whoa, a new folk belief?

[Guild] al0ha: Wow, he succeeded again lol. Is this a bug?

[Guild] CatMeowMeowMew: Amazing, I’ll try too

CatMeowMeowMew removed all fashion items and equipment right there and started enhancing a helmet where Yeo-woon was standing. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

And then, overlapping with the sound of crows cawing above his head, the words ‘Enhancement Failed!’ appeared.

[Guild] CatMeowMeowMew: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Guild] ParkRoach: LOL LOL LOL

[Guild] Wandu Wandya: LOL LOL

[Guild] al0ha: Oh no, poor guy.

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: Guess not lol.

It’s all wrong. Far from peace of mind, the more Yeo-woon thinks alone, the more every conclusion turns into “…but fuck!” Among CatMeowMeowMew who went to get items again, and guild members who started chatting in front of Yeo-woon, Earth Star, who was standing alone, asked:

[Guild] Ji9star: Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: ? What’s Earth Star thinking about all by himself?

[Guild] CatMeowMeowMeow: Lol lol

[Guild] ParkRoach: Now, who’s the real pervert?

[Guild] Ji9star: Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…

[Guild] Ji9star: Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…

[Guild] Ji9star: Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…Why are you wearing only panties like a pervert…

This guild was great in every way, except they never left you alone. Yeo-woon, feeling pressured by Earth Star’s persistent questions, decided to give an explanation.

[Guild] neutaaaa: Because this is the weirdest outfit ever.

[Guild] al0ha: ??

Yeo-woon’s character was modeled after Yoon Ji-gu. As soon as he turned on the game after sending Seon-young away, seeing the character reminded him of yesterday’s events. However, he felt it was a waste to spend money to change the character’s face and hair just because of that, so instead, a childish desire for revenge led him to visit the fashion shop.

The outfit ‘neutaaaa’ was currently wearing consisted of just leaf-patterned underwear. It was
part of a primitive set with green leaves tied together with a string, but he only bought one piece because wearing the full set seemed too strong.

[Guild] Ji9star: Why do you keep putting on weird outfits?

[Guild] Ji9star: Why?

[Guild] neutaaaa: Don’t wanna say

Yeo-woon replied like that and put on a braided wig item from his inventory. Crazy jerk. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t unnecessarily sided with Seon-young yesterday. No matter how much he thought about it, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

‘He’s not a child, so why is he taking his anger out on me?’

Yeo-woon resolved that he wouldn’t speak to him until Yoon Ji-gu apologized first.

al0ha suddenly requested a trade and gifted the leaf underwear pervert with the braided wig a pair of large dragonfly sunglasses. With the sunglasses on, the character’s original appearance was completely hidden, but it looked even more like a terrible pervert, which made him feel a bit better. He wasn’t an eighteen-year-old high school student fighting with a friend and feeling hurt. He couldn’t understand why he felt such childish revenge.

The Poseidon guild members danced next to Yeo-woon and failed enchantments in succession until CatMeowMeowMeow called them saying a whale appeared at the fishing spot, and they all disappeared. Only Earth Star remained, slightly apart from Yeo-woon. He seemed to be away from his keyboard for a moment.

Yeo-woon was combining accessories without paying attention to Earth Star when he belatedly realized that Earth Star wasn’t actually idle. He was moving his character ever so slightly, fidgeting.

[Couple] neutaaaa: What are you doing? Not going?

[Couple] Ji9star: Hyung, you know…

As if he had been waiting for Yeo-woon to speak first, Earth Star replied immediately.

[Couple] Ji9star: If something’s bothering you, just tell me ㅇㅅㅇ…

[Couple] Ji9star: They say sorrow shared is sorrow doubled

[Couple] neutaaaa: Hahahahahahaha You mean halved, right?

[Couple] Ji9star: ;;;The context is similar enough

Yeo-woon couldn’t help but laugh at Earth Star’s sudden strange words. Whether it was a joke or he really thought that was the saying, Yeo-woon felt his mood improving somewhat.

“…Ah, but this is a bit embarrassing.”

The words didn’t come out so easily when Yeo-woon tried to talk about the guy next door to Earth Star, who wasn’t a longtime friend like Ha Seon-young or Jeong Se-hyung, but just an internet friend. He only wanted to remain casual acquaintances with him. He had already accepted being called ‘hyung’ secretly from other guild members, and they even exchanged personal contacts through Holblue. If he shared his worries too, it felt like things would become irreversible.

[Couple] Ji9star: By any chance…

Even though he typed fast, he paused for a long time after sending just two words

[Couple] Ji9star: Are you angry?

It was a short question considering how long he had thought about it. Realizing that Earth Star was trying to read his mood, Yeo-woon felt bad for making him worry over nothing.

