The air in the narrow fitting room seemed to grow thick with warmth.
Unable to find a place for her gaze, Jihyeon stared blankly into the empty space.
“See? Now that we’re the same, you’re not embarrassed, are you?”
Juyeon grinned impishly, taking the dress from Jihyeon’s hand.
“Raise your arms. Good. Now, bow your head.”
As if dressing a doll, Juyeon effortlessly slipped the dress onto Jihyeon’s body.
“All done. Take a look.”
Juyeon led Jihyeon out of the fitting room, towards a large full-length mirror.
Standing before the mirror, Jihyeon gazed intently at her reflection.
‘Is this… me?’
Hidden beneath a drab hoodie and baggy pants were delicate shoulder lines and a slender waist.
The pure white dress accentuated her pale skin, and its knee-length, flowing skirt made her truly resemble a fairy.
“See! What did I tell you! You’re absolutely beautiful!”
Juyeon clapped her hands and cheered, seemingly satisfied with her masterpiece.
At her compliment, Jihyeon’s cheeks unconsciously flushed a faint red.
“It feels… awkward.”
“Of course it’d be awkward, you’ve been dressing like a boy every day.”
‘I *was* a boy, though…’
Jihyeon offered an awkward smile before stepping back into the fitting room.
“Huh? Why? Don’t you like it?”
Juyeon asked from beyond the curtain.
Jihyeon remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t that she disliked it.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
The reflection in the mirror was so undeniably girlish, and that made her even more afraid.
‘It’s too much for now.’
Ultimately, Jihyeon changed back into her drab hoodie and pants before emerging.
In her hand, the pure white dress she had just worn was neatly folded.
“What? Why did you change? Did you really not like it?”
Juyeon asked with a disappointed voice.
“No. It’s beautiful.”
Jihyeon spoke with genuine sincerity.
“…It’s just that I’m not ready yet.”
Juyeon could vaguely grasp the meaning behind those words.
Without asking further, she pointed to the dress in Jihyeon’s hand.
“Then, you’re not going to buy it?”
“No, I am.”
Jihyeon shook her head, and holding the dress, headed straight for the counter.
Before Juyeon could stop her, she paid with her own card.
Receiving the dress, now neatly packed in a shopping bag, Jihyeon turned to Juyeon and said,
“It’s the first outfit Juyeon picked out for me. I’ll definitely wear it someday.”
At her words, Juyeon smiled brightly.
****
“…Therefore, I cannot, under any circumstances, disclose personal information, Director Park.”
Gong Jiseop pressed his throbbing temples as he ended the call.
It was the director of the Zenith Pro Gaming team. This was already the third call of the day with the exact same request.
With the World Championship having just concluded, the eyes of all pro gaming scouts were fixated on a single target.
‘Unnamed.’
Numerous DBP Pro Gaming teams had been demanding information about Unnamed, as if by prior arrangement.
Ultimately, Gong Jiseop had no choice but to review Unnamed’s connection logs himself.
The screen filled with monotonous log entries.
[Recent Connection Time: PM 08:02 ~ PM 11:13]
[Connection IP: 121.165.XXX.XXX (Business Registration IP)]
Their playtimes were remarkably consistent, mostly between 8 PM and 11 PM. Occasionally, they would extend past midnight, but that was all.
‘At this rate, it seems like a diligent office worker enjoying a hobby after work.’
Gong Jiseop tilted his head.
‘The connection location isn’t a personal IP, but a business IP?’
He rubbed his eyes, looking at the last line of the log entry.
‘A complete light user, without even a personal capsule?’
Gong Jiseop’s mind grew even more convoluted, but he forced himself to stop thinking.
‘I understand why they’re calling. After all, Unnamed utterly crushed Kanghyuk.’
The gaming teams likely aimed not to immediately recruit Unnamed, but rather to test their skills first.
Even so, it was utterly exhausting to have the representatives of various gaming teams, with whom he had connections, call him one after another.
“As if I don’t already lose sleep preparing for an upcoming event…”
The moment he sighed, the phone on his desk began to ring loudly again.
“I really need to pull this damn cord out.”
****
Jihyeon awoke at her usual time.
Perhaps due to the pleasant memories of yesterday, her previously stiff body felt remarkably lighter.
She rose, washed, and stood before the hanger to change her clothes.
Her gaze fell upon the shopping bag containing the pure white dress she had bought yesterday.
Jihyeon stared at the bag for a moment, then carefully placed it in the corner of her room.
Then, with practiced ease, she pulled out a baggy hoodie and pants and put them on.
It wasn’t time yet.
Just as she was finishing her preparations to go out,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Is anyone there?!”
Suddenly, a pounding sound erupted from the front door, as if it were about to break.
Jihyeon flinched in surprise.
‘Already? No, they’re really coming like clockwork?’
Jihyeon opened the door and peeked her head out.
“Landlady… Hello.”
“Oh, you’re here! Miss, today’s rent day!”
“I know. Have I ever been late before?”
When Jihyeon retorted slightly, the landlady placed her hands firmly on her hips.
“Hmph! Money matters should always be handled promptly and quickly to avoid any trouble!”
“Yes, yes, I get it. I just need to send you 150,000 won, right?”
As Jihyeon pulled out her phone, the landlady waved her hand.
“No, no. It’s gone up to 200,000 won starting today.”
“What?”
“The building next door charges that much too. So, it’s 200,000 won from today.”
Jihyeon was dumbfounded by the unilateral notification.
