Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Yep. All procedures have been taken care of. You just need to get on board,” Ram Hwayeon calmly replied.

Leeha had planned to say his goodbyes while waiting for the departure process, but it seemed that all the farewell speeches he had painstakingly thought of since the night before were now useless.

Apparently, all the procedures had been already taken care of by Ram Hwayeon using Ram Long’s private plane. All Leeha needed to do was board the plane. He gave Ram Hwayeon and Ram Hwajung an awkward smile.

“I feel sorry for always accepting your help,” he said.

Unlike Ram Hwayeon, who had her makeup perfectly done early in the morning, Ram Hwajung’s eyes were swollen.

“Then don’t go.”

“Huh? Ha-ha, I understand how you feel, Ram Hwajung-ssi, but I can’t stay.”

“Call mother.”

“Keu-heu, that’s certainly an interesting idea.”

Could this be called a mature response?

However, Ram Hwajung’s eyes began to spill tears like tiny pebbles at his evasive words, giving her hopes. Leeha, unable to endure the painful look in her eyes, watched as she briskly rubbed and dried her eyes.

The sight of Ram Hwajung crying had Ram Hwayeon genuinely surprised. Ram Hwajung had seldom cried even when she was little. It was almost impossible to imagine her crying now that she had grown up.

Who would have thought she might cry in a public place!

“Don’t cry, listen-“

“I’m not crying.”

When Leeha tried to console her, Ram Hwajung denied his gesture. Although tears were welling up in her eyes and falling drop by drop, she insisted she wasn’t crying.

Was this due to the inherent personality of the Ram Long family?

Leeha faintly thought that it might be their family trait to never show weakness in front of others.

“Thank you for everything. Both for helping with my leg and guiding me around Hong Kong.”

“There’s no need to be grateful. From now on, I’ll be ripping you off in Middle Earth.”

“Oh, is that so? Ha, okay. Rip me off as much as you want.”

Leeha was well aware that along with the surgery fees that he had directly covered, the other additional expenses were not insignificant.

Including the hotel cuisine that was prepared for him daily, and the cost of the luxury suite that Kijung and Bobae had stayed in, virtually everything was granted for free.

Moreover, they provided Middle Earth access for Leeha to concentrate on his gaming, and considering the expenses for the private plane, the costs were definitely not trivial.

“Well, what you provide in Middle Earth is what you provide.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not really a big deal, but, even with my thick skin, I can’t just leave so shamelessly.”

Leeha rummaged through his bag while looking at Ram Hwayeon, who was tilting her head in confusion. In his small travel backpack, Leeha pulled out two small boxes.

“Here.”

Boxes small enough to hold in one hand.

The brand name was engraved on the top. It was a name Ram Hwayeon would recognize. Seeing the two women staring at the boxes in Leeha’s hands, his face turned red.

“Come on, take it! It’s embarrassing for the one giving the gift.”

“What are these?”

“What do you think? I bought them at the store yesterday.” The gifts Leeha bought from the jewelry accessory shop weren’t only for his mother.

The moment Ram Hwayeon and Ram Hwajung left the store, he quickly purchased these recommended by an employee.

“They’re gifts.”

Like being entranced, Ram Hwayeon and Ram Hwajung each picked up the boxes addressed to them. Click, the boxes opened with a faint noise of separating magnets.

Ram Hwayeon’s eyes turned red. A ruby earring glowed brilliantly as it caught the light.

Ram Hwajung’s face turned both yellow and blue. The gift that Leeha had picked out for her was a sapphire necklace.

Both pieces of jewelry weren’t excessively large or flashy. At a casual glance, they might seem modest, but they were dazzling on the inside.

“They may be cliché, but, well, as far as I could choose, these were the best. Ha-ha.”Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Leeha tried to put forth an awkward laugh, but it elicited no response from the girls.

Their faces were stern as they stared intently at the box.

‘Gosh, clerk sister, you clearly said it would suit me well!’

What were their stiff expressions trying to convey?

Didn’t the atmosphere seem like they were about to throw the box away out of dissatisfaction, claiming it wasn’t their style?

“If, um, you don’t like it – I kept the receipt just in case you wanted to do an exchange or a refund-“

“You idiot!”

“-Ack!”

Ram Hwayeon’s sudden shout drew attention from those around them. Startled, Leeha, who had been fumbling with the receipt, looked at her.

“What on earth-“

That bewildered reaction didn’t last long. Ram Hwayeon approached Leeha one step at a time.

Leeha thought that Ram Hwayeon’s eyes, seen up close, shone like jewels.

“Why would I exchange this? You really are an idiot!”

A single tear from her soaked Leeha’s shoulders.

“What?”

It was an unexpected action that took him by surprise.

It was definitely different from Ram Hwajung’s surprise(?) . You couldn’t compare a girl’s lovely surprise with Ram Hwayeon’s sudden one.

Especially here in Hong Kong, where almost no one would recognize Ram Hwayeon and Ram Hwajung.

But Leeha was also a man.

He wasn’t foolish enough to ask, ‘Wouldn’t it be awkward if people saw us like this?’ in such a scenario.

“I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Lightly patting her back, he comforted her.

What more needed to be said? It was a serious and hot hug, making it feel like something was simmering inside.

After the brief embrace, Ram Hwajung also joined in and the heated atmosphere cooled down slightly.

When Ram Hwayeon let go of the hug, she turned her head and chided, “Come on, let’s go?”

He couldn’t comprehend that she thought she might burst into tears if she continued to see his face.

