He Is That Guy

That question suddenly brought back a memory from a few months ago.
[Global] LVS gamgack(Serata): ㅈㄱㅊㅇ

[Global] LVS gamgack(Serata): ㅇㅈ?
[Global] LVS gamgack(Serata): ㅎㅎ
That chat from Gamgack during my last HOL match before quitting. Even thinking back on it now—what a psycho. Does a pro player seriously say that to a regular user?

I pressed my fingers to my furrowed brow, trying to calm myself before answering rationally.
“Of course it’s fine. It’s your wedding, hyung. Why would I make that awkward for you?”
—Still, I figured it might bug you.

“I’ve barely crossed paths with that player besides a few games. It’s nothing.”
—Yeah? But then why’s he—ah, never mind. You’re really good though, right? No complaining later.
“Obviously. I’m not that petty. I’ll definitely be there, don’t worry.”

—Okay, good. I’ll count on that. Let me know if your schedule changes though.
“Will do.”
I ended the call with Seo Taeyoung and set my phone down, letting out a sigh.

‘Gamgack, huh…’
He’s really coming? Well, I already know his face.
On impulse, I opened the portal site and typed ‘LVS Gamgack’ into the search bar.

[HOL pro player Gamgack in re-contract talks with LVS… Return date unknown?]
The headline at the top caught my eye. I clicked it, and an article popped up with a picture of Gamgack beside the text. He had his headset slung around his neck, glancing sideways at another player.
Pale sandy hair, fair skin, long slanted eyes, dense eyelashes, and the small teardrop mole beneath them.

Gamgack’s insane popularity wasn’t just about his skills—it was that face. Just looking at this pic makes it obvious. Is this guy an idol or a pro gamer?
Staring at the photo with complicated feelings, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) I quickly came to my senses and closed the browser.
Forget it. Whether Gamgack comes back or not, what does that have to do with me?
‘Honestly, we probably won’t even run into each other at the wedding.’

Might see his face from a distance, that’s about it. Shaking off the useless thoughts, I turned my attention back to Zenoris—only to see Yoo Chae’s messages flashing at the bottom of the screen.
[Yoo Chae: Hyung]
[Yoo Chae: ㅜㅡㅜ?]

[Yoo Chae: Hyeooong]
[Yoo Chae: Where’d you go?]
[Yoo Chae: Raid’s in 30 minutes!]

[Yoo Chae: I already told them you’re coming!]
[Yoo Chae: ㅜㅜ..]
[Yoo Chae: ㅜㅅㅜ...]

Thirty minutes? Checking the time in a hurry—luckily, it was still twenty minutes early.
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Sleepy’s coming or nah???
[Guild] Yoo Chae: ㅇ

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Don’t bullshit me fr, is he?
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: If not we gotta find someone ASAP
[Guild] Yoo Chae: ㅇ

[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: You little shit
[Guild] Haerun: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Chaos as usual. I quickly typed in the guild chat.

[Guild] ImSoSleepy: omw
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: ㅇㅋ nice
[Guild] DrinkWaterPlz: Get to the Hurdian entrance by 30

[Guild] ImSoSleepy: ㅇㅋㅇㅋ
[Guild] MeLostInHunt: Copy
[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: Mid-run atm

[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: I’ll finish and head over before 30
Next, I replied to Yoo Chae’s messages.
[ImSoSleepy: ㅇㅇ]

[ImSoSleepy: Was on a call]
[Yoo Chae: Babe..]
[Yoo Chae: How could you leave me to take a call?ㅡㅡ]

[ImSoSleepy: ?]
[ImSoSleepy: The hell are you on about]
[Yoo Chae: Ah hyung]

[Yoo Chae: Play along]
[Yoo Chae: You should get the hint]
[Yoo Chae: Don’t you know?]

[ImSoSleepy: idc, buzz off]
[Yoo Chae: ㅠ.ㅠ]
What the hell is he babbling about now. I sent a half-assed reply and closed my open inventory, only to see Yoo Chae plastered to my character’s side in-game.

[Global] ImSoSleepy: What the hell
[Global] ImSoSleepy: Thought you left first?
[Global] Yoo Chae: Like I’d leave without youㅋㅋ

[Global] Yoo Chae: I waited so we could go together >.<~
Yoo Chae sent me a [ㄹㄹㄹㄹㄹㄹ] party invite. The second I accepted, my screen warped and I appeared outside Hurdian Dungeon—a scroll effect Yoo Chae used.
There’s a fast travel point near the dungeon, so people usually just go themselves, but he wasted a scroll. Not that I’m complaining, it’s convenient.

[Global] DoraHeeImnida: Sleepy-hyung hihi
[Global] ImSoSleepy: hey
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: hi

Guild members were already gathered by the dungeon entrance for the raid. Once everyone was in Yoo Chae’s party, DrinkWaterPlz spoke.
[Party] DrinkWaterPlz: DKs get in here guys
[Party] DrinkWaterPlz: Just Normal and Hard today?

