Chapter 71: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (10)
“Whoa… It’s seriously huge.”
I’d heard her say her family was well-off, but seeing the high ceilings and the wide, open living room of Yellow’s home in person made the exclamation slip out involuntarily.
“Come in. Are you just going to stand there?”
Yellow set the plastic bags filled with food down on the living room table. At her prompting, I took a cautious step inside.
Right. I was currently at Yellow’s house. To explain how I suddenly ended up here, I have to go back a few hours.
“…….”
Just as Yellow told me to, I sat down and started playing, but there was absolutely no change in my performance. I hadn't expected to see a noticeable difference in an instant, and simply watching videos doesn't magically improve one's skills.
However, seeing me ask questions, Yellow seemed to have assumed I’d watched an enormous amount of footage and was hoping for at least a slight improvement.
“What exactly is the problem?”
I couldn't find the words to answer. If I knew what the problem was, I would have fixed it long ago. It was because I didn't know the problem that I was stuck in this situation.
This time, however, Yellow’s signature sharp tone didn't surface when she asked. It felt like she was genuinely trying to identify the issue.
“Maybe I just don't have the talent?”
I wasn't expecting a dramatic transformation, but I’d hoped for at least one move that Yellow couldn't react to. I couldn't beat Yellow, and I couldn't win even when I played against random matches. I was starting to think I was just destined to never win.
“Games are all about interest. That’s all you need.”
If interest was all it took, life would be very easy. Following Yellow’s advice, I’d spent the whole weekend looking up game-related content, but perhaps because I wasn't driven by a genuine passion for the game, no change manifested.
It wasn't that the game was boring, though. The string of defeats made me consider quitting, but having played the same game for a week, I kept playing with the hope that I might win just once. It was hard to call that "interest," though.
In Yellow’s eyes, I seemed to have been branded as someone who was interested in the game but just sucked at it. I’d chased her down to teach me, showed up at the arcade every single day for a week except for the days I couldn't make it, and watched all the videos she told me to watch on those off-days.
“Let’s try one more game.”
“Sure.”
At her word, I inserted a coin and started the match again. I used every bit of information I had, blocking and dodging her character’s attacks, but I was hit far more often than not. Most of my attacks, which were painfully predictable, were easily blocked.
Inevitably, the next game ended in defeat as well. I let out a long sigh at the sense of helplessness that came with the continuous losses.
“Sigh….”
“……Hey.”
A brief silence followed my sigh. Yellow broke the silence, standing up and calling out to me.
She approached me, her golden eyes—which felt like they might burn me if I stared too long—fixed on me.
“Wh-what?”
“Play one more.”
“Uh, okay.”
How should I put it? Her words carried such a strong intent that even though I hadn't planned on stopping, I felt like I shouldn't even mention the idea of quitting.
The next game was another loss. Honestly, I was used to losing. I’d been facing off against Superhumans for ten years, and I’d never won a single time. Feeling regret or resentment over a loss was something from my early days; by now, I was accustomed to it.
The reason I felt so hollow was that I hadn't managed to land a single attack that even made Yellow flinch. As I said before, I wasn't looking for a dramatic change. But I did want some change. You could say I was dreaming too big for someone who’d only watched videos over the weekend, but that’s just how the human heart works. Even when you tell yourself not to expect anything, you find yourself hoping anyway.
And feeling this way, I didn't want to tell myself, 'It's just a game.' There are many types of games, but competitive ones that pit you against an opponent move the hearts of many. I didn't want to lose. I felt frustrated because I couldn't do anything. I thought that was a perfectly natural reaction.
And even as I thought this, I desperately hoped she wouldn't go easy on me. There’s no joy in beating an opponent who gave you a handicap. Fortunately, Yellow never went easy on me.
“Is it because your opponent is me?”
“There’s definitely a huge gap between us.”
“Should I try the matchmaking? I’d at least meet people at my level.”
“If I’m going to lose anyway, I’d rather lose to you.”
