The unexpected compliment seemed to catch the other person off guard, causing them to blink in surprise.
“This?”
At that response, Sa-yoon gave Shin-jae an incredulous look, scanning him up and down again. A white knit sweater with a V-neck that accentuated his delicate neckline, a light lemon-colored cardigan, and chino pants. No matter how he looked at it, this was far from an outfit for spending the whole day buried in the library. Meanwhile, Sa-yoon was dressed in a gray zip-up hoodie and matching gray sweatpants.
“I mean, I thought maybe you had a date or something.”
Shin-jae finally lowered his gaze and pressed his lips together. His expression was hard to read—part surprise, part embarrassment.
Could it be that there was someone at school he wanted to impress? Romance and freshman year… That was a problem far bigger than any game.
Sa-yoon had seen plenty of his peers lose themselves in relationships, only to neglect their grades and pay the price with bitter tears by the time they hit their third year. But unlike them, Sa Shin-jae didn’t have the luxury of throwing away his grades over romance.
“Well, you’re wearing glasses too, sunbae.”
Perhaps feeling self-conscious about his carefully chosen outfit being pointed out, Shin-jae suddenly latched onto Sa-yoon’s glasses instead.
“Yeah, but these aren’t for fashion. My eyesight’s bad.”
Sa-yoon lifted the frame slightly as he spoke. Between gaming, assignments, and being endlessly tormented by that tireless little kitten, Sesame, he hadn’t even realized he’d run out of disposable lenses. Since it was exam season anyway, he’d just worn his glasses, but apparently, that had led to a misunderstanding.
“Do they suit me that well? Thanks.”
The thin, round-framed glasses were an imported brand he had spent time searching for on overseas websites and ordered directly, specifically to soften his sharp image. Sa-yoon smiled faintly.
If he were twenty-one, I wouldn’t be this worried…
To a twenty-six-year-old returning student, a twenty-year-old freshman was basically a clueless, wide-eyed chick who didn’t know the ways of the world. And with that outfit? He looked even more like a freshly hatched baby bird. The kind that would keel over and die if it wasn’t carefully looked after…
“Shin-jae.”
Crisis had a way of making people unexpectedly gentle. Even Sa-yoon was caught off guard by how soft his voice came out, instinctively drawing his shoulders in slightly.
“You know how seniors always say you don’t have to study much in your first year? That’s a lie.”
Clear, innocent eyes met his, and suddenly, his mouth went dry. He swallowed, pretending to clear his throat.
“That’s old advice. These days, everyone studies all night at home. You’re already in your second semester—you know that, right?”
Fortunately, Shin-jae nodded without resistance. At least he had already been through one semester. Well, considering he had also experienced academic probation, maybe it wasn’t so fortunate after all.
“Since we’ve decided to study together, I’d like us both to get good results.”
Even the military songs he had chanted for 18 months straight wouldn’t have come out this smoothly. Honestly, even he thought his setup was pretty well-executed.
“Until the exams are over, let’s study together every day. No other plans. Oh, and while we’re at it, should we sync our schedules too?”
Despite the warm suggestion, Shin-jae didn’t respond. He wasn’t secretly dating someone, was he? Sa-yoon had no intention of interfering with his love life. But still, wasn’t avoiding expulsion more important?
“Not a fan of the idea?”
Having fully justified it to himself, Sa-yoon framed the question as if he were merely checking in. Reluctantly, Shin-jae muttered, “Yeah.” Then, without another word, he strode off ahead.
“Hey, wait up!”
Maybe it was because of his long legs, but his strides were ridiculously wide. Sa-yoon called after him, but Shin-jae just kept walking straight ahead, pretending not to hear.
The tips of his ears, just barely visible, had turned a faint shade of red.
***
[Guild] Chasa: Hello.
[Guild] Killer: Welcome.
[Guild] Freedeal: Chasa-nim, hi hi!
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Chasa-nim, why are you logging in so late these days? ㅜ
[Guild] Chasa: It’s exam season.
[Guild] Shokrates: Hard to believe our guild master is actually a diligent student.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Studying for exams in advance… Are you about to get a scholarship or something?
[Guild] Chasa: My tuition is already waived. ㅜ
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Suddenly, I feel a distance between us…
[Guild] Freedeal: Not tuition waived, SCHOLARSHIP waived. ㅠ lololol
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Oh, now I feel close again. lolol
[Guild] Chasa: lolol
[General guild member ‘furple’ has logged in.]
[Guild] Freedeal: Welcome.
