Gym Rat Arrival and Day-Drinking Chaos

[Kim Hyunho: I’ve arrived.]

[Kim Hyunho: You said white padded jacket, right?]

Jung Taewon and Han Do-yoon had also looked for me by my padded jacket; people really are all the same.

Well, it’s natural since they don’t know my face.

I made eye contact with the man I presumed to be OneHitForTheLord and waved, pointing to my padded jacket.

He saw the white padded jacket I was wearing, let out a small exclamation of surprise, and approached.

Even from a distance, I thought he was big, but up close, he was imposing.

A job like a tank suited him well.

“Are you perhaps Soon… no, Park Jungwoo-ssi?”

“Yes, Kim Hyunho-ssi, right?”

“That’s correct. I was worried I might be wrong, but thankfully not. The padded jacket did its job.”

Kim Hyunho, with his stiff tone, nodded slightly and sat next to me.

With someone who looked two heads taller than me sitting next to me, I involuntarily shrunk. Why is everyone here extra-large? I’m a small.

“Kim Hyunho-ssi, you’re OneHitForTheLord-nim, right?”

“That’s correct. And you are…?”

“This is Han Do-yoon, and I’m Jung Taewon. YearRoundNoRest! Anyway, I thought I wasn’t lacking in size myself, but you’re really tall! If it’s not rude, how tall are you?”

“190 cm.”

‘That height, wouldn’t you mind giving me 5 centimeters?’ Thanks to Jung Taewon, who was excitedly chattering away, even clapping his hands, the atmosphere lightened a bit. Feeling awkward about the current situation, I let out a sigh of relief at his presence.

If he’s going to be the mood-maker, I’ll overlook him messing with me.

I’d thought this since we voice chatted last time, but that guy’s sociability was almost too much.

I let out a small laugh at his ‘ding-dong’ remark, which I still remembered, and Han Do-yoon’s gaze fell on me.

He seemed to have something to say, fidgeting and looking at me. ‘This person really acts differently from how he looks.’ He looked like he’d live alienated from the world.

“Hyunho-ssi, do you work out or something?”

“Ah, yes. My profession is bodyguard.”

‘Following a Holy Knight, a bodyguard?’ I nodded involuntarily at his blunt words.

It was an excellent choice of profession. Tall as he was, he’d be perfect as a bodyguard.

When I sincerely told him he suited it well, he gave a faint smile and thanked me.

It was a brief moment, but I let out a small gasp of admiration at his softened expression.

So this is what it feels like when a seemingly stoic person smiles.

It’s a bit different.

“That…!”

“Is this it? This must be it, right? This is it, isn’t it? I think it’s here!”

“Right?! It totally looks like the place! Kuh-euh!”

“What’s up?”

Just as Han Do-yoon was about to say something, familiar voices came from above.

I raised my head in a daze to see two women with vibrant appearances greeting us with smiles.

I hadn’t heard the bell; when did they come in?

“They say this is the hideout of SoonToDies, right? Is that true?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That’s SoonToDie! I’m sure of it! I’ll bet 1 million gold that’s SoonToDie!”

“Wow, with four guys gathered, the intimidation is no joke. And look at Jungwoo-ssi all ppojjak! Cute!”

Ppojjak? That’s too much. Unable to deny my relative cuteness, I quietly snapped at them not to use my nickname.

At my words, they laughed out loud and joined us.

I’d guessed it from their voices, but these two were Beta noona and PotteryMaster.

None of them looked like people obsessed with games, which made me feel awkwardly out of place.

I felt like I was the only one who looked like a gamer.

“Alright, alright, this is a gift from Craftsman Seyoung! For Christmas! I made it to show my appreciation for your future support.”

“Wow, it smells delicious! Thank you!”

PotteryMaster, Lee Seyoung, handed out fist-sized wrapped gifts and smiled.

As I untied the ribbon, a savory scent wafted up.

The aroma alone promised deliciousness, so I looked at her with slightly surprised eyes, offered a quick thank you, and put the cookie in my padded jacket pocket.

This was my first meetup; should I have brought a gift too?

“What do we do now? Does anyone have something they want to do?”

“I was only thinking about eating.”

“Let’s eat dinner with drinks after the sun sets. For now, let’s talk about the game. I heard Easter server-transferred and nickname-changed, right?”

“Ah, right. That bastard, that!”

I quietly watched them sip their coffee and chatter non-stop as soon as they arrived.

It started with cursing Easter, who had caused so much trouble and run away, then moved on to topics like the optimal composition for Iskaria, whether to recruit more guild members, or expand the raid team, with all sorts of stories going back and forth.

“First, I can sub-tank because my enhancement work is more or less done, thanks to Patch… no, Han Do-yoon-ssi. I confirmed it while farming last time.”

