Love Games
Translator: She.Wee
Chapter 9
Buzz.
“Again?”
Kyungsoo regretted giving Noeul his number. He deeply regretted it. Cheon Noeul sent messages constantly.
Last night, Noeul had asked, “Did you get home safely?” — a question even his mom wouldn’t ask. Then he informed him, “I just took a shower!” and shared his current cleanliness status. Another message read, “I can’t sleep,” sharing his insomnia. Kyungsoo, of course, ignored all the messages and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He hadn’t done much, but dealing with Cheon Noeul was mentally exhausting.
HalloweenEggplant: Did anyone see the post on the board last night?
During class, the short vibration made Kyungsoo take out his phone from his pocket. Surprisingly, it wasn’t from Cheon Noeul. Kyungsoo looked around. It was the seventh period, self-study time. The music teacher had written “self-study” on the board and left, and the students were either asleep with their heads on their desks or playing games. Realizing no one was watching, Kyungsoo boldly placed his phone on his desk and opened the chat room.
PeaPea: What’s going on? Is there another fight???
HalloweenEggplant: That would have been better, lol.
HalloweenEggplant: www.illusions2.net/board_18191209
Everyone seemed to be reading the messages simultaneously as the numbers beside the messages quickly disappeared. Kyungsoo immediately clicked on the link. The loading was slow, using the school computer room’s secretly set-up Wi-Fi. The familiar game homepage’s free board page popped up.
Title: “Gunners, come in (related to the Channel 3 massacre incident)”
“……”
Kyungsoo understood the content without reading it. Despite being posted at dawn, there were many comments.
Author: DohyunJjang123 / Gunner
Content: Gunners, don’t go near the Rainbow Hall on Channel 3 for a while…(TT)
This is a sincere warning for you guys
ʕ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ
There’s a sociopath only targeting gunners on Channel 3
↓
(Video)
-Isn’t this guy weak? Tried to raise my win rate…LOL
-It’s embarrassing, but I got trashed (TT) I didn’t want to say it, but I got wrecked (TT) Some other guy said he kept chasing until accepting the PVP.
-Now, everyone who called ThousandSunsets a noob, come out^^
“They even recorded it again?”
Kyungsoo mumbled, lowered the volume, and played the video. The slow Wi-Fi made the video stutter, but it was indeed his gameplay. The pattern of changing directions instantly with a mobility skill and using skills was his. However, the comments were filled with confusion, not recognizing it as Cheon Noeul’s. Most were in disbelief, saying, “Is that really ThousandSunsets?” Understandably so, since he often died to even the slowest monsters but now used skills smoothly. Many speculated, “Is it a paid service?”
‘Correct….’
But there was no need to add, “That’s me” to the comments. The rumor would have reached the enemies, making them anxious. Kyungsoo hit the back key several times to return to the chat room.
Ji9star: LMAO, it’s like th saying: even a dog learns in three years.
neutaaaa: That’s not it, lol. The dog needs to recite the proverbs.
Ji9star: Ugh, I didn’t know because I’m not a dog. As long as the meaning is understood.
neutaaaa: Foolㅇㅅㅇ~
ParkRoach: Doom is screwed, lol. They must be scared. They relied on Thousandsunset’s skill to win….
Me: No, that’s me.
No messages appeared in the chat room for a while after Kyungsoo’s remark.
ParkRoach: We’re the ones screwed :-)
Kyungsoo, who was about to laugh at the comment, erased all the consonants he had typed into the chat box after some thought.
Me: But hasn’t he improved since the first time?
HalloweenEggplant: ??
Ji9star: ??????
ParkRoach: ?? Are you covering for ThousandSunsets?
Me: No, at least now he can dodge when attacked Lol
Ji9star: ??That’s just a cover-up… It’s the same.
neutaaaa: Meowie’s character deletion in D-1
ParkRoach: It’s been fun….
“……”
He never seriously thought they would lose, so he could brush it off as a joke. But as the PVP battle approached the next day, he started feeling a bit nervous. Kyungsoo tore a page from his scribble notebook.
“Hey. Lend me a pen.”
Kyungsoo took a pen from Tae-yeol, who was folding a gum wrapper into a heart shape. He wrote “Goal” in large letters at the top of the paper.
—
Goal:
Delete Doom’s guild leader’s character!
1. Doom Party Members: Gunner, Healer, King1, Hero
Gunner – character deletion, ranged attack
Healer – Baldy, must kill first
King1 – Tanker, puts up a defense barrier
Hero – Melee DPS (interrupt combo, must block)
—
Seeing it written down, they didn’t have a tanker. There were two melee DPS, Kyungsoo was a ranged DPS, and ParkRoach was the healer. It was because Cheon Noeul was mistakenly assigned as a DPS instead of a tank.
