Chapter: 10
Chapter 10 – Room 101, Cursed Room – ‘A Strange Family’ (5) Fin
A loud voice bursts out from the morning.
“Ah! What the hell, how many times do I have to say I’m not going? Is mom deaf?”
“Seungyub, what I want to say is not to stop the game suddenly… I read an article yesterday, and you mentioned you always wanted to be a LoL pro gamer, right? Apparently, many pro gamers make money overseas—Europe and America are known to pay so well. But if you become a pro and suddenly need to start learning English from scratch, how hard will that be? I just hope that while you still have a bit of free time, at least learn a little English.”
“I told you I don’t want to attend any of those language schools!”
“Just listen to me this time. That school is famous for effectively hammering in English words. Let’s just try it for two months.”
“Hammer in English?”
“Yep, those teachers are famous for really drilling English words into kids’ heads. You’re smart, Seungyub, and I believe that in just two months, you could pick up all the basic words.”
Today, I’m hearing a lot of weird expressions. Hammering English words into the skin? It seems like a peculiar way to express effectively cramming English into your brain.
Of course, whether they jam it or shove it in, it has nothing to do with me.
Feeling drained from the conversation, I closed the door and slipped into my room.
I skipped lunch again today.
But I have no regrets! I’m finally a step closer to my dream tier—Diamond!
At this point, only two people in the Shindong Middle School League of Legends group chat are ranked higher than me.
Around 5 PM, Dad came back home after working late on a Saturday.
Thud thud thud thud
“Seungyub! You! Open the door and come out right now!”
I heard Dad’s furious voice from the other side of the door. Seriously, I just don’t get why Dad is always so filled with rage every time he sees me.
But knowing I didn’t want another hit on the head, I reluctantly stepped out.
“What?”
“I heard it all from your mom. You’re not going to the Inco language school that both your mom and I found? Why do you skip lunch and lock yourself up in here? I really don’t understand!”
Ugh, this is annoying. It’s not like I’m asking my parents for something extremely expensive or anything. I’m merely pursuing my dream of becoming a pro gamer while playing LoL. Why are they both so desperate to nag me?
I just can’t grasp what these boomers are thinking. “Pro gamer this, pro gamer that.” It frustrates me every time I hear that. Do they think I’m an idiot? I’ve looked it up myself. A famous player mentioned on stream that to even become a pro, you’d need at least a master tier; what’s with platinum? With that score, you couldn’t even step foot into a training program.
“I told you I would have been Diamond if it weren’t for you two constantly interrupting me!”
“You little brat, are you really saying that again?!”
For a moment, we both yelled at each other. Then silence. Dad and I both knew shouting was all we were doing, and I wasn’t really worried about it. Still, I felt slightly guilty for yelling, so I lowered my head in silence.
After a minute or two, Dad continued in a somewhat softer tone.
“Seungyub… I’m not trying to harass you. Learning some English and getting into sports, wouldn’t that be good for you? Since you mentioned wanting to be a pro gamer, I’ve searched a lot too. Do you know how much easier it is to get employed if you know English well? Plus, matches require stamina! Top players focus their entire minds on playing four or five games in one go, and that takes a lot of stamina. I found a good place, so let’s check it out together.”
If I say no, he’ll probably yell again, so I just thought of it as taking a stroll and wore a hoodie before going out.
Why does this annoying stuff have to happen on a rare weekend? I was so close to hitting Diamond this weekend! Honestly, I could have reached it weeks ago if Mom and Dad just stopped distracting me.
As Dad and I walked, he brought up boxing again.
“There’s a boxing studio nearby that’s really good. You see, when I was young, I had a tough time with all the bullying friends at school. But what’s the core principle here? Power. If you train at that boxing studio for two or three months, kids will stop looking down on you. Plus, if you build up stamina, you can focus better in the game and improve overall. Look, we’ve arrived!”
Sighing, I glanced at where Dad was pointing and was taken aback.
Screams, cries, and the sound of splattering blood. What in the world is happening?
A huge, burly man was viciously beating up kids, seemingly in a frenzy! Children my age were screaming and running for their lives. The blood-soaked madman chased them down, chewing something I’d rather not ponder upon. When he spotted Dad, he approached us, grinning widely.
“Wow! Just stepping into a place like this really boosts the mood! That’s boxing for you! How manly can you be? Kids should get a few teeth knocked out and sprain an arm or two to really become men!”
“Hahaha, indeed, you know that so well! Kids these days are so weak-minded and lost, but just a month here, and they’ll straighten up! A healthy body leads to a healthy mind, right? Broken teeth can be replaced with implants, and limbs heal quickly when you’re young. The key is fixing their hearts.”
“Wow, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease! Seungyub, did you hear—”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I bolted away without looking back.
I had a feeling something was off with my parents all day, but only now did I realize how certain I was. What in the world was going on? They may have been a bit out of touch before, but today was truly bizarre. They weren’t just acting like boomers, they were acting like lunatics! My parents seem completely off their rockers.
As soon as I returned home, I found Mom waiting for me.
“Seungyub! How was it? Your dad said that studio is fantastic! I’ve prepared dinner for you, here’s something delicious—”
I stopped listening right then and there. Without a second thought, I slammed the door and locked it behind me. The bizarre noises coming from the dinner Mom prepared made sure I had no intention of leaving my room.
Thud thud thud thud
Is someone knocking? No, that’s just my heart thumping a mile a minute.
What the hell is going on?
I spent about 30 minutes trembling behind the door when suddenly, strange memories flooded in.
Weird people: a massive uncle, a lovely angel-faced girl, a cute chipmunk-like girl, a handsome guy staring blankly at the sky, and a scary teacher-like lady.
Who could they be? The images were too vivid just to be figments of imagination.
I dug deeper into those thoughts.
Morning; was it yesterday morning? I woke up in a scary building. After escaping from some monstrous monkey, a big uncle saved me. Following that strange guy around…
It felt like we had a lot of conversations. Did we? It’s like I was sunk into a deep pool of thoughts all alone. I felt lost. It was terrifying and odd.
Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud
This time, it wasn’t my heartbeat. It was unmistakably a knock. My parents didn’t knock like that ignorantly, and that’s when it hit me!
This is not my home. They are not my parents.
I opened the window and tore off the mosquito net. Third floor—too high to jump down. But if I waited any longer, I might die at the hands of whatever “thing” was lurking outside.
Heart racing, I noticed a car parked below. If I jumped at the right angle, I could land on it!
“Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub Seungyub!”
Now they aren’t even attempting to contain their madness!
In a frenzy, I leaped off and landed on the car. The next instant, pain shot through me, and I screamed without even realizing it.
I watched movies where Captain America jumps from skyscrapers and runs away unscathed; clearly, I’m not on that level!
Tears streamed down my face. It hurt so much. Where even is this place? Who are those people?
It’s agonizing, but I just kept running. Then suddenly—
Everything vanished. It felt like I was alone in complete darkness…
/You have successfully escaped!
The scariest age: 2nd year of middle school! By completely shutting off your conversations and interactions with your strange parents, and immersing yourself in the Summoner’s Rift, you managed to suppress the contamination and finally recognized the bizarre behavior of your parents.
As expected, the fabricated madness of a strange family is no match for the sheer, unbridled madness of an unstoppable middle schooler.
You have escaped the curse, but you feel the roots of that curse still linger.
A fellow escapee has been found! Congratulations! The successful escape allows all members to return safely./
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