Netkama Punch!!!

“Don’t tell me… it’s because it was expensive?”

The way he said it pissed me off beyond belief. Like he was saying, “What, your hands shake over something this minor?”—smug and condescending as hell.
When I didn’t answer, Shin Heejae twisted the knife.
“…Didn’t expect you to be such a small-time civilian.”

That bastard’s smug tone really got under my skin. So I fired back, flat and sharp.
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PSesam: lol okay how about you stop obsessing over my gear
PSesam: Fix your own trash gear first
PSesam: Who the hell are you to judge me?

“…Haaah.”
Heejae let out a long, heavy sigh. Then I heard keys clacking—and just as I was about to ask what the hell he was doing, a notification popped up.
You have received a new mail.

[Holy Pendant of the High Elf +9]
That bastard had sent me the pendant again.
The second I saw it, I rolled up my sleeves, ready to throw down. But before I could storm over to the mailbox, Heejae beat me to it.

“Noona.”
I considered ignoring him but stopped my character and answered anyway.
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:

PSesam: I said I’m not taking it.
“Why’re you suddenly mad at me? All I did was give you a gift.”
His voice, though tinged with annoyance, sounded oddly calm—like he was trying not to lose his temper.

I couldn’t believe he was seriously playing dumb, so I snapped back sarcastically.
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PSesam: You literally said I should wear it since I suck
“…Ah, fuck, that was—”

Wait, did this bastard just curse?
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PSesam: Excuse me? Did you just call me a ☆☆?

I was already furious, but that set me off completely.
Maybe he realized he messed up, because his voice instantly dropped, and he stammered.
“N-no, I wasn’t cursing at you… I was just frustrated. Ugh…”

“Unbelievable. Give this guy an inch…”
I was genuinely fed up with how far he was pushing it.
Heejae must’ve noticed I wasn’t replying anymore, because after an awkward pause, he muttered, his tone lower than usual.

“…Everyone else was giving you gifts, so I just thought I’d give you something too. And it was just sitting in my inventory anyway… It’s just… it pissed me off that you wouldn’t take mine.”
I was about to go off—like, why the hell is that your problem?
But before I could type anything, he suddenly coughed—trying to stifle it against the mic. It wasn’t a fake cough, either. It sounded like he barely managed to cover it with his hand.

‘Wait… is he sick?’
His voice was a little hoarser than earlier too…
I forgot what I was about to say and just listened closely through the headset. I heard him cough a few more times, then clear his throat.

And then—
“…Gonna go drink some water. Be right back.”
His voice was still rough and raspy when he said it, before abruptly cutting the mic.

I just stared at the game screen, not really angry anymore, but not exactly feeling better either. It was a weird limbo.
Then, while Heejae was away, someone suddenly shouted in the chat with a high-powered megaphone.
Public Chat (Shout):

EDealsViaMail: Whoever bought my +9 High Elf Pendant after 2 months of it not selling… thank you so much ㅠㅠ LMAOOOOO
That was a merchant I’d seen around the auction house before.
As soon as I read it, I glanced nervously at the [Holy Pendant of the High Elf +9] Heejae had sent me again.

‘No way… he didn’t actually buy it just to send it to me… right?’
The timing was a little too perfect. Still, I shook my head. No, no way. He doesn’t even use +9 accessories himself—he wouldn’t buy that just for me.
‘…Would he?’

But I couldn’t shake the feeling.
Then, maybe ten minutes later, Heejae messaged in chat that he was sorry and needed to go to the hospital.
And just like that, the unease got worse.

* * *
Heejae said he’d be back in two hours after taking some medicine, but he never returned. I figured he’d just passed out after taking the meds. He didn’t even stream that day—which was unusual, considering he went live pretty much every day.
“Well… that’s what you get for living on instant food and nothing but gaming.”

