Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Did You Trick Me?
Back when I was in the military, something like this happened.
We were told to wait before starting work, but one junior couldn’t sit still and started playing a rhythm game on his phone.
He got chewed out badly for it.
For reference, he was a public service worker.
Anyway.
The military is the military.
The reason I’m bringing this up now is simple.
“I clearly told you to stay still and not do anything…”
“I’m in a game right now, wait. This is a really important moment.”
Honestly, I don’t understand why people play games like that.
Games should be something you can stop whenever you want.
But I couldn’t exactly pull the plug on the computer, so I just sat down.
‘When is this going to end?’
I hoped it would finish quickly.
With that thought, I stared at the screen Yeram was glued to.
I’ve never played her game myself, but I’ve watched her enough to understand the situation just by looking at the numbers in the corner.
“0 kills, 4 deaths, 1 assist. You’re playing like a disaster, little sister.”
Unbelievable.
I felt embarrassed.
Our family clearly has good gaming genes.
“Try harder.”
“I keep telling you, I’m never bad. My teammates just can’t keep up with me.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.”
Normally I’d argue, but not today.
It would only make the game last longer.
“By the way, what’s that character’s name?”
“I told you, I’m not playing badly.”
“Fine, what’s the name?”
“Nidalee.”
“No idea who that is.”
The only characters I knew were the famous ones.
Even if you don’t play, you end up learning things from the internet.
“That character is really hard. That’s why I died four times.”
“I see.”
No one forced her to pick a hard character.
Still, I just nodded.
Then—
“Ah… seriously. My team sucks.”
She sighed and ended the game.
The moment it ended, I moved in.
“Where did you get money for coffee?”
“Coffee? You give me allowance.”
“The café owner recognizes you. That means you go almost every day.”
She thought for a moment.
“I don’t spend money on anything else. And sometimes people treat me.”
I give her about 200,000 won a month.
Coffee is 2,500 won…
After some quick mental math—
Yeah, it checks out.
“But you really don’t spend money on anything else?”
“No. There’s nothing to spend it on.”
“…Wow.”
That was honestly impressive.
I felt a little ashamed for doubting her.
“I’m touched. As your brother, I’ve decided to increase your allowance.”
It had been two years since the last increase.
Her expression changed slightly.
“Well then—an increase of 5,000 won.”
That’s actually pretty generous.
Her allowance had been frozen regardless of the economy.
“Wow, that’s stingy.”
“Then don’t take it.”
“No, I’ll take it.”
5,000 won is enough for hours at a PC café.
I transferred it immediately.
“I sent it. Spend it wisely.”
“Okay.”
With that, the coffee issue was resolved.
I returned to my seat.
Maybe I should play some games now.
But first—
the community.
‘I barely logged in today.’
Normally I spend hours there.
Today was unusual.
Feeling proud of my self-control, I logged in.
It was a small but active forum.
Not famous, but those who knew it stayed.
Scrolling through posts—
[Title: Worked at a café today…]
[Content: Is café work always this hard? Makes me want to ‘go rogue’…]
Thinking about it again, it really was tough.
That’s why I felt like doing something reckless.
Then comments started pouring in.
People questioned whether I was really working.
One user in particular stood out.
Someone I’d seen often.
Probably around 29 years old.
Likely female.
Judging by past posts.
‘Still, no way I’m revealing I’m a guy.’
If people find out, everything changes.
Not officially—but users would swarm like crazy.
Better to stay anonymous.
Then—
“Hey, what are you mumbling about?”
Yeram interrupted.
“Nothing. Just thinking about the military.”
“Why bring that up now?”
“Because you’ll have to go someday.”
“Why would you say that now?!”
“If you don’t want to, I can cut off your arm for you.”
“…I’ll pass.”
I typed a reply.
Saying I was a public service worker.
Most people don’t question that.
A perfect excuse.
Then—
The reply came back.
They said they were also a public service worker.
…What?
Weren’t they supposedly discharged from the army?
What the hell?