4 What The Hell Is This?

[

AN:

- How were the previous chapters? Comment your thoughts or reviews at the end of the chapter. They're greatly appreciated.

- If there is any confusion with the Korean terms or related topics that don't seem quite right, please comment on it so that I can correct it at a later date

-That's all enjoy the chapter!

]

***

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Groaning, Lee Cheong-San flippantly moved his hand to grab his phone to turn off the timer. While he hated waking up so early in the morning, it had become a daily necessity. Bringing the phone to his face he realized the object he was holding was, in fact, not a phone.

As his eyes gained their clarity, he saw that he was instead holding a scroll in his hand.

"What the hell is this?" he said out loud, turning the object in his hand around as he observed it. The scroll had a sandy texture to the paper, giving it an old feeling. The handles were made out of some metal and shaped into a dull grey sphere. Touching the handle, he found the metal to be cold to the touch. "Did On-Jo sneak this into my room after I fell asleep or something?"

Taking that to be the case, Cheong-San decided to see what the scroll contained to have On-Jo sneak into his room for. As soon as the scroll was fully unveiled, a bright light flashed him.

"The fuck!" shouted Cheong-San. Throwing the scroll against the bedroom wall, he rapidly blinked his eyes to try and readjust from the sudden exposure to the strong light.

Getting out of bed, Cheong-San slowly approached the scroll, the light dying down before reverting to normal. Picking up the scroll, he saw the previously blank paper now filled with boxes and words, with a small white border dividing the scroll into two boxes, the top, and the bottom. The Top box was further divided into two columns.

[Top Right Column]

[Top Left Column]

[Bottom]

He blinked. Looking around himself, Cheong-San made sure no one was around before slapping himself hard on the face.

"Fuck! What the hell is this doing here!" He instantly recognized what the tables and strange words were; it was the GUI for Deepwoken! Though it's been almost two decades since he saw the game, the many hours spent grinding the game after being killed over and over by people for being a 'Felinor' was deeply ingrained in his very essence. The very thought of the many times he's been forced into a 'Vow of Mastery' made him shiver thinking of the things they made him do.

"But what is this doing here?" The situation put him in confusion. He knew for certain that Deepwoken definitely didn't exist, why Roblox didn't exist in this parallel universe. "So how did a scroll with my name and age end on a GUI scroll?"

In the corner of the scroll, Cheong-San saw something that was definitely not in the game. In bold white letters, it said 'PRESS TO DISPLAY RACIAL COSMETICS.' With his curiosity egging him to press those words, he decided to throw all caution into the wind and do it.

Anxiety started to grow inside Cheong-San as he felt his ears feel as if they were being stretched more and more. From his skin, he felt the rapid growth of hair form on his around said ears and head. Cheong-San could feel his canines grow longer and sharper in his mouth. His eyes, though he couldn't quite describe the feeling, knew that something was happening to them. Rushing the bathroom, he stared in shock at his new appearance.

Gone were his ears, replaced by large, cat-like ears that seemed fluffy to the touch. His previously black hair from his head to his eyebrows, and a quick to the pubic region confirmed, had all changed to snow white. In shock, Cheong-San stared in the mirror before letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

"WHY AM I A CAT BOY?!"

***

Nam On-Jo's heart was in turmoil.

After On-Jo's mother passed away from childbirth, Nam So-Ju was left alone to raise his daughter. Due to the nature of his work, the man had barely enough time to juggle raising a baby as well as being ready for any emergencies. Luckily, their neighbors offered to help watch the young girl, as the mother had taken time off from work to watch her only son.

That was the first time she had met Lee Cheong-San.

If she had one word to describe their first memories together, it would've been 'careless.'

WIth a buzz-cut hair, Lee Cheong-San at the age of three was unkempt as an adolescent boy could be. With a constantly relaxed posture and lackadaisical attitude towards virtually everything, the boy was the epitome of a willow tree, swaying whatever direction the wind took him.

And while On-Jo liked to say when they first met that she confidently walked up and introduced herself, she reluctantly admitted that it was only after her father's nagging that she moved from her hiding place behind his leg.

She didn't know why, but the way Cheong-San looked at her actions and waited patiently for her to introduce herself gave off the vibe totally different from her kids her age and more of those belonging to an adult.

When Cheong-San spoke, she noticed the funny way he talked, telling her dad about it and priding herself on how smart she was compared to him. Contrary to her expectations, instead of being praised by her dad, he instead scolded her, telling her to apologize to Cheong-San the next time they met.

It was only later during primary school that On-Jo Cheong-San's parents thought he was mentally disabled.

But she didn't know that.

Like most children, they didn't know how to handle their growing resentment or anger. Due to So-Ju's reprimand, On-Jo decided to take it out on the source of her troubles: Cheong-San.

And while Cheong-San would say that they were just kids being kids and wave it off, just like he usually did when handling a 'troublesome' problem, On-Jo thought differently.

On-Jo really did want to torment Cheong-San as a child.