However, Kyungsoo decided not to worry much about position distribution. No matter the role, Cheon Noeul would only use about 3% of his abilities.
How did I end up with this guy on my team…. Kyungsoo drew a long line in the middle of the paper and started planning strategies.
—
Plan A:
Keep Cheon Noeul in a corner and protect him. To minimize meaningless deaths.
*Pros* – Not a hindrance.
*Cons* – Without Cheon Noeul, three have to face four. Healer might be targeted intensely.
Rejected.
Protecting the healer was better in the long run. Though both lives were important, the healer could at least be useful.
—
Plan B:
Make Cheon Noeul use the sidestep skill repeatedly in place.
*Pros* – At least he uses skills.
*Cons* – He’ll die immediately….
Rejected. Kyungsoo drew a big X over the content.
—
Plan C:
Break through the barrier with mobility skill and combo… No, how could he do that?
—
‘Rejected, rejected, rejected! All rejected, just stay still! Don’t die!’ Even running several simulations in his head, he couldn’t find a solution.
‘They tailored the team composition to their advantage.’
The King1’s job could create a light barrier in front, reducing special attack damage by 50%. No matter how strong the consecutive attacks were, if the King1 put up the barrier, it was useless.
But Cheon Noeul’s job, Warrior, a dual-wielding assault class, was ironically its natural enemy. If he used what was taught yesterday, Blaze’s “charge” feature could nullify the opponent’s barrier for about 1.5 seconds. Though short, it was enough time to drag and kill them all at once.
‘The problem is whether he can do it….’
While pondering and doodling Cheon Noeul’s name on the paper, the bell signaling the end of class rang. The class president got up drowsily to erase the board, waking up the students to start cleaning. Kyungsoo held a broom in one hand, pretending to clean.
Buzz.
Cheon Noeul: Kyungsoo hyung, school’s over for us!
Cheon Noeul: I was on duty, but I gave the classroom key to a friend and left ^ㅇ^ Did well, right??
After worrying about him all hour, the person in question seemed worry-free. It was surprising how carefree he could be.
Me: There’s nothing that can be doneㄱ
Cheon Noeul: I’ll be at the main gate soon, waitingㅇㅅㅇ!
How did I end up meeting Cheon Noeul after school? Where did it go wrong? If it wasn’t for the legendary item, I wouldn’t even deal with him and escape through the back gate. He was exhausting to deal with, even just through messages.
“Kim Kyungsoo, you’re free, right?”
“Me? I’m cleaning. Can’t you see?”
Kyungsoo lifted the broom. However, the class president had seen him staring at his phone and sighing all the while, not cleaning at all.
“A-Young is on duty, but she has a cast and can’t go down. Take out the trash.”
“No.”
“Don’t you know I can issue penalty cards during cleaning time?”
“……”
Succumbing to authority, Kyungsoo reluctantly took two trash cans and trudged down the stairs. He stepped outside to throw away the recycling and heard someone calling his name.
“Hyung, why are you out here?”
“……?”
“I knew it.”
Kyungsoo looked at Noeul, puzzled. He was leaning against the back gate, despite saying he’d wait at the front gate.
“You were trying to run away, weren’t you?”
“What?”
Now realizing it, Kyungsoo noticed the other students were subtly focusing on the guy in the different school uniform. Schools are like that—any outsider immediately attracts attention. Because of this, Kyungsoo felt all the students’ eyes on him and looked at Noeul nervously.
“I thought I’d check just in case… This is really too much. No wonder you didn’t reply.”
“……”
“I’ve been telling you since earlier that I’d be waiting at the front gate…”
Looking down at the ground with a crestfallen expression, Noeul was observed by unknown first-year students who passed by Kyungsoo with glances that seemed to regard him as trash. They whispered, “He must have taken his money or something… What trash.” This made Kyungsoo’s expression darken.
“Shit, what are you talking about? I wasn’t trying to run away. I came out to empty the trash!”
With that, Noeul finally noticed the trash cans Kyungsoo was holding in both hands.
“How do I know that?”
“……?”
Kyungsoo raised the trash cans, making the loud clinking noise of the bottles and cans inside.
“How do I know you didn’t just bring that out as a disguise!”
“Who the hell would carry a trash can as a disguise!”
“You never know!”
“No way!”
Kyungsoo shouted, unable to hide his exasperation. However, Noeul kept his lips tightly shut, looking unconvinced.