Losing to a complete stranger in my current state would probably be a bigger shock. Until last week, the impact of defeat hadn't been this heavy, nor had the desire for victory been this strong. I suppose seeing those cool plays in the videos and imagining myself doing them had painted a vivid picture of victory in my mind.
“Fine. Then let’s keep going.”
Perhaps she felt bad for being so harsh up to this point, because Yellow spoke to me in a calmer voice than before—
“No, you dumbass!”
—Or not.
“If you break their guard, you should go right in! Why are you just spacing out?”
“My fingers got tangled!”
A gap had opened for a split second, and I’d thought about landing a combo, but my attack was a beat late. It ended up being blocked by Yellow’s guard, leading to another disastrous defeat. Missing the opportunity right in front of me made the regret even sharper.
“Hey. Again.”
This time, I was the one suggesting we keep going. I was about to put in another coin, but Yellow had already stood up and was standing beside me.
“It’s evening. We should get going.”
“Already?”
I’d been so absorbed in the game that I’d lost track of time. I checked my smartphone and saw it was already dusk. Yellow, who had mentioned there were things she found unpleasant about the arcade at night, was standing up to head home.
Yellow didn't look particularly refreshed either, her expression sour as we stepped outside the arcade.
“Smashed again today.”
“…….”
Maybe it would be better to just wipe the game from my mind at this point and keep my distance while observing Yellow. Since the game wasn't my original goal, investing any more time into it might just be a waste.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Just as I was about to tell her we should stop, Yellow called out to me, having seemingly finished organizing her own thoughts. Our voices overlapped, and we both paused as our eyes met.
“You go first.”
My piece was just about wrapping things up, so I could say it when we parted ways.
“Do you have time?”
“I have time.”
I didn't have any particular plans for the evening. We’d been playing games for hours, so was she suggesting we grab a bite to eat…? No way. There was no way this Yellow would make a suggestion like that to me.
“Let’s go to my house.”
And then, hearing something even more nonsensical and utterly surreal, I stared blankly at Yellow with a stupid expression, unable to even respond.
“If you don't want to, then forget it.”
“No, I mean, what are we going to do at your house?”
“What do you think? Play games.”
She probably meant she had a console at home.
She’d said the arcade at night was unpleasant. And she genuinely wanted to teach me the game. Those two thoughts must have collided and resulted in the conclusion to play at her place. But was this okay? Honestly, from my perspective, it wasn't a bad offer.
“Is it really okay?”
“Why wouldn't it be?”
And so, we took the subway, stopped by a market on the way to buy dinner, and now here I was, inside her home.
When I first tailed her and saw her entering the apartment building from the outside, I thought she lived in a nice place, but it turned out to be a penthouse that occupied the entire top floor.
“But is it really okay?”
I approached Yellow as she was laying out the food on the table. Perhaps she was tired of answering the same question I’d asked before we came, because she straightened her back and looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“Why? What do you think the problem is?”
“No, I mean, your family….”
“They’re not here. I live alone.”
Living alone in a place this big. There seemed to be so many rooms; surely there were more empty ones than ones she actually used.
“And bringing a man into your house….”
“You know I’m a Superhuman, right?”
“I know. You told me yourself.”
“If you try anything funny, I’ll just throw you out the window.”
I swallowed hard. No matter how sturdy a body is, falling from this height would result in a very quick death before one's life could even flash before their eyes.
“The, uh, the place is really big. How many pyeong is it?”
“About a hundred, I think.”
Yellow answered nonchalantly as she turned on the game console next to the large TV.
Living in a single-room studio myself, I marveled once more at the size of this place—it was large enough to fit ten of my homes. I’d never experienced living in such a massive space alone.
“But you live in this huge place all by yourself?”
“Yeah. I had a fight at home and stormed out.”
“You live in a pretty massive place for someone who stormed out.”
“Yeah. I won the lawsuit and got it as part of my inheritance.”
The sudden mention of a "lawsuit" left me speechless. When she said she’d fought and stormed out, I’d imagined a minor squabble, but it seemed the conflict had been far greater than I’d imagined. It felt rude to pry into her family history, so I kept my mouth shut, but this time, Yellow looked at me.