[Party] MeLostInHunt: We got 8 people anyway
[Party] MeLostInHunt: Hell’s probably not happening
[Party] MochaBbang: true

[Party] MochaBbang: We’ll gather more for Hell and Abyss next time
[Party] DrinkWaterPlz: yup
[Party] DrinkWaterPlz: Hard should get both Sleepy and Rahee maxed

[Party] Haerun: Just waiting on Oling
[Party] Haerun: Then we go
Hurdian is the final raid quest dungeon for max leveling, with four difficulties: Normal, Hard, Hell, and Abyss.

Hell is manageable, but Abyss is nightmare-tier—even veteran no-lifers struggle, so best to go with the full 12-man party.
After checking my gear, I hopped into the voice channel, familiar voices greeting me.
“Hyung, hyung. Hi~”

“Yeah.”
Yoo Chae always did that when I logged into Discord, greeting me on mic like some clingy weirdo. We literally just traded items in-game, yet here he is.
‘Doesn’t even seem like he likes talking.’

Other than greeting me, he never says a word. Not that it matters—DrinkWaterPlz and MeLostInHunt handle all the raid calls anyway.
With that voice, no idea why he’s like this. He used to chat nonstop when it was just us. Guess he’s weirdly shy in groups?
[Party] DoraHeeImnida: Sleepy-hyungㅎㅎ

[Party] DoraHeeImnida: Take this~
[Party] ImSoSleepy: Huh?
DoraHee approached and sent a trade request. Curious, I accepted—and she offered me a “Chocolate Scented Love Letter.”

One of the Valentine’s Day event items. Keeping it in your inventory boosts AP skill damage by 3%. A totem item.
[Party] ImSoSleepy: Why give me this?
Totem items with damage buffs aren’t easy to get.

[Party] DoraHeeImnida: For helping me yesterdayㅎㅎ
Ah, that. But still, feels a bit overboard for that tiny favor.
[Party] ImSoSleepy: It’s cool, you don’t gotta

[Party] DoraHeeImnida: Nah I got it from an IRL friend
[Party] DoraHeeImnida: I’m a buffer, so I can’t use it
[Party] DoraHeeImnida: Please use it well, Sleepy-hyungㅎㅎ

[Party] ImSoSleepy: oh okay
Fair enough. I clicked confirm.
[Party] ImSoSleepy: thanks

[Party] DoraHeeImnida: ㅎㅎ
“What’d she give you?”
Hearing our exchange, DrinkWaterPlz asked, curiosity all over his voice. I answered on mic.

“Chocolate Scented Love Letter.”
“Oh, nice.”
“That the damage boost one?”

[Party] DoraHeeImnida: ㅎㅎ
While they chatted, I activated the totem. Yoo Chae, who’d been fidgeting beside me, finally used his mic to call out.
“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”
“What’d you… do yesterday?”
Ah, right. Yoo Chae didn’t log in yesterday. Two days ago, he whined forever about having to go out, said he didn’t wanna, then ghosted the next day.

“Rahee had a missing crafting quest. Helped with that.”
It was just gathering a few materials, honestly barely worth mentioning. The reward felt way out of proportion.
“…Okay.”

Yoo Chae deflated instantly, voice going all gloomy. No idea what crawled up his ass now.
‘Anyway, this totem’s pretty solid.’
No micromanaging—just stash it and enjoy the passive buff. Plus, it’s not an equipped item, so no risk of dropping it.

Might even buy a couple more later. Just as I pulled up the auction, Yoo Chae sent a trade request.
What’s he trying to give me now? I accepted, and he immediately flooded the trade window with items.
‘The hell…’

Romantic Ribbon String, Pink Gift Box, Chocolate Scented Lollipop, Lover’s Romantic Ring, Second Button of Youth, Red Flower of Love—how many is this bastard stacking?
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: wtf;
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: what’re you doing

I DM’d him, trying to hide my horror as the totems kept piling up.
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Totems..
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Take them, hyung!

Take what? I slammed Decline and closed the trade window. Yoo Chae, still dragging items over, pouted visibly.
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Why won’t you take mine??ㅜㅡㅜ
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: You got a conscience?

[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: Those are expensive af
Totems work passively from your inventory—the smaller they are, the pricier they get.
All of Yoo Chae’s were one-slot items, meaning stupid expensive. DoraHee’s was a two-slot.

[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: What’d I say before?
He hesitated, then typed.
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Don’t give expensive stuff

[Whisper] Yoo Chae: But hyung, you took hers..
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: That’s expensive too…
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: Why’re you calling guildmates “that person”;

[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Dunno
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Why always refuse mine?
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: You’re so mean

Mean, my ass… And why refuse yours only?
‘You seriously asking that, you little…’
If he were next to me, I’d have grabbed his collar. I sighed and typed.

[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: One
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: No more than that
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Two…

[Whisper] Yoo Chae: One’s the same as hersㅡㅡ
He sent another trade. This time, just two items.
Lover’s Romantic Ring, Red Flower of Love. Cooldown -3%, Crit Chance +5%.

The stats screamed expensive… but screw it, I was planning to buy some anyway.
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: Thanks
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: I’ll use them

Activating the totems, I watched Yoo Chae send a giant grinning emote, bouncing happily.
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
[Whisper] Yoo Chae: I’m the best, right?

[Whisper] Yoo Chae: Aren’t I??
[Whisper] ImSoSleepy: ㅇㅇ best~