“…Then give me your phone. I’ll hold it to prevent you from running away.”
“I’m not running away. Why would I run away?”
“Then give it to me… If you’re not going to run, it doesn’t matter, right?”
Since his phone was locked anyway, Noeul wouldn’t be able to see anything inside. Kyungsoo took out his phone from his pocket and placed it in Noeul’s hand. As he turned to empty the trash, he could feel Noeul’s eyes boring into the back of his head.
As soon as the class ended, Kyungsoo rushed out to get his phone back. Fortunately, it seemed Noeul hadn’t seen anything inside due to the lock. However, while inspecting the phone for any changes, Kyungsoo noticed Noeul’s number in the call history.
‘1 missed call, ㄴㅇㅇ’
Turning to the pleasantly smiling Noeul walking beside him, Kyungsoo asked, “Why did you call?”
“Oh, I had something to check.”
Could it be that he was worried he’d left someone else’s phone behind? Kyungsoo was skeptical but let Noeul’s explanation slide. Instead of going to the PC room, Noeul led Kyungsoo to an officetel.
“Come in.”
“…Why?”
“Don’t worry. There are two computers.”
“It’s not that… Never mind.”
Kyungsoo swallowed his words as Noeul tilted his head quizzically. He’d only just met Noeul and now he was already visiting his house. One computer was set up in the living room, and the other was a laptop. After entering his room, Noeul came out with the laptop. Although there were two rooms, the place didn’t feel lived-in at all.
“Do you live alone?”
“Yeah, my parents are busy.”
“……”
Kyungsoo felt a sense of kinship. Although his place wasn’t as spacious, he also lived alone. His parents had moved to the countryside a year ago, but his mother insisted he continue attending the same school, so he lived separately. Living alone wasn’t as enjoyable as he’d imagined. Kyungsoo first realized how quickly dust could accumulate when he started living alone.
‘This guy is probably clinging to me because he’s lonely. That’s understandable…’
Noeul’s face turned slightly red under Kyungsoo’s sympathetic gaze. He set up the laptop next to the desktop computer and pulled up a chair to sit on.
“Hyung, here.”
Kyungsoo put down his bag and sat in the computer chair as Noeul patted the spot beside him. When Noeul entered the laptop password, the background image on the screen was completely black. Noeul hesitated briefly before quickly changing the wallpaper to a default setting.
Something was bothering Kyungsoo in his pocket. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, and Noeul stared at it intently.
“…What is it?”
Unfolding the paper revealed it was something Kyungsoo had been contemplating during self-study. He looked around and asked, “Where’s your trash can?”
“Are you going to throw it away? Give it to me.”
Noeul took the paper and unfolded it. Kyungsoo couldn’t understand why he was reading it so intently. While the game was loading, Noeul slipped the paper between the glass and the desk. Kyungsoo thought he was going to throw it away.
“Hey, throw it away. It’s trash.”
“No. It’s mine now.”
It didn’t matter much since there wasn’t anything sensitive written on it, but it still felt off. Not enough to forcibly take it back, though.
‘MeowieMeowMeow has logged into the game!’
[Guild] al0ha: Hi, hi
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Hi
[Guild] Ji9star: Hi, hi
‘ThousandSunsets has logged into the game!’
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: Hello ^^/
[Guild] Ji9star: What’s with the timing…?
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Again with the harassment, damn
[Guild] Ji9star: Not at all, it’s just awkward, haha
[Guild] neutaaaa: LOL
Kyungsoo’s fingers danced on the keyboard, showing off his fast typing skills. He completed a sentence faster than anyone and hit the enter key.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: If you call me ThousandSunsetsOppa, you’ll be cursed with baldness for three generations and end up buying hair dye together.
[Guild] Ji9star: ThousandSunsetsOppa
[Guild] neutaaaa: ThousandSunsetsOppa
[Guild] Ji9star: Damn, I deleted everything out of shock
[Guild] neutaaaa: OMG
[Guild] neutaaaa: We’re screwed
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: Hahaha
[Guild] ParkRoach: Haha, you’re bald now, Neu
[Guild] Ji9star: Ugh
[Guild] neutaaaa: No way
‘ParkRoach has invited you to a party. Do you accept?’
The same invitation appeared on Noeul’s monitor. The party members were Kyungsoo and Noeul, making a total of four. It was the same group participating in the 4v4 PVP tomorrow.
“Oh, take the emoticons out of your quick slot.”
“No.”
ThousandSunsets moved next to Kyungsoo in Isis Town and used ‘Act Cute’ to nuzzle ‘MeowieMeowMeow.’ Kyungsoo stood there silently as ThousandSunsets alternated between ‘Dance’ and ‘Act Cute’ around him.
