[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 39 <110> #3.
The notebook should have been left blank but was filled with numerous drawings. There were pictures of various cars and guns on a couple of pages, while the rest were drawings of people, all of them cartoon characters, SD, wearing black caps, pointing fingers, with dark eyes that extended down to the cheeks, big heads, and thin bodies like tree branches. When flipping through a few more pages, he came across a cartoon series called “Killing, Chaseo...”
‘When did he draw these pictures?’
In the four-panel cartoon, Sangwoo in the form of SD was cut in half, crushed into powder, blown up like a balloon and burst, and had his cap snatched away until he fell ill and died. Each image was peculiar and absurd, but because they were drawn as cartoons, Sangwoo chuckled softly when he saw them. However, the final picture didn’t look like the usual line drawings by Jaeyoung—it was a side view of a man wearing a hat, drawn so realistically it resembled a photograph.
‘Is this me?’
The drawing was so well-done that it could pass for a celebrity—slightly lowered eyes with eyelashes arranged neatly, a prominent nose, lips drawn with soft curves, a neck with carefully rendered lighting and shadows, an extended Adam’s apple and muscles connecting to the shoulders. There was even a fly perched on the shirt collar. Sangwoo looked down at his own collar and realized for the first time that there was a fly sitting there too.
“Does Jang Jaeyoung know that you’re here? Don’t just sit there, try calling him.”
The person stealthily hunting animals behind him spoke up. Sangwoo slid the notebook into his backpack once again and closed it shut.
“I don’t have any plans today, so it’s okay to wait a little longer.”
“And if he doesn’t come, well, I feel uneasy. It’s nothing, can you make the call instead?”
“Whatever, go ahead.”
The person hunting animals blew air through their mouth and picked up the phone. After a moment, they dialed a number and switched on the speaker mode, and he heard the familiar ringing sound.
Doot... Doot... Doot...
The louder the ringing sound became, once, twice, three times, repeating continuously, the more frustrated he became, but Jaeyoung didn’t answer. Even after calling two more times, it was still the same. The person who stealthily hunted and insulted him, saying ‘let’s see who will win’ but no matter how many times he called, the outcome remained unchanged.
“That guy must be intentionally ignoring me, huh? Here, let me try calling him with your phone.”
Sangwoo responded to that request politely, called Jaeyoung, and handed the phone to the other party. This time, the person who stealthily hunted pressed the speakerphone button as usual.
Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep....
[Hello.]
“What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you answer my calls!”
[Are you with Sangwoo?]
The person who stealthily hunted glanced with dark, piercing eyes.
“Where are you?”
[Home. I asked if you’re with Sangwoo?]
“This kid came to the office and refused to go there. He is just sitting there with a dissatisfied face. Not doing anything! I’m suffocating to death here.
Come and pick him up now.”
A soft sigh could be heard from the speaker.
[Got it.]
The conversation ended. The other party hung up.
“I wonder if this guy thinks I’m so easy, thinking he has no need to answer immediately, deliberately ignoring me.”
The person who stealthily hunted made a gurgling sound before handing the phone back to Sangwoo. Sangwoo put the communication device in his backpack and picked up a book.
“Um... So, Chu Sangwoo.”
“Please remember other people’s names correctly.”
It seemed like he had talked about this issue ten times before.. Sangwoo had tried to remember the name of the person who stealthily hunted, but he hadn’t recorded the information. However, he saw the gold necklace around the other party’s neck, with the name ‘Choi Yoona’ written on it.
“Do you mind if I call you Choi Yoochwe?”
“That’s not a big deal.”
“Then from now on, I’ll call you that. Choi Yoochwe.”
“...”
Sangwoo seemed somewhat uncomfortable when he saw the face of the other party. It was true that their interactions were limited to arguments during their time together, so the impression wasn’t great. Even though he didn’t necessarily need to have a good relationship with such a tough guy.
“Are you guys fighting or something...? I haven’t seen you here recently. And looking at Jang Jaeyoung’s expression...”
“Forget the pressure to engage in pointless conversations. Act like I’m not here. You can do whatever you want. Choi Yoochwe.”
“I’m asking out of curiosity. Are you fighting? Why are you fighting?”
“We’re not fighting. And you don’t need to know either.Choi Yoochwe.”
Hyungnim and I drank together and then kissed. After that, our opinions about the future diverged into two sides, and that wasn’t good. So Sangwoo kept his mouth shut.
Suddenly, he glanced over and saw Yoona’s desk. When he saw the tangled mess of wires, it reminded him of his own situation, and he couldn’t stand it. Sangwoo got up and walked towards the girl’s table. Her eyes, surrounded by dark circles, looked up at Sangwoo.
“If you are not doing anything, just take a break, okay?”
When he saw Sangwoo gesturing for her to come out, the girl stood up. Sangwoo controlled the mouse and keyboard to save the work of the twelve programs that were open, then shut down the computer, turned off the speakers, closed the computer screen, found the buttons of the devices that looked like switches and turned them off, and closed the devices under the desk that he didn’t know what they were for. Then he started dealing with the cables.
