He Is That Guy

[Guild] Yoo Chae: WaterPlz

[Guild] Yoo Chae: Lemme borrow your alt for a bit
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: ?
No greeting, no context—just straight-up asking to borrow her alt the second she logs in. DrinkWaterPlz blinked in disbelief and typed back.

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: The hell for, all of a sudden
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Why do you care
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Uh, maybe because it’s my fucking alt and I wanna know where it’s going??

[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Guild] Haerun: Flawless logic ㄷㄷ
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Send the ID and PW in DMs

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Are you actually out of your fucking mindㅡㅡ;
[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: Is it ‘cause of that?
[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: Sleepy-nim? Is this ‘cause of him?

[Guild] MochaBbang: ㅇㅇ
[Guild] MochaBbang: That guy totally hates our guildmaster lmao
[Guild] Yoo Chae: He doesn’t hate me

[Guild] LaggingLikeHell: Then what is it?
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Whatever, that’s not it
Yeah, sure it’s not. DrinkWaterPlz sighed, thinking the exact same thing as everyone else in the guild.

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: You told us to wait, said you had a plan, so we didn’t recruit any newbs
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: And now all you’ve done is turn things into a shitshow
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: What the hell is this
[Guild] Haerun: Honestly though

[Guild] Haerun: If I were Sleepy-nim I’d be fed the fuck up too..
[Guild] Haerun: Props to him for not quitting ㄷㄷ
[Guild] Yoo Chae: ?

[Guild] Yoo Chae: I wasn’t even gonna put Sleepy-hyung in the Prelims
[Guild] Yoo Chae: He’s the one who overreacted, why’s he freaking out?
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: ???????

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Then what the hell was all that drama for??
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Whatever. Just send the alt login in DMs ㄱ
This little shit… DrinkWaterPlz had known Yoo Chae a while now, but every time he acted like this, she felt like decking him.

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Fine, I’ll lend it, but answer me first
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: It’s okay if I bring in a new newbie, right?
[Guild] Yoo Chae: ㅇ do what you want

Classic Yoo Chae. Never gave a shit about guild stuff, and it showed.
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Fucking hell, you were the one who told me to wait ‘cause you had a plan
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Don’t you have a shred of shame?

[Guild] Yoo Chae: Our Sleepy-hyung’s charm
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Is that he doesn’t do what I wantㅎㅎ
[Guild] Haerun: ㄷㄷ

[Guild] MochaBbang: lmaooooooooooooo
[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: AAAAAAAAUGH

[Guild] Hwaseoun: WaterPlz-nimㅠㅠ pls hang in thereㅠㅠ
Grinding her teeth, DrinkWaterPlz filled her chat input to the max with cursing, then backspaced it all thanks to Hwaseoun’s message.
So in the end, Yoo Chae didn’t give a fuck about the Prelims. All he wanted was to get another chance to cling to I’mSoSleepy.

She’d thought he was trying to bring him back for the sake of winning. So what the hell made that newbie so damn special?
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: Wait but guildmaster
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: If it’s WaterPlz’s alt, then isn’t it that one? CottonCandyFox?

[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: That’s a female char right?
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Yup, female char
Her old alt “CottonCandyFox” had fox ears and was a cute buffer character she’d created for outfit fun when she got bored of her tank main.

[Guild] Yoo Chae: ㅇ that’s why I want it
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: It’s not even max level
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Don’t care

[Guild] Haerun: lol wait, just to be sure—
[Guild] Haerun: You’re not borrowing it to play with Sleepy-nim, right?
Yoo Chae went silent.

The guild exploded.
[Guild] Haerun: lmaoooooo
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: Caught red-handedㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Guild] MochaBbang: Should’ve treated him better while you had him tsk tsk
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: Using WaterPlz’s alt for your own thirst smh;;

[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: Bro are you a stalkerㅠㅠ
[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: What kinda guildmaster just follows a newbie around… that’s pathetic
[Guild] MeLostInHunt: Dignity… he never had any…

[Guild] TheHunter: ngl this is kinda pathetic;;
As the mockery piled on, Yoo Chae just quietly typed:
[Guild] Yoo Chae: ㅋㅋ

[Guild] Yoo Chae: First 4 who wanna come with me, let’s go
[Guild] MochaBbang: lol me;
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: me me me memememe

[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: ✋
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: ParkSeungjin98 locked and loaded
[Guild] Hwaseoun: Can I come even if I’m not max level??

[Guild] Yoo Chae: Max level’s fine but no copycat names
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: SuwonSpecialCity ready for deployment
[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: how many alts does this guy even HAVE;

[Guild] Yoo Chae: Alts go friend CottonCandyFox ㄱ
Watching Yoo Chae talk like the alt was his, DrinkWaterPlz was stunned. She briefly considered changing the password—but didn’t feel up to dealing with the tantrum he’d throw after.
‘This is my life now……’

Leaving behind the clown show in guild chat, she opened her browser and headed to the Zenoris user forums. Time to recruit a new newbie.
 
****

It had been a week since I went solo without joining any guild. I’d barely managed to grind up to level 215 by spamming dragon hunt field quests, and now I slumped forward in despair.
‘I need to start doing dungeon raids.’
Dungeon raids dropped expensive gear and rare weapons, so even max-level players still queued for them. Which meant there were never enough slots.

