episode_0034

Galaxy’s gaze followed the tip of Gong’s finger and turned to the paper bag he was carrying, and a look of doubt appeared on the girl’s face.

“Game console…? And is that alcohol?”

When he laid out the things he had brought, the old man felt somewhat embarrassed in front of Eunha, who looked much younger than his age.

Mr. Gong gave a short, empty cough.

“Originally, men become closer with a few drinks and fun. I brought this to kill time when I ran out of topics to talk about while chatting with Sihyuk.”

“I see… .”

It was almost an excuse, but Eun-ha nodded, thinking, “That’s how it is.” Old man Gong seemed embarrassed and shouted at Si-hyuk, who was in the kitchen, as if trying to change the subject.

“Mr. Sihyuk, I’m sorry, but I need to use the living room TV-!”

-Yes? Yes.

Since he had already received permission from the landlord, there was nothing more for the old man to do. He broke through the game console and the connecting wire and headed towards the TV hanging in the middle of the living room.

Like the inside of a dry and impersonal house, the TV had no signs of use, except for the dust on top, since the owner of the house did not watch any broadcast media. There was no cable around it, not even a set-top box.

Fortunately, since the TV was a relatively new model, connecting the game console itself was no problem.

“I was worried that he wouldn’t have a TV because of his reserved personality, but it turned out to be a good worry.”

Eunha nodded without realizing it at the old man’s muttering.

The Shihyuk that Eunha had seen so far seemed to be so focused on his work that he had no interest in anything else, or he seemed to be careless. Shihyuk even left his cell phone, which could be considered a necessity for modern people, at home.

It was surprising when I first came here. It was because I had a strong feeling of an eccentric person who lives with what he has and without what he doesn’t have.

Although it has started to smell a bit more human lately, its roots are still there.

‘Huh? Then why did Sihyuk install the TV?’

When I thought about it, it was questionable. Shihyuk was rather frugal. Rather than being passive about spending money, it seemed like he didn’t like unnecessary spending.

But why did he, who loves efficiency, buy a TV that didn’t even have a cable network, let alone an outlet? It was as if someone other than Sihyuk had arranged it.

But doesn’t Mr. Sihyuk live alone?

I wonder who comes to visit sometimes?

Eunha, who had been tilting her head to the side, couldn’t finish her thoughts. Her eyes were drawn to the bright light emanating from the large screen.

“Oh, okay.”

The TV screen was showing the game’s intro video. It was a narrative of a father-son conflict that spanned generations.

It was a bit old-fashioned, and the graphics were poor compared to the latest versions that came out recently, but it was a one-on-one fighting game that even the galaxy was familiar with.

[Wow, you’re a production company that’s into fighting games and you came all the way to Seoul to clear dojos. Your courage is admirable.]

[Ugh…!]

[But it was your mistake that you came all the way to the Four Heavenly Kings of Eunpyeong-gu! Even your lodging expenses, change them all into coins. I’ll take it all.]

[We are merciful, so we will leave you with some tea! Phew, that’s a good rhyme.]

[These kids, they’re supposed to be in the strategy category, but they’re not even turning the gate and are just killing people here…!!]

[Heh heh heh.]

[Hehehe.]

How could I not know? When Eunha was at the Seoul daycare center under the care of the Samshin adults, the place she would often pass by on her way to explore the smell of restaurants was an arcade.

The girl remembered the place she had to pass by every time, where a considerable number of people, though not many, were gathered, chatting away and tapping levers and buttons on a large screen.

“Okay, let’s give it a try. I’ll give you plenty of time to get used to the controls.”

The old man held out the joystick to the girl, a mischievous grin on his lips.

The old man Gong threw bait to Eunha, who was handing over the stick with an awkward expression.

“Or, if you don’t feel like it, I’ll make a tempting offer. If you hit me once, I won’t tease you as a kid anymore.”

“… … !”

At that suggestion, Eunha suddenly became very interested in the game.

She had never played a game before. However, the girl had abundant talent and could ‘remember’ the movements and snaps of her hands from her childhood.

“Like!”

