Date with Two People (2)

“Then, I’ll go look for clothes for the date.”

“Why clothes of all things? I really don’t know anything about women’s clothes.”

“Can’t a girl buy some clothes? Jua-yang, don’t worry since we’re buying it with his money anyway.”

“What? You’re buying it with Oppa’s money? Awesome!”

We walked down the street to go to the department store.

The street, now that afternoon had just begun, was deserted with hardly any people.

Even the passing cars were mostly taxis. And even then, I could only see one or two whenever I looked at the road.

Even when I turned my eyes from the road to look at the shops on the street, I could feel the emptiness.

It was rare to see even a bustling area this quiet, but to be this quiet…

Today was especially quiet, and that made Jua-yang’s voice sound even louder and clearer.

Jua-yang, walking backwards down the street with a bright smile, looked every bit the child.

She was taller than Se-ah, but while Se-ah seemed like a child in terms of her vibe, Jua-yang was just a child herself.

Maybe it was because she had just graduated from being a student, but she especially stood out as looking like a young child.

It had been a while since she came to our house, but since there hadn’t been a reason to go to the department store, she might be especially energetic.

She said that there were department stores in Gangwon Province, but the one in her neighborhood was more like a large discount store than a department store.

I still remember Jua-yang’s face when she first looked around the department store, turning her head every which way as if she was amazed.

‘Back then, she wasn’t really a child, but someone who had just come up from the countryside.’

It felt like someone from the countryside in the 80s coming to the city for the first time.

I didn’t see it myself, but that’s what it felt like. I still can’t forget the way she looked around with a face full of wonder.

“Didn’t you even show the kid around the neighborhood?”

Se-ah looked at Jua-yang and asked me.

Seeing her smiling with a pleased expression as she looked at the child made me laugh.

To me, one of them really is a child, and the other is a child in terms of physique, so what’s with the pleased expression?

Even if they’re older, from my point of view, that look was just a source of amusement.

“It’s not like the kid even goes out.”

“Even if she doesn’t go out, you should drag her out. What if she gets lost in this neighborhood?”

“Are you Jua-yang’s mom? She has a phone and knows the way home, how could she get lost?”

“Still…”

It’s not that I don’t understand Se-ah’s feelings.

But unless she’s a child, she might feel burdened if you take care of her that much.

More than anything…

‘Wouldn’t she have to leave the house to get lost in the first place?’

It would be quite something if a kid who never leaves the house except to go to the convenience store got lost.

When we buy clothes at the department store, and when I show her around the neighborhood once.

I’ve never seen Jua-yang go out except in these cases, so the premise of her getting lost is wrong in the first place.

Se-ah hasn’t lived in our house, so it’s understandable that she doesn’t know, but is Jua-yang really that much of a child that she would say something like that?

‘You’re a child to me too…’

Just seeing her play games in the VR room, she’s just as much of a child, so it was funny to see her worrying about Jua-yang.

Is this how an older child feels when they worry about a younger child?

When I laughed and patted Se-ah on the back, she reacted curtly.

“What, why? Are you making fun of me for being short right now?”

“Puhaha. No, it’s not that, just know that there’s something like that.”

“Ah, what is it… tell me quickly. Hurry!”

“Are you two ever coming! I’m going in first!”

It wasn’t until we reached the street in front of the department store that I started to see people.

Most of them were just passing by rather than going to the department store, but the fact that there were more people was enough to give me the feeling that I had come to a bustling area.

The fact that I had fully received that feeling was also revealed by Jua-yang’s actions.

That index finger pointing at the entrance with a bright smile.

It’s nice that she’s like a child, but on the other hand, I’m worried that she’s too much like a child, which is also true.

She’s an adult now, but she’s so immature… no, that’s right.

‘I’m not in a position to say anything about her behavior to a kid who earns enough money to take care of herself.’

I’m not in a situation where I can say she’s immature.

Whether it’s Se-ah or Jua-yang, the fact is that they’re earning money and taking care of themselves better than I am, so saying they’re immature is close to a contradiction.

At least, I should be working and earning money before I say anything to my younger siblings.

I followed Se-ah into the department store after Jua-yang and said quietly.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were both like children, but it turns out I’m the one who can’t take care of myself as well as a child.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing the mood down like this? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s not that I’m bringing it down, it’s just that I thought you two were like children, but it turns out I’m the one who can’t take care of myself as well as a child.”

“…Aish, that’s why I told you to film a video with me and see the reaction, right?

“If that fails, I’ll be cornered, won’t I.”

“Please, just try it and think about it! Anyone would think that if you can’t get a job, you’re going to fall off a cliff and die!”

Se-ah patted me on the back and comforted me instead.

I should be the one doing the comforting, but I’m the one being comforted, seriously, ah, Kim Seon-ho’s heart, which I said I’d change, is wavering!

As I braced myself, Se-ah said in a slightly smaller voice.

“Ah, I brought all the money from the video views, okay? It’s quite a bit, so don’t worry about buying clothes.”

I paused for a moment at her unexpected words.

The views might not stop, but is it really enough to withdraw more money?

