89.
“Hyung, it’s Christmas next week.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, standing facing the front door holding a paper bag containing the clothes he wore yesterday, asked hesitantly.
“Do you have any plans?”
“Christmas?”
Now that I think about it, is it Christmas already?
Of course, there is only one thing to do on Christmas.
“I don’t have any plans, but I’m busy.”
“Yes? Then why are you busy?”
“I have to play a game.”
“…….”
It would be disappointing if I don’t play games on Christmas. The Christmas event will give you a lot of items and experience points.
The final exams are over, and it’s time to satisfy my desire to play games that I haven’t had in a while.
“Why are you playing games on Christmas!”
“I’m doing it because it’s Christmas. Isn’t it exciting to attend the event?”
“Come out and play with me.”
“Where are you going? Have you ever gone on a date on Christmas Eve?”
In response to my question, Chae Yoo-jeong pursed his lips and slightly averted his gaze. I’ve never done it before.
“There are a lot of people on the streets, and you can’t go anywhere unless you make a reservation in advance. Unless you made a reservation a month or two in advance, you can’t come now. Do you have a reservation? There isn’t one.”
“Yes.......”
“It is advantageous to stay at home and not go out on Christmas.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who had become very sullen, spoke with a listless face.
“But.......”
“I have a full schedule starting from January, so there are only a few days left to play... but it’s a shame to just let it go.”
Come to think of it, he said he will resume his professional career next year? While I was talking, I pointed out something I had been curious about before.
“So you haven’t been practicing at all until now? There’s something like scrimmage.”
“Participating in scrimmage is not possible under the contract. So I’m just playing a solo queue.”
“Okay? That’s good. I can do solo queue on Christmas as well.”
“Ah, Hyung!”
“Uh huh. No.”
I flatly refused, like stopping a dog begging to go for a walk.
“If I go out on Christmas, I just get hit by the crowds and get tired. Then, even on good days, we end up fighting for no reason. It’s best for everyone to rest at home.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who was glancing at me to see what I was thinking, was greatly disappointed when he saw that there was no hint of reluctance on my face.
“All right.......”
“Okay. We can hang out after Christmas.”
“Yes…….”
For some reason, the guy didn’t press me any further and just nodded his head calmly.
“Hyung, then you’re not going anywhere on Christmas Day and you’re playing games at home?”
“That’s what I’m going to do.”
“It’s okay as long as you don’t meet anyone else but me.”
What the hell? You’re taking care of your jealousy while at it? Oh no, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stop talking strangely and go home.”
“I’ll contact you.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, putting on the clothes I had given him and the coat he wore yesterday, gently waved his hand, and left the room.
He said he was taking a taxi, so he’ll probably be home in less than an hour.
‘It’s Christmas.’
Thinking of Chae Yoo-jeong’s regret, I wondered if I had refused too coldly... Considering that wherever we go, people will be busy, the right answer is to rest at home.
Moreover, I had not been able to access Zenoris for over a month already, so I had to go in at least once.
I have been working hard all week, so let’s take a break until next week. It would be better for me to find something to do next, such as finding a part-time job or joining a gym.
***
[Drink some water: Are you having a happy Christmas?^.^]
[Drink some water: This is the final announcement for monthly meeting~]
[Drink some water: Saturday, December 30th, 5pm! Dues will be 20,000 won for adults, and 10,000 won for minors. For the 1st round, we will be eating meat and the 2nd round, we’ll be drinking alcohol!]
[Notice has been registered. Saturday, December 30th]
[Drink some water: Please refer to the photo below for the location of the restaurant]
[Drink some water: (image attached)]
[Drink some water: It’s a little later than the original date, but I’m very grateful (emoticon)]
[Harn: Spectacularly organized bbb]
[Park Seungkon-ssi: I’m looking forward to it]
[Mocha Bread Bread Bread: who made the monthly meeting this late??]
[Bright clouds: It’s water-nim]
[Mocha Bread Bread Bread: Ah sryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[I’m getting lazy: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Manaolingnam: Hahaha I guess he’s covering up for his mistake]
[Bright Clouds: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Mr. Water, stop working overtime at work....]
