[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 203

I messed up.

Big time.

“Is that… really true?”

Seo Yeon-woo’s voice trembled.

Instead of answering, I just nodded slightly.

Anyway, it was already spilled milk.

Trying to deny it now would only make me look foolish.

“Ah…”

Seo Yeon-woo seemed at a loss for words, her lips moving without sound.

Time passed as we silently tortured the innocent strawberry smoothie.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“….”

Seo Yeon-woo didn’t respond. I pressed her again.

“Just say it.”

We’ve already come this far. It’d be better to have a clear conversation this time.

Seo Yeon-woo fidgeted with her fingers and hesitated.

“Ah, hello…”

Huh?

“Uh… yeah. Hi.”

I felt obligated to respond, but what’s with the sudden greeting?

“Um… so, how have you been?”

“What kind of question is that?”

A moment of awkward laughter followed, and in the silence that ensued, Seo Yeon-woo slowly opened her mouth.

“Are you… really a prisoner?”

“You already knew.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

She acted all confident claiming to know who I was, but now that I acknowledged it, she looked completely flustered.

“Yeah, I’m the prisoner.”

“So… what now?”

“Just say it.”

“Why did you suddenly disappear back then?”

It was the question I expected. An unavoidable one, too.

That’s why,

I decided to mix in a little lie from here on out.

Better not to mention that I suddenly turned into a woman or anything like that.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“…What?”

Seo Yeon-woo’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

“Why, why’s that?”

“I was really sick. A lot.”

I mixed lies and truths as best I could. After all, the public narrative was that the prisoner was a terminal patient before disappearing.

“So now…?”

“I’m a lot better now. That’s why I’m forming a team and trying to be a professional gamer. You know that now, right?”

“Ah…”

Whether she understood my words or not, Seo Yeon-woo slowly nodded.

“I still don’t get what’s going on, but… it’s nice to see you again.”

“Well, the greeting’s been done.”

“…Still.”

And then, silence fell.

I could tell she had more questions, but Seo Yeon-woo didn’t push it.

“I think it’s getting late. Should we head in? The team would start wondering if we stayed out too long, right?”

“Ah, yeah…”

With that, Seo Yeon-woo and I left the café.

I felt strange glances from around us as we left the café, but I was starting to get used to it.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. See you inside.”

And just as we were about to part ways…

“Wait, wait!”

Seo Yeon-woo suddenly called out to me.

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry too much! People often mistake me for a girl, too. But when I explain, everyone understands…”

Um…

What’s that about?

“Hey, that doesn’t seem right…”

Not sure if she really knows. I don’t know what I think about it, but, well, what’s going on…

‘…I don’t know.’

Sadly, I had no chance to clear up this ridiculous misunderstanding.

“I’m going now!”

And of course, Seo Yeon-woo darted off as if she were fleeing.

“……”

Staring blankly at the lonely café entrance, I realized a tumultuous day had finally come to an end.

Somewhat awkwardly, too.

*

The next day came.

Only three days left until the promotion-relegation matches in the second division.

Naturally, I had no intention of just waiting at home, so I headed to the dormitory as usual.

“Better to stay at the dormitory until the deadline.”

Even though commuting doesn’t take much time, every little bit counts right now.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

Huh?

“What are you watching now?”

I wasn’t kidding; the first thing I noticed upon arriving at the dormitory was Baek Seong-an’s monitor displaying a Legends of League match.

Since the team names all looked unfamiliar, they must not be local teams.

‘Wait, hold on, isn’t it…’

Baek Seong-an looked at me with a hint of surprise.

“It’s MSL. Didn’t you know it’s happening now?”

Oh, right.

It was that time already.

Thinking about it now, it makes sense.

Some of the teams that requested scrims from us were foreign teams participating in the MSL.

“Who made it through?”

“SCV and GRS.”

According to Baek Seong-an, the MSL finals would be between the expected champions SCV from Korea and GRS from China.

Well, the finals were practically on the same day as our promotion matches, so I didn’t really have the luxury to care about the MSL matches right now.

