Chapter 69: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (8)
The first thing I did after returning home from my crushing defeat at the hands of Yellow was look up fighting game videos on my smartphone. My original goal wasn't just to play games with her, but the string of losses and her condescending tone had pricked my pride.
"What are you watching?"
Yubin, who had been at my place, walked over and peered at my screen. I had been glued to my phone ever since I walked through the door.
"A game? Oppa, do you play games too?"
"Not really. I'm just watching."
I had never shown any interest in games while with Yubin. In truth, I wasn't interested enough to actually get immersed in them; my only reason for watching was to find a way to beat Yellow just once.
"I see. Oppa, there’s something I wanted to tell you."
"Hm? What is it?"
Usually, Yubin just says what’s on her mind without an introduction. Hearing her start a conversation like this made me momentarily tense, wondering what was coming.
"The people I work with mentioned going on a short trip together in September."
"A trip?"
"Yeah."
If it was the people she worked with, it was obviously Team Hunter Killer, and the members would likely be everyone except Yellow. I hadn't heard anything about this from Yura, Hayoung, or Green yet, so either Yubin was bringing it up the moment it was mentioned, or they had only just started planning without a fixed schedule.
Setting aside my internal deductions and looking at the situation simply, Yubin was telling her boyfriend that she might go on a trip with her friends. Her eyes were practically pleading for my approval.
"Sure, go ahead. Just let me know once the dates are set."
"Really?! You’re really okay with me going?"
"Of course. Why would I stop you from going on a trip with your friends?"
Some couples oppose their partners going on trips with friends. Everyone has different personalities and relationship dynamics, so I can't say who's right or wrong, but I’m just not that type of person.
Yubin must have been anxious deep down, because her face brightened the moment I gave her the okay. She lunged into my arms so suddenly that I dropped my smartphone. Yubin was a much higher priority than game videos, so I wrapped my arms around her waist as she clung to me.
"I want to go on a trip with you too, Oppa."
"A trip, huh... Oh, right. I have to go down to the countryside for a bit during the third week of the month."
"The countryside? Why?"
I needed to tell Yubin in advance about going to the West Sea for training. The problem was that I had spent so much time worrying about how to phrase it that I was bringing it up a bit later than when the schedule first came out.
"There’s a seminar for the place I’m doing freelance work for."
I didn't know if she'd buy it, but it was the best lie I could come up with. Yubin knew I did programming-related work, but she didn't know the specifics of my work environment. That was only natural, since I wasn't actually doing that work and never talked about it.
"How many days?"
"Three days, two nights."
"Be careful not to get hurt."
"It’s not like I’m doing dangerous work. It’ll still be hot then, so I’ll try to move as little as possible."
"The monsoon season was late this year, so summer is dragging on."
"Once the typhoons pass, the weather should cool down quickly."
After some small talk, our eyes met, and we shared a light kiss. At the touch of her soft lips, I tightened my grip on her waist slightly.
I made a mental note to take Yubin somewhere fun soon. Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the food we ordered, and we both jumped up.
*
The next morning, Yubin left for her job at the Hunter Killer headquarters, and I headed to the arcade, gritting my teeth. I still didn't know why Yellow was hanging out here instead of attending meetings. I knew I should stay rational and treat this as part of the process of getting to know her, but the moment I saw her, my only thought was to win at least one round.
"You actually came."
As soon as I entered the arcade, I found Yellow playing the same fighting game as yesterday. She looked up at me just as she finished winning a match.
"I said I would."
"Even after losing like that yesterday?"
"Because I lost like that yesterday."
Feeling more combative than I ever did during an actual duel, I sat down across from Yellow and inserted a coin. I had spent my spare time watching tournament footage and strategy guides, so even if I couldn't win the whole thing, I should at least be able to land a decent hit.
However, the moment I lost the first round, I realized I had been gravely mistaken. Even though I had studied the videos, I couldn't land a single combo and was utterly demolished.
"You’re so obvious about trying to start a combo that it’s easy to block everything, you dumbass."
Just by watching my inputs, she had perfectly read my intentions. No one is stupid enough to get hit by something they can see coming from a mile away.
I realized once again that my opponent was a pro who had surpassed my current level a long time ago.
"Do you do nothing but play games all day?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"..."
I had no logical rebuttal, so I spoke sarcastically out of the bitterness of defeat, but my words only made her sound more triumphant.
Even if you don't play games much, if you understand Korean culture, you'll find one interesting point: insulting the way an opponent plays after they beat you is actually a compliment.
Not wanting to see her look so smug, I immediately put in another coin and started the game.
"How much are you planning to blow today?"
I had spent more money than expected yesterday. It wasn't that the individual games were expensive, but the sheer number of consecutive losses added up. Losing was one thing, but her saying I was "blowing" money on the process of losing really got under my skin.
"I'm going to win at least one round."
"Sure. Give it your best shot."
Fighting games are usually best-of-three, and this one was no different. The first person to win two out of three rounds wins the match. I didn't even hope to win a full match yet. For now, I just chased that single round. Just one round right in front of me.
