I woke up late around noon, took a shower, and had a brunch-like meal before turning on my computer.
After meeting Chae Yujeong yesterday and coming back home, I had placed a pre-bought bottle of fruit juice on my desk. As soon as I launched Zenoris, Mooljome jumped into the chat.
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: I'm sleepy.
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: What are you guys doing in December???
[Guild] Haereun: Hi, Sleepy-nim.
[Guild] Hwasoun: hihi
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Hyeooong >ㅡ<
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: Hiya
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: December?
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: I'll probably be busy with exams and assignments until the semester ends.
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: Why do you ask?
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: We're setting the date for our guild meet-up lol
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: We do a guild meet-up every year-end lolol
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Thinking of the third Saturday of December for now
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Wouldn't the semester be over by then?
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: Yeah, I'll be done before then lol
[Guild] TheHunter: Ooh, semester-end, nice
[Guild] TheHunter: Sleepy-nim, you gotta come to the meet-up too
[Guild] MochaBread: If you come, we'll take good care of you ^.^b
[Guild] Let'sPlayRockPaper: It's not like we do anything special for the meet-up
[Guild] Let'sPlayRockPaper: We just eat meat together lol
[Guild] Haereun: Yep
[Guild] Haereun: Since we've got minors, no alcohol for the first round
[Guild] Haereun: Alcohol starts from the second round
[Guild] I'mDorahee: Who are the minors here?
[Guild] CrazyAboutHunting: Me lol
[Guild] CrazyAboutHunting: But I'll be an adult in two months lol
[Guild] I'mDorahee: Ah, so you're 19 hehe
[Guild] CrazyAboutHunting: Yep
[Guild] ManaOutGuy: A senior in high school playing games instead of studying, huh? lol
[Guild] CrazyAboutHunting: Haha I dedicate my life to gaming
[Guild] Haereun: I don't think games want your life tho ㅠㅠ
[Guild] CrazyAboutHunting: -_-?
As I was thinking about what kind of information I should try to get from Yoo Chae today, Mooljome's comment made me lightly brush the corner of my lips.
A guild meet-up, huh. Now that I think about it, these kinds of RPGs often have guild meet-ups. I'd forgotten about that.
The date wasn't bad. It would be right after the semester ended, so I'd have some free time. It wasn't like we'd be staying in a hotel for several days or anything, so it didn't feel burdensome either.
"Should I go?"
After everything that's happened while playing Zenoris, I didn't feel awkward or unfamiliar with the guild members anymore.
It had been quite a while since I last went to an offline meet-up, but joining one now seemed pretty nice. Just as I was starting to lean more positively toward going, a DM popped up from Yoo Chae.
[Yoo Chae: Hyung~]
[Yoo Chae: I wanna voice chat on Discord ;ㅡ;]
[ImSoSleepy: Sure]
[ImSoSleepy: Let's do it]
I had been talking with Yoo Chae on Discord a lot more lately.
In the past, even if we had group voice chats, she wouldn't use her mic and was hesitant to talk. But now, when it was just the two of us, she'd suggest it without any hesitation.
I put on my headset and replied in the guild chat.
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: If that date's confirmed, I think I can make it.
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: The location's Seoul, right?
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Yup yup
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Of course it's Seoul
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: The folks coming up from outside the city will probably book a room themselves?
[Guild] MarinatedCrabYum: I'm… from the countryside.
[Guild] MarinatedCrabYum: Planning to book a motel
[Guild] Haereun: But at least none of the minors are from out of town
[Guild] Haereun: So it should be fine
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Yup
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: When the date's finalized
[Guild] ImSoSleepy: Please post another announcement
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlease: Okay
"Hyung, are you going to the meet-up?"
Yoo Chae, who had quietly waited for my conversation with Mooljome to end, asked me casually.
"If the timing works out, I might. What about you…"
Ah— I shut my mouth just in time, realizing what I was about to say.
Someone who wouldn't even give out their phone number easily would never show up at a meet-up. No, if Yoo Chae was Chae Yujeong, there's no way she could even come.
If word ever got out that Yoo Chae, the gossip board regular, had pro-gamer-level skills, it'd cause an uproar.
"I don't think I'll go," she answered after my words.
"I'm not really a fan of meeting people from online in real life."
"Really?"
Was it just my imagination, or did that sound like an excuse?
Leaning my chin on one hand, I stared at the screen askew and deliberately responded in a bittersweet voice, pretending to be hurt.
"So I won't get to see you either?"
"Huh?"
"You said you don't like meeting people from online in real life."
"Ah…"
"Still, I thought we were close enough that we might meet at least once. I'm totally fine with meeting online friends in real life."
