by Park Saenal
“You can drive me up to your destination. Please let me ride in your car. I have something to say.”
“…Yes.”
Youngwoo couldn’t refuse.
***
“Why is Shin Youngwoo so late?”
During high school, Lee Junho had cursed and assaulted his classmates. He was a terrible person. There wasn’t one person who hadn’t needed to pay money to Lee Junho. It was hard for even the seniors and teachers to go against him. He also used violence against his few friends, Sim Kiwan and Choi Chansung.
His violent streak didn’t improve after graduating from high school and going to the army and university. Before he knew it, he was 27 years old and still couldn’t adapt to society, constantly changing jobs.
Lee Junho worked in a PC room, convenience store, gas station and so on, until one day he suddenly realized.
‘I am nothing.’
When he was a student, everything was okay when he fought. Regardless of their gender, everyone was under his feet. He could do what he wanted.
But the situation was different when he entered society.
Those who studied hard during high school could get a suitable job, but there was no company that would accept Lee Junho, who knew nothing but fighting. Whenever he fought, he was dragged to the police station and forced to pay a settlement.
As it turned out, he wasn’t the best in fighting either. He went to the gym to learn martial arts, but there were countless people present.
Lee Junho started to become anxious.
He couldn’t get a job or do anything well, so would he be able to marry anyone? He couldn’t even afford to worry about his marriage funds, since he might starve to death in a few years. If he managed to survive, he would struggle to cope with an old and lonely life.
Lee Junho kept drinking as he imagined the worst situation. He couldn’t sleep without the alcohol.
Then two years ago.
He was able to shake off all his worries once he met Shin Youngwoo at the reunion. For the first time in a long time, he saw someone below him. At least Lee Junho wasn’t in debt. But Shin Youngwoo had a large debt and was obsessed with games.
Junho could feel assured when looking at Youngwoo.
‘Aren’t I at least better than him?’
It really was like magic. Since he met Youngwoo, Junho was able to fall asleep without drinking. No matter how terrible his life was, he could bear it at the thought of Youngwoo having it worse.
And now.
Junho lived a life that was almost the same as two years ago. He was still wandering around jobs. He was already in his late 20s. Soon he would be 30 years old. Instead of saving money, he still couldn’t find proper work.
He couldn’t resist cursing or assaulting a customer when working in a convenience store or at a PC room counter. Then he needed to pay the settlements. His pride was badly hurt when working at a gas station. He was covered in oil, unlike his peers. In addition, he was irritated whenever he saw young men or women in foreign cars. Labor was worse. People who did labor work were middle-aged losers who weren’t expecting much from their life.
As such, Junho was trying to change the situation. However, he was aware that it was hard, so he got caught up in anxiety and started to rely on alcohol again. He needed a prescription. He had to meet Youngwoo. He would be able to laugh at Youngwoo with his fellow high school classmates and forget his worries.
The other alumni were in a similar position. Junho might be in the worst situation, but they were all uneasy about their futures. They wanted to meet Youngwoo.
The reunion location of the Heroes High School 45th graduation class. Lee Junho, the secretary of the Alumni Association, was nervous when Youngwoo didn’t show up on time.
“Hey, Kim Ahyoung. Are you sure Youngwoo is coming?”
Ahyoung ridiculed him, “I’m not sure. I don’t know if he can come because you decided on this meeting place.”
It was a garden restaurant outside the city. A person without their own car would have to take a taxi to get here. It was doubtful if the debt-ridden Youngwoo could afford the taxi fee.
Lee Junho, who deliberately selected this meeting place, started to feel belated regret.
“That pathetic guy… He can’t even afford a taxi?”
At that moment.
“Wow! Look over there!”
The alumni started to make a fuss as they looked out the window. Lee Junho and Kim Ahyoung also looked out the window. They witnessed a black vehicle enter the parking lot.
“13 series…!”
