Chapter 75: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (14)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Hot and Warm Like the Sun (14)
“Hey! You were just messing around, weren't you?!”
I had run into Yellow in front of the arcade and we’d walked in together, but the air between us had been thick with awkwardness. I was worried about how to fix it, but it only took two games for things to return to normal.
“I landed the combo, didn't I? That’s enough!”
“You idiot! He blocked everything, so what did you land? Is it a combo just because you pressed the buttons?!’
It was as Yellow said—I had entered the commands correctly. However, the opponent had blocked every single hit, so all I heard was the dull thud of successful guards.
“Why’d he block it?!”
“You think he’s just gonna stand there and take it?”
We bickered over the arcade cabinet showing my defeat, just like we always did. The awkwardness was gone. Like the Korean proverb says, the ground hardens after the rain; our bickering seemed to have only grown more vigorous after our fallout.
But that didn't mean nothing had changed. The silence that followed a lull in conversation felt incredibly heavy.
It felt as though I couldn't let that silence linger—that I had to snap out of it and break the quiet. Because a heavy, silent atmosphere felt like it would drag us back to the mood of that day.
“What are you doing? Put a coin in.”
“……Aren't you hungry?”
“Is it that time already?”
Since we’d been gaming and arguing since the second round, lunchtime had arrived before we knew it. I’d been so engrossed in the game that I hadn't even realized I was hungry. Checking the time at the mention of food, Yellow stood up.
“Let’s eat.”
“What do you want?”
“Let’s figure it out once we’re outside.”
“It’s hot out there.”
“…….”
Yellow went quiet at the mention of the heat and came over to sit next to me. It would be better to decide on a menu before heading out. I watched her as she scrolled through her smartphone. Feeling my gaze, Yellow looked up, and our eyes met. I was reminded of the cold looks we had exchanged that day.
“Let’s get noodles. Noodles!”
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
Having picked a simple menu without much thought, we headed out. Even during lunch, all we talked about was the game, and we returned to the arcade immediately after eating. Since it was Friday, the place was already getting crowded early on. Ignoring the people around us, we sat at a machine and began an endless series of matches.
The results were obvious without even saying—I lost, of course. But since my goal had shifted from winning to simply landing a proper attack, the outcome didn't matter much to me anymore. If I failed, I just had to keep trying until I achieved the result I wanted, even if only for a moment.
“You’re working pretty hard today, huh?”
“I’m always working hard.”
The loud clacking of buttons rang out, and I had to watch my character collapse yet again.
“Man, he’s fucking trash.”
As I sat there gaming, I heard an unfamiliar voice from behind. It was the first time since I’d started coming to the arcade that I’d heard such a blunt critique, and I reflexively flinched and turned my head. A fat man I’d never seen before was standing among the crowd, watching my game.
Even though the voice had come from behind me, I could tell instantly that he was the one who had spoken.
“What’s wrong?”
The voice had been low enough that only those right behind me could hear, and with the noise of all the other machines, it seemed Yellow—despite being a superhuman—hadn't heard what the man said.
“Nothing. I’m putting a coin in.”
“Yeah. Start it up.”
It was the first time I’d heard someone talk like that, but it wasn't worth reacting to, so I decided to let it slide. However…
“He missed that?” or “He could’ve broken that throw, but he’s too slow,” or “Just taking up space. He should just get out of the way,” and so on. It slowly started to grate on my nerves.
It wasn't the criticism itself that bothered me. He was right; there were many things I was bad at. What annoyed me was that he couldn't say it to my face and was instead muttering to himself just loud enough for those nearby to hear.
“……There are plenty of other seats.”
Fighting game cabinets were the most common machines in the arcade, and even considering the Friday crowd, a place this size still had a fair number of empty spots.
I turned around as politely as possible and spoke with a smile, but the man ignored me, pretending he hadn't done anything.
Thinking he was just that kind of person, I put in another coin to play against Yellow again, but she suddenly stood up.
“What is it?”
I was startled by the sudden momentum of her standing up and asked what was wrong. Without answering, Yellow walked around the machine to my side and glared at the man who had been talking shit.
