Thud-
With a serious expression, Cheon Saetbyeol ended the call.
I covered my mouth with one hand and asked.
“So what did he say?”
“He just apologized, saying he’ll sort things out himself.”
“Ugh, I see.”
“Na-me Unni…”
“What?”
“Could you take that hand off your mouth? Are you smiling?”
I bit my lip tightly and thought of something sad.
‘Sad thought, sad thought, Seol-ah patting my head… Oh, that’s just too sad, I can’t.”
In the end, Saetbyeol caught the twitching corners of my mouth.
She grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth, shouting.
“What’s so funny?! Seriously, what’s funny?! Just say it straight out!”
“Ugh, I was just thinking it was a waste to have a chance to be the wife of the Black Dragon.”
“Ahhhh! I didn’t know he was such a weird freak!”
Upon hearing my words, Saetbyeol freaked out and started bouncing around the room.
From what she heard, Narita confessed right after apologizing.
Of course, Saetbyeol rejected him, and Narita lost even the chance to be friends.
I lay on the bed, swinging my legs back and forth.
“Does Saetbyeol usually get that many confessions?”
“Are you trying to tease me again?”
“No, I’m just genuinely curious.”
Saetbyeol opened the window to let in some fresh air.
As it struck 10 PM, the Eiffel Tower sparkled alternately with red and blue lights.
After calming herself down to a degree, she spoke in a calm tone.
“You know, I receive confessions from both genders, right?”
“Then why don’t you accept any?”
“Why, do you have someone in mind for me?”
“Ugh, that’s a bit hard to swallow. I feel like I wouldn’t want to see you flaunting a relationship.”
“What’s wrong with me?!”
She flopped back onto the one-person sofa, leaning her head way back.
“Ah… Who made me have such high standards? Honestly, I think I’ll just live my whole life as a loner with you until we die together.”
“That sounds nice. I don’t think living with you would be boring. Wanna eat some Pringles?”
“I’ll pass. I’d gain weight.”
In the late night, we slumped on our respective sofas, continuing to chat about various topics.
“I like having these talks with you, Unni. We might talk about this often among friends, but there’s something about you that feels harder to get close to.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask you one thing for a while. Have you ever loved anyone in your past life?”
“No, never.”
“Why?”
“Just because. I didn’t feel that fluttering feeling at all.”
“Isn’t that a lie? How can a person not experience that… There must have been many handsome princes or nobles back then.”
“Maybe it’s because my past life was a man. Didn’t I mention that before?”
“Pfft. You said you barely remember anything from then. Unni, from my perspective, that sounds like totally fabricated memories. I mean, think about it! You don’t remember your parents’ names or your friends’ names, and most importantly, a world without mana doesn’t make sense!”
Why doesn’t it make sense?
I jumped out of bed in indignation.
Just as I was about to provide my logical reasoning, Saetbyeol started arguing back point by point.
“If you fall from the second floor, you die? And what, even people like the president are always vulnerable? If someone were to sneak up from behind and shoot them, they’d drop dead like flies? How does a country survive? How did humanity survive in the Stone Age?”
“Well, I mean. Of course, you could die, but if you fall from the second floor, your chances of surviving are higher, right?”
“It’s not like it’s the fifth floor! Saying you could die from just a fall from the second floor is ridiculous! Ugh, how frustrating!”
Saetbyeol puffed out her chest in frustration.
I was feeling just as upset.
Humanity is a powerful existence even without mana, so why can’t she see that?
“Just answer this one honest question, Unni.”
“What is it?”
“Have you ever done it by yourself?”
“Uh…?”
“I mean, have you ever played DDR! With your right hand!”
I closed my eyes tight, struggling to recall my past lives amidst the waves of memories.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, time passed and I slowly shook my head.
“I don’t think I have any clear memories of that…?”
Clap-!
Saetbyeol clapped vigorously once.
Then, with a finger snap, she took on the persona of a great detective.
“If you’re a man, you definitely would. Therefore, all of Unni’s past life memories are a lie.”
