“I think true gars are quite rare in this day and age.”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
“Hmm, just keep your mouth shut and listen to
first. Every ti I see these kids flaunting their so-called ‘gas,’ it makes my stomach turn.”
With that, Seol Hajin gulped down the soju in front of him.
“In my view, gas are one of the art forms. They can touch people deeply with elents like story, gaplay chanics, level design, convenience, and the lingering emotions after the ending. When you look at them this way, there isn’t much difference between movies and gas.”
“So, what’s the point?”
“What I an is that, from a true ‘gar’s’ perspective, those five people huddled together in a PC room, screaming about how you shot them in CS, or those who toss hundreds of thousands into a mobile ga just to get a sliver of data, don’t qualify to call themselves gars. Regardless of everything else, those kinds of gas lack any lingering impact, emotions, and ultimately, happiness.”
“Wow, quite philosophical of you. So, what kind of amazing ga do you play that allows you to criticize the general public like this?”
“I don’t handle low-quality gas, at least.”
Seol Hajin began to shake his soju glass back and forth, adopting an air of superiority.
“Hyunseong, what is a ga? If we strip away all the flowery language and look at its essence, isn’t it supposed to provide a sense of stability away from the chaotic daily life, even if just for a mont? But nowadays, there’s no morality in gas. They might be fun for a fleeting mont, but in the end, they leave you with nothing.”
“Jin-ah, I may not know much, but I do know one thing.”
“What is it?”
“It’s that no one wants to co near us because you’re talking nonsense.”
As he said this, Lee Hyunseong lifted his chin and glanced around the room.
The interior of the pub was quite spacious and lavish, buzzing with the lively chatter of patrons. Even at the adjacent table, four to five n and won were happily chatting away. Sadly, there was only one table occupied by Seol Hajin and Lee Hyunseong, where two dull n sat nursing their drinks.
“After being discharged, I thought I’d enjoy the orientation eting, but here I am, stuck with this idiot, listening to useless drivel while clinking glasses.”
“That’s what I should be saying, you fool.”
As the two exchanged warm banter, they suddenly made eye contact with a woman from the opposite table, who had been toasting with her friends.
The unfortunate woman, who accidentally locked eyes with them, smiled brightly and approached their table, holding a glass in one hand.
“Hello, seniors. Are you enjoying the orientation eting?”
Despite the presence of a woman at their previously dismal table, neither of their expressions changed. They knew very well why she had chosen to join the table occupied by the two awkward n, who were shunned by everyone else.
“You really don’t have to bother with us. We know you’re busy representing your class, Ji-eun.”
Indeed, the only reason she had co over to this table, which everyone else avoided, was purely because she was responsible for leading the sophomore class this sester.
For reference, it was also she who had invited the two socially awkward individuals to this orientation eting. Had she not reached out to them through her contact list, they wouldn’t even have known that this drinking session was taking place today.
‘Maybe by now, she’s regretting inviting us.’
Perhaps she had simply called on them out of pity or rely out of courtesy, and now she might be feeling awkward for having invited them since they inadvertently agreed to join.
Ugh… why did they even ask us to co to the orientation? It’s ruining the mood for drinking. I feel like there’s a strange sll coming from them. Is that sll going to stick to us?
“I didn’t know they’d actually co just because I casually suggested it while feeling a bit sorry for them sitting there like losers. I thought they’d just decline if they had any sense. I never imagined they could be this shaless.”
“So annoying. Hey, why don’t we ask if they can go ho early and we’ll cover their taxi fare? They’re not even talking to us, so it wouldn’t matter if they leave a little early.”
“Should we? Honestly, it’s a bit botherso for us to be sitting here as a pair, too.”
“You’re the class representative, so you should say sothing. I really don’t want to talk to those people.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who’s close with your boyfriend, so you should do it.”
“No, he’s your boyfriend.”
“Then let’s settle this fairly with rock-paper-scissors. Loser has to talk to those people!”
…Of course, they might have been having this kind of conversation while trying to remain unnoticed. Well, it’s 99% certain they were; after all, his instincts, honed over twelve years through elentary, middle, and high school, were ringing alarm bells.
Just like a gazelle surviving in the savannah, which reacts sensitively to every type of predator it encounters, every fiber of instinct told him that the woman before him was a deep-rooted insider, different from him in more ways than one.
“By the way, what were you all talking about that seed so interesting? I overheard sothing about gas over there.”
Seeing Lee Ji-eun, who asked this question with a dimpled smile, Seol Hajin and Lee Hyunseong exchanged glances for a mont.
If they had been completely oblivious, they might have been impressed that a woman with such a pleasant face was bringing up ‘gas’ as a topic to engage with them.
Huh? There’s quite a distance between this table and the other one; were they really eavesdropping on our conversation about gas? But didn’t insiders generally have little interest in gas?
Could it be that she, despite being an insider, secretly had a hobby related to gaming? And did she co over just to talk about gas?
Ah, I see. She actually belongs to the type of girl I can chat easily with. So, maybe it’s okay to expect a good atmosphere today? Could it be that this vibe carries on until tomorrow, ultimately leading us to build a good relationship?
