Volume 3

It was perfect autumn weather. Through the long windows of the quiet mansion, the trees outside were ablaze with autumn colors. Soon, the days when snow would pile up on those branches would not be far off.

‘I think it was around this time I left Jun’s house….’

“Hyunsoo, come closer.”

I turned my head at the call. The middle-aged man lying in the center of the bed reached out to me. Without a word, I moved closer, following his hand. Then, familiar hands followed, and naturally, I quickly became erect in the man’s hand.

“Ha, haa….”

As if he liked it, the man sat up and buried his face between my legs. The same daily routine as yesterday repeats. A life of getting erect at his touch, ejaculating, and being emptied.

[Forget me]

This is how I’ve been living ever since I left Jun’s house, leaving only a short note. At that time, I was sold because of my father’s debt. If it had been my father’s debt under his name, I could have cleanly renounced the inheritance when he died, but because he had shackled me while he was alive, I couldn’t.

The private loan titles were under my name. It wasn’t like I could deny it as forgery of private documents, because it was true that I had stamped my thumb, signed, and used my seal. Once from my father’s kick, and once from him threatening me with a knife, so after a few times, I did it without hesitation three or four times.

I had nothing to be grateful for to my parents during their lifetime, but I felt a little grateful towards my mother, whom I never met. Because I was pretty, resembling my mother, I avoided dying prematurely. Of course, that doesn’t mean my current situation is better than death.

After leaving Jun’s house, this is the second place I’ve stayed. The old man who first took me died of old age. The day his wheezing breath stopped, I thought I would be free. That old man had promised to give me his assets when he died. I really thought it would happen.

But such a dream-like event did not occur. His children, whom I didn’t know and who lived abroad, came and took all of the old man’s assets, and I was passed on to someone else like a bad debt. So now, I am here with this middle-aged man.

While the first old man couldn’t get it up no matter how hard he tried, this man was active and full of vigor. He got aroused easily without trying and could finish.

However, he had a bad temper. Just like that damned father of mine.

Thwack!

Red bloodstains dotted the white bedsheet once more. The man said he found it more arousing when he saw such things, and that he liked it when I bled. At first, I tried not to get hit, but I don’t do that anymore.

“…Ha, spread them wider. That’s right.”

Screech. Creak.

The man grabbed the blood-stained sheet and shook his hips like a rutting dog. I was helplessly shaken by his thrusts. My body, which seemed like it would break like a reed in the wind but didn’t, was pinned down and shaking silently.

Drip.

Seeing the semen falling onto the sheet, I knew the act was over. Only then could I relax my upper body, which had been tense, and lean back comfortably on the sheet.

“You should wipe it off and sleep.”

The man stroked my nose, from which blood was flowing, with his thumb.

“I’ll lie down for a little bit.”

As I spoke, blood entered my lips, and I tasted its metallic tang. The man, as if pleased, pressed his lips against mine. After the passionate kiss ended and we parted, he too had blood all over his mouth.

Click.

“Manager. A guest will arrive in 10 minutes.”

The female secretary, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, bowed respectfully and closed the door again. She had knocked but received no response from inside, so she seemed to have entered reluctantly.

The man kissed me one more time, then got up and left. Only then could I pull the sheet to wipe my face. He disliked me wiping away blood during the act.

“I won’t die from a nosebleed, will I? I wish I would die.”

That’s exactly how I felt right now.

Leaving Jun’s house was something that was bound to happen. Following him in the first place was an attempt to escape reality.

I had gone to see the detective who was going back and forth between the ICU, after hearing that the victim’s family would be holding a funeral now. Seeing Jun sitting alone at the funeral, I felt a complex mix of emotions. It was as if a non-existent younger brother was sitting at my father’s funeral.

Why did Jun come to find me then? I felt like I had to beg for his forgiveness. It was the damned father who committed the sin, so why did I cry so much? Was it because of Jun’s empty gaze, or because I saw his fist, which had been raised to hit me, fall powerlessly?

Turning away, I followed him without thinking. In my haste, I didn’t even realize my shoes were mismatched. I just walked and walked, following him. We were like zombies wandering through a dead city.

Had he truly lost his soul, Jun just walked, looking at the ground. When we arrived at his house, he opened the door, and I followed him in. He collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep, unaware that I had followed him.

I also fell asleep somewhere on the living room floor, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Jun still asleep. I thought his sleeping face looked so peaceful. Wouldn’t he be more at ease if he died like this? I reached out with both hands towards his neck.

But instead of grabbing his neck, I grabbed his collar. Then, with all my might, I shook him.

It’s too early to die yet.

We haven’t even introduced ourselves, have we?

Knock, knock.

‘Ah.’

Lost in past memories, I turned my head at the sound of knocking. My nosebleed had stopped at some point, and I no longer felt blood trickling down my cheek.

“You are to come out.”

A maid from the mansion kindly guided me to the bathroom. It was my daily routine to walk around the house naked, so I felt no shame. The maids, expressionless like machines, changed the bedsheets and examined the wounded areas.

“Please tell me if you are uncomfortable.”

“I understand. You can go now.”

I sank my body into the warm water of the bathroom.

As the days grew colder, I missed Jun more. When we embraced, warmth spread through my entire body. When I desperately missed that cozy embrace, I would chastise myself, telling myself I was unworthy.

Once, before falling asleep after drinking, Jun hugged me as usual and whispered,

“Hyung. Don’t abandon me. If you abandon me….”

His words jolted me awake. I had stayed by his side merely out of guilt, but it was becoming something else for both of us.

When it became too difficult to restrain myself, I cut off even light contact with him, and at that time, I had no choice but to leave his house. The loan sharks pressured me, urging me to pass the debt onto Jun. But I absolutely could not do such a thing. I never wanted to do what my damned father did.

As I left Jun’s house, I sometimes thought it was fortunate that I hadn’t crossed the line, but on days when desire surged, my true inner thoughts would inevitably burst forth.

‘I should have had him. Foolish bastard.’

After getting off the bus and walking towards the apartment, I felt hungry. I must have eaten noodles for lunch, because by around 4 PM, my stomach felt empty. I intended to buy a snack, but I missed the timing because a customer came in.

Ding-dong.

There were no decent restaurants near the apartment, so I headed to a convenience store. It seemed they had sold out of lunch boxes, and only a few triangle kimbap remained. Among the ones left, my favorite tuna mayo was gone.

Hesitating would only delay my meal further. I picked up two items and grabbed a banana milk.

“This is a buy-two-get-one-free. Buy one more.”

I don’t know when he snuck up, but Roban was beside me, holding two banana milks.

“You buy three.”

“Then Dajeong, you pay. I’ll give you money for one.”

So, three banana milks and two triangle kimbap were placed on the counter. After paying, as I picked them up, Roban naturally took two of the banana milks. He then put a straw in one and began to suck on it, following me.

“Are you off work now?”

“Yeah. I have to get home quickly.”

“Why?”

“Shut Up is… Hey, can you log in right now?”

“Why?”

“I think I roughly know who that Kang Choongman guy is.”

“Roughly?”

Earlier, I saw the character name ‘Yeotjangsu’ on the Blood Planet bulletin board, and he’s a real estate employee working near me. He uses the character name Yeotjangsu, and the amazing thing is that Kang Choongman is the name of the boss at the place he works. I spoke without taking a breath.

By now, Roban had finished one banana milk, removed the straw, and inserted it into a new one. Still sucking, he just nodded.

“So, log in first and help me catch that guy.”

“I already got a call earlier.”

“Who?”

“That Candy Boy.”

“Did you order it? What’s the address? Contact info?”

He must have finished both banana milks, as he started putting the empty bottles into the convenience store bag I was holding. “Hey—” I started to say something, but Roban showed me his phone screen.

“Name, Park Junpyo. Lives in Yeongdeungpo. Contact info is…”

“Is the Yeotjangsu guy’s name Park Junpyo? Anyway, what’s the contact info?”

“Aneros, you promised, right?”

“Yeah, I said I’d buy it.”

“Not that. The method I use, you said you’d teach me personally.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you that later, but first, give me the contact info for that guy, Park Junman or Kang Junpyo.”

After hearing my answer, Roban handed me his phone, which he had already dialed.

“Call him. See if it’s him.”

Before pressing the call button, I thought carefully. There was only one question I needed to ask to confirm he was Yeotjangsu. That would be… his real estate work.

I pressed the button and waited quietly for him to answer. Just as the silent ringing was becoming tedious, he answered, and when I remained silent, I heard, “Hello, please speak.” It was a low voice with a slight regional accent.

‘He sounds like him, but also not…’

I asked the surprise question I had prepared.

“Do you perhaps have any full-option monthly rentals?”

I lowered my voice as much as possible.

[…Where are you?]

“I’m, I’m just a customer.”

Was I found out? But his answer didn’t sound like Yeotjangsu. Considering his usual demeanor, he’d be lively and responsive, but he sounded slow. His voice was low, deliberately so, like mine, making it hard to tell if it was his voice. I debated whether to just hang up, but he asked again.

[That’s not it, what area are you referring to?]

“Jadong-dong.”

[Oh, I see. Then, can you visit tomorrow? You lowered your voice so much, I wondered who it was. Are you the one who came by this afternoon?]

His voice suddenly became clear and bright, exactly like him. It was him. Candy Boy was Yeotjangsu, and Yeotjangsu was that guy. The guy from Hwanggeum Real Estate!

Even though I learned his name, Yeotjangsu stuck better than Park Junpyo. Maybe it’s because his name is Yeot. As he continued talking, I said I would visit tomorrow and hung up. Then, I handed the phone back to Roban and cursed under my breath.

“Block his number. It’s him.”

“But how did you know, Dajeong?”

“Well, this and that. What time is it? Ah, I have to go quickly. You come in quickly too.”

I quickly said goodbye, waved my hand vaguely, and entered the apartment. Looking at the time, I didn’t even have time to eat the triangle kimbap, so I tore it open in front of the elevator and took a bite. By the time I roughly finished one, I got on the elevator. Then, tearing open the second triangle kimbap and taking a bite, I got off on the fourth floor. As I entered the door code, I choked and coughed a couple of times.

After rushing inside, I drank water first and took off my clothes. It had already been over 30 minutes since I met Roban and talked. My phone started ringing. I knew who it was without looking.

“I’m coming. I’m coming in, you bastard.”

I changed into comfortable clothes and sat on the sofa. By then, I had one missed call. I sighed and put on the connection helmet.

<>

<>

As the screen transitioned, I saw the guild’s hideout. I whispered to Shut Up.

[Dajeonghan Son-gil: Is the addiction gone?Jun deliberately replied with ‘eo’, just like I had replied earlier. Putting aside my embarrassment, I moved towards him.

<>

As soon as I moved, I felt the ground sink beneath me while standing still. Looking at the ground, it was soft mud. But to call it mere mud would be an understatement; it felt like it would swallow me up endlessly. When I pulled one foot out, the other foot sank deeper.

‘It’s a swamp.’

Only then did I understand the nature of this sticky ground. I got annoyed, thinking how could they teleport me anywhere like this, even if they hated me, and struggled. What would it feel like to die in a swamp? My legs sank up to my thighs, and I eventually gave up trying to get out.

As I stood there, two arms wrapped around my chest. Someone from behind was hugging me and pulling me out of the swamp.

“What are you doing, you idiot. Tsk.”

Whatever method Shut Up used, he didn’t sink into the swamp at all. I was the only one who became messy, like someone who had experienced tidal flat experience.

“It sinks so much, what can you do?”

“What shoes are you wearing? Even level 40 shoes grant swamp resistance.”

“…I’m wearing level 10 ones.”

“Are you dressing like a beggar because you’re getting boosted?”

What? Beggar? Well, I do look like a beggar right now… Since it was an undeniable statement, I couldn’t get angry and let it slide.

Yeah, it’s good to get angry in the game and then take it out in reality. I briefly thought of revenge, like making him mop the office and run errands far away when he comes to the office next time.

Shut Up found solid ground and walked, and I slowly followed, stepping on his footprints. As I was about to step on the next footprint, his steps stopped abruptly.

“Wait here.”

At Shut Up’s words, I stopped walking and looked around, seeing a whisper from Moment at the top.

[Moment: Where are you going?]

[Dajeonghan Son-gil: Swamp, amoeba?]

[Moment: Ok]

Looking at the swamp, it resembled porridge boiling in a pot. Bubbles formed and popped as if the ground were boiling. It was green, but not a fresh green like foliage; it was a dull green, as if it had swallowed and regurgitated various colors. It was like being in a witch’s boiling cauldron.

“What comes out here?”

“Nothing comes out.”

“Then why did you come here?”

“Because no one else comes.”

A little later, Shut Up grabbed me and pulled me behind the gnarled trunk of a twisted tree. After a long while, four users appeared in the spot where I had been standing just moments before. I have no in-game acquaintances, but I knew all four of these people.

Human, Ipdai, Yeotjangsu. And Yeosin.

I was momentarily surprised and looked at Shut Up. Could it be that he knows I was scammed out of the Relax skill? Is that it? With wide eyes, I alternated looking between them and Shut Up, but Shut Up grabbed my chin, saying I was being distracting, and made me look straight ahead.

“Don’t come out until I tell you to, okay?”

“Okay.”

Although I answered like that, how could I miss such a great opportunity? It seemed Shut Up had lured them here simply because he didn’t like Yeotjangsu.

How on earth did Yeosin end up here? Those four were still chatting amongst themselves. Although I couldn’t hear them clearly from this distance, I vaguely heard Human pointing somewhere in the swamp and suggesting they hunt a boss.

“You’re incredibly beautiful, just as I heard.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

And Ipdai was praising Yeosin with exaggerated actions, more so than usual. And Yeotjangsu was looking at the two of them with displeasure. At that moment, Yeosin, as if bestowing a favor, used her Relax skill. My heart ached.

It was then.

I saw Shut Up approaching them. Then, without preamble, he struck Yeotjangsu from behind. Yeotjangsu fell into the swamp helplessly and was hit with a Bind skill to prevent him from getting up. Electric chains were embedded in the ground, constricting him.

“Gasp, ugh!”

Seeing him flailing on the ground, I felt a bit sorry. Yeosin, watching from the side, stepped back, and Human approached her, reassuring her. However, Yeosin seemed to be shaking her head and about to leave.

‘This chance might never come again!’

I quickly covered myself with a shield to prevent sinking and rushed out. As Yeosin raised her hand, seemingly about to leave despite Human’s persuasion, I quickly initiated a trade.

As she opened her inventory, she suddenly looked at me, who had initiated the trade, with disbelief. If you initiate a trade, you can’t teleport elsewhere, and this bug was still working.

“Who are you again? Annoying.”

“Yeosin! Wait, talk to me for a moment.”

“Huh? Dajeong hyung.”

At Human’s call, Shut Up left the vendor unattended for a moment and turned back to us. I still hadn’t released the trade and asked the Goddess.

“That Relax skill, did the vendor buy it for you?”

“Why are you asking about something like that?”

Unlike her gentle and innocent image, the Goddess’s words were laced with thorns. Shut Up approached, saying, “What is it?” The Goddess cast a pure gaze towards Shut Up.

“I told you to stay quietly behind, didn’t I?”

“Wait a minute. I have something to ask her.”

I asked the Goddess again if the person lying there had bought her that skill. The first time I asked, she had completely ignored me, but now, standing next to Shut Up, she was merely evading the question.

Instead, Shut Up reconfirmed my question.

“Why are you curious if he bought her the Relax skill?”

“Well…”

Looking at the Goddess, she finally seemed to realize that I was the one who had made the trade. After a brief moment of panic, she retorted defiantly, “No.”

“It has nothing to do with me. So, release the trade.”

The Goddess sarcastically added that she would post this current threat on Instagram later and had even captured my character name. Shut Up looked at the Goddess and activated voice mute on her. Then he turned back and looked down at me.

“Why are you curious?”

“…I got scammed.”

“Scammed out of what?”

“Rel…ax.”

“Who did you give it to?”

In response to Shut Up’s question, I pointed at the Goddess. She laughed as if it were absurd and, claiming she received it as a gift and didn’t know, irritably told me not to blame the wrong person. With Shut Up looking bewildered between us, I asked the Goddess.

“So, who gave you that gift? Just tell me that. Was it him? The vendor?”

Shut Up’s eyes blazed with electricity as he turned to the Goddess. He was threatening, as if he would pull out his Thunderclap Spear and stab her at any moment. His gaze was exactly this: If you don’t want to end up like that, speak. At that, the Goddess reluctantly answered.

“Hmph… Yes.”

“No, you!”

Just then, the vendor managed to lift his head and said, as if squeezing the words out. Half his face was still buried in the swamp, so his pronunciation wasn’t clear, but I could roughly understand.

“G-Goddess, this was her plan… cough…!”

The vendor confessed desperately, and upon hearing his words, the Goddess clung to the kind-looking Human, claiming he was denying it and that she was wronged.

However, Human smiled and removed her hand from his arm.

“I don’t like hitting women, even if it’s just a character.”

Ipdae had been emitting electricity from behind. The same chains that bound the vendor in Shut Up’s snare were wrapped around Ipdae’s hands. Instead of Shut Up, who had muted her voice, Ipdae made a deal with the Goddess.

“Since you’re making a trade, give everything to Dajeong. Your clothes and items. Exactly the same as Relax. Now.”

“W-What kind of deal is that? I purely received it as a gift! If you’re going to strip someone, strip him!”

“We’ll deal with him separately. We’ll let you go after you give us just that amount.”

With Human, Ipdae, and even Shut Up surrounding her, the Goddess hid her previously haughty demeanor and began to sob.

“…Alright. Sniffle.”

She sobbed and asked me to release the trade so she could sort out her item inventory, saying she would give it to me.

At her words, I pressed the cancel trade button. Honestly, I didn’t intend to get the full value of Relax back. I would have been content with half. Especially, I didn’t want to take away those winged clothes. They suited her well.

As she raised her hands and began to unequip her items, I felt a pang of pity. However, Shut Up watched her with cold eyes, even crossing his arms. And Ipdae’s hands were still wrapped in electric chains, the chains touching the ground intermittently with a zzzt— sound.

As she was almost done organizing, she turned towards me. We were facing each other, so the others couldn’t see her front. It looked like she raised her hand to initiate a trade with me, but she didn’t. She quickly lowered her hand to the part she touched to use a skill.

‘Huh?’

Before I could react, a flash of light burst before my eyes.

It was the [Sunset Light] skill. If mastered, anyone who saw the sudden light would be blinded for 10 seconds. We had all been fooled by her weak appearance. With that, she could have easily escaped using a return scroll.

The moment the light flashed before my eyes, my first thought was that I had missed it. My screen remained frozen, staring blankly at the white light. Then, the dim swamp slowly came back into view. As expected, the Goddess, who should have been in front of me, was gone.

“Ah, I missed her.”

Shut Up approached with long strides upon hearing my muttering. He was coming at me, pointing, and it wasn’t a good sign. A storm of scolding poured from his mouth, as expected.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were scammed? How could you be fooled by such idiots!”

Although Human tried to calm Shut Up down as he continued to rant, it was difficult to silence his mouth. I was about to activate voice mute myself when he firmly grabbed my wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going with that mute? You’re asking for it.”

“Ah, seriously! Stop nagging! My ears are going to bleed!”

“Do you want me to make your ears bleed?”

As Shut Up grabbed my face, Human and Ipdae pulled him off.

“Juna, that’s enough—.”

As the four of us bickered, a familiar voice was heard from behind.

“Hello, clumsy ones. I brought a gift.”

Moment, like Santa Claus, tossed something towards us. Though I couldn’t recognize it immediately because my whole body was covered in mud, it was the Goddess who had escaped earlier.

“She was running that way, so I caught her.”

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have a return scroll. The Goddess was quiet, as if she had fainted. She was being held captive by Moment’s Fire Ring.

Shut Up told Human to wake the Goddess up. Human generated a water droplet in his right hand and threw it towards her face. As the mud-covered face was washed clean, the Goddess’s face was revealed. She blinked and looked at us with fearful eyes.

Human approached the Goddess, pushed her dripping hair back, and asked,

“Are you ready to trade now?”

The Goddess nodded repeatedly without answering.

When Moment released the Fire Ring, the Goddess slumped to the ground and lamented her fate. Then, reluctantly, she initiated a trade with me and handed over the items she was wearing. Among them were the winged clothes.

“I don’t need the winged clothes.”

Even though Moment said it was a significant loss, I just said it was fine and returned them. Not saying thank you was the Goddess’s last bit of pride.

“Next time, don’t scam people, and live honestly.”

Human threw her a return scroll and warned her sternly. As the Goddess accepted the scroll, she seemed to mutter a curse under her breath, saying she wouldn’t let it go.

“Why are you listening? Let’s deal with this.”

Shut Up, having muted her voice, lightly ignored the Goddess and pointed at the vendor lying face down behind them.

The Goddess, wanting to say more but being ignored, cursed at our backs. Seeing Moment preparing his Fire Ring, she finally returned to the village.

Now, only the vendor remained.

He was here solely because of Seomun Jun’s revenge, and because he had scammed me. Even if he was ordered to do it, he was an accomplice, so I intended to let Shut Up do as he pleased.

“Is this enough?”

“No. It needs to be more.”

Listening to Shut Up and Ipdae’s conversation, I didn’t understand what they meant and asked Human next to me. Human also seemed unsure and shook his head. Moment, who was polishing his Fire Ring behind us, asked if I didn’t know by looking at the name of the swamp.

“Fowler’s Free Amoeba, you really don’t know?”

The creature Moment mentioned made Human and me even more puzzled. Human, being somewhat well-read, gave a similar answer.

“It sounds similar to a novelist’s name.”

“I only know amoeba. You know, the thing that splits into two and doesn’t die, becoming two?”

“That’s a planarian. What does an amoeba look like?”

“Amoeba… my mom’s refrigerator pants have that pattern. It probably looks like that?”

I thought we were having a serious conversation, but Moment just looked at us pitifully and continued to wipe his Fire Ring.

I had imagined Shut Up killing the vendor and stealing his items, but he just shoved the vendor into the swamp and watched him. The vendor, who had resisted fiercely at first, became completely still.

“Looks like it’s done?”

“Indeed.”

Ipdae and Shut Up then released the chains that had bound the vendor. They lifted him up and threw him onto the relatively solid ground. The vendor, regaining consciousness, complained of dizziness. He crawled on all fours, as if exhausted from riding a roller coaster repeatedly.

Shut Up looked down at the crawling vendor, smirked, and glanced at Ipdae.

“What level did you say he was?”

“Around 65. But, just by looking, doesn’t he seem like he barely passed level 60?”

“Roughly 65 times then.”

Shut Up announced, pressing down on the vendor’s back with his foot as he crawled.

“From now on, I’m going to make you level 1.”

“Uh… cough…”

The vendor could barely speak, like a drunkard. Moment, watching from the side, explained that his brain was infected with amoebas, rendering him unable to function.

“There are Fowler’s Free Amoebas in this swamp. If you expose your face to the swamp for a long time, they enter through your nose and consume your brain. Even if you survive, you can’t act normally. What’s scarier is that you remain in this state even after death. However, after dying, you can easily fix it by taking deworming medicine sold at the village shop. Usually, if you die in a swamp like this, you return to the village, naturally buy the medicine, and it ends there. But, from what I see, Shut Up plans to revive him repeatedly?”

As fellow rankers, Moment’s guess was accurate. Shut Up had brought the vendor here with that purpose in mind. Not just to kill him and take his items, but to reduce his level to 1.

Fzzt—!

Shut Up began to kill the vendor in earnest. Before the vendor could even use a skill, Ipdae bound him, and Shut Up continued to unleash his skills. Death was instantaneous. Of course, dying and going to the waiting screen would be the end, but Shut Up immediately used a revival item to bring him back to life.

Even upon revival, losing experience points is unavoidable. That revival item is usually a paid item used to avoid losing equipment or to revive instantly when fighting a boss.

However, recently, it has also been misused by wealthy Psychics to lower an opponent’s level. Of course, it’s an item costing over ten thousand won each, so it’s a method only those who splurge like Shut Up can afford. The prime example of its misuse was unfolding before our eyes.

“St-stop…”

As items dropped one by one around him, the vendor’s attire became lighter. His cries sounded like slow motion. Honestly, watching such a mobbing scene wasn’t pleasant. No matter how much it was revenge, it seemed cruel.

“I’m going to the Guild Hideout, then I’ll disconnect for a bit. I want to shower.”

“Come back immediately when I contact you.”

Shut Up said, stabbing his Thunderclap Spear into the vendor’s chest and twisting it. As I nodded and was about to leave, Moment approached me.

“Aneros, I’ll give it to you tomorrow, right? I caught the Goddess for you.”

“Thanks to you, it’s resolved. Got it.”

As if he had overheard our conversation, Shut Up told Ipdae to continue and abruptly approached us.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thanking you for helping earlier.”

“Dajeong, if you’re thankful, give me a Relax.”

I looked back and forth between the two and cast the skill. Moment, looking relieved as if his task was done, used a return scroll, saying he’d see me later. Before leaving, Moment winked at me, and Shut Up’s expression soured.

“Are you close with Moment?”

“No. We just see each other around.”

“Make sure you log in later. If you don’t, I’ll come find you.”

“You know where I live.”

It sounded as if he knew me, as if our current conversation was meant for me. Find me? Could it be, he knows me? Just as I was about to ask with a suspicious look, he answered first.

“Wherever it is, it’s within South Korea, right?”

“Don’t you know how vast our country is?”

As if he genuinely didn’t know, Shut Up just smiled slyly. I promised to log in later when he contacted me and disconnected.

Strangely, today, he skirted the line, pushing it but not quite crossing it. It was like water in a cup, brimming and on the verge of overflowing. I had an ominous feeling that if just one clue dropped, the truth would spill out.

Still, today yielded some results. I had recovered about 70 percent of the value of Relax. The exact amount would only be known after listing it on the auction house, but I decided that later, when selling game money, I would do it with Hanwoo or Rovan.

<>

I took off my helmet and the gloves I was wearing. Today, the second day after being scammed, it was resolved. The resolution was partly due to the vendor getting unintentionally involved, and my friendships with Moment and Shut Up were of great help.

I got up and headed to the bathroom. I felt great, grinning as if a heavy burden had been lifted. For the first time in a while, I decided to take a bath.

Whoosh—.

The bathtub in our old apartment had been left unused, but it was perfect for relieving my fatigue today. I had bought bath salts for the tub, but since I hadn’t used them, I opened them for the first time today.

“Is this enough?”

I misjudged the amount, and the bubbles overflowed the tub. I scooped out the excess bubbles, leaving just the right amount, and cleaned the bathroom floor. I slowly sank into the tub as if entering a cloud.

“Ahhh… This is nice.”

My fatigue melted away. The fluffy bubbles felt ticklish yet pleasant against my skin. In the silent bathroom, only the sound of tiny bubbles dissolving and popping could be heard. I started to feel drowsy.

‘I shouldn’t fall asleep, if I fall asleep…’

Then, I must have dozed off. My head snapped back, and my head hit the wall. That slight impact woke me up, and seeing my wrinkled hands, I struggled to get up.

My whole body felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton, and I could only move sluggishly. I rinsed off the bubbles with the shower and came out. My steps were still heavy, and my mind was hazy.

I collapsed onto the bed and felt more comfortable and happy than ever. The bed was heaven. I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I was back in my hometown. While playing with a ball, I kicked it, and it seemed to go into the goal, but instead, it slipped under the gate of the house opposite.

It was a mansion with a gate that was always firmly shut. In my life, I had never seen that black gate open.

I pressed my chest to the ground and peered through the gate. My ball was in the middle of the lawn. If it had been a soccer ball, it wouldn’t have fit through this gap, but because it was a small volleyball that had lost air, this whole mess happened. Usually, the ball bounced back from the gate, so kicking it as usual was the cause of this trouble.

‘Why did it have to go through the bottom?’

Annoyed, I got up. I brushed off the dirt that had gotten all over my t-shirt. Mom would surely get angry if I went in this dirty. I had lost the ball and my clothes were dirty, so I was in a bad mood in many ways.

My friends said a grim reaper lived in that house. Only people dressed in black went in and out. Especially only at dawn, in the dead of night. So, I was scared to ring the bell. I felt like a black hand would shoot out from inside the gate and drag me in. In the end, after hesitating for a long time, I decided to give up, turning away like a true man.

That evening, Mom scolded me for losing the ball, saying she wouldn’t buy me another one next time. I was so upset with Mom that I cried bitterly at the dinner table, asking if she wanted me to disappear because of the ball. Perhaps my mom’s scolding could be heard outside the gate.

The next day. After school, I was about to open our house’s gate when I saw a box placed in front of it. The box had my name on it. I happily picked it up, thinking maybe Santa Claus had forgotten to give me a gift from last year and was giving it to me now. I opened the box, and there was a soccer ball inside.

It was even a World Cup soccer ball I had seen on TV. However, I had a premonition that this wasn’t a gift from Santa Claus. Because last year, the gift I had wished for was a game console.

‘I wish they had given me a game console… It’s hard to play soccer in the neighborhood…’

Ding dong— Ding dong—*

Then, a familiar sound was heard. Could it be? Had Santa Claus come to ask for the soccer ball back? I muttered to myself, “Once a move is made, it cannot be undone…” and pushed myself up.

“Huh…? Was it a dream?”

It was so vivid I thought I’d actually gone back to my childhood, but it must have been a dream. Wondering what kind of dream this was, I lay back down.

But then, a vibration sound came from the living room. I wondered what kind of call it was this late at night, but I didn’t have the consciousness left to get up and answer it. So, just as I was about to fall back asleep, the doorbell rang again.

Ding dong— . Ding dong—.

Frowning, I looked at the bedside clock. It was 2 AM.

“Damn it…, crazy.”

There were many people living in the apartment, and sometimes drunk people would mistake the unit number and come by. Annoyed, I decided to open the door and tell them off, walking briskly towards the entrance. As I walked, the doorbell rang once more.

“Ah, seriously.”

I pressed the unlock button for the door lock and yanked it open irritably.

“Who is it! What kind of crazy person rings someone’s doorbell this late at night… Huh?”

“It’s me, Hyung.”

The crazy person who rang the doorbell in the middle of the night was none other than Jun. Dumbfounded, I held the front door and stared at him blankly.

However, Jun ignored my gaze, slowly scanned my attire from head to toe, and said, “Do you always live in just your underwear?” His words jolted me awake.

“W-what? At this hour.”

He barged in without warning, forcing me to step back. Could it be that he’d barged in because I hadn’t gone back to Link? No. He wouldn’t know I was Dajeong yet. Then, could it be that he found out?

“I don’t mind your attire, but… is it okay?”

At that moment, Jun grinned, staring openly at my underwear. I went into the small room to get dressed. I threw on a T-shirt and pants that were casually hung up and came back out.

Jun was sitting on the sofa, as confidently as if he were a guest. He was looking at my phone, which was lying scattered nearby. I rushed over, snatched the phone, and hid it behind my back.

“Why are you here at this hour?”

“I wanted to eat ramen.”

“Because you do so many strange things, I don’t even get angry anymore.”

Wow, seriously. If you want ramen, go to Ramen Paradise 24 Hours or something. Why the hell are you here, causing trouble?

“Hyung, why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“If I don’t answer, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Ah… I wanted to, but I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Even so, you come to someone’s house at 2 AM?”

“Are we strangers? You’re my master, Hyung?”

“Let’s stop the role-playing. If you show up unannounced like this, how am I supposed to go to work tomorrow?”

Jun got up from the sofa and approached me. He seemed energetic, as if it were broad daylight even in the middle of the night. I wondered when he ever slept, as there wasn’t a trace of fatigue on his face. That seemed to be the problem.

A dangerous aura emanated from him, making me feel like I shouldn’t be close to him. Every time he spoke and approached, I took a step back.

“I wanted to try today. Because I might not get hard.”

“Self-gratification is something you do on your own, coming here like this is difficult—”

“I wanted to Link with my Partner in the game and sleep comfortably, but that guy ran away today?”

“…Then go bother that guy, why bother me.”

“He’s not answering my calls. So I have to think of another way.”

I don’t know when we reached the bedroom, but he lightly pushed one of my shoulders, and I naturally tilted backward.

Unable to step back any further, I collapsed onto the bed. Then, Jun placed one knee on the bed and moved closer to me. My body instinctively moved up onto the bed to avoid him. The more I did, the lower Jun crouched and crawled closer to my body.

“…Hey, you said you’d obey my orders, right? Don’t move! And go back.”

I commanded, pointing my finger like I was waving a magic wand, but his body slowly moved on top of me. Panicked, I pulled my hands back and pushed his shoulders, which were steadily rising, but he was unyielding.

Thus, I was trapped beneath Jun’s arms, and he didn’t move as if he had commanded. Looking up at him, I curled up and tried to escape. But I was already trapped by his limbs, with no angle to get out.

“Junie. Move aside a little. I need to get out.”

“I’ll go back as you said, Hyung. But, cooperate with me.”

I placed my hands on my chest and looked up, wondering what he would ask. Jun said in a calm tone.

“Watch me masturbate.”

“Huh…? Ma… stur… bate?”

“It won’t get hard if I just do it.”

Normally, men are ashamed if their masturbation is witnessed. It leaves a lifelong scar, even if it’s witnessed by family, but now he was asking me to watch him do it.

“Junie, are you sane? You didn’t drink and drive, did you?”

Of course, I knew he hadn’t. I couldn’t smell alcohol on him, and his tone was firm and cold, as usual. When he drank, his speech tended to become a bit sluggish. Jun, who had sat up and bent his knees, was serious, as he unbuckled his pants.

“W-wait a minute. Hey, hey, isn’t this position a bit… I’m too low. From this angle… well.”

I tried to appease him, waving my hands in a gesture of compromise, and patted his thighs, but he showed no signs of stopping.

“I’m not asking you to do it with your mouth, so just stay put.”

Waving my hands and covering my face was useless. Jun ignored me and took out his penis.

Jun sat with his back to the light filtering in from the living room, his form indistinct, as if cloaked in shadows. In contrast, I was lying facing the living room, so light streamed in well. He could probably see my every expression of dawning panic.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the penis in Jun’s hand. I had seen countless male genitalia in the military bathhouse, but seeing it held in his hand like this made it look obscene, even to me as a man, and I blushed. It looked as if he were holding and stroking my own, and my ears turned red from Jun’s moans scattering above my head.

