FBPP C4

Chapter 4

[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): lololololol? What the **fuck are you talking about, you’ve been picking a fight since ban-pick. Do you even know me? lolololol
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): I spoon-fed you and you barely managed to eat, so why are you acting cocky? lol
[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): **** I’ve seen it all now. If a tank grabs and holds someone down, of course I’m supposed to follow up. And you’re acting like it was charity, like I was clinging to you??
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): That’s just how you play. lol Can’t even DPS properly and you still insist on playing melee every game. Just quit already.

Absolutely absurd. It had been three months since he’d even logged into this account, and this bastard was talking like he’d watched Ji-han troll countless times before.

Even the people who knew the account “HanJihanJang” didn’t know his alt was “JiniHaniJihani.” This account was strictly for event use, only he ever played it. Yet this bastard was acting like he’d witnessed Ji-han ruin games repeatedly.

And Ji-han could swear, even when he’d played a few matches three months ago, he had never once trolled. When games ended, he always received thumbs-up, never curses. No matter what role he played, his skill was solid. At most there might have been minor disagreements, but by the end of the match, people were calling him “hyung,” thanking him, apologizing to him.

Sure, he cursed—but he had never been so bad that strangers told him to quit the game altogether.

[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): **When the hell have you ever seen me play, acting like you know me? What, are you clairvoyant? Did you see me in your dreams?
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): Just hilarious. lol Keep struggling, tsk tsk.

“Wow. What is this bastard? Seriously? Is he even human?”

“Wahaha!” Ji-han burst into laughter, clapping his hands as he pulled them off the keyboard. Truly amazing. They said first impressions rarely changed, and this guy was living proof.

[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): You really do see all kinds of **** in this life. I’m literally clapping, not even kidding lololol
[Team] LambSkewersAndBeer (Dominic): I think I’m losing my mind.
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno):
[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): ****

His last line was neatly ignored. AkashaPhilban pinged for the team to regroup and lit up the map.

Grinding his teeth, Ji-han downed the rest of his beer in one shot. He didn’t know what this bastard’s deal was, but he was going to show him what a former Legend-tier melee DPS really looked like. By the end of this game, AkashaPhilban would be bowing his head and forced to hand him a thumbs-up. Ji-han gripped his mouse with that single-minded determination—

A player has left the battlefield.
If the leaver does not reconnect within 5 minutes, the game will end automatically.
However, if all players agree, the match may be terminated immediately. Do you wish to continue?

Something ridiculous had happened. Which bastard had left? He checked. It was none other than AkashaPhilban’s duo partner, the ranged DPS. The chat blew up instantly.

[Team] TrashGameFuneralDirector (Lumencia): Are you kidding me right now? Didn’t I say I’m in my promotion match????
[Team] RetirementResignationPlease (Bark): Wow, what a waste of time. lol The duo can take responsibility and drag him back.
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): ? Don’t know him.

But the duo icon had been displayed since anonymous ban-pick. And now he was denying it.

[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): **** So you’re duoing with some random you don’t even know?
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): I said I don’t know him lol. We’re just in the same guild. After guild siege ended, we were the only two left.

[Team] TrashGameFuneralDirector (Lumencia): Ahㅠㅠㅠㅠ Is there no way? Can’t you at least ask in the guild?
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): What do you expect me to do in the middle of a weekday night? I’m pissed too. If he comes back, say whatever you want to him.

Guild siege? So some freak still enjoyed that cancerous mode.

“Guild siege” was a weekly guild-vs-guild battle over guild castles. But there weren’t even decent rewards for winning, so it was nothing more than 30 vs. 30 mass PVP. To participate, every guild member had to join the same party and channel. Afterward, when everyone else left, the match queue had started. Since one guildmate hadn’t gone AFK, he accepted, and because their tiers matched, it had automatically registered them as duo. That was the story, apparently.

Normally Ji-han might have believed it. But coming from AkashaPhilban, its credibility was zero.

[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): Dumbass, even your lies are half-assed. lol You’d be better off saying a calf was born so he logged off, you ****.

At least that’s something that had actually happened before. This lunatic, though…

If you queued as a party, it showed whether it was solo or duo. And if a guildmate randomly sent a duo request, you’d at least ask in chat before accepting, right? What roles, what comps—you had to know.