A limited edition car worth 800 million won! Lee Junho had seen a lot of foreign cars while working at the gas station, but he never saw a car of this degree.
‘Shit! There are bastards like this everywhere I go!’
Lee Junho shook his head at the thought that the 13 series would be a 2nd generation conglomerate’s car, while Kim Ahyoung had hearts in her eyes.
‘My life will be set if I can marry a guy with a car like that. When can I date a guy like that?’
Then the car stopped at one side of the parking lot. Everyone was shocked. The person who descended from the driver’s seat was Shin Youngwoo!
“W-What…?”
Lee Junho stood up and cried out. How did Shin Youngwoo, a debt ridden game loser, come in such a luxury car?
“No way!”
It was clear that he stole it. Lee Junho and all the alumni thought so.
But Ahyoung thought differently. ‘He paid off his debt and got a job… It wasn’t a lie? But how good is his job that he can afford a car like that?’
Ahyoung’s brain was spinning fast.
‘Anyway, it is good. Youngwoo likes me… He doesn’t have any dating experience, so it’ll be easy to catch him, then my life will be set. Okay, I will make him my man.’
At that moment, a woman came down from the passenger seat. Ahyoung became desperate the moment she saw the woman’s beauty. On the other hand, Junho and the other alumni had to spit out their water.
“Pfft!!”
“W-What is this?”
Why were they so shocked? It was due to the identity of the woman in the passenger seat. She was Yura. Her beauty could be recognized even at a distance. There was a halo around her. That was a suitable saying to describe her beauty.
“H-How did this happen?”
No one could understand this situation. As everyone was confused, Yura leaned up and kissed Youngwoo. After a while, a big limousine appeared and took Yura away.
“T-This scene…?”
In the eyes of others, it looked like Yura left the car after enjoying a date with Youngwoo. The imagination of Youngwoo’s fellow alumni ran wild.
‘Did Youngwoo manage to seduce Yura? Did Yura pay off his debt and buy that car for him?’
‘How did he come into contact with a woman like Yura? The worlds they live in are completely different, so there is no place where they could meet. No, maybe… Is Youngwoo actually the young master of a rich house? Is Youngwoo just pretending to be a normal high school and university student with a debt?’
‘Maybe… Youngwoo could form a relationship with Yura because of Satisfy…’
‘Yes. Youngwoo’s time playing Satisfy wasn’t in vain. He met Yura in Satisfy, their relationship developed to lovers and this moved to reality…’
‘Damn! If I unconditionally played Satisfy instead of working, could I be like Youngwoo?’
Youngwoo finally entered the restaurant. Youngwoo already knew that the alumni in the restaurant had witnessed the scene outside, so he waved leisurely.
“Have you been well?”
“…”
This was Youngwoo? He looked and acted completely different from before. No one was able to talk to Youngwoo, who sat on the side. They just looked at him. Then Youngwoo, holding a cup of wine in his hand, extended another cup to Lee Junho.
“Hasn’t it been a while? Have a cup.”
“Eh? Y-Yes. Yes…”
‘I didn’t want to see him for this…’
Anger boiled inside Junho’s heart. Youngwoo emptied his glass and said to Junho. “Come on, have a drink. But how are you doing these days? You still haven’t fixed your habit of biting your nails? You’re getting older, so you should stop it. Isn’t that right?”
Lee Junho snapped and got up from his seat. Then he grabbed Youngwoo and snarled.
“You bastard! I don’t know what happened but don’t pretend to be elite! I will kill you!”
In the past, Youngwoo would be angry and afraid. But now he was different. He was a man. In particular, for adult men, abilities became power and confidence. Those who had the ability wouldn’t shrink back easily in any situation.
“Why are you so mad? Look back at all the words and actions you’ve made against me. Do you have any idea how angry I was?”
“…!”
