Ch.231Guild House (2)

# 231. Guild House (2)

Living in the Guild House, our new home, was wonderful.

It was comfortable and happy.

Before, after barely surviving the day at work being harassed by company duties and teammates, I’d come home to a cramped, gloomy studio apartment that greeted me.

Not anymore.

After quitting my job, I had time to spare, and in its place was a spacious, beautiful house with an even more beautiful and lovable family.

Too much time on my hands?

There was plenty to do, so it didn’t matter.

Of course, I was the only unemployed bum (excluding Subin, our great financial provider), so during mornings and afternoons, everyone else was out at school or work, leaving the house empty.

Still, I had Subin, I had my computer, and I had our newly adopted cats, Rada and Niya.

“Yes, yes. You like your bottom patted that much?”

“Nyaaa~”

“Meoww~”

Among everything, I particularly enjoyed raising cats, something I couldn’t even consider when living alone. Whether by luck or because of the names I gave them, both were incredibly affectionate.

Fluffy fluffy, pat pat, stroke stroke, purr purr rumble rumble.

When I finish one cycle with one cat, the other presses its soft paw firmly on my foot, looking up at me with bright, round eyes.

Under that heart-attacking gaze, I pick up that one and go through the walalala cycle, then the first one urges me with a similar posture.

Ah.

Is this heaven?

They were still close to being kittens, so after playing energetically, they’d quickly tire out. After patting them to sleep, I’d either use the computer or go out to the garden to stare blankly at the sky.

When going to the garden, it was perfect to bring coffee or tea.

“The view is nice.”

“Not particularly.”

“Sigh, T-Subin.”

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re right. The view isn’t particularly nice.”

“Pfft. What are you saying?”

Then Subin, who had been doing housework or whatever, would follow me out and sit across from me. The countenance of our almighty and great provider, Eun Subin, was becoming more radiant by the day.

“Isn’t there anything you want to do?”

“I’d like to be a jobless bum forever.”

“Be serious.”

“Hmm. It’s a joke, but also half-serious.”

“So the money just comes from your ancestors?”

“Won’t the great Eun Subin provide for me?”

“You’ve already become a kept man…”

Subin looked at me with pity. In the past, I might have objected, but now I didn’t even flinch.

Because…

It was true.

“You’re not even pretending to deny it?”

“Objectively speaking, I am a kept man. So, what do I want to do? Nothing particular yet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You know about dopamine addiction, right? When you get addicted to something, smaller stimuli don’t generate much response or interest.”

“Are you saying that’s your current state?”

“Seems like it? After experiencing such dynamic adventures. Aren’t you the same?”

There were many returnees besides those from our engineering department. I wasn’t sure about their conditions, but from the news, some seemed to be in worse shape than us, while others apparently returned home just fine.

Things have calmed down now, but the embers haven’t fully died out… Going to another world, a “game world,” was such an absurd event.

If it were considered a mental illness, then countless people with nothing in common except playing that game would all have to be considered mentally ill.

The statements were too consistent to be dismissed as mental illness.

But thinking about it, the term “mental illness” might not be completely wrong, just uncomfortable to hear.

What made me laugh was that only my family, including the kittens, brought me joy and happiness.

Even shorts, the symbol of dopamine, were now just very brief edited clips to me.

“Even lottery winners still go to work, you know.”

“Really?”

“I’m not saying you need to find something to do or want to do right now. Just try to have a goal, even if you take it slow. As you live comfortably… your symptoms might gradually dilute.”

“As expected from our engineering department brain, Ye Byeol-nojeong. Thank you for your wise words, a hundred, a thousand times over.”

“It’s nothing.”

Gratitude should be expressed openly. So I did without hesitation.

It wasn’t a big deal.

I just held Subin’s hand tightly. She blinked, staring at me, and I leaned in to kiss her.

Subin’s lips smelled like chamomile.

*****

In the late afternoon or evening, the once-quiet Guild House would become lively again. Unless someone was extremely late coming home, we always ate dinner together, making it the most abundant and happiest time of the day.

“Ah, home-cooked meals are definitely better than cafeteria food.”

“That’s true.”

“Didn’t you say the cafeteria food improved?”

“It improved enough to be edible. But the price went up too, so overall, it’s not really worth it.”

“Hey, don’t skimp on food. By the way, how’s Arang? What did the hospital say?”

“They were making a fuss about it being a miracle. Not just kind lies to comfort us, but apparently there’s genuinely significant improvement.”

With seven people, everyone had different food preferences. In the Tower, we were often grateful just to have anything to eat, and cooking was limited to simple dishes…

But now we could buy a variety of ingredients, had various cooking tools, and it was safe. If we were lazy, we could order delivery or takeout.

