Chapter 108
Youngwoo was in a hurry. He wanted to meet the alumni sooner now that he was no longer in debt. ‘Look at 23. I’m a success. You can’t ignore or abuse me anymore.’ That’s what he wanted to say. He wanted revenge for how they laughed at and ignored him over the years.
Buaaaaaang!
23 drove on the roads, barely keeping to the speed limit. At this speed, he could reach the gathering place within 10 minutes. Youngwoo felt like that was too long to show everyone his changed appearance.
‘But… Why is the meeting place on the outskirts of the city? It can’t be reached with public transportation, so it is difficult for anyone without a car. Were they aiming at me?’
It would be very difficult for Youngwoo to go to the reunion place today if he hadn’t paid off the debt or bought a car. He didn’t have any friends to borrow a car from, nor could he use public transportation. Therefore, he would’ve needed to take a taxi.
‘Isn’t it too much to decide on a meeting place like this?’
Youngwoo was confident that he was the victim they were aiming at, since they laughed at him for so long. As he focused on driving, he noticed something and slowed down. In front of him, a woman was opening her car bonnet and sending a signal for help.
The usual Youngwoo wouldn’t have helped anyone without any benefits. But now was an exception. He was curious because the woman asking for help was an obvious beauty, even from far away.
“Look at that style and ratio… It isn’t a joke.”
The woman was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and a black jacket over it. It was an outfit with no exposure. She also wore large sunglasses, so it was hard to grasp her appearance from afar. But he was convinced that she was a beauty with perfect proportions and white skin. He wanted to check how pretty she was up close. This instinct couldn’t be suppressed.
‘I became negative towards women due to Ahyoung, but… As a human being, I can’t ignore a woman having trouble in the middle of the road.’
Youngwoo parked his car next to the woman asking for help. Then he was startled.
He didn’t notice because of the woman, but the woman’s car was the S-model from Company C, which was four times more expensive than Youngwoo’s car. The model released by Company C for their 120th anniversary was very different from the 13 series because it targeted conglomerates.
‘A young woman with a car like this… Is she a second generation heir to a conglomerate, like in a drama?’
Youngwoo cleared his throat and released his tension. Then he got out of the car and asked the woman.
“Can I help you?”
She would’ve already contacted her insurance company. It wasn’t a normal car, so she would obviously care about it. Youngwoo wanted to leave. But the woman was asking for help, so he couldn’t leave her.
Then the woman took her sunglasses off, “I hope you will take me along with you.”
“Heok?”
Youngwoo was surprised as he saw the woman’s face. He was so amazed he thought his heart would stop.
“Y-Yura?”
The world famous rankers of Satisfy. Due to their frequent exposure in the media, there were few people playing Satisfy who didn’t know the names and faces of the rankers. They didn’t know the name of the US president, but they knew the names of Satisfy’s rankers. That was a well known joke among the users.
Among them, Yura was special.
She was the only female in the top 10 of the unified rankings. She was regarded as the last hope for Koreans, who had been power gamers until half a century ago. She was also regarded as one of the best beauties in the east and west. She dominated not just domestic, but international CFs, and was ranked 3rd on the list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Why did he come across a woman like that here? Youngwoo was very confused.
‘Does this make sense? No matter how small South Korea is, how can a coincidence like this happen?’
In fact, Youngwoo had a link with Yura. No, it was more of a bad relationship.
After becoming Pagma’s Descendant, he had a conflict with Yura during Doran’s quest. He failed the quest due to Yura’s interference and he wrote bad comments about her on the Internet to resolve his grudge.
‘Perhaps…’ Youngwoo assumed the worst. ‘She commissioned cyber forensics to track me down and get revenge?’
It was possible considering Yura’s wealth and authority.
‘No, that can’t be. This isn’t a manhwa… It’s a mere coincidence.’
Yura drove in a wedge while Youngwoo was trying to calm down, “It is nice to see you, Grid.”
“Cough…”
She knew his identity? It truly wasn’t a coincidence that she appeared before Youngwoo!
‘Revenge! She came to get revenge!’
Youngwoo’s confusion and anxiety reached the peak. He had experienced Blood Witch Yura’s cruelty already. He didn’t know what to expect.
‘S-Should I drive away?’
Youngwoo shook while Yura climbed into his passenger seat without permission.
“You can drive me up to your destination. Please let me ride in your car. I have something to say.”
“…Yes.”
Youngwoo couldn’t refuse.
***
“Why is Shin Youngwoo so late?”