If a duo queued as melee + ranged DPS, they’d get cursed at. With 100% of the team’s DPS concentrated in two players, if they failed, the whole game collapsed. And ranged DPS players almost never played tank or melee.

If AkashaPhilban couldn’t play tank at all, then what was his duo ranged DPS going to do? Tell the rest to fuck off and let them duo carry? Whether they were good or bad, if the game exploded, the duo was guaranteed to get flamed on the forums.

[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): lol Sure, think he went to see a calf being born. But isn’t this rich coming from you?
[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): And how the fuck do you even know me? I hadn’t logged into this account in three months, I just reset my password to get in. lol
[Team] AkashaPhilban (Juno): Keep struggling lol. Do you even know how embarrassing you sound?
[Team] JiniHaniJihani (Todro): I asked if you know me. If you don’t, just shut your **** mouth lol.
[Team] RetirementResignationPlease (Bark): If you two are gonna fight, do it outside. Just bring the ranged DPS back, or I’m throwing this game.

“This is my fault now?”

Being lumped in with lunatics made Ji-han’s mood plummet.

[Team] TrashGameFuneralDirector (Lumencia): Nothing we can do, guys. Let’s just give up. I’m in promos, please, I just want to breathe Platinum air.

A vote to end the game appeared in the bottom-right corner. One player had already voted yes. Everyone knew the match was a lost cause.

[All] LuwakCoffee (Pierre): Hey, you guys calling it? If so, we’ll just dance around here, let us know lol.

But having some clueless enemy mocking them was another matter. Ji-han nearly blasted out a curse, already typing “fuck—” before erasing it. Quietly, he added his own yes vote instead.

With two votes, the rest followed quickly. Unanimous. The surrender timer hit 00:00. The screen faded to black, then brightened again.

It was the game lobby.

“…Trash game. Fuck.”

—Uh, Mr. Ji-han? I didn’t wake you up, did I?
“No, not at all. I need to adjust to the time difference anyway.”

With a plate holding a piece of bagel topped with cream cheese in front of him, the man poured banana milk into a cup, a faint smile playing on his lips.

—That’s good. Well, it’s nothing too serious, and you can say no if you’d like. But… have you heard of a Korean talk show called ‘What’s There to Say’?
“Ah… yes. I’ve heard of it.”

Though his tone sounded familiar, the pianist’s white, slender fingers flew frantically over his phone screen.

‘On the surface, it seems like you know everything about someone—but haven’t they still left some things unsaid?’
Even in an age where people think you can know everything without words, you still want to hear the real story.
And so we ask,
“What’s there to say?”

Ji-han checked the show’s concept and the latest guest, a beauty YouTuber, before speaking smoothly.

“I enjoyed the recent episode with Ms. Seo-rin. It popped up on MeTube.”
—Oh my, you watch MeTube too, Ji-han?
“Of course. I watch often.”

He didn’t. Not at all. Even when his manager or friends sent links saying an episode was fun, he only pretended to read before ignoring it. Watching other people’s stories was a waste of time—better to play games. Games gave both fun and rank.

“Is this a casting offer?”
—Yes. Honestly, we’ve had lots of offers come in, but… the best ones are What’s There to Say and maybe one observational variety show. Do either interest you?
“I don’t really think I have much variety sense. I’d feel pressured.”
—Oh, nonsense. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The most handsome man is the funniest comedian’?
“What? Haha! Thank you, even if it’s just flattery.”

Though he presented himself as an elegant, well-mannered pianist, Ji-han’s mind was elsewhere. Some event was supposed to start today, with a brand-new avatar as the reward. This insane game was infamous for making its limited-event avatars—handed out during anniversaries—much fancier than the ones buried at a 0.02% rate inside paid loot boxes.

The company always posted announcements only after maintenance ended, so by now the notice should be up. But since he’d woken up to a business call, he hadn’t had the chance to check. This was the downside of his manager being on vacation.

Last year, they’d released a Western-style uniform. This year, the odds were good it’d be Eastern-style. He hoped it would match beautifully with his nine-tailed fox look.