Translator: She.Wee
Chapter 15
As they descended the stairs, Kyungsoo immediately noticed the broadcasting room on the right. His eyes gleamed for a moment before he abruptly changed his demeanor and grabbed Noeul’s wrist.
“Ah, you shouldn’t do that here…”
“If I win, let me go.”
Noeul frowned as he carefully observed the place Kyungsoo pointed to.
“Alright. But if I win, you have to give up and do everything I want today.”
The outcome of the game was purely based on luck. The odds were fifty-fifty. Kyungsoo returned to the clubroom, this time dragging Noeul along, causing the members’ eyes to widen in surprise. Among them, some seemed to be Noeul’s friends, as Kyungsoo overheard someone whisper, “That guy won every game except one.”
The two took turns inserting plastic swords into a hole. Each time a sword clicked into place, Kyungsoo held his breath. When there were only three holes left, he cautiously inserted another sword. Suddenly, the barrel figure jumped up like a rocket, striking Kyungsoo’s forehead with its head. One of the club members who had been watching couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Your phone dropped.”
As Kyungsoo rubbed his forehead with a frustrated expression, Noeul picked up the fallen phone and handed it to him. The screen lit up, and a preview of a guild chat message popped up.
「HalloweenBranch: By the way, Sunset is getting unbanned this month.」
“Sunset?”
Noeul blinked as he looked at the screen and muttered. Kyungsoo snatched the phone back and asked, “You don’t know who that is?”
Noeul only stared at him in silence. Considering that he often left comments on posts in the free board, it didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t know…
“Do you really not know? When did you start stalking me again?”
The word “stalking” made the student helping with the game flinch and turn his head toward Kyungsoo. Just as their eyes seemed to lock in the air, Noeul stepped between them, blocking their gaze. Scratching his cheek, Noeul replied, “Um… a few months ago? I think it was around the start of summer vacation.”
“Then I guess it’s possible you don’t know. Sunset was banned before that.”
When Cheon Noeul started playing the game, Sunset was already gone, so it was understandable that he didn’t know. If Noeul had started playing a bit earlier, he might have encountered Sunset. With all his money, Noeul kept reviving, and Sunset couldn’t stand watching that. The thought of them meeting made Kyungsoo smirk.
“…What kind of person was he? Did you know him?”
“I didn’t know him personally.”
Their guilds were different, and they had never traded, so there was no connection between them. If Noeul actually asked, “What was Sunset like?” Kyungsoo wouldn’t have much to say. However, he had heard plenty about him.
“But it’s better if you don’t know. That guy was trash.”
“…Why?”
“It’s a long story…”
Sunset had committed so many misdeeds that they could fill a book. When he returns, it’s best to avoid him altogether. Where should he even start? Kyungsoo, still rubbing his stinging forehead, left the broadcasting room. The hallway was crowded, but Noeul made it easier by clearing a path for him with a firm grip on his shoulder.
“Thanks. Hold on a second.”
Kyungsoo searched for “Sunset” on the Illusion homepage and hit enter.
Look at this, ‘Sunbal*’.
He clicked on a post with an attached picture, and a familiar character appeared on the screen. Despite his behavior, the character was dressed entirely in white, from head to toe. With cloud-like fluffy white hair, drooping silver eyes, and angel wings that were considered Sunset’s trademark.
Sunset was a ‘Moon Fairy.’ Moon Fairy was a magic-based class that played a harp to either kill enemies or give buffs. In the idle animation, it floated in the air, leaning on a harp made from moon fragments. Even the harp had a ‘sparkling’ item effect, making it shine. Based on appearances alone, Sunset looked like an angel. Kyungsoo showed Noeul the character’s appearance and said,
“This is Sunbal. He usually stays in the guild zone, so if you see this guy, run. Since he’s a Moon Fairy, he floats in the air, so you should spot him on the minimap. I doubt he’ll have changed his ways when he returns.”
“…Sunbal?”
“Oh, it’s short for Sunset the F***ing Bastard. Some also call him SunF***.”
As Kyungsoo scrolled down, a post written two days ago caught his eye. The moment he read the title, he burst out laughing.
“Hey, check this out.”
“…….”
Title: Guys, I found something huge. I think ThousandSunsets is Sunset;;;
Author: Saru/Dark Knight
Content: Don’t think I’m spouting nonsense. Please, just hear me out T.T. None of my guildmates believe me, so I’m posting here… So, here’s why I think that. I was bitching Sunbal with a friend when we wondered, ‘Did Sunset really quit the game? Maybe he’s playing under a different account.’ Then I happened to watch a video that Poseidon posted on the board recently….
(Video)
Compare it with this oneㅇㅇ It’s an old video of Sunset’s gameplay, and doesn’t the movement look similar?? The side jump + paralyzing strike followed by the backflip and stab….
