The Frozen Player Returns

[Again? Uncleared Gate “Leuf’s Garden’s” disappearance confirmed.]

[Online tabloids names Player ‘Seo Jun-Ho’ as the one who cleared it.]

[Just who in the world is Player Seo Jun-Ho?]

Shim Deok-Gu nodded slowly as he read the articles. “It’s just like you said. Even though we didn’t say anything, people still figured out that you cleared the Gate.”

“I told you so,” Seo Jun-Ho chided. He was laying down on the sofa of the president’s office. “Wow, this sofa’s really comfortable…Can I eat this chocolate?” he asked.

“...Go ahead,” Shim Deok-Gu said with a soft sigh. He continued. “The Indian government has sent their thanks. When Tushar’s family saw the journal you found, they started crying their eyes out.”

“I’m glad things worked out.”

“It’s a relief that you were at least able to find a memento…Though, it’s a bit of a shame about the other thing.”

“What do you mean?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

Shim Deok-Gu shook his head. His was face full of regret. “Never mind. If I say it, you’ll probably curse me out for being a bad person.”

“Come on. I already know that you’re a dirty, cheating bastard. I won’t curse you out for that.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“So what were you talking about?” Seo Jun-Ho pressed.

“...You know, Tempest Butterfly. The famous bow that Tushar used. It’s a shame that you didn’t find it,” he said reluctantly.

“Huh? Oh… I didn’t tell you?” Nibbling on the chocolate, Seo Jun-Ho opened his inventory and rummaged around until he found Tempest Butterfly. “Here.”

“...Huh?”

Shim Deok-Gu’s mouth gaped as he looked back and forth between Seo Jun-Ho and the bow. He scrambled up as he shouted. “You! Y-you…!”

“Geez, you scared me. You’re hurting my ears,” Seo Jun-Ho muttered.

“You bastard! You shouldn't have kept this hidden! What will you do if this causes diplomatic issues later?”

Tempest Butterfly had been discovered in a Gate in India. It had been loaned to Tushar Vishi, so it was technically still owned by the government.

Seo Jun-Ho glanced up at his friend. “I have a friend who’s an expert at taking care of these things, you see.”

“Are you talking about me?” Shim Deok-Gu demanded.

“My friend is also very smart.”

“...Man, I’m going crazy.” Shim Deok-Gu collapsed on the sofa. In a single instant, it looked like he aged a month.

Seo Jun-Ho held out Tempest Butterfly. “Wanna take a look at my bow?”

“Now’s not the time…” Shim Deok-Gu hesitated.

Tempest Butterfly was a high-grade bow that had been considered a national treasure by the Indian government. It would be weirder if Shim Deok-Gu wasn’t curious.

He scratched his wig and carefully took the bow into his hands. He studied it for a long time before he expressed his admiration. “...Wow, this bow really is amazing. I get why it’s a national treasure now.”

“Right? But I won’t be able to use it much,” Seo Jun-Ho sighed.

“Of course not. We told them that it was destroyed with Tushar Vishi’s inventory,” Shim Deok-Gu retorted.

“No. The one I’m up against isn’t the Indian government, it’s a fiend.”

“...A fiend?” Shim Deok-Gu looked up. He looked confused for a moment, but he quickly understood. “You mean Kal Signer?”

Seo Jun-Ho nodded. The Demon Bow Kal Signer was a fiend who obsessively collected bows.

‘He even left a warning to say that he’d steal Tempest Butterfly. The fiend who went into the Gate with Tushar was probably under orders from Signer too.’

Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t let the fiend find out that he had the bow no matter what. Because Kal Signer would aim his bow at Seo Jun-Ho the moment it was revealed.

‘He had probably seen the articles by now.’

Officially, Seo Jun-Ho hadn’t discovered Tempest Butterfly. But Kal Signer was obsessed over bows. He would probably be suspicious of the reports.

‘If he suspects me…’

The fiend would probably send fiends to go after him once Seo Jun-Ho entered the final Uncleared Gate in Korea when he reached level 13 or higher.

