“Hey! You were playing, huh?!”
Yellow and Roy met in front of the arcade and went inside together, but there was an awkward atmosphere that filled the air, and I was worried about how to handle it. However, everything returned to normal just after two games.
“Combos were made! It’s done!”
“Idiot! Everything was blocked, what could you put in? Just pressing commands doesn’t make it a combo, does it?!”
As Yellow said, the commands were pressed correctly. But all the points of impact were blocked, so only dull defense sounds kept coming out.
“Why block it?!”
“Then is hitting correct?”
With the game console between us displaying the defeat screen, we bickered as usual, and there was no awkwardness at all. Like how the ground hardens after rain in Korea, it seemed that the atmosphere became even more contentious after a problem occurred once.
However, not everything remained the same. The heavy silence that came after our conversation felt different.
It felt like I needed to break this silence and regain my senses. The quiet and heavy atmosphere seemed to bring back the day’s events.
“What are you doing? Not putting coins in.”
“…… Didn’t eat?”
“It’s already that time.”
Since we had been arguing while playing for the second round, it turned out to be lunchtime. I hadn’t even noticed I was hungry, engrossed in the game. When Yellow mentioned food, they got up from their seat.
“Let’s eat.”
“What should we eat?”
“We need to think outside.”
“It’s hot outside.”
“……”
After saying it was hot, Yellow quietly approached me and sat beside me. It would be best to decide on a menu first and then go out. I looked at her checking her smartphone. Feeling my gaze, Yellow’s eyes met mine. The cold look we exchanged that day came to mind.
“Let’s have noodles. Noodles!”
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
Without thinking, we quickly chose a menu and went out. We kept talking about the game during lunch, and after eating, we returned to the arcade. On Friday, people were still gathering early, and without being conscious of others, we sat down at one of the arcade machines and started an endless battle.
The result was obvious; I knew I would lose. Since my goal was not to win but to execute proper attacks, the outcome of losing didn’t matter anymore. If I failed, I would keep trying until I achieved the desired result for even a moment.
“You’re really working hard today?”
“I’m always working hard.”
Loud button sounds rang out, and I saw my character fall again.
“You really can’t play at all.”
When I was sitting quietly playing, I heard a voice from behind. This was the first clear evaluation I heard since starting the game in the arcade, and involuntarily, I turned my head in surprise. A chubby man, a stranger, was watching the game I was playing amidst the crowd.
Although the voice came from behind, I immediately knew it was him.
“Why?”
Caught off guard by his sudden movement, I asked what was going on, but Yellow did not answer, instead moving to sit next to me and glaring at the man who had been talking nonstop.
“Ever since he started, he hasn’t replied and has been silently watching. That pig keeps talking nonsense behind the person playing. Do you want to fight? If you’re going to play a game, go to an empty spot, not here.”
His continuous profanity, even though it wasn’t directed at me, made me feel a bit scared. Only then did I realize that the insults Yellow threw weren’t genuine and that she was trying to hold back.
“Hey. SuA, calm down.”
Seeing SuA’s fierce demeanor, the man said nothing, and I tried to stop her from attacking. While hyper-humans are forbidden from assaulting civilians, I thought if her eyes turned red, she might lose control.
“Let go. Hey. Pig. Wasn’t you the one who used to talk behind people before? Are you good at games? If you’re so upset, let’s have one round.”
Hearing “Let go,” I couldn’t grab him, and I stood there awkwardly with my hands raised. He remained silent, then took off his glasses, signaling he wanted to settle the score through the game.
Onlookers were watching him strangely and slowly giving him space.
“He seems like he would win against this person here.”
His words meant he was offering to play against me, a beginner. SuA, who knows my skills better than anyone, let it happen without a word.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
“Wait?!”
Of course, I was the most surprised in this situation. Although I don’t know his skill level, objectively speaking, as a beginner, my chances of winning against someone who plays in the arcade regularly are very low.
“It’s okay. Play as usual.”
SuA sat next to me, and the man sat opposite us.
“Do you know?”
I asked because I was curious about what SuA had just said, and her expression tightened.
