MAX 28

[Party] cocogus2: ?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: ?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: What are you talking about?

[Party] 1Jiho: ??

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: What do you mean AI, are you crazy lolololololol

[Party] EchoThief: Huh?? It wasn’t????

[Party] EchoThief: No

[Party] EchoThief: That punk’s delusional disorder is so bad I thought he ran it through an AI;;;;

[Party] EchoThief: I saw some photos made with AI lately and they were insane;;;

[Party] 1Jiho: lololololololololololol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Crazy lolololololololol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Heh;;;

[Party] cocogus2: Echo-ya

[Party] cocogus2: Have you actually lost it?

[Party] EchoThief: My bad.

[Party] EchoThief: Anyway, is that really a legit photo they took together? That face is actually real?

What’s wrong with my face…

[Party] 1Jiho: I feel like I’m going to have an identity crisis, unnie.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Yeah lololololol

[Party] EchoThief: Wow, crazy, the saying “fans can’t meet their idols” is dead and buried;;;

[Party] EchoThief: Hand over the handle;; I’m in a huge rush right now;;

[Party] 1Jiho: lolololololol

[Party] cocogus2: @theziho

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lololol ah this is seriously so funny lolololol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: No, how do you even have the handle memorized? Impressive.

[Party] 1Jiho: Hyung, hurry up and follow him too.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: I don’t do Insta.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: My bad;

The effort he put into deliberately staying offline for two days had gone to waste.

Reaching out for a wet wipe, Han Jiho wiped the milk from his chin and the spills on the desk with a face of resignation. The bowl was still full of milk and cereal, but his appetite had long since vanished.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: But why did he suddenly make an Insta? lol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Is he setting the stage for a comeback?

Comeback. That word burned into Han Jiho’s retinas as he wiped the desk. Just as many articles had suggested, it seemed that was how it appeared to others as well.

[Party] 1Jiho: Please.

[Party] 1Jiho: Jiho-hyung comeback, please please please please.

[Party] 1Jiho: Since hyung is gone, the league isn’t worth watching ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Ah, for real, since Han Jiho retired, it’s become so boring lol

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Even DawnRay isn’t what it used to be.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: What’s DawnRay?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: DawnRay was Han Jiho’s former team.

[Party] 1Jiho: DawnRay’s form is completely dead, especially Roost.

[Party] 1Jiho: Ah, this motherfcker, seriously, please just kick him out, fck.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Who’s Roost again?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: DawnRay’s DPS.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Oh, okay.

[Party] 1Jiho: Every time he dies while trying to stat-pad alone, I seriously want to chop his neck.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: lol for real.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Forcing a legend to retire

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: and carrying that kind of trash scumbag—DawnRay is truly legendary lol.

[Party] cocogus2: lolol

[Party] cocogus2: For him, a headshot is the only answer.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: Yeah, just shoot him and you be the player yourself.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: That would be better lol.

[Party] 1Jiho: Ah, seriously for real for real for real.

[Party] 1Jiho: Thinking about it is making me so pissed lol.

Han Jiho clicked his tongue at the stream of insults that poured out as if they had been waiting. Roost—that is, Kim Jihun—was still the team’s headache. It seemed he still hadn’t let go of that carry-obsessed sickness.

I nagged him so much not to do that.

But how much had he suffered because of Kim Jihun, who never even pretended to listen? After briefly recalling the past, Han Jiho moved his gaze back to his teammates’ chat.

[Party] 1Jiho: Hah, Jiho-hyung!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Party] 1Jiho: Please come back ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] 1Jiho: I miss you ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] EchoThief: Hey, f*ck.

[Party] EchoThief: So, what should I watch first from Gen-Po?

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: What is she talking about all of a sudden?

[Party] EchoThief: Looking for someone to recommend Han Jiho’s legendary matches.

[Party] EchoThief: Are there matches where his face shows up well?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lololol

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Looks like she saw a very handsome face on Insta.

[Party] EchoThief: Hey, Ggomji, why didn’t you page me?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lololololol

[Party] 1Jiho: Yes! Success in recruiting her! ][

[Party] 1Jiho: I’ll send you a link on E-code, get ready.

