Realistic or Modern You, IRL (ShenYu x Ranix Aurus)

[Ranix Aurus]

"So, what's the occasion?"

Park Kyuwon gulped down his cola in one go. It was a rare day for them to only have one class in the morning, and the genius Cheolmin had to drag them to a BBQ parlor of all place. Not to mention said person was so distraught that he was sobbing while flipping the meat all by himself. Ah, look, one strip was already overdone, but nobody dared to pick it up while Cheolmin was still flipping them around...

"Why are you wasting your money treating us, man? Use it to take your girl to a date. Won't sister Ha-eun get jealous when she found out about it?" The chubby Myungjun said half-jokingly to raise up the mood.

"Oh... Ha-eun..." Cheolmin raised his head, revealing his baggy eyes. "We broke up just now. She texted me during class... ha... haha..."

""...Oh.""

And just like that, the mood plummeted down to the depth of Mariana trench...

"I have no idea what went wrong, man! I really don't! Is it this mohawk? It's this mohawk, isn't it?! Why did I get this style in the first place?!"

"Calm down, man! I mean, your haircut is trash, but that shouldn't be the reason! Just, calm down! The meat is already charred black!"

While Myungjun tried his best to salvage the meat, as well as Cheolmin's feelings, Kyuwon averted his gaze out the window, reluctant to get involved too deep. He wasn't even in a relationship, so he couldn't offer any genuine advice. The best he could do was to offer his condolence.

"Hmm?" His gaze landed on a figure in the distance. "That's..."

"Is that the Ryu guy from Business major?" Myungjun commented while chomping on the burnt strip of meat.

"Dude, you're seriously eating that?" Kyuwon frowned, "What did you say again?"

"That's Junseo, Ryu Junseo. He's famous, you know. Well, I mean his name is famous. I never interacted with him, but from what I heard, he's a straight-A honor student. Top of the class, no-nonsense guy. Just that he doesn't like to hang out with people."

"He's one of those study freaks, ain't he?" Cheolmin remarked between sobs. "I bet that we're no more than village idiots in his eyes... what? What did I say?"

Kyuwon and Myungjun gave him a strange look.

"Cheolmin... you're the only one with barely passing grades among us three... Myungjun and I aced that last exam, you know?"

"...Don't remind me about it. Today, I just want to get wild and forget all the bad things in life!" Cheolmin proudly declared as he plopped yet another strip of meat on the stuffed grill.

""No, no, please don't get wild, thank you,"" The other two firmly said in response.

------

"Damn it, that Cheolmin, he grilled too much..." Kyuwon rubbed at his slightly protruding belly. The three ended up eating a lot since Cheolmin kept on adding more meat. He took off his sweater before plopping down on the bed. He reached out toward the nightstand, where a black-painted headpiece sat.

"I guess I'll play a bit," he muttered to himself while putting on the headpiece. With a gentle press on the power button, the headpiece started up, giving off a gentle whirling noise as it prepared its wearer to enter the virtual world. He blinked once, and the usual welcome screen filled his vision.

Another blink, and he was in an entirely new world.

 

[ShenYu]

"Thank you for your hard work, Junseo. As always, you did a perfect job. You're of great help to me." A middle-aged man with a stern-looking face flashed Junseo a thin smile that would make any other student studying in Z university dropped their jaw open in shock. After all, he was a professor famously known for his very strict and stern teaching. 'Gentle' was not in his dictionary. He would always merciless in class, making most of his students wailed in despaired whenever his class started. Yet, that very same person actually smiled rather gently at the student standing in front of him, even giving him such generous praise.

Junseo wasn't flustered by his professor's words, only politely returned his smile. "You flattered me, professor Jung. I'm the one who should thank you for giving me the opportunity to study right under you." Junseo's words were humble, making professor Jung's expression softened considerably at him. Though it may look like he was just putting up a show, having spent a year with him as his teaching assistant, professor Jung knew that Junseo said that sincerely. He knew better than anyone else how hard Junseo has pushed himself until now. He truly cherished the extra time of studying as his assistant and it really has helped him with his score. That was why professor Jung likes this earnest and hardworking student very much. It was also the reason why he has been very concerned about him lately.

Professor Jung put down the pen he has been using for a while, looking at Junseo who was busy tidying up the learning materials for the next semester. "That would be all for today. You can go home early." Hearing this, Junseo looked up at his professor in surprise. He turned to look at the clock, noting that it was still very early in the afternoon, then he turned back to the professor with a baffled expression. Professor Jung found this reaction rather funny, almost making him unable to hold back his smile. He stared at Junseo with a frown, pretending to be angry. "What's with that stupid expression, huh? I told you you could call it a day and go home. Or are you going to disobey my word?"

Junseo blinked his eyes and quickly tried to explain. "Of course not, professor. But-"

"No buts. Go home, Junseo." How could professor Jung not know what he was about to say? He didn't let him finished his words and began to give him his 'favorite' lesson again. "Junseo, you're still young. Studying and working hard is good. But you should always remember to not push yourself too hard. A young man like you shouldn't spend your time with an old man like me every day. Go out and play once in a while. Understand?"

"...Yes, professor." Junseo nodded stiffly and didn't try to argue with his professor anymore, turning to pack his own belongings before bidding goodbye to professor Jung and leave the room.

Seeing this, professor Jung silently shook his head, looking a bit helpless. He knew for a fact that Junseo didn't really listen to him just now. But what else could he say? No matter how many times he lectured at him to take a break, Junseo would listened from one ear and let it out in the other. He would bet his own salary that this student of his would go straight to the library instead of going home as he told him to.

Unfortunately, this time, professor Jung was bound to be wrong and lose his bet. Junseo might usually do that whenever he was told to go home early. But this time was slightly special. He heard rumors about a newly discovered region in [Satisfy], the game he has been playing for about two years now. Most of the time, when someone discovered a new region, they would try to keep it to themselves and exploited the loot for their own. Then, they would draw a map of the region and sold it to other players at a high price. It's a special privilege for the one who unlocked that region for the first time. But he heard that the player who discovered this happens to be a newbie who doesn't know much about the game yet. He found that place by chance and happily told his guild about it. Thus, although not many knew about this so far because the big guilds tried to forcefully take control over this information, as one of the top rankers in the game, Junseo naturally has a way to get a hold of this news. He had wanted to explore that new region last night but he didn't have enough time. Now that his professor has generously let him go home early, Junseo would, of course, use it to proceed with the plan from last night.

In a good mood, Junseo quickly made his way out of the university and stood in front of the bus stop, waiting for the bus to come. As he waited, his eyes caught sight of the BBQ parlor across the street that was bustling with people. There are three guys talking and laughing at a table closest to the window. From how they acted, they seem to be friends. Friends, huh? Junseo stared at them for a while, seeing them 'happily' eat some grilled meats while they spend time together. A long-suppressed emotion slowly tried to swell on his chest. But before it could fully manifest itself, the bus arrived, averting his thought from that group of friends. With an expressionless face, Rei silently rode the bus and went to his apartment. His mood wasn't so good anymore.

Junseo's apartment was too spacious for one person. It was a nice apartment with a pretty good view of the city. But as he was the only one living in this place, it felt rather empty and cold. Junseo was used to this though, as he put down his belongings on the living room before making a short trip to the kitchen. He grabbed whatever food he could find on the fridge and filled his stomach with it. After he was done, he couldn't wait anymore, hastily changed his clothes and put on the head piece laying next to his bed. Without wasting anymore seconds, he entered the world of [Satisfy], ready to start his adventure in the new region.