Ranker’s Return

Hyeonu’s New York accommodation was the same hotel he stayed in for Arena Week. Hyeonu unpacked his luggage in the spacious suite and went straight to the bed.

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‘I’m dying, dying.’

His stomach rumbled. It was from Incheon International Airport until when he arrived at JFK International Airport—every moment was hard for Hyeonu.

Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu—the two of them ran around excitedly, as if to prove it wasn’t a lie that they rested comfortably in the sauna. Hyeonu, who was sandwiched between the two of them, was forced to run together. Of course, he wasn’t usually affected to this extent. It was just that Hyeonu had been drinking a lot of alcohol with his two friends who were on leave the day before. In this state, he had to hang out with the large drinkers, Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu.
He couldn’t be in a normal state.

Hyeonu was about to fall asleep if there wasn’t an uninvited interruption. The smartphone in Hyeonu’s pocket vibrated and showed off its presence. Hyeonu opened his closed eyes at the same time.

‘Who is it now?’

Hyeonu sighed and answered the phone, “Hello?”

-Hello? Hyeonu?

The voice coming from the phone belonged to a woman.

‘Reina?’

Hyeonu recognized who the caller was the moment he heard the voice. He and Reina talked on the phone quite often. They spoke once or twice a week even after she returned to the United States. They had met three or four times a week when Reina was in South Korea. It turned to phone calls now that they couldn’t meet and talk.

“Speak.”

Hyeonu lay on the bed, closed his eyes and started a conversation with Reina.

-Are you coming to the party tomorrow?

Reina had already heard about it from a player on the team, but she asked as if she knew nothing.

“Um… The party tomorrow? I’m going.
I came to New York to do that.
It is a dinner party at the hotel.
I just don’t know what to do during the day…
I don’t want to drink alcohol…”

Hyeonu was drunk and talked a lot. His words weren’t coherent. However, Reina didn’t feel any discomfort when she heard this. On the contrary, her eyes curved in a half moon as she smiled.

-Really? Then will you go with me tomorrow to the bakery I frequent during the day? It is a cafe, so it is okay to fill your belly, right?

“Bakery? Okay.
Then come to the hotel tomorrow and contact me?”

-I got it. I’ll go to the hotel and take you to the cafe just in time for my favorite bread to come out.

Reina smiled brightly when she heard Hyeonu agree. Her heart was already excited at the thought of meeting Hyeonu after a few weeks.

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“By the way…
I’m going to sleep.
I’m so sleepy.
See you tomorrow.”

Hyeonu’s voice got lower. At the same time, the rate of his breathing increased. Later, he seemed to just be breathing out.

-Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Reina was sorry that the call was so brief. How long had it been since they talked? There was also a natural set up for a topic. Nevertheless, she was able to shake it off quickly. It was because they would be meeting tomorrow.

‘What am I going to wear tomorrow?’

Reina’s troubles started now.

 

***

 

“Uhhh…”

A loud groan emerged from Hyeonu’s mouth as he lay on the bed. His headache was worse than expected. The world seemed to be ringing.

‘What time is it?’

Hyeonu stretched his body for a long time before reaching out to grope around the bed. Something hard was caught in Hyeonu’s hand. Hyeonu grabbed the smartphone and dragged it toward his face.

‘1:30?’

Hyeonu cocked his head because it wasn’t as long as he thought. Not much time had passed compared to his currently decent mental state. It had only been two hours.

‘I don’t think it is just two hours?’

Hyeonu threw his smartphone on the bed and quickly got up. Then he rushed toward the balcony. Hyeonu opened the curtains and a bright light seeped into the room.

“Is it really two hours?” Hyeonu muttered in a small voice before returning to bed and laying down again.

Just then a series of memories flashed through Hyeonu’s head.

‘What did I do?’

The phone call he had with Reina before he fell asleep—he finally remembered it. At the same time, Hyeonu once again grabbed the smartphone. It wasn’t the time that appeared on the screen of his phone, but something else. It was the date.

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‘The date has changed.’

Hyeonu slept for 26 hours, not two. It was the result of his body complaining of fatigue from consecutive drinking.

‘Then won’t she be coming soon?’

The appointment with Reina was definitely around lunch. This meant that Reina could call him at any time around now.

‘I have to wash quickly.’

Hyeonu threw his phone on the bed and headed to the shower. Left alone, the smartphone cried out with a lonely sound.

 

***

 

Hyeonu came out after a leisurely shower and saw three missed calls.
He got ready and ran to the hotel lobby.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Hyeonu hurriedly approached Reina, who was sitting in the lobby, and repeated words of apology over and over.

“It is fine.
I just arrived as well.”

Reina looked up at Hyeonu and smiled. However, Hyeonu couldn’t smile like Reina.

‘She must’ve waited a long time.’

