Chapter 02

It Feels Like a Lawsuit Is Coming

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 It Feels Like a Lawsuit Is Coming

Hongdae Exit 8.

Standing there, I absentmindedly watched the passing pedestrians.

Perhaps because it was the lunch hour, there were many couples and students who seemed to be out on dates.

Watching them, my thoughts were simple.

"I want to tear them apart."

With the feeling of wanting to raise both middle finger without hesitation, I averted my eyes from them.

The notion that you can easily find a girlfriend in college was a blatant lie for someone like me.

My first experience was getting involved with a crazy rich girl.

I wondered if she was now gazing endlessly at the drifting clouds, saying, "Let's look at the sky."

I heard urgent footsteps.

Following the sound, when I lowered my gaze, there was a girl with a hoodie pulled over her head and a black mask covering more than half of her face, despite the slightly warming weather.

Just how small must her face be for that mask to cover half of it?

Thinking it was fascinating, I continued watching, and our eyes met.

She was around 160 cm tall, slightly below, but her legs were long, and perhaps because her face was so small, her proportions looked exceptionally good.

Moreover, her eyes were incredibly large and beautiful, enough to dispel any suspicions of her being a mage.

There was a slight violet tint, creating an illusion as if carved from amethyst.

'I feel like I might know the reason she's wearing a mask.'

Just by looking at her eyes, revealing herself like this could attract a tremendous amount of attention.

While I was pondering such thoughts, the girl who had been watching me for a while raised her phone.

Crazy, she's not going to report me to the police just for looking at her, right?

Having been in a similar situation before, I was acutely aware of the damage it could cause, so I quickly averted my gaze.

'Why is this guy Ayu so late?'

With a cold sweat, I quickly turned my gaze and turned on my phone. Then, just as I was about to text Ayu, my phone vibrated with a loud sound.

It was a message from Ayu, he contacted me first.

[BlackAyu: Bro, are you the one wearing black glasses and a white shirt?]    

It seemed like he had spotted me. Confirming that it was indeed me, I felt the approaching presence.

As I put my phone away, I couldn't help but wonder how my friend and brother for the past five years looked now.

And my eyes blinked once.

Because I didn't understand the situation in front of me.

A woman, peering at me with small, white hands emerging from her hoodie sleeves, clutching a phone tightly.

She was none other than the girl I had made eye contact with a moment ago.

For a brief moment, everything came to a standstill.

The reason why she was in front of me was simple.

And then my eyes blinked once.

Because I couldn't understand the situation in front of me.

With a small, white hand peeking out from the hooded sleeve, she gripped her phone tightly and stared at me.

She was none other than the girl I had briefly made eye contact with before.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze.

Why was she in front of me?

The reason was simple.

She must have come to the police because I stared at her.

"Uh, excuse me."

"I have a boyfriend coming soon."

It wasn't a lie, as her boyfriend would be here shortly.

However, I was well aware of how she might interpret my words.

Now, it's time to demonstrate my honed crisis management skills.

Upon hearing my calm response, the woman seemed flustered, rolling her eyes around.

Well, that's understandable.

If someone asked why I was staring at them and I said I had a boyfriend, it would be awkward.

I turned my head abruptly.

I had caused enough misunderstanding, so I hoped she would leave soon.

"…Hyung, do you like guys?"

At that moment, my shoulders twitched at the voice that flowed from the girl.

She was holding up her phone to me without saying a word, and I checked my number written on it.

Why did she have my number?

She couldn't have gotten my number in that brief moment.

Without a response, I raised my phone and made a call.

Soon after, a phone with the contact name "Domi Hyung" started ringing on the other side.

Damn.

The sibling I had known for five years turned out to be a sister, not a brother.

She's ridiculously pretty, too.

2

After entering the tonkatsu restaurant that Ayu had decided to treat me to, we didn't exchange any words.

Ayu's expression seemed shocked, presumably in response to my question about whether I liked guys.

I, on the other hand, was shocked to discover that the sibling I had known and spent time with all this time was actually a sister.

I had known her since her middle school days, and I never knew she was a sister.

No, honestly, isn't this my fault?

