TL: looloo
Schedule: 4/Week Wed-Sat
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"Hey, hey, please!! Don't do this, guys! Seriously!!!"
From Sunday lunchtime, my cries resonated throughout the house.
The reason for this? My character on the screen, which I was eagerly controlling with my headset on, was ruthlessly abandoned and torn apart by enemy characters.
If I was just bad at the game, I wouldn't have said anything. But it's as if our team unanimously decides to run away every time a battle situation arises.
It had only been 30 minutes into the game.
Throughout these 30 minutes, the same situation kept repeating, and I couldn't hide my frustration as I vented into my headset microphone.
"Is this how we play ranked games? Seriously? Damn you all!"
[Our jungler is so ass.]
[I think the problem is you keep on dying alone.]
"Don't leave me behind, you bastards!"
[Talking back when you're hard stuck bronze?]
[Hurry up.]
"Don't do this! We're all going to die!"
[Nope, just you. You fucking suck.]
"I swear, I'll find you in an internet cafe and kill you."
[Come on, I dare you.]
"You sound so tough saying that. I meant ingame."
Even if I've been ignoring our group chat for the past two days, this treatment feels excessive.
The hopeless game continued for another 10 minutes before our team finally surrendered. As I considered whether I should really confront them in person, I heard a faint knock.
The only person who knocks before entering my room is my mother, so I pulled down my headset and responded.
"Yes?"
However, contrary to my expectation, the face peeking through the door was Yoonjung, my older brother's girlfriend.
"Hey, long time no see!"
"Huh? What brings you here?"
"Can I come in?"
"Sure. Wait a second. Hey! Someone I know is here, I'm taking a break!"
[This guy, bringing another girl—]
Already frustrated, I quickly took off my headset. Ignoring the voices still coming through, I turned around to see Yoonjung sitting on my bed.
She's petite, around 5 feet tall, with a short brown bob that makes her look sharp, almost cat-like. But her personality is the opposite, entirely puppy-like. She loves taking care of people.
She's been dating my brother for a while and often helps out at our house, so she's close to my parents.
"When did you get here?"
"Just now. Oh, your mom just left. She said you should get your own meal."
"I'll probably have ramen."
"Don't. I'll make fried rice later. Have that."
"Thanks. Need any ingredients?"
"Nope! More importantly, you got a girlfriend, right?"
So that was the main topic.
"Yes, I did. Seems like you noticed before my own family."
"Ugh, you guys don't really talk to each other. But you always play games together."
"We don’t really need to..."
Honestly, unless there's something important, we both know the other is probably logged into a game.
"Anyway! Did you see the photo? She looks really beautiful, doesn't she? Isn't she a model or something?"
"Not at all. She just studies at home when she's free."
"Wow! How did you meet her?"
"Well..."
It was a bit tricky to explain, but I decided to just be honest.
I talked about the first time I met Heena.
It's a hard-to-believe story where Heena was infatuated with me at first sight and followed me around like a stalker for a while.
"Hmm, okay."
During my brief story, my sister crossed her arms and nodded.
"So, how did you two really meet?"
"It might sound unbelievable, but it's true."
"Really?"
"Yes. At first, I couldn't believe it either. When I expressed doubt, she started crying."
"Wow. I mean, I know you're a good guy, but it's still hard to believe."
"To be honest, I sometimes wonder if it's all a dream."
"I saw you guys took a lot of photos yesterday. She uploaded them all on her profile, right?"
"I had nowhere else to post them, and Heena subtly hinted that she wanted me to. Since I don't use popular social media platforms, there wasn't a specific place to share. But Heena wanted everyone to see them on her profile. And, I wanted to show off how beautiful my girlfriend is."
"You must really like her."
"Well... yes."
It felt timely. I had been contemplating seeking relationship advice, hesitant to ask family or friends. But talking to my sister-in-law, Yoonjung, was easier since we're close, yet maintain some distance.
"But sis."
"Yeah?"
"Isn't it common for couples in the early stages to be overly generous?"
"Varies from couple to couple, but usually, yes. Especially at the beginning, they can't live without each other."
"I thought so. Yesterday was our first date, and you know I love street food, right?"