The first missed call was an hour ago. Even if Reina had called before leaving for the hotel, she would’ve been waiting at least 30 minutes.

“Let’s go.
I’m looking forward to the bakery recommended by you.”

Hyeonu took Reina’s hand and raised her up. Reina was a bit embarrassed, but she soon smiled and left the lobby with Hyeonu. The rumors of their meeting spread quickly. It was because there were many people who witnessed this. The fact that Mason was throwing a party today spread among insiders. Naturally, the hotel was full of reporters.

-Alley Leader met Reina again in New York.

-They held hands openly in the lobby of the hotel.

-Now it is virtually admitting their relationship.

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It wasn’t social media or posts written in the community.
Articles formally written by journalists started to circulate. Hyeonu and Reina’s smartphones naturally started going crazy when the articles exploded.

‘Why is it ringing like this again?’

Hyeonu turned off his wildly vibrating smartphone. He could tell why it was vibrating without looking at the screen. It must be related to Reina.

‘What is there to know?’

Hyeonu had been through too many things to react like a blowfish. It wasn’t just once or twice that it had been related to Reina. Now he ignored it casually. However, it was different for Reina. Reina’s face noticeably hardened when she checked the message on her smartphone.

“What is going on?” Hyeonu spoke to Reina like he didn’t know anything.

“Huh? Nothing.
It is just that something happened.”

Reina tried to smile. It wasn’t as much as Hyeonu but right now, many words were flying at her.

“Just ignore them.
This has happened more than once or twice.”

Hyeonu swallowed the iced Americano and smiled.

“That’s true.”

Reina smiled slightly.

“The bread and cake are delicious.
As expected from a place recommended by Reina.” Hyeonu quickly changed the topic.

“Is it delicious? Try some egg tarts.
It is the most popular dessert of this bakery.” Reina laughed and transferred the egg tart on her plate to Hyeonu’s plate.

“It is delicious.” Hyeonu swallowed the egg tart all at once, mumbled for a long time, and gave a thumbs up.

“Yes.”

Reina laughed again. The man in front of her was so cute. Thus, she felt better now and didn’t want to miss it.

“Then are we going now?” Hyeonu carefully asked Reina once the table was empty.

“We need a bit of rest before the party.
Let’s go.”

Reina nodded and stood up. The two of them slowly left the bakery. The entrance of the bakery had around 20 steps. Hyeonu went down the stairs ahead of Reina. Then he reached out to Reina.

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Reina’s eyes widened as her gaze alternated between Hyeonu’s face and hand. She seemed to be asking if she could really hold it.

Hyeonu smiled and waved his hand once again. Reina smiled brightly and took Hyeonu’s hand.

 

***

 

Mason’s party was lively from the start. In the first place, the party wasn’t one with a set dress code that was commonly thought of. It was a place to dress up and enjoy comfortably. Loud electronic music played and the staff members diligently carried around food and drinks. Additionally, the people invited to the party knew each other.

There was nothing to worry about. They were literally busy enjoying the party.

“By the way, are you really thinking about going to school? You said you didn’t really want to go?”

Hyeonu held a glass of champagne in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Mason’s neck.

“I have to go to school because my father is staring at me every day at home.
He asked what regrets I had left when I became a professional gamer and won the world championship.
It is an outdated way of thinking.
I won’t understand it even until I die.”

Mason sighed deeply and nodded. To be honest, Mason also wanted to live by streaming. It was difficult at first, but after a few attempts, it became fun. It was just that Mason’s father couldn’t just watch. He pressed Mason to take over the company. Mason was extraordinary, so there was no need to hand over the management of the company to others.

“It is because you are too outstanding.
Blame your brain.”

Hyeonu hit Mason’s forehead with his forehead. Mason frowned at the pain felt from his forehead and raised his hand to rub it.

“You have a stone head, so you can’t do anything.
You are an idiot who is only good at the game,” Mason cursed Hyeonu with a distorted expression. It was that painful. He was worried that his forehead would become swollen.

“What do you mean by I’m only good at games? This…”

Hyeonu stuck out his head again with a mischievous expression. Then Mason’s neck shrank back like a turtle.

“I’ve been having a lot of worries lately.
How can I show that I am capable without going to university?”

The reason Mason held a party today was an extension of that concern. Today’s rankers couldn’t rise up simply by playing a game well. Everyone had one or two advantages. He was thinking of listening to them and applying them to his future actions.

“Let’s see? I’ve never thought about it.
Do you have completely no idea? You haven’t thought of anything?”

Hyeonu also had a slightly serious expression now. His younger brother had worries, so he couldn’t take it lightly.

“There is.
I have thought of something.”

Mason raised an eyebrow. The biggest purpose of today’s part was the ‘something’ he thought about.