LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 36
The PC bang has always been an unknown territory for me since the past.
“Rainbow: Ah, I’m heading to the PC bang now, lol.”
“3 Min Top School Honorary Member: Ah, not much time left at the PC bang, gotta recharge.”
I was always curious about that place.
From my perspective, where I could only observe from a distance, it wasn’t just a game room with computers set up; it was something more.
“Rainbow: Sorry, my friend is messing around.”
“Rainbow: ʻŌbaj̷ʦkna beb̷j̷šḁķ!”
“Rainbow: Hold on, I need to take care of something.”
For someone like me, who had always been alone—and would have to be alone in the future—the fact that someone could sit next to me and play a game together was pretty shocking.
“Rainbow: I’ll be heading out now.”
Maybe that’s why, at some point, the PC bang became another place I longed for.
Of course, this is just a story from the past.
Now, thanks to platforms like YouTube, I’ve learned a lot more about PC bangs than before, but going there in person is a whole different story.
As I trailed behind my group, I noticed a few PC bang signs.
They were the same signs I had seen earlier while passing by.
But for some reason, my younger sibling and their friends didn’t stop.
“…Can’t we just go anywhere?”
“That place has a poorly ventilated smoking room, so it smells like smoke. The bathroom isn’t great either.”
I dislike the smell of smoke as well.
Thanks to my mother’s strict management, I’ve had very few chances to smell it, but whenever I did, it gave me a headache for the rest of the day.
“Is it the same at other places?”
“Kind of. Some have bad computers too.”
“Oh, I see….”
I thought I knew enough about the world.
Just unfamiliarity was all, and that I would get used to it eventually.
I admit it; I was arrogant.
Coming out into the real world made me realize I really didn’t know much.
Soon we arrived at a nondescript storefront—ordinary enough for anywhere.
The inside was pretty average too.
To be honest, I thought it would feel a bit gloomier and drearier.
…Another prejudice on my part.
The PC bang was on the fifth floor.
Of course, we couldn’t walk up, so we took the elevator.
It wasn’t pristine, but it wasn’t dirty enough to make me feel uncomfortable getting in.
As soon as we stepped in the elevator, the mirrors on either side caught my eye.
Silver hair sticking out from under my hat.
My cheeks slightly reddened from the cold.
A small smile sketched beneath it all.
So this is what my face looks like.
Even though it’s definitely mine, it feels strange to see a smiling face.
“It’s really pretty….”
“Yeah, what?”
Did my younger sibling’s friend catch me looking?
I couldn’t hide my embarrassment from the sudden voice.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
My sibling chimed in quietly.
“My sister is pretty, isn’t she?”
Though it sounded like playfulness to anyone, their friend wholeheartedly agreed with my sibling’s comment.
“I wish I had a sister like her. I’d never get tired of seeing her.”
“Right?”
They giggled among themselves, having a good time right in front of me.
I felt like I was some sort of decorative doll.
I wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that.
“…”
Even Male Peer 1 seemed to find it troubling, desperately shifting his gaze to his smartphone.
There was an odd sense of camaraderie in that.
“Oh, we’re here.”
In the meantime, the elevator arrived.
“Welcome~”
As the elevator doors opened and we stepped out into the PC bang, we were greeted first by the part-time staff.
‘Hmm.’
The interior looked almost identical to the countless franchise PC bangs I had seen on YouTube.
Still, having entered a PC bang for the first time left me mesmerized for a moment, causing me to stand there blankly.
“Sis?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Let’s go in.”
Despite the time, the PC bang was quite lively.
Actually, is it normal to have this many people since it’s near a college?
‘No idea.’
As it was a trivial concern, my pondering didn’t last long.
My sibling’s friend and Male Peer 1 naturally dispersed to the kiosks and their seats, respectively.
Caught off guard, I hesitated for a moment, debating who to follow, but then stopped.
“You don’t have an ID, right? First, let’s go to a seat and create one, then recharge here.”
“…Membership registration?”
I paused at that familiar word.
Membership registration generally asks for personal info, and I had my fair share of reservations regarding that.
“Don’t worry.”
Should I be grateful?
Following my sibling to the seat, I clicked the membership registration button, and the information requested was just my name, date of birth, and phone number.
It didn’t seem like they were asking for my citizen registration number.
[Male ● Female ○]
‘Hmm.’
I hesitated for a moment at the gender section before clicking the mouse.
[Male ○ Female ●]
What a strange feeling.
I can’t believe I’m marking myself as female…
“Can I use your number?”
It felt a bit uncomfortable to input the Prisoner’s number in this form.
“Do whatever.”
After getting my sibling’s agreement, I naturally pulled out my smartphone to check my contact list.
Seeing that, my sibling narrowed their eyes.
“…Sis, don’t tell me you don’t even know my number?”
“Hmm?”
“…Forget it. It’s fine.”
Finally, after completing the membership registration, I stood up, but my sibling didn’t seem to have any intention of moving at all.
“Yuri?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”
…Of course, I couldn’t just pass that up.
Eventually, I resolved to face this challenge head-on and moved forward.
Thus, I finally stood in front of the kiosk.
‘So I press this, and payment is… No, wait, is it not? So how do I pay….’
Just then, I heard the part-timer’s voice from behind me.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no. I’m good.”