“I’ve been keeping my mouth shut and watching, but this fat pig is really flapping his trap behind someone’s back. You want to die? If a scrub like you wants to play, go find an empty seat and do it there. Why the fuck are you coming to this corner to act out, goddammit?”
I felt a twinge of fear at the string of profanities that flowed out of her as naturally as breathing. It was then that I realized the insults she usually threw at me weren't truly malicious. I could tell she wasn't even using her full vocabulary; she was actually holding back in her own way.
“Hey. Su-ah. Calm down.”
The man, intimidated by Su-ah’s intensity, was speechless. I tried to hold her back, fearing she might actually hit him. There were regulations forbidding Superhumans from assaulting civilians, but if she lost her temper, I doubted she’d care about rules.
“Let go of me. Hey, pig. You’re that same bastard who was acting up behind me before, aren't you? You good at this game? If you’ve got such a problem with how he plays, then have a match.”
She told me to let go, so I couldn't keep holding her. I stood there awkwardly with my hands raised. The man remained silent, but at the challenge to settle it with a game, he pushed up his glasses. The people watching were also looking at him strangely and slowly backing away.
“I think I can win if it’s against this guy.”
He tried to act tough, but his response was that he’d play against me—the beginner. Su-ah, who knew my skills better than anyone, wasn't about to let that—
“Fine. Do it.”
—slide.
“Huh?!”
Of course, I was the most surprised person in this situation. I didn't know the opponent’s skill level, but objectively speaking, the probability of a beginner like me beating someone who hung around arcades was extremely low.
“It’s fine. Just do what you always do.”
With that, Su-ah sat in my seat, and the fat man sat on the opposite side.
“……Do you know him?”
I asked, worried about what Su-ah had said earlier, and her brow furrowed deeply.
“Was it last month? I was playing, and he started babbling about how he was going to teach me something, so I cursed him out.”
If it was last month, it was relatively recent. I should be grateful that she accepted me when I followed her and asked her to teach me the game, especially after dealing with a guy like that.
“Can I really win?”
“Hey. Are you really going to lose after being called a scrub?”
“I hear that from you every day, though.”
“I’m the exception!”
“Why?”
“You really want to get hit?”
Seeing her clench her fist, I shut my mouth tight. I’d been trained by her in my own way, and if I lost like this, I’d feel pretty terrible, just as Su-ah said.
Soon, the game began. The character the opponent chose was the one I had been using until just now—and the one I’d used ever since I started fighting games. He probably intended to crush me using my own character.
“What should I pick?”
I asked Su-ah, who was sitting next to me, as if talking to myself, but she remained silent. No matter how much of a beginner I was, giving advice during a serious match was a taboo. The reason Su-ah was so angry was likely because the man had been "backseat gaming" behind me.
Wait, I thought she couldn't hear him.
I thought she hadn't heard because of the noise. It seemed Su-ah had been holding her tongue to avoid causing trouble in the arcade.
“Ah.”
The character I chose was the one Su-ah used most often when playing against me.
“Hey. You’ve never played that one before, have you?”
“I know the commands.”
I had memorized all the move commands while watching videos. And from playing against Su-ah, I knew better than anyone how annoying this character could be if you got caught in their rhythm.
The game began. In the first round, the opponent approached first and attempted an attack. I guarded for now. However, I got caught in a quick throw, was knocked down, and took a low attack before he backed away.
In fighting games, every single moment requires concentration. Finding time to relax or coming up with a counter-strategy has to be done through split-second judgment. The moment my character stood up, I closed the distance and unleashed a combo as soon as I was in range. A hit. Another hit. I was landing the attacks, but my fingers got tangled while entering the fourth command. Even though I knew the commands, I had momentarily confused them with my usual character’s.
I didn't even have to look to know that Su-ah, sitting next to me, was scowling.
With repeated failed attacks, I eventually lost the first round.
“Ah, you really are terrible.”
It wasn't me who got angry at the opponent’s rude, mocking comment, but Su-ah.
