“Can Siyeon really get up by herself?”
Contrary to the unease that had crept in last night, I could hear the clatter of dishes in the kitchen before the alarm went off.
Being light-sleeping, I immediately woke up from the noise and, while stretching in bed, fumbled for my smartphone to check the time.
A beam of light covered my vision, shining like a lantern.
I squinted one eye tightly while peering with the other to check the time.
It was 7:06.
Given how long I’d languidly moved after hearing the sound, it seemed Siyeon had set her alarm for around 7.
Unlike Siyeon, if I considered my walking commute, even waking up at 7:30 would have been enough time.
Still, since I was already awake and the light was brightening my consciousness, there was no reason to stay in bed any longer.
“Yawn….”
With a long yawn, I lazily dragged my unkempt long hair out of the room.
I hadn’t had a haircut in quite a while, and my hair was now nearly down to my waist.
I should probably consider getting a haircut on my way back from school.
What were the regulations for girls’ hair again?
‘Smells like eggs….’
Glancing over at Siyeon at the dining table, I quickly realized breakfast today was soy sauce eggs over rice.
It seemed like she hadn’t even bothered to put on a hood for cooking the eggs, as the house was filled with an eggy aroma.
I hadn’t given much thought to what I wanted for breakfast, but that had just been decided.
We continued our separate actions without exchanging a single word.
As Siyeon finished her meal and placed her empty bowl in the sink, I cracked an egg into the still-warm frying pan.
Once I finished frying the eggs and sat down at the table, Siyeon headed to the bathroom.
The secret to soy sauce egg over rice is properly mixing soy sauce and sesame oil to a moist extent.
After finishing this simple breakfast, I started washing the dishes left as just a spatula and two bowls remained in the sink.
When I finished washing the dishes and it was time for me to use the bathroom, Siyeon made her way to the front door to head to school.
Our actions were almost overlapping yet distinct.
After all, being students, we had to go to school.
Walking in matching outfits at the same time, taking steps towards the same school.
After arriving at school, I placed my bag next to my desk and began fiddling with my smartphone when a familiar face approached and casually spoke.
“Ddongmaha-”
“What the hell are you saying?”
Sunhyuk was coming over, using some nonsensical abbreviation.
It sounded like three random letters were meant to signify something, but I had no idea what it meant and ultimately asked him.
“It means ‘Ddong-in (poo) Mari’!”
“Shut up, you idiot. Are you trying to create some dumb meme again?”
Hearing about five words, my fist was already on its way out, plunging into Sunhyuk’s gut.
This guy, who was acting like a human version of Gomteng, didn’t feel any burden hitting him.
As if the morning’s beatings weren’t enough, he still raised his head and started teasing me as he bent over from the impact.
“Why! It’s right!”
“Yeah, it’s right, you’re just getting your ass kicked.”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Grabbing the exposed back he had all curled up, I kept delivering knee strikes with a skilled flair.
It was just playful banter among students, so it wasn’t too hard, but it wasn’t without enough force to feel it.
After receiving about three consecutive knee strikes, Sunhyuk thrashed about, trying to escape my grip on his back, ultimately shedding his coat and wriggling free.
He left behind his bulky coat in my hands.
Let’s see if he can come back and get it.
In March, transitioning from winter to spring means it’s still quite chilly enough to need a coat.
Even after Taehyun and Dongha showed up, he didn’t dare come near my seat out of fear of getting more hits.
Even when the three of us were gathered around our smartphones, he kept his distance.
This peculiar standoff lasted until the third period, during our school’s unofficial nap class, history.
Under the monotonous voice of our history teacher, which was as calm as a still pond, my vision began to narrow, just like the other students.
As everyone else wrapped themselves in coats for warmth, the teacher quizzed Sunhyuk, who was only wearing his uniform jacket.
“Hey, Sunhyuk, aren’t you cold?”
“No, no… I’m fine.”
With his nearly closed eyelids, he shot a glance toward the teacher.
He must be too embarrassed to tell anyone he got his padding taken by a girl, so he’s stubbornly claiming he’s not cold.
After the fourth period ended, lunchtime finally approached, and there was still his outerwear in my hands.
He must’ve planned to snag it during lunchtime in the cafeteria, but I wasn’t the kind of loser who’d just let it slide.
Aside from one person trailing at a distance, the three of us were engaged in conversation during lunch.
“What’s for lunch today?”
“Pork cutlet and dumpling soup.”
“Oh, that sounds delicious!”
Dongha promptly answered when asked what was on the menu.
The food menu was definitely reliable.
After hearing the menu from Dongha, Taehyun chimed in, saying it sounded good.
At that moment… the mischievous sound of light steps approached from behind, and Sunhyuk snatched the padding from my hands.