[Drink some water: Haha sorry]
[Mocha Bread Bread Bread: I’ll hit my head]
[Staric: But it’s better that it was delayed]
[Staric: If the date was earlier, I wouldn’t be able to come..]
[The Hunter: yeah]
[The Hunter: I guess I was unsure as well]
[Let’s do this: Hmm]
[Let’s do this: Staric and Hunter always agree on their opinions.]
[Harn: Those 2 people are the 2nd couple in the Early Evening haha]
[The Hunter:?]
[Harn: Didn’t you know?]
[The Hunter: ??]
[Drink some water: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Let’s do this: Ah, I was slow to hear the news haha]
[Bright Clouds: The second couple is so fast...]
[Bright Clouds: Is this the power of Staric’s years of experience?]
[The Hunter: What kind of bullshit are you talking about?]
[Staric: Hugh got caught]
[Staric: I’m such a talented man ㅋㅋ]
[Mocha Bread Bread Bread: Kya ㅁㅇㅁㅇ~]
[Manaolingnam: ㅁㅇㅁㅇ~]
[I’m getting lazy: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[TheHunter:?]
I wondered why the guild group chat room, which had been quiet for the past few days, had become so noisy, and there was an announcement about a monthly meeting.
As I was about to access Zenoris, I checked the official meeting date.
Since I didn’t have any other plans on the 30th, I was able to fully attend. I said last time that I would attend if possible, so it would be better to go if possible.
<System> Welcome to Zenoris.
<System> A happy miracle that came at Christmas! A Christmas event is underway.
<System> The year-end attendance check event is in progress. The current achievement score is 1 point.
<System> A Christmas limited all-time event is in progress. You can gain additional experience points throughout the day.
As soon as I accessed Zenoris, more event pages than usual popped up.
[Guild] Harn: Oh
[Guild] Harn: Crazy, Sleepy-nim?
[Guild] This is Dorahee: Hi hi~
[Guild] Seasoned Crab Sauce: Gasp, It’s I’m sleepy-nim
[Guild] Manaolingnam: College students come in as soon as they get out of school ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Guild] Drink some water: Hey, I’m sleepy hi.
[Guild] I’m sleepy: hiyo
[Guild] I’m sleepy: sry sry I was so busy I couldn’t log in
[Guild] Bright Clouds: tk ah Sleepy
[Guild] Bright Clouds: Almost no one else could log in either ㅠㅠ
[Guild] TheHunter: Sleepy-nim hi2
[Guild] TheHunter: I admit..I also came back yesterday after the exam ㅋㅋ
[Guild] Harn: I thought you wouldn’t come
[Guild] Harn: Xmas Sleepy
[Guild] I’m Sleepy: yes??
[Guild] Crazy hunting friend: I thought you wouldn’t log in to play games cuz you’re an Insider[1] ha
[Guild] I’m sleepy: ㅋㅋ
[Guild] I’m sleepy: People who go out on Christmas are second-rate
[Guild] I’m sleepy: The guy who plays games at home... he’s top-notch
[Guild] Park Seung-jin99 : Kya~~~~
[Guild] I’m getting lazy: it’s crzy crzy uh
[Guild] Manaolingnam: Explosion of coolness;
I opened the Friends window to see if Yoo Chae was online. But as expected, he didn’t come in.
Yoo Chae, who sent me his last greeting, left the guild as well as the guild group chat room after that. Judging by the fact that the username remains in the friends list, the account was not deleted. It just... ended like that.
I, too, had now sorted out my complicated feelings toward Yoo Chae to some extent.
Thinking about the past, since I lost contact with Yoo Chae, I met Kim Eui-chan, heard a confession that didn’t even feel like a confession from Chae Yoo-jeong, took assignments and tests... Many problems arose at the same time, and I had to deal with them without a break, so much time had passed before I knew it.
It was the best time to calm down and forget about incomprehensible emotions. There were many unanswered questions about Yoo Chae, but...
Now I wonder what it all has to do with it. The way to reduce stress is to let those who leave go away peacefully.
[Guild] TheHunter: Sleepy-nim
[Guild] TheHunter: wanna do Class event together?
