Paradise Lost (4)
The place I'd arranged to meet Luce was somewhere quite familiar to me as well.
My sphere of daily life is extremely narrow.
Even back when I was a kendo athlete, I wasn't the type to go wandering all over the place — but after my leg was ruined, it shrank even further.
These days, at best, I go back and forth between home and the hospital. Beyond that, the occasional trip to a convenience store is about it.
So the number of places I could call "familiar" was limited to begin with.
In this case, it was on the grounds of the Sigma Medical Group. In other words, the hospital I frequented regularly.
The part I usually went to was the rehabilitation center, and this was the front entrance — but still.
When I arrived, two women were already waiting in front of a luxury car.
I wasn't particularly late. They must have come out early.
Obviously one of them was Luce. The one I didn't know was probably Camelia.
"Thank you for coming all this way. This is Camelia. And this is…"
"I'm Gawol. Though it seems you already recognized me. Ah — my real name is Han Daeun."
"Camelia. Shin Eun-chae. I'm sorry about before."
Camelia, meeting her for the first time, made a much cleaner impression than I'd expected.
Unlike the fierce, sharp-edged look she had in-game, in real life she looked like a model student.
The way she fidgeted when she saw my leg suggested she wasn't a bad person, at least.
I could feel questions and confusion in her wavering eyes.
Well — maybe she was wondering how someone with a leg like this had managed to move the way I did.
Surprisingly, action came before questions.
Shin Eun-chae bowed at a full ninety degrees, and her manner was unmistakably respectful.
Seeing it in person wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, though.
I stared at her for a moment, then — haah.
I couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped.
"It's fine. I dumped a lot on you back then too. There's no point getting angry about it now."
"I'll be more careful next time."
"Maybe start by straightening up."
Was I really this soft a person?
When someone came at me with that kind of deference, I was the one who felt burdened.
Only after I physically helped her straighten her back did Camelia look relieved.
Right. I'd received an apology. That was enough.
It wasn't like I was in a position to feel all that righteous about it either.
Besides, I'd already been conscious of Luce's gaze.
Whatever the reason, I had lied to Luce too.
The day I appeared on Elderin's stream.
I'd told Luce I was leveling a pyromancer.
And then that very day, I'd revealed my face and let the world know that Han Daeun was Gawol.
When Luce found out, she must have been pretty dumbfounded.
"I, um, I'm sorry too. For lying to you about the game. I didn't mean anything bad by it. So the reason I did it was…"
"I understand. What you were feeling. I've been through it myself."
Ah. Of course.
This was why I liked Luce.
She'd gone through hard times like me.
Being understood — that a broken body can feel like a kind of sin.
My heart eased.
"Shall we get in the car for now? Standing around out here is a bit much. Let's go get something to drink."
Sigma Medical Group is a medical foundation with global influence.
Its authority is enough to claim the top spot even domestically without hesitation.
Even for me, this was the only place I could go for treatment or rehabilitation for my leg.
True to its massive scale, the foundation grounds had several proper cafés as well.
Just a few minutes in Luce's car, and we arrived at a café about three stories tall.
The moment we got out, subtle stares started landing on us from all around.
It would be a lie to say it had nothing to do with Luce's and my appearances.
But most of those gazes had been directed at us even before we got out of the car.
More precisely, they'd been aimed at Luce's car.
It's not exactly a car you see every day.
It was nothing new, but Luce had a lot of money.
Elderin's car hadn't been a cheap model either, but… Luce's was on another level entirely.
It wasn't the kind of wealth you could explain with "she makes good money as a pro gamer."
Even in the small details of how she carried herself, there was what people call that refined air of old money.
The same way I couldn't easily hide my own sense of poverty.
"What would you like to drink?"
Luce chose a cold brew.
Camelia picked an americano, and I went with a milkshake.
Ever since my body changed, sweet things had agreed with me particularly well.
That feeling when I ate them — like my mind lit up with a sparkle.
There was also this subtle lift in my energy, so whenever I got the chance, I found myself seeking one out.
While we sat waiting for our drinks, Luce spoke first.
She looked a little troubled.
"Daeun, may I ask why you've been taking a break from the game?"
"Ah… that."
So this topic was coming after all.
I'd been prepared for it.
I'd come here because there was something I wanted from her too.
But I hadn't been prepared for everything that followed.