“I’ll see you next time then!”

Ram Hwajung cheerfully waved goodbye as he watched Leeha leave.

Ram Hwayeon, who hadn’t left her seat until Leeha had departed, only sighed and muttered once he’d boarded the plane.

“Alright. But next time I’m not letting you go.”

The private jet of the Ram Long Group took off.

Leeha was able to get some sleep on the plane, satisfied that he had at least given them a parting gift.

But what was the ‘real gift’? He still didn’t know.

Upon landing at Incheon International Airport and going to get his luggage, he had a baffling experience.

“All of this is…mine?”

“Yes, sent by Ms. Ram Hwayeon and Ram Hwajung-ssi.”

Even a private jet needs to inspect luggage. This is to prevent aviation accidents and emergencies within the airport.

Now being a private jet, he only had to check his own luggage, so he had only brought one suitcase. However, the situation now was baffling.

A staggering 13 carriers were coming out on the conveyor belt. Everything Ram Hwajung had bought while meeting with the Chairman of Lam Group, along with everything else she bought yesterday, had been given to Leeha.

Opening one carrier, Leeha was on the verge of tears. Seeing what Ram Hwajung had bought, he realized ‘she had bought it all to give to mom’.

Feeling as if he was eating wasabi, he had to raise his head.

“Then, I wish you safe travels.”

“Wait, the gifts…were lovely, but…”

“Yes?”

“Do I have to carry all this myself? Can you help?”

“What?”Even in the midst of this, he could rely on the strength of the Ramlong Group employees, a power sharpened like a relentless steel blade! He knew well how to fully utilize what he learned in Middle Earth and Hong Kong.

Myeong-dong!

The old-fashioned bell rang.

Although he usually wouldn’t be home at this hour, for some reason, things had changed recently.

‘I asked Kijung about it too.’

He quickly fixed his hair while looking at his smartphone’s black screen. It was then, after a month of absence, the front door, so familiarly out of place, opened.

“Hello, who is thi-.“

“Ta-dah! Mom!“

“-Is that you, Leeha?”

“No, would you be sad if you can’t recognize your son’s face?”

Leeha forcefully hugged his mother.

Despite seeing him face to face, she couldn’t believe that he was her son. He picked her up.

“Oh, my goodness, Leeha! You-“

“I’m all better now! I went to Hong Kong! I had surgery, mom!“

His mother couldn’t believe that the man standing in front of her on his own two feet was her son.

Hearing Leeha’s voice, his mother’s expressions rapidly shifted. From shock akin to horror, to forced laughter, to muscle contractions from squinting her face.

“Don’t cry, it’s such a happy day! right?” holding on to his mother, Leeha shook his body as if to soothe her. Otherwise, he knew she would see his tears.

“Thank you God… Thank you.”

The mother grabbed Leeha’s head, face, and shoulders. She was crying so hard that there was no time to ask about the surgery or show any anxiety.

Leeha could no longer hold back his tears, letting out all the pent-up emotions of the past months.

Sobbing sounds came from the staff of Ramlong Group, who were watching the reunion from the corridor.

That night,

It was only fair that Kijung, who hadn’t received even a word of notice, was called to Leeha’s house.

After the lighthearted teasing, it was also reasonable to expect the huge feast to follow.

“You really have to appreciate the large hand of an aunt, in terms of taste too. Leeha-hyung, eat a bit slower. People might think you were starving in Hong Kong.”

As Leeha moves quickly, almost to the sounds of musical clattering in the dishes, Kijung chided him before he was ignored.

Despite that, the cooking continued on.

With a face full of joy, Leeha’s mother fetched another heaping bowl of bulgogi.

“Please help yourself too, sir. We have plenty.”

“Oh, ahem, no, I am really full”

“Please, have a little more. Yeah? Do have some more.”

As Leeha’s mother served more meat on his bowl, the man who couldn’t refuse had to eat the meat in resignation.

“But why am I having dinner here?”

“You see, my mom tends to be retentive. You’ve already helped so much, please eat your fill.”

The employee of the Ramlong Group, who had heaved a countless amount of suitcases, also drowned in the taste of Korean food.

After a month of silence, laughter was blooming throughout Leeha’s home.

“Eeeeek! Home’s the best!”

“Anyone would think this is our home. Is there any difference between logging in to the game from Hong Kong or from Korea?”

Kijung scoffed at Leeha’s words.

As they were talking about the game, it didn’t really matter.

“Oh come on, it’s a different mindset,”

Despite having had to explain the events and the surgery that happened in Hong Kong overnight, Leeha logged into Middle Earth the next day.

It was Middle Earth after a mere four hours of sleep, but thanks to the feeling of ‘this is home where I play the game,’ his body was overflowing with energy.

“So, why did you call me here? What’s so surprising?”

“Hehe, Kijung. Don’t you trust me?”

“I would have liked to, but I should have something for me amongst the presents, right?”

The reason Kijung was slightly upset was because despite the assortment of extravagant items flowing out of the suitcases, none of them was for him.

Given that Leeha had not even thought of giving presents to anyone other than his mother, it was quite reasonable.

Nevertheless, Leeha was not flustered. For Kijung, he could certainly make a gift.

“That’s why you’re here. For your present.”

“A present? Would you buy something for me from the blacksmith?”

“No, it’s not buying you something… Bottleneck-ssi!

“Hey, has the knight arrived?”

“Here, my friend, do you think this shield can be strengthened?”

Leeha punched Kijung’s shield.