Chapter 13

I couldn't believe it, so I rubbed my eyes and looked back at the monitor, but the nickname was still stuck there in my friends list.

Only then did I remember that I was the one who sent the friend request message yesterday.

"No way, this bastard…?"

Did he just leave my friend request pending and wait until I left the guild, only to hit accept right after?

"…Hah."

No matter how I looked at it, that was the only explanation that made sense. I let out a hollow laugh, baffled, and responded in the chat.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: This guy's a total lunatic…

He must've caught on to what I meant, because he replied right away.

[Yu Chae]: hehe thanks

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Not a compliment;

[JeoJolryeoYo]: I'm deleting you

Thanks, my ass. Once the shock wore off, all I was left with was irritation. My desire to play completely vanished.

[Yu Chae]: Hyung
[Yu Chae]: Just a sec.
[Yu Chae]: Hyung!

I was trying to delete from my friends list, but he kept spamming new messages that blocked my view.

[Yu Chae]: Can you just hear me out, please?
[Yu Chae]: I really helped you a lot over the past week...
[Yu Chae]: Just this once, please

"…."

I squinted at the desperate tone in his messages. What's he trying to pull now?

'…Well, it's true he helped me out a lot over the past week.'

Not just with raids—he gave me a ton of items, too.

Thinking back, I felt a twinge of guilt. Listening to what he had to say wouldn't hurt.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Fine, go ahead then

[Yu Chae]: Join our guild.

…This crazy bastard, seriously.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: We're done, bye

Of course. I clicked my tongue and finally made up my mind to delete him, but then another message popped up.

[Yu Chae]: lol okay okay, I'm kidding
[Yu Chae]: Well, not really kidding about the guild thing. I do mean that
[Yu Chae]: Anyway, hyung
[Yu Chae]: Are you mad?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: What do you think? Would you not be pissed?

[Yu Chae]: I don't think I'd be pissed?

And this bastard thinks he's in the right? The nerve. I pulled my hands away from the keyboard, taken aback by my own sudden urge to rant like an old boomer.

…Calm down. I had a lot of things I wanted to say since yesterday anyway. I didn't want this to turn into just some angry shouting match—this might be the last conversation we have.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Because of you
[JeoJolryeoYo]: I was even considering deleting this character and starting over

[Yu Chae]: Please don't

[JeoJolryeoYo]: I'm still a total noob who hasn't even hit max level
[JeoJolryeoYo]: But all this bullshit happened before I even got to play properly
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Of course I'm pissed, you get that right?

"Crap."

So much for staying calm—I went from zero to full rage in a second.

But can you blame me? Who wouldn't explode in a situation like this?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Just tell me the reason
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Why are you doing this to me?

[Yu Chae]: The reason?
[Yu Chae]: Obviously, because you joined another guild
[Yu Chae]: I hate guild wars too
[Yu Chae]: But there was no other way to make you leave Hanmaeum without causing trouble for you

[JeoJolryeoYo]: lol what?
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Not causing me trouble? You really think that's true?

[Yu Chae]: But didn't you… not really get hurt in the end?

Is this guy for real? I was the one getting more and more bewildered by the conversation.

[Yu Chae]: Did you see the post on SasaTalk (the gossip board)?
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Yeah
[Yu Chae]: No one's bad-mouthing you there
[Yu Chae]: They're all bashing me and Hanmaeum, right?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: That's obvious;
[JeoJolryeoYo]: And just because they're not flaming me doesn't mean that's the whole picture

[Yu Chae]: Everyone else feels the same as the people on SasaTalk
[Yu Chae]: I was already the one getting crap all the time anyway
[Yu Chae]: And Hanmaeum just looks like they ditched you 'cause they're scared of me

I stared at his messages in a daze, thinking blankly:

'He's… not wrong, exactly.'

[Yu Chae]: You're just an innocent newbie who got mixed up with old veterans
[Yu Chae]: So you didn't really take any damage, right?
[Yu Chae]: And as for your blocked guild access
[Yu Chae]: That's fixed if you just come back to us lol

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Don't spout nonsense

I almost fell for it. I snapped myself out of it just in time and shot down his sneaky guild offer.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Why are you so obsessed with this guild thing?
[JeoJolryeoYo]: If it's about that selection tournament, just find another newbie
[JeoJolryeoYo]: You're the top-ranked guild—it shouldn't be hard

[Yu Chae]: Selection tournament?

