Chapter 72: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (11)
It was after we finally exchanged names at Yellow’s house, but before we actually started gaming together.
I spent my weekend as I usually did, meeting Yura on Saturday and Hayoung on Sunday. Both of them brought up the same topic.
“Is it okay if I go on a trip with the members?”
“Honey, would it be okay if I went on a trip?”
While I had been distracted all week focusing on Yellow and gaming, it seemed the Hunter Killer members had been making serious plans for a getaway. I had no way of knowing exactly when or how they discussed it, but seeing as both Yura and Hayoung were asking for permission, it looked like the schedule was set.
“Sure, go ahead. When is it?”
“Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the third week. We all decided to go to the West Sea.”
Since I didn't object, Yura—clearly excited about the trip—beamed with a wide smile as she did the dishes.
“Everyone’s going?”
I already knew Yellow wasn't getting along with the other members, and after gaming with her and seeing her poor communication skills, I was even more certain of it. Seeing as Yura hadn't mentioned much since her argument with Yellow regarding Green, it seemed she was used to this dynamic and had simply let the matter slide.
In other words, they had drifted apart without ever truly reconciling.
“Ah, Yellow probably won't go. She doesn't show up to meetings, so there’s no chance to talk to her, and even if we asked, I don't think she’d come.”
I thought about suggesting they try talking to her anyway, but Yura, who had known her for a long time, surely knew Yellow better than I did. That was what I thought during the weekend before I headed to Yellow’s house.
“I actually have to go down to the countryside for work then, too.”
“What kind of work?”
I was sitting on the living room sofa with Hayoung on my lap, my arms around her waist. At the mention of me going to the countryside, she turned her head to look at me.
“They asked me to go on a short business trip.”
I smiled as our eyes met. Since Hayoung believed I worked a normal job, calling it a business trip was the most logical explanation.
I hadn't said much to Yura about it. It seemed that as the Hunter Killer members spoke more frequently lately, talk of their love lives naturally came up. The ones leading those conversations were likely Yubin, Yura, and Hayoung—and the man they were talking about was undoubtedly me.
I had to use my head to ensure their stories about their boyfriend didn't overlap too much when the three of them talked. Even though it was a lie, I had to be careful since polygyny isn't accepted from an Earthling's perspective. In the worst-case scenario, I also had to consider the possibility of them finding out I belonged to Spacetro.
“Be careful on your way there.”
“You too. Don't worry about me; just have fun with your colleagues.”
“I will.”
When I returned home on Sunday evening, Yubin was waiting for me. We talked about the trip as well. After hearing the schedule, I told her to have a good time.
However, the following Monday afternoon, something unexpected happened when I met Green.
“Um... I’m planning to go on a trip next week.”
“A trip? Have a great time.”
We were heading toward her house after lunch so I could drop her off when Green brought up the trip. I assumed she was telling me so I wouldn't come to the park during those dates.
“Ah, yes.”
Green’s reaction was ambiguous, as if something about my answer didn't sit right with her or was weighing on her mind.
“Is something wrong?”
“No! It’s nothing.”
She gave an awkward smile and insisted nothing was wrong, making it difficult for me to press further. Soon, we arrived at her house. After making sure she was inside, I headed to the arcade to meet Yellow.
The next day, Tuesday afternoon, I met Yellow at the arcade again. After suffering my usual crushing defeat, we went to her house in the evening. Watching her turn on the console, I wondered to myself if Yellow actually wanted to get along with the members.
I couldn't help but think that because, despite how much she loved games, she was doing her absolute best to teach me and play with me just because I—a total stranger—had asked her to.
“What are you looking at?”
Feeling my gaze, Yellow turned her head and narrowed her eyes. Then again, maybe she didn't really feel the need for friends.
“I wasn't looking at you.”
I brushed it off to hide the fact that I’d been caught staring and picked up the bowl of bulgogi over rice from the table to eat.