I turned my head away as much as possible, covering my eyes with my arm, and endured. I could feel the bed shaking with his movements, as if he were moving his hips back and forth with his hand, making it impossible to ignore.

The movement of Jun’s hips seemed to be quickening, and the bed shook more violently. My heart pounded faster in response, and blood rushed downwards. It was maddening. The thigh I grabbed to tell him to stop was tensed and twitching. Then, suddenly, the arm covering my eyes was grabbed and pressed down.

“Haa…. Watch, watch. It won’t get hard unless Hyung watches.”

Startled, I opened my eyes to find Jun’s face so close it was touching my cheek. He bent his waist and let out a short moan from his red lips. His face was right in front of me, and I thought he was going to kiss me.

Jun, who had straightened up, looked down at me and grabbed his penis again.

“Don’t close your eyes… We made a promise. You said you’d watch.”

When I met his gaze, his eyes, cast down as if he would devour me, intimidated me, and I felt too embarrassed to look at his penis. I casually lowered my gaze somewhere around his thighs. From above, it would look like I was watching the act.

“Haa… Hyung…”

As if it really looked that way, Jun became more aroused. He parted the glans with his index finger and stroked the curve with his thumb. Seeing that, I swallowed involuntarily. It felt as if my own was being touched.

Though I tried to look at Jun’s thighs and not look, my gaze kept drifting. The human field of vision is 120 degrees, isn’t it? No matter how much I turned my eyeballs to the side, it was within my sight. Jun held his penis with one hand and reached out with the other, cupping my chin and forcing me to look straight ahead.

“If I put it in my mouth, I might get hard… I’ll hold back.”

Looking at my lips, Jun was thrusting more roughly. My lips parted in surprise, and I licked them slightly with my dry tongue, causing Jun’s excited breath to pour down from above. He must have imagined it. Imagining my red tongue coiling around his penis and sucking it.

After trying for a long time, he finally failed to achieve a full erection and removed his hand from his penis.

“Hoo…”

I heard a low exhale above me. As if expelling heat, Jun slowly, deliberately took a breath.

As our gazes met, I saw him give a faint smile. His un-ejaculated penis was left exposed in his open fly. His languid breathing, with only his private parts revealed, looked sexier than ever.

The sight of him now, with only a part of his body visible, seemed far more obscene than when I had seen him in just his briefs outside his house before. I averted my gaze and stopped thinking. I couldn’t trust myself to stop if I let my imagination run wild.

“…Get off now. If you’re done.”

Jun poked my lower lip with the finger that had parted the glans.

“What a shame.”

As Jun slowly sat up, I tried to twist out, but my own engorged center, without my conscious effort, rubbed against his leg. Jun, who had been about to get off the bed, stopped and whistled upon seeing the bulge in my front.

“Should I help you?”

“No, it’s fine. Hurry up and go! Don’t come in the middle of the night next time! I told you clearly!”

To my commands, Jun only responded with a smile that might not have been an answer. Jun got off the bed and headed straight for the bathroom. In that short time, I struggled to cool my heat. First, I had to quell my suddenly protruding desire.

Click.

Immediately after, I heard the bathroom door open, and I pretended to be nonchalant. Jun briefly entered the room and gave a light greeting.

“I’m leaving.”

Even after showering and falling asleep, I thought I would sleep soundly today, but not only did I dream of my childhood, but now my sleepiness had fled, making me feel like my biorhythm was ruined. I was certain I’d be spaced out from the morning.

I got out of bed to see Jun off. The dim dawn resembled him, dressed in black. Watching his retreating back, he looked lonely, unlike when he was expressing his desire earlier.

“I took out the rubber stopper for the bathtub.”

“Thanks for that. Go well.”

As I waved dismissively, Jun hugged me tightly, making me step back. He was hugging me just like that time. I felt his hands wrap around me from behind.

“…Sleep well, Hyung.”

“Thanks to you, I think I’ve had enough sleep.”

I retorted indifferently, and Jun chuckled by my ear, hugging me even tighter. I patted his back about five times, like a child throwing a tantrum, and then his hands, which had been wrapped around my lower back, finally loosened.

“If I’m late for work tomorrow, sweep the front of the office.”

“Okay.”

Jun, with a smile on his lips, left without lingering. The sound of the door lock engaging came from the closing front door.

“…Should I move?”

As I lay back on the bed, a sigh of exasperation escaped my lips. My previously aroused lower half had quickly subsided.

Lately, I’d had so many visitors that I hadn’t had time to be lonely, but it was too bothersome. Grumbling a few more words about how he’d ruined my sleep, my eyes eventually closed, and I fell into a deep sleep again.

The next day, as expected, I overslept and leisurely arrived at the real estate office around 11 AM.

The front of the office was free of cigarette butts. My stomach growled, having not eaten breakfast, so I thought I’d have an early lunch when I spotted the tteokbokki place across the street.

It made me feel even more proud and happy that the shop I’d brokered was doing so well. As I entered, the owner, who was tidying up the store, greeted me warmly.

“Oh? There are a lot of new menu items too.”

“They increase every time the chain headquarters releases a new product. Honestly, I wish they wouldn’t add any more.”

“New menus might attract more customers, right? Oh, but what are those autographs on the wall?”

“Ah, I think there’s an entertainment agency nearby? Anyway, trainees came here and left their autographs. Sometimes fans come and take pictures.”

Near the signed papers on the wall, their fans had drawn many hearts. They were just doodles that would disappear with a coat of paint, so it didn’t matter.

“Are they handsome?”

“Yes. The first time I saw them, I thought they were real singers. Fans followed them in a crowd.”

I guess I heard that famous idol singers have fans even from their trainee days… After being discharged from the military, I lost interest in who the popular singers were. I just thought, “Oh, they’re on TV a lot,” and moved on.

I ordered one serving of tteokbokki and one serving of fried food, and they gave me spicy odeng as a service. As the plates were placed side-by-side on the table, the owner sat opposite me.

“Real estate agent, you know the building owner personally, right?”

“Huh? No. I just got acquainted through transactions.”

The spicy odeng had super spicy chili peppers inside, and just one bite made my mouth tingle. While drinking water, I replied, but the shop owner tapped my arm holding the water glass and asked again, saying it didn’t seem like a mere acquaintance. The water was sloshing in the cup, so I tensed up, afraid of spilling it.

“If you’re just acquaintances, why are you cleaning the front of the agent’s office?”

“Huh?”

Now that I thought about it, the area around the office had been clean. It was also more visible because Jun’s car wasn’t parked in front of the real estate office.

“You cleaned it?”

“Yes. I saw you cleaning when I opened the shop earlier. Honestly, it was quite funny, you cleaning the front of the agent’s shop but not your own building’s front.”

I had casually told him to clean yesterday while patting his back, but I never thought he’d actually do it. Jun listened better than I expected. Perhaps I hadn’t utilized him well.

I kept drinking water, so the owner brought me a fruit drink, saying, “Have this if it’s too spicy.” I thanked him and asked about business.

“Upstairs seems to be offices or personal studios, but do they ever come down to eat?”

“No. People from this building hardly ever come.”

“The city’s hospitality is cold,” I muttered, lamenting that they didn’t buy from a neighboring building. The shop owner, however, said that the building owner sometimes bought from them.

“He seems to live alone, but he always buys enough for 3 or 4 people. Does someone live with him?”

“Well, maybe friends or acquaintances are visiting.”

I rarely saw him buy tteokbokki, so he must eat it as a late-night snack. I knew Jun was the building owner, but I didn’t know what he usually did. I sometimes wondered where he went, as he’d come home in the morning.

While chatting with the shop owner, a customer arrived, and the seat opposite me became vacant. I had been given more tteokbokki than expected, so I left some and got up. My stomach felt a bit sore, perhaps because I ate on an empty stomach. After saying goodbye to the shop owner, I headed towards the pharmacy instead of the office.

There were many hospitals on the wide street at the intersection. Therefore, the ground floors of the buildings there were lined with pharmacies. I entered one that caught my eye, but the pharmacist seemed to be in the dispensing room and wasn’t visible, so I waited.

With nowhere to sit, I browsed the displayed medicines by the glass wall, thinking, “Oh, they have vitamins like this,” when I saw a familiar black sports car parked across the street. “This neighborhood really has a lot of luxury cars,” I thought, and while looking at the vitamin supplements next to it, two men walked out of that building.

“Huh?”

One was Jun, and the other was someone I’d never seen before.

The other man was wearing a mask, short, and had a slender build. As he stumbled, Jun placed a hand behind his back to escort him and carefully helped him into the passenger seat. Then, Jun got into the driver’s seat, and they drove away.

Watching them leave, I felt a strange discomfort in my stomach. Was it because I couldn’t handle spicy food well? My stomach felt increasingly uneasy.

“Customer?”

At that moment, a voice called from behind, and I remembered why I was here. Just then, a pain shot through my stomach, and I scowled.

“My stomach is a bit sore. Give me something to drink and some pills.”

The pharmacist brought a drink and some pills and explained how to take them. However, for some reason, their kind explanation didn’t register in my mind.

It must be because my stomach hurts.

I took the medicine and returned to the office. As soon as I sat down, I put the pills in my mouth and opened the drink. I quickly swallowed it down, rubbing my upper abdomen. I hoped this uncomfortable feeling would subside soon.

♪♬♩— .

It was then.

Just then, the office phone rang, so I stopped rubbing my stomach and answered it. It was a tenant I had recently brokered a deal for, complaining about parking issues.

The parking at the place the tenant had moved into was first-come, first-served, a matter of luck. Although I had mentioned this beforehand during the brokerage, the tenant had signed the contract after seeing an empty parking lot when they went to view the property.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to cancel the contract for that reason. I told you that before.”

[Still, how can you not even make one call in the evening? I’m moving out of this place. Please find me another one with parking.]

“Even if the landlord agrees, you’ll have to pay double the brokerage fee. Are you okay with that?”

[I don’t care. Please find me something quickly.]

Since the conversation wasn’t getting anywhere, I hung up and contacted the landlord. In cases like this, I didn’t necessarily have to resolve it, but my personality made it hard to just ignore it.

The landlord said it would be possible if the current month’s rent was paid. Of course, he didn’t say it nicely. I called the tenant back and told them that they needed to pay this month’s rent and that if there were any damaged areas from the wallpapering, they would be held responsible, so they should maintain the current condition.

“Haa……”

Being in the middle is always so difficult. This neighborhood always had a lot of cars, so there weren’t many places that guaranteed parking. That’s why Jun’s officetel, with its fully equipped tower parking facility, was naturally popular.

First, I needed to check if Jun could adjust the tenant’s deposit and rent. Jun’s officetel was a bit more expensive than the average rent in this area.

Since he wasn’t picking up his office phone, I called his mobile. After a long ring, he finally answered.

“Junie, is it okay to talk?”

[It’s a bit difficult right now.]

“Ah… is it difficult even for a moment?”

[What is it?]

I was a little taken aback by how much colder his tone was than usual. Well, his tone was always like this. He had softened a bit by calling me Hyung, though.

I quickly flipped through the contract and asked, “It’s about your officetel building,” but I heard another person’s voice on the other end of the line. Jun paused our conversation and was responding to the other person. The call was muffled, so I couldn’t hear their exact conversation.

[Huh, what?]

“Ah, if you’re busy, I’ll call later.”

[Okay.]

Jun hung up without asking again, coldly.

“He must be busy.”

Well, maybe I can ask him later today or tomorrow? It wasn’t something that needed to be figured out immediately, so I could ask next Monday.

Then I wondered if I should have called someone so busy on a Saturday. I was starting to get annoyed, not knowing how to proceed.

“If you get me out of Impo, I’ll give you 30 million won.”

Then, the contract terms with him suddenly came to mind.

‘Is he looking for someone else because things aren’t working out between us?’

It might not be that he’s involved with the man I heard earlier at all, but the contract terms made me feel connected. Perhaps the reason he’s so busy in many ways is also…

“Ah… Ah, but why does my stomach hurt so much even after taking medicine?”

Perhaps it was stress from the tenant, but my stomach began to ache even more.

Just then, another call came in. Why do troublesome things always come in bunches? This time, it was the landlord. He complained that the tenant I introduced was being a real pain.

Even though I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t because the contract was made through me. However, this landlord really had grounds for complaint.

[Oh, really. In all my life, I’ve never had a tenant like this. At dawn, when everyone’s asleep, she calls my husband to change a light bulb, then she calls to say the showerhead is broken and asks me to buy her one. Now she’s demanding a washing machine tub cleaning. I can’t live like this. Huh? CEO, do you think this makes sense?]

“The issues you mentioned are indeed things the tenant should reasonably handle. I will speak with them properly, so please don’t argue emotionally and have them call me.”

[I’ve told them that a hundred times. To call the real estate agency. But they insist on calling my husband. I’m sick of hearing the phone ring.]

While listening, I gave appropriate responses, but I was breaking out in a cold sweat from the stomach pain. At first, the landlord only talked about the tenant’s complaints, then he asked about the reconstruction project across the street, and later he talked about his child getting married, buying a house, and how much it had appreciated, before finally hanging up.

“Haa……”

A sigh escaped me. Earlier, my stomach hurt, but now my chest felt heavy. It felt like something was gripping my stomach and wouldn’t let go. I ended up resting my head on my desk. As soon as I felt a little better and straightened up, my upper abdomen ached again.

“Should I take more medicine?”

I only took one pill earlier, so maybe that’s why. I went to the water dispenser to take another. I picked up a cup of water and sat on the sofa. After swallowing the pill, I took a deep breath, and I felt a little calmer.

My forehead was damp, I hadn’t realized I’d been sweating so much. I wiped my face with a tissue and unbuttoned my shirt. I had buttoned it all the way up to look neat, but breathing was more important now.

Looking at the time, it wasn’t even 1 PM yet. It felt a bit too soon to go home after only two hours at work… So I sat on the sofa and dozed off. Would someone wake me if a customer came in? I had no energy left to consider anyone else right now.

Just as I was barely holding onto consciousness.

“Mr. Duseon!””

I opened my eyes to the sensation of someone shaking me. As my blurry vision focused, the other person’s face slowly became clear.

“…Mr. Bin?””

He looked like he had stepped out of a magazine, but today he was wearing a plain t-shirt and pants. He hadn’t shaved, and his hair was a mess. I blinked, staring at him for a long time, wondering if it was really him.

“Are you sick? Why are you like this? You can’t even hold yourself up.”

“Yes… Huh?”

“Does your chest hurt? Why are you touching it like that?”

“Ah, my stomach is a bit sore.”

Bin wiped my forehead, asking why I was sweating so much, then told me to wait and went somewhere. He seemed to be urgently calling for a car, and soon a sedan stopped in front of the office.

“It’ll be tough, but try to stay conscious and get in.”

“Ah……”

He put me in the back seat and locked the office door. The car seat was even softer than my sofa at home. Since I had no energy, Bin gently guided my head, which kept leaning towards the window, to rest on his shoulder. He exchanged a few words with the driver, and I vaguely heard a hospital name.

Right, a hospital. I should have gone sooner. I shouldn’t have been stubborn about treating it with medicine and caused this. If I had gone to the hospital for a check-up from the start, this wouldn’t have happened. This happened because I tried to solve it foolishly while living alone in a foreign place.

The car seemed to be stopping and starting abruptly, but because the ride was smooth, my body didn’t sway much. As my consciousness grew hazier, I realized we had arrived at the hospital, and my body was being helped up.

Almost leaning on Bin, I was laid down on an emergency room bed, and a doctor approached. He asked about my symptoms and the medicine I had taken. When I couldn’t answer well, Bin, standing beside me, showed the doctor the medicine box I had taken.

“Did you vomit or have any other symptoms?”

The doctor, while holding my stomach, explained to Bin standing next to me. An IV was inserted into the back of my hand, and after a while, the pain in my body gradually subsided. The doctor said they would monitor my condition and left. A cool hand touched my forehead.

“You’ll be fine in a little while. Get some sleep.”

“Thank… you……”

When I struggled to open my eyes, a smile was on Bin’s lips. Even though he hadn’t shaved, making his mouth area look dark, he seemed brighter than usual. Finally, unable to fight the overwhelming fatigue, I closed my eyes, and the whole world went dark as if the power had been cut.

I returned to the office late in the evening. Although I had fully recovered two hours earlier, Bin insisted I get an IV drip, so I couldn’t refuse. The doctor said it was temporary indigestion, so I felt less worried, but it seemed the stress from today was the cause.

Since Bin paid the hospital bill, I only had to pick up my medicine when leaving. I offered to pay for the hospital bill and medicine, but he completely ignored me, instead telling me to call him next time if I felt sick.

Originally, I planned to go straight home from the hospital, but since I left so suddenly, I needed to tidy up the office and remembered my phone was still on my desk. If there were any urgent calls, it would only be from customers, so I needed to send a message saying I’d give them a proper response on Monday.

However, there might be tenants or landlords complaining like before. Bin was still standing by the door when I turned off the office lights.

“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”

In the spot where Jun’s sports car was usually parked, Bin’s sedan, which had taken me to the emergency room, was parked. Seeing this spot empty, it seemed Jun hadn’t returned yet.

“You don’t have to. You already paid for the hospital bill.”Mr. Duseon.” Call me next time you’re sick. You have my number, right?”

“Yes. Thank you anyway.”

“Get in.”

I usually save the phone numbers of customers I’ve contracted with. However, since there was no need for personal contact, they were just saved with their names and addresses.

I felt a pang of guilt for saving them like that, considering how much he’s looking after me now. If it had been a truly serious situation and Bin hadn’t found me, something terrible could have happened.

Saying “Excuse me,” I sat in the back seat, and Bin followed. When he asked for my home address, I told him the name of my apartment complex.

“It must be hard commuting. Move closer to here.”

“I need to save some money right now…”

“Then, shall we share a place?”

“I’m a bit uncomfortable living with someone else.”

Bin quietly looked at my profile. His eyes brightened and darkened with the car lights. I couldn’t discern what his true gaze was.

“Mr. Duseon, you’re like jelly.””

“Jelly?”

“I want to hold you, but I feel like you’ll break if I do. If I poke you with my finger, you give way, but when I take my hand away, you return to your original shape.”

“……Are you just saying I’m peculiar?”

Bin replied, “Yes, you’re peculiar,” and instructed the driver to stop somewhere. The place he chose was a Korean traditional restaurant.

“I don’t think I can eat anything right now.”

“I know. Just a moment.”

When Bin got out, the driver followed. The two of them entered the restaurant with its high walls. Soft classical music played in the car.

Perhaps because I saw Bin near the subway station, I hadn’t realized he had a driver. Well, considering how well-dressed he always is, it’s natural to assume he’s wealthy. He said he runs a studio, so he’s the CEO of a business.

After a short while, I saw Bin emerge. He was holding a golden bundle. The driver, following him, was also carrying something. They went to the trunk and loaded the items into the car before getting back in.

“Your stomach still hurts, right?”

“Yes. I think I’ll just go to sleep today.”

Bin nodded, and the car started again, heading straight for my apartment. Since my building is close to the entrance, there was no need to go all the way in, so I asked him to stop at the entrance.

“Thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

As I said goodbye and opened the car door, Bin grabbed my right arm.

“Wait a moment. I have something for you.”

Bin, who had followed me out, took the items from the trunk, saying he would bring them into the house. It was the bundle he had carried from the Korean restaurant earlier.

“What is this?”

“Side dishes and a galbi set? Well, among other things. I felt bad because I couldn’t buy you the galbi set back then.”

“Ah… I really don’t know if I can accept this. You even paid for the hospital bill…”

“If we lived together, I would have cooked for you myself, but you said you don’t want a roommate. For now, eat well. Don’t forget to take your medicine.”

“Thank you.”

Bin smiled gently and walked ahead, asking where to go. Feeling apologetic, I tried to take what the driver was holding, but he refused. Bin urged us to go quickly rather than waste time arguing.

Having no choice, I pointed towards my building. Suddenly, someone put an arm around my shoulder.

“Are you heading home now?”

It was Rovan.

Still wearing his blue tracksuit, he casually asked what I was eating for dinner tonight.

“Are you always hanging around here?”

I asked this because Rovan usually stopped by the convenience store around this time, but anyone overhearing would think we were living together. As expected, Bin looked at me with a questioning gaze.

“Who?”

“Ah, he’s a neighbor who lives in this apartment complex.”

“Ah… I see.”

Bin urged me to go upstairs, but Rovan didn’t leave and loitered around Bin.

“Is this Dajung’s customer? Is this a housewarming gift?”

Rovan tried to grab the bundle from Bin, offering to carry it, but Bin pulled his hand back.

“I’ll carry it myself.”

“I was just trying to help. Well, suit yourself.”

Then Rovan came back to me and said he was here to deliver something personally, reminding me that he promised to show me how to use it back then, shaking a box in his hand cheerfully. It was partly because he shook it so enthusiastically, but the opaque packaging made it hard to see the contents.

“What is it?”

“Aneros.”

At Rovan’s triumphant reply, Bin dropped the bundle he was holding. It made a clattering sound as the lunchboxes inside shifted, but thankfully, the contents didn’t spill, and it maintained its shape.

I rushed to Bin’s side and carefully gathered the golden bundle that looked like it might fall.

“This is heavier than I thought. Mr. Bin, you can go now. I can have this friend carry it.”Haha… No, Duseon.” You had that kind of hobby?”

“Huh? What hobby?”

“Aneros. Are you going to use it with that friend? Does Seomun Jun know about this?”

“Ah, I think there’s a misunderstanding. This friend sells adult products, so he’s explaining it… It’s a bit difficult to explain here.”

“Even if he sells them, who is he to explain how to use Aneros! He’s so pushy!”

It was the apartment entrance, and there were people passing by. It was rush hour, so I saw people shopping and children getting off school buses. I didn’t know exactly what Aneros was, but since it was the name of an adult product, it wasn’t something to discuss loudly.

“We shouldn’t be doing this here…”

I pulled the agitated Bin towards our building, where fewer people were walking. Rovan followed behind, grumbling about stepping on a ginkgo fruit and rubbing his slippers on the ground.

Bin, like his usual neat appearance, always had a calm demeanor. But this was the first time I had seen him so agitated. Bin repeatedly ran his hand through his disheveled hair and sighed as if the ground would swallow him.

“Let’s go to my place for now. Since you came all this way.”

“But, can’t you just tell that person to leave?”

At Bin’s nod, Rovan walked over dejectedly. Rovan stood facing Bin. They were similar in height, but their builds were different. Rovan was angular like a volleyball player, while Bin had a more model-like physique than an athlete.

However, strangely, their eyes held hostility. How long had it been since they met, yet they were like this.

“Your attire is quite… casual, to say the least.”

“You’re one to talk, considering you haven’t shaved.”That’s because I had to take Mr. Duseon to the hospital. I’m never like this normally.”

“I wear this style because it’s comfortable, but I change my underwear every single day.”

I wanted to tell Rovan that changing underwear every day was the right thing to do, but it felt like I was taking Bin’s side, so I stopped myself.

Bin seemed displeased with Rovan’s constant retorts and muttered, “Good job,” to himself. Finally, I stepped in to stop them and told them to go home.

I asked Bin, who was holding the bundles, to give me one, but he refused to the end. Rovan scoffed, saying anyone would think he was carrying gold and jewels.

“Hey, blue. Shall we drop the honorifics?”

“Sure.”

“Just a moment. Mr. Bin, dropping the honorifics doesn’t mean you’re going to curse and fight, right? You two are meeting for the first time today, and you’re talking too emotionally. Please refrain…”

We had reached the fourth floor, and as we got off, Bin and Rovan bumped shoulders, each trying to get off first. Watching them from behind, I felt awkward. Rovan walked ahead as if he were going to his own home.

Bin followed him, but Rovan didn’t stop at my door and went to the end of the hallway. Standing in front of my front door, I watched Bin’s back as he followed Rovan.

‘Ah… What am I going to do with those two.’

When I didn’t follow, Bin turned around and finally realized the situation. Rovan had deliberately led Bin to the end of the hallway to make him carry the heavy luggage. I could see Bin’s lips move several times as he turned back. He was probably cursing.

“Please come in.”

I opened the door and stepped aside to let Bin enter first. Rovan walked over slowly, smiling broadly.

“Do you like doing things like that? He’s a guest, after all.”

“What, did I tell you to follow me? You followed me of your own free will.”

As soon as I entered the house, Bin placed what he brought on the sink. When I unpacked the bundle, it was a large lunchbox filled to the brim with side dishes. There were various kinds of jeon, namul, kimchi, and sanjeok. Usually, I would have devoured this food, but my stomach still wasn’t feeling well, so I decided to put it in the refrigerator for now.

“Wow! What is this! Did you go to a feast?”

Meanwhile, Rovan, who had picked up and eaten a piece of jeon with his hand, exclaimed in admiration.

“You’re going to eat this now, right? Huh?”

“I didn’t bring it for you to eat!”

Bin, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, rushed over and closed the lid.

“Ah, you’re being stingy about food.”

“I’m always stingy.”

Fearing the argument would escalate, I tried to open the lid, saying that eating together was more beneficial, but Bin firmly closed it.

“Hey, Bluey. If I let you eat this, will you go home quietly?”

“……You’re being stingy about food.”

I expected him to say he was being stingy again, but Rovan, perhaps having surrendered to the food, pondered for about three seconds before agreeing and bringing the lunchbox to the coffee table. Bin followed, placed a few pieces of sanjeok on top of the assorted jeon, and then took them back.

“These are for everyday meals, so eat them later. Give only those to Bluey. I’ll bring more next time.”

“No.”

I felt burdened by his devoted gesture. All I had done was broker a deal for a commission, yet he had personally ended up in the hospital and now bought me side dishes like this… I was grateful, but the burden was greater.

“Dajeong! Water for me!”

As Bin took out water from the refrigerator for me, he chided me to stay away from neighbors like that. Meanwhile, I put the side dish containers Bin gave me into the refrigerator. I saw him saying something else to Rovan while giving him water.

Then, the word “Aneros” came up in their conversation. Rovan seemed to be stubbornly insisting, but when Bin pointed at the lunchbox and said something, Rovan nodded in understanding.

I looked at the box Rovan had given me earlier from various angles, then decided to open it later and placed it on the microwave shelf. I wished I had an island counter, but the kitchen was small, with no space for a dining table.

“Hey, this is really delicious. Where did you buy it?”

Rovan was exclaiming with every bite as he watched TV. Bin came over to my side after finishing his tidying and pointed at Rovan.

“That person sells adult products?”

“Yes.”

“How did you become friends?”

“Well… it’s a bit complicated. I received help from that friend. At first, I argued with him like Bin did, but now we get along like neighbors.”

“Ah…”

After finishing organizing the side dishes, I said, dipping Bin’s container into the sink. Bin said I didn’t have to return it, but I decided I’d wash it tomorrow and took off my rubber gloves.

Then, I made two cups of herbal tea and sat next to Bin on the sofa. It was then that I remembered I hadn’t checked my phone. As expected, there were several missed calls, including one from Jun.

‘Didn’t he say he was busy today?’

While checking my missed calls, I received a message from Jun.

[Where are you?]

[Home]

I replied briefly and took a sip of tea. I felt a warm energy spread through my body. The refreshing herbal scent filled my mouth, clearing the dryness caused by medication.

“The herbal scent is nice. Do you drink it often?”

“No. It was just a gift, but it’s better than I expected.”

Rovan was busy eating, and Bin was busy watching me while drinking his tea. Our eyes kept meeting naturally, and each time, I would just smile awkwardly.

‘I want to rest. I want to be alone.’

For now, Rovan wouldn’t leave until he finished eating, and Bin wouldn’t leave until Rovan left.

As we finished our tea, a message arrived.

It was from Shut Up.

[What time are you logging in today?]

[Can’t. I’m busy]

I wanted to retaliate in the same way. Are you the only one who’s busy? I’m busy too.

[Stop the nonsense and log in within 10 minutes.]

[Fuck off]

Sigh… It felt like a burden had been lifted. I had felt awkward sending ‘eo’ instead of ‘o’ earlier.

Is he my slave in real life, but the master in the game? Then why doesn’t he just live as a bully in real life instead of playing the slave role?

After sending that reply, my good mood was short-lived, as anxiety immediately struck. Shut Up called right away. Seeing my expression as I debated whether to answer, Bin asked who it was.

“Ah, just a younger acquaintance.”

I decided I didn’t need to be intimidated by someone five years younger and didn’t answer. It felt silly to argue with him over a vowel… What could he do if he didn’t know who I was? He wasn’t going to come to my house.

But as soon as the call went silent, my phone rang again. This time, it was Jjuni. I considered refusing this call too, but I answered it obediently. He had called several times, and it felt wrong to ignore him completely. As this went on, I started to get Jjuni and Shut Up confused. I had to stay focused.

“Hello.”

After pressing the call button, I spoke before Jun could say anything. Bin was watching me quietly. Feeling his gaze, my voice naturally lowered.

“I, I can’t take calls right now.”

[You said you were home.]

“……”

[If you’re home, what’s the problem?]

I heard a deep, mocking laugh of disbelief. When Jun got angry, his voice echoed like a basement. If it was usually the basement, his tone had dropped to the third basement level.

“Well, I have a guest. Let’s talk later.”

[Where did you go this afternoon?]

“Uh…?”

Should I tell him I went to the emergency room? It felt like too much to say. He wasn’t my guardian, after all.

“Just… why?”

[You were gone for over two hours. You didn’t answer your phone. I waited because you said you had something to tell me earlier.]

“Ah, really? It’s not urgent, so let’s talk on Monday.”

As I tried to end the call, the other party showed no signs of doing so.

[Is there something you’re not telling me?]

“Uh… no.”

[Really nothing?]

For some reason, I suddenly remembered the affectionate scene I saw between Jun and another man through the pharmacy window. And what the tteokbokki shop owner had said about him always buying for three or four people.

Maybe that’s why? I didn’t feel the need to tell Jun everything either. There was no reason to pry into each other’s private lives, nor to reveal them. We were just playing roles.

“No.”

There was a long pause. Had he hung up? I looked at the screen, but the call time was still ticking. I thought I heard a small sigh.

“I’m hanging up now.”

[Hyung.]

When I didn’t answer, Bin, who was watching beside me, asked who it was. I replied, just like before, that it was a younger acquaintance, but Rovan, from downstairs, interjected, “Acquaintance? Not a blood relative?”

[Guest, who is it? The voice sounds familiar.]

Flustered, I couldn’t continue the call. That ghost-like guy.

“……Uh? Uh, no. Anyway, I’m hanging up.”

This time, I pressed the end call button without waiting for a reply.

By the time the call ended, Rovan’s lunchbox was empty. Rovan said he enjoyed it and got up, taking Bin’s lunchbox to the sink. As I had felt before, perhaps because he had worked in the kitchen, cleaning up and washing dishes flowed as naturally as water. I now understood why I didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable even with him in my house.

Rovan meticulously lathered Bin’s lunchbox, which I had left out to wash tomorrow, with suds. Standing in front of the sink and starting to wash dishes, Bin asked him,

“Bluey. When are you going home?”

“You? I’ll go when you go, I guess.”

Both of them seemed to be just lingering pointlessly.

Then, Rovan, having finished washing, wiped the water off his pants and said he was going home for a bit. He didn’t reply to my suggestion to just go and rest and slammed the door shut.

“Bin, you should go home and rest too. It seems you came out suddenly because of me…”

“Can I, uh, sleep over here?”

“What?”

“I sent the car earlier… I’m a bit tired right now.”

I couldn’t be harsh to him, who had worked hard all day for me. I only had a thin blanket besides the one on the bed, so I hesitated, then decided I would sleep on the sofa and give him the bed.

“Okay.”

Tomorrow, I was scheduled to meet Hye-seon-ssi at 10 AM at Samsung Station, so I could afford to wake up a bit later, and there was no need to break Bin’s stubbornness.

Bang bang—!

While I was tidying up a bit, someone knocked loudly on the front door. Looking at the intercom, it was Rovan, as expected. I opened the door and asked why he was back, pointing at Bin behind him.

“I’ll go when that person leaves. I’m bored, let’s play this.”

“Play what?”

It was Monopoly. I didn’t know when he bought it, but the outer box was tattered, with some parts reinforced with yellow tape.

We learned the capitals of the world not in history class, but by building hotels on my properties and traveling the world. As Rovan triumphantly spread the Monopoly board on the living room floor, Bin, who had been watching TV listlessly, looked at it intently.

“What is that?”

“Whoa, you don’t know Monopoly? If you don’t know this game, you didn’t go to elementary school. Do you even know the capital of Australia?”

“Canberra.”

“See, you don’t know anything. It’s Sydney.”

“What? It’s Canberra.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Come here.”

Rovan beckoned Bin over and pointed at the game board. Bin, who had gotten off the sofa, also looked at it intently and seemed to be contemplating, saying, “Hmm…” Eventually, the two of them searched for the capital of Canada on their phones, and Rovan became indignant, calling it a conspiracy.

“Wow, can this happen?”

“Right? Canberra.”

Rovan lamented that he couldn’t study because of Monopoly. But it didn’t seem like that was the reason.

“Dajeong, did you know too?”

“Stop calling me Dajeong.”

“Why is Duseon-ssi Dajeong?”

Rovan looked at me for a moment. When I subtly shook my head, he didn’t answer. Instead, I provided an explanation.

“Well, our real estate agency is called Affectionate Real Estate. Maybe that’s why? Right?”

“Uh-huh.”

Bin, who had been scanning the game board, looked up and alternated his gaze between us.

Wanting to break the awkward atmosphere, I chimed in, saying it looked fun, and helped organize it. They had put everything away so carelessly that the money was mixed up like kimchi paste.

Sorting all this out seemed like quite a task. The money denominations were so small that if Rovan and Bin, with their large hands, held them, they wouldn’t be visible at all.

“But do we have to do this? Duseon-ssi, is this fun?”

“We don’t have much else to do, the three of us.”

“If I win, I’ll go home first.”

Bin’s eyes, which had seemed unenthusiastic, suddenly lit up. I could see his determination to drive me out by any means necessary.

“It won’t be easy, as I’m a master.”

“You’ll lose to someone who doesn’t even know the capital of Australia? No way.”

While the two of them sorted the money by denomination, I picked up the key cards and organized them. Honestly, it was a hassle, but there was nothing else to do. If I got sleepy, I’d just sleep, so I stayed with them to pass the time. It brought back old memories.

By the time we had finished sorting everything and were dividing the money, the doorbell rang.

“Huh? Who is it?”

