Ilhwiilbi kept getting beaten by me for a full two hours after that.
Because I chased him down every single time he tried to run the moment he respawned on the spot, the fight that had started in front of the raid entrance eventually dragged all the way to the farthest corners of the map.
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Ah LOLOLOL
[World] Ilhwiilbi: wait
[World] Ilhwiilbi: wait pls
From 8 to 10, Ilhwiilbi had been repeating the cycle of respawning and dying in place, and he finally cried surrender.
After watching him die over thirty times in two hours, I started to feel just a little sorry for him, so I decided I’d forgive him here.
[World] TodayIsSunday: If you sincerely apologize right now and get lost
[World] TodayIsSunday: then I won’t say anything else
Wow, wasn’t I basically Buddha?
How could I possibly be this understanding and kind?
If he had even a shred of sanity left, all he had to do was understand my deeper meaning, say “yes sir,” apologize quickly, and disappear.
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Then if I die more
[World] Ilhwiilbi: can I join the guild?
“…….”
Yeah, no.
This bastard was just fundamentally hopeless.
My chest went cold in an instant, and I genuinely thought it’d be fine to repeat the exact same thing I’d been doing for the past two hours one more time.
The only lucky part was that Ilhwiilbi still hadn’t respawned yet, so I couldn’t hit him.
Otherwise I would’ve already smacked him again.
[World] TodayIsSunday: n
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Then what about friend add?
[World] TodayIsSunday: Don’t want to
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Just friend add only!
[World] TodayIsSunday: I said no
Just reading the text gave me a headache.
Scratching at my throbbing forehead, I finally decided to ask the thing that had been bothering me for a while.
[World] TodayIsSunday: Why are you doing all this to me
[World] TodayIsSunday: Is this maybe your alt?
[World] TodayIsSunday: Did your main have some history with me?
For the first time since this started, Ilhwiilbi—who’d been talking nonstop until now—went quiet.
What the hell, was it actually true?
I’d only asked because everything about him was so bizarre.
It was just a “what if,” but there was no way I thought this would really be an alt.
‘What the hell happened between me and his main for him to bring an alt over and make this much chaos?’
Right as my curiosity about his main was peaking, the silent Ilhwiilbi finally typed.
[World] Ilhwiilbi: This really is my main
[World] Ilhwiilbi: But Arc isn’t my first MMO
[World] TodayIsSunday: Exactly
[World] TodayIsSunday: I’m asking if something happened between us when you first played Arc
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Curious? Haha
“Freak…….”
A curse slipped out under my breath before I let out a deep sigh.
At this point, I felt like I could confidently rank him second place among all the psychos I’d met in my life.
First place, of course, still belonged to Heunjeok.
[World] TodayIsSunday: lol
[World] TodayIsSunday: nah
[World] TodayIsSunday: good luck
Shockingly, all my curiosity vanished completely from that one “Curious? Haha”.
If that was a talent, then sure, it was a talent.
Meanwhile, Ilhwiilbi seemed genuinely flustered by how instantly I rejected it and hurriedly continued.
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Why?
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Why aren’t you curious?
[World] Ilhwiilbi: Weird.. you should be curious
[World] TodayIsSunday: Hearing a psycho talk about what’s normal is hilarious
[World] TodayIsSunday: Why would I care what your main is
[World] TodayIsSunday: It’s over now anyway
[World] TodayIsSunday: Might not even recognize the main nickname if I heard it haha
Even at this exact moment, Ilhwiilbi was still dead.
The only reason we could keep talking was because I’d killed him instantly every time he respawned and kept him in that state.
No matter how annoying Ilhwiilbi was, this was the difference between us in the end.
If he didn’t like it, he could bring his real main here, or openly reveal the nickname and complain properly.
[World] TodayIsSunday: Mention me in server chat one more time
[World] TodayIsSunday: and I’m really seeing this through with you
[World] TodayIsSunday: okay?
As I sheathed my weapon to show I had no intention of hitting him anymore, Ilhwiilbi seemed to think for a moment before replying.
[World] Ilhwiilbi: okay
So he’d finally learned how to understand words.
Thinking this might be the last time, I sent Ilhwiilbi off with what I considered a mature adult’s kindness.
[World] TodayIsSunday: Good
[World] TodayIsSunday: have fun
Sincerely hoping I’d never run into that bastard again in the rest of my gaming life, I immediately warped to the city save point.
***
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Anyone wanna run Chaos Mine with Meow after logging in for the first time in forever? Need 9 pplㅇㅅㅇ/~
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Meow’s gonna serve up some delicious heals!! ^,^S2
[Guild] rxrx78: Act your age
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Anyone up for 3 straight Chaos Mine runs? Currently 5 slots open.
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: LMAO holy shit;
[Guild] Ryupe: LMAOOO
The next day, just like usual, I logged into the game after finishing my café shift and joined a guild party that was just about to head into a raid.
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: But Sunday
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: Did things get resolved okay with that newbie yesterday??
[Guild] sky004: fr I was watching then left to do smth else, how’d it end?
[Guild] TurnTheLightsOn: Was that newbie the same guy from yesterday
[Guild] TurnTheLightsOn: Ilhuiilbi?
