The tenth encounter with the Bluetooth Showerhead was not a pleasant one.
It had been quite some time since the death penalty was lifted, and yet he had not logged in.
It wasn’t until two full days later that he logged in to complete the last ten.
In any case, he was nothing but a nuisance.
It seemed as if he thought I only existed to kill him.
It would be so much better if we could just easily kill each other and end the contract.
I had a rough idea of what he was trying to do.
Was he gathering a large group of guild members to exact his revenge?
But his delayed login gave me the opportunity to start targeting other guild members, and I imagine the guild mates who were supposed to help him with his revenge ended up as corpses instead.
“I’ll wish that we don’t meet again.”
“D, does this mean it’s over…?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t that up to me?”
This is what experience gap means.
It wasn’t as if I went out of my way to kill people who weren’t streamers or professional gamers.
It’s also one of the reasons why I’m so valuable.
With that, this unexpectedly long task has finally ended.
Feeling refreshed, I stretched and ensured the payment was completed.
It was probably because of the tension wearing off that I felt oddly lethargic.
[SYSTEM: 45 hours since login.]
[SYSTEM: Excessive gaming is harmful to your health. Rest is highly recommended.]
[SYSTEM: Sweet dreams are even sweeter when you’re healthy.]
Not quite. It wasn’t entirely because of my mood.
It’ll soon be exactly two days since I entered the game. This is about the time my body should start feeling tired.
I could probably play a bit longer, but today, I decided to manage my stamina at this point.
If I manage to grab some rest after eating something, it’s obvious that I’ll be out cold for at least ten hours.
By the time I wake up, it’ll be the weekend. I have to see the doctor every Saturday, and I need to at least look presentable by then.
I can’t keep gaming to the limit and end up groaning about it.
And at that moment, after exiting the game, there was a large shadow in front of me, appearing right as I opened the connection device.
“There you are.”
“Hiiiiik!”
“What’s with all that shock? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
On my bed sat a giant of a man.
He wasn’t unfamiliar. In fact, he was someone I knew too well for comfort.
It felt like being caught by my parents with a disordered lifestyle.
Jung Suk-won.
Once my master and coach during my national team days.
Nowadays, one of the few connections I have left.
“With your size, how can I not be shocked when you just suddenly appear in front of me? You already told me you feel different when there’s a significant difference in body build!”
“I’d like to give you some space, but there has to be room for it, right? When you jump like that, it makes me feel weird. It’s like you’ve committed some crime.”
“Crime is crime, isn’t it? Like breaking and entering.”
“You told me the door lock combination. Also, son, tidy up this mess. Have you turned your room into a pigsty?”
“…”
Attacking my messy room like this is uncalled for.
That’s out of bounds.
It was only then that I noticed the state of my room.
The heaps of trash were gone, the smell of old ramen broth no longer lingered, and instead, the room was filled with the fragrant smell of doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew).
I rarely had anything as indulgent as doenjang at home.
So clearly, this was cooked and brought by Master. Cleaning was also probably done by him.
A wave of guilt rose in my chest.
“I did clean… just not entirely.”
“Really? Then what have you been living like?”
“I was about to clean. Besides, the bugs aren’t boiling.”
“There will still be bugs even if you don’t see them.”
“Ah.”
My head naturally dropped.
Looking at the floor, I couldn’t help but be shocked again.
The floor was visible! And it wasn’t dusty! My room used to look like this?
By the time I reached that realization, another wave of embarrassment washed over me.
So, I said what I had to.
“So… umm, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I understand what you mean, but don’t push your body too much. If I had been busy and you only lived off ramen, what were you going to do about it?”
“I’m taking vitamins, and ramen actually isn’t too bad for nutrition.”
“That’s not a lie.
Ramen is not a terrible food when it comes to nutritional components.
Though it’s high in carbohydrates, if you just control the calorie intake, it doesn’t hurt your body much.”
Of course, preparing healthy meals takes time.
I’m not that free, so it’s more efficient for me to survive on ramen and supplements.