No matter how I calculated it, I thought that the money I received back then was all there was, but she said that more came out and she withdrew it, so I asked again.

“How much more did you withdraw? Maybe like 100,000 won?”

“Aren’t you looking down on my videos too much? Multiply that by ten.”

“…A million? If you add what you gave me before, isn’t a million too much?”

“I told you, real close-range shields are so rare that they’re being scouted, right? That’s why the views are being copied.”

Even if it’s a scouting position, are the views really that good?

I wondered if Se-ah was lying to comfort me, but looking at her expression, it didn’t seem like it.

The way she looked at me with her eyes half-closed, full of spirit.

It was because she was conveying the feeling that she was somewhat great to me, no matter who looked at her.

Actually, it might not be that my position is good, but that Se-ah’s videos are doing well, but the person who uploads the videos is said to be precious.

I was a little curious about how precious she was that she was saying this much. I pushed through the revolving door unique to department stores and went inside.

I followed Jua-yang, who was already on the escalator and waving her hand, and asked Se-ah.

“How rare are they that they’re being scouted? It’s limited to that rank, isn’t it?”

“It’s to the point where they’re dragging gold shield users in the diamond to master section.”

“You’re taking someone three tiers below? Did shields get buffed or something?”

“It’s not that, so that’s why, right? Think about it, it’s not fun, and all you do is take hits in the front, right?”

Instead of answering, I nodded and went up the escalator.

It would take a little time to go up to the women’s clothing floor on the 5th floor, so there was plenty of time to talk.

Jua-yang is buying clothes, so I should at least look at the clothes and say something.

Jua-yang might feel bad if I’m just talking to Se-ah.

I followed Jua-yang, who was almost a floor ahead, and continued the conversation.

“But even so, they’re indispensable. In this game, there aren’t many ranged weapon bullets, right? You know that much, right?”

“I know, if it’s a bow or a gun, you only have about 20 shots, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You only have about 30 throwing stones, but shields usually block about 20 shots.”

Se-ah cleared her throat for a moment and continued.

“Of course, that’s normal, and depending on the user’s skill, they can block up to 40-60 shots, right?”

“I know that much. I’ve seen videos of it, but I just can’t follow along.”

“In a game where ranged users are basically the ones who finish things off, what if the ranged users don’t have weapons? Do you think the shields will just stand still?”

“…You said that nicely, but isn’t that just saying that the shields take all the hits and take down the ranged attackers?”

She smiled and nodded at my words.

A simple but sure strategy.

When ranged weapons are gone, melee users run in and take the victory with attacks based on positional advantage.

If the opponent has a melee weapon user, they’re dealt with by the ally’s ranged weapon.

It’s a really simple but sure strategy that’s even appeared in tournaments, but the reason why people don’t use it is simple.

Shields aren’t fun, that’s it.

Users aren’t stupid.

Even if there are people who like tanks, that’s strictly because they like to surround themselves with defensive items and block the dealers, slowly killing them, not because they like to just take hits.

Most users prefer dealers to attack enemies and crush them in a flashy and powerful way.

But considering that roles are clearly divided according to weapons in the game Warfield, shields can never be a preferred weapon.

Take ranged attacks and hold out until the shield is about to break, then take advantage of the gaps in the ranged attacks and run in to attack?

It sounds easy, but if you mess up, it’s a shortcut to total annihilation.

Shields were close to a “hope that allies will finish them off” weapon, closer to a meat shield than a tank.

So it’s not fun, so people don’t do it, and even when it appears in tournaments, it’s just a weapon that’s dismissed with the words “because it’s a tournament.”

Even if it’s necessary, has the shield become so important that they’re taking users who are three tiers or lower?

Is it really a choice based on the necessity of the weapon, or do ranged users need a meat shield so they can run wild without worry?

“Is that really because they need a shield?”

“What do you mean?”

One floor to the women’s clothing corner.

It seemed like the conversation would be a little long, but I asked briefly.

“Isn’t it just ranged users going ‘Eungae, I’m a ranged dealer, shield block attacks for me’?”

“No… the number of melee users has been increasing these days, so shield users are really essential. But, it’s not fun, so people don’t do it, so people are pulling them up from lower tiers.”

As if to end the conversation as we stepped into the women’s clothing corner, Se-ah said firmly.

“They’re making them adapt in high tiers and raising shield users to play games with them! That’s the situation in high tiers right now.”

“I’m in that situation perfectly, I played a game with you, who are in a high tier, and the video was uploaded, and…”

“Because the existence of shields became known, people immediately jumped in to watch it.”

I nodded and approached Jua-yang, who was picking out clothes.

In that situation, I thought it would be okay for me to get involved in uploading videos.

I might be like a reed swaying in the wind, but if I had the conviction that I could really become popular, I thought it would be okay to stick to Se-ah for a while.

‘I’m such a fickle bastard. I said I’d do it alone, but look at me trying to stick to her as soon as it looks like I’m going to be popular.’

I was so dumbfounded by myself that I chuckled to myself and started looking at Jua-yang’s clothes.

While she was picking them out, I told Se-ah to pick them out too, and I sat down on a chair in the corner of the clothing corner, watched the two of them, and tapped on my phone.