NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
The person I encountered in front of the convenience store was none other than Rainbow, or rather Ryu Jin-hyuk.
‘…What’s he doing here?’
It was such an absurdly unexpected meeting that it made what had happened just a few days ago feel all the more awkward.
Above all, despite having maintained a connection for quite some time, this was my first actual encounter with Ryu Jin-hyuk.
‘Could he be living here?’
…But wait, isn’t this place expensive?
No matter how you slice it, even if Rainbow is a top-tier professional gamer, it doesn’t seem likely he’d be living here.
‘His family can’t be well-off… can they?’
While I don’t know the details, I’m somewhat aware of Rainbow’s situation from conversations we’ve had in the past.
“I think I’ll have to go because of my part-time job today.”
As far as I know, Ryu Jin-hyuk had been working part-time since high school. So I guess the idea of him having a comfortable life at home is out the window.
While I was pondering that, I suddenly remembered where this place was.
[SY Palace]
‘Wait a minute….’
If Ryu Jin-hyuk, who belongs to the SY pro gaming team, is living here, doesn’t that make a bit of sense?
‘Now that I think about it… I heard he got some pretty amazing offers from overseas after winning the Red Cup for the first time.’
There were even rumors of blank checks being thrown around. At the time, when everyone was focused on him, Rainbow surprised everyone by choosing to stay with SY instead of heading overseas.
Of course, since SY is the best club in the country, it’s not an inexplicable choice, but there were still some lingering questions.
Why did Rainbow choose to stay with SY despite rejecting numerous extraordinary offers?
It felt like one of the answers to this longstanding mystery in the Legends of League scene was standing right in front of me.
“…Excuse me?”
The voice that cut through my thoughts pulled me back to reality.
Ryu Jin-hyuk, looking quite flustered, spoke cautiously.
“Uh… I’m just passing by.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah.”
It was only then I realized I was blocking the entrance to the convenience store.
…How embarrassing.
Rainbow, or rather Ryu Jin-hyuk, didn’t look too great either.
He had deep dark circles under his eyes, rough skin, and sunken cheeks.
It was clear to anyone that he wasn’t in good health, which made me think he probably wasn’t eating well.
‘To be out here instead of in the dormitory means… did he take a break or something?’
The new season is just around the corner.
That means the team must have considered Ryu Jin-hyuk’s condition serious enough.
‘…Is it because of me?’
I pondered the thought, wondering if I was being overly self-conscious, but given how badly things ended, it didn’t seem too far-fetched.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything?’
Maybe just disappearing without a word would have been the best option for Rainbow.
Slowly forgetting about me without saying anything.
Ah, there was someone like that.
I used to play games with someone like that.
Huh? Oh, that person? They were pretty good.
Leaving it as just that kind of vague memory might not have been a bad idea.
But I didn’t do that.
I still don’t know why, but ultimately, that’s how it turned out.
That’s probably why I called out to Ryu Jin-hyuk now.
“Excuse me.”
Oh, am I being ignored?
“Excuse me.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, you.”
What should I say?
Honestly, I didn’t stop Ryu Jin-hyuk for any particular reason.
But the thought that my actions might have contributed to his current state made me feel a hint of guilt.
Should I cheer him on since I’m a fan?
He doesn’t look so good, should I tell him to shake it off and get back to his everyday life?
Or should I tell him, as a prisoner, to stop hanging around here and head back to the dormitory?
None of those seemed appropriate for me to say right now.
Maybe that’s why the words that spilled out of my mouth ended up being pretty impulsive.
“Here, drink this.”
“Pardon?”
“You look dehydrated.”
As I tossed him a bottle of water like it was nothing, I turned on my heels and fled.
“Wait!… Just a minute!”
I faintly heard Ryu Jin-hyuk’s voice call out from a distance, but I was already turning the corner.
And then I was surprised for a different reason.
‘What the heck, why am I so fast?’
No matter how you spin it, even though Ryu Jin-hyuk was just a shut-in gamer, player fitness management was essential in a top club like SY.
Yet, I managed to leave that gamer behind without even breaking a sweat.
‘Should I have become an athlete or something?’
I couldn’t help but have that ridiculous thought. I was genuinely fast.
By the time I got back to the parking lot, my mom, who had brought the car keys, was already waiting for me.
“Hey, don’t run. What’s the hurry?”
