A gruesomely decayed view of the underground city. I stood there, expressionless, framed against its bleak backdrop.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll be staying here for a while. I’m gonna get some sleep.”
—Sleep… sleep… until when…
“I need to sleep and eat, too. You should go take care of your own tasks.”
Worried they might think I wasn’t willing to help, I revived a few shadow husks before logging off. I had lunch plans with Kessler.
Throwing on an overcoat, I stepped outside and waited at the front entrance. Soon, a familiar van came into view. I saw that face every day, so why did it stir something now? Seeing Kessler’s face made me feel oddly refreshed. My spirits lifted without me realizing, and I gave an exaggerated wave like I was swatting the air. From behind the window, I saw the corners of his mouth curve up ever so slightly.
When the car came to a stop, I rushed over to get in—but the door wouldn’t open. What the hell, why won’t it open?
Just then, Kessler stepped out of the car himself and walked over to open the passenger door for me.
“Hop in.”
“What the—? Is the door broken?”
“It’s called manners.”
“…Have you been watching old dramas lately?”
I quickly got in, buckled up, and waited. But from the driver’s seat, Kessler unfastened his own seatbelt again.
“What now?”
“Hehe.”
Without another word, he clicked the belt back into place like nothing had happened.
“Seriously?”
We looked at each other, dumbfounded, and burst into laughter, fingers naturally intertwining. Acting like childish lovebirds we’d never dare let others witness, the car sped off toward our favorite stone pot rice place.
“Baby Fox, work’s not too hard on you, is it?”
“It’s a lot better now. The practice room’s closer. All thanks to you.”
Everything got easier after I found a place just five minutes’ walk from the practice studio. Even though Kessler had a commute too, he chose the location to make things easier for me.
In fact, out of those five minutes, three were spent just riding the elevator down. That said, the downside was running into coworkers even at the convenience store right outside my building when I just popped out to grab a drink. Still, that was the same wherever I went. There were always people who recognized me.
“Mom’s thinking of visiting the U.S. during her vacation. She wants to see you too. What do you think?”
“Is your mom okay with us seeing each other?”
“Of course.”
My parents had always been the ‘do what you want’ type, and because of my job, they were pretty used to media exposure. They were surprised at first when I told them I was dating Kessler, but they quickly accepted it and offered their support.
Later on, they even invited him on YouTube, fed him delicious meals, and treated him like family. Still, just because my parents were open-minded didn’t mean his would be, so I’d quietly worried. Thankfully, it seemed like everything was fine.
“I’ve actually met your mom a few times.”
“I know. She’s a fan of yours.”
The last time I saw her… was in the waiting room during last year’s World Championship.
“Congratulations. Could I get an autograph?”
“I think you already got one last year.”
“Oh my gosh! You remember me?!”
“Of course. Kathleen, right?”
Her beaming smile had lit up when I remembered her name.
“Then… after the Worlds are over… or after the Asia playoffs… wanna come to the States with me? Maybe… get married while we’re at it?”
Kessler said it like it was nothing but then subtly glanced at me, gauging my reaction. But I couldn’t answer so quickly.
Of course, if I were to get married, it would be with Kessler. But we’d only been together for, what, a little over two years? Including the time since we met in-game.
Honestly, the duration didn’t matter. What mattered was my mindset—more precisely, whether I was ready to accept someone as my life partner. In that sense, I just needed a bit more time to think—
“I want to be your real guardian.”
Kessler’s face was more serious than I’d seen in a long time. He simply waited for my answer, swallowing nervously like his throat was dry.
And that broke the cool, quiet current I’d been riding.
“Be honest. You brought up the U.S. just to push the marriage thing, didn’t you?”
“Is it too soon?”
He knew. He realized that what he was saying might be a bit premature. We were already living together, and sure, in-game we’d gotten married like frying beans on lightning, but reality was a different story.
“Is it too much pressure?”
“It’s not pressure.”
I answered as I continued eating. Honestly, how could you ever be a burden to me?
“I just get this feeling sometimes… Can I really stay a good person to you, even in the future?”
At its core, that question wasn’t really about him. It was about me—who I was. I’d never once thought of myself as a good person. But Kessler? He was the soft-hearted type. Just look at how he always got ripped off, buying fan merchandise for outrageous prices. He let it all slide because he was kind.
As I mulled it over while picking at some spinach, Kessler scooted closer and sat beside me.
