VR Room and Offline (3)

Han Hyun-ji, my cousin who I tutored two years ago and got into university.

Back then, she was super tall and skinny, and she doesn’t seem much different now.

The last I heard, she got into S University on a scholarship, but I don’t know why someone like her needed my help to study.

If I could get her into S University, I should be at S University myself, but I’m not. She’s just good.

I don’t know why she learned from me. Of course, the adults were happy she went to university, but it’s not like I taught her anything.

“I came because you told me to, but what brings you here?”

Hyun-ji’s house is far from mine. How far? Far enough that you can’t get there without a car.

She must have a reason to come all the way here… Asking felt a bit awkward.

I instinctively knew that the way she was looking at me with that subtle smile wasn’t ordinary.

You know that look, the one that says she’s about to tease me mercilessly.

“I signed a contract for a room nearby and was going to play a game… but something pissed me off, so I thought I’d see Oppa before I left.”

“Does that thing that pissed you off have anything to do with me? Does the person you signed the contract with look like me?”

“That’s not it. But something super, super annoying happened while I was playing the game.”

Did I do something wrong while playing the game? No way, I’m not the type to go around cursing people while gaming.

Besides, it shouldn’t have anything to do with me when I’m playing a game. Unless someone with a nickname like SeonhoJjangJjangMan cursed at me, I wouldn’t care.

I’m not clueless, but I really don’t know why I’m involved in this.

“If I’m not involved, then why me, In-seok-ah…”

“…Are you sure you’re not involved? It’s something that pissed me off while gaming.”

“So, what happened while you were gaming? Did someone with a name like SeonhoJjangJjangMan curse at you?”

“If it was just that, I’d just curse back and be done with it. It’s worse than that.”

Worse? Did she hear some blasphemous curses?

No, if that were the case, she wouldn’t be mad at me. Honestly, she could just report it and leave. But why?

Why is she dragging me into this? I’m starting to get pissed off.

I frowned openly, and she sighed.

I need to know what’s going on to even talk about it, but she’s still stalling, as always.

If she were my real sister, I’d grab a switch and try to fix her personality.

I understand since she’s always been called sly as a fox, but she needs to know when to stop.

“If you don’t tell me now, I’m just going to leave?”

Only after I say I’m leaving does she stroke her chin and laugh at my words.

Seriously, what is it? It’s not like I cursed while playing the game.

The fact that it’s a game is a bit concerning, but I’ve never even met her there, so why the hell is she calling me out of the blue when she’s annoyed?

“Oppa met me, but didn’t recognize me at all, and that pissed me off. So, since I was nearby, I called you.”

“…Me? When did I meet you recently…”

I know exactly what it feels like to have my mind blown.

Without realizing it, my eyes widened as I looked at Hyun-ji.

Naturally, Hyun-ji looked at me with half-closed eyes and smiled. So that’s why she called me, you crazy bitch.

Only then did my mind start racing. The only possible way we could have met recently is through a game.

And in that game, Warfield, I only met one person.

A ranked sniper user. Her voice was also distorted, so I couldn’t recognize her, but she wouldn’t say this unless it was her.

“Wouldn’t you be a little pissed if the Oppa who taught you while making all sorts of sex jokes when you were 19 didn’t recognize you at all?”

“Honestly, I would be pissed. But isn’t it a bit much to ask me to recognize you when your name and voice are both private?”

“That’s right, I told you. That’s why I was pissed, and since I was nearby, I called you. I’m not trying to get angry, I’m just curious if you’ve changed.”

Even the way she sips her Americano with a straw makes me sweat a little.

I can feel the sweat running down my spine, but I can’t show any weakness.

Because she’s the type who will try to bite if I show any weakness.

“But thankfully, Oppa is still the same.”

Thankfully, Hyun-ji smiled brightly and put down her coffee.

If her smile earlier was like a witch’s, this one is a bit more like a young girl’s?

At least she looks much calmer, so I let out a sigh of relief.

Did I do something wrong…? Ah, my brain isn’t working properly.

The ice in the coffee that’s been sitting there is slightly melted, making a clinking sound, so I picked up the coffee.

I took a sip of the coffee to cool my head and let out a deep breath disguised as a sigh.

“Hoo-“

Yeah, the coffee is helping me clear my head.

The smile she’s giving me is at least a little calmer, so I feel more at ease.

Okay, so we’ve seen each other’s faces, so it’s over, right? Right? I’m trying to get my act together and slowly find my pace.

“So, now that you’ve seen my face, you’re going home?”

“I was just going to drink coffee and leave, but now that I’ve seen your face, I want to hang out a little longer?”

“What are you going to do here?”

“Hmm… Should we hang out by listening to Oppa’s sex jokes like before?”

“Keulkeul, keulkeul!”

No, you crazy bitch, what are you saying?

The coffee I was swallowing got caught in my throat, and I started coughing non-stop. You really can’t let your guard down.

The fact that she’s been smiling the whole time I’ve been coughing means something’s up. Yeah, she’s teasing me like this because she wants something.

Or maybe she just wants to tease me.

Hoo, calm down, calm down. I took another sip of coffee to stop coughing and glared at her for a moment.

“If I do that here and get arrested, will you pay my bail?”

“Then where? Should we do it at my place?”

She’s strong, as expected. I should go anyway… No, wait, she said her place, how?

“You’re missing the point a bit, but you said your place earlier, right? Where did you get the money to get a place?”

“From my scholarship and winning the Warfield amateur league.”

