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[EchoThief] has logged into the game.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Echo’s here lol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: I thought you said you couldn’t make it.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Right? lololol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Come to think of it, why is the Vice-Clanchief suspiciously MIA today?

Vice-Clanchief. It referred to Chaehyun. However, Han Jiho didn’t understand what was “suspicious” about it, so he just quietly watched the chat scroll up.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Is something up?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Probably just busy lol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: ?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: What’s a person who took a leave of absence from school just to play games busy with?

Thanks to that, he learned something new. Chaehyun was a college student. One who had even taken a leave of absence for gaming, at that.

He’s still young. Han Jiho thought indifferently.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Ah, you clearly don’t know.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: It’s the jobless slackers with nothing to do who are actually the busiest.

[Party] 1Jiho: lolololol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: A lowly salaryman wouldn’t know about such things lol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Uh-huh.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: The broke college kids have a lot to say. How insolent.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Kugh.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: I lose.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Know your place tsk tsk.

[Party] 1Jiho: lolololol But Chaehyun-hyung has a lot of money.

[Party] 1Jiho: He’s probably the richest out of all of us lol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Tsk.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: That’s true.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: That’s an unblockable move.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Enviable bastard…

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Let’s be born as Chaehyun in the next life.

And he’s rich, too. Judging by the party members’ reactions, it seemed he really did have a lot of money.

A rich college student on leave who spends his time playing.

Han Jiho stored this information about Chaehyun in his mind.

However, he wasn’t envious like the other party members. He was also on leave after retiring, and he had plenty of money piled up to live comfortably. Perhaps it was even increasing in his bank account in real-time right now?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Anyway, I invited Echo.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Yup.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: 98-nim, did you collect all 100?

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah, yes lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Let’s go go go

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Yeapp.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Go go.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Sent the invite.

Han Jiho warped to where 1Jiho was along with the party members. 1Jiho was in a space that looked like a very old laboratory. Thanks to him clearing it in advance, the area was littered with items dropped by monsters.

And soon after, a notification appeared that EchoThief had joined the party.

[EchoThief] has joined the party.

[Party] EchoThief: Hi hi.

[Party] EchoThief: Everyone was doing the weekly, I see.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Hi hi.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: I thought you said you couldn’t come on lol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Hi.

[Party] 1Jiho: Hi there~

[Party] HanJiHo98: Hello lol

[Party] EchoThief: 98-nim hi hi lol

[Party] EchoThief: Ah, my plans got canceled lolol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Good.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Go grab the quest quickly.

[Party] EchoThief: Yup, you guys go ahead.

[Party] EchoThief: I need to take a call.

[Party] 1Jiho: lol

[Party] EchoThief: ? ㅗ

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Ah, the Clanchief says he’s coming on now too.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: He wants to do the weekly together?

As he quietly watched the chat, a unfamiliar term caught Han Jiho’s eye. “Clanchief” referred to the leader who led the clan [1225] they belonged to.

And he was also the person who had described Chaehyun as a “f*cking hardcore otaku crazy for Han Jiho.”

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: 98-nim, would it be okay if our Clanchief joined us too?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: If it’s burdensome, I’ll tell him to f*ck off, so don’t worry!

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Yeah, he’s the type who clears the weekly alone anyway, so he doesn’t need a party.

[Party] HanJiHo98: hhh

[Party] HanJiHo98: I’m fine with it. Let’s do it together lol

[Party] 1Jiho: lololol Then I’ll invite him.

Not long after, a user with the nickname ‘Hansum’ (Sigh) was invited into the party.

[Hansum] has joined the party.

[Party] Hansum: Hi.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Hi hi.

[Party] 1Jiho: Sum-hyung, long time no see lolol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Hi hi.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Hello hhh

[Party] Hansum: Long time no see everyone lol. How have you been?

[Party] Hansum: Oh, hello HanJiHo98-nim hhh. Nice to meet you.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Yes hhh. Nice to meet you too.

[Party] 1Jiho: This is the newbie I met through Chaehyun-hyung lolol

[Party] 1Jiho: He’s fcking good at the game… holy sht.

[Party] Hansum: Ah, really?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: We did S mode together.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: For real, I thought he was a pro gamer or something;;

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: 98-nim was smurfing alone lololol

[Party] Hansum: Oh lol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: What if he turns out to be the real Han Jiho?

