Chapter 53
As soon as the call connected, SaltySalt grumbled in a dejected voice.
—Do you know how much time we’ve wasted? The XP loss is seriously bad…
“We can hunt while talking on the call.”
—The thing is, I’m not very good at multitasking.
“But you were doing fine earlier when Youngglory was here?”
—Ah…
Seeming to realize his excuse wouldn’t work, he let out a soulless sigh. On screen, the ShinSogeumi character used a ‘crying’ motion, then got rammed by a wild boar monster and fell to the lower level.
“Are you okay?”
—Would I be okay?
Beodeul could tell what SaltySalt wanted from his brightening voice, but he pretended not to notice. Instead, he placed a potion in front of ShinSogeumi, who had climbed back up the ladder to return to his original position.
—What are you doing…
“It’s for you to recover if you’re not okay.”
—Oh, come on. Youngglory hyung abandoned so many people! …I’m fine, so please pick it back up.
“Okay.”
Though SaltySalt continued to grumble, he resumed hunting. Beodeul also used his skills busily to make up for the experience loss. All the while, he was thinking about how to get the conversation flowing. But unexpectedly, SaltySalt spoke first.
—I’m sorry.
“What?”
—Because of me, Girmu couldn’t mingle with the new people either… And just now, it must have been hard for you to be caught between Youngglory hyung and me.
“Hmm…”
—I should have just kept to myself, but I was worried about being bored.
SaltySalt hadn’t been this submissive even when apologizing for the incident with Sinu in the past. Beodeul smiled gently at the guilt he was showing and asked, in the most innocent voice possible:
“Isn’t it okay for SaltySalt to join in too?”
—What?
“No. Since I don’t really understand why you’re acting like this, I’m just asking. Why you think you need to keep to yourself.”
—Um… it’s just hard for me.
He had been as sharp as a hedgehog raising its quills when talking with Youngglory, but now he responded awkwardly to Beodeul’s question, as if taken aback. Right now, he was just like…
‘A flipped-over hedgehog.’
Beodeul had this impression as he watched him floundering around, inevitably exposing his vulnerable side.
“Is it about mingling with people you’re meeting for the first time?”
—Yes. I’m very shy with strangers.
If it had really been just a matter of shyness, would Youngglory have been that worried? That was something Beodeul couldn’t know yet.
—…Aren’t you going to ask more?
“Ah. I was just thinking for a moment.”
—Don’t think too long. I’m scared of what you might say.
“Haha… But why didn’t you speak to Youngglory that way?”
—What good would it do to talk to Youngglory hyung? It’s obvious what he’d say…
“You sound just like a son who’s tired of his parents’ nagging.”
—It’s similar, right? But now it’s closer to a department head and an entry-level employee…?
He was making jokes, and the atmosphere seemed to be lightening up. Still, Beodeul couldn’t approach too easily. What SaltySalt had started to reveal was just a small part, merely the surface.
—But haven’t you heard anything from Youngglory hyung?
“Hmm, I wonder? Ah, he did say you two seem alike.”
—Youngglory hyung and me?
“Yes. He said you resemble how Youngglory used to be. So that’s why he’s more…”
—More, what?
“Nothing. The rest is just my guess.”
—Girmu, you don’t know anything.
“Excuse me?”
—There are two ways to drive a person crazy, and one of them is stopping mid-sentence…
“Ahaha.”
—That wasn’t a joke, so your laughter is deflating.
“It was nothing. I just thought that maybe it’s hard for Youngglory to leave you alone because of that… He actually said something similar.”
Ever since Youngglory was mentioned, SaltySalt’s mood had completely sunk. Beodeul noticed this and asked:
“Are you uncomfortable? With this kind of talk?”
—I don’t know. It just feels suffocating…
“It’s a common saying, but they say it helps to share a little when you feel that way.”
—…Doesn’t it seem strange?
“What does?”
—Just, everything. Am I being too sensitive, too picky? Haven’t you thought that?
“Well…”
It was difficult to say he hadn’t thought that at all. After all, he didn’t think Sinu and Youngglory’s concerns were entirely unreasonable.
“I do think you’re sensitive, if that’s what you mean.”
—…I figured.
“On the other hand, haven’t you thought the same about me?”
—What?
“If SaltySalt is particularly shy with strangers, I’ve kept my distance from people I’ve gotten close to in the game. One-sidedly.”
