The phrase "It's going well" — it means what I think it means, right?
I was beyond dumbfounded; I was utterly speechless. Based on what, exactly? I mean, how many days have we even known each other?
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: I'm being totally serious here.
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: I have no idea what you're talking about.
[Whisper] DrinkWater: ??
[Whisper] DrinkWater: Aren't you and Rahee kind of flirting or something?
Flirting… The unexpected word gave me a slight dizzy spell. Of all things, did I just get accused of flirting in an online game? I pressed my sore eyes with both hands and replied.
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: I'm not, though…
[Whisper] DrinkWater: Whoa, really?
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: Yeah.
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: Why would you even think that in the first place?
[Whisper] DrinkWater: Oh.
[Whisper] DrinkWater: It's just, you two seem really close.
[Whisper] DrinkWater: And Rahee's a girl and a buffer, right?
[Whisper] DrinkWater: So I figured...
[Whisper] Sleepyhead: A girl and a buffer? lmao
What the hell does being a girl or a buffer have to do with anything in a game? It's not like I'm some perv obsessed with girls…
…Wait. Obsessed with girls?
Suddenly, a chilling thought hit me like a lightning bolt.
"…No way. Don't tell me…"
A girl. A buffer. Obsessed with girls. All of it swirled together, stirring a distant memory to the surface.
"Haaah…"
I buried my face in both hands and let out a deep sigh. Damn it. Yoo Chae, you bastard…
The disbelief was gone. In its place, a fiery rage began to boil up. I forced down the seething anger and slammed my fingers onto the keyboard.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Yoo Chae
[Party] Sleepyhead: Get over here. Now.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Huh?
[Party] Hwasoun: ??
[Party] Haerun: Hm?
Yoo Chae, who had been off repairing equipment, saw my message and rushed over in a hurry.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Bro, bro!
[Party] Yoo Chae: I'm not even a real Kim!
[Party] Yoo Chae: But what's up? lol
Without hesitation, I swung my staff at the grinning Yoo Chae who had come running to me without a shred of suspicion.
SMACK!
A satisfying thwack echoed through the field.
[Party] Yoo Chae: T_T?
His health dropped just a sliver from the basic attack. Barely a scratch. I knew it already, but mage autos were absolute garbage.
[Party] Yoo Chae: That hurt!
[Party] Yoo Chae: Why'd you hit me?! ┐( ̄ヘ ̄)┌
Oh? This little punk's got some attitude? I chuckled dryly and whacked him on the head again. His HP barely budged, just a tick.
[Party] Sleepyhead: You're seriously asking me that right now?
Apparently offended by the sudden beating, Yoo Chae didn't back down and kept whining.
[Party] Yoo Chae: I don't know!
[Party] Yoo Chae: I really didn't do anything wrong this time…
[Party] Yoo Chae: I swear…
Guildmates started to slowly gather, probably picking up the scent of drama.
[Party] Hwasoun: ??
[Party] Hwasoun: What's going on?
[Party] TheHunter: Idk
[Party] Haerun: Looks like the guild leader did something dumb again lol
[Party] Haerun: You can just feel the setup here
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: fr
[Party] DrinkWater: Hm…
[Party] DrinkWater: I think I'm starting to get it
[Party] MochaBread: o_o?
[Party] DrinkWater: It's probably Yoo Chae's fault, lol
[Party] ManaOutGuy: Knew it hahaha
[Party] Haerun:munches popcorn
With every line of chat, I madly clicked my mouse to keep whacking Yoo Chae on the head. Maybe he finally realized I wasn't just messing around, because he started taking the hits quietly.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Yoo Chae.
[Party] Sleepyhead: No more lies. Answer me honestly.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Bro…
[Party] Yoo Chae: I swear I'm not a Kim ㅠㅠ
[Party] Sleepyhead: That's not what I'm asking;
I sighed deeply and straightened up in my seat.
This was something I had to confront eventually anyway. Thankfully, DrinkWater brought it up first, so I couldn't let the opportunity slip.
[Party] Yoo Chae: Then what is it?
No more dancing around. I got straight to the point.
[Party] Sleepyhead: You're CottonCandyFox, aren't you?
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: No way
[Party] MochaBread: wtf
[Party] MonaOutGuy: ?
[Party] ManaOutGuy: So Sleepyhead knew?
[Party] MochaBread: Looks like it…
Even as the guild members excitedly chattered away, Yuchae remained silent without giving a single response. Was she trying to deny it? Or just flustered?
[Party] Sleepyhead: Say it clearly.
