Ever's Best: Summit Quest Online

Episode 1

"You fucking broke my gear! Do you know how much that cost!"

"You're worried about some stupid consoles when you can't even pay rent?!"

"It's not a console! It's my VR gear! I need it for the game! I worked my ass off to get those!"

"Yeah-yeah I heard it all before! It's all for the game! The game! The game! The game! Is that the only bullshit answer you can come up with nowadays? You know how ridiculous you sound? If anyone has been working their ass off in this house, it's me! Not you!"

"The game pays, Ren. Just because I'm not sitting in some bullshit office five days a week doesn't mean it's not credible work.

"Credible work! Everyday you're running off to only god-knows-where to play videogames! I'm tired of it Haru!"

Ren's body itched beneath his fitted suit and tie whenever something reminded him of the last shouting match he had with his brother.

"Mr. Yashihara?" A nearby voice divided his thoughts. When he looked up, he found a wide-eyed and hopeful intern's head floating behind the partially opened office door.

Ren mumbled, as he attempted to gather his bearings. He then propped open his laptop before realizing the intern was staring at him. "Sorry, what was it you were saying?"

"Mr. Yashihara, your brother Haru...he's on hold on line two," the intern repeats for the third or fourth time with a forced smile and a slight twitch in his eye. That must've been it...the trigger. Any mentions of his brother's name always sent him back to that day.

"What's it about?" Ren asked, almost intrigued but not willing to show it.

The intern shrugged. "He won't say. And the board meeting has just started. What should I tell him?"

"I want you out of my house today Haru! Or I'll trash the rest." Ren recalled the words that served as the final blow to an already diminishing bond between him and his brother. Before he even spoke them, he knew it would crush Haru's and still the words somehow were manifested and launched.

From his desk, Ren sneered. It's been three years since he kicked Haru out of his Bay Area condo. But then again, he knew his brother was the type of person who would call him out of the blue three years later on a Tuesday. Nothing ever kept that man down for too long.

Ren glanced at his phone, wondering why his brother would use the office phone to reach him until he notices the five missed call alerts across the screen. He then tucked the phone back in breast pocket and rose from his office chair and proceeded to grab his smart pad off the desk. "Tell him I'll get back with him after the meeting."

"Got it!" the intern said and disappeared behind the door.

Ren stormed out his office right after, dismissing any guilt for ignoring his brother all morning. I'm dealing with real problems...he justified in his head and made his way down the busy glass halls of Argo Technologies' headquarters.

His brother's lifestyle over the years had annoyed him. He was a brilliant man but college was never a priority for him. Came from a supportive family but could never support himself. He collected handouts as if they were tokens, and took risks as if he had extra lives. And Ren could bet a million that even to this day he continued to lives as though it was all a game.

Ren opened the glass door of an occupied meeting room and slightly nodded at all the faces floating around the conference table. He hurriedly grabbed his seat towards the front.

After waiting for Ren to settle in his seat, the Chairman continued. "Argo technologies is a sound company. Globally, we're known for putting ethics over profit. Yet the charts continuously show that Vertigo Journey dominates over 55% of the market. Why is that?"