Love Games
Translator: She.Wee
—————
Chapter 2: Private Lesson
[Ji9star: What’s up with your nickname, Meowie?]
In the guild chat, Kyungsoo had changed his nickname out of spite to ‘Vice-Guild-Master-Exile,’ and everyone laughed like crazy when they saw it. It was nice to see everyone happy. HalloweenEggplant , the vice-guild master, just laughed and threatened to demote him if he kept acting up. As long as the guild master was too busy to log in, the vice-guild master ruled. Kyungsoo quietly reverted to his original nickname.
[PeaPea: Ah, I wish I was there :-\. To think I could only see the scene where Meowie and Cheon Noeul were fatefully linked through screenshots, it’s so sad I could die ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ]
[Me: Please don’t call me Meowie for a while]
[Ji9star: Everyone, please pay attention to the titles!! Meowie]
[Ji9star has registered a notice: ‘ㅡㅡ Everyone, please pay attention to…See more’]
[Me: I hate that even more, damn it (TT)]
[Ji9star: Even if you hate it, you can’t help it! You can’t always do as you wish in life!]
[Me: What kind of concept is this?]
[Ji9star: That’s what my mom says whenever he nags]
[Me: You all are getting more annoying]
Now, Cheon Noeul could tell whenever Kyungsoo logged into the game. Because the guild announcement window saying ‘MeowieMeowMeow has logged in’ would appear on his screen too. Kyungsoo still didn’t understand why the vice-guild master, HalloweenEggplant , had brought Cheon Noeul into the guild, nor did he want to understand.
[Poseidon Captain: Hahaha did you let Cheon Noeul know about the guild chat?]
[Me: Who would tell him and why? Don’t tell him]
[Ji9star: I actually asked him, and he said it’s okay!]
He already asked? Betrayal welled up inside. No, more importantly… he said it’s okay? I thought he’d eagerly join right away. Everyone was as puzzled as Kyungsoo, filling the chat with question marks.
[Ji9star: Hahaha he said he has someone else he wants to chat with first hahaha]
[Neutaaaa: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[HalloweenEggplant : Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[T/N: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Ji9star: He didn’t tell me who it is (ʘ‿ʘ) so I don’t know, hehe…]
[PeaPea: Hahahahahahahaha I wonder who it could be…. (•‿•) I have no idea (know)…]
[ParkRoach: Wow… who (•‿•) could it be? I’m so curious!!!!]
[Me: Lol]
[HalloweenEggplant : Am I playing Cupid again? (◕ᴗ◕✿)^^]
[Poseidon Captain: I’m glad everyone looks happy.(•‿•)]
The game update window scrolled down. After the update finished, the main server selection window appeared.
[Ji9star: Not to be rude but if we exclude Sunset, we might have a chance… He’s kind of a hindrance…]
[Ji9star: But the baldy joke was funny, so I forgive him haha. Now whenever I see a failure, I call it a baldy lol]
[ParkRoach: ㅡㅡ Who told him to mess with the hair that GM gave…?]
[PeaPea: I admire the Confucian mindset, very fitting]
Since he had logged out on the roof of Isis Village last night, he fell back onto the roof upon logging in.
‘MeowieMeowMeow has logged in.’
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: Hi Meowieㅇㅅㅇ/
My damn navigator.
[Guild] Ji9star: Hi hi
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Hi
But why does he still whisper to me instead of saying hi in the guild chat? When Kyungsoo jumped off the roof, Cheon Noeul, who had warped to the clock tower, used an emoji to say hello. Kyungsoo’s resentment towards the vice-guild master grew a bit more.
In preparation for the upcoming guild war in six days, Cheon Noeul’s stats and skills needed some adjustments. Though it might be tough to reach level 200, raising him to level 180 and completing his third job advancement seemed essential for a decent chance at victory. Kyungsoo decided to help Cheon Noeul power-level and right-clicked on his character to invite him to the party.
‘Cheon Noeul is already in a party, so you cannot invite him.’
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: Are you in a party right now?
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: ??