[Guild] furple: Looking for a healer to duo with a high-DPS archer. ^^
[Guild] Shokrates: Uh, we only have one healer in our guild. ㅇㅅㅜ
[Guild] furple: Looking for a healer to duo with a high-DPS archer. ^^
[Guild] Freedeal: Gonna have to decline haha
[Guild] furple: T
Sa-yoon let out a sigh, realizing he had just lost the guild’s only healer. In duo battlegrounds, having a healer was practically a guaranteed win, so someone must have snatched them up quickly.
I should’ve asked during the day when voice chat was on! He had been too complacent, thinking there was no rush just because the update notice had only come out today. That was a mistake.
Then… what about Oath’s Vow?
[Guild] furple: Who did Oath’s Vow pair up with?
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Ah, I…
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: I’m partnering with Jeon-gi.
[Guild] Shokrates: ㅇㅅㅇ/~
[Guild] furple: Tanks and healers are in high demand. ㅜ
Thanks to furple, who had the exact same thought, Sa-yoon also learned about Oath’s duo situation. He let out a second sigh.
DPS-tank pairs were strong. Tanks had self-healing buffs and plenty of defensive skills.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, he opened the party recruitment board. As expected, it was flooded with duo-seeking posts—truly a situation fitting for the “8282” (ASAP) culture.
[Guild] Chasa: Anyone want to duo with me?
An unnatural silence fell over the chat.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: That felt like an ice mage just passed by.
[Guild] Freedeal: I already have a partner…
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Me too, I’m already paired up…
[Guild] furple: Archer-warlock? Or double DPS?
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: I only have one life, so…
[Guild] furple: Ah, never mind, I can’t either…
[Guild] Shokrates: But Chasa-nim, don’t you already have a duo?
[Guild] Chasa: Me?
I don’t have anyone yet.
Just as he typed that, a differently colored message popped up in the chat.
[Whisper] Killer: Want to duo with me?
Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes at the screen.
So that’s why the guild members had been sweating bullets.
[Guild] Chasa: Haha.
[Guild] Chasa: Guess I’ll have to look for someone in a public party.
[Whisper] Killer: I can get you first place, though.
[Guild] Freedeal: Whoa, you’re really going for a public party?
[Guild] Chasa: There have to be some solo players out there, right?
A warlock being an outcast was only true in dungeons; in PvP, they weren’t exactly at the bottom of the food chain. But as time passed, only the rejects and the ones with glaring weaknesses would be left.
With that in mind, Sa-yoon arrived at the King Hunter battleground entrance and, without hesitation, pressed the queue button. The matchmaking was instant.
If only I could find a solid healer. Or at least a decent tank.
His pupils reflected the brightening screen, glimmering with anticipation.
And then, two days later—
[‘Killer’ has been invited to the party.]
[‘Killer’ has joined the party.]
[Party] Killer: ???
[Party] Chasa: Uh…
[Party] Killer: Yes?
Sa-yoon had already typed out everything he wanted to say, but his finger hesitated over the enter key. However, as he replayed the past two days in his mind, his resolve hardened. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed enter.
[Party] Chasa: Are you looking for a duo?
[Party] Killer: Ah, haha.
Maybe it was because of the tight semester schedule, packed with classes and assignments, that he had parked himself in the top 10% ranking this season instead of pushing higher.
Still, Sa-yoon had believed he could find a duo partner who met his standards even within that bracket.
It took less than an hour for that belief to shatter.
The problem was his goal. There wasn’t a single player in the 10% tier skilled enough to help carry him to first place.
Unlike 1v1 arenas, King Hunter matches took much longer per round. So starting the next day, he began queueing for 1v1 battles in between, climbing up until he was firmly in the top 1%. Eventually, he ended up playing nothing but 1v1s.
But every skilled player he met there…
Every single one of them…
Already had a duo.
All of them. Without exception.
Sa-yoon took a moment to think calmly.
What if someone else got the first-place reward? And what if that player wasn’t even a look collector? What if they received it but had no idea how to properly use it? Or worse—what if they just stashed it away and never even touched it?
The mere thought of it made his blood boil. He had to pause for a moment to practice meditative breathing.
And then, another thought struck him.
Even if a look collector won, it would still be a problem. What if he ran into someone who styled the custom-designed outfit perfectly and wore it out just to flex? He might actually collapse from sheer jealousy.
The thought alone was horrifying.
So, for the greater good, he decided to make a small sacrifice. In this case, the “small” sacrifice was his pride, which he would have to swallow in order to ask Killer for a favor.
[Party] Killer: I still have a spot left, but…
“But?”
That ending sounded ominous.
Sa-yoon’s eyes sharpened behind his glasses as he stared at the monitor.