‘Just like he did with Tushar Vishi.’

Seo Jun-Ho stroked Tempest Butterfly in his hands. If things worked out, he would be able to start taking the revenge he promised to Tushar Vishi sooner than he thought.

***

Not many people became a celebrity overnight. For the most part, they reacted with the same excitement and joy. But Seo Jun-Ho had already experienced being famous once before, so he wasn’t surprised by his sudden popularity. If anything, he was more annoyed.

“...Reporters are here?” he muttered.

“Yeah! They can no longer deny that you cleared the Uncleared Gate, and they’ve been swarming like flies,” Shim Deok-Gu said excitedly. He went over to Seo Jun-Ho’s room first thing in the morning.

“Reporters…Are you sure they aren’t third-rate tabloid journalists like the ones I met in front of the Gate?” Seo Jun-Ho doubtfully asked.

“No. This time, even the big companies came out.” Shim Deok-Gu shook his head.

“Hm.” Seo Jun-Ho wrapped the thick cotton comforter around himself. Only his face peeked out. “How about the Guilds?”

“They’re here too, of course. The Guilds’ recruiters always follow the scent of talents.”

“...Does that include the Big 6?”

“Come on. You’re not that big yet,” Shim Deok-Gu retorted while shaking his head.

The six greatest, most powerful Guilds in the world were known as the Big 6. They were also famous for having extremely high standards.

“But if your reputation keeps spreading…They’ll start to get interested too,” Shim Deok-Gu added.

“If I get scouted by the Big 6…” Seo Jun-Ho muttered.

“Then your reputation will skyrocket.” Shim Deok-Gu took the words out of his mouth.

Seo Jun-Ho smirked. “Geez. I still have a long way to go, but they’re already making a ruckus.”

“It’s because of how big of an impact your actions have had. You’re the Player who conquered two Uncleared Gates, which have been a thorn at the country’s side.” Shim Deok-Gu stood up and fixed his tie as he spoke. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know about these as soon as possible, which is why I came in person.”

“...Just send me a text. A text.”

“It’s courteous to tell you these things in person,” Shim Deok-Gu countered.

“Well, waking someone who was sleeping soundly isn’t courteous…” Seo Jun-Ho grumbled. Despite his complaints, he had already slept for six hours, so his body had already recovered from all the fatigue. Seo Jun-Ho crawled out of his blanket, yawning. “Mm, we should hold a press conference at some point.”

“Really? What time is good for you?” Shim Deok-Gu asked.

“Right now.” Seo Jun-Ho responded.

“...Right now?” Shim Deok-Gu stopped, scanning Seo Jun-Ho’s appearance. “Don’t you need some time to wash up?”

“It’s fine. I’ve had enough of acting all high and mighty in front of others as Specter.”

Even if Seo Jun-Ho didn’t want to, he always had to put on a mask. As the hero of humanity and the hope of the world, he couldn’t seem weak.

“I’m not Specter. I’m Seo Jun-Ho, you know?”

“...Well, if that’s what you want.” Shim Deok-Gu nodded happily. “I know I always say this, but you should live your life doing everything you want.”

“What if I cause problems doing that?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

Shim Deok-Gu directly responded. “Then we’ll kick you out of the Association.”

“Cheapskate…” Seo Jun-Ho grinned at the joke. He stood up. “You go ahead. I’m just gonna wash my face before I go down,” he said.

“I’ll set everything up, so just come in the next thirty minutes.”

When Shim Deok-Gu left, Seo Jun-Ho headed to the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he saw that his hair was a rat’s nest.

“This is my life…”

When he was Specter, he had to run forward without looking back. He had no reason nor time to look around himself. All Specter needed were monsters to direct his anger at, and his comrades had been the ones to help him restrain his fury.

‘Be fast, but not rushed. Be composed, but not slow,’

He reminded himself as he finished washing his face. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his pajamas.

“Hey, handsome.”

The Seo Jun-Ho in the mirror didn’t have the overflowing charisma nor the stoic composure of Specter.