At the playground, whenever she would lose in a game of Cham Cham Cham or tag, On-Jo would resort to violence to win, either pushing the offending boy or kicking the back of his leg when auntie wasn't looking. Or during lunch, when they had bulgogi, she would steal some of his food when no one was looking.

Though a little voice in the back of her head said what she was doing was wrong, her pride and vanity drowned it out. And so this treatment would continue well throughout their childhood.

Until the first day of primary school.

As On-Jo stated before, she believed herself to be head and shoulders above her peers. She knew how to write her name, albeit not as clearly as she liked, and count up to 10.

The first day of kindergarten was hell for her. She learned that her feats were nothing exemplary, some kids could count up a hundred! One of the girls was able to name all the planets in the Milky Way galaxy and argued with the teacher that Pluto was not a planet.

On-Jo's whole world was crumbling around her. The final nail in the coffin was when Cheong-San, who she thought herself to be smarter than, scored full marks on their evaluation test. Looking down at the 3/10 on her's, On-Jo gripped the paper tightly before shoving it in her small, red backpack.

And in her constantly shifting paradigms, On-Jo came to a conclusion that only a child could come up with.

"It's all dad's fault!"

Quickly running home from school, On-Jo dumped her backpack before putting the necessary essentials to run away from home. She tried to put her comforter in her backpack but realized that couldn't fit, so she settled with her blanket. After stuffing the rest of the backpack with crackers and candies, On-Jo headed to the kitchen with a crayon in hand.

Unknowingly using the electric bill to write her note for her dad, describing how much she hated him and school, On-Jo resolutely marched outside of her home while holding her barbie doll.

As the little girl walked down the stairways, she passed by Cheong-San who was looking at confusion.

"Where are you going?" asked Cheong-San the bully.

"Far away!" shouted On-Jo, "I hate my dad, the school, and you! So I'm going to run away!" And with that, the girl marched down the stairs. Behind her, Cheong-San stared at a bulging backpack on On-Jo's back before hitting his head against the nearest wall.

"I just wanted to play games today!"

A long story short, Cheong-San had followed her as she walked as far as possible away from her home. After several hours and realizing she was lost, On-Jo sat on the curb and started crying. Finally deciding that the girl wouldn't try and run away anymore, he came out of hiding before the vending machine and proceeded to drag her back home to where both furious parents awaited them.

To On-Jo's shock, Cheong-San took that blame for everything citing his reason to go outside with On-Jo to explore the city. The boy even gave her a discreet wink, as if to say everything was going to be ok.

It was then that Nam On-Jo and Lee Cheong-San became best friends.

In the present, On-Jo stared fondly at of one their pictures were taken in primary school during a trip to the Seoul Zoo. In the picture, both On-Jo and Cheong-San had their arms wrapped around each other; her giving Cheong-San bunny ears while the boy did weird things with his hands called '{gang signs},' though she honestly didn't know what Gangnam had to do anything with hand gestures.

In her right hand was her school name tag.

She knew she liked Lee Su-Hyeok, commonly known as Bare-Su. Who didn't? He was a school heartthrob, a bad boy who turned good after Cheong-San exposed him and his former friends for bullying some kids. They were friends now, though Cheong-San still kept his distance from the former bully.

But the problem was, whenever she tried practicing confessing to the high school prince, Cheong-San kept popping to mind. Why did her stomach drop seeing him so close with I-Sak, despite knowing I-Sak liked someone else?

No, On-Jo she had liked Lee Su-Hyeok for since their first year of secondary school. High school was almost halfway over, she knew that she would regret not asking him out.

Yet, why did she heartache so much thinking about it?

Packing her textbooks and notebooks in her bag from last night's study session, a piece of paper slipped out from one of her binders. In Cheong-San's distinctive chicken scratch, the boy had written down, '{You can ace this test!}' in English with a giant smiley face next to it.

Shaking her head, she headed over to her apartment for breakfast. Glancing at the shoe rack, she saw that Cheong-San had already gone on his morning run.

***

"Do exams start next week?"

"You always bring up tests when I'm eating."

In the apartment next to Cheong-San was the Nam family. Sitting at the dining table were Nam On-Jo and her father, Nam So-Ju.

Looking down at her food, On-Jo put some seasoned spinach and soybean sprouts into her bowl. Knowing her father, On-Jo knew that he would continue his repetitive game of 21 questions.

"When else should I ask?" questioned her dad, putting on the watch her mom had given to him. "Make sure to finish the sprouts, they're about to spoil soon. All right." Putting some sprouts in his bowl of rice as well, he continued. "I mean, you're not gonna get good grades anyway."

At that, On-Jo stopped chewing her food. She decided to let him finish sprouting out his daily dose of well-intended advice. Heh, she was starting to joke like auntie Ji-Hyun.

"No point in stressing about it."

"Dad, you know I'm Rank 3 now, right?"

(AN: Korean grading scale starts 9 as the lowest and 1 as the highest, so 3 would be a B+)

Hearing that, So-Ju choked on his coffee, spraying a fine mist of the brown liquid violently on their wooden table.

As So-Ju, got a napkin to clean up the spill, he looked at his daughter who was giving him a smug smile, like a cat waiting to be complemented.

