Chapter 16 : Rydel’s Gratitude (3)

Convenience store.

Even the night owls, who become energized at night, find their way to the convenience store, the modern-day friend that helps people live a normal life.

It was a place I usually visited often, but.

“Ugh…”

I squinted my eyes as the lights of the convenience store came into view.

The familiar store sign felt strangely awkward.

I didn’t want to go out if I could avoid it.

But there was no choice.

The food supply was running out.

The cup noodles were almost gone, and the only food left was some rice and a few eggs.

And slowly, the green onions, which had started to grow white mold, were the only other option.

I thought about scraping off the mold and eating the green onions, but… that didn’t seem right, so I sluggishly walked out of my one-room apartment.

Phew.

Although I had become more introverted, normally, I wouldn’t feel this nervous.

I wasn’t going for an interview or anything, just to buy food at a convenience store.

The reason I felt more nervous than usual was because of one thing.

It was the first time I’d be meeting someone since the world changed.

Not online, but offline.

It was the monumental moment of my first contact with another person after my body changed.

It wasn’t a big deal, but it made me nervous.

In times like this.

I thought about the mind control techniques I had seen on the internet.

Gigachad: “I’m so scared, I don’t think I can do it.”

Gigachad: “Stop overthinking, you idiot. Self-deprecation isn’t good.”

Imagining Gigachad, a muscular but warm-hearted guy, was a trend.

Although it spread as a meme, it was surprisingly effective when used in moments of anxiety.

Gigachad: “I don’t know what you’re afraid of, but what matters is not how far you go. It’s about taking one step forward.”

Imagining the dependable muscle man speaking kindly to me made me feel a bit more secure and eased my tension.

But… “Can I really go into the convenience store?”

Gigachad: “Fear tells you that you’re growing. But if you don’t challenge yourself… Wait, are you scared of going into the convenience store?”

Me: “Yes…”

Tsk.

The inner Gigachad disappeared with a look of disdain.

Mind control failed.

To hesitate over something like this… even my unconscious self must have thought it was pathetic.

“Sigh, let’s just go in.”

What would change by pretending like this by myself?

Surely, the store clerk wouldn’t eat me alive.

I dragged my feet and entered the convenience store.

***

Inside the convenience store:Park Kyungsoo stifled a yawn while fiddling with his smartphone.

Night shift at the convenience store.

He had gotten the job through a friend who had said it was a great part-time gig.

There weren’t many customers, and the work was easier than he had expected.

It wasn’t just killing time, though; there were some annoying tasks too.

‘But isn’t that the same with any part-time job?’

It was enough to make Park Kyungsoo feel satisfied with how easy it was.

“Yawn~”

The yawn he had been holding back escaped.

Everything was fine, except for one thing: jet lag.

It had been almost a month, and he was used to the job now, but his body still hadn’t fully adapted.

Even though he tried to hold it back, yawns kept coming.

“Starting work is the hardest part. I’m wide awake in the early morning, though.”

Park Kyungsoo muttered to himself as he tried to shake off his sleepiness.

Ding~♬

The sound of the bell on the door startled him.

“Welcome…”

As he reflexively turned his gaze while saying the familiar greeting, Park Kyungsoo, whose eyes were half-closed from exhaustion, suddenly widened his eyes, as if he had received a divine offering.

“Wow…”

She was beautiful.

No, it was so beautiful that even a simple expression like that seemed inadequate.

Behind her hoodie, her long hair flowed down, shimmering silver.

Her skin was as white as snow, with a sharp nose and cute lips.

And her naturally glowing violet eyes.

She looked like a clear, transparent jewel.

‘Is she a foreigner? Mixed race? But wait, do foreigners even have silver hair? Violet eyes?’

Park Kyungsoo stared blankly at the girl, feeling confused by his common sense.

Silver hair and violet eyes.

It was such a rare combination that you’d see it maybe once in a lifetime.

Such colors weren’t easy to pull off for an ordinary person.

But.

The beautiful girl, like a doll, looked completely natural with her unique hair color and eyes.

In fact, her silver hair and violet eyes seemed to exist just for her, fitting perfectly.

‘Is she a celebrity? Or maybe an idol trainee?’

When he first saw a female celebrity at a school festival, he thought, “Wow, she’s really pretty, celebrities are different,” but now, the face of that celebrity was fading from his memory.

“Um…”

Park Kyungsoo, who had been standing there in a daze, snapped out of his trance at the woman’s voice.

The girl, who had approached without him noticing, was holding a convenience store lunchbox and a few triangle rice balls in her arms.

Park Kyungsoo suddenly realized what he had forgotten.

He had completely forgotten that he was working part-time.

“Um… please scan this.”

Her clear, beautiful voice matched her appearance perfectly.

“Ah, yes, yes…!”

With nervous hands, Park Kyungsoo scanned the barcode.

He thought he had gotten used to this job after a month, but he felt just as nervous as when he first started working and met his first customer.

“9,800 won.”

“Here…”

The girl pulled out her check card, paid, gave a polite bow, and left the store.