‘But I don’t need that.’

Ever since living as Specter, Seo Jun-Ho had always longed for a carefree life where he didn’t have to care about how others saw him.

***

Countless reporters and Guild recruiters were camping out in the Association’s conference room.

“His first gate was the Curse of Dawn, and the second was Leuf’s Garden…He’s really something else.”

“People like him appear from time to time. They’re unpredictable and refuse to take the easy way out.”

“A so-called genius, something like that?”

Everyone was teeming with anticipation. They were looking at Seo Jun-Ho like a rare jewel.

‘Even among countless gemstones, there aren’t many that shine on their own.’

‘Korea could create another star Player like Kim Woo-Joong or Shin Sung-Hyun.’

‘Above all, he’s a hot topic right now.’

‘There hasn’t been much to write about 1st-floor Players these days…This is good.’

The man of the hour, Seo Jun-Ho himself, appeared exactly thirty minutes later.

“He’s coming!”

“Take his picture!”

Click, click!

“Huh?”

“What?”

The reporters and recruiters realized after they had frantically clicked their shutters. They realized too late that Seo Jun-Ho’s appearance was quite peculiar.

‘Huh? Why is he wearing that in an official setting?’

‘Is that the trend these days?’

‘That man…Does he actually know that he’s holding a press conference right now?’

Seo Jun-Ho had stepped into the press conference wearing pajamas, his slippers dragging behind him. To top it off, his hair was a mess.

And that wasn’t all…

‘...Wait, is he really a Player? He looks weaker than me.’

‘Is that really the Player who closed two Uncleared Gates?’

‘Has there been some sort of mistake? Maybe he was heading to his room to sleep, but came in here by accident…’

Clothing aside, Seo Jun-Ho’s general appearance was vastly different from what they had expected. They had expected a big, muscular man, or a cold-faced killer. But now that they have seen him, they were rendered speechless.

While the whole room was frozen in shock, Seo Jun-Ho took a seat and yawned. He spoke. “Ahem. Hello, I am Seo Jun-Ho. I will be holding the press conference for the next thirty minutes. Who wants to ask the first question?”

The reporters belatedly pulled it together, and their hands shot up.

“Please tell us in detail about how you cleared the Gate!”

“How did you feel before you entered the Gates?”

“You debuted with an Uncleared Gate. Is there a particular reason for this?”

Seo Jun-Ho patiently answered each question in order like a teacher handling students.

“The Curse of Dawn was a graveyard. As you all know, the clear requirement was to survive until the sun rose…”

As the reporters took down Seo Jun-Ho’s answers, they started writing their articles in real-time. No one said anything, but they were all thinking the same thing.

‘He sure likes to brag. Even if it’s an Uncleared Gate, I don’t believe that he defeated over 50 zombies…’

‘Who would believe that a mere level-1 novice defeated that many zombies and even a Tricker, all by himself?’

‘Shim Deok-Gu’s probably behind this. He probably came up with stories that the public would like so that Seo Jun-Ho can get his name out there.’

‘Well, as long it’s the sensational stuff that people like, it doesn't really matter.’

Thanks to Seo Jun-Ho’s expert handling of the conversation, the questions and answers went on. On the contrary, the reporters were the ones who felt like they were on the hot seat.

‘Is this really his first time doing a press conference? He seems like he’s done this a few times before.’

‘Most Players get nervous during their first press conference and stutter a lot…He’s better than I thought.’

‘He must’ve been born with it. That’s the only way you can explain it.’

That was a big misunderstanding, of course. Seo Jun-Ho had simply sat in this same seat countless times before. But in the end, their misunderstanding ended up being beneficial for him.

‘A rookie Player who looks sickly at first sight, but has accomplished something that no one else has…’

‘Who has an eccentric personality that he arrived in a press conference wearing pajamas.’

‘This will make for a good story.’

‘We’ll be all set if we just make articles about him for the time being.’

The newspapers had been dry for some time now, but Seo Jun-Ho had come to save the reporters like rain during a drought.