1-1. Koreans do a lot of grinding in games, too. (3)
Translated by Yonnee
I woke up to a massive headache. Ah, shi⊠I already know. I should have controlled the number of drinks I had and just went to bed early. This is why people shouldnât do things they donât normally do. After stretching out, I rubbed my stiff eyes.
What time is it now? I have to go to work.
âPhone, my phoneâŠâ
I habitually reached while stuttering, but when I couldnât find my phone anywhere, I turned over once and stretched my hands out again. But Iâm sure I left my phone here on my bed, and my bed isnât that big, so I should have normally found it by now.
But my phone wasnât anywhere here. No, it wasnât that my phone wasnât here. Itâs just that this wasnât my room.
âWhere⊠am I?â
What did I do last night? Where did I fall asleep? Did I stay out overnight? No, I definitely bought some liquor last night and went straight home. Then I played some games.
With my mind still groggy, I fumbled through my memories. But then, a white letters popped up in the air.
ă Level 1. No skills available. ă
ă When Level 5 is reached, the skill of âPerceptionâ can be used. ă
âWhat the, have I gone crazy. Iâm seeing things, stillâŠâ
I might still be half asleep. When I shook my head and opened my eyes again, the letters had disappeared, but the room remained unfamiliar. I looked around with bleary eyes.
What? Where is this? Did I sleep while playing a VR game or something last night? I need to go to work.
But, at that momentâ Bang, bang, bang. Someone was knocking violently at the door.
âHey, Hilda! Hilda! Arenât you getting up yet?!â
ââŠâŠ?â
âHilda! You slept in again! Come out and bring Young Master Adrianâs medicine!â
I swear Iâve heard those words somewhere before.
But I donât remember where exactly I heard itâŠ
âHilda, youâre just hopeless. Until when will I have to wake you up like this myself?â
The door slammed open and an angry face was revealed. I looked around several times already.
Itâs not me sheâs looking for, someone else⊠But thereâs no one else here.
âHilda? âŠMe?â
But sheâs the maid I saw in the game I played last night. I pointed at myself perplexedly and muttered. Now that I thought about it, the woman who had opened the door and was looking at me pitifully seemed familiar. She wasnât someone Iâve met before, but someone Iâve seen in a game.
âWho else would it be if itâs not you? Stop spewing nonsense and just get up already!â
ââŠâŠâ
âGosh, take out one functioning person and everyoneâs slow like this, hmph! I canât trust anyone! No one at all!â
Leticia? Sheâs really Leticia. With a uniquely sharp voice, she nagged like that and left through the door once more, slamming it closed.
Whatâs going on? I need to go to work and submit a report today. If I donât, my section chiefâs going to hound me again.
Staring at the closed door, I thought blankly.
âHilda, did you sleep in again? Miss Leticiaâs fuming.â
The door opened once more, and someone else who had a familiar face like Leticia came in. Surprisingly, she also reminded me of the character I saw in the game I played last night. Blankly, my lips moved.
âEmi⊠Emily?â
âWhy are you calling me so awkwardly? Are you sick?â
âWhat the hell is thisâŠ?â
âYouâre probably not awake from your dreams yet, Hilda. Hurry up and get dressed. If Miss Leticia comes back, you might get in trouble if she sees that you still look like that.â
For a moment she looked at me with a hand on her waist, then she took something out of the closet and threw it on the bed. It was a gray skirt made of moderately thick cotton. There was also an old apron meant to be worn around the waist so that the skirt wouldnât get dirty. In the game, all the maids wore the same thing.
I was gobsmacked. My mouth opened and closed several times as I set the clothes down.
âWow, this dream feels so real. Itâs very realistic. You said Iâm Hilda?â
âHilda, just hurry up and get changed⊠No, this wonât do. Iâll be the one whoâll bring Young Master Adrianâs medicine.â
âIâŠ?â
Emily sighed.
âYou better not stand out in Miss Leticiaâs eyes today. Sheâs really strict âcause she thinks the servantsâ discipline has become lax these days.â
She looked sincerely at me with a worried expression as she said this. Then, she added, âYou shouldnât anger Miss Leticia any more than this,â then closed the door behind her as she left.
âWhat? Whatâs this?â
Though I hadnât gotten past halfway through the game, I can clearly remember that this was the first time in the game that the character âHildaâ brought Adrian his medicine.
âDid I go inside the game?â
That, or Iâd gone bonkersâŠ
While staring blankly into the air for a moment, I slapped myself.
I hit the side of my face to the point that my ear rang, but I still didnât wake up. And apart from the intense pain and the vivid touch⊠There was the sound of the wind whistling through the window accompanied by the chirping of birds perched on a tree.
If this was really a dream, that shouldnât be possible.
âRealâŠ? Did⊠Did I really go crazy?!â
I went into a gameâno, not just a game, but a horror game rampant with murders!
Why wasnât it an otome game thatâs swarming with handsome guys!
Of all things, why did I have to go into a horror gameâŠ
âAH, log out! Log out!â
If this was really a game, wouldnât I be able to get out if I log out? Please, just donât log me out of life.
With a trembling hand, I pressed the small menu that I saw in the upper righthand corner of my field of view. Then, the âNew Gameâ and âExitâ options emerged in the air.
There was no choice to log out.
Then, what if I press Exit?
Nervous, I pressed the Exit button. But what appeared in front of my eyes nextâŠ