Chapter 6: A Quiet Escape and a Mysterious Encounter

I let out a deep sigh.

How did things end up like this?

Going to the billiard hall to make a delivery and getting into an argument could happen anytime.

The problem was that it didn’t end there it escalated.

Flirtation turned into a war of nerves.

The war of nerves turned into an argument.

The argument escalated into foul language.

And from foul language, it turned into a physical altercation.

Well, calling it a “physical altercation” is a bit of a stretch.

I ended up beating the guy senseless using a cue stick, no less.

Eventually, the store owner called the police, and now here we are.

The police officer looked at me with a skeptical expression.

“Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt,

but a cue stick can be used as a weapon, so you should never do that.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry…”

“If the victim hadn’t agreed to settle, it could have gone to court.”

I had nothing to say.

Regardless of the flirtation, I was the one who crossed the line first.

Still, it’s a small blessing that I made sure not to hurt him too badly.

Anyway, I’d have to settle by paying a compensation fee for his medical expenses.

I didn’t care about being labeled a criminal.

What mattered was that I didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Suah’s shop.

…Although, the damage had already been done.

I couldn’t even look up in shame.

“Thank you! Thank you so much for being lenient!”

Making a high schooler, just because they were the store owner,

come all the way to the police station and bow their head it felt like I had repaid kindness with ingratitude.

Thankfully, everything was sorted without too much trouble.

By the time I left the police station, hours had passed.

The evening glow tinted the streets in a shade of crimson.

An oddly nostalgic and bittersweet atmosphere.

Had I seen a scene like this before?

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For making you come to the police station because of me… and for closing the shop…”

“Sis.”

Suah smiled brightly, as if it was no big deal.

“You did well! Grandpa always said that men who act like that need to be taught a lesson!”

“Thanks.”

“And someone as pretty as you deserves someone much better. ”

“You deserve to live a much more wonderful life.”

“…”

Only then did I realize why this sunset scene felt so familiar.

Although everything was different my gender, age,

and appearance the words Suah had said reminded me of my brother,

who had once wished for me to live happily with a smile.

The fragments of the past, which had long blurred after crossing countless life-or-death moments,

started to regain their vivid color.

I stopped walking, lost in the memories, and Suah tilted her head, asking.

“Sis? What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Just, thank you.”

“Pfft. That’s so cheesy.”

You’ve done so much for me, yet I still owe you a debt.

If I don’t repay you somehow, my sleep will be disturbed.

But what do I have to offer in return in reality?

In the end, I’m just an ordinary person here.

Lost in thought, I was interrupted by a voice from beside me.

“Anyway, the shop’s closed, and we have the rest of the day free.”

” How about we go somewhere and have fun?”

“I’m fine. I don’t have anywhere to go, and I’m not really in the mood for that.”

“Hmm. Won’t you get bored staying home alone?”

I responded with a question of my own to the sudden suggestion.

“Where would we go?”

“Hmm, I was thinking of going to the hospital.”

“Ah…”

She probably meant visiting her grandfather at the hospital, not because she was sick herself.

After a brief moment of thought, I spoke without thinking too much.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

I had met Suah’s grandfather a few times already.

Sometimes he’d come home from the hospital and stay for a few days,

and I had gone to visit him at the hospital myself a few times as well.

As for the old man, well… he could be described as a bit of a quirky character.

Of course, he wasn’t a bad person by nature.

But Suah shook her head firmly.

“No. Not today.”

“Why?”

“Looking at your face right now, you’ll probably just end up getting mad about why you came.”

“My face?”

“You look… hmm… complicated. Not just angry, but it’s like all kinds of emotions are mixed together…?”

I see.

When I thought about it, it wasn’t such a strange observation.

I was still angry about the guy from the billiard hall, and memories of my brother kept coming back.

I also felt guilty toward Suah.

All these emotions mixed together, to be honest.

Suah was probably right heading to visit someone while my mind was in such a mess probably wasn’t the best idea.

“Why don’t you get out and clear your head a bit? Honestly, Sis, you’ve been holed up in your room all this time, right?”

“Don’t poke at me like that. You know I can’t argue with you.”

I wasn’t exactly an outgoing person to begin with.

On a uSuahl day, I would’ve just stayed home and played games while waiting.

