Last-Minute Prep and Café Arrival

The date was earlier than I expected, which caught me a little off guard. Don’t meetups usually have a bit more lead time? I took my hands off the keyboard and fell into a brief contemplation.

I wasn’t working a part-time job, and it was vacation, so I had plenty of time.

No, conversely, having too much free time was the problem.

If I had a job, I could have said I was too busy to go. Do I really have to go? Unlike my tendency to blurt out ridiculous curses in-game, I was extremely shy in person.

I probably wouldn’t be able to utter a word if I went to a place full of strangers.

[Whisper/DontOrderMe>Beta: I’ll think about it a bit more and get back to you.]

[Whisper/Beta>DontOrderMe: Understood!!]

[Whisper/Beta>DontOrderMe: If you can come, tell me and I’ll invite you to the group chat.]

‘So they already made a group chat.’ Would PatchNote be in it too?

[Whisper/DontOrderMe>Beta: Is PatchNote-nim in the group chat?]

[Whisper/Beta>DontOrderMe: No? He’s not.]

I had assumed he would be invited.

Idly playing with my phone, I opened the chat app and stared at PatchNote’s name. ‘Should I invite him?’ I whispered Beta noona’s phone number to her and asked her to invite me to the group chat. She was incredibly pleased and immediately invited me. As soon as I was invited, I let out a small sigh, seeing the group chat with +300 unread messages.

What could they possibly have so much to talk about to pile up hundreds of messages at once? Awkwardly scratching the back of my head, I sent PatchNote a 1:1 message.

[The meetup group chat was created, can I invite you?]

[Han Do-yoon: I’d appreciate that.]

He replied so quickly.

After entering the group chat and inviting PatchNote, I pressed my aching eyelids, overwhelmed by the torrent of messages.

Too many messages at once made me dizzy.

Most of the incoming messages were useless.

Amidst talks of being happy about the meetup and wishing the day would come quickly, I went to the notice section to confirm the exact date and location. Tomorrow at 10 AM?

[Why are we meeting so suddenly? Is this a lightning meetup?]

[Lee Seyoung: Huh, who’s Park Jungwoo-nim?]

[Im Hyerin: It’s SoonToDie, hehe.]

[Lee Seyoung: LOLOL. Oh, it was SoonToDie-nim, I’m PotteryMaster hehe.]

[Nice to meet you.]

[But why tomorrow of all days? There are other days.]

[Im Hyerin: Our SoonToDie… wouldn’t know because he’s unemployed… but adults only have time on red-letter days because they work… hehe.]

‘Oh, shit.’

I threw my phone and rushed to the closet.

Since classes ended, I’d been too lazy to do laundry, so I only had a few wearable clothes.

I roughly pulled out some clean clothes and put them on, trembling in shock. None of them fit.

It wasn’t that I had gained weight and the clothes had gotten smaller. On the contrary, I had lost so much weight that they were all too big.

My pants even threatened to slide down if I didn’t wear a belt. Recalling my eating habits, I sighed faintly and rummaged through the closet. There must be something wearable in here.

‘Can’t I just wear anything…?’

I was only meeting people I knew from a game, so I probably didn’t need to fuss too much.

As long as I didn’t look shabby, it should be fine. I couldn’t bring myself to go buy clothes.

Having always worn clothes my parents bought for me, entering a clothing store alone was difficult in itself. In terms of difficulty, it was on par with soloing Iskaria of Despair.

After rummaging through my wardrobe for a long time, I realized I had nothing suitable and let out a small sigh.

If I had known this, I would have gone with my friend when he asked me to go clothes shopping. After a long deliberation, I sent a message to Moon Young-yoon, offering to buy him a meal if he’d help me pick out some clothes.

He wouldn’t refuse, would he? Thirty minutes passed, then an hour, but the ‘1’ next to the message didn’t disappear. I swore and called him.

Wasn’t a cell phone supposed to be a marvel of civilization for quick communication? Had my phone, without my knowing, changed its purpose to mere decoration? The long ringtone stopped, and a missed call notification appeared.

Unable to hide my exasperated expression, I kept calling until he picked up.

After about three or four attempts, a low voice said,

“Hello?”

“Why do you even carry a phone?”

– What, did you call?

“Check your missed calls. You don’t carry it as a decoration, so why don’t you answer?”

– Look who’s talking. You didn’t answer your phone like crazy last time either.

“You were calling about something trivial back then.”

After a long argument about trivial matters, I brought up the reason I’d called, which I had momentarily forgotten.

When I asked him to help me pick out clothes, offering to buy him dinner, he replied as if he’d heard something strange.

– You don’t care about stuff like that. Are you going on a date?

“No, a meetup.”

– A meetup? A meeeeeeetup? You? A meetup? A shut-in?

