[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Taking care of newbies should be the devs’ job, not yours, Honeybread.[Party] Honeybread: I told you yesterday.

[Party] Honeybread: The market spike? That’s on me.[Party] Honeybread: I’m just giving out money ‘cause I feel bad about that.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Losing one war doesn’t make you responsible for paying everyone, though.

Oh? Did he just say war?[Party] Honeybread: You know about the faction wars?I poked him, just to see if he’d slip up again—and sure enough, he went quiet for a second like he’d just remembered what character he was playing.

[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I studied a lot before starting the game.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: They say market prices shift based on who wins faction wars.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: It was even in a news article.[Party] Honeybread: Wow, look at you.[Party] Honeybread: So studious. I’m proud of you.That scramble to find an excuse—trying to play it cool—was honestly hilarious.I kept trading while waiting for his next line. He was clearly being more careful now, typing slower.

[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I just mean there’s no real reason for you to take care of other players like this.[Party] Honeybread: I'm giving because I want to give.[Party] Honeybread: I gave to you too, didn’t I?[Party] Gonyanyanya2: That was a loan.

Sure. Technically. Not like I’ll ever take it back.[Party] Honeybread: Well, the others got Amber too.[Party] Honeybread: They can pay it back by contributing in the next war.[Party] Honeybread: Or by helping other newbies if I can’t.[Party] Honeybread: As long as it gets used well, I don’t care how.I typed that out while giving the last person their money. One guy tried to double-dip while I was distracted, but jokes on him—I have a steel-trap memory for nicknames. I rejected the trade and sent a clenched fist emote his way. He whimpered something in general chat and scurried off.

Now it was just # Nоvеlight # the two of us.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Most of the people who took your money were just out to benefit themselves.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Winning the war benefits them too, so money or no money, they’ll try to improve and fight. You don’t owe them anything.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: There’s no proof they’ll use it well. How can you trust them enough to just throw Amber at them?That… yeah. That was a very Gang Jaegyung thing to say. Deeply cynical. Always skeptical of people.

I agreed with him—to a point. But my reason for giving wasn’t really about trust.[Party] Honeybread: I’m not trusting them.[Party] Honeybread: I’m trusting me.[Party] Honeybread: “If the top is clean, the bottom follows.”[Party] Honeybread: And I’m pretty damn clean, lol.[Party] Honeybread: If the leader sets the tone, the rest follow.[Party] Honeybread: I believe I’ve set a good example, ㅇㅅㅇ![Party] Honeybread: So quit stressing. Why so mad?[Party] Honeybread: We’ve got games to play, not debates to win.I tried to gently nudge him out of whatever moral spiral he was in. If we were actually in the same room, I probably would’ve shoved snacks into his hands. A shame I couldn’t.

It seemed to work—he didn’t reply right away. But then, finally:[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So… do you think of the other players as your subordinates?What the hell?

That came out of nowhere. I froze up a second. Then my brain kicked into overdrive, recalling every little quirk of Gang Jaegyung’s worldview.We’d just been talking about why I give out Amber. Then I’d said something about “those below me.” And now this guy’s asking if I actually see other players as beneath me.I didn’t get how his mind even worked sometimes. But if I knew one thing about him from his streams, it was this: he must’ve accepted my reasoning for the giveaways. He understood why I did it. But that one phrase—“those below me”—had triggered a whole new question:“Wait, why does he talk like he’s above everyone else?”

And honestly… fair.[Party] Honeybread: Uh…[Party] Honeybread: That phrase wasn’t meant to sound demeaning or anything;[Party] Honeybread: It’s more like—I’m the captain, they’re the squad, y’know?[Party] Honeybread: This game’s all about hierarchy and war. That’s just the tone.[Party] Honeybread: No hidden meaning. Don’t take it the wrong way—Truthfully? Yeah, I did tend to look down on people. Grew up pampered, called “the future CEO” since I was a kid, and even among my friends, I was the one they deferred to. That kind of upbringing makes it hard not to develop a superiority complex.But still, I wasn’t some monster. I didn’t outright treat people like trash. I tried to watch my mouth, even if I often failed.

Especially with Gang Jaegyung… ugh. If he took a screenshot of this and posted it online, it’d explode. Not enough to ruin me, but enough to get all the haters barking.I stared at his still character, wondering what was going through his head. Would’ve been nice if he replied already.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So that makes me part of the squad too?

