Yellow suffered a humiliating defeat in the game and upon returning home, the first thing she did was search for videos related to fighting games on her smartphone. While the purpose wasn’t to play games with me, her consecutive losses and her manner of speaking provoked my pride.
“What are you looking at?”
Yubin, who had come home, approached me as I was watching a video on my smartphone and saw what I was watching.
“Games? Does your older brother play games too?”
“Not really. I’m just watching.”
I had never shown any interest or played games in front of Yubin. It wasn’t that I was deeply engaged or interested in games; rather, I watched them to beat Yellow once.
“Yeah? Older Brother, there’s something I want to say.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Yubin, who usually doesn’t start conversations by saying she has something to talk about, suddenly mentioned having something to say, which made me tense up.
“In September, there was a discussion about taking a short trip with people we work with.”
“A trip?”
“Yes.”
If it involved people they worked with, it would be about the HunterKiller team, and it was likely that other members, except Yellow, would go on the trip. I hadn’t heard this from Yura, Hayang, or Green yet, so it was either a recent development or plans that weren’t finalized.
Looking at the current situation, Yubin was telling me that she might go on a trip with her friends, and her gaze conveyed a strong desire to go.
“Yeah. Go ahead. Let me know when the schedule is set.”
“Really?! Can I really go?”
“Of course! If your friends are going on a trip, why wouldn’t you go?”
There are couples who disapprove of their girlfriend or boyfriend traveling with friends. While it’s understandable given different personalities and relationship dynamics, I didn’t fall into that category.
Yubin seemed relieved after I gave permission, and she rushed into my arms, causing me to drop my smartphone. She was more important to me than the game, and I held her waist.
“I want to go on a trip with Older Brother.”
“A trip, huh? Right, I’m going out of town for a bit in the third week.”
“Why are you going out of town?”
I needed to tell Yubin about the training at sea, but I hesitated, delaying the conversation because I was unsure how to bring it up.
“It’s for a seminar at the place where I have an external project.”
I hoped this excuse would work, but it was the best lie I could think of. Yubin knew I worked in programming but didn’t know the specifics. Naturally, since I wasn’t actually working, I never brought it up.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Two nights, three days.”
“Be careful not to get hurt.”
“It’s not dangerous. By then, it’ll still be hot, so I won’t move much.”
“This year, the rainy season is late, making summer feel longer.”
“If a typhoon comes, the weather will change quickly.”
We shared some casual conversation, and our eyes met, leading to a light kiss. The sensation of her soft lips made me tighten my grip slightly around her waist.
I thought about going somewhere with Yubin soon, and just then, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of our food.
In the morning, Yubin went to the HunterKiller headquarters, and I headed to the arcade. I couldn’t understand why Yellow wasn’t at the meeting, but seeing her made me want to win even one round.
“Really came.”
Entering the arcade, I found Yellow playing a fighting game like yesterday. As I approached, she looked at me after winning a game.
“You said you’d come.”
“You lost badly yesterday.”
“Exactly.”
I sat down opposite her and put in a coin. I had been watching competition and strategy videos, hoping to at least land a hit, despite knowing I couldn’t win immediately.
But losing a game made me realize my confidence was misplaced. Even though I had watched some videos, I couldn’t land a single combo and lost miserably.
“Anyone can see you’re trying to combo, and I blocked everything. Idiot.”
She perfectly read my moves, seeing what I intended to do before I did it. Realizing she was a seasoned player, far ahead of me, I felt defeated.
“Only played games after eating?”
“That’s a compliment.”
“…”
Unable to logically refute her, I sarcastically commented on her victory, but her voice became even more triumphant.
Even if you don’t play many games, you can find an interesting aspect of Korean culture: praising the opponent’s play style when you win.
Seeing her triumphant expression, I inserted another coin and started the game again.
“How much are you going to spend today?”
Yesterday, I lost a lot due to consecutive defeats. It wasn’t the amount of money, but the losses that made me spend more than intended.
