episode_0229

Only One (1) ― Hanmaeum Apartment, Juan 8-dong, Incheon, South Korea

The mouse moves busily across the mouse pad, clicking.

[brother! Are you going to be that upset just because you lost a game? You should run toward your 6th consecutive victory, right?]

I put down the mouse and knocked on the desk as I heard an obnoxious voice coming through the headset.

thud-!

[Hak Hak Hak!]

The younger brother responds to the light sound of impact with a unique laugh.

All I know is that his name is Gu Hyun-jae and that he is two years younger than me.

And even though it was just the guy’s face that appeared in small print on the Voice Talk profile and chat app -.

It was a relationship that continued through playing games together for quite some time.

A casual exchange that occurs only through computers, not in real life.

Therefore, there was a side where I could deal with it more comfortably and without any pretense.

“Shut up, you bastard! I feel like my head is going to explode because I feel like I have to change something to win.”

[huh? Bro, didn’t you set up all the settings while going through a hard time? But what else are you changing?]

“Ah—I don’t know—! Strangely, it feels like I have to keep changing something… … .”

[brother. You know it too. It’s not those settings that need to be changed, it’s your brother’s-]

“Yes~ Even if I lose 6 times in a row, I still have a higher score than you, right? I’m higher by an unimaginable difference, right? Even if you lose 10 games in a row, you’ll never be that devastated, right?”

[Yes~ As soon as I press it, I have a seizure, right? Are you saying you were stabbed properly?]

“Shut up, Mr. Koo Hyun-jae.”

[Hak Hak Hak!]

I hurriedly operated the mouse while listening to the sound of someone laughing every time I heard it.

Even though I tried changing the character settings and skill tree, I frowned at the feeling of strangeness that still persisted in my mind.

“… … Fuck. Why are you really like this?”

[what? Weren’t you just kidding? Why is your voice so serious?]

“… … It’s a legend. Did losing a game in a row cause you to become mentally ill?”

[…] … Was it Jjin, not Gura?]

Instead of answering Koo Hyun-jae’s question, I grabbed my head with my headset on.

Apparently, there was nothing wrong until last night…

Ever since I opened my eyes, this damn thought hasn’t left my head.

Perhaps the reason I continued my losing streak was not because of my skills, but because of my current worst condition.

Ah, you shouldn’t change the rank on days when you can’t do it.

That’s the truth.

This is a 4-game losing streak, Koo Hyun-jae, that bastard is making fun of me-

[brother. That’s not something to take lightly.]

The serious tone of the guy’s words coming through the headset.

I nodded and agreed with what he said.

“I think so, it’s the present. I think I have some kind of disease. Isn’t this a rare disease with no cure? Ah, I don’t even have the money to play a trifle game-”

[It could be more serious than that, bro.]

“… … .”

Why is this bastard suddenly having serious concerns that he never used to have?

Well, do you know anything?

[Could this be the last message my future brother sent to my current brother? If you don’t change something now, your life is a mess!]

thud-!

[Hak Hak Hak!]

Koo Hyun-jae laughs as if the world is leaving at the sound of hitting the desk again.

“Fuck, that’s right! Hey, this dog! If I’m going to send a message no matter how stupid I am, would I send such an idiotic message saying that Bitcoin is going up or not?!”

[But- is it true that your life is going to shit?]

이 개새끼!

Coo!

[Hak Hak Hak!]

“Ah, I’m suddenly getting angry. No – if you can clearly see that the game is going to hell, you can just hard reset it right away, but why doesn’t the world do a hard reset?”

I’m really about to do a hard reset… … .

Huuu- I let out a long sigh while looking at the ceiling.

[…] … brother.]

Koo Hyun-jae, who stopped laughing and quietly listened to my story, answered.

[That and that are different. I have no choice but to play games because the game is a mess, but it’s not the world that is messed up, it’s the brother who is messed up.]

“… … This is why I don’t like quick-witted bastards! Get out of here too, you bastard!”

[Hak Hak Hak!]

Tuk!

I pushed the desk with my foot and moved slightly away from the computer.

A gaming chair that is pushed around and a long headset cable.

“… … The facts are particularly heavy today.”

