“Hey, hey. Are you asleep?”
“Is this guy acting like that because we haven’t seen each other in a while? Wake up!”
I opened my eyes.
As I gathered my thoughts, I saw a group of men looking at me with bewildered expressions, holding beer glasses.
My fingertips had no sensation, and my head felt hazy, like it was wrapped in fog.
Where am I, and what was I doing?
“Umm… Who are you?”
“What kind of drug is this? You said you wouldn’t get drunk.”
“His eyes are so dazed; he looks like he’s halfway gone. Hey, @$#$! Get it together.”
Ah, right.
I didn’t recognize them because it had been a while, but these guys are my friends Jeong-tae and Seong-hoon.
I had just returned from the military and was enjoying my legal unemployed life, drinking with friends as usual.
But why do I feel like it’s been a long time?
According to my routine, I should have clinked glasses with these guys just yesterday.
“Are you feeling unwell? Should we take a break?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just… something feels off.”
“What do you mean, off? Let’s order more snacks. I didn’t eat dinner.”
Then they started discussing among themselves before ordering a snack.
I don’t really care about snacks, so I’m fine with anything.
After ordering, Seong-hoon pulled out his phone and said, “You guys, check this out. Streamers had an Eo War tournament; it’s insane.”
The three of us didn’t have completely the same interests, but we shared similar hobbies.
That’s why we quickly became close, and the one thing we had in common was gaming.
Out of those, it was natural for us to get hooked on the trendy FPS game Eo War.
“Not even a pro, what’s so insane about it? If anything, he’s probably a Diamond Master.”
Jeong-tae clicked his tongue while sipping his beer.
Yet, even while saying that, his gaze was on Seong-hoon’s phone.
Despite his words, he seemed curious about what kind of video could make Seong-hoon excited.
I became curious too and looked at the video.
From the start, there was something grabbing the attention of Eo War players.
It was a kind of montage video featuring unconventional agents like a sniper and a swordsman, who aren’t commonly used due to difficulty.
The type of video that earns the phrase “looks delicious just by watching” for its clean and flashy playstyle.
Yet, the gameplay felt oddly familiar to me.
“He’s good.”
“Right? This guy is insane. What’s even crazier is that he’s a woman.”
“A woman?”
That was certainly surprising.
Given the nature of the FPS genre, it made sense that there were many female players, but a female player who was clearly high tier?
If this fact got out, the impact would be enormous.
I could imagine countless unknown people coming to Mollu’s stream and knocking on her door.
Moll…u? Who is Mollu?
Since earlier, my head has been clouded, and I feel an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
–Your snacks are here~
Fried chicken gizzards appeared, looking crispy and delicious.
Leaving my friends to their heated discussion about the mysterious female pro, I picked up the snack with a confused mind.
Today feels like an unusual day. Why? I chewed on the crispy chicken gizzards while thinking…
“What the…?”
It’s not crispy.
It looked perfectly fried on the outside, but why does it have this mushy texture?
I couldn’t even sense the unique chewiness that chicken gizzards are supposed to have.
Furthermore, the distinct greasiness that should come out when biting into it was also gone.
Could the lady have made a mistake? Maybe the cooking went wrong.
I swallowed the gizzards I was chewing on, still filled with questions, and took another piece.
However, my doubts only increased.
“Abalone?”
Something sticky and gooey was finely crushed in my mouth.
The pieces were small enough to swallow after a few chews, and it was also thin.
Meanwhile, a chewy something that caught in my teeth added a subtle ocean flavor.
“What do you mean, abalone?”
Jeong-tae, who had been listening quietly, asked me if I was alright, sensing something was off.
I spoke to him, feeling something was wrong.
“Try this. The gizzards are weird. They’re not chewy, and though they’re fried, they’re mushy with a bit of a fishy smell? It tastes like abalone.”
Seong-hoon, who was quietly listening, laughed and responded.
“Hey, what are you talking about? There’s no gizzards here.”
“Huh?”
Does it look like gizzards to you?
Hearing Seong-hoon’s words, I looked again, and the dish that was supposed to have gizzards was nowhere to be found, replaced with something else in front of me.
Finely crushed rice with assorted vegetables and water…
“Congee?”
At that moment, my consciousness was pulled up from the depths.
*
“That’s right, that’s right… Oh, you eat well.”
“Uh… aren’t you treating me like a baby?”
“But there’s no choice. Your sister is in this state, and you can’t feed yourself. Both of you worried about your sister, so you brought congee.”
