[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 202

“Everyone worked hard.”

Only after returning to the dormitory did the team members finally relax, one by one flopping onto the couch.

“Ugh-ya-gyaek.”

“Stop making weird noises.”

“So what?”

“Huh? Where do you think you’re going?”

“Leg day.”

“Um… okay. Don’t overdo it.”

“Yes.”

Amidst it all, Kim Ji-hoon was getting ready to work out; his stamina was truly impressive.

“Yujin, why don’t you head in and rest today? You worked hard.”

The qualifying match was in four days. Since it wasn’t a completely impossible time frame, it seemed wise to take a break and manage our conditions rather than practice, just as Baek Seong-an had suggested.

“Yeah, well…”

Unfortunately, I still had some unfinished business.

“Hmm.”

I glanced around and noted that talking to Seo Yeon-woo alone in the dorm seemed odd.

“I guess I should head out first.”

I could probably just grab a cafe outside.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Okay, good work.”

“Hey, are you leaving, noona?”

“Yep.”

“Take care!”

It was quite an upbeat tone for someone who had just been sulking.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“You too.”

Baek Seong-an, Kim Jae-min, and Kim Ji-hoon each offered their farewells, and soon I found myself locking eyes with Seo Yeon-woo.

“…Have a safe trip.”

“Yeah. Rest well.”

As I stepped out of the dorm, I quietly sent a message to Seo Yeon-woo via my messaging app.

[I: Come to the cafe at the intersection in about 10 minutes. You know the name, Cafe Ohu.]

[I: Let’s talk there.]

[Seo Yeon-woo: Okay.]

Just as I was about to hop in the elevator,

“Yujin.”

Baek Seong-an had followed me out into the hallway.

“Yeah, yeah?”

“It’s not about anything, but did you and Yeon-woo have a good chat earlier?”

“Yeah, sort of…”

“Really? What did you talk about?”

“Just, uh… said sorry for being rude all of a sudden, and I won’t do it again. That kind of stuff.”

“I heard why you behaved that way?”

“Well…”

It was a bit awkward to explain.

“Um… just talked about some things. Like how I felt left out that you weren’t coming to top.”

“Ah, I see.”

Whether he was genuinely understanding or just pretending, Baek Seong-an seemed to buy it for now.

“Okay, got it. I’m heading in now.”

“Alright. You too.”

“Hey. You’re coming tomorrow, right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright.”

Just before the elevator doors closed,

“Ah, Yujin.”

“Yes?”

“…Never mind. It’s nothing. Get home safely.”

The elevator doors shut.

‘Phew.’

Should I be relieved? Baek Seong-an didn’t pry about my earlier conversation with Seo Yeon-woo.

I guess it could be seen as his way of being considerate.

As usual when heading out, I put on a hoodie and baseball cap to hide my hair.

Would I stand out? Not that much, but definitely better than nothing.

Exiting the building, I made my way straight to the cafe I had mentioned to Seo Yeon-woo.

[Cafe Ohu]

With its classic cafe sign and decor, it screamed typical.

Contrary to my expectation of it being quiet, the cafe was surprisingly crowded.

Or maybe the lively atmosphere would make it easier to chat with Seo Yeon-woo, so I ordered a strawberry smoothie and sat down.

“Here’s your strawberry smoothie.”

The reason I went for a strawberry smoothie? It suddenly reminded me of the one Kim Jae-min ordered earlier.

I sipped on the smoothie while scrolling through a community on my smartphone.

– Really looking forward to the qualification match, haha

– What’s there to look forward to? OLZ will probably sweep it clean.

– It’s not like Leori is playing alone; they could definitely drop.

– My friend went there during the qualifiers, and the Outlaw in real life was insane.

– What if there’s no verification?

I almost spat out my strawberry smoothie when reading something about how someone looked in real life, but I managed to stop myself with superhuman patience.

‘…Anyway.’

I could feel the gazes from the people around me.

I tried to ignore it.

How long did I wait?

[Seo Yeon-woo: I’m out now.]

[Seo Yeon-woo: I talked to Seong-an hyung for a bit, so I’m a little late. Sorry.]

[Seo Yeon-woo: I’ll be right there.]

It seemed Seo Yeon-woo had taken a bit longer than expected to leave the dorm.

This was understandable; as the oldest and the one with pro experience, Baek Seong-an must have felt a sense of responsibility to talk to Seo Yeon-woo.

