Chapter 16: Rival’s Recompense (3)

Convenience Stores.

A haven for night owls who come alive after dark—modern humanity’s best friend for living a semi-decent life.

I used to drop by pretty often myself, but—

“Ugh…”

I frowned as I approached the glow of the nearby store sign.

A sign that used to feel familiar now looked strangely unfamiliar.

I hadn’t wanted to go outside if I could help it.

But I had no choice.

My food stash was dwindling.

The last of the cup ramen was gone.

All that remained were a few packets of instant rice, some eggs, and a lonely piece of green onion starting to bloom with white mold.

I did wonder for a moment if I could just scrub the mold off and eat it…

But even I had standards.

So I dragged myself out of the one-room apartment.

‘Hoo.’

Even if I’d grown more introverted lately, this wasn’t something I’d normally get anxious about. I wasn’t going to a job interview—I was just picking up a few things at the convenience store.

But the nerves were real, and I knew why.

This would be my first time meeting another person since the world changed.

Not online. In real life.

My body had changed—and this was the first contact I’d have with another human being since then.

It wasn’t a big deal, and yet, I felt like I was going to explode.

‘Times like this…’

I recalled a mental trick I’d seen online.

– Giga Chad, I’m scared. I don’t think I can do this.

– Stop overthinking, you little goof. Self-loathing won’t help.

I imagined Giga Chad—musclebound alpha male with a warm heart—talking me through this like a kind older brother.

It was a meme, sure, but people said it worked in anxious moments.

– Doesn’t matter how far you go. All that matters is taking that first step.

Just imagining this burly man with a reassuring voice whispering those words made me feel a little less tense.

– But… do you think I can actually enter the convenience store?

– Fear is proof you’re growing. That’s just growing pains. But if you never challenge yourself— Wait, hold on. You’re scared of… the convenience store??

– Yeah…

– Tsk.

My imaginary Giga Chad disappeared with a look of disappointment.

Mind control: failed.

Even my subconscious seemed ashamed of me.

“Ugh, whatever. Let’s just go.”

No point in running a solo drama in my head.

It’s not like the clerk’s going to attack me or anything.

I shuffled my way into the store.

---

Park Kyung-soo stifled a yawn and fiddled with his smartphone.

Night shift at a convenience store—“easy money,” said the friend who hooked him up with the job.

There weren’t too many customers, and the work was surprisingly tolerable.

It wasn’t just mindless clock-watching, but the annoying parts were few and far between.

‘Honestly, that’s the same with any part-time job, right?’

For Kyung-soo, this was good enough. He was satisfied.

“Hwaaah~”

The yawn he’d been holding in finally burst out.

Everything was fine—except for the timing adjustment.

It had been a month, and while the job had become familiar, his body still hadn’t fully adapted.

He kept yawning no matter how hard he tried not to.

“It’s always hardest at the start of the shift. Once it’s late enough, I’m wide awake.”

Mumbling to himself to stay alert, Kyung-soo was jolted by the chime of the doorbell.

Ding-dong~♬

“Welcome t—”

The well-practiced greeting came out automatically as he turned toward the door…

And his half-closed, sleepy eyes flew open like he’d just received divine revelation.

‘Whoa…’

She was pretty.

No, scratch that—she was beautiful. Almost too beautiful for such a plain description.

Silver hair cascaded behind her hoodie.

Snow-pale skin, a sharp nose, soft lips.

And those eyes—shimmering golden irises that seemed to glow naturally.

Like a living gemstone.

‘Foreigner? Mixed race? Wait… do foreigners even have silver hair? And golden eyes?’

His brain struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. He just stared.

Silver hair and golden eyes—a combo so rare he could count on one hand how many people might naturally have it.

It was a color combo that rarely suited anyone without looking weird.

But this doll-like girl?

She wore those colors like they were made for her.

As if silver and gold existed purely to adorn her.

‘A celebrity? An idol trainee maybe?’

He’d once seen a female celebrity up close at a school festival and thought, Wow, so that’s what real beauty looks like.

But now, he could barely remember that celebrity’s face.

“This…”

Her soft voice snapped him out of his daze.

She had already approached the counter.

In her arms, she cradled a convenience store bento and a few triangular gimbap packs.

That’s when Kyung-soo realized, a beat too late—oh crap, he was supposed to be working.

“Could you… ring these up, please?”

A clear, gentle voice that matched her face perfectly.

“Y-Yes, of course!”

Kyung-soo clumsily scanned the barcodes with shaky hands.

He’d been working for a month and thought he had the hang of it…

But it felt like he was handling a customer for the first time.

“That… That’ll be 9,800 won.”

“Here…”

She handed him a debit card, completed the payment, bowed slightly, and walked out of the store.

