He Is That Guy

[Global] Yoo Chae: I’m just curious.
[Global] Yoo Chae: Not answering kinda means yes, doesn’t it?
[Global] Yoo Chae: It’s true, right? It is, isn’t it?
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: lmao;
No matter how I looked at it, this guild was hopeless. That freak being the guild master? What a joke.

At this point, I almost felt grateful he’d thrown a fit over my nickname. If he hadn’t, I might’ve gone on playing without realizing what kind of lunatic I was dealing with.
[Whisper] soeso: Okay, but like... I just got legit chills. That normal??
[Whisper] I’mSoSleepy: Yeah.
Even the guild members watching from the sidelines were visibly shaken by how Yoo Chae’s attitude flipped like he’d been possessed.

[Global] Let’sTripleJump: Am I dreaming right now?
[Global] Let’sTripleJump: Did Guild Master just use polite speech..?
[Global] Haerun: Turns out our Guild Master does know what manners are.
[Global] ParkSeungjin99: So slapping a “yo” at the end of a sentence suddenly makes him Mr. Polite, huh lmao
[Global] Haerun: For him? That’s genuine effort.
I stared at the monitor, exhaled deeply, and rubbed my forehead.
I didn’t care why that bastard was acting like this. I just wanted this whole mess cleaned up so I could go back to grinding.

“All this, just to join a damn guild…”
I gathered my thoughts and typed again.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: I’ll leave the guild.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Don’t talk to me if we run into each other again.

[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: Wait;;
[Global] Yoo Chae: No.
[Global] Yoo Chae: Please don’t leave.
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: ?
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: ?
I had just regained my composure and opened the guild menu to quit when those new messages came in—and made my face twist in disbelief.

[Global] Haerun: Wow…
[Global] ParkSeungjin99: Guild Master, no offense, but you sound completely unhinged.
[Global] Haerun: Yeah, this ain’t it…
[Global] Yoo Chae: I won’t kick you.
[Global] Yoo Chae: Please keep playing with us.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: ?
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: I swear I’m gonna lose my mind.
“Ha, fuck me…”
A wave of emotion I couldn’t name slammed into me. I clutched my forehead, a migraine rising fast.

What the hell was wrong with that guy? I wasn’t even mad anymore. I was just… drained. I was seriously starting to lose all interest in Zenoris itself.
“No. No way.”
I couldn’t let that happen. Not after the hell I went through grinding the past ten days. I wasn’t about to let one psycho ruin everything.

Get a grip. Slip up for even a second and I’d get sucked into another spiral. I erased the message I’d started typing—“What’s your address?”—and rewrote it calmly.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Nah, I’m leaving.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Just kick me.
[Global] Yoo Chae: Nope. I won’t.
[Global] Yoo Chae: You don’t either, Water.
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: Don’t drag me into this… You two figure it out.
Oh my god, I’m gonna lose it.

[Global] I’mSoSleepy: What the actual fuck is your deal;
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: You said if I didn’t change my name, I should leave. So I’m leaving.
[Global] Yoo Chae: You don’t need to change it.
[Global] Yoo Chae: Also, I never explicitly told you to get out…
BANG!

I couldn’t take it anymore—I slammed my hand down on the keyboard.
The expensive gaming keyboard lit up in rainbow RGB, blinking furiously. Wait. This whole situation was starting to feel eerily familiar…
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: Fine, whatever.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: I’ll leave myself.

I pulled the guild window back up from the bottom of my screen. The quit button should be around here somewhere...
[Whisper] soeso: Uh… Jihan.
After searching for a while, I finally spotted the tiny gray "Leave Guild" button in the bottom-right corner. But… why was it grayed out?

[Whisper] soeso: You, uh… can’t quit right now.
[Global] Haerun: Oh no, Sleepy…
[Global] ParkSeungjin99: I’m literally crying rn lmaoooo
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: You won’t be able to leave.
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: You can’t quit for a week after joining.
[Global] I’mSoSleepy: ?

No way. I pressed the grayed-out button frantically, refusing to believe it—but nothing happened. I’d hoped for a pop-up saying “You’ve successfully left the guild.” That hope was shattered.
[Global] Let’sTripleJump: LOLOLOLOL QQ 😭😭😭
[Global] Haerun: You really didn’t know?? lmfao
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: It’s to stop guild-hoppers.
[Global] DrinkWaterPlz: You’re locked in for a week after joining.
[Global] ParkSeungjin99: Guys, don’t laugh!
[Global] ParkSeungjin99: Imagine how pissed Sleepy must be right now. ㅡㅡ

[Whisper] soeso: Bro I’m sorry
[Whisper] soeso: I totally forgot to explain that;;
I stared at the chat window filling up with sympathy, laughter, and chaos.
So… I couldn’t quit?