He unplugged the hard drive cable halfway and inserted it into the case, rolled up the mouse cable, tablet charger cable, and put it in the drawer, unplugged the mouse and keyboard cables, and placed them next to each other. Then he began organizing the power cords for the computer screen and CPU, which were tangled messes, and plugged them back in, installed a four-port extension plug behind the computer screen, neatly arranged the remaining device cables so they wouldn’t tangle, and after that, the desk looked much cleaner.
Sangwoo used a yellow rubber band lying on the table to tie up the loose cables neatly and revealed a satisfied expression. The speaker wires were not short, but it was because the person who used them was careless. People often mistreat machinery.
“You should turn on the TV and watch programs like “Master in the House
[1]” or something.”
“Next, organize it like this because I like to plug in unused items all over the place. The table is cluttered with things.”
“I use all of them.”
“Well then, go ahead and do it like that.”
While both of them were talking, the office door opened. Jaeyoung kicked the door closed with his foot and took a long step, wearing a white sweatshirt with a baseball team logo on the front and black trousers. He walked past Sangwoo and sat down at his own desk.
“Oh, so the grumpy old man is here.”
Upon hearing Jaeyoung’s sarcastic remark, Yoona burst into laughter.
“Why are you so grumpy?”
“Ask yourself.”
Jaeyoung played with his mobile phone nonchalantly without responding. Sangwoo looked at the other side silently, but Jaeyoung kept staring at the phone screen without saying anything. The side profile of the other person’s face showed a cool and somewhat disdainful expression, which made Yoona chuckle uncontrollably.
“Hey... Why are you guys arguing? Quickly make up and be friends again.”
“We’re not arguing, but it’s a weirder situation than that.”
Jaeyoung crossed his legs and put his chin on his knee, examining his own fingernails.
“Why are you here? I know you probably came to ask about the job, but I haven’t done anything, so what should I do? Should I just stand here raising my hand?”
“No. About the offer from the senior... I said I would consider it and let you know by tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I think I’ll let you know in advance today, so I came here.”
Jaeyoung’s gaze intensified as he sneaked a look at Yoona’s back and spoke to her.
“Hey, is it time for you to smoke, Yoona?”
“Do you want me to leave? Well, that’s a way to chase someone away.”
“Come back in ten minutes then.”
“That’s funny. How about paying the rent?”
Jaeyoung’s command was unfair, and it seemed like Yoona strongly opposed it, but she just expressed her dissatisfaction. Then she grabbed her mobile phone and wallet.
“You guys have made the working atmosphere abnormal enough. Take responsibility and fix it. I’ll be gone for just ten minutes, really.”
The young woman cursed under her breath and walked backward. When she opened the door and left, there were only two people left in the room.
Silence ensued for a moment. Jaeyoung, who had been playing with his phone and putting it in his pocket without realizing when, looked at Sangwoo. There was no hint of playfulness behind the lens of his glasses, his eyes didn’t even blink because he had encountered the other party for the second time in two weeks, and Sangwoo’s body had already undergone a chemical reaction.
“The proposal from you, hyung... I agree. I think it makes sense. Besides, you have more experience. So I’ll give extra points starting from next week.”
Sangwoo calmly explained his decision to Jaeyoung. It was a purely sexual desire, 100% pure affection, with no other intentions. Sangwoo was like a wild person who had never touched civilization, holding a club and hunting down unnecessary desires that bothered him.
Jaeyoung listened with an indifferent face and spoke one word.
“What is the proposal? Please explain clearly.”
“It’s giving permission for both parties to engage in normal dating activities.”
“With the purpose of resolving sexual desires?”
“Yes.”
“Sleeping together... like that, right?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it, you bastard.”
Sangwoo doesn’t understand Jaeyoung’s reaction. He is the one who presented the problematic proposal that goes against moral ethics. And now he acts as if Sangwoo did something wrong.
“Honestly, I didn’t think you would agree and I don’t know what to say.
Well... let’s see.”
“Alright then, I’ll get in touch later.”
As Sangwoo finished speaking, he prepared to stand up from his seat, but Jaeyoung’s voice stopped him.
“Wait.”
Jaeyoung didn’t move, he looked at Sangwoo with the same expression on his face as before, and spoke with a cool tone.
“Why don’t we start today like it’s Monday? Do we have to prepare?”
“Yes. And we have to study too.”
“Study what?”
“Do I have to tell you?”
Jaeyoung pursed his lips, his face changed profoundly.
“Um... I think I already know what you’re going to say, so Monday... the hotel, right?”
“I understand it that way too.”
Jaeyoung exhaled and rubbed his face with his hand, making a loud sound,
“Hoo.”
“Okay, I understand now. So there’s nothing today. We haven’t seen each other for two weeks, so maybe there’s a lot of accumulated desire, isn’t it?”
“How can we do something about it today? I didn’t prepare anything.”
“It’s not about that, but there are other things we can do here.”
Jaeyoung has a tendency to speak ambiguously. So when talking to Sangwoo, he often had to think again, but this time it wasn’t difficult.
“Last Saturday, we went to the liquor store, remember?”
“Doing it again won’t kill us, right?”
‘That’s true.’
Sangwoo stretched his legs and pushed the chair back with his foot. Then he approached Jaeyoung gradually. As the chairs collided, Jaeyoung’s chair was pushed back slightly. Sangwoo reached out and held onto the chair, then raised his head. Jaeyoung, who was only inches away, widened his eyes. Sangwoo could clearly feel the desire swirling inside him.