“But… what if I did experience nocturnal emissions instead of doing it myself and just don’t remember it?”
Huff, “From what I’ve heard from the viewers, it’s not easy to forget that kind of memory, right, No-Name?”
My teeth ground together in irritation, but words wouldn’t come out easily.
‘To think my whole life could be denied over DDR…!’
If asked to provide other evidence that past lives existed, I could do so without hesitation, but this particular fact would always nag at me.
Cheon Saetbyeol slowly got up, putting her phone in her pocket.
“Are you leaving now? Be careful on your way back.”
“I’ll just use the bathroom before I go.”
“Okay.”
“Geez… Thanks to you, now I’m destined to age as a lifelong loner too. I really have to get close to our ‘Olson’ starting now.”
Click-
The bathroom door closed behind Cheon Saetbyeol.
“Who’s Olson…?”
I asked myself.
Then I realized the meaning, and my face turned hot.
“Hey, you crazy…!”
BANG-!
“OWW!”
In the middle of it, I twisted my ankle and jumped up again, sprinting to the bathroom.
Clunk, clunk-
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG-!
“Crazy girl, don’t resolve things in here!”
“Hahahaha! Of course, it’s a joke! Naturally, there’s no way for you to confirm it, right?”
“If you do something stupid in there, just know I’ll kick down the door! Oww, that hurts…”
I massaged my twisted ankle.
An unexplainable sense of dread washed over me.
‘It can’t be what I think, right?’
—
Narita Hiroyuki’s social media sparked an unexpected controversy.
[★narita_hiroyuki]
(Practice notebook photo: “lovestruck.jpg”)
[Comments]
– If this punk is talking about No-Name, I’ll kill him.
– ?????
– Narita-kun’s love…? What does this mean?
– Get a grip, Oppa!
– No way? No way? No way? No way? No way?
The post was deleted in just seconds, but its impact was significant.
After all, Narita Hiroyuki was a teenage idol in Japan, regardless of gender.
With his handsome looks, a symbol of life-turning experiences, and rigorous self-management with a distinct personality.
With TikTok and Instagram at the helm, speculations poured in, leading to articles published to the ears of adults.
Some even suggested he was throwing romantic signals towards No-Name.
Narita Sect declared it groundless and announced plans to take strong action against malicious rumors.
Just when the situation seemed to quiet down, a twist emerged from the media, frantically scouring raw data from around the world.
No-Name, Narita Hiroyuki, and Narita Mei were all in the same place at the same time.
The incident rippled across to Korean communities.
[Narita Hiroyuki’s live scandal reason]
In the dead of night, a juicy piece of gossip rolled in, but there aren’t many people in Korea who know it yet, so I thought I’d write about it.
Days ago, Na-me-got succeeded in revenge against Japanese 2-seed participant Hiroyuki.
Yesterday, he posted this on SNS.
(Captured from Narita Hiroyuki’s Instagram.jpg)
As you can tell, it’s just like those pointless late-night emotional posts written by mana-obsessed folks in school.
But can you see the number of followers on that SNS? LOL.
Among the 8 million TikTok followers, it seems there have been many fans feeling betrayed.
He was also someone who had a ton of anti-fans even in Japan, prompting a surge of people trying to link this to the “No-Name romance incident.”
But what the heck, it was revealed that he really met No-Name after the match, wow.
In any case, Narita Hiroyuki was in a situation where he had no choice but to clarify, trapped in a corner.
If the post was about No-Name, he’d be buried for life, and even if it’s about someone else, it wouldn’t be perceived positively.
The only way out was to win against Levi today and calm public sentiment.
Today’s lesson.
(SNS is a waste of life. Life offers more to do. I’d rather wish you read some books instead.jpg)
[Comments]
– Damn, No-Name! You really messed up someone’s life!
└ Hahahahaha.
└ Were there really people who genuinely wanted to marry No-Name beyond just meme culture?
– Did he post on his main page what should have gone on a backup account?
