Chapter 435: Rival (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 435: Rival (1)
Hansu Lee's room felt particularly foreign today.
It's... kind of small.
This room had always felt cozy to me but now it felt stuffy for some reason.
And I'm not even a big barbarian right now. Whatever, let's turn on the computer.
Momentarily distracted by the peculiarity, I quickly turned on the computer's unit and entered the forum.
[Long Live Korea's Independence – 0 people are online.]
I checked the Korean chat room first, but it was empty at the moment.
I guess Hyeonbyeol isn't here yet.
There was no reason to enter an empty room so I used the mouse to click over to the bulletin board instead. Sure enough, the board was quickly filling up with everything from troll posts to advice. I clicked on the post that stood out to me most among the various topics.
[(Breaking news) Bjorn Yandel, who everyone thought was dead, is alive.]
Contents.
It was a post that clearly demonstrated the writer's determination to be first, considering the only thing inside was the word "contents." But as it was the first post on the subject, the comments were indeed flying in.
Harbinn: Wow! This is news that would shock the marquess and the palace!
└Sogeking33: Definitely. They'd be surprised that the writer had the audacity to call this two-week-old news "breaking."
└these99: They only wrote "Contents" as the actual contents too.
└OP: But I was fast.
The comments were pretty much all the same. Since everyone had already heard the news of my return, I was sure it wasn't earth-shattering enough for anyone to warrant a big reaction. However, some people acted like they were hearing it for the first time.
showmustgone: Eh? Is this true? How is Bjorn Yandel alive? I thought he died?
└Sogeking33: Are you locked up in a basement somewhere? Yandel announced his return at the Palace of Glory ages ago.
└IsABot: I was there when he announced his return and honestly I got goosebumps.
└arolf5205. He went to apologize to the families of his dead crew before even greeting the throne and honestly it was no joke. Until now, I thought I was a manly man but I realized that word is reserved for people like him.
└WingPizza: The looks on the nobles' faces was really funny.
└showmustgone: Declaring his return at the Palace of Glory? What does that mean? He may be alive, but Bjorn Yandel is still an evil spirit.
└ReDCod: Apparently that's not true. He was doing some secret mission for the king and only pretending to be dead.
These reactions were interesting, so I read through them all and clicked refresh one more time.
└vaman: But am I the only one who thinks this commenter is suspicious? They don't know about a rumor that's already spread throughout the city?
└vaman: Is this prick from Noark?
Oh, come to think of it, they really were suspicious. The upper echelons of Noark must have already been aware of my existence, but if they were controlling the flow of information, it made sense for some people not to know yet.
└WingPizza: I'm a bit suspicious too, so I sent the mods a quick message to let them know.
Others already seemed to be reporting them, and I left the thread once things reached that point.
Thump.
Then I froze, mouse in hand. It wasn't necessarily shock, as I knew this moment would come.
[Long Live Korea's Independence – 2 people are online.]
Two people were inside the chat even though I wasn't. There were only three likely explanations for this. Someone entered by accident, the GM was meeting with Hyeonbyeol, or... Baekho was back.
Thump!
Hah...
If the GM had granted my request to drop Baekho's ban within three months, there was a good chance that was Baekho in there.
"Okay, let's go in."
So what am I going to find, a house cat or a tiger? I guess I'll only know for sure once I'm in there.
Click-click.
As soon as I double-clicked on the mouse, everything turned white and my surroundings changed to an elaborate mansion designed to the tastes of the original moderator, Baekho.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
Two people were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
"Oh, Hansu!" One of them was Hyeonbyeol, as expected. "What took you so long?" Hyeonbyeol sounded relieved to see me, probably because I had been in such a hurry to leave last time because of the marquess. But before I greeted her in return, I glanced at the person next to her.
Slide.
Coincidentally, the person in question was looking at me too.
"Oh, right. You two should say hello. We're all Koreans here." Hyeonbyeol tried to facilitate the conversation, but unfortunately for her, we didn't need her to do that.
"No need for introductions."
"Yeah, no need, Sister. We know each other." The man got up from the sofa and walked up to me with a grin. "It's been a while. I missed you." His attitude was completely different from when we ran into each other outside.