“…You don't seem to dislike me much, even though you know I’m a Superhuman?”
“What’s the big deal about being a Superhuman?”
Yellow, like the other members, must have suffered simply for being a Superhuman. Perhaps because the incidents with Green and Hayoung hadn't been that long ago, I privately speculated that her family troubles also began with her being a Superhuman.
“You’re a strange one. Come over here.”
She gestured for me to sit on the sofa. Feeling it would be rude to move around too much in someone else’s home filled with expensive furniture, I cautiously approached and sat down.
“Here.”
“But what exactly happens at the arcade in the evening?”
I took the unfamiliar game pad she handed me. I’d intended not to ask, but I couldn't suppress my curiosity any longer.
Even if she was a Superhuman, she was bringing a man she’d only known for a week into her home. Was it really just because she wanted to play games that badly? Rather than that being my first thought, I wondered if there was something so unpleasant about the arcade that it drove her to this choice. That question hadn't left my mind the entire way here.
Yellow seemed to decide it was better to just tell me since things had come to this. She let out a deep sigh, popped the cap off a drink on the table, and took a long swig.
“There were guys who asked me to teach them the game before.”
I guess I wasn't the only one of my kind in the world.
“But all those bastards were just trying to hit on me. Hardly any of them were actually interested in the game.”
She probably ran into those guys at the arcade in the evening. Those men likely weren't regulars.
Setting aside all my prejudices about Yellow and speaking objectively, she was a tall beauty with a somewhat sharp, striking impression. It wouldn't be strange for a man to catch a glimpse of her on the street and want her number. But having to deal with people like that multiple times during the evening must have been incredibly annoying and exhausting for her.
“Hm? You said 'hardly any,' so I guess there were a few.”
Yellow said most men were just hitting on her, but a few actually wanted to learn. That meant it wasn't zero.
“There were. But… they all quit before long.”
“Why?”
“Various reasons, I guess. Maybe my teaching style didn't suit them. What’s for sure is that the ones who found out I was a Superhuman quit that very day.”
In my opinion, the teaching style was likely the primary reason. And those men probably weren't entirely uninterested in Yellow either. But the moment they sat down to learn, they couldn't handle the aggressive language coming from her, and finding out she was a Superhuman at that same time probably gave them a convenient excuse to quit.
“Do those people come to the arcade in the evening?”
“No. They haven't come back since that day.”
Then it wasn't that she was coming home to avoid bumping into them. Her perception of the arcade during the evening hours had gradually soured, leading her to choose to return home instead of staying there. As a result, she started going to the arcade earlier, and because she loved games more than her work with Hunter Killer, she chose the arcade over meetings.
I wasn't certain, but this seemed about right.
“So it was a bit surprising.”
As I nodded, organizing my thoughts, Yellow looked at me and, for the first time, a smile touched her lips.
“What was?”
I couldn't hide my flustered reaction to her smile.
“You’re the first person who asked to learn the game and kept coming to the arcade for more than two days—let alone a week.”
Did Yellow just need a friend to share her hobby with?
Had her language become harsh because people left her, or had people left her because her language was harsh to begin with?
I couldn't tell which came first, but I began to understand Hayoung’s words about Yellow being someone who couldn't express herself properly.
Even taking that into account, Yellow’s way of speaking wasn't exactly pleasant.
“I think it’d be better if you fixed your tone, though.”
“I haven't even used half the curses I know yet.”
“Oh, aren't you something.”
The game was loading on the large TV screen. While waiting for it to fully start, I realized I’d overlooked something major. We’d been playing games for a week, and we hadn't even introduced ourselves.
“Hey. We don't even know each other’s names.”
“…Oh, right.”
Yellow reacted as if she’d only just realized it herself. We’d never had a reason to call each other by name while playing at the arcade for the past week, so it had slipped our minds completely.
“Han Su-ah. 26. Unemployed.”
It was an introduction so brief it was almost insincere, but it was likely the best Yellow could do.
“A. 25. Office worker.”
I introduced myself in the same format she had, and a stray laugh escaped me. Yellow let out a small chuckle too, and then the game finally started.