We exchanged glances. I, the homeowner, was the most bewildered. Looking at the intercom… it was Jun.

‘Seriously, why is he here again?’

As I went to open the door, I firmly told myself that I didn’t need to be scared because the one who messed up the vowels was Kind Touch. When I opened the door, he stood there with a fierce look in his eyes.

“Oh? Why are you here?”

Jun didn’t answer and barged past me into the entryway. Since we were facing each other, our chests pressed together, which was embarrassing, so I stepped back. This naturally caused the front door to swing wide open.

As he took off his shoes and entered, he stood askew in front of the living room, looking down at Rovan and Bin.

“Tenant, why are you here?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to be here?”

“Does he think he’s the owner?”

Jun was picking a fight with Bin, but Rovan was also firing back. The situation, where the actual homeowner couldn’t say a word, was quite ironic.

“Namgung Bin, go home.”

“You go. I’m sleeping over.”

“I’m sleeping over too.”

“No!” “No!!”

Bin and Jun shouted simultaneously at Rovan’s words. The homeowner remained silent while they argued about sleeping over. With Jun’s arrival, the previously quiet atmosphere became noisy again.

“Stop fighting and let’s play the game. Whoever wins gets their way.”

Everyone fell silent at my suggestion. Jun naturally took a seat. I distributed game money to him as well.

“You know the rules, right? If you roll doubles, you roll again, and you can buy property after completing one lap. After buying property, the next turn is for building.”

“Wait. I don’t quite understand, again.”

Bin requested Rovan to explain again, but Jun cut him off.

“Enough. Let’s start.”

We decided I would start first, followed by Jun, Bin, and Rovan in clockwise order. The living room was peaceful until we completed the first lap and started buying properties.

The real war began after Rovan built two hotels on one property.

“You can build two at once?”

“Yeah.”

Bin, who hadn’t known this, looked at his property deed, where he had only built one, and lamented, “Wow, if you build two, that’s 800,000 won.”

And I bought Seoul, the most hellish zone. It was a prime property where I could collect 2 million won purely without building hotels. And strangely, people often landed on Seoul. Like the final boss.

Jun looked at me, pleased after buying Seoul.

“Seoul is the most expensive, so isn’t the person who made this an amateur?”

“Everyone who lands here goes bankrupt.”

With few properties left, everyone was busy building on their own land. However, it was clear that I owned the most land, followed by Rovan.

Jun and Bin had built nothing. It was quite a sight to see people who owned houses and buildings looking so broke. In another lap, both of them were on the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Bin landed on the island, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, I can finally breathe. This game is making me so stressed. But Duseon-ssi, you’re quite rich.”

“All the money over there, you basically extorted from me.”

Ignoring Jun’s grumbling, I picked up the dice and rolled them. I moved eight spaces and landed on the Key Card space. Key Cards are a gamble, so I felt a bit tense as I flipped it over.

I slowly flipped the card.

[Preferential Pass: With this pass, you can stay on an opponent’s property without paying a toll.]

“Yes! A preferential pass.”

“It’s a scam!”

Rovan lamented that the person with the most money drew it, calling me shameless.

Next was Jun’s turn. He also landed on the Key Card space. However, as Jun read the card he flipped, his expression gradually hardened. Bin snatched the card from his hand and read it instead.

“Sightseeing Tour. Go to Seoul, the host city of the ’88 Olympics.”

“Ah, damn it! What year is it now to have ’88 Olympics!”

“Hey. Hurry up and move, move. Hehehe.”

I never had a chance to deliver such a satisfying blow, so I felt good about defeating him, even if it was just in a board game. Jun, who was grinning, glared at me.

“Even if I sell my properties, I won’t reach 2 million won? Am I bankrupt?”

“You’re bankrupt. You’re a beggar.”

“Wait.”

Jun grabbed my hand as I was collecting properties and money, stopping me.

“Hyung, can I pay this in cash?”

“Huh? Cash?”

“I’ll transfer 2 million won to your account.”

“Is he crazy? Why would you pay cash in a game?”

Bin chimed in, calling it a waste of money. Rovan also stated that it was against the game rules and that one shouldn’t do that in sacred Monopoly.

Honestly, I wanted to receive 2 million won in cash. If Jun and I had played this game alone, wouldn’t I have been able to buy my own house? I briefly entertained a hopeful fantasy.

“Th-that’s right. That’s not allowed. Jjuni is the first to go bankrupt.”

“The bankrupt person, go buy us late-night snacks.”

Skipping Bin, who was resting on the island, we continued to roll the dice. Meanwhile, Jun got up without a word and put on his shoes. As he closed the door, Rovan shouted, “Beer too!” and the front door slammed shut with such force it felt like it would break.

Bin, who was almost bankrupt, became penniless as soon as he got off the deserted island. Rovan and I traded back and forth, but Rovan ran out of cash when he came to Seoul. Selling land to pay tolls quickly made me destitute, and in the end, I remained the final winner.

“Is it because you run a real estate business? Duseon-ssi is the best.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just luck.”

“But why are you two still speaking formally?”

I hadn’t paid much attention until Rovan asked, but since everyone else spoke informally, Bin’s and my conversations seemed a bit distant.

“Yes. We’re the same age, so let’s speak informally.”

“Ah, shall we? It feels a bit awkward meeting as guests.”

Bin shifted his gaze towards Rovan.

“By the way, Bluey, how old are you?”

“Me? Twenty-eight.”

“We’re the same age.”

As we gradually opened up about our ages, our relationships were established. Rovan, Bin, and I were the same age, and Jun was the youngest at 23. In Korea, it was hard to get close without knowing each other’s ages.

“No, your eyes don’t look like a twenty-three-year-old’s. Anyone would think you’re the oldest.”

“You look like you’ve lived through the world twice. Like an old soul, you know how to get under people’s skin.”

“Well, it’s a miracle if we don’t get ordered around. Always pretending to be busy. Is only your work your work?”

Rovan, Bin, and I were badmouthing Jun in turn when the doorbell rang. All three of us shut our mouths simultaneously and opened the door, saying, “You came fast.”

Jun held beer and other snacks in both hands. When I unfolded the bags, they didn’t look like they were chosen with care, but rather like he’d just grabbed one of each from the display, so they were varied. The only beer was the Estonian stout he’d said was delicious before.

“That’s selfish. Just the beer you want to drink.”

“Don’t drink it if you don’t want to.”

Rovan grumbled, perhaps the stout wasn’t to his taste.

I didn’t particularly want to eat or drink anything, so I just took them and brought them to the coffee table. In the meantime, Bin tidied up the game board that was scattered in the middle of the living room. It wasn’t so much tidying as just dumping everything into the box. Money, cards, and hotel chips were all jumbled together.

He seemed to have the mindset that whoever’s turn it was next would sort it out. We opened a snack or two on the table and sat around it.

“So, who won?”

“I did.”

I got a paper cup and poured a little of the opened beer. I couldn’t really drink too much since I’d been to the hospital. I also wanted to sleep early.

Bin and Rovan, being the same age, seemed to connect quickly. As proof, Rovan promoted the adult products I sold, and Bin, after listening vaguely, started nodding with a serious look at some point.

Jun, listening from the side, just snorted. It was a scornful laugh, as if watching teenagers. Jun, who was about to take a sip of beer, suddenly froze and asked,

“Wait, Hyung. What is this?”

As I was picking up a snack, Jun grabbed my hand and lifted it. He then looked closely at the back of my hand and frowned. There was a bruise on the back of my hand from the IV injection earlier. I pulled my hand away and gave a vague explanation.

“I went to the hospital for a bit earlier.”

“Hospital? You got an IV just for going to the hospital? Are you in your right mind?”

Jun suddenly yelled and snatched the paper cup with a little beer in it, placing it on the table. Then he grabbed my forearm and forced me to stand up.

“Get up. Go to Hyung’s bed.”

“Hey, why are you overreacting? I’m fine now.”

“Is that why you weren’t in the office earlier?”

“Um… yes.”

“You said you’d tell me everything.”

“Why would I tell you about something like this? It’s a hassle.”

When I spoke to him before I got sick, he sounded annoyed. He said he was busy. He, who was so busy he found my calls bothersome, was now scolding me? On what grounds?

Anger began to spread through my body like a gradient. I felt like it would subside if left alone, but Jun didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

“Hey, stop it. Don’t touch my body!”

At those words, Jun’s hand dropped. When I met his eyes, he had obeyed my command.

“I told you to call me if anything like that happened.”

“You were the one who said you were busy first. What can I say to someone like that?”

Jun, perhaps having his own reasons, lowered his eyes and couldn’t answer. A strange sense of disappointment washed over me.

“Since I won, I can do as I please, right? Sorry everyone, but please leave now. Jjuni, you haven’t had any alcohol yet, so give Bin a ride on your way.”

The two who had been watching us intently stood up without a word. Rovan tucked the Monopoly board under his arm, put the snacks and beer into a bag, and walked towards the entrance. Bin followed behind him.

And Bin, gently grabbing one of Jun’s shoulders as he stood there blankly, whispered very softly.

“You’re not the owner, are you?”

Jun, who had fiercely shaken off Bin’s hand patting his shoulder, looked back at him, suppressing his anger. Bin still had a crooked smile on his lips.

“Duseon-ssi, I’ll see you on Monday.”

Bin added that he’d be outside first and told Jun to hurry, then exited through the front door. I cleaned up the space where they had been and urged Jun to leave quickly too.

“You want me to clean up….”

“Stop it. I want to stop for today. You leave too.”

I bustled around next to Jun, who was standing there blankly. After a few trips back and forth, there was nothing left on the coffee table. As I was about to tell him to leave again, Jun approached me.

“Okay, I’ll go… but.”

Jun carefully opened his arms, waiting for me to hug him. Normally, I might have generously thought, ‘Alright, let’s give him a hug,’ but today I felt a bit hurt, and I thought I shouldn’t get any more attached to Jun. Like a stray cat.

Just because I fed a stray cat and it rubbed its face on my leg didn’t make me its owner. It probably wouldn’t recognize me if we met on the street. I decided to give Jun just that much.

“You didn’t do anything right today, so no. Just go back.”

Jun’s usually indifferent expression flickered slightly. I couldn’t understand why it felt like invisible tears were flowing just from him blinking.

With a short reply of “Okay,” Jun walked towards the entrance. Just as he seemed about to open the door and leave, he turned back and looked at me.

“About tomorrow’s appointment with the woman at the next store, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go…”

“Whether I go or not is my decision. And you don’t need to pick me up tomorrow.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“Yeah, right.”

Without another word, Jun opened the front door and left. Then, the door closed without hesitation. The sound of the door lock felt like it was echoing in my heart.

♩♬♪―.

The phone rang at 7 AM. I thought it was my alarm, but it was Hanwoo. Annoyed, I rejected it, but he kept calling, so I reluctantly answered.

“……Yeah, why?”

[Are you still sleeping? Wake up!]

“Where are you that you’re so energetic?”

[I’m on a company hike.]

His going hiking was his business, but why was he waking me up when I was sleeping soundly? Strangely, when I had a dream, my body felt more stiff and tired.

Yesterday, I had a dream where I was feeding cats. But these cats ate bungeoppang instead of fish, so I had to bake bungeoppang non-stop.

Then, I thought I’d finally sold them all, but at the very end, Jun appeared and asked me to pack 1 million won worth of bungeoppang. That was a nightmare. If it’s 3 for a thousand won, then for 1 million won, do I have to bake 3,000? How many batches would that be? I was thinking about it when the phone call woke me up. I was grateful he’d rescued me from the bungeoppang hell, but I didn’t want to listen to his woes.

“Pretend to go up, then take a detour.”

[I have to upload a verification shot. A picture from the summit.]

“Wow… that’s really brutal.”

Hanwoo had to leave, probably because the colleagues he’d arranged to meet had arrived. After hanging up, I checked my phone, but there were no messages, and it was clean.

‘Maybe I’m bothered that I sent Jun away like that yesterday?’

That might be why I had the bungeoppang nightmare.

I still had time, so I considered sleeping more but decided to get up. While I was up, I went to the balcony and started the washing machine when I saw Rovan outside wearing a blue tracksuit.

“Does he only have that one outfit? He drives a nice car, though.”

Rovan had a small bag in his hand. He went near the flowerbed, crouched down, and came out after a long while. It was clearly him feeding cats. I thought he was quite devoted, even in the morning.

Come to think of it, I forgot where I put that Aneros or whatever it was that he gave me yesterday. It’s a small place, so it’ll turn up eventually, I thought as I put detergent in the washing machine.

After a light vacuuming and a cup of coffee, it was past 8 AM. As I got up to get ready to wash, I received a message. It was Hye-seon-ssi.

[You haven’t forgotten today’s appointment, right? See you later.]

When I made the appointment with Hye-seon-ssi last week, I had been looking forward to today, but for some reason, I didn’t feel particularly good about it now. Maybe it was because I’m a homebody and felt lazy about going out.

I got ready in casual clothes and headed out. It was better to take the subway to Samseong Station, so I walked towards the station.

‘Huh?’

Then, a black car was parked at the entrance of the apartment complex. For a moment, I was startled, thinking it might be Jun’s car. I wasn’t sure since I didn’t memorize the license plate, so I slowly passed by. Even after a long while, the horn didn’t honk.

‘It must not be him.’

I took my eyes off the car and entered the subway station. As I went down the stairs, I remembered Jun’s words about picking me up to go to Samseong Station. If I called him today, I didn’t know what he’d want in return.

Strangely, Jun’s licking my hand, biting my back, and masturbating in front of me seemed to fade with time, but the feeling of our hug seemed to deepen as time passed. It was like how my first sexual experience is hazy, but the feeling of holding hands for the first time with the person I liked in middle school is still vivid. They say hugs can cure depression, and it really felt like it.

Lost in these thoughts, I realized I was only two stops away. I arrived a little earlier than the appointment time of 10 AM. Since it was the weekend, there were many people, and it took a long time to get through the ticket gates.

Looking at the numerous exits, I searched for the place Hye-seon had mentioned. Seeing posters for various exhibitions and fairs, I figured she’d want to see one of them.

“Duseon-ssi.”

As I was leisurely looking around, a voice called me from behind. I turned my head. She, dressed in comfortable clothes, approached me with a smile.

“You came. Thank you.”

“Not at all. By the way, what are we going to see?”

“Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

She walked confidently through the complex, maze-like place. Following her as she walked ahead, it didn’t feel like a date at all. I felt like a first-time visitor trailing behind a guide.

“You find your way around well in this complicated place.”

“I come here often. We’re almost there.”

We passed through several event halls and seemed to have reached the end of the building. As we walked, the number of people passing by rapidly decreased. I wondered where all those crowds had gone, as the corridor Hye-seon-ssi and I were in was now quiet.

We came out into a passage and got on an escalator going up. I was hearing “We’re almost there, just a little more to go,” just like I would on a hike. I thought of Hanwoo, who was probably hearing the same thing while hiking, and it made me smile a little.

“Here it is.”

After walking for quite some time, Hye-seon said, pointing with her finger, and I saw a wide-open auditorium door. And in front of it, many people were entering in a line, which was a bit. No, a lot strange.

The age range of the people entering was mostly middle-aged to elderly, and there were more women’s associations or hiking clubs than young couples. In front of the entrance, there was a small table, and they were giving something to each person entering.

“Here, take this.”

What Hye-seon handed me was a small name tag. More precisely, it was a blank name tag with nothing written on it.

“There will be markers at your seats. Write on it with that.”

“…What? What is this?”

Even with my bewildered question, the people at the desk answered without a word and did the same thing to the next person. Hye-seon pulled me by one arm and led me inside.

Inside, round tables were lined up. At first glance, it looked like a banquet hall, but the people sitting there didn’t seem like it. Some were wearing hiking gear, and others were in suits. There weren’t many young people like Hye-seon and me. We sat at the nearest round table, and she picked up a marker from the center of the table.

“Shall I write it for you?”

“No, what is this… What is this place?”

“Relax. We’re just here to watch.”

While I was dumbfounded, Hye-seon wrote on the name tag for me. She didn’t know my surname, so she wrote ‘Kim Duseon’ even though my name is ‘Yudu Seon’. I didn’t bother correcting her.

After writing my name tag like this, I wondered what exactly we were supposed to be watching. If it wasn’t right, I thought about leaving and looked at the entrance we came through, but the doors were firmly closed, as if entry was over.

Just then, the internal lights turned off, and the stage at the front lit up brightly. Many people cheered towards the person appearing. Hye-seon, sitting next to me, also clapped enthusiastically.

‘What the heck. This place is weird.’

A young man in a neat suit, wearing a large gold ring on one hand, stood in the center of the stage, receiving much applause. He then appeared holding a remote control and luxury car keys.

As soon as he grabbed the microphone, I knew where I was from his first words.

“Everyone! Become rich!”

It was a pyramid scheme.

I tried to stand up and leave, but private security guards in suits approached and stopped me, saying I couldn’t leave midway.

“Duseon-ssi, it’ll be over soon.”

Hye-seon said with a smile, asking for my understanding, and the small liking I had for her shattered. I thought, ‘I’ll just not think about it, it’s just a waste of time,’ and looked somewhere at the round table. I couldn’t help but hear the sounds, even without looking.

The man on stage started boasting humorously, pretending to press the remote control for his presentation, but instead pressed his car keys.

“I’m like this. Even a clumsy person like me can drive such a luxury car. Don’t you guys need to change your cars?”

The camera zoomed in on his car keys, and everyone cheered excitedly.

The man showed photos of his childhood, his parents, and his older brother, who graduated from S University, boasting about his family. He then listed the businesses he had run, asking if it wasn’t hard to make a living these days, and said that before he met this business, he thought his life was over, but now he had found enlightenment. It was a predictable story.

And the most ridiculous part was the photos of the first people he signed up… Even targeting middle-aged and elderly people with poor eyesight, the composites were too obvious. I wondered where they got the faces from. Isn’t that copyright infringement?

During the business presentation, he included a foreigner, making it seem like a global business. Then, a man dressed as the head of a foreign branch came out and greeted them in a foreign language. The setup was quite clever, as one of their employees, pretending to translate, read from a prepared paper as if it were his own words.

I looked around, thinking that there were still so many people falling for these pyramid schemes. I felt a bit sorry for them, who were someone’s mother or father. And Hye-seon-ssi, sitting next to me, looked truly hateful.

After how much time had passed? The same kind of lecture ended, and they lured everyone towards a front door, not the one we entered through, promising a delicious meal.

“I’ll be going now.”

“You came all this way, so it would be a shame if you left.”

“Hye-seon-ssi, I’m really about to curse.”

“Just have the meal and go. I promise I won’t hold you back anymore, okay? I already booked lunch for you, Duseon-ssi. You just need to show up.”

I was hungry, after all. It had gone on for so long that it was past 1 PM. Fine, I thought, feeling wronged, I’ll at least eat and then go, and got up. The entrance led to an emergency staircase, and after going down two floors, we were directly in the parking lot.

“Duseon-ssi. We’re getting on this bus.”

“No, why a bus if we’re going to eat?”

“It’s because the restaurant is in a remote area. Hurry.”

Everyone there got on the bus without suspicion. Hye-seon linked arms with me and didn’t let go. Pushed from behind, I was swept onto the bus. Just in case, I sat in the very front seat. I planned to get off if necessary.

The doors closed, as if everyone had boarded the bus. Just as it was about to depart, Hye-seon-ssi, who was sitting next to me, said, “Just a moment,” and quickly got off, saying he would follow on the next bus. Flustered, I tried to get off too, but the bus driver started the vehicle, telling me to fasten my seatbelt.

‘I’m not being sold off, am I?’

Tensely, I was dialing 112 on my phone. This was because I thought they might take me to some strange port or somewhere similar.

After about 40 minutes, maybe? The bus indeed arrived at a Korean traditional restaurant. It wasn’t as grand as the place Bin had taken me to before, but it was quite a large buffet restaurant.

“Get off.”

As if they had been here before, everyone got off naturally and went inside the restaurant. The owner of the Korean restaurant was also greeting guests at the entrance. Feeling a chill, I hesitated to enter, but the man in the suit who had given the lecture earlier approached me.

“Why aren’t you going in?”

“I’m waiting for my companion.”

“Who?”

“Hye-seon-ssi.”

“Hmm……. Hye-seon? Aha!”

He asked if I was his client and offered a handshake, looking pleased. After shaking hands somewhat awkwardly, the man placed his hand on my back and guided me inside, as if we were old friends.

“The food here is amazing. Eat a lot.”

I had no choice but to sit down at the first available spot. As soon as I sat down, a restaurant employee approached and set a table in front of me. The food looked appetizing, proving the man’s words were not false. There was plenty of meat in the galbitang, too.

“Wow, this is really delicious.”

Perhaps it was because I hadn’t eaten anything since waking up, but my appetite was whetted, and my worries disappeared. They say people are happiest when they eat. Leaving behind the frustrating time, I was immersed in happiness. If any side dishes or anything ran out, a passing employee would refill them automatically.

“Ah. This place is a hidden gem.”

As I picked at the spicy fermented skate wing salad, I saw the man who had given the lecture talking among a group of middle-aged women. He was holding the women’s hands with both of his, listening intently as if they were his mother. He also accepted food offered by someone and acted like a son-in-law.

“He’s a real slippery eel.”

He was more cunning than a candy vendor. He looked like someone who would do well in real estate or any other sales job.

Just then, Hye-seon-ssi, who arrived late, sat opposite me.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Hye-seon-ssi, please don’t do this again next time.”

Despite my cold tone, he didn’t lose his smile and poured me some cider into a paper cup. He offered a blessing, telling me to eat slowly and a lot. I suspected that man and Hye-seon-ssi might be siblings.

After we finished eating, I came out to find several people waiting, just like me.

“Alright, let’s go now!”

Before getting on the bus, I grabbed Hye-seon-ssi and asked if we were really going back. He said yes, and that since it was afternoon and traffic would be bad, we would arrive after a short nap.

Everyone boarded the bus they had originally taken and sat down. I sat in the front seat and fastened my seatbelt. Since some people hadn’t finished their meals yet, there was no sign of departure. I waited, spacing out for a moment, and then dozed off due to post-meal drowsiness.

At some point, I felt my body swaying slowly, indicating the vehicle had started moving. Perhaps because I had slept poorly the night before, I couldn’t fight off the sleepiness.

How long did I sleep? I slept quite a bit, as my eyes fluttered open on their own. Blinking, I looked around, wondering where I was.

“Huh? Why aren’t we there yet…….”

I was about to close my eyes again to sleep until we arrived, but my eyes snapped open. The ceiling clock I glimpsed showed it was past 5 PM. I looked behind me; some people were on their phones, and most were asleep.

“Hmm…….”

Where on earth are we? Why are we still on a national road?

It had taken about 40 minutes to get from Samsung Station to the restaurant. Even if we left the restaurant at 3 PM, it was strange to be driving for two straight hours, even with heavy traffic. I unbuckled my seatbelt and cautiously approached the driver.

“Excuse me, driver. Where are we going now?”

“Huh? Where are we going? To the seminar venue.”

“The seminar venue, you mean the one at Samsung Station from earlier?”

“What are you talking about? We’re going to Gangneung.”

“What!?”

My shout woke up a few people who were sleeping. Some lifted their heads from their seats, peering around and looking this way.

“No, why are we going to Gangneung? We should be going to Gangnam!”

“Ah! Geez. We’re just charter bus drivers, we don’t know!”

As I stammered in confusion, an Grandmother sitting behind me spoke.

“Young man, sit down for now. It’s dangerous standing like that.”

“Grandmother! It’s more dangerous to go along not knowing what’s going on! Driver, stop the bus. Please stop.”

“Hey! This is just a national road with nothing around. What will you do if you get off here?”

I insisted on getting off here, acting recklessly. I couldn’t be taken to an unknown place like this. I thought if I got off and walked, I might find a bus stop. But the bus showed no signs of stopping, so I typed 112 on my phone and showed it to the driver.

“Excuse me, I’m calling the police!”

“Oh, for crying out loud. Why is he doing this after eating and sleeping so well?”

The driver repeatedly muttered “Geez,” and “For crying out loud,” before pulling the bus over to the side of a road lined only with rice paddies.

I quickly got off like an escapee and took a step back from the bus. Soon, the bus door closed, and it drove away. The people sitting by the bus window looked at me with pity.

“Wow……. They’re really crazy. Do you all really know what’s going on? Surely, I’m not the only one who doesn’t know?”

In this day and age, people disappear without a trace, and it was absurd.

However, the real problem started after I got off. No matter how much I walked, I couldn’t see anything resembling a bus stop. In foreign movies, people hitchhike without hesitation, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just stared endlessly at passing vehicles.

Finally, after walking along the road for a long time, I saw a village signpost.

[Sanha-ri Village ↑1.2km]

The sun was setting, and walking only on the road seemed dangerous. It would be faster to ask the villagers for directions to a nearby terminal, so I turned my steps in that direction.

There were no streetlights along the road. It looked like it would be plunged into complete darkness once the sun went down. So, I quickened my pace.

“It’s farther than I thought.”

After walking for about 20 minutes, I reached the village entrance. There was a village community center, and behind it, a small village with a few houses. My feet hurt from walking, so I sat down on a nearby pavilion.

“Hmm……. Why isn’t anyone around?”

An elder from the village should have passed by the pavilion, but no one did. As it grew darker, my anxiety began to mount.

“I think my face will freeze if I sleep here…….”

If I couldn’t find a place to sleep, I thought I might sleep inside the village community center, so I approached it, but it was locked. Looking inside through the window, it seemed it was rarely used; a calendar from two years ago was hanging, and the clock had stopped.

“……What is this place? Does no one live here?”

There weren’t many houses, and I could hear dogs barking somewhere. And I heard strange bird calls. It reminded me of a horror movie I had watched recently. That place was also set in a village like this……. I was starting to get scared. I thought about calling a taxi, so I opened the app, but the screen wouldn’t load, probably due to the slow data.

“What’s the point of having a ‘peace of mind’ option if the speed gives me no peace!”

More dangerous than that was the low battery level.

‘Ah, what should I do.’

I sat on the pavilion, just wringing my hands. I didn’t want to spend the night here. As a last resort, I looked through my call history for someone who could come pick me up. Hanwoo and Sang-cheol didn’t have cars. Who had a car? Only three people came to mind.

Rovan, Jun, and Bin.

I decided to call Rovan, the easiest to talk to, but realized I hadn’t saved his number. It had been buried among calls from various clients. So, I thought about calling Bin, but I had just been to the hospital yesterday, so I couldn’t do that again.

With no other choice, I looked at Jjuni’s contact information.

As if seeing my last hope.

“Ah……. If only I hadn’t said that yesterday, I could have ordered him to come today…….”

Rustle.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, long shadows stretched from the trees along the mountainside. And then, I saw something whiz by between them.

Such useless worries would only delay my return home. I immediately pressed the call button. I didn’t know if my pounding heart was due to the mysterious sound or because I was calling Jun. I was simply tense.

[Hello.]

“J-Junie! I’m in Sanha-ri Village, it’s on the way to Gangneung…….”

[Why should I?]

“Huh?”

[……Ha. Do you even know who you’re calling?]

“Who else would it be! It’s you, Jjuni! You said you’d listen to me. C-come quickly! Eek!”

Just then, something darted past my feet. Because of that, I dropped my phone and scrambled onto the pavilion.

“W-what was that? Ah, my phone!”

I crawled back on all fours. Fortunately, the call hadn’t ended, and the screen was still on. As I reached for it, a message appeared in the middle of the screen: [Screen brightness will be adjusted due to low battery.]

“H-hello? Junie! Jjun!”

[What.]

“When are you coming? I, I don’t have any battery left.”

[You told me not to come.]

“I take that back, I take that back. You’ll come, right? Huh?”

There was no answer. As I was about to urge him, asking ‘Why aren’t you answering?’, the screen went black. Around me, darkness was creeping in, just like the screen.

How could there be no lights at the village entrance? None of the houses in the back had lights on either. I crouched in a corner of the pavilion, pulling my knees up to my chest and burying my face.

“Sob……. Ugh……. You heartless brat.”

Meanwhile, an owl hooted from somewhere far away. It was the exact sound I heard in the legendary folk tales. Someone might be watching me from the darkness of the forest.

I thought about just leaving the village, but looking back at the road I came from, it was already getting dark, and the path was barely visible. I figured it would be better to stay put until dawn and then head for the road if I didn’t want to die in the middle of nowhere. At least here, I could take shelter if it rained.

Scrape, scrape.

Creak, creak.

The sounds from all around pressed in on me. Every time I lifted my head to look around, the surroundings were being consumed by an even deeper darkness.

“Let’s just sleep. I’ll wake up in the morning.”

I had nothing to rest my head on, so I casually picked up a wooden barrel lying around and used it as a pillow. Ironically, because I had slept so soundly on the bus, I couldn’t sleep now. This was driving me crazy. Scared, cold, and unable to sleep. Was I going to end up in the hospital again?

“……You jerk. What’s the big deal if you just come? Am I your slave? What kind of slave doesn’t listen like this?”

Sniffle, I felt pathetic. Even if our relationship was just based on messages, I never expected him to be so heartlessly indifferent. Yesterday, a man escorted me so solicitously into his vehicle, but I was just discarded like an old shoe…….

“Mom…….”

Thinking of my mother, tears finally started to flow. This was the first time I had cried thinking of my mother since I was in the military.

The chilly wind seeped in through my collar. It seemed likely I’d get covered in morning dew if I slept in such an open place, so I naturally found myself looking back at the village community center.

I got down from the pavilion and walked towards the community center. I gently shook the locked entrance door, but it rattled and remained firmly shut.

I considered ramming it with my shoulder, but decided against it, fearing the glass door might break. I walked around the community center, tapping on the windows. Hoping one might be open, I ran my fingers over the dusty glass panes, but they were all locked.

“They say people in the countryside leave their doors unlocked, so why are you all so strict with your locks?”

I thought I might have to give up, but then I saw a door at the back. I peeked through the door leading to the back of the community center. There was a storage-like area and old jangdokdae (traditional Korean earthenware pots).

‘Scary…….’

At that moment, a chilly wind blew, and I tightened my collar again. Right now, I was more afraid of the cold than of being scared. Wherever I stepped, dry fallen leaves crunched underfoot. It seemed like no one had been here for a long time, as leaves were piled high around the pots.

Walking along the wall, I found the back door of the community center. I slowly reached for the handle of the firmly shut gray metal door and turned it.

‘Please open, please.’

Click. Creak―.

It seemed quite rusty, as it made a loud creaking sound. It was still pitch black inside. Stepping inside, I found myself in what looked like a kitchen. In rural areas, kitchens are often made large to accommodate many villagers eating together. It resembled a restaurant kitchen.

Even after finding a place to go inside, I hesitated again. Looking at the giant refrigerator, I had a vague thought that there might be a corpse inside…….

Swoosh―.

“Ugh?! What was that?”

Just then, I heard something pass behind me again. Without hesitation, I went straight in and closed the door. I tried to lock it, but the handle kept turning, as if it was broken. Giving up, I moved further inside.

‘If it’s a wild animal, it won’t be able to open the door and come in.’

Past the kitchen, I found a large room. It was the place I had seen through the window earlier. As I approached the entrance, I saw why it wouldn’t open. The two metal handles were tied together with a chain.

“What’s the point of chaining this door shut? The back door is open…….”

While the wind outside made my ears dizzy, it was so silent inside that my ears felt muffled. Dust was thick on the floor, so I entered with my shoes on. And since it felt awkward to just sit, I tore off a calendar and spread it on the floor. I tore off all the months from January to December and laid them out lengthwise, creating a decent place to lie down.

However, the floor was covered with the corpses of all sorts of insects. As I was about to lie down, I immediately sat up because of a large spider corpse right in front of my eyes.

“Ugh……. Ugh……. What is it, a spider. Sob.”

I detest insects, but this place had its own hardships. I leaned against the wall, stretching my legs out, even if it was uncomfortable. Being in a corner, I was grateful to have a wall to rest my head against.

What kind of hardship is this? If I had just gone along with Kim Duseon, I would be sleeping in a warm room right now. I should have just gone along with him casually…….

I closed my eyes, trying to get even a moment of sleep. I wished for the sun to rise quickly……. I wanted to escape this place as soon as possible.

Rattle, rattle.

“……?”

How long did I sleep? The window rattled in the strong wind.

The sound woke me briefly. It seemed far from morning yet. It was late evening, and the wind was blowing even more fiercely. Like when I sat in the pavilion, I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face.

Rattle, rattle, tap! Tap!

‘……Tap?’

This wasn’t a natural sound. No matter how hard the wind blew, it wouldn’t make a hammering sound. I lifted my head and looked around. I checked the windows nearby, but there were no signs of branches hitting them.

Tap.

After a while. Another tap.

My head turned towards the kitchen. The sound seemed to be coming from the kitchen. The tapping sound started to be heard at regular intervals.

I thought hard about what sound it resembled. It was similar to the sound of chopping on a cutting board. The moment I realized this, my body stiffened, and I felt like all the blood drained from my body.

I didn’t know its exact source, but it sounded threatening. I looked around, thinking of an escape route. The entrance door was locked with a chain, so that was out. I didn’t want to go to the kitchen where that sound was coming from.

Tap. Tap.

As the sound subsided, my heart beat faster. I was overcome with the fear that someone with a knife might suddenly rush out, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I took deep breaths, telling myself to stay calm. My eyes scanned my surroundings, and I saw moonlight falling on the window above me.

‘The window! Let’s get out through the window!’

I slowly stood up and unlocked the window latch. The tapping sound was still coming from the kitchen. Swallowing hard, I carefully opened the window. The rusty window creaked open.

Then, the tapping sound from the kitchen stopped.

With trembling hands, I urgently pushed the window open with all my might and thrust my upper body through. Fortunately, the window was slightly higher than my waist, so it wasn’t difficult to climb over. However, my hands and feet were shaking so much that I lost my balance and fell out, rolling over once.

“Ouch…….”

My back seemed to have hit a rock, but that wasn’t the time to worry about it. I felt like something unknown was about to leap out the window and pounce on me.

“Hah, haa, ugh.”

I quickly got up and started running. My body ached somewhere, creaking, but I didn’t have time to think about it.

First, I sprinted back the way I came like a madman. Passing the pavilion and rounding a large tree, someone suddenly grabbed my waist!

“Aaaargh!”

“Ah, damn! You scared me.”

In that moment, I was so startled that my whole body trembled like a poplar tree, as if seized by a fit. As that was happening, the identity of the person embracing me from behind slowly registered, and I calmed down.

