A Newbie at Real Life

Ren stood in the middle of his family's new house, the air heavy with the lingering scent of fresh paint and the faint hum of the new refrigerator. His mother's tears flowed freely as she clutched his arm, repeating, "Thank you, Ren. We're so proud of you." Beside her, his father, usually stoic, wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, nodding in quiet agreement. Mei, his younger sister, leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed but her face betraying her curiosity.

"This must've cost a fortune," Mei said, her tone edged with suspicion. "How'd you afford all this, Ren?"

Ren smiled, hiding the panic bubbling beneath the surface. "I told you, Mei. My company's been good to me. Commission work, bonuses—you know how it is."

Mei squinted, clearly unconvinced. "What company is this again? Maybe I should apply."

"Oh, Mei," his mother interjected, laughing, "leave your brother alone. He's done so much for us. Don't go prying into his work."

But Mei didn't drop her gaze. Ren felt the weight of her stare, as if she could see through the cracks in his carefully constructed facade. He quickly excused himself, heading outside to breathe in the evening air.

As he leaned against the fence, Mei followed him out, her voice softer now. "Ren, you're hiding something."

"Mei…" Ren sighed, his mind racing. "It's nothing like that."

"Is it illegal?" she pressed.

"What? No!" he snapped, though his voice cracked slightly.

"Then what is it? You're always busy, and you've got all this money now. We're your family—we deserve to know."

Ren ran a hand through his hair, feeling trapped. "It's… complicated, okay? Just trust me. I'm doing this for all of you."

Mei stared at him for a long moment before nodding slowly, though her expression was far from satisfied.

Back in his luxury condo, Ren stared out the window at the city below. The bright neon lights of billboards reflected off the glass, shimmering like a sea of possibilities.

He felt… tired.

The thought of streaming that night made him feel heavier than usual. The chat, the expectations, the endless cycle of pretending to be someone he wasn't—it was all starting to wear on him.

His gaze landed on a modest office building across the street. A banner hung from the side of the building:

"Now Hiring: Entry-Level Office Workers. No Experience Needed!"

Ren chuckled to himself. "How hard can it be?"

He grabbed his phone and quickly jotted down the address. The idea was absurd. Him? An office worker? But maybe that was exactly what he needed—a break from being Crowd. Something normal.

The next morning, dressed in his best attempt at business casual, Ren found himself standing outside the building, squinting up at it. The banner flapped gently in the wind.

"Alright, Ren Hayashi," he muttered under his breath, smirking. "Let's see what you've got."

He pushed open the doors and stepped into the world of office work.

Ren Hayashi, the Office Worker

Ren Hayashi had faced endgame bosses, top-ranked PvP assassins, and ruthless guild wars, but standing in front of an office door for the first time in his life? That was something else entirely.

The glass doors of Sakai Financial Solutions reflected his own image back at him—a bright-eyed young man with neatly combed hair, a fresh white shirt, and a black tie that felt like a noose around his neck. The same hands that once controlled the most feared assassin in Ram Online now awkwardly clutched a company ID and a cheap ballpoint pen.

For the first time in years, he wasn't Crowd, the top-ranked player in Asia. He was just Ren Hayashi, entry-level employee.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

The scent of coffee and printer ink mixed with the faint humming of fluorescent lights. The office wasn't grand, but it had a warmth to it—low chatter, clacking keyboards, and the occasional laugh from a group huddled around a desk. Unlike the cold, empty space of his luxury condo, this place felt alive.

He was immediately lost.

Rows of desks. A maze of cubicles. Where was he supposed to go? He hesitated, looking around. That was when he heard a calm, measured voice.

"First day?"

Ren turned to see Fin Sato, standing there with his usual tired but patient expression.

Fin's Point of View – Seeing Himself in Ren

Fin had seen it countless times—the rookie shuffle, where a new hire awkwardly tried to figure out the unspoken rules of office life. Ren reminded him of himself a decade ago, fresh out of school, struggling to find his footing.