[Party] EchoThief: Thanks.

[Party] cocogus2: I’ll send you an edited compilation of Jiho-hyung from last year’s Gen-Cup.

[Party] cocogus2: It’s something I edited myself.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: Hey, me too.

Not stopping there, they even started sharing videos. Apparently, Chaehyun even went as far as editing and making videos himself.

He really does everything. Han Jiho was inwardly amazed. As expected, Chaehyun was no ordinary fan.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: No, f*ck lol, this is a total mess.

[Party] JunkCollectionMaster: So when are we playing the game?

[Party] HanJiHo98: I know, right? Haha..

Will we even be able to play today?

Thinking that with a weary face, Han Jiho brought back the cereal bowl he had pushed aside and started eating again. Since there was nothing to do, he figured he might as well fill his stomach. He had absolutely no desire to join that conversation.

It was only after he had finished his third bowl of cereal that the game finally resumed. The chat window was already a disaster from the intense fanboying/fangirling they had done.

[Party] 1Jiho: 98-nim, come into E-code!

[Party] HanJiHo98: Okay lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Let me just relog.

So, Han Jiho used the excuse of a lag spike to restart the game, and feeling satisfied with the cleared chat window, he grabbed his headset.

As soon as he turned on E-code and connected the voice chat, noisy, chattering voices followed.

【ChaeChaehyun】 [98-nim, you’re here?]

【WrigglingDdorak】 [Oh, 98-nim. Is your mic still not working?]

Checking the sparkling nickname of a voice he was hearing for the first time, he saw it was Ggomjirak. Since Chunsam had bitten through the cable, it seemed they had purchased a new headset.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Yes.

[Party] HanJiHo98: I need to buy one, but I haven’t had the time haha;;;

【1Jiho】 [I really wanted to hear 98-nim’s voice. What a shame.]

【EchoThief】 [I know.]

【WrigglingDdorak】 [Want me to give you the link to mine? I bought it from Cou-ket; the price is cheap and the performance is decent.]

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah haha

[Party] HanJiHo98: It’s fine.

[Party] HanJiHo98: There’s a product I’ve been eyeing lolol

【1Jiho】 [Then hurry up and buy it! Games are more fun when you play while using voice chat.]

With that, he entered the Energy Spike lobby where the party members were waiting. In the lobby, five “Hardcore Veteran” characters wearing Bunny Princess skins were throwing a noisy dance party.

As if they had been waiting, they swarmed around Han Jiho and danced passionately.

Then, JunkCollectionMaster suddenly dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups, while EchoThief, who was doing a popping dance, began showing off her weapons and firing guns in all directions.

But the most shocking of all was Chaehyun’s character, who was swaying his hips and doing a suggestive dance.

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Ugh, I feel like I’m gonna puke.]

At those words from JunkCollectionMaster, Ggomjirak burst out laughing. Whether they liked it or not, Chaehyun continued to dance. For some reason, a heart emoticon was floating above his head.

“…”

Han Jiho stared blankly at the black buttocks thrust in front of him before moving his mouse to shift his field of vision.

Then, looking at the words “Matching,” he prayed fervently that a match would be found soon. He wanted to escape this veterans’ dance party as quickly as possible.

Whether that desperate wish got through, the screen began to move a few seconds later with a message that matching was complete.

Their first map was “Contaminated Research Base.”

The game proceeded smoothly.

Having completely adapted to the rules of Energy Spike, Han Jiho flew across the map in every round, putting clean holes through the enemies’ heads, and Chaehyun assisted him as if it were only natural.

Because of that, gathering energy became the responsibility of the other party members. Even though they hadn’t discussed it separately, the roles were naturally divided as if by agreement.

In that manner, they secured five consecutive victories and began the sixth round. It was then that a ‘minor’ problem began.

[Server] HealMeAlready: ?

[Server] HealMeAlready: What’s up with that Vital punk?

[Server] HealMeAlready: Is that aim for real?

[Server] HealMeAlready: This is so ridiculous lolol

One of the players on the enemy team, who had just been killed by Han Jiho, began to talk trash.