Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Evening with Kim Pokttal
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[Two days ago, evening.]
KakaoTalk!
The sudden notification sound made my heart sink.
I'd just gotten home.
There had been a late-night meeting, and it dragged on past nine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Another one right after that.
And then an unwanted drinking session on top of it.
"Cut me some slack. This timing... is just not right."
Oh, and no overtime pay, by the way.
So... I deserve a break.
Alright.
If no more notifications come in, I'll just ignore it.
KakaoTalk!
No such luck. That ruthless bitch.
I gritted my teeth and checked the messenger.
— Suyeon Hey Kwon Seonghyeon. You aren't even reading now? You're my boyfriend, can't I complain that much? Where am I supposed to vent then! This is too much! Damn it.
Should've ignored her for one more day while I was at it. Shouldn't have checked.
The stone stuck in my chest felt twice as heavy.
'Yeah, yeah, I get it, Suyeon.'
You probably had a really tough day today.
That dog of a Kim Proxy probably nagged you again, and Park Section Chief snatched your project midway.
The client spewed nothing but nonsense. Right?
But so what.
Where to vent it?
Hell if I know, you bitch.
My daily life sucks too, I'm exhausted, and I've got my own container full of people I want to kill, but there's no one to hear my complaints either.
No, wait.
It's not that there's no one to listen—it's that I don't bother venting.
What's the point of spilling every little detail?
But even if I said that, you wouldn't stop.
You're not saying it hoping for a solution in the first place.
— Suyeon What about my career if I quit the company? You really... talking like it's not your problem? That was her reply when I suggested she quit.
— Suyeon Hey. You think going public with it will solve anything? It just puts a powerless person like me at a disadvantage. Ha, fine. Let's drop it. That was her reply when I suggested another solution.
I know.
What you want isn't a fix for the problem—it's empathy for your anger and sadness.
So the answer was set from the start.
[Ah, I see. That must've been really tough.]
[What kind of guy does that? Want me to go beat his ass?]
And so on—spouting mechanical, insincere words to support you until your mood improves.
In short.
[Be my emotional trash can.]
That's what you want, right?
That shitty job of yours.
I think I handled it decently at the start of our relationship.
Why was that?
No matter how much I licked your brain, the emotional grime kept bubbling up endlessly.
Now, after two years with you...
Just hearing the KakaoTalk notification makes me feel like my brain is leaking out my nose.
I'm exhausted.
I hate people.
Two years into dating.
When I came to my senses, I'd lost my humanity and become nothing more than a sex toy in my girlfriend's head—that creature over there.
KakaoTalk!
— Suyeon Read and ignore now? Wanna die? So, what now?
Accept her suggestion and die?
Or act like a proper sex toy, whirring over to comfort her aching heart?
Screw that.
Your toy's battery died a month ago.
[If you need a place to vent, use Twitter, bitch. Contact me again and you're dead.]
I deleted her name from my messenger and contacts entirely, then blocked her.
"Phew, that feels refreshing. Should've done it sooner."
Since I've gone this far, I swear here and now.
"If I ever date again, I'm not human."
Realizing this only now—my IQ must be in the gutter.
Affection? Love? Sex? It's all just debt in the end.
Borrow it for a moment of happiness, and later you pay back tenfold in interest.
Mountains beyond mountains, and the killer part is you pay that interest with your soul.
Well, at least I realized it now. Lucky me.
Anyway.
The tough day has finally curtained, and my messy relationship has met its end.
Now it's time to shed the shackles of the mundane world and return to my true realm.
Undress in 10 seconds.
Shower in 8 minutes flat.
Skip drying hair.
Then boot the PC with my big toe.
And next?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Welcome back, [Player]. Bouncy piano notes.
An endless expanse of land and a clear blue sky unfold.
My body soars over the terrain into the heart of a grand city.
My gaze stops at the plaza fountain.
A man sits perched there.
The man's name is [Kwon Seonghyeon Fighter].
A greatsword as tall as a person hangs on his back.
Who is he?
That badass hero? That's me.
The emotional trash can of reality is just my avatar—my true self is...
The adventurer in the online game Billion Saga,
[Kwon Seonghyeon Fighter].
"Haa... this is it."
Just three days away, and it feels like coming home after a decade—my mind relaxes completely.
It's been 10 years since launch, mostly forgotten now, but it's special to me.
I can't get used to modern games with daily quests and grinding the same dungeon thousands of times.
What's the difference from work?