[Whisper] MeowieMeowMeow: You must be busy then, it’s okay.
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: Oh no I’m not busy
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: Not busy at all
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: Dealing…
[Whisper] ThousandSunsets: No, I was trading (TT) Just a moment!
Trading? What did Cheon Noeul have to buy or sell? Come to think of it, where did all that money come from? Though curious, Kyungsoo soon forgot about it as it wasn’t a big deal.
‘ThousandSunsets has invited you to a party. Do you accept?’
Upon pressing enter, a popup appeared on the left, showing Sunset’s HP and MP.
‘Item acquisition setting has been changed to free acquisition.’
‘The instant dungeon has been reset.’
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Oh….
Kyungsoo was a bit impressed by the continuous setting changes.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Why?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: No, I thought you didn’t know the basic party settings… It’s a bit unexpected LoL
Contrary to Kyungsoo’s expectation that Cheon Noeul would be embarrassed, he paused briefly before just laughing with ‘LOL’.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: So, why did you form a party?ㅇㅅㅇ
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: You need to level up
‘ThousandSunsets, Lv. 105’
However, Cheon Noeul’s level had already increased a bit. He had already reached level 105, close to the second job advancement at level 120.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: When did you level up? Weren’t you barely over 80 yesterday?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: I completed questsㅎㅎ
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Alone?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yepㅎㅎ
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: That must’ve been tough….
With those skills, he somehow managed to surpass level 100. Thinking about how many resurrection items must have been used made Kyungsoo laugh. He right-clicked on Cheon Noeul’s character to open his equipment window.
“It’s a mess.”
He still hadn’t equipped a set suitable for his level and was still using a level 50 weapon. No matter how he looked at it, it was hard to believe he had leveled up alone with those stats and gear.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Let’s aim for your second job advancement today.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Huh, me?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Yes??
[Party] ThousandSunsets: You’re going to help me?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Yes….
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Hahahahahahaha
[Party] ThousandSunsets: I’m at the stage of clearing Parthenon right now Meowie ㅎㅅㅎ!!!
Seeing the word Meowie made his spine tingle again. Cheon Noeul seemed to be in a particularly good mood today, judging by his texts. …I have no choice, I must protect the Berserker I’ve raised with passion and time. Kyungsoo told Cheon Noeul to follow him and moved to the Forest Hot Springs, the path to the Parthenon Temple.
The Forest Hot Springs was an 80-90 level hunting ground, so it was almost deserted. A couple of guild members from Sonata were sitting in front of the portal to the second map, but it seemed like a good place to chat and test skills. Cheon Noeul diligently ran after Kyungsoo’s character, who was flying on a bazooka.
[Guild] Ji9star: Meowie, summon!
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: What’s up?
[Guild] Ji9star: If you’re free, can you run the stump map twice so I can speed-enchant my shoes?
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Are you serious? Speed enchant again??? So sick of it
[Guild] Ji9star: Where else would I use 1% speedㅡㅡ it’s trash (TT) I’m so slow…
[Guild] al0ha: ?
[Guild] Honeymoon: ?
[Guild] KidneyRat: ?
[Guild] Ji9star: What
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Soon you’ll be invisible at this rate;
Kyungsoo paused to reply. A large gate leading to the instant dungeon loomed ahead. Cheon Noeul, who had run ahead, circled back and hovered around Kyungsoo’s character.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Meowie, are you leaving? (TT)
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: No
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: I need to help Sunset with his job advancement right now.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Meowieㅎㅎ
Cheon Noeul’s words suddenly brought back memories, making Kyungsoo’s hands tremble.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Ah, damn it
[Guild] Ji9star: ??
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Nothing
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Since it’s just the second job advancement, it will be over quickly~ Let’s go together afterwards.
[Guild] Ji9star: Okay^^ I’ll run with Neu first then.
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Me?
