Free Web NovelChapter 20: PC Room
"A game?"
The unexpected question made me ask again, pointlessly.
"Hmm."
A game, huh. This life has been so enjoyable that I barely had time to touch a game. The only times I’ve been to a PC Bang were occasionally with Ahyeon’s group?
Of course, in my past life, I was half-crazy about games like any other man. And I still knew the games that are trending now.
[Moonbyul can’t come, so we’re short one person.]
Even if she is my sister’s friend, I haven’t been properly introduced.
Normally, I would have simply declined, but my mind kept going back to yesterday’s counseling session. Moonbyul is currently hanging out with bad influences and even smoking.
If they’re inviting me to the PC Bang, they must be pretty close. That means these kids are likely the cause of Moonbyul’s misbehavior. Of course, there’s a chance it’s the other way around, but could she really have gone that far astray?
I wouldn’t do something as ridiculous as hitting them, but I did want to say something.
Misinterpreting my silence, the friend quickly added,
[Ah... If it’s too much trouble, you don’t have to come!]
"No, it’s fine. By the way, which PC Bang is it?"
[Um, it’s...]
It’s just a five-minute walk from the apartment complex.
"Okay. I think I can be there in 15 minutes. Which seat is it?"
[From seat 7, there are four of us in the same school uniform as Moonbyul, so you should be able to spot us! Oh, and you can speak comfortably with us! You’re Moonbyul’s brother, right? I’m Kim Suna!]
"Should I? Alright. Anyway, see you then."
[Hehe, yes!]
The call ended, and I changed out of the light tracksuit I was planning to wear at home into the clothes I wore earlier when I went shopping.
Moonbyul seemed uncomfortable lying face down, so she was sprawled out sleeping.
I thought I saw a stain on her panties, but the room was dark, so I couldn’t confirm. Rather than checking when I get back, it’s better to leave it be.
Anyway, I headed out to the PC Bang where Moonbyul’s friends were.
*
Whether it was my past life or this one, PC Bangs were pretty much the same.
The only difference might be the gender of the main users. Occasionally, some socially awkward men would use the PC Bang, but it’s better not to get involved with them.
"...Uh, welcome..."
The woman at the counter looked surprised for a moment and greeted me. I nodded slightly in acknowledgment and asked,
"Where is seat 7?"
"Yes, yes! It’s all the way in the back! Oh, let me guide you!"
"No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you for the offer."
"Yes! Of course!"
Leaving the beaming part-timer behind, I walked in the direction she pointed. As I passed through the narrow hallway, someone slammed their keyboard.
Bang-!
"Damn it! What the hell is our jungler doing? He’s just wandering around the camps! The camp’s already been cleared, so stop looking for the corpse and come gank!"
Hearing such harsh curses in a woman’s high-pitched voice was still unfamiliar.
The seats were about 70% full. I could feel various gazes as I walked, but I paid no attention and arrived at seat 7.
With their bags on top of the computer case behind the monitor, Moonbyul’s classmates were engrossed in their game.
The only familiar face was Moonbyul’s desk mate. They all had headsets on and were focused on the game, not expecting me at all.
I figured they wouldn’t hear me if I called out, so I rested my arm on the seat divider and tapped the top of the headset.
"Ah, damn it! What? Oh!"
Our eyes met, and there was a moment of awkward silence. The desk mate stood up abruptly. She bowed at a 90-degree angle.
"Ah, hello!"
"Yeah. I recognize your voice. You’re the one I spoke to earlier, right? Kim Suna?"
"Yes! I’m sorry about the cursing just now!"
"It’s fine. You didn’t know."
Only then did the other three sitting next to her take off their headsets and turn to look at me.
After scanning me up and down, they all stood up and came over to me without any prompting.
"Hello?"
"You’re Moonbyul’s brother, right?"
"Wow! Hello!"
I casually acknowledged their greetings and tapped the empty seat next to the desk mate.
"Can I sit here?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Anyway, there was no other place to sit since the seat on the other side was against the wall. I leaned back in the PC Bang’s comfortable chair.
"Hmm. I came because you invited me, but I hope I’m not ruining the mood by joining suddenly."
"Oh, come on! You’re practically our brother too!"
Suna said, still unable to take her eyes off me, and asked the other three,
"Right?"
"Yeah! Of course!"
They all nodded vigorously.
Of course, I’m not an idiot. Those four were all eager to get a piece of me. But I had no intention of giving in easily. I couldn’t forget the real reason I came here.
I smiled lightly and turned on the power button of my computer.
After signing up, Suna, who was eager to talk to me about anything, asked,
"By the way, you only heard it was a game, but do you know which game it is?"
"Yes! Do you know what game I’m playing? It’s called LoL, a 5v5 game!"
She pointed to the game scene on her monitor.
"Vaguely? It’s a famous game."
Actually, it’s more than just vaguely. In my past life, this was the game I was half-crazy about. Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same game, but it was close enough.
"First, you need to sign up!"
"I have an account. I played it a few times before."
"Oh, I see! If you tell me your nickname, I’ll invite you right away!"
As I logged into the game, the girl sitting at the far end whispered something to Suna and then ran back to her seat.
