LG 11

#7 Drizzle

The day after Green apple juice left, Kyung-soo’s couple window was completely empty. It was as if the user Green apple juice had never existed in the first place. Cheon No-eul’s determination to make him quit in just three days was enough to give Kyung-soo goosebumps.

Also, because a pseudo-media outlet ran an article titled “Woman Met in Game, Giving Away Items and Pure Love, Turns Out to Be a Man?”, No-eul’s post on social media and the demise of Green apple juice spread widely. As a result, people who knew Green apple juice in the games he played were coming forward one after another. This spread like a butterfly effect, leading some Net Okamas who felt guilty to confess they were men and quit the game. Sunset was secretly called a draft dodger hunter, or just a son of a bitch for short. No one knew why the word was shortened that way.

Kyung-soo became Sunset’s couple the very next day. As Kyung-soo expected, the guild members didn’t just sit back and watch. The same was true in Melody. As soon as Kyung-soo accepted the courtship request, Globe notified everyone on the server microphone of their relationship, and the guild members of both guilds used the server microphone to their heart’s content. Messages congratulating the birth of the couple poured in, and No-eul, as a sign of celebration, squandered nearly 100 million in-game currency in Isis using the ‘Money Shower’ skill.

After that, occasionally, mysterious consolation money would arrive by mail. When Kyung-soo tried to return the money as a reply, only the message ‘This character has already been deleted’ appeared on the screen. Kyung-soo wanted to tell whoever it was that it wasn’t like that, but he couldn’t.

After about three days, the noisy game returned to its original atmosphere. Since then, Kyung-soo occasionally met No-eul to watch movies or went to his house to play games together, and sometimes they lightly kissed, spending peaceful days. When Kyung-soo came to his senses, Cheon No-eul had naturally blended into his daily life, and the word had spread that Poseidon and Melody were allied guilds.

「No-eul: Hyung, when are you coming?ㅠㅠ」

「Me: I’m out running errands. I’ll be back by 3 at the latest.

No-eul: Not the game… When are you coming up to Seoul?」

Kyung-soo, who had come down to the countryside to see his parents during vacation, had been unexpectedly away from his place for nearly a month because his father had injured his leg. Naturally, the number of times he could see No-eul decreased, and he could only see him in the game. At first, No-eul only said he missed him, but from the time a week had passed, he kept singing about when Kyung-soo was coming up.

「Me: I don’t know. After vacation?」

To be honest, it was twice as comfortable as being alone in his place. There was someone to take care of his meals, and the nagging he hadn’t heard in a long time wasn’t bad.

「No-eul: Ah…ㅠㅠ”

“No-eul: I miss you, hyungㅜ”

Of course. They had been seeing each other almost every day, but now they had been apart for nearly a month. Kyung-soo himself felt a little empty, so No-eul, who even liked him, must have felt it even more. It was a wonder he wasn’t making a fuss about coming down right away.

「No-eul: Hyung wouldn’t suddenly go crazy and come up this week, would you?ㅠ」

「Me: Probably?」

Of course, since there was no reason to suddenly go crazy. The 1 next to the speech bubble disappeared, but there was no further reply. Even though it had been a month, instead of No-eul’s face becoming hazy, his sulky face vividly came to Kyung-soo’s mind.

“……”

He had to go and clean his place, and prepare for the start of the semester… His parents would be sad, but should he start looking into bus tickets? Maybe next week… Kyung-soo blinked his dazed eyes and looked at the dry branches swaying in the wind. Kyung-soo, who pulled the hood of his hoodie deeper over his head against the sharp, biting wind, put his phone in his pocket and quickened his pace.

For some reason, Cheon No-eul wasn’t logged into the game today. Kyung-soo thought he would be with Min-jae today, since he was struggling to level up after changing his character ‘Ministry of National Defense’ to a healer. It was so strange that Sunset, Cheon No-eul, and even Ministry of National Defense were all offline. Did they go to have a late lunch? Kyung-soo waited for an hour, but he still didn’t log into the game. Kyung-soo clicked on the name ‘Spade Queen’ in his friend list and sent a whisper.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Why isn’t Cheon No-eul here for once?ㅋㅋ

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Ah, himㅋㅋㅋ He was dragged away a little while agoㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Dragged away? The word suddenly reminded him of the police. Surely not… Kyung-soo firmly believed that even Cheon No-eul wouldn’t have caused such a large-scale accident.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: By who??

[Whisper] Spade Queen: By his mother

If she used the expression ‘dragged away’ instead of just going to see her, did that mean he hated his home? Come to think of it, Kyung-soo had no memory of hearing about No-eul’s family history.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: His birthday is the day after tomorrow, you know? He always ignores contact and doesn’t go home, so she must have come to pick him up herself. He’ll probably be dragged away by his father tomorrow.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: The day after tomorrow?

Kyung-soo immediately checked the calendar on his phone screen. The day after tomorrow… was the weekend. No-eul’s words from earlier suddenly came to mind.

‘Hyung wouldn’t suddenly go crazy and come up this week, would you?’

“……”

Was he asking because it was his birthday? He couldn’t directly say it was his birthday and that he wanted to see Kyung-soo that day, but he hinted at it in passing, so there was no way Kyung-soo could have noticed. Kyung-soo’s head throbbed just thinking about how No-eul must have felt when he sent that message. And he gave such an ambiguous answer like ‘Probably.’

[Whisper] Spade Queen: ?? Hyung didn’t know? Didn’t Cheon No-eul tell you?

[Whisper] Spade Queen: There’s no way he wouldn’t have???

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Nah, have funㅋ

[Whisper] Spade Queen: ?

His head was all fuzzy, perhaps because of the acrid smell of cigarettes coming from the man next to him.

Cheon No-eul, your birthday is the day after tomorrow, right? Kyung-soo hesitated to send the message he had typed in the chat window. Why didn’t he say anything? It was his birthday, only once a year. He was so good at talking about minor complaints and couldn’t hide his disappointment in every little thing, but why didn’t he ask to meet him because it was his birthday?

“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

He couldn’t concentrate at all because he kept worrying about it. In the end, Kyung-soo deleted all the messages he had typed and impulsively booked a express bus ticket for the morning of the day after tomorrow.

As he had expected, No-eul didn’t log into the game yesterday either. Min-jae said something incomprehensible, saying ‘Yesterday was his mother, so today is his father.’ Judging from the fact that he hadn’t talked about his parents until now, Kyung-soo felt that he might be sensitive about his family history, so he thought it wasn’t right to hear about it through a friend. Kyung-soo spent the night with a restless heart, and as soon as the sun rose, he left the house and boarded the bus.

It was ten o’clock when he arrived at the terminal. He bought a cake from a nearby bakery and headed to No-eul’s house. He wouldn’t not welcome him just because he came without saying anything, would he? Kyung-soo pressed the doorbell next to the door.

“…What, is he not home?”

He pressed it three or four more times, but there was still no answer. He wouldn’t be sleeping until this hour. Just in case, he pressed the door lock password. 258789. Fortunately, the password hadn’t changed, and the door opened with a click.

“Cheon No-eul!”

He called out his name, but no answer came back, and it was quiet. It seemed he hadn’t returned home yet. Except for the desk where the computer was placed, everything was neat and tidy, and there was still no sign of life. He was even worried about whether he had been eating properly. He tried calling him, but his phone was turned off.

There was no helping it. Kyung-soo put the cake on the dining table. And he was going to take paper and a pen from No-eul’s room, leave a note, and go back home.

Happy birthday. Call me later.

‘Happy birthday to me.’

While he was leaving a note in large, clear letters on a piece of A4 paper, he heard some commotion outside the door. Was it Cheon No-eul? Kyung-soo pricked up his ears for a moment and looked at the door.

“This Cheon No-eul, didn’t he change the password?”

“You know how he thinks. Even if he changed it, wouldn’t it be that? Hyung will crack it in five tries.”

There wasn’t just one person outside the door. Moreover, No-eul didn’t seem to be in that group.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep.

They seemed to be No-eul’s friends. At the sound of the door lock keypad being pressed, Kyung-soo hurriedly opened No-eul’s door with the pen in his hand. There was no suitable place to hide. Ah, shit. What should he do? Then, No-eul’s closet came into Kyung-soo’s eyes. He quickly opened the closet door, hid inside, and closed the closet door. Come to think of it, there was no reason to hide, but it was already too late. The guys who had cracked the house password by a hair’s breadth came into the house, making rustling noises.

“Did you see it?”

“Crazy bastard…”

“If Cheon No-eul’s house gets robbed, Jung Min-jae is the culprit. I’ll go and testify.”

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing to steal, you son of a bitch.”

The sound of footsteps grew closer. His heart was pounding.

“Huh? There’s moisture left in the sink? Did he come home and go somewhere for a bit?”

“There’s a cake here. Come to think of it, what does it say here…”

“……”

“……”

After a long silence, someone sniffled.

“…He’s pitiful… Living alone.”

“What would have happened if we hadn’t come…”

Why was he pitiful? Kyung-soo, who was blinking in the darkness, covered his mouth with both hands and realized something.

‘Happy birthday to me.’

“……”

He had hidden away while writing the note, so No-eul’s friends probably thought that Cheon No-eul had left it. But he didn’t have the courage to go out right now and say, ‘No, that’s a misunderstanding!’ At that moment, the phone screen lit up brightly and music started playing. The caller was Cheon No-eul. His phone was off earlier, but he really had good timing…! Kyung-soo was startled and quickly hung up the phone.

“Didn’t you hear something?”

“…Isn’t he hiding in his room and playing games?”

“No way. Cheon No-eul!”

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer. Kyung-soo screamed silently, hoping that they would think it was nothing and leave the room.

“He’s not here?”

“Look under the bed.”

“He’s not there.”

“Then in the closet?”

“Is he a kid? Who hides in a closet?”

Shit, me.

Kyung-soo squeezed his eyes shut. He should have not hidden from the start! It would be stranger to open the closet and find someone hiding while holding their breath! Would it be better to go out now and greet them casually, saying, ‘Oh, I dozed off’? While he was racking his brain, he suddenly heard the sound of the door lock being unlocked.

“……What?”

It was No-eul’s voice. He muttered in a sullen voice. Thanks to that, his friends fortunately moved away from the closet. Kyung-soo breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to see the situation through the small gap in the closet door, but he couldn’t see well, so he soon gave up. No-eul’s friends approached him and started wailing, saying things like, ‘Oh, No-eul.’ Of course, No-eul, who had no idea why they were acting like this, was flustered.

“What’s wrong, you sons of bitches. Are you all crazy?”

There was annoyance in No-eul’s voice. Whatever the case, he just hoped that Cheon No-eul would quickly take them all and leave the house. His legs were starting to go numb.

“It’s your birthday. We brought a cake…”

“I know, so get out of the way. I have to change my clothes and go out.”

At those words, his friends were silent for a moment, then asked back in a mournful voice.

“…To buy a present alone?”

“Damn it, really… This bastard is so pitiful…”

“Did you all eat something wrong…”

“Where are you going! You don’t have to change your clothes! Let’s go out like this!”

“……?”

Yes, go out like that. Hurry up and go! Kyung-soo hugged his numb legs and desperately prayed that No-eul would go out with his friends.

“Huh?”

Meanwhile, No-eul found familiar shoes in the shoe rack and let out a small exclamation.

“……”

No way, there’s no way… His heart was pounding. He easily kicked off the friend who was holding his leg and looked around the house. After roughly looking at where someone could hide, he turned his head and asked Min-jae.

“Jung Min-jae, didn’t you see anyone when you came in?”

“See who?”

