Chapter 52
This was Beodeul’s second time having a voice chat with a user other than Sinu.
“Can you hear me well?”
“Yes, I can hear you clearly.”
Youngglory’s voice was quite contrary to what Beodeul had vaguely imagined based on his in-game image. Rather than being soft, it was heavy and somewhat rigid.
“SaltySalt, what about you?”
“…I can hear you.”
SaltySalt answered with a grumpy, irritable voice. Like someone who wanted to express their discomfort in every possible way.
“Alright, then would you like to tell me why you’ve been keeping your distance lately?”
Youngglory’s tone conveyed an effort to speak as gently as possible. However, since he couldn’t change his natural voice, it was problematic that he sounded like a detective trying to extract a confession from a suspect.
‘Perhaps it would have been better to chat in-game rather than over voice…’
Although Beodeul knew this method was chosen due to SaltySalt’s avoidance, was this really the best option? The only difference between in-game chat and voice chat, apart from actually hearing voices, was merely the presence of emojis. Yet the pressure emanating from Youngglory felt different.
It was impossible that SaltySalt wasn’t feeling what Beodeul was sensing. SaltySalt spoke with an aggrieved tone:
“What have I done so wrong that you’re interrogating me like this?”
“Interrogating? It’s nothing like that. I just want to know why you’re acting this way.”
“You came all the way to my hunting spot to interfere! Smiling while intimidating me!”
“Intimidating? SaltySalt… I only did that because you keep avoiding me. I don’t want to blame you either.”
After saying that, Youngglory sighed. The stark sound of his sigh was perfect for irritating the already sensitive SaltySalt.
“Then why are you sighing?”
“…Huh?”
“Hah…”
SaltySalt turned off his microphone as if he didn’t want to speak anymore, and Youngglory called out to him in confusion.
“SaltySalt. SaltySalt? My sigh wasn’t because of you… No, I’m sorry. It must have become a habit without me realizing.”
SaltySalt, who had been diligently hunting even while talking with Youngglory, now seemed to have given up completely, as he was just standing still being attacked by monsters.
Beodeul, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, started moving Girmu to clear the monsters around ShinSogeumi. Youngglory, who had been tucked away in a corner of the map, also rushed over to help Girmu.
Soon after, SaltySalt turned his microphone back on.
“What are you two doing…?”
“Well, I was worried you might die.”
SaltySalt, who had been dumbfounded, burst into laughter at Beodeul’s answer. It was closer to an inadvertent chuckle, but it wasn’t negative in meaning.
As Beodeul was secretly relieved by this, SaltySalt spoke in a more composed tone than before.
“I know Hyung Youngglory is busy and stressed these days. So I don’t want to cause you more concern. So why can’t you just stop worrying about me? I’ve been quietly minding my own business all this time.”
However, things didn’t resolve as nicely as Beodeul had thought. There was something twisted in SaltySalt’s words, and Youngglory pointed this out.
“That means you have a problem you’re bearing and embracing alone, SaltySalt. How can I not worry?”
“Just don’t say anything from now on. I’ll just stay quiet. You don’t need to worry.”
“About what exactly? Don’t talk as if you just need to endure it all by yourself.”
“Why should I talk about something that makes only me uncomfortable and makes me seem strange? If I tell you? You’re not the type of person who can just sit back and watch these things either!”
The tone that had just started to calm down rose again. This conversation seemed too serious to be just about not getting along with new guild members recently. Beodeul, having no knowledge of what was between these two, rested his chin on his hand and wondered if it was right for him to be here.
“I don’t want to be a guild officer or anything. Just let Hyung and Noonas handle it. With my personality, I’d be lucky not to get into trouble in public chat.”
“SaltySalt.”
“You don’t need to go this far if I’m not an officer. I don’t want to become friends with everyone who joins the guild. If we get along as we go, then we can try to hang out. I don’t like you forcing me like this now, I don’t like any of it.”
SaltySalt, in his haphazard speaking, finally revealed his true feelings. Beodeul realized what Sinu had told him before was accurate.
‘I thought Sinu was overreacting back then…’
It seemed that being wary and putting up walls against non-Grace guild members applied to new guild members as well. It occurred to Beodeul that if there hadn’t been a process to clear up misunderstandings in the past, SaltySalt might still be suspicious and wary of Girmu.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you object when Sinu brought it up?”
“What’s the point of me objecting alone?”
“Of course we wouldn’t have recruited new members if even one person objected.”
“Fine, then it’s all my fault. Since we can’t kick out the new people who joined, just cut me loose. It’s better to nip these problematic shoots early, isn’t it, Hyung?”
It might be an overreaction to be reminded of Paguk’s chat when hearing the expression about cutting off shoots.
