# Chapter 47
“…Where did you learn to talk like that?”
“I know someone whose hobby is writing hate comments.”
Since it was about fighting… is this it? Seeing Iyeon’s bright face, Hyegang opened and closed his mouth as if to say something, then quietly sealed his lips.
“Ah, no. Just do whatever you want, hyung…”
But the more Iyeon thought about it, he felt that Jaekyung’s approach wasn’t right. He thought it was somewhat inappropriate to say such things to someone he’d just met. Iyeon moved his hands again.
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: I was too harsh just now
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: I apologize
Unfortunately, regardless of what he thought, Gwak Cheolsik had already been provoked and was furious.
[General]GwakCheolsik: What the f***
[General]GwakCheolsik: Who the hell are you
He seemed very angry. If they continued just chatting like this, the misunderstanding would grow too large. Hmm, Iyeon pondered and typed again.
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: I’m not very familiar with internet conversations
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: Could we possibly meet and talk?
“…Hyung, what are you doing?”
“If we meet and talk, we might resolve things better. It’s a bit frustrating talking without seeing each other’s faces…”
Whatever the other person’s intentions were, Iyeon was the one who said harsh things first, so he was fully willing to go meet them even if they lived somewhat far away.
[General]Sorbet: Oh s***ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ This newbie is hilarious
[General]pomo: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[General]SecretJudang: F*** trolls then suddenly asks for an IRL fight, so brazen
[General]Sorbet: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Cheolsik, let’s go to the fight
[General]Sorbet: Scared?
“Hyegang, what’s a ‘hyeonpi’?”
“What you just did.”
So arranging a reconciliation meeting is called ‘hyeonpi’. Iyeon embraced this new knowledge.
[General]Duduri: Wow the newbie is asking for an IRL fight ㅎㅎ You gonna run away with your tail between your legs?
[General]Duduri: Just as I thought, you’re all talk online, right?
Everyone around, both friend and foe, was visibly excited. Iyeon didn’t understand why the atmosphere had become like this when he was just suggesting they make peace… He tilted his head in confusion and turned his gaze back to the monitor.
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: We’ll just talk, so don’t worry
[General]GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish: I’ll buy you coffee
[General]JejuRedPig: What’s with this innocent-looking fool saying ridiculous things
[General]Sorbet: F***ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[General]Sorbet: Please please PLEASE write a review about this afterward
The battle had stopped at some point. The fierce fighting from just moments ago had suddenly transformed into a lively atmosphere. It seemed like everyone was waiting for Gwak Cheolsik’s answer. A tense atmosphere permeated the field.
Then Gwak Cheolsik’s message appeared.
[General]GwakCheolsik: ㅋㅋ
[General]GwakCheolsik: Call out your number
Thanks to Hyegang, who informed Iyeon about the whisper function when he was about to type his phone number directly into the general chat, the meeting between GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish and Gwak Cheolsik could be arranged secretly.
“Getting into an IRL fight before you’ve even played the game for a day, hyung, you’re something else.”
“Really? Don’t you meet people you get to know through games?”
At Iyeon’s nonchalant question, Hyegang walking beside him shook his head.
“It depends on the person. Sometimes people meet if they get close.”
“Wow, really? Have you met anyone?”
“Guild members, a few times…”
“Aren’t you close with Gwak Cheolsik?”
“I told you we don’t get along.”
Gwak Cheolsik’s messenger profile picture was blank, making it impossible to even guess what kind of person he was. Hyegang firmly believed he must be a man in his 40s.
“I just know it. Do you know there are lots of gangsters who play this game? You might get hurt—should we call Sano hyung?”
“Why would we call Je Sano for something like this?”
If Gwak Cheolsik had been from a different area, Iyeon might have considered asking for the elevator boy’s help, but fortunately, he was a Chohosi citizen. Moreover, the meeting place was in Namgu, where Iyeon lived. If it had been another region, it would have taken a long time just to travel there, so Iyeon thought it was fortunate.
Despite it being late lunchtime, Gwak Cheolsik agreed to meet right away. Whether he was really a gangster or not, he seemed to have a flexible job at least.
It didn’t take long to leave the PC bang and head toward the café. The meeting place was a large franchise café. It was a big café that occupied two floors, and because it was an off-peak hour, there were several empty tables scattered around.
“We’re here. Where are you, Gwak Cheolsik-ssi?”
“Gwak Cheolsik wait”
It seemed Gwak Cheolsik was almost there too. Iyeon and Hyegang sat at a table first and ordered drinks. Slurping his Americano, Iyeon murmured.
“Is Dr. Kim still the same?”
Hyegang was solely responsible for checking on the movements of Dr. Kim who had escaped from the lab. Given the lack of conversation about it, it seemed there hadn’t been any major changes, but…
“Well, yeah. He’ll probably remain quiet for a while.”
If that old man has any brains. Hyegang added indifferently as he took a sip of his peach-ade. Iyeon watched his nonchalant demeanor for a moment, then spoke with some hesitation.