– If it’s true, just go to her accommodation and break her knees!
– This is all No-Name’s fault for hitting him too hard.
└ Looks like the Magic Battle is an extremely dangerous sport…
But life’s matters are as unpredictable as they come.
[“Chin-dayuki, I love you like crazy, you madman ♥♥♥♥”]
「Round of 64 Group I Match 34」
⦁Levi Huning Jr. (USA) – LOSE
⦁Narita Hiroyuki (Japan) – WIN
⦁Odds: Win (1.57) / Draw (4.33) / Lose (5.00)」
I pledged a ridiculous 1 million won after seeing that punk manly proclaim his love for No-Name without hesitation.
(Proof of bet: 5 million won Toto certification screenshot.jpg)
[Comments]
– What the hell is going on?
– Wait, did he win this match?
– A total disaster type swordsman LOL.
– How did this happen!
– He resurrected from hell like a madman LOL.
Everyone believed it was impossible, but the boy triumphed against Levi.
In that day’s interview, he squeezed out tears and said.
[“I’m aware that my post on SNS caused discomfort for many people.”]
[“Especially, I sincerely apologize for causing direct discomfort to No-Name.”]
[“First of all, I want to make it clear: I do NOT, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Have a preference for younger partners.”]
[“Huh… This incident made me realize that someone might get hurt because I confessed an affection for someone… I’d hope the general public wouldn’t mention it any further.”]
[“In the future, I will act more cautiously and think deeply about how to express my feelings. Thank you for your support.”]
Most surprised by his mature apology were the elders of the Narita Sect.
Bringing up doubts about whether Mei wrote his apology for him would be a comment from those who didn’t really know Hiroyuki.
For someone who was stuck in his own world and the embodiment of stubbornness, just reading someone else’s written apology showed remarkable growth.
But that didn’t make his post disappear.
As various speculations rolled around about who the “ordinary person” could be, Korean Dispatch pointed to No-Name’s sister.
[“This isn’t just astounding beauty”… Netizens shocked after seeing No-Name’s real-life sister. Narita’s claim.”]
However, since it was just a tabloid posted by an anonymous netizen, the internet article didn’t cause much of a stir in communities.
Above all, much larger news was brewing next.
[No-Name, right ankle ligament tear… “No problem for match participation.”]
└ Am I illiterate? How could a torn ligament not be a problem for match participation?
└ Is she trying to go down in a blaze of glory???
└ Wow, that injury is nuts…
└ She only played one match; why’s she doing this?ㅠㅠㅠ
└ Honestly, I’m surprised she lasted this long… Shouldn’t a 10-year-old body find it tough?
└ This is a full-on catastrophe.
└ She shouldn’t be playing; did she just insist on playing?
└ It’d be best to stop her.
—
“Are you really okay? With just a slight mishap, it could lead to a fracture during the match.”
“Let’s listen to the doctor, No-Name. You’ve already secured one win; wouldn’t it be better to forfeit today and prepare for Round 3 in three days?”
The doctor wrapped a bandage around my ankle.
Korean coaches tried to dissuade me right before entering the training arena.
“I’m not forfeiting.”
I said firmly.
[64 Group I Match 50]
[David Everett (England)] [0 Wins 0 Draws 1 Loss]
[No-Name (Republic of Korea)] [1 Win 0 Draws 0 Losses]
When my name appeared on the scoreboard, cheers from the audience echoed deep down.
I gripped the Cheonghwa Sword, ascending each step carefully.
“100,000 people came just to see my 30 minutes. Sorry, but I don’t want to waste 50,000 of them.”
Clunk-
I felt a tremor in my hand.
Feeling my heart swell with emotions, I opened the door.
““WAAAAAAAAH!””
[Transcending challenges, moving beyond legends, daring to challenge myths. Here comes the storm of Korea, No-Name! Worship her, for she is the true ruler of this arena!]
Pain in my ankle was nothing in comparison.
I’d be hard-pressed to experience this exhilarating high again in my life.
