Offline (1)

My reflection in the mirror made a sour expression.

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.

My naturally pale skin quickly showed signs of blushing.

“This, this doesn’t seem right.”

What I was wearing was a light monochrome dress.

I chose it because the material seemed fine and it didn’t look too revealing.

But the dress clung to me subtly, making me overly conscious of my body lines.

I should have known better when they said it was popular as “new city look” or whatever.

The waistline tucked in sharply below my prominently noticeable chest.

Yet it emphasized my hips and buttocks again, revealing an elegant curve.

Combined with my youthful face, it stirred up some kind of guilty feeling.

“No. This definitely won’t do.”

In the end, the monochrome dress was eliminated from the candidates.

The room was full of clothes, yet I was still in my underwear.

It was a terrible irony.

Since I agreed to meet, I didn’t want to look shabby.

It’s also to celebrate Gawol’s Arena victory, and it’s been so long since I met people like this.

I had no intention of going out carelessly dressed like I was just popping to the convenience store.

But was it because I usually wore such baggy clothes?

Or was it simply because it had been so long since I looked in a mirror?

When I actually put on clothes and stood in front of the mirror, the courage in my heart completely vanished.

At times like this, the internet was my only refuge.

But even after searching, nothing really appealed to me.

[Recent search history]

……

– Simple coordination

– Neat coordination

– Neat coordination for women

– How to dress well

– Meeting coordination

– Women’s meeting coordination

– Boyish coordination

After battling with clothes for over two hours,

All that was left for me was a terribly messy room.

And a completely shattered search algorithm.

This is dangerous.

Now clothing ads are popping up everywhere I look.

Even on video platforms that were full of game talk, unfamiliar channels were poking their heads in.

I understand the fashion stuff because I did that to myself, but why cosmetics I’ve never searched for?

No matter what, I won’t wear makeup.

This is my last pride as a man.

As soon as I scrolled down a bit, the recommended videos showed “If you’re a woman who fell in first love…” What’s all this about?

Angry dislike, not interested, don’t recommend channel.

I immediately gifted it the 3-set combo and removed the video from my sight.

I almost threw my phone away in frustration but held back because it was expensive.

“This is annoying, should I just go to sleep?”

Originally, I was planning to wear clothes I bought from online shops.

Well, I bought them because I liked them quite a bit.

I wouldn’t have bought them if I didn’t intend to wear them.

However, once I got other clothes, I became greedy.

Since I received these clothes as gifts, it seemed right to try them on at least once.

If I found something prettier and more to my liking, I could wear that.

The idea itself didn’t seem wrong.

But from the moment I became conscious of my body in the mirror, everything fell into a labyrinth.

The problem was that my body was more stimulating than I thought.

Once, I checked between my legs alone in the bathroom.

It was chilling. A smooth crevice without a single petal.

After opening up to see the soft, plump mound, I had to acknowledge my changes.

Whenever I tried to wear clothes with even a little exposure, I felt that strange feeling again.

It was still difficult to fully accept my body.

[Current time: 02:43 AM]

It seems I’ve been pondering too deeply.

Time has gotten too late without me realizing.

I narrowed it down to two choices. One was the casual suit I originally bought, and the other was the beige knit dress Luche gave me as a gift.

At least I tried on everything I could.

I’ll make the decision when I wake up in the morning.

When the time comes, I’ll probably wear something and go out anyway.

I fell asleep with subtle anxiety and anticipation.

* * *

[Chat room with Jung Seok-won]

– Have you left yet?

– We’re on our way to the company dinner

– You have fun too

– (Map: Nobel-chan Samgyeopsal & Fried Rice)

– We’ll be eating here, so contact us right away if anything happens

When I arrived near the meeting place by bus.

I got a message from my master.

I tried to write several messages but corrected them.

Being not good with words, trying to say everything I wanted made it too disorganized.

So I erased it all and just sent a thank you message.

Later when the tournament prize money comes in, I should send them something.

I was feeling burdened, thinking I was just receiving too much.

If I ask the master’s wife discreetly, I might be able to find out what to send them.

– Thank you.

– I’ll go and come back safely.

He read my message, but there was no separate reply.

In such an embarrassing moment, appropriate silence is the virtue of manly men’s conversation.

Born a natural manly man, I also passed without adding any unnecessary words.

Fortunately, the promised meat restaurant wasn’t far from the station.

I could walk leisurely even with crutches.

The spring weather was still continuing, so I didn’t even sweat.

As expected of a busy street, there were many people.

Affectionate-looking couples, cheerful groups of high school students, harmonious-looking families.

Somehow it felt strangely familiar, and I could easily recall the memory.

There’s an aquarium nearby.

So it’s probably right.

– Our son, did you have fun today?

– Your eyes were sparkling so brightly.