“I mean, you seem to be improving a bit, but why can't you win?”
“How am I supposed to beat you?”
“I’m saying that because you can't beat other people either, moron.”
Today, after sparring with Yellow, I played some online matches against other people while she watched. The result was exactly as she said: total defeat. I had to endure her tedious nagging back at the arcade, too.
“Give me a break. You think I don't want to win?”
“What’s the point of just wanting to win? You actually have to do it.”
The game started, but I left it on standby for a moment to eat. We had eaten dinner together yesterday as well, and Yellow’s appetite was incredible. She ate so much that I wondered how she didn't gain weight. Seeing as she went to the arcade every day, it didn't seem like she exercised much either; she must have an amazing metabolism.
I’m not a light eater myself, but Yellow ate about 1.5 times more than I did. Even now, the amount of food in front of her was overwhelmingly larger than what was in front of me.
Since I wasn't someone she felt the need to act formal around or maintain an image for, she ate the large portion without hesitation. It was actually quite a pleasant sight.
“You sure can eat.”
When I expressed my admiration, Yellow looked at me with her spoon still in her mouth. Her eyes seemed to ask, “Got a problem?”
“Nothing. I’m just saying you should eat a lot.”
I answered the question I felt in her gaze and continued eating. Yellow watched me for a moment, took the spoon out of her mouth, chewed the food filling her cheeks, and picked up her game pad.
Gaming while eating made it much harder to focus than usual, but since focusing didn't guarantee a win anyway, I just played as best as I could.
“...By the way, do you have other games?”
As we played, I suddenly wondered if she had other titles. For some reason, Yellow’s eyes went wide at my question.
“Why? Are you done with fighting games?”
“No, I’m just asking.”
“Oh, really?”
Once I started gaming, I did get curious about other genres. Maybe fighting games just weren't for me, and there was a genre that suited me better. However, it seemed important to Yellow that we played fighting games together; she looked relieved when I said I’d keep playing them and opened the shelf under the TV to check the various discs.
“I have a few things. Want to try something else for a bit?”
“What do you have?”
I walked over to her side to check the discs. I didn't know much about them just by looking, but I thought there might be something interesting. While looking through them, instead of finding something I wanted to play, I noticed something Yellow was eyeing.
It was a game she had set aside as soon as she opened the shelf. I reached out, grabbed the case, and checked the back.
“It’s a two-player co-op game?”
The game had cute, stylized graphics and required at least two players to solve puzzles and clear stages. I felt like a game about cooperating with others didn't suit Yellow at all.
“Why? You want to try it?”
She seemed even more interested than I was. She probably bought it because she wanted to play it, but had left it untouched because it couldn't be played alone.
“Sure, let’s try it.”
Yellow closed the shelf, swapped the disc in the console, and sat back down on the sofa, picking up her pad.
Since it was a cooperative game rather than a competitive one, I thought she might use less foul language and show a different side of herself.
“You dumbass. You can't even time that one jump?”
“We both messed up the timing! Why are you only bitching at me?!”
It was a stage where we had to step on platforms and jump simultaneously to reach a high place. After several failed attempts due to bad timing, we plummeted to the floor.
“Again. Do it again.”
We retried the stage, but failed again when our timing went off in the middle. Since it was a co-op game, I figured both of us were at fault when we failed, but that last one was clearly my mistake.
“You still gonna say we both messed up?”
“...Sorry.”
The bravado I’d shown when talking back to her earlier vanished instantly. Having seen my mistake with my own eyes, I had nothing to say. Still, I could tell Yellow had really wanted to play this game; even though her words were still harsh, her brow was less furrowed than when she was teaching me fighting games. In fact, she looked like she was having fun.
Maybe her brow only furrowed during fighting games because I was just that bad at them.