[Guild] Ji9star: Honey, please accept the party invitationㅇㅅㅇ
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Damn it, who are you? I’m super busy right now;
[Guild] Ji9star: Yet you accepted the party invite super fast^^ Come to the stump dungeonㅎㅎ
Neutaaaa was dragged to the stump dungeon against his will. Cheon Noeul was nearby, hitting some insect monsters. Every hit took away a quarter of his HP. When Kyungsoo gave a light tap with a weak attack, a critical hit occurred, and the monster fell.
“…….”
How weak is this guy, really?
[T/N: His weakness knows no bounds.]
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Let’s go.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yes!
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Since it’s the second job advancement, it will be quick. You’re not doing anything over the weekend, right?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yeah, I’m free all weekend!!
[Party] ThousandSunsets: But… I don’t think the second job advancement will be quick (TT)
[Party] Cheon Noeul: I played all night yesterday and barely reached level 100 ಥ‿ಥ
All night? Since the major patch a month ago, the second job advancement could usually be completed in a day. Although leveling up had become more challenging after that, the difficulty was slightly lowered up to level 120 to attract new players.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: I thought that might be the case.
But for Cheon Noeul, it was possible. He really had no talent for gaming.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Just stay behind and don’t die… I’ll take care of all the mobs.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Just focus on getting the quests.
Kyungsoo opened the item window and turned off the auto-loot function. For now, it seemed more urgent to equip Cheon Noeul with armor and weapons. When defeating monsters, sometimes items with options would drop, which was better than buying equipment in town.
Since Cheon Noeul was already following the warrior tree, he could become a decent tank or dealer if he just got the right defensive gear. PVP determines victory or defeat by cumulative deaths. To put it simply, since Cheon Noeul was already bad at controlling his character, he planned to maximize his defense as much as possible.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: ಥ‿ಥ
“Ah, seriously, how can you die already?”
Cheon Noeul had already died once to the insect monster. Kyungsoo quickly dealt with the surrounding mobs by placing hook seeds nearby.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: ಥ‿ಥ Sorry, it’s because I’m just really bad at this.
Kyungsoo couldn’t bring himself to say it was okay, not even as a lie.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Go up there and accept all the quests.
It was time to seriously start leveling up Cheon Noeul.
“Damn it! Ah! Crazy bastard! Died again! Ah! Ah….”
Revival items don’t work in scenario dungeons. By the time they reached map six, Cheon Noeul had died sixteen times. Sixteen times. He couldn’t believe it. No one would believe it unless they experienced it themselves. Kyungsoo realized once again today just how extraordinary Cheon Noeul was.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Damn….
[Guild] ParkRoach: Is it Sunset?
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: ಥ‿ಥ
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Watermelon¹…. [T/N:often used as a playful or euphemistic replacement for a swear word specifically ssi-bal]
It seemed a bit cruel to swear at someone who was probably already feeling intense self-loathing for being bad at the game.
[Guild] al0ha: Watermelon LOL
[Guild] ParkRoach: Meowie is changing his words LOL He almost swore but changed his words!
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: ʕ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ
Even the guild chat, Kyungsoo’s bamboo grove, wasn’t free from Cheon Noeul. Kyungsoo sighed deeply, not knowing how things had come to this.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: It’s fine… Hurry up.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yes! ಥ‿ಥ
“Damn it… I could do better than him with just my left hand. Why does he die when I tell him to stay still?”
Kyungsoo cleared the path, so all Cheon Noeul had to do was follow diligently, but Cheon Noeul kept jumping unnecessarily, falling into the lava below and melting to death, falling off cliffs, or getting killed by monsters when he accidentally returned to the previous map. It was taking much longer than expected.
“…It’ll be hard to start the job quest today at this rate.”
[Party] ThousandSunsets: I survivedat the Stone Tower, so I can get there quickly ಥ‿ಥ
Kyungsoo sat down in the middle of the last boss room. Being the top Berserker on the server, even a boss monster in the 100-level range couldn’t reduce his HP with a special move. Staring blankly at the damage effects reading “1” or “miss” in gray letters, Kyungsoo remembered the equipment he had sent to his secondary character in the mailbox.
