Chapter 35
After running mini-games all week, it was already the end of March.
As if midterms weren’t approaching fast enough, the team project that started after the theoretical classes ended added another layer of stress for Ji-won. Each member kept taking turns saying they were busy, couldn’t make time, or complaining, so they’d only been having video conferences and KakaoTalk meetings, which made it difficult to make any progress.
[Please join Zoom~]
Ji-won posted the link in the group chat, but the number of people who had seen it didn’t decrease even after three minutes had passed. Having agreed to meet at 7 PM with no one showing up made him not just annoyed but irritated. Why is everyone like this? If I’d known there was going to be a team project, I wouldn’t have taken this course. It was stressful to the point of being painful that he had to devote so much attention to a general education course rather than his major.
Moreover, while he had somewhat expected this from the senior with the higher student number, the other three were freshmen and still behaved this way. He thought of Kwon-ju, who always arrived even earlier than the agreed time, both in the game and in real life. This opportunity made him realize once again that not all juniors were like that.
[OMG I’m so sorry ㅜㅜㅜ I have a family event today]
[I thought it was at 9 so I went out to eat..]
[I’m also eating right now (emoticon)]
Ji-won couldn’t help but sigh at these excuses that seemed hastily made up. Who would believe them when they had all confirmed just yesterday and were suddenly saying this? It seemed like they never intended to participate from the start, so Ji-won turned off the screen he had kept on. Let’s just give up on everything.
But that resolution didn’t last long. It’s my first semester after returning from military service, how could I ruin my grades… Ji-won, who had sighed deeply, set up another appointment with a somewhat firmer tone. Since video meetings weren’t making any progress, they decided to meet in person at a study room.
[The day after tomorrow at 8 PM]
[If you have another family event or go out to eat this time, I’ll really do it without your names]
[Yes, for real!!!]
[I don’t have a part-time job that day either]
Can I trust this? In the midst of all this, his head ached even more because of the third-year senior who still hadn’t read the messages. It was nice just playing games all vacation, but now… Ji-won sighed and threw his phone onto the bed.
* * *
While Ji-won was away for the team project, Kwon-ju was receiving 1:1 PVP training from Chelling when he suddenly got a call. He apologized and took his hands off the keyboard. Ji-won never called him first, but he had hoped it might be him; however, the caller turned out to be his older brother.
“Did you enjoy your MT? Let’s see each other, it’s been a while.”
“Are you in Korea?”
“Yeah. I came back a week ago.”
When Kwon-ju asked why he had returned, his brother said the foreign food didn’t suit him well, so he came back. That he missed the kimchi stew made by their housekeeper. Kwon-ju thought his brother lived a tiresome life but didn’t say it aloud. After all, his brother had a much more successful life than himself, who had just entered university but spent every day playing games like an idler.
“I heard you’re playing games all day. First it was Jae-heon, now it’s you. What are we going to do? Is it that fun? That’s Chairman Shin’s company’s game, right?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You must have quite a bit of stock under your name. Try to show some interest in your life.”
His brother, speaking in a reproachful tone, cleared his throat a few times. Every time he talked with his youngest brother, he felt drained. Of course, his brother never initiated conversation, and even when he tried to talk first, they could barely exchange a few words, which made him more difficult to deal with than their parents.
“Anyway, come over for dinner tomorrow. Mom and Dad are worried about whether you’re eating well…”
“What time?”
“6 PM. They said they’re preparing a lot of your favorite dishes.”
6 PM was right when he should be running daily quests with Ji-won. Of all the times to schedule… While it was a normal dinner time for most people, for Kwon-ju, who lived according to Ji-won’s schedule, it was just a time when he was busy playing games.
“Okay.”
“Are you eating properly? What’s the point of giving you money if you don’t eat well?”
“I’m eating, I said.”
Just a few days ago, his personal trainer had contacted him, saying he needed to eat well to avoid muscle loss and asking if he wanted to throw away the body he’d built. It was clear his parents had said something. While Ji-won would be curious about every single snack Kwon-ju ate, Kwon-ju himself just picked at food that could barely be called meals, so it was natural for his family to worry.
As they talked, he suddenly wanted to eat cake. Specifically, the one from the hotel in Jamsil. Should I ask my brother to go together? The thought crossed his mind, but asking a senior-junior relationship to go eat dessert at a 5-star hotel didn’t seem like a good idea.
“I’ll pick you up at 5:30.”
“Okay.”
After finishing the conversation, Kwon-ju hung up and told Chelling he was going to eat something. He opened a large salad pack and boiled the chicken breast he had thawed earlier. Adding bread and fruit made it a decent meal.
