Chapter 24
[Mu-nim, hello. Were you surprised that I suddenly sent you a mail? First, I wanted to properly pay you for the special pet you gave me before, so I’ve attached it to this mail. And the next thing I want to say is a bit delicate…(continued) MakeAWishBuang]
MakeAWishBuang’s mail, which included a quite generous amount of money, was quite long.
To summarize briefly, after Girmu left like that yesterday, they felt uncomfortable, and as the level of conversation within the guild kept escalating, it became difficult to just stand by and watch. They thought that Girmu should also know about the conversations that took place, but they weren’t sure if it was right to relay messages without permission, so they were asking for consent.
Additionally, they asked if there might be a way to send photos, if possible.
Beodeul didn’t hesitate and replied with his voice code ID. He wanted to return the gold that MakeAWishBuang had attached as well, but he decided against it, thinking it might be more burdensome.
Whether they checked the mail right away or not, a new friend request notification came on voice code. As soon as Beodeul accepted, a message arrived from a user named ‘Sowon’.
[Sowon: Mu-nim! I’m MakeAWishBuang.]
[Girmu: Hello, Sowon-nim]
[Girmu: I heard you have something to share with me?]
[Sowon: Yes, yes. But as I mentioned earlier, some of the content is quite excessive… I hope you won’t be too hurt when you see it.]
Having said that, MakeAWishBuang carefully sent several messenger screenshot images.
[Sowon: The first three are ones I captured from the guild chat room today. The next five aren’t from the guild chat room I’m in…]
[Sowon: They were captured by Gajinamu-nim, and when I told them I was going to share the guild chat content with Girmu-nim, they wanted me to pass these along too. It’s a chat room with only male guild members, and the guild master isn’t there, so Gajinamu-nim didn’t know how to handle it and just kept quiet… They asked me to convey their apologies. ㅠㅠ]
Indeed, the images supposedly captured by MakeAWishBuang and those captured by Gajinamu had different fonts. Beodeul read the conversations in the captures calmly and replied.
[Girmu: Hmm… Yes, I’ve seen them. Thank you.]
[Sowon: I should only be sharing good things with you, but I’m really sorry for delivering this kind of content…]
[Girmu: No, I’m actually worried that sharing this with me might cause trouble for you, Sowon-nim]
[Sowon: ㅠㅠ… The guild atmosphere has been moving in a direction different from what I expected. I think we need to stop it before it deteriorates further……]
[Sowon: This is still a sensitive topic, but I’m also considering leaving the guild… I don’t know what you’ll decide, but if you’re thinking about leaving the guild because of this incident, I can help connect you with the guild master through voice code]
[Sowon: I don’t think it’s your fault and I’m not trying to force you out! I just thought you might be hesitant to stay since these kinds of conversations were openly taking place…]
He was already leaning toward leaving the guild anyway. Beodeul looked at the captures MakeAWishBuang had sent once more and made up his mind completely.
[Girmu: Yes, then I’ll talk with the guild master]
MakeAWishBuang invited ‘Bae-salm’, the master of the Dalkeum guild, to the voice code chat.
[Sowon: I’ll leave so you two can talk comfortably!]
[Girmu: Thank you]
[Bae-salm: Hello, Girmu-nim. It’s been a while]
[Girmu: Helloㅎㅎ… I’m sorry I’m not contacting you for something good]
[Bae-salm: No… I’ve been busy with real life and neglected the guild, so I had no idea this was happening]
[Bae-salm: As the guild master, I sincerely apologize for not controlling this situation beforehand and causing you discomfort]
[Bae-salm: It seems the guild has changed a lot while I was away…]
It was difficult to pinpoint exactly when the situation had started to change to reach this point.
‘Was it from when guild members found it easy and convenient to receive my help, but avoided me when I actually needed help?’
Or was it from when he would easily give what he had to someone who wanted something, and just enjoyed seeing that person happy?
Whenever it started, Beodeul somehow knew this moment would inevitably come.
[Bae-salm: Due to management issues and contact from other guilds, I’m considering disbanding Dalkeum]
[Bae-salm: I can’t prevent a small number of guild members from regrouping, but at least I’ll make sure there are no more people gossiping about Girmu-nim while still in the Dalkeum guild]
[Girmu: You don’t need to go that far because of me…]
[Bae-salm: I can’t say it’s because of Girmu-nim, as the original purpose of creating the Dalkeum guild has already been severely compromised. And as the guild master, it’s difficult for me to speak negatively about guild members, but]
[Bae-salm: When I heard the story, personally, I thought they were quite pathetic]
[Bae-salm: Whether I change the guild name to “Pathetic Ones” or disband Dalkeum, I will make a definite decision soon]
After talking with Bae-salm, Beodeul concluded the conversation by deciding to leave the guild first.
