Netkama Punch!!!

[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]

PSesam: Don’t f*ck with me, seriouslyㅡㅡ
PHeejae: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
PHeejae: I’m not asking to hang out or anything, just show me your faceㅇ_ㅇ??

PHeejae: We could even meet in broad daylight in front of a police stationㅇ.ㅇ
Shin Heejae kept throwing out sweet little lines like he was trying to lower my guard, but to me, it was all just fundamentally impossible.
In the end, he couldn’t break through my stubborn refusal.

“Noona, you’re seriously such a coward… What, you think I’ll say something after seeing your face?”
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Don’t assume there’s something wrong with my face, you f*cking bastard

“Then why won’t you meet me? I saw you drooling over that gear, don’t even try to deny it.”
“Goddammit…”
He waited for my reply, but after I finally turned him down again, he went quiet for a bit. He sounded genuinely disappointed. I sat there, headphones on, feeling uncomfortable and regretful.

But surprisingly, it didn’t take long for Heejae to speak again—completely unfazed, as if nothing had happened.
“Well… I did buy it for you, after all.”
“…?”

“Where are you right now, noona?”
It sounded like he was going to give me the items anyway.
I was shocked by how much of a pushover he was, but I didn’t question it. I ran straight toward his character. I heard a soft scoff through his mic, but I could ignore that much for the sake of the staff.

I stood right next to him, waiting patiently for the [Trade Request]. But instead of sending it, Shin Heejae hit me with a random question.
“But noona, I’ve been wondering.”
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: What?

“What do you think about me?”
If it were any other time, I would’ve cursed him out without hesitation. But right now, the bastard was standing in front of me, holding the staff and dangling it.
Say everything I want and suffer through a poor man’s game,
or
Swallow my pride for a minute and get the best weapon in the server...

Yeah, the second one. No doubt about it. Ten million won for a single line of lip service? Obviously worth it.
So I bit my tongue and replied sweetly.
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]

PSesam: Hahaha. I think… you're good at the game
It was a huge compliment for me.
But the bastard gave me a flat response.

“No, not that obvious stuff. I mean, what do you think of me? As a person.”
“…F*ck… Are you serious right now?”
Just as my patience was wearing thin, Heejae sent a trade request.

And there it was—the same staff from before. A clear signal: depending on my answer, he’d give it or not.
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Haha…You’re kinda cute? Haha…

Heejae took the staff down.
Panicking, I typed again.
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]

PSesam: You’re cute haha!
Heejae giggled and put the staff back up. But again, he didn’t press [Confirm], and instead asked in his usual smug tone:
“And then?”

“What do you mean, and then, you son of a—!”
I slammed my fist on the desk in frustration, then quickly typed when I saw him remove the staff again.
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]

PSesam: You’re handsome ha!
“Noona, I asked what you think, not objective facts.”
“I swear to God I’m gonna kill this crazy bastard…”

I felt like I was about to have a stroke. And yet, every time that staff disappeared from the trade window, my hands instinctively typed again.
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Your voice is nice too haha

PSesam: ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Being around you is fun haha
“What would it be like to have a boyfriend like me?”
“I’d kill myself on the spot, you lunatic…”

[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: I guess… I’d feel like this is what happiness is? Haha
“Noona, you really do like me, huh…?”

“Die! Die! Just die already!”
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Maybe… something like that? Haha

And at that point, reality hit me like a truck and I started yanking my hair out.
“Fck, seriously! Just give it already, you piece of sht…!”
Just then, as if he heard me, a game notification popped up. Could it be? Did he finally trade it? I looked up with hope.

‘Heejae’ has sent you a [Dating Request].
Accept / Decline
It was a nightmare of a message, not the staff I’d been waiting for. And as I hesitated, Shin Heejae whispered slyly through the mic.

“What are you doing, noona? Not accepting?”
“……”
“I’m waiting, you know.”