Kyungsoo’s secondary character was a poker job using trump cards as weapons. The weapons wouldn’t be of any use, but the equipment would certainly help.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: This won’t do; hold on.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Where are you going??
Kyungsoo used a warp capsule to move to Isis Village.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: What?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Meowie, I’ll do better now! I’ll stay still ಥ‿ಥ!
Cheon Noeul desperately searched for Kyungsoo, who had moved to Isis Village.
[Global] MeowieMeowMeow: Hello, Baldy.
It was essential to greet a guild member of Fail as “Baldy” when running to the mailbox. Fail Guild had become known as the Bald Guild for some reason, and this time it was a bald player with blue skin.
[Server] SquadTail: MeowieMeowMeow, picking a fight with a random person again<< This person is seriously toxic^^ㅗ Isn’t there any sanction for this???
[Server] Ji9star: ㅇ!! ㅇ!!
[Server] Neutaaaa: What’s with those circles? Is it an octopus head?
[Server] Ji9star: No? It’s an angry bald head.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Hahaha damn
[Guild] al0ha: Hahahahaha couldn’t even retrieve the bones lol
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Bal-King Earth… probably got roasted.
[Guild] ParkRoach: Who told him to be bald?
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: But seriously, why be bald? It seems like a severe lack of aesthetic sense… I would never make a bald character. It looks weird no matter how you look at it.
Even Fail didn’t back down and started using the server microphone item like crazy. The admins should be thankful to us for consuming so many server microphones.
Kyungsoo ran to the storage with a satisfied smile and retrieved a +4 enhanced dual-option greatsword at the 100-level range. He had kept it for situations like this, and now it was coming in handy. The mail sent from his secondary character contained 100-level and 110-level armor.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Meowie?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Wait, I’m at the storage.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Okay.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: First, reset the dungeon… Accept all the second job quests again and wait at the dungeon entrance.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Got it.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Also, install the HoleBlue app on your computer or phone. It’s a voice chat app….
How should he put it? He couldn’t keep up with what he wanted to say by typing because Cheon Noeul was so frustrating. After thinking for a moment, Kyungsoo spoke as kindly as possible.
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: It would be more convenient to talk.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Ah, I already have it installedㅎㅎ
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Really?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yes!
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Why…?
Seeing how bad he was at this simple game, Kyungsoo doubted Cheon Noeul would be good at any other game. But hearing that he had HoleBlue installed was a bit surprising. If he played other games… Kyungsoo briefly thought he might be a known figure there as well. In a bad way.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: I play Minesweeper and Mafia with friends….
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Wow, Minesweeper can be played online?
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Yes, it can beㅎㅎ
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: That sounds really boring.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: It is. ಥ‿ಥ Should I create the room?
[Party] MeowieMeowMeow: Yes.
When he entered the code Cheon Noeul provided, the room name ‘1234’ popped up. The opposing user’s name was also Cheon Noeul. Why does he use his real name in games? Kyungsoo checked that his headphones were connected and minimized the HoleBlue program.
“Hello.”
-…….
“Can’t you hear me? …What’s going on, the mic is connected…? ……It’s working.”
-No, I can hear you!
“Damn, you scared me….”
-Sorry, did I startle you?
When guilds had sieges or large-scale PVPs, they often used HoleBlue.
-I thought you might be shy. If you’re uncomfortable, we can end the call. I can wait a bit longer.
“What? What are you waiting for?”
-Last time, you left because you were shy, Meowie. It’s okay, people usually react like that when they see me. I have to understand.
“Wait, when did I?”
-At the movie theater, Meowie.
“…….”
-When you saw my face….
“First of all, stop calling me Meowie… that.”
-Meowie?
“Damn it!”
Kyungsoo closed his eyes tightly. The nightmare of that day resurfaced.
“Yes, that! Stop it.”
-Stop calling you Meowie?
“Not exactly….”
Kyungsoo cleared his throat and moved back to the Mountain Hot Springs Stone Tower. While the loading gauge was filling, he listened to the noise through the headphones.
