Chapter 65: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (4)
I blinked, wondering if I’d misidentified the woman walking into the arcade, but I knew from experience that when you double-check like that, you’re usually right. I cautiously followed her inside.
The arcade was filled with a cacophony of electronic sounds. Even though it was Friday, it was still a weekday morning, so I hadn't expected many people to be there. However, it wasn't entirely empty.
A fair number of people were scattered around the machines, and among them, I spotted the bobbed blonde hair I’d seen moments ago.
There’s a meeting starting soon, and she’s at an arcade instead? My opinion of her dropped another notch. Not that my opinion mattered to her, of course, but it was how I felt.
It didn't take long to find that conspicuous yellow hair. In a place that might be close to the Hunter Killer headquarters, she was ignoring the meeting to play a fighting game, her hands busy on the joystick.
I had a decent grasp of Earth’s culture by now, and the concept of "games" was particularly fascinating. When I first arrived in Korea and tried them, I lost so consistently to the locals that my passion cooled quickly, but I didn't dislike the culture itself.
I just didn't play them much or get deeply invested, though I understood how deeply rooted they were as a cultural staple.
I also knew that the fighting game she was playing was popular worldwide. Yellow manipulated her chosen character with dazzling precision. Before long, she won the match, stretched her hands briefly, and moved on to the next stage.
Watching her form, it was clear she was no stranger to arcades. She was skilled, but more than that, her subdued, detached aura seemed to blend perfectly with the atmosphere of the place.
I watched her for a moment before realizing that staring blankly would look suspicious. I moved further away, hiding behind a row of machines so she wouldn't easily spot me even if she turned around.
Standing still in an arcade might look odd, but I couldn't exactly start playing a game myself. I was here to observe her, not to play.
Yellow stayed in that one spot, playing continuously. She didn't move for nearly an hour, and just watching her play was becoming quite exhausting.
"Why the hell isn't she going to the meeting?"
That was the fundamental question. Yubin had brought me here to buy sunscreen despite not having much time before she had to clock in, which meant the Hunter Killer headquarters couldn't be that far from here.
Of course, I could be wrong. If I was, then the part about her being "close to the headquarters but skipping the meeting" wouldn't apply. But that was only if I was wrong.
Even if that detail were cleared up, it didn't change the fact that she was at an arcade instead of the meeting. It didn't look like she had some urgent emergency; she was just playing games alone on a weekday morning.
While I was pondering this without an answer, Yellow stood up. I flinched instinctively, worried I’d been caught, but Yellow—completely indifferent to her surroundings—simply walked out of the arcade.
If I followed immediately, we might run into each other, increasing the risk of being spotted. I waited a moment before heading out. I was worried I might lose her, but fortunately, she hadn't gone far.
I followed her cautiously to see where she was headed. She took the subway to another station, and her destination turned out to be none other than a movie theater.
"A movie theater? Is she meeting someone?"
Finding myself in the middle of a one-man detective show, I followed her inside, muttering to myself.
I managed to track her to the theater, but I had no way of knowing which movie she was seeing. I watched from a distance as she bought a ticket.
I was worried she might notice me since Superhumans have sharp instincts, but Yellow seemed entirely uninterested in the world around her, focused only on her own actions.
Eventually, I followed her into the screening room. It was a recently released action movie, but I didn't care about the plot. I was too busy observing the back of her blonde head from the rear seats.
What is she doing?
Anyone could see she was just hanging out by herself.
But what I was curious about wasn't the act itself. Why was Yellow—who already had a low attendance record and had caused trouble at yesterday's meeting—wandering around playing today instead of showing up?
My information on her was limited, but even from the little I knew, her relationship with the other Hunter Killer members wasn't necessarily bad; they just weren't close. Was there a specific reason she skipped the meetings?
By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, the credits were rolling. She stood up and left the theater. I’d been in there for over two hours, but I couldn't remember a single thing about the movie.
Yellow stepped back out into the sweltering heat and walked briskly without hesitation. She took the subway again, returning to the station where the arcade was.
Following her unpredictable behavior was starting to feel like a chore. The meeting would have ended long ago, so I realized her wandering had nothing to do with the meeting's timing.
Back at the station, Yellow entered a small udon shop and began eating lunch.
I couldn't go into the same shop; it was too small, and we would definitely make eye contact. I decided to wait outside until she finished.
Even after I went to a convenience store to buy a drink and came back, she was still eating. I watched her from afar, but perhaps because my mind was so focused on her, I didn't feel hungry myself.
"She can really eat."
Even from a distance, I could see her polishing off what looked like three servings. Eventually, Yellow finished her meal and stepped outside. I moved to follow her again, and she headed straight back to the arcade.
The arcade was more crowded than before. This time, she stood in front of a rhythm game. she inserted coins, picked a song, and accurately hit the notes cascading down the screen with incredible speed. Whether it was fighting games or rhythm games, even someone like me—who was practically illiterate when it came to gaming—could tell she was a pro.
After a frantic session of the rhythm game, Yellow took her hands off the pads. I thought she was leaving, but then she sat down at a shooting game.
At this point, I decided to just watch her until she was done, come what may.
I felt comfortable doing so because the crowd was growing. With more people around, I felt confident I could move a bit closer without being noticed.
If she caught me now, it wouldn't just be bad luck; it would mean she already knew who I was.
After finishing the shooting game, she sat back down at a fighting game. She seemed used to being watched, as she ignored the surrounding eyes and focused entirely on the joystick.