As I let out a faint sigh that was just barely audible, Yoo Chae hurriedly responded, clearly flustered.
"Ah, n-no! Hyung, it's because I'm… I'm really ugly. That's why."
"But didn't you say you were pretty last time?"
"That was a joke. I'm actually really ugly and fat, and I just stay home all the time… If you met me in person, I'd be shy and boring…"
"Shy?"
"Yeah. Really bad."
I thought back to how Chae Yujeong hugged my waist at the café yesterday.
Say what you will, but if Yoo Chae really is Chae Yujeong, then she's got to be one hell of a lunatic.
"Hyung, I swear it's not because I don't like you or anything."
"I got it, I was just kidding. You wouldn't even give me your number easily, no way you'd meet me. I don't expect it."
"…That kind of hurts too, though. Can't you at least want to meet me a little?"
"What do you want me to do then?"
"I don't know."
"Quit with the nonsense and let's play. Where are you?"
"I just finished a raid right before you logged on, so I'm still at the dungeon entrance. Do you wanna do anything? Should we go hunt a dragon?"
We'd already cleared all the collection quests, so there wasn't much two people could do together.
The latest event had just ended too, so the only real option was grinding mobs… Should we go hunt a dragon like she said?
Dragons were cool and all, but the fights themselves were kind of boring. Maybe it'd be more fun to go into a raid dungeon with the other guild members. I was weighing the options with arms crossed when my phone, which I'd tossed to the edge of the desk, suddenly vibrated.
"Sorry, give me a sec—I need to take this call."
"Okay~"
The call was from Eun Haesung. I lowered one side of my headset and held the phone between my ear and shoulder. Since it was only Yoo Chae in the voice channel, I didn't bother muting my mic.
"Hello?"
— Yooji, what are you doing?
"Gaming."
My indifferent reply made Eun Haesung sound disgusted.
— Aren't you sick of staying in your room playing games all weekend?
"Nope, not sick of it. It's fucking fun."
— Come out! Let's set Sunday on fire together.
"Screw off. I'm hanging up."
Just as I coldly tried to end the call, Eun Haesung yelled in alarm.
— What the hell? You're not even going to hear me out first?
"Then talk."
— Remember that blind date I set up for you before the semester started?
"Blind date?"
"Cough!"
Without much thought, I repeated Haesung's words, and on the other side of my headset, I heard Yoo Chae suddenly cough.
"I remember. Wasn't she three years older?"
— Yeah.
A faint memory of the picture Haesung showed me came back. I think she was my type.
— She said she's coming today too. I figured you two could finally meet.
"That's way too sudden."
— Of course it is. It was a last-minute plan.
"I'm not into meeting people like that."
I hadn't even contacted her once since getting her number—she probably thought I had no manners. Meeting now would just be awkward. More importantly, I wasn't even in the mood for dating at the moment.
I already had my hands full with the whole Yoo Chae and Chae Yujeong situation—how could I possibly think about dating right now? I could start dating anytime later. Right now, I had to sort out the Yoo Chae–Chae Yujeong issue first.
— Tch, seriously, you're not coming? She'll be happy to see you, though.
"What do you mean happy? I've got other plans anyway, so I can't go. Maybe next time."
— Jeez, what a shame. Next time for sure, okay? Promise?
Knowing I rarely change my mind after refusing once, Eun Haesung backed off without pushing any further.
As soon as I finished the call and adjusted my headset back on, Yoo Chae jumped in right away.
"Hyung, you got set up with someone? A girl?"
"I did a while ago, but I've been too busy to contact her."
"O-oh, I see…"
Her voice was trembling all over the place. What now?
"Hyung, we're married, and you're out here cheating on me like it's nothing… I'm kind of shocked."
"I'm shocked too. You're calling that cheating?"
"Of course it is! You were going to meet another girl behind my back!"
Yoo Chae's voice, crying too much, was dripping with disappointment. This is absurd.
"You barely even log in on Sundays…"
"That's because of school and assignments."
Though honestly, I'd also been preoccupied with meeting Chae Yujeong.
'Wait—what if Yoo Chae and Chae Yujeong really aren't the same person…?'
Then I'd be meeting Chae Yujeong on Saturday and playing games with Yoo Chae on Sunday? With two girls who have similar personalities?
"..."
The moment I realized that, the word cheating started nagging at me.
"Hyung, you can't meet girls, okay? Got it?"
"Uh… yeah…"
"You barely have enough time to play games with me—how are you gonna date someone?"
"Right…"
As Yoo Chae kept insisting with total seriousness that I shouldn't meet girls, I gave half-hearted answers and quietly thought to myself:
I'm sorry, Kim Yoo Chae. By your logic… I'm already cheating.
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