I clicked my tongue and mocked his weak-ass constitution. Then I joined the usual trio of guildmates for a dungeon run—my first without Heejae in a while.
And to my surprise… running dungeons /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ with the three of them was way slower than running with just Heejae alone. I didn’t want to compare, but with other people around, his skill level became painfully obvious.
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:

PHooha: Sesam-nim, your healing is seriously god-tier…
PYeou: You're totally carrying the party
PSesam: No lol please ㅠ
PLemonzzup: So that’s why the guildmaster’s always kidnapping you…
PYeou: You have my respect
PSesam: ;; It’s not like that… Shin Heejae… just uses me as a heal slave, that’s all
No matter how many times I went through it, the trio’s over-the-top praise never stopped being awkward. I rubbed my neck, trying to settle the chat down as it got increasingly embarrassing.
But then, mid-banter, someone suddenly brought up Heejae.

Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PYeou: Guildmaster usually doesn’t even bring healers with him
PLemonzzup: He’s a true solo-player, fr yep yep
PHooha: Yeah, he basically never parties
Despite being in the guild way longer than me, they kept asking questions about Heejae. Apparently, he was infamous even among his own guildmates for doing things his own damn way.

It kind of felt like… becoming the friend of a celebrity and suddenly being in the spotlight. But since my actual relationship with Heejae was far from friendly, all their curiosity was just a burden to me.
So I kept insisting we were just business partners.
Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:

PSesam: It’s basically the same as soloing anyway
PSesam: Sometimes he doesn’t say a single word for hours lol
PHooha: Wait, don’t you guys play like six hours straight though?
PSesam: lol yeah, but still
PSesam: Not much to talk about during dungeon runs, y’know
PYeou: I see…
PYeou: Honestly, I thought… maybe you two were a thing;
PSesam: …What?
PHooha: Ackkkk lol same here
PLemonzzup: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

And just like that, Yeou dropped a bomb—saying she thought Heejae and I were dating. I was about to curse her out, disgusted by the thought, when I suddenly remembered my original mission:

I’d pretty much given up on actually dating him for revenge, since it wasn’t going anywhere… But if the people around us started jumping to conclusions like this, and I didn’t go out of my way to deny it…

‘Isn’t this the ultimate revenge? Getting the rumors to spread while not even dating him?’
And right now, Heejae was sick and out cold—no way he could defend himself. This was the perfect chance.
I gulped and started thinking hard about what I could say to make our “relationship” seem more real. What would make the gossip spread like wildfire, as if I’d used a hundred megaphones?

Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PSesam: Actually… um… the guildmaster gave me something earlier
PSesam: Is it expensive?
PYeou: What is it?

PSesam: The pendant I’m wearing right now
PHooha: hOLY
PLemonzzup: No way… he really gave it to you?

PSesam: Yeah, haha… I was gonna return it if it was worth a lot, but…
PSesam: It is expensive, right?
I even changed my equipment visibility to public so they could all see it. I wasn’t lying, after all.
But after a brief silence, Yeou responded… a little too awkwardly.

Private Whisper, Party/Guild Chat:
PYeou: hhh nooo probably just 1 billion lol not a big deal
PHooha: yeah just take it lol
PLemonzzup: hehe it’s a gift, don’t overthink it~
Of course, I already knew exactly how much the item was worth. It was obvious they were trying to downplay it to help Heejae save face.

“Lying to the wrong person, guys…”
Their transparent loyalty was kind of hilarious. And judging by their tone, I was sure they’d be spreading the juiciest rumors the moment Heejae or I logged off. Which, well—was exactly what I wanted.
“Way better than trying to flirt with Shin Heejae directly…”

This path was way easier—and way more effective. With a sly grin, I kept fanning the flames of their misunderstanding.
* * *
“Haaah…”

But once I logged off and lay in bed, reality hit me. Pretending to be close with Shin Heejae while also playing the innocent victim… My whole body broke out in goosebumps.
“Being a netkama really does require nerves of steel…”
I rubbed my flushed neck and rolled around in bed for a while, then opened my phone and started catching up on webtoons.

After a while, I opened my messenger app. I replied to a few messages from Hyejin, and then my thumb hovered over a message from that bastard Shin Heejae.
Heejae
nuna gonna nap for 2 hrs then b back~
That message was from thirteen hours ago.

I wasn’t really worried per se, but… maybe because of the pendant… I couldn’t shake the weird mood I was in.
And before I knew it, my fingers were already moving.