Ch.140Someone’s Memory(V)+

# 140. Someone’s Memory (V)+

I was already familiar with the stories of junior employees feeling anxious about taking time off, having heard them countless times even before I started working.

That’s why I did my best to appear competent and diligent to minimize any awkwardness. On top of that, I asked for permission and confirmation not once, but three times before using my annual leave.

For a family event happening for the first time.

I wasn’t particularly close with my parents. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d had face-to-face conversations with my father, and my mother was the one who had put immense academic pressure on me.

Still, I’d been living apart from my family since high school, and with the college-military-work trajectory, family interference had dropped to almost zero, allowing our relationship to naturally recover over time.

Maybe it was because I’d seen cases where parents continued to meddle even after their children became adults, or because I’d heard stories of more serious family issues, but I felt relatively fortunate that my parents weren’t like that.

So when my parents suggested we meet for lunch and dinner to catch up, saying they rarely got to see my face these days, I didn’t refuse. I even made reservations at a nice restaurant and took a day off for it…

And they want to cancel it?

And replace my leave day with my colleague’s?

“Sunghyun? What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving work.”

“What? Sunghyun, I didn’t know you could joke like that.”

Joke my ass, bitch.

I ignored the team leader’s words, cleaned up my desk, and shut down my computer. Realizing I wasn’t joking, the team leader approached with the clicking sound of her heels, and my colleague, who had been watching the situation nervously, now openly stared at me…

“Sunghyun… what kind of attitude is this?”

“It’s the attitude of someone who’s too fucking fed up to continue.”

“W-what?”

Ah, that feels good.

Fire me if you want. This isn’t the only company out there, and with my qualifications, finding another job would be annoying but doable.

“You work me like a dog with unfair treatment, then reject my leave request without any valid reason? You must think I’m a pushover because I quietly do whatever I’m told, but you’re only my superior at work, not outside of it.”

“W-what is this…”

“Hey. You.”

“M-me?”

“Yes, you. I’ve done a lot of your work for you all this time, so today you can do mine for a change. I’m absolutely done with this bullshit today.”

Looking at the faces of my team leader and colleague, I wondered if I’d gone too far, but it was too late to take it back.

I might regret this moment later, but months of accumulated anger and frustration had exploded… Whatever. Let whatever happens happen.

I left work right then. My phone started ringing like crazy with calls and messages afterward, but I ignored them all, went home, ordered a ton of delivery food, played games to my heart’s content, and slept like a baby.

The next day.

“Ban Sunghyun.”

“Yes.”

“About yesterday, don’t you have anything to say?”

When I arrived at work, the team leader, who had come in earlier than usual, asked me.

‘Either apologize or fire me. These women always try to push things onto me and test my reactions.’

Having already crossed the line by a mile, I stepped on the gas instead of the brakes.

“No, I don’t.”

“Hah… Look, Ban Sunghyun. You still don’t understand the seriousness of—”

“I said I have nothing to say, so I’ll get back to my work.”

I coolly ignored her and started doing my regular work. Normally, no one would say anything about being a few minutes late, but the team leader, perhaps furious because of me, was seen snapping at my colleague who arrived late.

‘Serves her right.’

Though I wasn’t completely devoid of conscience and common sense, the two of them, who couldn’t openly confront me, started harassing me in other ways when I acted like nothing happened and left work exactly on time every day.

It was bad enough that a team leader from another department had to step in and tell my team leader that she was going too far, so I didn’t even want to recall all their tactics.

My response was consistent.

Do my work, but leave exactly on time no matter what.

Overtime? Working late? Fuck that.

Annual leave? I’ll apply for every day I’m entitled to and definitely take them all.

Got a problem with that? Then fire me. Go ahead and coddle that two-faced colleague of yours.

As a result, the behavior of those two women—no, those two bitches—became even more petty… Not all women in the world would act like this, of course, but any desire I had to date completely evaporated.

“Once I save enough money, I’m definitely going to become one of those FIRE people or whatever. Fucking bitches.”

At least leaving work on time meant I had free evenings.

– Welcome, Savior!

“This is what gaming is, this is what life should be.”

Look at the waitress at the inn where my character stays. That beautiful, bright smile! Being in a different dimension and unable to communicate isn’t a flaw.

Just because people exist in the same dimension and have mouths doesn’t mean communication is guaranteed. In fact, how many rotten people are there whose mouths I wish would just stay shut?

So I immersed myself in games while consuming convenience store food and beer, but something felt missing even while playing. And soon I realized why.

‘I need something fun besides just writing guides!’

Games are more enjoyable when played together! Especially MMORPGs. When I was focused on writing guides, I went deep into it alone with no room for others, but now that I’d stopped, playing alone felt boring.

