Chapter 24: Are You Mad?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: Are You Mad?
I only wanted to say nice things.
To be kind when I was teaching him.
To not act like a pro and give him unsolicited advice.
I thought that if today went well, Oppa could become a good arcade buddy.
“Ugh. Then just do it yourself!”
Even though I’d come with that resolution, the moment Oppa ignored my advice, I felt my jaw clench.
There was a pattern he was struggling with, so I showed him how to handle it, but he just argued back, “Can’t I just do it like this?”
Ugh. If you’re a newbie, you should act like one and listen.
But the funny thing was, Oppa was right.
His large hands easily pressed all four buttons at once, as if the hand position I’d struggled so hard to figure out was completely unnecessary.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Noticing I was sulking, Oppa tried to lighten the mood with a playful comment.
The fact that his friendly smile was about to make me forgive him was even more annoying.
Ugh. What a cheat.
He kept using his good looks to get away with things.
Well… it’s not like he did anything terribly wrong.
It was ridiculous to even consider it a “wrongdoing” in the first place.
My advice just turned out to be unnecessary, that’s all.
“…Try it again.”
“That thing from before?”
“You can do it the way I showed you, or the way you did it. It doesn’t matter, just try again.”
“Alright.”
Oppa put in another coin, stood in front of the machine, and started playing exactly as I’d shown him.
As the music started, I naturally found myself humming along behind him.
The in-game difficulty was too easy, so I never played this version when I came alone, but that didn't change the fact that it was a masterpiece.
The patterns got harder as the song neared its climax.
“Okay, right here…”
Hearing Oppa mutter to himself, I focused and watched his hands.
Bam bam bam bam.
The buttons required you to stretch your fingers wide, as if you were tearing your hand apart.
Oppa proved with his own body that he hadn’t been wrong earlier.
“Oh! I got it!”
A smile crept onto my face without me realizing as I watched him celebrate his successful combo.
A newbie.
Watching a brand-new newbie get excited over a meager accomplishment was always cute.
When the song ended, Oppa looked down at me with a triumphant expression.
His face practically screamed, “Did you see that?” so I clapped for him.
“Good job.”
“Told you I could do it.”
“Showing off after clearing a measly level 5.”
“If I’ve already conquered 5 out of 10 levels, this game’s nothing special!”
I just nodded slowly at the newbie’s arrogant remark.
“Right, right. In that case, why don’t we try a taste of level 10?”
“…Can I do it?”
Can you do it? Of course not, you fool.
But it seemed necessary to knock him down a peg, so I chose a song myself and hit the play button.
“Oppa, it’s starting right away, so get ready.”
“Ssssp… Ah. Can I? This looks a little hard.”
Taemin Oppa couldn’t continue the conversation.
“Hey. Wait a sec. Hey.”
I felt a dizzying sense of pleasure at his frantic voice.
Haa… This is it.
His hands flailed, desperately trying to hit the buttons, but it was no use.
The difference between level 5 and 10 was like heaven and earth.
Even the jump from 9 to 10 was a high hurdle, so going from 5 to 10 was out of the question.
The result was, of course, FAIL.
Oppa smacked his lips with a rather bitter expression.
“…That’s hard.”
“Ah. If you practice a bit more, you could probably get to level 8, I think.”
Worried he might give up entirely, I offered a word of encouragement, but Oppa just turned his head to look at the other machines.
“Doah, are you good at all the other games here too?”
“Um… I’ve tried them all, but I mostly play the one you just did and that one over there at the end.”
“You don’t play anything other than rhythm games?”
“I do. But I’m not obsessed with setting high scores or anything.”
“I see.”
It seemed Oppa wasn’t the type to stick to just one game, as he headed back to the first floor.
“Let’s try this.”
He pointed to a two-player reaction time game.
The gameplay was simple.
Whoever pressed the lit-up buttons faster got more points.
“Seriously?”
“Why? Are you good at this too?”
“Oppa, can’t you tell just by watching me play rhythm games?”
“I figured out that your fingers are short.”
If I were a manga character, a vein-popping anger mark would have appeared on my forehead.
“Let’s do it. Drinks are on the loser.”
I put in a coin without hesitation.
“Ah, alright. But no take-backs.”
“A real man settles it in one round.”
“But you’re a girl, Doah.”
The provocations ended there.
As the lights on the machine started flashing, the two of us were busy frantically hitting the buttons.
The sharp, satisfying sounds of tapping echoed through the arcade.
“Haa… haa…”
As the announcement for the end of the round sounded, I caught my breath and looked at the scoreboard…
[240 : 210]
“Ha. Oppa. I told you you couldn’t beat me.”
See? I told you it was impossible.
How dare a newbie try to beat me at a game like this.
“So close.”