But Ren was different.

Most new employees were nervous, reserved, unsure of themselves. Ren? He practically radiated energy. It was like he didn't know how to be nervous.

"Yeah, first day," Ren grinned, scratching the back of his head. "I have no idea where I'm supposed to be."

Fin sighed and motioned for him to follow. "Come on. HR's this way."

Ren, the Office Clown (or Disaster?)

From the moment Ren sat down at his desk, it was obvious he had never worked a real job before.

He accidentally muted his phone and missed an important call from HR. He kept clicking the refresh button on his screen, thinking the company's outdated software had frozen, when in reality, it was just slow. During his first lunch break, he tried to pay with in-game currency out of pure habit.

It wasn't that he was dumb—far from it. Ren was sharp, quick-thinking, and adaptable. But he was used to a different kind of world, one where split-second reaction time and reading enemy movements meant survival. Here? It was Excel sheets, email threads, and waiting for the printer to finally work.

Fin found himself coaching Ren through everything, just like his seniors once did for him.

"Ren, you don't need to refresh the page twenty times, it's just laggy."

"Don't click that button, it'll crash the system."

"That's not a chat shortcut, it's a company-wide email. Please don't send that meme."

Ren took it all in stride, laughing at himself, apologizing, and trying again. He was annoyingly optimistic.

By the end of the day, Fin was exhausted just from watching him.

Ramen & Revelations

"Ramen?"

Fin blinked. It was after work, and Ren had casually invited him to a ramen shop nearby.

"I owe you," Ren said with a grin. "You saved me from sending at least three embarrassing emails today."

Fin hesitated. He loved ramen. But eating out wasn't in his budget right now. He knew how much a decent bowl cost—1,200 yen minimum, and he still had to make rent.

Noticing his pause, Ren grinned and clapped a hand on his back. "My treat. You can't say no to free ramen, can you?"

Fin sighed. He really couldn't.

The ramen shop was small but cozy, filled with the scent of rich pork broth and garlic. The air was thick with steam, and the sound of chopsticks clinking against ceramic bowls filled the space.

Ren ordered for both of them—extra chashu, soft-boiled eggs, and an upgrade to thick noodles.

"You sure you can afford all this?" Fin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ren just grinned. "Trust me. I'm doing okay."

As they ate, conversation turned to Ram Online.

"You play games, right?" Ren asked between mouthfuls.

"Used to," Fin replied. "Ram Online. I was one of the first to play it during beta."

Ren nearly choked on his broth.

"Wait, seriously? Beta?"

Fin nodded. "Yeah. Long time ago."

Ren was stunned. This was the game that shaped his entire life. The game that made him Crowd. And this guy—his senpai at work—had been there from the very beginning?

"That's crazy," Ren said. "I started a year after launch. The game's huge now."

Fin smirked. "Yeah, I heard. Too bad I don't have time to play anymore."

Ren immediately tried to convince him to return.

"You should log in sometime! Just for fun. So much has changed."

Fin shook his head. "Not now. Too much work. Maybe someday."

That answer didn't sit right with Ren. How could anyone abandon something so important?

By the time they finished eating, Fin couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Ren.

Ren had money to pay for another person's meal without hesitation.

Ren was helping his family.

Ren seemed happy.

And most of all—Ren could still play the game he loved.

Meanwhile, Fin had bills, rent, and a job that left no time for anything else.

For a moment, Fin felt like he was looking at the person he could have been—if he had taken a different path.

But as Ren walked beside him, humming to himself, full of energy, Fin didn't see the cracks beneath the surface.

Later that night, Ren sat in front of his high-end streaming setup, ready to go live.

His fans were already spamming chat.

"Finally! Crowd is here!"

"Short stream today too? C'mon, man!"

"Are you busy with something?"

He forced a grin. "Yeah, yeah, family stuff. You know how it is."

The truth was—he just didn't have the energy anymore.

For the first time in years, Crowd's mask felt heavy.