< Ending Maker SS #11 To Earth (4) >
Ending Maker SS #11 To Earth (4)
Hong Yu-hee.
Twenty years old, just before twenty-one in Korean style.
Occupation: College student.
Hobby games.
Specialty game.
My favorite game.
A nerd who keeps repeating school home, school home, a nerd who is often called an ajini for short.
Of course, it wasn’t like this from the beginning.
Like countless high school seniors across the country, there was a time when I harbored a vague longing for college life.
Moreover, even though she didn’t dress up well, many of her peers and seniors showed interest in her because of her good looks.
But now, nearly a year after entering school, Hong Yu-hee has become a newbie.
The reason was simple.
‘Because I’ve been talking about hero biographies all day long!’
Because outside of class time, we almost always just talked about hero biographies.
‘But it’s also the school’s fault!’
College life was, as expected, different from my vague imagination.
Even though they were professors, they weren’t much different from school teachers.
Interaction with professors?
A different level of learning than high school?
Different games for adults than for children?
What the heck.
Of course, there were some students who had personal interactions with their professors.
portion.
Very few.
Where would you find a professor who would actively engage with a student who is sitting in the corner quietly listening to class?
And to be honest, most of the classes were at a first-year level, just introductory or overview level, so they weren’t particularly deep.
It felt like the academy simply couldn’t teach things like accounting.
Of course, it can’t be helped because the purpose and direction of teaching at academies and universities are different, but that’s what I was saying from the perspective of someone taking the class.
And the motives.
I thought there would be something special when I became a college student, but it was just all alcohol.
Alcohol. Alcohol. Alcohol.
At first, I went out drinking a few times out of curiosity, and later out of compulsion, but that was it.
There were so many terrible people, starting with the ones who got drunk and started drinking.
The drinking party wasn’t particularly fun.
Of course, not all of them are like that, and there were some people who were fun to drink with, but they were a very small minority, and even then, since I didn’t go to large-scale drinking parties, the interaction itself gradually disappeared.
So in the end, what’s left is a freshman named Ajin who walks around alone as if he were a returning student.
Even the attire had now become unified with hoodies and jeans.
As I listed them, my college life seemed depressing in many ways, but it wasn’t really that depressing.
Anyway, the heroes’ story and the chat room members were still the same.
Rather, in the early days of college, thanks to the release of the final expansion pack for Hero Chronicles 3, every day was exciting.
‘I think that’s why?’
Because I was so absorbed in the heroic story, I couldn’t leave home.
I think that’s why I became a voluntary(?) outcast after missing several large gatherings.
‘Well… Even in high school, if you didn’t fit in with the group at the beginning of the semester, you had to wander around for the whole year.’
Since people live there, it seems that the university is the same.
Anyway.
Hong Yu-hee was living a life of isolation to the point where she felt embarrassed because when asked to name three close friends, only the members of her chatroom came to mind, but she was happy.
“This time I will win for sure!”
2nd place for 35 consecutive months.
But this time it was different.
This time, for real.
This month is the one!
“Hehe, hehe, I made a bet this time.”
Grant the winner one wish.
It’s true that the con artist Aboki was also fooled by the bastard’s tricks, but in fact, Hong Yu-hee herself was also close to Bae Soo-jin.
If I lost here, I didn’t know what that evil human being would do.
‘But I won’t order Cassac.’
Then I’ll just make some cassock bread and leave it at that.
It was clear that he was probably trying to embarrass me in some way.
discredit.
“Okay, I’ll make you look like a real mess.”
This time, we’ll win for sure. Huh?
I won and was so embarrassed!
Hong Yu-hee smiled broadly as she thought of various humiliating pranks she could make her uncle do.
It was to the point where I found myself dancing.
“Oh my god, oh my god, ahem ahem oh my god.”
Hong Yu-hee, who had been shrugging her shoulders and enjoying it, looked at the monitor screen again.
Cordelia standing in a beautiful place wearing a pretty dress.
“You’re really so pretty.”
Hong Yu-hee herself was in a situation where she only wore the most comfortable clothes – a hoodie and jeans when outside, and a tank top and dolphin pants at home – but Cordelia was not like that.
Hong Yu-hee was extremely dedicated to dressing up Cordelia, to the point of making clothes of her own design.