From the first time I met Ayu, she referred to me as "hyung" (older brother).

In the game, the character's voice matched the settings, so I never knew her real voice.

Since we never had a reason to talk on the phone as guys, we usually exchanged messages through texts or KakaoTalk, so I never heard her real voice.

Neither she nor I knew each other's faces because our KakaoTalk profile pictures were always set to default.

Well, that's how it goes.

Why would you want to know the face of a gaming buddy?

And now, the situation has come to this.

It might seem like a fortunate turn of events at first glance to find out that the person I've known as a younger brother for five years is an incredibly beautiful sister.

As a guy talking to another guy, I've had more than just one or two conversations with her.

Yeah, I didn't hesitate to discuss R-rated topics with a kid who's six years younger than me.

And from those thoughts, I arrived at one truth.

"Ayu."

"Uh, yeah?"

When Ayu lifted her head in surprise at my call, purple eyes appeared again above the mask.

"Don't act offended."

We have five years of friendship, right?

"Why would I act offended?"

Seeing her expression, which indicated she didn't understand English, I was relieved that she didn't seem to have any thoughts of suing.

If Ayu had been a minor back then, I would have undoubtedly ended up at the police station.

Fortunately, Ayu is an adult now.

"Well, that's settled. Why did you lie about your gender?"

Feeling a bit relieved, I decided to ask her the lingering question.

I had always thought of her as a younger brother until now.

Naturally, my misunderstanding was quite reasonable, and not just me but all our guild members also treated her as a guy.

Hearing my question, Ayu seemed a bit awkward, scratching her cheek over the mask.

"It's just more convenient."

"I get what you mean."

"Right? I thought you'd understand if I said you were my hyung. We talked openly about it. Female gamers attract a lot of unwanted attention, you know."

She shook her head with a tired expression, just thinking about it seemed exhausting for her.

And I could easily understand why she would say such things.

Ayu had lived with that kind of face.

While she might have gained some advantages with her looks, being a girl in a world where guys tend to automatically like pretty girls must have caused her a lot of trouble.

Ayu probably didn't want to experience such things even within the game.

"Well, then, what about your liking for Black Star Yua?"

"That's genuine. Do you doubt my sincerity?"

"No, I don't doubt it."

While it's quite rare for a guy to be a fan of a male idol, it's not uncommon for a girl to be a fan of a female idol.

In that moment, discussing idols, I recalled some of the things I said last time.

"…But last time."

"Did you say something like, 'Even if you become the queen bee and sting all the male bees to get the loot, it would be a big win'?"

"Darn it."

Ayu, who spoke without missing a beat, began to giggle behind her mask.

"Hyung, what do you think? I could become the queen bee."

"Stop it. Forget it. No, make me forget."

If I get a memory erasure punch to the head, I might be able to forget.

As I entertained such thoughts, Ayu laughed with an expression that seemed to say, "Hyung, you're just like the game."

As I entertained such thoughts, Ayu laughed with an expression that seemed to say, "Hyung, you're just like the game."

"Because the game was my life."

For the past five years, I had dedicated everything to the game, trying to forget the reality. As a result, the game became synonymous with me, and I became synonymous with the game. There was no real difference between the game and reality.

"But now that we've met like this, will your attitude towards me change in the future?"

In that moment, Ayu looked at me with eyes that seemed somewhat regretful.

Resting her chin on the table, she looked up at me, and her eyes were not easily forgettable.

"No."

But I remember Ayu from the game.

The enjoyable moments of playing games together every day, chatting, and casually exchanging banter as guys.

I prefer those times.

Knowing that if I were in a difficult situation, she would listen and I would also lend an ear to Ayu's stories, the kind of relationship where we could readily offer to buy each other meals, regardless of the current circumstances, didn't have to change.

"I'll treat you the same."

I didn't ask for Ayu's real name.

Because, in front of me, she was Ayu as I remembered her, before she was a girl.

And that will remain the same in the future.

Seeming to notice that fact, Ayu widened her eyes and soon burst into a playful laugh.

"Don't sue me, okay?"

"I won't. How do you see me, anyway?"

"A potential queen bee who might sting me at any moment."