[Party] Sleepyhead: If you lie again this time,
[Party] Sleepyhead: I'm quitting the game right here, staff or not, and uninstalling it.
At the mention of deleting the game, Yuchae's character flinched, and a flurry of chat messages suddenly popped up.
[Party] Yuchae: No, don't!
[Party] Yuchae: It's me.
[Party] Yuchae: I'm sorry.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Is that a real apology?
[Party] Yuchae: Yeah…
[Party] Yuchae: Actually, I was going to tell you after we finished the raid with my brother…
[Party] Yuchae: As soon as you hit max level, I was going to come clean.
[Party] Yuchae: But then the situation changed…
As Yuchae explained, I rubbed my lips. So basically, she planned to help me level up since I couldn't get into a guild, and once I hit max level, she'd tell me the truth.
But then I met the Fever Guild and got recruited as a staff member, which threw off Yuchae's plan.
[Party] Sleepyhead: If you were going to lie, at least be good at it.
[Party] Sleepyhead: You made it so obvious, how could I not know?
[Party] Yuchae: When did you figure it out?
[Party] Sleepyhead: Right after our first raid.
[Party] Yuchae: That fast?
Her shocked reaction was more surprising to me. Did she really think she wouldn't get caught? When she acted exactly like her main character?
[Party] Mochabread: I get it.
[Party] Mochabread: You're just really bad at pretending, lol.
[Party] ManaRingGuy: For real... it was just like watching our guild master.
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: Looking back now, unless you were totally oblivious, it was obvious, lol.
[Party] MeHuntingCrazy: Was it that bad?
[Party] ManaRingGuy: It was literally just like her usual self.
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: Yeah.
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: And let's be honest,
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: after Sleepyhead joined our guild,
[Party] ParkSeungjin99: she never logged into CottonCandyFox again, lol.
[Party] Haerun: Oh, you're right.
[Party] Mochabread: Man, too bad Sese isn't here.
[Party] Mochabread: Sese would've had a lot to say too, lol.
Judging by the conversation, it looks like the guild members who raided with CottonCandyFox back then were Mochabread, ParkSeungjin, ManaRing, and Sese.
[Party] DrinkWater: And it wasn't even her alt account.
[Party] DrinkWater: CottonCandyFox was my alt, dammit.
Wait, she even borrowed an alt from Water? This is a complete mess.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Look, I get it.
[Party] Sleepyhead: But if all you wanted was to get me to max level, you could've just kept doing what you were doing.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Why the hell did you pretend to be my "oppa" and pull that netkama crap?
To be honest, that awkward attempt at pretending to be a girl made it even easier to realize it was Yuchae. She hesitated for a while before finally replying with a slight edge in her tone.
[Party] Yuchae: You said you liked girls.
[Party] Yuchae: And you really did act like you liked me...
[Party] Sleepyhead: What are you talking about…
[Party] Sleepyhead: When did I ever say that?
[Party] Sleepyhead: I was nice to CottonCandyFox
[Party] Sleepyhead: because I knew it was you, and I was messing with you on purpose.
[Party] Mochabread: ???
[Party] Mochabread: Wait, you mean the whole "oppa~" act?
[Party] Sleepyhead: Yep.
[Party] Sleepyhead: I did it to mess with a netkama.
[Party] DrinkWater: Then...
[Party] DrinkWater: What about Rahee? Are you two not a thing?
[Party] Sleepyhead: Nah.
[Party] Sleepyhead: Nothing going on there.
[Party] DrinkWater: Really?
[Party] DrinkWater: Rahee didn't exactly seem to dislike it though...
[Party] DoraheeHere: Huh?
Rahee, who had just come back coolly after getting her gear repaired without caring about all the chatter, finally chimed in after noticing the chat.
[Party] DoraheeHere: Ah, haha.
[Party] DoraheeHere: I just found it hilarious
[Party] DoraheeHere: watching the guild master's reactions every time I talked to Sleepyhead, haha.
[Party] Haerun: What? LOLOL
[Party] DrinkWater: ??
[Party] LaggingLikeCrazy: LOL
[Party] TheHunter: ROFL
[Party] Hwasoun: This is legendary today, lol.
[Party] Yuchae: Bro…
[Party] Yuchae: I think that person's seriously nuts T_T
[Party] Sleepyhead: Watch your language.
[Party] MeHuntingCrazy: Dorahee living up to the name, lololol
Of course. I had already suspected it since Yuchae kept whining and Rahee just kept replying with a "haha."
[Party] Sleepyhead: Anyway.
