As soon as I asked, I wanted to facepalm — it
was his place! Of course he could be here!
Ethan’s lips curved into a slight smile, his eyes
twinkling with amusement.
“Didn’t you want to come?”
My heart skipped a beat.
He nodded to the others, who were frozen in
place.
“Welcome.”
???
2000
((
474
I was petrified, my brain reeling. I stammered,
“…Pro gamer!?”
10
Silence. The air thickened.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine things
would unfold this way!
The pro gamer and Ethan Payne were the same
person?!
The others weren’t faring much better.
I vaguely heard one of the guys whisper “holy
shit.”
<
10:50
((
484
CheeseLover suddenly snapped back to reality, covering her mouth in surprise, “Ah! So when you were playing with Josh, Alex, did you already know the other guy was your boss?”
Alex looked aggrieved, “If I knew, would I have played? Our boss is always busy, how would I know he plays that game all the time! He-”
Ethan glanced at him, “If your skills aren’t up to
par, practice more.”
Alex shut up, nodding repeatedly.
At this moment, the most awkward person was
undoubtedly Josh.
But no one cared.
Ethan handed me a headset, “There was something wrong with that one, try this.”
My hands were numb as I took it, still in shock,
<
10:50
What had I done?
484
Oh, I’d asked the pro gamer about Ethan Payne, claiming I wasn’t shallow. Then I told Ethan
Payne that the guys in our department were all really nice…
There were plenty of awkward people, but I was
in a league of my own.
In a short span of time, I’d come up with
countless ways to disappear. I was so
distracted that I couldn’t even put the headset on properly.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and adjusted it
for me.
Cool fingers brushed past my ear.
Click.
10:50
I realized belatedly
–
((
484
that was Ethan’s hand.
My ears felt like they were on fire. I coughed,
“T–then I’ll go ahead.”
I quickly turned and sat down in the nearest
available spot.
As soon as the game started, I regretted it.
The game was incredibly realistic. Several
times, I genuinely felt like I was plummeting
from the sky.
Screams echoed around me, it sounded like
Summer.
I barely managed to hold back my own screams,
enduring until the end. My stomach churned.
Taking off the headset Josh looked at me
<
10:50
Taking off the headset, Josh looked at me, seemingly concerned, “Sarah, you’re a little pale, are you okay?”
Me: “…You should check on your girlfriend.”
Summer had been screaming the entire time, her eyes red–rimmed and teary, her makeup
smudged.
Josh finally turned to her, “Summer, are you
alright?”
I started to walk away, but my legs gave out as soon as my feet touched the ground. I stumbled
forward!
Just as I was about to fall, a strong arm caught
my waist, steadying me.
The warmth and scent of a young man
enveloped me.
484
<
Ethan seemed to be smiling.
“Clumsy, aren’t we?”
My face flushed.
11
He’d already seen me being singled out for
extra drills, and now I’d managed to embarrass
myself even more.
I straightened up immediately, “Th–thanks!”
Ethan paused, “So, can I let go now?”
???
I looked down and realized that in my panic, I’d
grabbed onto his shirt!
One of my hands was even pressed against his
<
10:50
His abs were hard…
No! Sarah, what are you thinking?!
484
I quickly let go, taking a large step back, “Sorry, sorry! I–I didn’t mean to!”
Someone chuckled nearby.
CheeseLover was the most enthusiastic. Even
after that ride, she was eager to try other
games.
Summer seemed traumatized and refused to
play anything else, clinging to Josh and crying
for a while.
Josh ran a hand through his hair, seemingly
impatient, and finally asked, “Want me to call a
cab and send you back to rest?”
Summer immediately stopped crying but
remained alued to losh’s side
10:51
<
remained glued to Josh’s side.
484
Ethan pointed, “There are shooting games over
there, want to try?”
This was one of the few chances I had to
redeem myself. There was no way I was
refusing.
“Sure.”
Ethan led me over, gave a brief introduction,
and then we both put on the headsets and
entered the game.
I finally realized I was being naive. A pro gamer
is a pro gamer.
I tried a few other games, and Ethan was
clearly knowledgeable about all of them,
answering every question I had.
“I heard you started your own company in your
conhomore voor?”
1
<
vvuS ųCTIuniCty nan。 งงบน, mats amaziny.
Some people were just naturally successful.
