Back when I was in the military, there was an incident like this. We were told to wait a bit before starting our next task, but one of my juniors couldn’t resist and began playing a rhythm game on his phone. I used that as a reason to scold him thoroughly. For the record, he was a public service worker assigned to city hall.

Anyway, the military is the military. I bring this up for a reason.

"I told you to just sit and do nothing…”

“I’m in the middle of a game. Just wait a sec. It’s a critical moment.”

Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would play games like that. A proper game should let you stop whenever you want, so you can enjoy it at a reasonable pace. Since yanking the power cord on her computer wasn’t an option, I sat back in the chair and waited.

‘How long is this going to take?’

I hoped she’d finish quickly and watched the screen that Yeram was so focused on.

I hadn’t played League of Legends myself, but having observed Yeram play it enough, I could get a rough sense of how the game was going just by looking at the numbers in the top-right corner of the screen.

"0 kills, 4 deaths, 1 assist. You’re feeding hard, sis."

It was embarrassing to think this was my sister. I was sure there had to be some “gaming genes” in our family.

"Keep at it."

"I keep telling you, it’s not me—I’m not bad. It’s my teammates who can’t keep up with my level.”

"Mmm, sure, sure. Whatever you say."

Normally, I’d argue back, but today, I decided not to. Otherwise, it would only prolong the time before her game ended.

"So, what’s the name of the character you’re feeding with?"

“I’m not feeding.”

“Fine, let’s say you’re not. What’s the character’s name?”

"Nidalee."

"Never heard of her."

The only champions I knew from League were Master Yi and Blitzcrank. You can’t help but pick up some knowledge from the community since so many people play League.

"This is a really tough champ, okay? That’s why I have 4 deaths."

"Right."

No one forced her to pick a difficult champion, but I nodded along. A moment later—

"Ugh, my team sucks," she sighed as she ended the game.

The moment she was done, I closed in with my interrogation.

"Where did you get the money for all this coffee?"

"Coffee? You give me allowance, don’t you?"

"The boss remembers you coming in often. That means you’re here almost every day, right?"

At my words, Yeram paused, thinking.

"I don’t spend money on other things. Sometimes my friends treat me, too."

I give her about 200,000 won a month. Since each coffee costs 2,500 won…

After doing some quick mental math, I figured that if she wasn’t wasting money elsewhere, she could indeed afford to drink coffee this often. Still—

"You’re really not spending it on anything else?"

"Yeah, what else would I spend it on?"

I was genuinely impressed. She gets 200,000 won a month and has nothing else to spend it on? I felt ashamed for doubting such a frugal sister.

"This brother is truly moved. Therefore, I’ll increase your allowance."

It would be a significant raise for the first time in two years. Seeing her expression change a bit at the mention of more money was no surprise—who wouldn’t want a raise?

"An extra five thousand won. I’m being generous."

This was a considerable raise. Whether the economy was in recession or boom, her allowance had always been fixed, but now, she was getting a whole five thousand won extra.

"Wow, you’re so cheap."

"Then don’t take it."

"No, no, that’s not what I meant."

Five thousand won could get her five hours at a PC cafe with her friends. Feeling rather magnanimous, I transferred her the extra five thousand.

"Alright, it’s in. Spend it wisely."

"Sure."

With the coffee misunderstanding resolved, I returned to my space. Since my shift was over, playing a bit of my favorite soccer game sounded nice. But first, I logged into the community.

‘I barely logged in at all today.’

Usually, I spent a good six hours on the community, but today, I’d shown incredible restraint. Admiring my own self-control, I clicked into the site.

[ Ifrit Gallery ]

Ifrit Gallery—a place where various users gather to share stories. It’s not a well-known gallery, but it’s popular among a certain crowd.

While searching for game information, I stumbled upon Ifrit Gallery and found it unexpectedly entertaining. Eventually, I became a regular. But one thing puzzled me: despite its name, "Ifrit Gallery," no one seemed to discuss Ifrit itself.

Apparently, the name Ifrit has various meanings, and the gallery’s original purpose was to discuss those meanings. But now, it’s just a social hub.

[Author: UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon] [Title: Worked my shift at the cafe today…] [Content: (Photo) (Photo) (Photo) Working a cafe job is exhausting. Makes me want to ‘break free’…]

Looking back, it had been pretty tough. It made me feel like I needed a break. Just as I was thinking this, comments started coming in.

Ding.

As usual, there were plenty of responses. Although not many people visited Ifrit Gallery compared to other forums, it had a lot of regulars. You could say that each person was worth a hundred in terms of activity, and I’d gotten familiar with many of the regular usernames.

L: Hey, don’t go off the rails.

L: Why would you want to go down such a tough path?

R: Because it’s fun…

R: Gotta admit, it is fun, lol

LHwanhee: You, working? Hmm…

Some comments doubted that I was doing anything productive. Technically, it wasn’t "some people" but rather just one person.

‘She must be around 29, I think?’

I didn’t know her gender, but I assumed she was female. From the way she wrote, she often hinted at it. Not that "female" was a particularly coveted status in this world, but still.

‘Not that I plan on revealing my gender.’

Once people found out I was a guy, participating in the community would become complicated. Not because people would start yelling anti-male slurs, but because some users would start acting like lovesick puppies. Just the thought of it made me shudder.

LHwanhee: By the way,

LHwanhee: Are you just doing part-time jobs now?

LHwanhee: What games are you playing?

It was typical for LHwanhee, whom I’d known for a long time, to ask personal questions without hesitation.

UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: Just making a living.

UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: Playing Red Dead Redemption these days.

UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: It’s fun.

It was a Western-themed game and incredibly enjoyable. One of the few games that had kept me entertained lately, so I often promoted it in the gallery. Although it’s famous enough not to need promotion, there might still be people who hadn’t tried it.

Just as I was thinking this—

LHwanhee: Oh, that game’s fun.

LHwanhee: By the way,

LHwanhee: Haven’t you served in the military yet?

A sudden question about military service. I handled it smoothly, having anticipated it would come up in the community at some point.

"Military service…"

“Why bring that up?”

While mumbling to myself, I accidentally caught Yeram’s attention and gave a vague response.

“It’s nothing. You might need to do military service soon.”

“Ugh, why would you say that now?”

“If you don’t want to go, just tell me. I’ll gladly cut off an arm for you.”

“I’ll pass on that.”

I’d heard that some people take extreme measures to avoid service. Thinking about it, I typed out my response.

UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: I do want to go to the military,

UncoverTheSecretsOfLondon: but I’m a public service worker. Haha.

I used the public service worker card. Most people don’t know the details about public service work, so it usually ends the conversation.

‘What could you possibly do about it?’

It was the perfect excuse. And soon enough—

LHwanhee: Oh, I’m a public service worker too.

LHwanhee: Where are you assigned?

What the heck?

Didn’t this person say they’d completed their full military service in the army?