SANN | Chapter 1.4

Gureum belatedly realized the common implication of the item he’d just used. He had only meant to quickly express his gratitude by giving him something, anything—but in his haste, he made a mistake.

[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Huh? What’s this?

[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: I left you two alone so you could have a date, but what’s going on in there?! (°ㅁ°)ノ?!?!

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[Party] Hong Jalla: Things are escalating fast.

[Party] King-ga: You thief! LOL Come out here right now! LOLLLLLL

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[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: And Heize even confessed first? Whoa.

[Party] Hong Jalla: Judging by how quiet it is, are they whispering or chatting in global right now? LOLLL

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[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: Should we just quit the party to give them some privacy?

[Party] King-ga: Hey, I’m the party leader, you clowns! LOLLLL

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Gureum stared at the rose petal effects fluttering across his screen, wishing this were just the Maze Queen’s Rose Storm pattern instead. But there was no undoing what was already done.

[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: LOLLLLLLLLLLL?

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[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[Whisper] hazeee: Oh, noooo, I’m so sorryㅠㅠㅠㅠ I just wanted to thank you and gave you something randomlyㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: Heize, you’re bolder than I thought.

[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: Now you have to take responsibility for me, okay?

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Take responsibility? Did he mean he should broadcast a correction on the server? Gureum quickly wiped his sweaty palms and typed back.

[Whisper] hazeee: Of course, I’ll take responsibilityㅠㅠ I’m so sorry….

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[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: ???

[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

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[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: You’re really funny, Heize. LOLLLLLLL

“Why is he laughing…?”

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Gureum tilted his head, wondering if he had misspoken somehow.

[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: Do you think you can handle me?

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[Whisper] Chaesyongsyong: You’re making my heart flutter a bit.

Oh no. Once again, he realized he had misunderstood. Just as the realization struck him, Chaesyongsyong burned through all his death counts and was sent to the Boss Waiting Room. Gureum checked his own death count—he still had two left.

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“Haahhhh…”

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he berated himself for his inability to communicate without making mistakes. On the verge of tears, he looked at the chat window with a pout.

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“That’s not the kind of responsibility he meant, idiot…”

His introverted nature and lack of social skills from being a homebody were showing again. Gureum often struggled with communication in these ways.

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With Chaesyongsyong gone, Gureum quickly used up his remaining death counts, and soon all six party members were gathered in the Boss Waiting Room.

As soon as Gureum arrived, the first thing he saw was Chaesyongsyong flying on a heart-shaped balloon mount. It was a couple’s ride, with an empty seat beside him.

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[Party] Chaesyongsyong: Welcome back, honey~ ^^

[Party] Hong Jalla: Insane.

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[Party] King-ga: You thief! LOLLLLLLLL

[Party] hazeee: I’m really, really sorryㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

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[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Heize, don’t apologize. That guy looks like he’s having the time of his life. LOL

[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: Well, it is the prime age for marriage for him.

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‘Chaesyongsyong’ has invited ‘hazeee’ to join their ride!

[Party] Chaesyongsyong: Come here, honey~ ^^

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[Party] King-ga: Gross.

[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

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Gureum awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and clicked to accept the ride invitation. It seemed Chaesyongsyong didn’t think he had caused any trouble. Despite the teasing from the others, Gureum felt relieved knowing it was all in good fun.

[Party] King-ga: Anyway, enough with the PDA.

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[Party] King-ga: Let’s prep better for the second attempt… We should at least get to Phase 3 this time.

[Party] Hong Jalla: Yeah… I was relying too much on damage and not paying attention.

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[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: It was pretty bad, lol.

[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: Yeah, I didn’t realize my gameplay was this bad until now.

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The party members were quick to acknowledge their flaws. They promised to study and prepare better for the next attempt, and Gureum felt determined to brush up on his buff timing and boss patterns.

[Party] King-ga: And Heize, your gameplay is impressive.

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[Party] King-ga: We’ll be counting on you from now on. ^^

[Party] hazeee: Oh no, not at allㅠㅠ I’ll study more! Thank you for the complimentㅠㅠ

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[Party] Hong Jalla: Youth is great.

[Party] Chaesyongsyong: Get rid of that heart.

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“Seriously, cut it out…”

King-ga sighed deeply, while Hong Jalla burst into laughter.

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“This feels genuine at this point.”

“Of course it is.”

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Chaesyongsyong’s smooth voice mixed with laughter, making Gureum’s heart pound again for no reason.

“Screw this. The boss fight’s over, I’m out.”

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“Bye-bye.”

Apparently fed up, King-ga left the voice channel with a grumble.

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[Party] King-ga: Oh, right.

[Party] King-ga: But seriously, why was Chaesyong so good today? Has he always been this skilled?

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[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Translation -> How come the oldest one here is better than me?

[Party] King-ga: Damn, you caught me. Still, it was unexpected.

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[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: He had a decent reputation as a newbie on the Cloud Online forums.

[Party] King-ga: Ohhh.

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[Party] Hong Jalla: Spill your secrets, old man.

“So he’s always been skilled…”

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Gureum had wondered how a newbie like Chaesyongsyong adapted to boss fights so well, and now it all made sense.

[Party] Chaesyongsyong: Eat well and exercise regularly. ^^

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[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Oh my god, you sound so old. LOLLLLL

[Party] King-ga: LOLLLLLL So irritating.

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[Party] King-ga: Why does the Black Hander class have so much utility compared to mine?

[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: Black Hander’s getting nerfed next patch, for sure.

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[Party] Chaesyongsyong: LOL

[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Even if he gets nerfed, he’ll just crush it with cash anyway.

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[Party] Hong Jalla: True, this guy wouldn’t care about a nerf.

