A Real-Life Collision
Cain, who had been listening from the side, chimed in. "Him? The Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1? Does that make any sense? It's a total rumor. If the real Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1 heard that, he'd be so pissed."
"..."
It was one hundred percent pure, unadulterated sincerity! Cain truly believed that Tae-hyun had absolutely nothing to do with the legendary Kim Tae-hyun of Pan-On 1. In a way, it was only natural. Cain was a massive fan of the original Kim Tae-hyun. He couldn't easily accept the fact that his gaming idol was actually this shameless guy standing right in front of him.
"Is that so?"
"I'm telling you, it is. It's disrespectful to Kim Tae-hyun, so stop spreading those rumors."
Cain was trying to defend his idol, yet Tae-hyun's mood was actively souring as he listened! Lee Da-bi, who was watching Tae-hyun's face from the side, thought to herself, No matter how much I think about it, I don't think it's just a rumor.
Cain was just hopelessly dense, but as the saying went, there was no smoke without fire!
"Should we call it a day?"
"?!"
Lee Da-bi stared at Tae-hyun in utter shock. *Call it a day? What on earth did that mean?* From what she had seen of him so far, Tae-hyun was a man forged from pure grit, tenacity, and endless patience. He was someone who would willingly wait in a muddy pit for four days and three nights just to pull off a scam! If there was a chance to make a fortune, he would pull all-nighters for days on end. Yet, he was stopping here?
"Are... are you sick or something?"
"...Is me logging off really that shocking to you?"
"Yes. Ah—no, I mean, no."
Her "yes" had slipped out before she could even think. Realizing what she had just admitted, Da-bi hastily tried to correct herself, but it was already too late. She quickly averted her gaze. Tae-hyun stared at her intently before speaking.
"I have plans, so I'm heading out."
"Yeah, me too. I need to log off."
"...?"
Da-bi tilted her head at their words. They both had plans at the exact same time?
"It's about the Arena Pro League. I'm going to introduce Cain to the PD and get him approved."
"You're really doing it?!"
"It's not like it's hard. Since I'm participating, the least I can do is pull a few strings."
Da-bi looked at Tae-hyun with a touch of admiration. Tae-hyun had absolutely nothing to lose even if Cain didn't join the team. Yet, he was personally going out of his way to persuade the PD just to get Cain on board.
He teases him constantly, but does he actually care about Cain deep down?
"You're not having some weird, unpleasant thoughts right now, are you?"
"Huh? Oh, no, of course not."
Sensing something off, Tae-hyun questioned her sharply, but Da-bi feigned innocence.
"Anyway, we can't just enter the tournament on a whim. We need to meet in person. My identity is verified, but we don't know anything about Cain."
"Hey! My identity is perfectly verified too, okay?"
"Who knows? For all I know, some forty-year-old middle-aged dude might show up. Wow, that would actually be a bit of a shock."
"W-what... What about you? What if you turn out to be some old guy in real life?"
"I barely customized my avatar. You can basically assume I look like this."
"..."
"..."
"Why did you both suddenly go quiet?"
Cain and Da-bi stared at Tae-hyun's face and thought the exact same thing. If we meet someone with that height and that face in real life, it's going to be terrifying!
"Can I! Can I come along too?"
"Huh? Why you?"
"...We're teammates, aren't we?"
When Tae-hyun asked "Why you?" without a single second of hesitation, Da-bi looked visibly hurt.
"No, I just meant... there won't be anything fun for you to do, and you'll just be bored. If you want to come, go ahead. I'm meeting Cain first, and then we're heading to the station together anyway."
"People can meet up just to hang out, you know. It doesn't always have to be about business."
"Really? I don't meet people unless I absolutely have to. It's a hassle."
"..."
Tae-hyun's words were filled with absolute, unfiltered sincerity.
"Well, whatever. You can come too if you want."
"Yes! I'm coming!"
Da-bi nodded eagerly. She was curious about what kind of people Tae-hyun and Cain were in the real world, and she genuinely wanted to be a part of their circle.
I want to get a little closer to them.
When she had first met Tae-hyun at the Espa Kingdom Arena, she had joined hands with him purely for profit. But now, things were different. The game itself had actually become fun!
Up until now, Pan-On had been nothing more than a source of income for Da-bi. Fun didn't matter; her sole focus had been running her guild, grinding gold through various means, and exchanging it for real cash.
But after meeting Tae-hyun, traveling together, clearing all sorts of quests, and experiencing wild adventures, the game had truly become enjoyable.
Of course, it wasn't just about the fun; the profits were still astronomical. Just by associating with Tae-hyun, her guild's streams received an immense amount of free publicity and attention!
"Why the hell isn't this guy here yet?"
Cain looked around anxiously. He was currently waiting for Tae-hyun at a cafe in front of Station A. They had agreed to meet there at 2:00 PM! He had arrived right on time, but there was still no sign of Tae-hyun.
Vroooooooom—
"...?"
A peculiar exhaust note echoed through the street. It was a roar completely different from that of an ordinary car.
Screeech—
"????"
Cain's eyes widened. A Ferrari had pulled up right in front of the cafe. Passersby whispered and stared at the vibrant, cherry-red sports car.
The Ferrari's window rolled down, revealing a man with a sharp, strikingly familiar face.
"Cain?"
"Uh, yes? I mean, yeah, I'm Cain... and you're Kim Tae-hyun?"
Cain had resolved to show a confident, self-assured side of himself when he finally met Tae-hyun. Sure, he was treated like a cornered rat in Pan-On, but he couldn't let that carry over into the real world. He had mentally prepared himself, steeling his resolve...
Only for that resolve to be instantly shattered by this shocking entrance!
"I'm not Kim Tae-hyun."
"?!?!"