Some of the regulars in the arcade seemed to recognize her and gave her a bit of space.
Eventually, exhausted from just watching, I started replying to various texts while waiting for her to finish.
But I was reaching my limit. Just standing there was making me restless, so I sat down at the machine directly opposite her and inserted a coin.
I didn't really know how to play fighting games. I just put the coin in out of boredom, and I ended up matched against Yellow on the other side.
If I’d played single-player, I wouldn't have been matched, but I’d reflexively mashed the buttons next to the joystick, initiating a versus match.
We’d skipped our duel because of the rain, but I never expected to settle things like this.
I was just doing it to kill time, and people don't usually check who's sitting on the other side while playing, so I went ahead with it.
The result was a disastrous defeat. It was such a clean, overwhelming loss that it almost gave me PTSD from our actual encounters.
As I let out a deep sigh, Yellow stood up from the opposite side. Had she realized I was tailing her? I tensed up, my conscience pricking me, but her target wasn't me—it was the exit.
Is she finally done? I thought as I followed her out.
I hadn't realized how long I’d been in that basement arcade filled with game sound effects, but the sun had already set.
Startled, I checked my phone. There was a text from Yubin.
[Are you out?]
I’d told her I’d wait at home, but she’d returned from her part-time job to find the house empty. Naturally, she’d be curious. I replied that I’d stepped out for a bit and would be back soon, then continued following Yellow.
She took the subway again, entered a market alley, and stopped at several stalls to buy a mountain of food.
Finally, she entered what appeared to be her apartment complex. Seeing her enter an expensive building in a wealthy neighborhood, it seemed she wasn't lacking for money.
...This was all I’d managed to find out after following her all day. There’s a limit to how much someone can play alone, but all she’d done was go to the arcade, the cinema, and eat. Following her unpredictable patterns only deepened the mystery.
"What kind of person is she, anyway?"
My curiosity slipped out of my mouth, tinged with annoyance. Now that she was inside her home, there was nothing more I could do. If I wanted to find her again, would I have to go back to that arcade?
But I had no guarantee I’d find her there again, especially since I didn't even know when she bothered to attend Hunter Killer meetings.
"Let's just go home."
I sighed and headed back to where Yubin was waiting, my mind filled with thoughts of who I should ask to satisfy this growing curiosity about Yellow.
*
Yellow pressed the button for the penthouse floor and waited blankly, her hands full of food.
When she reached the top floor and entered her code, a penthouse that occupied the entire level came into view.
Despite the enormous size of the home, there was no sign of another soul. She nonchalantly set the food out on the living room table. Then, she turned on a console, popped in an RPG disc, and ate while she played.
In a penthouse far too large for one person, she ate and played games in total silence.
*
The next day, I went to work at the cafe. As usual, I greeted Yura with a kiss before starting my shift.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of last week, but I no longer felt any hesitation when I pulled Yura close to kiss her.
Yura’s mood visibly brightened after meeting me and sharing a kiss. I even gave her breasts a squeeze while we were at it; even if it was the cafe storage room, I figured this much was fine. It wasn't like anyone was watching.
Regardless, as I started working, my curiosity about Yellow remained. What kind of person was she? People rarely talked about her—would it be okay to ask?
"Yura."
"Yeah?"
I called out to her as she stood beside me, drying the cups and plates I was washing. She turned and looked up at me.
I felt a bit bad asking Yura, considering she’d had a fight with Yellow at the meeting two days ago, but honestly, she was the easiest person to talk to about this.
"What's Yellow like in Hunter Killer?"
"..."
Yura’s brow furrowed instantly, and for the first time, she gave me a look of blatant annoyance.
"Why?"
"Oh, no reason. It's just that you talk about the others often, but I don't think you've ever really mentioned her."
Even I knew it was a weak excuse, but I had to start somewhere. If I waited for Yura to bring it up, it would take forever to learn anything about Yellow.
"She's a stuck-up bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else."
Her bluntness was more than I expected, leaving me with nothing to do but laugh awkwardly.
"You guys don't get along?"
"We don't. She never talks, so I have no idea what she's thinking. Plus, I told you, we fought at the meeting two days ago!"
Yura seemed to have her own grievances, as she began recounting the argument she’d had with Yellow over Green.
"But honestly, saying that to Green was too much, don't you think? I know she wasn't technically wrong, but you have to watch how you say things. If you talk like that, nobody's going to want to be your friend."
"Do you want to be her friend?"
It seemed she hadn't completely closed her heart off. For some reason, a part of me felt relieved that there was still a chance for Yura and Yellow to get along.
"Of course. We've been on the same team for nearly five years."
The current Hunter Killer structure had been in place for three years, but Yura (Pink), Hayoung (Blue), and Yellow had been working together for five years—longer than they’d known Yubin or Green.
"How can I get closer to her?"
"Huh?"
I didn't know anything about Yellow, so I couldn't give her an answer. When she’d fought with Yubin, I could take Yubin's side because I was her boyfriend, but...
I couldn't think of how to even start.
"Well, isn't the first step to understand the other person?"
I needed to know about Yellow, and it seemed Yura did too. Maybe I should start by offering advice on the very thing I was curious about?
"Understand her..."
"I don't really know Yellow myself, so I'm not sure what to tell you."
"Hmm..."
Yura, who had been teammates with Yellow for five years, began to search her memories.
If things went well, I might be able to learn a little more about Yellow through Yura.