Chapter 14: The Quest for Ban-ye’s Friendship

Now that I had eased my mind, I felt a bit awkward for being so self-conscious.

Actually, ever since I was young, I’ve been compared to my only older brother, so I have a habit of feeling intimidated if I think someone finds me bothersome.

“Ha… trauma button pressed.”

I muttered as if it were nothing, but my brother’s shadow still loomed large over me.

From a young age, it was my brilliant older brother and me, who lagged far behind. At some point, we weren’t even compared anymore.

My brother was good at studying, even had good social skills, and was athletic. Compared to him, I was a f*cking loser…

After I failed my college entrance exams and immersed myself in games, my brother once told me that my “grit was rotten from the start.” He couldn’t understand me, who used games to escape reality.

Whenever my brother showed disdain for me, I felt suffocated. I wanted to argue, but it felt like a vast ocean existed between me and my brother, who would just nag me about why I wasn’t trying harder. It was like we couldn’t communicate.

On top of that, after my failed online relationship with Sisi, I spent about a month in a daze, and my brother and parents pretty much stopped treating me like a human being.

That’s why I ended up moving out on my own, as if I were being chased away… I haven’t heard from them much since. They just send me an allowance and treat me like I don’t exist.

“Ah, I’m suddenly feeling depressed.”

I shook my head, not wanting to think about it anymore. And I mustered the courage to ask Ban-ye something I had been curious about.

[Ah-ang] Hey,
[Ah-ang] do you have any siblings?

Ban-ye replied readily.

[Hwang Hyun-joong] Only child.

“As expected…”

From my perspective as a second child, Ban-ye had the vibe of an eldest or only child. Should I say they were confident in their relationships?

They completely lacked the self-consciousness typical of middle children. I was really surprised last time when they bluntly called the guild members pathetic. The way they prioritized saying what they wanted over other people’s feelings reminded me of my brother.

[Ah-ang] Lucky.
[Ah-ang] I don’t get along with my brother,
[Ah-ang] so I’ve always wished I had a younger sibling.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] Oh.

Seeing Ban-ye’s indifferent reaction, I suddenly remembered they were two years younger than me.

[Ah-ang] Ban-ye.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] No.
[Ah-ang] ? I haven’t said anything yet, why?
[Hwang Hyun-joong] Feels like you’re about to say something stupid.
[Ah-ang] I’m not.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] What is it?
[Ah-ang] Want to be my younger brother?
[Hwang Hyun-joong] No thanks.
[Ah-ang] LOL
[Ah-ang] Ban-ye! Call me Hyung from now on.

Ban-ye didn’t even reply. It sounded like they were cringing, which I found quite amusing.

[Ah-ang] There are many advantages to being my younger brother, Ban-ye.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] Not at all.
[Ah-ang] If I had a younger sibling, I’d treat them really well.
[Ah-ang] I’d kindly explain things when they have questions.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] You can’t explain Chaos Online.
[Ah-ang] I’d listen attentively.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] I think I’m the one listening.
[Ah-ang] No ㅡㅡ Just listen.
[Ah-ang] I’d give them a lot of allowance too.
[Hwang Hyun-joong] The only advantage.

As expected, a man crazy about money…

Anyway, I was confident I wouldn’t act like my brother. From then on, I started calling Ban-ye “Ban-ye dongsaeng!” (younger sibling).

But while Ban-ye had reacted with disgust to other nicknames, they seemed to genuinely hate being called “dongsaeng” and didn’t respond at all. In other words, they completely ignored it.

In the end, I was the one who backed down again.

Honestly, “dongsaeng Ban-ye” felt awkward for me too. Ban-ye… didn’t quite fit the image of the cute younger sibling I had in mind. A younger brother with a deeper voice than mine was a bit…

Besides, Ban-ye was kind, but not cute. Should I say they were a bit sharp?

Of course, I didn’t dislike that. However, the disappointing thing was that if not for the younger sibling game, I couldn’t think of any other way to get closer to Ban-ye.

“I want to get closer…”

Ever since Ban-ye told me, ‘I’m not bothered. If I were bothered, I just wouldn’t reply,’ I’ve grown to like Ban-ye a lot.

Definitely not like with Sisi! It’s just… I’m usually a bit wary of other people, but Ban-ye is so honest.

Because I think they’d show it if I were bothering them, when Ban-ye silently puts up with my antics, I feel reassured, thinking, ‘They don’t dislike me yet!’ Does that make sense?

