Lee Se-yeon's Utter Frustration
Lee Se-yeon was utterly frustrated. Honestly, losing was bound to make her angry and resentful regardless of the reason, but... to lose to that! Seriously, couldn't she have lost to something a bit more normal?
"Sniff. I did good, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. You did great."
"It's all because I got shot out of a cannon..."
"I mean, I'm the one who shot you, so I probably shouldn't talk, but doesn't saying it like that make it sound kind of sad?" Tae-hyun asked, looking at Cain with a dubious expression. When talking about one's achievements in a tournament, wasn't it a bit depressing to brag about being fired out of a cannon?
Thud, thud.
Meanwhile, Lee Se-yeon, who had just stepped out of her capsule, walked over to Tae-hyun's group. Seeing her approach, Tae-hyun whispered, "Watch out. She might attack us."
"..."
I can hear you, you know!
However, Lee Se-yeon barely managed to hold onto her sanity. She couldn't exactly beat Tae-hyun to a pulp on a live broadcast in front of the entire world.
"Congrat... grind... ulations... grind... on your win."
The sound of her grinding her teeth was clearly audible between her words!
Hearing this, Tae-hyun quietly stared at Lee Se-yeon. His silence made her anxious. What is this jerk planning to do to drive me crazy this time...?
Tae-hyun took her outstretched hand and shook it. Then, he replied with utmost politeness, "It was a good match."
"...?!"
Tae-hyun's companions were actually more shocked than Lee Se-yeon. Even if he didn't go as far as shouting, 'I won! I won, you loser!' they had fully expected him to throw out some basic provocations or mockery!
Choi Sang-yun asked in sheer disbelief, "What the? What's wrong with you? Are you sick? Are you being blackmailed?"
"Did Lee Se-yeon threaten you? Gasp. Is she holding you at gunpoint right now?"
"No. I just figured this would make her the angriest."
Half-hearted mockery or teasing would only help Lee Se-yeon regain her composure. He was playing the reverse of the reverse psychology!
"..."
"..."
The group stared at Tae-hyun with lukewarm, judging eyes. Seriously, how could someone go to such lengths?
"...Responding politely makes Lee Se-yeon angrier? How does that even make sense?" Cain asked back, completely unconvinced. No matter how much they thought about it, the world those two operated in was beyond comprehension!
"Unni! You were amazing!"
"Captain. You did your absolute best. I'm so sorry we couldn't be of more help."
As soon as Lee Se-yeon returned from the handshake, her teammates rushed over to comfort her. The scene of Lee Se-yeon and Tae-hyun shaking hands just now had been the very definition of sportsmanship. A heartwarming moment of the winner and loser encouraging each other... Tremble, tremble!
"??"
"What's wrong, Captain?"
"That... That jerk did that on purpose to provoke me even more... pretending to be nice...! How utterly loathsome!" Lee Se-yeon clenched her fists. There was no way Tae-hyun had suddenly lost his mind and decided to act polite. He was definitely doing that just to screw with her even more!
"U-Um, but still, surely that's a bit of a stretch..."
"She's right, Unni. I don't think that's it."
"What do you guys know?!"
"Aigoo... Aigoo..." Chairman Yoo lamented.
In the end, Yuseong Gaming had lost. It was incredibly frustrating! More than missing out on the championship, losing to that punk Kim Tae-hyun stung the most.
"Old man. Were you a fan of Yuseong Gaming?" Lee Jung-seop, who was holding his fishing rod next to Chairman Yoo, asked in confusion.
Lee Jung-seop was the leader of the Thin and Long Guild—a casual, livelihood-focused guild made up of middle-aged men who had taken early retirement! Having bonded over their mutual search for Snowflake Fish, he had become quite close with Chairman Yoo. Furthermore, Lee Jung-seop believed Chairman Yoo was someone who had been laid off by the Yuseong Group.
"Y-Yeah, something like that."
"Geez. You really are something, old man. If it were me, I'd shudder at the mere mention of the word 'Yuseong'."
The grudge of being fired from a job ran deep! Of course, they were now living well, finding a second lease on life as players, but the shock of being laid off never truly faded.