Cain looked around in utter panic. Not Tae-hyun? Then who on earth is this guy?
"Oh, I-I'm sorry..."
"...If I weren't Kim Tae-hyun, how would I know you're Cain?"
"...Hey!!"
"Just get in already."
Cain awkwardly climbed into the passenger seat. The interior featured a vibrant red leather that practically hurt his eyes! When he had left his house this morning, he never could have imagined finding himself in a situation like this.
"Wait, where's Da-bi?"
The Ferrari Tae-hyun drove was a two-seater. Naturally, there was no room for a third person.
"She said she'd head straight to the station. She messaged me earlier. It's just you."
"O-oh, really?"
Cain looked around the interior of the car. Just how rich is this guy?
He had always wondered why someone so incredibly successful in Pan-On didn't bother streaming or making videos, but now it all made sense. If you were this wealthy, you didn't need to chase pennies!
And here I am, having just been nagged to get a real job before I left the house today...!
A wave of sorrow and injustice washed over him.
"I-is this your car?"
"No, it's my dad's. I usually just walk or take a taxi."
"...?"
Cain tilted his head in confusion. Why would anyone walk or take a taxi when they had access to a car like this? If it were him, he would drive it every single day without fail.
"You look like you're dying of curiosity. Want to know why?"
"Huh? Yeah..."
"You're probably better off not knowing."
Tae-hyun smirked. Sensing an ominous vibe from that smile, Cain flinched. It was the kind of grin that promised immediate regret if he pressed further!
"More importantly, Cain... you're a lot different from what I expected."
Tae-hyun scanned Cain from head to toe. Feeling self-conscious under his gaze, Cain stammered.
"W-why?"
"Just how much did you customize your appearance? Did you max out the slider limits?"
Tae-hyun had every right to ask. Because Cain's real-life appearance was...
...that of a petite, baby-faced young man! If Cain hadn't mentioned his age before, Tae-hyun would have assumed he was younger than him.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with changing your looks a bit!"
"No, it's just... for a guy who used to swagger around as the guild leader of the Red Zone, picking fights left and right, seeing you like this is a bit of a letdown..."
He was the polar opposite of his in-game persona!
"..."
Cain shut his mouth. He knew that if he argued any further, he would only end up getting teased even more.
"By the way, you're definitely a guy, right?"
"You bastard... are you trying to pick a fight with me?! Huh?!"
Any tension Cain had felt upon their first meeting had long since evaporated. He shouted at Tae-hyun in frustration. No matter how he looked at it, the guy was clearly just trying to provoke him!
"No, I'm just asking to be absolutely sure."
"Why do you need to be sure?! Are those eyes of yours just for decoration?!"
"I recently made a mistake like that, so..."
"...?"
Cain wondered if he had heard him wrong.
"You actually mistook someone's gender before?"
"Yeah."
"So your eyes are just for decoration—whoa!"
The car suddenly surged forward, throwing Cain back against his seat.
"Anyway, you were wondering why I usually walk or take taxis, right?"
"Y-yeah?"
"The answer is because I'm a terrible driver."
"...!"
"Let's see, how many years has it been since I got my license and immediately stuffed it away in a drawer... Well, whatever, that's not important."
"If that's not important, then what is?!"
"I noticed that when you drive a Ferrari, people tend to get out of your way on their own."
"You lunatic!"
"It's fine. We won't die."
"If you can't drive, why the hell did you bring a car out in the first place?!"
"I was running late, so I had no choice. I couldn't break our promise, could I?"
Tae-hyun was surprisingly strict about things like that! Cain wanted nothing more than to leap out of the car, but they were already speeding down the road.
"Pant, pant... gasp..."
"Man, you're such a coward."
"I wouldn't have been scared if you hadn't opened your mouth!!"
Cain snapped back in frustration. In truth, Tae-hyun's driving hadn't been bad at all. For someone who claimed to have left his license in a drawer for years, his driving was incredibly smooth and precise. In other words, what Tae-hyun had said before they started...
...was clearly just to scare him!
This evil, sadistic bastard...
"Let's head up. The PD is waiting."
"Y-yeah."
"By the way, what's your real name?"
Tae-hyun asked casually. He was the type to use his real name as his in-game nickname, but there were plenty of people like Cain who used entirely different aliases.
"...Kim Deok-su."
"What?"
"Kim Deok-su!!"
"What??"
"You bastard! You heard me, you're doing this on purpose!"
"You should've spoken up sooner. Alright, Deok-su. Let's use our real names from now on to get closer. You can call me Tae-hyun, and I'll call you Deok-su."
"Just call me Cain..."
Cain muttered, trembling with rage. Meanwhile, they spotted PD Bae Jang-wook waving at them from a distance.
"Ah, you're here! Welcome! And this must be... the Cain you mentioned—"
"I'm Kim Deok-su."
"Pardon?"
"His in-game name is Cain, but his real name is Kim Deok-su."
Cain's fists clenched as he trembled with silent fury. He couldn't exactly throw a tantrum in front of a PD he was meeting for the first time, so he had to swallow his anger while Tae-hyun introduced him.
"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Deok-su."
"P-please... call me Cain..."
"Of course, Cain. Please, come this way."
Once the three of them were seated, Bae Jang-wook began the conversation.
"First of all, Tae-hyun, thank you so much for agreeing to participate in the Arena Pro League. You have no idea how thrilled Su-han was when he heard the news."
"It's nothing."
"I heard from Lee Se-yeon that you accepted immediately after she proposed it. She mentioned that it has always been your dream to team up and fight alongside her. If that was what you wanted, you should have just told me sooner..."
Snap! Cain saw it with absolute clarity. Underneath the table, the ballpoint pen Tae-hyun was holding had just been crushed into splinters!