“Mm, you’re already a good person. You saved me, remember?”
Of course he’d styled his bangs up again. I purposely hadn’t told him how good he looked with his forehead showing, because I knew he’d start doing it all the time if I said it. And yet, somehow, he already knew it was my type.
I picked up a piece of lotus root and brought it to his mouth.
“Eat up, Kessler. You said it yourself. No take-backs later.”
Just like how I played, I’d always lived life with more ambition than generosity. Kessler had offered himself to me, saying ‘Here, take me,’ so how could I resist now?
He beamed brightly. I reached out, pretending to touch his cheek, and instead slipped a finger right into his mouth. His smile was just so damn cute—I had to touch something.
We scrolled through our shared web calendar together. For some reason, it was filled entirely with my match schedule.
“Alright, then. Around that time.”
“Yeah, honey.”
“What’s with that nickname, you shameless thing.”
Snuggled up on the heated floor, we matched our travel dates like a sappy couple and let our bodies go soft and loose with comfort.
“Ugh, I’m so full.”
He fiddled with the slight bulge of my stomach, then lifted my legs up onto his lap and wrapped an arm tightly around my waist.
“In my whole life, I’ve never met anyone more precious than you. So quit thinking you’re some kind of jerk, okay?”
God, this guy…
“Alright.”
I gently patted his head. I just wanted to keep being a good person—at least to him.
“I should get going. Gonna be a bit late tonight.”
“How late?”
“Not too bad. You think you’ll be able to sleep first?”
“You think I can? Message me when you’re almost done. I’ll come pick you up.”
“It’s literally just around the corner.”
“Exactly. Because it’s close.”
Kessler drove me to the office building. And, as always, he’d probably be there to pick me up again.
After saying goodbye, I headed inside.
***
Today, even the headset felt stuffy.
“Good work, everyone.”
There was a raw edge of irritation in the air, balanced out by the coach’s words of encouragement. The training session—done with no background music, just focused on pure gameplay and communication—had come to an end. With a major tournament approaching, it was natural that everyone was on edge.
“Ran a few games with those Division kids earlier… seriously, their form is crazy right now.”
“It’s fine. We’re still better.”
“Poksup, are you a discharge-ready vet or something? I’m low on sugar, so give me some jerky too.”
Another “veteran” near retirement snatched up some of my jerky and started chewing noisily. It was Canadian beef jerky—Kessler had given it to me to snack on whenever I got bored.
“You’ve been in great shape lately, DealMeat.”
“Obviously. I started playing Last Shadow, you know.”
I handed out pieces of jerky to the team and kept chatting with DealMeat.
“But seriously, how the hell do you beat the bug boss?”
“You’re still stuck on that?”
“Come on, Beta Champion—give us some tips.”
“Games are all about instinct.”
“Yeah, well, it’s an RPG, so it’s brutal… I’m too introverted for this stuff.”
Introverted, huh? From the same marksman who sparked controversy by throwing white rice at the opposing team yelling, “You’re my meal!”
I cleaned out my ear, wondering if I heard right.
“But still, isn’t it fun?”
“Super fun. Feels like it’s improving my social skills.”
“Yeah, you could definitely use that.”
“Hey! Anyway, I don’t know what to do half the time, so I just lie on some swamp leaves and pretend I’m camping. Passes time pretty well. But now that the world expansion’s started, there are too many restricted maps. …Maybe Season 3 will be more fun. Wanna duo queue with me when you’re free?”
“You’re into camping too? But… I already have someone to duo with.”
“What?! Who?”
“Someone. I’m married.”
“GASP.”
“In-game, obviously. Ugh, I gotta get going now.”
I zipped up the jerky bag and bolted out of the office like my life depended on it.
Outside the back entrance, Kessler was waiting. He could’ve been doing something else, but instead, he just stared straight ahead—right at the spot I’d come out from.
The moment the elevator doors opened, I ran.
“Gahahah.”
“Hehe.”
Kessler gently patted my head a few times as I fell into his arms.
“My life is such a mess. I wake up and play games, go to work and play more games, and then at night I mess around with my bunny-like boyfriend.”
“Since when am I a bunny?”
“You look like a gentle bunny every time you smile.”
“First time I’ve heard that.”
Our hands found each other without a word, fingers naturally intertwining, and together we began our quiet walk into the night.