During high school, Lee Junho had cursed and assaulted his classmates. He was a terrible person. There wasn’t one person who hadn’t needed to pay money to Lee Junho. It was hard for even the seniors and teachers to go against him. He also used violence against his few friends, Sim Kiwan and Choi Chansung.
His violent streak didn’t improve after graduating from high school and going to the army and university. Before he knew it, he was 27 years old and still couldn’t adapt to society, constantly changing jobs.
Lee Junho worked in a PC room, convenience store, gas station and so on, until one day he suddenly realized.
‘I am nothing.’
When he was a student, everything was okay when he fought. Regardless of their gender, everyone was under his feet. He could do what he wanted.
But the situation was different when he entered society.
Those who studied hard during high school could get a suitable job, but there was no company that would accept Lee Junho, who knew nothing but fighting. Whenever he fought, he was dragged to the police station and forced to pay a settlement.
As it turned out, he wasn’t the best in fighting either. He went to the gym to learn martial arts, but there were countless people present.
Lee Junho started to become anxious.
He couldn’t get a job or do anything well, so would he be able to marry anyone? He couldn’t even afford to worry about his marriage funds, since he might starve to death in a few years. If he managed to survive, he would struggle to cope with an old and lonely life.
Lee Junho kept drinking as he imagined the worst situation. He couldn’t sleep without the alcohol.
Then two years ago.
He was able to shake off all his worries once he met Shin Youngwoo at the reunion. For the first time in a long time, he saw someone below him. At least Lee Junho wasn’t in debt. But Shin Youngwoo had a large debt and was obsessed with games.
Junho could feel assured when looking at Youngwoo.
‘Aren’t I at least better than him?’
It really was like magic. Since he met Youngwoo, Junho was able to fall asleep without drinking. No matter how terrible his life was, he could bear it at the thought of Youngwoo having it worse.
And now.
Junho lived a life that was almost the same as two years ago. He was still wandering around jobs. He was already in his late 20s. Soon he would be 30 years old. Instead of saving money, he still couldn’t find proper work.
He couldn’t resist cursing or assaulting a customer when working in a convenience store or at a PC room counter. Then he needed to pay the settlements. His pride was badly hurt when working at a gas station. He was covered in oil, unlike his peers. In addition, he was irritated whenever he saw young men or women in foreign cars. Labor was worse. People who did labor work were middle-aged losers who weren’t expecting much from their life.
As such, Junho was trying to change the situation. However, he was aware that it was hard, so he got caught up in anxiety and started to rely on alcohol again. He needed a prescription. He had to meet Youngwoo. He would be able to laugh at Youngwoo with his fellow high school classmates and forget his worries.
The other alumni were in a similar position. Junho might be in the worst situation, but they were all uneasy about their futures. They wanted to meet Youngwoo.
The reunion location of the Heroes High School 45th graduation class. Lee Junho, the secretary of the Alumni Association, was nervous when Youngwoo didn’t show up on time.
“Hey, Kim Ahyoung. Are you sure Youngwoo is coming?”
Ahyoung ridiculed him, “I’m not sure. I don’t know if he can come because you decided on this meeting place.”
It was a garden restaurant outside the city. A person without their own car would have to take a taxi to get here. It was doubtful if the debt-ridden Youngwoo could afford the taxi fee.
Lee Junho, who deliberately selected this meeting place, started to feel belated regret.
“That pathetic guy… He can’t even afford a taxi?”
At that moment.
“Wow! Look over there!”
The alumni started to make a fuss as they looked out the window. Lee Junho and Kim Ahyoung also looked out the window. They witnessed a black vehicle enter the parking lot.
“13 series…!”
A limited edition car worth 800 million won! Lee Junho had seen a lot of foreign cars while working at the gas station, but he never saw a car of this degree.
‘Shit! There are bastards like this everywhere I go!’
Lee Junho shook his head at the thought that the 13 series would be a 2nd generation conglomerate’s car, while Kim Ahyoung had hearts in her eyes.
‘My life will be set if I can marry a guy with a car like that. When can I date a guy like that?’
Then the car stopped at one side of the parking lot. Everyone was shocked. The person who descended from the driver’s seat was Shin Youngwoo!
“W-What…?”
Lee Junho stood up and cried out. How did Shin Youngwoo, a debt ridden game loser, come in such a luxury car?
“No way!”
It was clear that he stole it. Lee Junho and all the alumni thought so.
But Ahyoung thought differently. ‘He paid off his debt and got a job… It wasn’t a lie? But how good is his job that he can afford a car like that?’