Like a treasured item reclaimed, he joyfully donned his padding, dancing ahead of us, making funny faces to tease me.
“What’s with that guy?”
“He’s making fun of me for being a ‘poo’ and got his padding taken away, so that’s what he does.”
“What a loser…”
Perhaps thinking it was pitiful, both Taehyun and Dongha were shaking their heads after hearing the brief tale.
No matter how much a person might be a total dork, it’s still a bummer to eat alone, so we let the topic of Sunhyuk’s spendings fade out and sat down at the long table in the cafeteria.
While we indulged in the basic side dishes of kimchi and stir-fried fish cakes…
“Hey, you said you’d been exercising, right?”
Out of the blue, Dongha tossed a question my way.
I nodded and replied nonchalantly.
“Oh? Yeah.”
“Then aren’t you on a diet?”
“I don’t really manage my meals. Why?”
“Because fried food is the enemy of exercise…”
Two chopsticks crept toward my plate, clicking as they approached.
I know it was a playful gesture, but is it a safe move to mess with someone who’s saving the last bites of delicious food?
With a frown, I swatted the advancing chopsticks away and said, “Get your chopsticks away, or else.”
“Oops.”
After finishing all the side dishes, I tossed rice into the dumpling soup.
Mixing it into a thick soup, I picked the pork cutlet that I had been saving till the end and took a big bite.
Given it was mass-produced, I didn’t expect much flavor, but there’s a unique charm to cafeteria food.
The thin, crispy pork cutlet combining sogginess and crunchiness.
It might taste like cardboard if eaten alone, but with the sauce, it was decent enough.
After finishing a satisfying meal in the cafeteria and on my way back to class, Dongha casually brought something up.
“Hey Taehyun, are you heading to the PC room after school today?”
“Should I? Mari, do you want to go too?”
‘PC room’, a name I hadn’t heard in quite a while.
I had heard it occasionally back in elementary school, but I had no friends suggesting I go, and since I had a computer at home, there was no need to go.
The only time I thought of going would be to use the printer, maybe?
Besides that, games with events like ‘complete XX hours for a reward’?
Most of those could be solved with money anyway, so I hadn’t stepped into a PC room in years.
“Hmm…”
With Taehyun’s suggestion, I found myself pondering whether to go or not.
“Does this guy even have anything to do at the PC room?”
While I was agonizing over it, Sunhyuk, who had been strolling casually beside me, mumbled.
Does he harbor some fantasy that girls don’t play computer games? This guy, who only plays mobile games to get friendly, is spitting nonsense.
It was so ridiculous that I grimaced and responded to his inquiry.
“I play computer games, you know?”
“What do you play? Water Bomb? Running Girl?”
Now he was openly suggesting kid-friendly water bomb games or running games which usually have more girls.
While it’s true those are games with more girls, how many years ago were they created?
Of course, some people might still play them, but I sighed at the baffling selection of games he had in mind as a gamer.
“Why would you go to the PC room if you’re going to play that?”
“Then you’re going too, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
I felt like I got caught up in something, but it was decided that I would be going to the PC room too.
Since Siyeon was now cooking for herself, a quick trip wouldn’t be an issue.
The PC room turned out to be quite different from my last memory.
Dark lighting and the smell of cigarettes wafting in, regardless of whether it was the smoking or non-smoking area.
Old men wearing only white tank tops, with ashtrays beside them, scratching their bellies over flimsy dividers.
However, it seemed like the PC rooms had been trying hard to shed that old image for years…
With no dark corners to be seen and instead illuminated under bright lighting, savory smells of noodles filled the air, replacing the unpleasant scent of cigarettes.
It had only been about three hours since I had eaten, yet I was already feeling hungry again.
Rumor has it these days that PC rooms make money off food instead of time, and it seemed to be true.
Anyway, having arrived at the PC room, I signed up as a member and charged my time.
As I got settled in and turned on the computer, there were rows of folders categorized by genre.
“Do you know this game?”
“Uh?”
Taehyun opened the game folder and showed me an icon labeled ‘V’.
It was definitely the game ‘Vigilante’.
I recalled hearing it was a popular FPS game among middle and high schoolers.
More importantly, it was developed by the same company that made the AOS genre game I played… so if I had even a slight interest in games, it would be strange not to have heard of it.
Of course, I hadn’t played it, just heard of it.
“I’ve only heard of it.”
“Wanna try playing together?”
“I’ve never played it before!”
“Don’t worry; there’s a tutorial.”
After learning the basic controls, we jumped straight into the game.
These matches are typical characteristics of casual competitive online multiplayer games.
As always, proving you have parents is a necessity.
And there I was again, losing my nonexistent parents in chat.
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