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: Ilhwiilbi <- yeah
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: Just calmed him down and sent him off
[Guild] Maha: Like hell you did
[Guild] IOnlyHave6000Won: LMAOOOO
[Guild] Ryupe: T_TT
[Guild] rxrx78: The newbie didn’t quit the game right? T_T
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: Poor newbie 😭😭😭
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: Thus one precious newbie has left us..☆
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: ㅡㅡ
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Huh what happened?
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Sunday are you raising a newbie?
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: nah
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: The issue wasn’t him being a newbie, it was him being insane
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: I seriously told him not to do that and he understood, so we said okay and ended it
[Guild] Maha: That’s wild
[Guild] Maha: He really seemed completely insane
[Guild] Astaroth: fr like um
[Guild] Astaroth: kinda almost peak-Heunjeok level;;
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: ?
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: That’s possible?
[Guild] sky004: Shockingly, kinda yeah
[Guild] sky004: That obsession and psycho energy ㄷㄷ
The guild members who’d gotten tired from spectating Ilhwiilbi getting beaten finally seemed to understand at least a little of what I’d gone through.
Seriously, this was why having a guild was great whenever problems came up in a game.
Having guildmates take my side was weirdly touching.
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: Anyway, we wrapped it up well through conversation
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: He won’t do it again now
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: Don’t keep talking about someone who isn’t here
[Guild] sky004: yes sir 😭😭
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: Ahhh I really wanna know how that convo ended though
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: Farewell newbie...
Good.
That should mean no more Ilhwiilbi talk in guild chat either.
A little belatedly, I shut down the gossip and thought back to the last time I’d seen Ilhwiilbi yesterday.
Honestly, it’d be best if he’d just quit right there.
So we’d never run into each other again, not even by accident.
That was what I was thinking as the raid was just about to start.
Then—
[Server] Ilhwiilbi: Anyone know where TodayIsSunday is right now? 20k gold by mail for info
“……?”
[Guild] Maha: ?
[Guild] Astaroth: Huh
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: ㅇㅅㅇ?
[Guild] sky004: ????
“What the fuck.”
Was I dreaming right now?
Why was I seeing the exact same server message as yesterday?
I leaned so close to the monitor it was like I was trying to crawl into it, but the server chat text stubbornly stayed the same.
No, then that means that bastard Ilhwiilbi was now—
“Ha!”
The sheer absurdity of it made a laugh burst out of me.
I clutched my head with a half-laughing, half-furious expression, and guild chat instantly exploded.
[Guild] Maha: I thought you said it got resolved?
[Guild] sky004: LMAOOOO
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Wait, wasn’t that server chat from the newbie you were just talking about?
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: Did he just put a bounty on Sunday’s location?
[Guild] Ryupe: Wow he’s genuinely ultra-insane;
[Guild] sky004: No but after getting beaten that hard yesterday, he came back again LMAO
[Guild] IOnlyHave6000Won: Doesn’t seem like he understood at all
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: So are we allowed to talk about the newbie now?
[Guild] Maha: Hey, can we leak your location? LOL
[Server] MovieIsSoSo: Sunday is in front of Chaos Mine~
[Server] Ilhwiilbi: Haha, thank you, I’ll send the mail
[Guild] Maha: Ah fuck
[Guild] Astaroth: Crazy, that was fast as hell LOOOLLLLL
[Guild] sky004: Got sniped again ;
“Agh!”
Feeling suffocated, I shouted out loud and immediately dumped my fury into guild chat first.
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: You *** are you serious **?
[Guild] TodayIsSunday: Because of you **** dogs ****
[Guild] Maha: LOLOL
[Guild] MeowMeowRawr: I didn’t do anything 😭😭
[Guild] Yeoyeorang: LMAO
[Guild] IOnlyHave6000Won: Why are you yelling at us 😭😭😭
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: Hah... if I had to choose between insults and money, then obviously....
[Guild] MovieIsSoSo: “money”
[Guild] rxrx78: He’s actually crazy LMAO
As expected, my rage meant absolutely nothing to them.
I’d been touched by their loyalty literally one minute ago, and now this.
Still, 6000 Won had a point.
No matter how much I cursed at the guild members, it was useless.
Grinding my teeth, I sent Ilhwiilbi a friend request.
Friend request sent. Nickname: Ilhwiilbi
New friend added.
Ilhwiilbi: Hello heh
Ilhwiilbi: I was just on my way to Chaos Mine anyway^^
Of course you were!
You screamed across the whole damn server asking where I was!
The way Ilhwiilbi accepted instantly like he’d been waiting and messaged me right away made something hot surge up from deep in my chest.
TodayIsSunday: Do you seriously want to die?
TodayIsSunday: Didn’t I clearly say this yesterday?
TodayIsSunday: Don’t mention me in server chat
TodayIsSunday: What did you say back then?
TodayIsSunday: You said okay, right?? okay??
Ilhwiilbi: Yup
TodayIsSunday: Then why the hell are you making another scene after saying okay?
Ilhwiilbi: Haha
Ilhwiilbi: You said you wanted to see this through to the end
Ilhwiilbi: I want to see the end with you too