“Do you realize that you respect other people’s boundaries while treating my slower acceptance as strange and trying to control what you think is wrong? You always deny it, but that’s proof that you see me as a child.”
Youngglory couldn’t say anything, and SaltySalt ended the call. Beodeul murmured while listening to Youngglory’s sigh.
“Sighing really does seem to be a habit of yours.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’ve sighed at least five times, including just now.”
“Ah… Have I really? I should fix that, but it’s not easy.”
“That’s how unconscious habits are.”
“Haha… Hoo-“
That makes six times. Instead of pointing this out, Beodeul diverted Youngglory’s attention elsewhere.
“Would you like some lukewarm water?”
“Yes. I should calm down.”
“Your voice is much more strained compared to when we started.”
“…Is that so? Then I’ll step away for a moment.”
Beodeul could hear faint rustling and clattering sounds. After a while, Youngglory returned to his seat and spoke with a slightly improved voice.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to show you this side of me, Girmu.”
“Not at all. Did you have something else you wanted to tell me?”
It would likely be about SaltySalt. Beodeul could easily guess that.
“Well, yes. It’s nothing special, but if you hadn’t been here, I probably wouldn’t have even had the chance to talk with SaltySalt. So I… kind of used you.”
“…I see?”
“SaltySalt only speaks his mind when he has someone he considers on his side. With me, it’s a kind of protest, and with you, he’s sending a signal. A signal asking you to understand.”
“I don’t… really get it.”
Hasn’t SaltySalt spent much more time with Youngglory than with Girmu? It was difficult to accept the idea that SaltySalt would confront Youngglory while recognizing Girmu as an ally.
“Haha, yes. You can only understand that. I wouldn’t have known either if I hadn’t been like that in the past. SaltySalt resembles me a lot.”
This was even harder to accept, but there was nothing to say when it came from the person himself. Seeming to read the skepticism in Beodeul’s silence, Youngglory added:
“To be precise, he resembles who I used to be. The fact that I seem to be controlling SaltySalt… it’s probably for the same reason. I changed because I thought my past self wasn’t right.”
“The habit of trying to correct others doesn’t go away… I think it was my own desire to appear as a better adult.”
The word self-deprecation didn’t suit someone like Youngglory at all, but Beodeul acknowledged that this too was an aspect of him.
“SaltySalt seems to be just starting to form an attachment to you, Girmu. He tends to depend on adults he considers ideal. The reason I don’t want you to indulge him too much is because that dependency gradually worsens. And you also need to mingle with other guild members…”
“SaltySalt has an attachment to me?”
“Yes. It may be hard to imagine, but previously, Sinu was also such a figure for him. Acting like mortal enemies, then becoming dependent, and when Sinu wouldn’t indulge him, they now appear like rivals. But even these days, SaltySalt probably unknowingly still relies on Sinu.”
It was still a series of difficult-to-understand stories, but Beodeul simply responded with, “I see.”
“Should I try talking to SaltySalt then?”
“Hmm, right now he might be a bit sharp with you, knowing that you’ve been talking to me.”
Beodeul checked the chat window while listening to Youngglory’s voice.
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: Stop listening to Youngglory Hyung’s sermon and come to channel 11 -ㅅ-
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: I’ll PK you if you don’t come in 30 seconds ㅇㅅㅇ
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: No, make that 1 minute ㄱㄱ
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: 10 seconds left
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: 3..2.. 1 and a half and a half and a half…
[Whisper/Girmu] ShinSogeumi: ㅠㅅㅠ….?
Judging by the whispers, that didn’t seem to be the case. Beodeul assured the worried Youngglory that it was fine.
“I’m making this request, yet I don’t know what shameful display this is…”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s shameless of me, but please help. If communication becomes impossible, please let me know.”
Like Sinu, Youngglory was also very concerned about SaltySalt. Beodeul ended the difficult call with him and moved to channel 11.
[General] ShinSogeumi: Is it okay to be this slow at your level ㅇㅅ”ㅇ!!!
[General] Girmu: Haha…
[General] ShinSogeumi: How was it being tormented by Grandpa Youngglory?
[General] Girmu: Hmm.. I think I need to have a chat with SaltySalt?
[General] ShinSogeumi: ???????????
[General] ShinSogeumi: Why… me?
[General] Girmu: Haha
[General] ShinSogeumi: Whyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠwhyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠwhy me ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[General] ShinSogeumi: I came out alone to ask you to persuade Grandpaㅠㅠㅠㅠwhy meㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[General] Girmu: Please accept my voice call…haha
[General] ShinSogeumi: Ahㅠㅠㅠno wayㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Beodeul persistently called SaltySalt, who was jumping around in panic. And before long, SaltySalt succumbed to Girmu’s determination.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