"Well, since you worked there for so long, I suppose it's not easy to hate them right away." Lee Jung-seop nodded, convincing himself of his own logic. That was just how life worked; things were rarely black and white. "Cheer up, old man. Let's go catch some Snowflake Fish."
"...Can't we catch something else for a change?" Chairman Yoo replied with a lukewarm voice.
Of course, he was grateful that they shared his love for fishing. Since the members of the Thin and Long Guild were mostly middle-aged men, they all loved fishing. With high-level players helping him out, Chairman Yoo's quests had become several times easier. For a chance encounter, it was a remarkably good relationship. On top of that, the guild leader, Lee Jung-seop, was a warm and easygoing guy...
Except for his absolute obsession with Snowflake Fish!
One would think that after catching Snowflake Fish day in and day out, he'd get greedy for other types of fish, but the man was incredibly consistent!
"A man's gotta dig one well, haha."
"..."
"Oh, look. Player Kim Tae-hyun is giving an interview. Wow. He's really handsome. He looks so tall and presentable, doesn't he? And he's so polite, too."
"He's... polite?!"
"If I had a daughter, he's exactly the kind of guy I'd want as a son-in-law."
"I-Is that so?"
To each their own!
Lee Jung-seop watched the video of the championship ceremony with admiration. On the screen, Tae-hyun's team was wrapping up their interview, lifting the trophy, and expressing their ambition to prepare for the next Arena League.
"Isn't he an amazing young man?"
"...Speaking of which, do you have any children?" Chairman Yoo, whose stomach was churning with bitterness, subtly changed the subject.
"Ah, I have a son."
"Oh... Does he play the game with you?"
"Haha, he's busy, so he only logs in occasionally. When he does, I help him out a bit."
"It's good that he's busy. What is he up to?"
"He's preparing for job applications. Ah, now that I think about it, my son is applying to Yuseong Group this time."
"...!" Chairman Yoo flinched.
"W-Which division?"
"Probably Yuseong Electronics."
"I-I see."
"Old man, do you happen to have any advice for him?"
"W-Well, let's see."
Chairman Yoo made a firm mental note. He must absolutely never reveal his true identity! If it were anyone else, he might have given them a chance since they were an acquaintance, but Chairman Yoo was strictly professional when it came to these matters.
Still, I should keep an eye out for him once he joins. Chairman Yoo resolved.
"Vacation time!"
"Woohoo!"
Back at the hotel, Tae-hyun's group excitedly celebrated their victory. Winning didn't mean they had to pack up and leave immediately. Their hotel rooms were booked for over another week, meaning they could leisurely sightsee around the area for the remaining time. Before the finals, they had been too tense and anxious to properly enjoy sightseeing (though, in truth, it was mostly because they were busy playing Pan-On), but now they could finally relax and enjoy themselves! Nothing was sweeter than resting after a hard-earned victory.
Cain was already agonizing over what outfit to wear to appeal to his fans. He smiled as he looked at Lee Da-bi beside him, who was also deep in thought, groaning over something.
Aha! She's worrying about the exact same thing as me!
Cain nudged Lee Da-bi and asked, "You're worrying about that too, aren't you?"
"Ah! How did you know?"
"I can tell just by looking at you."
"P-Please don't tell Tae-hyun."
"Of course! There's no reason to let Kim Tae-hyun know!"
"Right? I'm planning to give Tae-hyun a surprise gift... and it wouldn't be any fun if he found out beforehand."
"...O-Oh. Right. Y-Yeah, that's exactly what I was worrying about too!" Cain quickly changed his tune.
Traitor! Though, technically, there was no betrayal involved!
Cain glanced at the rest of the group. They were all discussing what to do with their massive prize money from the finals.
"Hmm, what should I buy for my parents..."
"Your parents will be so happy!"
"..."
Cain suddenly felt extremely embarrassed. Beside him, Choi Sang-yun asked with a strange look, "Did you already pick out gifts for your family? Seeing how you have the luxury to worry about a gift for Kim Tae-hyun..."
"...Of course I did!" Cain resolved never to speak of what had just transpired.
"You all worked hard. Now, go enjoy yourselves."
