D.I.O

Chapter 83

His friend’s suspicion was a logical response. After all, if he hadn’t played DIO, Yongno would have felt the same. And even when he logged in, it still took some time to wrap his head around the virtual world, so he couldn’t imagine how others would react.

‘An interview… Did someone go on television and do an interview?’

This wasn’t necessarily unexpected or hard to understand. Since articles stating, ‘A virtual reality game is coming out!’ had been written, it was natural for people to look for beta testers to get firsthand testimony and initial reviews.

Drop. Drop.

While he was thinking, raindrops started tapping on the classroom’s windowpane.

“Ugh, it’s already so cold, and now it’s raining?!”

“It’s mid-December, but it’s raining rather than snowing. What is our world coming to?”

“This is all because of global warming. Did we finish our university entrance exams only to see the world melt and become destroyed?”

With such abnormal weather for the season, all the students gathered around the classroom windows and chatted noisily. Fortunately, it wasn’t pouring, but since rain wasn’t expected, no one had brought an umbrella. Mumbled complaints and curses rumbled throughout the classrooms.

“So, what are you going to do about university?”

“If I can, I don’t want to go to university.”

Despite Yongno’s bored, unbothered response, his friend could tell that Yongno wasn’t joking, and they couldn’t help but look exasperated.

“What? Hey, how can you attend a university prep school for three years and then say that? I understand that university is a waste of time and money compared to what we receive in return, but still, as long as we’re living in Korea, a degree is necessary. Otherwise, you’ll be treated like a bum.”

“I don’t really care.”

“Wait, how can you not care? What did your parents say?”

“No idea. I haven’t spoken to them since I took the entrance exam.”

While this statement could be interpreted in many ways and might have sounded weird, it was the truth. To be more precise, Yongno’s last conversation with his parents took place long before the exam.

“Huh? Why? Isn’t this when parents are most interested in their child’s pursuits? My parents call me all day asking about the universities I’m applying to, my chances of getting into certain schools, and whether I’m keeping up with my grades and required paperwork submission. Your parents haven’t done any of that?”

Yongno understood where his friend was coming from, so he merely smiled and replied, “I guess they feel that they’re not in a position to ask such questions. They’ve abandoned me once already.”

Until now, Yongno’s friend had been casually talking without much thought, but this unexpected reply startled him. He turned to look at Yongno, finding a twisted smile that he’d never seen before.

“Huh? They abandoned you? What do you mean?”

“… Hmm?”

Yongno’s twisted smile instantly vanished and was replaced by an unbothered expression, happening so quickly that an observer would miss it if they blinked.

“Eh? What was abandoned? What are you talking about?”

“… Huh? I said something like that?”

When Yongno said that he wasn’t aware of such a thing, his friend couldn’t help but frown with a puzzled expression. At that moment, a student walked through the classroom’s entrance.

“Chang-jung, they’re asking for you at the guidance office.”

“Oh, okay.”

Yongno’s friend, Chang-jung, turned back to look at Yongno once more before getting up. His priority was getting into a university, so the guidance counselor meeting took precedent. With a wave toward Yongno, Chang-jung left the classroom. In any case, after the brief uproar at the unexpected rain, the other students had returned to their normal activities. Some watched television, while others slept with their heads on their desks or read comic books. No one engaged Yongno in any further conversation.

“… What is this?”

Yongno had a perplexed expression as he thought. He felt that something was off; there was something weird. An odd scene played in his mind.

“It’s best if you don’t have this sort of memory, right?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man, but Yongno couldn’t make out his face. However, the man felt familiar; Yongno just couldn’t quite remember who he was.

Scrunch.

Yongno felt a headache coming on, which surprised him, as he’d never had a headache before.

Screech.

“Huh? You’re planning on leaving already?”

“Mhm, I’m going to say I’m sick and call it a day.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re sick, sick of school, that is. It’s nice to have no stress at school, but… there’s really no reason to come. Should I also stay home after meeting with my guidance counselor?”

One of Yongno’s classmates mumbled before laying his head back on his desk. Meanwhile, Yongno walked out of the classroom, his mind filled with complicated thoughts. That odd, vague scene kept circling in his mind.

Sss.

While walking, Yongno heard the rainfall as it started coming down harder. It was so cold that the ground would freeze when the temperature dropped in the evenings, but Yongno didn’t even feel chilly. This wasn’t because he was preoccupied with his thoughts. He truly wasn’t cold.

Ring. Ring.

Yongno opened the door to a convenience store. He didn’t eat breakfast, so he was hoping to buy a snack.

“Huh? Isn’t it raining?”

The woman working here seemed to be a part-time employee, and when she saw Yongno enter, she asked this question. However, it was more hypothetical since the woman could already see that it was, indeed, raining. Like most convenience stores, the doors and walls facing the street were mostly taken up by glass windows.

