The next day at lunch.
After eating the school meal, instead of going back to the classroom, I sat on a bench in the schoolyard. I figured Seongheon hyung would be eating lunch around this time too, so I took out my phone thinking he could answer.
I’m currently a high school senior, but since I’ve never been close to studying anyway, I contacted Seongheon hyung first because I wanted to fit in with the hyungs. Hyung always answered my calls cheerfully, saying “Our Daeyoung.”
Especially when he called drunk, he’d draw out the end of his words saying “Daeyeong-ah─” with laughter mixed in. Since there was such a temperature difference from Gangjin hyung calling me “Hey, Kkakdugi!” I often found myself smiling without realizing it when talking with Seongheon hyung. Of course, my real older brother didn’t answer my calls at all.
“Hello?”
─Yeah, Daeyoung-ah.
“Seongheon hyung! Why haven’t you come over to play at our place lately?”
─Well, these days I mainly hang out at Gangjin’s place. I’ll come visit our Daeyoung later.
“I want to hang out with the hyungs too.”
─You’re a senior, you should be studying. If you don’t study, you won’t get into college.
“Hyung, you know I’m bad at studying…… It’d just be a waste of tuition. I’m going to inherit dad’s orchard anyway.”
─Still, you might find something else you want to do later.
“I don’t know about later, but there is something I want to do now.”
─What?
“Play games with the hyungs.”
─There you go again. We can always play together.
“But the hyungs don’t include me anymore. You used to let me tag along as Kkakdugi before.”
─Sorry, were you lonely?
“Yeah.”
─I should call our Daeyoung more often and visit sometimes so you won’t be lonely.
“Hyung, you’re all talk.”
─No, I really will.
“Then promise. If you break it……”
─If I break it?
“Give me something you like.”
─What do I like?
“Hmm…… I’ll know when I visit hyung’s place later.”
─Ah! There is something I like.
“What?”
─Daeyoung.
“Don’t joke around.”
I heard Seongheon hyung’s low laughter through the phone. Hyung’s voice was already low-toned to begin with, and the resonance was good too, so it felt like talking inside a cave.
I like Seongheon hyung’s low-medium voice. Like how bass is better than violin. It was even better because it was completely different from my older brother who laughs meanly like a final boss.
After listening to all of Seongheon hyung’s laughter, when silence flowed, I opened my mouth again. It was time to really wheedle.
“Hyung, I have a favor……”
─Hm?
“Let me join the Earth game the hyungs are playing.”
─……Hm?
“Why are you pretending not to hear?”
─There’s a game like that?
“Hyung…… Are you pretending not to know? I’m really disappointed.”
When I deliberately moved the phone away and made rustling sounds as if to hang up, Seongheon hyung said “Okay, okay” as if soothing me and asked to continue the call.
“I almost got sulky for real.”
─Hyung was just joking around. But, you’re playing that game too, Daeyoung?
“I’m going to start now. What server are you on, hyung?”
Seongheon hyung didn’t answer my question for about 3 seconds.
─I’m on Sapphire.
“Sapphire server?”
─Yeah.
“Really?”
─Yeah, really.
“Got it. I’m going to log in after school later, when will you be on, hyung?”
─I don’t think I can log in for a while because of assignments.
“Then I’ll level up my character alone for now.”
─Okay.
“Pay attention in class too, hyung.”
─Yeah. I’ll contact you again later.
I got the feeling that the ease in Seongheon hyung’s voice had diminished a bit. Still, since I trusted Seongheon hyung the most among the hyungs, I didn’t doubt him.
Saying I’d properly show my skills unlike before, I opened YouTube and even looked up class recommendation videos.
“What should I level?”
When it’s hard to decide on a class in any game, you should always choose warrior. Tanks are needed in any game, so at least you won’t get kicked from parties.
So until lunchtime ended, I was excited about gaming with hyung while looking up warrior skill tree videos.
* * *
Every time I contacted him wanting to play the game with Seongheon hyung, hyung apologized saying he couldn’t log in because of assignments. Well, since there’s nothing to do in the low-level section anyway, I decided to diligently do quests and level up even by myself.
After really sleeping only 4 hours each night all weekend and grinding hard, I was able to level up to 25. When I reached the level to go to beginner dungeons, I was able to meet Seongheon hyung in the game. Since hyung’s ID was always ‘Enter,’ I recognized it at once.
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: Hyung!!!!!!!
[Whisper] Enter1: Daeyoung-ah
While greeting him happily, I opened Seongheon hyung’s character profile. He was equipped with fairly good legendary items, but…… huh? His level was lower than I thought.
