What Do You Think about Living With a Gaming Addict Girlfriend and Having Pure Love?

Chapter 2: An Evening with KimPokDaughter

—–CROW—– 

[Two days earlier, evening.]

*Ding!*

My heart skipped a beat at the sudden notification sound.

I had just gotten home.

There was a late-night meeting, which dragged on past nine o’clock.

And then another one after that.

An unwanted drinking session, too.

“Come on, give me a break. This timing… really isn’t it.”

For the record, there’s no overtime pay.

So…that means I deserve a rest.

Alright.

If there are no more notifications, I’m just going to ignore it.

*Ding!*

No way.  That merciless woman.

I gritted my teeth and checked the messenger.

[Hey Kwon Sung-Hyeon. Are you ignoring me now? I’m your girlfriend, can’t I even complain this much? Then where am I supposed to vent! It’s too much!]

Damn it.

I should have just kept ignoring her for another day. I shouldn’t have looked.

The rock in my stomach felt twice as heavy.

*Right, right, I know, Soo-Yeon.*

You probably had a really tough day today.

That bitchy Assistant Manager Kim probably nagged you again, and Manager Park probably stole your project midway.

The client probably spouted nonsense. Right?

But, so what?

Where are you supposed to vent?

I don’t know, you bitch.

My daily life is also hard, tiring, and full of people I want to kill, but I don’t have anyone to vent to either, so I don’t know.

No, wait.

It’s not that I *can’t* vent because I don’t have anyone to listen, it’s that I *don’t* vent.

What’s the point of whining about every little thing?

But even if I say this, you won’t stop.

Because you’re not looking for a solution in the first place.

[[If I quit my job, what about my career? You’re really… saying that so carelessly because it’s not your problem?]]

This was the reply when I suggested she quit.

[[Hey. Do you think things will be resolved if I make it public? Only powerless me will be at a disadvantage.  Ha, forget it.  I’m not even going to bother.]]

This was the reply when I suggested other solutions.

I know.

What you want is not a solution to the problem, but empathy for your anger and sadness.

Therefore, the correct answer was decided from the beginning.

[Ah, I see. You must have had a really hard time.]

[What kind of jerk is that?  Should I go and beat him up for you?]

And so on, mechanically spouting insincere words, supporting you until your mood improves.

In short:

[Be my emotional trash can.]

That’s what you want, right?

That shitty job.

I think I managed it somewhat well in the early days of our relationship.

Why did I do that?

No matter how much I lick your brain, the grime of your emotions endlessly wells up.

Now, after spending two years with you…

Just hearing the KakaoTalk notification sound makes me feel like my brain is oozing out of my nose.

I’m exhausted.

I hate people.

Two years into the relationship.

I came to my senses and realized I had lost my humanity, becoming a sort of masturbatory tool in the mind of this human called my girlfriend.

*Ding!*

[Ignoring me now? Do you want to die?]

So, what should I do now?

Should I accept that offer and die?

Or should I run to her, whirring and buzzing like a proper masturbatory tool, and soothe her aching heart?

You’re kidding, right?

Your toy’s batteries died a month ago.

[If you need to vent, use Twitter, bitch.  Contact me again and you’re dead.]

I deleted the bitch’s name from my messenger and contacts, and blocked her everywhere.

“Phew, that feels good.  Should’ve done that sooner.”

Since I’ve already done it, I swear here and now.

“If I ever date again, I’m not human.”

To think I’m only realizing this now, I’m incredibly slow.

Affection? Love? Sex?  It’s all debt in the end.

You borrow it for a moment of happiness, and later you have to pay it back tenfold with interest, like a loan shark.

It’s one mountain after another, and the killing point is that you have to pay the interest with your soul.

Well, it’s a good thing I realized it now.

Anyway.

The hard day is finally over, and my messy relationship has come to an end.

Now it’s time to cast off the shackles of the world and return to my true world.

Undressing: 10 seconds.

Shower: 8 minutes flat.

Skip drying my hair.

And with my big toe, I turned on the computer.

What’s next?

[Welcome back, ____.]

The bouncy piano sound.

The endless plains and the clear blue sky open up.

My body soars over the plains and into the heart of a magnificent city.

My gaze stops at the fountain in the square.

A man sits perched on its edge.

The man’s name is [KwonSungHyeonFighter].

A greatsword the size of a person hangs on his back.

Who is he?

That incredibly badass warrior is me.

The emotional trash can of reality is just my avatar, and my true self is…

The adventurer in the online game [Billion Saga],

[KwonSungHyeonFighter].

“Ha… This is it.”

I haven’t played for just three days, but I feel as relieved as if I’ve returned home after ten years.

It’s been ten years since it launched, and it’s mostly forgotten now, but it’s a special game to me.

I can’t get used to the latest games that bombard you with daily quests and force you to grind the same dungeons thousands of times.

It feels no different from work.

Plus, the endless microtransactions and auto-hunting just to keep up with other people…

Where’s the fun in that?

This game is different.

Look. The people holding a concert in the middle of the square.

The quality is almost professional-level, showing how much they practiced.

That kind of thing doesn’t help with leveling up at all, but they just enjoy having people gather around, wanting praise and applause.

