By Zephyria Even after returning to his original state, Joo Ho-young focused on games for several days. Then, while holding and playing his favorite Game Console, Joo Ho-young began to cry at some point. The dazzling screen and cheerful melody flickered over his pale, gaunt face.
“Sob, sob…. Hoooook….”
Tears, born of deep sorrow, dripped down his dry cheeks. Watching him, Yohan unconsciously wiped away a tear. After crying for a long time like that, Joo Ho-young finally turned his gaze from the Game Console’s screen and looked to the side. There, cold roasted sparrow and simple snacks were placed.
He, who hadn’t eaten anything since falling into the Abyss, began to tentatively touch the food placed beside him. He stared at the perfectly fine food for a long time, then cried again as he chewed slowly with it in his hand. Yoon Seung-ryong and Lee Hyun-muk also just watched him, not touching the food.
It was only after spending a full week in the arcade like that that Joo Ho-young joined them.
“Mmm….”
Yohan, half-awakened by the low murmur of conversation, stirred, and a gentle hand slowly stroked his back.
“Go back to sleep, Yohan-ah.”
As he was about to fall back asleep, reassured by the patting hand, he heard a wet sound and felt a strange sensation. Yohan’s eyes snapped open. He blinked his sleepy eyes, turned his head, and saw Lee Hyun-muk gazing down at him with handsome, deep eyes. Yohan, who had been slack-jawed, asked,
“…Did you just suck on my cheek?”
“Me?”
Was it not him… Had he mistaken it in his sleep? Yohan, tilting his head in a daze, sat up, his hair disheveled. Rubbing his eyes while yawning, he recalled the memory from before falling asleep and froze. His last memory was watching Joo Ho-young repeatedly play the game, purifying him, and then collapsing as if he had fainted from exhaustion.
He quickly turned his head, and Joo Ho-young, who had been crouching and engrossed in the Game Console, looked up. Their eyes met, and he smiled over his gloomy face and waved.
“Hello.”
“Gasp. Hello!”
He could converse normally! The purification had been successful without causing Joo Ho-young any severe physical or mental pain. Overjoyed that his plan had succeeded, Yohan’s eyes sparkled as he approached Joo Ho-young and introduced himself.
“I’m Yang Yohan! You might not have heard, but I’m a Purifier…. If, if it’s okay! Can I call you Ho-young? I’m two years older than you….”
Yohan had never had a younger sibling in his life. He was the youngest at home, and among his cousins, he was the youngest of the youngest. His parents were both the youngest, so all his cousins were older brothers and sisters. He had juniors in college, but they were juniors, not exactly siblings, were they?
“Hyung? You’re two years older than me?”
Joo Ho-young muttered in confusion, glancing at Lee Hyun-muk and Yoon Seung-ryong. After a moment, he pursed his lips, made an unintelligible sound, and nodded.
“Ah, Yohan-hyung. Hyung, then feel free to speak casually.”
“Okay, Ho-young!”
Yohan smiled brightly, pleased by Joo Ho-young’s permission. Joo Ho-young stared blankly at Yohan, then smiled back broadly. His gaunt face was filled with vitality.
‘I’m on friendly terms with the Sunrise Team members!’
To be so close with the famous Sunrise Team members, he felt an urge to brag to everyone immediately. Of course, since the only people here were the three Sunrise Team members, bragging wouldn’t be very effective, but he felt proud nonetheless. Joo Ho-young hugged the Game Console to his chest as if it were a sacred treasure.
“Hyung, thank you so much for the Game Console. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve played. I thought I’d never be able to do this again before I died.”
“No, it was nothing much. More importantly, it wouldn’t have been possible without Seung-ryong-hyung and Lee Hyun-muk-ssi.”
Yoon Seung-ryong had good dexterity and skillfully replaced various parts, and if Lee Hyun-mook hadn’t supplied the electricity, it wouldn’t have worked. However, Joo Ho-young didn’t show any gratitude towards the two, merely giving them a lukewarm glance.
“Uh, thanks.”
He grudgingly offered his thanks, then buried his gaze back in the Game Console. Even though they were reunited with team members after a long time, Yohan felt disappointed that he seemed more indifferent than welcoming. He must have been in a lot of pain from the electric shock, right? When Yohan’s stomach rumbled, Yoon Seung-ryong reacted even faster than Joo Ho-young.
“Yohan, are you hungry? Hyung will quickly make you something delicious.”
