Skating At Last [ORV Fanfic]

SIX [The Loyalist]

My mind was heavy
Running ragged with worst-case scenarios
Emergency exits and the distance below

After that day at the Museum, Bihyung did text me to ask for my name, if I was a close friend of Yoo Joonghyuk's and if I knew the reason why he played so differently in their match. It appeared Bihyung was unsatisfied with the win because he could tell Joonghyuk wasn't at his best. I replied that I was a close acquaintance of his and that the reason was a personal matter of Joonghyuk's which I had no right to answer on his behalf.

[Bihyung]: You sound like a loyal friend. May I get your name? You must be the most tolerable person in the world to be acquainted with Yoo Joonghyuk and convince him to wear animal accessories with you.

I chuckled at the memory of Joonghyuk leaving his wolf band on with us, our group looking like a family visiting the Museum on Children's Day, but I knew I could not dwell in those types of delusions, especially since I was anxious at the idea of Joonghyuk avoiding me again if I took it too seriously. Additionally, Bihyung wanted my name. If he spread the word that Joonghyuk and I went out with kids that day, even during his streams, who knows what trouble that could cause for us.

[Unknown]: Sorry, I prefer not giving my name away just in case rumors spread. And Joonghyuk likely wore the ears to amuse the kids, not for any other reason.
[Bihyung]: Rumours? I'm sure nobody would care for that... Unless you're well-known

He hit the nail on the head with that one: I was known on Star Stream, but in an undesirable way with recently gruesome nicknames ever since the Tournament a few months back. The bad comments calmed down now, but it was still annoying to stumble on hate comments now and again in my mentions.

I left Bihyung on read, then scrolled through my other contacts as a distraction and the name 'Lee Sookyung' caught my attention. Ah, yes, it was Parent's Day soon as well, and I would have to confront my biological mother at Seodaemun Prison. She usually phoned me every second or third month to check up on me, but I was very reluctant to visit her in person because the atmosphere would always be awkward between us, especially since she knew about Hades and Persephone. However, I still kept my promise to continue seeing her when I was ready. I decided that I would call her the following week.

A knock came at the door before a deafening, "Alohamora, bitch!"

I smiled, getting up and opening the door while replying, "Was that a 'Harry Potter' reference?"

"It's a spell to open doors. Anyway, my article is completed!" Han Sooyoung cheered, walking into my apartment with her laptop in one hand and punching her fist in the air with the other, "Whoop whoop- now proofread it for me."

As Sooyoung's sole reader, I had also been designated as her part-time editor whenever she needed help on certain articles. She would sometimes rush me at the last minute to help her, or stressfully wait for my lesson to be over before she submitted an important draft. Despite the disturbances, I would agree to edit anyway because I am still the number one fan of her writing, no matter which forms it took (Do not tell her I said that, she would be insistent on me being cringy). I closed the door and took her laptop, typing away at the keyboard. I was specifically intrigued at the topic of the highest rankers in the Korean gaming industry currently: 'Secretive Plotter rivals Shadow Monarch'.

Secretive Plotter is a new contender in the industry compared to most gamers, but apparently, he had been playing video games for quite some time and only recently decided to take up a professional position as a ranker with a famous agent, Basement Dweller. Shadow Monarch was under the same agent, and he was already quite known in real life too. My curiosity even propelled me to search more about him, he was handsome in pictures on Star Stream. On the other hand, there were no pictures of Secretive Plotter. He had an official Account on Star Stream but never posted private information, only game-related things. The only way anyone could truly connect with the player was through a game, and they would lose. The anonymity of this pro-gamer was an intriguing concept and it made me question who this person could be.