Chapter 76: It will work out somehow.

“Test? What test?”

“Professional recruitment.”

“…What?”

My mother, perhaps caught off guard for a moment, coughed a few times and then spoke with a trembling voice.

“Really? A professional gamer?”

“Yeah.”

In the past, back when I was still pursuing my dream of being a professional gamer, I had been discouraged.

My mother, who had always supported and cheered me on, knew this well, so her hesitant reaction was inevitable.

“Well… when?”

Still, my mother didn’t seem to want to stop me and responded with a question.

“I haven’t set a date yet… probably sometime next week?”

I hadn’t contacted YSG yet, but it didn’t really matter whether it was sooner or later.

‘First, I’ll take the test, and then I’ll think about it after I pass.’

After all, once I pass, I’ll be able to do whatever I want until I sign the contract.

…Right? Well, even if not, it’s okay.

“Really?”

My mother put down her teacup and paused with a thoughtful expression.

“…Is there anything you need?”

“Umm, I’m not sure yet. I haven’t contacted them.”

“Then let’s go buy some clothes first.”

“Suddenly, what clothes?”

I thought I had just gone shopping not long ago… or maybe not?

“It’s an important event, right? You can’t go like that, can you? No.”

“Am I going to go like this? I have nice clothes.”

The fact that “nice” didn’t feel strange anymore meant I was definitely feeling excited.

“Those are winter clothes.”

“It’s winter right now.”

“Spring is coming soon.”

But it’s still pretty cold…

When I look out the window, I can still see patches of white snow, or rather, black snow, scattered around.

The weather’s strange, but my mother still seems to firmly believe that our country clearly has four seasons.

Well… it’s not wrong. Even though it’s not like it used to be, we still have four seasons, after all.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

“Ah, that…”

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“…No, nothing.”

At this point, I felt it was impossible to convince my mother of anything.

In the past, no matter how stubborn I was, my mother would always listen, but now it’s the complete opposite.

‘…How did it end up like this?’

Of course, it’s not that I dislike it… but sometimes I miss the days when my mother used to care for me unconditionally.

‘No, but anyway, this is for me…’

With all these pointless thoughts floating in my mind, I can see I’m getting excited about the test proposal.

‘I don’t know.’

It’ll work out somehow.

“How’s it going?”

They say humans are animals of adaptation.

I don’t want to agree, but seeing my body naturally nod in agreement, it seems to be true.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“This one?”

“Everything’s fine.”

My mother led me to a different department store, not the one we went to last time.

It wasn’t a luxury store I normally visit, but a more ordinary one… maybe one that feels younger, more emotional? Anyway, something like that.

“Don’t just say it.”

“You said everything was fine.”

“Then I’ll buy this long skirt too. Please check this out.”

“Okay. …What?”

I nodded absentmindedly as a reflex, but then stared blankly at the wrapped clothes in front of me.

“Why?”

“…Did you already buy it?”

“You said it was fine.”

“Well… no.”

I did buy it, but I could just not wear it. Yeah, that’ll be fine.

“You’ve been so lazy, so I won’t force you here, but when we get home, you’ll have to try it on at least once. Got it?”
“….”

I delayed answering.

I felt like if I answered awkwardly, something I couldn’t handle might happen.

“Mom!”

It’s been a while since I went out, so when my younger sibling, who had been at the library, heard the news, they immediately rushed to the department store.

It was clear that they were excited to make me try on this and that.

“…Did you also call them?”

“I said I was going out with you after a long time, and they said they were coming too. Why, don’t you like it?”

“No… I don’t dislike it.”

It’s just that it feels like the exhaustion will double.

Of course, I didn’t add the second part.

They say that when a woman holds a grudge, frost will form even in midsummer, so I didn’t want to say anything unnecessary.

“…I can buy the clothes myself.”

“Then you won’t buy them.”

“What are you talking about? How many clothes have I bought recently?”

I didn’t have to go out, so internet shopping was one of my favorite hobbies.

Of course, there were some useless items I bought impulsively due to viral ads, but there were also clothes.