"On-Jo, are you sure you didn't...cheat?" He said unsure of himself. He remembered the last time he had seen his daughter's grade in middle school that was around Rank 6. Seeing how sad his On-Jo got talking about her grades, So-Ju tried to avoid bringing the topic up as much as possible for his daughter's sake. On-Jo was the only thing left of his beloved wife, he'd rather see her happy and healthy than suffer studying too hard.

"Dad!" complained On-Jo, "You're just like I-Sak and Gyeong-Su. You totally gave up on me."

"I'm didn't give up on you," corrected So-Ju, now back to eating, "I just didn't have any expectations."

On-Ju glared at her dad.

"But I'm happy to see your hard work pay off." So-Ju defended, realizing his daughter was giving him the stink-eye, he changed the subject. Looking at a white cardboard box with red and yellow designs, So-Ju grabbed a piece of fried chicken with his hands. "Man, Cheong-San's really outdid themselves that last night. The new chicken goes well with soju."

"You know," said So-Ju, tearing the fried chicken in half before taking a bite, "there was an accident by a tollgate, so I went to the scene. And whether you're rich or poor, got good grades or bad ones, everyone's equal in an accident. Grades are not that important. Being healthy and safe. That's all that really matters."

"I know dad," agreed On-Jo, "but Cheong-San said if I really might have a chance to get into rank 2 if I study a bit harder."

"Ah," So-Ju let out in realization, "no wonder you're getting good grades, Cheong-San's been helping you. On-Ju, don't push yourself. You shouldn't try and compare to someone like Cheong-San. He's the type of boy that the neighborhood moms tell their children to be like. It's already good enough you've gotten such high grades."

So-Ju put another piece of chicken on his daughter's plate. "Just eat. You'll need more food for the morning."

Ding-Dong.

"It's Cheong-San," said On-Jo, shoveling as much food in her mouth before picking up her backpack.

"Always on time, that boy," remarked So-Ju as he take a look at his watch.

"Bye, Dad," On-Jo said, leaving for the door.

So-Jo pointed at her half-empty bowl. "Hey, have another bite, okay? Hey, kid! Are you even listening?"

Sighing seeing the front door close with a shut, So-Ju turned back to the table. "That punk," he said, licking the sauce from his fingers. "She basically didn't eat anything"

With a shake of his head, he grabbed her bowl before dumping the remnants into his own. "Guess I should start with her leftovers. I'll make sure none of the fried chicken is left to teach her a lesson."

Outside of the apartment, On-Jo glanced at Cheong-San, who had slightly wet hair and was panting.

"Did you take a shower in the morning?" asked On-Jo.

Cheong-San nodded his head. "I got more sweaty than usual, so I took a shower. But once I saw the clock, I was in a bit of a hurry to get ready."

"Did your dumbass forget to eat breakfast again?" said On-Jo with a raised eyebrow, "if you're quick enough, you could eat some of the leftovers at my house."

Cheong-San shook his head. "No, I'm good. By the way, On-Jo, do you see anything in my hand?"

Cheong-San raised his left hand to On-Jo.

Taking a look at his left hand, On-Jo didn't see anything weird about it besides that it was in a 'C' shape as if he was holding a cup.

"What the hell is this? Are you trying to be a crab?" she asked, expecting this to be some prank.

She heard him mutter a small, 'I see,' before looking back up at her smiling. "Nope, I was just curious, that's all."

Rolling her eyes, she readied her hands, "Alright, school almost starts soon, so let's decide who's gopher today."

Cheong-San groaned at that. "Couldn't you just hand me your backpack instead? You always win rock-paper-scissors anyways."

"Then that wouldn't be as much fun if I didn't both get a gopher and win rock-paper-scissors," pouted On-Jo.

Begrudging getting his hands ready, he nodded his head. "I'm ready."

"Rock, paper, scissors. One, two, shoot!"

"Rock, paper, scissors. One, two, shoot!"

On-Jo threw out a rock. Looking at Cheong-San hand's she was able to catch a glimpse of him changing his fist into scissors.

"Hey, that's cheating," said On-Jo. But despite her complaints, she was already grabbing her backpack to hand over to Cheong-San.

"Is it cheating if you're trying to lose?" said Cheong-San with a smirk. "Now give me your backpack."

But just as he was about to grab it, On-Jo pulled the arm holding her backpack away. "Why are you acting so 'sus today? Normally you would complain at least twice about carrying my backpack. Are you planning something weird with my backpack?"

"What!" exclaimed Cheong-San, quickly shaking his head, "I just wanna do it today to help with my weight training. The 'Hike' weight vest you got fired up for weight training."

Though something was definitely off with her best friend today, On-Jo decided to ignore it. It wasn't the first time Cheong-San did or said something bizarre. "Whatever, if you want to carry it, the better for me. But don't expect this allows you to slow us down when we head to school."

"{Sir, yes sir!}" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, mocking a soldier.

"Bastard, acting pretty cocky now, huh? Stay still so I can hit you."

Walking side by side, Nam On-Jo and Lee Cheong-San headed to school.