“If you had hunted instead of dressing up, you would have won first place already… No, that would have been impossible, wouldn’t it?”
Hong Yu-hee’s anger surged as she remembered the outrageous remark made by Abok, but it only lasted for a moment.
It was thanks to the angelic appearance of Cordelia smiling brightly while looking at me that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Sleep well, see you tomorrow.”
Hong Yu-hee, after giving Cordelia a quick greeting, turned off the computer, went to the bathroom, washed up for the last time before going to bed, and then lay down on the bed.
My eyes closed naturally, perhaps because I was sleeping after an all-nighter.
&
“Yay! It’s the 9th round! The 9th round was a success!”
Hong Yu-hee jumped up and down, holding high a huge golden staff with red jewels embedded in it.
Magician’s Staff of the Slaughter God, Level 9.
Despite being a weapon exclusively for wizards, it was a weapon specialized for dealing with wizards, and because the drop rate and enhancement probability were low, there were only 7-level weapons on the server.
But, lecture 9.
I successfully completed 9 rounds in one go.
“Ah! Good! So good!”
Hong Yu-hee hugged the magician’s staff tightly and started rolling around on the floor, and Cordelia, who was watching from afar, covered her reddened face with both hands.
‘Even if I dream, it’s a dream like this.’
A dream of getting a super rare item level 9.
No, well, it was definitely a dream that could come true.
It was a pleasant dream, too.
but.
but.
‘Euuuu······Why is it that I have to be the one feeling embarrassed······.’
As expected from Yuder’s analysis, there were differences between Hong Yu-hee and Cordelia herself.
Differences in personality, not just differences in appearance.
But it was also something to be expected.
Because they were two people with completely different growing up environments.
‘Anyway, it seems like I managed to get in.’
In Hong Yu-hee’s dream.
Now all I had to do was convince Hong Yu-hee to meet with Outboxer 009.
‘It won’t be easy, though.’
I discussed it with Yuder again, and it seemed like it would be too much to immediately come out and say that Outboxer009 was the guy next door.
This is because the gap between Hong Yu-hee’s perception of Outboxer 009 and the guy next door was too deep.
‘So, first of all, let’s try to convince him that Aboki isn’t that bad······.’
Uder’s analysis is that if we narrow the gap between them even a little and then surprise them with a “voila!”, it will be more effective.
In any case, it was Yuder’s words that succeeded in conquering Cordelia herself once, and Cordelia herself thought that Hong Yu-hee would be more appealing, so she changed direction in this direction.
“Whew······Okay. Let’s give it a try.”
Cordelia steeled her resolve, slapped her cheek with a clicking sound, and swallowed hard.
And about a minute later.
“Yoohee.”
Hong Yu-hee, who was still holding the 9-strong cane and jumping around at the gentle and affectionate call, looked back without thinking.
And then it froze.
“Nose, Cordelia?”
My favorite character in life was standing there with a pretty smile.
And she was wearing a gorgeous and beautiful dress like a wedding dress.
“Yes, Cordelia.”
Cordelia smiled beautifully once again, revealing her crazy wings and angel rings, and Hong Yu-hee’s face was filled with genuine admiration.
“Oh, it’s a dream. This is a dream.”
“Yes, it is a dream. But it is not a dream.”
As Cordelia giggled playfully, Hong Yu-hee, who had been dazed, also laughed along without realizing it.
“Yeah, yeah, anyway, even if it’s a dream, it’s good. No, is it better because it’s a dream? If you realize that it’s a dream while you’re dreaming, is it a lucid dream? Because you can do whatever you want?”
Hong Yu-hee, who had said that, looked at Cordelia with a smile that seemed a bit dangerous, and Cordelia flinched and said.
“Hey, Yuhi?”
“Hehehe··· Cordelia······.”
And then another few minutes or so.
“Ah, I’m happy.”
Hong Yu-hee, lying on Cordelia’s lap – or rather, her thigh – smiled happily, and Cordelia stroked Hong Yu-hee’s hair and smiled.
“You like it that much?”
“Yeah, good. Very good.”
Cordelia felt like it was more like Uther than her, but Cordelia smiled happily again.
Because it seemed like it would be easy to persuade them given the atmosphere.
“Yoohee.”
“Yes, Cordelia.”