I like that part. So, I’ve started to trust Ban-ye more, and I want to know more about them.

But Ban-ye was surprisingly private and didn’t talk much about themself.

The person who seemed closest to Ban-ye was HugMeRaiseMe, but trying to replicate the kind of relationship Ban-ye and HugMeRaiseMe had seemed difficult for me at this point.

If I tried to tease Ban-ye like HugMeRaiseMe did, I’d probably just get cursed at, not become friends. Our current relationship was mostly maintained by me acting cute and clinging to Ban-ye…

“Hmm… Should I give them more gifts?”

I scrolled through the cash shop, looking intently.

I had already bought them most of the decent items, so I couldn’t figure out what else to buy that would make Ban-ye happy. I had even charged 200,000 won to my account for Ban-ye to use freely.

Of course, Ban-ye hadn’t touched it… Then, should I give them a gifticon?

[Ah-ang] Ban-ye, do you like chicken?
[Hwang Hyun-joong] No.
[Ah-ang] Pizza then?
[Hwang Hyun-joong] Not really.

But Ban-ye didn’t seem to enjoy food much either, reacting indifferently even when I clearly hinted at giving them a gifticon. (Well, they were usually indifferent anyway…)

So, while Ban-ye was asleep, I tried to investigate their preferences with the guild members.

[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] HugMeRaiseMe.
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] How did you become friends with Ban-ye?
[Guild][HugMeRaiseMe] Picking a fight again.
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] ?
[Guild][Neda] LOL

But HugMeRaiseMe, that petty guy, denied even being friends with Ban-ye and absolutely refused to share any friendship tips. What a jerk.

[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] Guys, what would Ban-ye like?
[Guild][Neda] Why are you suddenly asking that?
[Guild][Neda] Is it Ban-ye’s birthday soon?
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] No, I just want to get on Ban-ye’s good side…
[Guild][Youngmyeong] Hee? Aren’t you two already dating?
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] Ugh, I’m serious.
[Guild][Youngmyeong] ㅇ ㅁㅇ?!
[Guild][HeyYam] Why do you suddenly want to get on Ban-ye’s good side? LOL
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] I want to be best friends.
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] I want to be Ban-ye’s #1 best friend ㅠ
[Guild][Neda] Whoa.
[Guild][Male3] You’re quite obsessive, Ah-ang…
[Guild][HeyYam] If HugMeRaiseMe quits, you’ll be #1 best friend lol
[Guild][Male3] Give up.
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] ㅠㅠ
[Guild][HugMeRaiseMe] I’ll transfer my spot for 10 billion. First come, first served. Lol.

The guild members, as usual, just teased me and didn’t help.

But then, ImSoCute unexpectedly gave some advice that could be a hint.

[Guild][ImSoCute] Isn’t hunting together the fastest way to become friends?
[Guild][ImSoCute] When you have a fixed party, you add friends and invite them to guilds and stuff.
[Guild][ImSoCute] I became friends with Male3 through a fixed party and joined the guild too. Lol.
[Guild][HeyYam] That’s the standard way ㅇㅅㅇ
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] !

Hearing that, I thought, ‘This is it!’ and checked Ban-yeStorage’s level.

Current level 112. Lower than when Ah-ang joined Slaughter, but it was a number worth trying to reach max level again.

[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] Okay, I’ll man up and take on the challenge.
[Guild][HugMeRaiseMe] I told you, I’ll give up my spot for 10 billion. Lol.

I started hunting diligently from then on.

Meaning, I started pouring money into Ban-yeStorage as well.

I didn’t grind as hard as when I was trying not to get kicked out of Slaughter, but since I had done it once before, leveling up was a bit easier this time.

Of course, there were some parts that were harder than before.

[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] Ah, the party wiped again.
[Guild][ImSoCute] Which dungeon are you doing?
[Guild][Ban-yeStorage] Dawn’s Breath.

Dawn’s Breath was the dungeon that gave the most experience among those accessible at my level.

The dungeon was also short, so it was good for experience farming if you could clear it quickly. The downside was that it was quite difficult, and one wrong move could lead to a party wipe.

“When I was leveling Ah-ang, Ban-ye carried me through here…”

I made quite a few mistakes in Dawn’s Breath myself, so I wasn’t in a position to call anyone frustrating, but it was still annoying when the party kept wiping repeatedly.

[Guild][ImSoCute] Want me to run it with you?