-Come to think of it, is your cheek okay from when I hit you? Why aren’t you angry? You confirmed it was me, and you know our school, so why didn’t you come looking for me? ……And why are you still following me?
-…Meowie.
-Do you perhaps like getting hit? You perverted bastard.
-Meowie.
“…….”
Kyungsoo shivered at the clear sound of his nickname echoing in his ears.
-Meowie. If voice chat is too much, we can stop. I’m okay with just chatting.
A soft and gentle voice flowed through Kyeongsu’s headphones, soothing him. This time, the content of the message reached him before the embarrassing nickname “Meowie” did.
“Why do you think I’m having a hard time? I’m fine.”
-You weren’t saying anything… Are you really okay?
“Is there something I shouldn’t be okay with?”
-Why are you like this?
“…….”
-You’re Meowie. What should I call you then? You’re not going to tell me your name, are you?
“…….”
That was true. He felt uneasy about revealing his real name. Unlike Cheon Noeul, who confidently used his real name in the game, Kyeongsu considered himself a normal person.
-Okay, then can I just call you hyung (older brother)?
“Hyung?”
At first, he thought Noeul just wanted an older brother figure… Turns out he was a high schooler who really wanted one. And he looked quite normal too.
“How do you know my age?”
-Ji9star told me. He said you’re eighteen.
“Ah….”
-Right? Eighteen.
“…….”
It sounded a bit off, but Noeul wasn’t insulting him. Kyeongsu frowned slightly.
“Ah, yeah. Sure, call me that.”
-How about it, Meowie?
Don’t call me Meowie! Kyeongsu clenched his eyes shut, bracing himself once again.
“Damn it… Just call me hyung. Where are you now? I told you to wait in front of the instance dungeon…”
-Are you changing the subject? Meowie, do you really hate your nickname that much? Meowie.
“Oh, damn it….”
-Cute.
At those words, Kyeongsu’s finger slipped while trying to open the guild chat. A shower of chains suddenly rained down on the tranquil hunting ground, instantly wiping out the nearby insect monsters.
“…….”
Cute? Does he think waiting in front of the instance dungeon is cute? Or were the monsters cute?
-Hyung, I’ve reset and I’m inside. Come in.
“Fuck, cute, don’t ever say that again.”
– I think you’re cute, so why does it matter to you?
“…….”
It gave me chills. Now, it was starting to confuse me. Was this guy’s act going too far? I thought he followed me just because I was good at the game.
“… If you do it again, I’ll really kill you.”
– Okay, I’ll refrain from doing it in the future.
In reality, I wanted to grab Cheon Noeul, who laughed with a ‘haha’ sound, and hit him one more time. Who knew that hitting him just once would leave me with such regret? While he was talking nonsense, the loading gauge filled up, and we entered the first map of the scenario dungeon. Kyungsoo sighed deeply as he watched Cheon Noeul dodging attacks while hanging from a long rope. When Kyungsoo initiated a trade with his character, Cheon Noeul accepted in less than a second. Kyungsoo dragged the equipment he had brought from the warehouse and mail into the trade window.
– Hyung?
“Equip these for now, and switch to better gear if you get any.”
– Got it.
Cheon Noeul started equipping the armor pieces Kyungsoo gave him. Without any fashion items to cover the armor, the red armor pieces stacked visibly in real-time.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: ಥ‿ಥ
Why is he crying all of a sudden?
“What’s wrong? Can’t equip something? There shouldn’t be any class-specific items.”
– Meowie, I mean, hyung. I…
“What?”
– I’ll wear only this forever.
“…….”
Cheon Noeul. The more I got to know him, the weirder he seemed.
—-
T/N: In Korean, “수박” (watermelon) is often used as a playful or euphemistic replacement for a swear word, particularly “씨발” (ssi-bal), which is a strong curse word. The person is likely trying to express frustration or anger but switches to “수박” midway to soften the impact or avoid using offensive language outright. This can add a humorous or less aggressive tone to their expression.
I am so sorry for missing the update on Sunday. Instead I posted it today. Don’t worry chapter 6 will come on this Sunday only.
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