ThousandSunsets was terrible at the game before, but suddenly he got good…? When I think about it, I’ve never seen ThousandSunsets use or dodge skills before. It seemed like he wasn’t even trying to avoid attacks, but now I kind of get why. Why bother leveling a new character when you can just come back as Sunset?
The timing also matches. Sunset got banned, and then right after, the ThousandSunsets account was created;;; It all fits together so well that it gave me chills and kept me up last night.
Anyway, this is just my theory, but I was like, ‘Huh, ThousandSunsets suddenly got good? Oh, he must have learned from watching Sunset’s videos…’ and was going to leave it at that. But then look at this:
(Photo)
(Photo)
LOL LOL LOL caught, right???;;;
(14 comments have been posted)
-?? Caught what?
└The creepy way they say hello after killing someone;;; It’s eerie;;
└What do you mean? So now saying hello makes you Sunset? You’re the eerie one T_T
-Hello~ LOLOL Am I Sunset now? LOLOLOL
└Sunset hi
└Does saying hi also make you Sunset? lol
└Apparently, yeah. Is there a Sunset meetup soon? LOLOL
-Lying again even though you slept well~!
└I’m not lying T_T!
-SpadeQueen: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
-Shit LOLOL Our sub-guild master’s here LOLOL
└HAHAHA I’d laugh too… At least make your story believable.
– HAHA Delusional^^ We’ve already confirmed the PVP was done by a stand-in, get up to date~
└Then how do you explain Poseidon’s guild leader getting sliced up? Was that a stand-in too? LOL
└Yeah
└That makes no sense; this is frustrating.
“They’re saying you’re Sunset.”
“Haha… Ahaha, what nonsense.”
Noeul knew it was ridiculous. It was exactly that—nonsense. Given Noeul’s past skill level, it was even more absurd. Kyungsoo, smiling brightly, glanced back and said, “Yeah, you were too convincingly bad to have been faking it. So, I just decided to believe you got struck by lightning. It’s the only thing that makes sense!”
“…Ah, right.”
“Moon Fairy is typically a buffing class, but Sunset was an offensive Moon Fairy.”
“Really? I liked the idle motion.”
“Don’t even think about copying it. It’s a trash class, and most people can’t handle it.”
Mage classes are divided into buff trees and attack trees. If you follow the buff tree, the final third-class advancement splits into Healer and Moon Fairy. Most people choose Healer because it specializes in healing and buffing, while Moon Fairy is only capable of self-healing and has specialized buffs. Both classes have offensive skills, but hardly anyone focuses on them.
“But hyung, you sure know a lot about Sunset.”
“You think it’s funny that I know this?”
“It just makes me happy.”
Hearing Noeul laugh out loud made Kyungsoo feel a bit strange. He blinked and then remembered the event news.
“By the way, there’s a new event today…”
Noeul, recognizing the topic, answered quickly, “The Chuseok Songpyeon Event is the same as last year, and there’s a new five-player team time attack event. It’s a ranking event.”
“Really? But how do you know it’s the same as last year?”
“People said so. They said it’s exactly the same…”
“Songpyeon is boring. They’re just reusing the event because they don’t want to bother with new monsters. This game is so lazy.”
“Hyung, you haven’t made a team yet, right? Let’s do it together.”
If it’s a time attack event for a team of five, the priority is to clear it as quickly as possible. No wonder everyone was eager to team up with me. Although the cooldown is a bit long, taking down the monsters lured by Berserker is effective for saving time. We’d need one healer to buff and the rest would be strong damage dealers.
“When does it start?”
“The Songpyeon event starts at noon tomorrow, and the Autumn Leaves Time Attack starts next weekend.”
“There’s still time, then. We can form a team slowly. When does my legendary pet get released?”
“Tomorrow. Come over to my place after it’s over. …Shall we go here next?”
Noeul pointed to the classroom on the right. Just thinking about the legendary pet that would be mine by tomorrow made me feel more generous. Kyungsoo smiled and replied.
“Let’s go if you want.”
It was a game where you throw a dart, which had a suction cup at the end, at a rotating roulette to win a prize. You only get one dart, so there’s only one chance.
“Noeul, what a surprise! Weren’t you heading home?”
It was a friend who had been with Noeul earlier. The friend twitched the corners of his eyes at Noeul and handed him a dart. Since Kyungsoo had already thrown earlier and won a prize for his friend, he declined to take another dart out of conscience.
“Don’t act like you know me at school when I’m with Hyung.”
At Noeul’s stern words, his friend’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“You crazy… Yesterday you said not to act like you know me outside. Oh, hi Hyung. I’m Noeul’s friend.”