"I have some idea. Have I ever told you what I was planning to do before I became a pro gamer?"
Ga-yoon began her story simply.
Looking back, the causal chain was straightforward.
I just hadn't connected the natural flow of it.
Elderin, who earned an enormous income as a streamer.
And Luce, who had far, far more money than even Elderin — an almost unfathomable amount.
Was Luce's wealth really dependent solely on her salary as a pro gamer?
Before becoming a pro, she'd done equestrian sports.
And equestrian was a sport that took a lot of money too.
"Originally, I was going to become a researcher in the virtual reality field. After the equestrian accident, I just couldn't bring myself to keep studying, so I quit."
"Hmm."
"That probably had some influence on me starting to play games after the accident as well."
Sigma eSports is Luce's team.
That's a fact countless people already know.
The reality was a little different.
Sigma started as an American company, but Sigma eSports is part of the Korean league.
The timing of its founding and Luce's entry into the pro league aren't far apart.
And finally, Luce had been doing volunteer work at Sigma for quite a long time.
Sigma, the medical foundation.
More precisely, the entire Korean branch was the backing behind the person named Lee Ga-yoon.
To put it more specifically, you could say she was the only daughter of the branch director.
"Recently, a request came in from a game company. The content was connection log analysis and usage record verification. People who have specialized knowledge of VR devices and can also verify movements at a pro gamer level are quite rare."
The vibration bell announcing that our drinks were ready buzzed.
Camelia stood up naturally.
"Sigma has a solid position in the virtual device field as well. Reviews of connection device stability carry legal credibility. Though of course, that side of things is a place where private influence can't reach."
"…"
"That's as much as I know. That's why I brought Eun-chae with me. I was worried I might be digging into your wounds, Daeun. I'm sorry for finding out without your permission. It wasn't intentional."
I felt a little scared.
The secret I'd wanted to hide could leak out this way.
But… maybe it was for the best.
Camelia came back with the drinks.
I gently stirred the white shake with the thick straw.
In the meantime, I organized my thoughts.
My leg being cured overnight was impossible.
Likewise, moving the way I used to with a regular connection device was impossible.
But formally protesting and fighting the game company… that was difficult, but possible.
"…Your guess is correct. I'm not taking a break from the game — I can't play it. I've been using a brainwave connection device, and it got blocked due to stability issues. They said using a different connection device is fine."
"So it was that after all. The stability issue was beyond my ability to do anything about. It was a job that required providing only the facts, thoroughly."
"I know that much."
I'm not completely clueless about how society works.
Since it could become a legal dispute between companies, it would have been handled fairly.
I had no intention of making unreasonable demands of that level.
But her answer just now confirmed it for me.
My judgment was right.
Luce was the person who could become the most reliable ally for me right now.
Ga-yoon asked.
"You want to keep playing, don't you?"
"Yes. That's why I came."
An immediate answer. Not a question that needed deliberation.
And when it came to asking for a helping hand, I didn't hesitate either.
"Please help me. I… don't want it to end like this. I don't want to lose Gawol this way."
I want to reclaim my lost paradise.
I want to go back to the place where I can run on my own two legs.
Just once is enough — I want to take back what was stolen from me.
I've always been losing. I've been trampled by the world every single time.
So… isn't it okay to thrash around just once?
Even if it's ugly and messy, that's fine.
If I got rejected here, I'd come prepared to grab Luce's ankle and cling to her.
I had no intention of letting go unless she beat me until I was covered in blood.
"Do you have a method in mind?"
"Yes, I do."
Game companies aren't invincible.
In old fantasy novels that used VR games as material, they often made the game company into some kind of extralegal corporation — but that can't actually be the case.
They're members of society too.
So I have to fight in the realm of society as well.
It would be a long, grueling fight, but there was a chance.
After hearing the several plans I'd laid out — Luce offered her thoughts.
"A frontal approach. Straight and proper. It's going to take a very long time. And there's no guarantee your skill will hold up until then, Daeun."
"…I'm prepared for that."
"But don't you just need to not go all the way to court? You're still so pure, Daeun. The law has more loopholes than you'd think. Surprisingly, principle-oriented people tend to be quite skilled at using workarounds."
"Well, of course I know. As long as you don't break the rules, right?"
Luce smiled brightly and pulled something from her bag.
On white paper was some kind of contract.
"Shall we start with a signature? No take-backs."