Chapter 65: Dating? (3)

Since returning from the outing with the members, the air in the penthouse had felt unusually heavy.

The expressions of discomfort on the members’ faces.

Their restlessness instead of joy upon receiving gifts.

It clearly wasn’t the reaction I had expected.

‘Did I go too far?’

Looking out the window, I replayed yesterday’s events in my mind.

The top-class meal, the expensive gifts.

From my perspective, it was merely a gesture of goodwill, but it seemed it wasn’t so for them.

My mind was a mess.

I felt rather down, thinking I had awkwardly approached them only to make things more uncomfortable.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong-

A sudden doorbell sound broke the silence.

‘Who could it be at this hour? Yoon Taesoo?’

‘Yoon Taesoo isn’t someone who would visit without calling first.’

I frowned and checked the front door intercom screen.

Faces filled the screen.

Jungyeon, Ajung, and Yoonsol.

The three of them were waving at me through the screen with excited expressions.

[President! We’re here! Please open the door!]

Jungyeon’s energetic voice resonated through the intercom.

Ajung was making a V-sign beside her, and Yoonsol bowed with a shy smile.

‘What is this situation?’

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I stared blankly at the screen for a moment.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang again, persistently.

It seemed Ajung was playfully mashing the button.

“Ah, really!”

I let out a small sigh of annoyance and headed to the front door.

I had to hear for myself what they were up to.

As the heavy front door opened silently, the three of them came pouring inside.

“Wow! President, your house is amazing! I’ve been here before, but it really looks like something out of a movie!”

Ajung’s eyes widened as she looked around the living room, exclaiming in admiration.

“President! What were you doing? We came to hang out with you today!”

Jungyeon declared confidently, blocking my way.

“Huh? Hang out? What’s this all of a sudden…?”

“We thought you might have been worried because of us yesterday! We’re totally fine, you know? So today, we’ve made special plans to cheer you up, President!”

Jungyeon declared with determination.

“W-we’ll treat you! President, don’t even think about opening your wallet today!”

Yoonsol even chimed in from the side.

There was even a hint of resolve in her eyes.

‘Cheer me up? They’ll treat me?’

It was absurd.

But at the same time, a corner of my heart felt somewhat ticklish.

The fact that they had come all this way because they were concerned about me strangely lifted my spirits.

“No, but still. You could have at least contacted me beforehand.”

I tried to sound blunt.

“Hey, it’s a surprise! President, hurry up and change! We don’t have much time!”

Ajung urged me, pulling my arm.

It was an action unimaginable in normal circumstances.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret! You’ll know once you follow us! It’s a really fun place!”

Jungyeon said with a wink.

Their faces were full of mischief and anticipation.

I hesitated for a moment.

I didn’t particularly feel like it.

It was bothersome.

But it was hard to ignore those sparkling eyes.

And I thought, perhaps this might be a chance to get closer to the ‘ordinariness’ I couldn’t find yesterday.

“Haaah… Alright. Just wait a moment.”

I finally surrendered.

The members cheered, and I shook my head as if to say they were hopeless, then headed to my room.

‘Just what kind of ‘fun place’ are they planning to take me to?’

A slight sense of unease crept in, but at the same time, I felt a little excitement.

When I came out after changing, the members were already waiting for me at the entrance.

“President! We’ll escort you today!”

Ajung playfully pretended to link arms with me.

“That’s fine.”

I gently pushed Ajung’s hand away and took the lead, pressing the elevator button.

The members’ laughter followed from behind me.

Inside the elevator.

An awkward atmosphere filled the small space with the four of us standing together.

“So, where are we really going?”

I asked again.

“Hmm… Hint! A place with lots of computers, a bit noisy, and where you can eat delicious food!”

Jungyeon said it like a riddle.

‘A place with lots of computers, noisy, and delicious food?’

A place flashed through my mind.

“The answer is! Ta-da! A PC Bang!”

Ajung shouted the answer, clapping her hands.

“…A PC Bang?”

Just as I thought.

I let out a dry laugh.

‘When was the last time I went? Was it before the army?’

“Yes! A PC Bang! President, have you perhaps never been to one?”

“No. I’ve been. A long time ago. The last time I went was about… three or four years ago?”

At my answer, the members simultaneously looked surprised.

“Huh? Really? You, President, at a PC Bang?”

“Did you think I was like this from the beginning? I used to live in PC Bangs too. Played games all night and stuff.”

They probably thought I was born incredibly wealthy.

Perhaps it meant that my current self seemed that disconnected from reality.

“Wow, then today will be a real trip down memory lane! PC Bangs these days are amazing! The food is almost restaurant-quality!”

Jungyeon said excitedly.

The car stopped in the parking lot, and a familiar yet unfamiliar sign came into view.

As we went down to the building’s basement, I could feel the characteristic heat of machines mixed with the faint smell of ramen.

“Haaah…”

This sigh was a mixture of resignation and a bit of nostalgia.

“President! This way! We saved seats for you!”

Ajung gestured, leading me to a corner seat.

It was a spot similar to a couple’s seat, with partitions, where four computers were lined up.

“Here, President, please sit here!”

Jungyeon offered me the middle seat.

