Chapter Text
Yeon Sieun needs to get his mind off of Ahn Suho.
There are still months until the next school year begins. He tried rereading every single book he owned, but he had already memorized all of them, allowing his mind to go back Suho. He tried watching videos and reading books and articles online, but it wasn't the same. He doesn't really like digital versions and preferred physical hard copies. He doesn't feel like leaving his house to go to the library or bookstore.
Video games.
He has played video games with Suho often. Tekken still holds too many memories of him.
There's an online game that was recently released called Weak Hero. Curious, Sieun downloads it.
The game is a fighting game. The storyline followed the Player as they fought other students, both from the same school as the Player and from rival schools. The Player is physically weak and has to rely on all objects they come across to utilize as a weapon.
Sieun chooses the username Gray. Simple enough to remember.
He finds the game's fighting to be enjoyable. It reminds him of puzzle games. It interests him enough to get him out of bed.
Na Baekjin's doctor told him he had high levels of stress and recommended he get a hobby.
Baekjin never really had time for hobbies. He does enjoy reading books and has read some while doing his work-study duties in the teachers' room, but Baekjin has a desire to try something new.
He has never played video games before.
Upon getting his first phone, he only used it strictly for contacting others or for business related research. He didn't spare any time for video games.
Baekjin knows that too much stress can negatively affect him physically. He must take care to reduce stress.
He invested in a gaming laptop and downloaded the first game he saw, Weak Hero. There was a storyline, but the Players could take time to level up, gain new tools and skills, and fight unimportant NPCs or other players. It was similar to how one could grind levels in a fantasy game by only going after weak monsters such as slimes or goblins.
Using the randomly generated username Donald, Baekjin prefers to fight alone. He has never expected people to fight by his side in real life and doesn't expect it in a video game either.
There are barely any Players in Weak Hero. Most people stick to more popular games with many players to play with or to solo games.
Although both Sieun and Baekjin prefer to play alone, there are some enemy characters that are extremely difficult to take on alone. It's recommended to at least have one other Player fighting alongside you.
They coincidentally end up partnering up. At first, they messaged each other to come up with a strategy. After a few battles, they didn’t need to send a single message. They understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses in the game and were able to cover for each other.
Baekjin wonders if this is similar to how the rumored MokHa Duo from Doshin Middle School is like. He has heard that one of the duo is mute and the other one still perfectly understands him.
Eventually, Baekjin never plays alone anymore. Sieun has more free time so he’s online more often, but whenever Baekjin joins in, they always play together.