“Hoo…”

Watching her walk away, Kyung-soo placed a hand over his racing heart, trying to calm himself down.

His tension melted away.

It had been so surreal, he wondered if he’d hallucinated from sleep deprivation.

“She lives nearby, right? Maybe I’ll get to see her again?”

No way she’d have walked all the way here from some distant neighborhood.

The thought that he might see her again made Kyung-soo’s expression brighten.

The exhaustion that had been weighing him down earlier? Gone without a trace.

---

Online community: ForestTV Broadcast Gallery.

(TL note: Soopjijik is also called Forest TV locally, this is still the same streaming platform where all the streaming keeps taking place within the story.)

One of Korea’s biggest online communities for streamers and internet personalities.

“What the hell happened on Raidel’s stream today?”

“She broke 40,000 viewers? I joined late and the content was already over… what happened?”

” lol you missed history”

” You just lost half your life, man”

“Chain Roller world record got updated”

” fr? When’s the VoD going up?”

“What do you mean Delbung got first place in Chain Roller?”

“Didn’t she keep falling at the start? I left for dinner because she was crashing for 4 straight hours. Came back and it was all over. Did she use cheats or what happened?”

“Wait you watched all 4 hours and left?”

” yeah she said she was resetting with a new team so I went to eat”

“lol you threw away 4 hours”

” you missed the best part”

” After you left, someone named Silverhair showed up and carried”

“Wait, carried so hard that it was over before dinner? Weren’t those stages like 4 hours minimum?”

“Just go watch it, the edited version’s already on YT”

“Okay but who is Silverhair actually?”

“There’s a rumor they’re a pro gamer trainee for Laienma. Is that legit? Why are people even saying that?”

“Cause not even active pros play like that”

“Rumor started since only a monster rookie could play that clean”

“Yeah, no pro has pulled that off, so people guessed a trainee was hiding in plain sight”

“?? You’re saying they’re better than pros?”

“ yup. The pro league season just ended and a few pros streamed Chain Roller. All of them clocked over 5 hours.”

“If the pros actually try, they could easily take back the record”

“Tbh they were just casually playing. If a real team grinds Chain Roller properly, they could finish in 3 hours flat. Even the top solo player was a streamer. No way a normie outdoes pros. Their mechanics are literally different. Not comparable.”

“lmao okay but…”

“you do realize the record isn’t even 4h 21m right?”

” huh? That’s what put them in first place though”

“Delbung didn’t reset the timer, that’s why. Actual run time was 21 minutes”

” You’re saying they cleared it in TWENTY-ONE MINUTES?? Bro be serious”

“Exactly. It’s so nuts that everyone’s freaking out. Go watch the VOD”

“brb checking it out”

“HOLY SH*T it’s real. Who the hell is this person?? They’re not human—they’re a gaming machine”

“But is one Chain Roller run really enough to prove their skill?”

“Yeah they’re good, but what about in VR?”

“Their skill’s just that overwhelming”

“Honestly people this good at high-skill games usually excel in VR too. Same physical demands.”

“Their nervous system’s just built different. Silverhair’s not human—they’re a wild animal.”

“I FOUND WHO SILVERHAIR IS!!”

“They’re Chloe, right? The rookie who just joined the Glitch Core team! Pros are already raving about her reaction time. Young too—still a trainee so she probably has the free time. If we had to pick one person, it has to be Chloe.”

“That rumor’s been floating around”

” I could believe it’s Chloe”

“But Silverhair seemed way more chill? Chloe’s got a bad rep for attitude”

“True, but hard to tell since Silverhair didn’t type much”

“Silverhair said they’ve never played a VR game before. Also said they’re unemployed.”

“Come on, that could be a lie. They’re anonymous—changing your Streamtem account is easy”

“Doesn’t seem like Chloe”

“Anyone who actually watched the stream knows it’s not her. Raidel even said she was helping Silverhair debut as a streamer. Even if Chloe was wild, there’s no way she’d lie to someone like Raidel. It just feels different—if you saw the stream, you’d get it.”

“It’s definitely Chloe. Watch them vanish before debut—classic bait-and-switch.”

“If she lied like that, it’s not just her personality—it’s her IQ that’s questionable.”

“Delbung seems desperate—maybe Silverhair will start streaming soon”

“Honestly? Just wait for the stream. She got a free VR rig, so she’ll probably jump into Laienma soon. Can’t wait to see if she dominates there too.”

“I wanna see Silverhair 1v1 Chloe.”

“Their ranks are miles apart. No way they match up.”

 “lmao Silverhair’s never even played a VR game before”

(TL note: Laienma seems to be a fictional VR game which is really hard and popular among the masses, it is also called Raid and Master)