Min-jae narrowed his eyes as if to say, what are you talking about? And he started listing all the people he had met while leaving the house. Anyway, No-eul thought that Jung Min-jae was of no help in his life.

As if possessed, No-eul moved his steps to the kitchen and found two cakes on the dining table. Because he didn’t prefer greasy things, a cream cake that his friends would never buy was placed there out of the blue. He was sure. The friends kept their mouths shut and started looking at each other.

“…You guys get out.”

His voice trembled with excitement. No-eul mumbled, covering his slightly raised lips.

“We won’t tease you with this, you bastard!”

“Sob…”

Ignoring what his friends were saying, No-eul glanced under the dining table, but the person he was looking for wasn’t there.

“Oh, who cracked the password?”

“Min-jae did.”

“Damn it, it wasn’t me!”

“I’ll have to change it again… Now go.”

No matter what his friends said, nothing was entering No-eul’s ears now. He was sure that hyung was hiding somewhere in the house, but he had no intention of showing him to those uninvited guests. No-eul forcibly pushed his friends out of the house and locked the door.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Before the door closed, the last thing they saw of No-eul was his face, with the tips of his ears turned red and looking somewhat troubled. It was probably because his friends had caught him in that state.

If I were Cheon No-eul, I would want to die? Well… Whispering quietly, they had no choice but to give No-eul some time alone.

“You can come out now!”

As soon as the sound of people outside the door disappeared, No-eul shouted so that it could be heard throughout the house.

“……”

But now he couldn’t bring himself to rummage out of the closet. Hyung, who quickly hid in the closet because a stranger came, was too uncool no matter how he thought about it. The bastard would definitely laugh at him. When should he go out? Kyung-soo laughed helplessly while holding his breath.

“Hyung?”

“……”

“Ah, I see. Okay. I’ll find you.”

No-eul said with a faint smile. Contrary to his expectation that he would find him right away, he rummaged through the wrong places for a long time. The sound of the refrigerator door opening was so absurd that he let out a hollow laugh.

“Achoo!”

At the sudden tickle in his nose, he could feel No-eul’s movements stop at one sneeze.

“Hyung?”

…He was caught. He was screwed. Kyung-soo muttered inwardly. The sound of the bastard’s footsteps grew closer, and not long after, the closet door was wide open. Kyung-soo squinted and looked up, his eyes narrowed at the sudden light pouring into his eyes. Soon, as his eyes became accustomed to the bright light, he saw No-eul’s face. It felt a little nostalgic, perhaps because it had been a while.

“…Found you.”

“……”

He muttered with a subtle expression that was neither smiling nor crying. Why was he making that face? Was he not happy that Kyung-soo had come?

“What are you trying to do… Hey, get out!”

“Ah…”

Kyung-soo pushed away No-eul, who was trying to squeeze his body into the narrow closet and sit down, and rolled out of the closet as if falling over. As the legs he had been hugging while squatting were stretched out, he finally felt the blood flowing a little. He finally felt like he was going to live… Kyung-soo stretched out his legs and let out a sigh of relief.

“Did you come to see me?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say no to the desperate look in his eyes, as if begging him to say yes. Kyung-soo turned his gaze slightly and answered.

“Why else would I be in your house if not for that? You should have told me it was your birthday sooner.”

“Hehe.”

No-eul smiled awkwardly.

“Happy birthday. The present is…”

…He didn’t have one. He hadn’t been able to prepare one because he had come up in a hurry. Kyung-soo trailed off without finishing his sentence. No-eul didn’t care and smiled prettily, folding his eyes.

“Hyung is the present.”

He was the present?

“……?”

This bastard. Kyung-soo, who had almost offered himself as a present in a fluster, hardened his expression and firmly denied those words, saying, ‘No.’ No-eul just smiled as if it didn’t matter. Looking at his face, unable to hide his joy, he thought that he had done well to come.

*

No-eul wouldn’t let him go home, using his birthday as an excuse. Just looking at the front door, he grabbed his ankle using his birthday as an excuse, so he had no choice but to be trapped in this house.

“But where did you go this morning?”

“Yesterday, I was dragged to my dad’s house and ended up staying the night because the buses stopped running….”

“……”

The day before yesterday it was his mother, yesterday it was his father. Do they live separately? Kyung-soo hesitated to speak rashly, gauging No-eul’s mood. But No-eul, as if nothing was wrong, chewed on the fruit Kyung-soo tossed into his mouth, his shapely lips moving.

“If I knew hyung was coming, I would have walked to get here earlier…. I asked that hyung at that house to take me, but he pretended not to hear.”

“You have an older brother?”

That was unexpected. He thought he was an only child.

“Didn’t you know? He appeared a few years ago.”

He spoke as if asking why he wouldn’t know, so there was nothing to say. Unfortunately, Kyung-soo didn’t have the ability to see through the other person’s family affairs without being told.

“I didn’t know. Of course. You don’t talk about your family….”

“Why would I talk about other people when I’m with hyung?”

“……Usually, you do.”

You don’t know it well, but. He swallowed the last words without uttering them. Usually…. No-eul rolled the word around in his mouth a few times before saying,

“Then let’s do it too. That conversation that normal people have.”

“If you say it like that, it makes me sound like I’m not normal either.”

“Okay, start!”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’ll go first. Do you have any siblings, hyung?”

“…No.”

“Aha, I figured.”

“…….”

What does that mean? He almost got up and grabbed No-eul by the collar, but barely managed to remember it was his birthday and decided to forgive him, just for today.

But to start a background check now…. Isn’t the order a bit off? Even while exchanging questions in turn, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

According to No-eul, his parents divorced due to personality differences and then formed separate families. Originally, he lived with his father, but after he remarried, he said the family was hard to bear, so he moved out on his own, but the reason was absurd. He made the excuse that the school and home were far apart, but the real reason was that his newly acquired hyung adored No-eul to an unbearable extent.

“Oh, right, so I stole the car keys from hyung’s pocket when I came out earlier.”

No-eul rummaged through his pocket and pulled something out.

“If he hadn’t pretended not to hear me when I asked him to take me yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened. I didn’t want to do this either.”

“……?”

“I hope he only finds out right before he has to go to work tomorrow.”

His hyung had his car keys stolen for the crime of not taking No-eul home yesterday. No-eul shoved someone else’s car keys into the corner of the table, then smiled brightly with a face that didn’t match the words he had just spoken. He thought he was really lucky that he wasn’t related to that bastard. If he were, his blood pressure would rise several times a day, and he would die of frustration.

He briefly imagined the terrible thought of living in the same house as No-eul and quietly raised his head. No-eul was staring intently at him. His eyes were full of amusement. He wasn’t even saying anything particularly funny, so what was so enjoyable?

“What are you looking at? Lower your eyes.”

“…….”

“What are you looking at?”

Whatever part of those words was so surprising, No-eul suddenly widened his eyes and began to laugh clearly, out loud. Honestly, a guy who suddenly starts laughing when you’re picking a fight doesn’t seem normal. After chuckling for a while, No-eul said with a face still full of laughter.

“I like you.”

“What?”

“What about hyung?”

“…….”

Suddenly? Kyung-soo couldn’t hide his flustered expression and just blinked.

“You don’t like me?”

Was it because of his bright face? For some reason, he hesitated to answer. But it’s his birthday, so I can’t say I don’t like him. It’s his birthday, so I’ll let it slide. Yeah, because it’s his birthday….

“……It’s not that I… don’t….”

Kyung-soo mumbled, trailing off.

“I knew it.”

No-eul replied, raising the corners of his lips. That face, which seemed to be relaxed while only he was burdened with anguish, was annoying. No-eul didn’t stop there and pushed it even further.

“Then give me a kiss!”

“Are you crazy?”

“You said you don’t dislike me. That means you like me!”

“No! Why are you so extreme?”

No-eul closed his eyes tightly, no matter what Kyung-soo said. He briefly considered slapping that protruding lip with his palm, but he had grown a year older after the new year and was at least more rational and mature than Cheon No-eul, so he decided against it.

“…….”

Well, this much is nothing, right? After a long hesitation, Kyung-soo moistened his lips, braced his hand on the table, and slowly approached No-eul. The sweet scent of whipped cream lingered at the tip of his nose. He couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or from No-eul.

“…….”

He turned his head and lightly touched his lips. As No-eul’s lips parted slightly, the sweetness intensified. No-eul stuck out his tongue slightly and licked Kyung-soo’s lips. Soon, No-eul’s tongue entered his mouth, intertwined, and then separated. It seemed like there was a fruity taste mixed in with the sweetness.

Something was definitely different from before, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. No, he didn’t particularly want to know. He suddenly felt strange, so he pulled away and wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. No-eul smacked his lips as if he was disappointed and slowly opened his eyes. His gaze met the light hazelnut-colored eyes.

His heart sank.

It was evening before Kyung-soo was finally able to escape from No-eul and return to his own place after a long time. In fact, he had been pestering Kyung-soo to stay over, but after that kiss in the morning, he felt strange and forcibly pushed him away. All he had done all day was laze around the house and play with No-eul, who tirelessly circled around him, but he was completely exhausted.

“……Haa.”

No, maybe it was because of the words No-eul had whispered in his ear before leaving his house. When he heard those words, he had really blurted out, “I’m fucked.” He felt like he had aged 10 years in an instant.

‘I looked it up, and it’s possible between guys too.’

‘What’s possible?’

‘I’m confident.’

‘Is there anything you’re not confident in? And what exactly?’

‘What do you think it is?’

Sex….

“Ugh! Aaaargh! Crazy bastard…. Crazy guy! Aaaargh! God damn it! I’m really fucked!”

Kyung-soo buried his face in the pillow and pounded the bed with his clenched fists. He wished he didn’t remember, but he remembered clearly. And the problem was that No-eul had overheard it too. As soon as he remembered, he exclaimed, “Ah!” After that, when he carelessly muttered that he was fucked, No-eul chuckled and gave him a short kiss on the lips. And….

‘Thank you for coming today.’

A voice as warm as the spring sunshine.

Kyung-soo lay on his back, looking at the ceiling with his hand on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut. Was it because he hadn’t seen him in so long? Even with his eyes closed, No-eul’s pretty smile flickered before his eyes.

The soft brown hair that caught between his fingers when he stroked his head, or the snow-white skin that seemed to leave a mark when touched. The way he closed his eyes tightly while stubbornly demanding a kiss. The reddened corners of his eyes, despite being so confident. The playfully upturned corners of his lips. Lips. …Red lips that tasted sweet.

“…….”

He carefully raised his hand and stroked his own lips. After hesitating, he brought his lips down to his palm as if to settle there. And soon, he shook his head violently, as if having a seizure, and moved his hand far away.

‘What about hyung? You don’t like me?’

Isn’t it natural to dislike me?

‘I like you.’

It should be natural.

‘What about hyung?’

I….

Kyung-soo frowned and clenched his fist tightly.

…I don’t like you.

“Hyung, you’ve been acting strange lately.”

No-eul rested his chin on Kyung-soo’s shoulder and mumbled. Startled by the close distance, where he could even feel his breath, Kyung-soo inadvertently stepped hard on his foot with his heel.

“Ouch…. See, you’re really strange. I just get close, and you get surprised….”

“S, sorry.”

“Is ‘sorry’ all you have to say? Kiss.”

No-eul lowered his eyes slightly and pouted his lips. Is he crazy…. He should be grateful that I didn’t hit him over the head with the cup I’m holding. Kyung-soo held the warm mug in his hands, took a sip, and looked up at No-eul. It seemed like their eye level, which had been similar before, was now slightly different. Kyung-soo stared at No-eul for a moment and said,

“Did you get taller?”