[Guild] ParkRoach: This is so annoying
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Me too
[Guild] ParkRoach: Middle fingers up
Two guild members who witnessed the scene sent a series of middle finger emojis.
[Guild] Ji9star: Why?
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Guess why?
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: LOL♡
[Guild] ParkRoach: You’ll know if you come over… smh
[Guild] Ji9star: Got it… I really don’t want to go, haha
“So why did you invite us to the party?”
“It’s for practice. We talked about strategy today, remember?”
“Oh.”
As Kyungsoo said, besides the four party members, four other guild members gathered in front of the auction house in Isis Town.
‘The party leader has been changed to MeowieMeowMeow.’
[Guild] Ji9star: I don’t think we need to connect HolBlue today. Since it’s not 8v8, it shouldn’t be that complicated??
[Guild] Ji9star: Actually, do we need to because of ThousandSunsets?
“Do we really need to connect? Will you teach us, Hyung?”
“……”
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: It’s fine.
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: Yeah, it’s fine ^^
[Guild] Ji9star: Wow, like a spokesperson, lol
The opposing team consisted of HalloweenEggplant, al0ha, neutaaaa, and PeaPea. All eight entered the arena and equipped their weapons in front of the NPC who oversaw the multiple PVP matches.
The simultaneous clicking sound of many players equipping weapons from their quick slots was spectacular. Among the guild members with flashy effects and colorful fashion items, ThousandSunsets looked relatively shabby in his plain armor.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: Meowie, you apply for the match.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: Okay.
Kyungsoo spoke to the large, burly NPC and selected the multiple PVP option. The selection window appeared.
‘You have selected a 4-player practice PVP match. Practice matches do not affect the combat rankings.’
‘Please select a map.’
Unlike one-on-one PVP, multiple PVP allowed for map selection. The options were Jungle, Desert, Ruined City, and Field. One of these four could be chosen.
“Hyung, Jungle.”
“You want to play Jungle?”
“They’ll probably pick Jungle tomorrow, too.”
“Why?”
“Just a hunch.”
Noeul smiled meaningfully. Kyungsoo couldn’t trust his instincts. Jungle had an excessively uneven terrain and floating obstacles, making both attack and defense difficult. Field was a flat surface without any aerial platforms, making it quite boring. Desert and Ruined City had obstacles and platforms scattered around, making them the most popular maps among players.
‘You have selected the Jungle map.’
Might as well try them all. Nobody came to play just one game anyway. They’d feel secure only after playing at least ten matches.
‘Moving to the Jungle. Good luck.’
A ‘0:30’ countdown appeared at the top. It was time for the party members to get buffs before the match started.
[Party] ParkRoach: I’ll cast blessings, hold on.
Holding a spellbook half his size, ParkRoach cast buff and blessing skills. As each buff was applied, small icons appeared below the quick slot.
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: It’s boring just to play, so how about a bet?
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: The person with the lowest contribution score in the losing team gets their head shaved after 10 rounds.
[Guild] Ji9star: I feel uneasy… Usually, the person who suggests a bet ends up losing;
[Guild] HalloweenEggplant: No way, hahaha.
[Guild] MeowieMeowMeow: But isn’t there already one bald person on that team?
[Guild] Neutaaaa: Shit.
[Guild] Ji9star: Bald people aren’t attractive… If you lose, we’ll have to break upㅠ
[Guild] ThousandSunsets: I like betsㅇㅅㅇ!
[Guild] ParkRoach : As long as it’s not me, haha.
ParkRoach , who had finished casting buffs, joyfully blew soap bubbles to the left and right. Before entering the game, Kyungsoo stretched his fingers.
[Party] Ji9star: I’ll take on the vice-guild master.
[Party] ThousandSunsets: No, I’ll handle Halloween.
“Huh?”
Kyungsoo glanced sideways and stared at Noeul’s profile with a skeptical look.
[Party] ParkRoach : ???
[Party] ThousandSunsets: Ji9star, since you have many mobility skills, handle the other dealers.
[Party] Ji9star: ????
“King1 can only be penetrated by me anyway. Since you’re an AoE dealer, you don’t need to focus on just one person. Earth Star can handle the other long-range dealers or snipe the healer since you’re replacing the tank.”
“Oh, that is…
“It’s just a practice match anyway.”
That strategy was correct, but it was based on the assumption that ThousandSunsets wouldn’t be much help. If King1 wasn’t dealt with early on, attacks wouldn’t land effectively…
“…If we lose, you’re going bald.”
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