Sorim Grapes is Wronged

22.

“We always talk quietly when we talk about oppa, but people are paying too much attention to us.”

“You guys need to realize you’re celebrities. Hyung, did you know that because these two talk about you so much, sometimes there’s even talk about you on our school community forum? People are wondering who this hyung is that the two of them keep talking about. They’re asking if you actually exist. Some are even saying you might be a pet they’re raising together.”

“I had no idea.”

“They often talk about you like you’re from a raising sim game, and their praise for you is no joke. Not just praise, but adoration. They say any broken item that passes through your hands gets perfectly repaired, and any difficult assembly gets perfectly completed. They say you’re omnipotent. Hyung, do you really have ten certifications? That’s so cool.”

“I haven’t counted, but it’s definitely not over ten. You guys will probably get more than that in the future.”

“Even that comment is cool. By the way, is there something like a vending machine repair certification?”

…Is he making fun of me? As I stared blankly at the yellow guy, Da-bin suddenly clapped her hands.

“Ha-un, who cares about oppa’s certifications? What matters is that you, Yu Min-su, are being too chatty and flirty. I was thinking of introducing you to my friend, but I guess I shouldn’t.”

“What? Which friend? Come on, set me up!”

“I’m thinking of starting POI after my exams are over, but I definitely won’t go to the Luna server where Yu Min-su is.”

“If you set me up on a blind date, I’ll carry you in the game.”

“I’d rather get help from Kwon Je-beom.”

At Da-bin’s words, the yellow guy snorted.

“This guy will never help you. He plays games in such a bleak way. He always skips the story and only thinks about how to kill monsters more efficiently. He knows the names of all the efficient items but doesn’t know any character names. The other day, I was talking about the game ‘Hidden War’ and said Chris was pitiful, and he asked who that was. Can you believe he didn’t even know the name of the main character’s father-“

“Yu Min-su.”

“……”

Kwon Je-beom, who had stopped Yu Min-su’s chatter by calling his name in a low voice, suddenly looked straight at me.

“I know a lot of characters. I’m always sincere about the story and I’m a warm-hearted user. In Forest Effect, I especially hate the demon race, particularly Alankalde.”

“Uh….”

What’s with him suddenly? Why is he explaining this to me?

His way of speaking is also strange, was he not Korean…?

I had to respond sincerely to Kwon Je-beom, who had just spoken the longest sentence so far.

“I see. Enjoy your game.”

“……”

Kwon Je-beom blushed shyly, nodded slightly, and then averted his gaze.

What’s with this guy, really….

Looking at the expressions of the three, they all had puzzled looks that seemed to say, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ As the atmosphere became awkward, it was Da-bin who stepped up again to lighten the mood.

“Je-beom, do other Gosung players play POI too? Like Foxribbon or Fire?”

“…Some do.”

“Really? Who?”

“Metesin.”

“Ah, Metesin. Now that I think about it, he did stream POI a few times. Maybe I’ll start POI too.”

They soon began to chat about pro gamers that I didn’t know much about.

Jin and Da-bin, and the yellow guy talked a lot, but Kwon Je-beom would only answer briefly when the three of them addressed him, and then close his mouth.

I believe in the rule of ‘birds of a feather flock together’, but Kwon Je-beom’s personality was so opposite to the others that I wondered how the four of them became friends.

“Je-beom is talking a bit more today. He must have really wanted to enjoy this drinking session. Come on, let’s cheers.”

“No, but this guy is talking more than usual, but why is his voice so heavy?”

“When did I.”

“See? Even now he’s lowering his voice saying ‘When did I’.”

“This is my real voice.”

“Ugh, shit. Are you crazy or drunk? What’s going on? Why are you putting on airs and saying weird things when no one even called you?”

Yu Min-su shuddered as if he had swallowed a caterpillar. Even though he was openly badmouthing him, Kwon Je-beom silently drank his canned beer. As for me, I preferred the serious approach. I don’t know what he’s usually like, but this is better than being overly friendly when you’re not close, like Yu Min-su, which just tires people out.

I occasionally responded halfheartedly when they spoke to me, and then stood up saying I was going to the bathroom. Actually, I was going to smoke, but because Yu Min-su and Kwon Je-beom were smokers… Since smokers tend to always follow when someone says they’re going for a smoke, I used the bathroom as a smokescreen.

When I stood up, I finally noticed.

People here and there were subtly focusing on this gathering. Some guys were openly watching, some were glancing, and some were whispering to each other while looking this way.

It must be because of Kwon Je-beom, the pro gamer. He seems to be more famous than I thought. I quickly left the place.

As I walked quickly towards the smoking area, I felt a presence behind me. When I turned around abruptly, there stood the famous Kwon Je-beom.

“……”

For a moment, I almost cursed when I saw this pitch-black guy who must be about 195cm tall stop and look at me.