Worse, you had to know what the hell you were doing. Noob players like me, with zero raid experience, rarely got invited.
I mean, sure, I could watch strats and videos, but theory didn’t beat actual experience. Some groups accepted newbies, but those parties filled up instantly.
‘This is why people join guilds.’

In most guilds, they’d help newbies with dungeon runs. Noobs got training and loot, vets got kills and company—mutual gain.
That’s why I’d tried to join one in the first place.
‘Yoo Chae, you goddamn psycho…’

Grinding 3 levels in one week after all that blood and sweat made me want to scream. The fact that I’d hit level 200 in just ten days before this felt like a joke now.
[KeyDungeon / 7Link / 1Tank 3DPS 2Support / MaxLevelWelcome] 6/6
[FeyMoon / 3Link / mlr] 7/12

[KeyDungeon / 3Link / 1Tank 4DPS 1Healer / MaxLevel / NoNoobs] 5/6
[RoyalEclipse / 10Link / 6DPS 1Healer 1Buffer / SpeedRun / ProsOnly] 6/8
Looking at the raid board made me sigh. Sure, I could technically level up without dungeons, but that meant grinding hundreds of field mobs for maybe one level.

‘Should I just try jumping into one anyway?’
They’d probably kick me, but… worth a shot?
[Global] CottonCandyFox: Umm

[Global] CottonCandyFox: I’mSoSleepy-nimㅇㅅㅇ
Just when I was about to make a desperate move, someone I didn’t recognize appeared beside me near the raid board and spoke up.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: ?

[Global] CottonCandyFox: Do you… maybe not have a party right nowㅇ.ㅇ?
What now? I scratched my brow, still feeling off, and looked at the character.
Light brown hair, fox ears—no, maybe cat ears? ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Either way, it was a female char with glowing accessories and a pale blue skirt. Flashy as hell.

[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Why
[Global] CottonCandyFox: Ahㅠㅠsorryyy
[Global] CottonCandyFox: Just wondering if you’d wanna join our party if you’re freeㅠ.ㅠ

“……?”
Wait. Party? Did she just say party? My droopy posture snapped upright.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: What kind of party?

[Global] CottonCandyFox: Keyrunt Dungeon ><
[Global] CottonCandyFox: We’re 1Tank 2DPS 2Support right now
[Global] CottonCandyFox: We’ve got a spot open for ranged DPS 8ㅡ8

[Global] CottonCandyFox: Judging by your staff I think you’re a mage?
[Global] CottonCandyFox: Please join us!! >ㅡ<
Keyrunt? That’s exactly the dungeon I needed. Jackpot. I was about to say yes but hesitated.

‘Wait. What if they think I’m max level?’
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: I’m not max level
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: And this would be my first run, I’m probably gonna be useless

[Global] I’mSoSleepy: That okay?
No point in lying. I asked straight up. Please say it’s fine. Please.
[Global] CottonCandyFox: It’s totally okay~ㅎㅎㅎㅎ

[Global] CottonCandyFox: I’m not max level either >0<
At last, I felt like I could smile for real.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Sure, let’s go

[Global] CottonCandyFox: ㅎㅎㅎ join the party~
A party invite popped up over her head. Party name: [123123].
So it wasn’t a public LFG party—they were a friend group. I clicked to accept, and a soft ding opened the party chat.

[Party] SuwonSpecialCity: Ugh I feel like puking
[Party] WhatDoYouKongDoYou: fr
[Party] SuwonSpecialCity: Oh

[Party] WhatDoYouKongDoYou: hehe hi~!
[Party] Let’sGoWitcher: heyo heyo
[Party] BumblebeeBuzzBuzz: hiiii~

[Party] I’mSoSleepy: Hello
[Party] CottonCandyFox: ㅎㅎㅎㅎ
[Party] CottonCandyFox: Shall we start? ^-^

[Party] SuwonSpecialCity: Yep~^^;;
Luckily, the vibe was chill. We warped to the dungeon entrance, where everyone had decent-looking gear.
[Party] CottonCandyFox: ㅎㅎㅎ Sleepy-nim~

[Party] I’mSoSleepy: Yeah?
[Party] CottonCandyFox: Your name’s kinda long, mind if I shorten it?
[Party] I’mSoSleepy: Go ahead, I don’t care

Weird thing to ask, but whatever. I was too busy double-checking my gear to be a burden.
She sent a shy emote. Yoo Chae used that one too.
[Party] CottonCandyFox: Then

[Party] CottonCandyFox: Can I call you Sleepy-oppa? >.<
“….”
My fingers froze on the keyboard. What the fuck did she just say…?

[Party] I’mSoSleepy: ?
[Party] I’mSoSleepy: How do you know I’m older?
[Party] CottonCandyFox: I’m young! You’re definitely oppa! h.ㅎ

[Party] CottonCandyFox: It’s okay, right???
What kind of crack logic is that.
That sketchy “oppa” bullshit finally confirmed what I’d been suspecting since earlier.

CottonCandyFox—this bastard is definitely a guy.
‘Are netkamas targeting newbies now too?’
I checked my gear one last time, then replied half-heartedly.

[Party] I’mSoSleepy: Call me whatever
[Party] CottonCandyFox: ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