“Last month? When I was playing, he said he would teach me something, so I swore at him.”
If last month was recent, I was grateful that he didn’t follow me after that to ask me to teach him the game.
“Can I win?”
“Are you going to lose just because you hear some crap?”
“Don’t you always say that?”
“I’m an exception!”
“Why?”
“Are you really going to hit?”
Seeing her clench her fist, I closed my mouth. I had trained under SuA, and if I lost, I knew I would feel terrible.
The game began, and the character he chose was the one I had been using. It seemed he was trying to counter my moves.
“What should I do?”
I asked SuA, who was sitting beside me, but she remained silent. Even as a beginner, it’s taboo to give advice during a serious match. SuA was probably angry because the man sitting opposite was giving unsolicited advice as if talking to himself.
‘I thought it wouldn’t be heard.’
Thinking it was too noisy to hear, SuA was trying to avoid causing trouble in the arcade by keeping her voice down.
“Oh.”
The character I chose was the one SuA used most often when playing against me.
“Hey. You’ve never played this before, right?”
“I know the commands.”
I had memorized the command inputs by watching videos. And I knew well how annoying it is when this character goes wrong during our games.
The game started. In the first round, the opponent approached closely and attacked first, and I initially defended. But I was caught in a quick grab and knocked down, and after a low attack, he retreated.
In fighting games, every moment requires intense focus. There is no time to relax or plan strategies. As soon as my character stood up, I moved in to ensure distance and then went for a combo. Hit. Hit. I was about to input the fourth command when my hand got tangled. Though I knew the commands, I momentarily confused it with my usual character.
I could tell SuA’s eyebrows were narrowing even without looking.
As the failures continued, I eventually lost the first round.
“Ah, you really can’t play.”
Instead of me, SuA was angry at the opponent’s discourteous comment.
“That guy is really something.”
She frowned, then turned her gaze and looked at me.
“You. Think of the opponent as me.”
“Huh?”
“Think of me. Not that guy, but imagine me sitting opposite you.”
Easier said than done. SuA was beside me, and the unpleasant pig was opposite. Even imagining it was difficult.
Unconsciously, I started to dislike the opponent, and helplessly, the second round began.
‘Imagine SuA on the other side.’
Concentrating, I imagined SuA controlling the opponent’s character. Unlike SuA’s precise control, the opponent’s erratic movements appeared, and I remembered how I moved to judge the distance.
At the same time, I recalled SuA’s combo that ended the match instantly and how she controlled the distance, hitting with an upper combo, a low attack to slightly lift, and a grab to deal damage and knockdown.
She used a rear movement skill to move behind the opponent and delivered a combo, finishing with a launching technique. The opponent’s health bar quickly depleted, and as they fell, a finishing move was executed. With a powerful kick combo, the opponent’s health dropped significantly, leaving them barely standing.
The sound of frantic joystick movements reached me as they struggled to get up. And the moment they stood up, a punch landed.
“Perfect.” The message indicated my character won with no health loss. I had won the second round, and SuA clenched her fist in joy beside me. Soon after, the third and final round began.
Unlike previous rounds where the opponent approached, this time they stayed back and continuously launched ranged attacks. These attacks cause brief stuns, which beginners often use as a trick. SuA recommended this character because it has tricks, but I never used tricks to win against her.
Using such a technique also penalizes the user, as there is a delay after using it. SuA always timed it perfectly and entered with combos. Could I enter without falling for these tricks?
And when I played my character, I noticed clear stuns that were not visible before. I didn’t need to watch my own character; I knew the attack range and the perfect timing for skills. I had been hit by this character many times.
At that moment, SuA’s “Don’t look at your character” came to mind, and I gained a realization.
‘Playing to infuriate the opponent is like playing the way that made me the angriest.’
I exploited the delay and entered like I did in the second round, recalling each attack from the moments I suffered under SuA’s hands. Winning the third round, I secured victory.
The screen displayed “Victory,” informing me of the win. For a moment, I couldn’t speak, stunned by the first taste of victory.
Beside me, SuA had hoped I would win but remained silent. When our eyes met, we cheered and hugged each other.
“I won!”