“What do you think about Abok?”
“uh?”
“Aboki.”
“Outboxer 009?”
“Yeah, Abok.”
As Cordelia spoke with a smile, Hong Yu-hee’s face immediately darkened. Hong Yu-hee, who had been fretting with her lips sticking out, soon expressed her dissatisfaction.
“A bad guy, a conman, a wicked person. Anyway, he’s really childish, evil, and lethal… Wow. Just saying the words is annoying.”
Perhaps because it was a dream where my true feelings were completely revealed, the reaction was more intense than I expected.
Cordelia, who was flustered, spoke again in a soft tone as if to soothe Hong Yu-hee.
“But you don’t hate it completely, do you?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“No, that······ Mi, Ugly feelings? You must have heard that too, right?”
Anyway, it’s already been about 6 years since we’ve known each other.
At Cordelia’s words, Hong Yu-hee pouts again and speaks in a small voice.
“Well······We’ve known each other for the longest time.”
Because I’ve been watching you longer than Namman Cat Sister.
In any case, he is also the person I argue with the most.
Even including her real-life friends, he was probably the person with whom Cordelia had the longest friendship(?).
Cordelia let out a sigh of relief at Hong Yu-hee’s answer and continued speaking.
“Right? Abok isn’t really that bad of a kid.”
And then I tried to tell a good story, but I couldn’t.
Because Hong Yu-hee opened her eyes wide.
“Cordelia.”
“huh?”
“How would Cordelia know that?”
Because there was no real connection between Cordelia and Abok.
As expected, it was a sharp question, typical of Cordelia, and Cordelia was flustered, barely able to open her mouth to speak.
“Huh? That······ was it a dream?”
I know it’s a dream.
It was a ridiculous excuse, but Hong Yu-hee nodded, thinking, “Isn’t it because it was a dream, or because it was Cordelia’s words?” rather than nitpicking.
“Anyway, he’s not a bad kid, right?”
“Oh, no. It’s exactly as you said, a swindler, a trickster, always talking nonsense, teasing people, making them anxious, making them worry, and being unreasonable······.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Are you saying that I’m not a bad kid?”
When Hong Yu-hee raised her upper body and asked that question, Cordelia blinked and smiled awkwardly.
“Oh, of course! Yeah! I was going to tell you a good story from now on. Yeah, from now on.”
Hong Yu-hee’s eyes grew cold at Cordelia’s awkward excuse, but she soon nodded.
“Okay. Actually, now that I hear the story, it seems like it’s a bit more reliable. What are the good points?”
The good thing about Abokki.
The good thing about Uder.
Cordelia coughed and began to tell her stories one by one.
“First of all, be smart.”
“Yeah, that kid is smart, Aboki.”
Hong Yu-hee’s tone was calm, but it seemed as if she agreed.
“And she’s good at cooking. She’s honest, secretly considerate, and pays attention to even the smallest details. Should I say she’s delicate? She always… Ah, no. She thinks of the people who are important to her first.”
Cordelia’s expression changed slightly as each story was told.
A little more gently, a little more kindly, and a little more happily.
Hong Yu-hee felt two emotions at the sight of Cordelia, who was talking softly, with a blush on her cheeks, like a true girl in love.
One was ‘Cordelia is so pretty, cute, lovely!’,
Another one was, ‘What, why does it seem like Cordelia is in love with Abok? Is that really Abok’s story?’
“And······ He’s cool. He’s handsome, has a nice body, and has strong muscles··· He’s really good?”
“huh?”
Are you doing well?
what?
Play a game?
“Oh, there is. There is something like that. Anyway, there are a lot of good points.”
Hong Yu-hee tilted her head when Cordelia spoke hurriedly as if trying to figure out what was going on, but she didn’t continue to question it for long.
Instead, he put something else in his mouth.
“Aboki is handsome?”
“Yeah. He’s handsome. He’s cool, he’s cool.”
“Isn’t he just so unlucky and handsome? He’s so handsome.”
“No, no. He’s so manly and handsome. He’s really cool.”
“Huh, even so, it’s just a joke. It can’t even be compared to the guy next door.”
It finally came out.
The guy next door.
As if in a dream, Hong Yu-hee thought along with her stream of consciousness, and perhaps because the words “boy next door” came up, a very embellished memory played over Hong Yu-hee’s head.
