[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 202
I"Everyone, you worked hard."
Only after returning to the dorm did the team members seem to relax, and one by one, they threw themselves onto the sofa.
"Ugh-gya-gyak."
"Don't make weird noises."
"So what?"
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"It's leg day."
"Oh... right. Don't overdo it."
"Yes."
Even while that was going on, Kim Ji-hoon was preparing to go work out, which showed he had amazing stamina.
"Yu-jin, why don't you go in and rest today too? You worked hard today."
The promotion match is in four days.
Since there wasn't no time at all, it seemed better to focus on resting and managing condition today, as Baek Seong-an said, rather than practicing.
"Yes, well..."
But unfortunately, I had something left to finish.
'Hmm.'
Looking around, it seemed a bit odd to talk with Seo Yeon-woo alone in the dorm.
'I should go out first.'
I'll just find a cafe outside, perhaps.
"Then, I'll be going now."
"Okay, you worked hard."
"Oh, are you going, noona?"
"Yep."
"See ya!"
His voice was lively, unlike the guy who was moaning a moment ago.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah."
"You worked hard."
"You too, you worked hard."
Baek Seong-an, Kim Jae-min, and Kim Ji-hoon took turns saying goodbye, and soon my eyes met with Seo Yeon-woo's.
"...Goodbye."
"Okay. Get some good rest."
After leaving the dorm like that, I sent a message to Seo Yeon-woo through a messaging app.
[Me: Come to the cafe on the crossroad in about 10 minutes. You know the cafe, right? Cafe Ohu.]
[Me: Let's talk there.]
[Seo Yeon-woo: Okay.]
Just as I left the dorm and was about to get on the elevator,
"Yu-jin."
Baek Seong-an followed me out into the hallway.
"Yes, yes?"
"It's nothing, but did you talk things out with Yeon-woo earlier?"
"Yes, well... roughly."
"Really? What did you talk about?"
"Just, well... I apologized for suddenly acting up, and that I won't do it again. Things like that."
"Did you hear why you did that?"
"That's..."
It's a bit difficult to tell you.
"...We just talked about this and that. Things like I was disappointed that you didn't come to the top, and things like that."
"Ah, I see."
Whether Baek Seong-an understood or was just pretending to, he seemed to agree for now.
"Okay, I got it. Go on in."
"Yes. Go on in."
"Okay. You coming tomorrow too?"
"Of course."
"Alright."
It was before the elevator door closed.
"Ah, Yu-jin."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind. It's nothing. Get in safely."
The elevator door closed.
'Uhm.'
Should I be thankful?
Baek Seong-an didn't ask about what happened between me and Seo Yeon-woo earlier more than necessary.
Perhaps this is Baek Seong-an's way of being considerate.
I, as I always do when I go out, covered my head with a hood and a cap, and pushed my hair back to hide it.
If that makes me less noticeable... of course not, but it's a lot better than not doing it at all.
After leaving the building, I went straight to the cafe Seo Yeon-woo had mentioned.
[Cafe Ohu]
It's a typical cafe, if anything, by the sign and the interior.
Contrary to my expectation that it would be quiet, the cafe was bustling with people.
No, perhaps this commotion would make it easier to talk to Seo Yeon-woo, so I ordered a strawberry smoothie and sat down.
"Here is your strawberry smoothie."
Why a strawberry smoothie of all things... it suddenly reminded me of what Kim Jae-min was looking for earlier.
As I sipped the strawberry smoothie, I scrolled through the community on my smartphone.
-The promotion match is frickin' exciting lol
-Is there anything to look forward to? OLZ is gonna crush them all and go up anyway
-Reoli can't do it alone, so they might lose too
-My friend went there during the preliminaries and said Outlaw's real appearance was freaking amazing
-If there's no proof, then what is it?
I almost spurted out the strawberry smoothie while reading about the real appearance part, but I held it in with superhuman patience.
'......Anyway.'
I felt the gaze of the people around me.
I tried to ignore it.
How long did I wait like that?
[Seo Yeon-woo: I just came out.]
[Seo Yeon-woo: I talked with Seong-an hyung, so I'm a bit late. Sorry.]
[Seo Yeon-woo: I'm on my way.]
It seemed that Seo Yeon-woo left the dorm a little later than I expected.
That's understandable.
As the oldest member of the team and with professional experience, Baek Seong-an couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility, so it seemed like he had a conversation with Seo Yeon-woo.