A [Dating Request] basically meant becoming an in-game couple. You had to be a couple to hold a wedding, and only after the wedding could you get married.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about in-game dating or marriage. I’d already done that dozens of times on my old account. The only difference was that now it was with Shin Heejae.
The problem was the staff.

“This bastard… he has no intention of giving it.”
Even if I accepted the dating request, would he really hand it over?
Judging from his sleazy tone, he was just having fun toying with me. He clearly enjoyed seeing me squirm.

I knew it, and still… that damn staff, so close yet so out of reach, kept making me hesitate.
I stared at the screen, agonizing. Should I keep dancing to his tune? Or should I just throw in the towel and curse him out properly?
But then, out of nowhere, Heejae made a strange proposal.

“Noona.”
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: ?

“How about this—just one month. Date me for one month.”
“……”
I frowned, thinking he still hadn’t let go of the idea of meeting up. But he quickly added, as if he sensed my irritation:

“You don’t have to show your face.”
“What?”
I blinked, glancing between the game screen and his voice in Discord. So he wanted to date, no voice, no face, just in-game?

What the hell was the point of that?
But then Heejae offered something I couldn’t easily refuse.
“Date me for a month, and I’ll give you the staff.”

[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Sure ha
My hands replied before my brain finished thinking. And as if he expected me to agree, Heejae continued smoothly.

“But—”
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: ?

“If you break immersion, the deal’s off.”
“…?”
I wanted to ask what the hell that meant, but Heejae didn’t elaborate. He acted like he’d explained everything.

Left to wonder alone, I fell into thought. Was he telling me not to be too stiff? Did he want me to act all lovey-dovey?
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: What does that mean?

I finally asked. Heejae chuckled and replied.
“Come on, noona. You’re obviously planning to run off after getting the item.”
I thought about denying it, but I’d been pretty honest with Heejae all this time.

The only thing I hadn’t been honest about… was my gender. And Heejae wasn’t stupid. He probably already knew I had zero romantic interest in him. So I stayed silent.
Still, he didn’t sound hurt. He just kept talking.
“I mean, if you just kill time and give me nothing in return, it’s no fun for me either.”

“……”
“So you’ve got to really date me, okay?”
Sigh… Even if it’s just an act, I have to do it properly, huh.

I sighed bitterly, realizing there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But it was still just a game.
All I had to do was sweet-talk him in chat for a month, and I’d get an item worth more than a year’s grinding. Even with a “show of sincerity” clause, this deal was in my favor.
Heejae even made a joke out of it at the end.

“If you still don’t fall for me by the end, just take the staff and ghost me. I’ll go find some other girl.”
“……”
“How about it? Sounds like a good deal for you, noona.”

And he was right. It wasn’t just good—it was almost too good. What I liked most was how clean the ending was. There was no way I’d fall for Shin Heejae.
But...
“Ha, f*ck… Something about this feels off.”

I’d been jerked around by Heejae’s antics too many times. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking into a trap.
Still, still…
No matter how I looked at it, not accepting was just stupid. The truth was, I hated Shin Heejae’s guts, but a month? That was nothing. Besides, my original plan was to pretend to date him and then reveal I was a guy, shattering his pride…

So why does this feel so… dangerous?
In the end, unable to resist, I asked:
[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]

PSesam: You’re seriously gonna give me the staff after a month?
“You want me to write you a contract?”
Heejae chuckled, like he already knew exactly what I was thinking.

But somehow, the more relaxed he sounded, the more desperate I felt. My mind was already drifting toward dating him.
It’s not like I’ll lose anything anyway.
Even if he didn’t give me the staff, it wouldn’t change the fact that he offered it first—trying to buy a relationship with gear.

Just imagining the humiliation he’d feel when the truth came out made me grin. And even if I didn’t get the staff, Heejae was generous with money…
If I can at least squeeze a few buckets of fried chicken out of him…
After finishing the math in my head, I gave him my answer.

[General][Party][Clan][Whisper]
PSesam: Alright haha Let’s date.