I had already heard a bit about the guardian guild selection tournament earlier from Kim Daeseok, so I kind of got why Yu Chae was doing all this, even stirring up a guild war just to get me.

'I mean, it's not like newbies like me are common.'

I am good at the game, after all. Honestly, if I watched a few videos on how the tournament works, I could probably do just as well as anyone else.

But once again, Yu Chae's reply went completely off-script.

[Yu Chae]: What does the selection tournament have to do with you?

…So it's not about the tournament?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: ?

[Yu Chae]: We're going to win the tournament with or without you anyway

…Well aren't you full of yourself. I scratched my cheek awkwardly at the unexpected humility check.

[Yu Chae]: Those Hanmaeum bastards were the ones trying to use you in the tournament
[Yu Chae]: Somehow they figured out you're good at the game, maybe through rumors or whatever…
[Yu Chae]: It's seriously annoying…

I recalled how welcoming the guild had been. No doubt it was Kim Daeseok who told them I was good.

Didn't they originally say they weren't planning to take in any new members? So that's why they suddenly gave the okay.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Then what's the problem, seriously?

[Yu Chae]: Obviously, it's because I want to play the game with youㅜㅜ

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Please, cut the bullshit already

[Yu Chae]: I'm serious though?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: ?;;
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Are you actually gay or something?

[Yu Chae]: I'm not gay...
[Yu Chae]: But even if I were, so what? What's wrong with being gay?
[Yu Chae]: Don't tell me you've got a problem with that kind of stuff? In this day and age?

This bastard's going off on a tangent again. What? Prejudice?

[JeoJolryeoYo]: There's a difference between someone being gay and telling me to be gay too, isn't there?
[JeoJolryeoYo]: I swear, I've heard everything now, damn it

[Yu Chae]: I'm not gay
[Yu Chae]: I really just want to be close with you, that's all
[Yu Chae]: So come back to the guild

So in the end, it all circles back to asking me to rejoin the guild. I was getting tired of this conversation. I rubbed my sore neck a few times and replied.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: After all that bullshit you pulled on the server, why would I go back?
[JeoJolryeoYo]: It's not just about whether people are flaming me or not
[JeoJolryeoYo]: I was really about to quit the game, and only barely convinced myself to keep playing
[JeoJolryeoYo]: So stop crossing the line and just leave me alone
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Find some other newbie for your selection match
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Got it?

[Yu Chae]: You were going to quit?
[Yu Chae]: Why? Why would you quit?
[Yu Chae]: If it's because of all this, don't do it
[Yu Chae]: In a few days, no one's even going to remember your nickname, including those SasaTalk idiots
[Yu Chae]: Don't quit, hyung
[Yu Chae]: I mean, I'm still playing just fine—why should you be the one to quit?

"…Hah."

This bastard's hung up on the weirdest point again.

'I'm so tired…'

What's the point of keeping this conversation going? It's not like we've even known each other that long—just barely over a week.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Yeah, I'm not quitting
[JeoJolryeoYo]: But if you keep acting like you don't get what I'm saying, I will just shut off the game and delete it
[JeoJolryeoYo]: I'm deleting you from friends
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Don't send another request, and don't hover around me either
[JeoJolryeoYo]: If I see your nickname one more time, I really will quit for good
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Understand?

After about a minute of silence, Yu Chae finally gave me the answer I'd been waiting for.

[Yu Chae]: Okay

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Good. I'm trusting you here
[JeoJolryeoYo]: Please, just let me keep playing without quitting

[Yu Chae]: Okay, I understand.
[Yu Chae]: …I'm sorry.

"...."

That apology left a weird pang in my chest. Why is he suddenly apologizing when he'd been acting all shameless until now?

'…Should've just acted decent from the start.'

But even with this change in tone, there was nothing I could do for him. Honestly, the real issue between us started from the very beginning. If this guy hadn't picked a fight with his nickname, things might've turned out okay.

[JeoJolryeoYo]: Take care

With that final message, I deleted Yu Chae from my friends list for good.

It felt a bit awkward as an ending… but overall, not a bad conclusion. I'd made myself clear, and Yu Chae probably wouldn't bother me anymore.

'…Right?'

But for some reason, I still didn't feel great.

Even after clicking on the red rock to join the raid, I kept opening and closing the now-empty friends list, again and again, with an odd sense of unease.

What is this anxious feeling? With Yu Chae out of the picture, I should finally be able to relax and enjoy the game.

"...."

Even after the raid started, I couldn't focus. Restless and distracted, I ended up spending the entire rest of the day unable to get into the game at all.