Chaesyongsyong, who had been laughing quietly, suddenly interrupted.

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[Party] Chaesyongsyong: I’m heading out now. I need to pass off my account and take care of some things.

[Party] Hong Jalla: What could you possibly have to do this late?

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[Party] Chaesyongsyong: I have plans. ^^

[Party] King-ga: Okay, okay. Let’s all wrap it up here.

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[Party] King-ga: Remember, the second attempt is two days from now at 9 PM. Don’t be late!

[Party] Chaesyongsyong: Great work today, everyone. ^^

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[Party] hazeee: Thank you for your hard work!

[Party] Hong Jalla: Bye.

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[Party] Miss Cutie Hee: Good job~ ^^/

[Party] 1st Base 2nd Frame: Thanks for the game!

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Finally, it was over.

Gureum waited until everyone had logged off, then quietly left the party and exited That’s Code. With the boss fight over, it was time to return to the hunting ground and resume his usual grind. But for some reason, his fingers, resting on the keyboard, refused to move. He stared blankly at the monitor, his gaze unfocused. After zoning out for a while, he suddenly shook his head quickly, snapping himself out of it. This wasn’t the time to space out—there was another boss attempt in just two days.

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“I need to watch strategy videos while farming…”

But no matter what he did, he couldn’t focus. Even as he mechanically hunted monsters for money or played YouTube guides on another screen, his mind was completely occupied with one person.

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Gureum had lived a life isolated from others. The first fracture in his life came when his mother, unable to bear his father’s violent and obsessive nature, ran away, leaving Gureum behind. Naturally, the violence shifted to him.

His mother had fled, and his father drowned himself in alcohol, leaving Gureum to endure daily abuse. In their cramped, lower-class neighborhood, gossip spread quickly. Already introverted, Gureum became a target for ridicule at school, growing up without a single friend. He eventually dropped out, unable to adjust to high school life.

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But Gureum never blamed anyone. He chose to understand everyone: his runaway mother, his abusive father, and even the classmates who tormented him. Anyone would dislike a gloomy child like him.

He locked his heart away and began a life of seclusion. It was during this time that he discovered Cloud Online. Initially, he started playing out of curiosity because the game’s name, “Cloud,” shared the same meaning as his own name. But for someone who didn’t attend school and had no friends, it was only natural to become absorbed in the game.

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What comforted him was the ability to communicate without showing his face. By designing a cute character, people only remembered that avatar and never questioned the real Gureum. He also liked that the game’s system allowed a free-to-play player to progress steadily through time and effort. Then he realized he could even make money from it—and that realization consumed him for over three years. It had been over three years since he’d completely cut himself off from people.

But today… today, he was wrapped in emotions he had never felt before. Biting his lip at the indescribable feeling, he noticed his nose stinging oddly.

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When he couldn’t bring himself to turn on his mic, and when 1st Base 2nd Frame had misspoken…

“You stood up for me…”

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It was the first time he’d ever wanted to speak to someone.

The second attempt came and went, followed by the third, and they were finally finished.

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Despite concerns about the party members’ schedules and ages slowing down their learning of Phase 2, they managed to reach Phase 3 on their third try. However, the unfamiliar patterns and increased difficulty compared to Phase 2 quickly burned through everyone’s death counts. The moment they were kicked back to the Boss Waiting Room, King-ga’s excited voice broke the silence.

“Wow, we’re probably the first to reach Phase 3, right?”

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“Probably. Now we just have the official stream to show our progress.”

“Yup. First, I’ll reveal the party members.”

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Gureum’s heart started pounding softly again. If the party lineup was revealed beforehand, there would be no going back.

In Cloud Online, you could search for players ranked below the top 50 on the official website. When non-ranker dealers were recruited for parties, their ranks were often checked this way to gauge their specs. Knowing this, Gureum was already dreading the reactions.

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“I’m not looking at the forums for a while…”

He could already imagine the backlash for being under-geared.

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“Once I announce the stream and reveal the party lineup today, make sure to close your inboxes,” King-ga added. “There’ll probably be people trying to pick fights.”

“Got it.”

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Gureum opened the settings menu and blocked all private messages, thankful for the heads-up on something he hadn’t thought about.

“Oh, and one more thing. This is just my personal thought, so don’t take it the wrong way.”

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“What is it?”

After a brief pause, King-ga continued. “About That’s Code… how about only I use voice chat?”

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“Why?”

“I already know why.”

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“There are always creeps who hang around streams. I’m suggesting this to avoid people harassing Hong Jalla or Miss Cutie Hee after seeing the broadcast.”

“Oh, crap. You’re right.”

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“Seriously, losers like that are everywhere.”

“Hey, I’m not a creep!” protested 1st Base 2nd Frame.

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“We’re just looking out for each other, but do we really need to exclude Chaesyong and the others?”

“No one else but Heize does the briefings anyway.”

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“True. I’m okay with it.”

“Me too.”

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Gureum agreed as well. In the game, there were plenty of users who would relentlessly bother someone just for being male.

“Alright then, I’ll handle the voice chat.”

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“Sure.”

“Yup.”

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“Alright, let’s wrap up here. See you all during the weekend stream.”

“Bye-bye.”

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“Good work, everyone.”

“Make sure to study up!”

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“The only one who needs to study is you, Mr. Party Leader, our best spectator during boss fights.”

“…Okay.”

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King-ga gave a half-hearted reply before leaving the channel. Gureum, as usual, waited for everyone else to leave before logging off last.

A tension crept up his spine. This uneasy feeling had never been wrong before.

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“Haahhh…”

He let out a deep sigh. The road ahead didn’t look smooth.

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