At that moment, Junho reflexively shrunk back from the look in Youngwoo’s eyes. It was because the appearance of a man flashed through his mind. The psychopath in the skull helmet who beat him up in Kesan Canyon! The look in Youngwoo’s eyes was like the psychopath who recently shattered the Giant Guild in Winston.
‘Is this possible? That bastard is him?’
Junho noticed Youngwoo’s identity and backed away. Junho, the madman who couldn’t be controlled, retreated like a dog. It was hard to believe. To the alumni, Youngwoo felt like a different person than before.
Then Youngwoo started laughing.
“This wine tastes good. What are you doing? Aren’t you drinking?”
Youngwoo had suffered many difficulties over the years. The memory of being bullied by the alumni was his biggest trauma. But on this day, he was able to perfectly overcome that trauma, resulting in a psychologically more stable and mature Youngwoo.
This growth was sure to be a great help to him when playing Satisfy in the future.
***
‘Did this help him?’
A little while ago, Yura had descended from the car and narrowed the distance to Youngwoo to get rid of a piece of dust in his hair. The angle from the restaurant made it seem like a kiss.
Yura smiled as she remembered the help she received from Shin Youngwoo at the Yatan Temple in the past.
‘My debt has been paid.’
Yura had accomplished various feats with her own power. She wanted to get rid of the weak memory of receiving help from another. Thus, she kept paying attention to Grid and after a recent investigation, she determined that she could pay off the debt in this form.
Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Most of the people attending the reunion were intent on making fun of me. However, now that I got rid of my debtor status and succeeded, no one could make fun of me. Thus, the reunion lost its primary purpose and became very awkward.
In particular, Lee Junho couldn’t say anything and left first after finishing his glass of alcohol. Since then, the mood slowly changed. They noticed Lee Junho leaving and started to bombard me with questions.
“How did you appear with the 13 series? Did you win the lottery or something? Weren’t you struggling with a debt the last time I saw you?”
“Youngwoo, have you become a ranker in Satisfy? Did you get a lot of money from recording broadcasts? Will we see you on TV sooner or later?”
“What’s your relationship with Yura? Are you two really dating?”
“Dating the woman who is every man’s romance… I can’t imagine how superior you feel…”
Curiosity, envy, and jealousy were all showing in the alumni’s eyes. As I was enjoying this situation, some people from my school days who I thought were friends spoke to me.
“Hey~ Youngwoo, do you remember how close we were in school? It was fun at the time… Don’t you miss it sometimes? Should we hang out together sometime?”
“Oh! This is good! Everyone became distant after going to the army and university, so this will be good!”
“Hehe, you should bring Yura when we hang out. Isn’t it natural to introduce your lover to your friends? Huhuhu.”
“Hey, you know… Can I drive the car? I always wanted to drive the 13 series… Huh? Just five minutes is okay. Please.”
These guys turned away and tormented me like the others when I needed help, now they wanted to be friends again. I definitively put them down.
“You want to come over here and play like we’re friends now? Just shut up. Like everyone else, you are looking at me with jealousy. I’m here just to laugh at you.”
“What?”
“Ha! What’s with this bastard’s tone? Are you acting like this now that you’re doing well?”
I used my words to strike them where it hurt, and they were upset by it. I scoffed at them, saying, “Isn’t it funny how you sound just like Lee Junho when he was talking earlier? Why did you laugh at me and ignore me until I started doing well? In the first place, weren’t you the bastards harassing people? Huh? Now look at yourselves. Do you think I can be disregarded by you anymore?”
“You…!”
The faces of the alumni went red as they grew angry; however, they couldn’t argue against me.
“You are the bastards who feel superior when harassing people inferior to you.”
I was cold. I had no doubt that after this alumni reunion, my relationship with them was over. I took my coat and left.
Buaaaaaang!
I returned to 23 and started it. After setting the destination in the navigation as my home, I chose the automatic driving function. I was about to depart when someone tapped on my window. It was Ahyoung. I rolled the window down and Ahyoung looked at me with anxious eyes.