I looked up at the ceiling again and muttered.

A black flying insect flying around the light that illuminates the room.

I looked at the guy who was screaming and trying to cling to the light.

“Ha― Eventually, this day will come.”

Time to get out of the world and away from the computer.

It’s time to make money by doing real work, not games and part-time jobs.

The day when I had to become an adult, something I had been putting off forever, has finally come.

Suddenly, with such a strange and fierce siren sounding.

[…] … okay. My brother needs to get a job soon too. Then, won’t I be able to play games with my brother with peace of mind?]

“… … Fuck, that sucks.”

[So when are you going to escape from birth alone? You have to have a steady job so women don’t run away when they see your face. Aren’t you going to get married?]

“… … Say what you say right away. It’s not that I don’t do it, it’s that I can’t do it.”

[Hak Hak Hak!]

“… … Single person.”

[Hak Hak Hak Hak!]

Are you kidding me or is it really funny?

I chuckled as I heard the sound of the guy screaming clearly through the headset.

Grrr!

I pulled out my gaming chair again, arrived in front of the computer, and pressed ESC to quit the game.

“Put up your score while I’m away, it’s now.”

[Have you really decided?]

“… … okay. Now the day has come when I can’t even play games.”

[I think I said something similar to this back then too? If we add today’s resolutions together, what number of season’s resolutions is this?]

“I don’t know, you bastard. Don’t be bored and lonely until you get a job. ”

[Ah~ So should I duo with my girlfriend for a while?]

“I told you to raise your score, but you said you would lower it further?”

[…] … Phuuu-!]

The sound of something spraying, as if suppressing a sudden burst of laughter.

Even though I was listening to the sound through the headset, I felt like my ears were getting wet for some reason.

“Ah, it’s so beautiful.”

[…] … I was letting my guard down, Hakhak! Don’t look for me because you’re lonely. You know I have a girlfriend, right?]

“… … I really want to just swear once in a while, but since we won’t be seeing each other for a while, I’m holding back.”

[Wait a minute – what are you putting in?]

“이 개새끼야―!”

[Hak Hak Hak!]

Now, the conversation with this almost stereotypical guy has come to an end.

I organized the miscellaneous Internet tabs on the screen and finally hovered the mouse over the ‘Disconnect’ icon in Voice Talk.

[That was all a joke. When you are lonely or having a hard time, come visit me sometimes to refresh yourself, brother.]

“Even though it is difficult, there is no need to be lonely.”

[…] … huh?]

“Originally single, I don’t know what it means to be lonely. You’ve never been a couple.”

[…] … ah.]

Koo Hyun-jae’s sigh that is as deep as a sigh.

[You’re ending the finale like this again, leaving us in tears, brother. In that sense, may I also say my final greetings?]

“Yes. Try it, my brother.”

[…] … then. See you tomorrow, bro!]

“Such a dog―”

Tiri-ring-!

The voice talk ends before the swear words even reach the guy.

I laughed out loud as I looked at the guy who got out of Voice Talk before me.

“… … Cub.”

After cursing to myself, I took off my headset and threw it on the corner of the desk.

──────.

After the phone call with my spoiled little brother, Asshole, my house was filled with complete silence.

Except for the whirring noise of the main unit’s fan running, nothing new came out.

[kid-! You guys did what you told me to do and you died! My mission! What should I do with my mission?]

Internet broadcasting that we now watch as a habit.

I quietly checked my watch after seeing the chat window filled with [LOL].

4 a.m.

The voice of a male broadcaster resonates with so much tension at a time when even grasshoppers are sleeping.

I laughed with the chat window being filled with [LOL] every time the male broadcaster’s character died.

Approximately 9,000 viewers at 4am.

Approximately 9,000 people were still watching this broadcaster’s broadcast without sleeping.

No, I’m sure there are people who turned on the broadcast and fell asleep.

but-

It was clear that the people in the chat window, which were rapidly moving down, were spending the night with me.

why.

Why are these people watching this broadcast at the end of the night, not even in the middle of the night?

It was a question that came to my mind very naturally.

Perhaps someone could have watched the broadcast at this time because they had free time.

