That question suddenly brought back memories from a few months ago.
[All] LVS gamgack (Serata): jgch
[All] LVS gamgack (Serata): yj?
[All] LVS gamgack (Serata): haha
That was the chat "Gamagak" sent during the last game I played before quitting HOL. Even thinking about it now… wasn't that guy totally insane? I mean, can a pro talk to a regular player like that?
I pressed my tense forehead with my fingers and responded as calmly and rationally as I could.
"Of course it's fine. It's your wedding—why would I make you feel uncomfortable?"
—Still, I feel a bit bad.
"I've only ever run into that Gamgak guy a few times in-game, that's all."
—Yeah? Then why did he… ah, never mind. Anyway, you're really okay with it, right? Don't go back on your word later.
"Of course. I'm not that petty. I'll definitely be there, so don't worry."
—Okay, cool. I'll count on that. Let me know if your schedule changes, alright?
"Will do."
After finishing the call with Seo Taeyoung, I put down my phone and let out a sigh.
"Gamagak, huh…"
He's coming? I mean, I already know what he looks like, but still…
I opened a portal site and typed "LVS Gamgak" into the search bar.
[Pro HOL player Gamgak in contract renewal with Team LVS… Return date still unclear?]
I clicked the top article. It featured a photo of Gamgak and a related news article. In the picture, he had a headset hanging around his neck, looking at a teammate beside him.
Light sand-colored hair, pale skin, long slanted eyes, thick lashes, and a small beauty mark just below one eye.
The reason Gamgak was especially popular—even more than other players—wasn't just his skills. His looks were a big factor. Just from this one photo, you'd think he was an idol, not a pro gamer.
Staring at the image with a swirl of emotions, I finally snapped out of it and closed the browser.
Enough already. Who cares if he's coming back? What's it got to do with me?
"Honestly, we probably won't even run into each other at the wedding."
I'll maybe just catch a glimpse of him from afar. As I tried to shake off the distractions and turned my focus back to Xenoris, I saw blinking messages at the bottom of the screen from that little punk Yuchae.
[Yu Chae: Hyung]
[Yu Chae: …?]
[Yu Chae: Hyyyung]
[Yu Chae: Where did you go?]
[Yu Chae: The group's going for a raid at 30 after!]
[Yu Chae: I told them you were coming too!]
[Yu Chae: ..]
30 minutes past the hour? I quickly checked the time. Luckily, it was still 20 minutes before that.
[Guild] DrinkWater: Sleepy, you comin or nah???
[Guild] Yu Chae: Yup
[Guild] DrinkWater: Don't BS me, for real?
[Guild] DrinkWater: If not, I gotta find a replacement now
[Guild] Yu Chae: Yup
[Guild] DrinkWater: You little $@#%
[Guild] Haereun: lololololol
Total chaos. I typed a quick reply in the active guild chat.
[Guild] SoSleepy: Here
[Guild] DrinkWater: OK good
[Guild] DrinkWater: Everyone head to Hrudian by :30
[Guild] SoSleepy: Got it got it
[Guild] MadHunter: Confirmed
[Guild] ManaDrainsFast: I'm mid-run
[Guild] ManaDrainsFast: Will wrap it up before :30
Next, I replied to Yu Chae's messages.
[SoSleepy: Yup yup]
[SoSleepy: Had to take a quick call]
[Yu Chae: Babe..]
[Yu Chae: How could you abandon me to take a call?? >:(]
[SoSleepy: ?]
[SoSleepy: What kind of crap is that?]
[Yu Chae: Ah hyung]
[Yu Chae: You gotta play along!]
[Yu Chae: You know what I mean, right?]
[Yu Chae: Just go with the bit!]
[SoSleepy: stfu, go away]
[Yu Chae: …]
What the hell's he babbling about now? I gave him a half-hearted reply, then closed the inventory window—only to find Yu Chae's character stuck to mine like glue.
[All] SoSleepy: What the heck
[All] SoSleepy: Didn't you go ahead already?
[All] Yu Chae: How could I go without you, hyung lol
[All] Yu Chae: I waited so we could go together >.<~
Yu Chae popped up a party invite labeled [rrrrrrr]. As soon as I accepted, the screen shifted and we were instantly transported to the entrance of the Hrudian Dungeon. He must've used a scroll to teleport us.
There's a fast travel point nearby, so it's not like we had to waste a scroll… but hey, it was convenient for me.
[All] DorahiHere: Hey there, Sleepy~
[All] SoSleepy: hey
[All] DrinkWater: hi
In front of the dungeon, the guild members participating in the raid were already gathered. DrinkWater checked that everyone had joined the party Yu Chae set up and then spoke.
[Party] DrinkWater: Everyone get into Discord
[Party] DrinkWater: Just Normal and Hard today?
[Party] MadForHunting: We only have 8 people anyway
[Party] MadForHunting: Hell mode would be too much
[Party] MokaBread: Tru
[Party] MokaBread: Let's save Hell and Abyss for when we have a full group
[Party] DrinkWater: Yeah
[Party] DrinkWater: Even Hard should be enough for both Sleepy and Rahee to hit max level
[Party] Haereun: Just waiting on Oring now
[Party] Haereun: Then we go
Hrudian, the final raid dungeon needed to reach max level, had difficulty tiers unlike other dungeons: Normal, Hard, Hell, and Abyss. Hell was manageable, but Abyss was a nightmare—even veteran players struggled with it. It was best tackled with a full party of 12.