“I want to kiss you, but... Should we lock the door first?”
“Go ahead.”
Sangwoo stood up and walked over to press the round doorknob. Then, when he turned around, Jaeyoung appeared in front of him without making a sound.
“Oh, jesus..”
Jaeyoung’s hands quickly cupped both sides of his cheeks. As the other party’s lips pressed down, Sangwoo couldn’t say anything anymore. Sangwoo closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the scent of vanilla from Jaeyoung’s lips. He couldn’t know what components were in the saliva of the other party that made it taste sweet. A storm of emotions raged, making his mind clouded and unable to focus, as if a heavy rain just fell with thunder and lightning at the same time.
Sangwoo’s tongue swept across Jaeyoung’s entire mouth, showing the overwhelming feeling that was difficult to control. His head was filled with thoughts of wanting to conquer and devour the other party who made him feel strange sensations, but it was hard to distinguish whether it was a good or bad feeling.
When he couldn’t breathe anymore, Sangwoo pushed Jaeyoung away before taking a deep breath as if he had just finished running. Then he used the back of his hand to wipe the corners of his mouth. Jaeyoung bit his lower lip slightly and whispered softly.
“You don’t look like that on the outside. And why are you so intense like this?”
The low, hoarse voice provoked Sangwoo’s desires even more. Why did he do this? It only made things worse. It didn’t solve any problems. Sangwoo didn’t know how to deal with this overwhelming desire, so he took a deep breath.
‘If I endure until Monday, maybe the problem can be solved.’ One pair of serious eyes stared almost piercingly at Sangwoo’s face.
“I’m really confused whether you’re an idiot or a genius.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I’ll leave first.”
Sangwoo returned to his seat, slung his bag over his shoulder, and felt that if he stayed here, he might commit some kind of crime, so he quickly left the office.
return 0;.
________________________________________.
[1] Life Master, translated from the name of a South Korean television program, SBS’s “Saenghwal-eui Dal-in” “Master in the House”, which presents the lives of people who have worked in one field for many years and have become experts and role models in their lives.
Chapter 40 <110> #4.
What is called a festival is filled with messy activities as expected. When passing through the university during the event, he had thought about this. Signs fluttered in the wind, colorful tents, strange people dressed strangely shouting and singing, creating an atmosphere that stimulates the ears and eyes. It can be said to be a place where everything that creates excitement for the ears and eyes is gathered together.
“Oh, wow, that’s impressive, isn’t it?”
Sangwoo thought that Jihye was usually a conscientious and flexible student, but today she seemed different. Her eyes were sparkling, and she said everything tasted delicious and admired everything she saw.
Sangwoo met Jihye at 11:00 a.m. and went to watch a magic club performance that could defy the laws of physics and deceive people’s eyes. At 12:02 p.m., they went to a café called “Paiyupsee” and endured the temptation of trickery with illustrated cards while enjoying sandwiches. At 12:42 p.m., they went to watch a music performance by the music club that almost blew their ears off. From 1:13 p.m. onwards, they drank water and read manga comics at the messy café of the cartoon club. At 3:43 p.m., Jihye walked out of the cartoon café with swollen eyes because she cried while reading the manga.
“I didn’t think Aran would die, was it leukemia?! I’m really sad. And to make matters worse, they have different mothers from Hee Hyul... It’s such a shocking twist.”
“It is not a real person, why are you crying like that?”
“Because it’s sad. So what are you reading?”
“Son Hee and Jaeyoung.”
“Is that story fun?”
“No.”
Ever since he was born, this was the first time he had ever read a story that was not fun at the end. He just kept flipping the pages without thinking, just to see the repeated appearance of the title.
They left the cartoon café and walked on the campus for a while. In the meantime, Jihye mentioned that she liked to forget about everyday life and wrote a daily diary with pictures. She insisted that it was necessary to have pictures of friends together, so they stopped walking for a moment to take selfies together. Then Sangwoo’s footsteps stopped in front of a poster on the wall.
[Legendary Game Club is hosting! Arcade Game Tournament]
Although it was an unconscious response to the word “game.” he passed by without paying much attention. No, he didn’t. When he looked at the poster closely, he noticed that among the prizes, there was a mechanical keyboard, something he had been trying to find but ultimately failed to obtain.
“Oh! Oppa, shall we participate in this? This prize includes a mechanical keyboard, which is something I wanted to buy before.”
“Really? now?”
It was an activity that fulfilled the desires of both parties, a beneficial challenge, unlike the activities that made them look like fools in the past.
There, a large crowd had already gathered. The competition consisted of four games: Tetris, Bubble Bobble, Tekken, and Metal Slug. They began to plan and discuss strategies before filling out the application forms.
“Do you want this, oppa? Super Formic Com CX [1].”
“Um, it’s the grand prize of the Tetris game.”
“Tetris is my own responsibility.”
Jihye confidently tied up her long hair in a peculiar and charming way. She had heard that she used to play Tetris online when she was a child. She excelled in the game since elementary school, becoming a “Tetris Master.” and even reached the level of a “god.” distancing herself from the villagers without a trace. Although Sangwoo didn’t trust her abilities much, he entrusted Tetris to Jihye.
