God-Tier Enhancement Chapter 317: Episode 317_A Glamorous Trip (3)

Chapter 317: Episode 317_A Glamorous Trip (3)

5.

In a bar with a relaxed atmosphere, Kang Yeseul and Jeong Seolah were sharing drinks.

It was just the two of them at the table.

The two men were off on the other side of the room, enjoying a shooting game in the portable capsules that had been set up.

It was time to say the things they couldn’t in the game, words they’d been storing up.

Besides, neither Kang Yeseul nor Jeong Seolah was the type to hide her true feelings.

They used to have talks like this often, but ever since they started 『Fantastic World』 and met Han Simin, they hadn’t found the time.

Everyone thinks differently while playing a game, and as the leader, Seolah needed time to vent and work through the complaints that naturally arose from her position. That was why she grew thoughtful at Yeseul’s question.

Whenever the usually bubbly Yeseul spoke so seriously, it was always about something big.

Especially with a look this grave—Seolah could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen it since they’d met.

So she could not help but tense up.

At the very beginning, there had been the time when Yeseul had cried, whining that the game was too hard and she wanted to quit. Another time, when Seolah had decided to wage an endless PK war against a player with whom she had a deep grudge, Yeseul had tried to stop her. When she couldn’t, Yeseul had threatened to leave the guild.

Those were the kinds of situations where Yeseul would steel herself and speak with that expression.

How could Seolah not be nervous?

She listened closely.

’What is it this time?’

It was about time something came to a head. So much had happened in 『Fantastic World』.

Of course, from Seolah’s perspective, there had been far fewer conflicts than in other games. It had been more fun, thanks to Simin, and she didn’t think anything had happened that was serious enough to brood over.

But that might just be her opinion.

She waited calmly.

After a quiet moment, Kang Yeseul drew in a breath and finally spoke.

“We could’ve had him, you know. If we’d wanted to, we could’ve gotten Simin.”

“...Huh?”

The words that finally came were nothing like what she had expected.

Seolah’s gaze naturally drifted to the sofa, where Han Simin sat beside Jeong Hyeonsu, both wearing portable capsules.

After a brief moment of thought, she understood what Kang Yeseul meant.

“Pfft.”

At the same time, she burst out laughing.

She reached over and ruffled Yeseul’s bangs. Yeseul was still staring at her with those serious eyes.

“What’s this? You really like Mr. Simin, huh? For the great Kang Yeseul to be so serious about someone?”

“I mean, he’s just so attractive.”

It was an uncharacteristically blunt comment from Yeseul, but Seolah could only nod.

Their relationship was almost purely an online one. Even though they had met in person, they hadn’t had nearly as much time to get to know him as they had in the game.

Even so, the half-joking comments Yeseul had made before were now almost entirely sincere.

Setting aside his wealth, as a man, he was a perfect match for both of their tastes.

From one angle, he could seem like a money-grubbing leech who would do anything for cash, but up close, he wasn’t like that at all. Instead, he seemed like a cool guy doing everything he could to move forward within the conditions he’d been given.

Perhaps they were both half-blinded by infatuation, or maybe it was only possible because they had become his partners in crime.

In any case, Seolah answered Yeseul’s question.

“Of course I like him. Enough that I’ve thought about going after him and making him my man.”

“Then why didn’t you? You had plenty of chances to seal the deal.”

If the man in question had heard this, his heart would be pounding, but the two women traded these lines as if it were nothing.

It could have been embarrassing, but they were straightforward.

These were their own feelings.

They asked the questions they hadn’t been able to ask before, borrowing courage from the alcohol and the atmosphere.

Now that the topic was open, Seolah felt her own emotions stir.

It had definitely been fun since she met Han Simin.

Despite being a chaebol heiress, it had been hard to find a man who could match her among the other rich kids in her circle, especially one who would take on the challenge of a game and keep up with her.

The men who chased her for her status and position could hardly keep up with a woman who played games with the intensity of someone dedicating their life to it.

In that context, a man who played more ruthlessly and uniquely than she did couldn’t help but be interesting.

Aside from his in-game quirks, there were no real flaws.

Simin had clearly shown interest in her, whether for her looks or some other reason.

The moment she thought, ’What would it be like to date this guy?’ there was nothing left to consider.

She was at an age where she didn’t need to overthink dating.

But there was one reason she had not taken the first step.

“Grandpa said that if I start seeing a man now, he’s going to marry me off right away.”

Yeseul fell silent.

“You remember how I rebelled before, saying I wanted to play games?”

Her life was her own, that was true. But it was also true that her parents had provided everything she’d enjoyed growing up, and she had to take responsibility for some of her past actions.

Her parents had relented on things they had every right to force on her, asking for only one promise in return.

“You don’t regret it?”

“Regret? I’ve never said I’ve given up. If Mr. Simin says he’s okay with it even now, I don’t mind getting married. I’d love a husband who’s good at games and enjoys them with me.”

“...Tch. That feels like winning by cheating.”