The older brother next door I saw while walking along the Han River after being forcibly taken away by my older sister Namman Cat.
The sight of him standing on the riverbank, smoking a cigarette and watching the setting sun.
It was literally like a pictorial.
A cool, manly aura that is restrained yet full of emotions, with eyes filled with excellence and a sadness that seems to be suppressed.
What happened?
If there’s such a cool guy next door, it must be something extraordinary.
Maybe it’s something like the anniversary of a lost lover?
Or the anniversary of the death of a friend with whom you had a long friendship.
Hong Yu-hee continued her fantasy by pressing her flushed cheeks with her hands, and Cordelia, who was watching her, stomped her feet and covered her face with both hands.
I didn’t know it then, but I know it now.
Abok-i.
Why was Yuder standing in the Han River with that expression on his face?
‘Hey! You’re acting like this because you broke your 8th weapon and tried to make it into the 9th! It’s not for such a great reason!’
Besides, looking at it now, his attire was exactly that of a neighborhood slacker.
Because your body is so good, it doesn’t show, but it’s just a pair of sweatpants and a pair of pants!
But it didn’t seem that way to Hong Yu-hee, who was full of bean pods.
And in fact, even if you look at it from the outside, it is true that Yuder – that is, Kang Jin-ho – is a pretty cool guy if you look at him only from the outside.
A tall man who appears to be in his mid-180s and a well-trained body reminiscent of a sleek leopard.
There is a unique look in his eyes that seems a bit empty, yet also filled with sadness.
“The guy next door will definitely have a good personality. He won’t be as lethal as elementary school student Abok. Yeah, yeah, he’ll definitely be very adult-like. An adult. A real adult. A cool, dependable person. He’s completely different from Abok. He can’t even be compared to Abok, who always teases me about being second place.”
The guy next door wouldn’t even tease you about something like that.
Rather, it will comfort you.
Maybe we can find a way to get first place together.
I won’t bother you and I’ll always be kind to you.
As Hong Yu-hee’s delusions began to leak out one after another, Cordelia pounded her chest as if she was about to die from frustration.
‘You idiot, that guy is that guy! That guy is that guy!’
The idealization of the guy next door was more serious than I thought.
I’m worried that if Aboki finds out that the older brother next door is her, things will go wrong rather than go well.
‘Eugh······.’
A very elementary school student.
A miserable uncle who only teases me all the time.
But it was true.
Cordelia’s impression of herself gradually changed as she experienced various things directly with Uther.
“But, but!”
There is no way to back out from here.
Cordelia said, holding Hong Yu-hee’s hand as she continued her delusions.
“But think about it. There are so many good things about Aboki. You know them too.”
“huh?”
“Aboki never throws a tantrum. You know that, right?”
“That…is that so?”
“Yeah, yeah, even if you tease them, you keep the line, right? And think about it carefully. Aren’t you secretly being nice to them? There’s a process of teasing them a little, but in the end, if you ask them to help you, they help you, and if you ask them to find out something, they find out everything.”
It really was like that.
Although he would sometimes show childish reactions like saying things like he wasn’t doing it for you in particular, or getting excited like he didn’t know, Yuder was always secretly nice to you.
“Hmm… I guess so?”
“That’s right, that’s right. That’s really true. Anyway, Abok has a lot of good points too.”
Cordelia continued to list Uder’s merits, and Hong Yu-hee agreed with most of them, although she sometimes tilted her head in confusion.
“Okay, then. Let’s meet up sometime.”
“uh?”
“Let’s meet up sometime. We’ve been playing games together for six years. Aren’t you curious about Abok? What does he look like? What kind of person is he?”
When Cordelia hugged her waist and spoke in a subtle tone, Hong Yu-hee flinched but slowly nodded.
Actually, I was curious.
What the hell is he doing?
What does that guy look like?
“But, but······.”
It was a little scary to watch it alone.
What should I do if I meet a scary old man?
Seriously, you’re a complete beginner.
Of course, after seeing him in the game for 6 years, I knew what kind of person he was and that he wasn’t a dangerous person by any means, but seeing him in person offline was a different story.
‘I think it might be awkward······.’
Abok was definitely a man.
You want me to meet a guy alone?
And with a man whose age you don’t even know?