“Phew…”

As he watched the girl walk away, Park Kyungsoo calmed his pounding heart.

The tension that had been so tight slowly faded away.

He even wondered if he had seen something because of his exhaustion, as the feeling felt almost unreal.

“She seems to live nearby… Can I see her again?”

If she lived far away, she wouldn’t have come all the way here at night.

The thought of seeing her again brought a smile to Park Kyungsoo’s face.

The exhaustion that had weighed him down before she entered had long since disappeared without a trace.

***

Internet community, Soopjijik Broadcasting Gallery.

It was the largest internet broadcasting community in South Korea.

【Did something happen on Rydel’s stream today?】

[The viewer count hit 40,000?I tuned in, but the content had already ended… What exactly happened?]

Hahaha, you missed this.

You’ve lost half your life.

Updated the Chain Roller ranking to #1.

Really?

When will the replay be uploaded?

【What are you talking about? Did Delbung really hit #1 in Chain Roller?】

[Wasn’t she dropping consistently in the early stages?

I was watching for 4 hours and thought she was going to stay up all night, so I went for dinner, but by the time I came back, the content was over.

Did Delbung use hacks or something?

What happened?]

You watched for 4 hours and left?

Yeah, yeah.

She said she was going to switch members and create a new room, so I went to eat.

Hahaha, you wasted 4 hours.

You missed the most important part.

Did you leave and then open your eyes to see silver hair?

That person came and carried the game.

What do you mean “carried”?

How did the game end while I was eating?

Shouldn’t it have taken at least 4 hours?

If you watch it, you’ll understand.

The YouTube edited version is out, so watch it.

【But seriously, who is this silver-haired person?】

[There was a rumor that they’re a “Le&Ma” pro player trainee. Is that true?

But they’re not an active pro, so why did this rumor spread about a trainee?

Maybe an active pro just hid their nickname.]

There’s no one among the active pros who can show that level of skill.

Isn’t this possibly a monster rookie preparing for their debut?

That’s why the rumor spread.

In the first place, because no active pro can do that well, the rumor about a trainee spread.

??

Are you saying they’re better than active pro gamers?

Yeah, yeah.

Since the league season just ended, some pros were streaming Chain Roller.

They all played for over 5 hours.

【If the pros really focused, they could reclaim the #1 spot.】

[Honestly, the pro gamers were just doing it for fun, so it took over 5 hours.

Rydel and that silver-haired person finished in 4 hours and 21 minutes.]

If a pro team seriously grinds Chain Roller, they could easily clear it in 3 hours, right?

Someone even hit #1 in solo mode, and they were a streamer.

No matter how good a casual player is, pros wouldn’t lose to them, right?

Pro gamers are just built different.

You can’t even compare them to regular players.

LMAOOOOOOOOOO.

Dumbass, the actual record isn’t 4 hours and 21 minutes.

Huh?

What are you talking about?

They literally got #1 with a 4-hour 21-minute run.

Nah, that’s because Delbung didn’t reset the timer.

The real record is 21 minutes.

‘-What? A 21-minute clear? That’s impossible.’

It is impossible, that’s why everyone’s freaking out.

There’s a video on You -Tube, go watch it.

Holy shit, I’m gonna check it out.

Damn, it’s real?

What is this person?

Are they even human?

A gaming machine?

[But can you really judge skill just by Chain Roller?]

[They’re obviously cracked, but who knows how they’d do in VR?]

They’re just that dominant.

True, but players with insane mechanics usually do well in VR too.

It’s still about physical skill.

Their neurons are just built different.

Silver Hair isn’t human—they’re a wild animal.

[Found out who Silver Hair is!]

[Isn’t it Chloe? That rookie who joined Glitch Core’s team?

Pros have been praising her mechanics like crazy.

She’s still young and a trainee, so she’s got more free time than active pros.

If you had to pick one, it’s gotta be Chloe, right?]

The Chloe theory’s been floating around.

I think it’s her too.

But Silver Hair seems nicer than Chloe.

Chloe’s personality is kinda trash.

True, but they don’t chat much, so they could be hiding their personality.

Silver Hair said they’ve never played VR games before.

Also claimed they were unemployed.

It’s anonymous anyway, they could be lying.

Steam IDs can be changed.

[Don’t think it’s Chloe.]

[Anyone who’s seen their streams knows it’s not her.

They even helped Rydel with her debut stream.

Even if Chloe’s a psycho, she wouldn’t trick Rydel like that.

They’re not on the same level.

They just have totally different vibes.

Stream watchers know what I mean.]

It’s definitely Chloe.

She might flop in VR though.

If she does, it’s not about personality—she’s just dumb.

[Delbung seems desperate, so I bet Silver Hair will start streaming soon.]

[Just wait for the stream, I guess?

They got a VR headset too, so they’ll probably play Realmado.

I’m really curious if they’ll dominate there too.]

I wanna see Silver Hair vs. Chloe 1v1.

Their tiers are way too far apart, how would they even match?

LMAO Silver Hair’s never even played VR games.