Chapter 61

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Soulmate

One day, sometime later.

I watched Toya quietly as she took a phone call. Partway through, she glanced at me and gave a thumbs-up.

A raised thumb meant “yes.”

Which also meant my soulmate had just given the all-clear—for something wonderful was ready to be cradled in my arms.

“Good news, Yeoreum!”

“Yeah!”

I was finally getting used to the oversized keyboard and mouse, even though they still felt awkward to use.
It was tolerable at best—not comfortable.
If I were still in a regular body, I could’ve made do with off-the-shelf gear.
But in my current state, that just wasn’t an option.

Anyway, the call Toya had just taken?
That was about exactly what I’d been waiting for.

The custom-made keyboard and mouse—tailored to fit my size.

The time had come to redeem myself for all those times I’d been mocked by viewers:
“A Gamers member who sucks at games?!”
No more.

“Let’s go! Hurry!”

“Getting ready right now!”

Unable to contain my excitement, I tugged on Toya’s sleeve until she scooped me up.
She helped me dress, bundled me in my coat, buttoned me up nice and snug.

Spring was just around the corner, but you never knew with cold snaps—“flower chill,” they called it.
Best to be cautious. Getting sick now would be a nightmare.

“This is it. Time to shed the shame of being bad at games…!”

“You really took that to heart, huh?”

“Of course I did! I mean—okay, maybe I wasn’t amazing, but I was decent! Everyone used to say I was at least average!”

Almost everything about me had changed.
But one thing remained untouched: my pride when it came to gaming.

Or rather, my ego.
The Korean blood running in my veins wouldn’t let me be bad at games. No way. No how.

Who else would go this far for gaming?

…Granted, I didn’t pay for it. Toya did.

“I’ll pay you back someday.”

“Pay me back? I’m the one paying you back, remember?”

“…It kinda feels like you’re overdoing it.”

Honestly, compared to everything Toya had done for me, I hadn’t given back nearly enough.

She always said she was just paying back what she owed—but it felt more like she kept giving, and I kept receiving.

Maybe she just genuinely liked doing things for others.
She was kind like that.

I mean, look at her—right now, she was walking on the roadside while keeping me on the safer, inner path.

“If your legs start hurting, tell me, okay? You seemed exhausted last time we walked too far.”

“I’m good. I’ve been moving around more lately, so I think I’m building stamina.”

I hadn’t been going out much, but I’d definitely been moving more.
My body still wasn’t strong enough to build real muscle, but I’d been trying—especially when it came to walking.

I still remembered the look on Toya’s face when she recorded me spinning in circles around the room.
What was she, my mom capturing a toddler’s milestones?

And the other day, she’d almost bought a camera just to “document” me—if I hadn’t caught her scrolling through options on her phone, we’d probably have one sitting at home already.

“I kind of want to try doing live game streams again.”

“How about a sleep stream instead? You sleep, and I sing lullabies next to you.”

“…Isn’t that just parenting?”

I couldn’t tell if Toya was just joking around or if she really thought of me that way.
With how she’d been acting lately, maybe a little of both.

I’d never really been treated like a kid before, so this was a strange new experience.

Was it even proper “kid treatment”? I had no clue.

“Oh, you’re early. Came right after I called?”

“Yes, boss. We came right away.”

“Toya’s friend came along too, huh? Well, I guess it is hers—it’s best she comes to pick it up herself.”

The shop owner looked pretty much the same as the last time we saw him.
Though the bags under his eyes hinted he’d been overworking again.

I decided not to bring that up.

Anyway, my heart was thumping so hard it felt like it might explode.

Just a keyboard and mouse? someone might ask.
But for a gamer? A set custom-made for you is like a dream come true.

“Here it is. Should fit your hands perfectly.”

“Whoa…”

My eyes widened at the sight of the keyboard and mouse he held out.

They were tiny.

Child-sized.
So small they could be mistaken for toys made for kids learning about computers.
But they didn’t look childish at all.

The keyboard was sleek and solid.
The mouse was round yet curved beautifully to fit the hand.

“Th-thank you!”

“Don’t thank me. Thank her. Wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for her.”

I didn’t know if the shop owner was some master artisan or not, but just from looking at the gear, I could tell it was made with care.

No matter how much she’d paid—this was craftsmanship.

Was there any luxury in life greater than playing games with gear like this?

And yeah…
Just like the owner said, if not for Toya, I’d never have been able to hold something like this in my arms.

“Thanks, Toya. Another amazing gift from you.”

“Don’t thank me. I just wanted you to have something really good, that’s all.”

“That’s exactly why I’m thanking you.”

Toya always did these incredible things and then looked confused when I thanked her for them.

Could I have done the same, if our roles were reversed?

I thought about it…
And then shook my head.

Nope. Toya really was one of a kind.

“I wanna go home right now and play…”

“Want to take a taxi?”

“That feels wasteful. Let’s just walk.”

“You sure? Even if they’re small, that’s still a keyboard and mouse.”

Yeah, it might be a bit much to carry all the way back.

But hey—could count as exercise.
And if I really couldn’t carry them, Toya could help.

…Though making the gift-giver carry their own gift kind of felt wrong.

“Well, if it gets heavy, I’ll take over. Exercise is good for both of us.”

“Okay…”

“Thanks again, boss. We really appreciate it.”

“If it breaks, bring it in. I’ll fix it. And if anything’s off, let me know.”

“Yes, sir…”

With no other customers around, the shop owner disappeared behind the counter, mumbling about taking a nap.
I bowed politely and stepped outside.

Toya’s gift—my new keyboard and mouse—was cradled in my arms.

With these, I could finally play games properly.

The memory of getting humiliated in Fall Guys by that one guy was still burned into my brain.

Next time I meet him… I’ll win for sure!

…Though honestly, I had no intention of playing Fall Guys again any time soon.

Still, I could feel Toya sneaking glances at me.

I turned my head slightly—and caught her staring.
Our eyes met, and both of us slowed our pace, until we eventually stopped.

…She looks kind of annoyed.

I wasn’t great at reading people’s expressions, but I’d spent enough time with Toya to get a feel for hers.

And right now?

Yeah—something was definitely bothering her.

When Toya was annoyed, her eyebrows always slanted just so.

“Toya…?”

“I’ll carry that.”

“O-oh… okay.”

Had I gotten too caught up in the keyboard and mouse?

I handed the shopping bag over, and she reached out her hand toward me.

…That meant she wanted to hold hands, right?

I took her hand.

Only then did she smile—a warm, satisfied smile.

“You didn’t hold my hand earlier, so I was jealous.”

“Really? You like holding my hand that much?”

“Of course! Holding your hand feels amazing.”

“…Didn’t you say my arm hurts because of the height difference?”

“Want me to carry you instead? Honestly, I’d rather do that.”

If I’m being real…
The “my arm hurts” thing? That was a lie.

Toya always bent down to match my height lately.
She made sure it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Still… being a little taller would be nice, honestly.

As I savored the warmth from her hand, I mentally ranted about my short height.

But the moment I saw Toya smiling at me like that—

All my complaints disappeared.

When I was with Toya, I didn’t want to think about anything negative at all.

Fables