“Did I? Did hyung get shorter…… I’m sorry.”

No-eul flinched and quickly apologized. Kyung-soo just blinked without getting angry. …I haven’t even hit him yet. Anyone would think he gets beaten every day. He sat down in front of the computer and turned on the power to the main unit. No-eul sat in his usual seat next to him, turned his head, and looked at Kyung-soo diagonally as he asked,

“By the way, when are we going to do it?”

No-eul pointed to the problematic pledge that had been carefully laminated and placed under the glass on the desk. Following his finger, Kyung-soo looked down and answered nonchalantly.

“Seven thousand five hundred years from now.”

“What did you say?”

Thankfully, the paper only said, ‘If Cheon No-eul finds a way for men to have sex, ♡Kim Kyung-soo♡ will try it out with him!’ In other words,

“It doesn’t say when we’re going to do it.”

“It doesn’t say…?”

“Yeah, you idiot.”

That was very fortunate for Kyung-soo. He triumphantly raised his head as if mocking No-eul. No-eul was silent for a moment, then went into the room and came out with a marker.

“…….”

A clear smile was a sign that something ominous was about to happen. With a pop, he pulled off the cap, and No-eul rushed at him. After that, Kyung-soo had to exhaust himself trying to stop No-eul from lifting the glass and taking out the paper.

“Ah, get lost! What are you going to write now!”

“Well, I can’t live that long… Aaaargh! That hurts!”

Kyung-soo defended the desk with all his might. And after the struggle, he sent No-eul, whose right hand was a mess of lines, into the bathroom, and peace was finally restored. Only then could Kyung-soo breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Ministry of National Defense has logged into the game.’

He was planning to log in No-eul first and then log in to his own account, but as soon as he entered No-eul’s Sub Character, Melody’s guild members started laughing like crazy.

[Guild] anamato: lolololㅋㅋㅋGuild MasterㅋlolololㅋShibalㅋlolololㅋ

[Guild] Seol-yeong: Sunset ha~lololollololollololol

[Guild] Spade Queen: lolololㅋㅋㅋDon’t laughㅋlolololㅋIt’s seriousㅋlolololㅋ

[Guild] Seol-yeong: Why are you laughing, oppa?

[Guild] Spade Queen: It’s not my problem, so it’s super fun haha

[Guild] Aslehn: Wow, you’re really fearless…

[Guild] Spade Queen: I knowㅋㅋㅋㅋ He had to pick a fight with Sunset bastard…;;

[Guild] Aslehn: ? That’s you…?

[Guild] Seol-yeong: Hahahahahaha Shibal hahaha

[Guild] Aslehn: Sunset Main Character mailbox, let’s go

What’s going on again. As he was staring intently at the flowing chat window, No-eul came over, wiping the water from his hands, and sat down next to him. Perhaps because he had brought a marker, the ink wasn’t completely erased.

But this bastard has pretty hands too…. Kyung-soo followed the white, long fingers without any curves, and then quickly raised his head, startled by his own actions.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“……No, it looks like someone picked a fight with you….”

“Well, is that anything new?”

No-eul muttered nonchalantly. But whether No-eul cared or not, Kyung-soo was concerned about who had picked a fight. As soon as he pressed the Esc key to change the character to Sunset, a message popped up saying that mail had arrived.

‘Sunset has logged into the game.’

‘A new message has arrived. Please check your mailbox.’

[Received Mail]

Sender: Transparent Human

Title: Shibal Sunset

Content: I’m returning what you gave to Apple. Let’s end this cleanly with a Character Deletion Bet^^

Attachment: Hardtack (Food Item) × 10

Apple, as in Green apple juice? It had been a month, so it took him a few seconds to recall the name. He couldn’t understand why a name that had already made a mark in the history of Net Okama and even quit the game was coming up again. Transparent Human was a guild member and vice Guild Master of Ruin….

“What happened with that bastard?”

He couldn’t understand why Transparent Human was suddenly picking a fight with Cheon No-eul. Maybe it was because he didn’t like him from the start, but the words didn’t come out nicely.

“No? Nothing happened….”

“Green… whatever. Anyway, after she quit, nothing really happened after that?”

At those words, No-eul thought for a moment, humming, and then shook his head as expected.

“Nothing happened.”

Then it must be a simple provocation. He didn’t like it even more. He frowned and read the mail on the screen again. Then he noticed that the attached item was hardtack.

“……Why did he give you ten hardtacks?”

“Ten? He gave me more than that? About a hundred in total?”

A hundred?

“Come to think of it, that’s a bit strange. Why did he only return ten? Did he eat the rest?”

“…….”

Shibal. Kyung-soo cursed inwardly. It had been a month, so he should have forgotten about it cleanly, but he didn’t know why he was dragging innocent Cheon No-eul into it. If he was bored, he should pick a fight with our guild, which he hated so much, but why him? Kyung-soo couldn’t hide his distorted expression and unconsciously muttered. No-eul glanced sideways at Kyung-soo and smiled slyly.

“Hyung. Are you worried about me?”

Worried? He couldn’t help but laugh at those words.

“Ha, no?”

Sunset. Sunset bastard. Sunset psycho. Psychopath….

There was no reason to worry about No-eul, who had all sorts of bad titles attached to his name. Even if he didn’t worry, No-eul would take care of it himself. Even if it wasn’t a normal way.

“But why do you have that expression?”

“…….”

My expression? What’s wrong with my expression? Kyung-soo widened his eyes and turned to look at No-eul.

“See, you’re worried about me.”

“Why would I….”

Worried, I never did that. At Kyung-soo’s muttering, No-eul covered his mouth with his hand and smiled, his eyes crinkling. The corners of his eyes, filled with laughter, turned red.

“No! How many times do I have to tell you not to misunderstand?”

…It can’t be.

“Yes. There’s cake left, should I bring it?”

“Bring it if you want to eat it.”

It shouldn’t be.

“What about Kyung-soo hyung?”

“I’ll eat it if you bring it.”

As soon as No-eul left his seat again, Kyung-soo raised his hand and slapped his cheek and logged into his account. Sure enough, Poseidon was saying the same thing.

[Guild] neutaaaa: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Does Tyrant know? Depending on the contents of the mail, it could lead to a Guild War?

[Guild] Ji9star: ㅋSomeone said it’s a newly released suicide methodㅋlololollolololㅋ

[Guild] ParkRoaches: That’s rightㅋlololollolololㅋ

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: I wish Transparent Human would win….

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: ?

[Guild] al0ha: ?

[Guild] ParkRoaches: Impeachment;;;

[Guild] Ji9star: Impeachment 2222

[Guild] neutaaaa: Impeachment 33

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: 44 We made up back then, why are you doing this againㅋlolololㅋ

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: It’s just my little wish^^;

But he wondered how they knew the contents of the mail that was only sent by mail. Before asking them, Kyung-soo went to the website, just in case. Sure enough, there was a post written by Transparent Human in the middle of page 2.

Title: Sunset

Writer: Transparent Human/Hero

Content: Check your mail

(18 comments have been posted.)

-What?

-??

-A… confession…?

└Transparent Human: It’s a warning, you 10-year-old lol Confess yourself^ㅗ^

└lol A confession?lololollolololㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAre you sane?lololollololollololol

└Let’s think logicallyㅠ Would you confess to Sunset?

└Okay, sorry, sorry;; Why are you getting angryㅠㅠ;; I just askedㅠㅠ You called his name so kindly, Sunset♡, why are you being like this to meㅠ.ㅠ

-Send a whisper; Don’t call out that shitty nickname here, he’ll be summoned if you say it three times;;

└2222

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ33

└Is Sunset psycho Satan?ㅋㅋㅋ You’re scared he’ll be summonedㅋlololollolololㅋㅋㅋ

└Summonㅋlololollololollolololㅋㅋ

-Are you going to fight?Haha

└Transparent Human: Yeah, yeah

└Wow, I was just saying it

└???????

└Crazy bastard

└Are you crazy

-Is it a new suicide method? Why are you trying to kill Sunset instead of just dying quietly…?

└Suicide methodㅋlolololㅋㅋ

“…….”

Whether it was the guild members or other users, they didn’t think about why Transparent Human was suddenly picking a fight with Sunset. They were just happy that a fight seemed to be brewing.

I could have enjoyed it if I hadn’t known Cheon No-eul…. Kyung-soo glanced sideways. He was engrossed in putting the cake on a plate prettily. There was still time.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Hey

Before No-eul came, Kyung-soo sent a whisper to Transparent Human. Soon, a reply came back.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: …?

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Whisper after 10 PM let’s go

[Whisper] Transparent Human: ?? Why whisper….

[Whisper] Transparent Human: ;;;;; Okay first;

If No-eul caught them secretly talking now, the aftermath would be no joke. Before No-eul returned, Kyung-soo buried all the words he had exchanged with Transparent Human in the guild chat, and he could shamelessly thank No-eul, who was putting down the snacks.

“Wow…. You’re not accepting any more guild members. Are you really serious?”

No-eul said in a voice mixed with laughter. His screen showed the party matching window. Ruin’s guild member recruitment party was always on the first page, but today the party name had been changed to ‘XX No More XX Guild Members’.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Hey, answer me;

Come to think of it, he had only read the mail and hadn’t seen him send a reply. Kyung-soo pointed to the bottom of the screen and said.

“…You have a whisper?”

No-eul glanced down at the bottom of the screen at those words and replied nonchalantly.

“It’s transparent, so I can’t see it.”

“Hey.”

“Hyung… Do you want me to fight with him?”

Then I’ll fight…. If hyung wants it, I can’t help it…. No-eul trailed off and pretended to be pathetic. Anyone would think he was being forced. Kyung-soo shook his head as if he was dumbfounded.

“No, I just said you got a whisper…. If you don’t want to reply, just leave it.”

“Yes!”

No-eul really started to leave that bastard alone.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Hey

[Whisper] Transparent Human: ??

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Damn, can’t you hear me?

[Whisper] Transparent Human: I know you saw the mail;;; Reply

[Whisper] Transparent Human: HEY!!!!!!!!!!

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Sunset

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Lord Sunset

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Please check just onceㅠㅠ

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Asshole, are you blind?

[Whisper] Transparent Human: 1 bag of bean sprouts, 2 blocks of tofu, corn soup

[Whisper] Transparent Human: I really can’t see

Then at least block him. No-eul really treated him like an invisible Transparent Human and roamed the field. Only that bastard, who kept forcing a reply, looked ridiculous.

On the condition that No-eul would subtract seven thousand years from his seven thousand five hundred years, he promised not to enter the game anymore today and to sleep quietly. Thanks to that, when I came home and turned on the game, all of No-eul’s characters were offline. I was very satisfied.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Huh?? Cheon No-eul went to bed?

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: ? I know

[Whisper] Spade Queen: He said hyung went to bed tooㅋㅋ

“…….”

If No-eul found out that he had secretly entered the game at night, he would ask him in detail what he had done. It wasn’t difficult to lie, but I already felt annoyed to death.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Zzzzzz….

[Whisper] Spade Queen: You must be tiredㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: zzzzz….

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Hmm, hehe. Cheon No-eul said earlier that if I reported that hyung came into the game, he would give me a hundred million….

“…….”

