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When he was a student, Han Kiseok had bangs that slightly covered his eyebrows and often adopted a chic, chilly expression. When one actually talked to him or hung out with him, the man was unexpectedly funny.
Furthermore, in the past, I had often seen him wearing a uniform. So, rather than welcome, I felt that he looked unfamiliar. Instead of a school uniform, he was dressed in plain but luxurious clothes… His hairstyle–with bangs brushed up–framed a soft, smiling expression… Everything went well together, but this didn’t feel like the Han Kiseok I knew.
In addition, his body frame was definitely larger than I remembered. He didn’t gain weight; rather, it felt like he had bulked up from exercise.
‘It’s really awkward.’
That guy’s appearance alone drove in how much time had passed since we last met.
However, Han Kiseok didn’t seem to share my sense of discomfort; he quickly approached me with a smile. Then, reaching out, he lightly shook my hand. “It’s really good to see you. You didn’t change at all.”
“R…Really?”
He smiled kindly again; I couldn’t tell if his cryptic words were a compliment or an insult. His smile had become more natural than in the past; it seemed as if he had many good experiences under his belt. I was suddenly struck by the realization that this man had lived a good life.
‘I also should have worked out…’
By comparison, I had been working myself to the bone before I met Seo Dawon… 1 There was probably a shadow–from the hardships of life–that still lingered around the planes of my face.
I brushed my hand across my face for no discernable reason and followed Han Kiseok to the seats he had reserved in advance. It wasn’t by the emergency stairway that Kim Olim had told me about, but the seats were on a pretty, 2nd-floor terrace overlooking a panoramic view of the east side of the hub. It was rather flashy and colorful for two men, but… unable to refuse, I sat my butt down on the seat that Han Kiseok had pulled out.
“Choi Lee-kyung looks a little shy.”
“……”
“Dawon-ie hyung, what are you going to do? It seems like Lee-kyung-ie’s heart is wavering…”
The greater issue, though, were my servant bastards–they speculated on my every move while watching us from behind.
In particular, Jung Garam seemed excited as he chattered away. Instead of reacting, I kicked Garam-ie in the calf, but my foot ached as if I had kicked a wooden pole. I gave up. When I saw Jung Garam’s cheekily laugh, I had to restrain myself from wanting to punch his face.
“Would you like to order?” A waiter said.
“What would you like to eat?” Han Kiseok asked.
“Uh…… an Iced Americano for me.”
“I’ll have the same.”
Fortunately, Han Kiseok did not notice anything out of the ordinary. He simply looked at me until our drinks arrived. Then, he opened his mouth. “How have you been?”
“…Uh…” Even though I knew that I should answer properly, I couldn’t think of a good pretense, so I momentarily hesitated.
I must have looked troubled to Han Kiseok; he gave me an indulgent smile and gently said, “I’m not trying to interrogate you. I’m merely curious.”
“Ah… Well, I’ve…been well. Nothing special happened…”
“Is that your servant?”
“Huh? Yeah…”
“It looks cute.”
“……”
He looked at Lackey, the skeleton, and called it cute. In reality, Han Kiseok was the first person to tell me that Lackey was cute, so my mood was uplifted. Looking at the skeleton clinging to my side, I stroked its skull. “I-Isn’t it…? It’s like a total kid.”
[Clack clack?]
“I was a little unfamiliar with the Necromancer class, so I searched up information on it. I wondered if they dealt with ghouls or zombies.”
“Ahh… For my level, that’s a bit too much…” After speaking, I realized I probably shouldn’t needlessly emphasize my incompetence, so I trailed off at the end of my sentences.
Fortunately, Han Kiseok moved onto another subject without asking further about my stats. “It’s been a while since you became a User.”
“Hm?…I suppose? It’s been over a year, I think…”
“I thought you’d contact me during that time.”
“Ah…” At a loss due to the tone of slight disappointment, I scratched at my cheek and avoided his gaze.
At that time, Han Kiseok hadn’t given me a clear answer, but I picked up on his true feelings… From Han Kiseok’s perspective, he may have wondered why someone who had always worked hard to gain his affection wouldn’t bother to contact him. He might have even forgotten all that he had said about me. So, perhaps that was why he contacted me first…
“I’m sorry. I haven’t thought about you until you contacted me.” So, seeing no need to complicate matters, I apologized sincerely.
“……”
“The two Americanos you’ve ordered have arrived.”
“Thank you…” I said to the waiter.
However, Han Kiseok’s expression contorted strangely when he heard my apology… A little like he had slightly frozen… Of course, when our eyes met, that expression disappeared quickly.
Han Kiseok looked at me without even touching his drink; at my sidelong glance, he asked me something else, “Then, do you get along with anyone in the hub? A fixed group or something?”