“……Huh? Ju, Jjuni? Junie?”

“Why would you make me come all the way here to pick you up?”

“……Is it really Junie?”

I turned around and met Jun’s gaze. His face, illuminated by the moonlight, was clear. Though his brow was furrowed more than usual, giving him an annoyed expression, I was so glad to see him that I hugged him tightly.

“Waaah. Junieeee.”

Pride and everything else went out the window; I felt like I had died and come back to life. Grabbing Jun’s waist and burying my face in his chest, I complained with a sigh, saying I was scared and asking why he came now.

Jun’s hands, which had been hanging down, wrapped around my back and patted me. Would it feel like this when I patted him? I wanted to lay everything down before him. It felt like only he understood me.

Receiving his pats brought a sense of relief, and I rubbed my face against his chest. But why was he wearing such a stiff material? My face stung, so I couldn’t rub any longer and pulled away. Then, I wiped away my remaining tears with my hands. I wasn’t embarrassed at all now about clinging to a 5-year-old and whimpering that I was scared. What mattered was that I was alive.

“Ha.”

Jun simply looked at the tear stains on his chest and let out a short laugh. Then, he reached out and removed something, whether it was a spiderweb or something else, from my hair.

“Junie. Thank you for coming.”

“First, let’s go to the car.”

Walking a little further down the path, I saw Jun’s car. It was a black vehicle, so it was completely hidden in the darkness. It made sense that I hadn’t seen it when I looked around from the window earlier.

“By the way, when did you get here?”

“About 10 minutes ago? I looked around, but there were no lights on anywhere. So I was just about to leave, thinking I’d smoke a cigarette, when you came running out.”

“What? Ugh… If you had just left, I… I probably would have been a corpse… Ugh, sob.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get in quickly. Kim Duseon.”

“Kim Duseon?”

I looked at him, wondering how he knew my name for multi-level marketing, and Jun pointed at my chest. A name tag hung there, pointed to by his fingertips. I was still wearing the necklace name tag I received before entering the multi-level marketing lecture earlier.

‘Ah… I went around like this…’

I understood why cars had glanced at me as they passed. I took off the name tag and threw it on the ground.

As I opened the passenger door and got in, a refreshing scent stimulated my nose. I hadn’t realized his car was so cozy. Whatever air freshener he used, the phytoncide scent was stronger in the car than in the countryside. Thanks to that, my anxious, pounding heart gradually calmed down.

“Were you inside that building?”

“Uh, yeah! Inside there! There were strange noises. Like someone was chopping something with a knife.”

“A person?”

“No, I don’t know. There was no one there, but there was the sound of a knife on a cutting board. Like chop, chop…”

“Must have been the wind.”

Jun casually dismissed my words as he started the engine. Before leaving, he stared intently at the window from which I had burst out, and then suddenly stepped on the accelerator, mid-sentence, “Well, there’s nothing—”

My body was thrown back, and startled, I looked at Jun. His expression while driving was completely hardened. I looked back and asked, “Was there something? Right?” He cupped my cheek with his free hand and made me look straight ahead.

“There was nothing. Calm down and stay still.”

Jun drove like he was racing, telling me to calm down. Normally, I would have asked him to go slower, but I couldn’t. The car soon passed the Sanha-ri village sign and entered the road.

“How did you even walk all the way in there?”

“I just… kept walking…”

“Next time, absolutely, absolutely, do not go.”

Jun said the word ‘absolutely’ twice. I was sure he had seen something, so I asked again what he saw, but he wouldn’t tell me.

After passing the national road and getting on the highway, I felt like I had returned to reality.

“You said your battery was dead, right? Charge it with this.”

I plugged my phone into the cable Jun handed me, and after a short wait, the screen lit up with a charging lightning bolt. After driving for a bit, he suggested stopping at a rest area, and I agreed. As I saw the rest area sign, I felt the urge to use the restroom.

As soon as I got out of the car, I went into the restroom. When I came out after finishing, Jun was standing by the sink, washing his hands. Standing next to him, washing our hands side-by-side, he asked if we could talk for a moment.

“Talk about what?”

“Finish washing up. I’ll be waiting out front.”

“Mhm.”

The tear stains on Jun’s shirt had dried, but that didn’t erase the fact that I had cried and hugged him so tightly earlier. I started to feel embarrassed now, but I could overcome it.

After drying my hands with a paper towel, I went out. Jun walked ahead, gesturing for me to sit over there. As I followed him, his back looked reassuring.

We sat alone on a quiet bench, away from people. As soon as Jun sat down, he handed me my phone.

“Hyung, look at your call history.”

“Huh? Mine? Why?”

The charge wasn’t much, but it was enough to check. As he said, I looked at the call history, but there was nothing unusual.

“I’m looking… but what is this?”

“You use a dual number, right?”

“Yeah. One more for real estate sales…”

As I spoke, my chest suddenly felt cold. I realized Jun’s intention and slowly scanned the list. The most recent entry was a call to ‘Jjuni’ from my original number. I had exchanged numbers with Shut Up using my original number, but I had never contacted the real Seomun Jun.

‘That means…’

I slowly rolled my eyes and looked at Jun.

He lit a cigarette beside me and exhaled the smoke away from me. Taking that chance, I stood up and ran. Jun, a moment too late, reached out with his free hand to grab my clothes, but I narrowly dodged it.

“Hyung! Stop right there!”

I saw him put out his cigarette and chase after me at full speed.

“Eek!!”

Thinking I would die if caught, I started running. But Jun had such good stamina that I felt I would be caught if I continued like this, so I changed direction.

I went to a place with many people, lowered my posture, and carefully hid. I saw Jun catching his breath and looking around a short distance away. Then he ran off in the opposite direction.

If I just hid here, couldn’t I go home? If I asked the rest stop attendant, they would tell me how to get to the nearest terminal. So, I wouldn’t need Jun to drive me… But, more than that, I was worried about my future in the real world.

‘Ah… Why did I have to call that number of all things…’

It was too late to regret it. I was crouching next to a souvenir shop when I received a message from Jun.

[Come to the spot from earlier within 3 minutes. I’ll let it go without saying anything]

[Really?]

[2 minutes 55 seconds]

My legs were numb from crouching for so long.

[My legs are numb]

[2 minutes]

He was merciless.

I wondered if he would really forgive me with this attitude, but he wasn’t the type to go back on his word, so I decided to trust him.

When I went back to the bench from earlier, Jun was sitting with his legs crossed. Even though he knew I was approaching, he was looking at his phone, checking the time. Thinking he was stingy to the end, I quickly ran and sat next to him.

Then, he touched the screen and stopped the timer.

‘Wow… He was really timing it.’

Looking at the screen, there were 20 seconds left, so thankfully, I was saved.

Trembling with fear, I just sat there like a lump. Jun lit another cigarette, just like before. Seeing that, it seemed like he was holding back a lot of anger.

“Hyung.”

“……Yeah?”

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Of course, I had countless things to say. First, that I hadn’t revealed my identity as Dajeong, gratitude for him coming today when I told him not to come yesterday, and an apology for sending ‘ㅗ’ in a message.

Fiddling with my fingers, I couldn’t speak, and Jun just sighed.

“I… I have no words, even if I had ten mouths.”

“Then, tell me what you want. You’re the master, aren’t you? Should I just pretend I don’t know and play games like before?”

“Now that we know each other, I want you to treat me like you do in reality.”

“What about the Link? Are you saying Link should only be hand-worship and not sex? If that’s the case, I’ll have no choice but to demand something else.”

As we were talking, some people approached. Fortunately, we were sitting a little distance away, so they probably couldn’t hear our conversation. However, we had to lower our voices compared to before.

“Junie, calm down. I’ll try my best to accommodate you. We promised, right? But do you really have to do something else? The methods we’ve used so far, though insufficient, weren’t entirely ineffective.”

“That’s up to you, isn’t it? I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.”

It was a relief. At least I could protect myself because I was the master. He sighed as I let out an audible breath of relief.

“But you’re not doing anything. What’s the point then? Am I doing this for nothing?”

“My… Impo, it’s not progressing, is it?”

“You’d know if you saw mine.”

“But… seeing as I can’t get hard, maybe it’s impossible with me?”

The cigarette ash on the tip of Jun’s finger fell to the ground. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts for a long time, his lips slightly parted before closing again. He turned his head and walked to a trash can to discard the cigarette. Returning, Jun didn’t sit next to me but stood in front of me at an angle.

“So, you’re telling me to find someone else?”

“……What else can be done.”

“Geez, you say that so easily.”

Jun’s gaze looking down at me was cold. It was different from the person who had hugged me warmly earlier. It felt like a line had been drawn between us, saying, ‘You are you, and I am me.’ I lowered my gaze and stared only at his outstretched legs.

“I’m doing this to fix your Impo, but if it’s not progressing, what else can I say…”

“We haven’t gone all the way to the end, Hyung. So you don’t know. And have I been meditating all this time? I’ve met enough people.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do from now on. You say you’ll do as I command, but I wonder if that’s okay. Sometimes I see a side of you I don’t know. I don’t know you well…”

As he was speaking, Jun’s leg moved forward. I stopped speaking and looked up at him. His expression changed, complex and subtle, and he knelt on one knee in front of me.

Naturally, Jun was sitting below my gaze, looking up at me. Then, he took both my hands and brought them to his lips. It was as if he were performing a sacred ritual. For that moment, it seemed like the only light in the world shone on Seomun Jun.

His eyes, looking up at me, curved softly.

“You’re my master, so why are you worrying about that? Do whatever you want.”

My heart sank.

This must be why princes in fairy tales propose on one knee. Even though Jun’s actions didn’t align with my emotions, my heart was moved. It felt like I had become the most important person to Jun right now.

It was like being asked, ‘Will you marry me?’ and I had so many thoughts. Would anyone in the world tell me to do whatever I wanted? Even my mother never said that.

“……Ah, just a moment.”

Why was I getting so emotional over this? My face grew hotter. I turned my head, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

“Um, Junie, don’t look at me for a second.”

“Okay.”

Jun stood up again and sat back in his original spot, brushing the dirt off his knees. As I fanned myself, my eyes met someone’s from afar. They looked startled and then looked away. Jun’s actions were clearly those of someone doing something for a loved one, even to an outsider.

‘…Does he love me?’

We call it a Master-Servant Relationship, but his actions were no different from those of a lover. It was hard to define it as a ‘Master-Servant Relationship,’ but if he said we were dating, it made sense. Especially since he had no Impo and no progress, yet he was treating me so well.

‘So, are we a couple? Am I becoming gay?’

My jaw dropped in surprise.

Thump.

“Close your mouth. A bug will get in.”

Kindly, Jun placed his hand on my chin and closed my mouth. Suddenly, I felt thirsty. Clearing my throat, Jun took my hand and pulled me up, suggesting we get something to drink.

As I walked away from him, Jun came up beside me.

“What do you want to drink?”

“I want something like iced tea.”

“What should I drink?”

“The same thing.”

“Sit here. I’ll be right back.”

Ah! This was it!

I just had to act like I would with a lover. Or, like I would with a very close friend, choosing when Jun asked. I had been acting unnaturally because I had been conscious of Jun as a stranger, as the building owner across the street. And the pressure of not getting caught by Shut Up had also made me uncomfortable and him awkward.

But now that it was out in the open, I felt relieved. I thought he would force the Link, but it was the opposite. Society was peaceful when it was a class society. That’s why the military worked.

“If this had been revealed sooner, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to transfer servers.”

I remembered eating Chitosan in the guild room and using the Link. Back then, I felt completely drained even after quitting the game. Now, that wouldn’t happen, I wouldn’t have to transfer servers, and also…

“You can boss me around to go fight bosses, right?”

Entering into a Master-Servant Relationship with Jun was a stroke of genius. It felt like getting real-world benefits, just like forming a partnership in a game.

Even though it was past midnight, there were quite a few people at the rest stop. It was the weekend, so it was busy with families heading out on trips.

I turned my head towards where Jun had gone. I saw him walking back with two drinks. I went to meet him and took one from his hand. My hand brushed against his, making me feel shy.

Having finished my business, I walked towards his car and opened the passenger door. Jun got into the driver’s seat a moment later. He called out, “Hyung,” and I looked at him.

“I bought two kinds of iced tea, which one do you want?”

I took a sip of what I was holding. It was a sweet peach flavor, quite good.

“What flavor is the one you’re holding?”

Jun took a sip and replied, “Lemon.” He asked, “Want to trade?” so I reached out, asking if I could just taste it.

As I leaned forward, his face came into view. Before I could even say ‘Huh?’, our lips met, and his tongue delved in. His tongue filled my mouth, and he gently swept over the parts of my tongue that tasted, as if overlapping them. His tongue, which had been swirling inside me with great intensity, withdrew.

As I slowly closed my parted lips, the lemon scent lingered in my mouth.

“How was it? Want to trade?”

“……No.”

I leaned back in the seat and sat up straight.

My mouth, where Jun’s tongue had been, felt numb, like after a dental injection. I had kissed like this in the game too, but back then, I only felt ecstasy, not this alien sensation or the taste of lemon.

Indeed, it was difficult for the game to express all the sensory details of reality. Thinking about that, my ears felt itchy and hot, so I quickly cooled down with the iced tea.

“Shall we get going? Buckle up.”

“Uh, uh.”

My tongue still felt numb, making it hard to speak. I should have said something about why he suddenly kissed me like that, but the timing had long passed.

If I weren’t gay, I should have felt repulsion when another man kissed me. But perhaps because I had prior experience in the game, it felt completely fine. Far from repulsion, the kiss with Jun was soft and ecstatic.

My mind kept drifting towards that, as if I were advancing the physical intimacy in reality. It was as if Jun made me mistakenly believe he thought of me as special…

‘This is really dangerous, isn’t it?’

“Hyung.”

After calling him several times without a response, Jun’s finger gently touched my cheek.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? What?”

“Today’s reward. Can I receive it at my place?”

“……Your place?”

Jun said the location didn’t matter, but he needed to go home for supplies. I wasn’t mentally prepared, but what use were supplies?

“I have a few more things I want to ask for. We’ll talk about the rest at home. For now, get some sleep. We might be up late.”

“What…?”

As the speed increased, I stopped asking questions and let Jun concentrate on driving. The car, carrying the two of us, sped relentlessly down the quiet highway.

As I kept thinking, my eyes closed without me realizing it. Well, I figured it would be okay since I told him to do whatever he wanted. I am that guy’s Master……. He is my…….

“Wake up. We’re here.”

“Mmm?”

I was relieved I didn’t wake up with a kiss. He doesn’t seem like someone completely out of his mind.

Jun usually parks in front of our real estate office, but for some reason, he parked in the underground garage today. The garage, which was brightly lit even at dawn, didn’t feel like dawn. Before getting out of the car, I checked the time; it was past 1 AM.

As we got into the elevator, Jun pressed both the 7th floor and the 1st floor buttons.

“Hyung. If you’re hungry, should I buy something? There’s nothing to eat at home.”

“You said you’re good at buying tteokbokki. Go get some.”

“Okay. Go ahead. The password is 248625.”

“248……, what?”

“Give me your hand.”

As I hesitantly offered my hand, Jun drew a ‘♢’ shape on my palm counter-clockwise and then drew a line through the middle.

“Just press it in the shape of a diamond. You’ve memorized it now, right?”

“Ah……. Yes.”

When we arrived on the 1st floor, Jun got out, and I watched him walk towards the building entrance. Judging by his answer, he had definitely brought someone to eat tteokbokki, but I was curious about who he had brought to eat with. Was it the same guy who stole my card last time? Or a new one?

‘But, is it normal for me to be curious about this?’

I got off on the 7th floor and opened the door with the password Jun told me. This was the second time I had entered his home. The spacious living room spread out before me, which was refreshing, but conversely, it seemed to lack any warmth of human presence.

First, I turned on the living room lights and sat on the sofa. He must always clean well, as it looked like an empty house where no one lived. Then I got up and lowered the blinds on the living room window facing forward. It was possible someone could see in from outside.

Next, my eyes fell on the doors to the right of the living room. While the hallway leading from the entrance was neat in black and white, the doors and hallway on the right were made of warm wood. I knew it was rude, but I was curious. What were those doors, exactly? I approached, grabbed an old-fashioned doorknob, and turned it.

Click.

As expected, it was locked.

“Jun wouldn’t like you going in there.”

Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around to see a slender man standing there. He looked quite young and handsome. And his clothes……. He was only wearing underwear.

“Ah……”

I remembered the first time I ran an errand for condoms. Back then, that man was also wearing only a pair of panties. And although his face was obscured by a mask, he had bleached yellow hair. It was him. The man I went with Jun in the car in front of the hospital.

‘Ah.’

My mood soured for some reason. For starters, I erased the thought that Jun might think of me specially. I had thought I was the only one for him, but upon reflection, he didn’t need to. I was playing the role of ‘Master,’ and the man standing in front of me might be playing another role.

Perhaps, he might be the ‘lover’ role…….

“Your expression is priceless. Like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have?”

The man stared at me for a moment, then said he needed to shower and went into the bathroom.

I don’t know what expression I had, but I didn’t want to face Jun like this. I had jumped to conclusions on my own, but how foolish would that be?

I put my shoes back on and left. Seeing the elevator coming up, I turned towards the emergency stairs. If the elevator doors opened, I would run into him, and I might be caught having imagined things on my own.

With just one kiss, my thoughts were this complicated; if I were to do anything more, my mental circuits might break. Hands, back, self-gratification. I was more anxious because I didn’t know what would come next. The thought that I might not be able to handle him came vaguely to mind.

‘I’m just supposed to be the Master, I shouldn’t misunderstand.’

With just one kiss from Jun earlier, I had already started acting as if I were special to him. I didn’t know how to control my mind or suppress my emotions.

I left the building and walked towards the main road. While walking, Jun called. I pressed reject and turned off my phone completely.

I was embarrassed that I had gotten ahead of myself. If he were to get over his Impo, I wouldn’t need to play the Master anymore. That was the extent of my role. I had to draw a line there, but strangely, I hated him right now and didn’t want to see him.

Since it was dawn, the only way to get back was by taxi. However, at this hour, taxi fare and accommodation costs seemed about the same, so I went into a nearby motel. I wanted to lie down immediately. To quell these emotions, I felt I needed to fall asleep without thinking about anything.

I took the key from the counter and went to my room. As soon as I opened the door and entered, the overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion made me collapse onto the bed. So many thoughts swirled chaotically in my head, leaving no room for anything but pitch blackness. My head throbbed, making it hard to sleep, but thankfully, I drifted off.

The shoes in the store gleamed under the lights. If you looked at them without the lights on, they were just black, but just as a place makes the person, objects were no different.

I pointed to one pair of shoes and sat down, and the clerk brought it over, following me. The shoes placed on the floor were the same as the ones I had seen earlier.

“Hyunsu, did you come to buy shoes?”

I stopped bending over at the voice from beside me and straightened up again. A familiar face came into my sight. It was Namgung Bin, one of the people I had sold off as collateral for my debt. More precisely, it was his father, but…

I heard Namgung Bin was the same age as me, and despite his handsome face, he had a different background from mine. He was the illegitimate child of someone already at the top of the food chain. Although the title ‘illegitimate’ was a bit much. Namgung Bin was always radiant. Like those shoes under the spotlight.

Without answering, I put on the shoes and stood up. They were custom-made, fitting my feet perfectly, so there was no worry about my heels getting scraped. If my heels got scraped while wearing shoes, the Master would be quite pleased, which was a shame. He might even lick my heels with his tongue. Until they bled.

“These shoes are a bit… meh.”

“That’s none of your business.”

I called the clerk over and handed him my card.

Namgung Bin was not a bothersome person. This was the most recent time we had spoken personally. One day, he visited the mansion where I was staying, had a brief conversation with my Master, and then left.

It wasn’t because he was curious about my well-being, but he was clearly there to propose another deal. Because, while talking to Namgung Bin, my Master would glance at me and subtly shake his head. Since I incurred the debt, they knew my every move. Before leaving the mansion, Namgung Bin whispered to me.

“I opened an office in the building where you were staying, want to come by?”

Although I looked at him expressionlessly, I couldn’t hide my momentary surprise. I wished that question was just a passing remark… I had intended to ignore it like usual, but he didn’t seem to have that intention.

I took the shoes and walked towards the parking lot. Behind me, the bodyguard assigned by the house followed, and behind him, Namgung Bin followed in order. They were more like surveillance than bodyguards. If I tried to go elsewhere, they would approach and block my way. Even now, as I turned to walk towards Namgung Bin instead of the parking lot, the bodyguard blocked me.

“You must return.”

“Just for a moment. You know that person, right?”

The bodyguard glanced at Namgung Bin and then casually moved his arm. Namgung Bin gestured to a small cafe next to the parking lot, suggesting we go inside. Then we sat side-by-side by the window. The bodyguard stood outside, watching us.

“It’s suffocating.”

“I’m used to it. ……But why do you keep bothering me? If there’s still debt, talk to him.”

I ordered a drink but didn’t drink it, just scooped up the ice inside and put it in my mouth.

“There is debt. But that’s not my responsibility.”

Perhaps because it was Saturday, couples and many people were out and about. Seeing them move freely through the glass window made me feel like I was trapped in a cage. In fact, I was living in confinement.

“Want to make a deal with me?”

“I was sold because of my father’s gambling debt, and you want me to make another tiresome bet?”

I kept eating only the ice. The ice I crunched melted and disappeared down my throat, leaving my mouth empty again. I put another piece of ice in my mouth.

“You want to see Seomun Jun, don’t you?”

I rolled the ice around in my mouth and then crunched it.

“No.”

“If I get you out of here, will you go to Seomun Jun?”

“I said no.”

Without the bodyguard outside noticing, Namgung Bin slipped a small mobile phone into my hand.

“My number is in there. Contact me if you need to. People’s hearts aren’t always steadfast.”

I tried to put it on the table, saying I didn’t need it, but my eyes met the bodyguard’s. Whatever I did would go straight to the Master’s ears. That meant I would be hit with fists for things that would normally earn me a slap.

I put the phone inside the shoe box. Seeing that, Namgung Bin smiled with satisfaction.

“I’ll be going first. Your bodyguard is looking at me like he wants to kill me. Contact me as soon as possible. I can only help if Seomun Jun wants you. It’s only fair that I get something too, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“In the meantime, I’ll look for a replacement product for you. Oh, and if you get caught, you know, right? Drown it. It’s an old model, it breaks down immediately when it touches water.”

As Namgung Bin stood up and left, the bodyguard watched him with suspicious eyes.

After he left, I finally took a sip of my drink. It was sweet. Could I afford to taste such sweetness again?

I was thirsty. Two years would do that to you.

♩♬♪―.

The phone rang loudly. Did we have a landline at home? As I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Ah……, right. I came to the motel.”

The loud ringing was coming from the counter. The phone on the bedside table kept ringing. I stretched my arm as far as I could and picked up the receiver.

[You need to check out.]

“I’m sorry, but could you give me 30 more minutes? I haven’t showered yet……”

[Then come out in 30 minutes.]

Click.

“Agh……”

As I tried to get up, my lower back ached terribly, and a groan escaped my lips. I put a hand on my back, and it throbbed as if bruised.

I must have hit it when I climbed out the window yesterday, and it’s only starting to ache now. I had been so tense that my whole body was stiff. Honestly, I didn’t even have the energy to wash. If I were at home, I would have just slept longer…

I forced myself to sit up. Then, with minimal movement, I went to the bathroom. I tore open the toothbrush packaging near the sink and brushed my teeth. After washing my face, I noticed dust or something was still stuck in my hair.

“I want to shower……”

Since I didn’t think I could finish within 30 minutes, I just made myself presentable and left the motel. Then, I walked to the bus stop to catch a bus.

My phone was still off, so I couldn’t check the time until I saw the electronic display at the bus stop.

“It’s almost 1 PM.”

I got on the bus and sat in the nearest available seat. Since it was the weekend, there were quite a few empty seats. I always had to stand on the bus, so sitting down felt incredibly comfortable.

Yesterday’s events flashed by like the scenery outside the car window. The moments of anger, fear, relief, and even excitement.

If only I had used Jun for my own convenience and ended the relationship cleanly. Getting swept up in emotions like this made it hard to even break even.

It was ironic that I had come this far to escape the panty man, only to accept this situation. If it were like this, it would have been smoother and more comfortable to just go back to my hometown, eat my mom’s cooking, and look for a job. No matter what I did, things just got more complicated.

“Haa……”

I rested my arms on the back of the seat in front of me and leaned forward. Resting my forehead there helped the throbbing in my head subside a little.

After a wave of people got on and then off, the announcement for our apartment stop came. As I prepared to get off, I stood by the back door and saw a familiar vehicle.

I couldn’t just ignore it. Jun’s car was very distinctive. Even on the bus, I had been contemplating what to do if I ran into him again.

However, nothing came to mind other than maintaining a poker face. Suddenly, the Master-Servant Relationship felt like a heavy burden on my life. I had only done it to live a little more comfortably, but now I was swept up in emotions, turning into a snowballing debt.

As I got off the bus through the back door, I prepared myself for the possibility of running into Jun. I slowly stepped onto the ground and walked towards the apartment. Naturally, I heard the sound of a car door closing with a thump from behind me. The footsteps, which had sounded distant, now felt close.

Knowing Jun was following me, I didn’t turn around. I kept walking forward until I reached the elevator. Then, Jun stood beside me. His silhouette was reflected on the elevator door. He was wearing different clothes from yesterday.

I expected him to say something, but he remained silent. Even as we got into the elevator and he pressed the button for the 4th floor, he stood silently beside me. Being in the confined space together made me feel even more suffocated.

Ding.

As the elevator arrived, the outside air rushed in, and I could finally breathe. As I walked towards my home, he kept following me. I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“Why are you here?”

I asked, looking at the front door. I didn’t have the courage to look at Jun’s face.

“Hyung. We still have things to do.”

I could order Jun to ‘leave’ right now. I needed time to sort out my thoughts. I wanted to face him after my swirling emotions and creaking reason had settled.

I turned around to face Jun. His calm gaze looked down at me. I opened my mouth to say ‘leave,’ but his hand covered my mouth.

“I won’t follow orders until I get my reward. So, open the door.”

He wasn’t wrong. I nodded slightly, and the hand on my lips dropped. A promise is a promise. I opened the door, and Jun followed me in.

“I, uh, I want to shower first. Can we talk after that? I didn’t even wash yesterday before sleeping…”

“Okay.”

Jun sat on the sofa. He was holding something, which he placed beside him, and leaned his head back against the sofa. When I came out with clothes to change from the small room, he had his eyes closed.

Leaving him behind, I headed to the bathroom. The lack of proper sleep last night was evident. As I washed my face at the sink again, I thought about Jun’s car from earlier.

How long had he waited for me? Why did he come looking for me, even with someone else in his house? As I washed the foam from my face, I hoped those thoughts would wash away too.

I turned on the shower and wet myself from head to toe. To calm my tense nerves, I finished with cold water. My lips trembled so much that I felt wide awake.

I am just playing the role of his Master, not his lover.

He hadn’t concluded that I was a tool to solve his Impo, but he was wrong. I was a tool meant to perform a role. I knew my place.

As I dried myself and walked out, Jun remained in the same position with his eyes closed. I could see his chin tilted back and the line of his neck. Seeing his slightly parted lips almost reminded me of yesterday’s kiss.

“If you’re tired, go to bed.”

When I spoke, his eyes slowly opened. He looked visibly tired, but his sharp gaze remained. Without a word, he took my hand.

“Why are you so cold.”

I tried to pull away, but his fingers were intertwined more firmly than I expected, making it difficult to let go.

Holding my hand, Jun led me, holding something, into the bedroom. It was a space I saw and slept in every day, but it felt awkward with him there. Even though I had tried to quell my warmth with cold water, the area below my neck was heating up.

Jun sat me on the bed and knelt in front of me on one knee. It was the same posture from our conversation at the rest stop. As if we had returned to last night, the air in the room shifted to that night’s atmosphere.

“Why did you just leave yesterday?”

“……Because I wanted to. You told me to do whatever I wanted.”

“Then you should have said goodbye. Or asked me to take you. How would you expect me to feel if you just disappeared like that?”

“Did you, perhaps, look for me?”

“Of course, would I have just slept if I hadn’t looked for you?”

There was clearly a man with yellow hair in Jun’s house. With no lack of anything, Jun wouldn’t need to worry so much if I was missing. I was merely a means to help him resolve his Impo…….

“Hyung……. Hyung!”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Are you going to keep thinking about other things? Why are you thinking so complicatedly? If something’s bothering you, just say it.”

At those words, I thought deeply about our roles, and realized Jun’s attitude was fine. The problem was my own heart. As my thoughts, which had almost crossed the line, were braked, I regained my reason.

‘Let’s be rational.’

Soothing my heart, I firmly suppressed my feelings of disappointment.

Now, it was time to face him again as the master. I didn’t want to whine to Jun like a child. I didn’t have the right to do so. I just had to issue one-way commands as the master.

“By the way, you came to receive your reward?”

“You promised yesterday.”

I knew it. He didn’t come to consider my feelings… He came for his objective.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

I answered with a forced smile, but Jun erased his affectionate gaze and looked up at me with cold eyes. His gaze was merciless, as if it could pierce through me. It was a look that seemed to scold me for not being honest. Seeing my tightly shut mouth, Jun stood up from his seat.

‘What is he planning to lick this time?’

Tense like a prisoner about to be executed, Jun tossed something next to the bed where I was sitting. There was a metallic sound, and it took me a moment to process what it was.

Handcuffs.

I looked up at him, wondering if he intended to make me a real prisoner, but Jun pointed at them with a merciless expression, like an executioner.

However, what came out of his mouth was unexpected.

“Put them on my hands and feet.”

Is this what he meant? I slowly picked up the handcuffs Jun had thrown.

“These?”

Jun nodded and crossed his arms, throwing off his top. Then, as if it were natural, he unbuckled his pants and underwear, shedding everything. As Jun climbed onto the bed, my entire body tensed for a moment. He passed me and lay down, propping himself up on the headboard.

“Hurry up. Otherwise…”

“Why are you taking them off so casually?”

“I need to see if it gets hard.”

As Jun said that, his gaze swept over my entire body. I got goosebumps.

What he handed me were handcuffs, but they were lined with leather. As I approached with them, Jun told me, “Feet.”

I went to his feet and fastened the handcuffs around each ankle. Even as I did, I was confused, thinking, ‘What is this? Why do we have to do this?’

“Tighten them. If they come loose, I can’t be held responsible.”

“If I tighten these any more, they might leave marks…”

“Don’t get complacent just because it’s not hard. If they come loose, I’ll do everything except penetration.”

“Ah, alright.”

“I warned you.”

At his words, I tightened them further. The area around the handcuffs turned red, and I fidgeted. Jun then said, “Hands,” urging me to move on.

As I fastened them on his hands, I felt a little sorry. I was doing it because he told me to, but now that his hands and feet were bound, I felt sympathetic. But what was he planning to do by tying up my hands and feet?

“I’m done. What do I have to do now?”

“From now on, I’m going to suck Hyung’s cock. That’s the least you can do. You went all the way there.”

“Uh…?”

My body froze like stone. Jun asked me to bring my penis to his face. I couldn’t do such an embarrassing pose and moved away from the bed.

‘Ah… why is this being so insensitive…’

But contrary to my refusal, my lower body was slowly starting to get hard.

I had never received fellatio before. Even touching it was intense, so putting it in someone’s mouth… Moreover, I remembered his tongue, which had explored my mouth when we kissed. If his tongue touched my penis, I might melt.

“Ah, no, I’m good.”

“If Hyung isn’t going to do it for me, hurry up and get on. 69 would be even better.”

“No, really, it’s fine!”

In the end, I opened the door and left. It was fortunate that Jun was tied up; otherwise, he might have dragged me back into the bedroom.

‘Ah, what should I do…’

Jun was bound on the bed, and I couldn’t bring myself to go in… After about ten minutes of deliberation, I cautiously opened the door. Jun turned his head towards me.

“I’ll… untie you. Where’s the key?”

“If I get untied, what do you think I’ll do?”

Thinking about it, he didn’t look like someone who would calmly put on his clothes. It felt like I was releasing a sealed monster. I couldn’t be relieved just because I wasn’t aroused. He said he’d do anything but penetration.

“…There’s no choice, is there?”

“If you know that, hurry up and come here. I’ve been holding back since yesterday. You just have to stay still.”

Hesitantly, I stood by the door, then, at Jun’s threat of demanding something more, I climbed onto the bed with trembling legs.

The thought of him taking me into his mouth made me hard before I even lowered my pants. It was largely because I couldn’t forget Jun’s lips from our kiss yesterday. I timidly sat on him, and he urged me to come up to his chest.

I knelt and approached. Jun’s bound arms came down from above my head and wrapped around me like a snare. His hands reached behind my waist.

“Ah, ouch…”

He seemed to have touched a bruised spot on my lower back. As I groaned and bent over, Jun lightly brushed somewhere with his thumbnail.

“Are you hurt here? Yesterday?”

“…Yeah. When I jumped over the window.”

“Alright. I won’t touch there. Come a little closer.”

Kneeling and taking a couple of steps closer, my penis was positioned in front of Jun’s face. With my sweatpants on, the bulge was even more prominent.

“What are you doing? Not pulling them down.”

As I was fumbling with the hem of my pants, unable to meet his gaze as he looked up at me, his bound hands dug into my buttocks and tried to insert fingers into my rear.

“Ah. D-don’t touch. I’ll do it.”

Jun leaned his head against the headboard, looking up at me. Avoiding his gaze, I slowly lowered my pants.

“It’s a leopard today.”

“Mhm, that’s right.”

I was surprised and amused that he guessed the animal correctly again. As I chuckled softly, Jun laughed along. His eyes crinkled, and I felt a bit of tension ease.

I had only lowered my pants slightly, but my glans peeked out due to my erection. Jun didn’t miss it and touched it with his tongue.

“…Ah.”

“Lower it more.”

I pulled down my pants and underwear in one go. Jun pulled me closer with his arms, pressing my body against his lips. Without waiting, Jun opened his mouth and swallowed my penis.

“Haa… Ah. Ugh…”

I tried to hold on by placing my hands on the wall of the bed, but the pleasure from below made it difficult. The wet slurping sounds filled the room. This was the first time I had been sucked so intensely. It felt like my body was being pulled into his mouth.