‘When she arrives, I’ll find out what they talked about.’

Meeting separately outside with Seo Yeon-woo while hiding it from the other team members felt a bit off, but it couldn’t be helped.

And then…

Ding—

The familiar chime of the cafe door rang as Seo Yeon-woo walked in.

“Welcome.”

Seo Yeon-woo looked around and eventually spotted me, moving to the table.

“Did you wait long?”

“Not really. What do you want to drink?”

“Uh….”

Seo Yeon-woo glanced at me and, with a strangely faint smile, said,

“I’ll have the same.”

“Oh? Wait a moment.”

“Ah, no! I’ll pay!”

“Forget it. Just sit.”

Why would she try to whip out her wallet in front of me like some godly team owner?

“5,000 won.”

“Here you go.”

As I was returning to my seat after ordering the strawberry smoothie,

“Hey, hey, look over there.”

“Why? …Oh my.”

“They’re cute.”

For some reason, I could hear whispers around us.

‘What’s going on?’

At first, I thought I was imagining it.

But as time went on, the stares towards us became increasingly blatant.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t they both so cute? High schoolers, maybe?”

Whose whispers are those?

No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the answer was pretty clear.

‘Why are they looking at us…?’

Then I noticed Seo Yeon-woo staring blankly at me, just as confused.

She looked just like herself.

But therein lay the problem.

“…Hey. That.”

“Yeah?”

It was nothing less than the team hoodie she was wearing, which we had previously decided on for team uniforms.

In other words, we were dressed the same way.

Simply put…

“Hey, hey, they’re a couple.”

“Cute.”

Noooooo!!!

“…Ah.”

Finally, Seo Yeon-woo must have realized what I was getting at; she awkwardly averted her gaze.

These team clothes could be worn casually.

We made them intentionally similar to everyday wear, so our team uniforms didn’t look that different from regular clothes.

We often wore the same outfits as a group of five, so it didn’t feel weird.

But now, just the two of us out here, it looked completely different.

“….”

“….”

A moment of silence passed.

Neither Seo Yeon-woo nor I could shake off the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

‘If I only knew this would happen…’

Had I known, I would’ve chosen a spot where fewer people were around.

But what could be done now?

It would be silly to move after coming this far, so I forced myself to speak.

“So… is there something we need to discuss?”

I didn’t plan to change the subject.

I just thought it would be better to wrap up what needed to be said quickly and then leave.

“…Ah, yeah.”

“What did you mean earlier when you said you knew who I was?”

“That’s….”

Seo Yeon-woo seemed to ponder for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

“…It’s nothing. I must have misunderstood.”

That was such an obvious lie.

“What did you misunderstand?”

“Um…”

“Seo Yeon-woo.”

“…Yes?”

“Speak clearly.”

At first, I had intended to run from this issue till the end.

I didn’t have the courage to face it.

But now I felt like I could no longer back away.

“What do you really want to say to me?”

I wouldn’t run away anymore.

No matter what answer Seo Yeon-woo had, I would face it head-on.

“…I had a friend.”

For some reason, that seemed to open the floodgates for Seo Yeon-woo.

“I didn’t know his face or voice, but he was still my friend.”

Slowly, she began to recount a very old story she had kept hidden.

“But one day, he vanished without a word.”

“At first, I thought I had accidentally deleted him from my friends list. But soon enough, I realized.”

“My friend, the Prisoner, had disappeared.”

I had foreseen this story, but when Seo Yeon-woo finally mentioned the Prisoner’s name, I felt an urge to flee the situation immediately.

But I couldn’t do that.

I had to face her until the end.

“At first, when you showed up, I thought you were just someone skilled. But the more I saw you play, the more I realized you resembled the person I knew.”

“…”

“So, I went home and had to check. I revisited all those games I played with the Prisoner, those videos.”

Ah… that was the moment.

Thinking back, Seo Yeon-woo’s change had aligned perfectly with that period.

“That’s when I realized.”

Seo Yeon-woo said it as if squeezing it out through her teeth.

“That you are the Prisoner.”

…Just as I suspected.

Seo Yeon-woo knew who I was.

But despite that, she had chosen to walk beside me, struggling in silence.

In that case, I had an obligation to respond properly.

As a team member,

As a club owner.

And,

As a friend.

“You’re right.”

Seo Yeon-woo’s face, painted with shock.

Regardless, I carefully articulated each word.

“I am the Prisoner.”