The scholarship is possible. If you’re good at studying in Korea, you really do get scholarships. For academic excellence or something.

But that’s not enough to get a place. Absolutely not. Even if it’s an amateur league, the money won’t be that much…

A place around here would cost at least hundreds of millions of won. If she’s signing a contract, it’s either a jeonse (lump-sum deposit) or a monthly rent… How much money did she make?

“Even if it’s an amateur league, the money won’t be that much. How much did you earn to sign a contract?”

“500 million.”

“Keulkeulkeul!”

She’s making me cough again. 500 million won from just the amateur league? She must be ridiculously skilled.

“I’ll show you when you come to my place later. I even have trophies and stuff. So, I earned money and signed a contract for a place here.”

“Does ‘contract’ mean you bought it, or is it a jeonse?”

“Of course I bought it. The school is somewhat close, the transportation is good, and I can see Oppa often when I’m bored.”

“That’s the least welcome thing you’ve said. Do you think I’ll have time to see you even if I’m bored?”

“I know you’re unemployed, I hear it from Mom sometimes.”

I thought the adults were fighting and not talking at all, but it seems they’re communicating to some extent.

I can guess who would tell her I’m unemployed… I don’t like that it’s known. I know what it’s like to be ashamed.

She seems to find my crumpled expression funny and keeps smiling brightly.

How can I not win at anything? Not at games, not at academics, not even at arguing.

“Can you at least tell me you didn’t come here to scratch at my insides?”

Even though I try to smile, Hyun-ji’s smile doesn’t fade.

It’s the smile of an older woman looking at a young man who’s just starting out in society.

It’s not annoying, but I really hate that she feels more mature than me. I’d be less annoyed if she just ignored me.

“No, I really came to see Oppa. And to hang out if we can.”

“I only came out for a bit, so I don’t have time to hang out, but do I still have to hang out?”

“Hmm… Can you spare about 10 minutes?”

10 minutes? I can spare that much.

I thought I still had about an hour to spare, so I nodded.

But what can we do in 10 minutes? Maybe play a word chain game?

She gives me a subtly bright smile at my words.

Earlier, only her mouth was smiling, but this time, even her eyes are smiling brightly – a smile that a villain in a movie makes when things are going their way.

If it weren’t for the Warfield game, honestly, there’s no reason to be caught and played with like this.

Besides, 10 minutes isn’t that long, right? Alright, I’ll show her what Oppa is made of.

“Then let’s go outside and do it, it’s nothing big.”

“If we’re doing it outside, then what.”

I followed Hyun-ji, who left the remaining coffee and got up first.

I tried to get ahead of her to pay in the middle, but the sound of her heels clicking cut in front of me, and she took out her card and paid.

As soon as we took the receipt and came outside, the sun was almost setting, and it was starting to get dark.

High heels, black stockings, black coat, long black hair, did she have some kind of witch ritual somewhere?

‘Isn’t she cold dressed like that?’

Come to think of it, it was a little warm inside the store, but Hyun-ji didn’t take off her coat.

It’s strange, it’s a little cold outside to get by with just a coat, but if she was dressed warmly, she would have taken off her coat inside.

Conversely, if she was dressed coldly, she wouldn’t have worn a coat and would have worn other clothes.

I wondered if she had a hot pack attached inside. It’s a little weird to ask this, but I’m curious.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Huh?”

I asked next to Hyun-ji, who was walking slowly.

Since we’re about the same height, it doesn’t look as weird to be next to her rather than in front or behind.

Above all, the streetlights here only turn on after the sun has completely set, so it’s better to walk together than to follow behind.

She smiles at my words instead of answering.

Ah, that smile is really 부담스럽다 (burdensome), what is she planning behind that smile?

It’s like the smile of a witch trying to lure a child into doing something, but there’s no way to prove it.

We walked slowly, turned a corner, and entered a slightly secluded street.

It’s hard to explain, but it’s an office complex, so people rush out after work a little earlier than now, and after that, it’s rather empty.

Of course, this isn’t all an office complex, but that’s the most appropriate description. To begin with, it just looks like a villa on the outside.

“Oppa is wearing a padded jacket, wouldn’t a coat be cold?”

“That’s why I said it looks cold.”

“But Oppa said you like coats, right?”

“Me?”

When did I say that? Is she lying now about something I never said?

But she’s not the type to lie. As much as she never did anything that was disadvantageous to her.

Then that means I said it sometime, but when? Really?

I really don’t remember, so I shrugged, and she suddenly started unbuttoning her coat one by one.

I wondered if there was something to show in her coat, but she stopped in place after unbuttoning all the buttons.

“Ta-da.”

“…?”

Inside the coat, there are underwear, not clothes.

I’m not mistaken, she’s looking at me and subtly showing it to me, just enough for me to see. She’s subtly covering herself with her coat.

A smooth body that’s visible even in the dark, a slender but not disgusting figure.

The emphasis should be on the body, but conversely, the underwear with its fancy lace drew attention.

Before I could say anything, she came close to me and whispered softly in my ear.

“The very first sex joke Oppa ever told me was, ‘Wouldn’t it be super hot to be wearing just underwear under a coat?'”

I remembered.

It was something I said two years ago.

It was also the first sex joke I ever told Hyun-ji, who hated studying.

And she studied like crazy to hear that, and I kept telling her stories after she finished the section we agreed on.

Really, I’ve seen the naked bodies of both my sister and my cousin, but nothing was as chilling as Hyun-ji’s hand gently stroking the back of my neck.