74.
The restaurant we arrived at looked closer to a Korean restaurant than a meat restaurant.
A staff member dressed in Hanbok guided us to a private room. Not long after we sat down, a full course meal of beef and other dishes was presented.
‘No, of course it is true that beef itself is an expensive meal.’
I couldn’t help but sigh at the neat interior of the store, which looked like something out of a drama, and the feast of burdensome food. I never thought it would be like this. I thought it was an ordinary meat restaurant.
“Hyung, eat a lot! I’ve been here a few times and it’s not bad.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who was receiving the service very casually, smiled brightly across from me. His cuteness oozed from that sight.
Is this guy... a brat from a rich family? The look suits you perfectly.
“Aren’t you overdoing it? The price seems a bit high.”
I guess he had made a reservation, but as soon as I entered the room and sat down, the food came out on its own without even ordering. So I couldn’t know the exact price.
Chae Yoo-jeong placed a piece of cooked beef on my plate and said with a sigh.
“I’m eating with Hyung and no one else, so of course it’s okay.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Yes. I signed a new contract this time and received a lot of money!”
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯Is it okay to just say that you received a deposit and spent it like this?
‘Next time, I’ll just take him and feed him.’
Looking at those eyes full of motivation, it was obvious that if I left it to him next time, I would come back to a store like this again. Thinking like that, I put the meat that Chae Yoo-jeong gave me into my mouth.
“Is it worth eating?”
“It’s delicious.”
Perhaps because it was high quality meat, it melted in my mouth. When I left my honest impressions, Yoo-jeong looked at me in a tense state and only then did he calm down.
“I did a lot of things wrong with Hyung, including playing as jungler and making jokes that offended you without notice, doing interviews, etc. Please think of it as a sign of apology.”
Surprisingly, as soon as I heard the apology, the meat in my mouth felt like rubber and all taste disappeared.
My heart suddenly became agitated, so I swallowed my food as casually as possible and then asked.
“About that interview.”
“yes.”
“When did you do it?”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who tilted his head slightly with a puzzled expression, probably found my question quite unexpected, answered immediately.
“It was last Wednesday. Since it was a team interview, other people also participated, but I was the first to be featured in the article. I guess it’s because I came back after a year.”
“Ah... So the article was posted within a week?”
“Right.”
It was Sunday that Yoo chae missed the raid party, saying he had work to do.
After all, it has nothing to do with Chae Yoo-jeong. Well, if he was determined to hide his identity, it would be natural for him to fake this much, but Chae Yoo-jeong in front of him didn’t show any sign of that.
‘If this is all a lie... he’s good enough to be an actor.’
Now all I can do is laugh. Honestly, at this point I don’t even know what’s going on.
Suspicions need to be supported by credible evidence, and it seemed like if I continued in this state any longer, I would develop mental illness.
“...Why? Do you still care about the interview?”
As I remained silent and lost in thought, Chae Yoo-jeong noticed. A wry smile appeared as his gentle eyes examined my expression.
“Nothing.”
After pushing my doubts to the corner of my head, I picked up my chopsticks again.
Chae Yoo-jeong, who was looking at me with concern, was relieved when I moved my chopsticks without stopping and started eating.
***
After eating, I got back into the car and belatedly discovered that there was a missed call on my cell phone.
‘What’s going on, Tae-young again?’
These days, this guy contacts me often. As I was checking the piled-up messages and trying to make a call, I came across a name I had never thought of.
[Kim Eui-chan: How are you?]
“……”
My face fell miserably as I read the sentence that appeared on the phone screen.
I felt good for the first time in a while because I was filling my stomach with beef, but the timing was crap.
‘What kind of face did this bastard use to contact me?’
The last time I heard was that he was transferring to China. Is it possible that he has already returned to Korea?
I immediately understood what Seo Tae-young was calling about. I guess he was trying to tell me to be careful because Kim Eui-chan might contact me.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
As my expression became serious, Chae Yoo-jeong, who was driving, noticed it at once and narrowed his eyes.
After thinking for a while, I asked Chae Yoo-jeong for understanding.
“Something happened. I’m sorry, but can I call someone for a moment?”
“Sure. Take it easy.”
Chae Yoo-jeong allowed, but kept glancing at me as if he was curious about the reason.
First, I need to understand the situation. I will explain to Chae Yoo-jeong later. When I called, Seo Tae-young picked up right away, as if he had been waiting for me.
-Hello?
“Uh, Hyung. I just looked at my phone now because I was out.”
-Is that so? I didn’t call you about anything special.
“Did you call me because of Kim Eui-chan’s business?”