“Hm?”
“You must have a party when you enter the dungeons. You don’t have a guild…”
“Ah…” After a moment’s silence, I recalled the names on my friend tab in the system. “There’s someone named Kim Sangyoon… Perhaps you know him? He’s a streamer…” I chose the most normal person on that list.
“Kim Sangyoon? Hmm… Sorry, I don’t know who he is. I don’t really watch User streams.”
“Ah, okay…”
“……”
“……”
I felt another difference that separated the past from the present; as students, the conversation didn’t feel so awkward even when we were silent. But now, there was an unbearable awkward atmosphere as silence stretched between us.
Han Kiseok must have felt the same way; he repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something. I stirred the blameless iced americano with a straw, careful to not make eye contact with him.
“I guess he’s a celebrity that only I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Han Kiseok must have been searching the Warrior up; he was looking at his cell phone screen. I wondered what he had read, but then I saw Kim Sangyoon’s profile on the screen.
“It’s valid to not know him if you don’t watch streams. It’s only been a few months since his channel’s popularity has shot up.”
“Shot up?”
“Yeah. It hasn’t been long since his subscriber count exponentially increased… Ah! Kiseok-ie, do you want to watch him too? He often does slapstick comedy…” To overcome this silence, I hurriedly turned on my cell phone and showed him my favorite Kim Sangyoon stream clip… Han Kiseok was expressionless; it was as if he were watching some serious nature documentary.
He did not even chuckle when he saw Kim Sangyoon crumple to the ground as he was about to sit down (his chair had wheels and had moved backwards). I almost quietly laughed–the clip was still funny on a second watch…
Bashful, I hurriedly took my cell phone back from Han Kiseok’s hand and muttered an excuse, “There are some folks that don’t really understand his humor…”
“No, it’s just… It’s fascinating that you’re in a fixed party with someone like him. How did you meet him?”
“Ah! That’s… We got closer after Sangyoon-ssi carried me…”
“Carried you?”
“Mhmm… First, he accepted money for that service, but… Mmm… Somehow we just got closer.” To be exact, we became friendly through Seo Dawon–standing behind me–instigating a slave contract through violence and intimidation. We subdued the Warrior through those tactics, but… I couldn’t exactly be forthright with this explanation.
Instead, I tried to fabricate a moving story. “Sangyoon-ssi is truly a kind person… He willingly goes around the dungeons with me.”
“Ah… Then, was Kim Sangyoon-ssi the one to first propose clearing dungeons together?”
“Mhmm.”
“How often do you go with him?”
“About…two or three times a week?” The more I talked, the stranger Han Kiseok’s expression became. As if he discovered some major plothole in my explanation, he became increasingly persistent with his questions.
“So you entered this Kim Sangyoon person’s party?”
“No? We just raid together–just the two of us…”
“There’s quite the level difference between the two of you. Wait–just the two of you?”
“……” It sounded like the Han Kiseok was questioning why someone like Kim Sangyoon would drag around an incompetent User like me. I crossed my arms across my chest. “Yeah. It seems like he still likes me even though I’m so incompetent.”
""
Han Kiseok looked up with a startled expression after he heard my answer. “That’s not what I meant… Normally, at your level, it’s faster to raid dungeons as a party.”
“…I also don’t know why Kim Sangyoon prefers to raid with just the two of us.”
“I apologize. This wasn’t what I intended.” He apologized quite neatly, but I still felt uncomfortable.
‘As Choi Kyung-sik said… Did Han Kiseok meet me to fulfill some ulterior motive?’
His persistent interrogation was not what I expected from the Han Kiseok I remembered…
Furthermore, he’d listened to my situation, but he hadn’t talked about himself at all. So this time, I resolved to put on an act and pretend to be interested in his life. The servants said that his girlfriend worked for a company run by Geum Miyoung, right…?
‘S-So… How are you doing these days?” I asked.
“…Nothing special. Life is just travelling from job to house to job to house.” Han Kiseok spoke as if he were living some joyless, boring life, but, as far as I knew, the man was a fairly successful User. Before I met Seo Dawon, if someone were to ask me to describe a fanciful User’s life… I might have imagined Han Kiseok’s current lifestyle.
I didn’t know if the man was showcasing his humility or merely bluffing, but Han Kiseok firmly shut his mouth tight after that answer. I took note of his attitude and, in an awkward tone, asked him another question. “Mm, then… Did you meet your current girlfriend at your job?”
Han Kiseok, who had been looking down with his gaze focused on his coffee, slowly raised his head. Then, with a bewildered expression, he countered, “Girlfriend?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend?”
Footnotes
The original is ‘created porridge.’ Rice porridge requires hours of constant stirring to make sure rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. It’s slang for ‘extremely hard work.’