SANN | Chapter 3.2

Party hunting?

Gureum checked Chaesyongsyong’s character, curious if he’d leveled up.

The character info window popped up, displaying his level: 280.

The monsters in the field Gureum was hunting were level 295, making Chaesyongsyong’s level seem ridiculously low in comparison. For reference, the level cap in Cloud Online was 300, and Gureum was currently level 297.

No matter how strong Chaesyongsyong was, the level difference alone should make it impossible to one-shot these monsters. It should’ve been impossible, but…

The field monsters, resembling iron-armored hedgehogs, were being wiped out in one hit by Chaesyongsyong’s skill.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: If you don’t let me join, I’ll just follow you around and steal kills. ^^

There was no choice. Gureum accepted Chaesyongsyong’s party invitation.

[General] hazeee: ㅠㅠ Chaesyong-nim, you’re so strong….

[General] hazeee: You’re only level 280, but you’re one-shotting everything here….

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Honestly, this is my first time here, haha.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: It’s been ages since I last hunted.

[General] hazeee: When’s the last time you hunted?

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Hmm… Honestly, I haven’t even hunted for five hours total myself, haha.

Gureum struggled to keep his jaw from dropping. Seriously? Out of all the time it took to reach level 280, he’d only personally hunted for five hours? Given how often the sub-manager was online, it didn’t seem like a lie. Chaesyongsyong was famous for rotating sub-managers around the clock and even paying them wages.

But then why was he hunting today? It was baffling.

[General] hazeee: Are you hunting because your sub-manager isn’t around today?

[General] Chaesyongsyong: I gave them a day off, haha.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: I wanted to hunt with you, Gureum-ssi. ^^

“G-Gureum-ssi…?!”

Hearing his real name so suddenly, Gureum panicked and tried to figure out how Chaesyongsyong had learned it. He remembered that when he sold him some in-game currency, he’d had to verify his ID. It must’ve been from then.

[General] hazeee: Wow, you still remember my name ㅠㅠ

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Of course, haha.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Your name is so pretty; it’s hard to forget. ^^

“Pretty…?”

No one had ever called his name pretty before. Back in school, people often teased him, saying it sounded like the name of a dog or a cat. As a result, Gureum had never thought of his name fondly.

[General] hazeee: That’s the first time anyone’s said that ㅠㅠ

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Why? It’s pretty.

Gureum’s cheeks flushed instantly. Even though it wasn’t summer, he suddenly felt warm and turned on his desk fan to cool down.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: What do you usually do while hunting, Gureum-ssi?

[General] hazeee: Oh, I just… watch YouTube or listen to music!

[General] Chaesyongsyong: That sounds nice, haha.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Since we’re party hunting today, wanna hop on That’s Code?

[General] hazeee: …Huh?

Caught off guard by the suggestion, Gureum nervously bit his lip.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: It’s boring otherwise. ^^

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Oh, don’t tell me it’s because your parents won’t let you, even though it’s only 2 PM, haha?

Gureum had been about to use that excuse, but it was instantly shut down. As he hesitated, thinking of another reason, Chaesyongsyong made refusal impossible.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Are you going to reject me twice?

[General] Chaesyongsyong: You promised to take responsibility….

He was referring to when Gureum had accidentally gifted him a bouquet of roses.

“I mean, I did promise, but…”

What does that have to do with That’s Code? Before he could figure it out, Chaesyongsyong’s relentless pestering erased all his questions.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Wow… I guess I’m not charming enough.

[General] hazeee: No, that’s not itㅠㅠ I’m just…ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[General] hazeee: Like you know, I’m really shy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[General] hazeee: I don’t think you’d enjoy talking to me much ㅠㅠㅠ

Gureum, who was terrible at saying no, found himself cornered. At this rate, it seemed inevitable that he’d be doing That’s Code one-on-one with Chaesyongsyong.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: Why wouldn’t I enjoy it?

[General] Chaesyongsyong: I’ll take that as a yes for That’s Code. ^^

At those words, Chaesyongsyong’s character stopped moving. He was probably logging into That’s Code. In the end, Gureum had no choice but to click on That’s Code too. His nervous face looked like he was on the verge of tears.