A lot had happened during his brief login. He left the guild, sent the captured images to Sinu, and engaged in various conversations, and before he knew it, it was time to go out.
*
‘Do I feel empty?’
Having fallen out with the first people he’d become close to in his first game, his heart wasn’t completely at ease. Still, there was some sense of relief, like having extracted an aching tooth.
Perhaps that’s why, visiting the campus after a long time, he found signs of hope in the sprouting buds despite the desolate scenery where spring had not yet arrived. As Beodeul entered the building housing the department office after climbing the hill, he somehow felt like he was a freshman again.
“Sein-ah.”
“Oh, you’re here? The professor will arrive soon. He told me to wait downstairs?”
When he entered the department office, Shin Sein, who had become a teaching assistant, was moving about busily.
“Sorry to leave you alone right after you arrived, but wait here for a bit. I’ll go down to the parking lot and come back.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Shin Sein disappeared, her long hair fluttering. Left alone, Beodeul sipped coffee in the department office. The coffee he had bought for the professor and Sein was placed on the table.
Not long after that, there was a knock on the door, and Beodeul reflexively answered “Yes~” and then found himself face to face with a familiar face, a question mark appearing above his head.
‘The café owner’s son?’
The other person seemed to recognize Beodeul too, as he stood at the entrance to the office with his eyes wide open. He looked a bit young when surprised… Wait, why is he here?
“Oh, Wooseok is here too?”
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
“Long time no see, right. And I’m not a sunbae anymore, I’m a teaching assistant.”
“Ah.”
When Shin Sein returned, the man who had been frozen at the door finally entered the office. Beodeul asked Sein in a small voice as she passed in front of him.
“Wooseok?”
“Yes. If you, Beodeul, were the face of our year, then Wooseok is the face of the year after us.”
“What?”
Since Shin Sein spoke in a normal voice without any hesitation, the man called Wooseok seemed to have heard her words too. Perhaps equally confused, Beodeul felt his gaze lingering on his face.
“The professor will be coming up soon, so since it’s turned out like this, you two should greet each other. This is Han Beodeul, who’s in the same year as me but went to the military right after freshman year, then took another year off before returning. And this is Shin Wooseok, who’s a year below us, and like you, Beodeul, went to the military after his freshman year.”
From that moment, the man’s existence in Beodeul’s mind changed from ‘café owner’s son’ to ‘Shin Wooseok, a junior one year below.’
“Wooseok came back without taking a regular leave of absence. So you’re both in the second year. Right?”
As Beodeul awkwardly nodded, Shin Wooseok next to him also nodded. Beodeul glanced at him briefly and then reflexively responded to Shin Sein’s next words.
“Then I’m going down for a bit to help move the professor’s belongings?”
“I’ll help too.”
“I’ll help as well, sunbae-nim.”
“…Oh my? You two look like that but shouldn’t be kind without reason.”
At Sein’s joke, the surprise finally subsided and a light laugh escaped.
“Right, there’s no reason to refuse extra help. While we’re at it, let’s all go down and greet the professor too.”
So the three of them went to the parking lot to greet the professor, moved the luggage, and before he knew it, they were in the counseling room. Beodeul exchanged a light eye greeting with Shin Wooseok as they passed each other, with Wooseok having had his counseling session first.
What a strange coincidence, he thought. Even while talking with the professor, a corner of his mind was recalling what had just happened and thinking how peculiar it was.
“Well then, student Beodeul. See you next time.”
“Yes, Professor.”
After finishing the counseling, Beodeul stopped by the department office to say goodbye to Sein and was surprised again to see Shin Wooseok still there.
“Finished with counseling?”
“Huh? Yeah. Just wanted to say goodbye before leaving.”
“Alright. I’m too busy right now… but let’s definitely have a meal together next time.”
“Sure.”
“Wooseok, thanks for helping today. You can go now.”
“Yes, then.”
Somehow, they ended up leaving together. As soon as they closed the door of the department office, Shin Wooseok called out to Beodeul as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