I was stuck in this garbage fire of a guild for an entire week?
[Global] Yoo Chae: lol
[Global] Yoo Chae: Looking forward to playing with you, Sleepy. :)
“….”

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
 
****

Even when life’s gone to hell, the sun still rises tomorrow.
Sure, it might sound ridiculous to talk about “life” over something as dumb as joining the wrong guild—but to us gamers, games are life.
I hovered over the Zenoris icon for a long time… then gave up and started reinstalling HOL instead.

I’d uninstalled it when the semester started, so it’d been a while. Once installation finished, the game booted up to a promo for a new hero. My friends list popped up next to it.
Back in the day, I would’ve queued for ranked immediately. But after a few months away, I wasn’t feeling it.
Instead, I found myself thinking even more about Zenoris. I only opened HOL because I didn’t want to suffer through that guild for a week, but now…

“Nothing’s working out today.”
Yeah, forget it. I moved to close the game—when a familiar name pinged me.
[UltimateArrow] Whoa, Jihan! Hey!
[UltimateArrow] Long time no see.

[I’mSoSleepy] Hey, bro hahaha
It was Seo Taeyoung—former mid laner for team LVS until last spring. Four years older than me, he’d retired last year and switched to streaming. One of the few streamers I genuinely liked.
[UltimateArrow] Must’ve been hella busy, huh?
[UltimateArrow] On break now?

[I’mSoSleepy] Break started a while ago.
[I’mSoSleepy] Just been on another game lol
[UltimateArrow] What are you playing?
[I’mSoSleepy] Zenoris.

[UltimateArrow] That RPG??
[UltimateArrow] That’s surprising.
[UltimateArrow] Is it fun?
[I’mSoSleepy] Not bad.
[I’mSoSleepy] What’ve you been up to?

We chatted for a while. He mentioned he was getting married soon—been dating his girlfriend for three years and was swamped with preparations.
[I’mSoSleepy] Congrats, bro haha
[I’mSoSleepy] You got a date set?
[UltimateArrow] Yeah, October 9th. Just over two months left.
[UltimateArrow] Can you make it? That’s during the semester, right?

[I’mSoSleepy] Busy or not, I’m there for your wedding.
[I’mSoSleepy] I’ll drop a fat cash gift too.
[UltimateArrow] Hell no, man.
[UltimateArrow] I’m not some evil adult who squeezes money from broke students, lol.
[UltimateArrow] I’ll send you the invite. Just come eat.
[UltimateArrow] Ji-yoon and I picked a place with god-tier food.
Seeing him so happy put a smile on my own face.

[UltimateArrow] Even if you’re not gaming, at least shoot a text now and then.
[UltimateArrow] A lotta people still wonder how you’re doing.
[I’mSoSleepy] lol got it, got it
After we said goodbye and I shut down HOL, I launched Zenoris.

Since I’d ragequit right after failing to leave the guild yesterday, my character was still on Feroco Lighthouse Island.
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: Yo
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: Sleepy’s back LOLOLOL
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: Sleepy hihi lol
[Guild] LaggingLikeHell: Welcome back, newbie~
[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: ‘Sup
[Guild] I’mSoSleepy: Hey.

Everyone who remembered the failed quit saga greeted me with a laugh. I replied halfheartedly and quickly opened the guild menu—to check the one thing that mattered most.
Yoo Chae [Offline]
“Haa…”

Thank god. Now if I switch to AFK or log out—
Yoo Chae has logged in.
[Guild] LaggingLikeHell: GM hey~
[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: heyhey
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: Wait what?
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: Sleepy logs in and GM immediately shows up?
[Guild] Haerun: sus~
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: LOLOLOLOL

What the hell.
Even his log-in timing matches his freak personality.
I was seriously debating whether I should pretend to be AFK when Yoo Chae ignored everyone and called me out directly.

[Guild] Yoo Chae: ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Hey.
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Sleepy-hyung.
With an honorific nobody could’ve predicted.
“…?”

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was dreaming.
[Guild] SpicyCrabPlz: ?
[Guild] ParkSeungjin99: ?
[Guild] Haerun: ?
[Guild] Let’sTripleJump: ?
[Guild] LaggingLikeHell: ?
[Guild] Hwaseoun: ?
[Guild] TheHunter: ?
[Guild] MeLostInHunt: LF7 Brawl 3ch go
[Guild] ManaIsDryGuy: ?
[Guild] MonsterBornFromCapitalism: ?
[Guild] TakeItIt’sFree: Stop. For the love of god. Stop.
I stared at the chaos in the guild chat—basically a mirror of my own mind—and cautiously replied.

[Guild] I’mSoSleepy: Wait, are you
[Guild] I’mSoSleepy: talking to me right now?
[Guild] Yoo Chae: Yeahㅜ
“……”

Three minutes into logging back into Zenoris...
I slowly dragged my mouse toward the “Exit Game” button.