I did a final gear check and joined the voice channel. Familiar voices greeted me right away.
"Hyung, hyung. Hello."
"Yeah."
Yu Chae always greeted me with his mic when I joined Discord. We'd just been trading items and doing everything in-game a moment ago—what a weirdo.
'He doesn't seem like someone who enjoys talking, though.'
Aside from that greeting, he never said anything else. It didn't really matter since DrinkWater or Mad usually led the raids anyway...
Still, with a voice like his, I wondered why he was so quiet. He used to chat just fine when it was just the two of us. Maybe he's secretly shy?
[Party] DorahiHere: Sleepy-nim~ hehe
[Party] DorahiHere: Take this~
[Party] SoSleepy: Huh?
Dorahi came up beside me and initiated a trade. Curious, I accepted. An item called "Chocolate Scented Love Letter" appeared in the trade window.
It was from the last Valentine's Day event—an AP skill damage +3% totem that worked just by having it in your inventory.
[Party] SoSleepy: Why are you giving this to me?
Totem items that increased damage weren't easy to come by.
[Party] DorahiHere: For helping me yesterday
[Party] DorahiHere: Just wanted to say thanks hehe
Oh, that? Even so, this seemed a little too generous.
[Party] SoSleepy: It's fine, you don't have to give me anything
[Party] DorahiHere: Nah~ I got it from a friend IRL
[Party] DorahiHere: I'm a buffer, so I don't need it
[Party] DorahiHere: Hope it helps you hehe
[Party] SoSleepy: Ah, gotcha
Well, in that case. I hit confirm.
[Party] SoSleepy: Thanks a lot
[Party] DorahiHere: Hehe
"What's that about?"
DrinkWater, having seen the trade with Dorahi, asked curiously. I responded out loud instead of typing.
"Chocolate Scented Love Letter."
"Ooh, nice gift."
"That's the one that boosts damage, right?"
[Party] DorahiHere: hehe
While listening to the guild chatter, I activated the totem. Then, from right beside me—where he'd been nervously shifting around—Yu Chae suddenly spoke through his mic.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"What did you… do yesterday?"
Oh right, now I remembered—Yu Chae hadn't logged in yesterday. Two days ago, he'd said he had to go out and whined for ages about not wanting to miss the game. Then, sure enough, he hadn't shown up the next day.
"Rahee had a crafting quest she'd missed. I just helped her out."
Honestly, all I did was fetch a few materials. It felt awkward to even call it "helping." The reward I got was way too generous in comparison.
"I see..."
Yu Chae replied in a wilted voice, sounding completely deflated. No idea what got him so moody.
'Anyway, this totem… it's pretty damn nice.'
Toss it in a corner of your inventory and forget about it—it passively boosts damage as long as it's activated. No need to equip it, so there's no risk of accidentally dropping it.
Might be worth buying a couple more. I was just about to check the auction house when a trade request popped up—from Yu Chae.
Now what's he trying to give me?
I accepted, curious—and immediately the trade window filled with items.
'What the actual hell…'
Romantic ribbon string, pink gift box, chocolate-scented candy stick, romantic ring from a lover, second button of youth, red flower of love… How many are there even?
[Whisper] SoSleepy: wtf;
[Whisper] SoSleepy: What are you doing?
I was horrified by the endless flood of totem items being dumped into the trade window, so I messaged Yu Chae privately, making sure no one else would notice.
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Totems..
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Take them, hyung!
Take what, exactly? I immediately hit "Decline" and shut the trade window. Yu Chae, who'd been enthusiastically dragging items into the trade, now looked like he was about to cry.
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Why won't you take mine??
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Do you even have a conscience?
[Whisper] SoSleepy: And those are all expensive as hell
Totems only work if they're sitting in your inventory. Because of that, the smaller the item, the higher the price.
Every totem Yu Chae tried to give me was a one-slot item. Even without checking the auction, I could tell they were high-value. For comparison, the one Dorahi gave me took up two slots.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: What did I tell you last time?
Yu Chae hesitated, then replied reluctantly.
[Whisper] Yu Chae: You said not to give you expensive stuff
[Whisper] Yu Chae: But… you took that person's gift…
[Whisper] Yu Chae: That was expensive too…
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Don't call a guildmate "that person"; rude af
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Whatever
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Why do you only reject mine?
[Whisper] Yu Chae: You really hate me, huh
Hate you, my ass… And you're seriously asking why I always refuse your gifts?
'You seriously don't get it, you little—'
If we were in the same room, I'd have grabbed him by the collar. Sighing, I started typing.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Just give me one
[Whisper] SoSleepy: No more than that
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Can I give you two…?
[Whisper] Yu Chae: One is the same as that person'sㅡㅡ
He sent another trade request. This time, only two items.
Romantic Ring from a Lover and Red Flower of Love. One reduced skill cooldown by 3%, the other increased crit rate by 5%.
Really solid stats. They were probably crazy expensive… but whatever. I had been thinking about picking some up anyway.
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Thanks
[Whisper] SoSleepy: I'll use them well
As I activated the totems, Yu Chae spammed the "big smile" emote and started bouncing in place like a kid.
[Whisper] Yu Chae: hehehehehe
[Whisper] Yu Chae: I'm the best, right?
[Whisper] Yu Chae: Right??
[Whisper] SoSleepy: Yeah yeah, you're awesome~
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]