HBWnovel Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Back when I was in the military, there was an incident like this. We were told to wait a bit before starting our next task, but one of my juniors couldn’t resist and began playing a rhythm game on his phone. I used that as a reason to scold him thoroughly. For the record, he was a public service worker assigned to city hall.
Anyway, the military is the military. I bring this up for a reason.
"I told you to just sit and do nothing...”
“I’m in the middle of a game. Just wait a sec. It’s a critical moment.”
Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would play games like that. A proper game should let you stop whenever you want, so you can enjoy it at a reasonable pace. Since yanking the power cord on her computer wasn’t an option, I sat back in the chair and waited.
‘How long is this going to take?’
I hoped she’d finish quickly and watched the screen that Yeram was so focused on.
I hadn’t played League of Legends myself, but having observed Yeram play it enough, I could get a rough sense of how the game was going just by looking at the numbers in the top-right corner of the screen.
"0 kills, 4 deaths, 1 assist. You’re feeding hard, sis."
It was embarrassing to think this was my sister. I was sure there had to be some “gaming genes” in our family.
"Keep at it."
"I keep telling you, it’s not me—I’m not bad. It’s my teammates who can’t keep up with my level.”
"Mmm, sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Normally, I’d argue back, but today, I decided not to. Otherwise, it would only prolong the time before her game ended.
"So, what’s the name of the character you’re feeding with?"
“I’m not feeding.”
“Fine, let’s say you’re not. What’s the character’s name?”
"Nidalee."
"Never heard of her."
The only champions I knew from League were Master Yi and Blitzcrank. You can’t help but pick up some knowledge from the community since so many people play League.
"This is a really tough champ, okay? That’s why I have 4 deaths."
"Right."
No one forced her to pick a difficult champion, but I nodded along. A moment later—
"Ugh, my team sucks," she sighed as she ended the game.
The moment she was done, I closed in with my interrogation.
"Where did you get the money for all this coffee?"
"Coffee? You give me allowance, don’t you?"
"The boss remembers you coming in often. That means you’re here almost every day, right?"
At my words, Yeram paused, thinking.
"I don’t spend money on other things. Sometimes my friends treat me, too."
I give her about 200,000 won a month. Since each coffee costs 2,500 won...
After doing some quick mental math, I figured that if she wasn’t wasting money elsewhere, she could indeed afford to drink coffee this often. Still—
‘Not that I plan on revealing my gender.’
Once people found out I was a guy, participating in the community would become complicated. Not because people would start yelling anti-male slurs, but because some users would start acting like lovesick puppies. Just the thought of it made me shudder.
LHwanhee: By the way,
LHwanhee: Are you just doing part-time jobs now?
LHwanhee: What games are you playing?
It was typical for LHwanhee, whom I’d known for a long time, to ask personal questions without hesitation.
UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: Just making a living.
UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: Playing Red Dead Redemption these days.
UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: It’s fun.
It was a Western-themed game and incredibly enjoyable. One of the few games that had kept me entertained lately, so I often promoted it in the gallery. Although it’s famous enough not to need promotion, there might still be people who hadn’t tried it.
Just as I was thinking this—
LHwanhee: Oh, that game’s fun.
LHwanhee: By the way,
LHwanhee: Haven’t you served in the military yet?
A sudden question about military service. I handled it smoothly, having anticipated it would come up in the community at some point.
"Military service..."
“Why bring that up?”
While mumbling to myself, I accidentally caught Yeram’s attention and gave a vague response.
“It’s nothing. You might need to do military service soon.”
“Ugh, why would you say that now?”
“If you don’t want to go, just tell me. I’ll gladly cut off an arm for you.”
“I’ll pass on that.”
I’d heard that some people take extreme measures to avoid service. Thinking about it, I typed out my response.
UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: I do want to go to the military,
UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: but I’m a public service worker. Haha.
I used the public service worker card. Most people don’t know the details about public service work, so it usually ends the conversation.
‘What could you possibly do about it?’
It was the perfect excuse. And soon enough—
LHwanhee: Oh, I’m a public service worker too.
LHwanhee: Where are you assigned?
What the heck?
Didn’t this person say they’d completed their full military service in the army?