Even as she said it, Yeseul’s expression was tinged with guilt.

Her eyes drifted back to Han Simin.

This was a problem she would have to face sooner or later, now that her feelings were becoming real.

Unless he was an idiot, there was no way he hadn’t noticed that both of them had feelings for him, after spending so much time by his side.

Still, she didn’t apologize to Seolah.

She wasn’t stealing anything, and she didn’t have anything to lose yet, either.

Just looking at Seolah, it was obvious which of them was closer to Simin’s type; it didn’t need to be said out loud.

Even with Yeseul’s aggressive advances, most men would have found it difficult to bat her away as lightly as he did.

Yeseul’s expression grew even more serious.

Her face, bathed in the soft light, was beautiful all the same.

In any case, she had cleared one hurdle.

What remained was the question of whether she could reel Simin in.

For a woman who had everything, it was a surprisingly complicated and difficult problem.

She looked at Simin, who was laughing without a care in the world as he played his game, her expression frustrated.

“What’s so great about a guy who lives that carefree...”

“What are they even doing to be playing that long?”

Yeseul and Seolah switched the TV to a live feed of the men’s shooting game.

*

The portable capsule was a helmet that used the wearer’s brainwaves to create a virtual reality experience.

Unlike a full-dive capsule, it had the drawback of requiring the user to move their own body. The game Simin and Hyeonsu were playing was designed to avoid that issue. Like an old arcade light-gun game, the screen simply scrolled, and all they had to do was shoot.

A game to test your shooting skills.

It would have been more fun to aim at each other, but that would have required dodging, and they couldn’t have played while sitting quietly on the sofa.

Anyway, at first, the shooting was just for fun.

Leaving male pride aside, they were a little buzzed from the drinks, and it was fun to pull the trigger and reminisce about their army days.

But both of them took more pride in their gaming skills than anything else.

Their main genre was RPGs, but even in a game like this, they couldn’t help being competitive. At some point, it naturally turned into a score competition.

And the winner was Jeong Hyeonsu.

“Were you a clerk in the army or something?”

“...I’m not going easy on you.”

“Pfft.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Deal.”

Naturally, a bet was made, and there was no need to think hard about the stakes: it went straight to money.

“Winner takes a thousand dollars.”

“Look at you, making donations now that you’ve been making money?”

“If you lose, I’ll make you swim back to Korea from here.”

And the result was the exact expression the two women saw on Simin’s face when they tuned in.

Hyeonsu was speechless.

“Thanks for the easy money.”

Five games, five wins.

Whenever money was on the line, Simin won like a man possessed. He took off his helmet, savoring the joy of victory.

Then he was generous.

“I’ll cover drinks tonight!”

Shouting that Kenji’s money was his money, he watched Hyeonsu pull off his helmet with a deeply sour expression, then sprang to his feet.

“Ah. Time for a walk on the beach.”

“Hey! One more round! Ten thousand on it. Let’s wrestle.”

“Nope. I’m not signing up to get my ass handed to me. I wouldn’t do it even if you paid me ten thousand.”

As Simin bolted, Yeseul immediately ran after him.

*

Watching Yeseul trot after Simin, Hyeonsu tilted his head.

“When did those two get that close?”

“Yeseul’s always been like that.”

“I didn’t know she was serious.”

“Why, are you disappointed?”

“Disappointed? You’re hurting my feelings here.”

“I’m glad we came on this trip. It’s been forever since we just hung out like this, the four of us.”

“Yeah. That damn bastard. He totally hooked me.”

“From what I’ve seen, I feel like I could beat Mr. Simin myself if money was on the line.”

“Monster.”

It had been so long since the siblings had talked like this that they couldn’t even remember the last time.

They weren’t awkward with each other, but the trip really drove home how important this kind of time was.

“When are you going to join the group?”

“Sometime soon. I’ll wrap this game up and then go.”

“Sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? It’s something I want to do, and something I have to do. I’ll block anything they try to force on you, Seolah, so you just live the way you want.”

“Thanks.”

Even if they were stuck together in the game all day, when else would they have this kind of conversation?

His protective feelings for his little sister, which had been a bit dormant lately, flared up again, and Seolah could not help but be grateful.

At the same time, she felt a pang of regret.

After this game, the Specialists would have to disband.

Hyeonsu might log in from time to time, but they wouldn’t be able to keep syncing their playstyles like they did now.

Simin would take his spot, so in practice, nothing would change, but it was still a shame.

At the same time, she felt a desire to finish strong.

To end with a beautiful finale.

They were already doing incredibly well, but in the end, every game was a winner-take-all affair.

“What do you think will happen from here?”

On top of that, the main story had reached a point where predictions were no longer possible.

Until now, the plot had been what you’d expect from a cliché fantasy novel, but Simin had completely scrambled it.

That made it all the more exciting.

“Let’s talk about it when Mr. Simin and Yeseul get back.”

“Yeah.”

That passion.

In the end, the Specialists’ day trip wound down with talk about 『Fantastic World』.