The restaurant alley in Jeongja-dong, Bundang. Familiar faces were gathered around a well-known barbecue joint famous for its grilled meat.
At two adjacent tin tables, fresh pork belly was sizzling on the grill. Haru sprinkled pepper over it while Jung Da-hoon, watching her, took a spoonful of the soybean paste stew served as a side dish.
“Nothing beats BBQ joint doenjang-jjigae.”
“But is Yeo Woo-rim really coming? Do you think he’ll remember me?”
“Haru Noona, your face looks completely different from how it was in the game. You practically remodeled it—how’s he supposed to recognize you……?”
“Are you insane?! Kim Teolbo, what are you saying? Let’s bet on it. Yeo Woo-rim recognizes me or doesn’t. If he doesn’t, you’re covering the cost of the meat.”
Kim Teolbo was just about to back out, grumbling about how it wasn’t worth making such a big bet over something like this—
“I figured I’d be paying since I’m late. But if Teolbo-ssi’s covering the bill, I’ll be grateful.”
“Gasp! Pro!!”
“Whoa… it’s really him!! Hello!!”
Jung Da-hoon and Kebab swiftly made space for me.
I looked around at the group, feeling somewhat nostalgic. Jung Da-hoon and Jang Bori were almost identical to their in-game selves. Kebab was thinner in person. Haru… she wasn’t unrecognizable, but her in-game appearance was definitely more flattering, while Kim Teolbo fully lived up to his nickname—significantly hairier in real life.
“Please, have a seat. You’re the only one who made the great migration from the north of Gyeonggi Province to the south, so being late is understandable!”
“Totally! We’re just grateful you made time to come.”
“Thanks for being so understanding. I really… missed you all.”
“Same here! Seeing you in person, Woo-rim-ssi, you shine just as much as the Baby Arctic Fox! Oh, and congrats on your win.”
“Thank you.”
I offered a heartfelt thanks, glancing at Bori, Jung Da-hoon, and Kebab. I’d already planned to share the prize money appropriately among the three who helped me escape.
“Here, try this. We’re the same age and we’ve met before—can we just drop the formalities?”
“Sure, Haru.”
It had been a while, but Haru was just as forward as ever. Cheerful, bold, and always taking initiative—just like how she snatched the tongs without hesitation.
“Haru, that Soul Flower you left me when you died helped a lot. Excuse me—ten more servings of frozen pork belly and marinated ribs, please.”
When I flagged down the restaurant staff, Teolbo visibly shuddered.
“Don’t worry, Teolbo-ssi. I was joking about making you pay.”
“You… You really mean it, hyung?”
Hearing him call me “Hyung” with that face felt odd even in real life.
“Heck yeah! My buddy Woo-rim’s treating us after his big win!”
The best-grilled piece of meat landed on my rice bowl. Jung Da-hoon seemed stunned by this scene.
“Wow… this is shocking.”
“Why, Da-hoon-ssi?”
“You’re just dropping honorifics like that with the Pro……”
I chuckled, grabbing an extra pair of tongs to help flip the meat.
“What’s the big deal? You know what’s funny? Only game fans act all formal with me. Normies like Haru are like, ‘Heck yeah, I’ve got a hot friend now!’ and feel totally at ease.”
“Heck yeah, I’ve got a hot friend now!!”
Haru wrapped up some meat in lettuce and fed it directly to me, and I happily took a bite.
Kebab watched us quickly bonding with curiosity but looked drained at the same time.
“Right—what happened to Kessler? He was a player too, right?”
“He’s in the States.”
After returning to real life, I hadn’t deeply explored Kessler’s whereabouts. Knowing he was real was enough; we’d probably meet eventually.
But Jung Da-hoon, who’d looked into it earlier than me, chimed in.
“Kessler’s dad is one of the founding members of Kinder Games.”
“Whoa… so he’s a gold spoon?”
“And Kessler’s a game engineer too. Apparently, he was the lead planner for Last Shadow.”
Jung Da-hoon laid out everything he knew about Kessler.
“No wonder… he seemed like someone used to throwing his weight around. Are all diamond spoons that arrogant? And is his real face the same as in-game? Is he not coming to Korea?”
“No idea. But I don’t think he’ll be able to come to Korea for a while. Last Shadow—I heard the release was postponed indefinitely due to technical issues.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
Haru and Teolbo looked confused—they hadn’t been told I’d been trapped inside the game.
“Apparently, while fixing bugs, they decided to leave the tools as-is but change the concept. Not sure where it’ll go from there.”
I silently cut the meat. Reworking the concept… Kessler must’ve been trying to keep his promise to the child.
“I’ll find a way to save you.”
That was the promise. Kessler would grant eternal rest to the young Kessler he had created.
***
“Wow, today was so much fun. When I join your company, Woo-rim-ssi, let’s have another celebration dinner!”
“Agreed, Pro. If it’s alright with you, let’s meet again next month.”