“No, Landlady. This is a semi-basement (TL Note: A ‘banjiha’ is a dwelling partially below ground level, common in Korea, often associated with lower rent and sometimes poor living conditions.). You didn’t offer any assistance last time when cockroaches appeared and I asked you to spray.”
Despite Jihyeon’s rightful protest, the landlady didn’t even bat an eye.
“Oh my, that’s because you’re rough with the room, young lady! And in this day and age, where can you find a room for 150,000 won rent? If you don’t like it, then leave!”
It was an attitude that dared her to do her worst.
Jihyeon clenched her fists. In her previous life, she would have cowered and remained silent against such an unfair demand.
“…Alright.”
Unexpectedly, Jihyeon nodded obediently.
“Instead, let’s rewrite the contract.”
“The contract?”
“Yes. In exchange for raising the rent to 200,000 won, I’ll add a few special conditions. The landlord is responsible for pest control and disinfection. Any facility issues must be repaired immediately. Unilateral rent increases during the contract period are not permitted.”
Jihyeon watched the landlady’s flustered face, then delivered the final blow.
“…If you don’t write a new contract with these conditions, I’ll just move out right now. And I’ll also report you for not registering the real estate lease agreement.”
“…W-what?”
Her tenant, whom she had presumed to be a mere child, had learned legalities from somewhere, and her counterattack was exceptionally sharp.
Jihyeon looked at her with cold eyes and said,
“What will you do, Landlady?”
At Jihyeon’s audacious demeanor, the landlady’s face, which had been pale, now flushed crimson with rage.
“Look at this girl! Such a tiny thing, talking back to an adult and being so disrespectful?”
The landlady sneered, scanning Jihyeon up and down.
“I felt sorry for you, being an orphan with no parents, and I haven’t raised the rent until now. And you repay kindness with hostility, not even knowing I helped you out? Huh?”
Jihyeon covered her ears with her hands at the sharply piercing voice.
“Fine, good! Just leave! I won’t rent a room to an ill-mannered girl like you! Get out today!”
She shrieked at the top of her lungs, then huffed and puffed her way up the stairs.
In the empty hallway, Jihyeon was left all alone.
“I hate this crappy semi-basement too!”
Jihyeon shouted at the retreating back of the landlady, who had already disappeared, but she couldn’t help but feel her vision darken.
If she left this house right now, where would she go?
Her bank balance was in no condition to find a new room.
‘…Deposit.’
This semi-basement room had a deposit of 1,000,000 won and a monthly rent of 150,000 won.
However, if the landlady remained so unreasonable, it was uncertain whether she would even get that 1,000,000 won deposit back properly.
‘Should I pack my bags first?’
After all, her belongings consisted only of a few clothes and daily necessities.
She roughly stuffed her belongings into her largest bag.
And finally, she carefully wrapped her most cherished tea ceremony set in a towel to prevent it from breaking.
All preparations took less than ten minutes.
With a single bag slung over her shoulder, Jihyeon sat on the mattress for a moment.
‘…What do I do now?’
She felt utterly lost.
Just then, the face of one person flashed in her mind.
‘Juyeon.’
Juyeon was the only person she could rely on right now.
Jihyeon hesitated, then, as if making a decision, picked up her phone and called Juyeon.
– Oh, Jihyeon! What’s up?
“Um, Juyeon.”
Jihyeon explained the situation: the argument with the landlady, and the immediate need to vacate her room.
After hearing everything, Juyeon was silent for a moment.
– So, you’re saying you have nowhere to go right now?
“Yes.”
– That landlady is truly awful!
Juyeon’s anger was genuine.
– Come to my place.
“What?”
– I live alone anyway, since I’m away from home. I have a spare room. You can stay until you get your deposit back, or even as long as you want.
At such an incredibly easy and warm offer, Jihyeon was momentarily speechless.
Over the receiver, Juyeon’s worried voice came through again.
– Jihyeon? Are you listening? Do you not want to?
“No.”
Jihyeon managed to respond, her voice unexpectedly choked.
“Thank you.”
– What are you thanking me for! We’re friends, of course! I’ll send you the address, so take a taxi right now! I’ll pay for the fare!
Juyeon, having rattled off her words, abruptly hung up.
A moment later, [My Home Address], along with a link to call a mobile taxi, arrived.
Jihyeon stared blankly at her phone screen for a while.
Something warm seemed to bloom in a corner of her frozen heart.
She stood up and, for the last time, left a short text message for the landlady.
[To: Landlady]
[I have vacated the room. Please deposit the 1,000,000 won deposit into my account as written in the contract. If delayed, immediate legal action will be taken.]
There were no lingering regrets.
Jihyeon picked up her bag and stepped out of the dark, musty semi-basement room.
****
[Title: Hosted by Spear Games! New Model Launch Event! DBP Online Tournament Held!!]
[Author: Spear Games]
[Content]
Hello, Fighters!
Thanks to your overwhelming support, Spear Games is hosting an online tournament!
[Tournament Overview]
– Eligibility: All amateur users who love DBP
– Format: Online preliminaries and main tournament
– 1st Place Prize: Latest VR Capsule Spear Dive X-1 and 5,000,000 won
– 2nd Place Prize: 2,000,000 won
– 3rd Place Prize: 1,000,000 won
※ Important: This tournament is intended to discover pure amateur high-level players, and active professional gamers and officially registered trainees are not eligible to participate.
For more details, please refer to the official website!
We look forward to your enthusiastic participation!
[Comments]
– They’re giving away a new capsule?????????
– Wow, 5,000,000 won prize money LOLOLOLOL
– No pros allowed LOLOLOL so sweet
– Will Unnamed show up?