“As for the keyboard, it’s the grand prize of Techken, right? I’ve never played this game before. Do you play it?”
“I play this game myself.”
Tekken Switch. Even though it had been a long time, he had played the arcade game several times before, so he knew how to handle it. It was a fighting game with simple gameplay. Sangwoo thought he would choose a character from the internet and memorize the combos [2] in advance. This was just a small competition, and he believed that even if he tried his best, he had a chance to win.
Sangwoo and Jihye looked at each other intently.
“Let’s go win the prize and exchange it afterward!”
“Sure!”
They submitted their applications and waited for a while. About fifty people gathered together, mostly congregated around the Tekken area, and they were all men. There was only Jihye and one other woman. While sitting on the stairs, there was a vacant space next to the Tetris game. Jihye stood up, turned her head left and right, and spoke to Sangwoo with a confident expression.
“Trust me, I’ll go get the game console for you.”
She walked along with the sound of her footsteps and sat down on the low chair. Tetris wasn’t about fighting but scoring points. Jihye immediately selected the highest difficulty level, and half of the screen was filled with obstacles, which descended rapidly.
Sangwoo watched Jihye’s hand movements as if she was being possessed by a haunting melody playing in the background. The blocks fell into position without any useless movements controlled perfectly by Jihye, who had excellent dynamic vision, decision-making skills, and complete control. She also minimized the number of rotations and left-right movements without any conditions. Every time a wall made up of long stacked blocks descended four rows at a time, Sangwoo felt a deep sense of satisfaction in his heart.
“See? I told you.”
After sitting for fourteen minutes, the speed at which the blocks fell became too fast to follow. Jihye accepted defeat and secured first place without a doubt, with a score tens of thousands higher than second place. Assuming nothing went wrong, she would be the owner of the game console.
“You’re amazing!”
Sangwoo’s face brightened with admiration as he reached out his hand to shake it, and she extended her hand for him to grasp gladly. Then Jihye smiled proudly and sat down next to Sangwoo, her cheeks turning red with excitement from the game.
While waiting, Sangwoo searched the internet for two Tekken characters and studied combos until he became proficient. As he continued to wait, it was finally his turn.
“Oppa, please pass.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Sangwoo walked straight to the Tekken corner, where there were two arcade machines facing each other like fighting games. There were many spectators here, unlike other games, and there were two commentators.
“Okay. Who’s the next competitor? Let me see the application... Oh, jesus!
It’s another computer engineering student friend.”
“Are these computer science majors gathering here?”
The man sitting opposite Sangwoo appeared older, with a good physique, wearing a baseball cap and a checkered shirt.
“It’s a computer engineering student challenge! You’re the first one to choose this character, right? Are you choosing a character that’s failed or this... are you really skilled?”
“Ed vs. Tristan... That’s strange. What they have in common is that they are both computer characters. If you don’t control them well, they become useless characters. Oh, it’s starting now!”
The power analysis was completed in ten seconds. When he saw how the game was being handled, he realized how well the other side understood the game. Sangwoo’s fighting partner sitting in that spot had defeated five consecutive opponents, but the opposing side was moving too advantageously and the reaction was slow.
“Ah, he’s fallen! Ed! Ed! He destroyed the computer of the defending side and then taunted like that! Wave Dash looks beautiful! Ah, he collapsed with that kind of fishing stance [3]!”
“It’s a fantastic play! Among today’s competitors, who has this level of skill? I bet 500 won he must be the son of the owner of the game arcade.”
Too easy. Sangwoo’s fighting partner slumped back awkwardly. Then the next challenger came in, another person wearing a similar cap and looking very young. Sangwoo chose the same character again and started the game.
“Ed vs. Tristan again? It’s teasing for a worm-like bug, do I really need to use all my power or not?”
“Maybe I can just play with two characters. Oh wow! Look at that! Using blocks moves so quickly.”
“Cornered now. Totally cornered. Wow... Is the next challenger confused?
Com-bo-not-un-der-stood! It’s sliced to pieces. Truly amazing.”
The next round of matches was easy. Sangwoo raised his hand to Jihye, who was cheering not far away. The next opponent, the next one, and the next one were easily defeated. They were all newcomers who didn’t know how to use computers well but were randomly pressing buttons. Sangwoo won continuously against fourteen people.
“It seems like today is the birth of the Tekken King. In this way, seizing victory won’t be a problem, and enduring for just ten more minutes. There’s only one challenger left. In the end, can our Ed-Tristan friend preserve the kingdom...”
“Alright then. The final challenger has arrived. Is he from the Cosplay Club? He has a unique style, oh! And looking at the application... he’s not an engineering student.”
Sangwoo secretly glanced at the other side with suspicion. The person sitting across was wearing an outfit that seemed to come directly from mid-century Europe: a white shirt covered with a red jacket, black pants, and formal black shoes. On the back, he wore a high-collared cloak and a dokkaebi mask[4].
‘He’s an intriguing character.’
Sangwoo chose his original character without thinking much.
“Go, Sang-chu!”
