1 January 20xx
Ahhh...
Ring!! Ring!!
The doorbell at my house rang. My food delivery had arrived. I opened the door and took the food.
I thought the food delivery had arrived, but what came was a cute little boy—maybe around 150 cm tall—carrying the food. He looked at me as if he was terrified.
Ahh, I forgot...
My hair was messy, and I'm around 190 cm tall, plus I looked unkempt and sloppy.
"Th...thanks for ordering with us!!!!"
The guy panicked as if I was going to eat him alive. I took the food from him. His hands were a bit small compared to mine.
He then slowly backed away and ran from my house. I just went back into my room and opened the food packet I had ordered.
Just a simple Tex Chicken combo. I ate to satisfy my hunger.
This house only has me and my mother. She works to support our daily expenses, so she doesn't have time to cook. For laundry and cleaning, we hire a part-time cleaner.
It's not like we're poor—I'm still in school, and my mother only has one child, so expenses aren't too high. She's a divorced woman and now independent.
It's not that no one wants to get close to her, but they're just scared of me. They think I'll kill them if they accidentally hurt my mom. But honestly, I don't even care about her life *that* much. As long as she's happy, that's enough for me.
Should I play the game right now?
There's this popular MMORPG called Wisdom of Qurt—it has 5 million players, with around 1 million online at peak times.
I'm not a pro like others; my skills are below average. It's not a PC or mobile game—it's a next-gen VR game with a capsule system. It's simple: you just lie inside, put on the headset, and control menus or social interactions using voice commands.
Honestly, I'm not really into gaming. I only played for a year because of *that one girl*—she used to log in at the same time as me. Now, she's probably a famous pro player.
I still remember playing with her—grinding together, dying together. Sometimes she wanted to quit, and I'd encourage her. We became friends.
But before long, she found someone else who could carry her in the game.
After all, we never interacted in real life.
In the game, my character wasn't handsome like others—most players used face recognition for their avatars, while mine was just a goblin.
As usual, I logged in because she was looking for me.
I respawned in the Town of Qurd, a safe zone where players trade, join guilds, or just hang out.
We had a usual meetup spot—a bar in town. I pushed open the door and scanned the place for her.
There she was—a beautiful avatar with blonde hair and innocent eyes—slumped over a table at the far end, looking miserable.
I didn't want to bother her, so I just sat across from her silently. It should've been a sweet moment... but my goblin character sitting with a gorgeous woman just made the whole scene look ridiculous.
I stayed quiet, waiting for her to notice me.
Eventually, she lifted her head—her face streaked with virtual tears.
I don't like prying into others' problems, even if they're friends, so I didn't ask anything. But to break the awkward silence, I started a conversation.
"Hi?"
She just cried harder.
"Did your boyfriend yell at you again?"
Her boyfriend, Max, was a hardcore gamer—popular, skilled, but also known for his temper. Sometimes he took his frustrations out on others, even her.
"Maybe I should call him..."
"System. Call Max."
Beep... beep... beep...
"Hey, Max. As usual... she's here."
"Is that Rin?" Max answered.
But then, unexpectedly, a woman's voice chimed in from his side: *"Baby, who's calling?"
"Wait... I'll come. Thanks for looking after her, Shin."
I ended the call and waited for Max to arrive.
After a while, Max finally appeared and rushed over to Rin.
"Sorry, babe... are you crying?"
He gently stroked her head, trying to comfort her. My job here was done, so I stood up and left.
"System. Logout."
---
Three Hours Later
I opened the VR capsule and stepped out, heading to the bathroom to splash water on my face. There was an uneasy feeling in my chest—not quite pain, but something bitter.
Was it because he cheated? Or because she cried?
I wasn't anyone important—just a bystander. No right to interfere.
Then, the sound of the front door opening. My mom was home from work.
"Honeeeyyy!!! Where are you?"
I walked to the living room where she stood.
"Mom, I'm not your lover. Just call me by my name."
The "cute girl" standing there was my mother—all 143 cm of her. (Don't ask how someone so tiny gave birth to a giant like me.) People often mistake her for my little sister.
She stretched out her arms, pouting.
"Heeee, carry me now~!"
I picked her up and patted her back. At home, she acted like a kid, but outside, she knew how to put on a mature facade.
"Mom, you're 37. Isn't it time to grow up?"
She stuck out her tongue.
"Waaahhh! My son doesn't love me anymore! Should I just die? Where's the knife? I should kill myself!"*
She squirmed in my arms, pretending to escape, but I held her tighter.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm joking. How am I supposed to get a girlfriend when you're like this, Mom?"
Suddenly, she went completely still. Her hands gripped my face tightly, her expression darkening.
"Who's the bitch trying to take you away from me?"
I quickly set her down and walked upstairs, leaving her standing alone in the living room.
That question... I still don't dare answer it.
That was terrifying.
Ding! A message notification sounded from my phone.
It was a guild announcement:
"To all members: We're having a meetup this Saturday for our guild's 1-year anniversary. Hope everyone can make it!"
I didn't really care—I'm a homebody who only goes out for school, so I felt too lazy to attend.
Ding! Another notification. Unexpectedly, it was from Rin, asking—no, hoping—that I would come. I left it on seen without replying.
I looked at myself in the mirror. How could someone who looks like a creep like me even go out? And that's why my school friends called me—"NTR MC." I don't know why, but it never really made me angry.
They even used me to scare girls at school, and that nickname has stuck with me ever since.
"Sorry, Rin... I don't think I'll go..."
Ding! Another message came in...