“I ate and partied like a king today!”
The gathering broke up before the last train stopped running.
“It’s Yeo Woo-rim.”
“Look over there, it’s Yeo Woo-rim.”
“Is he a celebrity?”
“Nah, he’s that gamer Poksup……”
“No way!! He rides the subway too? That’s wild.”
Whether I’m Baby Fox or myself, I always end up drawing attention.
The week after the gathering, I found a suitable team and signed a three-year player contract. Nearly every existing company had shown interest in signing me as a free agent, and after careful discussions with my agency, we finalized the decision.
“We’ll take a few pictures for the press release.”
Click, click, click.
The photos from that moment landed straight on the main page of the portals.
– – –
Poksup signs exclusive 3-year contract with rookie team weverK: ‘I’ll show you a proper life flash.’
└ No way, Poksup’s coming??
└ Of course, it’s a major corp
└ FYI: weverK picked up both players whose contracts expired
└ The CEO is a total NexQ’er. Look at his face, fanboying on company dime and loving it
– – –
With the season right around the corner, my daily life moved further away from the Shadow Castle. I began training with my new teammates, attending sponsorship events, and wrapping up preseason activities.
Also…
“Haaahhhhm.”
“Pro, I heard you were up late practicing last night. You must be tired, right? Today’s fan signing is invite-only, 100 fans max—it’ll go quickly.”
The fan signing canceled while I was trapped in the Shadow Castle was finally rescheduled.
“But… are they serious about that request? I’m not some idol or something……”
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to do it.”
“Nah, I’ll do it.”
They asked me to sing a song to appease fans. Despite complaining about the absurd request, I turned on my phone to review the lyrics.
“You’ll provide the lyrics, right?”
“Yes, there should be a prompter.”
Was this courage from performing as Baby Fox in front of large crowds? Still humming the melody, I arrived at the signing event.
Cheers erupted the moment I stepped inside.
“Hello, this is Poksup.”
“Kyaaaah!”
I laughed hearing a few male fans yelling among the cheers, making the fans laugh along.
“Thank you for taking time out of your day to be here… I’ve prepared a song for you all. I’m definitely not as good as the original singer, so please… don’t cover your ears. I’ll be hurt.”
Hesitantly, I began singing last year’s championship opening theme.
“In the arena, where legends are born……”
Momentarily startled by the crowd suddenly singing along, I awkwardly continued, eventually handing the mic over.
“The countdown begins, hearts pounding loud, A crescendo of passion, and amidst the crowd……”
Camera flashes poured in. The song was totally out of my vocal range, but I strained to finish it regardless. Maybe it’d end up an embarrassing memory someday, but I regretted nothing.
Initially, they’d asked me to dance to some anime theme song, but I’d much rather awkwardly sing than embarrass myself with stiff dance moves.
“Woooow!!”
“Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you very much. Our Yeo Woo-rim practiced really hard for this just for today. Please give him another big round of applause!”
After briefly answering questions collected from fans earlier, I took my seat.
“Okay, numbers one and up, please come forward in order.”
As instructed, I’d sign autographs and chat briefly, about one minute per fan. When the first fan approached, I turned the fan towards her.
“You thought I might be hot?”
“Yeah, doesn’t that feel good?”
“Ahh… it feels so nice, I don’t want to leave.”
The girl handed me a sticky note with her question.
“You want me to pick the teammate I have the best synergy with? Can’t I choose them all?”
“If you had to pick just one?”
“Ah, this is such a tough one……”
Some fans asked me to check answers like this. Others gave me headbands or flowers as gifts. Some asked for movie recommendations, and others even asked me to hold their hands and tell them I loved them.
“Ideal hairstyle? I like long straight hair.”
“Wow, really?”
Honestly, I didn’t care much, but the fan who asked had exactly that hairstyle, so I gave a fitting answer.
“Seriously, Woo-rim-ah, watching your matches as Poksup is the joy of my life. Thanks for playing. Let’s run the new season together. I’ll always cheer you on!”
“Thank you so much for coming. Hearing your cheers, Hye-rim-nim, really gives me strength. I think you might be the joy of my life, too.”
“Nooo, I don’t wanna go! Agh agh!”
“You have to go……”
A staff member gently guided her away as the timer rang for the next fan.
While mechanically signing the next paper, I was about to raise my head when a headband was gently placed atop my head.
From the crowd came cries of “Arctic Fox!” and comments about how cute it was. Yet something felt odd. This whole sequence seemed to unfold in slow motion.
“Baby Fox.”
It was like stepping back into the game.
“Change your answer about your ideal type.”
Spellbound, I slowly raised my gaze. On his head was a white fox headband matching mine. It suited him so perfectly, I found myself smiling.
“Your ideal type is me.”
His voice, gaze, and even his actions were exactly the same. I rubbed my eyes briefly to check if this was reality or just another game.
Kessler had returned.