Noeul’s friend bowed his head in greeting, and Kyungsoo also bowed his head in response. Noeul frowned slightly as if something was bothering him and muttered.
“Why is Kyungsoo hyung your hyung?”
“What, should I just call him ‘hey’? Right, Hyung? Technically, Noeul, he’s not your hyung either.”
“It’d be a disaster if he was.”
Kyungsoo pinched the back of Noeul’s hand. No matter how much you like me, you can’t show it at school. Do you want to die? At Kyungsoo’s cold gaze, Noeul’s eyes drooped, crestfallen. Kyungsoo firmly whispered into his ear.
“Don’t get it twisted, Cheon Noeul. I’m not your friend or anything else. I’m just hanging out with you. If you let it slip at school that you like me, you’re the one who’ll suffer.”
“…Hyung, please spin the roulette.”
At that, Kyungsoo stood beside the roulette with Noeul’s friend. The first prize was a gift certificate, the second was a snack shop voucher, and the rest were various snacks. Kyungsoo grabbed the roulette wheel and gave it a strong spin.
With a series of clicks, the roulette spun round and round. Noeul adjusted his posture and stared at Kyungsoo with determination. Feeling something strange about Noeul watching him instead of the roulette, Kyungsoo noticed just in time as Noeul swung his arm and threw the dart. Instead of flying toward the roulette, the dart zoomed straight toward him.
“Huh…?”
The other club members murmured as if witnessing something bizarre, and Noeul’s friend fell to the floor clutching his stomach in laughter. Rubbing his forehead, which seemed to be enduring a series of unfortunate events today, Kyungsoo shuddered.
“What? Why didn’t it stick? It stuck to my hand just fine.”
“Why would it stick to a person?”
Kyungsoo picked up the dart that had hit his forehead and stuck it onto Noeul’s forehead instead.
“…Oh? It sticks?”
Kyungsoo flicked the dart, which was firmly attached to Noeul’s forehead, several times with his fingers. Then, when he finally pulled it off, there was a ‘pop’ sound and a red mark remained on Noeul’s forehead. Noeul’s friend, who had been laughing and pointing at him, stopped once Noeul’s face hardened. Noeul then tried to coax Kyungsoo into going home to play games. While hesitating since they had come to watch a special performance, his friend suddenly jumped into the conversation.
“I’m coming too!”
“Why would you come?”
Noeul’s friend knew it’d be quicker to persuade Kyungsoo than to deal with Noeul, so he turned his head and spoke to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but be impressed by how sociable he was.
“Hyung, can I come too? You’re going to play Illusion, right?”
“How did you know?”
“I also play that game! I’ve heard so much about you from Noeul. My in-game nickname is ‘SpadeQueen,’ have you heard of it?”
“Oh, are you Noeul’s ‘quiz friend’?”
Right? When Kyungsoo turned to look at Noeul, Noeul’s face stiffened. At Kyungsoo’s words, his friend’s lips twitched as he stifled a laugh.
“Heh, quiz friend….”
His friend continued to chuckle for a while before finally nodding his head.
*
Cheon Noeul’s friend’s name was Jung Minjae. After receiving a call from his friends that something came up, Kyungsoo couldn’t stay for the performance and was dragged to a PC café by the two of them. Noeul made Kyungsoo sit next to him and placed Minjae in the seat behind them. When Kyungsoo asked why they came to the PC café instead of going home as planned, Minjae mumbled a response in place of Noeul.
“That guy really hates having people over at his house….”
“Who? Cheon Noeul?”
It was the first time Kyungsoo had heard that. He looked at Minjae curiously, and Minjae nodded his head.
“That guy changes his house’s password all the time!”
“Hyung, that’s because he keeps sneaking in without permission….”
As far as Kyungsoo knew, Noeul lived alone and got lonely easily. That’s why he liked meeting people, enjoyed physical affection, and couldn’t sleep with the lights off. How could you be his friend and not know that? That’s strange…. Kyungsoo turned his head toward Noeul and asked.
“Do you dislike having people over?”
“No! It’s fine if it’s you, hyung. He’s just too dirty….”
Well, there are people who treat other people’s homes like their own messy room and then leave it without cleaning up. Minjae turned around with a hurt look and stared at Kyungsoo when he muttered this. As soon as he logged into the game, guild members sent party invites. Kyungsoo declined them all.
[Guild] PoseidonCaptain: Huh? Did you already form a team, Meowie?
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Not yet.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: I’m here with a friend, so no party invites.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: T_T….
[Guild] neutaaaa: T_T….
‘ThousandSunsets has invited you to join the party. Do you accept?’
The only party members so far were Noeul and Kyungsoo. Noeul teleported to the middle of the village where Kyungsoo was standing and started buzzing around him restlessly.