Although this one-eighty felt particularly odd, I greeted him without issue. "Yeah, it's been a while, Baekho." I wanted to see him, too, because I had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
The study's fireplace crackled peacefully. The three of us sat on the sofa in front of it, engaged in friendly conversation. As far as outward appearances went, we were enjoying ourselves.
"What, so you're saying you two knew each other in the real world and ran into each other again here?" asked Baekho.
"Yeah."
"Wow, that's awesome. If someone I knew showed up here, I'd treat them like royalty," Baekho said. Then he nonchalantly tilted his head, his shrewd eyes darting back and forth between us. "So... how did you two know each other?"
Hyeonbyeol glanced at me before answering, "We were just friends." Right, she never did like talking about her personal life. That really worked out for me.
"C'mon... I'm sure it was something more than that," Baekho wheedled with a smirk.
That made the polite smile disappear from Hyeonbyeol's face. "Excuse me, Mr. Lee."
└WingPizza: I'm a bit suspicious too, so I sent the mods a quick message to let them know.
Others already seemed to be reporting them, and I left the thread once things reached that point.
Thump.
Then I froze, mouse in hand. It wasn't necessarily shock, as I knew this moment would come.
[Long Live Korea's Independence – 2 people are online.]
Two people were inside the chat even though I wasn't. There were only three likely explanations for this. Someone entered by accident, the GM was meeting with Hyeonbyeol, or... Baekho was back.
Thump!
Hah...
If the GM had granted my request to drop Baekho's ban within three months, there was a good chance that was Baekho in there.
"Okay, let's go in."
So what am I going to find, a house cat or a tiger? I guess I'll only know for sure once I'm in there.
Click-click.
As soon as I double-clicked on the mouse, everything turned white and my surroundings changed to an elaborate mansion designed to the tastes of the original moderator, Baekho.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
Two people were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
"Oh, Hansu!" One of them was Hyeonbyeol, as expected. "What took you so long?" Hyeonbyeol sounded relieved to see me, probably because I had been in such a hurry to leave last time because of the marquess. But before I greeted her in return, I glanced at the person next to her.
Slide.
Coincidentally, the person in question was looking at me too.
"Oh, right. You two should say hello. We're all Koreans here." Hyeonbyeol tried to facilitate the conversation, but unfortunately for her, we didn't need her to do that.
"No need for introductions."
"Yeah, no need, Sister. We know each other." The man got up from the sofa and walked up to me with a grin. "It's been a while. I missed you." His attitude was completely different from when we ran into each other outside.
Although this one-eighty felt particularly odd, I greeted him without issue. "Yeah, it's been a while, Baekho." I wanted to see him, too, because I had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
The study's fireplace crackled peacefully. The three of us sat on the sofa in front of it, engaged in friendly conversation. As far as outward appearances went, we were enjoying ourselves.
"What, so you're saying you two knew each other in the real world and ran into each other again here?" asked Baekho.
"Yeah."
"Wow, that's awesome. If someone I knew showed up here, I'd treat them like royalty," Baekho said. Then he nonchalantly tilted his head, his shrewd eyes darting back and forth between us. "So... how did you two know each other?"
Hyeonbyeol glanced at me before answering, "We were just friends." Right, she never did like talking about her personal life. That really worked out for me.
"C'mon... I'm sure it was something more than that," Baekho wheedled with a smirk.
That made the polite smile disappear from Hyeonbyeol's face. "Excuse me, Mr. Lee."
"What... yes?"
"Why are you speaking informally all of a sudden?"
"Uh... this isn't informal... it's, you know... half-casual. How you talk between close acquaintances."
"Oh, I see... but are we close?" I hadn't seen this in a while, her putting on this poker face.
Baekho seemed quite flustered by the question but only briefly played the part of a blithering fool. "You're really sensitive about little things, huh?" His voice grew more aggressive as his outside personality slowly began to surface.
Of course, Hyeonbyeol did not care at all. "Shouldn't I be the one to judge whether it's a little thing or not?"
"Well, that's true. But strictly speaking, I'm actually older than you."