[Couple] neutaaaa: I’m not angry, hahaha

[Couple] Ji9star: Then why are you so quiet today?

Did he notice? Yeo-woon tilted his head. He didn’t seem like the type to care about such things, but maybe he had an unexpectedly sensitive side

[Couple] neutaaaa: Just had some things to think about alone…

[Couple] neutaaaa: Oh right

[Couple] neutaaaa: Didn’t you say there’s a weird person living next door to you too?

Suddenly, Yeo-woon remembered that Earth Star said there was a pervert living next door to him. He wanted to ask him how the Earth Star was getting along with his perverted neighbor.

[Couple] Ji9star: Why are you changing the subject?

He wasn’t changing the subject…

[Couple] neutaaaa: It’s not that… um…

[Couple] neutaaaa: I know someone next door, too

[Couple] Ji9star: Are you close?

[Couple] neutaaaa: Yes

[Couple] neutaaaa: But I actually had an argument with him yesterday

[Couple] Ji9star: Ah, I see, haha

[Couple] Ji9star: But why did you bring up my neighbor all of a sudden?

[Couple] neutaaaa: I wanted to ask how other people get along with their neighbors lol

Yesterday, when he was venting his frustration to Ha Seon-young, Seon-young had said, “These days, people don’t even greet their neighbors. You’re the weird one, I’m telling you.” Seon-young, like Yoon Ji-gu, had subtly implied that Yeo-woon was the odd one. He couldn’t understand why even his friend sided with Yoon Ji-gu.

[Couple] Ji9star: For me… it’s the same

[Couple] neutaaaa: Gahahaha Seems like you’re still not on good terms haha, right?

[Couple] Ji9star: Huh? No?? We’re on good terms you know?

[Couple] neutaaaa: Really? You were cursing him out before

[Couple] Ji9star: It wasn’t that bad, we were totally on good terms

[Couple] neutaaaa: No way

[Couple] Ji9star: Seriously, thoughㅡㅡ

“Well, I guess…”

Whatever happened, it seems they’ve made up. See, what’s this about not even greeting neighbors these days? That’s just because Ha Seon-young lives too coldly.

[Couple] Ji9star: Why did you fight with your neighbor?

[Couple] neutaaaa: I don’t know.

[Couple] Ji9star: ??

[Couple] neutaaaa: I really don’t know. Are they just an irritable person? They suddenly got mad out of nowhere, and I was dumbfounded;;

Whoa…

Even Earth Star seemed to find it absurd.

[Couple] neutaaaa: They were fine just a second ago and then suddenly got angry out of nowhere

[Couple] Ji9star: Maybe there was a reason?

[Couple] neutaaaa: If they were annoyed with me, they could’ve just told me why, right? But when I asked, they didn’t say anything…

[Couple] neutaaaa: Even if there was a reason, if they don’t tell me, it’s just frustrating from my perspective.

[Couple] neutaaaa: So yesterday we just had a staring contest for a while, and then I left first.

If Yoon Ji-gu had something to say, he should’ve said it quickly, but he just kept staring with an annoyed face, so Yeo-woon got irritated and turned away first. Yoon Ji-gu didn’t even try to stop him and just stood there. For some reason, that image kept bothering him until he went to sleep.

[Couple] neutaaaa: When I logged in this morning, I suddenly felt turned off, hahaha

[Couple] Ji9star: Whhhy?

[Couple] Ji9star: Why?
[Couple] neutaaaa: Remember I said before that I customized this to look like the guy next door? I forgot about it and when I remembered again, it made me feel irritated haha

Though he couldn’t tell Earth Star in detail, but it wasn’t just the sudden anger that bothered him. The truth was that he felt more hurt by Yoon Ji-gu taking someone else’s side and using his emotions as an excuse. If Yeo-woon had actually done something wrong, he might have accepted it, but since that wasn’t the case, it was even more absurd.

[Couple] neutaaaa: That’s all. It’s really nothing, right?

[Couple] neutaaaa: It’s nothing, but please keep this a secret. I don’t want to be teased for arguing with a neighbor like a kid…

Usually, Earth Star was always joking around, but this time, he seemed to take it more seriously than usual. After a long pause, he finally responded.

[Couple] Ji9star: You said you’re turned off?

He asked again.

[Couple] neutaaaa: Yeah, hahaha.

[Couple] neutaaaa: What a jerk.

At first, he thought it wasn’t good to share anything too personal with an internet friend, but after opening up, he felt much better. In fact, not being real-life friends had the advantage of allowing him to speak more candidly.

[Guild] Ji9star: Just a mmomentt I’ll be back soonn…

Much later. Suddenly, it seemed like Earth Star had something urgent to attend to, typing with numerous typos before abruptly logging off on a precious Sunday afternoon.