By Zephyria 
“Oh.”
“Sit properly.”
“Ooh.”
While driving on the roads of Bay City, Joo-oh exclaimed in admiration several times. His red eyes sparkled with life, almost dazzlingly.
At first, Mu-hae watched quietly, but then he started reaching out to push Joo-oh down to sit. He looked anxious, as if afraid someone would open the window and jump out.
‘I’m not an idiot. Jin Mu-hae is the idiot.’
Watching the scenery flash by, Joo-oh recalled the stories of this world.
If the information etched in his mind was correct, the world of 「La Vida Blue」 had nearly twenty Comfort zones.
The cities featured in the quests were limited, but that was the setting. In the past, Joo-oh had attempted quite a variety of plays, testing the game’s freedom in every way possible.
He struggled to find unknown cities that might exist somewhere, whenever he had the chance. He tried to revisit cities that no longer appeared in the story.
But unfortunately, the game’s limitations were clear. There was no way to cross into unimplemented areas, and without following the quests, no further story would unfold.
During certain main quests, time was even frozen on the same day forever. It was a disappointing aspect for what was supposed to be an open-world game.
A trash game. The Joo-oh of the past probably thought so. So even with his memories wiped, he was still calling 「La Vida Blue」 that.
“The skyline is quite a sight, isn’t it? That building with the wave-like design is the hotel where we’ll be staying for two nights and three days.”
As Hawkins said, the outline of Central came into view beyond the car window. As a city designed as a tourist destination targeting nearby Comfort zones, Bay City felt more glamorous and had more to see than Goryeo City.
Although its scale and purpose had changed after nearby cities collapsed during its construction, Central’s buildings still boasted unique designs.
Staring at the giant tower, Bay City’s trademark, Joo-oh felt his heart pounding.
Everything from 「La Vida Blue」 was becoming real and appearing before his eyes. Belonging to a world he had only watched from afar was such a pleasant feeling that his head tingled.
Thinking again, he was glad he met Jin Mu-hae. Every day was happy by his side. Jin Mu-hae was handsome, strong, and tall, just like in the game, and also…
He was like a wolf that wasn’t fully tamed, yet he was affectionate. Even though he kept getting angry over strange things and looked frustrated, he would soon relax and touch his hair and face.
Joo-oh really could do anything for him. Whatever quest awaited him, he would stick close and help diligently.
‘Hmm…’
Soon, a precarious crisis would brush past him. In the story, Jin Mu-hae gets injured around this time.
He hated the thought of him getting hurt, but at least he could save him from collapsing. If he just stayed calm, he felt like he could pass this quest, which he had repeated countless times, without any problems.
‘Calm,’ the problem was that the word felt so distant…
“Hyung.”
Joo-oh slowly turned his head and called Mu-hae. He was looking out the window, and he raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze.
“Me. Hair.”
As he spoke pleadingly, a hint of trouble flickered in his dark brown eyes. But soon, he reached out and smoothed his hair this way and that.
Joo-oh closed his eyes for a long time and raised the corners of his lips. His heart felt fluffy, and his head felt like it was floating.
“Haha.”
Right. If he remembered this feeling, he could calm down at any time. Just in case, Joo-oh had also eaten a lot of delicious things.
He etched into his mind what each flavor tasted like and what smells brought him happiness. He had diligently indulged in these pleasures for a while.
He prepared in his own way so that even if Mu-hae was hurt and fell, nothing dark and swirling would come out from within him.
‘I can do without everything else.’
Even the obstructive NPCs were all members of 「La Vida Blue」, so while they might be annoying, he didn’t hate or dislike them.
Still, if they became obstacles to staying by Mu-hae’s side, he wanted to push them away and eliminate them. Even if he liked everyone in this world, there was bound to be a big difference in that regard.
Compared to the main characters he loved so much, the remaining extras were nothing more than NPCs he had seen often.
WELCOME TO LA VIDA 🙂
~Day 264 of Year 15~
[Quest]
Main Quest
Tutorial (Completed)
Chapter 1 (Completed)
Chapter 2
☞ The Responsible for the Bygone Reform (Completed)
Planned Work √
DIY 777 √
Blue not Vlue √
Planned Hero √
Sewer Exploration √
One to Replace Four √
☞ Cooperation Across the Sea (Completed)
Letter from the Past √
Golden Remnants √
The Fourth Companion √
The Missing Link √
Caveman √
☞ Between Desire and Worship (In Progress)
Sweet and Sour Small O Pasta √
Secret Meeting
[Secret Meeting]
For some reason, the NPS was eager to meet a new member.
Was this unusual kindness to a stranger due to his relationship with Dmitri?
Since Joo-oh joined, big and small variables continued to arise in Chapter 2.
Not only was the date of the incident different from his memory, but Jin Mu-hae also acted differently than expected.
Joo-oh saw this as a sign of hope. It seemed that the reduced exposure had a significant impact on the story.
This quest alone was an example. Originally, plainclothes agents should have been at the Goryeo City airfield.