Tonight’s dinner theme was Western cuisine.

We fried pork cutlets, grilled steaks to everyone’s preference, and served pasta—aglio e olio, vongole, and amatriciana—with sides of salad, french fries, and soup.

“Wow, what’s the occasion? Why such a feast?”

“Just because. I put in some effort. As always, Subin helped a lot too.”

Cooking for seven people certainly wasn’t easy, but there was joy in learning new recipes and satisfaction in seeing everyone’s eyes light up and watching them enjoy the food.

“Let’s eat first. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

“Yes! Thank you for the meal!”

“I’ll enjoy it, oppa!”

“You worked hard, Suhyeok!”

“Sob, I must have lived until now just for this moment.”

Honestly, I know that no matter how hard I try at home, it can’t compare to restaurant food unless I’m a chef.

But as Yuri said, there’s a mysterious buff to the term “home-cooked meal.”

The joy of dining with loved ones.

The happiness of having someone you love cook for you.

Food that’s ordinarily delicious, if not restaurant-quality.

These three buffs blend harmoniously into the single term “home-cooked meal.” And they don’t wear off easily; rather, they strengthen over time.

Dinner time always extends long because it includes talking about the day’s events. Between eating slowly and chatting through dessert, it typically lasts at least an hour, sometimes up to two.

Tonight’s dinner took about two hours. Yuri and Seyeon shared their experiences at university today, particularly the annoying situations they faced after being identified as “returnees,” and time flew by as we listened.

“Hey, stop!”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing? It’s not your turn. We said we’d handle the cleanup since we enjoyed the meal, so go rest!”

After dinner, as I was about to clean up, Yuri stopped me. She took the rubber gloves from my hands and started washing dishes before I could say anything. Meanwhile, Seyeon, who was standing beside me, pushed me toward the living room by pressing on my back.

“Rest, oppa.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Seyeon, make sure Yuri washes the dishes thoroughly. No grease left behind.”

“Am I a child? As if I’d do it carelessly!”

“Hehe. I’ll make sure.”

After brushing my teeth, I sat on the living room sofa.

The current time was 9:30 PM.

After dinner, everyone would gather in the living room for group time.

It could be drinking games if we were having alcohol, or continuing conversations we didn’t finish during dinner, or listening to someone’s concerns, or playing board games together.

Today, judging by the atmosphere, I sensed it would be a time for discussing someone’s concerns.

“Nyaaa~”

“Meoww~”

“Look at them. They’re like Suhyeok’s shadows.”

“I know. There must really be something about their names.”

As soon as I sat on the sofa, Rada and Niya ran over and pressed on my ankles. I lifted them onto my lap. While stroking them from neck to bottom with both hands, the cleanup crew joined us in the living room.

“Everyone! Do we have anything special planned for today?”

“Not really?”

“Then can I talk about this?”

“About what?”

Yuri plopped down on the sofa and threw out a topic.

“Returnees.”

“…Why bring that up?”

When Subin asked, Yuri answered seriously.

“I mentioned it lightly earlier, but being a returnee is more troublesome than you’d think. It’s annoying enough having classmates and department members asking all sorts of questions out of curiosity, but then there are DMs about interviews or research… all kinds of messages.”

“Hasn’t that died down?”

“It’s less than before, but they still come steadily. Even if I ignore them, they keep coming. Maybe it’s because we haven’t made an official statement or explanation…”

“It’s hard to keep quiet when so many people disappeared at once and then reappeared months later. If anything, it’s fortunate things have flowed this way. We’ve held out for a long time.”

“So what should we do from now on?”

I thought if we just lived quietly, it would naturally fade away. I’d quit my job and wasn’t active on social media.

But my family was different. Unlike me, an indoor-type unemployed bum, they went outside and had communication channels online.

If those things kept bothering my family, it was right to find a solution, even if it didn’t affect me directly.

“Since there’s no physical harm, security seems excessive.”

“What about creating new accounts?”

“That won’t work. Unless we go completely private or stop all activity, they’ll sniff us out.”

“It’s not just Yuri; I’m having headaches too. Not just from teachers but from students… ‘Teacher Yehyun, is it true you entered a game world? How did it feel? Did you really use game skills? How could Teacher Yehyun defeat monsters?'”

The concerns each of us had been holding back during dinner now poured out.

They say sharing concerns can alleviate some of the burden, but finding a solution was challenging.

That’s when…

“What if we just put it all out there ourselves?”

“What do you mean?”

“Create a channel. Upload videos there. Make an official statement too. Like, ‘Please stop bothering us before we crush you all.'”

Subin proposed a plausible solution.

As expected of our brain.