Two days passed. I was watching TV in the living room after my unmissable morning workout. It was one of the makjang dramas I had been watching lately and it was about a man getting a kimchi slap on the cheek. (Makjang = ridiculous/melodramatic dramas with over the top plots)
-Eek! Mother-in-law! Why hit me with kimchi?
âTsk tsk, it is a slap. This guy.â
The swing was at the peak when, ding dong-! A noise was heard.
âWho is it?â My daughter-in-law looked at the screen on the intercom and questioned the guest who arrived.
-Your capsule delivery has arrived!
âCapsule?â She stood blankly with a bewildered look on her face.
I felt that it was better to answer her questions. âIt is something I ordered.â
âHuhâŠ?â
âIâm going to try that Arcstar.â
âOh my.â
My daughter-in-lawâs eyes widened as she looked at me. She seemed quite surprised but I didnât care. I walked straight to the door and opened it, revealing five to six men dressed in deep blue clothes. The man in front spoke, âHello, I am from the Union Capsule Support Department. Are you Choi Chuntaek?â
âYes. Thatâs me.â
âCan I check your permit?â
I quickly took my wallet out of my pocket and held out the âvirtual reality game permitâ I had received two days earlier. He compared my face with the photo on the permit and replied, âThank you. Where can I leave this?â
I looked back and saw the men holding a box that seemed to be more like a refrigerator than a capsule. I quickly pointed to a room.
âPlease put it over there.â
âUnderstood!â
The men moved in an orderly manner. They moved like a team with a single heart and mustâve done this more than once or twice. Then my daughter appeared and thought it would be good to give something to those working with serious expressions.
âEat this while working.â
âThank you!â
âŠShe was really quick to notice. It made me feel that I had no choice but to love my daughter-in-law. Kanghyun, this guyâs marriage was really good.
I told her, âYou were one step faster. I was going to bring it out. Keke.â
âHoho, Father is genuine. By the way, when did you get a permit?â
âI had a medical check-up two days ago and got it. In any case, at this age, I only have time left.â
I wasnât proud about being unemployed, I was proud that I could enjoy this degree of luxury because I worked hard in my life. Was it one of the few prides I had left?
âHoho. Youâve worked hard. Maybe youâll have fun playing the game.â
âReally? It sounds like youâve done it many times.â
âYes, I tried it briefly when I went shopping with Mido. It was a place called a capsule room⊠I really lost track of time.â
âReallyâŠ?â
I canât believe it. How fun was it that even my daughter-in-law was saying so?
âYou will know when you try it later.â
At this moment, a man approached. âWe have finished. How would you like to pay?â
âYouâve worked hard. Please use this.â I handed an old check card to him. It was around 20 years ago when it was first issued. It was the same card upon which I received my first salary and I had never discarded it. It was a precious thing for me.
âThe payment is complete. As indicated on your permit, you get a 50% discount. The monthly fee will be discounted from 200,000 won to 100,000 won.â
I had forgotten that there was a 50% discount on the permit I received. âThank you.â
âBy the way, that capsule is only available to the elderly. The game has an elderly preferential service so it only opens with the permit.â
For a moment, it was like he was talking about something else. Fortunately, he explained it in detail. âIf you look at the side of the capsule, youâll see where you can place your permit. You have to place the permit in there before the capsule will work. It wonât work if you donât put it in. Thus, it is best not to lose your permit if possible.â
âŠThis was what it meant. I turned my attention to the capsule where I saw a gap that looked like it was for my permit. It was like putting a card in an ATM machine. This was probably where the permit should be placed.
âThen I will leave first. There are more people who require installations. We hope you enjoy the game, Elder.â
They quickly left the house with light farewells. They seemed to be very busy. There werenât many young people who were so sincere these daysâŠ
I subconsciously smiled at the sight of such a rare young man. Once they were gone, I approached the capsule and touched the cold surface. I was a bit dissatisfied with the appearance that was like a coffin made out of steel. Then I thought about how I could keep an eye on the tiger-like guys flirting with my granddaughter and my mouth curved. Now I could spend a bit more time with MidoâŠ
This was when the sound of a shutter was heard.
Click!
ââŠHuh?â
I turned my head toward the sound and sure enoughâŠ
My daughter-in-law was taking a photo of me with my hand on the capsule with her phoneâs camera.
âFather, smile. Smile~â
I reflexively showed off the teeth implants I received last year and smiled.
Click! Click!
My daughter-in-law was sending the photos somewhere. At the same time, there was a âKkatok!â sound from my phone. It was from an app that Mido had installed a few days ago. The name seemed to be something like âkakaotokâ. (TL: Probably supposed to be KakaoTalk)
My granddaughter had told me it was the sound of a message so I entered the group chat room and my daughter-in-lawâs photos were already there.
-Kim Mikyung: Father bought a capsule!
-Choi Mido: Wow, amazing! Grandpa is great âĄ
-Choi Kanghyun: Haha, Father is so cheerful. Congratulations.
-Choi Jeongdo: Ah! Me too! Me too!!
-Choi Mido: Hey, Choi Jeongdo! Are you looking at your phone in class?
-Choi Jeongdo: That isnât important right now. I want to play Arcstar too!
-Choi Mido: Wake up⊠It is your third year of high school next year ^^
I scanned the contents and couldnât help laughing. Then I sent a picture of a white duck holding out his thumb and wrote, -Choi Chuntaek: ăłăł!
I wanted to thank my granddaughter for teaching me this.