'I'll know what she talked about when she comes.'
It was a bit strange to meet outside alone, away from the other team members, but there's nothing I could do.
And...
Ting-
The bell on the cafe door rang, and a familiar face entered.
It was Seo Yeon-woo.
"Welcome."
Seo Yeon-woo looked around and then found me, and moved to the seat.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not really. What do you want to drink?"
"Uh..."
Seo Yeon-woo looked at me and then spoke with a faint smile.
"The same thing."
"Really? Wait."
"Ah, no! I'll pay."
"It's okay. Just sit there."
Who are you trying to pull out your wallet in front of the owner, who's like the sky?
"That'll be 5,000 won."
"Here you go."
It was when I ordered the strawberry smoothie and was returning to my seat.
"Hey, look over there."
"Why? ...Oh my."
"They're cute."
For some reason, I heard voices whispering about us around me.
'What's going on?'
At first, I thought it was just a mistake.
But as time went on, the gazes on us became more and more blatant.
"Oppa, over there."
"Why?"
"Aren't they both so cute? Are they high schoolers?"
Whom was the whispering for?
Even if I tried to ignore it, the answer was practically already there.
'Why are we...'
Then, I saw Seo Yeon-woo, who was staring at me blankly.
The same look as usual.
But that was the problem.
"...Hey. That."
"Yes?"
It was none other than that.
The clothes Seo Yeon-woo was wearing was the team uniform hoodie we had made in advance.
In other words, it's the same as my current outfit.
In other words...
"Hey, over there."
"They're a couple, I think."
"Cute."
Noooooo!!!
"...Ah."
Then, Seo Yeon-woo realized what I was trying to say, and avoided my gaze.
The team uniform that you can wear normally.
Because that was the intention, our team uniform didn't differ much in design from everyday clothes.
Usually, we would often wear the same clothes as five people, so I didn't think much of it, but when we actually came out like this, the picture was completely different.
"..."
"..."
Silence fell for a moment.
Because both Seo Yeon-woo and I were, in a word, extremely awkward in the current situation.
'I shouldn't have come here...'
If I had known this would happen, I would have found a place with fewer people.
But what could I do?
It would be ridiculous to move now, so I hesitantly opened my mouth.
"Um... we have something to talk about, right?"
It's not that I want to change the subject.
I just thought it would be better to finish what I had to say quickly and leave.
"...Ah, yes."
"What did you mean by what you said at the arena earlier? That you know who I am."
"That's..."
Seo Yeon-woo seemed to hesitate for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"...It's nothing. I think I was mistaken."
It was a lie, anyone could see.
"What did you misunderstand?"
"That..."
"Seo Yeon-woo."
"...Yes?"
"Speak straight."
At first, I tried to run away from this problem until the end.
Because I didn't have the confidence to face it.
But now, I felt that I couldn't do that anymore.
"What do you want to say to me?"
I won't run away anymore.
Whatever answer Seo Yeon-woo gives, I will gladly face it head-on.
"...I had a friend."
Perhaps because of that, Seo Yeon-woo finally started the story.
"I didn't know their face, I didn't know their voice, but we were still friends."
Slowly, the very old story that she had hidden inside.
"But, one day, they suddenly disappeared. Without a word."
"At first, I thought I had accidentally deleted them from my friend list. But it wasn't long before I realized."
"That my friend, the Prisoner, had disappeared."
It was a story I had already anticipated, but to be honest, when the name Prisoner came out of Seo Yeon-woo's mouth, I wanted to get out of here right away.
But I couldn't.
I had a responsibility to face Seo Yeon-woo until the end here.
"At first, when noona appeared, I thought she was just good at what she did. But the more I watched her play, the more I realized that she looked like someone I knew."
"..."
"So I went home and checked. The games I played with the Prisoner all along, I kept replaying those videos."
Ah... it was then.
Thinking about when Seo Yeon-woo changed, the timing was just right.
"Then I knew."
Seo Yeon-woo spoke as if squeezing it out.
"That noona is the Prisoner."
...As expected.
Seo Yeon-woo knew.
Who I was.
But even so, Seo Yeon-woo suffered alone, and followed me here.
Then, I also had an obligation to respond to that properly.
As a team member,
As the owner,
And,
As a friend.
"That's right."
Seo Yeon-woo's face was filled with shock.
Regardless, I carefully uttered one word, one word.
"I am the Prisoner."