‘I’ve reached a named position as a guide writer, if not the very top… so why not aim for the top as a gamer too?’

After that, I started seriously focusing on equipment I hadn’t optimized before, watching videos and streams of top rankers, studying existing raid boss patterns, and participating in pickup groups to get a feel for raids and what raid leaders should do.

‘This is fun!’

It was a different kind of enjoyment from writing guides. So much so that it completely made me forget the stress from work.

Of course, that didn’t mean the stress from those two women at work disappeared—I felt absolutely terrible about a third of every weekday… but the fact that I wasn’t fired despite crossing the line so blatantly suggested I must be doing my job well.

That allowed me to focus on game research with even more peace of mind.

After extensive research, I decided it would be better to become a raid leader myself and form my own raid group rather than joining someone else’s.

‘There are some good raid leaders out there, but something’s still missing.’

It might have been an arrogant thought. I wasn’t part of the vanguard who had been playing since the game’s early days, and I had zero experience as a raid leader.

But this was how I enjoyed the game, so who could say anything about it?

Equipment could be improved by upgrading specs, achievements were already top-tier so I just needed to focus on new additions, and I could handle boss strategies well thanks to my experience as a guide writer.

The important things were leadership ability and recruiting raid members.

I prepared for a long time.

I practiced giving orders while watching published raid videos, imagining myself as the raid leader, and tested my skills in pickup groups. I also analyzed data from famous rankers of each class, watched their videos, and whenever possible, observed them playing directly or joined their raids to subtly add them as friends and build connections.

Time passed, and before I knew it, I was twenty-six, just past the mid-point of my twenties.

Whether it was because I’d been bombarded with nagging about age and marriage from relatives during the New Year, or because I’d managed to dodge the team leader’s attempts to ruin the office atmosphere, on the day I finally made it home…

I decided to finally form my raid group.

I had already decided on the name and created it.

VERITAS. Truth.

Our raid group would be the truth, and our strategies for “first clear” would become the standard. That was the ambition behind the name.

Now if only I could recruit the people I had my eye on.

“The first recruitment target… Yebeobnojeong. This person would be perfect.”

After that, I…

[To Yebeobnojeong: Yebeobnojeong]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Yebeobnojeong]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Yebeobnojeong]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Yebeobnojeong]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Yebeobnojeong]

[From Yebeobnojeong: I told you]

[From Yebeobnojeong: I’m not interested]

[From Yebeobnojeong: Why are you so persistent]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Come on, just once]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Just talk with me in detail once, please?]

[From Yebeobnojeong: Why on earth]

[To Yebeobnojeong: Because there’s no one as talented as you!!!]

Sometimes I stuck to them like a stalker.

[To PhysicalTherapist: If you join Veritas, I promise you won’t regret it. You absolutely won’t regret it. Because we’ll be the strongest raid group worthy of the strongest healer like you. The strongest buffer and commander. The strongest magic DPS. The strongest melee DPS. And the strongest tank too. These are people who will make your healing and protection truly worthwhile]

[To PhysicalTherapist: Please become the bastion of Veritas]

[To PhysicalTherapist: Only you can complete Veritas]

Sometimes I begged desperately.

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: Hey]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: SteadfastBackdoor]

[SteadfastBackdoor: ?]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: By any chance]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: If you haven’t completed the Shining Ruan quest]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: Could we enter together?]

Sometimes I pretended to meet by chance to increase contact and subtly recruit them.

[WaterKnowsTheAnswer: Hmm]

[WaterKnowsTheAnswer: I don’t like things too intense but…]

[WaterKnowsTheAnswer: This looks good!]

[NewAx: I don’t care about any of that]

[NewAx: Just guarantee me one thing]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: What?]

[NewAx: Don’t interfere with me outside of raids]

[NewAx: Unless I’m clearly in the wrong]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: Of course]

[NewAx: OK I applied]

[NewAx: Accept it]

[KillTheKnight: No voice chat required?]

[JeanneDArcIsASaint: Of course]

[KillTheKnight: I’ll join then]

And the remaining three who were recruited more easily than the other three.

Having finally succeeded in recruiting even the main tank, I was about to order chicken to celebrate. Just as I opened the delivery app.

[DongDol: Hey Ban-sung]

[DongDol: You busy?]

[Me: Yeah]

[Me: About to order chicken]

[DongDol: FFS]

[DongDol: Hey]

[Me: What?]

[DongDol: A girl I know saw your photo]

[DongDol: And wants me to introduce you]

[Me: How did she see my photo?]

[DongDol: She saw the one we took when we hung out last time]

[DongDol: Anyway]

[DongDol: (photo)]

[DongDol: She looks like this]

[DongDol: Interested in meeting her?]

[DongDol: This weekend]

A message about a blind date came from my friend.