OMH Chapter 25
by VolareThe assistant next to us shouted to shoot and taught us the basic controls. As instructed by the assistant, I shot the gun, and the zombie exploded, scattering rotting flesh and blood in a dazzling manner.
“……!!”
It was so realistically made that the zombie’s blood splattered all over the floor and barbed wire, and blood flowing from the exploded zombie scattered under the barbed wire was flowing on the floor.
It felt so real that it seemed like the non-existent smell of blood was stabbing my nose.
Disgusted by the repulsive sight I never wanted to see, especially during break time, I took off the headset.
And I vehemently denied this cruel world.
“There’s no way something this gruesome is the most popular! Besides, there’s a six-year-old in our group! Is it okay to make them play a game like this?”
Come to think of it, it was the employee who recommended the game rather than me choosing it.
Thinking that way, I felt resentment towards the employee.
I immediately went to the employee who recommended this disgusting game and argued furiously.
Then, the employee looked at me, made an incomprehensible expression, and retorted.
“You asked me to recommend the most popular game, didn’t you? This is definitely the most popular.”
“Even so, how can you let a child play something so brutal! Isn’t this an 19+ game? If there’s a child in the group, you should naturally choose a game for all ages! Not just unconditionally popular games.”
“Come on, everyone sees people dying and monsters all the time, so what’s the big deal? The kids in this neighborhood have all lived seeing people eaten by monsters or shot to death by other people.”
“What?!”
“Especially you, Gang Hana Esper, aren’t you the most used to it? People like us can’t beat monsters to death with our bare hands like you, so we find satisfaction through games like this.”
“Don’t lie! There’s no way everyone likes such disgusting games!”
To show that not everyone enjoys this disgusting game that has ruined humanity, I returned with the employee.
I need to show them how horrified everyone is by this harmful game so they won’t recommend it recklessly.
“……”
However, the playroom I returned to with the employee presented a completely different picture than I expected.
There should be a shocked six-year-old and a guardian comforting them because of the brutal and violent game, but what is this?
Inside the playroom, there is a large screen on one wall so that people who have taken off their game headsets can watch the gameplay together.
Scenes of zombies constantly popping out and being shot down were flowing on the screen.
And in front of the screen, Cha Woojin is shooting diligently while wearing a headset, hitting every shot.
‘Woojin is good at shooting? What an unexpected charm.’
Besides, Wooreen is also attached to Woojin’s side, enjoying shooting together without taking off the headset.
“No way! Why do you like this!”
The employee who came with me looked at me triumphantly, as if saying, “See?”
Then, they rambled on about how they knew that Guide would be like that, that I, a B-grade Esper, wouldn’t understand, but they, an F-grade Esper, know the pleasure of relieving the powerlessness of the field through games, and that they are working part-time here because they don’t have any missions as an F-grade, saying things I wasn’t even curious about.
‘No, why do you guys like things that are bloody even in virtual reality in a world already full of blood and gore? You guys are weird.’
Unaware of my feelings, Woojin was diligently shooting the gun in the game.
By the way, Woojin is really good at shooting. All headshots!
I ignored the employee next to me who was passionately expressing the resentment of people who can’t fight monsters and watched Woojin killing zombies.
Watching him shoot them all dead in one shot and steadily accumulate combo points, I was mesmerized. It’s been a while since the one-shot one-kill combo reached three digits.
As he passed 290 combos and was about to reach 300 combos, the combo suddenly stopped.
This is because Woojin suddenly took off his headset and squatted down.
“What?! Woojin, what’s wrong?”
I approached and examined Woojin. Wooreen, who was next to him, also took off her headset and approached Woojin.
“Woojin, are you okay…”
“Oppa! Are you sick? Huh? Is that why? Oppa, don’t be sick… hic, hic…”
I was going to ask first, but Wooreen took it away.
Besides, Wooreen suddenly started crying, so Woojin seemed flustered and immediately comforted Wooreen.
“No, Wooreen. Oppa isn’t sick. I’m just feeling motion sickness.”
Woojin coaxed and comforted the crying Wooreen.
Woojin said that he originally got motion sickness when playing 3D games. Woojin’s complexion was pale as he spoke.
Since the situation was not conducive to enjoying the game with the child crying, we ended up leaving the VR game room.
I went to the game room to lift the mood, but Woojin and Wooreen’s condition only worsened.
‘Did I bring them to the wrong place?’
I felt complicated and looked down at my toes.
Then, I shifted my gaze and scanned Woojin from head to toe, noticing that everything from his shoes to his clothes was a Guide trainee’s tracksuit.
‘Come to think of it, Woojin probably only has those clothes. The ones he wore at first were ruined by monster fluids, and he must have only worn patient gowns in the meantime.’
Realizing this, I decided to buy Woojin new clothes.