When he heard Jihye’s cheer, Sangwoo raised his sculpture. But at that moment, the opposing character rushed forward, releasing a stunning pose. He swiftly used evasive moves, so the character didn’t float in the air, but HP decreased significantly.
“This isn’t easy.”
“Wow! This is an attack as sharp as a knife. Our challenger’s Ed character seems to be skilled at countering Rosé.”
“Rosé is a strong character on her own. Will our defending champion student be able to withstand the goddess Rosé... It’s very exciting to follow.”
The opposing character moved continuously, releasing quick strikes. His movements were excessively small and chaotic, making it difficult to anticipate. However, he didn’t approach the defending side too closely, maintaining an appropriate distance and demonstrating animal-like precision.
“Almost hit the wall just now. The defending champion’s character seems clearly bright.”
“Ohhh, while the challenger was sliding forward, hands clashed. It’s a chance to send the fighting pair to the next world in the blink of an eye...”
“Even if I missed, my hands are still fast as ever. Upper strike, upper strike, lower strike, ohh, fast as a ghost. Hard to predict patterns at all.”
When under heavy pressure, he couldn’t perform combos. Sangwoo observed the complex playing style of the opposing side and switched characters, aiming only to make his opponent float in the air. He chose a character capable of doing that on the screen and attacking from angles that would make the opposing side float.
“Tristan, suddenly pops up, Wind God Fist! Four RP [5] four RP, four RP, and here we go again. And here we go again. Ah... Tristan is truly imposing.
Unexpected uppercut!”
“JUG-GLE-COM-BO [6]! Devil, Spin! Both Wind God Fist, both Spinning Demon, how many moves will there be? The combo never stops! What era is that person from? Is he our junior?”
“I don’t know either. I’ll call him “sunbae.” Our friend, Rosé, has released her hand. His concentration must have been broken by now. Takeout! Knockout!”
When one character from the opposing side died, the substitute character took its place. Sangwoo hesitated for a moment and was counterattacked by the opposing side’s combo.
“Wow! Challenger, are you ready to fight? You started it, so let’s go.”
“Trick with a low blow and then use combo moves like that. Who will be the winner can’t be said anymore.”
The fierce battle continued. Then Sangwoo’s character fell while the opposing side’s HP decreased by only 30%. He pulled out the remaining character. From here on, it was a decisive battle where there was no turning back.
“This challenger is not easy at all. He’s really skilled in psychological warfare.”
“Our defending champion seems to be using the macros button [8] heavily.
No loopholes! Can he win fifteen matches in a row?”
They exchanged blows lightly, taking turns attacking two or three times. The opponent used a left hook macro, but Sangwoo didn’t allow himself to be attacked and disrupted that move. Then Sangwoo’s consecutive attacks were also blocked. This was the round that determined the outcome.
While he focused intently on the game, the shaking of the opponent’s legs made him annoyed. The extended knee from the arcade cabinet looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he had seen those legs before.
“Looks like you are done with studying.”
At that moment, he heard a low grunt that made his hair stand on end. Sangwoo evaded the opponent’s attack and moved his character to the corner before stretching his neck to look at the opposite screen. The opponent wore a mysterious mask, but he sensed that they were locked in a battle of wits.
“I’m prepared and ready to have some fun.”
“Jang... Jaeyoung? What are you doing... here...”
Sangwoo turned his gaze back to the screen and picked up the controller sticker, but he had lost his coolness.
“I’m just here to play a game.”
Sangwoo’s Ed character was hit by the simultaneous attack of Jaeyoung’s Lillith hands and fell without a chance to fight back.
“My Sangwoo.”
The fatal strike aimed at the lower area made him think of dodging, but it was too late.
“You seem confident in your techniques, let’s see how it goes.” The opponent’s kick reduced Ed’s HP by more than half.
“Just waiting for the right moment.”
And then, Deathly Arrow from Lillith made him fall.
The two commentators spoke excitedly, but Sangwoo couldn’t hear anything anymore. return 0;.
________________________________________.
[1] Super Famicom, known as Super Family Computer “SNES”, is a video game console developed by Nintendo.
[2] Combo refers to executing consecutive attacks using the same move or different moves, or in team-based games, it can involve multiple team members performing continuous attacks in unison.
[3] Bread and Butter “BnB” or BnB combos are basic combo moves that should be practiced for each character. They are easy to perform and have a decent level of strength, similar to common food combinations like bread and butter. In some cases, they may also be referred to as Auto Combos.
[4] Tekken, a Korean giant.
[5] RP stands for Right Punch.
[6] Juggle Combo refers to combos where our character is on the ground while the opponent is floating, similar to juggling a ball in midair.
[7] Devil Spin is a shortened term for the move called Spinning Demon.
[8] Mouse macros are used to record all actions that occur, making our gameplay easier, especially for games that require cheat codes or multiple button presses simultaneously.
Chapter 41 <110> #5.
“It’s okay, you can take it.”
“No, I can’t accept it.”
Sangwoo took a hesitant step back. Jihye held a Super Nintendo CX gaming console in her hand, but Sangwoo had nothing. Despite their agreement to exchange prizes, his repeated failures left him with no face to show.
“It’s okay, really... What am I going to do with this old gaming console? I can’t even play it properly.”
“Sell it online. I’ve already taught you how to buy and sell second-hand items.”
