Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 316

“See you later, Hayun.”

“Ugh, okay…”

I waved goodbye to Sohee, who was walking further away, while trying to shake off my sluggish body.

I never imagined there’d be spare clothes and underwear prepared in the car.

The thought of Sohee’s meticulous preparations gave me chills, but it also made me smile.

After dropping Sohee off at the school entrance and exchanging farewells, I was sure the students must have witnessed that scene.

Sohee’s status as someone’s girlfriend was probably imprinted in their minds.

As I closed the car door, I glared at the boys who had been looking at Sohee one last time.

Feeling quite proud of myself, I embraced the empty lunchbox in my arms.

Thinking about how Sohee had been emptying the box while saying it was delicious made me genuinely want to try making kimbap myself.

Should I ask Mom for some cooking lessons when I get home…?

Anyway, now that my goal was achieved, it was time to head back home.

I operated the navigation function and set the destination.

Right after that, the car began to glide smoothly.

I gazed blankly at the scenery rushing past me.

Since I was driving near the university area, there was plenty of interesting things to see around.

After a while of driving, I noticed a landscape that felt oddly familiar.

An open space and a stage built within it.

The gigantic pillars rising all around were shedding bright light, even in the daylight.

“Deron…!”

Indeed.

What came into view was the boss room of the area called [Seoul] in Deron’s map.

It looked just like a recreation of the game world.

I couldn’t believe Sohee’s school was near here.

Since I hadn’t driven myself and had just set the destination, I had no idea of the exact location.

Well, the destination had changed now.

I hurriedly drove towards the wide open space.

“Ugh…”

As soon as I got out of the car, my body swayed unsteadily.

It was because Sohee had drained my energy, leaving me powerless.

But nothing would stop my enthusiasm for Deron.

“Yikes…”

After walking with determination, I finally arrived at a place where a raid was in full swing.

Flashing holograms and the imposing figure of a massive dragon loomed beyond.

The users of Deron, existing within the game, were confronting the towering dragon.

Deron’s ambitious plan to break down the boundaries between reality and virtuality had grown into a large-scale project over several years.

This facility was also a result of that initiative.

Of course, the public’s reaction wasn’t very positive, but the players of Deron loved it.

“Um, um…”

I glanced around at the citizens and made my way to a chair slightly away from the stage.

It seemed like the residents living here were accustomed to this sight and were imparting little attention to it.

This place had quite a buzz when the facility first opened.

I remembered a few years back and smirked quietly.

At that time, I really thought Deron would tank.

By the way, it was kind of quiet without any sound.

I took out my phone, turned on Bluetooth, and connected it to the facility.

Right after pulling out the earbuds, the sounds of Deron burst to life in my ears.

Crash!

Boom!

[Kwaaaagh!]

[Get in now!]

With the sounds kicking in, it became quite a spectacle.

While I was enjoying the thrilling raid, my gaze met that of a warrior user charging forward with a sword unsheathed.

Just as I could see the game’s world here, it seemed Deron users could see our reality.

Thus, my presence must have been noticed.

I waved with a small smile.

[Huh…]

The warrior user, with his mouth agape in surprise, reciprocated my wave.

But is it really okay to be so dazed?

If I were the party leader, I would have scolded him for being distracted during a raid.

What does he think he’s doing? Can’t he focus?

Crash!

His moment of distraction came with a heavy price.

The dragon’s massive tail smashed down upon the warrior user.

In one hit, the warrior was down, reduced to a gray corpse.

I clicked my tongue at the sight.

No wonder he seemed awkward fighting; with how outdated this content was, clearly, he was a newbie.

I stood up and pulled out my fading piggy bank wallet.

While Deron’s grand ambition to dismantle the boundary between reality and virtual reality hadn’t fully succeeded, it indeed had created a direct link between the two worlds.

Just like this.

I took out a shimmering golden card from my wallet.

A special ID card created by digitizing Deron’s character.

My character, Yeo, was depicted on the front of the card.

As I inserted it into the card reader next to the stage, a translucent window popped up.

Fingerprint and iris scans.

Then came the password input.

Only after passing through those rigorous security steps did the long-awaited window finally appear.

[Please set the amount of gold you wish to use.]

The gold used here is reflected in real-time on Deron’s account info.

Deron created various content to consume the overflowing gold within the server.

This feature in front of me was one of them.

If a real-world user spent a certain amount of gold, a buff could be granted to the team currently engaging in a raid.

The higher the amount of gold spent, the also more effective the buff received.

Contemplating the amount of gold to use, I pressed the 1 and 0 buttons several times to set the amount.

