VR Headset
"Fuck"
Finn tried to complete the payment again.
But the same message was displayed.
[Insufficient Balance]
"Sir, is there any problem?"
The store clerk stared at him with obvious suspicion.
He gave an awkward smile.
"My roommate just messaged me. He brought the groceries already."
He moved away from the counter and left the store before the store clerk could say anything.
After coming out of the glass doors, he doubled over.
"Damn it."
It was embarrassing.
Moreover, he had nothing to eat today.
He checked his account balance.
[10$]
"Should I ask for more money from dad?"
Thinking a bit, he shook his head.
"What am I thinking? They are already struggling after paying my college fees, I shouldn't bother them anymore."
Despite saying so, his stomach hurt.
He had been eating less to save on money for the past weeks.
"I'll try to ask for an early payment from the boss tomorrow. Until then…"
"Well, tap water is free."
He stood up and returned to his room.
On the way, his phone rang.
The caller id was 'Emma'.
He picked it up.
"Hey—"
"Why didn't you come to my birthday party?"
"...I was busy with my part time job."
There was a short silence from the other side.
She asked.
"Didn't you use to distribute newspapers in the morning?"
"I got another part-time job."
"You quit the previous one?"
"No."
There was another bout of silence.
Finn felt he heard a sigh from the other side before Emma spoke,
"Come to my apartment."
"It's fine. I don't need a party—"
"Now, Finn. Come to my flat now."
She spoke in a commanding voice and cut the call.
Finn was left conflicted.
Emma was a rich second generation kid while he was dirt poor.
Both of them had nothing in common.
But they did, by some luck, become good friends in the first year of college.
It was nice until Emma's mother publicly humiliated him in front of the college gates, saying he was a leech who was trying to curry favor with her daughter.
Thanks to it, he became the butt of jokes for the next two years in college.
His reputation hit rock bottom.
"I don't want to go, but I know she won't stop calling me until I do."
He sighed.
Last year was the same.
He couldn't not go.
After making his decision, he dragged himself to the high-cost flats near the college.
He entered the second building, took the lift to the fourth floor, and rang the bell of the first room next to the lift.
The door opened.
A woman with platinum blond hair and pretty green eyes stood in front of him.
A sigh almost left Finn's lips.
Emma was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful girl on the campus.
She used to make his heart flutter with her every gesture.
But since that incident two years ago, he never felt anything for her.
"Come inside."
He followed her into the apartment.
The place was as big as ever.
It looked like she had cleaned it in a hurry.
"I've prepared lunch."
She beckoned him over to the dining table.
It was filled with proper homemade food.
His stomach growled.
He heard a laugh behind him.
"Someone looks hungry."
She took a seat and waited for him.
Finn stared at her and asked,
"What do you want?"
"I want to celebrate our birthday."
He pursed his lips.
'So she did remember my birthday.'
Of course she would.
It was on the same day as her birthday.
Wanting to leave her apartment as soon as possible, he sat down to eat.
The food was, unquestionably, delicious.
They ate in silence.
After finishing the lunch, he wanted to leave when Emma suddenly went inside her bedroom.
She returned with a box wrapped in gift wrapping.
"My gift?"
"Your gift."
She nodded.
"What is inside it?"
"A surprise."
"I won't take it if it's something expensive. I'd rather not meet your mom again."
Emma's smile disappeared at the mention of her mom.
She looked guilty.
She hurriedly changed her expression and put on a bright smile.
"It is expensive. A VR headset costing 10,000 $."
"I can't take it–"
"But, my mom didn't buy it. I won it from the Esports competition."
He looked at her accusingly.
Esports?
She almost failed the exams in the first years because she was busy with those.
He thought she had stopped wasting her time with the games after that.
But it seemed she started it again after they stopped meeting.
Emma knew what he was thinking.
"Anyway, I got a VR headset from my studio mates a month ago as my birthday gift. It just happens that I have two headsets, so I'm giving you one."
"I can't accept it."
"Just take it. It will help you with your situation. You can also sell it if you want. Though I doubt you'll do that."
She added,
"I won't bother you ever again; take it as a farewell gift."
He took it despite great reluctance.
For some reason, Emma looked relieved when he agreed.
The box was not heavy.
He held it with both hands.
Before he left, he opened his mouth,
"Happy Birthday." He heard a sniffle but he did not turn around. "and the lunch was nice, thanks."
He reached his home in daze.
Despite knowing there was nothing between him and Emma anymore, he did not feel happy or relieved.
He opened the internet to distract himself.
[Search: Infinite Online 2]
The VR headset he received was from the game Infinite Online 2.
A quick search told him it was the first Full Dive VR game.
The gaming communities were going crazy.
Due to the success of Infinite Online 1, there was no doubt about the quality of the second installment.
The official launch of the game was tomorrow.
It seemed that everyone was preparing for the money exchange system that would be soon implemented in the game.
"Crazy idiots, there is no way this game will succeed."
The game was guaranteed to fail.
After all, the processing power needed to run a VR game for millions of gamers at once did not exist.
Infinite Online would disappoint everyone.
Finn was sure of his deduction.
"The best choice would be to sell the headset while the hype is still at an all time high."
He couldn't do it.
When he thought that the headset was last gift from Emma, he found himself reluctant to sell it.
"Forget it. I need to be practical."
He opened eBay and put up the headset for auction.
If he received an appropriate price, he would sell it.
With his stomach full, he sat down to study, and he slept after a few hours.
He had a bittersweet dream.
Seeing all of his college memories—
'Wake up!'
A thunder-like voice suddenly hit his eardrums.
His eyes snapped open and he sat up with a jolt.
What was that?
Whose voice did he hear?