“Then let me sell it for you.”
Sangwoo perked up immediately. It was the best way to be Ru Jihye! The perfect plan quickly formed in his mind. Sangwoo spoke with excitement in his voice.
“Today, you’ll sell it at the “Secondhand Kingdom” café. I’ll go to your post and contact you. Don’t sell it to anyone else, only sell it to me...”
“Are you crazy, or what?”
Jihye burst into laughter and patted Sangwoo’s shoulder. He flinched, causing her hand to drop. Jihye laughed for a moment before she handed Sangwoo a shopping bag with the gaming console inside.
“Here, consider it a direct transaction.”
“Uh...”
“The game console doesn’t cost any money, but can you treat me to dinner tonight instead?”
“This price must be more than a hundred thousand won.”
“If you’re not satisfied with the terms of the purchase, you can return it.” Jihye reached out with a serious face. Sangwoo was surprised.
[NonPaddler 3: I’ll pick you up at four tomorrow_23:09.]
When he thought about the message he received yesterday, his heart raced and he felt dizzy. Originally, he should have separated from Jihye by now and returned home to prepare himself... At that time, when Sangwoo was confident in himself and met Jaeyoung on Friday, he disappeared without a trace after conquering the stages of theoretical homosexual intercourse.
‘It’s probably impossible.’
However, no matter what, he thought he would apologize to Jaeyoung and change his mind. Sangwoo pulled out the game console and hugged it tightly before answering.
“No, let’s go eat together.”
“Okay.”
Jihye closed her mouth, giggled, and made another smirk.
The atmosphere around him suddenly darkened without warning. He was dragged by Jihye towards the Faculty of Humanities. Along the way, the fluorescent lights turned on in various colors, making his eyes dazzled. The popular stalls organized by various clubs such as the empty liquor stall, the aquarium food stall, the dog cafe, the board game liquor stall, and others were bustling.
“Oh! Let’s go there, right there!”
Jihye jumped up excitedly and pointed to a crowded shop where people gathered in a special way, forming long queues. The shop sign said “Liquor Spirits.” creating a dark and eerie atmosphere, and at the entrance of the tent, there were ambassadors and ghost girls standing there, scaring passersby.
“I’m sorry. It’s already full now. Even if you make a reservation, you still have to wait for another hour and a half.”
A female student dressed as a dokkaebi repeatedly.
“Ah... it looks so fun. I guess we won’t be able to get in.”
Jihye looked disappointed. Sangwoo didn’t care about those spirits, but because he owed Jihye, he didn’t want to stay indifferent. The weight of the game console in his shopping bag was the responsibility he had to listen to the desires of the young lady. Sangwoo told Jihye to wait and squeezed into the crowd.
Inside the dark restaurant that resembled a cave, decorated with strange decorations, all ten tables were occupied with customers sitting at each table. The staff in the store were fully dressed as zombies, wizards, mannequins, angels and demons, vampires, Frankenstein, providing entertainment to customers. Among the staff, Sangwoo felt a bit dazed by the vampire’s figure hugging and leaning down on one side.
‘Don’t tell me…’
The final challenger who defeated him in the arcade game competition dressed the same way. At that moment, the vampire turned around, and their eyes met instantly, like steel clash.
“...”
While Sangwoo took a step back feeling as if his head had been struck, he collided with dokkaebi, who spoke immediately as if following a script, prepared like an automated response.
“Sorry, there are no tables available right now.”
“Alright, I’ll leave then.”
Sangwoo quickly responded and turned back. At that moment, he heard the loud voice of the vampire coming from behind.
“Can you add a table?”
“There’s no space for additional tables now, oppa.”
“Some people have finished eating and will leave, then.”
Sangwoo hurriedly ran out of the tent. He then explained to Jihye that there were no seats available and they had to go somewhere else. The other party heard it clearly and made a disappointed face. As Sangwoo was about to step away, a dokkaebi came running out of the tent.
“Hey, student with the hat? There were just enough seats available a moment ago. Come in quickly!”
“It’s alright. I saw very clearly that there were no seats. I’m leaving now.”
“Come when I am still speaking nicely.”
The voice that sounded coolly through the mask made Sangwoo stop walking unconsciously. While he was hesitating, Frankenstein and the giant zombie-like zombie came out of the tent like baseball players, and they grabbed both arms of dokkaebi firmly.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Let me go. Are you a gangster or something?”
While Sangwoo fought with the guys, Jihye was talking to dokkaebi.
“The big samchun, he said there were just enough seats inside. That’s really lucky!”
The girl laughed and walked into the tent like that. Sangwoo was left behind, alone, like a duckling in the water without its mother on the Naktong River [2]. He struggled to free his hand from Frankenstein’s grip, but this time there were zombies pushing from behind, these people were too strong and unconscious. Sangwoo was dragged into the tent without being able to resist.
“Welcome!”
Then they encountered the vampires who welcomed them with scowling faces. On the other side, someone had their hair styled like a horse’s mane with wax, revealing their forehead, painted black eyeliner, and powdered their face white, while the edges of their lips were painted with deep red instead of blood. Although it was an odd appearance like the other staff members, they looked unbelievably good and stood out. At that moment, there were several students swirling around them, waiting to take pictures.