However, the gap between a total beginner like me and a veteran like Yellow was vast. The wall of winning a single round was much higher than I thought. Yellow showed no mercy, refusing to give me even a single round, and by the time I snapped out of it, I had lost ten matches in a row.
"This is infuriating."
"Fighting games are all about learning while getting beat up. Though, you are exceptionally bad at this."
Yellow had undoubtedly faced many skilled players, and I would surely lose to them too. Still, hearing that I was "bad" was much harder to swallow than I expected. The more I heard it, the more I wanted to win by any means necessary.
A competitive streak I thought I had discarded long ago flared up again, but unfortunately, I lacked the skill to satisfy it.
"Against a beginner..."
"In games, it’s fun to win whether your opponent is a beginner or a pro."
I agreed with that. It wasn't just limited to this arcade game; anything competitive is fun when you win. But why was I burning with a desire to win even after losing like this for two days straight?
Who needs a reason to want to win?
Just as I was about to put in another coin for one more game, Yellow stood up.
"You're leaving?"
"Look at the time. I'm going to eat lunch. If you're still gaming then, I'll see you later."
I watched her walk out of the arcade with an air of nonchalance before checking the time. It was already lunchtime. With a deep sigh, I headed out to grab a quick bite.
I kept playing even after lunch, but all I could remember from the entire day was losing to her. Moreover, since I hadn't watched that many videos, I lacked information, so my moves remained repetitive and predictable.
"Why don't you try thinking while you play?"
"I'm too busy blocking and counterattacking to think!"
"Your character doesn't move faster just because you're frantically mashing buttons, you know."
It was true that whenever my HP bar got low, my movements became frantic. It was obvious, but as Yellow said, the character wouldn't match my panicked energy.
Before we parted ways outside the arcade, I chewed over her words and reflected on my playstyle today. Though, all I could really remember was getting hit by her perfect combos.
"I'm not coming tomorrow."
When Yellow said she wouldn't be at the arcade tomorrow, I was about to ask why, but then I remembered that tomorrow was the day of the duel. I had been so focused on the game that I had started thinking of her not as Yellow of Hunter Killer, but just as some girl who lived at the arcade.
"I can't come tomorrow either."
Since I had to duel the Yellow standing right in front of me, I couldn't come either. I couldn't tell her the real reason, and she didn't seem particularly interested anyway, so I just said I couldn't make it and turned to go my own way.
"Hey. What about the day after?"
As I headed toward the station, Yellow's voice called out from behind me. I turned my head.
"1 PM."
"...OK."
1 PM at the arcade. We made a simple verbal promise.
*
The duel had been pushed back by three weeks due to the monsoon season, but there was no sense of "good to see you" or renewed vigor just because it had been a while. We squeezed our bodies into the cramped van as usual and arrived at the designated battle site.
By the time we had the area somewhat secured, Team Hunter Killer arrived. I felt like I could see their faces behind their helmets as they wore their color-coded suits.
So this is how it feels.
When I first met Yubin and Yura and fought them, I didn't think much of it. But now that I knew the entire opposing team, I couldn't help but be conscious of the Hunter Killer members throughout the fight.
Not that my movements changed much. My relationships were one thing, and my job was another.
There was no hesitation or wavering in my movements, and I threw punches and kicks just like before. However, the Hunter Killer members, who were in high spirits, were even more merciless.
I was launched into the air by a strike from Green’s spear and hit by Blue’s gunfire as I fell. They didn't know my identity, and even if they did, there was no way to distinguish me among the sea of regular soldiers in black suits. I knew that, but getting hit by their ruthless attacks hurt more than I expected.
In the duel held after three weeks, Team Hunter Killer naturally emerged victorious and returned to their headquarters.
"Yeah!"
The moment they entered the locker room to change, celebrating their long-awaited victory, Red held out her hand for high-fives.
"Yellow, you too."
She reached out to Yellow, but Yellow didn't react. She simply put her suit in her locker and pulled out her civilian clothes to change.
"Yellow."
But Red didn't give up. She held her hand out again in front of the now-changed Yellow. Yellow sighed as if she had no choice and slapped Red's hand in a high-five.
"We were thinking of grabbing a meal together before heading home. Do you want to join us, Yellow?"
During the meeting Yellow had skipped, they had promised to eat together after the duel. Red thought it wouldn't be right to exclude Yellow, so she brought it up now.
"No. I'm good."
Yellow declined Red's invitation and left the locker room without looking back. The remaining members exchanged glances in the silence, as if they had expected this.
Meanwhile, Yellow quickly made her way home.
She felt like she had made a "gaming friend" at the arcade. Of course, they weren't exactly friends yet, but the mere fact that she had someone to play games with—other than her teammates—made her feel good, though she didn't quite realize it herself.
He’s a weird guy, though.
Seeing how focused he was on the game, she realized he had been serious when he followed her on the first day and asked her to teach him. He lacked skill and didn't know much about the game itself, but seeing him persistently challenge her made it clear he really wanted to learn.
Excited at the thought of teaching a total newbie the ropes, Yellow spent her time on the subway home looking up videos that would be easy for a beginner to understand.