A Special Child.
A Special Child.
Two days before starting elementary school, I sat on the bed that held Mom's memories, facing off alone with Dad, my expression dead serious.
"Royal Father."
Dad was wearing a deeply reluctant look, like something about this really didn't sit right with him.
"....."
"A promise is a promise, you know..."
Unable to evade my blatant stare, Dad let out a sigh.
"Si-yoon... haah... do you really have to?"
I tried to persuade Dad, my voice earnest.
"Yeah, I waited eight years. An incredibly long time."
Just the two of us, locked in this standoff, and Dad heard me out.
Finally at his limit, Dad raised his voice first.
"Cut the crap! What eight years! You don't even remember that far back!"
"Huh... want me to tell you everything I heard from the first day of my life?"
When I said that to Dad, who knew exactly how extraordinary my memory was, he became seriously flustered.
"W-well, even so, we should count from when Si-yoon actually found out about it!"
I nodded at Dad's fairly reasonable point.
"Then I waited five years..."
Though that only shaved off three years.
Dad started sinking into serious deliberation.
Then, cautiously, he spoke.
"...Even if I allow it, only one hour a day..."
"What? One hour? You kidding? What am I supposed to do with that?"
Dad ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.
"Why do you want to do this so badly..."
I neatly laid out my reasons for wanting to.
"Because everyone's obsessed with it these days."
"Which is exactly... why I'm saying no."
"Which is exactly why I'm curious!"
Dad and I silently exchanged stares for a long time.
I was dead serious, and Dad was just as stubborn.
Neither of us looked ready to give an inch.
Angered by Dad's obstinate attitude, I raised my voice.
"What the hell?! You always keep your promises, Dad! You try to keep them down to the very second! So what's with this!?"
"...Haah. On the condition..."
"Why do you keep tacking stuff on!"
I crossed my arms and glared up at Dad.
To make it as clear as possible that I was sulking.
"Fine, then. But I'm not lending you my resident registration number."
I could feel my head heating up without even touching it.
Unable to contain my frustration, I snapped at Dad.
"You hate your daughter playing games that much!!!?"
Alpha and Beta flinched in surprise at my shouting.
That's right. The reason Dad and I were facing off on the bed was because of games.
"...Yeah. Once you get into something, you do nothing but that..."
I pulled out my trump card.
The trump card I had never used before...
Have you ever heard the saying, “The first to cry wins”?
"...Don't force the tears out, I know they won't come."
As expected, my trump card did not come easily.
"...Tch."
"Hooo... I'll allow it. On one condition."
I stared at Dad.
"Three hours a day... no more than that."
"The account...?"
"...Make a list of the games you want to play and bring it to me."
Make a list of the games I want to play and bring it to him... Dad's sudden homework assignment was unbelievable. I could feel his parenting style toward me getting more stifling, so I fired back.
"Ever since you started hanging out with Da-yeon's family, your whole approach to raising me has gotten weird, you know that?!"
Dad wouldn't even look at me, like he wasn't going to budge an inch.
"I'm gonna become a delinquent."
"You're already twisted."
"Argh! Fine! We're sleeping in separate rooms!!!"
Dad knew that I kept my word once I said something.
He suddenly put on a pitiful expression.
I saw Dad's unguardable technique and was at a loss for words.
"...Sorry. I take it back."
"Si-yoon... don't... leave Dad all alone... okay?"
"Ugh... seriously... you need to know that you fight dirty, Dad!"
I left our apartment and rang the doorbell of the home just ten meters away.
-"Who is it~"
"Me."
How many people walk into someone else's house and introduce themselves like that, I wonder.
-"Is that Si-yoon? Come on in~"
See? The person on the other end figured out who I was instantly.
Da-yeon, the first one to greet me, hugged me the moment she saw me.
"Si-yoon! Come on in!"
Behind Da-yeon, Ga-yeon was toddling over. I carefully picked Ga-yeon up.
"Hi, Ga-yeon~"
"Yeah!"
Ga-yeon was radiating a dangerous level of cuteness.
I petted Ga-yeon and spoke to Da-yeon.
"Da-yeon, what were you doing?"
"Playing with Ga-yeon!"
"What about Jeong-yeon?"
Jeong-yeon had insisted that I call him big brother once he started elementary school, but in the end I never did.
"My big brother went to cram school."
Only then did I step inside and casually greet Kim Seon-hwa.
"Hello~"
"Welcome, dear."
Kim Seon-hwa was wearing clothes that, while not quite like before, still looked luxurious.
"Where's Mr. Lee?"
"He's sitting over there."
I smiled at Da-yeon next to me and said,
"Da-yeon, I'm gonna talk to Mr. Lee. Play in your room for a bit~"
"Okay!"
Two people sensed something off in the air from my words.
I made sure Da-yeon had taken Ga-yeon into the room.
Kim Seon-hwa swallowed dryly, and Lee Jin-seok glanced sideways at me.
The couple watched my expression sour in real time.
I went stone-faced and approached Lee Jin-seok.
"Hey, you."
"...Ahem, what is it, Si-yoon?"
I climbed onto the sofa where Lee Jin-seok was sitting,
looked at him, crossed my legs, and propped my chin on my hand.
"Look at me for a moment, won't you."
Lee Jin-seok, who had been reading the newspaper, gave an awkward smile and met my eyes.
"Just, one question."
"....."
"You know I'll know if you lie, right?"
"....."
As Lee Jin-seok nodded quietly, I quickly got to the point.
"Did you—yes or no—ever tell my dad not to let me play games?"
"...Ahem."
Watching Lee Jin-seok's reaction, I felt dizzy.