“Hello, Jaeyoung!”
“Long time no see, Jihye. I guess I have to compensate you heavily.”
“Wow! Really? Thank you in advance. But you look amazing with your makeup and outfit, it suits you so well, incredible! You look like Count
Dracula, so cool!”
“With Sangwoo... Are you two here on a date?”
“No, not a date! Haha! It’s just... because Sangwoo owes me a little, so he promised to treat me to dinner.”
“Is that so? You have fun on your outing then.”
After speaking, the vampire disappeared somewhere. Sangwoo didn’t eat anything but felt a knot in his stomach.
“The decoration is really nice, indeed. The quality of this drama club is... excellent.”
In contrast, Jihye swept her gaze around, captivated by the golden decorations hanging from the ceiling and took photos with a happy expression.
“Actually...”
Jihye put away her phone and lowered her voice.
“If I knew it was organized by the drama club, I probably wouldn’t have come.”
“Why not?”
The young woman looked around to make sure no one was there before whispering.
“Because I think Jaeyoung doesn’t like me, that’s why.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well... it’s just a feeling.”
“There seems to be no reason for him not to like you.”
“Yes, that’s right. From what I’ve seen today, it seems like I was overthinking things, so I feel better now. I was a bit uneasy before.” Sangwoo remained silent with a puzzled expression on his face.
“Well then, sunbae...”
Suddenly, Jihye shifted her body and approached the table, speaking in a secretive whisper. Sangwoo instinctively leaned forward to listen to her voice.
“I have something to tell you today.”
The flickering candlelight reflected in her eyes. It was the first time Sangwoo closely examined Jihye’s face, realizing for the first time that there was a faint smile on her cheeks.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
Just then, a man dressed as a wizard rushed in and presented them with a menu, cutting off their eye contact. Sangwoo returned to his seat and glanced at the menu.
Sinister Rolled Egg Aged Alp[3] Chilled Yakisoba Soup. Although they were quite expensive, they paled in comparison to the gaming console Jihye had just acquired.
“You can order anything you want. Budget is not exceeding 130,000 won.”
“Yes!”
Jihye pondered heavily and ordered, ‘Odung Coated Fried Dumplings,’ while Sangwoo ordered, ‘Kimbap Ramyeon Combo’ and ‘Plain Rice with Silkworm Pupae.’ After the wizard left... Sangwoo caught Jihye’s dissatisfied expression.
“Are you about to say something?”
“Oh... no, I’ll tell you later.”
“Okay.”
Silence fell over them. Sangwoo sat still, but his ears were attentive to every sound in the tent, as they had to go through this ordeal because he wondered what Jang Jaeyoung was doing, who he was talking to, and the voices he heard from that spot. The other side conversed with an unfamiliar person, took orders at the table, and provided service, causing Sangwoo’s heart to beat faster.
“Oh, oppa! Would you like to hear a fun story?”
“Hmm? Oh... sure, go ahead.”
“So, I was walking down the street with Tuna Kimbap and Cheese
Kimbap. Then we encountered a head floating in a jar, but...”
“Brew~voo!”
“Yikes, you startled me!”
Just then, Frankenstein extended his spiked head towards them. Jihye seemed to levitate thirty centimeters in surprise. Although Jihye wore an angry and annoyed expression, lifting customers was the concept of the ghost tavern, so she could only be dumbfounded without being able to do anything.
“The staff members are all mischievous, aren’t they?”
“Do you like being here or not?”
“It’s true, I don’t know what to say...”
Then the conversation stopped again. Jihye moved her fingers for a moment before asking an unpleasant question.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering for a long time... Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Oh, really? Well then, hypothetically speaking... would you consider dating someone?”
Sangwoo intended to answer that he was busy with studies and didn’t have time to think about it, but the vampire suddenly appeared, casting a curse and leaving in a grand gesture. It seemed like a made-up act. Then he disappeared.
“What did he say?”
Sangwoo sighed, leaning back in his chair. While Jihye remained silent for a while.
“Shall we finish eating and leave?”
“Take your time.”
“Well... it’s too noisy here. I guess we won’t be able to talk.”
At first, Sangwoo thought the young woman was just being timid, but the longer it went on, the more he understood those words. It was strange that as soon as Jihye said something, food would be served one by one. As they started talking about something, drama club members would show up and disrupt the rhythm. It might have been a coincidence, but it was clear that this wasn’t a suitable place for a talk.
However, no matter what, Sangwoo’s attention was fixated on someone else entirely. Even as the other party was constantly taking pictures elsewhere. Having not been around here once, he didn’t even have the opportunity to see the other party’s makeup clearly.
‘Are we fuck-buddies?’
Although he was now thinking of saying no.
Sangwoo took a deep breath and leaned back on the chair. The more he imagined having sexual intercourse with Jaeyoung, the more he became confused. Sangwoo did not have the courage to penetrate his own genitalia into Jaeyoung’s ass. Furthermore, he was not confident that he could see Jaeyoung suffer from pain and agony like a person in a visual media perspective studying information.
Jaeyoung kept his promise to provide full service by giving them three bottles of soju, dried squid, and egg rolls they had not yet ordered. Even the one who said she was leaving soon. Jihye. While still eating free food and drinking free alcohol, he even picked up a chopstick.