Master probably wouldn’t agree, though.
“Of course I knew you were going to say that. Are you eating meals on time? You look thinner than the last time.”
“Well, being thin is better than being fat, isn’t it?”
“True, but you should still look healthy. And also…”
Master’s nagging didn’t seem to end.
In the midst of this torrent of words, I realized very clearly one thing: this cannot go on.
I’m well aware that my lifestyle is a mess.
It was endless trying to evade each of Coach’s criticisms.
Then, let’s change the subject.
Very decisively.
“Uh… can we eat first? Actually, I came out to get food.”
“Hmm, sure. Let’s eat first. I’ve also brought samgyetang (chicken soup) for you.”
“Samgyetang? But Master can only cook jjigae and ramen.”
“My wife made it. She prepared it this morning because we were going to come over to your place.”
“Ah.”
This is a relief.
Fact is, apart from jjigae and ramen, Master’s cooking isn’t very good.
Because he comes from a seaside town, he only enjoys very salty dishes, and that leaves a lot to be desired.
These tastes were fine before.
But after I became like this, it seemed my palate has become more sensitive. I couldn’t handle overly salty food, not even the regular spiciness. Even ramen had to be mild for me to endure.
The first time was quite the shock.
I had picked a spicy ramen as usual, but couldn’t finish half of it and ended up chugging down an entire carton of milk.
It felt as if my heart had shattered.
It wasn’t some outrageously spicy ramen, just something commonly spicy.
– Excuse me, sir! Are you okay?
– Argh… Arghhh… I’m fi… It’s okay…
– Would you like something sweet? It might help.
– No, it’s… my stomach… can’t take anymore… Urp!
My legs went numb, and I could only feel excruciating pain. And amidst all that, I tried to maintain my pride by drinking so much milk that it made me throw up.
Saliva dripped from the corners of my mouth, and I had to hold back tears in front of the convenience store clerk.
I didn’t want to cry in front of a stranger, especially over something as mundane as ramen.
Upon reflection, what I lost that day wasn’t indignation but my dignity.
Worse, the old me was strong enough to joke about spiciness!
My life’s joy was placing challenges on my spicy-tolerant friends, feeding them capsaicin-filled tteokbokki.
Now, a mere sniff of spiciness makes my head dizzy, and I’ve become that weak.
Fortunately, I’ve improved to a point where I can handle mild ramen without issue.
Anything more intense is still too traumatic for me to revisit any time soon.
…Anyway, things were different with Mrs. Master’s cooking.
They say that couples complement each other’s shortcomings.
Mrs. Master was indeed a woman who filled the gap left by Master’s subpar culinary skills.
“Just wait a bit. The doenjang jjigae will be ready soon. I also kept kimchi in the fridge for you to eat next time.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Good.”
Following Master’s words, we waited for the food.
It was hard just to stand still.
The scent of freshly cooked plain rice.
Steam escaped from the opened sealed container, releasing the warm, savory aroma of cooked meat.
And the unique, nutty, salty smell of doenjang jjigae.
Is it because it’s been so long since I’ve had “rice”? Or because I’ve been fasting while gaming?
With anticipation mounting, I could hear my loud gulp. During the brief silence, that sound stood out prominently.
And it wasn’t just that; my stomach growled, urging me to fill it with food.
Master clearly heard all this and smiled contentedly.
“Seems like you’re hungry, huh? You must be pretty starving.”
“Yes, it’s been a while since my last meal.”
Damn body of mine.
Women blush easily, and my embarrassment shows up immediately.
With flushed cheeks, I bowed my head deeply.
Master grinned, revealing his teeth.
“Haha! Even back when you were an athlete, you used to eat like a champ.”
“Yeah… those stories are old.”
“I’ll prepare the table. Or, wait, let me handle it, you sit down.”
Heartbreakingly, the samgyetang was as mouth-watering as ever.
I finished my bowl without even looking up, regretting how my eating capacity had decreased.