“Ah, ugh… A little gentler, gentler…”

Jun bit only the tip of my penis and moved his head, then gradually took it deeper into his mouth. He sucked it like a deep throat, swallowing me whole. He put it in so deep it touched his throat, and when my breathing became too rough, he would pull back and lick only the tip in circles with his tongue.

The pleasure was overwhelming, and I knew I couldn’t hold on any longer. I grabbed Jun’s shoulder, wanting to pull his face away, but his strong arms behind me made it difficult.

“Ah, ah. Jjuni, I’m going to cum… I’m cumming.”

I’m not a premature ejaculator. I’m definitely not, but I already felt the urge to climax. I begged him to go a little slower, a little gentler, but he didn’t listen.

He sucked me as if he were going to devour me, using his entire tongue to stroke my shaft. Being the same gender, he knew exactly how to make me feel good. When his tongue dug into the tip of my glans, I couldn’t hold back a groan.

My kneeling legs began to buckle. At the same time, the climax surged to the tip of my glans, and I frantically tried to pull Jun’s face away.

“S-stop… Haa…”

As I struggled to hold back my climax and pull away, Jun, still with me in his mouth, told me to just cum. His words were muffled, but that’s what he clearly said.

“I, I really, Jjuni…”

With one last push against his shoulder, I gave up. And then, I ejaculated into Jun’s mouth. As I came, I looked down at him, and he was still holding me in his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times.

Jun was swallowing my semen. Something different from the orgasm that flowed down my spine washed over my chest. He even licked away the semen that dripped out afterward with his tongue, like he was eating ice cream.

He didn’t need to keep sucking me after I came, but Jun, looking disappointed, took my now soft penis back into his mouth and swirled it with his tongue. Then, after a moment, he spat out my shrinking penis with a pop.

“It’s tasty. This is my first time eating semen.”

I wiped his mouth, which was glistening with what looked like my semen.

“Y-yeah, why would you eat that?”

“I was curious about Hyung’s taste.”

Why did he keep talking about me like I was special? Or was it that I heard it as special? My legs trembled, and I finally couldn’t hold my knees up and sank down. I rested my forehead on Jun’s neck, catching my breath.

“Hyung.”

When he called me, I lifted my head, and his lips were approaching.

Jun’s lips, which had just been in my mouth, touched mine. He bit my lower lip first, then my upper lip, one after the other. They kissed like this in games, and it was the same in reality. Jun pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting mine.

“It’s even better in reality. How about you?”

“Yeah… I like it.”

Our lips met again, and this time, I was the one who put my tongue into Jun’s mouth first. I felt his usually flexible tongue stiffen for a moment. He clearly hadn’t expected my action.

But it was fleeting, and Jun softly wrapped his tongue around mine as usual. The deeper our tongues went, the harder he sucked. Even while pulling his lips away to catch his breath, Jun gave me short kisses with his wet lips. I realized I was someone who loved kissing while doing this with him.

As we kissed like that for a long time, an apartment announcement came on.

[Ah. Ah. This is an announcement. Regarding the black sports car at the apartment entrance. The model is… what is this? Mr. Park doesn’t know either?]

The announcement paused, as if the speaker was talking to someone next to them.

[We are announcing again. Black sports car, number 123, 899. The owner is requested to move the vehicle to another area promptly. The vehicle is causing disruption to the exterior paint work. Once again…]

“Hmm… that’s my car number.”

We were kissing, but at Jun’s words, I regained my senses and quickly pulled my head back. I remembered how I had been clinging to his lips, kissing him like I was possessed.

‘I’m crazy.’

I hadn’t expected to be so desperately clinging and kissing. Moreover, I was the more active one. I madly explored his mouth and tongue. As I flustered, Jun raised his hands above his head, allowing me to get out. As I broke free from his embrace, I glanced at his crotch and saw that it was still dormant.

First, I had to untie Jun.

“Where’s the handcuff key?”

“In my pants.”

I got off the bed and searched inside his discarded pants. However, as I put my hands into the front and back pockets, I felt nothing.

“Huh? …It’s not here?”

“…”

Jun also seemed surprised, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Then, maybe I dropped it in the car. Hyung, can you move the car for me instead?”

“I’ve never driven a sports car before!”

“It’s the same as any other car. Check the floor for the key too.”

As the announcement came on again, I had no choice.

“Then, wait here for a moment.”

In the end, I covered his lower body with a blanket and left. I felt a bit guilty for leaving him alone, and a little bitter that he was still not aroused.

I didn’t know if my disappointment at his lack of arousal was because I didn’t get the 30 million won, or if it was due to the doubt that I might not be attractive enough to appeal to Jun.

First, I grabbed the car key and ran. When I got to where the car was parked, several people were standing around, discussing how to handle it, whether it was front-wheel or rear-wheel drive, and how to tow it.

“Excuse me!”

As I appeared with the key, the murmuring subsided.

“Are you the owner of this car? Please move it quickly.”

“Ah, yes.”

I hurriedly got into the driver’s seat.

But what is this? The cars I’ve driven didn’t have this many buttons. And usually, there wasn’t a keyhole near or under the steering wheel. No, the key Jun gave me didn’t even stick out like a traditional key. I tried to recall our time in the car together.

“Right, I didn’t insert the key. I definitely pressed something…”

Without a phone, I couldn’t ask Jun. Even if I had one, he wasn’t in a state to answer. I sighed and got out of the car again.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to drive it. Is there anyone who could drive it for me…?”

I offered the car key to the people standing around, but they all shook their heads and refused. Someone mentioned bringing the car owner, but I was flustered, saying the owner couldn’t come out right now.

“Huh? This is the same as my car.”

Just then.

All eyes turned to a man standing near the vehicle. Wearing blue sweatpants, he circled the car, commenting, “Are the options better than mine?”

“Rovan!”

“Oh? Dajeong, you came to see too? I heard there was a sports car at the entrance, so I came to take a look.”

“Move this car.”

Rovan looked at me, then at the car key in his hand.

“Whose is it?”

“Ah, it’s… Jjuni’s.”

“Aha.”

Excitedly, Rovan took the car key and went to the driver’s seat. As he got in, he said, “Shall I play with it for a bit?” His demeanor made me a little uneasy.

The engine quickly started, and the lights of the dark car flashed. The exhaust note made the surrounding atmosphere heavy, as if waking a sleeping beast.

Now, he just had to take it to the apartment parking lot… but the car merged onto the road and vanished like a shot.

“Ah…! That’s not right.”

Meanwhile, the painting vehicles had positioned a ladder truck at the spot where Jun had parked and began their work. Jun’s car, which had disappeared into a dot before my eyes, showed no sign of returning.

I remembered the time I asked someone to deliver Jun’s card for me, and an accident happened. Could it be happening again? I should have been in the passenger seat. How much was that car worth? Rovan had said it was worth two apartments in this complex when he argued with some old man… so it was hundreds of millions?

Ah, damn it.

My life is over, I thought, as all sorts of anxieties took over my mind.

I’m an idiot. I handed the car over to a lunatic, and I was just wringing my hands, when a bang sound came from behind, not from the direction the car had disappeared. I turned around, and there was Jun’s car parked a short distance away, as if it had just appeared. I rushed over and opened the passenger door to get in.

“How can you just drive off like that! First, park it in the apartment lot.”

“Jjuni must be good at handling cars. It drives well.”

“Stop complimenting the car and hurry.”

Rovan, who had been caressing the steering wheel lovingly, expertly turned it and entered the apartment complex. By chance, the spot next to his car was empty, and we parked side-by-side.

After Rovan got out, I scoured the floor of the car and the surrounding area, but found nothing resembling a key. As I didn’t get out of the car, the passenger door opened.

“What are you doing, not getting out?”

“I need to find the key.”

“Key? What key?”

Perhaps because he sold adult toys, he might know something, so I gave him a rough explanation. I had to get Jun untied quickly. When I had put them on earlier, Jun’s wrists and ankles had turned red.

‘If I leave them on too long, I might have to amputate them!’

“Rovan, you look for it quickly too!”

“There’s nothing. If it were something like that, it would be made of metal.”

After thoroughly searching under the seats, Rovan gave up. He listlessly closed the driver’s door and advised,

“Call 119.”

“…Jun might die of embarrassment.”

“Hmm… Maybe there’s a way.”

I looked at him with hopeful eyes, and he told me to follow him. Rovan led me to his place.

Rovan’s apartment, 103, was larger than other apartments. If my place had two rooms, this one had three. As soon as I opened the door to apartment 813, I was greeted by all sorts of adult toys right by the entrance. They were similar to the items he had sent me.

“Come this way.”

Some products were displayed in the living room, and in the room he led me to, items packed in boxes were neatly stacked on shelves. It felt like entering a warehouse.

He said he sold adult toys, but I thought he did it on a small scale; however, he had quite a variety. In the room Rovan led me into, there were all kinds of handcuffs.

“Look for something similar.”

As I scanned the types, Rovan leaned against a shelf and asked,

“Dajeong, you look so innocent, I thought you wouldn’t know about these games, but are you surprisingly into the hardcore stuff?”

“No, this… Jjuni asked me to put it on…”

“So, after putting it on Jjuni, what did you do?”

I wanted to ignore the blatant teasing, but since there was no one else to ask for help right now, I answered vaguely. Then, among the many kinds, finally! I found what Jun was wearing.

“Here it is! But, will the key fit?”

“Mhm. It’ll probably fit. People often repurchase them because they lose the keys for playthings.”

What Jun had bought was a set of hand and foot restraints, a sujukgap. I asked Rovan how much it cost, but he said, “Why are you paying? You should make Jjuni pay,” and we left the house together.

“Thanks. See you later.”

As I was about to get into the elevator, Rovan hopped in.

“I’ll go with you. I can’t miss such an interesting sight.”

“That’s a bit… inconvenient.”

“Well, he’s not completely naked, is he?”

“……”

Rovan gave a sly smile and, saying he wanted to see Jun’s once, snatched the sujukgap the moment we arrived on the first floor and ran off. I chased after him, demanding it back, but he didn’t seem inclined to give it up.

“Hey, wait a minute. You have to consider Jjuni’s human rights too.”

“Then what about my human rights?”

“What human rights?”

“I helped you move your car, and even told you how to solve the problem. On top of that, I gave you the item on credit. Don’t I deserve to see it?”

I had momentarily forgotten what kind of person he was. He was a lunatic. And from our first meeting in the game, he was a pervert who said he felt good when jelly monsters stuck around his crotch.

Thinking it was better to free Jun quickly rather than waste time here, I gave up struggling and got into the elevator to go up.

As I opened the front door, I grabbed Rovan by the scruff of his neck as he tried to head straight for the bedroom. The stretchy sweatpants didn’t stop him effectively.

“Ah, why?”

“Wait, first. Jjuni needs to know the situation too.”

I stopped Rovan and opened the bedroom door. In the meantime, Jun was sleeping soundly, covering his center with a blanket. I gently shook him awake.

“Junie… Junie?”

He woke up with a small groan and looked at me. Then, he said, “Hyung,” and tried to hug my waist, but seeing his bound hands, he rested his head back on the pillow.

“The key?”

“I couldn’t find it. But… I brought a different key.”

“Where is it?”

“Well… Rovan has it… He said he’d unlock it himself. He won’t give me the key.”

“Ah, damn it. Is he playing games?”

“It’s better than calling 119 and being shamed by multiple people.”

He asked again, “Are you okay? Huh?” and Jun reluctantly told him to hurry up and unlock it, sounding annoyed. As I left the room, he grumbled about how I complained about him asking to put it on himself, and now he was asking to be unlocked quickly, acting completely as he pleased.

With a sulky face, I opened the door, and Rovan walked in with a bright smile.

“Hey, how have you been?”

“Unlock it.”

Rovan ambled around the bed and held out his hand, striking a pose as if focusing.

“Hmm… If I just cover the eyes and post it on a sales site, it’ll sell really well… How about it, want to be a model? I’ll give you 10 percent for every one sold.”

“Shut up and unlock it quickly.”

As Rovan kept stalling, Jun sat up, saying, “I’ll…!” The blanket covering his center shifted slightly and lowered. His center wasn’t fully visible, but his pubic hair and hips were clearly revealed.

“Wow… It’s a work of art.”

“Don’t just stare, give it to me!”

Unable to watch any longer, I forcibly snatched the sujukgap set. Then, I tore open the packaging and picked up the key. I immediately went to the bed and unlocked Jun’s wrists first.

It clicked like it was my own key. Once his hands were free, Jun massaged his wrists. Then, he unlocked the ones on his ankles. They seemed to have been fastened tighter than the wrists, as his skin was indented in the shape of the restraints. Feeling sorry for him, I rubbed the red marks with my hand.

“That was a close call. Don’t do this kind of thing again.”

“If I don’t, you’ll be in trouble.”

“What are you two? Are you dating?”

Rovan asked, looking back and forth between us with a suggestive smile. I stepped in first to deny it, before Jun could say anything.

Even with my answer, Jun’s expression didn’t change much. Rovan picked up the sujukgap set that had fallen on the floor and spun it on his finger.

“Well, Dajeong had Shut Up.”

Jun’s expression flickered as he massaged his wrist. He looked up at Rovan, staring intently.

“How do you know about Shut Up? And Dajeong too?”

Ah, I messed up.

Jun didn’t know Rovan’s true identity yet. The water had already spilled. He sat at the edge of the bed, looking like a condemned prisoner before the guillotine, having given up on everything. I knew this day would come eventually. Well, now that I had revealed myself as Kind Touch, I had nothing to fear.

“I know because I play games. Do you know Shut Up too?”

“Oh, I know him very well. What’s your character name?”

“Moment. Have you heard my name before, by any chance?”

As soon as he heard the character name, Jun glared at me. I couldn’t meet his eyes and just stared at some spot on the wall. My back felt like it was burning.

Jun’s silence said it all. Was the guy who had been coming to my house without a word, eating meals, and playing together all this time, Moment?

But then again, wasn’t I keeping another man in my house? Moreover, I had been getting along with Rovan just like neighbors. Thinking about it, I felt no need to feel guilty, so I turned my head and looked at Jun.

Jun was still staring at me without a word. I met his gaze bravely for a brief moment before looking down again. It seemed like the role-play had flipped, with the master and the slave switching roles.

Jun’s lips curved upwards, and he looked back at Rovan.

“Of course, I’ve heard of you.”

Their conversation continued precariously, as if walking on a knife’s edge. I didn’t understand why Jun was beating around the bush instead of just saying, ‘Hey, I’m Shut Up!’

While talking in circles like that, Jun looked at me.

“And, Hyung is Kind Touch, right?”

“Uh-huh…”

“So, what’s your character name?”

Rovan continued his questions cheerfully. And I instinctively knew. This was it, a three-way confrontation…

“Me? Who do you think I am?”

At Jun’s question, Rovan pondered, “Hmm…” He mentioned several character names, but Shut Up’s name didn’t come up. I just covered my face and listened to their conversation. My head throbbed for no reason.

“What is it, give me a hint.”

“You died by my hand once early on.”

With that hint, Rovan seemed to realize it instantly. He erased his silly smile and looked down at Jun.

“No wonder, you were unlikable from the first time I saw you.”

“I’m likable.”

I wanted to correct Jun, to tell him that was his delusion. If he said that anywhere, he’d get mobbed. He had said something similar once when I broke off a partnership, and I thought he just didn’t want to lose an argument, but Jun genuinely believed he was likable.

“Excuse me.”

I tried to interject to correct him. But the two were arguing verbally, just like in the game. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they would fight recklessly like their first encounter.

Feeling it was best to quietly step aside, I stood up to move, but Rovan turned to me and reprimanded me.

“Ah, if it was Shut Up, I wouldn’t have helped. Dajeong, why didn’t you tell me Jun was Shut Up?”

“Well, I just—”

“Why did you let someone like that into your house? Sometimes you don’t think. Why would you let a pervert like that in?”

“Jjuni, he’s not really—”

Rovan cut me off without listening, “What, pervert?” and retorted, and Jun said, “Yeah, you perverted bastard!” and tried to get up. The blanket that was barely covering his center was slipping further, so I quickly went over and grabbed it, covering him.

“Hey, Jjuni. If you get up like that, he’ll see everything.”

“Wait, do you suspect me of being a pervert too, Dajeong?”

I wanted to say it wasn’t suspicion but that I thought so, but my mouth dried up. If I joined in, the fight would escalate too much.

“Both of you, stop. It’s enough to fight in the game. If you’re really angry, you can have a PVP later.”

Did my sincerity get through? They quieted down for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, I thought I should help Jun get dressed and pushed Rovan’s back to make him leave.

“What, what? What are you two going to do after I leave?”

“No. Let’s go out so Jjuni can get dressed.”

“Hyung, wait.”

We were about to go out together, but I managed to push Rovan out and close the door.

As soon as I closed the door, Jun stood up. At the same time, the blanket fell, revealing his naked body, so I turned my face slightly. Even though I had seen it all before, I felt strangely embarrassed. Why was another man’s nudity so awkward?

Jun stopped putting on his clothes and suddenly pulled up the back of my t-shirt. When I asked what he was doing, Jun told me to stay still and stroked somewhere on my back. My body flinched as his fingers brushed against the sore spot.

“You’ve got a bruise. It’s not just a light bump. Does it hurt a lot?”

“It’s a bit sore when you press it. It’s fine if I stay still.”

Jun swept his palm over my entire back, touching it. While it was uncomfortable to have the throbbing area touched, separately, a ticklish feeling bloomed in my chest. I shifted slightly and pulled down my t-shirt.

Standing there with my back exposed while Jun, who was already wearing pants, stood with his upper body bare, I felt embarrassed even though I had only exposed my back. I couldn’t look at him and looked away.

“It, it doesn’t hurt much.”

“By the way, do you remember me saying I didn’t like that guy?”

“Well, you two never got along anyway.”

I was looking at the wall when my chin was grabbed and my face was turned. Jun, who had finished dressing, bent down to meet my gaze.

“In the game, someone like that can be like that in real life too. Like me. Why didn’t you say anything?”

As I met his gaze, I looked down slightly and saw his twisted mouth.

“I didn’t tell you I played games… How could I tell you he was Moment?”

“He knew you were Kind Touch too? The fact that he approached you like this knowing that is obvious, isn’t it? He’s badmouthing me behind my back? I didn’t even know.”

Now I could grasp the point of Jun’s anger. He was angry about things I didn’t know, and he disliked me being close with Moment from the game.

“Jjuni, Rovan isn’t as much of a pervert as you think. We just know each other as neighbors.”

“You must have had a lot of fun in the middle, playing us against each other like you had two cakes in your hands?”

Rovan was tall and handsome, even if he was dressed like that. Was that why he was misunderstanding? Jun was underestimating himself. If you stopped anyone on the street, they would choose Jun over Rovan. That’s how much more attractive Jun’s appearance was.

‘Should I say it though? That you’re much more handsome and cool. He already has a big ego…’

While I was contemplating, Jun opened the bedroom door and left. As I watched his retreating back slam the door shut, it felt like he was saying, ‘I’m so annoyed,’ even though he didn’t say it.

But I was the one who should be annoyed. What was that yellow-haired man in Jun’s house wearing only underwear yesterday? Was I playing them against each other? What a thing to say!

I picked up the blanket and walked towards the washing machine. As I passed through the living room, Jun was sitting on the sofa, and Rovan was sitting on the floor, talking.

As I passed them, I overheard them talking about cars. I expected them to be fighting, but Rovan was enthusiastically gesturing, marveling at his experience driving Jun’s car earlier, while Jun nodded and offered advice on vehicle maintenance.

Jun’s behavior, which had been wary of Rovan, had not just softened; it had become outright friendly. They said men bond over military service, cars, and women, and that’s exactly what was happening. They were even sharing car care products on their phones.

As I passed by, I muttered, “Just date already, date,” but neither of them paid me any attention. Then, feeling hungry, I opened the refrigerator, but there was nothing much to eat.

“I’m hungry. What should we order?”

Again, they naturally ignored my question. Treating me like an invisible person, they got up and walked towards the entrance. As Jun was about to leave, I casually approached him.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just to the car for a moment.”

Jun answered briefly and followed Rovan out. He had just told me that someone like Rovan in the game would be like that in real life and to avoid him, yet he was acting more friendly than me.

‘Talk about double standards.’

Still, I thought it was better than fighting, and I started looking through the food menus, wondering what to order. About 20 minutes later, the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, Jun stood at the entrance and didn’t come in.

“Hyung, let’s go eat some samgyeopsal nearby.”

“Shall we?”

As I put on my shoes, Rovan, who was leaning on the hallway railing, said he knew a good place for samgyeopsal and personally guided us.

Jun buying Rovan pork now must be a pure gesture. Whether he had truly opened his heart, they were talking like friends. And we weren’t walking side-by-side; I was just trailing behind the two of them.

‘Ah, I’m being completely ignored.’

Maybe it was because they both had long legs? They walked so fast that I had to hurry to keep up.

And when walking on the sidewalk, there can sometimes be unexpected obstacles. In places where trees are planted intermittently, you have to be careful of tree roots. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me. Like this.

“Ouch!”

Thump!

Distracted by a sale item at a nearby mart, I didn’t see something on the ground and tripped. The tree root had jutted out like a hook, as if saying, ‘Just one more victim.’ I would have tripped even if I hadn’t been distracted.

Falling, the embarrassment was greater than the pain in my knee. They were far ahead, so I thought they wouldn’t have seen me like this. I tried to get up quickly and follow as if nothing had happened, but I saw a hand extended before my eyes.

“You were walking fine, why did you fall? Take my hand.”

If only he had just kindly offered his hand. Jun seemed to need to expose all my flaws to be satisfied.

“No, thanks.”

As I tried to get up on my own, my arm was grabbed, and I was pulled up. Jun brushed the dirt off my pants and lectured me.

“Jjuni seems to like Dajeong a lot.”

Rovan teased me sarcastically from a short distance away. Jun seemed to have rushed back as soon as he heard me fall.

“Here.”

Fortunately, my knee wasn’t bleeding, so I tried to move on, but Jun extended his hand. This area had many apartment residents, so there were many eyes watching. If two grown men held hands on the street, it would naturally look strange, like Rovan said.

“Why are we holding hands?”

“It’s better than falling.”

I tried to pass, saying it was fine, but Jun took my hand and tucked it inside his jacket. He wasn’t walking as fast as before. Rovan, walking far ahead, waited for us.

“Where are we, anyway? We should have just taken a car.”

“We’re almost there. Just around this corner.”

Rovan didn’t seem to react much, even though he knew Jun and I were holding hands. The embarrassment was all mine. My palms got sweaty, and when I tried to pull away, Jun would invariably tighten his grip, interlocking our fingers.

We walked all the way to the entrance of the samgyeopsal restaurant, holding hands. My hand was freed only when we took off our shoes. Rovan and I went in first, and Jun followed, then went back out.

“Just a quick call.”

Through the restaurant’s glass wall, I saw Jun walking away, holding his phone to his ear and talking happily with someone.

As Rovan, sitting opposite me, ordered samgyeopsal, a heated grill was placed at our table. Jun still hadn’t come back by the time the samgyeopsal was placed on the grill.

Why wasn’t he back yet? Watching Jun talk on the phone, I started to feel a little uneasy. It was because I saw him laugh a few times while talking to someone. He didn’t smile like that in front of me.

‘No.’

It happened recently. After the Prince Charming role-play at the rest stop, what did he say? When I told him to do whatever he wanted?

“Jun is popular, isn’t he?”

At that moment, Rovan asked as he placed the samgyeopsal on the grill.

“Probably. I’ve seen two guys around her. No, wait. There’s one more, the department store manager, I guess. Tsk.”

“What? Then Dajung, what number are you? From what I see, you seem like the main wife.”

“What… No, I’m not that kind of person.”

“But you walk around holding hands so affectionately? And in the bedroom, naked together?”

“…That’s because of circumstances.”

The grill was large, so besides samgyeopsal, we could also put kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts on it. Rovan, who was diligently placing them, tilted his head upon hearing my words.

As I watched Rovan, who was only now wiping his hands with a wet towel, I chided him, saying he should have started wiping them from the moment he began placing the meat. He meticulously wiped his hands and said,

“For someone like that, you seemed quite wary of me.”

“You two looked friendly. You kept talking.”

“Looking at you, Dajung, you’re quite simple, aren’t you?”

He babbled incomprehensible things, saying things like, “Is this how you get jealous?” and “You have a cute side too.”

“So, how far have you gotten?”

I drank cold water without answering. Rovan, picking up the tongs again, flipped the samgyeopsal and explicitly mentioned body parts.

“Well, I saw hands earlier. Lips? Chest?”

I resolved not to be flustered and just kept eating the doenjang jjigae.

“Don’t tell me, your penis?”

Just as I picked up a pepper to dip in ssamjang, I put it back down.

“Aha.”

Seeming to understand from my reaction, Rovan nodded and began cutting the samgyeopsal with scissors. It really is best when someone else grills the meat for you.

As I picked up a piece of samgyeopsal to make a wrap, Rovan asked from a different angle.

“If you two are just having fun, include me.”

I was about to put the wrap in my mouth when I looked at Rovan, my expression hardening at his words.

“We’re not just having fun, so don’t get involved.”

It wasn’t me who said that, but Jun, as he sat down next to me. He asked what I was listening to, then pulled my hand holding the wrap to his mouth.

“Why are you on the phone for so long? Your lover?”

Rovan asked the question I wanted to ask. Pretending not to listen, I made another wrap.

“Why are you curious about something like that?”

“What do you want to drink?”

“I have to go later, so you shouldn’t drink either, Hyung. You overdid it yesterday.”

As I was about to say soju in response to Rovan’s question, Jun cut me off.

“Junie, soju with samgyeopsal is a given.”

“Dajung is right. Let’s just the two of us drink.”

“Sure—.”

As I was about to say “sure,” a wrap was shoved into my mouth. As if telling me to stop talking and eat, Jun stuffed the wrap into my mouth.

“Auntie, one bottle of soju here!”

In the meantime, Rovan had insisted on ordering soju, and three soju glasses were placed on the table. Rovan poured soju into my glass as well. As I was about to take a sip, Jun grabbed my hand and asked.

“Hyung. Should I not go?”

Chewing the wrap, I thought about the answer to his question. Would he really not go if I told him not to? His finger touched my soju glass.

I needed to figure out who he was meeting, why he was going, and his relationship with the person he spoke to on the phone earlier before making a decision, but the definition I had set for myself prevented me from asking all those questions.

‘Let’s treat it like feeding a stray cat.’

That way, I could understand if Jun disappeared before my eyes later. I wasn’t his lover anyway…

“No. If you have business, you should go.”

He’s just clinging to me because he’s an Impo. If he could stand on his own with anyone, he wouldn’t need me.

Jun’s hand, which had been holding my soju glass, moved away. Then he started flipping the meat that was just starting to cook. My alcohol tolerance isn’t high, so I shared one bottle of soju with Rovan.

We ate dinner while making small talk. During that time, Jun went out to take a phone call once more and then came back in.

Jun and Rovan got along surprisingly well for their first meeting. Perhaps because of that, Rovan unexpectedly paid the bill. He was the type to always chip in for 2+1 deals at the convenience store, so it was surprising.

“Why are you paying?”

“There’s a reason.”

Rovan was beaming as he paid, while Jun was checking his phone, likely for another message. The two of them having a secret between them, with me in the middle… it wasn’t pleasant.

On the way back to the apartment, I didn’t hold Jun’s hand. It was natural, really. Like before, Rovan and Jun walked side-by-side, talking.

As we walked towards the apartment, Jun popped into a small pharmacy and came back out. Then he stopped walking as he saw me following. As I passed him, Jun moved close and put his hand into my pocket. I thought he was going to hold my hand, but he put something in my pocket and pulled his hand out.

“Huh? What is it?”

I picked up what I felt in my hand. It was an ointment.

“You have a bruise on your back. I tried it too, and it works well.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I put the ointment back in my pocket and continued walking. Jun jokingly said that if I couldn’t reach my back, he would apply it for me every day. Despite his cheerful tone, I couldn’t bring myself to smile. I forced the corners of my lips up and gave a short reply to what he said.

‘Wait, why do I feel so uncomfortable?’

Jun’s playful tone was the same as usual, and he even bought me medicine, so why was a feeling of disappointment welling up in a corner of my heart?

Fortunately, we met Rovan waiting at the entrance to the walking path, which helped us avoid the awkward atmosphere. The three of us walked together to where Jun’s car was parked.

“I’m going to head off now.”

Jun looked between Rovan and me, then walked towards his car. He gave a brief goodbye and turned to leave, but then he called me over from a slightly secluded spot, gesturing.

As I approached, Jun grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a tree trunk. Just as we were closer than felt comfortable, I understood why he had called me over. His arms wrapped around me from behind, and his face touched my left cheek. He wanted to hug me before parting.

“See you tomorrow, Hyung.”

“Mhm. Yeah.”

He seemed to be holding me a bit longer, so I patted his back, urging him to go. But perhaps he liked the patting, as he held me even tighter than before. As Jun’s warm breath touched my left ear, my face began to flush.

“I’m really going now.”

He whispered very softly.

Jun didn’t wait for my reply, released his arms, and walked towards his car. Then, before getting into the driver’s seat, he waved at me and drove off immediately. He was usually as cold as frost, but when he was affectionate, he was endlessly so. And he gave a heartfelt hug.

Rovan approached belatedly and watched Jun’s car drive away with me. When I told him it was fortunate that Jun and I had become friends, Rovan looked down at me with a disbelieving expression.

“Do you know what he told me on the way here?”

“What did Junie say?”

“He told me not to touch you. That he wouldn’t let it slide.”

“They didn’t look like they were saying that… You were talking and laughing.”

“They were saying all sorts of curses while laughing. I’m going to head off now.”

Normally, he would have followed me, but Rovan turned towards his own house. Puzzled, I told him to go ahead, but Rovan excitedly said that he had to listen to what our VIP guest said.

“VIP?”

“Yeah. He didn’t just look at Jun’s car on the way here; he came to my house and looked at some items too. Wow, Jun must be quite the stud. You’re lucky, Dajung.”

Rovan nudged my shoulder with his arm. If he knew Jun’s situation, he wouldn’t have mentioned being a “stud.” Honestly, I held back from saying he wasn’t attractive, as that would be an insult to Jun’s human rights.

What on earth did he buy so much of… If he’s called a VIP, it must have been more than a few hundred thousand won.

“Want me to tell you what Jun bought?”

Rovan asked with an excited face.

Suddenly, I remembered what Jun had said earlier. The threat that he would do everything but penetration once his hand restraints were off. I really didn’t want to know.

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like all of it is for me—”

“Hmm.”

Rovan added that he also bought an Aneros, so I was lucky, and nudged me again before walking away. Wasn’t that something he used to sell to me too?

“So that’s why you bought the samgyeopsal?”

I thought pure intentions extended to pork, but that wasn’t the case.

I returned home, hung the laundry, and was spending my time idly. I watched TV for a bit, then got bored and opened my laptop. I accessed the game’s official website for the first time in a while. On the free board, amidst the usual posts, I saw a few threads criticizing Shut Up.

They were calling for Shut Up’s downfall, omitting any mention of the Goddess or the Relax scam. I thought I knew who wrote them.

“Did he really become a level 1 peddler that day? What a cruel bastard.”

But looking at the comments, there were quite a few people who held grudges against Shut Up. Killing other users on a PK server was common, but he seemed to be particularly targeted, suggesting he was indeed malicious.

My stomach was full, and I had nothing else to do, so I logged into the game after a long time. I put on the helmet access device and sat on the sofa.

<>

<>

I logged in above the swamp, the site of my last transaction. I needed to go back to town to put the items I received from the Goddess up for auction. So I checked what town transfer scrolls I had, but I only had one for Adventurer’s Village.

<>

I moved there first. The screen changed, and I saw fluttering banners in front of me.

“Oh, please, can someone take that down… Huh?”

To my surprise, the banners had been replaced with images of other players, not Shut Up and me. The matching rate showed 92 percent. One of them was a user I knew.

“Huh? Sunshine Angel?”

When I went to the official website earlier, a pop-up window for the top-ranked couple appeared, and I assumed it was me and Shut Up again, so I ignored it. It seemed a new couple had emerged in the meantime.

“Is that him? The number one ranker.”

A user standing next to me, looking at the banners, was talking to someone beside them. I could roughly gauge Sunshine Angel’s level. It was similar to mine recently. Therefore, the number one ranker must be the female Psychic named [Demeter] next to him.

‘Number one ranker? Wow…’

Shut Up is ranked 5th. I wondered how strong she was to be number one. Shut Up would probably lose if he fought her. I couldn’t tell much just from her outfit, but she looked like a warrior.

Sunshine Angel must have been rejected by Shut Up back then and partnered with such a high-ranking player. This really felt like the saying, “When a clunker leaves, a Mercedes arrives.”

I gazed at the banners for a moment, then walked towards the auction house. I began listing the items I received from the Goddess one by one. Some sold immediately, while others sent whispers to negotiate. As I was about to bring up the calculator, I touched a menu in the air, and someone’s face appeared among the menus.

“Oh?”

“It’s been a while, Dajung-nim.”

The face I had just seen on the banner appeared before me. Sunshine Angel, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, looked quite like a high-level player.

“You seem to have leveled up a lot…”

“I’m level 65.”

“Wow…”

I hadn’t even reached level 50, yet Sunshine Angel had skipped the 50s and 60s leveling hell in just 10 days. It was truly astonishing.

“You’ve really leveled up a lot.”

“It’s thanks to my partner. I occasionally got power-leveled, but then I tried matching… I didn’t expect this, though.”

Back then, wasn’t it around 87 percent with Shut Up? Maybe matching rate is also a matter of innate character luck. Sunshine Angel looked above my head and said, “Dajung-nim is…” but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Ah, well, you know.”

Sunshine Angel, who understood my vague answer perfectly, gave a wry smile.

“Then, according to your level, you should head to the next town, [Rakvere Castle].”

“I’ll go to Velvet Town and buy a transfer scroll.”

Rakvere Castle is beyond a volcanic area, so I couldn’t walk there.

<<‘Sunshine Angel’ has requested a trade. [Accept / Decline]>>

Just then, Sunshine Angel suddenly initiated a trade. He put up one transfer scroll for Rakvere Castle and pressed accept.

“Oh? I could have bought it.”

“It’s leftover. I’ve already reached [Snowfield Village], so I have no reason to come here. I’m in this town today to help out someone I know.”

“Thank you.”

