What Do You Mean, That's Not What You Wanted?

"What? That's not what you wanted?" Tae-hyun asked, utterly bewildered. If not that, then why on earth had she called him here? "What else did you expect me to say?"

"...There are plenty of other nice things you could say," Evangeline muttered.

"??" Tae-hyun wore a look of genuine, unadulterated confusion. His blank expression only exasperated Evangeline further. This guy... This absolute...!

"Like, 'That kind of playstyle is wrong! You need to focus on team ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠play!' Couldn't you say something like that?!"

"Hmm. Is it really wrong? It didn't seem particularly incorrect to me..."

"It is wrong! Just tell them it's wrong! Please!" Evangeline grabbed Tae-hyun by both shoulders and shook him fiercely. Her intensity was so overwhelming that even Tae-hyun flinched. So this is the aura of a head coach...!

"Alright, alright. It's not like it's hard to say. I can do that much for you." At Tae-hyun's words, Evangeline's face lit up. If Tae-hyun—a player revered by every single member of her team—said it, the players would surely listen and reflect on their actions.

As Evangeline stood there practically glowing with excitement, Lee Da-bi chimed in from the side. "By the way, Tae-hyun is very busy, so since you're asking him to take time out of his schedule for coaching, I assume you've prepared proper compensation?"

"Huh? I've already extorted—cough, I mean, received so much from her. Is that really necessary?" Even Tae-hyun possessed a microscopic shred of conscience. To be completely honest, he had fleeced her for quite a lot!

"But Tae-hyun, you shouldn't do what you're good at for free. If you don't charge a proper fee, it can lead to annoying complications down the road."

"Well, that's true." Evangeline was officially acting as a head coach right now, making this a professional matter. Doing it for free made no sense. Listening to their exchange, Evangeline smirked with absolute confidence.

"?"

"Why is she smiling?"

"Who knows? Is she that confident?"

Cain gasped as he watched Evangeline's smirk. "That look... That's the kind of smile only Kim Tae-hyun would pull."

"Doesn't that mean she really has something up her sleeve?"

"But what could she possibly have brought?"

Evangeline stopped smirking and spoke. "I already anticipated that ordinary compensation wouldn't cut it!"

"Actually, I've squeezed so much out of you already that I was planning to just do it if you asked nicely." Since she had become close friends with Lee Da-bi, he could easily grant a small favor like this!

At his words, Evangeline's expression twisted into something incredibly complicated.

"...I already anticipated that ordinary compensation wouldn't cut it!"

'She looks like she's dying of regret,' Da-bi's eyes seemed to say.

'Extremely regretful,' Tae-hyun agreed silently.

She was undoubtedly thinking: If I knew that, I wouldn't have gone through all this hell!

Tae-hyun decided to play along. "Right, right. So, what did you bring? Wow, I am just so, so excited!"

"...Stop it. *Ahem. Ahem.* Kim Tae-hyun, what are the rarest metals in Pan-On?"

"Probably Orihalcon and Adamantium."

"Exactly! I have prepared none other than Adamantium!" Evangeline declared, staring intently at Tae-hyun. No matter how absurdly rich or lucky Tae-hyun was, the mention of Adamantium was bound to shock him! Especially since Tae-hyun's roots lay in the blacksmithing class...

"..."

However, Tae-hyun merely wore an incredibly awkward expression. "Adaman... tium...?"

"W-what?! What is it?!"

"I actually have a whole box of that sitting at home..."

"Stop talking nonsense! How does that even make sense?!" Evangeline shrieked in horror. She had mobilized every single connection in her network just to scrape together a single chunk, and he had a whole box of it?!

"No, really. Adamantium is an incredibly precious reward. I'll accept it gratefully."

"Your face doesn't look grateful at all! Show some more gratitude! Look a little happier!"

"Ah, why are you being as annoying as Cain? I said I'd do it, didn't I? I already agreed."

"Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears went into getting that...?!" Evangeline wailed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the verge of tears. Even if he was the legendary Kim Tae-hyun, how on earth could someone just have a box of Adamantium lying around their house?!