When the name Kim Eui-chan came out of my mouth, Chae Yoo-jeong’s hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly.
-Uh-huh. How did you know?
“There was a message.”
-He’s crazy. What did he say?
“He asked me how I’m doing? I definitely blocked him a while ago, but I got a message so I guess he had changed his number or sold a new account.”
-He’s... still a shameless bastard.
Seo Tae-young took a deep breath and spoke in an uncomfortable voice.
-I guess it was just yesterday that he returned to Korea. I guess the Chinese contract didn’t go well. I just heard this from another guy today. I was going to tell you in case you didn’t know, but it was too late.
“No, I didn’t answer the phone. Wasn’t it because he joined the enemy’s team and went to China? It’s only been a year, why is he coming back already?”
-The performance of the team he joined was at the bottom all year long. You know that kids in China are pretty good these days, right? Since they give a lot of down payment, a lot of Korean kids get over it... so people like Kim Eui-chan will be left out.
The reason why Kim Eui-chan moved to China in the first place was because of his skills.
As Korea wins the world championship every year, the skills of its professional players were equally outstanding, and those who could not endure moved to teams in other countries or ended their careers. Kim Eui-chan was the former.
“But since he went abroad, I thought he would be there for at least two years.”
-It looks like he signed a one-year contract from the beginning, but I guess he wasn’t able to extend it and was kicked out because his skills weren’t very good.
Seo Tae-young, who was explaining with a dissatisfied look, clicked his tongue.
-Am I getting anxious and worried for no reason?
“Why should I care? I’ll block the message right away. Thanks for the news, Hyung.”
-What do you mean thank you. What did I do? Your discomfort is my responsibility. Still, you two used to be very close.
“.......”
-It would be better to block it right away like you said. Don’t pay any more attention. Got it?
“I know. Don’t worry.”
-Yeah, yeah. I’m hanging up.
As soon as I finished talking to Seo Tae-young and put down the phone, Chae Yoo-jeong, who had his lips pursed as if he was holding back something, immediately turned to look at me.
“This person named Kim Eui-chan... isn’t he the guy who went to the competition with Hyung before? I think he was the AD carry (1).”
“That’s right.”
I nodded, secretly amazed at Chae Yoo-jeong’s memory, even remembering my teammates from the competition I did five years ago.
“On the team, he and I were the only ones of the same age. So we became close friends, but about a year ago we had some problems and stopped contacting each other.”
The reason for the fight was not particularly remarkable.
Kim Eui-chan had a habit of lying, and I wasn’t so broad-minded that I was fooled by him every time.
He kept not being able to keep his promise or borrow money and not paying it back. But now that I think about it, it might have been better that way. Then I would have ended the relationship long ago without even looking back.
“...I knew that he was close to Hyung.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who blinked with hesitation, spoke again.
“I saw Tae-young often before the broadcast. Sometimes Tae-young hyung would call you and you would play while on discord. When the two of you play Hero, you’d sometimes meet as teams or as enemies. I watched it all without missing a single thing.”
“What? You saw it all?”
“Yes. At that time, Kim Eui-chan also played with you. So, I know you two are close friends.”
When we chatted meaninglessly on Discord or met enemies in Hero, we made fun of each other in the entire chat, and I can’t believe he saw it all.
He remembers all the competitions that took place 5 years ago and also watched the broadcasts. I guess this kid really admires me...
While I was panicking, the car moved steadily and before I knew it, it was nearing my house.
“I’ll get off here.”
It was a burden to have Chae Yoo-jeong’s car pull up in front of my house, so I pointed in front of the convenience store, and he obediently stopped the car.
Chae Yoo-jeong, who followed me, approached me with a very nervous look on his face.
“Hey, Hyung. Are you in a bad mood?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“...I saw everything that happened on Hyung’s broadcast.”
Just as I was trying to say thank you for the ride, I was dumbfounded instead.
He really is the type of person whose thoughts will fly to the end of the universe if you leave him alone.
“I-It’s not like I’m a stalker or something. When Tae-young broadcasts with you, he always writes your username in the title and later uploads it to YouTube, so it’s easy to find.”
“I see. I don’t mind you seeing it.”
“really?”
“It’s true, so please feel free to continue watching.”
Despite the harsh response, Chae Yoo-jeong smiled and liked it. Then, after hesitating for a while, his face flushed, he cautiously opened his mouth.
“Hyung, if it’s okay… would you like to come over to my house next week?”
—-
Notes:
[1]
ADC/AD Carry - ADC is a role that focuses on dealing physical damage to enemies from a distance. The phrase is often used by players who are unsure of their role in the game or who want to confirm their role with their teammates.
---
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor: Meimei
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