—Well, that was one-sided from your side too…
“But unlike me, I’ve heard that SaltySalt shares daily life with Grace guild members and gets along well, and occasionally even meets other people in real life. I wonder if you thought I was being picky?”
SaltySalt hesitated and couldn’t answer easily. Perhaps, like Beodeul, he couldn’t deny it either.
“So I think we’re different.”
—Different? How?
“We’re each sensitive about different things. Even the most thick-skinned person probably has something they’re particularly sensitive about, something they don’t want others to casually probe or touch. For you, that manifests as shyness with strangers.”
—Um…
“In my case, I’m sensitive about personal information being exposed online, and also… about things being asymmetrical.”
—A-asymmetrical?
“Yes. Well, that’s just an example to say everyone has things they become sensitive about.”
Suddenly, SaltySalt’s microphone turned off. Beodeul was wondering what was happening when he squinted one eye.
“You can turn your mic on and laugh, you know.”
Then a voice clearly trying to hold back laughter came through.
—Re-really… *gulp!* So random!
“Haha… But why didn’t you speak to Youngglory that way?”
—What good would come from talking to Youngglory hyung? It’s obvious…
“You sound just like a son who’s grown tired of his parents’ nagging.”
—Similar, right? But now it’s closer to a department head and an entry-level employee…?
He was joking around, and the atmosphere seemed to be lightening up. Still, Beodeul couldn’t approach too easily. What SaltySalt had started to reveal was just a small part, merely the surface.
—But haven’t you heard anything from Youngglory hyung?
“Hmm, I wonder? Ah, he did say you two seem alike.”
—Youngglory hyung and me?
“Yes. He said you resemble how Youngglory used to be. So that’s why he’s more…”
—More, what?
“Nothing. The rest is just my guess.”
—Girmu, you don’t know anything.
“Excuse me?”
—There are two ways to drive a person crazy, and one of them is stopping mid-sentence…
“Ahaha.”
—That wasn’t a joke, so your laughter is deflating.
“It was nothing. I just thought that maybe it’s hard for Youngglory to leave you alone because of that… He actually said something similar.”
Ever since Youngglory was mentioned, SaltySalt’s mood had completely sunk. Beodeul noticed this and asked:
“Are you uncomfortable? With this kind of talk?”
—I don’t know. It just feels suffocating…
“It’s a common saying, but they say it helps to share a little when you feel that way.”
—…Doesn’t it seem strange?
“What does?”
—Just, everything. Am I being too sensitive, too picky? Haven’t you thought that?
“Well…”
It was difficult to say he hadn’t thought that at all. After all, he didn’t think Sinu and Youngglory’s concerns were entirely unreasonable.
“I do think you’re sensitive, if that’s what you mean.”
—…I figured.
“On the other hand, haven’t you thought the same about me?”
—What?
“If SaltySalt is particularly shy with strangers, I’ve kept my distance from people I’ve gotten close to in the game. One-sidedly.”
—Well, that was one-sided from your side too…
“But unlike me, I’ve heard that SaltySalt shares daily life with Grace guild members and gets along well, and occasionally even meets other people in real life. I wonder if you thought I was being picky?”
SaltySalt hesitated and couldn’t answer easily. Perhaps, like Beodeul, he couldn’t deny it either.
“So I think we’re different.”
—Different? How?
“We’re each sensitive about different things. Even the most thick-skinned person probably has something they’re particularly sensitive about, something they don’t want others to casually probe or touch. For you, that manifests as shyness with strangers.”
—Um…
“In my case, I’m sensitive about personal information being exposed online, and also… about things being asymmetrical.”
—A-asymmetrical?
“Yes. Well, that’s just an example to say everyone has things they become sensitive about.”
Suddenly, SaltySalt’s microphone turned off. Beodeul was wondering what was happening when he squinted one eye.
“You can turn your mic on and laugh, you know.”
Then a voice clearly trying to hold back laughter came through.
—Re-really… *gulp!* So random!
“Being sensitive isn’t that big a deal, right? That’s what I meant… But I feel like my point is being misinterpreted.”
—You really say funny things…
Once again, SaltySalt’s microphone cut off. This time, even Beodeul couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“Earlier you were complaining about being influenced by Youngglory, but maybe this is actually your taste?”
—Absolutely. Absolutely not!
“Yes, yes, I’m glad you’ve regained your energy.”
