Chapter 29: Tensions and Temptations

5: A Simple Thank You

Days passed.

The boss I’d been struggling with was getting familiar. After two or three tries, I could clear it once. Guildmates kept shoving items into my hands every time they saw me.

My inventory was overflowing, so I started refusing, but they always found a way to force the items on me.

That eerie feeling from YayongYengYong persisted. Her chats seemed normal, but I still couldn’t figure out why she gave me the creeps.

What was clear, though, was the guild chat’s vibe turning sour. Even someone as oblivious as me could tell it was getting tense.

That tension, mixed with Yayong’s unsettling aura, made me flinch every time I opened the guild window, my body shrinking instinctively.

It’s just a chat on a computer screen—why am I scared?

I gently pat my dimming halo to calm myself. It brightens back to normal, and I nod.

I plan to quit the game soon, but maybe I should try to fix this hostile atmosphere before I go.

“Hmm…”

Easier said than done—I don’t even know the cause.

Asking guildmates would be quickest, but what if it’s something sensitive? I hesitated, afraid to touch a sore spot.

… Honestly, I just find their clinginess off-putting.

Anyway.

From skimming the chat, I suspect I’m partly to blame for the tense vibe. No solid proof, just a gut feeling.

“Is this the ‘woman’s intuition’ people talk about…?”

Ahem.

I still don’t know exactly what’s causing it, but if I’m part of the problem, I feel obligated to fix it.

This guild holds childhood memories, so I’d like to resolve this before leaving.

But staring at the chat…

“I have no clue…”

Just looking at messages isn’t helping.

All I’ve gathered is that YayongYengYong is the chat’s center when I’m not around. Unlike me, she embraces the guild’s attention. That’s it.

“… I still don’t get it.”

Staring at the chat won’t solve anything. Asking someone directly is the best option, but…

Who?

Unlike Yayong, I find their attention overwhelming. To be blunt, I’d rather not talk to them much.

“Sigh…”

But as long as I play this game—and keep accepting their stuff—I’m stuck with them.

—BekGoe: River-nim lol wanna do Durandal?

Seeing the chat, I sigh but have no choice but to party up with them.

I started this game for fun—how did it come to this?

Me, BekGoe, vlwmrlaqkq, ZlJohnBishopZlJohn.

The usual party, but one slot’s empty today.

Checking the guild list, I see KimParakSae hasn’t logged in since yesterday.

“Hmm…”

Honestly, I just want to finish and quit.

The weirdly hostile vibe and a regular member disappearing make me want to ditch the game entirely, forget fixing anything.

As I try to fill the party, a chat pops up.

—YayongYengYong: River-nim, I’ll join! haha

That creepy YayongYengYong. But I just want to clear the boss and log off, so I invite her.

… Maybe I shouldn’t have.

…

…

<BREATH!!! DODGE!!!!>

ZlJohnBishopZlJohn roars. The armored dragon inhales deeply. Everyone moves in sync toward the safe zone.

But I was distracted and messed up my controls. My Priest, caught outside the safe zone, gets hit by the breath and turns to dust.

“Ugh… Sorry. I died again.”

<No, no, no, we’ll revive you. Hehe.>

Normally, I wouldn’t mess up here, but I’ve died multiple times already.

Everyone’s got plenty of revive items, but if even one person gets hit by the breath, the next pattern won’t start, dragging out the raid.

I just want to clear or fail and log off, but the constant delays are getting on my nerves.

As my irritation peaks, a sharp female voice cuts through my headset.

<Why do you keep messing up?>

I know who it is without looking. There are only two women in the party, and I’m one. The sharp voice is YayongYengYong.

She scolds me with a biting tone.

“Huh?”

<Seriously, how many times are you dying on the same pattern?>

Normally, I’d brush off a sharp tone with a “yes, yes,” but the gloomy sky and my bad mood make my response snappy.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. My bad.”

<Hey, let’s not fight. Hehe, newbies mess up here a lot.>

BekGoe tries to mediate the spiking tension, but Yayong, undeterred, sharpens her tone further.