Did he even set up surveillance before going to bed? I could only laugh at No-eul’s persistence.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: So what do you want me to do

[Whisper] Spade Queen: What can hyung give me? I’ll listen once and then decide whether to open my mouth

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Just tell me and get lost

Kyung-soo opened the party matching and checked if Ruin’s party was still there. Transparent Human was among the people participating in the party. It seemed he was still logged in.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: lolololㅋㅋㅋㅋI won’t tellㅠㅋ Just tell me why you secretly came in after saying you were going to bed

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d play for a bit and then go to bed

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Then you wouldn’t have put Cheon No-eul to sleepㅋlololol

This bastard is sharper than I thought? I don’t know him well, but maybe it’s because I always see him getting pushed around by No-eul, but in Kyung-soo’s mind, Jung Min-jae had a very dim image.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: I’ll tell you, so don’t tell Cheon No-eul that you saw me.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Okay, cross my wrist.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Bullshit.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Why don’t you believe me?

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Okay okay, if I tell, I’ll blow up my weapon. It’s fully enhanced, I swear.

Min-jae added, “This,” and swapped his equipment to show it. As soon as the long spear was held in his hand, a sparkling effect wrapped around his body and disappeared. At least it was a weapon with a rare effect and fully enhanced. I thought I could trust him with this.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: I’m going to ask Transparent Human why he picked a fight with Sunset of all people. There was even talk of a Character Deletion Bet

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: No-eul said nothing happened, but how can I trust him….

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Wow Character Deletion Bet??? Who said that?

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Yeah, it was in the mail

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Originally, I would have been able to tell right away what they were thinking if I infiltrated the guild… but they blocked the recruitmentㅋㅋㅋ

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Why would you infiltrate?

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Cheon No-eul told me toㅜ

Come to think of it, even during Green apple juice, Cheon No-eul went to the trouble of creating a new character and joining Ruin. He wasn’t a novice at this.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: You’re saying you’ve been in before?

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Last year, when Ruin told Poseidon to do a Character Deletion Bet, I went in.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: It was so hard carrying the conversations.

[Whisper] Spade Queen: Thanks to that, I still have the vice guild master position.

He seemed to have threatened them with his guild status again. His actions were no different from Halloween Eggplant. Still, thanks to Cheon No-eul telling him that he would use the jungle map, he was able to practice in advance without being flustered.

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: No-eul must have had a reason

[Whisper] Spade Queen: ?? Are you taking his side now?

He wasn’t taking his side. It’s just that he now knew that Cheon No-eul wasn’t the type to rush in without thinking. He had benefited from it, so he said it.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: What do you want to say to me?

[Whisper] Transparent Human: ??

A whisper arrived from Transparent Human. I checked the time and it was exactly ten o’clock. I had asked him to whisper after ten o’clock at night, and he really contacted me at ten o’clock. They weren’t on good terms with each other, so I was worried about how to prevent sharp words from coming out and how to turn his animosity towards No-eul.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: You called me and now you’re ignoring me?

[Whisper] Transparent Human: I’m so pissed

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Channel 1 Guild Zone Clock Tower 2nd floor

[Whisper] Transparent Human: Yes

After saying that, Kyung-soo moved to the Guild Zone on Channel 1. Because it was Channel 1 and it was a good time to play games, the Guild Zone was overflowing with people. Kyung-soo met Transparent Human in front of the clock tower. Kyung-soo stepped on the platform first and went up to the top of the clock tower, and Transparent Human followed behind him. When they entered the clock tower, there was no one there. It was a good place to meet secretly.

[Global] Transparent Human: What’s the matter?

[Global] Catmeowmeow: I saw the Free Board post

[Global] Transparent Human: Ahㅋㅋㅋ;

[Global] Catmeowmeow: So I’m going to ask you something

[Global] Transparent Human: ?

[Global] Catmeowmeow: What did Sunset do wrong to deserve a Character Deletion Bet?

[Global] Transparent Human: ?? How do you know about the Character Deletion Bet

[Global] Transparent Human: Oh right, you’re dating him?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What did that idiot say?

Kyung-soo frowned slightly. He was the type of person who couldn’t speak nicely even if he tried to speak nicely.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Why are you talking informally?

[Global] Transparent Human: ㅗ

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Take your crackers back

Kyung-soo applied for a trade with Transparent Human to return ten crackers. No-eul hadn’t taken the items out of the mail yet, so it wasn’t what Transparent Human had sent, but Kyung-soo bought it from the auction house to return it to him.

‘The trade request has been rejected.’

[Global] Transparent Human: Because Apple liked himㅋㅋㅋ I was going to be nice to you, but you’re acting like a dick

‘Shadow Ball!’

Kyung-soo also took out his weapon at the sudden attack. Since Hero was a short-range dealer, Kyung-soo was at a disadvantage in this narrow space. I don’t know why they were suddenly fighting here, but Kyung-soo began to chip away at Transparent Human’s HP while parrying the incoming attacks.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: If you’re Green apple juice

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Why are you making a fuss now that you’re a man?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Global] Transparent Human: What’s that

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ?

[Global] Transparent Human: I would have never known if it wasn’t for that Sunset bastard.

[Global] Transparent Human: Do you know… how kind he was??

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ??;;;

What good is that? He’s a man who pretended to be a woman and got caught. Transparent Human began to explain in detail how kind Green apple juice was to him, and Kyung-soo, who wasn’t very interested in it, poured out attacks diligently. Eventually, Transparent Human’s HP reached 0 and he collapsed with a thud.

[Global] Transparent Human: You’ve become the same after hanging out with Sunset^^

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Who attacked first? He’s not at fault

[Global] Transparent Human: Congratulations on the birth of a psycho couple.

In the end, the plan to eliminate his animosity towards No-eul failed. The mail that bastard had sent to No-eul also mentioned Green apple juice. It was true that No-eul had harassed him a little, but the root cause of Green apple juice quitting was himself.

“He’s the one who did wrong, so why are you blaming No-eul?”

What did he do wrong? Transparent Human, who had eaten the sign of resurrection and came back to life, went outside. It seemed he didn’t want to talk anymore. Kyung-soo frowned. And as he came out of the clock tower and was about to look for Transparent Human who had gone outside, No-eul called. Kyung-soo looked back and forth between the name on his phone and the legendary pet ‘No-eul♡’. …Could it be that he was caught playing the game? Kyung-soo lowered the speaker volume to 0 and carefully answered the phone.

“What is it. …Aren’t you asleep?”

-Yes, not yet….

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he was caught. He could hear the sound of the blanket rustling as he tossed and turned in bed. He must be lying quietly in bed as promised. Although he had set conditions, he quietly smiled without making a sound because he was so cute for listening so obediently.

-I can’t sleep.

“…Ah, really? Me too.”

Kyung-soo sat his character in front of the portal on the first floor of the clock tower and turned off the monitor. And he quietly moved, thinking of coming back after No-eul fell asleep.

He didn’t have much to say on the phone at this hour. After the conversation topics quickly ran out, Kyung-soo suggested after a moment of thought.

“If you can’t sleep… should we play word chain?”

-Yes!

At those words, No-eul shouted happily. He could hear a rustling sound. He couldn’t see it, but it seemed like he was nodding his head diligently. The word chain game, which he started with the intention of putting No-eul to sleep, continued for over an hour. They used the words they had already used again, and they also made ridiculous forced sentences. Then No-eul on the other end of the receiver laughed ticklishly. Then Kyung-soo also laughed awkwardly.

-Haaam….

They say that yawns are contagious. It seemed like not only yawns but also drowsiness had been transferred.

-…Hyung, I’m sleepy now.

I could tell just by listening to his voice. His voice was already hoarse. It wasn’t funny, but he kept laughing. Kyung-soo answered with his eyes closed.

“Okay, sleep well.”

-You too, hyung. …See you later.

See you later, No-eul whispered.

“When?”

-In my dreams!

“You’re funny. I don’t have dreams like that. Go to sleep quickly.”

He might wake up again like this. Kyung-soo firmly pressed the end call button. He opened his closed eyes and looked at the white ceiling. It felt like No-eul’s voice was carried on the fiercely blowing winter wind.

“Dream….”

I have one maybe once a week. For some reason, he suddenly thought that he really wanted No-eul to appear in his dreams today.

Title: (Hot post right now!) Why is this guy dead in Channel 1 Guild Zone?

Writer: Hamster/Sorcerer

Content: (Photo)

Did Sunset kill him…?He doesn’t wake up even if I poke him. (98 comments have been posted.))

-lolololㅋㅋㅋCouple fight?D D

└ Hahaha

└ Hahaha

└ Why do couples fight? Are they dating??

└Yeah, didn’t you know? It’s been a whileㅋlololol

└Wow… Is he a saint?

-Is this the start of a massacre…? I’m doomed

-I thought only Channel 3 was dangerous, but it’s coming to Channel 1 and making a fuss

-Ji9star: Huh??

-ParkRoaches: Huh…????

-neutaaaa: Huh

-Halloween Eggplant: Huh huh

-al0ha: Huuuh

└What are you guys doingㅋlololollololol

└lololollololollolololㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Is it the Poseidon Fly Guild? Why are you guys buzzing so much

-Spade Queen: No? Sunset has been sleeping since 8 PM

└8 PMㅋlolololㅋㅋㅋ Is he a newborn?

└8 PM Why does he sleep so early?

└Who is it if it’s not Sunset bastard….

-Hey, delete the post quickly, what if Sunset sees it?

└The person who wrote the post went to bed too.

└Why even delete it?

-Are there two crazy people in this dying game?

-Humanly speaking, don’t touch someone who’s afk… especially in Channel 1;;;

-Sunset: o(╥﹏╥)o….

Title: ★Looking for informants~!

Writer: Sunset/Moon Fairy

Content: (Photo)

Eyewitness accounts of the murderer 100 per letter

Screenshot of the murderer 1000 per photo

Transparent Human << 3000 per one-shot kill (photo proof)

[Ruin] << Guild members (all included) 1000 per one-shot kill (photo proof)

Report eyewitness accounts to >>>>Sunset<<<< mail

ttjsttpt@ssmail.com <<<< Send screenshots here

(48 comments have been posted.

-Sunset’s event part 2 lol

-Murderer, so funny lol

-Who’s calling who a murderer

-Crazy lol

-It’s fun because it’s someone else’s business lol Giving per letter for eyewitness accounts is the best damn lol If it were me, I’d start writing right away

-What is this bastard doing again….

-Do I have to kill the screenshot kid?

└Sunset: ㅇㅅㅇ?? Then die by my hand!

└lololollololollolololㅋ

└???

└No, he’s looking for the kid who killed him!lolololㅋㅋ

*

I forgot that I had left the game on and went to sleep, and when I woke up in the morning and turned on the monitor, my character was brutally dead. I didn’t know who killed him, but I had a feeling it was Transparent Human. When I used a resurrection item to revive my character, the bastards around me murmured, “He’s alive.” It wasn’t like they had never seen someone die in the Guild Zone before, so I didn’t know why they were watching. There are some really strange things. Kyung-soo didn’t take it seriously and moved to Isis on Channel 3.

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Hi

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: Oh, you’re alive?ㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: ?

Why do they know I died? Kyung-soo narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

[Guild] al0ha: Hi

[Guild] WanduWandya: Hi hi~!

[Guild] Honeymoon: Hi

A notification that a new mail had arrived, so he first looked for a red mailbox in the village.

[Received Mail]

Sender: Ji9star

Title: Condolence Money

Content: I picked it up on the way!

Attachment: 100,000 Bell

“…….”

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Ji9star come out

[Guild] neutaaaa: What did Ji9star do again?lololollolololㅋ

[Guild] ParkRoaches: Sigh….

[Guild] Ji9star: Hmphㅠㅠ Cat-nim is always like that to meㅠ

Well, he’s the one who does the most things to get hit…. It wasn’t for nothing that he was the one who got along best with Cheon No-eul. It was obvious that he was happy by himself after sending the mail, so he was even more annoying.