Only after she finally calmed down did Evangeline realize she had achieved her original goal. "You're really going to give them advice, right?"

"Sure, sure. We'll meet up in Pan-On, and I'll show them what true solo play is all about, right?"

"...Team play! Team play!!"

"Potato, potahto. Either way, I got it."

Evangeline was absolutely thrilled to have accomplished her mission on her very first day in Korea. When she was leaving Canada, everyone else in her gaming organization had scoffed at her.

It had been a brutally cold reception!

...That was the humiliation Evangeline had endured. She hadn't even dreamed of succeeding on her very first day; she had been fully prepared to spend days begging and pleading to convince him. And yet, he had agreed so readily! She threw her arms around Lee Da-bi, hugging her tightly in gratitude.

"It's all thanks to you!"

"No, not at all. It's because of your own hard work, Evangeline. But don't forget what you promised."

"...I'll make sure to promote Power Warrior wherever I go...!"

"You have to personally recommend it and get people to join!"

The price of having Lee Da-bi pick her up from the airport was a promise to recruit new members for Power Warrior! Tae-hyun and the others watched in sheer awe. Lee Da-bi... what a terrifyingly capable girl!

Just as Evangeline was about to leave with a triumphant look on her face, she suddenly paused.

"?"

"...Since I came all the way to Korea, I was planning to do some sightseeing if I had time. But the business got wrapped up way faster than I expected..." Evangeline shot Lee Da-bi a desperate look. It was the gaze of a soaking-wet, abandoned puppy! Lee Da-bi flinched under the sheer weight of those pleading eyes.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't know anyone else in Korea...! Help me...!"

"N-no, wait. I don't really know any good spots either!" This time, Lee Da-bi shot a desperate look at Tae-hyun. Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion.

"Can't you just take her to one of your favorite places?"

"My favorite place...? The neighborhood playground?" Free admission, no time limit, a wide variety of interactive content, and PVP enabled! There was a very clear reason why Lee Da-bi loved it.

"..."

"..."

Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi stared at each other in dead silence. Realizing that a local playground was absolutely not an option for an international guest, Lee Da-bi clung to him desperately.

"Please help me...!"

"Hey, I don't know any tourist spots either! Why does she even want to sightsee in the real world anyway? She can just do it in Pan-On!" Korea didn't have active lava volcanoes, auroras, or a floating Sky Castle! Compared to Pan-On, wasn't the real world basically just the Salz Kingdom?

"Is that any way to talk to a tourist who just arrived in Korea?"

"Oh, Cain. Since you're speaking up, it looks like you're the perfect man for the job."

"Exactly. You should do it. We're counting on you, Cain."

"You can handle this, right?"

"...?!?!" Cain suddenly realized that things had taken a horribly wrong turn.

"This is a capsule room! You can play Pan-On here! They even serve food, and it's delicious!"

"...I came all the way to Korea just to play Pan-On?"

"And this is a cafe! It's a very quiet place, so the owner doesn't even bother acknowledging me. The other customers don't either!" The rest of the group tilted their heads at Cain's words.

"...Isn't that just because they don't recognize y—*mph*."

"Stop, stop. Let's just go inside." The group pushed open the door to the cafe Cain had recommended. The moment they stepped inside, the owner's eyes went wide with shock.

"Player Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"Ah."

"Uh."

"..."

"Are you really Player Kim Tae-hyun? M-my son is a huge fan. Could I possibly get an autograph?"

"Ah, of course."

"Wait, is that Player Lee Da-bi next to you? And—*gasp*—Player Choi Sang-yun too...?! Is the entirety of Team KL here?!"

"Yes, that's correct."

As Tae-hyun signed the paper, the cafe owner was so deeply moved he could barely speak. He looked around the group, tilted his head, and asked:

"Where is Player Cain?"

"..."

"..."

"Oh! Is that him over there?" the owner asked, pointing directly at Evangeline. Cain's blood boiled, and he screamed:

"She's a completely different gender and race!!!" They literally had zero features in common!