<Messing up once or twice is fine, but what’s your deal? And what’s with the newbie excuse? You’ve been here plenty of times. You’re dragging the raid. Huh?>

“Sigh…”

Her high-pitched voice rings in my ears, giving me a headache. But she takes my sigh as a challenge and starts mocking me.

<You’re doing it on purpose, right?>

“What?”

<You mess up so people give you attention, worry about you. That’s why you’re doing it, isn’t it? Hah.>

“What are you—”

<Your voice is fake, isn’t it? Using a voice changer or something? You’re a guy pretending to be a girl for attention, huh?>

She laughs and finishes.

The atmosphere shatters. The other party members are too stunned to make a sound.

“What are you talking about? This is my real voice. And… I am a girl.”

I hesitate on that last part. I wasn’t always a girl, after all. But Yayong takes my pause as proof, doubling down.

<I heard you used to say you were a guy way back. Why suddenly reveal you’re a girl now? Jealous I get all the stuff for being one, huh?>

“That’s not true. What are you even—”

<Then meet me in person. You can’t, right? Because you’re a guy. Hah.>

“This…”

Anger boils inside me. My mood was already sour, the sky gloomy, and now her words scrape at me. I can’t hold back.

“Fine! Let’s meet! Ugh.”

<Oh, sure. Can I pick the place?>

“Do whatever.”

<Then two days from now, 2 p.m., Seoul ○○ Park front gate. If you don’t show, I’ll know you ran.>

“Yeah, whatever.”

Yayong leaves the party. I angrily disband it and quit the game.

The blue Windows desktop appears. I take deep breaths, and my heated head cools.

“….”

Hmm.

Wait.

Did I go too far…?

As my head clears, the situation sinks in.

A sudden meetup challenge. Not a fight, right?

Just… show up, prove I’m a girl, and leave. Easy.

“….”

… It’ll be fine. Probably.

Yup.

I glance out the window. The sky’s still thick with clouds.

One morning.

The sky, growing cloudier lately, unleashes a heavy spring rain.

Kim Junseo, as usual, visits Garam Lee’s place to clean. He folds his umbrella, props it at the entrance, and takes off his shoes.

But the usually chatty little angel seems unusually restless today.

Something’s clearly wrong.

“What’s up?”

“Huh?! What? Nothing!”

“No, you’re fidgeting like crazy.”

Lost in thought, Garam didn’t even notice Junseo arrive. When Junseo nudges him, Garam jumps up, startled.

“No, it’s nothing. Really.”

“… Really?”

Liar. Junseo sees through it instantly.

Not because he’s a lie detector—Garam’s just terrible at lying. Always has been.

Even now, sweating buckets and fidgeting, how can he claim nothing’s wrong?

Junseo briefly wonders if it’s that time of the month, but Garam’s second period is still far off.

So what’s got Garam so worried?

“Really nothing?”

“Yup! I’m fine.”

Junseo presses a few more times, but Garam reveals nothing. Despite his obvious distress.

‘…’

Garam’s emotions have always been an open book, and becoming an angel doubled his expressiveness. His friends even have an unofficial “Garam’s 57 Faces” manual. Right now, he’s wearing the face he makes when deeply worried.

Junseo’s seen it before—when werewolves went berserk, turning public opinion against variants. Garam hid his pain then, wearing this same face, insisting he was fine.

No friend ever believed him.

“Oh, and I can’t game today. Gotta go somewhere.”

“Go somewhere?”

“Yup.”

“Where?”

“Uh… I can’t say. It’s no big deal, really.”

Junseo’s gut tells him this is tied to Garam’s worry.

If Garam’s keeping it secret, pressing further won’t help. Instead, Junseo discreetly contacts their other two friends.

Something big’s up with Garam. They all know he shouldn’t be left alone in times like this.

But since he’s hiding it so desperately, they can’t follow him openly. So…

‘Let’s follow him secretly.’

Junseo makes up his mind.