“I told you I would win!”
Winning against SuA’s gameplay, which I had endured until now, was incredibly valuable. Although I still lacked the skill to beat her, seeing her happy about my first win made me feel like I had gained some recognition.
“What a crappy game!”
The sound of someone slamming the joystick echoed from across. Although it was clearly a curse, I felt a thrill. They said criticizing opponents while gaming was praise, and SuA was right.
“Is it good to win by cheating?! Playing with a hyper-human!”
SuA had been coming to this arcade for a long time. Though she didn’t openly declare herself as a hyper-human, someone might know. The pig knew, and he seemed to use this to provoke and turn public opinion in his favor.
Even though it was obvious, I knew hatred towards hyper-humans existed everywhere. Given the restrictions on hyper-humans, I decided to leave the arcade immediately upon hearing this.
While she didn’t seem bothered by being known as a hyper-human, the environment around her could be different. Thus, I had to leave.
“What can I do?”
A voice from the crowd responded.
“You lost the game and act so ugly.”
“Here he goes again. Can’t even play a game.”
“What does a hyper-human have to do with playing a game?”
Unexpectedly, the pig couldn’t hide his panic when faced with criticism directed at him.
“Sir. This new player here has only been playing for less than a month and lost.”
Although I didn’t know his name, I remembered his face. He was the silent observer who watched me when I was badly beaten earlier. Knowing we had been talking, he knew I was a new player.
“Here he comes again, making a scene. If you lose at the game, just leave.”
Profanities mixed with criticism spread throughout, and the pig broke out in a cold sweat. Watching the crowd, he rushed out of the arcade.
“Are you not playing anymore? We came to watch you two.”
“I came to watch the game too.”
“I want to train a newbie!”
“I didn’t expect anyone to find it amusing to watch a couple argue while playing games.”
Listening to the encouraging remarks, we slowly separated after hearing the last sentence.
“There are many nice people here.”
“…Indeed.”
Though SuA was aware people were watching, she hadn’t realized they viewed it this way. Afterward, SuA and I continued playing, and the spectators, who had become more comfortable, laughed whenever we fought.
Eventually, as the sun set and twilight approached, we left the arcade. Although I lost all the games to SuA, the taste of my first win today lingered.
Naturally, we headed to SuA’s house, sharing stories about our enjoyable day.
“That combo would have worked if I had timed it right.”
“Just saying won’t help. I couldn’t match the timing. You’re so clumsy.”
Even though the same words could mean different things depending on the context, hearing that I couldn’t do something no longer affected me.
As we reminisced about the day, we traced back to our morning meeting at the arcade. Then, the silence that had been forgotten all day returned.
Certainly, it was fun, and I thought we would forget our arguments and play games as usual. But precisely because of that, I knew I needed to apologize properly.
But the missed opportunity didn’t come easily, and we arrived at SuA’s house.
We bought food, came home, and turned on the game console. It was only the third time, yet naturally, we laid out the food on the table.
Looking at the screen as the game started, the events of that day’s argument flashed vividly.
“Hey.”
“Over there.”
Both of us spoke at the same time.
“Let me start.”
“Huh? Huh.”
Feeling the urgency to apologize, I swallowed my saliva, took a deep breath, and prepared to speak clearly.
“Sorry…”
“Sorry!”
I missed my chance to speak, and SuA, thinking she needed to speak first, overlapped with my apology.
“Apologize… Why?”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
Staring at each other in disbelief, we burst into laughter.
Small fights are common among friends. Once we both expressed our apologies, it felt like nothing at all, and it felt like any ordinary friendship. SuA must have felt the same, laughing so hard tears came to her eyes, and she wiped them away as she calmed down.
“Ah, my stomach hurts.”
“Again, cursing.”
I pointed out her cursing as I calmed down, and SuA smiled, lightly tapping my arm with her hand.
“Can’t even talk to yourself? Can’t talk to yourself.”
“What? You hit me?”
Taking a playful stance like a fighting game character, I pretended to provoke her, and SuA took a similar pose. The laughter that erupted didn’t subside easily, and we rolled on the sofa, laughing again.