As always, Yoon Seung-ryong, who became very cheerful at meal times, took out various ingredients from his pocket. Meanwhile, Yohan purified some of the slightly corrupted ingredients like onions with sprouting limbs or tentacles, then looked at Lee Hyun-muk with expectant eyes. He, however, was saying something irrelevant instead of taking care of his youngest team member.
“I’m a little disappointed.”
“What? Disappointed? Did I, did I… do something wrong?”
Startled, Yohan stammered, and Lee Hyun-muk smiled faintly, lowering his gaze slightly.
“It’s because you rarely call me Hyun-mook-hyung, Yohan-ah, so it feels like you’re keeping your distance from me.”
Flustered, Yohan fumbled, his face flushing. Still, he couldn’t easily bring himself to call him Hyun-mook-hyung.
“Well, the age difference between you and Lee Hyun-muk-ssi is quite large…. If I call you Hyung, it feels a bit disrespectful.”
“The age difference with Seung-ryong isn’t that much, though?”
Yohan mentally calculated the ages. Yoon Seung-ryong, twenty-five. Lee Hyun-mook, thirty-three. Could an eight-year difference be considered not much? Was he mismanaging his social interactions because he had no experience in society? It was only when he met Lee Hyun-mook’s smiling face that Yohan realized he was being teased again.
“Should I call you Mr. Lee Hyun-mook from now on?”
As he grumbled, Yoon Seung-ryong finished preparing the meal. Today’s meal was Kimchi stew, made with canned stir-fried kimchi, ham, and various vegetables, and a spicy Dakdoritang (braised chicken).
—made with sparrow instead of chicken—
And fluffy rice. Even Joo Ho-young, who had been engrossed in the Game Console, forgot his precious game for a moment.
“Wow, what is all this…. Have you all been eating like this all along?”
Like Lee Hyun-mook and Yoon Seung-ryong, Joo Ho-young seemed to cherish this normal meal very much. Just as Joo Ho-young had done when he first ate the food Yohan purified, he shoveled it into his mouth ravenously, then gradually chewed slowly, savoring this special feast. The person who claimed not to have eaten anything since falling into the Abyss managed to finish two bowls of rice, with Kimchi stew and stir-fried meat as side dishes. Yohan watched him with satisfaction.
“If you’re done eating, let’s head back to our lodging.”
Lee Hyun-mook said after they finished eating. Yohan inwardly worried that Joo Ho-young, who was so attached to his collection, wouldn’t want to leave. However, perhaps because he had been purified, Joo Ho-young surprisingly showed no interest in the collection. Instead, he picked up a small, palm-sized figure keychain and carefully offered it to Yohan.
“Could you purify this one for me?”
“No problem!”
Yohan readily purified the figure. As the distorted and warped image melted away like dissolving corruption, a worn and faded figure appeared in its place. It was a rounded, 2-head-tall rendition of a game character Joo Ho-young played. Joo Ho-young fiddled with the figure keychain for a long time, looked at the building interior filled with figures, and said while attaching it to the Game Console.
“This is enough. Let’s go.”
Then, he walked away without looking back.
As they left the building, they also dealt with the monsters tied to the bizarre amusement rides. Joo Ho-young’s former base, surrounded by amusement rides that no longer made noise, somehow evoked a sense of loneliness. Joo Ho-young walked, his gaze fixed on the Game Console as if he would bury his nose in it, without even looking back at his residence. Then, he sighed and muttered.
“Playing games is so good, but I really want to play new releases. The sequel must be out by now.”
He sighed again and muttered.
“I want to get out of here.”
Yohan flinched. It was a thought he had been having since they fell here, but he had deliberately avoided speaking it aloud. He was trying to act brave, but honestly, there were many nights he couldn’t sleep. The thought of having to live here forever made his vision go dark and tears well up. Seeing Yohan grow despondent, Yoon Seung-ryong chided Joo Ho-young.
“What’s the point of saying such useless things? We’ve dug the ground, flown, and tried all sorts of things, but none of it worked. Don’t say such nonsense.”
It wasn’t so much a scolding directed at Joo Ho-young as it was a subtle reminder of reality to Yohan. It meant to give up hope quickly. As Yohan walked away dejectedly, Joo Ho-young, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
“It’s not that there’s absolutely no way to get out of here.”
Surprised, Yohan’s head shot up, and he looked at Joo Ho-young. Lee Hyun-mook and Yoon Seung-ryong, however, showed no surprise and responded with blank faces, but Yohan alone looked at him with desperate eyes. Joo Ho-young calmly said, sucking on the candy Yohan had given him as dessert.
“The possibility is extremely slim, but there is definitely a way. I saw it with my own eyes. That we can get out of here.”