This argument would be unimaginable in a Confucian country like Korea. It was one only Baekho, who had lived in this world for over ten years, could make.
Hyeonbyeol sighed in annoyance. "First of all, you're the one who said our real ages are more important and started calling me Sister."
"But—"
"Second, I never asked you to call me that."
"But—"
"Three, I never said I think of you as younger than me. Only a man I met for the first time today."
"Uh..."
"That's why I'm still using formal speech, Mr. Lee." Hyeonbyeol dropped her stony expression and smiled again. As a result, the cold, hard tension in the room suddenly softened. "So, I want you to respect people's boundaries from now on. That shouldn't be a very difficult request to fulfill, right?"
In the end, Baekho was overpowered by the force of her personality. "Uh... uhh..."
"You can do that, right?"
"Yes..." The opportunity to counterattack slipped past Baekho entirely, and he gave a meek nod, even as he laughed awkwardly.
Looks like he's shocked by what just happened... Even he's no match for Hyeonbyeol.
That was pretty useful information. Even now, when I felt I'd grown a lot as a person, I was once again reminded that I should never pick a fight with Hyeonbyeol.
"Ahaha... but Miss... Hyeonbyeol... and Mr. Hansu, do you two know each other?"
"Huh? What do you mean, do we know each other?"
Baekho seemed to want to change the subject because he quickly responded. "Ah, I mean, not in real life but in 'real life'... Ah, fuck, how do I say this?"
"Are you asking if we've ever met in the city?"
"Yes! That. That's it."
I was about to answer honestly because I saw no reason to hide it when Hyeonbyeol jumped in. "Why do you want to know that?"
I immediately shut my mouth, and Baekho did the same.
"You ask a lot of questions, Mr. Lee. In fact, you've only been asking one-sided questions since you got here."
"Ahahaha... Have I? I have?"
"Yes."
Ugh, this is so uncomfortable it's practically torture.
"Hyeonbyeol, stop picking on him."
"But he keeps asking us for personal information."
"...I'm sure he means well."
"What... yes?"
"Why are you speaking informally all of a sudden?"
"Uh... this isn't informal... it's, you know... half-casual. How you talk between close acquaintances."
"Oh, I see... but are we close?" I hadn't seen this in a while, her putting on this poker face.
Baekho seemed quite flustered by the question but only briefly played the part of a blithering fool. "You're really sensitive about little things, huh?" His voice grew more aggressive as his outside personality slowly began to surface.
Of course, Hyeonbyeol did not care at all. "Shouldn't I be the one to judge whether it's a little thing or not?"
"Well, that's true. But strictly speaking, I'm actually older than you."
This argument would be unimaginable in a Confucian country like Korea. It was one only Baekho, who had lived in this world for over ten years, could make.
Hyeonbyeol sighed in annoyance. "First of all, you're the one who said our real ages are more important and started calling me Sister."
"But—"
"Second, I never asked you to call me that."
"But—"
"Three, I never said I think of you as younger than me. Only a man I met for the first time today."
"Uh..."
"That's why I'm still using formal speech, Mr. Lee." Hyeonbyeol dropped her stony expression and smiled again. As a result, the cold, hard tension in the room suddenly softened. "So, I want you to respect people's boundaries from now on. That shouldn't be a very difficult request to fulfill, right?"
In the end, Baekho was overpowered by the force of her personality. "Uh... uhh..."
"You can do that, right?"
"Yes..." The opportunity to counterattack slipped past Baekho entirely, and he gave a meek nod, even as he laughed awkwardly.
Looks like he's shocked by what just happened... Even he's no match for Hyeonbyeol.
That was pretty useful information. Even now, when I felt I'd grown a lot as a person, I was once again reminded that I should never pick a fight with Hyeonbyeol.
"Ahaha... but Miss... Hyeonbyeol... and Mr. Hansu, do you two know each other?"
"Huh? What do you mean, do we know each other?"
Baekho seemed to want to change the subject because he quickly responded. "Ah, I mean, not in real life but in 'real life'... Ah, fuck, how do I say this?"
"Are you asking if we've ever met in the city?"