While searching for the usual boss room in That’s Code, Gureum’s worries spiraled endlessly. It had been far too long since he’d had anything resembling a proper conversation with anyone. He was terrified that Chaesyongsyong might find him strange for being unable to speak properly.

Yet, on the other hand…

“Hmm…”

He wanted to talk to him.

Was it because this was the first person he’d ever felt like having a conversation with? With equal parts fear and anticipation, Gureum clicked on the boss room he usually joined. Now all that was left was for Chaesyongsyong to enter the voice channel first. But something felt off. No matter how long he waited, Chaesyongsyong didn’t show up.

“Ah, could it be…”

Was he just joking, and I got ahead of myself?

“Again… I’m such an idiot…”

As that thought occurred, a wave of embarrassment hit him hard. Gureum took off his headset and repeatedly ran his hands over his face. Right, it made no sense from the beginning. There was no way someone like him would want to have a conversation with someone like me…

Ding—

The PC notification sound and a phone buzz followed. It was a message from Chaesyongsyong. Gureum wondered for a moment why he’d sent a message instead of logging into That’s Code, but his curiosity didn’t last long. His eyes focused on the invite link Chaesyongsyong had sent.

“Huh…?”

Gureum had assumed they’d meet in the usual Maze Queen boss room, but the new invitation left him puzzled.

Chaesyong: I made a room just for the two of us.
Chaesyong: Don’t go to the boss room, come here instead, haha.
Chaesyong: Boss room is off-limits~ ^^!

It was a room with just the two of them. Clicking the link, Gureum saw that Chaesyongsyong had already entered the voice channel. He pressed his palm against his chest to steady his heart, which was pounding like crazy.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: You need to join the voice channel, Gureum-ssi.
[General] Chaesyongsyong: I’m waiting, haha.
[General] hazeee: Ah ㅠㅠ… I’m too nervous… just a moment, I’ll join soon!! ㅠㅠ

Gureum took deep breaths in and out, trying to calm himself. But the trembling coursing through his body wouldn’t stop.

[General] Chaesyongsyong: It’s okay, I’m nervous too.
[General] Chaesyongsyong: If talking is too embarrassing, just breathe in the channel. Just come in. ^^

Was he serious? Gureum felt a bit reassured by Chaesyongsyong’s words. His mouse hovered over the join button for the voice channel, moving back and forth indecisively. The hesitation dragged on, but he couldn’t keep stalling—it would be rude.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Gureum finally clicked the button to join. Doo-roong—the sound effect of entering the voice channel played. Gureum’s shoulders tensed automatically.

“Ah, you joined. Hello.”

“…”

“Gureum-ssi?”

“…”

“Gureum-ssiii~.”

Despite saying it was fine if he only breathed, Chaesyongsyong kept calling out to him like it was nothing.

[General] hazeee: Um, uh ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m sorry, I need to mentally prepare myselfㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[General] Chaesyongsyong: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“Sorry, sorry. Just kidding.”

Chaesyongsyong spoke casually, a playful lilt in his voice. Contrary to his earlier claims about being nervous, his tone betrayed no signs of it. His confidence left Gureum envious. Unlike Gureum, who turned into a nervous wreck under pressure, Chaesyongsyong seemed effortlessly composed. Gureum couldn’t even imagine him lying and instead found himself oddly admiring him.

Gureum felt small and foolish. Here was someone who had helped him so much, someone he was always grateful to, simply asking to hear his voice—and yet he was panicking. He tried to simplify things in his mind. It’s just a conversation, he told himself, over and over.

He had wanted to talk to Chaesyongsyong all this time, hadn’t he? This was his chance. Gureum mustered up his courage. Slowly, his lips parted.

“H-hello…”

His voice came out so faint and meek that even he winced at how pathetic it sounded.

Chaesyongsyong was silent for a moment after Gureum’s greeting. Did he think I sounded stupid? Or maybe my voice was weird? What if he’s disappointed? A storm of insecurities swept through Gureum’s mind. He felt like he was about to cry.

