Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: 8. Sneaking Behind Sis's Back (5)
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Recently, my days had fallen into a rut, spinning like a hamster wheel in mannerism monotony, but now there was new content.
It was none other than raising a cute newbie.
And not just any newbie, but an SSS-grade one earnestly engraving the absolute basics that Dialogue Bro had casually dropped.
In a trash game where finding newbies was already tough, how could this not be fun?
Thanks to that, even during her eight-hour cafe shift where her face had been a mask of blankness, Lee Ji-yoon began flashing faint smiles.
For some reason, she felt more eyes on her than usual.
Then, as she diligently washed dishes, the jingle of a bell rang out behind her.
"Welcome."
"Uh, Venti Ice Americano..."
Shaggy hair.
Thick black horn-rimmed glasses.
A white-and-black scarf combo that she wondered if it was ever properly washed,
And something that looked like a laptop bag.
One of the regulars who came at this hour every day.
She remembered him since he always got an Americano to go.
With nothing more to hear, Lee Ji-yoon beamed brightly, her mind wandering to thoughts like "Can't wait to game."
The man's face in front of her gradually flushed red.
The reason? She had no idea.
"...Ven, Venti size, one please..."
43
Change clothes.
Wash face.
Sit down.
The moment her shift ended, Lee Ji-yoon bolted home like a shot, shoving everything else aside to log straight into the game.
The glaring red 1k+ notification on the left side of Discord looked super suspicious, but...
She ignored it for now. It was probably guild meeting stuff anyway.
For Lee Ji-yoon, who planned to blow it off while working, the fresh newbie was way more important.
Considering when her sister usually got back from the academy, Seo Woo-jin had probably clocked out ages ago and sent the friend request.
Let's see...
"...Ah."
There it was.
The cute newbie.
seowoojin123, huh.
The name felt so half-assed it was kinda funny, on one hand.
Though her own nickname was just Jiyoon, so whatever.
Accepting the friend request, Lee Ji-yoon immediately tried to send a game invite...
...but it failed.
Because Seo Woo-jin was offline.
Well, yeah. Staying logged in all day,
Even using the game not just for gaming but for community stuff too—that was just the shut-in gamer lifestyle.
Normal people didn't do that. Right, right.
Lee Ji-yoon Alt+Tabbed out and hammered the keyboard.
─You there?
─Just got home.
She figured she'd grab some water or milk in the meantime.
As she slung her headset around her neck, a reply came back.
[Seo Woo-jin]
─So, should I boot up the game now?
Was it because he was her precious newbie?
Even this super ordinary reply stirred something warm and fuzzy deep inside.
Like watching a high schooler diligently self-studying without complaint...
Standing up from her chair, Lee Ji-yoon quickly typed back.
─Yeah. I'll just grab some water real quick.
Heading to the kitchen, she tilted a bottle of barley tea, savoring the odd thrill bubbling up.
Come to think of it, this was her first time gaming with someone she knew in real life.
Someone she actually knew IRL, that is.
She'd always prioritized one more game round over making friends anyway.
Back in middle and high school, the few kids she could barely call friends had zero interest in games.
They were all glued to TikTok or YouTube Shorts—games were a waste of time, apparently.
Even though they were wasting time the exact same way...
Anyway, that must be why she was so excited.
Even a trash game felt fun with a friend—that saying was starting to make sense.
Those memes she'd seen on community sites clicked too.
The one... what was it?
A gloomy girl with a shady hobby she couldn't tell anyone about gets super hyped when a guy says "I like that too," and drags him home...
"..."
Yeah.
Time to game.
No weird fantasies about her sister's boyfriend.
He was a nice guy, and if he had ulterior motives, he'd have pushed to game with her since yesterday.
Instead, he'd skipped because he was busy.
Grabbing her water, Lee Ji-yoon returned to her room, cleared her throat needlessly, and sat at her PC.
For just the two of them, Discord voice would be better.
He games occasionally, so maybe he doesn't even know what Discord is.
Using in-game voice as a guy and girl duo? Perfect setup for queen bee hate.
Pushing away the naughty thoughts creeping in, she opened her friends list the moment—
"...Ah."
seowoojin123
Below it.
Kor_CZ
One super awkward nickname glowing green.
It had definitely been gray earlier.
She peeked at Discord—DMs from him were already piling up.
Playing Apex today too?
Got a spot open?
I'll just give you the essential briefing, no awkwardness. And so on.
With a sigh, she ignored him and invited only Seo Woo-jin. Participation set to closed, just in case. Soon after, a default character she hadn't seen in forever popped up beside Lee Ji-yoon. ...Somehow, it felt lewd. Was this that newbie pheromone thing...? [seowoojin123] ─Hi. Even that tiny five-letter chat felt subtly lewd. Shaking off the budding pervert senses, Lee Ji-yoon cautiously typed. ─Hi. Do you use Discord by any chance? [seowoojin123] ─Yeah. Saw it's essential, so I downloaded it. As expected. My disciple. Smiling in satisfaction, Lee Ji-yoon fiddled with her headset mic as she replied. ─I'll give you my Discord ID, send a friend req here. ─No, you might not know how. I'll send it. What's your ID? Come to think of it, asking a guy for his ID first felt kinda new. Brushing off the ticklish feeling, she soon shared her account with Seo Woo-jin. After friending up, Lee Ji-yoon called him and waited. And then. A pleasant deep baritone rumbled into her ear.
"...Ah, uh. Can you hear me okay?"
"Yeah. Sounds good. Woo-jin. You hear me fine too?"
"One sec. Kinda quiet, maybe 'cause it's my first time. Settings..."