"Yes! That. That's it."
I was about to answer honestly because I saw no reason to hide it when Hyeonbyeol jumped in. "Why do you want to know that?"
I immediately shut my mouth, and Baekho did the same.
"You ask a lot of questions, Mr. Lee. In fact, you've only been asking one-sided questions since you got here."
"Ahahaha... Have I? I have?"
"Yes."
Ugh, this is so uncomfortable it's practically torture.
"Hyeonbyeol, stop picking on him."
"But he keeps asking us for personal information."
"...I'm sure he means well."
"You don't know that. We're strangers who only met today."
"S-Strangers? We're still both Korean! Sister!" Baekho cried out, but his pleas didn't sway Hyeonbyeol's heart in the slightest.
"Are there no criminals in Korea? That's not the Korea I remember. If you really want to know about me, you should go first. Who are you, what do you do, and where do you live right now?"
"What? Me? Why?"
"Well, wouldn't I feel more comfortable sharing with you if I knew those things?"
"Uh... but still, that's a bit...you know? A man should have a mysterious side... hahaha..."
"You're an interesting person, Mr. Lee." Hyeonbyeol's eyes were not smiling at all as she said that, and an awkward silence ensued.
Yikes, this kid's going to run away if this drags on any longer. We haven't even gotten to the main issue yet.
"Hyeonbyeol."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry, but can you give us the room for a moment? I have something to talk about with Baekho."
Baekho flinched at my request. Then he shot me a look that clearly asked, Have you lost it? That was because he didn't know Hyeonbyeol very well.
"...Okay. You want me to come back later?" Hyeonbyeol hated it when lines were crossed without permission. That was why she never crossed someone else's lines when they drew them in the sand. Well, actually, there was one particular day in my memory that proved even she had exceptions to her rule. "Don't disappear on me again. I'm going to wait outside and come in as soon as the number of people inside goes down to one."
"Okay. And thanks."
Was it so weird for her to hear a thank you come out of my mouth? Hyeonbyeol shot me a strange look and left the chat. With that, Baekho and I were left alone in the mansion.
"Hansu... No, sir!" Baekho shot to his feet, apparently impressed. "So you're the one in charge! Yes! I knew it!"
Yeah, okay...
I laughed because I had nothing to say to that, and Baekho changed the subject. "Ah! But what is it? You had something to say to me?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. I just wanted to ask you a few things. It's been a while since we last saw each other."
"Really? Then why don't we ask one question each? I have some questions for you too."
A truth game where we take turns, huh? Why do all my conversations end up taking this format?
I didn't know but I agreed anyway. "Then can I start?" I asked.
"Yes. Go ahead."
Okay, I had the advantage here. I decided to start by asking easy questions. Or, well, these weren't actually easy questions, but ones that would serve to hide my real motive. "Let me ask this one first. Is the Baekho Lee famous in the city... also you?"
"Ah... so you know now." Baekho didn't deny it, which made sense considering he'd been openly using his name in the first place. "But you must be pretty good. I'm actually not that famous."
"Okay, it's your turn."
When I passed the baton to him, Baekho cautiously asked, "What was your real relationship to Hyeonbyeol?" This was an anticlimactic question.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Why wouldn't I want to know? What else is there for me to ask about?" Baekho said flippantly, but I knew too much about him to let down my guard.
"She's my ex-girlfriend."
When I answered honestly, he jumped up from his seat again. "Of course! I knew it! I knew you guys had something from the start."
After that, the Q&A session continued. I heard Noark left the castle walls, do you know anything about that? I heard a rumor that Auril Gavis is alive, do you know if that's true? My questions were quite heavy, but Baekho only asked frivolous ones on his turns.
"How did you start dating someone like Hyeonbyeol? Did you ask her out first?"
Did this guy only suggest taking turns so he could ask stuff like this? The thought came to mind, but I didn't let it show and gradually increased the difficulty of my questions.
"Why do you have so many questions about me? What about you?" I asked.
"Uh, me?"
"Yeah. Don't you have a girlfriend? You've lived here for over ten years. Actually, forget a girlfriend—you could've gotten married if you wanted."