“Bullshit.”

– I do dress better than you, don’t I? Don’t worry. I’ll pick out a colorful hot pink for you.

“I should’ve just abandoned you back then.”

– You said you were going to leave me on a pile of trash. Jae-hyung told me everything.

Moon Young-yoon chuckled humorously, said “Alright,” and hung up. I frantically sent a message, threatening to break into his house if he didn’t come out by a certain time, then pulled on my padded jacket.

Opening the front door and stepping outside, I saw the remnants of the last snowfall, still unmelted.

Crunching through the snow, I arrived at the bustling downtown area and waited for Moon Young-yoon.

He was usually punctual, so he’d probably arrive on time. If he didn’t, I’d really go to his house, grab him by the collar, and drag him out.

Sure enough, seeing him arrive five minutes before the appointed time, I put him in a headlock.

“If you pick out something good, I’ll buy you meat.”

“This lowly servant desires beef.”

“Beef for a college student? What kind of beef? Let’s just call it even with marinated short ribs.”

“Can I eat three servings by myself?”

“This bastard has a beggar living in his stomach. How generous you are, giving a room to a beggar without even charging rent.”

“Do you want to live in my stomach too?”

“You’re crazy.”

I ignored Moon Young-yoon’s nonsense and headed to a clothing store. He boasted that he knew a good place, but I wasn’t entirely convinced.

Still, it had to be better than me, who was practically one with my hoodie.

I put my arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“Please, just keep me from getting pelted with rocks.”

“Colorful hot pink?”

“Hey, there’s a fist-sized rock over there. Shall we crack open your skull?”

“You’re pale, so let’s go with a sleek black.”

He quickly changed the subject, grabbed my arm, and started dragging me somewhere.

Listening to words that could be either insults or compliments, I followed him with a sense of unease.

After he picked out various clothes for me, I offered him three servings of marinated short ribs.

Someone once said not to judge a person by their appearance.

Looking at your appearance, I really couldn’t trust you. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me on this day? From Marinated Short Ribs.

(2)

I put on a comfortable, roomy black turtleneck, jeans, and finally, my usual white padded jacket, then looked in the mirror.

Compared to my usual hoodie, it was certainly less comfortable, but thanks to buying it a size larger, it wasn’t too constricting.

In any case, no one would notice it while I was outside because of the padded jacket.

Stepping outside, cold air brushed against my cheek. I caressed my instantly frozen cheek and pulled up the hood of my padded jacket. With the hood on, I felt a sense of calm.

I quickened my pace and headed to the subway, letting out a small sigh at the surprisingly crowded train.

I thought there wouldn’t be many people on the weekend, but it seemed everyone was going out.

It’s cold; why don’t they just stay home?

Before I knew it, I arrived at the station.

I stepped off the train, took a deep breath, and exited the station.

Had they said to wait somewhere in this vicinity? I pulled out my phone and checked the chat room; no one had arrived yet.

I took a picture of the cafe right next to the exit and posted it in the chat room.

[(Photo)]

[I’ll be at the cafe.]

[Kim Hyunho: I’m coming soon.]

[Lee Seyoung: I should be there in about 10 minutes too~]

[Im Hyerin: I’m stuck in trafficㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[Han Do-yoon: I’m also stuck in traffic… it might take a little while.]

‘If they hated traffic, they should have taken the subway.’ I pitied those who didn’t appreciate the glory of the subway.

I entered the cafe and ordered an Iced Americano.

Carrying the vibrating pager, I found a suitable seat and waited for the others to arrive.

Come to think of it, would YearRoundNoRest be coming too? Since we were meeting anyway, I hoped we could talk about raid strategy.

[Is YearRoundNoRest-nim coming too?]

[Han Do-yoon: Yes, I brought him along.]

[Lee Seyoung: He brought him along LOLOLOL.]

[Lee Seyoung: LOLOLOL. YearRoundNoRest-nim’s treatment LOLOL.]

‘So he’s coming with him.’ I felt a small sense of relief that it wouldn’t be awkward, received my coffee, and sat back down. Sipping my coffee, I gazed blankly out the window, watching people hurrying by. Would I have to move around so busily after graduation too?

When I was young, I only thought about getting into a good university.

As a college student, I was so overwhelmed with assignments that I couldn’t think about life after graduation.

I even served in the military in between. What would happen if I got older here? The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Ding-dong, the bell on the cafe door chimed.

Habitually, I turned my head toward the sound and let out a small gasp of admiration at the sight of those who had just entered.

Two handsome men, good enough to be models, were entering the cafe, showing off their superior height.

One had a cold demeanor, and the other a gentle one.

They had contrasting vibes but seemed quite close, as they bickered about something and stood in front of the counter.