"I thought it was in-game customization..."

"I'm Cain! Me!"

"Wait, you're Player Cain? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I thought you already knew!!"

"Well... how was I supposed to know if you didn't say anything?"

"Then why did you always smile so warmly at me whenever I came in?!"

"Well, because you're a regular customer... If I had known you were Player Cain, I would have asked for your autograph ages ago! I'm a massive fan of Team KL!"

"If you're such a big fan, how could you not even recognize my face?!"

"Well, Player Cain is usually much bulkier, and he's supposed to have four more arms..."

"$@^*&!@#!" Cain collapsed onto the table, sobbing hysterically. Watching him, Evangeline leaned over and whispered to Tae-hyun:

"Can we just leave?"

"Haha. Evangeline, if you're going to hang out with us, you have to share our embarrassment. And don't turn off your translator. That's cheating."

"...!" How did he know?!

After finally calming Cain down, Tae-hyun's group settled into a corner of the cafe. The handful of other customers quickly recognized them and rushed over to get autographs. Everyone was utterly astonished to discover that Cain was, in fact, Cain.

"Wait, you were Player Cain this whole time?"

"I just thought he was some suspicious guy..."

"He kept glancing around at everyone so nervously, I thought he was trying to recruit people into a pyramid scheme..."

"Alright, alright, everyone. I'll sign your autographs, so let's leave it at that..." Tae-hyun quickly cut them off for Cain's sake. If Cain heard any more of this, he was definitely going to burst into tears again.

"Player Kim Tae-hyun, do you have any plans to clear the world event quest?"

"Are you preparing for it right now?"

"The Curse of the Volcano?" Tae-hyun asked, tilting his head. To be honest, the Curse of the Volcano was actually beneficial to him rather than detrimental. His territory was already fully prepared!

"I'm currently busy with another quest, so I don't really have any intention of doing it."

"But isn't there anyone else who can clear it besides you, Player Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Oh, come on. There are so many skilled players in Pan-On. Even if I don't clear it, someone else will."

"Oh! Do you happen to know which player is preparing to tackle it?"

"Hey, why would you ask him that? You're putting him on the spot."

"Ah, right. Sorry." When his friend nudged him, the fan bowed his head apologetically. Tae-hyun waved his hands to reassure them.

"It's fine, it's not really a big deal. But I truly don't know anything about it..."

"Ah, is that so?"

"I heard a rumor that Alcott, a ranker from the Guild Alliance, is planning to clear it."

"Dude, how could he possibly clear that?"

"Alcott is actually a pretty strong ranker."

"But he's in the Guild Alliance. What can those guys even do? They're all hype."

"The Guild Alliance is still a powerful coalition in its own right. You shouldn't look down on them too much. People only laugh at them here in Korea, but outside of our country, there are very few guilds as strong as the Guild Al—ah, sorry." The two friends, who had been bickering over whether the Guild Alliance was overhyped or not, suddenly froze and apologized.

"No, it's fine. They are overhyped."

"...!!" It was a statement that made Evangeline gasp in sheer shock!

"C-can you really say that out loud?"

"Well, it's the truth."

"As expected of Player Kim Tae-hyun...!"

"To someone like Player Kim Tae-hyun, the Guild Alliance is basically just a light snack!" The fans surrounding them were absolutely thrilled.

Whether they underestimated or overestimated the Guild Alliance, the vast majority of players held a deep-seated dislike for them. Just think back to when the Guild Alliance was at the peak of its power! Players had been forced to pay exorbitant taxes just for passing through their territories. When the Alliance collapsed because they couldn't handle a single player—Tae-hyun—the entire player base had rejoiced in sheer satisfaction! Now that those bastards were slowly trying to make a comeback, it was only natural for people to feel anxious.

Yet, hearing Tae-hyun's casual dismissal brought a strange sense of peace. No matter how powerful the Guild Alliance grew, as long as Kim Tae-hyun was around, everything would be just fine!