Vol 3 Chapter 66

"Hyung."

As Kapros lowered his voice, thinking hyung might be joking, hyung asked more seriously.

[ That... Do you have to think about it quickly? ]

A feeling akin to fear filled Kapros's mind that if he didn't come up with a solution as soon as possible at this moment, his life of just running away would continue.

"Yeah."

When Kapros answered vaguely, he heard hyung groan on the other end of the phone. Just as Kapros was about to apologize, thinking he might have asked too ridiculous a question, hyung's resolute voice rang out loudly.

[ You can't think of anything because you've been thinking too hard, kid. If you want to solve it quickly, the best thing is to take a break first. Thinking about it continuously won't change anything. You'll just get steam coming out of your head. So, well... for example, it's best to rest your mind by meeting a friend or going on a date, and then think about it. This might sound inconsiderate to the person who's the subject of the problem, but... don't you need to clear your head first to know what to do? ]

It was an unexpected response.

'Take a break?'

"What if I keep wanting to rest?"

What should he do if he keeps not wanting to look at the problem like now?

When Kapros asked with a bit of force, hyung chuckled.

[ Well, then you set a specific time. Just like break times are set at school, you rest only within that time and then you have to study somehow after that. If you set it, people tend to follow it, you know? I'll say it again, this isn't postponing the problem, it's just an appropriate rest for proper brain activity, okay? Since I've mentioned it, shall I set it for you? One day! Take one full day to forget everything and rest, and then spend another day thinking about things, starting with the lighter stuff. There's no rule that says you have to solve everything at once. ]

"..."

Kapros's eyelids trembled. Hyung's light-hearted voice seemed to put his mind at ease. At first, he thought it was nonsense, but maybe it could be good. He had wasted an enormous amount of time without properly facing the problem until now. He had finally come this far, and thinking about too many things at once was too difficult for him right now.

After repeatedly trying to speak and then exhaling for a while, Kapros finally nodded, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Okay. I'll try that, hyung."

Maybe not everything he had been doing was foolish. It was strange. It was just a brief exchange of words, but his chest, which had felt suffocating, was now somehow open.

And so, the next day, Kapros was standing in front of the station in the downtown area near his house.

The time was 1:58 PM. He was a bit anxious since the meeting time was 2 PM, but it was difficult for him to go far in his condition, and when he had asked if this place was okay, the other person had said it was fine, so they would probably come.

As he leaned against the wide wall of the building, looking at the large clock in front of the station, he saw a couple of students in school uniforms glance at him as they passed by.

They immediately started whispering, probably because the cane he was leaning on looked strange. When he closed his eyes, their figures quickly disappeared from view, which made him feel more comfortable, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

'This is why I didn't want to come out during the day.'

Just then, he heard the sound of a motorcycle engine in the distance. It approached rapidly and stopped near him with the sound of tires rubbing, then the engine was turned off and it became quiet. In contrast, the surrounding area suddenly erupted with excited voices.

"Oh my god, this is amazing!"

"Isn't that a GTX-8? I can't believe I'm seeing that bike here with my own eyes!"

The attention of passersby was instantly focused on one spot. As Kapros was about to open his eyes out of curiosity, a shadow fell over him.

"I'm late. Sorry."

As he quickly raised his head, he saw a familiar face standing in front of him with tousled blue-tinged hair and a very apologetic look. The clock showed exactly 2 PM.

Kapros thought there was no need to apologize since he wasn't late, but...

Based on his previous experience, when meeting someone from the game in reality for the first time, it was true that they often didn't recognize each other well and their attitudes were a bit awkward. So it was a bit surprising to see him recognize Kapros so easily and approach without hesitation.

"How did you recognize me?"

Clothes have a bigger impact on a person's image than one might think. Even with the same face, if the clothing style is completely different, people tend to doubt whether it's the same person or not. As Kapros detached himself from the wall and asked, Yu-wan blinked and then looked him over as if seeing him anew before answering.

"I just saw you."

"I see..."

There wasn't much to say to that, if he had just seen Kapros there. Thanks to Yu-wan acting so naturally as if they had been meeting all along, the slight tension Kapros had initially felt had already dissipated.

As Kapros answered and picked up the cane he had leaned against the wall, Yu-wan's gaze turned towards it. In response to his puzzled look that seemed to ask what it was, Kapros took a step forward, leaning on the cane, and spoke.

"It's hard for me to walk without this. I hope you understand."

"...Did you get injured or something?"

Kapros gave a slightly awkward smile. The black eyes, unlike the familiar blue eyes from the game, felt strange.

"I'm not using it because of an injury... It'll probably be like this from now on."

"..."

As Yu-wan's eyes widened, Kapros felt the atmosphere freeze.

'Oh no... This wasn't what I wanted.'

Had he spoken too seriously from the start? Kapros looked at Yu-wan again, trying to salvage the situation.

"By the way, is your real name Yu-wan?"

Kapros saw Yu-wan, who had been wearing a somber expression, suddenly raise his eyes at the question.

"Name. I can't be called Kap here either."

"Ah..."

Yu-wan nodded as if he understood the meaning of Kapros's words.

"It's Jin Je-hwan."

'...So it wasn't Yu-wan?'

Kapros was surprised by the unfamiliar name. He had thought, like Un-o, that Yu-wan might be his real name, so it was unexpected. Seeming to notice Kapros's thoughts, Yu-wan awkwardly added one more thing.