Chapter 69: A New Beginning

“Hey, hey. Are you asleep?”

“What’s with this guy? Is it because it’s been a while? Why can’t he pull himself together? Wake up!”

I opened my eyes.

When I came to my senses, a couple of guys holding beer glasses were staring at me with amused and exasperated looks.

My fingertips were numb, and my head felt foggy, like it was filled with mist.

Where am I, and what was I doing?

“Uh… who are you?”

“What kind of drunken act is this? You said you don’t get drunk.”

“Looking at your glazed eyes, you’re about halfway gone. Hey, @$#$, snap out of it!”

Ah, right.

At first, I didn’t recognize them, but these guys were my friends, Jung-tae and Sung-hoon.

I had recently finished my military service and was living the life of a “legally unemployed” person. Like always, I was out drinking with friends.

But why did it feel like it had been so long?

According to my routine, we probably clinked glasses just yesterday.

“Are you feeling unwell? Should we stop drinking?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just… feel a bit strange.”

“Jeez, that’s lame. Let’s just order more snacks. I didn’t eat dinner.”

They discussed it amongst themselves and ordered something to eat.

Since I didn’t particularly care about side dishes, I left it up to them.

After placing the order, Sung-hoon pulled out his phone and showed us something.

“Have you guys seen this? Streamers held an AOW Tournament. It’s insane.”

The three of us didn’t share identical interests, but we had similar tastes and hobbies.

That’s why we got along so quickly. And the one thing that consistently brought us together was gaming.

Among games, we were especially hooked on Age of War (AOW), a currently trending FPS game. It was only natural.

“It’s not even a pro tournament. What’s so amazing about it? At best, they’re probably Diamond or Master tier.”

Jung-tae sipped his beer, clicking his tongue.

Yet, his eyes were glued to Sung-hoon’s phone, curious about what video had him so excited.

I was intrigued as well and leaned in to watch.

The video immediately captured the attention of AOW players.

It was almost like a highlight reel, featuring a sniper and swordsman—two of the least-used agents due to their difficulty level.

The gameplay was flawless, with flashy and clean moves that had earned it rave reviews, like, “This is so satisfying to watch.”

But the gameplay felt oddly familiar to me.

“Wow, they’re good.”

“Right? I told you, they’re amazing. And get this—it’s a girl.”

“A girl?”

That was genuinely surprising.

While FPS games naturally attracted many female players, having a high-tier female player at this level was rare. If this became widely known, it would have a massive impact.

People might even show up at her door, banging on it just to see her.

Wait… Molu? Who’s Molu?

My mind was still hazy, filled with an unshakable sense of discomfort.

“Your snacks are here~”

A plate of fried chicken gizzards arrived, its crispy coating looking perfect.

Leaving my friends to their enthusiastic conversation about the mysterious high-level female gamer, I grabbed some snacks, trying to settle my restless thoughts.

Something about today felt off. Why? I chewed on the crispy gizzard, mulling it over.

“What the…?”

It wasn’t crispy.

It looked perfectly crispy on the outside, but the texture was soft and mushy.

Even the chewy texture unique to gizzards was missing.

And there was none of that rich greasiness you’d expect when biting into fried food.

Did the chef make a mistake? Maybe something went wrong with the cooking.

I swallowed the piece I’d bitten into and picked up another.

But my confusion only deepened.

“Abalone?”

A soft, sticky texture melted in my mouth, accompanied by a faintly salty ocean flavor. It didn’t resemble gizzards at all.

“What are you talking about, abalone?”

Jung-tae frowned at me as I chewed, tilting his head in confusion.

Thinking something was wrong, I handed him a piece, still puzzled.

“Try this. These gizzards are weird. They’re not chewy, and even though they’re fried, they’re mushy. They even taste a little fishy, like abalone.”

Hearing me, Sung-hoon burst into laughter.

“Hey, what are you talking about? There aren’t any gizzards here.”

“What?”

Looking at the plate again, I realized the gizzard dish had vanished.

In its place was something entirely different.

It was a bowl of soft rice porridge, cooked with various vegetables and water.

“Porridge?”

And at that moment, my consciousness was abruptly pulled back.

“That’s right, that’s right. Look at her eat so well.”

“Isn’t this a little too much? Treating her like a baby?”

“Well, we don’t have a choice. She’s in no condition to feed herself. And you two even brought porridge out of concern.”

“Getting her to eat something is the priority. Ah, you’re awake?”

As my blurry vision cleared, I saw unfamiliar people.

There were three women with long, flowing hair.