* * *
Time passed and it was evening. I wanted to connect to Arcstar straight away, but I couldnât. There were many things Mido wanted to teach me so she told me to wait. It was my granddaughter, so I watched TV and waited patiently until dinner, no matter how much I was dying to try it. Then finallyâŠ
Tik tik tik tik-! Diririring-!
My granddaughter came home.
âIâm home!â
After all, my guess had never been wrong. I could hear the speed at which the password was pressed and could tell it was my granddaughter. I raised my hand coolly to Mido.
âYo-!â
This was something Jeongdo had taught me. It was a trend among young people these days. It was hip-hop. Maybe�
âPfft, Grandpa, did you know that you are just so cute?â
Um, thatâs what Jeongdo said too.
âI know.â
âHahahat, my stomach is aching. By the way, where is Grandpaâs capsule?â
âIt is in the room.â
I rose from my seat and took Mido to the capsule room. Midoâs eyes shone like lanterns as she gazed at the capsule in the corner. She stroked and touched the capsule like it was a young child.
âWowâŠâ
Mido kept staring at my private capsule. She was like a baby bird staring at an earthworm.
âŠI would have to inquire about one later for Mido.
âIs this where you put the permit?â
âYes. I have to place the permit in there before the capsule will work.â
âHow strange. It is a bit different from the capsules I normally see in the capsule room.â
âReally?â
âIt looks a bit more comfortable. The cushions inside seem to be better and I think the best thing is that you can lie down. The other capsules are ones enjoyed by sitting.â
It was the first time I heard of this. If I had received a regular capsule, I probably wouldnât have enjoyed it much because I would have to sit for a long time. At such times, I thought it was good to be old. I could also get discounts and the preferential route.
âIs it our daughter?â
âMom~!â
My daughter-in-law had been washing the dishes and she came running over with rubber gloves on. Mido ran lovingly and embraced her mother. She was a child who wouldnât hurt me even if I put her in my eyes. Ah, it would hurt a bit if she were actually put in my eyesâŠ?
Tik tik tik tik-! Diririring-!
The moment the door opened, the house became louder. Therefore, I thought it was that guy.
âCapsule! Capsule! Where is it?â
âŠAs expected, he was my grandson. My grandson⊠looked for the capsule as soon as he came in.
At the same time, my daughter-in-lawâs nagging began. âJeongdo, what about your self-study?â
âHaha⊠I couldnât concentrate when there is a capsule sitting at home.â
âSon, is that so? What should I do if you skip your self-study?â
âHey, Choi Jeongdo. Arenât you going to study?â
Slap!
âAck! Noona, why do you keep hitting my back? Can you scratch the centre⊠ouchâŠâ
Jeongdo was distracted by Midoâs strong hands that were busy trying to claw his back.
I laughed at the sight. These brats. I was fortunate. If it werenât for Mido, my joy wouldâve flown away.
After a while, everyone except for Kanghyun sat at the table. He said he would be late because of an appointment today, so he wasnât present. Todayâs menu was steamed chicken. It was my daughter-in-lawâs favorite dish.
âIâll eat well!â I gave vigorous thanks and started to inhale the steamed chicken.
âUm, delicious.â
For a moment, I had a thought. I didnât know if the taste entered through my nose or my mouth but I thought it was so delicious I could really eat it with my nose. It was hard to believe but it was true. Donât believe it? Next time, I will really try it with my noseâŠ?
The stormy mealtime passed and me and my two grandchildren sat next to each other on the couch, watching a broadcast related to Arcstar. Just now, Mido and Jeongdo had given me a rough explanation when eating so there were many things I recognized. For example, things like health, magic power, and level. I didnât know much yet but I was still having fun.
-Uwaaaaahhhhh!
Based on the loud roar, it was the siege war that we talked about earlier. All sorts of troops clashed, huge fireballs and ice flew and people were shoving, stabbing, burning, and freezing each otherâs bodies. I turned my head because I was worried about Mido seeing this sensational appearance but I guess it was for nothing.
Midoâs eyes were like shining lanterns as she stared at the handsome Korean guy running ahead. âKyah ⥠Itâs Kim Hyeonu oppa.â
ââŠWho is that person?â I immediately asked Jeongdo about the identity of this dandy-like guy.
âKim Hyeonu is a high-ranking player in South Korea.â
âRankingâŠ?â
âIt is like the hierarchy. He is within the top 100 in the country. That person.â
âThatâs why Mido likes him so muchâŠ?â
âYes, well⊠isnât he handsome?â
I turned my head back to the TV. He plummeted toward the ground with a brilliant silver sword and flames flew, damaging many soldiers. Mido emitted hearts from her eyes when she saw it. I looked at the screen and vowed.
âŠKim Hyeonu, death penalty.
Then another user appeared. I noticed he was a bit more macho than the guy before. His combed bangs made him look cool. He seemed to be good at punching and was probably followed by many women. ThenâŠ
âKyak ⥠Taejun oppa came out as well.â
âŠDeath penalty.
The screen changed. This time, a silver-haired man summoned a giant bow of light and shot arrows of light toward his enemies like a storm. The name of this guy introduced on the TV was Eun Jeonghyeok. He was aware of the camera and spoke some cool lines.
-You are already dead.
âŠStop talking nonsense. Along with the cheesy words, arrows of light rained from the sky and started to fill the battlefield. The screams of the dying soldiers also grew louder.
âKyak âĄ!â
Yes, youâre already dead.
On this day, my head was filled with killing intent.