But today, I decided to listen to Suah.

If I couldn’t repay her kindness right away, at the very least, I should listen to her.

Suah added quickly as if she had forgotten.

“Oh, and by the way, I’m having dinner alone today.”

“No! My Jjamppong…”

“Really, Sis, you’re something else. Don’t you ever get tired of eating Jjamppong every day?”

“Jjamppong once a day is essential.”

I quickly changed my clothes and rushed out, like someone who had been kicked out.

Right now, I was like a wandering hyena in the streets, without any sense of direction.

I had said I was going out, but the truth was,

I had no intention of having Jjamppong for dinner.

If it wasn’t Suah’s Jjamppong, I had no interest.

I checked the time just past 6 PM.

If I gave her a generous amount of time,

it would take Suah 3 to 4 hours to return from the hospital.

She wouldn’t just go and say a few words,

she’d spend some time talking and taking care of her grandfather.

Suah had told me to stay out until later than uSuahl,

meaning I was tasked with staying out at least until 10 PM.

It felt like quite the challenge for me.

I wasn’t joking.

After living without civilization for 5 years, I still hadn’t fully adapted to modern life.

From my perspective, there were too many things I just couldn’t understand anymore.

“Where should I go…”

Even though it was spring, it was still chilly once the sun went down.

I draped a cheap black coat over my shoulders and aimlessly wandered the streets.

Every person I passed couldn’t help but look at me, their gazes lingering on me without exception.

Yeah, I know.

It’s not like I don’t know that my appearance is above average,

no it’s enough to make celebrities look bad in comparison.

But whether I like it or not is a completely different story.

Of course, I used to admire my appearance in the beginning, staring at myself in a daze.

That phase lasted for a while, but over time, I slowly got used to it, and the thrill faded.

Eventually, all that was left was discomfort.

To be frank, the inconveniences that come with my looks outweigh the benefits.

If I dug into today’s incident at the billiard hall, it all started because of my appearance, didn’t it?

Unless I suddenly develop an interest in dating, this situation isn’t going to change.

I only wish for one thing: to protect this hard-won, quiet daily life.

“Excuse me… could I have your number…?”

“No, sorry.”

I flatly rejected the offer without even looking at the person.

When I turned and walked away, they gave up easily, just like that.

I didn’t want to go anywhere where I’d stand out.

I just wanted to spend time somewhere as quietly as possible.

There was only one place I knew that fit that description.

Seeing the large sign that read “PC Bang,” I went inside.

Time to play some games.

Today, as uSuahl, Kim was working hard at his part-time job.

The place was clearly a PC Bang, yet he spent most of his time cooking.

Ramen, fried rice, burgers, hot dogs, and so on.

Even though they were all instant dishes,

why was he in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes all day?

When did PC Bangs turn into restaurants?

Lost in these deep, philosophical thoughts, the automatic door opened, and a customer entered.

“Welcome.”

I automatically greeted the customer, but when I looked up,

I saw a woman so beautiful that words couldn’t even begin to describe her.

I stood frozen in awe.

Her outfit wasn’t extravagant, but the simplicity of it suited her appearance perfectly.

I had always liked long, flowing hair, but seeing her, my ideal changed instantly to short hair.

Especially her pale, almost translucent skin and the mole under her left eye her alluring charm was off the charts.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but gasp in admiration, only to realize how unattractive I must have looked.

Startled, I quickly shut my mouth and pretended not to notice, but inevitably, my gaze returned to her.

She was probably a first-time customer.

If she had been here before, there was no way I wouldn’t remember such a face.

Naturally, my mind began to wander with all kinds of imaginations.

But there was one question that stood out above all others:

What kind of game could such a beautiful woman be playing?

Of course, it would be wrong to look up her personal information for no reason.

But from the counter at the PC Bang, I could see what kind of game she was playing.

After all, if a customer was doing something suspicious on the computer, I had to intervene immediately.

So, I could at least figure out which game she was playing as a part-time employee.

I waited until she sat down and started up her computer.

It took a while, but eventually, she logged in.

She must have signed up for an account this was her first visit.

I felt relieved. At least I was working during her first visit.

Soon after, without any hesitation, she launched a game.

The game she played was…

“Eternal Battle?”

It was Eternal Battle.