Musicians, warriors, mages, blacksmiths… you can be anything you want.

It’s enjoyable just being a part of this world…

This is a real game.

And I have it too.

The reason I haven’t let go of Billion Saga for eight years.

My own enjoyment.

*Ding!*

[You have received a 1:1 message from your Soulmate.]

This is it.

This message always arrives as soon as I log in.

Unlike KakaoTalk, the idiotic ID makes me feel instantly relieved.

[KimPokDaughter: Sung-Hyeon you’re here today lol]

[Me: Hardcore gaming from today on. I took tomorrow off too. No one can stop me.]

[KimPokDaughter: Suddenly? You always do that when you’re feeling down. What happened?]

[Me: What are you talking about lol What did you do today? Were you a good house-sitter?]

[KimPokDaughter: Made 40 million gold today from leatherworking lol Already hit this month’s target.]

[Me: Already? That’s crazy fast???]

Look at this pointless, silly conversation.

And that vulgar ID.

This is it.

The online game world where my friend KimPokDaughter exists.

It may not seem like much, but this is the only place where my heart can rest in this harsh world.

[KimPokDaughter: My body automatically picks up gold now. I’m practically a machine.]

The hobby of KimPokDaughter, our guild’s star priest, was collecting 300 million gold a month.

It’s the 15th today, so…

She already reached her target in less than half the month.

That’s only possible because she’s logged in 24/7.  That’s like six months of playtime for me.

[Me: So how much have you saved up? You can buy the equipment coming out in the next patch right away, right?]

[KimPokDaughter: lol Have you ever seen me buy items? I’m just going to sell it all.]

[Me: Again?]

KimPokDaughter never used the gold she painstakingly collected, no matter how much she had.

She always exchanges it for cash on brokerage sites.  She’d be better off getting a part-time job.

I wonder what she’s doing, stuck in the game all day.

Strange girl.

But no matter how little I understand, I never criticize her.

Just as I have my own life in Billion Saga, KimPokDaughter has her own enjoyment.

Since KimPokDaughter has been a refuge for me, I don’t want to ruin her gaming life.

Instead, I should help her out a bit.

[Me: Then I’ll buy some.]

[KimPokDaughter: Alright lol Thanks as always haha How much do you want to buy?]

[Me: Give me ten sheets.]

Ten sheets is 100 million gold.

The current rate is 15,000 won for 10 million gold, so that’s 150,000 won.

[KimPokDaughter: I’ll give you a friend discount, 130,000 won, okay?]

[Me: Forget it. I’ll send 170,000 won to your account, so send the gold by mail.]

[KimPokDaughter: Sob sob You’re the best, bro.]

[Me: You only call me bro when you want something.  In return, I’m going into a dungeon, can you support me?]

[KimPokDaughter: Okie dokie!  I’ll follow right away with my healing staff. Priest KimPokDaughter’s bus is departing!  Vroom!]

Priest KimPokDaughter, ranked 48th on the entire server.

I’m a nobody warrior, but with KimPokDaughter’s heals, I’m not afraid to explore high-level dungeons.

And honestly, I didn’t even need to buy gold to ask for help with party play.

KimPokDaughter always says yes.

While I’m working at the company, KimPokDaughter diligently earns money through grinding, and when I return, we run dungeons together, participate in raids, or do 2v2 PvP in the arena.

It’s our daily routine, 365 days a year, without any requests or agreements.

It’s been a bit slow lately because of that stupid relationship… Let’s forget that crappy past.

KimPokDaughter is such a hardcore user that the experience she accumulates is insurmountable, but I buy gold and she sells it, so the balance between us is good.

It’s already been eight years since we started playing Billion Saga together.

Even when I was busy with work or had a girlfriend and couldn’t log in often, KimPokDaughter was always here.

There’s no need to doubt it.

When I return here, KimPokDaughter will welcome me without asking any questions.

Even on a painful day like today, when my two-year relationship has shattered.

So.

I don’t need a partner in real life.

[Me: Thanks, PokDaughter.]

[KimPokDaughter: For what?]

[Me: The heals.]

[KimPokDaughter: Right?  The healing was insane, wasn’t it?? lol Now try to deal some damage, if we shave off 10 seconds, it’s a new record.]

I hope this life continues forever.

But whenever I have such a strong wish, one thing comes to mind.

A meme that was popular when I was young.

The meme that says [[Reality Hits You Hard Bro.]]

Just like that saying, reality always chooses the happiest moments to deliver a shoulder tackle.

*Ding!*

See, like now.

My heart sinks again.

[Me: Gotta take a short break.]

It can’t be that bitch, can it?

Probably not.

I already blocked her, and if she borrowed someone else’s phone, she would call instead of messaging.

Hopefully… it’s not work.

Clutching my heart, I flipped the screen over to see…

It’s work.

[KimPokDaughter: lol I bet you’ll end up going to work.]

Well, that’s my life.

But it’s okay.

As long as I have Billion Saga and KimPokDaughter to welcome me at the end of a hard day.

I can overcome it.

No matter what danger lurks behind this KakaoTalk message.

* * *

—–CROW—– 

#Only READ at DarkstarTranslations