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: Cat-nim, I heard you died?

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Heh; That sounds a bit strange….

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: Are you okay?ㅠㅠ

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Yes, well…. It’s not like I really died;; I’m aliveㅠ

He was bewildered because it wasn’t a big deal enough to ask if he was okay. He wondered if he was still dreaming.

[Guild] Ji9star: lolololololol But Cat-nim… you have another bounty on your head

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: ?

At the word ‘bounty,’ he reflexively frowned. Cheon No-eul immediately came to mind, but now he had no reason to do that to him.

[Guild] Ji9star: Ah, it’s not on Cat-nim, it’s on Ruin lolololololol But it’s related to you ^ㅅ^bb

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Huh??

[Guild] Ji9star: Didn’t you see the guild chat?

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Nope, charging

He had fallen asleep while on the phone without charging it, and when he woke up in the morning, the screen was black. But Cheon No-eul put a bounty on Ruin? Kyung-soo slowly blinked, trying to guess the reason. When he came back to life, there were spectators all around, and even guild members from other channels knew about his death. It seemed the person who killed him was in Ruin.

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: I’m so interested in Cat-nim… the incidents never stop lol

[Guild] Captain Poseidon: It’s because he’s too nice….

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: lolololol true

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: Ah, okay;

It was all because of Cheon No-eul. It wasn’t him who brought the incidents, it was No-eul, and he was just a poor, innocent user caught up in it.

[Guild] ParkRoaches: Why does Sunset have so much money… jealous

[Guild] neutaaaa: He has so much because everything he loots from killing rich bastards becomes his lol

[Guild] ParkRoaches: Ah….

[Guild] Ji9star: Cat-nim, are you okay! Sunset has a bit (a lot) of a bad personality but

[Guild] Ji9star: He has a lot of money so he won’t let you starve lol Fighting! (Of course, I wouldn’t take him even if you gave him to me)

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: F***

He could go back into the room and get his phone, which was charging, but he was too lazy. Instead, he opened his friend list to see if No-eul was online.

Sunset

No-eul was logged in with his Main Character, Sunset, who was Catmeowmeow’s couple.

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: Cheon No-eul

[Couple] Sunset: Did you just wake up?

As if he had been waiting, it didn’t even take 10 seconds for an answer to come back.

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: What did you do this time

[Couple] Sunset: o(╥﹏╥)o…

No-eul used a blank-looking emoticon instead of answering. He didn’t want to answer. In the end, he had no choice but to find out himself.

[Couple] Sunset: Aren’t you coming to my house today?

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: I’ll consider if you add a thousand years lol

[Couple] Sunset: ….

I acted more expensive than this…. Is he shutting his mouth with just this? At first, he had offered to deduct a thousand years from the seven thousand five hundred years to get him to sleep early, but No-eul had said something absurd like, ‘Please deduct all seven thousand five hundred years.’ In the end, he deducted seven thousand years, but he somehow felt like he had lost.

[Couple] Sunset: Then I’ll go, so deduct five hundred years

Cheon No-eul had no conscience. If he deducted that much, there would be nothing left!

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: GTFO

[Couple] Sunset: 499

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: Conscience…?

[Couple] Sunset: ㅠㅠ 450 years?

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: No no

[Couple] Sunset: 500 yearsㅠㅠ

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: Why is it increasing again?

[Couple] Sunset: So how much can you deduct?

Kyung-soo, overwhelmed by the unconscionable number, changed the hundreds digit.

[Couple] Catmeowmeow: Can’t be more than 100 years

[Couple] Sunset: lol

[Couple] Sunset: Okay, I’m going

‘Sunset has logged out.’

“What?”

Kyung-soo couldn’t hide his bewilderment at No-eul’s sudden logout.

‘Then I’ll go, so deduct five hundred years’

“…….”

He had been so focused on the size of the number that he had forgotten the condition for deducting the number. He should have just told him not to come in the first place?

‘No conversation partner.’

“Shit.”

But No-eul had already left the game, and the message was not delivered, with only the system message ‘No conversation partner’ filling the chat window.

*

Kyung-soo was waiting in front of the front door before the doorbell even rang. He could hear No-eul’s footsteps approaching. He was planning to add another 100 years in exchange for opening the door….

“When is your birthday, hyung?”

No-eul asked after a moment of hesitation.

“April 1… wait.”

Kyung-soo, who had reflexively answered at the door, quickly shut his mouth. The password was 0401. How did he know that? He hurriedly put on the auxiliary lock, but the lock turned uselessly only after the door had already been opened. As the door burst open, No-eul easily caught Kyung-soo, who was about to fall because he was holding onto the lock, and chuckled.

“What’s that password? Change it to something longer.”

That was not something someone who broke into someone else’s house should say. He could smell the wind on No-eul. Kyung-soo, who was only wearing thin clothes, shivered at the coldness emanating from his clothes. He unknowingly buried his nose in his shoulder and sniffed at the subtle body odor mixed in with the cold air.

“Hyung?”

“…Come in quickly.”

Kyung-soo feigned ignorance and gently let go of the hand holding his shoulder. No-eul, who was about to take off his shoes and come inside, was slightly agitated when he saw the baseball bat leaning against the wall. While he was in the bathroom to wash his hands, he had secretly tried to throw the bat out the front door, but Kyung-soo came out when he heard the door lock being unlocked, and he was caught in the act.

“What are you doing?”

“…….”

No-eul, caught red-handed, couldn’t brazen it out and froze with the front door half open. He was so dumbfounded that he didn’t even have the strength to say anything.

“I won’t hit you.”

“…….”

No-eul swallowed hard, as if he didn’t believe him.

“No, but are you just going to throw it away?”

“It looked like the house was small….”

No-eul stopped making ridiculous excuses and shut his mouth. He had just put it outside while cleaning the room. If he hadn’t come out, he wouldn’t have even known it was gone. No-eul quietly closed the door and leaned the bat in the corner of the shoe rack. Kyung-soo’s gaze lingered on No-eul for a moment before moving to the baseball bat.

…How scared must he have been. The thought of him trying to hide that secretly made him laugh instead of getting angry. No-eul looked at Kyung-soo, who was chuckling, with a bewildered expression, as if he couldn’t understand the situation at all.

As soon as No-eul opened his laptop, the email window popped up. Kyung-soo quickly realized that this was the email for receiving screenshots of what had happened on the free bulletin board from last night to this morning. Several emails had already arrived.

“So who’s the guy who killed me?”

“Probably an invisible man.”

“Did anyone see him?”

“Nope?”

In the end, it was just a hunch. He didn’t even flinch at the fact that he was putting up 3000 per kill with just a hunch, because that was so like him.

“What if it’s not him….”

“It doesn’t matter. I put it up because he did something else wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“He met with hyung alone late at night. Secretly.”

No-eul said nonchalantly, as if he knew everything. Thanks to that, Kyung-soo could only blink without saying anything.

“Min-jae said he lost contact with hyung after you said you were going to see him yesterday?”

“…….”

That bastard. He really thought I wouldn’t say anything if he put up an item. I was going to make an excuse that I woke up early and turned on the game…. No-eul frowned and asked sullenly.

“Did you like playing the game alone in the early morning without me?”

Ah, his scrunched nose is cute.

“Did you like it?”

“…….”

What did I just…? He was so surprised by his own thoughts that his mind went blank. It was a bizarre thought.

“What did you talk about with him?”

“…About you.”

Kyung-soo barely regained his senses and answered him vaguely.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I just told him to stop bothering you, so don’t say anything stupid and log in.”

At those words, No-eul’s expression completely relaxed. He was so simple. How could he do things without looking back and just doing them first when it came to his own affairs? That’s why, more….

“…….”

Kyung-soo coldly closed his eyes tightly. He shouldn’t look at that face. That way, he wouldn’t think anything. He went back to his seat. Thinking that he had to show that he was busy with something, he chose any of the level 200 fields and moved there. As he easily melted the monsters that stuck to him and went deep into the map, he was able to encounter two guild members with the Ruin mark.

[Global] ohmyboy: What are you looking at

[Global] Note names: What are you going to do, you can’t kill us here lol

I didn’t say anything…. Not wanting to get involved with them, Kyung-soo avoided them and moved on to the next map. But the two Ruin members followed him and kept talking to him.

[Global] ohmyboy: Where did you leave your boyfriend and come out for a walk

[Global] NameTag: Call him over!

“…….”

Why would I call him. Kyung-soo glanced sideways and met No-eul’s eyes. No-eul tilted his head as if he was puzzled. I don’t know why something like that feels cute. Kyung-soo pursed his lips and quickly turned his gaze away.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Go your way

[Global] Note: It’s not that, I’m just trying to talk nicely… He blocked me so I can’t whisper to him;;

[Global] Catmeowmeow: I see

[Global] Note: Look at the way you talk, you son of a bitch

[Global] Catmeowmeow: GTFO

[Global] Note: lololol

[Global] ohmyboy: You don’t want your couple’s reputation to get dirty either, win-win okay?

[Global] Catmeowmeow: He already has a dirty reputation so it’s okay

[Global] ohmyboy: ….

Perhaps because it was so true that they had nothing to say, the two were silent for a while.

[Global] ohmyboy: You’ve really become the same as that Sunset bastard….

[Global] Note names: They say you resemble the person you like lol

[Global] ohmyboy: So true lololol

“…….”

They say you resemble the person you like.

“…….”

They say you resemble the person you like?

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Solve it with words, don’t swear; What do you mean I like him, don’t talk nonsense, it pisses me off;

[Global] ohmyboy: Sorry to ruin the mood, but even your swearing lol

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Fucking

[Global] NameTag: Sunset’s boyfriend is angry lololol

[Global] ohmyboy: Don’t be angry and call Sunset the psycho for meㅠㅠ

[Global] NameTag: Call him!!

Kyung-soo glanced at No-eul. He was still checking his emails. He didn’t know why he was so focused on something so trivial. And once again, their eyes met. Then he folded his eyes and smiled slightly.

“Why?”

“Do what you were doing.”

“Hyung looked first….”

Ignoring his grumbling, he turned his gaze back to the monitor. He had to resist the urge to keep looking at No-eul several times.

[Global] ohmyboy: Did you call Sunset?

Kyung-soo had no reason to deal with them. He ignored the Ruin members who were talking to him and moved back to the guild zone. As he moved to the clock tower, which was the warp point, the users who were waiting nearby suddenly switched their weapons. At the sight of more than ten people suddenly taking out their weapons at the same time, Kyung-soo unconsciously put his finger on the attack key.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ???

[Global] Sendwitch: Oh, I’m sorry;;;

A user who was trying to attack faster than anyone else failed to cancel the attack in time, inflicting a small amount of damage on Kyung-soo. The female character who inflicted the damage used the New Year’s limited emoticon ‘Prostrate Bow’ and prostrated herself on the floor.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: No, it’s okay;;;;

Feeling undeservedly grateful, Kyung-soo bowed back in front of her.

[Global] Sendwitch: T_T Thank you T_T

[Global] Ji9star: OMG

[Global] Mermaid Prince: That was close;;;

[Global] PodHo6: Wow, my heart lololololololol

[Global] Ahem: Please walk around a bit… T_T

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ?

[Global] neutaaaa: lololololololololol I was really surprised just now lololol

[Global] Ji9star: lololololololol Cat-nim almost diedㅠㅠ

They put their weapons back in and got on their riding pets or sat down on the floor.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: What are you guys doing here….