Wooreen also received new clothes as gifts from me and Kim Sanghyuk and received clothes from the children at the shelter, so she has a lot of clothes, but I thought it was unacceptable for Woojin to only have one set of clothes.
Realizing this, I immediately asked Woojin if he needed a coat since it was cold and he was only wearing a training uniform, and led him to a clothing store.
*
‘As expected, it’s fun to dress him up because he has a good figure.’
I fell into the fun of choosing clothes for the first time in my life.
I was someone who just wore whatever the Association gave me, but I wanted to dress Woojin in various things.
‘Leaving that face to only wear the EGA Association uniform is unacceptable as a human being with a sense of aesthetics.’
Besides, Woojin is tall and thin with broad shoulders, so every outfit he wears looks stylish.
I rummaged through all the clothes in the store and found clothes that suited Woojin.
The coat that the employee brought as soon as they saw Woojin, saying it would suit him well, fit perfectly on Woojin’s broad shoulders. And the clean and stylish lines of the clothes, from the shoulders to the hem, with a slight waistline, suited Woojin’s tall height and small face perfectly.
From the turtleneck sweater that thickly covered Woojin’s long neck to the angular suit pants that matched the color of the sweater, clean solid-colored socks, and glossy shoes, the clothing store employee exclaimed in admiration after he was dressed in everything.
Actually, I was planning to choose clothes with just Woojin and me in a cozy atmosphere, so I was a little annoyed that the employee was joining in and recommending various things.
However, perhaps because they are a person who runs a clothing store, they have an eye for fashion, and all the clothes the employee brought to Woojin suited him perfectly.
In this place where everyone complains that there are no clothes to buy, how could they bring so many well-suited clothes, bringing three or four sets of clothes while I was choosing one?
The clothes that I and the clothing store employee picked out were lined up in front of Woojin, undergoing the process of being chosen by Woojin.
I felt proud after seeing the coordination that was finalized after going through the selection of the person wearing it.
Woojin also seemed to like it, looking at himself in the mirror. Woojin is handsome to begin with, but wearing stylish clothes, he looked like a fashion model.
I stood in front of the checkout counter with a satisfied feeling. On the checkout counter were all the clothes Woojin was wearing and the clothes I had chosen for me that Woojin had picked out.
Woojin had picked out clothes for me while I was picking out clothes for Woojin.
‘Oh my god! Woojin picked out clothes for me!’
I put all the clothes Woojin had picked out on the checkout counter.
Of course, Woojin had no money and couldn’t even buy his own clothes, so I had to buy the clothes Woojin had picked out for me.
I didn’t really intend to buy clothes, but I decided to buy them because Woojin had picked them out for me.
Seeing Woojin’s clothes and the clothes Woojin had picked out for me on the checkout counter, a smile leaked out.
‘Woojin picked them out for me, no less.’
For some reason, the employee looked at me with a pitiful expression while I was paying.
‘What’s with that look, like they’re looking at a hostage? They should just shut up and calculate, why are they looking at me like that.’
Anyway, after paying, Woojin and I wore our new clothes and left the store.
When we came outside, it was getting dark and it was dinner time.
It was winter, so the sun set early, and the surroundings were dim. The lights of the store buildings and the few streetlights began to illuminate the darkening surroundings.
It was getting dark, so I was worried that Woojin would be cold because the temperature was dropping.
I turned my head and looked at Woojin. Shining in the darkness, illuminated by the soft lights, Woojin was so beautiful, like a mirage that doesn’t exist in reality and will soon disappear.
Afraid that this unreal beauty would disappear if I turned my gaze away, I stood there as if nailed in place, looking at Woojin.
Woojin also felt my gaze and turned his head to meet my eyes.
Woojin, who was adjusting his clothes, smiled gracefully above his beauty mark and thanked me.
Isn’t this what breathtaking beauty is? Looking at Woojin, I realized that I had been holding my breath. At the same time, I had a strong feeling.
I will always be by this person’s side.
*
The start of the Association’s schedule is 9 a.m.
The S-grade kids’ class that I conduct also starts at 9 a.m.
And the current time is 9:15 a.m. It’s the time I should be making the kids run around.
So, there’s no way anyone would knock on the door of training room 172. Everyone is busy doing their own thing.
Surely that would be the case, but someone is knocking diligently on the door of training room 172.
Knock, knock, knock!
If it was an urgent matter, they would contact me through the smartwatch, so who on earth is it? Don’t they even know the basics that visitors aren’t allowed during training?
Suppressing the rising annoyance, I approached the door.
I wanted to ignore it, but the longer I pretended not to know, the faster and louder the knocking became.
‘Seriously, this isn’t a bathroom, what are they doing.’
I pressed the open button and glared at the gap between the doors that slid open to the sides.
‘Let’s see the face of this rude bastard. If it’s nothing serious, I won’t let them get away with it.’
And what I saw through the opening door was Woojin.
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