I don’t like having big men behind me.

If I hadn’t remembered in that split second that this guy was a friend of Jin and Da-bin, I might have made a big mistake.

“Why did your friend come out?”

“Call me Je-beom.”

“Okay, why did Je-beom come out?”

“I’m going to the bathroom too.”

“Ah, I see….”

I fell into my own trap.

Inevitably, I entered the building’s bathroom with Kwon Je-beom. Since I didn’t really need to use the toilet, I went into a stall with a toilet, sat there for a while, and then flushed unnecessarily before coming out.

Matching my timing, Kwon Je-beom also flushed and was zipping up his pants.

I tried not to look, but as I passed behind him, I caught a glimpse in my peripheral vision.

What the…

What was that…? What is it? I must have seen wrong, right?

No matter how big his build is… I was startled by a size that was hard to believe belonged to a Korean man, and washed my hands. As I was lathering up soap and scrubbing vigorously, Kwon Je-beom, who had finished his business, came to the sink next to me and started washing his hands in the same way. I couldn’t help but say this.

“That’s really impressive.”

“Excuse me…?”

“You must really want to show it off. With that size, you should follow someone to the bathroom even if you don’t need to go. I’d understand even if you lived in the bathroom.”

“…Thank you.”

I gave Kwon Je-beom the words he must have been hoping for. Little brother. Your hyung is being so nice to your friends like this…

“Hyung, shall we smoke?”

“Oh, sure.”

As we were leaving the building, Kwon Je-beom brought up smoking first. Having come this far, I couldn’t go back without smoking, so I agreed.

But as soon as we opened the door, we saw five or six people smoking right in front of the entrance.

I really don’t know what’s going on in these guys’ heads. These people smart enough to get into Korea University can’t read the four characters that say “No Smoking Area”? I don’t understand the psychology of deliberately smoking at the building entrance, which is a no-smoking area, when there’s a perfectly good smoking area available. It’s an act that screws over both smokers and non-smokers.

I can’t just pass by scenes like this. That’s just how I am.

As I was about to approach the smokers, Kwon Je-beom grabbed my arm to stop me.

I thought maybe this guy wanted to smoke here too, but Kwon Je-beom approached those guys.

“Oh, Kwon, Kwon Je-beom?”

“Gasp! Player Kwon Je-beom!”

Kwon Je-beom took a deep breath in front of the surprised people and said,

“Th-this… is a no-smoking area.”

His voice tone and expression clearly said ‘I’m being really brave right now’ to anyone who saw it. The smokers’ eyes widened, and then they quickly looked apologetic.

“Oh, we know. We know.”

“Oh my. We’ll put them out. MuMu, fighting!”

The smokers quickly extinguished their cigarettes and disappeared, cheering “Fighting!” It was a truly bizarre sight.

I wonder what pro gamers mean to men in their early 20s…

“……”

Kwon Je-beom silently watched the scene and then returned to me. His expression was still stiff, probably from the tension.

Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem like they backed down just because he’s a pro gamer. After all, Kwon Je-beom has a build that looks like he could subdue a lion with one punch. He’s not an easy target to pick a fight with.

“Hyung…. I’ve cleared the obstacles. Shall we go?”

“…Yeah.”

Why is his way of speaking like this, seriously…

Feeling like I had become some kind of gangster, I headed to the smoking area. This time, the guy didn’t follow behind but walked beside me. He was still silent and his gaze was fixed straight ahead. I thought about asking Kwon Je-beom why he had stared at me so intently earlier, but since he wasn’t staring now, it felt awkward to ask.

We arrived at the smoking area with the sound of students chattering in the background and without any conversation between us. As we entered, people’s gazes turned towards us. I thought Kwon Je-beom must be tired of being constantly followed by stares like this.

Around the third drag of my cigarette, Kwon Je-beom opened his mouth.

“Hyung…. I have a high level.”

“What level… I can make smoke rings too, you know. But that’s nothing to brag about.”

“…I’m talking about game level.”

“Ah, games.”

“Forest Effect.”

“Ah, right.”

“I’m at max level.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m also ranked.”

“Oh, really?”

“I have a lot of gold too. In the hundred millions.”

“Oh, really?”

I responded appropriately while smoking my cigarette.

The cigarette somehow didn’t taste good. Come to think of it, I think the time when I really enjoyed drinking and smoking was very short. Later, I just drank and smoked out of habit, but looking back now, I regret it.

It’s not just that, but drinking soju instead of water even when having meals with my younger sibling…

What if my sibling had followed my example?

This sibling grew up well on their own despite having a brother like me. Looking at the environment alone, it would be understandable if they had grown up to be even more of a misanthrope than me…

“Hyung, by any chance in the past…”

“…hyung?”

“Oh, what? Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

“…It’s nothing.”