Since the hyungs always start as soon as a game comes out, it should have been over 2 months, and I thought in that time he would have hit max level with time to spare. But Seongheon hyung’s current level was 35, and considering my level was 25, it was strange that there was only one raid tier difference. He must have been really busy studying.
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: Your level is???
[Whisper] Enter1: I couldn’t play much because of assignments.
I see.
Unlike my game-addicted older brother, Seongheon hyung studies hard too, I was thinking, but it bothered me that he didn’t even have a guild. Usually the hyungs would open a guild first thing after starting a game to play among themselves.
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: But hyung, what about your guild? Didn’t you play with Gangjin hyung?
[Whisper] Enter1: I disbanded it for a bit
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: Why? Did my hyung act up?
[Whisper] Enter1: The guys are recruiting again
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: Let me join too
[Whisper] Enter1: Later when we make the guild. Daeyoung-ah, should we run a dungeon for now?
At Seongheon hyung’s suggestion to run a dungeon, I pressed [Agree] among the emotion expressions. Then my warrior character raised both arms above its head to make a circle.
Seeing that, Seongheon hyung’s white mage character stretched out one arm as an emotion expression and gave a thumbs up. As expected, hyung plays along with me well.
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: Yes!!!
[Whisper] Enter1: Daeyoung-ah, you’re a warrior? In this game the tank class is hard to control.
[Whisper] Kkyudaeyoung: That’s why install me as Control except for my hyung
At my words, Seongheon hyung responded “Should I?” and boosted my morale.
<<‘Enter1’ has invited you to the party. (Accept/Decline)>>
Hyung’s class was a character specialized in support, and throughout the entire hunt he carefully took care of me—raising my physical defense with skills, healing me, and even purifying abnormal status effects.
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Playing games with hyung is so comfortable and nice
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: What about you, hyung?
Seongheon hyung answered belatedly because he was busy shooting me with continuous heals. Actually, hyung didn’t have time to chat because he was healing me.
[Party] Enter1: Me too
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Why didn’t you ask me to play together?
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: I’m hurt
[Party] Enter1: Sorry. We can just play a lot from now on
[Party] Enter1: Daeyoung-ah there’s one more in the corner
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: I’ll get it
Even though I was lower level and had to hack away like crazy with my sword to take down level 30 monsters, hyung also shot magic with me and we hunted happily while chatting away.
[Party] Enter1: Daeyoung-ah take all these items
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: No hyung, you must have spent a lot on potions too
Hyung gave me heals endlessly and drank so many mana potions that his body flashed red and blue alternately like a police car siren.
[Party] Enter1: I ate a lot of items when I played with the guys before so it’s okay
[Party] Enter1: Take this enhancement material too
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Hyung is really cool
[Party] Enter1: This is armor enhancement item, take it
The Enter1 character constantly dropped items on the ground. I was excitedly busy picking them up, when suddenly someone appeared, snatched up just the enhancement item, and ran away.
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Hey! You there! That’s mine!!
[Party] Enter1: That **
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Hyung? Did you curse?
[Party] Enter1: No I pressed wrong
[Party] Enter1: Just a moment Daeyoung-ah. Let me whisper to that bastard who took it
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: ok
After parking our characters in a safe place with Seongheon hyung, even while I was briefly looking around nearby shops, hyung’s character was still standing still.
‘Is he still talking to that person who stole it? They won’t give it back anyway.’
Or maybe he went to the bathroom for a moment.
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Hyung? Hyung?
[Party] Enter1: Just a sec
I thought he was there but doing something else for a moment. I was organizing the items hyung gave me by opening my inventory and checking, when someone suddenly approached.
[Normal] Factory Manager: Stop whispering me lol scary
[Normal] Factory Manager: ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Surprisingly, it was the person who stole earlier.
They suddenly came over, put the enhancement item back on the ground in front of us, and quickly disappeared. I urgently picked up what was dropped on the ground in case someone else took it, and called Seongheon hyung.
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Hyung!
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: That person from before gave it back!
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: What did you say to them in whisper?
[Party] Enter1: ?? Nothing
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Really? That person must have a conscience, giving it back on their own
[Party] Enter1: I guess so
[Party] Enter1: Should we run another dungeon?
[Party] Kkyudaeyoung: Yeah!
Like that, the 3 hours I spent with Seongheon hyung were as enjoyable and happy as going back to the old days.
Until that bastard came into my room.