“This bastard, seriously.”
Frowning, she snapped her head toward me.
“You. Play like your opponent is me.”
“Huh?”
“Think of him as me. Don't think about that man; imagine I’m the one sitting on the other side right now.”
It was easier said than done. In reality, Su-ah was right next to me, and a disgusting pig was sitting on the other side. Even so, trying to think of that as Su-ah was…
Before I knew it, I was feeling genuinely repulsed by the opponent, and the second round began without mercy.
Su-ah is on the other side. Su-ah is on the other side.
I concentrated, imagining that Su-ah was controlling the opposing character. Unlike Su-ah’s flawless control, I could see the opponent using messy footwork. It reminded me of how I used to move when trying to gauge the distance.
At the same time, I remembered how Su-ah used to end me with a single combo whenever I moved like that. The moment the distance was right, I landed a high combo, followed by a low attack to slightly launch him as he went down, then dealt damage with a throw while he was grounded.
The moment he stood up, I used a back-dash to get behind him, chained my skill combos, and used a launcher for the final hit. The opponent’s HP bar vanished in an instant, and I unleashed my ultimate the moment he started to fall. A powerful kicking combo connected, leaving the opponent—who had already lost most of his HP—downed with only a sliver of health left.
I could hear the desperate rattling of his joystick from across the machine as he tried to get up. And the moment he stood, a single punch.
Perfect.
The text announced the victory of my character, who hadn't lost a single point of HP. I had taken the second round, and beside me, Su-ah pumped her fist, rejoicing in my win. And then, the third and final round began.
Unlike the previous round, the opponent didn't approach. He backed away and began spamming long-range attacks. It’s a cheap tactic beginners often use because getting hit causes a brief stagger. The reason Su-ah had recommended that character to me was because of those cheap moves, but I had never even managed to beat Su-ah with them.
As much as the move staggered the opponent, it had a penalty: a slight delay after using the skill. Su-ah always timed that window perfectly to move in and land a combo. Could I do it? Could I get in without getting caught by those annoying projectiles?
And then, I clearly saw the opening that I hadn't noticed when I was the one using the character. I didn't need to look at the character I was controlling. I knew the reach of the attacks and the timing for the skills perfectly. That’s how much I had been beaten down by this character.
In that moment, Su-ah’s words, “Don't look at your character,” flashed through my mind, and separate from her advice, I reached a realization.
The playstyle that pisses off your opponent is the one that pissed you off the most when you were on the receiving end.
As if crushing the version of myself that had tried to use cheap tricks on Su-ah a few days ago, I lunged in the moment the delay occurred and unleashed the same combo from the second round. With every hit, I remembered the moments I had been destroyed by Su-ah, and by winning the third round, I secured the victory.
For the first time, the word Victory appeared on the screen while I was holding the joystick. I was stunned into silence for a moment, tasting my first win.
Su-ah, who had been sitting next to me, had wanted me to win, but she was also speechless now that I actually had. We turned our heads like wooden dolls to look at each other, and the moment our eyes met, we cheered and hugged.
“I won!”
“I told you you’d win!”
The first victory I’d earned using the very playstyle Su-ah had used to beat me was more valuable than anything. I was still far from being able to beat her, but seeing Su-ah rejoice with me made me feel like my improvement had been somewhat recognized.
“You play like a total piece of shit!”
The sound of someone slamming the joystick panel came from the other side. It was clearly an insult, but on the other hand, I felt a thrill. They say that when someone curses at your playstyle in a game, it’s a compliment; Su-ah’s words were true.
“Is it fun to win using cheap tricks?! While gaming with a superhuman!”
It seemed Su-ah had been coming to this arcade for quite a while. She hadn't publicly announced she was a superhuman, but some people might have known, and this fat bastard was one of them.
His intention was obvious: he was trying to bait her into cursing him out so he could use her status as a superhuman to turn public opinion against her. However, even though his scheme was transparent, I knew that hatred for Superhumans lurked in many corners of society. The moment I heard those words, my first thought was that we had to leave the arcade.