“Oh my, that little kid has quite a sharp move!”

“This is not a kid…! Hiyokos…!”

“… … .”

And this was the state.

After Shihyuk finished cooking the boiled chicken, and prepared the grill, vegetables for wrapping, and meat to grill, by the time he was about to call them, the two were already absorbed in the idiot box, all their attention focused on the screen.

It’s not that he had any particularly negative perceptions about the game.

I just don’t do it because I don’t have to and there’s no reason to. There was surprisingly a demand for fighting games among those who have awakened in the strategy genre.

Depending on the size or difficulty, there were quite a few cases where Awakened beings who set out to conquer the gate would stay inside for a long period of time.

The strategy series, where you have to work hard to defeat monsters every time and sometimes even end up in a life-threatening situation, is quite physically and mentally stressful.

And for modern people, games are clearly a leisure activity. There were many awakened people who enjoyed playing games in their spare time even inside the gate to relieve stress.

Naturally, since radio waves don’t work inside the gate, there’s no internet connection. Online gaming is impossible.

In that case? You can enjoy arcade games that can be enjoyed locally even without radio waves. For this reason, the local game market in today’s society is quite developed, and games have even been developed specifically for the Awakened.

So, if you put your mind to it, you can easily find a simple portable console device around you.

So it wasn’t that hard to understand why the two enjoyed the game. However… .

Shihyuk felt complicated and subtle emotions.

Eun-ha was diligently manipulating the joystick, her face red from the medicine all the way to her ears, while Old Man Gong was laughing and clicking the lever and button with one hand at the same time.

One side was too dynamic, the other too static. The character using the galactic taekwondo used flashy movements to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses, but the armored cheetah-man-like character controlled by the old man didn’t show much movement.

“Hehe, it’s good to try to find a weak point, but sometimes it’s not bad to make a bold decision!”

“Hey, how do you block all that?! This is a scam!”

However, the old man did not allow even a single attack. Even though the galaxy seemed to be of a fairly high level, he was blocking, dodging, and deflecting them all.

The occasional training seemed annoying. He even showed off his composure by picking his nostrils with his other hand, which wasn’t moving the stick.

Shihyuk snickered and smiled. What they were doing was clearly a game, but it didn’t feel like it was just a game.

The sight of them exchanging attacks and defenses by chasing minute frame units to the limit of button and lever input reminded me of a numerical duel.

Of course, the game had its limitations.

The movements in the game, which only perform set actions based on button input, were fixed, unlike in real life.

Furthermore, even if the fighting game for the Awakened is released separately from the general version, there is a definite delay in the moment when the character receives a command from the joystick signal, which the general public cannot feel.

‘but….’

Shihyuk looked at Eunha, who was absorbed in something without even realizing that he was behind her. The starlight in her eyes was much darker and more intense than ever.

Although it wasn’t visible, mana was gently circulating within that small body.

Galaxy had a powerful advantage over all of that. With the ability to catch the ‘wind’ that allowed her to read her opponent’s intentions and even her true intentions, the girl was able to take the absolute lead in every fight.

However, no attack worked on the old man. He was as calm as ever, with no noticeable change in temperament.

“Oh my, this time it was a bit of a waste! It would have been better if there was a gap between the movements and the attack when it was hidden on the screen!”

“Not yet!”

It was amazing.

The old man was teaching the galaxy. He was planning the game so that the girl could grow in her judgment, decisiveness, and physical strength, as if she were actually fighting against A-class attackers. Playing with them was a bonus.

What was even more amazing was the galaxy.

At first, the girl was awkward even at pressing buttons, but soon she was pushing the old man to use both hands. Her ability to control the ‘wind’ of the galaxy was becoming more and more fluid, like flowing water. Her hand movements and judgment of situations became more refined and precise.

Is it amazing that the old man can pull people up here with just a joystick, or is it amazing that the galaxy is growing so naturally, like breathing, just with that?

Shihyuk opened his mouth, exclaiming in admiration.

“The two of you, the food is getting cold. Let’s finish the game after you finish eating.”

Rice was important.