Finally managing to recharge in a hurry, I rushed back to my seat.
“…I’m back.”
I felt totally wiped out, even though it was just the beginning.
“Yeah, took you long enough.”
My sibling seemed a bit more relaxed after watching me struggle.
Sigh, what a fate I have.
Anyway, the first thing that greeted my successful login was a wallpaper that was dazzling to the point of being chaotic.
‘What kind of desktop is this…?’
I had never seen a PC bang desktop like this in the PC bang vlogs I had watched, so naturally, it felt completely foreign to me.
‘Ordering?’
Speaking of which, I heard modern PC bangs allow you to order food?
In fact, the quality isn’t half bad, so ordering something didn’t seem like a bad idea.
While lost in thought, I started fiddling with the mouse and soon found myself launching the Legends of League client.
[Login]
The power of habit was astonishing.
“Ah.”
I snapped back to reality.
I don’t have a secondary account.
And even if I did, I wouldn’t want to access my real account from anywhere else but home in this situation.
I absolutely must not reveal that I’m the Prisoner.
But creating a new membership under Yujin’s citizen registration number feels kinda sketchy.
I know how hard my parents work for me, and I wouldn’t want to ruin that effort with a careless mistake.
‘Let’s not do that.’
Of course, I have no intention of making an account with my sibling’s citizen registration number.
That falls under proxy gaming, which is a serious issue regarding eligibility.
For different reasons from before, I simply didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
“Sis?”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you going to play? Do you want to play Survival Ground together?”
Survival Ground.
A survival FPS game that had been quite popular some time back.
It had even surpassed Legends of League in PC bang market share for a while, so I used to play it quite a bit too.
By the way, I didn’t know my sibling played that game…
It’s so popular among women; it makes sense.
“Nah, you go ahead.”
“Aw, why not? Let’s play together.”
“…I’m just feeling a bit uneasy about it.”
Hearing that, my sibling seemed to understand and fell silent.
“Ah, okay. Let’s do it next time.”
The reason I turned them down was simple.
Right now, I didn’t want to log in with Yujin’s citizen registration number.
What if something unexpected occurred?
Of course, I could use my sibling’s account for another game, but… somehow that feels off too.
-Current professional Legends of League player E under suspicion of using other accounts!
…That kind of headline feels like it might pop up on the main news screen someday.
‘Games can be played at home any time. Or I can do it after my identity is sorted out. For now, I’ll just hold off.’
So, in the end, I was left with only internet chatter to keep me occupied.
‘Maybe I should order some food.’
Determined to soothe my disappointment with food, I ordered various items.
Mostly greasy foods I could never dare to touch under my mother’s careful watch.
“Your ordered items are here.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, sis, give me some of that.”
“Here.”
My sibling’s friend, who was deeply engrossed in their assignment, piped up for a bite too.
“Oh? Sis, can I have one too?”
“Here you go.”
“Thanks!”
It felt a bit awkward to eat just the three of us, so I considered inviting Male Peer 1, my sibling’s friend’s friend, but… sadly, my social skills didn’t stretch that far.
Male Peer 1, who was practically a stranger to me, wouldn’t ask for a bite, creating an unspoken wall between him and the other three of us.
‘Why are we sitting like this?’
To explain the current seating arrangement simply:
[Sibling’s Friend, Sibling, Me, Male Peer 1]
The intent seemed to be a meaningful consideration by my sibling’s friend, who wanted to step aside as they focused on their assignment, but ultimately it led to an awkward setup.
‘Oh well, let’s not dwell on it.’
Male Peer 1 didn’t seem to mind either.
Given the situation, I naturally began my eating show, and before long, my gaze wandered to Male Peer 1’s screen on my right.
The reason I didn’t look at my sibling’s screen was straightforward.
My sibling was busy playing Survival Ground while Male Peer 1 was playing none other than Legends of League.
It wasn’t unusual.
Legends of League typically captures over 50% of the PC bang market share in the country. It’s rare to find someone not playing it.
Munch munch.
‘Tastes good.’
As I took a bite of my hotdog, Male Peer 1’s game got started.
With the loading screen up, he naturally directed his attention to a stats search site and pulled up his overall stats.
A very commendable attitude for a solo queue warrior.
‘His tier is… Dia 4.’
Dia 4.
Although it’s a tier that faces scorn with jokes like “Daetdak” (the lowest-tier wordplay), from a general person’s perspective, it’s a tier that’s quite impressive.
As I ate, I secretly watched Male Peer 1’s gameplay as if catching a livestream.
‘He shouldn’t go for Blue there….’
Because he’s at that tier, I noticed several missteps clearly.
Of course, I kept those thoughts to myself, just continuing to watch silently while eating.
‘Ah, missed that one. Can’t believe he got hit.’
‘Hmm? Mid should have Flash available, isn’t going for a risky play right now?… Oh, as expected.’
‘Shouldn’t go for the dragon now. They’re all going to die. Ugh. I said don’t do it.’
Maybe I got too absorbed in the game?
“Don’t go there, you shouldn’t go bottom right now.”
Without realizing it, my thoughts slipped out.
“Hmm?”
“Ah.”
Our gazes met, my surprise visible on both our faces.
‘Oh no.’
I messed up.