A new challenger approaches

Let’s recap. You didn’t stop going to the PC bang.

You said you would, and you had all of the intention to. Swore up and down that night was your last. Just one final send off before quitting cold turkey. But then Nagyung crawled in your lap, moaned sweet nothings in your ear, and sucked your dick under the desk while you wiped the floor with a silver ADC—which isn’t even your main role, mind you—and all of sudden, the withdrawal plan didn’t seem like it was all that urgent.

That was two weeks ago. Nowadays, you’re a regular again. Or at least, sort of? You’re not spending your entire day there anymore. You’re also not there for the ranked grind.

No, you show up, because you know the hours Nagyung can show up and you’re there, for those three hours every single day, hoping to get some time with her again.

And sometimes, you do.

She’ll sit down in her usual, secluded spot, wearing a variety of oversized hoodies, a baseball cap pulled low over her eyes. No one notices her. No one ever does. You can’t help but spot her instantly every time.

You don’t make a big deal out of it. You’re just glad to see her. She always gives you this little nod, and slides into the seat next to you—oh, right, yeah, you also changed your favorite seat so you’re always next to her now—like she never left.

It’s not even a question anymore of whether you’ll play together. You just do. She boots up her client, you log into your smurf, and it’s off for another night of carrying and coaching her.

You lane with her. Peel for her. Shotcall for her. You ping retreat, and she ignores it. Every. Single. Time. Rages a little bit and then looks at you all guilty and cute and impossible to hold a grudge against. Sometimes, she turns around in her chair and beams at you like she just won Worlds. The only readable piece of her face is still her eyes, but you’ve learned to tell.

It’s fun. Still is. But it’s different from that first time.

You never asked her about it, either. About what she said—about next time, and blankets, and letting you fuck her on your lap. You figured if she wanted to follow up, she would.

She hasn’t.

It’s all toned down since then. You carry her, and she squeezes your thigh, rests her head against your shoulder during queue times or gives you a kiss on your cheek if she’s feeling generous after a win. It’s really not a bad deal, just different.

You even got her into Gold because of all that.

She squealed when she hit it. Climbed into your lap again, bounced in your chair, kissed your cheek twice and was going to brag about it for weeks. The closest you got to that original feeling.

That was three days ago. She hasn’t been back since.

She’s not here today, either. No disguise that you can see through in an instant. No oversized americano sitting dangerously close to her keyboard. No kisses on your cheek.

You play a couple of games on your main account. It’s miserable. Not because your teammates are tilting you (not for lack of trying, mind you), but because you’re just bored. The games don’t hit the same without her ignoring your pings and tanking tower shots chasing kills. So you head out.

You grab your shit, walk out the door, and that’s when you see her.

Leaning against the wall, just outside the PC bang entrance, scrolling through her phone. Face mask, cap, sunglasses. A crop top black hoodie. An interesting take on Nagyung’s incognito mode, but it’s not her. You can tell immediately.

This girl’s taller. Shoulders squarer, posture straighter. Her frame’s more athletic—less cute and bubbly smiles, more charismatic. Not petite, but not imposing either. Alluring. Almost your height. Almost.

And she’s switched to watching you.

She tilts her head at you. It’s not coy like Nagyung does. There’s no flirty cheerfulness, no expressive energy hiding under her hoodie. This isn’t a girl acting shy and rocking your world when she isn't.

This is a woman waiting for you to notice her—and being so damn sure you would.

She pushes off the wall, approaches you with too much confidence that you won’t run away. One hand pulls her mask down, the other lowers her mask just enough to reveal her eyes.

Almond-shaped, like a cat. Heavy-lidded. Confident. Sultry in a way that feels inherent, not something that can be taught.

You know those eyes. You know that beauty mark. You know that whole face.

How could you not, after everything you love and have been through?

Chaeyoung.

Fromis_9’s Chaeyoung. So first Nagyung shows up inside your PC bang, and now Chaeyoung outside of it? How the fuck are you supposed to lampshade that?

“You know what’s crazy?” she says, way too confident again that you’re not in shock just from the fact that she’s talking to you. “Our dorm’s five minutes from here.”

Oh.

You blink. “I’m not sure that’s the craziest thing happening here.”

She slips her phone into the pocket of her hoodie and steps a little closer, letting her face mask snap back into place but putting the sunglasses in her other pocket.

“We can agree on that, but it’s still weird, right?” she says, turning and glancing toward the PC bang entrance. “We’ve both got these big personal setups at our dorm. With the custom gaming chairs and everything.”

She smirks at you like that detail’s supposed to mean something. “That sounds comfortable.”

“I know. So I couldn’t figure out why she’d keep coming back here,” she continues. “I know she used to come here occasionally when she just wanted some me time. But now she’s here all the time. It’s like, obsessive. Right after a rant about quitting League for Overwatch.”

You shrug, pull your best confused face. “Maybe she just likes the snacks they have here?”

“I’d believe you if you didn’t exist,” Chaeyoung shoots back, but there’s no bite to it. She points a finger at you, not accusatory, just stating a fact. “I know you’re why she’s been ranking up rapidly.”

Okay, yeah. Busted. There’s no way to know what she knows, but there’s no point in denying any accusations she makes that hit the nail on the head.

“Was I not supposed to?” you question back, a bit more coy than you would have a month ago.

“Nah, relax,” she says. “I’m not here to criticize you or anything.”

You look at her, intrigued.

“I just figured it was time we met. I want your help to get my rank above Nakko back.”

You’re about to try and turn her down, some sort of loyalty to Nagyung shining through, but she doesn’t wait for you to catch up. “You free now?”

You nod, unsure why. Maybe because you’re not used to saying no to beautiful women, or maybe because Chaeyoung’s presence is more gravitational than conversational.

“Wait, no,” you interject before you even figure out anything further. “I don’t think I should be doing that. I think it might hurt my chances with Nagyung.” It seems your spine hasn’t left you fully just yet, or maybe this is the effect of being a spineless being. Who can tell?

“Look,” she says, stepping in just a little closer, physically looking up at you, just slightly, but really, looking down at you a little bit. “I know she hasn’t been here since she hit gold. Has to not feel great for you either, huh?”

You blink at her, all of her words causing your brain to lag behind. “You’re tracking her now?”

She just shrugs, and the difference in social skills and fluidity is just painful. “I live with her. Not that hard to figure out when she is or isn’t sneaking out in a disguise to go to a PC bang literally 5 minutes away.”