“You’re really good at drinking, oppa.”
Jihye also drank as well, but mostly the soju went into Sangwoo’s mouth, perhaps because of the stress he had accumulated over the heavy Saturday-Sunday, he wanted to get drunk and forget it all.
His state of mind resembled a computer that encountered hundreds of lines of error code, unfamiliar sadness, limited fear, conflicting feelings about intimacy, overwhelming anxiety, and lingering desires. Even the feeling of failure that came with losing in games didn’t bring him to press the keyboard; all of it was a mixture of negative and entangled emotions. If alcohol could make one forget everything, he would drink as much as he could.
“Oh... the alcohol and glasses have arrived. Oh...”
“Again? Thank you so much, is it too much?”
“Meh, you foolish humans...”
“Oops, it’s falling. And here’s the buttered corn, I’ll hold it myself.”
At first, Jihye had a positive impression of Frankenstein, but then she started to get annoyed. No matter who came from the other side, she no longer felt surprised.
They sat quietly for a while, eating with glasses and a free bottle of Soju. Jihye’s face turned red with the power of alcohol, and the young woman swayed along with the music. At the same time, they burst into laughter.
Sangwoo blinked slowly, feeling his heavy eyelids.
“Oppa... I said I had something to tell you today, right?”
“Hmm, go ahead then.”
Jihye smiled, raised her hand to fix her hair, and pulled a chair closer to the table. Then she spoke with a serious expression.
“I might be a little drunk... I might say something wrong, so I’ll tell you next time, okay?”
“When will that be?”
“There will probably be another chance, just remember that today we went out together, read comics together, played games together, drank together, got it?”
Jihye smiled and extended her hand as if receiving a gaming console. Sangwoo remembered the time she smiled like that before, and he raised his right hand. Then their hands touched, making a loud sound.
“...”
She was confident that he reached out his hand all the way to his arm, but for some reason, the hand that touched was a vampire’s hand. It wasn’t Jihye’s hand; it was a hand firmly holding Sangwoo’s finger.
“It’s a shame, but it’s time to close the store, kids.”
Jaeyoung placed Sangwoo’s hand on his own knee and spoke. Jihye had an indescribable expression as she still held her hand in the air. Jaeyoung gave a smile to the young woman.
“It’s late now. Did you call home?”
“I have freedom at home, no curfew. It’s okay.”
“So, you have to hurry back. Your parents will worry, and I don’t know where your house is, but you should be able to catch the last bus.”
A meaningless conversation. Sangwoo couldn’t overcome his drowsiness, feeling confused and scattered. And when he heard Jaeyoung’s voice above his head, he thought it felt good, but even so, it didn’t solve any problems.
He had drunk too much; he was probably drunk.
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll do what you said.”
Jihye’s answer fell silent for a moment, then she spoke again.
“Sangwoo sunbae, aren’t you going?”
“Don’t worry about Sangwoo. I’ll take him home myself.”
“Huh?”
“It’s already dark outside. How can I let him go alone? Who knows what might happen?”
“...”
“Be careful, Jihye.”
He seemed to be about to say something, but Sangwoo blinked his eyes. As soon as he managed to forget and open his eyes, he saw Jihye’s back disappearing from the tent. He had to go home, but he had no strength left.
The people in the tent were busy clearing the tables. Jaeyoung looked away and said something, and that side turned to look at Sangwoo. When their eyes met, Sangwoo couldn’t control the muscles on his face and burst into laughter.
‘Ah... I must look like a fool.’
Sangwoo turned away with an unwilling face, his heart beating irregularly and anxiety building up. At that moment, a large hand moved closer and covered his eyes, causing his vision to darken, his heart to tremble, and his mouth to involuntarily open.
“Hyungjin, do you know where my car is?”
“Yes.”
“Take this child and put him in the seat next to the driver.”
“Yes! Can I have the car keys, too? And what about you, hyung? Aren’t you coming back?”
“Where can I go like this? I have to change clothes and wash my makeup first.”
“That’s true. Oh, well, let’s go then. Thank you so much today, really. Because of you, the store sold a lot; it’s become a legend. I heard you were busy, thank you so much for listening to our request.”
“No problem, I had fun too.”
“Initially, you said you would only help when the restaurant opened., but you ended up staying until it closed. I’m grateful, really.”
“It was only a few hours, after all.”
When Jaeyoung removed his hand, light shone through Sangwoo’s eyelids once again. As soon as Sangwoo blinked his eyes, he saw the back of the vampire walking away. “I’m sorry.”
Someone forcefully shook Sangwoo’s shoulder.
“Wake up, please. Go wait in Jaeyoung’s car.” Frankenstein tugged on Sangwoo’s arm nonchalantly.
________________________________________.
[1] Cafe. Here, it refers to an online community type in Korea, similar to Facebook pages or groups used in Thailand.
[2] Duck eggs in Naktong River. Derived from the idiom 낙동강 오리알
“nakdonggang orial”, meaning “duck eggs in Naktong River.” which refers to being alone and isolated, having nothing in an unclear place.
[3] Al-bap “알밥”. Rice mixed with fish roe may include other side dishes as well.