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This was the day I became a private and was assigned to Gye Bastard’s battalion.
Sung Siwan looked at my soldier self and then back at me.
“He’s taller, but that’s you, Euishin! Huh? You played that ‘PMH’ game too?”
“Yes.”
“Then Euishin, you too…”
Gye Idam had a different name, but mine was retained.
Sung Siwan was in half disbelief when he saw the name on my soldier uniform.
[I’m sorry to show you this.]
The former head of the association talked to him.
I felt sorry too that such a good sunbae has to see the past of a malicious commenter.
I thought perhaps it would be better just to show him how Gye Idam played PMH instead of everything else.
Sung Siwan didn’t get to see the contents of PMH well from this experience.
There were important moments skipped too since we had to rush in consideration of Gye Idam’s mental strength.
Anyway, that Gye Bastard played the game using the strategies that I posted on my blog so there’s not really any new information that I’m getting.
‘The only thing he’s better than me is that he farmed Ahn Dain faster.’
It was very cheap, sending out Ahn Dain to all pre-quest battles like that and trying to get all Ahn Dain-related items no matter what.
Compared to me who leveled up all characters, Gye Idam rose her level quickly.
‘We wouldn’t need to do this if Gye Idam remembered Ahn Dain’s hidden quest.’
I was displeased to think that I was lending time like this because the bastard couldn’t remember something as crucial as that even if I gave him time to speak.
The former head had looked into Gye Idam’s mind so he probably knows what memory Gye Idam was looking for.
I don’t know what the former head is thinking, dragging the situation like this.
[I thought my grandson should see this side of him. I am sorry for you.]
“It doesn’t matter.”
It was a waste of time, but there was nothing to see here.
“Who he is or what he’s done to me does not affect me anymore.”
Though I still wanted to beat him up considering the malicious comments he wrote about what I cherished.
Military life was hard, but it was peaceful in the beginning.
Gye Idam didn’t bully me right from the start.
In the first place, the Gye Bastard wasn’t the type who cares too much about others.
The trigger was now being revealed.
“That failed game fan is a chess prodigy? Is that punk the one whose family died in a car accident?”
My history was revealed in the census, and people were talking about it as gossip behind my back.
Gye Idam read an article related to a chess prodigy and his family, but I don’t think he remembered my name or face.
I was young, wore protective glasses, and I looked a little nervous — my appearance not matching my facade as a soldier.
“Don’t you remember Jo Euishin? He acts a little softer than when he’s on active duty, and he’s got great manners.”
“I heard he’s attending the best prestigious university in Korea. I guess he got to go there ‘cos he’s good at chess.”
“I was wondering what kind of life he had, but it looks like he has a good one. He’s got a head for studying too.”
“The kid grew up well.”
…They were saying that behind my back?
I felt a little embarrassed, but I saw the awkward face of Corporal Gye become distorted.
That’s when his scourge began.
“Stop it. Why are you picking on the poor guy?”
At first, Sergeant Choi and Gye Bastard’s other seniors would pull his leash, but when they got discharged from the military and Corporal Gye became Sergeant Gye, there was no one left to stop him.
The days of unnecessary work and double greed continued.
It was basic for me to be responsible for all the mistakes of the soldiers below me.
Even if I did well, he’d say I’m a stuck-up, but if I take it easy, I still get scolded.
“…”
Sung Siwan clenched his fist when he saw me working in silence.
His clenched fist was shaking slightly.
Sung Siwan, a high school student in the world without conscription, may not understand military culture but he knows that the situation was unreasonable.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re not the one who should apologize, sunbaenim. What happened then wasn’t your fault.”
“I introduced you to Idam, Euishin-ah. When you had a battle last time, that’s when you recognized Idam, right? After that, I realized that there was something between you two but…”
I told him that he shouldn’t apologize, but Sung Siwan couldn’t let it go until the end.
Sung Siwan was caught up in something that had nothing to do with him, but he was very distressed.
In the meantime, the scene changed again.
Gye Bastard was discharged from the military and graduated college.
His grades and experience were changed due to his unfaithful attitude, but it was amusing that he was able to graduate.
Even after college, Gye Bastard didn’t try to look for a job.
Instead, he was hooked to PMH, posting malicious comments, and investing in stocks.
‘Maybe he started trading stocks when he realize that his chances of getting a job are close to zero.’
He could’ve lived comfortably until he died with the money that he had if he didn’t waste it.
I guess he still wanted to make money.
Gye Idam partnered with a well-known investor in the stock investment community called Named.
With his cool-headed analysis and giddy predictions, Named received tremendous attention every time he posts something about stocks.
Perhaps from the pressure of fame, Named announced that he would retire after passing on his knowledge to someone on a first-come-first-served basis, and Gye Idam was lucky to be chosen.
‘But there’s something that bothers me about how he entered the stock community.’
It was an event post related to PMH so Gye Idam clicked on it.
The link redirected to a stock community, and that’s where he started.
There are plenty of phishing ads, but who would use the widely-known Failed Game PMH for that?
Anyway, Gye Idam took the advice of Named and made money in the beginning.
However, as Named’s advice became more and more complicated, Gye Idam failed to fulfill all of them and he began to lose money.
Still, he wasn’t failing that badly yet.
Then came a proposal from someone.
“Getting a job?”