I sat down and looked around.

Not many years had passed, but it was definitely different from before.

Brighter, more spacious, and the air was fresher.

Before, even with smoking booths, there was a hint of cigarette smoke, but now there was none of that.

People wearing headsets, immersed in their screens.

That sight hadn’t changed, then or now.

“President, what do you want to play? LoL? Or PUBG?”

Ajung asked from the seat next to me.

“LoL… I haven’t played at all since that incident back then. I’m probably terrible now.”

I gave a bitter smile, recalling the incident with the streamer who dragged me into this world of internet broadcasting.

“Huh? President, you played LoL? What was your tier?”

Jungyeon asked, her eyes shining.

“Well, I played alright. Around Platinum? Now, I probably wouldn’t even be Bronze level.”

“Platinum? Wow, then you’re really good. Play with us today!”

Ajung exclaimed excitedly.

“No, really, I’ll just be a burden now.”

“Hey, it’s fine. We can just have fun together. I’ll carry you! Trust me, right?”

Jungyeon confidently thumped her chest.

In the end, unable to resist the members’ insistence, I launched the LoL client for the first time in a long while.

Fortunately, my account was still active.

Seeing my familiar ID felt strange.

“Wow, President, is this your ID? Why is your nickname… Kekek.”

Seeing my nickname, Ajung couldn’t finish her sentence and burst out laughing.

It was a relic from a time when I was full of youthful sentimentality.

“Be quiet.”

Feeling my face flush, I quickly started the queue.

The tension of the matchmaking screen, felt after a long time.

‘It really has been a long time…’

The game started, and I moved instinctively.

Familiar map, familiar champion.

But my hands didn’t follow my thoughts.

CS kept slipping away, skills missed wildly.

I often forgot to check the minimap.

My brain knew exactly what to do, but my body couldn’t keep up.

“President! Roam mid!”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Ah! Ward there! Clear the ward!”

“President! What are you doing! Why did you get caught out there!”

“So close! We almost got them!”

The members’ urgent voices pierced through my headset.

I was completely flustered.

Jungyeon’s nagging, in particular, was relentless throughout the game.

The result was a crushing defeat.

My KDA was too embarrassing to look at.

“Pffft! President! Is this Platinum skill?”

Ajung clutched her stomach laughing as soon as the game ended.

“No, it’s really because I haven’t played in so long! I can do much better next game!”

I shouted out of frustration.

My competitive spirit flared up.

“Yes, yes, we get it~ Alright, let’s queue for the next game!”

Jungyeon said teasingly and started the queue again.

“I, I had fun thanks to you, President.”

Yoonsol said quietly, but it was clear she was also holding back laughter.

I let out an empty laugh.

I was completely humiliated, but strangely, I didn’t feel bad.

Rather, I felt refreshed.

Regardless of winning or losing, the process of playing and shouting together was enjoyable itself.

“Gaming is good, but I’m getting a bit hungry. Shall we order something to eat? My treat.”

I suggested it first.

I felt indebted to the members today.

“Ramen! Let’s eat ramen!”

Ajung shouted.

“Is that okay with you, President? Ramen is a must at a PC Bang, after all.”

“…Yes, let’s go with ramen then.”

I clicked on the menu attached next to the keyboard and ordered the ramen each of them wanted, drinks, and some simple snacks.

It was similar in the past, but I was briefly surprised by the menu, which was incomparably more extensive than back then.

A little later, steaming cup ramen and cold drinks were delivered to our seats.

The familiar smell of ramen hit my nose.

It was exactly the smell from when I used to eat with my friends back in the day.

The members naturally picked up their chopsticks.

“President, try this. They say the ramen here is delicious.”

Jungyeon placed a cup of ramen in front of me.

I hesitated for a moment before picking up my chopsticks.

I blew on it and took a bite.

‘Ah…’

The familiar taste touched my tongue.

It was just ordinary instant ramen, but strangely, it was a taste that stirred something deep inside me.

Forgotten times, ordinary moments, memories that money couldn’t buy, flashed through my mind.

“It’s good, right?”

Jungyeon asked with a grin.

“…It is. It tastes good since I haven’t had it in a long time.”

I replied with an awkward laugh and continued eating the ramen.

Feeling inexplicably strange, I lowered my head.

The members were eating their ramen without a word.

But in that silence, we were definitely sharing something.

The feeling of a hardened wall around my heart crumbling, and warmth seeping in.

‘Is this the ‘ordinary fun’ the members wanted to show me?’

‘The times I thought I had lost, or perhaps, had thrown away myself.’

It was an unfamiliar yet nostalgic sensation.

It certainly wasn’t bad.

No, rather, it was quite good.

I chuckled and drank the remaining ramen broth.

I felt the members’ gazes on me, but I didn’t mind.

In this moment, I was just an ordinary twenty-four-year-old young man, laughing and chatting with the Starlight members.

It was a time when I could momentarily forget the weight of money and the responsibility of my abilities.

“Alright, we’ve had ramen, so where should we go next?”

Jungyeon asked, her voice full of anticipation.

I planned to leave it entirely up to them today.

Into the ‘ordinariness’ I had forgotten at some point.

I felt a small happiness that I had forgotten.