[Guild] I’m sleepy: I don’t know what to do, tk?
[Guild] Harn: An event island has been created.
[Guild] Harn: They say they just play minigames there ㅋㅋ
[Guild] TheHunter: yeah, If you win, they give you a card, so collect them.
[Guild] TheHunter: Can be exchanged for reinforcement items or tower dungeon admission tickets.
[Guild] TheHunter: Abundant event is the best
[Guild] I’m in trouble: If you collect cards, you’ll get a pet!!
[Guild] I’m Sleepy: ok ok
[Guild] I’m sleepy: let’s go let’s go
Perhaps because it was Christmas, the event rewards were quite good. I quickly joined The Hunter’s party and enjoyed an event with my guild members for the first time in a long time.
After about 4 hours of playing the game, there was a knock on the front door. Since no one was coming, I thought I heard it wrong at first and ignored it, but not long after, the sound rang again.
As the event quest was over and the party had disbanded, I got up and headed to the entrance.
“Who is it?”
Does something like delivery arrive on Christmas? I asked loudly before opening the door just in case, and a remarkably familiar voice came from outside.
“Hyung, it’s me.”
“Chae Yoo-jeong?”
Surprised, I hurriedly opened the door and saw Chae Yoo-jeong smiling brightly, wearing the scarf I had given him as a gift.
Chae Yoo-jeong, whose cheeks and ears were red, perhaps because the temperature dropped to minus 7 degrees, raised his hand while making eye contact with me.
“I came to give you a Christmas gift.”
“What?”
I haphazardly took what he offered me in his arms. In Chae Yoo-jeong’s hand, what was in the very cold box was none other than a whipped cream cake.
“This is a cake I bought from a store I know. Because it tastes good there. It’s not too sweet, so I think you’ll enjoy it too.”
“Did you come all the way here to give me this?”
When I asked in bewilderment, Chae Yoo-jeong put his hands together and fluttered his long eyelashes.
“Yes. It’s a bit disappointing to pass by without doing anything. I wanted to give you a gift.”
“...I don’t have anything to give you.”
“It’s okay because I came here on my own. Now that I think about it, Hyung has been busy with his assignments and exams. Of course you want to rest, but I feel like I put too much pressure on you last time.”
Chae Yoo-jeong smiled shyly, as if he was truly sorry.
“I stopped by today just to give you cake. It’s my favorite cake, so I want you to try it too.”
“……”
When he said that, I looked around at the cake box. Judging from the shape and weight of the box, it obviously isn’t a piece of cake... and it looks quite large.
Are you telling me to eat this all by myself? I wasn’t so trash that I shooed away the kid who came all the way here through the cold to give me a gift.
“I understand, so come in. Come, eat, and go.”
“What? no! I’m really just going to give Hyung a cake...!”
“What’s that bag in your hand?”
When Chae Yoo-jeong pointed to a plastic bag containing something that clearly looked like a beverage bottle, he hurriedly hid it behind him.
“This, I mean, was provided as a service when I bought the cake...”
“What.”
“...Wine.”
What, wine? Chae Yoo-jeong’s face, seeing my ridicule, was now clearly red.
“What wine do you drink? You’re the type of guy who will stop after just two glasses of soju.”
“It’s definitely not me who bought it... Since I bought a cake, they told me to take this too...”
“Okay, come on in. It’s cold.”
It seems the store owner misunderstood and took care of it. Well, buying a cake for Christmas is misleading enough.
Chae Yoo-jeong hesitantly entered the front door and spoke cautiously.
“Can I really eat before I go?”
“I can’t eat it all by myself anyway. Instead, just don’t drink wine.”
“Yes yes!”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who must have felt relieved only then, nodded his head vigorously and came in after me.
I was planning to spend today playing games, but I couldn’t help it.
Still, I didn’t feel bad because it had been a long time since I spent Christmas with someone. So much so that it makes me laugh.
—--
[1] Insider (인싸)-someone who is well-connected within social groups, knows almost everything related, and actively participates with passion within their group. In short, an extrovert.
---
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor: Meimei
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