Clattering buttons, humming machines, and bursts of teenage cheers filled the arcade with chaotic rhythm. Every part of this arcade seems to be alive, with all of the energy pulsating, a carnival of neon lights and noise.
But in one corner, the brightest light belonged not to the machine, but to the man playing it.
"PERFECT combo, AGAIN!?" a bystander gasped, his voice carrying over the din. The word PERFECT flashed in bold letters across the display, illuminating faces pressed close to watch.
On the screen, a storm of tiles rained down faster than most eyes could follow. The player's fingers blurred—sliding, tapping, striking in flawless rhythm. His movements were precise, mechanical almost, yet strangely fluid, as if the machine had been designed around him instead of the other way around. To the crowd, it looked impossible. To him, it's just the same track all over again that he memorized, the same patterns he can easily follow.
"He's about to full combo this part of the song too—no way!" another voice called, and the ring of teenagers surged closer.
Cheers erupted with every perfect streak, but it does not faze the player. His laser focus into the game is instilled to his nerves, to his muscles. For that moment, his senses are dulled that even the world broke apart, no one can make his eyes off that screen.
Then, with a final strike, the word appeared again:
PERFECT.
The crowd exploded. As the final act, he tapped in three letter initials to cement his record in the machine. Frantically trying to find another token to queue up another track but his trance broke only when a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"Dani! Break's over!"
He sighed as his short-lived greatness is now over. He picked up the apron slung over his chair and put it over his shoulders. The machine spit out tickets, making the kids that are also watching in awe as if its magic. With a smile and a nod, Dani silently handed his prizes to them.
As he walked away, a tall, blonde coworker with sharp features grinned from across the machines. "You're really breaking records while you're at break and here we are grabbing snacks."
Dani smirked. "I'm just that guy, Marco."
"Is that the last game that you don't have the record on?" Dani just nodded as a reply.
The two of them opened the glass doors of the café beside the arcade, where the whole atmosphere changed. The clinking of coins and whirring of arcade machines were replaced by the hissing of the espresso machines and the cups tapping the tables. The aroma of the roasted beans hung heavy in the air, joining it the sweetness of the pastries in display.
Dani tied his apron neatly and slid behind the counter with quite ease. Looking in the orders that his colleagues listed he started to put his focus in preparing the customer's drinks. His hands in a moment ago that was used in precise gameplay, are now getting use to get the precise measuring, tamping, pouring of customer's orders.
He might just look like a normal barista with his calmness, politeness, and quickness. His focus never wavered with every pour, swirl of foam drawn like a practiced motion from memory. It wasn't the flashing glory of the arcade, but the discipline is all the same. He might make onlookers in the arcade cheer with utmost happiness, in here the drinks that he creates just give joy to the customers to power their day.
As the time pass, a blur of different orders — lattes, cappuccinos, americanos are made from Dani's hands to a waiting customer. The arcade's noise beside the cafe started to dull and fade in the background of the night. By the time their late customers lingered with their mugs, the tapping of shoes on the floor started to calm down as the number of customers start to dwindle and closing hours came.
The machines used to serve customers are started to get cleaned. The chairs were stacked on the table; his movements were efficient, just enough for a tired body, while the muted glow of a television filled the silence.
"...with today's server expansion, Aetherion is now open worldwide," the newscaster announced. The screen shifted to glossy trailers - gleaming castels, sprawling forests, armies clashing beneath stormlit skies. "Originally launched in certain regions first but the game quickly hit a maximum player cap. But now, after a year, the limits have been lifted. The land of Aetherion is now free to roam by all aspiring adventurers."
Marco, wiping down a table, let out a low whistle. "Man, that's the one everyone's obsessed with. My cousin in L.A. said people skipped school just to grind levels."
"Tried it in capsule rooms, it's crazy immersive," another coworker chimed in from behind the counter. "Full dive, adaptive combat, player-driven economy. It just doesn't feel like a game. It's like a whole new world."
Marco snorted. "Sounds like hype. But… I wouldn't mind trying it."
"Man, what's stopping you?"
Dani glanced up at the screen. Knights clashed with dragons, spells lit battlefields like fireworks, cities bustled with thousands of players moving in seamless unison. The trailer closed with the words: Aetherion — Live Globally.
Dani stared a little too long at the screen, as if he just kept staring the world of Aetherion might've just pulled him in. World like that is just out of reach for him. He wasn't the type to daydream, but life just hadn't given him the opportunity, the luxury that other people have. But just watching those trailers stirred something he kept burying deep in himself.
When the lights clicked off, Dani locked the door and stepped into the Seoul night and waved his colleague's goodbye. Neon signs are flashing to advertise their business with it shifting colors, the glow reflecting on his tanned skin.
On the way to his small apartment, the late-night life buzzed. Groups of the workforce are heading to some restaurants to eat or drink. Group of students spilled out the buildings of capsule rooms, the laughter carrying into the night as they talk about what happened to their adventures — fighting mobs, loots, and bosses.
Dani watched them pass with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Capsule rooms had sprung up everywhere in Seoul like how the PC bangs once had been. Signs are just flashing their different packages that can cater every age. But not for Dani as he received a notification lit the screen: Capsule rentals available nearby. Step into the world of Aetherion for just ₩10,000 a night.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket with a sigh.. ₩10,000. One night inside the game. His mind began calculating without effort—bills, money to send back home. He just cannot afford any luxury.
As he reached his apartment, his phone rang. It was his sister back home.
"How's your exams going? Had any breaks yet?", Dani asked with a familiar tone and teasing.
"Not yet." his sister replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. He left out with a small chuckle.
Entering the apartment, Dani kicked off his shoes and went straight to bed. They chatted for a while, catching up with the stories their storing up. The weight he'd been carrying started to be lifted hearing a comforting sound of a familiar voice. As he listened to his sister yapping, his night became calmer, quieter, and after a while, he allowed himself to breather.