"Ha, yes! You've always loved that."
"But with my girlfriend there, I felt a bit hesitant. I only bought a banana snack at first and just planned to look around."
"Mhm."
"But she kept wanting to buy everything."
"Food?"
"Yes, and other things too. I chose a pair of glasses, and she wanted to pay for those too. I barely managed to stop her."
"Glasses? Oh! I saw a photo of you wearing them! Let me see!"
"Well..."
It was a bit embarrassing. I had never worn glasses in my life.
However, her excitement and curiosity got the better of me, so I tried them on.
"Oh! They don't have prescription lenses. Just for fashion?"
"Yes. Heena chose them."
"They look good on you!"
"That's a relief... Anyway, they were 20,000 won, and I had to persuade Heena not to pay for them."
"I see."
"And sometimes when I look far, I squint, right? Because of my poor vision."
"But did she notice that too? She was looking at my glasses and said, 'Your eyesight's not great, huh?'"
"...Has it been 4 days since you two started dating?"
"Today makes it 5."
There was more to the story, but from what was shared, my sister was furrowing her brows, giving me a curious look.
"Hmm, it seems a bit intense, but I haven't seen it firsthand."
"Intense?"
"If she's noticed even your poor eyesight, she must be really paying close attention to you. Especially given that you haven't been dating for long."
"I usually don't make it obvious. I can see fairly well as long as things aren't too far."
"It's not that it's weird per se... What do you think about her? Do you find her strange?"
To that, I could reply confidently.
"No, not at all."
"Then, there you have it."
"What do you mean?"
"She's in love with you! You wanted to show her off, didn't you?"
"No..."
Is that not it? Or maybe she's right?
"She probably just likes you so much that she wants to do everything for you! She's been watching you because she really likes you!"
"Is this how it usually is?"
"It's not typical, but she seems to like you more than the average person would."
"Hmm."
"If you ever feel it's a bit too much..."
"If I do?"
My sister continued with a smile, "It might be that she likes you more than you like her."
"If it were her in your shoes, she would probably handle things well. But consider her feelings and try to understand her."
"It's not every day that someone gets to be loved that deeply."
Though my sister was smiling, there was a certain gravity in her advice that resonated deep within me.
I had been wondering if someone like Heena could really like me that much. Even though I don't have low self-esteem, seeing Heena as perfect might have spurred feelings of unworthiness in me.
Still, even if my sister sometimes appears nonchalant, she's truly wise, and I felt a sense of admiration for her.
"So... when will you introduce her to me?"
"Why would I introduce my girlfriend to you?"
"Why?! Didn't you know I always wanted a younger sister?"
"Just marry my brother and have a daughter."
"A daughter and a younger sister are different!"
Seeing her make such a ridiculous statement deflated the admiration I had for her just moments ago.
For a while, we bickered about introducing Yeonho. Eventually, my elder brother came in suggesting dinner, and my sister left, reminding me to look forward to the fried rice.
I leaned back in the chair, lost in thoughts about Yeonho.
Every time we met, I remembered her always gazing into my eyes with a warm smile.
I often wondered what it felt like to know that Heena's affection for me surpassed my feelings for her.
Even if I think back to just yesterday, it's impossible to ignore how much she did for me.
It's not that I ever took our dates or meetings lightly. However, I realized that Heena had approached our date yesterday with emotions that ran even deeper.
Yet, I honestly wasn't sure how that must feel.
I believe I already like Heena enough as it is, but could there be even stronger emotions than that?
Maybe I'm just too young to understand.
I couldn't quite grasp the concept.
I pick up my smartphone with one hand, re-reading the recent message from Heena.
[ Heena : Yup, out with my brother, having a meal together! ]
[ Heena : Yeonho, you should also eat well~ Understand? It's not good for your health to skip meals! ]
[ Heena : I already miss you.. (sad puppy emoticon) ]
Just from these messages, Heena's feelings are evident.
If Heena's fondness for me is indeed much deeper than my own affection for her,
Could she be feeling those deeper emotions that I'm struggling to understand?
Author's Note:
A car accident? Hmm...
Don't worry; this novel is all about sweet moments!
Love you all!