Seeing her enjoy a cooperative game like this made me think it would be nice if she went on the trip and played games with the others. It felt a bit silly for me to get involved in the relationships between the Hunter Killer members, but after gaming with her, she didn't seem like someone who genuinely hated being around people. Maybe there was still a chance for her to get close to her teammates?
“Hey. I know I messed up, but could you try being a little nicer?”
“People who suck deserve to get cursed at.”
“You just curse whenever you get frustrated.”
“So you know you’re being frustrating?”
Stung by her sharp retort, my hands momentarily froze while I was mid-jump, and I fell again, sending us back to the start.
“Ah! You idiot! What are you doing?”
“I took internal damage from your heart-piercing words.”
“...Really?”
I’d said it as a joke, but I saw Yellow flinch for a split second. Was she actually worried that her harsh words had hurt me?
“I’m telling you again, it would be great if you could just speak a bit more kindly.”
Yellow’s way of speaking was a habit, words she used casually in her daily life. I’d seen plenty of videos online of people trading insults while playing against friends. I often used rough language when talking to my own teammates, too. It’s a very common sight for friends to curse at each other while gaming.
To be honest, I wasn't actually hurt by Yellow’s foul mouth. I’d gotten used to it over the past week, and I didn't feel any genuine malice behind her harsh tone. However, unlike me, the Hunter Killer members might feel differently.
Since all the members had gone through very difficult paths in their personal relationships, Yellow’s way of speaking might not sit well with them.
“I’m fine with it, but you should look out for the people around you. Like your superhuman colleagues.”
I meant it as a piece of advice, but Yellow’s expression turned cold the moment she heard it.
“...That has nothing to do with you.”
Her voice was dry, telling me to mind my own business. I couldn't help but add one more thing.
“It doesn't, but if your tone is that sharp, other people might get hurt. You have to be mindful if you want to get along with your teammates.”
“Hey.”
Was it because I was stepping into territory where I didn't belong? Yellow called out to me with a voice full of irritation, glaring at me with sharp, piercing eyes.
“I said stay out of it. It has nothing to do with you, so what do you know?”
...From Yellow’s perspective, she was right. I was just a normal person who had nothing to do with Superhumans and knew nothing. As long as she kept believing that, it was better for me. It would be one less thing for me to worry about.
But I thought of Green’s family situation and her argument with Yura. And the stress Yubin must have felt because of it. I had too many grievances against Yellow to just let it go after being told I knew nothing.
I thought these feelings were slowly being resolved as we gamed and spent time together, but I just realized that wasn't the case.
“I might not know much, but I’m saying this because I think things would get better if you were just a bit more considerate of others.”
“Shut up!”
Yellow’s voice finally exploded. I couldn't speak directly about the situation, but I wanted her to know there were misunderstandings between her and the members. Or maybe, while pretending to give advice, I just wanted to vent my own frustrations at her.
My heated brain cooled down instantly at her shout, but thinking of the others who had been stressed because of Yellow made my remaining composure crumble.
Hayoung had said Yellow was just someone who couldn't express her true feelings, but I felt it again—Hayoung only saw it that way because she was trying so hard to see the good in her.
“Fine. Then just keep living like that. Being harsh to people, hurting them, and being misunderstood.”
Harsh words aren't the only things that hurt people. Words that belittle, words that dig into weaknesses, words that lack consideration—there are many ways to hurt someone, and people are easily wounded by them.
“Get out.”
It wasn't a shout, but of all the things Yellow had said so far, it was the one that cut the deepest.
“...”
It felt like there was no point in talking further.
Without a word, I set the game pad down. I grabbed my smartphone and wallet from the table and walked out of Yellow’s house without looking back. As I took the elevator down and headed home, my mind was a total blank.
After A left, Yellow remained alone in the house. She stared at the TV screen where the game music was still playing, then dropped her game pad onto the sofa. She slumped forward, clutching her head and gripping her hair tightly.
“Ha... you stupid bitch.”
She let out a deep sigh, hurling the insult at herself in the empty room.