[Party] HanJiHo98: hhh;;;

At WrigglingDdorak’s words, Han Jiho felt a prick of guilt in a corner of his conscience. All he could do was laugh.

[Party] Hansum: Please.

[Party] Hansum: Our Jiho-hyung wouldn’t play a dead game like this.

[Party] Hansum: h

Actually, he is. He’s playing with you guys right now.

At the friendly title attached to his name, Han Jiho realized that Hansum, like 1Jiho, was also a fan of his. It was because only fans called him “Our Jiho-hyung.”

[Party] 1Jiho: lol… Hyung.

[Party] 1Jiho: Attacking with facts is also violence.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: It’s the truth, so I have nothing to say.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: You mean “the truth hurts”?

[Party] 1Jiho: ㅠㅠ

[Party] Hansum: There’s no way our Jiho-hyung would play a peripheral dead game like this h

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lolololol Ah, why?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: EoE is becoming a “God-game” lately.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Sure, even so, its PC café market share is 15th place~

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: ?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: How do you know that?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: I didn’t want to know either.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: What are you even saying lololol

[Party] 1Jiho: Our game is operating normally.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: lolololol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lolololol

[Party] HanJiHo98: lolololol

Although the popularity seemed to be rising again with proper management and new large-scale updates, it was still treated as a “dead game” among users.

Han Jiho just let out a few laughs as he watched the self-deprecating chat. He didn’t dare to jump into that conversation.

[Party] 1Jiho: Ah, and 98-nim is also a fan of Jiho-hyung lolol

[Party] Hansum: Oh lol

Ah, it’s not that I’m a fan, I am him, but…

However, he chose to remain silent this time as well. In times like this, staying quiet was the best policy.

[Party] 1Jiho: Ddorak-noona said Chaehyun-hyung is like a Han Jiho collector lolololololol

[Party] Hansum: lolol I told you, that guy is a total hardcore otaku.

[Party] 1Jiho: True.

[Party] 1Jiho: But thinking about it, I don’t think you’re one to talk, hyung… ㅇㅅㅇ;;

[Party] Hansum: ?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Sum, you’re an otaku too lolololol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: That’s true.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: I think Sum’s KakaoTalk profile picture is Han Jiho lololol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: He really is damn handsome.

[Party] Hansum: Yup, our Jiho-hyung is f*cking handsome.

[Party] Hansum: I acknowledge it, for real.

[Party] 1Jiho: I acknowledge it too, for real.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: ?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Who do you guys think you are?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Know your place.

[Party] Hansum: Sorry.

[Party] 1Jiho: Sorry.

“…Ahem!”

At WrigglingDdorak and Hansum’s sudden praise of his looks, Han Jiho clearing his throat for no reason. Even though it was just chat on a monitor, he was embarrassed to the point that his face grew hot.

Then, wait. A piece of chat he had overlooked caught his eye again. It was WrigglingDdorak’s comment that the Clanchief Hansum’s KakaoTalk profile picture seemed to be Han Jiho.

He set my photo as his profile picture? A photo of me that even I don’t use?

As soon as he realized that, Han Jiho’s face burned hot in a different sense. But whether he became a burning sweet potato or not, the chat continued.

[Party] Hansum: No, but seriously, I’m absolutely not at Chaehyun’s level.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: So said the otaku.

[Party] Hansum: No, I did set our Jiho-hyung’s photo as my profile, but really…

[Party] Hansum: That was just to commemorate the win at last year’s Xen-Cup.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: You’re still commemorating last year’s win?

[Party] Hansum: That’s up to me.

[Party] 1Jiho: Between Chaehyun-hyung and Sum-hyung… well… hhh

[Party] Hansum: ^^?

[Party] Hansum: I’m just a wholesome fan who likes our Jiho-hyung ^^

[Party] 1Jiho: (Un)wholesome.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: lolololol

[Party] Hansum: Could you please not compare me to a guy like Chaehyun?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Well, compared to the guy who makes T-shirts when you only^ go as far as a profile picture, I guess it would be a bit unfair lolol

[Party] Hansum: I’m really going to kick you guys out.

A guy who makes T-shirts? What T-shirts?