While stuffing the hastily prepared chicken breast salad into his mouth, Kwon-ju sent a KakaoTalk message. It wasn’t something he needed to talk about right now, but he really wanted to chat.
[Hyung, I think I’ll be logging in late tomorrow]
[Do you want to do the daily quests first..?]
Upon reflection, he thought Ji-won might want to finish early, but he felt awkward asking him to wait, so he carefully added another line. He expected an immediate “okay” since Ji-won read it right away, but surprisingly, a question came back.
[Where are you going?]
[Going home for dinner..]
Is it funny that I’m going to eat dinner? No, maybe the two dots I added after are funny. It was something he habitually wrote in chats and texts, but it seemed a bit pathetic and funny. Maybe I should use emoticons instead?
[How late will you be?]
[I think I’ll only be able to log in after 8 ㅠ]
[Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋ that’s not too late]
[Let’s do it then]
Since Ji-won was genuinely passionate about games, Kwon-ju thought he would say he’d go ahead, but Ji-won’s response was different than expected. I’m almost max level now, so he doesn’t have to wait for me. As if Ji-won had somehow seen him blankly waiting with greens in his mouth, more KakaoTalk messages arrived.
[You’re the only person who plays Arc with me every day]
[I should wait ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Enjoy your meal]
Kwon-ju, who had become Ji-won’s “only person who plays Arc with him every day,” took a moment to breathe. It was good that he started playing the game. If he had just entered school with nothing else, they might not have become this close. They might have just been acquaintances who made small talk when they met, like before.
In fact, entering university hadn’t really changed their relationship that much. They were still senior and junior, and he had no plans to confess his feelings yet. But if asked if it was exactly the same as high school, the answer would be absolutely not. They ate lunch together, contacted each other frequently, and met in the game at night and dawn. They had undeniably become much closer than before.
If they continued to grow closer, maybe someday he could tell Ji-won he liked him. If they became close enough that the relationship wouldn’t completely collapse even if he was rejected, then he felt he might have the courage. Right now, he was afraid of ruining the relationship he had built by chasing after Ji-won for three years and following him into the same university. He thought he was fortunate just to be able to like Ji-won from such a close position.
[Yes, enjoy your meal with your brother too]
[Yeah I should eat something good too ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[I’m jealous, home-cooked food must be delicious ㅎㅎ]
Can it be called home-cooked food if his parents aren’t making it? Is it home-cooked because he’s been eating it since childhood? After getting stuck on this strange point and pondering for a while, he couldn’t reach a conclusion. By the time he finished thinking, one more KakaoTalk message from Ji-won had arrived to wrap up the conversation.
[I’m going to sleep early tonight]
[See you tomorrow~~]
Ah, I thought he’d come to the game after the team meeting was over. Although he was disappointed, the “see you tomorrow” message quickly improved his mood. Even though it was a greeting he heard every day, it made him tingle every time he saw it. If Ji-won knew how Kwon-ju felt about these casual keyboard strokes, his reaction would be frightening.
Somehow, with this feeling, he felt like he’d do well in PVP too. With a slightly excited heart, Kwon-ju grabbed the keyboard but soon got completely demolished 5:0 and was kicked out of the training grounds. Strictly speaking, he left on his own, but since Chelling suggested they stop first, it wasn’t wrong to say he was kicked out.
[Chelling: Here’s my assessment of Sasa-nim]
[Chelling: Defense ★★★★★]
[Chelling: HP ★★★★★]
[Chelling: Evasion ★]
[Chelling: If there were half stars, I’d give you that]
One star was already harsh, but saying he wanted to give half a star hit hard. Kwon-ju’s eyebrow twitched.
[Chelling: But this is only because you were facing me^^]
[Chelling: If you meet someone with poor control and poor items wearing this gear? You’ll win 100%]
[Chelling: And Holy Knights are end-game content, so control is naturally difficult ㅋ]
[Chelling: That last move where you applied debuff and attacked right away was good *^^*]
[Chelling: Good progress]
Chelling gave both criticism and praise, but Kwon-ju knew he hadn’t improved much. If he couldn’t win despite the big difference in items, it was definitely a finger skill issue.
I need to practice more. He declined Chelling’s suggestion to run a dungeon together and summoned an AI user to practice his skills as he had been taught. Suddenly, he remembered what his father would say tomorrow: that he didn’t even expect a GPA in the 3.0 range, just don’t get expelled and graduate safely.
Having spent all his time solving problems solely for the college entrance exam, there was no way he could write essay-type answers. The lecture content already sounded like an alien language. What are university exams like? Kwon-ju, suddenly serious, ended the battle and opened his thick textbook. I need to study hard if I want to stay in school with my brother.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