‘SpadeQueen has joined the party.’
[Party] SpadeQueen: Where are you?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Isis.
[Party] SpadeQueen: Okay.
Where? Isis. “I.” They communicated through abbreviations only. Their conversation was completely devoid of warmth. When SpadeQueen warped to Isis Village and found Noeul, Kyungsoo’s mouth dropped slightly.
“Melody?”
The name “Melody” sparkled beside the guild tag. Melody was a guild that had once held the number one spot without ever losing it. Although they had dropped in rankings recently due to the disappearance of their guild master, they were still as well-known as Poseidon in the game. Currently, they were not accepting new members, which made them even more exclusive.
A dark knight, SpadeQueen, stood above a swirling black hole. Melody’s SpadeQueen. A dark knight….
“What? Isn’t he the vice-guild master of Melody?”
Kyungsoo mumbled in surprise. At this, Noeul blinked emotionlessly and responded.
“Yes.”
Come to think of it, there were occasional posts on the free board that said, ‘ThousandSunsets hangs out with Melody members late at night. What’s up with that?’ A friend playing the same game and also being the vice-guild master of Melody was a surprise. After Kyungsoo logged off to sleep, Noeul usually stayed in the game for a few more hours before going to bed.
“So, Minjae, you’re the one who made Cheon Noeul into a decent player? You were friends all along.”
“…Minjae?”
“A decent player?”
Noeul frowned, and Minjae responded with a mischievous grin.
“You’re the one who hung out with him late at night, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Seems like it worked out better than me teaching him. I was wondering why his skills improved so quickly.”
Well, that explains why Noeul’s skills suddenly improved. Since they were actual friends, Minjae could freely criticize and teach him harshly without holding back, which seemed to have worked. Noeul muttered grumpily as he slashed at Minjae’s character.
“No hyung, you’re misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding? Even if you’re friends, you should at least say thank you properly. You wouldn’t have come this far without him.”
“……”
“Say thank you.”
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Thx;
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL OK OK~
Thanks to Noeul’s diligent leveling, the three of them were able to enter the party dungeon. Noeul, however, was unusually silent today, focusing solely on defeating monsters. The word “Melody” floating above SpadeQueen’s head felt fresh every time Kyungsoo saw it. There was one person who contributed to Melody’s fame.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Do you know someone named Sunset?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yeah, I heard about it.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: ?
“Oh, of course, I know them.”
Minjae turned around in his seat to answer. Because of that, SpadeQueen was hit by the boss monster’s attack and thrown to the edge of the screen.
“Just type it in the chat.”
Minjae clicked his tongue in regret and turned back to his keyboard. Meanwhile, Noeul’s furious typing echoed loudly. Soon after, Minjae burst out laughing.
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL LOL LOL
[Party] SpadeQueen: What are you curious about?
Kyungsoo had plenty of questions. Who is Sunset? What are they doing now after being banned? And also….
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Is Sunset really a psycho?
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL LOL LOL Psycho LOL
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Psycho…?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Psychopath, yeah.
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL LOL LOL
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL LOL LOL LOL
[Party] ThousandSunsets: LOL….
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: What’s so funny?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: I know, right?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: But you laughed too.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: LOL….
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL LOL LOL
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Stop laughing and answer.
Is he even planning on giving us an answer? Or is she just trying to protect her guild master?
[Party] SpadeQueen: Psychopath, lol, it’s true.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Knew it, haha.
Even the vice guild master of Melody thought so.
[Party] SpadeQueen: I didn’t think you would know Sunset, lol.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Of course I do; everyone knows about the rumors.
[Party] SpadeQueen: Haha, so what do you think of our guild master?
What do I think? I don’t really have much of an opinion, but since I’m talking to the vice guild master of Melody, should I be polite, or should I just be honest? After a brief hesitation, Kyungsoo chose the latter.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Not a fan…
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Why?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: I’d be crazy to be a Sunset fan.
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Haha.
[Party] SpadeQueen: LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL.
[Party] SpadeQueen: Crazy Sunset fan, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL.
Cheon Noeul was unusually quiet today. Even on the way home late that night, Noeul remained silent, lost in thought. It felt strange for someone who usually talked non-stop to suddenly be so quiet.
Was it because of the hit on the forehead earlier?
T/N: Sunbal is a combination word made by combining Sunset and Ssibal (a strong curse word in Korean equivalent to fuck in English).
Lol I just copy paste from doc as I edit the Chapters there and then just post it. But while I did that today and was just about upload I noticed that the chapter wasn’t edited at all. ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ I spent 2 hours editing it here and it took that much time cause I wasn’t doing it on doc. LOL . Feel free to read ahead at my patreon~