“It is raining.”

“Ah, so it is. Right. Wait, but…?”

“What?”

When the part-timer stuttered, Yongno looked at her with a puzzled expression, so the woman soon spoke up, “By any chance… did you carry an umbrella with you?”

“Did I need to bring an umbrella?”

“No, that wasn’t what I meant. I’m sorry. I think I misunderstood something.”

The part-timer bowed in apology as Yongno passed her, making his way to the ready-made sandwich corner. Unlike usual, Yongno felt a little unsettled and had acted somewhat confrontational, but he didn’t notice.

‘Let’s get a sandwich and some milk.’

With this decision, Yongno grabbed a sandwich and a pack of coffee-flavored milk. And as he walked, he glanced at the mirror wall at the back of the store and immediately froze.

天 (Heaven)

The character ‘Heaven’ was stamped on his forehead.

“…?!”

In shock, Yongno approached the mirror to get a closer look, but, at some point, the character had vanished. Yongno assumed that he must’ve imagined it or missaw something.

‘Did I spend too much time in DIO?’

Yongno knew where he had seen that character before. It was what Mari had stamped on his forehead when he cleared all his initial beginner-level tests. Yongno never had a chance to look at a mirror in-game, so he didn’t pay that much attention to the character, but he never forgot that it existed.

“How much is the total?”

“The two items bring you to a total of 2,200 Won. Would you like a bag? A plastic bag costs an extra 22 Won.?”

“No. I’ll just carry it with me.”

After responding and paying, Yongno left the store.

Sss.

The rain was still coming down, and after taking a few steps, his throbbing headache seemed to subside. Yongno realized that he probably needed an umbrella, though, so he turned around and went back inside the convenience store.

“I need to purchase an umbrella.”

“You don’t have one?!”

“I told you I didn’t have one before.”

When Yongno replied with a slightly annoyed tone, the part-timer frowned perplexedly. There seemed to be something she didn’t understand. However, Yongno didn’t care what others were thinking, and he simply paid for the umbrella, left the store, and opened it.

‘Let’s go home.’

He hadn’t done much today, but he was feeling somewhat tired.

***

“Are you okay?”

Seyoung was at a hospital in a large, clean room with only one person residing in it. This hospital’s facilities were a tremendous upgrade from the previous one.

“Yes, but this place….”

“Don’t worry, mother. I didn’t have to do anything extraordinary or overexert myself to get you into this hospital.”

Previously, Seyoung’s mother was barely conscious, but now she was fully lucid, although she still had a pale complexion. For whatever reason, the hospital had rushed to treat Seyoung’s mother and did everything they could; however, leukemia wasn’t a disease that could be treated and cured overnight.

“Alright. Have you eaten?”

“Hahaha. I’m not eating convenience food all the time like before. I actually ate bulgogi today!”

Seeing her son laugh in a relatively carefree manner, Seyoung’s mother, Young-ran, couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s good to hear that you’re eating well. Is everything alright? Can we really depend on and be indebted to a stranger like this?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what his aims are, but it doesn’t seem like he has any evil intentions. No, even if he does, I wouldn’t complain after all he’s done for us.”

“I’m concerned that your future might be affected because of me.”

“It’s fine, mother. I live for you.”

Seyoung spoke in a calm, measured voice. His eyes didn’t shift, change in size, or tear up. Yet, Young-ran looked at Seyoung with a pitying gaze. Young-ran was concerned. Based on her own experiences and common sense, a stranger wouldn’t have gone through this much trouble without expecting something in return.

“Ah… sorry, but can I sleep for a bit?”

“Of course, mother. Don’t strain yourself. Rest up.”

“Yeah. Make sure to eat your meals on time and don’t overwork yourself. Your health is the most important thing. Understand?”

With that, Young-ran’s eyes slowly closed. Of course, Young-ran was only falling asleep, but it made Seyoung feel as if his heart dropped. His mother’s complexion was too pale.

Click.

After walking out of the room and closing the door behind him, Seyoung fell into thought. His mother’s condition had definitely stabilized. In addition to his mother’s older age, her leukemia had reached the late stages, so Seyoung believed that her chances of fighting and beating the disease were low.

In the past, when he saw his mother writhe and moan in pain, Seyoung had always cried. Though he often smiled and stated publically that his mother was simply having some minor health issues, Seyoung had felt that he was slowly devolving into madness.

“I’ve gotten a lucky break; I need to ensure I don’t lose this opportunity.”

Seyoung had already reached Level 15. His goal was to reach Level 20, so he still had five more levels remaining. Though he was making good progress, one thing concerned him. Once he got to Level 15, Seyoung realized that it was exponentially harder to progress as the level tests became much more difficult.

“I need to get stronger.”

As he muttered under his breath, his balled fists tightened so hard that his hands whitened.

“I need to get stronger.”