[Global] Ji9star: Bounty hunting lol It’s fun

[Global] neutaaaa: lololololololol I came to watch lol

It seemed they were waiting in front of the warp point and attacking when Ruin appeared. Ruin wouldn’t be able to access the guild room today. With so many users waiting to kill them, it seemed impossible to get through this crowd no matter how skilled they were.

[Whisper] Note: Hey, call Sunset for me

[Whisper] Note: Please, I just want to talk

[Whisper] Note: Call Sunset who you likeㅜㅠㅠ

I know it’s just meaningless words. …I know. Again, his gaze moved to No-eul.

‘I like Cheon No-eul? Me? Meeee? Seriously, are you saying that with a sane mind?’

No-eul was full of flaws. He tries not to show it to me, but no one can deny that he has a bad personality. He’s petty and sulks at the drop of a hat, and he’s grumpy. He’s even a man.

Kyung-soo, who was trying to deny it by finding flaws in No-eul’s appearance, ended up feeling like he had been hit on the head when he realized that No-eul’s eye color was light brown. Noticing his gaze, No-eul raised his eyebrows resolutely, as if he was determined to hear the reason this time.

“Why do you keep staring?”

“Your eyebrows are pretty.”

The words he blurted out without thinking could not be taken back. He regretted it even after saying it, but No-eul looked even more puzzled. It seemed to be even more so because he was stingy with compliments and had never said anything like this before.

“Thank you…?”

No-eul raised his hand and touched the eyebrows that Kyung-soo had praised as pretty and answered.

“Ah, no, I mean….”

“But… are you sick, hyung?”

Sick, that was an unexpected word. It wasn’t to the point where he would say he was sick. Anyway, that was how he reacted even when he gave him a compliment.

You can say someone’s eyebrows are pretty if you live, but regardless of that, if he could turn back time, he would go back 1 minute and shut his mouth. He couldn’t continue speaking and only made excuses that he wasn’t, but the words he was trying to say got tangled and mixed up in his mouth, and strange sentences kept popping out.

No-eul was still staring blankly at Kyung-soo with wide eyes. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion at his stupid expression, Kyung-soo shouted.

“What, you son of a bitch!”

“No, why are you suddenly getting angry?”

His expression changed as if he was dumbfounded.

“You looked at me like I was an idiot!”

“When did I….”

“There was no special meaning. It’s the same as saying clouds or flowers are pretty. Don’t worry about it!”

Not only that, but Kyung-soo comforted himself by listing objects that objectively made anyone feel good. Cheon No-eul is also …pretty in the same context as those things.

At Kyung-soo’s words, No-eul still tilted his head as if he didn’t understand. Then, as if he had thought of something, the corners of his lips curled up in an arc. The lively eyes on his eyelids were covered, and his eyes narrowed. Cheon No-eul, the very smile that came to mind just by saying his name. It was a common expression that he showed even when he just called him indifferently, ‘Hey.’

“Hyung.”

His fingertips were tingling with an unpleasant throbbing. Kyung-soo pursed his lips and glared at No-eul, putting strength in his eyes. There were plenty of handsome and pretty people he could see just by turning on the TV. But he didn’t feel such terrible agitation in his heart when he saw them.

Even his slightly tangled bangs, his straight nose, even his round ears and soft voice….

“Am I pretty?”

“…….”

Everything was pretty.

“Besides my eyebrows? Where else is pretty? What do you like?”

There was no way he could say everything. As if he wasn’t worth dealing with, Kyung-soo frowned and turned his head away. Something was wrong. He shouldn’t feel these kinds of feelings for Cheon No-eul.

[Whisper] NameTag: Ugh, whatever, both you and himㅡㅡ

There was absolutely no reason for that bastard to be cute. He was taller than him and a million light-years away from his ideal type. And what about his personality? It was a complete mess, and he didn’t even bother hiding it, and when it came to tormenting people, he was an expert. And also… he was jealous, immature, and stubborn. He’d give flirty glances to people he claimed to dislike, and he was so terribly prone to loneliness that he’d cling to him at every opportunity, shoving his snout right up in his face. Every day it was texts, calls, even showing up at his place. And then he’d act all sweet and shake up a person’s heart like that….

“God… damn… it…!”

Kyung-soo glared at the monitor, clenching his fists as if he were about to slam them down on the keyboard. He was supposed to dislike him—it should be getting more and more normal to hate him….

“Who is it this time? I won’t let it slide.”

No-eul, biting his lip and vowing revenge without even realizing it was because of him, looked so adorable that he wanted to throw open the window and jump out right then and there.

“……”

He began to think he might actually lose the one-year bet he was absolutely certain he’d win.

The price for that was his entire life.

*

The lower-ranking guild members of Ruin, exhausted by the constant barrage of attacks, began to drop out one by one. It was only natural, then, that the guild’s ranking fell as well. When he heard that Ruin had already been pushed out of the top 100, he even started to feel a little sorry for them. That was when he ran into Transparent Human in front of the Isis pub. And of all things, Cheon No-eul was with him, making it a three-way encounter. No-eul stopped and spoke first.

[Global] Sunset: Hello^^

[Global] Transparent Human: …;

Kyung-soo, who had been about to pass by indifferently, had no choice but to turn back. He was someone he couldn’t take his eyes off of for a single moment. Ruin, unable to enter the guild zone, was scattered in towns and fields where PVP wasn’t allowed. Transparent Human was also with one guild member who had the ‘AFK’ title floating above their head.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and come.

[Global] Transparent Human: Don’t go, wait a sec I have something to say

[Global] Sunset: ?

[Global] Sunset: Go ahead and blabber…No-eul performed a skill that applied a curse buff, as if warning Transparent Human. It was a wasted effort. After all, attacks didn’t work here….

[Global] Transparent Human: Meow Meow I killed you

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ?

[Global] Transparent Human: The person who killed you at night and ran away, that was me;;;

He had kind of expected it, but he was a little surprised that he would come forward and confess. It didn’t seem like he was trying to apologize, though.

[Global] Transparent Human: Are we good?

[Global] Sunset: What do you mean are we good….

[Global] Transparent Human: If you’re just going to kill me, why kill the others;;

[Global] Sunset: Cat-nim hates you guysㅋㅋ

[Global] Transparent Human: ;; Then at least unblock me so we can talk

[Global] Sunset: Cat-nim doesn’t like it when I talk to other peopleㅇㅅㅇ!

[Global] Catmeowmeow: …?

[Global] Transparent Human: —

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Hey, why are you causing a scene using me as an excuse….

[Global] Sunset: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ♡!!

Sunset was less extreme than Cheon No-eul, but emoticons still occupied a fair amount of space in his quick slots. Sunset, who had been floating in the air, landed on the ground as if he was about to do something. And soon, he used the ‘Kiss’ emote to plant a kiss on Catmeowmeow’s cheek.

[Global] Green Energy: Ugh, my eyes are burning

[Global] HitMeAndYoureStupid: Ugh, gross

[Global] WanduWandya: Oh my god

[Guild] WanduWandya: Channel 3, in front of Isis pub, Sunset is kissing Meow!

“……”

Regardless of others’ reactions, even such a playful action made his stomach churn as if he were getting nauseous. In the past, he would have dismissed him as a lunatic and moved on, but now he found himself assigning meaning to every single one of No-eul’s actions, and when he realized what he was doing, he wanted to tear his hair out.

[Guild] Ji9star: It’s too routine, so I’ll give you a no-fun award.

[Guild] WanduWandya: Transparent Human is here too, you know?

[Guild] Ji9star: On my way

[Guild] WanduWandya: lololollololol

[Guild] neutaaaa: Did the escapee run away againㅠ I’ll keep running and go….

[Guild] Ji9star: Haha Solo it, honey><

[Guild] Halloween Eggplant: If too many of us go, it’ll look desperate, so I’ll just go this far^^

[Guild] ParkRoaches: I’ve been here since the day before yesterday haha

[Guild] Catmeowmeow: Damn it, don’t come;;

Almost all the online guild members flocked over to watch. He didn’t know what was so great about it—it wasn’t even a spectacle.

[Global] Transparent Human: Don’t get all lovey-dovey in front of me, you roleplay-obsessed son of a bitch

[Global] Ji9star: When’s the fight? When’s the fight? When’s the fight? When’s the fight? When’s the fight? When’s the fight? When’s the fight?

[Global] Halloween Eggplant: Whichever side it is, I hope it blows up soon!Haha

No-eul used a cute emote instead of replying. Watching the character rubbing its head against its shoulder with an adorable expression, Kyung-soo unconsciously muttered “cute” before grabbing the back of his head to calm himself down.

[Global] Green Energy: What are you doing, you game-addicted bastardsㅡㅡ

[Global] Transparent Human: I told you to stop it, you ** die *** you

Whatever he was thinking, No-eul kept spamming emotes, and Transparent Human responded with a stream of profanity. Then, suddenly, both of them disappeared together.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ?

[Global] Halloween Eggplant: Abandoned Meow Meow looks around nervously….(narration)

[Whisper] Catmeowmeow: Shut the f1ck up

[Global] Halloween Eggplant: I’ll shut the f1ck upㅠㅠ

[Global] ParkRoaches: Damn game, let us spectate 1v1 matches too

[Global] Ji9star: Yeah, GM is stupid

[Global] ParkRoaches: StuGMpid

It seemed the two had moved to a 1v1 PVP. Kyung-soo was left alone in the middle of the surrounding crowd.

‘1v1…. I used to do that a lot too.’

To be precise, it was because he couldn’t control his anger and kept challenging Cheon No-eul one-sidedly. Memories get beautified. Maybe that’s why, looking back, even that seemed like a fond memory now. He had no idea what method he used to pretend to be so bad at it….

“…It’s been a while since No-eul, aaaargh!!!”

Kyung-soo thrashed and flopped face down onto his desk. No! I hate this! Burying his face in his arms, he flailed and screamed. He had been in this strange state all day long. The very act of trying to convince himself that it couldn’t be true only made him think of No-eul more.

He was starting to get confused about whether this was really what it felt like to like someone. Maybe he had just been brainwashed, …but it didn’t seem like that either. He needed some decisive moment that would definitively confirm this feeling.

[Server] Sunset: The Ruin bounty event is ending early~!!

As soon as he announced the end of the event using the server microphone, the two who had disappeared returned.

[Global] Ji9star: ㅠㅠ

[Global] neutaaaa: It was kinda fun though….

[Global] HotCat: Did he just call that an event?lololollololol

The guild mark above Transparent Human’s head disappeared. It meant he had left the guild.

“…Wasn’t he the sub-guild master?”

[Global] Transparent Human: Meow Meow Meow, you didn’t do anything wrong, but I’m sorry for killing you while you were AFK and running away….

[Global] Catmeowmeow: ?

[Global] Transparent Human: I couldn’t forget the apology…. It was the Sunset bastard who was in the wrong, and you were a victim too, but I took out my anger on you because it was early in the morning and I was frustrated. I’m sorry.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: …?

Amid the buzzing atmosphere, No-eul cluelessly used the kiss emote.

[Global] Catmeowmeow: Stop itㅡㅡ

After sending the message telling him to stop, Kyung-soo’s eyes widened and he thought, ‘This is it!’ Maybe he’d know if he tried kissing him. No-eul, not even listening to Kyung-soo’s warning with half an ear, used the kiss emote again. Since he was the type to whine for a kiss at every turn, he’d surely know right away.

[Whisper] Transparent Human: You too;; Hang in there;;

And that evening, an apology post from Transparent Human appeared on the forum. It subtly mentioned that he was leaving the guild to avoid causing further harm due to No-eul’s threats. It also elaborated at length on what he had said in chat, weaving in his own love story with Green apple juice.