“It was a 30-point difference. How is that ‘so close’?”
“Hey, it’s only a 6-button difference. That’s totally close.”
It seemed Taemin Oppa applied a very generous standard only to himself.
“That aside, you know you have to buy me a drink, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll buy you one.”
Oppa let out a small laugh.
He seemed more competitive than I thought.
That part seemed a little similar to me.
One by one, new pieces of information about Taemin Oppa were piling up in my head.
It was a strange feeling.
Before, he just wouldn’t listen to me at all.
No matter what I said, I’d only get a lukewarm reaction, so I couldn’t learn anything about him.
This moment with Oppa was making my heart flutter, but the shadow of doubt was also growing darker.
What on earth was the difference between the Kim Doah from back then and the Kim Doah of now that made him react so differently?
At least on the outside, nothing had changed that much.
My hairstyle was the same.
My makeup style was the same.
And I didn't think the core of who I am had changed either.
I’m still just Kim Doah.
“Doah.”
While I was lost in thought, Oppa tapped my shoulder.
“Ah, yes?”
“Wanna play a little more and then go get something to eat?”
“Eat?”
“Or are you too busy with that assignment?”
Not a chance.
I couldn’t tell Taemin Oppa, but this week’s group assignment was a total breeze.
Junseok oppa was asking about equipment models and controls, but for me, it was no different from telling a fish to swim in water.
I’m a virtual idol, how could I not be able to do it?
If we really were to submit a VRWorld recording for the assignment, I had a feeling I’d unintentionally end up hard-carrying the team.
It was an advertisement strategy project, so it wasn't like I'd have to do any of the over-the-top "kawaii" moves viewers demand.
“Let’s eat together. Is there anything in particular you want?”
“How about a tteokbokki place?”
At his suggestion, I was overcome with the feeling that we were a real couple.
Meeting during the day, playing games at the arcade, and then going to a snack shop…
We were even wearing matching clothes, which doubled the sense of immersion.
“…Okay.”
“By the way, I can’t handle spicy food, so I get the mild tteokbokki. Is that okay?”
Before the afterglow of my fluttering heart could fade, Oppa shattered my delusion to pieces.
Who eats mild tteokbokki?
How is that any different from eating bland ramen made with way too much water?
“Sure. That’s fine.”
But I didn’t want to refuse his rare invitation, so I readily accepted his suggestion.
After about another hour of games, we collapsed onto a pair of chairs, completely exhausted.
“Man, my arm hurts so much.”
“That’s because you’re hitting the buttons with too much force.”
“What can I do? I tense up when the hard parts come.”
“It’s a lack of training.”
In shounen manga, the masters are always relaxed and naturally deflect their opponent’s attacks.
Rhythm games worked on the exact same principle.
The real pros just tap lightly, but they hit every beat perfectly.
I always thought that was truly amazing and cool.
“Should we go eat now?”
“Okay.”
Time had flown by, and the clock already showed 5 PM.
We left the arcade and walked back toward the bus stop, ducking into a neighborhood snack shop right in front of it.
“What do you want to eat?”
“I’m good with tteokbokki and tempura.”
“We’ll have one tteokbokki, one tempura, and one sundae, please.”
Not long after we ordered, the aunty brought out our food.
“Aigoo, young man. Looks like you got a girlfriend?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it.”
Seeing that she recognized him, it seemed Oppa was a regular here.
“Ayy, you’re even wearing matching clothes, what’s there to hide? I’ve been running this place for years.”
“Have a beautiful romance~ This is on the house!”
When the aunty gave us potato croquettes we hadn’t ordered, it must have felt awkward to keep insisting they weren’t a couple, so Oppa just laughed it off.
“…How embarrassing.”
“I know.”
When our eyes met, Oppa scratched his head awkwardly and handed me a fork.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I’d passed by this shop before, but this was my first time actually coming inside to eat.
“…It’s good.”
“Right?”
Rather than a generic franchise taste, it had the nostalgic flavor of the old cup tteokbokki from back in the day.
I was happily munching away when…
“Doah.”
“Yes?”
Taemin Oppa called my name with a very serious expression.
“Hold on a second.”
What is it? Did I do something weird…?
Oppa pulled out a couple of tissues and leaned closer to me.
“Sorry. It’s been bothering me for a while.”
And he wiped the tteokbokki sauce from the corner of my mouth.
What? When did I get that on my face?
Why didn’t he tell me sooner?
I would have wiped it off right away if he’d just said something!
My ears grew hot with embarrassment.
I knew I should say thank you, but my mouth just moved silently as if under a silencing spell, unable to form the words.
“…Are you mad?”
Ah. Seriously.
Why are you doing this to me, Taemin Oppa?
Instead of answering, I could only shake my head.