Suna handed me the headset hanging on my seat and asked cautiously,
"The PC Bang is a bit noisy, so should we talk through the headset and mic?"
"Do we have to? Well, okay."
Her intentions were too obvious to be cute.
Since I was sitting at the far left of the group, the girl at the far right wouldn’t be able to hear me properly, let alone talk to me. She seemed quite unhappy about that.
I connected to the voice channel as they suggested.
"Um. Ah. Can you hear me?"
"Yes! Wow, hearing you like this, your voice is really nice!"
"I’ll start now!"
The game itself flowed without any major incidents. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
If I were a man in this world, I might have turned the game’s tide negatively, but that didn’t happen. These kids weren’t exceptionally good, so the skill level of the opponents we faced was average.
That doesn’t mean we dominated the opponents with an overwhelming one-man show. Objectively, it was just a decent level of play.
"Oh! Brother! You got another one!"
"This is nothing."
"Mid! Mid is gone!"
"Yeah, they’re coming up. Confirmed."
"Another surrender vote."
"Yay! We won again!"
Of course, to them, seeing a man play like this was beyond their imagination. At first, Suna and her friends were hesitant, but now they were comfortably giving me high-fives.
"Wow, brother, you’re really good!"
"Right! Honestly, if you go pro, you could be in the top 1% within a month!"
"Haha."
I just smiled awkwardly.
Why would I do that? My future was already set as a rich unemployed person. The money was ready, so I just needed to shed the student label.
The third game started like that.
As the game dragged on and became boring,
[Ah, fuck this game]
A line of text from the enemy team appeared. Since I killed that guy, the message was obviously directed at me.
"Is this guy crazy?"
[Fucking stone-head file-driver]
[Do you know what it means to play like shit when you have no skills?]
Before I could react, Suna and the other three started counterattacking with their own barrage of curses. As expected of middle schoolers, their choice of words was harsh.
The chat window was quickly filled with explicit profanity and sharp insults. The first to open fire, Suna, looked at me and said,
"Brother, please bear with it. There are a lot of guys like that these days."
"I’m not that angry. Besides, I’m better, so that’s why he’s mad."
"You’re so generous!"
We won the last game, exchanging curses until the end.
My eyes were tired from staring at the monitor for so long. I put the headset around my neck and did some light stretching. It was fun, but it was time to get to the main point.
"Hey, let’s take a short break. I’m going to the restroom."
"Okay~"
But instead of going to the restroom, I opened the door to the emergency staircase next to the elevator and sat on the steps between floors. Then I sent a text to the number I had saved earlier.
[I’m in the emergency staircase. Can you come alone? Quietly.]
Almost a minute later, Suna appeared through the emergency exit.
"Wh-what’s going on?"
Her face was flushed, and the corners of her mouth were twitching.
She seemed to have come with the most vivid fantasies a hormone-driven teenage girl could have. She cautiously approached where I was sitting on the stairs.
"Hmm. Where should I start?"
As I paused, thinking, I took out a cigarette from my shirt pocket and opened it. I put a cigarette in my mouth and asked Suna,
"First, do you have a lighter by any chance?"
"Ah, yes!"
Instinctively, she took a lighter out of her pocket and brought it to my mouth. Just before the lighter ignited, I smiled and took the cigarette out of my mouth, folding it in half. I put the cigarette back in my pocket, and she looked confused.
"Just kidding. I don’t smoke."
"Huh?"
"But why do you carry a lighter?"
Only then did she realize she had been tricked, and her face paled.
"Oh, don’t be so scared. I’m not going to do anything to my sister’s friend. I just thought if Moonbyul smokes, you might too."
I stood up and brushed off my butt.
"I won’t tell you to quit smoking. It would be meddling if her friend’s brother said that."
I lowered my voice and seriously warned Suna.
"Moonbyul is quitting smoking starting today. Don’t offer it to her. Even if she asks, don’t give it to her."
"...Yes."
Suna straightened up from her cowering posture and replied. This should be enough to get her to comply.
"Good. That’s all I needed."
*
Having received the promise, Taeyang returned to his usual casual demeanor.
"Actually, more than that,"
Taeyang casually looked around. There were no CCTVs or signs of anyone nearby.
"I’m very interested in Moonbyul’s school life. What she likes, what she’s interested in. But when I ask her, she never gives me a straight answer, which is frustrating."
Suna made a strange expression.
What Moonbyul likes? Taeyang.
What Moonbyul is interested in? Also Taeyang.
Of course, Moonbyul wouldn’t answer if Taeyang asked. Naturally, Taeyang didn’t know this, so he wanted to hear about Moonbyul this way. The annual parent-teacher conference was not enough.
"So, could you keep in touch with me personally and let me know about Moonbyul?"
At Taeyang’s words, Suna’s expression hardened instantly.
She could understand the request about smoking, but this was too much.
In essence, he was asking her to be a spy. She muttered with a displeased expression,
"Uh, that’s a bit..."
"Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free."
Taeyang took a big step forward, closing the distance between him and Suna.
"What would you like in return? Money? An introduction to another guy? Or..."
Taeyang trailed off and suddenly wrapped his arm around Suna’s waist. His hand slowly slid into her school uniform skirt.
"Something naughty?"
And then his hand touched Suna’s underwear.