‘Apple, I miss you. I was sincere.;; If you come back, will you go out with me this time?^-^’

But Green apple juice, who had already left the game by quitting the guild, didn’t respond. The comment section was filled with laughing consonants and comments featuring iconic lines turned into images, and the post rose to 4th place in the monthly best posts.

*

To execute his plan, he needed a certain level of resolve. Even though he had kissed No-eul dozens of times, it was only possible back then because he had no thoughts about it. What he had considered trivial became increasingly significant the more he dwelled on it.

Kyung-soo found himself staring at No-eul’s lips all day whenever they met. It wasn’t intentional. In fact, he only became aware of his own behavior when No-eul made a subtle expression. Now, No-eul no longer initiated requests for kisses. Before, if he tried to go home, he’d cling tightly and not let go, insisting on at least a quick peck on the cheek before releasing him. He waited at the front door for No-eul to pout and beg for a kiss, but instead, he was even politely opening the door for him.

Kyung-soo thought this couldn’t go on. So he lied, saying he was going to his parents’ house for a bit, and holed up at home all day. No-eul didn’t hide his disappointment. But Kyung-soo was disappointed too. On what basis do you like me? So, even if he clung to him all day, it wouldn’t be enough—why wasn’t he doing what he usually did? It was a great mystery.

By the fourth day of this, Kyung-soo was starting to turn into a zombie. Dozing off and waking up repeatedly during the day had ruined his sleep schedule. His login times became irregular, and he often failed to reply to texts promptly.

‘How long has it been since I saw his face…’

Even though it had only been four days, it felt like a month had passed. The surroundings were too quiet, and it felt strange. The moment he thought he might actually miss the bastard, he burrowed under the covers. He must have been sleep-deprived.

Another three days passed like that, and the calendar turned a page. On the second Wednesday of March, Kyung-soo appeared at school with dark circles under his eyes. Barely avoiding being late, when he opened the front classroom door and entered, his friends gasped. He didn’t even have the energy to retort to their teasing about what had happened to him. He couldn’t bring himself to say that he missed the one-year-younger brat so much it was killing him. The new homeroom teacher’s advice to focus on his studies now that he was a third-year didn’t register at all.

“Kyung-soo, are you applying for night self-study?”

“As if.”

“You should do it.”

“F1ck off….”

He muttered with his chin propped on his hand.

“Your mouth is bleeding.”

“……”

Was it because he’d been biting his lips since earlier? At Soo-young’s words, he wiped his lower lip with his finger. It stung a little. If he kissed him like this, it would probably hurt more. Cheon No-eul must have gone to school today too. Should I call him after school? And if we meet, will he try to do it today? …A kiss.

“Damn it all…!”

He didn’t like the fact that he was even having these thoughts. But it also felt a bit off to ask for it first. What if he didn’t actually like him? If it was just curiosity, it would only amount to torture by false hope. Kyung-soo let out a deep sigh of lament.

“What’s damn it? Your life?”

“Yeah. Get lost.”

“Aww, honey…. Hey, after school today, win me just one plushie.”

Soo-young pulled up a chair from the next desk and lightly rested his head on Kyung-soo’s shoulder. Kyung-soo shrugged his shoulder as if despising him, shaking Soo-young’s head off.

“Gross.”

“Just win it for me and you can go home. Joo-hyun wanted one, but I couldn’t get it for her, and it’s been bothering me….”

“Why should I win something for your girlfriend? No. I have somewhere to go after school.”

“Ahhh, please, hyung. You’re good at these things….”

“……”

At the word ‘hyung,’ he could almost hear No-eul’s voice. Even though it was the same word, the resonance felt different. The feeling he got from that kid definitely wasn’t like this.

“Hyung, please. It’s the wish of a lifetime for Soo-young.”

“…I get it, so stop calling me that.”

“So you’ll come with me?”

Yeah, yeah, he brushed off Soo-young’s words. Being called ‘hyung’ was something only No-eul should do.

*

“Ah, not that one! The stupid rabbit next to it with eyes like beans!”

“You have to build a tower first to even have a chance at getting that one?”

“Build a tower, my foot. Then why did you win this one?”

Soo-young held up two small plushies and complained.

“Hey, it came out, what am I supposed to do about it? Try putting in another five thousand won.”

Kyung-soo chewed and swallowed the candy in his mouth, then deftly moved the joystick. Soo-young, who had been holding the won plushies with Kyung-soo’s bag slung in front of him, gasped ‘Ooh!’ as the claw grabbed the rabbit’s head. Perhaps because they were near the university district, there were often college students who came by for fun after meals. They wandered between a few machines and ended up watching Kyung-soo.

“Hey, friend, I think you need to go a bit more to the left.”

“If you win the Squirtle, will you sell it to me for ten thousand won, hyung?”

“Ahh, not there! A little back, that’s it!”

“……”

The college students he was seeing for the first time today clung to the machine and started giving unsolicited advice. Kyung-soo, who had brought several plushies to the chute and stacked them high, succeeded in dragging the rabbit plush Soo-young wanted all the way to the top of the tower. But once the rabbit was moved, the pink rabbit plush underneath it, with its eyes gently closed and smiling, finally caught his eye.

…It looks like him.

“Hey, what are you doing? Now you just have to grab it.”

“I want the one underneath that. There are still a few tries left, right?”

Saying that, he casually checked the remaining chances. Next to the descent button, the number 4 was written in red. There were plenty of chances.

I have to win this. Then if I make Cheon No-eul hold it and take a picture, it would be really funny. It even has round blush marks on its cheeks, so it’s even cut… no, stupid.

Kyung-soo lightly shook his hand, then grabbed the joystick again. The claw firmly gripped the rabbit’s torso. With a creaking sound, the plush was lifted. It seemed to be coming, then dropped with a thud, and everyone gathered around the machine let out a collective sigh. With one chance left, he lightly hooked the Cheon No-eul rabbit’s head over the chute. Now, if he hit the stacked tower with the claw to make the plushies fall, and then won the Cheon No-eul rabbit too, it would be perfect.

Spinning the joystick made the claw rotate and hit the tower with a thud. Four plushies fell out through the chute all at once.

“Wow, insane! You won them all!”

“Amazing, Squirtle! Ten thousand won!”

As soon as the desired plush came out, Soo-young let out a cheer. He rummaged through the chute, hugged an armful of plushies, and rejoiced. In the back, a trade was happening over the plushies Kyung-soo had won. But that wasn’t the problem. Kyung-soo stuck his neck out, testing which part of the rabbit with its neck hooked over the chute he needed to press to make it fall over easily.

“Hey, why here?”

Just then, a group of students opened the door and came in. If I don’t win that thing today, I’m not going home. Kyung-soo firmly resolved in his heart and pressed the descent button. The cheerful music stopped, and the sound of the claw descending could be heard. The claw grabbed the torso and lifted it, but it only pretended to hold it before lightly releasing it. But that alone was enough. The plush, which had been leaning back, completely toppled over and fell into the chute with a thud.

Kyung-soo crouched down and pulled the plush out from deep inside the machine. Looking at the won plush, he curled up the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. Then, someone crouched down in front of him and spoke.

“Hyung. What are you doing here?”

“Gasp.”

It was No-eul. Why is he here? Kyung-soo alternated his gaze between the Cheon No-eul rabbit and the real Cheon No-eul. No-eul pouted his lips and muttered.

“You ignored my call to come here and play crane games?”

“……”

“It’s a good thing I saw you passing by. You’re avoiding me right now, aren’t you!”

Had he called? He hadn’t seen it because he had put his phone in his bag. No-eul glanced down at the rabbit plush in Kyung-soo’s hand and disparaged its appearance.

“What is this? It’s really ugly.”

Ugly? It looks like you….

“…Do you want it?”

Kyung-soo asked subtly as he got up, holding his knees. He planned to push it on him, telling him to take it even if he said no. Then No-eul looked up at him with wide eyes. And, smoothing his furrowed brow, he smiled brightly and nodded his head vigorously.

“Why is that bastard like that…?”

Kyung-soo turned around at those words. People who seemed to be friends wearing the same school uniform as No-eul were staring at them with blank faces. Soo-young seemed busy taking pictures of the doll to send to his girlfriend. When he handed the doll to No-eul, he hugged it as if he were holding something very precious. His lips were tightly pursed. In that moment, his heart clenched.

“I’m going to die….”

Kyung-soo muttered without realizing it. The tingling sensation he had been feeling frequently lately was extremely unpleasant. It was even more so because he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Who? Is hyung going to die?”

Today, for sure. Because of this bastard, he can’t sleep, he wakes up in the middle of the night, and he can’t even play games with a clear head. At this rate, he felt like he wouldn’t live to his full potential.

“…There’s something I need to check.”

“Check?”

No-eul tilted his head.

“Yeah, check. So let’s go to your house first.”

“……Okay!”

Kyung-soo snatched his bag from Soo-young, grabbed No-eul’s wrist, and strode out of the claw machine arcade. No-eul followed behind him, glancing down at his wrist held by Kyung-soo. And he grinned, as if he was very happy.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The remaining friends couldn’t say anything for a while, looking strangely at their friend’s unfamiliar expression.

Kyung-soo threw his bag into the shoe cabinet, grabbed No-eul’s shoulders, and pushed him against the wall. No-eul, who had been pushed back in confusion, was smiling broadly, holding back the laughter that was about to burst out with both hands.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I’m happy.”

“……I know, you like me.”

Kyung-soo muttered seriously. Yes, it was right that it should have ended here. Only up to the point where Cheon No-eul liked him. It shouldn’t have become mutual.

‘Could it be that even this kind of thing is contagious?’

When he was about to kiss him, he hesitated again. What if his feelings really transferred to him? What should he do then? Kyung-soo loosened his tie, which felt like it was choking him, with an anxious feeling. No-eul glanced down at his disheveled shirt and asked in a small voice.

“…What are you trying to do to me?”

Anyone listening would think he was about to do something bad. Kyung-soo answered kindly, as if to reassure No-eul.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything much, so close your eyes.”

“I don’t want to.”

No-eul stared straight at him with his eyes wide open. A smile still lingered on his lips.

“……I guess.”

It doesn’t matter if he does it with his eyes open. It’s very embarrassing and reluctant, though. If it’s not, then that’s good, and if it is… he can think about it then. Kyung-soo grabbed No-eul’s shoulder with one hand and turned his head. But he suddenly turned his head away.

“What?”

“Not without a price.”

“What?”

He’s the one who always sticks his snout out and pecks at him without saying a word. Kyung-soo was speechless at the unfairness that only applied to him.

“Get rid of the remaining four hundred years. Then I’ll do whatever hyung tells me to.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Honestly, hyung was too much for suggesting seven thousand five hundred years.”

“You’re the one who’s more cruel for cutting seven thousand years in one go.”

“I don’t know. How many reincarnations do I have to go through? And you didn’t even tell me what you’re trying to check. At least tell me that.”

The moment he says that, everything will be over. He’s already in this state, but if he says it, it feels like he’ll be handing his life over to No-eul. He absolutely can’t let that happen. He had to stop it.

“That’s… a personal matter. I can’t tell you something that’s worth telling.”

“Then go. I want to be alone.”

He lowered his eyes slightly and muttered. It was a bonus that he hugged the doll Kyung-soo had won for him even tighter. …This bastard is doing this again. Kyung-soo could only let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“Why do you suddenly want to be alone?”

“Because I’m too sad that hyung rejected me.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Kyung-soo grabbed No-eul by the collar. No-eul didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down, and stubbornly closed his lips while turning his head away. Kyung-soo could only see his red lips from earlier. He was going crazy because he was worried about the way his mouth was moving as he spoke, and the way his lower lip was pouting because he was sulking. He was even more driven mad because he seemed like he was going to give it to him, but then he didn’t.