“Dajung-nim. Um, could I… add you as a friend? I’d like to be friends.”

“Sure? I don’t know any Guides in the game either. It would be good to know each other.”

Back then, Shut Up’s attempt to kill me failed because of Sunshine Angel, but thinking about it, it happened because he was compassionate, so I could understand.

“Then I’ll see you next time. Thanks.”

<>

After parting with him, I used the transfer scroll, and a game cutscene played. It would make sense if I had completed the quests, but for people like me who were being power-leveled, there was no need to do the quests. After all, the titles or honors given upon completing quests didn’t grant any special items. Regardless, in games, being high-level is the best.

<>

I expected a beautiful and magnificent surrounding for a castle, but as the screen changed, I arrived inside a dilapidated castle. It looked like a castle devastated by war.

On the ground where I stepped, various soldier NPCs lay fallen, and those attending them were busy. As I followed the path, I saw people coughing up blood or with severed limbs, screaming.

As expected, there were quest markers [!] above their heads. As I approached to accept one, someone grabbed my shoulder.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

I turned around to see a woman standing there.

“Alone?”

“Yeah, well.”

“Are you going to do this quest?”

When I nodded lightly, she immediately sent a party request, saying, “Let’s do it together then.”

<<‘Maxova’ has requested a party. [Accept / Decline]>>

I was a bit suspicious and hesitant, but she persuaded me, saying that to do this quest, I needed to defeat a boss, which would be difficult for a Guide alone.

Well, there was no harm in accepting the party, so I clicked accept. The name [Maxova] appeared side-by-side in the party window.

“Is Dajeong-hand-touch a newbie? Your outfit is a bit… well? At least your weapon looks usable.”

“I didn’t pay much attention because I was getting power-leveled. I’m level 47, are we going just the two of us?”

“No, wait. We need to gather more companions. I’m only level 55 too.”

I pressed accept for the quest and checked the objectives. Just as she said, to treat the sick, we needed [20 legs of Giant Centipede] as medicinal ingredients. I figured one centipede would yield 20 legs easily, but…

‘That word ‘Giant’ bothers me.’

It must have the word “Giant” attached because it’s incredibly large. The thought of just asking Shut Up for power-leveling like usual suddenly crossed my mind. I felt like I was just causing trouble by trying to do quests.

But I started playing the game to enjoy it, so shouldn’t I start getting used to standing on my own?

I didn’t want to be like a pet, just following around and getting power-leveled. Especially since Shut Up now knew who I was… In reality, I could refuse, but in the game, if he tried to Link, I would be helpless.

I looked around for other helpful quests nearby when I heard Maxova calling from behind. Next to her stood a male Psychic.

“Let’s go like this, the three of us. It should be enough. But, after we catch it, can you Link?”

“Since Relax is here, I’ll do it occasionally.”

“Relax is here too? You looked like you wouldn’t be, given your appearance.”

The male, whose mouth was even more honest than Maxova’s, was named [Let’s Beat It Up]. He said that without needing a portal, we could go out the main gate of the castle and up the hill to the Giant Centipede habitat, and told us to follow him.

“By the way, what are your attributes?”

Neither of them glowed like Shut Up or Moment, nor did they have summons following them. Maxova pointed to Let’s Beat It Up and introduced him.

“He’s Telekinesis, and I’m a Totem summoner.”

“Telekinesis?”

Let’s Beat It Up, overhearing our conversation, pushed a nearby rock without even touching it, as if to show off his power. It looked impressive, but its destructive power was unknown.

However, Telekinesis was definitely a convenient skill. The path to the Giant Centipede was rocky, and he easily cleared obstacles or blocked paths with his Telekinesis.

“Neither of you have destructive skills… Is it possible?”

“Why wouldn’t we? There are many kinds of totems. You’ll see.”

As we went higher, we saw small centipedes scattered around. As their numbers increased, I became certain that the Giant Centipede was at the summit.

Let’s Beat It Up occasionally sent approaching centipedes flying with his Telekinesis. The side of the path was a cliff, and when he dropped the centipedes below, after a long while, we heard a ‘thump’ sound as something exploded.

“Eek! Aah!”

The higher we climbed, the more numerous they became. The thought of them crawling all over me was horrifying.

Around Taeryeojapja, it seemed like Telekinesis was being activated in small bursts, as small gusts of wind occasionally pushed things away. I naturally ended up walking close to him.

And as we neared the summit, Taeryeojapja suggested we wait for a moment.

“Maxova, you’re installing the totem first, right?”

“Yeah. To get the Giant Centipede out, we need to set up the bait first.”

At what Maxova said, Taeryeojapja and I looked at her, thinking we’d misheard for a moment. She had a ‘What? Why?’ expression, and Taeryeojapja, unable to hold back, said something.

“Suddenly ‘Giant Centipede’….”

“What are you thinking? It’s short for Giant Centipede.”

“Even as an abbreviation, it’s a bit… awkward.”

I nodded in agreement with Taeryeojapja’s opinion, but Maxova pretended not to hear.

“Oh! Looks like the Giant Centipede is coming out over there!”

Maxova shouted. The place she pointed to was a deep pit. Small centipedes began to slither out from it. I decided not to comment on her abbreviation anymore and shut my mouth.

Maxova threw the summoned bait totem and lured the surrounding centipedes towards it. Blue smoke continuously rose from the bait totem, which looked like a pillar, luring the centipedes. Even though there were quite a few centipedes attacking the bait totem, it remained steadfast without disappearing.

Rumble—

Soon, the Giant Centipede revealed itself from within the large pit. It was larger and longer than the three of us laid out in a line. It naturally went for the bait totem and attacked it with its fangs. Then, Maxova erected the [Burning Circle Totem]. However, nothing came out, and I thought she had executed it incorrectly.

“Relax a bit.”

“Uh-huh, yeah.”

After casting Relax on Maxova and Taeryeojapja, I put up a shield for them.

Taeryeojapja was the first to reveal himself and stood before the Giant Centipede. He then sent the small centipedes attached to the bait totem flying off the cliff in one go. As expected, the Giant Centipede, due to its massive size, wasn’t easily pushed back.

“Buy me some more time.”

Maxova said to Taeryeojapja, then ran behind the Giant Centipede.

She then erected another [Burning Circle Totem]. Only then did a burning chain form between the totem she’d placed earlier and Maxova, connecting them like a triangle. The Giant Centipede was within that boundary, and as the lines touched its body, it began to burn. As the centipede writhed, trying to escape, Taeryeojapja pulled it back to the center.

As the main attack began, I cast [Rising Attack] to boost their attack power. When I was with Rankers like Shut Up or Moment, I never felt the need to use skills like this. They were so powerful that I never wasted MP.

Perhaps due to the Rising Attack spell, the totem lines’ firepower burned even brighter. The Giant Centipede, which had been steadily resisting the Telekinesis, seemed trapped between walls, unable to move, perhaps due to Taeryeojapja’s increased attack power.

It was satisfying to be able to use a wider variety of skills when fighting with people of similar levels. However, my MP soon hit bottom, so I took out a potion and drank it. Then, it was time to cast Shield again, and as I did, my MP dropped sharply once more.

“The cost doesn’t match. Sigh.”

If I kept using skills like this, the potion costs would exceed the quest rewards. I hid myself, watching them, in case more centipedes appeared.

The Giant Centipede was still writhing within the boundary due to Taeryeojapja’s Telekinesis. Maxova summoned an additional [Guardian Totem] in the center. Then, a guardian knight, looking like an evil spirit, burst out from within and began to sever the Giant Centipede’s legs with its greatsword.

“Ah, it’s persistent.”

“Huh? Huh! Centipede legs! Legs!”

The severed Giant Centipede legs rolled down the cliff. As I stepped forward to pick one up, the Giant Centipede, despite writhing, lunged at me, trying to bite. Taeryeojapja, who was taking a moment to gather Telekinesis, shouted.

“Watch out for the Giant Centipede!”

Even though he had just told Maxova not to use abbreviations, Taeryeojapja was now shortening it himself. I felt like I would soon be calling it that too.

I managed to twist my body away by a hair’s breadth, but the Giant Centipede, even while burning, was so fierce that it didn’t give up its attack. It soon lunged at me again, opening its fangs.

Just as I thought I would be bitten by its fangs and was about to give up, a totem was placed firmly in front of me as I cowered. It was the Guardian Knight’s totem. While the Giant Centipede hesitated slightly, the guardian knight that emerged from the totem immediately raised its greatsword and plunged it into the Giant Centipede’s chest.

Thwack!

The sharp greatsword pierced the Giant Centipede’s chest. The Giant Centipede’s fangs were close enough to touch the Guardian Knight’s eyes.

Kiiik, shiiik—!

Still, it seemed to be alive, judging by its sluggish movements. However, even that movement didn’t last long. Soon, the guardian knight in the center approached and swung its greatsword towards the Giant Centipede’s head.

Thud.

The Giant Centipede’s severed head rolled down the cliff, and its headless body slumped powerlessly. The two guardian knights sheathed their swords and vanished like mist.

“See? If you underestimate totems, you’re screwed.”

Totems exerted their greatest power when fighting in a confined space.

“Ah, my PG is so drained.”

“It’s on cooldown for Relax, just wait a bit.”

I told them to wait, as I couldn’t do anything for them yet.

In the meantime, I picked up the centipede legs that had fallen on the ground. There were at least 20, and I could have picked up more. I decided to sell the rest, even manually detaching legs still attached to the bodies. It was disgusting, but I could overcome it thinking each leg was money.

“What about the items that dropped?”

“I only need the centipede legs.”

To Maxova’s question, I yielded all items other than the centipede legs. Taeryeojapja and Maxova were distributing the items amongst themselves through a trade.

“I’m leaving now! Thanks.”

But as I was about to leave, Maxova stopped me.

“If you can’t use Relax now, at least Link me.”

“I’m good. See you later then.”

Taeryeojapja said he was fine and disappeared using a return scroll. Even though all the monsters were defeated, I felt nervous being alone with her in such a gloomy place.

“Link…?”

“A kiss is fine, right? I used a lot of PG because of you earlier, summoning an extra Guardian Totem. That’s practically an ultimate skill.”

Since it was because of me, I wondered if I should do that much. But wouldn’t Shut Up be upset? Still, it’s just a game, and Jun wouldn’t be kissing only me…

As these thoughts crossed my mind, the thought of ‘it’s okay’ overtook the thought of ‘it’s not okay.’ And no one would know. On one hand, I wondered if kissing another Psychic would make my heart flutter like it did with Shut Up. I thought maybe it was because Jun was the only person I had kissed recently, which made me conscious of him.

“Okay. I’ll do it for you.”

Maxova dispelled all the totems she had summoned and approached me. She then lightly sat on my thighs as I sat on a rock.

She immediately licked her lips with her tongue and slowly leaned in. Her slightly parted lips touched mine. They were soft and moist. The sensation on my lips was exactly the same as with Jun.

But…

For some reason, I felt a sense of rejection. The sensation was the same, yet it felt ticklish and unpleasant. I eventually pulled away, bit my lip, and lowered my head.

I guessed my compatibility with Maxova was quite low. I had a hunch, and indeed, her PG didn’t drop much for a kiss. It would have been better to just give her Relax.

“……I’ll just wait a little longer and then give you Relax.”

Saying that, I finally turned my head, but Maxova, who had wrapped her arms around my neck, turned my head back and said.

“You could have opened your mouth a little. It’s a shame to just kiss.”

“Well… I’m not really into tongue. And I don’t think our compatibility is very good, so how about we just hold hands and I’ll give you Relax? That would be better.”

“Let’s try putting our tongues in. They say the effect is better when saliva mixes. Hurry.”

I pursed my lips as a sign of refusal, but she grabbed my nose. This damn game even makes you hold your breath, so I had no choice but to open my mouth.

“Tongue is a bit…!”

“You look delicious, your mouth.”

Because she held me, I couldn’t turn my head and pursed my lips again, closing my eyes.

Smack!

But with a dull thud, the hand holding my nose fell away.

“What the!”

I snapped my eyes open at her sharp voice. The first thing I saw was blue electricity crackling. As I raised my gaze further, I saw Shut Up holding lightning in one hand.

Shut Up raised his hand as if to throw lightning at Maxova, and Maxova immediately summoned a [Predator Totem] near him. Long arms emerged from near the totem and ensnared Shut Up.

“A totem? They give you this as an ability?”

Shut Up threw the lightning in his hand onto the ground near the totem. The ground then collapsed, and the totem fell with it into the abyss. As a result, the space we had to stand on was halved.

However, Shut Up summoned another lightning bolt and raised his arm towards Maxova.

“Why are you threatening me! I’m linking because you owe me for hunting!”

“Just accept the kiss gratefully and leave, why are you sticking your tongue in? Did you want to put it in?”

“……Junie, since when were you watching? You’re embarrassing me.”

I hadn’t even realized he had logged in. Well, Partner Warp is possible, so he could come to my side anytime, from anywhere.

Kissing someone else while Jun was watching was embarrassing in its own way. It felt like getting caught by my mom while playing with fire.

Maxova, after resisting for a bit, pulled out a return scroll. Still, feeling a little sorry, I gave her Relax before she left. Even after receiving Relax, Maxova grumbled.

“How unlucky.”

But I also felt wronged. I had lowered her PG significantly and yielded the boss item. Although the kiss at the end was a bit much.

“……Hmm.”

After she disappeared, it became awkward being alone with Jun. When I asked him how long he had been watching, he didn’t answer, leaving me to wonder if he had seen it from the beginning.

A chilling wind blew between us, making the atmosphere even colder. Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, I changed the subject.

“Junie. Weren’t you supposed to meet someone today?”

“I met them.”

“You must have broken up quickly. You should be home.”

“No, I’m still with them.”

“Ah….”

Then, Jun looked around and urged me to go somewhere else, as monsters would likely respawn soon.

“I have to go out again. Hyung, you should stop and rest too. Why are you going through such hardship when I can carry you.”

“Games are like that. Going through hardship is also kind of fun.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Huh?”

“Did you enjoy kissing someone else?”

Honestly, I didn’t. But hearing Jun say he was with someone, I wanted to show off that I was having fun without him, so I lied. I thought I would look even more pathetic if I said it wasn’t good.

“……Of course, I enjoyed it.”

Jun’s expression didn’t change. As I raised my hand to use a return scroll, telling him to go, my wrist was grabbed and I was pulled closer.

“Mmph!”

He usually kissed my lips first and then put his tongue in, but out of nowhere, he thrust his tongue into my mouth and swirled it around. It was soft and moist, slithering across my palate and wrapping around my tongue multiple times before releasing. I let out an involuntary moan, and I heard Jun’s short laugh.

As Jun’s lips parted with a smack, I felt shy and bit my lips. I had just let out a moan that, even I thought, felt good.

“You like it when I put my tongue in like this, so why did you refuse earlier? You should have just opened your mouth.”

“……No. I don’t like this kind of thing.”

Even though I said I didn’t like it, the last one felt quite good. Hiding my bewilderment, I said I was leaving and hastily said goodbye before using a return scroll.

<>

As the screen changed, the gloomy castle scenery I had seen earlier unfolded before my eyes.

‘Sigh… What am I doing, really.’

Jun’s last face, with his eyes crinkled in a wide smile, flashed in my mind. It was a look that seemed to know everything inside me.

First, I stood before the NPC who gave me the quest to complete it. The NPC, leaning on a crutch, said the same thing as before, that eating boiled Giant Centipede legs would improve his condition, and asked if I had them.

After handing over the Giant Centipede legs and receiving my reward, my body flashed. I had finally reached level 48. But what good was that? The dream of server transfer was long gone. Looking at the Partner window at the top of the screen, the connection had indeed been severed.

I went back to the town’s auction house, listed the remaining Giant Centipede legs, and then logged out.

<>

I took off my helmet and slumped onto the sofa. After playing the game intensely, returning to ordinary life strangely brought a sense of emptiness.

Staring blankly at the second hand of the wall clock, the events from the game lingered in my mind even after returning to reality. I had naturally assumed kissing someone else would be good, but it wasn’t.

‘Is it because of the in-game compatibility?’

Yes, I concluded it was because it was in the game.

That way, my reason would overcome my emotions.

After returning to work on time for the first time in a while, I was sweeping the area in front of the office with a refreshed mind.

However, Hye-seon-ssi, who usually opened her adjacent clothing store around the same time, hadn’t arrived yet. I thought about saying something if I met him, but my resolve weakened multiple times. Deciding to think about it after seeing his face, I swept all the way to the front of the hardware store.

“You’re on time today?”

The Hardware Store Owner appeared, carrying something again. He said he had left an air purifier at a regular shop to be repaired on his way to work.

“That’s a Chinese product, can it be repaired?”

“Once you open it, they’re all the same. Think of it as a fan with a filter inside, that’s all.”

Come to think of it, air purifiers were essential these days due to the severe fine dust. Unlike my hometown, the air quality in Seoul was generally quite poor.

‘Is that why Jun sprays phytoncides in his car?’

After cleaning the front of the office, I came inside and searched about air purifiers. I was thinking of buying a similar one for the office or my home.

While clicking on an article about fine dust, I saw an advertisement banner next to the news article. It was about erectile dysfunction, and I considered recommending it to Jun, but suddenly I became curious about the Aneros I bought from Rovan.

“Where did I put that?”

I remembered Bin getting angry when he saw it, so I searched to see if it was bad, and sure enough, it required a 19+ authentication. I authenticated with my phone and logged in.

Clicking on the shopping tab, I saw only strange-looking devices. No matter how I looked, the Aneros didn’t seem like a male masturbation device.

“What, did I search for the wrong thing?”

I searched online articles, wondering if I had the wrong name, and a sense of unease began to creep in. The thought that I might not have searched incorrectly made my neck grow redder.

“It says to stimulate the prostate… Uh… Is this something you insert from behind?”

My guess was correct. The Aneros was a male masturbation device inserted anally. Then, Bin’s embarrassment in the middle made sense. Would a normal man use something like this? Ah, if it weren’t for Bin, I might not have known how Rovan had tricked me.

As Jun said, Rovan was a dangerous person. This Aneros thing, it was lucky Bin found out, otherwise Jun might have thrown a tantrum again. Or perhaps…

“He might have stepped in to show me himself.”

I shivered and erased that thought from my mind. Then, on the changed internet screen, there was also an advertisement about erectile dysfunction. Thinking of Jun again, I clicked on it. Knowing the enemy and knowing myself leads to victory; to help him overcome his Impotence, I needed to understand the cause of erectile dysfunction.

The search results indicated ‘Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction,’ suggesting Jun’s was caused by psychological influences. It stated that this type of erectile dysfunction was common in physically healthy individuals in their 20s and 30s.

‘Psychological… It must be due to some past event?’

I felt sorry, wondering what kind of experience could have caused such an illness.

After staring at the monitor for a long time, I got up from my desk and stretched. I could see office workers walking busily outside the office.

And Jun’s car, parked like a stake, was also there. I slightly opened the office door and looked up at the 7th floor opposite.

‘Is he home?’

“When I met someone briefly in the game yesterday, I said I was with him. So, it was presumed I was with that person now.

As I was closing the door to go in, I saw a man with yellow hair coming out of that building. He was wearing a mask, just like last time, but I knew who it was. I quickly closed the door and came inside.

As expected, the person Jun was with was definitely that man. Jun followed the yellow-haired man out with a slight delay. They walked as if it were natural towards the car parked in front of the office. Then, after putting the yellow-haired man in the passenger seat where I had been, Jun started to go to the driver’s seat but came into the office.

I turned my back, pretending to make coffee, as if I hadn’t seen them, and then turned my head at the sound of him entering.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“I won’t be reachable today either. Instead, I’ll give you a ride later.”

“Why are you explaining so much? Just go about your business comfortably. You don’t have to give me a ride.”

Jun looked at me with displeasure as I waved my hand and cut him off.

‘What are you going to do if you look at me like that?’

He gets to enjoy himself and do whatever he wants, but what’s the point of just saying things? Yesterday, he suddenly logged into the game and interfered.

As I grumbled to myself, Jun came close beside me. He came so close that he blocked out the morning sun and looked straight down at me.

“Don’t you have anything you want to ask me… or say?”

“Uh… No, I don’t.”

I answered indifferently, stirring my coffee with a spoon. I was beating around the bush, just like the stirring spoon.

I wanted to ask who that guy was, if he was with him yesterday, and where else they were going, but it felt like a blow to my pride to ask.

Yesterday, seeing how quickly he became friendly with Rovan, Jun seemed to have good social skills. I knew it wasn’t difficult for him to make a friend or two like that.

I had no intention of taking away his joy in life. It was just a little bittersweet to think if I was also being treated like that. I just needed to perform one role well in Jun’s life.

Jun’s house was too big to be alone in, and it lacked warmth. Thinking of that empty house, I felt even more unable to do so. If there was nothing I could do anyway, there was no need to interfere further.

It was just that last night, Jun had dramatically rescued me, and my heart had been very excited. It was the spark that led me to hold him in such great significance within me, as if I had been saved.

But now that I had found my place, I could realize my position. Expecting or demanding more than necessary from Jun was excessive and presumptuous. I had to try not to cross the line.

Like feeding a stray cat.

I decided to think only up to that line.

“Have a good day. Drive safely.”

I tried to offer a blessing and smiled, but Jun’s expression became even more rigid. I didn’t need to stir the coffee anymore, but I couldn’t stop with Jun standing there. If I didn’t do this, I might become conscious of the yellow-haired man sitting in the passenger seat.

When I raised my gaze, I saw Jun’s red lips. The lips that had performed fellatio. And the lips that had shared a kiss. I tried hard to hide my surprise and turned back to my desk. Jun was still standing there, watching me.

“Let’s go quickly!”

Finally, the yellow-haired man came into the office and pulled Jun along. Only then did Jun tear his gaze away from me and walk to the driver’s seat. I couldn’t see them leave because of the monitor, but judging by the louder exhaust sound than usual, he seemed angry.

“I’m the one who should be annoyed. Why is he making a fuss?”

I also seemed to need appropriate human relationships, just like Jun. I had to do that to maintain balance.

I took a sip of instant coffee to soothe my stomach. My stomach was upset because I hadn’t eaten breakfast, but it was calming down a bit. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the chair.

♪♬♩―.

How long had I kept my eyes closed? Hanwoo called me on my phone. He seemed busy with work lately, as he said it was hard to log into the game.

[Ah… My rank has dropped. Oh, right. Shut Up’s rank has dropped too?]

“Ah, really?”

[Yeah. It was around 5th place originally, but now it’s 8th. I saw it while checking my rank.]

Koreans have the blood of warriors flowing through them. Are we a race born with combat power? If Shut Up is 8th, how strong are the people above him? Did they just breathe and play the game?

Come to think of it, Shut Up has been playing the game less often lately while spending time with me.

“Hanwoo. My banner has been taken down.”

[I saw. Wow, isn’t Rank 1 cool?]

“What’s his element?”

[As far as I know, it’s a holy skill. It nullifies skills and then beats them with a mace.]

“Just hearing it sounds painful. A mace.”

[But that’s the level ranking, not the PK ranking.]

So, a conversation ensued about how the ranking itself was meaningless. Still, the difference in power due to levels meant it wasn’t entirely separate. There were even rumors that the top 10 in the rankings were all more or less the same.

[Yudu, are you free today? My hubae is looking for a place to rent nearby. Let’s grab dinner together.]

“You can just have them come to the office, why dinner?”

[You clueless guy. Do you think I’d ask for no reason? Anyway, close up at 6 PM today. Got it?]

Just then, a customer entered the office, so I said okay and hung up.

After dealing with a customer or two, it was almost lunchtime. I finished up a contract and got up from my seat. I was about to eat quickly to avoid the lunchtime rush of office workers when Bin entered the office.

“Duseon-ssi, where are you going?”

“Ah… I’m going to get lunch.”

Even though we had agreed to speak casually, it still felt awkward.

He wasn’t wearing the t-shirt I saw him in when he took me to the hospital. He was dressed as usual, like a mannequin in a department store, and the scent of his perfume was strong.

“Let’s eat together. Something easy to digest.”

At that moment, perhaps still bothered by my stomach ache that led me to the hospital, Bin naturally led me to a porridge restaurant. The porridge place was quiet. We went to a relatively secluded table and sat down. As we chose our menu and sat quietly, Bin spoke first.

“Jun has been seen with that yellow-haired guy lately, who is he?”

“I’ve never seen him before, so I don’t know.”

I really didn’t know. If Bin was pointing him out specifically, he must have seen him more than once. I wished the conversation would end there with us both saying we didn’t know, but Bin didn’t seem to have that intention.

“I sometimes see him when I go home after working late at night. Are you perhaps living together?”

It was good that I was eating porridge. For some reason, this conversation made me lose my appetite. My hunger completely vanished, and I felt like anything I ate would be hard to digest.

I forced the corners of my lips up into a smile.

“Maybe. The 7th floor is spacious, isn’t it?”

“Have you been inside?”

“Yes. But can’t you tell without going in? You run a studio on the 6th floor, so you’d know better, right?”

In the meantime, the porridge arrived. Bin, who had ordered a different menu, scooped some porridge into my bowl. I was about to offer him some, but Bin said it was fine.

“Is it difficult for you to answer my question?”

“No. What is.”

As I took a spoonful of porridge, blowing on it, Bin stirred his own porridge and watched me. Then, when his stirring slowed down, Bin spoke to me again, sharp as a needle.

“I thought Jun was closest to Duseon-ssi.”

“…What? No. We just know each other because of building management.”

The porridge in my mouth felt rough and lingered. I quickly swallowed some lukewarm water to get it down and gave a vague answer. It was too ambiguous a relationship between Jun and me to explain in more detail.

“Well, I had a general idea.”

“Then why did you ask? Bin-ssi, you’re interested in Jjuni. I suppose that was the case from our first meeting too.”

“No, I’m interested in Duseon-ssi.”

As I took a spoonful of the porridge Bin had given me, I froze at his words.

Interested in me? It sounded like a joke. So, I chuckled and tried to change the subject, saying, “Haha, why would you be interested in me? I don’t have anything worthy of interest.”

“By the way, is the construction going on steadily? I’ve seen construction workers coming and going sometimes.”

“There’s a space that changes depending on the theme. Come visit sometime. There’s a space I’d like to show you. Won’t you give me a chance to impress you?”

‘Ah… I really hate these awkward situations.’

Namgung Bin was a remarkably handsome and well-put-together person. And here, I could confirm one thing.

I wasn’t gay.

When Jun showed me affection or I felt special emotions towards him, I thought I might be gay. I broke up quickly with every girlfriend I dated, and I wondered if I was only realizing my sexual identity at 28. But hearing what Bin was saying now, I was sure.

I wasn’t interested in men. After all, I hadn’t felt any special emotions even when I Linked with Rovan through a kiss.

So, I realized that Jun was the only person I had special feelings for. The moment I recognized this, cold sweat broke out all over my body.

“Duseon-ssi, are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah, no. Maybe the porridge is a bit hot?”

That, in itself, was a hardship. To have special feelings for someone 5 years younger, who had another man by his side, and who had given me a strange role division!

“Ah… no.”

“What?”

Bin heard my muttering, observed my condition closely, and reached out to touch my forehead. As his hand touched me, I turned my head slightly. Bin withdrew his hand and lowered his gaze.

“You don’t have a fever, but you’re sweating a bit. Was what I said very uncomfortable?”

“Actually, a little…”

Bin seemed to be thinking, saying “Hmm…”, and then, instead of wiping my forehead with a napkin, he handed it to me. He probably knew I would turn my head to avoid it and handed it to me anyway.

Bin didn’t ask any more questions. He just asked if he should pour more water or give me more side dishes, which was unusual.

When we finished eating, Bin headed for the cashier. When I tried to stop him, he insisted, asking if I wouldn’t even let him pay, and paid for the meal.

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee at the office?”

Hearing that, and having been treated to a meal, I felt bad just letting him go, so I invited him to the office. As Bin entered the office, his perfume was indeed stronger than the diffuser scent.

“I only have instant coffee, is that okay?”

“Yes.”

I placed the coffee on the table and sat opposite Bin. Even though he had said something uncomfortable earlier, I couldn’t just push him away because I felt more grateful. It was a time for a polite refusal.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to think of you in that way, Bin-ssi. I want to treat you normally. I’m not gay.”

“So you’re straight? Hmm… But that’s surprising. You’re only lenient with Jun.”

“…There’s a reason for that.”

“If you’re talking about the contract, I know about that too. And that Duseon-ssi is the master.”

The hand holding the cup trembled slightly.

Bin continued to explain. He said that a Master-Servant Relationship, in a way, fosters a stronger bond than dating. Even if it’s a relationship that can start without emotion, it’s one that can’t be maintained without interest. And it’s common for feelings to deepen over time.

“I’m worried about Duseon-ssi. Jun has a real master.”

“How do you know that, Bin-ssi…”

“Well, I found out by chance. Jun’s real master is older than Duseon-ssi and has a similar build. Come to think of it, the two of you have a similar vibe. Modest.”

I wondered if the person Bin was talking about, the ‘real master,’ was the ‘Hyung’ that Siren had disguised herself as back then. The description Bin gave matched what I felt when I saw ‘Hyung’ to some extent. His build was similar to mine, and I had felt his modest vibe was ordinary.

And then, I could infer that Jun’s current psychogenic erectile dysfunction might be related to that ‘Hyung.’

If the person who shocked Jun enough to become an Impo was his real master, then perhaps the reason his condition isn’t healing is that he still holds that ‘Hyung’ in his heart? Even though it just had the word ‘real’ attached to it, he seemed like someone completely opposite to me, or someone far above me. Was I just a ‘fake’ master or an ‘interim’ master?

“I don’t care about the past. My goal is just to fulfill my role faithfully.”

My heart, which wanted to ask if I was serious, felt resentful.

But I couldn’t show it, so I covered up those doubts by drinking my coffee. Bin also seemed to be holding back words he wanted to ask. He had read my uncomfortable expression.

In a way, Bin had put a brake on me. Should I be grateful for this or not? Honestly, my feelings were complicated, and I paid no attention to Bin’s intentions. I just wanted to escape this awkward situation.

“Excuse me, I came to look at the office.”

Just then, a customer entered. Bin also stood up and buttoned his jacket.

“Well, take care. Oh, and. I don’t think you saved my contact info, so please do.”

Bin took out a business card and placed it on my desk before leaving the office. The scent that had emanated from him disappeared in an instant. It felt as if the atmosphere of the place had completely changed.

After he left, even while attending to the customer, Bin’s words kept replaying in my mind.

“Jun has a real master.”

‘…Real master.’

Bin had clearly come to remind me of my place. And I knew that it was a distance that would separate Jun and me.

Those words felt like a spell, binding me.

As it neared 6 PM, I cleared my head of complex thoughts. At least the fact that Jun’s car wasn’t in front of my office was a great help.

Around that time, Hanwoo’s appointment suddenly became welcome. It seemed better to meet someone and change my mood than to go straight home.

Before leaving the office, I left a message for Jun.

[I have plans tonight, so you don’t need to give me a ride.]

I expected a delayed reply since I was outside, but I got an immediate response.

[Then contact me after you meet. I’ll come pick you up.]

‘He’s busy with his own work, yet… He doesn’t have to.’

As I pondered while looking at my phone, Bin was watching me from the entrance of the building across the street. I closed the office door, gave a slight wave, and was about to walk past when he approached me.

“You’re closing early today.”

“I have plans. See you.”

I managed a relaxed smile in front of Bin, but my expression hardened as soon as I turned away. Moreover, I hated showing such a look.

Just then, Bin grabbed my arm and stopped me. Then he said something unexpected.

“I’m sorry.”

I don’t know why that apology made my heart sink.

Bin hadn’t done anything directly wrong to me. If he were to apologize… it was only that he had revealed too many facts. It was bothersome, as if he had seen through my feelings when I said I was okay.

‘If you apologize like this, it makes me feel like I’m hurt.’

Complex emotions welled up and turned into anger. I turned around and faced him.

“Bin-ssi. From now on, don’t say anything about Jun. And don’t presume to know what I’m thinking.”

Even as I threw out barbed words, Bin’s gentle expression didn’t waver. Perhaps it was the streetlights that made it appear even clearer. He quietly replied, “Okay.” Thinking that was enough, I lightly flicked my arm to remove his hand.

Just then, Jun’s car arrived in front of the office and was parking. Naturally, he got out with the yellow-haired man. I turned my back and walked away before I could make eye contact with Jun. I was supposed to keep walking straight ahead, but I immediately turned into the alley ahead, fearing he might see my back.

After walking a bit, my phone rang.

It was Jun’s call.

“Hello.”

[I’m home. You’ve already closed up.]

“Yes.”

[Contact me later.]

When I didn’t reply, Jun added that I should contact him, even if it was late. I listened quietly, then replied with a casual “Okay” and hung up.

Then, as I thought about it, this wasn’t Jun’s problem, but mine. He was acting as usual, and only I had changed.

“Duseon-ah, over here!”

When the time came, I arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place. Hanwoo came with a junior female colleague, and we sat around a round table to eat dakgalbi.

His junior colleague spoke in a quiet tone, and I thought it would be hard to get along with her, but after a drink or two, she started talking to me comfortably, as if we were old colleagues. Her name was Seung-ju.

“Exactly. The rent these days is insane. After paying rent with my salary, I don’t even have money to buy meat.”

“Still, getting paid is the best. I don’t even have anyone to eat meat with.”

Hanwoo listened to my and Seung-ju’s conversation and said, “Drink,” pouring more drinks for each of us.

“It’s really hard to make a living.”

Hanwoo and I nodded, saying, “Right, right,” to her words.

When a few empty liquor bottles started to pile up, after we finished eating dakgalbi, we decided to stir-fry rice. After just rambling on about our misfortunes, when the restaurant staff came to stir-fry the rice, we fell silent as if by agreement.

Even though the conversation was meaningless, it was enjoyable just being together. My gloomy thoughts from the afternoon improved a lot. I comforted myself, thinking that life is just about living with what feels good, so why think so seriously about this futile world?

“Then, I’ll come by tomorrow or the day after.”

“Come whenever you’re comfortable.”

Because Hanwoo was going on a long business trip tomorrow, we sadly parted ways after the first round. Hanwoo said he’d see us later and went to catch his bus, Seung-ju-ssi walked towards the subway station. And I stood there for a moment before heading back to the office.

[I’ve parted ways with my friends now]

On my way, I sent a message to Jun. I figured if I didn’t get a reply, I could just go catch my bus. Thinking about it, whether he was real or fake, it was better to have Jun by my side than not. After all, I had actually received help from him.