She didn't seem to mind people knowing she was a superhuman, but the atmosphere around us could be different. Since Superhumans faced many restrictions, we had no choice but to back down here.
“So what?”
An unfamiliar voice spoke up from the crowd of onlookers.
“You lost the game and now you’re being pathetic.”
“There goes that mister again. He’s terrible at the game, too.”
“What does being a superhuman have to do with playing a game?”
Contrary to what I expected, the fat bastard couldn't hide his flustered expression at the criticism directed toward him.
“Mister. This guy here is a newbie who hasn't even been playing for a month, and you lost to him.”
I didn't know the person’s name, but I remembered their face. It was the person who had been silently watching from behind me when I first challenged Su-ah and was getting destroyed. They must have heard our conversations, so they knew I hadn't been playing for long.
“That guy’s back at it again. If you got wrecked after talking shit, just get lost.”
As insults and criticism rained down from all sides, the fat bastard broke into a cold sweat. He looked around nervously before bolting out of the arcade.
“Aren't you going to play more? I came to watch you two.”
“I came to watch the banter, too.”
“Man, I want to raise a newbie, too!”
“I never thought I’d enjoy watching a couple fight while gaming.”
I was listening to the compliments coming from all over, but when that last comment hit my ears, Su-ah and I, who were still hugging, slowly pulled apart.
“There are a lot of good people here.”
“……Yeah.”
Su-ah, who had been cutting herself off from others, seemed to know people were watching, but she hadn't realized they were looking at us with those kinds of thoughts. After that, Su-ah and I continued to play, and the onlookers, who were now much more comfortable watching us, burst into laughter every time we bickered.
Eventually, the sun set, and we played until early evening before leaving the arcade. Although I had lost every single game against Su-ah, the sensation of that first victory today still lingered in my hands.
As we naturally headed toward Su-ah’s house, we chatted about the fun we’d had today.
“If my timing had been just a little faster, that combo would’ve landed!”
“What’s the point of talking? You couldn't time it, so you lost. Loser~.”
I knew that the same words could feel different depending on who said them, but now, being told I was bad by Su-ah didn't even leave a scratch.
As we retraced the day’s events, we eventually reached the part where we met in front of the arcade this morning. And the silence I’d forgotten all day returned.
It was definitely fun, and if we kept going like this, we’d forget about the fight and just game like usual. But that was exactly why. Because I knew being with Su-ah was fun, I had to apologize properly.
However, a missed opportunity doesn't come back easily, and we arrived at Su-ah’s house just like that.
We bought some food, went inside, and turned on the console. It was only my third time here, but I naturally laid out the food on the table.
As I watched the game loading and fiddled with the controller, the memory of our fight that day became even clearer.
“Hey.”
“Um.”
We both spoke at the same time.
“You go first.”
“Oh? Okay.”
At Su-ah’s words, I thought, I have to apologize quickly, and swallowed hard. I took a breath, and just as I was about to speak clearly—
“Sorry.”
“I’m sorry!”
My voice overlapped with Su-ah’s, who had decided to speak first since I’d missed my timing.
“An apology… why?”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
We stared at each other, puzzled by the mutual apology, before bursting into laughter.
Minor fights between friends happen to everyone. Once we actually spat out the words of apology, I realized it was nothing. I felt like we were just an ordinary pair of friends you could find anywhere. Su-ah seemed to feel the same way; she laughed so hard she teared up, then slowly calmed down and wiped her eyes.
“Ah. My stomach hurts, fuck.”
“There you go with the swearing again.”
I calmed down as well and teased her about her swearing, and Su-ah laughed and lightly swatted my arm with the back of her hand.
“Can’t I even talk to myself? Seriously.”
“Oh? You hit me?”
Thinking I’d play along, I struck a pose like a fighting game character, and Su-ah posed like the character she used. The laughter that had broken out wouldn't easily subside, and we rolled around on the sofa, giggling again.
“Hey. It started.”
Catching our breath, we saw the game had loaded. We grabbed our controllers and started the game we’d already played to death all day.