Chapter 7: Unexpected Encounter

As the weekend drew to a close, I prepared myself for another day of work at the store.

The night had passed uneventfully, and I woke up early in the morning to enjoy a simple breakfast.

Once I had finished my meal and packed my belongings for the day, I set off to the local tech store where I was employed, conveniently located just a few streets away from my home.

Upon arrival, I greeted my boss with a brief nod and proceeded to take my usual place at the cash register, ready to assist any potential customers seeking technical support or looking to make a purchase.

The first few hours at the store passed unremarkably, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring.

However, as the afternoon approached, I noticed an oddly familiar face enter the store.

The person, a girl, wandered through the aisles, seemingly examining various items.

I couldn't quite place where I had seen her before, but there was an undeniable sense of recognition.

Summoning my courage, I cleared my throat and reached out to her, "Excuse me, Miss, is there anything specific you're searching for? Perhaps I can assist you in finding what you need."

The girl turned to face me, and in that instant, my heart skipped a beat.

To my astonishment, the girl before me was none other than the one I had encountered in the park just a few days ago.

I hastily donned the hat I always wore at work, as if trying to conceal my identity from her, even though she had never seen me before, having been unconscious during our previous encounter in the park.

Realizing how silly my actions must have appeared, I nervously fiddled with my hands behind the counter to avoid her gaze.

The girl smiled warmly and spoke, "Hello, Sir. I'm looking for a charger. Do you know where I can find them?"

Relieved that she didn't recognize me, I responded, "Certainly! Could you please specify the type of charger you need? Is it for a phone, a computer, or a gaming console?"

Her face flushed slightly with embarrassment as she realized her mistake, "Oh, my bad. Yes, I need a charger for the AB-26 gaming console that is used to play Clash of Blades! I assume you're familiar with it, as it's all over the media, haha."

I was taken aback, wondering how such a beautiful young girl could be into video games, but I chose not to comment on it and focused on helping her. "Yes, we have plenty of those chargers. If you could wait here for a moment, I'll fetch one from the storage for you."

"Sure, no problem, Sir!" she replied with a cheerful expression.

Hurrying to the storage room, I retrieved a charger and returned to her side.

Handing it to her, I inquired, "Here you go! Is there anything else you need from us today, Miss?"

She thanked me warmly, "Thank you very much for the quick and friendly help! That's all I need for now. I just moved here and forgot my charger at my old place, but it's too far away to retrieve it right now, and I wanted to continue playing CoB as soon as possible. By any chance, do you play it too?"

With some hesitation, I confessed, "Ah, yes, I've recently started playing it, but I'm still a beginner, haha." I found myself becoming flustered again, much like the previous conversation with Aether in CoB.

Cho-Hee comforted me, "Oh, no need to be shy. We all start somewhere, don't we? If you ever need any help, feel free to contact me! My nickname in the game is Storm Blossom, and by the way, my name is Cho-Hee so please feel free to call me that."

I smiled gratefully, "Then I shall call you Cho-Hee from now on. My name is Davos, and I'm sure I won't forget such a beautiful face so easily... oh no, did I just say that out loud? Please just pretend you didn't hear that," I stammered, feeling immensely embarrassed and covering my face with my hands.

Cho-Hee blushed slightly but giggled, "Aw, nothing to be ashamed of. That's kind of you to say, thank you, Davos." Her soft and friendly expression somehow put me at ease.

Feeling relieved, I replied, "If you say so, then I'm glad. Anyway, since you've told me your name, my in-game tag is Devilish Shadow. As I mentioned, I'm a beginner and currently hunting around the beginner village where I spawned."

She nodded, showing interest, "Alright! I'll be sure to remember it. Also, if you ever make your way to Grumville, my guild has its headquarters there, so we might run into each other. Feel free to send me a message, and we can meet up elsewhere if I'm not busy with dungeons or guild raids at the time. I won't distract you from work any longer. It was nice to meet you, Davos, and thanks again for the charger. Here's the money for it. Goodbye!"

I wished her a great afternoon, and we waved each other goodbye as she left the store.

I briefly wondered if I should have asked to exchange numbers, but I convinced myself that knowing her in-game nickname and real name was enough for now.

I continued my work, still preoccupied with thoughts of her for the rest of the day, though there weren't many customers in the afternoon, so my distraction remained unnoticed.

As the sun began to set, I finished my work, bid farewell to my boss, and left the store.

On my way home, I stopped at a small food stand, feeling too tired to cook, and bought a meal to enjoy in the comfort of my home.

After savouring my dinner, I retired to my bed, replaying the events of the day in my mind before eventually drifting off to sleep.

With a double shift at work behind me, I looked forward to the following day when I could indulge in playing Clash of Blades once again.

In another house in Seoul, Cho-Hee lay in bed, fully awake, her thoughts consumed by the handsome young man she had met earlier that day.

She couldn't help but wonder if the person who saved her in the park was just as kind and intriguing as him.

Then, a sudden realization struck her: "Wait, the doctor said the guy who saved me was tall and had brunette hair? I couldn't quite see his hair due to his hat, but I believe it had brunette colour. Could it be... No, what are the odds? There are around 10 million people living in Seoul, how could it possibly be the same guy?"

Despite trying to convince herself of the improbability, a lingering sense of curiosity remained.

She couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility that Davos was indeed the one who had come to her rescue, considering how flustered he was during their meeting as if he had already met her before.

On the other hand, maybe he was just naturally shy and uncomfortable with her presence.

She decided to wait for an appropriate chance to ask, feeling quite exhausted and then fell asleep as tiredness washed over her.