‘No matter what, it’s a relationship that will end soon, so what’s the point of it being real or fake?’

The night air had grown a bit chilly, and as I took a deep breath in and out, I felt a sense of relief. The alcohol was starting to wear off.

‘Huh?’

It was when I was about to turn back to catch my bus because there was no reply to my message.

Someone was standing in front of the real estate office, peering inside. They were wearing dark clothes, but it was definitely a man. Suddenly, the remaining alcohol cleared from my system, and one person popped into my head.

‘……Panties Pervert.’

The person who had been tormenting me from my hometown all the way here was standing there. The moment I decided to sprint and catch him, he sensed me and fled into a nearby alley. My heart pounded because I couldn’t pick up speed in my heels.

“Hey! Stop!”

At my shout, he glanced back slightly.

But if you stop just because someone tells you to, are you still a runaway? He seemed to know the area well, darting through the alleys with ease. Fortunately, he only ran through deserted paths, so I wasn’t confused. If he had blended in with similar-looking people in his dark clothes, it would have been hard to distinguish him.

“Haa, haa……”

I was out of breath and exhausted, but I couldn’t stop, thinking I’d never catch him again if I let him go now.

‘Where did he go?’

I came out of the alley and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have hidden nearby, not gone far.

“Hoo……”

I slowly caught my breath and scanned my surroundings. It was quiet, with no footsteps. Only the faint sound of laughter from a TV somewhere drifted out.

Just as I was about to turn in a different direction, thinking he might be elsewhere, the sensor light in the parking lot, which had been off, suddenly flickered on. No one had come out of there, nor had any vehicles entered, just moments before. That meant…….

I casually walked towards it, pretending to pass by. Then, I crouched down to the side and hid. I waited for him to come out, thinking I had left.

About five minutes passed like that. I heard the sound of sneakers scraping the ground. As it got closer and he was about to exit the parking lot, I grabbed his waist and rolled to the side with him.

“Ah! Let go!”

“You pervert! It’s you, right? Huh!”

I looked down at him, still wearing his mask, as I pinned him down.

But his eyes looked familiar. Like I had seen them somewhere before……. As he struggled fiercely, I pulled off his mask, and he immediately quieted down.

“Huh? You’re……”

He was the department store manager. I couldn’t understand why he was lurking around my office or why he ran away when he saw me. He had no relation to me.

“……If you know, then get off me. I didn’t do anything.”

Well, he hadn’t illegally broken into my office; he had simply looked inside from the outside. But why was he there? For what reason?

“Why did you come to my office? I already returned the watch to you.”

“Because you were there.”

“What?”

“Because your office was where the watch was! I thought this was Jun’s place! I saw his car out front too!”

“No way……. You put a tracking device on the watch……. Wow……, crazy.”

He was a stalker, but he wasn’t my stalker; he was Jun’s stalker. I never imagined there would be a tracking device inside that small watch. I thought that was only in spy movies…….

I moved aside so he could stand up. As soon as he got up, he brushed off his clothes, looked at me, and sighed. Then he grumbled that he had installed it in a box, not the watch, and that the watch was expensive, so why would I touch it.

“Then why did you run away? I’m chasing some guy these days too……”

“I only came today, just once. But I didn’t expect to get caught like this.”

Still, how could he be so brazen after tracking someone with such an illegal device? I crossed my arms again and warned him.

“Tracking someone’s location is illegal. Jun would be very disappointed if he found out about this.”

The mention of telling Jun made him flinch. Just then, my back pocket vibrated; it was Jun. It felt wrong to answer his call at this timing.

“Sob, sob……”

So, as I pressed reject, I heard crying. I looked up to see him weeping sorrowfully. What did I even do to him……?

“Please, just listen to me. I……, sob, hic……”

He grabbed the hem of my clothes and started sobbing uncontrollably. He was saying that Jun, that bastard, and that he was wronged, but it felt like there was a slight overlap with the emotions I felt today, so I couldn’t ignore him.

I could understand, just a tiny bit, how desperate he must have been to act like that, but I firmly stated that such actions were wrong. He then nodded obediently, and I felt a pang of pity.

However, him clinging to me and crying drew the attention of people around us. As a couple walked by, I heard one of them say, “Oh my, I think she broke up with him.” Realizing I couldn’t stay there, I grabbed his sobbing shoulders.

“Stop crying, shall we move somewhere else for a bit?”

And so, this is how I ended up having a second round of drinks with him.

I never thought I’d be at a bar for a second round with a stranger. We sat facing each other at a relatively quiet terrace table, and I zipped up my jacket. Then, while sipping warm udon broth, I listened to his story carefully. Honestly, hearing about a man connected to Jun wasn’t pleasant.

One bottle of soju disappeared in an instant. Since the first glass was still full when we clinked glasses, it was no exaggeration to say the manager drank almost the entire bottle himself.

And he repeated himself, again and again.

“I confessed to Jun five times……. Did I tell you I got rejected every time?”

He was saying that exact sentence for the third time now.

He was rejected five times, so maybe he planned to say it five times. Just then, Jun’s name lit up on my phone, which I had placed beside me. I quickly turned the screen away, rejected the call, and listened to the manager’s story, nodding along. And I made sure to say this. This was also the third time.

“No matter how much you like someone, if you stalk them, they’ll lose any affection they had.”

“……I don’t even have any affection to lose, so it’s fine. He’s a cold-blooded person.”

“Anyway, if you have good feelings for someone, don’t do it like this. It’s counterproductive.”

“Yes……. I should. I guess I have to give up now. But……, do you know?”

“Know what?”

“How I met Jun……”

Then he brought up the story of his confession and rejection for the fourth time.

I had memorized it by now. The first time he saw Jun at the store, he found him so much his type that he suggested they spend a night together. But Jun said it wouldn’t work because he was an Impo and dared him, saying he’d date him if he could get hard. He said he fell for that challenge once more. And that night, despite trying multiple times, he remained flaccid, and Jun left the hotel room without a second thought.

Then, the manager, who was looking forward to the next time, actively approached Jun whenever he visited the store and asked him to date, but he was rejected without fail. So, he tried to live just by watching, but one day, Jun stopped coming in person and started sending someone to pick up items…….

“Still……. the kiss I had with Jun was really……, so good it felt like I was melting. And his was really big and handsome……. If he had gotten hard, it would have been amazing……”

He was reminiscing, mixing sweet and bitter memories. As he returned to the point of his story and became dejected, I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘I am his owner now.’

The udon noodles had long been overcooked, and the side dishes were dried out. As three bottles of soju piled up on the table, I told him we should leave and helped him up. It was already 11 o’clock. If we left now, I could still catch a bus and get home safely.

I forced him into a taxi, and thankfully, he mumbled his home address and slumped in the back seat. Sighing, I went to close the rear door, but he suddenly sat up and grabbed my arm.

“Wait a minute!”

“Why? Are you feeling sick?”

“Excuse me. Did I……, tell you how I met our Jun?”

“……Driver, start.”

I had a feeling he wasn’t rejected simply because he couldn’t get hard. If a partner had such a tendency, anyone would find it unbearable.

After seeing him off, I got on the bus. I immediately fell asleep once I sat down, but thankfully, I woke up just in time at the stop before the last one and managed to get off, swaying.

Drinking, sprinting, and then hearing the same story more than five times had drained my physical and mental strength. My phone in my back pocket was silent now.

‘……I’ll tell him when I see him tomorrow.’

As soon as I got home, I fell asleep.

On my way to work the next morning, I ran into the candy vendor at a fast-food restaurant. His expression was lifeless, filled with the resentment of his life.

‘This game is so harmful.’

As I was leaving with my coffee, he greeted me. Knowing what had happened, it was hard to greet him cheerfully. I just said, “Take care,” and turned to leave, but he approached me.

“If you happen to meet the building owner of the place across the street, please tell him I can’t help with the game anymore.”

“Okay, I will.”

I bowed slightly and walked away. Even though he had scammed me, I felt a little pity. But it was a done deal, and I felt I had received adequate compensation.

Arriving at the office, I was enjoying a leisurely morning, dipping cookies I bought at the mart into my coffee.

“Ah……. As expected, the morning has to start with coffee.”

The candy vendor was walking past my office again. He was usually lively and attracted customers, but seeing his slumped shoulders, I felt a tiny bit of sympathy.

“Ah, right.”

I wondered if I should tell Jun about what happened yesterday, so I called him. I called the real estate office number, but he didn’t answer. So, I called his mobile, but he still didn’t answer.

‘Where could he be?’

But……. his car was parked in front of the office. So, I figured he was still sleeping and left it at that. I decided I’d tell him if he contacted me to have lunch, and I went back to my work. However, even after lunchtime had long passed, Jun didn’t contact me.

‘Is he still sleeping?’

Reluctantly, I ate lunch alone, and around 1 PM.

“Did you get home safely yesterday?”

“You came at the right time.”

Seung-ju-ssi visited the office. He said he was only out for a short break during lunch, so he had to see the room quickly and leave.

Since I knew the vacant officetel’s password that Jun owned, I guided him there. He liked the new building from the entrance. The inside was like no one had ever lived there, with all the options brand new.

“I like it here.”

“The rent is a bit more expensive than where you live now, right?”

“Yes. But this is great. It has parking facilities too. I’ll take this. Can I put down a provisional deposit?”

“Yes.”

I told him to manage it himself, but I still had to inform Jun. I told him I’d give him the final confirmation later and sent him away, asking him to come when he had time to sign the contract.

Returning to the office, I called Jun, thinking he must be awake by now. But even after ringing for a long time, he didn’t answer.

“……No, why isn’t he answering?”

It was frustrating, wondering if something had really happened. Still, I decided to wait a bit longer and didn’t call again.

After the afternoon customers had come and gone, I felt sleepy and stood up to make some coffee. Just then, I saw Jun coming out of the building. Happy, I started to go out, but Jun drove away without even looking this way.

“Huh……. What the.”

What’s more, he was alone today. That meant he didn’t have any urgent business, so why was he acting so indifferent? I scratched my head and just watched Jun’s car drive away.

‘Seriously, if he has the mental capacity to leave like that, shouldn’t he at least check his missed calls and say something? What kind of manners is that? After all the trouble I went through yesterday because of him.’

I remembered what the manager had said about Jun yesterday. He said he was like a cold-blooded person.

Jun’s car didn’t return until that evening. As I was closing the office door, I hesitated before pressing the call button again.

Even after work and returning home, Jun never contacted me. I decided to let it go and logged into the game by myself. I was curious if the item I had put up for auction had sold.

<>

<>

The NPC who had received the Giant Centipede’s leg yesterday was still begging for legs. What was the next quest? As I was looking, I received a whisper.

It was Sunshine Angel.

[Sunshine Angel : Dajeong-nim! Hello]

[Kind Touch : Angel-nim hi]

[Sunshine Angel : What are you doing??]

[Kind Touch : Just doing quests]

When he asked what I was doing, I replied, and he invited me to play the game together. He said he was with his Partner now, so we could play together. I was actually curious how amazing it would be to be with the number 1 ranked player.

[Kind Touch : I’m in Rakvere Castle right now]

After I told him where I was, Sunshine Angel and his Partner, Demeter, appeared. Demeter was in the form of a Crusader, wielding a colossal mace and shield. It looked like one hit from that would erase the shape of one’s face.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, please take care of me.”

Demeter just greeted us and headed towards the blacksmith, saying he was going to change his equipment, swinging his mace. Above him and Sunshine Angel was the guild name [Onsaemiro].

“Your Partner is really cool.”

I complimented Sunshine Angel, but he replied indifferently.

“It’s my sister.”

“Ah, she’s older than you.”

“No……. My biological sister.”

I didn’t know what to say.

So, I quietly asked how they Link when they are siblings, and he said they just hold hands.

I’m an only child, so I don’t know, but I once asked a friend who had a sister if having one was good. That friend adamantly stated that if our family dog and his sister fell into a river and were struggling, he would save the dog without a second thought.

At that moment, I vaguely understood what a sister was. But, being Partners as siblings. I don’t know how I looked at him, but Sunshine Angel asked if I was pitying him too much.

“Ah, do you happen to know any Psychics? It would be good to catch a boss together.”

“Hmm. Just a moment.”

I checked the guild chat, but no one was online. Then, I saw Moment on my friend list. I didn’t know if it would work, but as soon as I messaged him, I got an immediate reply.

“They’re coming.”

“Who?”

“Moment.”

Sunshine Angel seemed slightly disappointed, perhaps hoping Shut Up would come.

After telling him I needed to repair my armor, I went to the equipment shop, and there was Maxova, whom I had seen yesterday. She was glaring at me openly.

“A Guide who can’t even Link properly, you have no conscience.”

I was the only Guide near the equipment shop. So, she was definitely talking to me. Other Psychics nearby also glanced over at Maxova’s words. I ignored her and brought up the menu in the air, moving items to the repair list. When I didn’t react, she got annoyed and kept picking a fight.

“Why are you hanging around doing quests when you could just get carried? Are you showing off that you have a Partner? You parasite.”

But as I listened, I got increasingly angry. I roughly repaired my armor, closed the menu that appeared on the screen, and stood in front of her, who was still babbling.

“Even after using Relax, you just wanted to hold hands, but you forced a kiss.”

Maxova, who had been grumbling while sitting on a nearby wooden barrel, jumped up.

“What? You’re the one who got a free ride and you’re talking so much. You can’t do anything.”

“So, didn’t I lower the gauge for you yesterday? I just said I didn’t want to kiss, and you’re still whining.”

“Ah, you bastard……”

There, having heard up to that point, Maxova, enraged, set up a decoy totem near the guards to distract them, then set up a guardian totem beside me. Her intention was to kill me.

As I stepped back, a guardian knight suddenly appeared and swung a sword at me. I dodged it by a hair’s breadth, but hands reached out from under the ground and grabbed my ankles. She had also set up a predator totem, blocking my escape route.

“Ah! Fine. Kill me, kill me!”

“There’s nothing we can’t do.”

Fwip—. A sound was heard, and the guardian knight stood behind me. A sharp sword grazed my neck and settled there. As I was about to close my eyes, thinking my head would soon be severed, something engulfed in flames flew in and pierced her neck.

It happened so quickly that before I could even register what had passed, Maxova’s head fell to the ground with a thud. At that moment, the totem she had summoned crumbled like sand.

“Oh dear. Why are you fighting?”

Moment was standing on the rampart, looking down at me. It was the Fire Ring he held that had severed her neck. Fortunately, thanks to her decoy totem, Moment didn’t seem to be recognized as a Kao character, so no guards attacked him.

“Are you okay?”

He came down from the rampart and asked. My HP had decreased slightly, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.

Flames blazed around Moment’s body, and the users who had witnessed the scene just now slowly moved away to other areas. Amidst the retreating crowd, Demeter walked out and reached out her hand.

“[Clear Wind].”

As she cast the spell, a strong wind shot from her hand and enveloped Moment’s entire body. The flames surrounding him were instantly extinguished, and even the embers in the Fire Ring disappeared.

“That was refreshing.”

“Behave yourself in town. There are many low-level players.”

“You called yourself a Crusader, and your heart is as pure as one.”

Moment didn’t even snort at her words; she approached me. Then, she lightly touched me and infused me with energy.

As a result, my depleted life bar filled up. I was impressed, wondering if I could self-heal, but she informed me that she was using her own MP to replenish my HP and that self-healing wasn’t possible.

“If you’ve got all your gear, shall we go hunt?”

“Hunt what?”

Moment asked indifferently, crossing his arms. Demeter casually suggested we go hunt [Plauros]. I was the only one who tilted my head, wondering, ‘What’s that?’ Sunshine Angel patted me on the shoulder, reassuring me that it wasn’t a high-level boss and that as long as we buffed well, it would be fine.

“It’s a boss with a leopard’s face, and though it’s a bit fierce, it’ll be okay with Noona and Moment-nim here.”

“A leopard?”

My heart pounded. To see an animal I had only met through underwear in person. Or perhaps not? Even if it was just a leopard’s face, I was looking forward to it.

<>

After forming a party, we warped.

Wild vines spread everywhere, resembling a temple in Southeast Asia. It gave off a vibe like some Cambodian ruin. Seeing the large vines reminded me of the time I tripped and fell on a Sunday.

‘Back then, Jun held my hand so kindly…….’

“Dajeong!”

Moment’s call broke my reverie, and I turned around to find a giant anaconda right in front of me. It raised its head menacingly towards me, its body coiled around a tree branch.

My worry about what to do was instantly resolved. Demeter grabbed the anaconda’s head, pulled it down, and twisted it. All that could be heard was a faint “Squawk.” To pull down such a giant with one hand… her strength was immense. And Moment, who had been holding fire beside me, quietly extinguished it.

“Relying on fire for something like this. Tsk tsk.”

“Just strong and brute force.”

For some reason, Moment and Demeter were subtly competing with each other. As we walked a bit further, we reached a flat area where the boss was likely to appear. The surrounding trees had been cleared, and there were small tree stumps and stone towers where one could sit.

And there were many people around. I assumed they had gathered to hunt the boss, but in one corner, a person clad in rags was holding a sign and protesting alone. I read the text on the sign.

“No PK.”

The user who wrote that message was [RootHug]. He stood like a statue, his rags covering almost his entire face. A solo protest like this in a game seemed novel.

“Isn’t he crazy?”

“Protesting PK in a PK game?”

“That’s like a red beanless bungeoppang.”

“These days, bungeoppang with choux cream is the trend.”

“It’s just a saying.”

Despite the open mockery from several people, RootHug remained silent. I also didn’t quite understand protesting in such a violent game, but the world is wide and there are many crazy people…

And Moment, who was here, was no less peculiar. As soon as he saw RootHug, he approached him. He shook his hand warmly and they asked about each other’s recent activities.

“Birds of a feather flock together, that saying is true.”

Demeter seemed to have heard my quiet whisper and smiled slightly. Then, she patted my back firmly and said she really liked me.

“Thank you.”

“Then, let’s go in right away.”

As the four of us stood before the boss portal, many people stared. Of course, most of the gazes were directed at Moment and Demeter, not me.

Stepping onto the portal, the screen transitioned, and the entrance to a stone temple appeared.

<>

The temple entrance was pitch black, giving off a strange feeling. As I took a step inside, I heard a low beastly growl. As if it knew we had arrived.

It was too dark, so I cast Light Sunset. This secured visibility for a few meters around us, allowing us to walk comfortably. And in every corner, we saw the eyes of beasts glaring at us. However, they didn’t rush us.

“That’s strange. No mobs are appearing.”

As I wondered aloud, Moment gestured with his chin towards Demeter, who was walking ahead.

“It’s because of her.”

The reason was that Demeter’s aura was preventing them from appearing. I understood immediately. I had felt it when she grabbed the anaconda barehanded earlier. If I were a monster, I wouldn’t want to appear either.

“We’re here.”

Thanks to that, we arrived at the boss’s appearance location with surprising ease.

Demeter, reaching out a hand towards me, made a long defensive wall rise from the ground. It wasn’t just the ground rising; long, sharp thorns were attached all around it. This defensive wall formed, encircling me and Sunshine Angel. And above us, thorny vines intertwined to cover the entire ceiling.

“It’s like a complete bunker.”

“……Honestly, I’ve never died while adventuring with Noona. No, I can’t die.”

After confirming the safety of the defensive wall, she firmly gripped her mace. Holy power enveloped her, and the tip of her mace glowed brilliantly.

First, I cast Relax on them. Its cooldown was long, so it was good to apply it in advance. Meanwhile, Sunshine Angel was casting the HP-boosting buff [Blood Up]. Sunshine Angel and I were both Guides, but our skills were slightly different. As soon as I learned Relax, Sunshine Angel could use healing-related buffs that were blocked for me.

Whoosh—. Boom—.

Unlike Demeter, who slowly approached, swinging her mace, Moment immediately wrapped himself in flames and charged forward. Then, what had been cloaked in darkness gradually revealed itself. Its massive body was humanoid, and its head was truly that of a leopard.

“Wow, cool!”

“……Dajeong-nim. Your taste is truly unique.”

After seeing only insects and reptiles, seeing a beast was enjoyable.

Above its head, it read [Plauros LV.70]. And as expected of a leopard, it was agile, unlike other bosses. Moment tried to ensnare Plauros with his Fire Ring, but it wasn’t easy. Being quadrupedal, its jumping ability was immense, and it could even cling to pillars.

The temple, with its many pillars, was the perfect environment for Plauros. As it kept moving from pillar to pillar, evading the Fire Ring, Demeter, with a fierce gaze, observed its movements and swung her mace at a nearby pillar.

CRASH—!

As she swung, the small mace instantly grew to human height and destroyed the surroundings. The pillar hit by the mace snapped like a dried reed. I worried the ceiling might collapse, but it seemed to be purely decorative and remained intact.

After swinging the mace a few more times, all the pillars Plauros could use to evade were gone. To increase their hunting speed, I cast Rapid on them. Moment, holding his Fire Ring, pursued it more quickly. He blocked its escape path with the Fire Ring and formed a Lava Zone around where Plauros stood.

“Grrr……”

Plauros didn’t flinch even as it stepped onto the Lava Zone. It simply ignored its slightly burning paws and stood tall.

Then, it raised its hand and began chanting a spell. I watched its beastly eyes, mesmerized, thinking, ‘Truly the eyes of a predator,’ when I heard a voice shouting from somewhere, “Don’t look!”

‘Don’t look?’

Suddenly, it was as if the lights went out, and I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t hear anything. Buried in darkness, I could feel nothing.

‘What is it? Did the game disconnect?’

It didn’t seem like it, as my status bar was visible. However, my HP was steadily decreasing, and other functions were unresponsive. It seemed inevitable that I would die if time passed like this.

Slap—!

Suddenly, I was hit with an incredibly powerful slap. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt, but my head spun so much I thought my cheek might have caved in. If it were real, the force would have knocked out all my teeth.

“Snap out of it.”

I straightened my head, which had been turned, and felt my cheek to see if it was still attached. Meanwhile, a spectacular fire show was underway. Moment was skillfully dodging Plauros’s attacks, launching Fire Rings and Meteors with a time lag.

“Moment is buying time. If it casts a spell, absolutely do not look into its eyes.”

“If Noona hits me like that, my neck will break!”

“Ah, sorry.”

As my head snapped back, I stretched my neck left and right, listening to the siblings’ conversation.

Then, Demeter, who had gotten up again, charged towards Plauros. If the monster’s movement speed were slow, it could be ground down by Moment’s Desperado skill, but Plauros was agile, so that wasn’t possible. It seemed more effective to bind its movements with the Fire Ring.

“Catch it!”

As Moment began to herd it, Plauros ran in all directions on all fours, evading freely. Eventually, Moment split the Fire Ring into multiple parts and launched them to make its movements unpredictable.

Plauros, evading all of them, landed on the highest point it could reach. It gave the illusion of a leopard in the jungle looking down at us.

“……This won’t do.”

Demeter muttered with annoyance and gestured to Moment with her hand. In response, Moment made the Fire Ring as large as possible and launched it towards Plauros.

Then, Plauros jumped even higher to evade the Fire Ring, and just as it landed back on the ground, something descended and thwack! struck it before disappearing. It looked like a large rock had fallen and vanished, but it wasn’t a rock; it was a mace.

Like Moment’s Fire Ring, Demeter’s mace had grown enormously. It was impossibly huge, beyond what a human could wield. She casually spun it with one hand and brought it down here and there. And she did it while flying.

The mace, enveloped in light, left a flash like an angel’s halo as it swung. If there had been any mobs within range, they would have been ground to dust like a millstone. Demeter anticipated Plauros’s landing spots and relentlessly struck down, but unfortunately, it kept evading by a hair’s breadth. Where the mace struck, the ground caved in, and fragments flew.

I cast Rapid on Demeter and Moment once more. Their movement speed instantly increased, and Demeter approached a step faster and swiftly struck down.

BOOM!!

It was too fast to see clearly, but before the flash disappeared, I saw the mace strike down on Plauros’s head as it leaped up.

“Wow… it got hit by that.”

As expected, it seemed to have landed a direct hit, as leopard patterns were visible around the crushed mace.

I had seen monsters ground to pieces by Moment’s Desperado and monsters riddled with holes by Shut Up’s Thunderclap Spear. However, the word ‘one-hit’ only suited her attack.

Even though only its upper body was crushed, holy power permeated Plauros’s entire body. Its unique skills, which the monster had used, were all nullified, its movements drastically slowed, and most importantly, it staggered.

Demeter’s merciless mace struck Plauros multiple times. When she hit its waist, flesh fell off, and when she struck its leg, one leg detached and flew far away. I had wondered why there were sharp points embedded in the mace, but I learned that well at this opportunity.

“It doesn’t even give it a chance to repent. There’s no mercy.”

“Yes… she’s like that normally.”

Moment, who had already retrieved his Fire Ring and was watching her hunt, approached our defensive wall. The surroundings were full of thorns, but he summoned fire in his hand and burned a small hole through some of them. Then, he bent over and entered.

“Dajeong-ah, link me.”

The hunt wasn’t over yet, but Moment approached as if he had been waiting only for the link. So, I held out my hand. He leaned his face in slightly, and I pushed him away with one hand.

“Hmph… I would have given you a kiss.”

“Jjuni would hate that.”

<>

After a few thump! thump! sounds of impact, the situation seemed to be over, and an announcement appeared at the top of the screen.

Although not everyone watched it all, Demeter’s strength was indeed beyond imagination. The monster’s form was barely recognizable from how many times she had struck it. I could only recognize it as the same creature from before by its leopard pattern.

As she checked the loot, she gave me the most meaningful item.

‘Plauros’s Hide?’

“If you put that into making Level 70 armor, it’ll come out with a leopard pattern. I saw you liked it earlier.”

“Thank you.”

As we shared items, my body flashed twice, and I reached Level 50.

“Finally, 50!”

“Congratulations, Dajeong-ah.”

An announcement appeared at the top, stating that we would be moved to the normal field soon.

“Well then, see you next time. I have to log off.”

“Me too. See you later.”

Demeter and Sunshine Angel used their return scrolls on the spot, while Moment and I waited to be transferred to the field.

<>

A bright light flashed, and we returned to where we had used the portal.

Looking around, the waiting crowd had changed considerably. I heard someone lamenting among the waiting people, perhaps having experienced the same thing, “I can’t see anything, and they expect me to catch it! Is this even a game!”

“I accidentally looked into its eyes earlier, and it seems the curse doesn’t work when a holy-type Psychic is nearby. But Dajeong-ah was far away, so she got caught, I guess.”

“Uh… When I got slapped earlier, I thought my face was smashed.”

The strength was truly immense.

As we chatted about various things, Moment and I headed towards the local warehouse NPC. RootHug, who had been protesting alone earlier, was still being mocked by people. Instead of just thinking he was eccentric and passing by, there were always people who bullied the weak. My expression naturally soured.

“There are so many people with terrible personalities.”

“Well, isn’t it karma?”

“Huh?” As I briefly looked away, the person mocking RootHug in front of me disappeared. Blinking in bewilderment, Moment chuckled. The friend of the person who had just vanished was equally bewildered. “Huh? Huh?” they looked around.

Next, the man who had been pointing at RootHug also disappeared in an instant. No, it was more accurate to say he was eaten. It happened so quickly that I rubbed my eyes to confirm. Two male Psychics who had been mocking RootHug vanished without a trace.

“Did they use a return scroll?”

As I muttered to myself, Moment patted my head, calling me cute.

“Didn’t you see something pop out earlier?”

Come to think of it, the back of RootHug’s rag-like clothes had rippled, and something was wriggling.

“……Is there something on his back?”

“It’s probably a mutant pet. It can detach during combat and instantly devour opponents. Like just now.”

“Then, what about the people who were eaten?”

“I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know, but when I asked before, they said it gets trapped somewhere. The user items they eat go into their inventory automatically. Convenient, right?”

RootHug standing there like a one-person protest was a kind of bait. He stood there in shabby clothes, like a laughingstock, but he wasn’t. How many users had he eaten to make the opponent let their guard down?

“So, it’s like bait that good people can’t see. Let’s go, Dajeong.”

When Moment waved his hand to greet RootHug, he waved back. More precisely, it wasn’t his hand, but the hand of something behind his back. That’s because RootHug’s hand was still holding the picket.

After visiting the warehouse with Moment to organize things, I was about to log off, saying I was leaving, when Shut Up approached me.

“……Huh? When did you get here?”

“A little while ago. Link me.”

I hadn’t known he logged in. If that’s the case, the two flashes earlier must have been not just from defeating Flauros, but also from Shut Up’s hunting experience being added.

Shut Up’s eyes gleamed blue, and electricity crackled around him. At his request to Link, I looked around and pulled him to a relatively secluded corner. Fortunately, he didn’t suggest going to the guild room or anything, so it seemed like it would just be a simple kiss and done.

But he hadn’t answered my calls all day, and he didn’t even whisper to me after logging in like this… I felt a pang of disappointment, but I decided to ask for his reasons after we Linked.

Shut Up approached me first and clasped my hands. As our hands were joined, I felt my energy surge. It was less effective than a kiss, but still, his PG was steadily decreasing. It was almost time for him to kiss me.

However, Shut Up just quietly looked down at me. I felt a bit embarrassed meeting his gaze, so I lowered my eyes. Then, as he moved a little closer, I closed my eyes completely.

My heart pounded, thinking our lips were about to meet. Shut Up’s breath brushed lightly against my lips. I felt like my lower lip was about to be sucked in, so I slightly parted my tightly closed lips and breathed in short gasps.

‘Why is he taking so long?’

But when I didn’t feel the sensation of lips touching even after some time had passed, I cautiously opened my eyes. Shut Up’s face, which had been right in front of me moments ago, had suddenly moved away.

“That’s enough. This should do.”

He released my clasped hands. Then he turned and Warped away somewhere.

‘I had my eyes closed just now…’

I stared blankly at the spot where Shut Up had Warped, when I heard a snickering laugh from above me. Looking up, I saw Moment, who had apparently witnessed the whole thing, clearing his throat.

“Did something happen with Shut Up?”

“No.”

“Then why is he acting like that?”

“How should I know? I’m more annoyed.”

He was still logged in, presumably hunting somewhere. I could have followed him, but I didn’t want to. He hadn’t asked me to come.

In the area chat, I saw uniform shouts of ‘Let’s defeat Shut Up.’ Some were openly cursing his character. About five people seemed to be taking turns, including the candy vendor.

‘Is this why he’s in a bad mood?’

Still, he didn’t answer my calls all day, and I was the one who got snubbed, so why was he angry? It felt unfair. When I said I was leaving, Moment asked about Aneros and what-not again, but I just didn’t answer.

“Ah… I’ll call you back later.”

As soon as I arrived at work this morning, Seung-ju-ssi called. He asked when would be a good time to come, saying he’d be out for a bit.

Jun’s seal is with me, so I could do it arbitrarily, but it still felt a bit off to proceed without a power of attorney or something similar. Most real estate agents overlook such things, but that’s precisely when problems tend to arise later.

That’s why I called him this morning, and I’m calling him now. But Jun still wasn’t answering his phone.

“Ah, damn it, what is this!”

Frustrated, I slammed down the office phone. Seeing a car parked outside, it seemed he was still at home. He was willing to Link yesterday… but only held my hand and left.

“No. This isn’t the time for me to be upset about that.”

I wondered if he could treat me this way, considering I was the one who caught his stalker, so I locked up the office for a moment and went over to his building.

Ding—

As the elevator door opened, Jun’s apartment door came into view. I confidently pressed the doorbell. However, after a long while there was no answer, so I pressed it again. And just as I was about to press it a third time, I heard a voice from the intercom saying he was coming out.

It wasn’t Jun’s voice. I had expected it. I thought someone else might be there. As the door opened, the blonde-haired man I’d seen before stood there and asked what my business was.

“Is Seomun Jun inside?”

“No. He went out last night and hasn’t come back yet.”

“Then, please tell him to contact me when he gets back. My real estate office is across the street.”

“Can’t you just call him? Why do I have to relay the message?”

While judging people solely by their appearance is a virtue one shouldn’t practice, his behavior, like his appearance, was very rude. And what was he so confident about, wearing only his underwear?

“Um… He’s not answering his phone. Please, I’m asking you.”

“If Jun isn’t answering his phone, there’s probably a good reason for it. He’s not going to do what I tell him to. Tsk.”

The blonde-haired man asked if that was all and slammed the door shut.

I pressed the elevator button, calming my internal rage. I didn’t know who that guy was, but I was genuinely burning with frustration, having to be ignored by someone like him because of Jun.

Ultimately, I couldn’t finalize the officetel contract today either. Instead, I signed a contract for an office in another building, making it a productive day.

After finishing work and returning home, I was relaxing with a beer when Jun still hadn’t contacted me. I didn’t know if he hadn’t come home or what… Annoyed, I went to bed early, forgetting about games and everything else.

And the next day. Jun still wasn’t answering his phone.

At this point, I concluded he was deliberately ignoring me. I gave up calling him.

And his car wasn’t in front of the office today. That meant he must have gone home at least once, and even if that rude blonde-haired guy had mentioned it in passing, Jun was completely ignoring me.

“What the hell is he trying to do?”

Since his car was gone, I decided to wait. As expected, Seung-ju-ssi called again today, lamenting how much longer I had to wait. I wished I knew the answer to that too.

‘Or… is he deliberately avoiding me?’

Perhaps he wanted to end our relationship.

As I sat there thinking various things, I found it hard to even do my basic work. I realized I couldn’t go on like this when I found myself responding to client calls with annoyance.

I had tolerated this much. I wanted to get rid of this irritating feeling, even for a moment. After showing a house in the next town over for a visiting client, I finally returned to the office.

It was around 11 PM when I returned to the office. I saw Jun’s car parked there. I looked up at the 7th floor of the building opposite with resentment. Whether the blonde-haired guy was with him or not, I wanted to settle this for sure this time. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to cleanly end our relationship, even if it meant losing 30 million won.

With a more determined heart than yesterday, I got into the elevator. Arriving on the 7th floor, I pressed the doorbell without hesitation. I didn’t even wait to see if there would be a response; I just kept pressing it.

Then, I heard the blonde-haired man’s voice from inside, laced with annoyance.

“Ah, why are you here again?”

“You’re inside, right?”

“So what if I am?”

“Move.”

I threw away the politeness I had shown yesterday. I just strode into Jun’s apartment, my voice filled with irritation. I didn’t even notice the blonde-haired man was only wearing his underwear.