“No, it’s impossible. It’s impossible. It’s impossible.”
Fear was greater than curiosity.
As Hong Yu-hee backed away as if running away, Cordelia held her waist more tightly and said.
“No, we can do it. Then, how about we meet up with several people instead of just the two of us?”
“Huh? Several people?”
“Oh, let’s get all the chatroom members together and have a get-together. You’ve already met Namman Cat Unnie, right?”
If you’re scared of meeting alone, how about meeting with several people?
Aren’t other kids curious too?
I feel reassured when I have a female cat friend. Okay?
Unlike Hong Yu-hee, Cordelia was already completely immersed in Yuder’s black color.
The skill of gently coaxing her was amazing, and the innocent Hong Yu-hee was nodding her head before she knew it.
“Okay, then let’s all get together. Let’s all meet up and have fun. Got it?”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do that.”
“Yeah yeah, our Yuhee, you’re so good. You’re so cute.”
Cordelia hugged Hong Yu-hee, who was shorter than her, tightly, and Hong Yu-hee buried her face in the chest of her favorite character, Cordelia, and enjoyed the utmost happiness.
And then the lights went out.
Cordelia opened her eyes to reality again and sighed.
“Whew······That was hard.”
After wiping the sweat from my forehead, a cup of water suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“Okay, cold water.”
“thank you.”
As expected, it was Yuder.
Cordelia gulped down the cold water and sighed again.
“Ha, that was hard.”
“But it looks like you were successful?”
“Of course. You?”
“Me too, well. To some extent.”
As Uther shrugged, Cordelia narrowed her eyes slightly and said,
“But Yuder.”
“Oh, Cordelia.”
“That’s… I thought it was scary to see it alone, so I decided to go to Jeongmo.”
“Oh, I did that too.”
“Huh? You too?”
“Oh, I guess it’s a bit much to suddenly ask someone to do something just the two of them. Anyway, our story is like a hint in a dream, so there’s no compulsion, so it’d be hard to ask them to do something so unreasonable, right? That’s why we decided to go with a get-together that’s easy to accept and easy to do.”
“Then are we going to start with the real meeting? With everyone meeting together?”
“No, that can’t be.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened at Uther’s answer.
It was because I didn’t understand.
“You said you led them to Jeongmo.”
“That’s right. And I’m actually planning on having a gathering. But if the only people who show up for the gathering are Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee, then we’ve already achieved our goal, right?”
“uh?”
You’re saying that only the two of us will come out?
“Oh, it’s a problem that can be solved by preventing the rest of the chatroom members from coming out. Well, there are many ways to do it, such as giving hints in dreams or causing minor incidents so that they can’t go to the meeting that day…”
Uther smiled darkly, and Cordelia had two thoughts going through her head at the same time.
One was ‘What an evil guy.’ and the other was ‘Our Yuda is awesome, he’s trustworthy!’
It was the same for Cordelia and Hong Yu-hee that the bean pods were tightly wrapped.
“Anyway, let’s make this fateful encounter disguised as a coincidence come true.”
Uther smiled wickedly as always, and Cordelia nodded. She responded with a bright smile.
“huh!”
&
And three days later in the afternoon, on Hongdae Street.
Uther and Cordelia, who had been hiding in a corner with a perception impairment spell, peeked their heads out through the wall and looked at the meeting place.
“Coming.”
Uther said, and Cordelia quickly rolled her eyes with an excited face.
Sure enough, I saw Hong Yu-hee walking towards me from over there, hesitantly.
“Oh, pretty, pretty.”
Today, instead of the usual hoodie and jeans, she was wearing a white blouse and black skirt that she had worn once when she entered school but never wore again. She was also wearing black stockings and flats, but they were not shoes.
“Kang Jin-ho is coming too.”
A tall man walking from the opposite direction.
It was questionable why people living in the same neighborhood, and even next door, were coming from different directions, but anyway, the two were heading towards the meeting place.
“Oh, what should I do? I feel like my heart is going to burst.”
Cordelia blushed bright red and stamped her feet, and Uther looked at her with great affection.
And that was the moment.
“uh?”
Hong Yu-hee discovered Kang Jin-ho – the older brother who lives next door.
to be continued
< Ending Maker SS #11 To Earth (4) > End