But after Joo-oh frequented Jaegang District, greeting everyone he met, the surveillance directed towards them noticeably slowed down.
‘It’s almost all for the better.’
So this time, he was hoping for a positive variable rather than a bug-like change like with the stonemason.
The event of visiting Bay City was really fun. It was a little sad that he couldn’t call Jin Mu-hae by his name, but it was amazing how smart he seemed pretending to be Lee Haemu.
Short hair, a red jacket, well-fitting and sturdy pants, and tough boots. That was Jin Mu-hae himself, whom Joo-oh loved, but sometimes when he saw Mu-hae in different clothes like this, his head would burst with joy, like melting a candy with all sorts of flavors.
Whether it was Jin Mu-hae wearing glasses or Jin Mu-hae in these, well, nerdy clothes. Joo-oh loved everything. He was a best dresser no matter what he wore.
“Do it more.”
“Stop. We’re about to get off.”
Joo-oh regretfully clicked his tongue and took his head away from him. If he kept embarrassing him in front of others, he might not touch him later.
Hawkins was already silently watching them through the rearview mirror. As soon as his light gray eyes met Joo-oh’s, they quickly turned away.
Joo-oh stared at him thoughtfully. Seeing this character, who seemed gentle and normal on the outside but was actually more of a madman than anyone else, again after 15 years was quite welcome.
“We have arrived.”
Even in the center of Bay City, Jin Mu-hae maintained a calm face. Only Joo-oh could instantly read a faint interest in his eyes.
Even in the game, he had liked Bay City quite a bit. Jin Mu-hae lived wandering through unfamiliar and dangerous places, but ironically, he always wanted a society that would accept him.
“If you have any luggage to entrust, please hand it over to the bellboy.”
When Hawkins spoke, Joo-oh almost nodded vigorously. But he had made a promise with Mu-hae.
Joo-oh averted his eyes, rolling them around, and grabbed Mu-hae’s arm. Calling out Hyung with an anxious face, his body stiffened slightly for a moment.
“It’s okay. This guy always wants to carry his bag around.”
As they got on the elevator following Hawkins, Mu-hae quietly wrapped his arm around his shoulders. He felt a surge of strength from the unspoken praise for doing well. Joo-oh vowed inwardly to act even more diligently as a fake younger brother.
Click. Finally, after entering the hotel room and closing the door, Jin Mu-hae let out a long sigh and relaxed his body.
The shirt, which he had worn fitted so he wouldn’t look too bulky, seemed like it would burst open from inside the cardigan at any moment.
‘Hmm.’
Strange. Even though he had drunk enough on the plane, Joo-oh felt strangely thirsty.
He quickly ran to the mini-fridge to take out a drink, but Mu-hae quickly grabbed his wrist from behind.
“What are you trying to drink again?”
“Soda.”
“That’s not soda. Here. Drink this.”
His strong grip quickly released, and he even got a sweet-looking drink, but he somehow regretted the freed wrist.
Gulp. Joo-oh sat on the sofa, admiring his handsome body, and slowly swallowed what he didn’t know was saliva or soda.
Mu-hae seemed frustrated and was unbuttoning a couple of buttons on his shirt. The exposed nape of his neck made him feel ticklish in his side.
He had never thought of eating him, but strangely, he wanted to lick and taste his skin.
But he held back. Recently, he had been eating so much that Mu-hae was looking at him like he was a pig.
If he nibbled at his neck, he would think he was pathetic for trying to eat him after eating everything else.
“Hyung.”
“……”
“Haemu Hyung.”
Mu-hae kept pausing at the voice calling out to him. Joo-oh spread his arms, gesturing for a hug, to the one who raised his eyebrows as if asking why.
“Watch TV.”
Was it because they were in an unfamiliar place? He would have hugged him lightly normally, but he was being stingy.
Well, watching TV in Bay City wasn’t a bad choice either, so Joo-oh pouted and picked up the remote.
-Orange juice? Milk?
-Both!
-Something cool? Something warm?
-Both!
-Generous happiness Xingfutian Orange Milk♪
Since falling into this world, Joo-oh had never felt a language barrier.
Perhaps a similar function was hidden in the mode. The fact that he could understand even the lines that had never appeared in the story made him so satisfied that his feet wiggled.
Watching the swaying orange character on TV, Joo-oh slowly thought about the quests ahead.
‘Haha. Researcher Jin Mu-hae.’
What the Company had told Mu-hae wasn’t a joke. Even if they had written ‘mercenary’ on the introduction letter to the NPS, they would have readily put Mu-hae in the academy.
Because what they wanted now wasn’t a brother to be with for a long time.
‘I’ll only hurt the shell a little. Definitely.’
With that determination, gulp. The fragrant liquid passed down Joo-oh’s throat.
He felt strange. Mu-hae narrowed his brows, glancing towards the sofa.
Was it his imagination? It felt like Joo-oh kept looking at him as if he was licking him. Then he would nod to himself and half-close his eyes, making a fuss.
It couldn’t be, but Mu-hae quietly buttoned up the shirt he had loosened, feeling like he had become eye candy.