Whew.That wasn’t a trap. It wasn’t even aggressive. Just a simple, honest question.He’d accepted my explanation again.

[Party] Honeybread: You’re more like…[Party] Honeybread: Hm…………[Party] Honeybread: A favorite junior?[Party] Gonyanyanya2: What about Retaking a Class?…Wait, is he seriously comparing Gonyanyanya to Retaking a Class?[Party] Honeybread: He’s just an enemy commander...

He went quiet for a second. Then he came back with another angle.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So I’m beneath you, but Retaking a Class is your equal?[Party] Honeybread: I mean, if you wanna be technical…

So that’s it, huh?“To you, Gonyanyanya’s just a subordinate, but Retaking a Class is your peer?”Classic jealousy. Like sorting out ranks made him feel better. God, what a petty bastard.[Party] Honeybread: Don’t take it so personally.[Party] Honeybread: I treat my people right.[Party] Honeybread: I don’t even like strict hierarchies in real life.I added a few lines of soft reassurance, just in case he was playing up the newbie image. Wanted to sound like I was comforting someone who might be emotionally sensitive.

[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Nah[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I wasn’t offended, really. ㅎㅎDamn right you weren’t. You are Retaking a Class.[Party] Honeybread: ok ok, you’re chill[Party] Honeybread: nice[Party] Honeybread: If you’re done pouting, let’s go push some quests, yeah?I patted his ego and coaxed him back into the main objective. It must’ve worked—his character finally started moving.

I fell in line behind him again, playing the loyal pet. A few more so-called “newbies” passed by, fishing for handouts, but thanks to my earlier speech, Gang Jaegyung just stared silently instead of scolding me.About twenty minutes later, another message popped up.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: It says to head to Base 51.

Ooh, finally—field quest time.[Party] Honeybread: let’s gooooo[Party] Honeybread: let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s goMy fingers were itching. All the Viajok players were tied up in dungeons and raids right now, which meant the field was packed with Jeojajok. It was gonna be fun.

[Party] Gonyanyanya2: But I’ve got a question[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Not about the game, thoughI was just about to explain buffs to match his newbie act when he said that. Curious, I waited.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: If, like you said, I really am a hidden god-tier player and I become a combat medic as skilled as Retaking a Class…[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Then would we be equals?

If Gonyanyanya reached Retaking a Class-level skill… would that make us equals?Maybe?Assuming Gonyanyanya was a real person and not a puppet alt, sure. In pure skill, Retaking a Class and I were evenly matched. So if Gonyanyanya matched that level, then yeah—we’d be on equal footing.

But we’d already fallen into a vertical dynamic—mentor and mentee. Could that ever be erased? A relationship that starts equal is different from one that transitions from hierarchy. Some imbalance would always linger.[Party] Honeybread: dunno;?My brain didn’t want to handle the nuance. My fingers typed the answer before I finished thinking it through.

Then, belatedly, my thoughts caught up—and panic set in. Wait. Was this a trap?That was a layered question. One that Gang Jaegyung could’ve easily answered himself. But he wanted my answer. Why?[Party] Gonyanyanya2: So it would be hard, huh?

So that’s it. He’s hoping it’ll be hard. That I’ll say it’s impossible.I couldn’t even come up with a counter before he filled the chat window.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Parents always see their kids as children... It’s hard to erase a relationship that’s already been established.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: Even if two people stand on equal footing now, the past doesn’t just disappear—people carry those memories.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: As long as the weight of perception is different, true equality is impossible.[Party] Gonyanyanya2: I was just wondering if I could ever become a player you’d value like Retaking a Class. But being compared at all feels hard.

So what he’s really saying is, “I can never be on the same level as Retaking a Class. Only he gets to stand beside you.”[Party] Gonyanyanya2: That’s a little sad. ㅎㅎYeah, I bet. I could practically see him smirking like an idiot through the screen.

Fine. Sure. Retaking a Class is the only one who’s truly my equal. (Totally ignoring the fact that Retaking a Class is him.)Congrats, you emotional wreck. Keep shadowboxing and pitying yourself all you want. Won’t last long once I knock that smug little smile off your face.

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