Their voices buzzed in my ears.

One of them was holding a spoon near my mouth, while the other two stood in the background, watching silently.

As my awareness returned, I realized my current position.

I was half-reclined in bed, being fed porridge by Ji-yeon.

The two women behind her were quietly observing the scene.

I must have dozed off. How did so many people show up while I was asleep?

It seemed that Ji-yeon had let Si-young and Ryu-ah into the house herself.

A little sister welcoming her sick sister’s guests on her behalf.

Very proper. Admirable, even.

But… maybe she didn’t have to show them feeding me porridge.

“Sis, you’re awake? You were so cute, mumbling while eating in your sleep. Want more porridge?”

“How are you feeling, Ji-eun? Are you okay?”

“Did you sleep well, boss?”

This combination of people… how unexpected.

As they greeted me in their own ways, I waved them off lightly to show I was fine.

“…Yeah, I’m okay.”

I did feel much lighter than I had before falling asleep.

Looking around, I saw signs that they had taken care of me while I was asleep: the bowl of porridge I just ate, the damp towels, and more.

I had done nothing but sleep, yet my sickness and even the hassle of eating had been taken care of.

So this is what it feels like to be cared for.

Feeling quietly satisfied, I glanced at the empty porridge bowl. Ji-yeon spoke up.

“Oh, by the way, the porridge was brought by the editor and Ryu-ah. One brought abalone porridge, and the other brought beef and vegetable porridge. They both insisted I feed you theirs, so I had no choice but to mix them together. Was it good?”

“Oh, I see…”

It was one thing for both of them to bring porridge, but mixing them together because she couldn’t decide? Ji-yeon, you’re something else.

It was a decision worthy of Solomon, who suggested splitting the baby in half.

“But more importantly, I have something to tell you.”

Si-young stepped forward, her expression serious, as if about to say something important.

However, she was immediately interrupted by Ryu-ah.

“Should you really bring this up to someone who just woke up from being sick?”

“But she’s the one involved; she should know.”

What kind of topic would cause this kind of reaction?

I glanced at Ji-yeon. She seemed to already know, judging by her complicated expression.

This wasn’t going to be an ordinary conversation.

“For now, why don’t you both take a seat? You’ve been standing this whole time; your legs must be tired.”

“But… there aren’t enough chairs…”

“Oh.”

As the host, I felt bad seeing my guests so uncomfortable, but I had overlooked one crucial fact.

I didn’t have many chairs in my house.

I rarely had visitors, so I hadn’t bothered to prepare for them.

The only people who came by were Ji-yeon, who visited occasionally, or Si-young, when we had meetings.

For that reason, there were exactly two chairs for face-to-face conversations.

One was my gaming chair.

Ji-yeon was sitting in it, while I was leaning against my bed.

That left only one chair.

Sensing the situation, Ryu-ah quietly took the remaining seat.

She could’ve at least pretended to decline out of courtesy, but apparently, her skin was thick enough to skip that part.

Not that it mattered. In situations like this, it was first-come, first-served. No one to blame.

With no chairs left, Si-young simply chose the next best option: my bed.

She sat down right beside me without hesitation.

Oh, right. That was an option. If there weren’t enough chairs, sitting on the bed was the obvious solution.

I felt like an idiot for agonizing over it.

“Ahhh!”

Seeing Si-young sit beside me, Ryu-ah let out a high-pitched yelp.

She clearly hadn’t expected anyone to sit there.

Her face openly displayed disappointment.

Was it really that big of a deal?

I mean, sure, the bed was more comfortable than a hard chair.

But that wasn’t the issue right now.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Well, it’s like this.”

Si-young began to explain the situation.

After hearing her brief explanation, I understood why Ryu-ah had tried to stop her. She had been worried it might shock me.

Apparently, I had a stalker.

According to them, the stalker had been lingering outside my door when they arrived.

The evidence was damning—caught in the act, and the phone they confiscated contained irrefutable proof. There was no doubt.

When Si-young finished, the room fell silent.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

To say I wasn’t shocked would be a lie.

Hearing that the uneasy feeling I’d had outside my door before was caused by a stalker was unsettling.

I now understood why celebrities often spoke of the mental stress caused by invasions of privacy.

Still, what could I do about something that had already happened?

If there was any silver lining, it was that the stalker hadn’t managed to cause me serious harm before being handed over to the police.

I’d just have to take measures to prevent this from happening again in the future.

With that thought, my decision was simple.

“I’ll move.”

There was a chance my address had already been exposed.

I’m moving.