The voice she'd heard in that alley last night amid stinging glares. The voice as he pretended to embrace her like lovers, healing her headache. Her sister's boyfriend's voice. ...Hearing it now, in a call with him alone, without her sister. An incredibly weird feeling.
"There. So, uh... I just follow you around, right?"
"For now, I'll guide you, and let's aim for first place today too?"
"...Sounds tough."
"You got this. I've got your back."
Lee Ji-yoon frantically scraped away that weird feeling inside as she queued for a normal match. From that moment alone in the cafe, she'd felt like she was doing something bad, and couldn't shake it... But really, it was nothing. Just chatting with her sister's boyfriend. Just getting healed by her sister's boyfriend. Just gaming with her sister's boyfriend. Her sister just wasn't there. No weird stuff. Nothing at all.
"And for briefing, short's better and easier... Might accidentally go casual with you mid-game."
"No problem. Casual's easier for me too."
"Then... wanna drop formal speech while we're at it?"
No weird stuff. Nothing at all.
"You said formal's comfier."
"Yeah, but we're both twenty... After March, we'll see each other in the health office a lot...?"
"Sure, whatever."
"You drop first."
"Ji-yoon."
No weird stuff. Nothing at all.
"...Seo Woo-jin."
"Full name feels stiff, right? Like calling some barely-friend girl."
"...No? -ah's casual?"
"Don't nitpick. You're going formal again anyway."
"...Fine. Seo Woo-jin. Happy?"
"No difference from before."
"Can't swap habits on a dime. Gimme a sec."
Lee Ji-yoon unwittingly shifted in her seat as she spoke. ...Wasn't this vibe from Seo Woo-jin kinda different from what she knew? Just a touch more playful from his usual nice-guy look... Is this what friend talk's like? Honestly, no clue. Her guy interactions up to high school graduation were just one-sided confessions. 'Friend'-level chat was hard. 'Friend'-level chat felt alien. In the end, she fiddled with her hair before yanking her chair closer.
"...Anyway, pick the fat one I mentioned."
"This guy?"
"Yeah. The one with weird stuff on its arms."
"Should read the skills first..."
"Try it in-game, you'll get it. Tricky to use right, but simple effect."
"Got it. Let's go."
The skill of random teammates? Unknown. One teammate: newbie who can't land shots. Better teach basics patiently, even if they curse early games. Steeling herself, Lee Ji-yoon picked an easy-escape character and took a sip of water. ...But one thing. One fact she didn't know. Games, Anything. Lee Ji-yoon was the type who obsessed over winning.
[Jiyoon_0420]
─Briefing's fine, but keep chit-chat minimal.
─Teaching a friend, sound might overlap. Can't help it, deal with it.
─One champ win, party disbands. Got it?
[CZ]
─Will serve comfortably :D
Whistling cheerfully, Han Chae-jun gripped his mouse with a grin and accepted Lee Ji-yoon's party invite.
A girl who grinded every FPS hardcore wouldn't tolerate newbie slowness forever.
Not that he'd predicted this exactly, but the result being this, even a thickhead like him could sketch the process roughly.
Figured she'd win one eventually, but kept losing and frustration led to SOS. Obvious, right?
If this went well, repay the last help with a few more chats,
Use that as excuse to keep stringing along.
Then somehow, eventually, to IRL...
Whew...
Glancing briefly at the no-skin doofus character beside Lee Ji-yoon's.
Han Chae-jun clicked the Discord channel link from DM and joined.
Looked like a fresh channel.
"Hi! Uh, Woo-jin? Real name?"
"Yeah."
"Nice to meet you. Call me whatever's comfy. Ji-yoon called me 'cause she said shut up and bus or whatever."
"Ah... Sure, got it."
This guy's voice drops low around girls for no reason.
That thought lasted a moment.
Then Han Chae-jun's ears were pierced by Lee Ji-yoon's sweet, coaxing voice.
"Ignore him, let's practice backline fights as much as we can?"
Sweet.
And to Lee Ji-yoon.
This combo didn't compute,
"Yeah. Sorry I'm sucking so bad. You spectated it all."
"Nah. Can't be helped."
Even casual speech.
The girl who stubbornly stuck to formal outside rushed moments,
Now casual.
Was this the same bitchy girl who nitpicked everything she hated?
Sister's friend, huh? Acting different around actual acquaintances?
Hmm...
"Gonna grab another water quick. Throat's dry from talking..."
Perfect timing—rustling as Lee Ji-yoon left her seat.
Han Chae-jun didn't miss it, licking his lips as he spoke up.
"Hey, is Ji-yoon usually like that? Y'know, nice?"
"Huh?"
"She's super naggy in games. Not hating, but different around people she knows IRL."
"......"
"She's cosplaying meek too. Doesn't suit her."
"......"
Grinning to himself, Han Chae-jun shut up before Lee Ji-yoon returned.
Seemed like harmless banter, but loaded with his creepy mind games.
I know the Lee Ji-yoon you don't.
Your bond's that shallow, huh.
Well, duh. Not even real friends—just "sister's friend."
How close could they be? Picked up a newbie, not that tight... Like "acquaintance level 1."
I'm closer than that punk. Han Chae-jun speared a potato chip with chopsticks and smirked.
"She's a bitch normally."
"......"
"But mellows out around me. Gets all docile."
"......"
Han Chae-jun's smirk twitched down.
"Dunno why."
"......"
"Was like that yesterday on our solo walk too."
"......"
Crunchy potato chip sounds faintly over Discord. As they faded, rustling headset noise filled the silence.
"Ah, still not matched. No one's queuing."
"......"
"......" Fucking asshole. As Han Chae-jun cursed inwardly. Seo Woo-jin wore a relaxed smile. Poor bastard. Bet he'd bawl hearing Lee Ji-yoon's moans over Discord someday. Such thoughts crossing his mind.