“I’ll win at least one round.”
“Go for it.”
Fighting games are typically best-of-three. Winning two out of three rounds wins the match. I didn’t aim to win a whole match; I focused on winning one round.
However, the gap between a beginner like me and a seasoned player like Yellow was vast. One round seemed insurmountable. Yellow showed no mercy, and by the time I realized it, I had lost ten rounds.
“Damn.”
“Fighting games teach you as you lose. You have specific weaknesses.”
I knew Yellow would face many skilled opponents, and I would lose to them. Resisting the urge to win was harder than expected.
My competitive spirit flared up again, but unfortunately, I lacked the skill to satisfy it.
“Against a beginner…”
“The fun part is winning, whether against a novice or a pro.”
I agreed with her. Any competition is enjoyable when you win. But why did I keep trying to win over two days?
“Why do I want to win?”
Just as I was about to insert another coin, Yellow stood up.
“Are you leaving?”
“What time is it? I’m going to eat lunch. If you want to play later, we can meet then.”
Leaving the arcade, I checked the time and realized it was lunchtime. After a deep sigh, I went outside for a quick lunch.
After lunch, I continued playing games, but I only remembered losing to her throughout the day. Since I didn’t watch many videos, I repeated the same scenarios without much change.
“Think while you play?”
“I’m busy blocking and attacking. Where do I find time to think?”
“Your character doesn’t follow your hasty movements.”
When my HP was low, I naturally panicked, but characters don’t respond to frantic movements.
Before leaving the arcade, I replayed today’s game in my mind. Despite thinking, I couldn’t recall anything beyond being hit by a perfect combo.
“I’m not coming tomorrow.”
Hearing Yellow wouldn’t come to the arcade tomorrow, I remembered it was our rematch day. Focused on the game, I hadn’t considered she was a member of HunterKiller.
“I can’t come tomorrow either.”
Since I couldn’t discuss my situation and she didn’t seem interested, I simply said we couldn’t make it and parted ways.
“Hey. What about the day after?”
Turning back, I heard Yellow’s voice from behind.
“1 PM.”
“…OK.”
We made a simple verbal agreement for 1 PM at the arcade.
Though the match was delayed due to the rainy season, there was no new enthusiasm or excitement. We squeezed into the cramped minivan and arrived at the agreed location.
By the time HunterKiller arrived and suited up, their helmets revealed their faces.
‘I see how it goes.’
At first, I didn’t notice the HunterKiller members during the match, but now that I knew everyone, I was acutely aware of them.
Still, my movements remained unchanged. Relationships were relationships, and tasks were tasks.
My movements were decisive, and I acted as usual, but the HunterKiller members’ renewed vigor left no room for mercy.
Blue was hit by Green’s spear and fell, hitting Blue’s gun. From the other side, they didn’t know my identity, and even if they did, distinguishing me among the black suits was impossible. Despite knowing this, their relentless attacks were painful.
HunterKiller Team won the match as expected and returned to base.
“Yes!”
To celebrate the victory, Red high-fived the team members.
“Yellow too.”
I extended my hand for a high-five with Yellow, but she ignored Red and put away her suit in the cabinet, changing clothes.
“Yellow.”
Not giving up, Red extended her hand again, and Yellow sighed, reluctantly high-fiving.
“We’re planning to have dinner together after the meeting. Want to join?”
After the match, we agreed to eat together, but excluding Yellow seemed unfair, so I mentioned it later.
“No, thanks.”
But Yellow refused Red’s invitation and left without looking back. The remaining members exchanged glances silently.
Outside, Yellow quickly headed home.
It felt like I had a gaming friend. Although not exactly friends, Yellow felt happier than she realized just by having someone to play games with.
‘She’s an odd one.’
Her determination to learn from me when we first met showed her genuine interest in games. Despite lacking skill, her persistence made her appear genuinely eager to learn.
Excited to help a beginner, Yellow searched for easy-to-understand videos on the subway ride home.