– It was so fun! I didn’t know jellyfish could be that big, and the sharks were incredibly cool!

It must have been my 2nd grade elementary school birthday.

We went to a family restaurant for dinner then, didn’t we?

There was definitely warmth in the place where the whole family gathered.

Will I be able to feel that warmth again?

Now, I wanted to feel warmth from human embrace, not chlorine-smelling tap water.

That’s why I overcame my fears and came here.

[Premium Korean Beef Specialist, Dream (夢)]

“Welcome, do you have a reservation?”

“Um… It should be under the name Yuserin.”

“Would you follow me? I’ll guide you.”

* * *

Although it wasn’t a time to be late.

It seems I was the last person to arrive.

When I entered the private room, everyone was already gathered.

“Um… I came by Yuserin’s invitation. Is this the right place?”

Ah, my voice came out too quietly.

Still, it seemed everyone heard me, as I was the focus of attention from the moment the door opened.

“Gawol? Is it really Gawol? Wow!”

“You can sit here!”

Two women and two men.

It’s the exact composition of the fixed party members I know.

Especially on the men’s side, I could recognize them right away due to the significant age difference between Soolbbang and Dulgul.

Their impressions are even similar to what I imagined.

‘Abuji-dol-gul-ro-ga-yu’, the Berserker user, is an uncle with a warm appearance.

He seems like he might have a child or two, and Soolbbang was a young man with a cheerful vibe.

The gazes of the four people each turned to my left leg at least once.

I unconsciously shrunk, but fortunately, their gazes weren’t too blatant.

My brace doesn’t look much different from a half-cast on the outside anyway.

“Oh my, it must have been hard getting here. Sit down and give me your crutches.

“Ah… thank you.”

“Did you hurt your leg?”

“Somehow. It’s fine if I’m careful.”

My seat was between the women.

Yeah. The problem was these two women. Elderin and Sansae.

I couldn’t tell who was who.

One was a woman slightly taller than my short stature. Her height might be a bit over 160cm.

Thanks to her clothes with bright frills, she gave off a girlish vibe.

With a face that seemed to smile even when still, she must have been loved wherever she went.

On the contrary, the other one was tall, easily over 170cm at a glance.

She even had sparkling piercings in her ears. At first glance, I got the impression she might be fun-loving and strong-willed.

Her bright smile made her seem like she had a good personality.

To put it simply, one was the older sister type, the other the younger sister type.

The tall one must be Elderin, right?

Although quite different from what I imagined, it wasn’t strange considering the friendliness she showed.

Just as I was about to thank them for inviting me, the smaller one waved her hand.

“We’ve already ordered the meat. Here’s the menu, see if there’s anything else you’d like!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Looking at the menu as if pushed.

Is it because I’ve lived in poverty for too long that I naturally check the prices first?

Even though I knew I didn’t have to pay, I felt reluctant about expensive food.

And as soon as I saw the menu, my eyes widened.

Expensive. Much more than I thought!

If I kept looking at the prices, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to eat properly.

I’ll just eat whatever meat they order.

For the meal, white rice should be enough, right?

“Anything is fine with me.”

“Then shall we order sirloin?”

“Yes…”

“By the way, you’re really cute.”

“Ah, I’m not cute.”

By the way, they’re not telling me who’s who.

It seemed easier to deal with the younger sister-like one rather than the strong older sister-like one for now.

After living as a loner for so long, there’s a kind of instinctive fear, you know?

Thinking about the character I raised in the game, the smaller one is probably Sansae.

Sansae’s character was a tiny Halfling bard.

Since it was a character smaller and cuter than me, her real-life preference might be similar.

“Um… Are you Sansae?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Something feels ominous.

Not just the two women, but even Dulgul and Soolbbang started giggling.

What is it? Did I get it wrong?

As bad premonitions always come true, the tall woman seductively grinned.

With a smiling face, she patted my shoulder.

“I’m Sansae.”

“Eeeek?”

“Pfft. You’re so surprised. It’s different from what you imagined, right?”

Only then did the two start introducing themselves.

“I’m Elderin! Yuserin!”

“Sansae. Kim Sin-a.”

“Han Da-eun. My game nickname is… Gawol.”

“By the way, Gawol is really pretty. I should brag about this in the lounge later.”

“Right, want to take a picture together later?”

Photos are a bit…

But is it okay to refuse after being treated to a meal like this?

After some consideration, I nodded.

I was thinking of revealing myself someday anyway.

They’re not the kind of people to do anything reckless, and even if it leaked, it would just be a matter of sooner or later.

It’ll be fine.

“Taking photos is okay, but… please don’t post them on the internet.”

“Of course! I’ll be the only one seeing it, okay? No one else can see! It’ll be my treasure.”

“Can I take one too?”

“Yes…”

Oh no.

I feel like I’m already losing my energy.