“I can also solo-heal if you occasionally put up shields.”

“Since everyone has acquired their main gear pieces, if they just enhance them, our damage shouldn’t be lacking…”

“We don’t necessarily need to speedrun. The reason we want to finish quickly is to farm gear faster anyway.”

I listened to their lively chatter and finished my remaining coffee.

Everyone had a lot to say. Was this normal? I habitually chewed on my straw and rolled my eyes, then made eye contact with Han Do-yoon. Had he been watching me? When our eyes met, he flinched, startled, and I tilted my head slightly.

He hesitated for a moment, then said something unexpected.

“Um… if it’s rude, you don’t have to tell me, but how old are you, possibly?”

“…Me?”

“Yes… Ah, Jung Taewon and I are twenty this year. Though we’ll be twenty-one soon.”

‘What? Twenty with that face?’ I involuntarily gaped, looking back and forth between Han Do-yoon and Jung Taewon. ‘You said you were my age? There’s a five-year difference? You haven’t even been to the military yet?’ At his unbelievable statement, the eyes of those who had been exchanging opinions turned to Han Do-yoon. As if asking if it was true, he smiled awkwardly and nodded. ‘You all think so too? I think so too.’

“Um… I’m twenty-five…”

“Pardon?”

“Really? Twenty-five?”

My being twenty-five seemed more surprising than those two being twenty.

I knew I looked young. Even at the convenience store I frequented, I was carded when I tried to buy alcohol.

Thanks to that, my ID card is in my phone case along with my credit card.

“My friends all come back from the military looking so aged…”

“How old are you, Hyunho-ssi?”

“I’m thirty.”

“Wow, this is a twist in a different way. You’re the same age as me. Should we just drop the formalities?”

“No.”

Kim Hyunho’s face became serious at Beta noona, Im Hyerin’s playful remark.

At his blunt words, which were enough to make anyone listening embarrassed, she scratched the back of her head, and then Kim Hyunho uttered something completely unlike his stoic and serious expression.

“I cannot abandon my concept.”

“Pardon? Concept?”

“My nickname and my profession, I’ve adopted a concept. The moment I speak informally, it loses its meaning. Why else would I put a period after every single sentence in chat?”

“That was a concept?”

“Isn’t it a bit much to live up to a guild nickname in a place like this? Where’s the normal person?”

“They died.”

“Too bad! If I’d known, I would’ve named it ‘Total Chaos’!”

“Did our guild ever have a normal person? I don’t think so.”

Im Hyerin then said she wanted to speak informally and asked if it was okay.

I watched her impassively, then let out a small laugh as Kim Hyunho readily nodded.

They were truly eccentric people in many ways. I thought it was just in the game, but seeing them like this in real life, I felt it wasn’t bad. Consistent in a good way.

“As a bodyguard, aren’t your commute times different, making it hard to log into the game?”

“Ah, it’s fine. I quit my job because something annoying happened last time. I should have sent them to the Lord before I left…”

“What? No, that’s… isn’t that a big deal?”

“It’s just an expression; in reality, I left without any issues, so it doesn’t matter. There are plenty of places that will hire me again later.”

‘Any place that wouldn’t hire me after seeing this height and physique would be strange.’ I nodded in agreement at his confident voice.

Indeed, he clearly looked suited for a bodyguard role, and with experience, he wouldn’t have trouble finding a new job.

At that moment, Im Hyerin slammed the table and stood up.

“Let’s go for a drink. Go curse out our bosses and curse out the GM!”

“Deal! Let’s go! I’ve found a good place!”

“What are we… drinking…?”

“Why is Do-yoon-ssi speaking so faintly? He’s so different from when we voice chat! Of course, we’re going to get some drinks!”

“At this hour?”

‘The sun is not just up, it’s blazing. What kind of crazy people drink in the middle of the day?’

“Don’t you know that daytime drinking is the best?! This is why young people these days!”

“Hear, hear! Is it not the mark of a true drinker to drink in the day, at night, and in the early morning?!”

“Are you crazy?”

“I like alcohol, so I’m fine, but please go easy on him. Even though he looks like this, he’s an absolute lightweight.”

“Hey.”

“Someone who looks like they’d drink whiskey is quite pure, huh. It’s okay. You get better at drinking the more you do it!”

A flustered Han Do-yoon grabbed Jung Taewon’s arm.

His distorted face and murderous gaze made me think, ‘Ah, that’s what cursing with your eyes looks like.’ How bad must he be at drinking to react like that? A little curious, I raised my hand in approval.

Everyone except Han Do-yoon wanted to go for a drink, and eventually, he could only give in, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

And so, after clearing our coffees, we followed Lee Seyoung to a bar. ‘I wonder if it’s even open at this hour.’