The gold I intended to use here: 1,000 gold.

At that moment, golden rain began falling from the sky to activate the buff effect.

Restoring the health of the party members continuously while simultaneously granting a 10% boost to all stats.

[This is…]

[Looks like that person activated it…]

[Thank you!]

The holographic users turned their attention towards me.

“Ahem…”

I crossed my arms, accepting their gazes.

Their expressions mixed with awe and admiration made me feel good.

If there had been users who recognized me, I would have granted them an even bigger buff, but unfortunately, they didn’t seem to be Korean users.

Those who offered thanks soon returned their focus to the raid.

I returned to the spot I had been sitting at and checked my phone.

An alert was flashing at the top of the screen.

[Deron Online Buff Activated: 1,000 Gold Consumed]

[Discount Gold Points 1,000 P]

It informed me of the gold that had been spent and the points that had been accrued in return.

I wasn’t just casually donating buffs to newbies.

I had something to gain as well.

1,000 points were enough to buy a random costume box, so it wasn’t a loss for me.

After tapping away at my phone screen while enjoying the raid, eventually, the colossal dragon fell and the raid concluded.

[Wow!]

[Clear!]

Cheers erupted through my earbuds.

Their excitement communicated directly to me.

I left my seat with a satisfied smile.

*

“Mom!”

Upon arriving home, I headed straight to the living room looking for Mom.

I intended to return the lunchbox and begin serious cooking lessons.

“Did you come to return the lunchbox?”

“Yes! No, I came for another reason.”

I placed the lunchbox I had been holding on the table and sat beside Mom.

Only then did she fully turn her gaze towards me.

“Seems you clearly conveyed it to Sohee… or she conveyed it to you quite thoroughly.”

Her gaze lingered at the nape of my neck.

It appeared she had noticed the antics Sohee and I had been up to.

I quickly adjusted my collar to hide the marks left there.

But would that make the memory go away?

Mom chuckled mischievously, turning her head.

Still, I was relieved she didn’t tease me endlessly.

“Ahem…”

Anyway, it was time to speak about the reason for my visit.

Clearing my throat in a kneeling position, I gathered my thoughts.

“Uh, could you please teach me cooking…?”

“Looks like you’ve finally come to your senses.”

Mom seemed pleased with the change in me as she nodded and smiled.

“List the dishes you can cook now.”

“Uhh! I can boil ramen!”

“What else?”

“I can make rice with scrambled eggs and soy sauce!”

“Anything else?”

“That’s it!”

I answered confidently.

Naturally, I spoke affirmatively.

The very next moment, I received a light slap on the head from Mom.

Bam!

“Ugh…”

It didn’t hurt, but my heart ached.

Thus began my cooking classes with Mom.

Today, we learned how to make rolled omelets.

*

At 5:30 PM.

I could hear the creaking sound of the entrance door.

Swallowing nervously, I fiddled with my apron at the door.

Creak—

Clatter—

“Hayun?”

Sohee, who came in through the door, tilted her head at the sight of me.

Wondering why I, usually holed up in my capsule, was out here.

I observed Sohee’s expression and said cautiously.

“I-I made… dinner…”

“Dinner? You, Hayun?”

“Yeah…”

“Hmm…”

Sohee looked skeptical at my words.

I awkwardly smiled and pulled her by the hand.

We headed to the living room.

On the table lay white rice and the rolled omelet I worked hard to make.

Though some parts had burned a bit, it wasn’t bad.

“This…?”

“I made it.”

Sohee smiled wordlessly at my words, taking off her coat and sitting down.

Of course, I rushed over to catch the coat.

This was a tense moment.

I swallowed hard as I watched Sohee eat.

“Mmm…”

The chunky pieces of rolled omelet entered Sohee’s mouth.

She chewed thoughtfully, then tilted her head slightly before breaking into a smile and repeatedly grabbing more omelet.

I felt incredibly relieved that it suited her taste.

I let out a sigh of relief and sat down across from Sohee.

“Is it to your liking?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

“Hehe…”

Watching Sohee enjoy the meal I made filled my heart with joy.

It felt like seeing all my accomplishments in Deron come to fruition.

Sohee rapidly polished off her bowl of rice.

Seeing that, I stood up and asked,

“Want some more?”

“No. I want something else.”

Sohee said with a sly smile.

S-Something else?

It can’t be what I’m thinking, right?

I haven’t even logged into Deron today.

I cautiously pulled back, trying to create some distance, but Sohee’s grip wouldn’t let me go.

“Hih, yikes…!”

Her hand slipped under my arms and lifted me off the ground.

Just like that, I was dragged off to the bedroom.