Chapter 46

EP.46 The Story of Mohwa, Sadak, Holdmedic, Prapetino, and the Paladin and the Holy Maiden

I preferred being alone.

It was a life where I couldn't help but avoid meeting anyone at all costs.

At least, that's how it was for me.

So, I preferred being alone.

I disliked building relationships with people.

It was scary and even terrifying.

So, I guess that's how I lived.

Holed up in my room,

without forming any close relationships with anyone in the real world, I continued my isolated activities,

and before I knew it, loneliness had seeped into my bones,

and the extreme depression and solitude manifested as a yearning for attention,

which led me to act in certain ways in the game.

There was someone who watched me do this.

It was a relationship that had lasted nearly ten years.

It's a bit awkward to call it a relationship,

but we had known each other online, at least.

Even though we hadn't even added each other as friends,

we had played hundreds of matches together in the same rank, so it was impossible not to be familiar with each other.

The Paladin.

"Seriously, why...?"

"..."

"Ah, I think I'm going crazy. Did I drink too much?"

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

It was 7:20.

Under the seats where the team members were sitting, a few mint-colored soju bottles were lined up.

They reminded me of mint chocolate.

Thinking about it, they looked incredibly delicious.

Maybe they were made with that in mind.

...No, that's not the important thing.

The time we agreed to meet was exactly 6:00 PM.

It was an evening appointment, and now, almost an hour and a half later, the reason they hadn't left their seats became clear.

They had been drinking.

It felt a bit strange to keep referring to real people by their in-game character names,

but the Paladin, as I sat down in the last seat, had been mumbling incoherently, "No, no, why...?"

He said this while looking at me, taking in my entire body, including my face.

Even though his words were incomplete, I somehow felt I knew what he was going to say.

No,

I understood.

He was probably wondering why someone like him had been interested in me online.

"..."

But how could I have known?

How could I have known that I would suddenly end up with a body identical to my character?

I had no way to explain it, and even if I did, I had no skill to make them understand.

So, the best I could do was pretend I didn't know, like a snob.

I was so confused that I couldn't look away from me, muttering, "Why, why, why...".

I couldn't have a conversation with him in this state.

So, I turned my head away from him and made eye contact with the others,

but it wasn't much different.

They all had their mouths agape,

and they were rubbing their eyes, wondering if this was a dream or reality.

Was it that shocking?

I finally spoke up.

"Um, excuse me?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The silence that had continued suddenly broke.

And then, they started whispering among themselves.

"It's unbelievable!"

"I must have drunk too much. Ah, I think I'm a bit drunk. Maybe a bit too drunk."

"Bro, you just said you weren't drunk at all."

"Miss Holy Maiden, no, Miss Holy Maiden, this can't be said to be not drunk."

"That's what I think too. No, it's crazy..."

"Is this real? What have we been talking about all this time?"

What had they been talking about?

I was so curious that I interrupted their conversation.

"What were you talking about without me?"

It was a simple question, but their chattering mouths closed again.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

It became a bit awkward.

I wasn't a bomb, but they wouldn't even talk if I tried to join in.

Logically, I knew they didn't dislike me, but my introverted nature didn't help.

I felt down.

As I pouted, the only girl in the group, or rather, now that I'm here, not the only one,

a girl who looked to be in her early twenties, boldly spoke up.

"Sis!"

I don't know how girls can call each other "sis" so easily.

I froze for a moment at the sudden title,

but the girl, who was definitely Holdmedic, reported their actions to me like a whistleblower.

"These guys said you're actually really ugly and can't come out!"

"Hey! No, it's a misunderstanding! Because of the image we've built, they thought you might look bad compared to the Holy Maiden character and felt uncomfortable! Hey, are you going to talk like that?"

"Um, I think I did say that?"

"Look at that slyness! You pretended to be pure in the game, but now you're a sharp-tongued girl!"

"Also, Sadak said you're actually a guy who just uses a female voice and can't come to such events!"

"That's possible! It's hypothetical!"

"Prapetino said you're a cyber ghost... *sniff* *sniff*. Let go of my hand!"

"No, you said there were all kinds of reasons why Miss Holy Maiden wouldn't come!"

"It's a slander, sis. Just listen to me."

Holdmedic suddenly came over and grabbed both my hands,

"Oh, your hands are so soft."

"..."

"No, no, that's not the point. Anyway, I don't know how miserable I was among these rude guys. Sis, it's a relief that you're here now..."

Then she even wiped away a tear.

Seeing her, everyone else said with a cold look,

"She's in the theater department."

"On broadcasts, pretending to be pure works better."

"Once she's had a drink, she spills everything."

"Sis, I'm telling you, it's all slander."

"..."

I couldn't adapt to this chaotic situation.

I wondered if the team members were this close, calling each other "bro" and "sis."

A glass of alcohol caught my eye.

Well, alcohol does solve everything.

They looked at me, and I wondered why they were so cautious, like anxious puppies.

They were worried that I might be upset about their conversations about me.

But if I were going to be upset, I wouldn't have come in the first place.

What can't be said behind someone's back?

Especially, it wasn't even gossip.

They probably just said what they felt because I didn't come.

I made eye contact with the girl who was still holding my hand.

Despite her bold talk, her eyes were deeply troubled.

I could tell she was nervous just by her trembling pupils.

She was worried.

The words she had just told me about the team members,

and the awkwardness of our first meeting, were her attempts to ease the tension.

She's a good person.

"Thank you."

I just blurted out what I felt, and her face turned red, not from the alcohol but from something else.

Anyway, thanks to her, I gained a bit of courage.

I looked at the team members again,

"I'm sorry for being late. I got lost on the way."

"Miss Holy Maiden is speaking..."

"Oooh..."

"Uooh..."

"Guys, stop being so dramatic!"

"Ahem."

They couldn't say anything.

Embarrassed, they finally seemed to realize I was a real person.

The atmosphere was warming up.

"Sis, sis, you're so beautiful... You look like Miss Holy Maiden. You really do..."

"Sorry to say this, but you look exactly like your character."

"Bro, the character must have been modeled after you."

"Right. I never thought the customization was. That you'd use your face directly."

"..."

No, that's not it.

I have the same body as the Holy Maiden character.

But if you think about it from their perspective, it's the most realistic assumption they could make.

That I modeled the in-game character after my face and body.

Of course, it's a misunderstanding, but I didn't think they would believe me if I told them the truth.

So, I just let their misunderstanding be.

My heart felt ticklish.

I suddenly looked around.

Everyone was more focused on me than on their conversations with their companions,

and the noisy shop suddenly became quiet with my appearance,

with various gazes of admiration, jealousy, and even possessiveness.

I felt a bit embarrassed.

As I scratched my cheek, one of the team members spoke to me.

He looked the oldest among those present, but he didn't seem to be over thirty.

"I'm Prapetino. My real name is Lee Tae-han. Miss Holy Maiden, you're so different from what I expected, it's a bit awkward."

He laughed in a somewhat defeated way and continued,

"To be honest, I thought you'd be a bit scarier."

"Scary?"

Noticing I didn't understand, he explained,

"When you took charge of the main order in the tournament, you were so thorough. Of course, you never got angry, but you gave us stern advice when we didn't perform our tasks... Ah, it's not that it was unpleasant. It's just that the impression stuck, and I expected someone more strict."

His words sparked a conversation among the team members.

The atmosphere quickly became lively.

"Except for Hyun, we all got our heads bashed in by Miss Holy Maiden... I also thought she'd be a scary person like Hyun."

"To be honest, even in the game, you were really scary."

"Head, head, head, head, head... Blood,