Then, Chaesyongsyong spoke.

“Wow…”

“…”

“This is the first time we’ve actually talked, isn’t it?”

“…Yes? Ah, yes…”

“Nice to meet you, Gureum-ssi.”

It felt like his face might explode. Stroking his burning cheeks, Gureum replied in a small voice.

“Yes, nice to meet you too, Cha—Chaesyong-nim…”

“Gureum-ssi, aren’t you curious about my name?”

“…Huh? Oh, um…”

Of course, he was curious. But before he could figure out if it was okay to ask, Chaesyongsyong spoke up again.

“Hmm, I see. Not curious, huh?”

“I-I am curious!”

Gureum’s urgent response made Chaesyongsyong chuckle, his low voice filling the channel.

“My name is Sieon. Chae Sieon.”

Chae Sieon. So that’s where his nickname came from. Gureum unconsciously murmured it under his breath, committing it to memory. Chae Sieon, Chae Sieon…

“Do you like it that much?”

“Ah…! Sorry, I just thought I should remember it…”

“I’d like that. Even better if you call me by it.”

“I-I’ll try…!”

Sieon laughed softly. Normally, hearing someone laugh would make Gureum feel like he was being mocked, causing his shoulders to hunch reflexively. But Sieon’s laughter didn’t have that effect. It just made him feel shy. Gureum scratched his cheek with his finger.

“Gureum-ssi, you’re so cute. Are you nervous talking to me?”

“Um… a-a little. Sorry…”

“It’s okay. Should we go back to hunting to help you relax?”

“Ah… yes! I’ll cast an XP buff for you, just a second…”

Gureum hurriedly used his skill to grant additional experience to the party. With the buff applied, Chaesyongsyong darted around the map, killing monsters effortlessly. Gureum tried to attack a field monster too, but his hunting combo had already broken long ago.

It couldn’t be helped. Gureum resumed hunting in the field, but the thought of sharing the same space as Chaesyongsyong made it impossible to focus. His hands fumbled even the simplest AoE skills, missing the timing completely.

Unaware of Gureum’s flustered state, Sieon spoke again.

“Gureum-ssi.”

“…Yes?”

“Did you know there’s more than a decade of age difference between us?”

“…What?!”

Gureum’s surprised exclamation slipped out before he could stop it. Flustered, he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Oops, sorry…!”

“You’re so startled. I’m hurt.”

“Oh…! It’s just… you don’t look it. I’m sorry…”

Panicking, Gureum shuffled nervously, worried he had offended him. But Sieon continued, sounding amused.

“How old do you think I am?”

“Huh? Uh, well…”

Unsure what to say, Gureum hesitated. If he guessed wrong, would he seem rude? Recalling the ages of King-ga and Hong Jalla that he’d overheard once, he wracked his brain for a safe answer. Weren’t they in their early 30s?

“You know King-ga and Hong Jalla’s ages, right?”

Before Gureum could settle on a response, Sieon brought up their names, startling him again.

“Ah! Yes… I just happened to hear…”

“I’m a year older than them. Two, if we go by school years.”

There was a subtle tone of dissatisfaction in his voice.

“Oh…”

“Is being older a turn-off?”

“Huh? N-no…!”

Gureum didn’t even know what he was saying anymore as he rushed to deny it. Sieon, with his warm tone, countered easily.

“So, do you like that I’m older?”

“Uh…”

Gureum hesitated again.

“…Sieon…-ssi? I mean, um…”

“Not Sieon-ssi. Call me Sieon hyung.”

“…Huh?”

“Haha, just kidding. Sieon-ssi sounds nice. Go on with what you were saying.”

Gureum’s round black eyes darted nervously before he forced himself to continue, albeit with great difficulty.

“Sieon-ssi is… cool, like an adult.”

“…”

Sieon was silent for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle.

“Like an adult… that’s a first. You’re too cute, Gureum-ssi. Do I really seem that grown-up?”

“…Yes.”