#5
“I didn’t say anything—” “Hey now!” Despite flinching back from Grandmother’s ladle swing, Mari refused to give up. For several minutes, Hajun ignored her pleading gaze. Seemingly unable to withstand Grandmother’s pressure, Mari finally slumped her shoulders in defeat.
Having quickly prepared to leave, Mari stood at the front door. “Hajun…” Right before opening the door to leave, her eyes overflowed with lingering attachment and hurt as she looked at him.
“Come visit again.” Though he understood how she felt, there was nothing he could do. He casually bid her farewell and closed the front door.
The house, which had been bustling with noise, suddenly became as quiet as if a storm had passed. While he was blankly staring at the sunset light peeking through the window, Grandmother approached and patted his back.
“Junnie, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried. Don’t worry.”
It seemed he was still a source of concern for his grandmother. After reassuring her while pretending everything was fine, he remained alone in the living room.
Memories of the neighborhood where he lived as a child naturally came to mind. Those ordinary but happier-than-ever times. Hajun smiled bitterly as he quietly reminisced about the past. He still didn’t have the confidence to return to Korea.
*
After dinner, he suddenly remembered the ice cream Mari had brought. Sure enough, the freezer was full of her favorite ice cream. After a moment’s deliberation, he grabbed the orange-flavored one and headed to his small room.
There was still plenty of time before his stream. I wonder if he’s online now. Sitting in his chair with the ice cream in his mouth, he launched Legend of Legend first. It had become a habit that naturally developed from talking to THATMOON every day.
Exchanging mundane daily activities with him had become part of his routine. Even a week ago, he couldn’t have imagined that he would become someone who frequented games just for socializing.
When did it become like this? Blinking, he mulled over his memories before giving up on figuring it out. As long as it was fun, it didn’t matter what it was. Now he could somewhat relate to the saying that the ultimate content of any game was chatting between people.
“Oh, what a surprise.”
To his delight, THATMOON was logged in. His lips curled up involuntarily, feeling as if he’d received an unexpected gift.
-Ganghaa: hihello
-THATMOON: Hello ^^
-Ganghaa: Are you gaming after dinner? lolol
-THATMOON: ^^ Yes, did you eat, Gangha-nim?
Now THATMOON would ask him various questions too. His chest swelled with pride, seeing that his relentless efforts to engage were finally bearing fruit.
When he shared his day—lunch was curry, exercised for the first time in a while and nearly burst his lungs—THATMOON responded that he’d recently started exercising again too. When a message came back saying he was eating only chicken breast for faster results, Hajun unconsciously narrowed his eyes.
Hmm, is he a bit on the chubby side? He slightly adjusted his imagined image of THATMOON to be a bit plumper. He wondered if he was desperate enough to diet that he needed to control his meals, or if he was just the type to be diligent about everything.
While pondering how to ask without being rude, repeatedly typing and deleting messages, something cold suddenly dropped onto his finger.
“Ah… it’s ruined.”
He reflexively shook his hand and grabbed tissues first. He must have been so absorbed in the chat that he didn’t notice the ice cream melting in his mouth.
Seeing the orange liquid shining between the keyboard keys, he sighed. With a look of dismay, he hurriedly cleaned up, then flipped the keyboard as this wouldn’t do.
The sound of tapping the keyboard filled the room for a while. After finishing the emergency treatment, he removed the keyboard keys one by one when Hajun suddenly lifted his head.
Wait, I was in the middle of a conversation. Realizing this, he looked at the monitor to find an absurd conversation unfolding before his eyes.
-Ganghaa: lailaeoiaeowa
-THATMOON: Gangha-nim?
-THATMOON: Is something wrong?;;
It seemed the enter key had hit the desk while he was shaking the keyboard. Staring blankly at the meaningless string of characters he had unintentionally sent, he burst into laughter after a few seconds. THATMOON’s bewilderment was clearly conveyed through the screen.
-Ganghaa: Just a minute
Since he had half-disassembled the keyboard, it was difficult to give a long explanation. After sending only the necessary words, he focused on wiping the debris. By the time he roughly finished cleaning the keyboard and desk, quite some time had passed.
What a hassle. It felt pointless to have wasted his precious evening time on unexpected cleaning. Lowering his head and chuckling emptily, he then looked up seriously.
“I’ll just ask him.”
About Discodi. Hajun swallowed the last word and moved his hands over the keyboard.