Wait, what if this leads to us dating? Would that an tomorrow would be our first day as a couple? Could we even end up getting married? If so, how many kids should we have? I’d like to have enough for a baseball team, but would she be cool with that?
As these pointless musings swirled in his head, he realized that if he carelessly expressed his feelings, she might respond with, “Ah… I’m sorry, but that’s not what I ant. Can we stay as good seniors and juniors like before? I don’t dislike you as a senior, but I’m just not looking to date anyone right now.”
“It’s nothing serious. Just two guys sitting together don’t have much to talk about, so we were having so trivial banter,” he said.
Having recognized that her feigned interest didn’t necessarily an genuine curiosity, Seol Hajin tried his best to change the subject. Unfortunately, Lee Ji-eun wasn’t the type to easily let it slide.
“No, really. I’ve actually been playing so gas recently, so I was just wondering if you were discussing sothing related to them.”
“What ga?”
“Ragnarok. Do you guys know it?”
Of course, he knew about it. It would be more accurate to say there was no way he wouldn’t know about it.
Ragnarok—this year’s most talked-about mobile ga with the highest recognition rates among titles released.
Originally released as a casual ga aid at mass appeal, it boasted a deep storyline, attractive characters, and a level of freedom that could compete with any AAA title, achieving the top global sales within just a day of launch.
Given its popularity, not only did it have ads on portal sites, but you could also frequently see advertisents related to Ragnarok on buses and subways, so any Korean with a decent eyesight couldn’t possibly be unaware of it.
‘Still, it’s a ga I don’t play.’
However, at the sa ti, it was a ga that Seol Hajin, far from expressing interest, wouldn’t even spare a glance at.
The reason was simple. No matter how good the gaplay was, how excellent it was, or how much praise it received from the public, it was rely a “mobile ga.”
In Seol Hajin’s view, mobile gas weren’t real gas. By his standards, mobile gas were nothing more than playgrounds disguised as gas for small children.
Because they aid at an unspecified mass audience, they couldn’t include stimulating or polarizing elents. They had to be playable on smartphones without issue, which ant compromising on graphics and resolution. Most of the ti, gaplay was so simple that one could clear it with just finger taps.
A proper ga, in his opinion, was one you had to die at least a hundred tis until you beca skilled at the controls, one that was complex enough not to master half of its commands before clearing it, and one you needed to play for a thousand hours to finally think, “Ah, I’ve truly shed my newb skin!”
Those who played “mobile gas” in his eyes were nothing but ignorant and foolish primitives.
“If they were to realize what a true ga is, they would never look at such a ga again.”
Yet Seol Hajin also understood well how exhausting and tough it was to enlighten the dense and simple-minded masses about what constituted a “real ga.”
Just opening a history book would reveal the suffering endured by the wise n who sought to impart truth to the people of the past and guide them onto the right path.
It was similar here. To play a true ga, one needed the optimal setup, had to purchase the ga, and had to manage ti and space to connect to it—an inconvenience that mobile gas simply did not possess.
With just a few taps of their fingers, players could access the ga, and with a few more taps, it would even automatically hunt for them. For modern individuals who struggled to find ti to play amidst their busy lives, mobile gas might be the most suitable form of entertainnt.
The overwhelming convenience and simplicity distracted people from truly enjoying the ga, leading them to mistakenly think that rely tapping buttons constituted entertainnt. This was undoubtedly a troubling darkness lurking in modern society.
“Hey Ji-eun, you played Ragnarok too?”
“Yeah, a friend recomnded it, and surprisingly, it was really fun. I lost track of ti while going through the story.”
Observing Lee Ji-eun, who smiled and spoke cheerfully, Seol Hajin couldn’t help but respond sowhat brusquely.
“Is it really that fun? Honestly, I can’t tell just by watching the advertisent.”
What Seol Hajin ant was implicit in his words: “There’s no way a mobile ga, akin to online gambling, could be enjoyable.” Lee Ji-eun was blissfully unaware of the superior and elitist sentint woven into his remarks.
“Yeah, I don’t usually play gas, but I found this one really enjoyable. Do you not play Ragnarok, senior?”
“Uh? Well, I’m too busy playing other gas.”
“Really? If that’s the case, how about trying it out this ti? If you’re interested, just contact , okay?”
“Contact you? Why?”
In that instant, Seol Hajin’s heart sank. Weren’t girls generally not fond of guys who played gas? So why was Lee Ji-eun trying to bring him into it and asking him to contact her?
Could it be that she was actually interested in him? No, that’s nonsense. They had only exchanged greetings a few tis; there was no way she could be interested in him.
Then, what was this? Weren’t girls supposed to not care at all about what uninterested guys did? If that were the case, didn’t her wanting to play gas together signal sothing else? Was that it?
“Ah… I just wanted to ask if you’d write my ID in the referral list if you signed up as a new mber. I’d get 500 diamonds for free that way.”
“…..”
It was a sufficiently reasonable request that he found himself nodding before he could even think.
Well, 500 diamonds were hard to pass up.
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