Chapter 21 - New Friends?
The group of guys stayed by the screen for a while, still riding the energy from the match. They laughed and recalled the last team fight in conversation. They threw out theories, praise, and even a few light roasts.
It was just a normal conversation between the avid watchers of the game.
"Dude, that bait on FalcoX was nasty. I thought they were going to collapse mid."
"Bro, ZEAL doesn't even panic. They just... let the other team fall into their own grave."
Seunghoon stood there quietly, just listening to them. His hands were in his pockets again, and after a while, he would join in their conversation.
Eventually, one of the guys turned to Seunghoon again.
"Hey," the man called out for his attention. "You play, right?"
"Uh... yeah. A bit." Seunghoon blinked.
"A bit?" another guy laughed. "Bro, you were calling the plays better than the casters. You're definitely more than 'a bit.'"
"Yeah," another one added. "You wanna play with us? We were about to head to a PC café after this."
Seunghoon hesitated for a little bit.
His first instinct was to decline. He hadn't played in a café in years. Plus, playing with strangers in real life?
That wasn't really something he usually did.
"...I don't know," he said. "I didn't really plan to—"
"It's just nearby," RN Seoul jersey guy said, waving a hand casually. "Literally five minutes from here. Just a couple of games. Two hours max."
"Yeah, just chill games. Ranked if you're down, classic if not," another added.
"Come on, you've been calling out plays all night. Let's see if you can actually execute 'em."
Seunghoon tilted his head slightly, lips pressing together.
He could feel their enthusiasm. They didn't sound pushy, just excited. They seemed like good guys, and more importantly, he had nothing else planned for the rest of the day.
He let out a small breath and gave a faint shrug.
"...Alright," he said. "Sure. I'll come."
"Let's gooo!" one of them grinned, throwing an arm over the shoulders of his friend. "We got ourselves a good teammate!"
They laughed, already turning toward the sidewalk.
"Let's go, Man!"
Seunghoon followed a few steps behind. He couldn't help but scratch the back of his head,
'What am I getting myself into?' he sighed and shook his head.
They walked together for a few blocks, passing by people. The city was alive but not rushed. The guys talked among themselves with ease, tossing around and even joking among themselves.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a building with a dimly lit neon sign.
"XLAN Arena – PC & Esports Lounge"
It was located between a burger joint and a photo studio, but the polished black-glass door and glowing logo made it stand out. Inside, the scent of air conditioning, coffee, and floral scent washed over them.
As they entered, they were greeted by rows of sleek high-end PCs that stretched across the room, each had its own keyboard and chair. The sound of the mechanical click of keyboards echoed faintly in the background, along with the sound of people communicating in game.
The internet café was clean. The chairs were plush and organized. The monitors looked new. And each station had its own headset dock and cable organizers.
Seunghoon paused for a moment at the entrance.
He hadn't stepped into a PC café like this in years. Back then, he used to come almost every day to grind. It was the place where everything started.
Now, just being back in a place like this gave him a strange feeling in his chest.
He slowly let out a breath.
'Damn... it feels weird.'
"Yo, over here!" one of the guys called, already talking to the front desk. They were renting five units side by side.
The guy in the RN Seoul jersey turned and gave Seunghoon a grin. "Don't worry, bro. I got your seat. My treat, since I dragged you out."
"Huh? You sure?" Seunghoon raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah. Just play. Consider it a thank-you for earlier."
Seunghoon hesitated for a second, then nodded.
"Alright. Thanks."
Seunghoon turned toward him and added, "By the way, what's your name?"
The guy chuckled and tapped the RN logo on his chest. "Juhwan. But you can just call me Hwan."
Seunghoon gave a small nod. "Alright. I'm Seunghoon."
"Cool." Hwan smiled.
They headed toward the row of PCs, the chair cushions hissing as they sank into their seats. The monitors came to life with a soft glow. Slowly, the login screens loaded. Seunghoon put on the headset and adjusted it slowly, fingers tracing the familiar layout of the keyboard in front of him.
It had been three years.
But the moment he sat down, it felt like he never left.
The headset cushioned gently against his ears. The hum of fans, the subtle whir of the PC, and the background murmur of other players all melted into white noise.
Seunghoon exhaled slowly, his fingers naturally falling into position on the keys.
Log in.
Launcher.
Rise of Legends.
He clicked through the menus without thinking. The game booted up, and the loading screen filled his monitor in crisp, animated detail.
Beside him, the others were already forming a party.
"What's your ign?"
"Here," Seunghoon showed his screen to Hwan.
"Alright, alright."
[Friend Request Received: Jhwan]
Seunghoon clicked [Accept].
[Jhwan invited you to a party.]
Seunghoon clicked accept for the other time.
The party list formed.
[Juhwan]
[Minjae]
[Doha]
[Gyubin]
[Seunghoon]
It was a casual group, but Seunghoon could already tell they had played together before.