“Are you leaving?”
‘Kim Ahyoung…’
Only a few days ago, she was the object of my love. I loved her so much that I dreamed of dating and marrying her more than 100 times. But interestingly, I didn’t feel any emotions towards her now.
Once I realized she wasn’t who I thought she was, disappointment, betrayal and any lingering emotions disappeared.
“The kids who used to disregard me are now envious. The ones who forsake me are now clinging to me. I have to leave because I am finished getting revenge. If I stay here longer then blows will keep being exchanged. It is a waste of time.”
When I liked Ahyoung, I couldn’t meet her eyes properly. My heart throbbed and I could only babble nonsense. But now it was different. There were no emotions, so I could look into her eyes and talk clearly.
“Stay well Ahyoung. I liked you.”
Ahyoung grabbed me as I was leaving. “L-Liked? Why is it past tense? Are you saying you don’t like me anymore? I…! I like you!”
The fact that Ahyoung was my first love wouldn’t change, even if she trampled on my heart. I wanted to leave with as good a memory as every, without ruining her illusions. I was blinded by love for 13 years, so I didn’t want to leave any room for her to cling onto me.
“Can’t you see? I have Yura now, the sky that you can’t be compared to. It would be foolish of me to leave her. I don’t have any feelings for you.”
“Youngwoo, you…!”
I spoke as cynically as possible. Then I left the sad and hurt Ahyoung.
“This is the end for us.”
The connection between me and you, which was a bad link in the past, was cleanly cut off. Now it was a fresh start.
On the way back home, I recalled the conversation I previously had with Yura,
“After the Tzedakah Guild succeeded in the raid against Malacus, the forces of the Yatan Church rapidly weakened. Therefore, the Tzedakah Guild is now the Yatan Church’s main enemy. The Yatan Church will surely retaliate against the Tzedakah Guild, and as everyone expected, I am the Yatan Church’s Eighth Servant. Conflict between us is inevitable.”
“Then did you come to me to declare war? D-Do you
want to kill me here? No matter how angry you are in the game, isn’t it too much to kill people in reality?”
“…Don’t make people into killers. I just want to pay back my debt from when we fought before.”
“Debt?”
“During the quest in the Yatan Temple… Didn’t you log out despite beating me in order to help me clear the quest? Thanks to that, I was able to consolidate my position in the Yatan Church and become the Eighth Servant. You are a great benefactor to me, so it is hard for me to point a weapon at you.”
“I deliberately logged out to help your quest? What does that even mean?”
Yura firmly misunderstood something.
“At that time, I wasn’t intending to help your quest. You owe me nothing.”
I didn’t know how Yura misunderstood this fact, but I wanted to resolve this misunderstanding because I didn’t want to be connected with her. However, she was already deep into her deluded fantasy.
“I don’t know why you are denying it. Even if you didn’t intend to help me like you just said, it doesn’t change the fact that I was helped by you, so I’ll pay off this debt.”
Yura had a very selfish nature. In the end, I could only nod.
“I guess words won’t work. Okay, I understand. Do what you want. Then I can cut this bad connection sooner. How are you planning to pay off the debt?”
“Bad connection…?”
Yura frowned like she didn’t like it. She was so beautiful that even this made me amazed.
‘She is a scam…’
Yura explained her plan while I was admiring her.
“After war breaks out between the Yatan Church and the Tzedakah Guild, I won’t kill you. I can’t kill my benefactor, after all. Although, there might be some situations where fighting is unavoidable.”
“…You’ll spare me? Wow, I’m so thankful that I’m on the verge of tears.”
The role I played in the Tzedakah Guild was a blacksmith, not a soldier. I didn’t plan to involve myself in any guild activities unless I was directly affected, like the recent incident with the Giant Guild. It was 100 times more profitable to make items compared to fighting, so I would rather be the guild’s blacksmith. There was no chance of Yura and I meeting in a war.