Discodi, commonly called Disco, was a messenger system popular among gamers. In addition to chat, it also supported voice features, making it mainly used for gameplay requiring close communication or for socializing.
Since it was quite awkward to have one-on-one conversations with strangers, it was a program he barely used.
But with THATMOON, somehow it felt okay to use Disco. They had gotten somewhat close, and above all, voice chat would make gaming together more convenient.
Since he had always been the one to add friends and initiate conversations, he had initially decided not to ask about Disco first, but—
“He’s really nice.”
Seeing THATMOON waiting patiently without complaint despite being suddenly left alone for a long time, his meager pride flew away like a piece of paper.
-Ganghaa: thatmoon lol
-THATMOON: Yes
-Ganghaa: Let’s
-Ganghaa: Use Discodi
THATMOON’s reply stopped again. Did I approach this too randomly? As time gradually passed, his anxiety increased.
Being very polite, THATMOON was also quite cautious in nature. It seemed his proposal was burdensome to him. But the chat had already been sent.
Once you’ve drawn the sword, you have to cut something! If he could overcome this one moment of awkwardness, a very comfortable gaming life would be waiting for him. After chewing his lips and letting a few more minutes pass, he pushed THATMOON once more.
-Ganghaa: Why are you silent? ^^
-THATMOON: What do you mean?;;;
-Ganghaa: What do you mean “what”? lol
-Ganghaa: Actually
-Ganghaa: I had an accident while chatting with you earlier ă…śă…ś
-Ganghaa: Spilled ice cream on my keyboard ă…śă…śă… ă…
-THATMOON: Oh;;; I’m sorry
-Ganghaa: I’m not looking for an apology;;ă… ă…
-Ganghaa: Give me your Discodi. Talking would make gaming much easier
-THATMOON: Just a moment, I need to install that
Good thing I asked. He almost would have stewed in frustration without knowing that THATMOON didn’t use Discodi. Praising himself for making an excellent choice, he pulled out a few more tissues.
Perhaps because he had started cleaning, dust that normally went unnoticed seemed particularly visible. While humming and focusing on cleaning, THATMOON sent a message.
-THATMOON: Installed it
-THATMOON: How do I invite you, Gangha-nim?
-Ganghaa: Go to https://discodi.gg/QdjgeW3
Trying to calm his pounding heart, he waited for him briefly before a user who appeared to be THATMOON entered the chat room.
[Imun]
An unfamiliar account name. Seeing it immediately caused an inexplicable tension. Unlike earlier when he had boldly asked about Disco, his mouth now refused to open.
He wanted to act friendly as usual, but regardless of his will, the words stuck at the tip of his tongue. Unable to even offer a common greeting, they were in an awkward situation where they only heard each other’s breathing. The endless silence felt like a prison.
You idiot! While berating himself for being timid and struggling, there was a rustling sound from the other end of his earphones. Just as he unconsciously leaned in to listen—
“Um… can you hear me? Gangha-nim?”
A low, sweet voice gently penetrated his ear.
What the—that’s unexpected. THATMOON’s voice, which he finally heard, was beyond his imagination, the complete opposite. The image of a chubby, young college student shattered instantly, replaced by a large, mature man.
Sitting in a daze with a dumbfounded expression, he barely collected himself after the man called him repeatedly.
“Your voice… is nice. You could do radio broadcasts.”
“Haha, your voice is nice too, Gangha-nim.”
“Ahaha! Thank you. By the way, how is it? Talking is definitely better than chatting, right?”
“It is.”
After this brief exchange, silence fell again. It seemed he was as verbally awkward as himself. Feeling a sad sense of kinship, he was clearing his throat when THATMOON laughed softly.
“What ice cream were you eating earlier?”
“Ah, about that. You might not know it, but…”
Remembering the culprit that had caused him so much trouble just moments ago, his teeth gritted with anger. After describing the ice cream as if it were his mortal enemy, he went on about the keyboard episode for several minutes.
“I’ve had that too. I don’t think I’ve seen it sold in Korea… Do you live in Japan, Gangha-nim?”
“Oh, yes. Come to think of it, I never mentioned that. What about you, Thatmoon-ssi?”
“I’m in Seoul.”
“Ah, I thought so.”
“Why?”
“Well, your speech is gentle and you use Seoul dialect…”
The calm voice that matched the chat perfectly became more appealing the more he listened. While awkwardly laughing and fiddling with his suddenly ticklish earlobe—
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