"Are we going to fight?"

Ayu raised her hand, swiftly swinging her fist at me.

Her movement was surprisingly precise and quick, so I tilted my head.

"Ayu, were you by any chance—"

"The food's here."

Just as I was about to ask, the waiter placed a plate of spicy fried tonkatsu in front of us. The tantalizing aroma made the crispy tonkatsu look delicious at first glance.

"Huh? Hyung, what did you say?"

As she lowered her mask to eat the tonkatsu, her face was even more beautiful than I had expected, to the point that the waiter nearby seemed momentarily taken aback.

Looking at her face, I could only nod and pick up my knife.

"No, nothing. Let's just eat."

The tonkatsu was incredibly delicious.

3

After finishing the tonkatsu and lightly patting my satisfied stomach, Ayu skillfully savored the remaining tonkatsu with her small mouth and took sips of water.

Her delightful eating habits were so charming that I couldn't help but think she would be a hit if she started a mukbang YouTube channel.

During that moment, our eyes met, and Ayu, after putting down her cup, wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"Right. Hyung, there's something I really want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Hyung, do you really like guys?"

She asked with such seriousness that I wondered what she was getting at.

I looked at her with a bewildered expression and replied, "Yeah, I like guys."

"Uh, uh, th-that can't be."

"Just kidding."

I took a punch.

It really hurt.

And reluctantly, I explained the reason for my lie.

"It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was afraid I might get sued for looking at you."

"Can you really get sued for that?"

"In a world where nonexistent crimes are created, since the fact is that I did look at you, who knows."

Having gone through a university life where a heightened sense of awareness of potential harm was inevitable, I couldn't help but be cautious in situations like this.

Unless the laws change, there's nothing I can do but be careful.

"So, do you like girls?"

"Haven't we had discussions about that before?"

Upon hearing my words, Ayu let out a small, awkward cough.

"…I'm relieved."

I'm not sure what she's relieved about, but that's what she said.

"So why did you stare at me earlier?"

"Like a lost tourist."

"Hyung, want another punch?"

"Oh, I just thought, 'Oh, there's a pretty girl standing there.'"

Being straightforward, Ayu flinched at first but soon burst into laughter.

Perhaps she wanted to hear someone say she's pretty.

Quite demanding, indeed.

"Dinner's done. What should we do now? Wanna go to a VR room or something?"

"Oh, sure. Sounds good. We should do a duo run."

Ayu happily put on her mask.

It seemed like she always wore a mask when she was outside.

Understanding my unspoken cue to get up, Ayu cheerfully headed to the counter to pay with her card.

Although I had planned to treat her, seeing my little sister living like this made me feel a bit guilty.

In fact, the clerk who swiped the card looked at me and Ayu in turns and asked, ‘How can such a pretty girl pay?’ I looked at him with that expression.

It was an eyes that I had no choice but to understand as they said, ‘Uh huh, that’s a prejudice.’

As the restaurant was on the second floor, when we walked outside, the street was a bit quieter after the lunch rush. Looking out the window, I could see a VR gaming center in the distance.

Perfect.

Let's head over there.

In that moment, as Ayu, who was following me, suddenly turned her head somewhere and pulled me, I let out a groan along with a sudden thud as Ayu and I both tumbled to the floor.

The strength of Ayu's pull was much stronger than that of an adult man like me, so I couldn't react in time.

"Ayu?"

As I tried to call out her name, she shushed me, cradling my head in her hands.

Feeling the rather soft touch on my jaw, which bothered me a bit, I couldn't resist Ayu's intense gaze, and I couldn't bring myself to tackle the situation.

Not understanding the situation, I stayed still, but I suddenly realized that the surroundings had become dark.

When I discreetly shifted my gaze, I noticed that the waitstaff inside the restaurant were staring out the window with vacant expressions.

Why is that?

We're on the second floor here.

Puzzled, as I cautiously turned my gaze backward, I froze in place.

There, something massive was passing by.

Black, pitch-black scales and beneath them, shimmering blue feathers.

A monstrous creature, beyond what one would think could exist on Earth, was passing by, just the height of a two-story building.