Someone else might be like night and day.

But I’m sure some of them feel the same way I do.

People who hate being alone in a lonely house.

Although I am alone, I want to be together somewhere crowded.

The desire to share and do things with others.

There may be people who watch the broadcast because of the loneliness that even I, who pretend not to know loneliness and pretend to be calm, eventually admit.

[Everyone, you must recognize this as a mission success! admit?! Do you admit it?! Hey, kick out all the people who say no!]

The monitor stays on a black screen for a while.

Suddenly, without any reason.

It was so ugly to see my face reflected in it.

Humans are so great that I can’t even deny it…

It was a terribly social animal.

Grrr!

I put on my shoes at the entrance, still listening to the broadcaster’s voice coming through the speakers.

thud-!

Hearing the sound of the door closing quite forcefully, I let out a long sigh.

Perhaps because winter has already passed, there is not even a trace of breath in the cool weather.

What should I do to start over?

Every time I go down a flight of stairs, thoughts that I had deliberately ignored come to mind.

Should I take TOEIC or TOEFL?

Or is it Korean? Should I start with that?

Which community should I go to to get the most information?

Come to think of it, I ruined my grades like shit. Can this be covered?

Should I also prepare for civil service?

No one has said anything about being a civil servant, but I’m excited – fuck – I heard the competition is so fucking fierce.

Haha, I should have just gone to science.

Or else the military would put a stake in it.

I left the apartment with one mind, repeating distant thoughts.

A convenience store across from the front door.

I shuddered when I saw the sign and interior shining brightly even this late at night.

Are you telling me to eat my meals in an already annoying part-time job?

Even if you search, you won’t do anything like that.

“… … Let’s have a McMorning.”

Adding hash browns to chicken cheese muffins.

A fixed early morning menu that I eat every day to the point where I get sick of it.

It was my own daily life, not that special.

“… … Ha-”

Even though I wasn’t out of breath, I let out a long sigh and walked away.

Trap – plod –

The streets of Incheon where I can only hear my rough footsteps.

The cars and people rushing up and down the road…

Everyone is sleeping now to prepare for tomorrow.

─────.

I walked through a city where even the neon signs that had been attracting people all night were asleep.

As I stepped on the sparse light of the street lamps, I looked around the city where everything had stopped for a moment.

Just looking at the quiet and still city makes my heart relax.

Whether it’s because of a sudden thought that won’t leave my head,

Whether it was because of the conversation I had with Koo Hyun-jae,

“… … Ha-”

It didn’t feel that good.

In the middle of the street, a light brightens the still dark night.

Trap – plod –

As I walked quietly and turned my head toward that place, I saw a man bustling about inside a store that appeared to be a rice cake shop.

Uuuu!

The loud engine sound of a device that appears to be a rice cake making machine.

As if to prove that it was a rice cake shop, the fragrant smell wafted out as soon as you got close.

“… … Oh!”

At that moment, the man who was busy looked at me and opened his eyes.

To me, who flinched for a moment at the sudden reaction of a man I had never met before –

“Good morning, student!”

Refreshing morning greetings flowed in.

The man’s eyes and bright smile draw a curved line.

“… … .”

I pursed my lips in embarrassment rather than embarrassment.

“… … Hello.”

It wasn’t morning yet for me.

It wasn’t morning in general terms, but it wasn’t even for me, who knew what he meant by morning.

The morning when you start your day again,

For me, it was last night when I hadn’t even slept yet.

so that-

Since it wasn’t morning for me, I could only respond by bowing my head slightly.

We didn’t do anything, but before we knew it, we quickened our steps as if we were avoiding a man whose time was different by a day.

The closer you get to the main street, the clearer the sight becomes.

I looked at the grandmother who was swinging around with her cart and the motorcycle passing quickly on the road.

Taxi drivers chatting while holding coffee from a vending machine at a taxi stop.

Even at the end of the dark night, people are still busy and starting their day.

chin-!

For some reason, the steps suddenly stopped.

“… … Ha-”

I looked up at the sky again and let out a long sigh.

The city was not asleep.

The city didn’t stop.

only me-

I am alone-

It just stood there doing nothing.