“Hey, Hyegang.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know what Morpho is?”
“Morpho? The butterfly?”
That word that Dr. Kim had let slip kept bothering him. Iyeon had heard of the butterfly’s name before, but somehow it seemed to have a connotation referring to a person, not an animal. As if it were the name of someone, or some organization…
“Is there anything else besides the butterfly?”
“I’m not sure… Why?”
Hyegang didn’t seem to have properly heard the conversation at the time, as he was busy examining the research facility map. When Iyeon briefly explained, Hyegang thought for a moment and then shook his head.
“Nothing comes to mind right now, but I’ll look it up when I get to work later.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah. And…”
Hyegang’s eyes flickered for an instant as he was speaking, looking behind Iyeon. What’s wrong? Puzzled, Iyeon turned around and met eyes with a familiar face.
“Boss?”
“Oh my, Hyegang and Iyeon-ssi?”
It was Sua, the owner of Night Skewer.
Since she worked evenings, she seemed to be out for lunch. It was the first time they had run into her outside, so it felt both strange and pleasant, making Iyeon reflexively wave his hand with a smile. Hyegang also gave a polite nod.
“Are you a regular at this café? It’s nice to see you outside the restaurant.”
“No, this is my first time here too. If it’s good, I should become a regular. What brings you here, Iyeon-ssi?”
“Ah, do you remember when you talked about hobbies?”
I’ve been asking people I know about it. At Iyeon’s words, Sua clapped her hands, saying he was diligent.
“So you’re exploring Hyegang’s hobby now? Finding pretty cafés?”
Feeling awkward about telling their regular restaurant’s owner they had fought in a game and come to fight in real life, Hyegang hesitated. Taking advantage of that pause, Iyeon, who had no awareness that this was an embarrassing situation, answered.
“Ah, no. It is Hyegang’s hobby, but we came for a ‘hyeonpi’?”
“Hyeonpi?”
Sua’s eyes widened.
“Yes. There was a misunderstanding with someone, and I wanted to talk it out properly, so I offered to buy them coffee.”
“Ah… I see.”
Sua nodded as if she understood and set her drink down on the table.
“So you’re GloryOfFamilyDriedYellowfish.”
“What?”
“I’m Gwak Cheolsik.”
“…What?”
While Iyeon was too surprised to speak, Hyegang stood up abruptly.
“Sua noona is Gwak Cheolsik? The wallet warrior Gwak Cheolsik?”
“So Hyegang is Je-a-gu?”
“…Yes…”
Contrary to their expectation of meeting some middle-aged man reeking of cigarettes, it was someone they knew very well. The gap between expectation and reality was so large that both were stunned into responding mechanically as Sua patted their shoulders and naturally joined them at the table.
“Yes. Let’s talk.”
The world really was a small place.
“I’m sorry. I only meant to do it once or twice, but I got hooked on it.”
Smiling gently while confessing to her bad behavior, Sua was met with a question from Hyegang who had finally regained his senses.
“But… is Sua noona really Gwak Cheolsik?”
He still seemed to want to deny reality.
“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”
“That’s true…”
Unlike Hyegang who was in even more panic knowing Gwak Cheolsik’s history, Iyeon was just happily amazed at the incredible coincidence.
“Wow, but why did you do that to me?”
“Well, you see.”
Sua laughed, looking unusually sheepish.
“Your character was just so pretty, I wanted to get your attention…”
“…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, Iyeon froze while Hyegang unconsciously muttered.
“Ji-eol…”
“Ji-eol? What’s that?”
The answer came from Sua.
“It’s our guild name. Hell-Face-Simps.”
Really living up to the name.
“But why did you deny having provoked me?”
“I didn’t actually provoke you, did I? I didn’t say anything untrue.”
That’s… true, but still. Wait, now that he thought about it, wasn’t she bullying someone just because their character looked pretty? She was kind of a game delinquent herself.
“I never would have guessed it was Iyeon-ssi and Hyegang. They say everyone’s connected by just one degree of separation—the world really is small.”
“It really is…”
“Since this is fate, want to run Suntap together next time? Contact me when you log in.”
That invitation was directed at Hyegang.
“But we weren’t on good terms… Wait. Suntap?”
“Yeah. That’s the only worthwhile dungeon these days.”
“No way.”
Hyegang’s jaw dropped. It must be a very good offer.
“What’s that?”
“It’s the Tower of Sun Emperor, a recently released top-tier dungeon. The DPS requirements are so strict, it’s hard to find people. Shall we go with Ji-eol guild party?”
“The usual way?”
“It’s amazing. National rule?”
“It’s a bit different. During the command phase, spread out at 3, 5, and 7 o’clock…”
After that, it was a full-on barrage of alien language. Pushed aside by the heated discussion and somehow forgotten, Iyeon sipped his Americano.
While it was heartwarming to see the two becoming such fast friends, he thought it might be better to find a different hobby after all.