Plus, endless cash shops and auto-hunting to keep up...
Where's the fun in that?
This game is different.
Look at those people holding a concert in the plaza.
How much practice? The quality rivals paid shows.
It doesn't help with specs at all, but they just enjoy the crowds, praise, and applause.
Musician, hero, wizard, blacksmith—you can be anything you want.
Just belonging to this world is joy enough...
This is a real game.
And I have one too.
The reason I've stuck with Billion Saga for 8 years.
My own source of fun.
Ding!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 1:1 message from Soul Companion has arrived. This is it.
This message that always flies in the moment I log on.
Unlike KakaoTalk, seeing this moronic ID instantly puts my mind at ease.
— Kim Pokttal Seonghyeon, you're on today lololol — Me Hardcore gaming from today. Took tomorrow off too. No one can stop me now. — Kim Pokttal Suddenly? You do this every time you're in a bad mood. Something up? — Me What could be up lolol What'd you do today? Guard the house well? — Kim Pokttal Made 40 mil gold from mob grinding today lololol Already hit this month's goal kekeke — Me Already??? So fast??? Look at this meaningless, brainless conversation.
And that ridiculous ID.
This is it.
The online game world with my friend Kim Pokttal.
May not look like much, but in this harsh world, it's the only place my heart can rest.
— Kim Pokttal My body picks up gold on autopilot now. Basically a machine. Kim Pokttal, our guild's star Priest, has a hobby of collecting 300 million gold a month.
Today is the 15th, so...
She hit the goal in less than half the month.
Only possible because she's online 24/7—equivalent to my 6 months of playtime.
— Me So how much you got now? Can buy the gear from next patch right away? — Kim Pokttal lololol You ever seen me buy gear? Gonna sell it all. — Me Again? But Kim Pokttal never spends the gold she hoards, no matter how much.
She always converts it to cash on broker sites—might as well get a part-time job.
What's the point of being glued to the game all day?
Weirdo.
But no matter how incomprehensible, I never pry.
Just as I have my life in Billion Saga, she has her own fun.
Since Kim Pokttal is my sanctuary, I don't want to ruin her game life.
Instead, I'll help a little.
— Me Then sell me some too. — Kim Pokttal LOL. Thank you as always hehe How much? — Me Ten slots. Ten slots is 100 million gold.
Current rate: 15,000 won for 10 mil gold, so 150,000 won.
— Kim Pokttal Friend discount: 130k ok? — Me No. Sending 170k to your account. Mail the gold. — Kim Pokttal Wahhh big bro is the best — Me Big bro only when you need something. Anyway, heading to dungeon—support? — Kim Pokttal Ongikiki Grabbing healing staff and following. Priest Kim Pokttal bus departing!!! Server Priest ranking 48th: Kim Pokttal.
I'm a nobody Warrior, but with her heals, even top dungeons aren't scary.
Truth is, for party play, I don't even need to buy gold to ask.
She's always game.
While I work, she grinds for cash; when I get back, we run dungeons, raids, or 2v2 PvP in the arena.
No requests or agreements needed—our 365-day routine for a year.
Lately, it slowed due to that lame relationship... but forget the dogshit past.
She's a hardcore user with insane EXP, but I buy gold, she sells—perfect balance.
Eight years together in Billion Saga.
Even when work or a girlfriend kept me away, she was always here.
No doubt.
Whenever I return, she'll welcome me without questions.
Even on a painful day like today, after two years of a shattered relationship.
So.
I don't need some real-life partner.
— Me Thanks, Pokttal. — Kim Pokttal For what? — Me The heals. — Kim Pokttal Right? Heals go brrr?? lolol Now do some hard DPS, 10 sec clear is new record. May this life continue forever.
But whenever such a fervent wish hits me, one thing comes to mind.
A meme from my childhood.
[Reality Hits You Hard Bro.]
Just like that meme—reality always shoulder-tackles you at your happiest moment.
KakaoTalk!
See? Right now.
My heart drops again.
— Me Brb sec. Not that bitch, please.
Probably not.
I blocked her—if she borrowed someone else's phone, it'd be a call, not messenger.
Just please... not work.
Clutching my heart, I flip the screen...
Work it is.
— Kim Pokttal lololol I bet you're going in tomorrow. Yeah, that's my life.
But it's fine.
As long as Billion Saga and Kim Pokttal greet me at the end of a hard day.
I can endure.
No matter what danger lurks behind this KakaoTalk.
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