Ahyoung’s brain was spinning fast.
‘Anyway, it is good. Youngwoo likes me… He doesn’t have any dating experience, so it’ll be easy to catch him, then my life will be set. Okay, I will make him my man.’
At that moment, a woman came down from the passenger seat. Ahyoung became desperate the moment she saw the woman’s beauty. On the other hand, Junho and the other alumni had to spit out their water.
“Pfft!!”
“W-What is this?”
Why were they so shocked? It was due to the identity of the woman in the passenger seat. She was Yura. Her beauty could be recognized even at a distance. There was a halo around her. That was a suitable saying to describe her beauty.
“H-How did this happen?”
No one could understand this situation. As everyone was confused, Yura leaned up and kissed Youngwoo. After a while, a big limousine appeared and took Yura away.
“T-This scene…?”
In the eyes of others, it looked like Yura left the car after enjoying a date with Youngwoo. The imagination of Youngwoo’s fellow alumni ran wild.
‘Did Youngwoo manage to seduce Yura? Did Yura pay off his debt and buy that car for him?’
‘How did he come into contact with a woman like Yura? The worlds they live in are completely different, so there is no place where they could meet. No, maybe… Is Youngwoo actually the young master of a rich house? Is Youngwoo just pretending to be a normal high school and university student with a debt?’
‘Maybe… Youngwoo could form a relationship with Yura because of Satisfy…’
‘Yes. Youngwoo’s time playing Satisfy wasn’t in vain. He met Yura in Satisfy, their relationship developed to lovers and this moved to reality…’
‘Damn! If I unconditionally played Satisfy instead of working, could I be like Youngwoo?’
Youngwoo finally entered the restaurant. Youngwoo already knew that the alumni in the restaurant had witnessed the scene outside, so he waved leisurely.
“Have you been well?”
“…”
This was Youngwoo? He looked and acted completely different from before. No one was able to talk to Youngwoo, who sat on the side. They just looked at him. Then Youngwoo, holding a cup of wine in his hand, extended another cup to Lee Junho.
“Hasn’t it been a while? Have a cup.”
“Eh? Y-Yes. Yes…”
Lee Junho was dumbfounded. Shin Youngwoo had shrunk back from him since their school days, now he was asking them to drink together!
‘I didn’t want to see him for this…’
Anger boiled inside Junho’s heart. Youngwoo emptied his glass and said to Junho. “Come on, have a drink. But how are you doing these days? You still haven’t fixed your habit of biting your nails? You’re getting older, so you should stop it. Isn’t that right?”
Lee Junho snapped and got up from his seat. Then he grabbed Youngwoo and snarled.
“You bastard! I don’t know what happened but don’t pretend to be elite! I will kill you!”
In the past, Youngwoo would be angry and afraid. But now he was different. He was a man. In particular, for adult men, abilities became power and confidence. Those who had the ability wouldn’t shrink back easily in any situation.
“Why are you so mad? Look back at all the words and actions you’ve made against me. Do you have any idea how angry I was?”
“…!”
At that moment, Junho reflexively shrunk back from the look in Youngwoo’s eyes. It was because the appearance of a man flashed through his mind. The psychopath in the skull helmet who beat him up in Kesan Canyon! The look in Youngwoo’s eyes was like the psychopath who recently shattered the Giant Guild in Winston.
‘Is this possible? That bastard is him?’
Junho noticed Youngwoo’s identity and backed away. Junho, the madman who couldn’t be controlled, retreated like a dog. It was hard to believe. To the alumni, Youngwoo felt like a different person than before.
Then Youngwoo started laughing.
“This wine tastes good. What are you doing? Aren’t you drinking?”
Youngwoo had suffered many difficulties over the years. The memory of being bullied by the alumni was his biggest trauma. But on this day, he was able to perfectly overcome that trauma, resulting in a psychologically more stable and mature Youngwoo.
This growth was sure to be a great help to him when playing Satisfy in the future.
***
‘Did this help him?’
A little while ago, Yura had descended from the car and narrowed the distance to Youngwoo to get rid of a piece of dust in his hair. The angle from the restaurant made it seem like a kiss.
Yura smiled as she remembered the help she received from Shin Youngwoo at the Yatan Temple in the past.
‘My debt has been paid.’
Yura had accomplished various feats with her own power. She wanted to get rid of the weak memory of receiving help from another. Thus, she kept paying attention to Grid and after a recent investigation, she determined that she could pay off the debt in this form.