It didn't take long for that dizziness to turn into rage.
"It was you, Mr. Lee!!! Damn it!!! You put ideas in Dad's head, and suddenly he decided to make me study!!!"
I lunged at Lee Jin-seok.
With every intention of ripping out every last hair on that head.
Lee Jin-seok floundered, struggling to fend me off.
"Si... Si-yoon!"
Kim Seon-hwa, who had been watching the situation, rushed over and held me back.
"I knew you were trouble from the moment you and Dad went fishing alone together!"
Lee Jin-seok adjusted his glasses over his ruined hair and spoke to me.
"I... I'm sorry."
"Ugh... I looked forward to it for five whole years... and you ruined it, Mr. Lee..."
Seeing me deflated, Lee Jin-seok grew frantic.
Kim Seon-hwa, next to him, laughed awkwardly and said,
"Si-yoon, don't be too angry. Mr. Lee didn't have a choice either."
"Save it. I should've known you'd repay kindness with betrayal..."
The two of them tried to persuade me,
but I kept my arms crossed and didn't let them sway me.
However, as if they had a hidden card, Lee Jin-seok looked at Kim Seon-hwa, and they nodded to each other.
"This was... something we planned to give Si-yoon for her birthday..."
Only then did I look at Lee Jin-seok.
An envelope just the right size to hold something small. Lee Jin-seok slowly drew out its contents.
Something black emerged, its surface reading: HS the black card.
Shocked, I spoke with a trembling voice.
".....Dad?"
The two of them looked at me and smiled.
"If Si-yoon needs anything, you can use this. You don't know how grateful we are that you play with our Da-yeon..."
I don't remember what else Dad—no, Lee Jin-seok—said after that.
HS... I couldn't tear my eyes away from that sleek, elegant form.
Realizing he'd won me over, Lee Jin-seok grinned.
"Can you forgive me?"
I spoke while managing my expression as much as possible.
"Yes, Father. Might this humble girl dare to give you a hug?"
I was... terribly weak in the face of money.
I hid the black card in a corner of the little wallet Dad had bought me.
Then I sat down at the computer and started searching for games, writing them down as meticulously as if I were drafting a thesis.
- Maple Leaf Game.
Launched on May 29, 2002, and soon to celebrate its 21st anniversary.
Bills itself as the world's first side-scrolling MMORPG, emphasizing travel and adventure across diverse fields.
Its catchphrase is 'Endless enjoyment, and a fantasy you build yourself.' . . . . . .
- ROL
A game styled after Woguraft's Chaos. Has maintained massive popularity since its release and hosts a global-scale tournament every year. Combines the strengths of RPG and RTS . . . . . .
My stubborn streak flared up, and I resolved to humor Dad.
Endless strings of text. I imagined Dad regretting his decision as he read through it, smiled, and typed endlessly.
When I started elementary school, I ended up in the same class as Park Ji-hoon.
School uniforms for elementary schoolers, can you believe it...
The Seoul private elementary school I attend bleeds over ten million won a year in tuition alone.
I understood perfectly that the uniforms were meant to prevent excessive displays of wealth.
Ji-hoon naturally sat down next to me.
"Whoa... sitting here with you like this, Boss, feels totally new."
"Haah... can't you just piss off over there?"
"Ehh? When I think about how I literally died because of this guy, my face still aches."
I stared at Park Ji-hoon with serious eyes.
"Tsk... So, did you get permission?"
"Permission for what? They said now that I'm an elementary schooler, they'll buy me my own computer."
"Whoa... first time I've ever been jealous of you, you son of a bitch..."
As I talked with Park Ji-hoon, morning assembly time drew near.
"Hey."
The biggest boy in the class, some little brat I'd never seen before, suddenly called out to me and stood in front of my desk.
Eyes from all around locked onto us.
"You, be mine."
"...?"
His face flushed red when I looked at him.
Park Ji-hoon, who had been watching this, turned to me, and slowly... very slowly... a smile bloomed across his face.
"Heh? Lucky you."
Without a moment's hesitation, I slammed the novel I was reading straight into Park Ji-hoon's face. He clutched his nose and toppled backward.
The other brats in the class, who had been watching, went dead silent.
I looked at Park Ji-hoon and sighed.
"Haah... fuck..."
"Eek!"
The big brat, startled by my words, checked the reactions around us and then spoke to me.
"I... I like you!"
Completely clueless about the situation, he went ahead and finished his love confession.
"I've liked you since the first time I saw you!"
"Haah..."
It had been ten minutes since I'd entered the classroom, and less than five since that big brat had arrived.
At this speed, I guess he really did like me from the moment he first saw me...
Park Ji-hoon, who had just been hit by me, immediately got back up and grumbled.
"I'm already ugly, why do you keep messing with my face..."
"You're ugly, so you've got nothing to lose."
Park Ji-hoon suddenly pulled out a mirror and checked his own face.
"...?"
"Ah, shit... you're starting to look more and more like Park Gi."
"You keep dissing Park Gi, but he had way more girls than you ever did?"
"....."
Park Ji-hoon handed me the novel that had fallen.
When we ignored the brat in front of us, the big brat looked at Park Ji-hoon and said,
"You. Come outside after school."
"...? Me? Suddenly? Why, I wonder?"
I quickly assessed the situation.
Then, smiling, I grabbed Ji-hoon's arm and spoke in a cutesy voice.
"Ji-hoon~ let's play games together the day after tomorrow~"
"".....""
Now Ji-hoon finally grasped the situation.
"...? Wow... this is driving me crazy."
I quietly went back to reading the novel Park Ji-hoon had picked up for me.