Even from my perspective, it was quite a distance, yet I wasn’t even panting.
Maybe I should think about trying out some sports given how fit I seemed.
“Hehe, here’s the water.”
“Thanks. Huh?”
My mom looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Isn’t a bottle of water a thousand won these days?”
“Huh?”
“I saw a thousand won transaction.”
“Ah….”
The card I used was my mom’s card.
So naturally, transaction details were being sent to her in real-time.
“I, uh, bought some gum.”
“Really?”
No way… Did I just say that as an excuse? Where did that gum even come from in the first place?
I was shocked by my own pitiful improvisational skills and cautiously peeked at my mom’s reaction.
“Okay.”
I didn’t think she actually believed my lame excuse, but my mom didn’t say anything more.
She just wore an extremely ambiguous smile.
“…….”
I started to get a bad feeling.
*
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, I hadn’t done anything special, just idled about living day by day.
Of course, that peaceful existence was only relevant to me, as things were quite hectic around me, what with people preparing to move.
Above all, the community was all abuzz.
-Where is the prisoner? Where is the prisoner? Where is the prisoner? Where is the prisoner? Where is the prisoner? Where is the prisoner?
-Info) Rainbow schedule for return
-Shouldn’t the gallery’s owner appear with a surprise “Just kidding, it was a hidden camera”?
-Breaking news) Prisoner achieved platinum, lol.
-Plizner, you bastard, lol.
-Seriously, Plizner, at this point, isn’t it a crush? Right?
Interest in the prisoner didn’t fade as quickly as expected; if anything, it grew stronger day by day.
‘Well.’
The first player to achieve solo rank of 2000 points disappeared overnight.
Given the community’s tendency to dive madly into rumors and suspicions, they wouldn’t miss such an enticing topic.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me anymore.’
At least, that’s what I decided to think.
The prisoner was gone now.
Soon, I wouldn’t be a prisoner either.
Even if it was just a way of hiding my eyes and pretending, that still counted.
‘By the way, when is Mom coming?’
She had messaged earlier that she was heading out…
-Beep, beep beep-
The sound of a password being entered.
At this hour, the only person who would be showing up is my mom.
“Yujin!”
“You’re here?”
“Here.”
With a fluttering heart, I tore open the paper bag my mom handed me.
And inside it was, of course, my ID card.
[Name: Lee Yujin]
And it was the ID with a resident registration number that started with 2.
Something about… it felt very strange.
Of course, that feeling was fleeting as I refocused on the practical role of the ID.
‘Now I can sign up!’
My heart raced.
How long had I been waiting for this day?
Thinking of the past three weeks, it felt like being trapped in prison again.
This time, it was a mental prison rather than a physical one.
I hadn’t realized it until now, but it seemed that for me, the Legends of League had come to mean something like that.
But that ends today.
“Is it that good?”
“Yeah.”
“Ugh.”
My mom laughed as if she couldn’t help it.
‘Phew, let’s calm down.’
Acting hastily is a no-go.
If I signed up or logged in here, the access logs would remain, so I had to restrain my surging impulses.
“Mom, can I go to that house first?”
I was referring to the penthouse at SY Palace, which would soon be our new home.
I had heard it was almost ready, so registering there would be perfect.
“Are you sure? Just a moment, I’ll call Secretary Kim.”
“Sure.”
.
.
.
Arriving at the new house with the driver, I opened the door using the card key I had received earlier.
The scene of the penthouse, which was definitely organized compared to before, caught my eye, but that wasn’t what was important to me right now.
“Oh….”
Upon entering my room, I was greeted by four ultra-high refresh rate 480 Hz monitors and high-end speakers, just as I had intended.
It was truly a gamer’s paradise.
And that was not all.
Peeking at the balcony, there were several different types of chairs just as I had mentioned initially.
I had ordered various types in advance to switch chairs depending on my condition.
‘Should I try the PC bang chair today?’
I couldn’t easily forget that comfy chair which makes your back feel as if it might break from my last visit.
“Whoa.”
Embraced by the plush sensation, I sat down in front of the computer.
-Whirrrrrr…
Almost soundless, my monitor powered on slowly.
I was about to access the Legends of League homepage to quickly create an account and log into the client when I saw the notification.
[Welcome!]
“Um, hmm….”
[Please choose your summoner name.]
The first obstacle had just arrived.