“It’s all the same. Why do you like hoodies so much? Do you like walking around all bundled up?”

My younger sister teased me, not quite an insult, but it still felt like a jab, so I protested.

“What are you talking about? The colors and designs are a little different.”

“Ugh.”

I understood why everyone wanted to dress me in strange clothes, but… when the person involved is clearly disgusted, shouldn’t they show a little more consideration?

“Sis!”

“Oh, yeah!”

Even while thinking that, my body automatically responded to my sister’s voice, just like Pavlov’s dog.

“Try this on. I saw this when we came last time, and I thought it would look perfect on you.”

“…Can I just try it on at home?”

“No! You have to try it on before you buy it.”

My sister was, in some ways, more determined than my mother.

“…Fine.”

I’m tired.

Thud, thud.

I came back home, and of course, I didn’t try on the clothes I just bought. Instead, I stood in front of the computer.

While shopping, I chose to put my energy into thinking about the proposal I had received rather than focusing on shopping.

Soon, I reached a conclusion.

“Huh…”

I’m nervous.

According to a survey by a certain organization, about 40% of the Baby Boomers and 76% of Millennials suffer from “Call Phobia.”

Maybe it was considering this fact, but Coach Park Tae-hyung from YSG had left his contact details with an ID for a popular messaging app.

This meant I didn’t have to worry about calling and debating whether to dial the phone number.

‘If I have to, I can text… but it’s just easier to type on the keyboard.’

Instead of worrying about it, I opened the PC version of the messaging app.

Of course, I could also send texts through the PC, but isn’t the process a bit bothersome?

[Hello, this is Outlaw, the one you suggested for the test.]

I tried to calm my racing heart as I carefully typed each word.

Unlike what I expected, there was no reply right away.

Five minutes passed.

“Hmm.”

I stared blankly at the messaging app and waited for the “1” to disappear.

Another ten minutes passed.

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes.

And then… one hour.

[Ah, yes. Hello. I apologize for the late reply. Have you thought carefully about our proposal?]

The reply came exactly one hour and fourteen minutes after I sent the message.

I had never experienced such a long wait for a response when I received proposals as “Prisoner,” so I was somewhat taken aback… but well, they must have been busy.

[Yes. Can I take the test?]

[Good choice. When would be a good time for you?]

[Anytime is fine.]

[Oh, how about next Monday?]

[Yes.]

[Got it. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you located?]

[In Jongno.]

[Ah, fortunately, it’s close to our accommodation. You can come straight to the accommodation. 2 PM should work, but is there a time you prefer?]

[I’m fine with 2 PM.]

[Great. I’ll send the address to you shortly.]

[Thank you.]

[You’re welcome.]

It wasn’t a long conversation.

But throughout the exchange, I couldn’t calm my racing heart.

‘Finally… it’s happening.’

I thought of an event from the past.

When I went to take a test as “Prisoner,” I remember the faces of the team staff.

Confusion, disbelief, annoyance, anger, sympathy.

Facing all those emotions, I ultimately fell short in front of the wall of professionalism.

But now, it’s different.

The professional I had longed for is finally within reach.

“Heh, heh.”

A small snort escaped.

If my mother or sister had seen me, they probably would have looked at me strangely, but for now, I was alone in my room.

‘Then… ‘

I looked at the calendar.

Today was Thursday, so there were still a few days left before next Monday.

‘I should at least raise my rank as much as possible before going.’

Of course, not all professionals focus on climbing the solo rank.

But that’s only true for players who have already proven themselves to some extent and established their reputation.

I am an amateur.

The only thing that proves my worth is my solo rank score, and I know this very well.

‘Until then, let’s reach Master.’

That was my immediate goal.

As I launched the League of Legends client, about to start a game, I realized something very important I had missed.

‘By the way, did I mention my gender?’

…Well, I’ll figure it out when the time comes.

Is this what they mean when they say a healthy mind is in a healthy body?

Having once lived as a pessimist, I now feel like I’m becoming an optimist.

“It’ll work out.”

I repeated those words to myself.