“Fine! Four hundred years!”

Kyung-soo shouted aggressively without knowing what he was saying. No-eul’s face lit up and he opened his lips. He seemed like he was about to say something, but Kyung-soo wasn’t patient enough to wait for it.

He turned his head and pressed his lips against his. It felt strange because it was the first time he had kissed him first. He gently bit No-eul’s lips and softly stroked them with his tongue. He repeated it several times, as if it was his first kiss. No-eul wrapped his tongue around his first. He thought it wouldn’t matter, but it was soft and sweet like it was melting. He felt even more dazed for some reason. His lower abdomen tingled. Kyung-soo hugged No-eul’s neck and licked his wet lips.

This isn’t it, this isn’t it….

Even if Cheon No-eul is, I’m supposed to be okay.

His lips trembled at the strange feeling. No-eul slightly parted his lips. Soon, his long, pretty fingers gently touched Kyung-soo’s cheek. At a distance where their breaths barely touched, he cupped his cheek and whispered softly.

“Hyung… do you perhaps like me?”

[Hello, experts. I’m an ordinary male student. Please help me… I actually kissed my younger brother (he’s a guy and a year younger than me;;)? Damn… But he did like me…(I don’t) It was just okay when I kissed him before, but today it was too;;;;; good…;;; So I ran away in the middle of the kissㅠㅠ What should I do tomorrow…?? Anyway, do I like him? Is there a chance that I did it because I hated him so much…?]

Kyung-soo closed his eyes tightly and pressed the enter key. And after a while, windows appeared on his phone screen one after another, saying that replies had been registered.

-Ew, you gay bastard

Reported.

-0%.

This is a lazy son of a bitch.

-Hello, ordinary male student. Hmm… Is this a diary?^^ It seems like you already know it yourself, even if it’s a consultation. Yes, you like him. (Is this the answer you wanted? Hehe) If you hated him so much, it wouldn’t have been ‘just okay’ when you kissed him before. If your younger brother already said that he likes you too. Yes. It’s mutual. (Congratulations!) I was happy to find a funny question after a long time, so you don’t have to choose me hehe. I’m curious about the follow-up. Fighting!

This is a diligent son of a bitch.

-lololollololollolololㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSo funnyㅋlololollolololㅋㅋHave a beautiful love~^^lololollololollololollolololㅋㅋㅋ

“Aaaaaah nooooo….”

He wanted to have a pretty, game-loving, and kind girlfriend! It seemed like he was going to have a pretty, game-loving, and kind boyfriend. No matter how different ideals and reality are, this is too much! Kyung-soo covered his face and screamed.

“I have good news.”

“Spit it out.”

“I think hyung likes me.”

“……”

Min-jae quietly took out his earphones from his pocket and plugged them into his ears at No-eul’s words. And he lay down on his desk as if to say not to talk to him anymore.

Whether he did or not, No-eul smiled brightly at the thought that Kyung-soo was starting to like him, and made a resolution to get a proposal from him during this Valentine’s event and get married. There were more glances at his smiling face, which was not usually seen easily, but he was used to other people’s gazes, so it was not difficult to ignore them.

‘Don’t cry. I’ll say something.’

No-eul occasionally felt unfamiliarity in Kyung-soo’s actions. The hand that patted his back was cautious. The slightly raised eyes became soft whenever he looked at him, even if it was only for a moment. It probably wasn’t a misunderstanding.

He was strangely lenient with him. Even if he just smiled slightly, his expression would soften subtly, and if he pretended to be sulky, he would bite his lip and worry about what to do. He knew that he was originally a person with a lot of affection, but the degree of it increased more and more as the days went by.

Clearly… something was changing. Several ways to make Kyung-soo express his feelings were floating around in No-eul’s head, but he soon gave up. His own way of attacking was to keep bumping into something until he got what he wanted. Anyway, there was plenty of time, and he was sure that everyone would have no choice but to love him in the end. And above all, he wanted to see Kyung-soo’s lenient side a little more.

He was planning to go down to where he was on his birthday. He was looking forward to seeing Kyung-soo after a long time from early in the morning, so his steps quickened. When he arrived at the house, there were uninvited guests, and Kyung-soo, who was surprised by the sudden appearance of the guys, was hiding. When he chased all the guys out and found him crumpled in the closet, it really felt like he had received a gift.

‘Happy birthday. The gift is….’

‘Hyung is the gift.’

The inner thoughts that came out in a daze. Kyung-soo, who was thinking for a moment at those words, frowned and denied it. It seemed like he thought he was asking him to be his gift.

How can hyung be like this? He was simple, direct, but warm. That’s why he only kept liking him more as the days went by. He didn’t know if he had learned how to captivate people from somewhere so that they couldn’t come to their senses.

No-eul found another clue of hope in the fact that he had deliberately come up early to celebrate his birthday. So he asked him as if testing him.

‘Do you hate me?’

‘That’s… not it….’

If it was the first time, he should have reacted with something like ‘Ew’ or ‘Of course I hate you.’ He took an even bigger risk. His eyes widened at the words to kiss him. He even heard the familiar words that he was crazy. …Was this still a bit too much? But he hesitated a little and really kissed him first. And a few days later, he even told him that he was pretty. He had heard those words hundreds of times from other people, but the fact that Kyung-soo said those words made it indescribably special.

“Pretty….”

That night, his heart was beating so fast that he couldn’t sleep at night.

And from a week ago, he started to avoid him little by little. He didn’t come to the game often, he ignored his calls, and he even went back to his parents’ house. It’s the opening day of school, so hyung will be at home today. He won’t answer the phone this time either, but it’s enough to barge in.

As he was walking towards his house, he accidentally found Kyung-soo, who was engrossed in something, through the glass door of a store full of claw machines. At first, he was annoyed, and as soon as he opened the door and entered, he was excited, and he was a little happy to see him a little surprised to see him. When he picked out a fairly large rabbit doll and handed it to him without any hesitation, he wanted to hug it tightly and not let it go.

As soon as he entered the house, he was pushed against the wall by him, who threw his bag down. His face was full of tension. He licked his lips with his tongue as if his throat was dry. It was too obvious what he was trying to do.

He deliberately turned his head away right before their lips touched. His expression was quite a sight to see. To be honest, he was dying trying to hold back his laughter. It was because he had noticed that he had been restless from before to try to kiss him, for whatever reason.

The fact that he was putting his arms around his neck, closing his eyes tightly, and turning his head to kiss him gave him confidence this time.

‘Hyung… do you perhaps like me?’

He asked softly while pressing his forehead against his. Then his black eyes shook. Kyung-soo pushed No-eul away hard and ran away with his shoes in his hand. He thought he would come back because he had left his bag behind, but he went straight home. The fact that he was wavering was the same as a positive answer.

Kyung-soo hyung likes me.

No-eul took Min-jae’s notebook and tore out a page to calm his excited heart. Min-jae glanced at him and turned up the volume of his earphones a little more and muttered.

“……Really, all kinds of things.”

He was writing a warning letter with his left hand.

“Fuck….”

Kyung-soo couldn’t help but swear reflexively when he received No-eul’s message at school.

He sent two pictures in a row. The first was a picture of Cheon No-eul Rabbit with only his head sticking out inside Kyung-soo’s bag, and the second picture was a picture of a paper with the words “Warning Letter” written in crooked red letters.

[Warning Letter!

Kim Kyung-soo, listen

Your bag is in my hands

If you want to get your bag back safely

Come to my house today, hyung

-No-eul who hyung likes-]

He hadn’t even said that he liked him yet, but he was already drinking the soup before the rice cake was even in it. You cheeky bastard…. He couldn’t even get angry because his profile picture was cute. He didn’t have any pictures before, but the profile picture that was uploaded this morning was the face of the pink Cheon No-eul Rabbit that he had picked out for him yesterday.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your face.”

Kyung-soo answered Tae-yeol’s question crookedly and quickly erased the expression from his face. It was good that he had someone he liked. But the problem was that it was a man and it was Cheon No-eul. He had a feeling that if he caught him once, he wouldn’t let him go. He’s a guy with a subtly persistent side, so it would be even worse if they dated.

And above all, he doesn’t like No-eul that much. He just feels a little bit of affection, enough to dream about him and think about him all day long. As time goes by, the depth of his feelings will become shallower.

‘You absolutely can’t be swayed today. Let’s say everything we need to say as soon as we get home.’

He made a solemn resolution and moved to the art room mixed among his friends.

*

“Where’s the bag?”

“…I left it behind.”

So he went to school without a bag. Kyung-soo said indifferently. No-eul blinked as if wondering how he could do that. But he soon smiled slightly and grabbed Kyung-soo’s hand and led him. His hand was warm and he didn’t want to let go, but he soon remembered the resolution he had made in the morning.

‘I’m being dragged!’

No! You decided not to be swayed today, Kim Kyung-soo! You have to say what you need to say first! Kyung-soo shook off his hand and covered No-eul’s mouth with his palm, who looked bewildered.

“Mmph?”

“Cheon No-eul, listen to me carefully. If you distort it or hear it the way you want, I won’t let you off.”

“Mmmphmhmmer.”

“I……”

When he tried to speak, his lips wouldn’t open. No-eul looked at him with laughter in his eyes, then took Kyung-soo’s hand away.

“I said I liked you first, so now it’s hyung’s turn to say he likes me.”

Was the strange sound he made while his mouth was covered the word “like”? If that was the case, he shouldn’t have covered his mouth. Kyung-soo replied to his words in a daze.

“Yeah. I do like you… but.”

“I knew it.”

No, this isn’t it. Kyung-soo frowned and continued to say what he was going to say.

“But! I don’t like you as much as you like me.”

“……”

Oh no.

“It’s not that I hate you, so don’t cry. Huh?”

“I’m not crying.”

“…Anyway, you haven’t won yet. There’s no guarantee that I’ll keep liking you until after autumn. I might get tired of you soon.”

At those words, No-eul tilted his head with a subtle expression.

“What am I winning?”

“I’m going to make you like me? But I don’t like you that much yet!”

“…Oh, that? Then love? …Ouch.”

Kyung-soo pinched No-eul’s cheek and said the conclusion first.

“So it’s a bit difficult to date right now.”

No-eul frowned a little because things weren’t going the way he wanted. His nose wrinkled and formed faint wrinkles. No-eul’s expressions were subtly diverse. He stretched out his hand that had pinched his cheek and pressed down on the wrinkles on his nose to smooth them out. Only then did No-eul say with a relaxed expression.

“When will it not be difficult?”

“Let’s wait and see until the point when the bet you mentioned ends. I still feel like it’s too early to bet my life on you, a man.”

Maybe I’m mistaken…. He swallowed the last words.

“Think of it as a game. You like betting, right? If you win, we’ll really date.”

He said while cupping No-eul’s cheeks with both hands. His brown eyes were filled with himself. There was only himself in there.

“A dating… game?”

Kyung-soo nodded instead of speaking.

“Then don’t date, but please go out with me until then.”

“Get lost, it’s the same thing.”

Does he think I’m an idiot? Kyung-soo pushed No-eul away and smiled slightly. He grumbled that he shouldn’t be treating his potential lover like this while obediently being pushed away.

“Yes.”

Because you like days like this. …He swallowed the words. Instead, No-eul insisted on a kiss, and Kyung-soo had never been able to win against his stubbornness. So he pressed his lips against his as if he couldn’t help it. An early spring atmosphere began to linger in the house.