Only then did SaltySalt clear his throat, trying to recover the atmosphere from earlier. But his attempt failed gloriously.
—This is terrible. I feel like all that will stick in my head from this conversation is ‘asymmetrical.’
“That’s problematic… Should we go back to our previous conversation?”
—Yes. Go ahead.
His tone was much calmer and more mature than before. Beodeul, feeling reassured, smiled gently.
“Actually, it sounded to me like you were consciously trying to avoid strangers. When I asked why you needed to keep to yourself.”
—…I think I’m going to become sensitive to perceptive people starting today.
“So there is a specific reason why you’ve become shy around strangers?”
—Well, I suppose so?
“I wonder if Youngglory knows about it too?”
—He does, hyung…
After hesitating as if weighing his words, SaltySalt continued with a slight sigh.
—There were about two incidents, and one of them is related to Youngglory hyung.
“Hmm, so maybe that’s why Youngglory is more concerned about you?”
—That might be one reason. Though I don’t understand it.
It seemed better not to probe any further. Just as Beodeul sensed this and was about to conclude the conversation with his own conclusions:
—Do you like old stories?
“Old… stories?”
—Yes. It’s not that old, maybe about 7 years ago?
Seven years coincidentally aligned with when Grace was founded.
‘Oh. Then maybe…’
He might be planning to reveal the story related to Youngglory. Beodeul felt troubled and touched his lips.
‘It might seem silly to back out now.’
Originally, Beodeul hadn’t intended to dig too deeply into SaltySalt’s personal history. He’d only wanted to observe what was visible from the outside and what SaltySalt slightly revealed, but…
—You also said earlier that sharing can help-
Ah, I dug my own grave. Beodeul realized that even feeling awkward was a luxury and tightly closed his eyes before opening them again. Just then, SaltySalt said something as if reading Beodeul’s discomfort.
—You can just listen if you want.
Was that really okay? Beodeul responded with doubt.
“Um, alright…”
—If you don’t like these kinds of stories, you don’t have to listen. It’s too much like a documentary. Like it needs background music from a human drama show.
Judging by his lengthy introduction, this was clearly a difficult story for SaltySalt to share. Beodeul inwardly chuckled at his cautious attitude.
‘What was I thinking, worrying like this?’
Beodeul had been concerned. Sometimes people would share their own stories and then forcefully demand to hear yours in return.
YucaPrinciple from Dalkeum guild was such a person. Beodeul had never asked for his stories, but let him talk, thinking he just enjoyed sharing. Then, like a give-and-take, he would subtly pressure Beodeul to share his own story next. If Beodeul avoided it, he’d try again with different approaches and different stories.
When Beodeul expressed his discomfort, he’d claim he was just curious, that he was just showing interest, all while continuing to suffocate Beodeul. After several repetitions, Beodeul realized: this person doesn’t care about others’ feelings and only wants to satisfy his own curiosity.
‘I was worried that after hearing SaltySalt’s story…’
A bad experience had resurfaced, making him worry unnecessarily. As Beodeul reflected, he soon thought that SaltySalt’s shyness might be similar.
‘In other words, he’s been hurt by people before…’
Now it might be okay to listen with a different perspective. While Beodeul was swallowing a groan, SaltySalt actually started playing the signature background music from a documentary.
“Are you really…?”
—Yes. But as I talk, I feel like this won’t just be about me… I’m not sure if that’s okay.
“Are other people involved besides Youngglory?”
—Sinu hyung. Well, I should ask him before telling you.
Hmm? Just as Beodeul was trying to grasp the situation, a familiar character appeared on the map.
—Wow, speak of the devil. Actually, he’s been messaging me constantly. He’s been throwing a complete fit saying I’m monopolizing Girmu lately… No, forget you heard that.
“Isn’t Sinu busy these days?”
—He probably is. But he’s always asking what Girmu is up to these days, it’s driving me crazy.
“He hasn’t contacted me recently though…?”
—Exactly! I don’t understand why he’s bothering me about it. He’s been acting weird since after we met offline.
Beodeul felt strange watching Sinu on screen. He seemed so busy lately that they rarely talked, so why was he asking SaltySalt about Girmu’s welfare instead of asking Girmu directly?
Well, now that he’d appeared on his own, Beodeul could ask him directly. Putting aside his mixed feelings, Beodeul greeted Sinu.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