“I think it’ll be better to keep an eye on it anyway.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Our team’s scrim schedule wasn’t too tight at the moment.

Given the timing, there weren’t many teams willing to scrim with us.

“The finals are tomorrow; are you going to watch it?”

“I’ll see how it goes.”

“Okay, then.”

As we continued watching the match on Baek Seong-an’s monitor, I asked,

“What’s on the schedule today?”

“Hmm, there’s probably one team.”

“Who is it?”

“Um, that team that won Group B.”

Ahh.

That’s the team that passed the promotion-relegation preliminaries like us.

Still, it’s true that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but at least in the first round of the main promotion matches, we were in a position to consider them as allies.

“I think that team’s name is…”

“PBHG.”

“Ah, Park Bok-hee Gaming. Right.”

PBHG (Park Bok-hee Gaming).

The team that made it through the promotion preliminaries like us, reaching Group B.

Of course, my memory was a bit hazy since, honestly speaking, the caliber of their players wasn’t impressive, and they barely made it to Group B.

‘Their team name seems like it was chosen almost jokingly.’

Teams participating in the third, or rather, second division promotion preliminaries, generally fell into two categories.

Teams that received sponsorship from small or mid-sized companies and were organized like regular pro teams, and teams formed by amateurs joining forces.

After all, there was the success story of a team like BOQ reaching the first division, so they shouldn’t be completely dismissed.

‘Still, I don’t think we’ll lose to them.’

Meanwhile, team members started to trickle into the practice room, ready for our preparations.

“You’re here.”

The first to appear, aside from Baek Seong-an, was Kim Ji-hoon, who looked soaked in sweat from what seemed to be a morning workout.

That guy is really diligent…

“Go wash up quickly.”

“Yes.”

As Kim Ji-hoon went off to wash up, I made eye contact with Seo Yeon-woo.

“Uh… you came?”

“Yeah.”

“Did my sister come?”

An awkward atmosphere nearly emerged for a moment, but thankfully, with the arrival of Kim Jae-min, it quickly dissipated.

“Ah, did your sister have breakfast? The menu was stir-fried pork today.”

“…I already ate.”

“Too bad. We can eat lunch then.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After all, I planned to stay at the dormitory from today until the day of the promotion matches.

As we scrambled through our busy morning, the time for our scrim eventually drew near.

“Are you all ready?”

One by one, the team members responded to my question.

“…Yes.”

“We can start right away.”

“I’m ready too!”

“All set here.”

“Let’s do well today.”

D-3.

An intense day was about to begin.

*

The official scrim commenced.

It was supposed to be just like any other practice, but it didn’t take long for me to feel something was off.

[“I’ll take the red leash for you.”]


“…You don’t have to do that.”


[“It’s a matchup I need to pull anyway.”]


What’s going on?


[“You don’t need to come top.”]


“Right now, I have a gank angle, though….”

What the hell?

“Can you come here?”

[“Ward, ward! I’ll teleport right away!”]


What the…

Is it because I revealed that I’m the prisoner?

Seo Yeon-woo’s attitude had clearly changed from before.

To the point where it was a bit overwhelming for me.

Eventually, unable to hold back, I called Seo Yeon-woo aside to speak.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Don’t be so awkward and just play like you usually do.”

“I’m playing like I always do.”

“Just play like it’s solo queue.”

“No way. This is a team game.”

…Coming from a former, or perhaps even current, top main, I found it impossible to argue otherwise.

“Don’t worry. After all, you’re my sister… I mean, the prisoner, right? You’ll win for us.”

What’s with this absolute trust?

And is she still misunderstanding everything?

“Wait, hold on…”

“Then I’ll head in first!”

Can you at least listen to a word I’m saying!

‘…Whatever happens, happens.’

Honestly, I didn’t feel like clarifying everything that much.

I just had a feeling it would turn into a hassle three times worse if I started explaining.

And…

Today was two days before our promotion matches and the day of the MSL finals.