"Woooo! Captain! Captain! Captain!"
Everyone was deeply moved by Tae-hyun's unusually relaxed attitude. Ah, defeating Lee Se-yeon really made him generous!
"But first, let's log in!"
"Woo..."
The magic of a roaring "Woooo!" instantly deflating into a pathetic "Woo..."!
Cain asked, utterly incredulous, "Wait... No. Dude. Seriously... We... won... vacation..."
"I know. I know you want to play. But if you live your real life so diligently, when are you going to play the game?"
"???"
Wait, isn't that completely backward?
"Knema's Vampire Castle might be in danger right now. Let's head back quickly and wrap things up there first! Once that's done, I'll give you your vacation!"
"Ugh..."
"Argh..."
The group climbed into their capsules with tearful faces. The quest at Knema's Vampire Castle was indeed in a critical state, so they couldn't even argue.
"Hmm. I'm doomed." Vlad muttered to himself as he paced along the castle walls. "Yep... I am definitely doomed."
No matter how he looked at it, the situation was hopeless! Of course, inside the walls, there were high-spirited vampire adventurers, the order of knights, and the Archisus Artillery... but the vampire nobles of the Blood Archipelago were no pushovers. Having been insultingly attacked and driven away, they would surely return to bare their fangs with everything they had. And their absolute top target would be Vlad. Ah! It was terrifying!
Ugh... I want to run away...
Now, while that fiendish Archisus bastard was away, was his golden opportunity. Unfortunately, there were barely any chances to escape. From the knights to the Archisus Artillery, they were all keeping an incredibly tight leash on Vlad. It was Tae-hyun's order! True to his association with Archisus, he was meticulously thorough when it came to keeping someone trapped and tormented.
Should I just brace myself to take a few hits and run for it?
Feeling the watchful gazes of the knights and artillerymen behind him, Vlad hesitated. If he tried to run and took a few hits...
My flesh and bones would probably be separated...
The damage was far too high for him to endure!
Whoosh—
"?"
Vlad flinched. In the distance, a mist infused with mana was drifting toward them. Not many could pull off such a feat. Mist transformation was a racial trait unique to vampires!
"A-A-An ambush!"
"What?!"
The knights guarding Vlad quickly drew their weapons. Vlad pointed at the mist, making a huge fuss.
"There! Look over there! An assassin is coming to kill me!"
Siege warfare between vampires was rarely flashy or direct. Because they possessed so many utility skills, from magic to transformations, they heavily favored backstabbing tactics like this. It was only natural for Vlad to be terrified.
"P-Protect me! You must protect me! If you don't..."
"We get it, so shut up already, vampire." The knights grumbled in annoyance. While Tae-hyun was a hero whose name echoed across the continent, Vlad was merely a lowly vampire to them.
"Are you sure it's an assassin?"
"I'm telling you it is! Look at that mist!"
"I don't feel any threat, though..."
The knights narrowed their eyes as they watched the mist. Although it contained mana, mana-infused mist was a common sight in these wicked lands. The crucial point was the complete lack of killing intent. The knights cast suspicious glances at Vlad. Is this guy trying to pull a fast one on us?
"Is this vampire trying to find an excuse to escape..."
Whoosh!
At that moment, the mist materialized into a vampire and landed on top of the castle wall.
"See! Look! I told you it was an assassin!"
"...?"
The newly arrived vampire stared at Vlad with a bewildered expression, as if wondering what on earth he was talking about.
"Count Scabio has sent me, Lord Vlad. Count Scabio wishes to negotiate."
The vampire had come not to assassinate, but to negotiate! Realizing this, Vlad cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Cough...! It seems Count Scabio has a brain after all!"
The knights stared at Vlad with utter disdain. Did he really think he could salvage his shattered dignity at this point?
"To think he would show me such respect by sending an envoy."
"Just so you know, Lord Vlad, if you attack me, there will be no further negotiations."
"Why would I ever attack an envoy?"
"..."
The envoy glared at Vlad with a look that clearly said, 'How dare you say that with a straight face?'
Ah...
Only then did Vlad remember. He had previously fired at their envoys with absolute glee!