“President Cheon said there’s a position available.”
The unemployed Gye Idam readily accepted the offer.
‘So he got the job through a personal connection. I was wondering how that bastard got it.’
A hiring scandal was detected and he was discharged not long after he entered the company.
I was involved too because that position was originally mine.
I didn’t want to run into him again, but that connection he had…
It seems that Gye Bastard thought he was innocently introduced to a job, but it remained unchanged that he broke the rules of society.
After being fired, Gye bastard completely gave up on getting a job and only invested in stocks.
For whatever it was worth, he boldly spent money, using ultra-short-term techniques and inverse investment.
The result was, of course, disastrous.
When Gye Idam lost all his cash, he asked for help from Named.
Named then recommended calling for seed money with stable investment, referring him to Korea’s leading conglomerate.
Gye Idam believed Named and borrowed money with real estate as collateral.
‘That company is…’
It was Cheon Sungheon’s family’s company.
The company was soon to collapse from Cheon Sungheon’s ambush.
Gye Idam went from plenty to none.
When his mental breakdown occurred, Named suggested meeting in person to discuss how to deal with it.
Gye Idam entertained it right away, but the man who met him was an unexpected person.
Cheon Sungheon.
“Did you think you would be safe after bullying Euishin hyung and taking his place like that? Aren’t you scared of the heavens, living your life like that?”
I didn’t know it, but Named from the stock community who pushed Gye Idam to bankruptcy was actually Eunho, Cheon Sungheon.
Cheon Sungheon’s face seemed blurry, so I asked the former head of the association.
“Why is his face blurry?”
[Because it’s not in his memory. I guess he was so ashamed he didn’t dare to make eye contact.]
Cheon Sungheon had a unique spirit even though he was talking in a soft tone.
‘So Sungheon worked on that guy too. He must’ve been very busy during that time though.’
I knew that Cheon Sungheon noticed the unfair hiring case.
But I didn’t know about the things he did.
I was embarrassed, and I felt sorry for my good hoobae who put his heart into things.
“President Choi’s son… No, I think you would understand better if I said ‘Sergeant Choi.’ He asked me to give this to you, ‘Why didn’t you stop doing that?’ I see I’m not the only fan of Euishin hyung.”
I was sometimes asked about the military after being discharged so I glossed over it in moderation, but I guess he got the information through another route.
Sergeant Choi, who used to buy gold matcha ice cream, sometimes came to mind.
Cheon Sungheon spoke as if Sergeant Choi was a fan of mine, but I didn’t see that at all.
“I was just going to mess with you a little, but you crossed the line with the work position.”
“I-I didn’t even know he was involved in that! I didn’t even know that it was that kind of situation in the first place!”
“You plead ignorant? It’s true that you sat in position not going through due process. You knew that.”
Gye Idam finally realized the situation.
He cried out with his face that looked struck by a hammer.
“Who the hell are you…!”
“Me? I’m Euishin hyung’s close dongsaeng.”
“You’re doing this to me because of Jo Euishin?”
“It’s all your decisions that led to this. I wanted to take everything from you, but you didn’t have much anyway. That’s too bad.”
Cheon Sungheon said with a smile.
That Gye Bastard has no family or friends.
Even the distant relative who looked out for him with loyalty went out of contact after the hiring scandal broke out.
All that he had was his body and lifestyle ruined by ignorant choices.
And he had just enough wealth to survive.
“Your relative might pity you if I push too hard, so I had to do it in moderation.”
Cheon Sungheon added viciously.
“I think that’s what you hate the most looking at the comments you wrote in the past, but it would look very good on you now.”
Cheon Sungheon must’ve read all the comments he left.
I was worried that his eyes were dirtied.
Finally, Cheon Sungheon dropped a bomb.
“You’re lucky. You’re a very lucky man.”
Gye Idam collapsed on the floor of a space where no one was there.
Those who went under Cheon Sungheon’s hand went bankrupt, in prison, or went missing.
Gye Idam had to dispose of all the real estate he had and move to a small apartment in a remote place, but he managed to get by.
The meals he used to eat in expensive restaurants became convenience store lunch boxes and ramen.
“Gah, what kind of dudes live upstairs?!”
Days of suffering from neighbors’ noise continued.
At first, he would swing a real hammer stupidly to make the neighbors shut up, but then the wall was damaged so he began to use a toy hammer.
He huffed and puffed uglily and went back to writing malicious comments.
‘So that’s how he lived.’
I didn’t feel much of an emotion when I saw it.
Sung Siwan was now speechless.
In the meantime, the space was getting distorted, perhaps because of Gye Idam’s mental strength.
[Now I have to look at the information that he was looking for.]
The scene was changed again.
Gye Idam was playing PMH on his smartphone, and the screen showing You can now play Ahn Dain’s Hidden Quest.
“What the, why isn’t there a playthrough?”
Gye Idam started searching my blog instead of starting the quest.
He changed the keyword and searched several times, but no result came out.
‘It’s really a quest that I didn’t play.’
Gye Idam clicked his tongue and picked up his phone.
When he pressed the OK button, the screen turned dark and someone appeared.
The people that appeared in the quest’s opening scene were the tigers that I knew.
I recognized the Tiger Clan and felt stunned.
‘Why are they here?’
What appeared on the screen was the masked couple.
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