[Party] Sleepyhead: The stuff I said to CottonCandyFox—
[Party] Sleepyhead: Like asking for her number or to hop on Discord—
[Party] Sleepyhead: All of that was on purpose.
[Party] Sleepyhead: I'm not some loser who's obsessed with girls.
[Party] Sleepyhead: So stop getting the wrong idea.
[Party] DrinkWater: ok ok
[Party] DrinkWater: ah this is hilarious lolol
[Party] Haeren: What about your online relationship?
[Party] SoSleepy: Not doing that, ffs;
[Party] Haeren: Lmaooo~
[Party] Hwasoun: lolololololol
[Party] ManaRingGuy: lolololololol
[Party] MochaBread: Sleepy
[Party] MochaBread: What happened today
[Party] MochaBread: Can I post it in the guild group chat? o3o lol
[Party] SoSleepy: Please post it^^..
[Party] DrinkWater: lololololol
Unlike me, who was just tired, my guildmates found the situation absolutely hilarious, and I could only sigh. Still, it was a relief that the misunderstanding was cleared up.
From now on, not only would there be no more misunderstandings between me and Dorahee, but everyone should also know I'm not some loser obsessed with girls.
[Party] HuntTillIDrop: Guys
[Party] HuntTillIDrop: Are we done with the arena??
[Party] HuntTillIDrop: Or we doing more?
[Party] DrinkWater: gogo
[Party] DrinkWater: You're still in even if you're sleepy, right?
[Party] SoSleepy: Let's go. I need the practice.
[Party] Haeren: Good
[Party] Haeren: Let's reshuffle teams?
While the topic in chat shifted back to the arena, I sent a whisper to Yuchae. I still had things I wanted to say.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Aside from the CottonCandyFox thing
[Whisper] SoSleepy: If there's anything else you lied about, say it now
[Whisper] Yuchae: There's nothing else
[Whisper] Yuchae: I'm sorry, hyung
After quite a pause, the reply came back, firm. Well, it's not like we've known each other that long. No way there's anything else.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Anyway, since I know it wasn't malicious,
[Whisper] SoSleepy: I'll accept your apology and let it go this time.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: But this is your last chance.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: There won't be a next time.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Got it?
[Whisper] Yuchae: Yessir...
Yuchae, properly scolded, replied in a completely deflated tone. If I pressed any more, she might start crying.
'Seriously, I'm the one who got screwed, so why does she get to act all pitiful?'
Even as I thought that, something about her sulky mood kept bugging me. Well, she said she won't do it again, so I should stop here.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: As long as you understand, we're good.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Also, this is separate but—
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Back there, you were holding back, weren't you?
I thought back to the arena match just before. Yuchae had frozen up right when she could've killed me—like she lagged or something.
No matter how I looked at it, she'd obviously held back on purpose.
[Whisper] Yuchae: Hmm...
[Whisper] Yuchae: Yeah, I guess I did it without thinking
[Whisper] SoSleepy: I mean, I was just practicing combos, but
[Whisper] SoSleepy: You really didn't have to do that
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Don't hold back. Just play like normal
[Whisper] SoSleepy: It's easier for me that way
[Whisper] SoSleepy: I'd rather get wrecked and flamed than be pitied. That's 100 times better.
[Whisper] Yuchae: lolol
[Whisper] Yuchae: Got it, I will
Yuchae sent back a laughing emote. Why did she suddenly seem happy? Seriously, I'll never understand her.
[Party] Haeren: Like earlier, pairing Sleepy and Rahee isn't bad, right Anna?
[Party] ManaRingGuy: Then the balance will be way off
[Party] ManaRingGuy: Honestly, we only won earlier because of luck
[Party] TheHunter: Yeah, even if they've got strong DPS,
[Party] TheHunter: if the other side has tanks and healers, it's tough
[Party] DrinkWater: But we already have a buffer
[Party] DrinkWater: So sending a healer or tank too feels like overkill
[Party] LaggyMcLagface: What if we send the guild leader to the other team??
[Party] Haeren: All the strong DPS are already on that side
[Party] Haeren: If we send the guild leader too, the other team's gonna get obliterated lol
Even while I was finishing my whisper chat with Yuchae, the team discussion hadn't gotten anywhere. This wasn't going to be easy to sort out. With Dorahee being the only buffer, things were even messier.
[Party] Yuchae: Hmm
[Party] Yuchae: brb
Yuchae has left the party.
Yuchae, who had been silently watching the chat, suddenly left the party. While everyone sat confused, a pop-up appeared in the bottom-right of my screen—and I could hardly believe my eyes.
CottonCandyFox has logged in.
"...?"
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]