"Hey. That's crossing the line."
"Uh... sorry... but I'm curious. You really don't have one?"
"Well... it's not like it's easy."
"Really? Because they're NPCs?"
"I guess... you could see it that way."
"Hey, you're making this awkward by getting all gloomy on me. Man, you're strangely cagey about certain things. Think about it. I was joking about the marriage part, but you could at least date, right?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
"Yeah, look for someone around you if possible. I heard you have a woman on your team."
"Oh, Missha Karlstein?"
"Yeah, I think that was the name."
"Hmm..." Baekho stared at me for a second. "But how do you know her?"
I figured he'd ask something like that. "That? I heard from the Watchers of the Round Table group you introduced me to. They said you used her to spread the rumor that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
"Yes, and...?"
"Now that I think about it, I'm curious," I said, feigning some caution. "If that's true... why did you do it?" This was one of the many questions I'd been wanting to ask and finally had the chance to. Why did Baekho do such a thing? "I never thought you'd do something to harm a fellow player." I casually tacked that on as an explanation for why I was asking and calmly waited for an answer.
Before long, Baekho's lips parted. "My friend... It's my turn now."
"...Huh?"
"You asked whether I had a girlfriend or not."
Ah... Is that how this works?
"So right now, it's my turn."
"...Okay, go ahead."
When I nodded, Baekho stared at me intently before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, I don't like the idea of using this against you. This is meant to be done to enemies." The atmosphere suddenly changed. Before I could even comment on it, Baekho continued. "Let's stop feeling each other out now."
"...Feeling each other out?" There was something wrong with his statement. I may have been feeling him out, but each other? That implied he had been feeling me out too. My heart thumped uneasily. Maybe because of the excessive blood flow to my head, it almost felt like time had slowed down.
Baekho was feeling me out.
For what? It was obvious.
Since when? I had my guesses.
What clues did I miss? It didn't matter. What was important were my decisions going forward.
What would I do going forward? Exactly what I already had planned. The only thing that had changed was the order.
As soon as I finished using all available brainpower to take stock of the situation, I was forced back to reality.
"Ha, I can hear your gears turning, Hansu." Baekho's mouth was moving and he spoke in a voice that was much too calm for someone trying to start a fight. "Are you Bjorn Yandel?"
I answered after a short pause. "Yeah."
"You don't know that. We're strangers who only met today."
"S-Strangers? We're still both Korean! Sister!" Baekho cried out, but his pleas didn't sway Hyeonbyeol's heart in the slightest.
"Are there no criminals in Korea? That's not the Korea I remember. If you really want to know about me, you should go first. Who are you, what do you do, and where do you live right now?"
"What? Me? Why?"
"Well, wouldn't I feel more comfortable sharing with you if I knew those things?"
"Uh... but still, that's a bit...you know? A man should have a mysterious side... hahaha..."
"You're an interesting person, Mr. Lee." Hyeonbyeol's eyes were not smiling at all as she said that, and an awkward silence ensued.
Yikes, this kid's going to run away if this drags on any longer. We haven't even gotten to the main issue yet.
"Hyeonbyeol."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry, but can you give us the room for a moment? I have something to talk about with Baekho."
Baekho flinched at my request. Then he shot me a look that clearly asked, Have you lost it? That was because he didn't know Hyeonbyeol very well.
"...Okay. You want me to come back later?" Hyeonbyeol hated it when lines were crossed without permission. That was why she never crossed someone else's lines when they drew them in the sand. Well, actually, there was one particular day in my memory that proved even she had exceptions to her rule. "Don't disappear on me again. I'm going to wait outside and come in as soon as the number of people inside goes down to one."
"Okay. And thanks."
Was it so weird for her to hear a thank you come out of my mouth? Hyeonbyeol shot me a strange look and left the chat. With that, Baekho and I were left alone in the mansion.
"Hansu... No, sir!" Baekho shot to his feet, apparently impressed. "So you're the one in charge! Yes! I knew it!"
Yeah, okay...