“Giving something to eat is the right thing. Oh, you’re awake.”
I saw some people through my blurry vision.
Three women with long, flowing hair.
They were the ones chattering in my ears.
One of them was handing me a spoon up close, while the other two quietly watched from behind.
As I regained my senses, I realized the position I was in.
I was half leaned back on the bed, being fed congee by Ji-yeon.
The two people behind were observing that scene.
I had dozed off. In the meantime, so many people had come.
Si-young and Ryu-a must have brought Ji-yeon inside.
A younger sister taking care of her sister’s guests while her sister was sick.
That’s very commendable, very commendable.
But… was it really necessary to show them the part where I was being fed congee?
“Sis, are you awake? While you were sleeping, you were mumbling adorably. Want more congee?”
“How’s your body, Ji-eun? Are you okay?”
“You slept well, boss.”
This combination is quite something.
I waved my hand as if to say I’m fine to the various people welcoming me.
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
I definitely feel much lighter than before I slept.
Looking around, I could see signs that someone had taken care of me while I was asleep.
Things like the empty congee bowl I just ate from and the wet towel.
I had just comfortably slept and woke up, and everything—sickness and the hassle of meals—had been resolved.
Is this what it feels like to be cared for?
As I gazed at the bowl of congee, a subtle satisfaction washed over me, and Ji-yeon spoke.
“By the way, the congee was brought by the editor and Ryu-a. One is abalone congee, and the other is beef and vegetable congee. Both of them wanted you to eat their congee. So I had to mix them together; did it taste good?”
“Oh, I see.”
It’s one thing that both brought congee, but to mix them because they didn’t want to favor one?
You’re quite something, Ji-yeon.
That was wisdom comparable to Solomon, who advised to split the child in half and give it to both.
“More importantly, I have something to say.”
Si-young stepped forward, wearing a serious expression as if she wanted to say something.
However, she was quickly hindered by Ryu-a.
“Is it okay to tell such things to a patient who just woke up?”
“But she needs to know, right?”
What kind of conversation could warrant such a reaction?
I glanced at Ji-yeon, and she seemed to already know.
Her expression was complicated, so it didn’t seem to be an ordinary conversation.
“First, please both sit down. You’ve been standing for a while, and it must be tiring.”
“Well, there are chairs…”
“Oh.”
As the host, it made me uneasy to see my guests standing uncomfortably, so I tried to speak. However, I had overlooked one fact.
I didn’t have many chairs in my house.
There wasn’t a need to prepare them since guests rarely came.
The only ones who ever came were Ji-yeon, who visited occasionally, and Si-young when we had meetings, so I had exactly two chairs to face each other.
One of them was my gaming chair.
And that was currently occupied by Ji-yeon, while I leaned against the bed.
That left one chair.
While Ryu-a, who was gauging the situation, quietly sat down.
I could have offered to have everyone sit down, but it seems Ryu-a had quite a thick skin.
But normally, such things are first come, first served.
It’s nobody’s fault.
Si-young, having no place left to sit, chose a spot not too far away.
She sat right beside me on the bed, where she had been standing earlier.
Oh, there’s that method. If there are no chairs, just sitting on the bed would work.
I felt foolish for worrying about fewer chairs than people.
“Ah!”
As Si-young blinked and sat down next to me, Ryu-a let out a high-pitched voice.
It was an unexpected move.
I could see the disappointment on her face clear as day.
Is it that big of a deal?
Well, a bed is definitely softer than a hard chair.
Regardless, that’s not what’s important right now.
“So, what’s going on?”
“Yes, so-.”
I received a brief summary of what Si-young had been trying to say.
I understood why Ryu-a had tried to stop her; she was worried I would be shocked.
Apparently, I have a stalker. She said they were lurking around my doorway even as they entered.
Given how I caught them red-handed and the clear evidence on their phone, they couldn’t deny being a stalker.
Once Si-young finished, the room fell silent as if everyone was waiting for my reaction.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked at all.
After all, the gaze I had felt in front of my house was now being called a stalker.
I understand why famous people claim emotional stress from privacy invasion.
But, what can be done about what has already happened?
If there’s any consolation, it’s the fact that the stalker was handed over to the police without causing me serious harm.
I should prepare for the next time to prevent something like this from happening again.
With that train of thought in my head, my conclusion was simple.
“I’m moving.”
My home address may have been exposed.
I want to move.