I laughed because I had nothing to say to that, and Baekho changed the subject. "Ah! But what is it? You had something to say to me?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. I just wanted to ask you a few things. It's been a while since we last saw each other."
"Really? Then why don't we ask one question each? I have some questions for you too."
A truth game where we take turns, huh? Why do all my conversations end up taking this format?
I didn't know but I agreed anyway. "Then can I start?" I asked.
"Yes. Go ahead."
Okay, I had the advantage here. I decided to start by asking easy questions. Or, well, these weren't actually easy questions, but ones that would serve to hide my real motive. "Let me ask this one first. Is the Baekho Lee famous in the city... also you?"
"Ah... so you know now." Baekho didn't deny it, which made sense considering he'd been openly using his name in the first place. "But you must be pretty good. I'm actually not that famous."
"Okay, it's your turn."
When I passed the baton to him, Baekho cautiously asked, "What was your real relationship to Hyeonbyeol?" This was an anticlimactic question.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Why wouldn't I want to know? What else is there for me to ask about?" Baekho said flippantly, but I knew too much about him to let down my guard.
"She's my ex-girlfriend."
When I answered honestly, he jumped up from his seat again. "Of course! I knew it! I knew you guys had something from the start."
After that, the Q&A session continued. I heard Noark left the castle walls, do you know anything about that? I heard a rumor that Auril Gavis is alive, do you know if that's true? My questions were quite heavy, but Baekho only asked frivolous ones on his turns.
"How did you start dating someone like Hyeonbyeol? Did you ask her out first?"
Did this guy only suggest taking turns so he could ask stuff like this? The thought came to mind, but I didn't let it show and gradually increased the difficulty of my questions.
"Why do you have so many questions about me? What about you?" I asked.
"Uh, me?"
"Yeah. Don't you have a girlfriend? You've lived here for over ten years. Actually, forget a girlfriend—you could've gotten married if you wanted."
"Hey. That's crossing the line."
"Uh... sorry... but I'm curious. You really don't have one?"
"Well... it's not like it's easy."
"Really? Because they're NPCs?"
"I guess... you could see it that way."
"Hey, you're making this awkward by getting all gloomy on me. Man, you're strangely cagey about certain things. Think about it. I was joking about the marriage part, but you could at least date, right?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
"Yeah, look for someone around you if possible. I heard you have a woman on your team."
"Oh, Missha Karlstein?"
"Yeah, I think that was the name."
"Hmm..." Baekho stared at me for a second. "But how do you know her?"
I figured he'd ask something like that. "That? I heard from the Watchers of the Round Table group you introduced me to. They said you used her to spread the rumor that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
"Yes, and...?"
"Now that I think about it, I'm curious," I said, feigning some caution. "If that's true... why did you do it?" This was one of the many questions I'd been wanting to ask and finally had the chance to. Why did Baekho do such a thing? "I never thought you'd do something to harm a fellow player." I casually tacked that on as an explanation for why I was asking and calmly waited for an answer.
Before long, Baekho's lips parted. "My friend... It's my turn now."
"...Huh?"
"You asked whether I had a girlfriend or not."
Ah... Is that how this works?
"So right now, it's my turn."
"...Okay, go ahead."
When I nodded, Baekho stared at me intently before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, I don't like the idea of using this against you. This is meant to be done to enemies." The atmosphere suddenly changed. Before I could even comment on it, Baekho continued. "Let's stop feeling each other out now."
"...Feeling each other out?" There was something wrong with his statement. I may have been feeling him out, but each other? That implied he had been feeling me out too. My heart thumped uneasily. Maybe because of the excessive blood flow to my head, it almost felt like time had slowed down.
Baekho was feeling me out.
For what? It was obvious.
Since when? I had my guesses.
What clues did I miss? It didn't matter. What was important were my decisions going forward.
What would I do going forward? Exactly what I already had planned. The only thing that had changed was the order.
As soon as I finished using all available brainpower to take stock of the situation, I was forced back to reality.
"Ha, I can hear your gears turning, Hansu." Baekho's mouth was moving and he spoke in a voice that was much too calm for someone trying to start a fight. "Are you Bjorn Yandel?"
I answered after a short pause. "Yeah."