“Where is he?”

“Bedroom.”

“Where?”

The blonde-haired man let out a short laugh, saying “Ha!” and pointed to the room on the far left.

I walked straight over and opened the door.

This was my first time entering Jun’s bedroom. The curtains were drawn, making it dark, and he was lying face down, asleep in comfortable clothes. As soon as I entered, I threw open the curtains and stood beside his bed.

“Hey, wake up.”

At first, there was no reaction, but when I shouted louder, “Wake up!” Jun turned his head and looked up at me. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he had just woken up. I didn’t want to know what he had been doing all night.

“Hey, Seomun Jun. I’ll get straight to the point. Forget the 30 million won, let’s just end this. I won’t contact you anymore.”

Jun frowned. I didn’t know if it was because of the sunlight coming through the window or because of what I said, but he clearly showed his displeasure and buried his face back into the pillow.

“Hey! Get up!”

“Ah, damn it…”

“What? ‘Ah, damn it’? You think I can’t swear? I won’t answer your calls anymore either. Let’s not associate with each other from now on. I didn’t bring your officetel contract because I came in a hurry, but I’ll mail it to you because I can’t stand the sight of it. And… I don’t need the 30 million won either, so get lost, you stingy bastard.”

I hesitated for a moment before saying the last part, but I didn’t want to argue with him about this anymore. I had decided to completely erase him from my mind.

Still, I thought the last words were pretty cool. I wondered if there would ever be another day in my life when I would refuse 30 million won. As I turned to open the door and leave, vowing to burn my hands if I ever contacted this guy again, he said,

“Hyung.”

Suddenly, Jun called out to me. I turned back, my hand on the doorknob. I thought I’d hear one last thing from him, but he struggled to sit up.

“Hyung… What, how… should I… do it?”

“Ha. Forget it, you punk!”

“Why are you so angry?”

I dropped the doorknob, dumbfounded, and turned back. No, I started laughing pointlessly, wondering if he really didn’t know why I was angry.

“You ignored my calls for days. Do you have amnesia?”

“What about you?”

“What about what?”

“You ignored my calls too.”

As I was about to reply, asking when that happened, I remembered ignoring Jun’s call on Monday night while listening to the story of that drunk guy who was being chased by his manager.

That meant Jun wasn’t ignoring my calls because he had a new lover or wanted to end our relationship. He simply wanted to get even.

‘Ah… What the hell, this guy. Was he sulking all this time?’

I couldn’t speak, looking at him with a bewildered expression, but I decided I had to tell him about that day.

“There was a reason for that.”

“That’s an excuse.”

Looking at his eyes, he seemed genuinely angry about that day.

But I asked why he had stewed over it for days instead of confronting me the next day, and his answer was ridiculous. He said that if I just told him to answer calls properly, he wouldn’t listen, and that people only understand when you push back, citing empathy.

“I was with your stalker that day. The department store manager!”

“If that was the case, shouldn’t you have answered the phone more? It was my problem.”

That was also a valid point. I had ended up doing something pointless by trying to be considerate of Jun.

I was just exhausted by everything. I ran my hand through my hair and placed my hands on my hips. I felt suffocated. As I sighed, Jun asked gently,

“What do you want me to do, Hyung?”

“Don’t ignore my calls!”

“Okay.”

Although the misunderstanding was cleared, my anger hadn’t subsided. It was absurd that he had acted like this for days over such a trivial reason.

“Is there anything else?”

“Don’t get mad if I don’t answer your calls for a day or two, either.”

“Okay.”

Jun just replied “Okay” without any further argument, leaving me with nothing more to say. Finally, I said it was fine and I had nothing else to say, and reached for the doorknob to leave, but then I turned back.

He was still sitting there, watching me. He was big, but he was just a child. His eyes blinked quietly, making me feel like a mother leaving her child at home to go to work.

‘Ah, why is he looking at me so pitifully again?’

Suddenly, I felt sorry for waking him up when he was sleeping soundly.

“……Come here.”

I stood there, opening my arms slightly towards him. Jun slowly got up and, stumbling, came over and hugged me tightly. He hugged me so hard that I was pushed back. It hit me anew that Jun was five years younger than me.

“Pat me, Hyung.”

I raised my hand and patted somewhere on his back. After patting him for a while, he whispered in my ear, “Can I sleep more?”

“Yes. Sleep more.”

I slightly separated from him and looked at each other. Since we were face to face, I had to be sure. Even if I was the fake owner, I needed to know.

“By the way, who is that blonde-haired guy outside?”

“You’re asking that now?… A relative.”

“Are you living with a relative?”

“No, just temporarily. He’s suffering from atopic dermatitis. He moved to a new house and his atopy flared up, so he’s staying with me for a while until his situation is resolved.”

“I thought he was your lover.”

As if my words were absurd, Jun scrunched his brow and laughed incredulously. When I told him to stop laughing, he tilted his head and looked into my eyes.

“Were you perhaps jealous?”

“Nuh-uh!”

At that question, I fidgeted with the doorknob, unable to stand still. The confidence I had when I entered the room had completely vanished.

“I’m going to go now.”

“Okay. I’ll call you when I get up.”

Jun crawled back into bed. By the time I closed the door, he was already lying face down like a corpse. As I was about to close the door completely, I quietly went back in and re-drew the curtains. Whether he had already fallen asleep in the meantime, I could only hear his soft breathing.

As I closed the door again, the blonde-haired guy was watching me from behind.

“I knew Jun had peculiar tastes, but if our great-aunt and great-uncle were alive, they would have been quite sad.”

“How old are you?”

“Me? 21.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go to the army.”

Ignoring the blonde-haired guy, I felt a sense of relief after reconciling with Jun. Yet, I was still astonished at how petty he was, to have ignored my calls for days over something that happened just one day.

But I hadn’t expected such a dramatic reconciliation. I had intended to end things when I went to his house, but seeing Jun’s face softened my heart.

Sitting on the sofa after returning to the office, I recalled the moment of reconciliation. I wondered how attached I had become, and how readily he had followed me when I told him to come, as if I had tamed him from the very beginning.

“…If it’s like this, I really feel like the owner.”

I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to regain my composure.

Jun called around 3 PM, saying he had woken up. In response, I told Seung-ju-ssi about the contract, and he said he would come around 4 PM, asking why I was only contacting him now. When I called Jun again, he said he would also come to the office around 4 PM.

If I had answered his call on Monday, the contract would have been signed the very next day. It seemed things could get complicated like this. I had already prepared the contract documents, so all he had to do was come and sign.

With about an hour until the appointment, I logged into the game website. Whether in reality or in the game, for someone like me who lacked a sense of belonging, I often found myself enjoying reading people’s chatter on the free board. It was lonely, and there were many relatable stories.

Lately, the free board was filled with posts cursing Shut Up. It was fortunate that Jun was a high-level player; if he were low-level, he would have been mobbed.

[New] Shut Up’s character is outrageous

This bastard even used a resurrection item to make me level 1. Ptooey!!

* * *

┗ Shut Up’s character is thrilling★

┗ A dirty world where even character is bought with money

┗ As expected, Shut Up’s character doesn’t align with Confucianism, ahem

┗ Party recruitment to punish Shut Up (1/34)

┗ 34 people needed? Seriously? What a pathetic loser.

┗ A party is full with 4 people, what nonsense are you talking like a normal person.

┗ Are you saying 4 times 8 equals 34?

┗ Yeah, just understand me.

┗ Ah, damn it, I was talking to someone who doesn’t even know multiplication tables. lol

Someone even posted a picture of Shut Up’s real face, claiming it was him.

[New] (Urgent) Shut Up Photo Acquired

(Photo.jpeg)

This is the profile picture from a messenger conversation I had with someone I know who is Shut Up.

As expected, I knew he’d be a pathetic guy like this.

* * *

┗ Where was this taken, in a bathroom? Clean your mirror.

┗ Wow, that’s a shock. Is this who he was?

┗ What a small fry.

┗ Is your dick that small?

┗ What are you talking about, lol. Your dick is…

┗ Teachers, the expression ‘dick’ is not appropriate. You should say ‘penis’.

┗ Screw you.

┗ Teacher, that’s a circumcision.

Jun would be upset, but it was also an unpleasant post for the person whose photo was leaked. I was baffled as to what basis they were spreading it as Jun’s photo.

“Tsk tsk, you don’t know anything. You guys, Shut Up is incredibly handsome.”

As I was looking at another post, I suddenly heard the door open and thought Jun might have arrived, so I looked towards the entrance next to my monitor.

However, a young man entered and was bent over sharply at the waist. In that state, he was slowly surveying the situation outside. He looked like he was running away, chased by something.

Following his gaze, I looked outside and saw several women looking around, searching for someone. Judging by the atmosphere, it was easy to tell that the person the women were looking for was the one currently crouched here.

The man lowered his body further and quickly approached my desk.

“Excuse me, could you hide me for a moment?”

It was a close call. One of the women who had been looking around on the street suddenly burst open our office door.

“Um, CEO. Did you happen to see where the red-haired man went?”

“……Red-haired? No.”

“Hmm……. Where did he go?”

I didn’t know the details, but he didn’t seem like someone who had done something bad and was being chased. At the man’s request to check if there were more people outside, I stood up and looked out of the office. Five or six people were milling about, scattering into alleys.

“They’re gone.”

“H……. Thank you.”

Only then did the man straighten up and let out a sigh of relief. Then, he glanced at the monitor and abruptly asked,

“Oh? CEO, do you play Blood Planet?”

“Yes. Well, as a hobby.”

“What element are you for Psychic?”

“I’m a Guide.”

He hummed “Hmm,” glanced at the bulletin board screen, and emerged from under the desk. Then, he said, “I’m going to get some water,” and drank several cups in a row. He must have been running quite a bit.

“……Phew, I feel alive. CEO, what server are you on?”

“I’m on Antares.”

“What! We’re on the same server!”

He approached me again, grabbed my hand, and shook it up and down in greeting.

“Um, I’m not low level, so please add me as a friend when you log in later. I’ll go hunting with you today as thanks.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Ah, right. My character name is Church Oppa.”

Church Oppa, that name sounded familiar. As I was thinking, he started introducing himself.

“I’m an idol trainee, and my name is Muyul.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m a regular at the tteokbokki place across the street, and I even have my autograph there.”

“Ah, I see.”

Honestly, I hadn’t watched music shows in so long that seeing actual idol singers didn’t stir any feelings in me. But, an idol trainee… isn’t that just a regular person? Or a semi-celebrity?

“Ah!”

Just then, I remembered seeing his character name. I had been verbally attacked by his female fans in the plaza for saying something while selling a Relax skill. I thought about it the same way, and now it finally clicked.

Muyul, who was [Church Oppa], didn’t remember me. Of course, it was his fans who had surrounded me then. Meeting the actual person made me feel how small the world is. First the candy vendor, and now I’ve met someone connected to a Relax Scroll.

“I just popped out of the dorm to buy some tteokbokki, and I got caught. I haven’t even washed my face, so I can’t be seen like this.”

“You must be tired.”

Muyul glanced outside, said he had to get back to the dorm quickly, and ran off across the street. Soon after, having bought his tteokbokki, he disappeared, covering his face as much as possible.

But even regular people get stared at when they walk around covering their faces like that. And no matter how much he covered his face, his red hair was too much. I wanted to tell him to just wear a hat next time we meet.

“Hmm……”

Returning to my seat, I hesitated before closing the internet window. I debated whether to tell Jun that pictures like this were circulating of him, but decided against it, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble.

After pondering, I closed the homepage window and accessed a shopping mall site. As I added necessities one by one, it was nearing 4 o’clock. After completing the payment and closing the internet window, I saw Jun walking over from across the street. It had only been five hours since we reconciled. I had found him unbearable this morning, but seeing him arrive right on time, I thought he was quite obedient.

“He’s not here yet, I guess.”

“Yeah. Come in and sit. He’ll be here soon. Want some coffee?”

“I’ll make it myself.”

Then, I suddenly chuckled, remembering the face that had appeared as Shut Up on the game bulletin board earlier. It’s natural to be drawn to good looks, whether they’re male or female. My lips itched to say something.

“Hey, Juna.”

“Yeah.”

He was looking at something on his phone. He took a sip of coffee and just stared at the screen.

“Did you happen to check the game bulletin board?”

“Why?”

“No reason, if you haven’t, don’t bother going.”

Jun raised one corner of his mouth and chuckled briefly, then stood up and approached me. He then showed me his phone screen and asked if I looked like him. On his phone screen was the picture that had been posted as Shut Up earlier.

“Isn’t this you?”

“Are you kidding me?”

So he was looking at the bulletin board.

I had been worried he’d be upset by the recent negative comments about Shut Up, but he was actually enjoying it. Seeing that, I realized I had worried for nothing. Truly, the most useless worries in the world were about celebrities and building owners.

“By the way, when is he coming? It’s past the hour.”

“You’re right. Is he on his way?”

I called Seung-ju-ssi and was told he was on his way. I told Jun to wait a moment and got back to other tasks. I was meticulously attaching receipts and other documents to send to the tax accountant’s office.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

As I was applying glue, I looked up to see Jun had come very close. He was lowering his head to where I was looking.

“When we held hands and Linked, why did you close your eyes?”

“……Hm?”

Heat rushed to my ears at the question. Frozen with the glue stick in hand, I just blinked. Jun, saying the glue would dry, closed the lid for me.

“No, I mean, it’s a Link. I thought it was something like that……”

“Like what?”

I pretended to be busy, pressing down on the already attached receipts. Jun, leaning over the desk with his hands on it, called out again, “Hyung.”

“……Why are you standing there so awkwardly? Go sit on the sofa.”

“Close your eyes.”

“……Ah, no, I won’t.”

Flustered, I didn’t even know what I was saying. I had already kissed Jun, so it shouldn’t be awkward, but him asking so directly made me embarrassed. Half the office walls were glass, so we could be seen from outside. My neck slowly retracted like a turtle’s. I wished I were a turtle. I wanted to retreat into my shell.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Just then, Seung-ju-ssi entered the office, and I saw Jun’s head turn.

‘Saved.’

I hurriedly got up and guided Seung-ju-ssi to sit on the sofa. She was fanning herself, perhaps having rushed.

“Would you like a drink?”

“No, I’ll have water.”

Like Muyul who had visited earlier, she drank several cups. Then, Jun, sitting opposite, was watching her intently.

As she threw away the used paper cup, Seung-ju-ssi told me the dakgalbi we ate that day was delicious and arranged to go again. I just smiled and replied that we’d go together when Hanwoo came later.

The contract was placed in the center, and Jun and Seung-ju-ssi each stamped it. I then gave a brief explanation.

“Where do you live, CEO? Let’s have dinner together later.”

Seung-ju-ssi kept suggesting we have dinner together, saying she couldn’t wait until next time. I was inwardly leaning towards agreeing.

“Um, it’ll be another two hours before we can close the office.”

“Then I guess I have to wait……”

At that moment, Jun, who had been listening silently with his arms crossed, chimed in.

“Shall I give you a ride?”

“Hm?”

At the surprising offer, Seung-ju-ssi and I looked at Jun simultaneously. He maintained a smile towards Seung-ju-ssi, saying it must be hard to go back alone, so he’d give her a ride. Then, he stood up first and led us to my car parked outside the office.

‘Is he trying to force her to leave so we can have dinner now?’

Not just me, but Seung-ju-ssi also looked taken aback. Fearing Jun might draw unwanted attention, I made an excuse for him, saying we’d go next time with Hanwoo, and that today was busy.

Flustered, I gathered the contract and documents from the table, handed them to her, and saw her off. She seemed surprised by Jun’s offer at first, but her interest piqued when she saw the car, and she readily agreed.

After saying goodbye to her as she got into the passenger seat, I cautioned Jun.

“Drive slowly. See you next time, Seung-ju-ssi.”

“Yes, I’ll see you again soon.”

As I waved goodbye through the open window, the passenger window suddenly closed. Seung-ju-ssi also looked startled and pulled her face away from the window. Seeing that, it seemed Jun was closing it from the driver’s seat, not her.

As soon as the window closed, the car drove off. Cigarette butts were still piled under the vehicle. I decided to deal with it tomorrow and went back into the office.

Then, as I cleared the drinks and empty cups from the table, the thought suddenly struck me: could Jun be interested in Seung-ju-ssi? Even if he dates men, I couldn’t guarantee he wasn’t interested in women. Yes, that’s possible. But why was I so drawn to being interested in the people around Jun?

“I should stop caring. Yes, I must stop……”

I finished tidying up the scattered items on the desk. There weren’t many expense receipts, so it didn’t take long.

With the miscellaneous tasks done and few customers around, I felt drowsy. I thought I’d just rest my eyes for a moment and slumped down in front of the monitor. When I try to sleep comfortably at home, I end up staring at my phone, unable to sleep, but in this uncomfortable position, sleep came easily.

‘If I sleep like this, my back will break…….’

It was just as I was drifting off, my mind becoming hazy, as if falling asleep.

Bang!

“Duseon-ssi!”

Startled by the loud noise, my eyes snapped open. I lifted my head and looked towards the entrance. Standing there, panting as if he had run in, was Namgung Bin.

“Bin-ssi……? What’s wrong?”

“Haa, are you hurt?”

“Huh?”

He was dressed impeccably, as usual. Only his hair was slightly disheveled from running.

“Hah. I thought you were sick, seeing you slumped over.”

“……Can you see me?”

“Ah……. Haha, I could see you from my office. I was just having some tea and happened to look. Haha.”

Come to think of it, Bin was the first one to notice when I was sick back then. Perhaps that’s why he seemed so sensitive.

“Thanks for your concern.”

“Did you save my number?”

“Actually……, no. I’ll do it now, right now.”

I picked up my phone to show him and looked for the business card he had given me then. But it seemed to have slipped somewhere and couldn’t be found.

Just then, the phone in my hand rang.

“That’s my number. Save it.”

“Okay. Saved.”

It was fortunate, as I was struggling to find his business card.

He didn’t leave immediately, lingering as if he had more to say. Since he had come to check on me, I felt I should offer him a cup of coffee and invited him to sit.

Bin had confessed his feelings for me, which made me a bit uncomfortable, but more than that, perhaps because of the kindness he had shown me, I wanted to treat him kindly as one human being to another.

As I made coffee for myself, I made one for him too. Upon receiving his coffee, Bin made an unexpected offer.

“Are you perhaps interested in being a model?”

“A model? For what?”

I asked, taking a sip of coffee.

“It’s nothing grand, just for a competition. You just need to fit well with the background.”

“In that case, you definitely don’t need me.”

Bin lowered his eyes and spun the paper cup around. He seemed quite disappointed by my answer.

I had rejected his confession before, and hadn’t even saved his contact information. From his perspective, it seemed I had been ignoring him quite a bit, even if unintentionally. Even when I was sick, he had helped me sincerely, but I couldn’t keep saying ‘NO.’ Thinking of it as a request from a friend, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

“Hmm……. Okay.”

At my answer, he stopped spinning the cup and looked up. Then, he twitched his lips as if trying to suppress a smile and thanked me.

“But, this is the last time. I’m shy about this kind of thing, and I don’t like it. It’s not that I find you burdensome, Bin-ssi, but modeling, things like that.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“So, will the photos be taken at the studio over there?”

“No, it’s an outdoor shoot, so we’ll go somewhere on the outskirts. The weather’s nice lately.”

I nodded, indicating I understood. I asked him to let me know when a time was set, and Bin thanked me, finally lifting the corners of his lips in a smile. I thought of it simply as mutual help.

“Well, I have something to do, so I should go.”

Bin stood up. Having drunk a lot of coffee today, I didn’t feel like drinking more after one sip. I stood up with him and followed him out, holding my cup. I intended to throw it away in the building’s restroom.

“Why are you bringing that out?”

“I feel a bit sick. I was just going to throw it away.”

“Then, give it to me.”

Bin gently took the paper cup from my hand. I tried to dissuade him, saying it was cold and why would he take something I’d already drunk from, but he insisted and walked towards the building with it.

“Argh……. It’s already this late.”

As I was busy with various tasks, it was already nearing closing time. But Seung-ju-ssi’s home must be quite far away? I had planned to go home after seeing Jun park the car, but he still hadn’t returned.

As I was tidying my desk to leave, my phone rang. I thought it was Jun, but it was a relative. It was Yusang, my uncle’s son. We’re the same age, but since my birthday is earlier, he used to call me Hyung when we were young, but now we get along like friends.

“Long time no see. What’s up?”

[I heard you opened a real estate office in Seoul. I’m actually looking for a place.]

“Why a place? You can just live with your father. Leaving home is a pain, man.”

[No, it’s not that. It’s a place to live with my partner.]

“Partner? Are you getting married?”

[……No. The place we wanted to live together is too far from work. But why haven’t you contacted me?]

“Should I have contacted you first?”

Sang complained, saying I shouldn’t call him Hyung. I told Sang to come visit sometime later and sent him my location via message.

He used to visit our house often until high school, but we drifted apart in college. My mom had asked if I had contacted relatives in Seoul, and I said no. I haven’t settled down yet, and I don’t know when I’ll give up and go back to my hometown, so I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.

As I hung up and reached for my coat to leave, my phone rang again.

This time, it really was Jun. He called to say he couldn’t give me a ride because something came up and to get home safely. What does he do every night that he’s so busy? It’s obvious. He’s out having fun.

[Are you logging in later?]

“Don’t know, depends.”

[I want to do it with you, Hyung.]

I was confused whether Jun’s desire to ‘do it’ was simply about the game, or something else. He often spoke in a way that seemed to be testing me.

“If I log in, I will.”

So I answered indifferently, and I heard Jun’s low sigh. It sounded like he was in a car, as every breath was clearly audible. The faint breathing near my ear tickled me. After a long silence, he seemed to get out of the car, as I heard the sound of a door opening. With a click of the door closing, he hung up, saying he’d see me later.

Although there were no explicit 19+ words in my conversation with Jun just now, I don’t know why my chest felt so ticklish. Even after hanging up, his words “want to do it” kept replaying in my mind. It was the same on the bus ride home, and as I got off at the stop and walked.

“Hello.”

Then, I ran into the security guard at our building’s entrance and greeted him. The guard was contemplating the cat food bowl placed in our flowerbed.

“This is troublesome.”

“What will Rovan say if you move it?”

When the guard asked who Rovan was, I said he was the one in the blue tracksuit, and he finally replied with an “Ah!” and sighed.

He explained that since it was on the first floor, they were receiving many complaints from the first-floor residents due to the cat’s noise, and they had asked for it to be removed. But if they removed it, Rovan would protest, so they were hesitating, trying to move it to a place where it wouldn’t cause issues, fearing he might complain about that too.

“Shall I put it over there?”

I placed the food bowl in a flowerbed a little further away.

“Please tell him next time you see him. He doesn’t talk to me.”

“I will. If Rovan complains, tell him I moved it.”

Apparently, everyone tended to avoid Rovan, as he had a history of deliberately parking his car poorly. And, as I had experienced myself, he often acted like a lunatic.

When I arrived home and was about to change, I received a call from my mother. She mentioned that Sang had called today, and my aunt would be calling later to say she’d bring some side dishes.

“You don’t have to, but……”

[Are you eating well?]

“Yeah.”

Being away from home, I missed my mom’s cooking the most. It was even more so because I’m not good at cooking. Perhaps it was due to my irregular diet that I had indigestion. After saying I’d visit once on my day off, I hung up the phone.

After washing up and doing some chores, I had some free time before falling asleep. With nothing to do, I took out my access device. It wasn’t because of what Jun had said earlier. I put on my gloves and helmet, telling myself it was because I felt lonely living alone.

<>

<>

The screen switched, and I saw the gloomy Rakvere Castle, the place where I had logged off last that day. As soon as I entered, I heard groans and wails from all around.

While monsters existed in any field, back when I was low-level, I used to wake up in nature with green fields and pleasant breezes. Waking up in a place like this made reality feel more healing than the game.

From level 50, I could go to Saint Island instead of Rakvere Castle, but it was already occupied by archer-type Psychics who were farming players, so I couldn’t go. Saint Island is a small island, and since most players there were below level 60, the high-level Psychics were just turning a blind eye.

The reason archer-type Psychics occupied it was because it was profitable. On Saint Island, there are monsters that inflict paralysis, and they were monopolizing and selling the transformation materials from those monsters. The price wasn’t high, but it was occasionally traded after a strategy emerged where one party member would transform into that monster to inflict paralysis when fighting certain bosses.

Also, it was rumored that Saint Island was operated like a corporate organization, producing items, and was sometimes called ‘Slave Island.’ Approaching it was impossible due to automatic crossbows and arrows from archers. Even at level 60, you could go to the next town, so there was no need to pay much attention to it.

After recovering the money I sold through the auction house, a lot of gold coins accumulated in my storage. Wondering how to convert this into cash again, I was about to ask Hanwoo when he happened to be logged into the game.

[Kind Touch: Where?]

[To God’s Side: Hunting]

[Kind Touch: Let me join too, I have something to ask.]

Hanwoo immediately sent me a party invitation.

The area he was in was called . The hunting level was 60, not too far from mine, so I opened the map to look for a portal nearby. Cultist’s Hideout was in the middle of the Caucasus Mountains, but for some reason, I couldn’t see a path. Since it was a hideout, it was highly likely that the entrance was hidden.

However, with the long, vertical mountain range as a center, I was unsure whether to take the portal to the right or the left. To ask someone, I tapped the back of a nearby user.

“Excuse me, do you know how to get to Cultist’s Hideout?”

The person looked at the map I had open and pointed somewhere with their finger. All ten of his fingers were adorned with rings.

“The cultists are here. If you look at the village to the left of the Caucasus Mountains, there’s a church, right? If you go down the tunnel that opens up on the church floor, you’ll find the entrance.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I closed the map and was about to turn away when I saw the name floating above his head: [Church Oppa].

“Oh? Church Oppa! Muyul!”

He paused his hand, which was about to reply to a message, and looked at me. He seemed unsure, so I reminded him that I was the CEO he had met earlier regarding real estate, and then he showed a welcoming expression.

“Ah, you’re the CEO! I was a bit disappointed not knowing your character name, but I met you here.”

“I know. Anyway, thank you.”

“If you don’t mind, shall we do it together!”

Church Oppa stopped me with his gleaming hand. Since I was joining his party, I told him I’d ask my friend and asked him his level.

[Kind Touch: Hanwoo, can I bring one more Psychic?]

[To God’s Side: Yeah, what’s their name?]

I told Hanwoo Church Oppa’s name and closed the chat window. Soon, it seemed I received a party invitation, as I saw him touch the air.

“Shall we go?”

He urged me on. As we walked towards the portal, I asked about his class, and he said he was an ‘Assassin’ type who mainly used daggers.

“My friend is a poison type.”

“That’s good. We can do skill combos. It’s good if my friend applies poison to my sword, as it adds extra damage.”

<>

We took the portal and arrived at Halgen Village, then looked for the church.

However, the surroundings were a sea of fire and ashes, making it difficult to discern the shapes of houses and buildings. As we passed through the ruins, it felt hot like a stove whenever we passed through a burning area. When the wind blew, gray ashes flew in all directions.

“I think it’s over there.”

The place Church Oppa pointed to was a building that jutted out compared to the low houses. Although bent, there was a cross at the tip of the roof.

‘Ugh…’

There were many charred human shapes on the ground. I tried my best not to step on them as I followed him. The doors were all smashed, and the interior chairs were jumbled. The glass windows were all broken, so the outside was clearly visible.

He seemed to have been here before and familiarized himself with the floor door. There was a door between the pews used for worship.

Creak—.

As we opened it and entered, we saw a tunnel with no end and torches hung sporadically on the walls. The outer walls were still bare earth, as if hastily built. Just as I felt the path narrowing, a door identical to the one we entered through appeared from the ceiling.

Pushing that open and climbing up, we entered a room made up of a warehouse. Various items were placed on shelves, and there was a bookshelf on one wall. It looked like we had broken into someone’s house, but there were other players who had formed parties, huddled together not too far away.

“More people are coming than I thought. I didn’t see anyone in the passage.”

“That passage is for party members only. It’s hopeless if someone blocks the way there claiming PK.”

I was surprised by the surprisingly meticulous game operation, as I thought it would be completely neglected.

“Hey! Over here!”

Hanwoo was waving at us from afar. Next to him was another female Psychic. I thought [Amazing Guy] was a man, but it wasn’t. Her class was ‘Bomb.’

Hanwoo saw the Church Oppa I brought and offered a handshake.

“Are you Catholic? Me too.”

“Ah! Praise Jesus, peace be with you. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Peter.”

“I’m Thomas.”

They exchanged their baptismal names.

I told Hanwoo that Church Oppa was an assassination specialist, and he was delighted, saying they were a perfect match. And I wasn’t the only one watching their conversation blankly. Amazing Guy was just picking his ear and asked when we were leaving.

“If our Peter gives me a buff, I’ll take down the ones on the outside first.”

“Thomas, then we’ll draw aggro at the entrance, so please do as many decapitations as possible.”

“Can’t we just use character names? It’s confusing.”

Amazing Guy said what I wanted to say.

Although they spoke gently, their words were not. Assassination and poisoning? I joked that they might be punished if they said that to Hanwoo and Church Oppa, but they said they could just go to confession. When they took it seriously, I was speechless again.

Since it was a hunting ground entered by party, we stepped on the entrance portal.

<>

As the screen changed, a long cave path appeared. Somewhere, the sound of dripping water could be heard. It was that quiet and desolate. The cave divided into multiple paths at various points.

We followed Hanwoo, who was the party leader. He walked so confidently ahead that we just followed, assuming he knew the way. And a return scroll was essential when hunting in places like this. If you get lost, it’s no different from a death trap.

“Seriously, I don’t see any cultists?”

“Is this the right way?”

The three of us walked behind Hanwoo, complaining about when the cultists would appear. Amazing Guy suggested turning back, saying we seemed lost. I agreed with her opinion.

“No, our Peter wouldn’t do that. There must be a reason.”

However, Church Oppa trusted and defended Hanwoo. He trusted him more than me, his friend of 20 years.

Then, as we rounded a corner. The area with strange mushrooms appeared again.

“Ah! This place again! Did you know we were coming here?”

Finally, Amazing Guy’s anger exploded. Despite my words to calm down, she was genuinely annoyed and said she couldn’t do this anymore and wanted to leave, but I desperately stopped her.

“Um… let’s just go up to there.”

Hanwoo was pointing to one of the diverging paths. I saw it because I was behind him; he was pointing to the middle of the split. He clearly didn’t know either.

“Okay. Let’s just go up to there. It’ll definitely be the right way.”

Church Oppa shouted “Fighting!” and patted the shoulders of me and Amazing Guy, who had stopped walking. Although the portal cost and time spent so far were a waste, we could still hunt in other places, so we decided to follow Hanwoo to where he indicated.

Hanwoo, who had consistently chosen the right path, turned left this time. I was suspicious but followed, and soon we reached a dead end.

When we went right, we at least kept walking, but there was no dead end like this. I could hear Amazing Guy cursing from behind.

“Ah, damn it! I can’t do this anymore!”

Amazing Guy, needing to vent her anger, created a bomb the size of her fist and threw it at the dead end. The words she said as she threw it were something like ‘fucking game, etc.’

But was that word a spell that opened the way? The wall hit by the explosive cracked and crumbled. And beyond it, a large space appeared.

Church Oppa, who was at the front, cautiously approached and examined the inside.

“Huh? Cultists.”

The three of us said, “What?” and looked inside. It was indeed a cultist’s hideout; treasure chests were piled up around, and their symbol, a devil’s face, was hung on the front wall.

We decided to execute what we had discussed before entering. Church Oppa, who could hide, received a poison buff from Hanwoo. And as soon as we entered, he slit the throat of a cultist standing in a detectable position, killing him instantly.

After killing a few more, we were able to enter the area without anyone noticing. A considerable number of cultists were gathered, performing a ritual. In the center of a summoning circle drawn with blood, human and animal corpses were laid out, dismembered.

“Hmm… I don’t know what they’re summoning, but it looks like something disgusting will come out.”

The three of them quietly nodded in agreement with my soliloquy. The final mission of this hunting ground was to eliminate the cultists before they could summon whatever it was and obtain the .

We hid ourselves behind boxes and sacks and slowly approached. If the cultists attacked all at once, we would be annihilated. Especially the shamans with staffs, who could cast magic, so even being surrounded by a few could lead to a harsh lesson.

Hanwoo, while hidden, briefly separated from us and sprayed poison into something the cultists were brewing. He did it thinking someone would eat it and die, but the color of the stew in the pot was such that no one would likely eat it. I told him to stop doing useless things and come here.

“First, let’s draw some aggro over there. If we kill these guys here, they’ll all know.”

Amazing Guy, hearing my words, created a small bomb between her fingers. She placed it on the ground like playing marbles and flicked it with her finger. Since our position was higher ground, the marble bomb rolled for a long time until it reached the opposite side.

Simultaneously, Amazing Guy whispered a small incantation into her mouth, and the marble exploded with a ‘pop!’ Many cultists’ attention was drawn there, and they all rushed out in unison, as if there was another exit on that side.

Looking at it, it seemed we had broken through the wall and forced our way into the opposite side of the exit. Now, only about 3 teams remained. However, their numbers were quite significant.

“First, it’s probably best to focus on the shamans.”

Everyone agreed with Hanwoo’s opinion. Church Oppa approached with his dagger, still coated with poison. Then, he instantly slit the throat of the shaman who was furthest away.

“Will that be washed away by confession?”

“…It probably will. It’s a game.”

As the shaman collapsed, the surrounding cultists panicked. Seizing the opportunity, Hanwoo sprayed poison gas. Thick green smoke spread across the floor, and we, hidden within the smoke, began killing them one by one.

Amazing Guy attached a bomb with a self-destruct function to a group of cultists and retreated. The cultists, gathered together, were annihilated by the self-destruct. The face of one of the cultists hit by the bomb rolled and bumped against my feet.

“Eek!”

I quickly covered my mouth and hid. In the meantime, the remaining cultists fell one by one. Church Oppa was relentlessly beheading them.

At that moment, cultists who sensed something strange happening here shouted towards the depths of the cave.

“Block the entrance!”

I asked Amazing Guy, and she created the largest bomb she could and threw it towards the entrance.

Boom!!! Rumble!!

The entire cave vibrated, and I worried if this place would collapse too. The entrance was blocked by broken stones. However, that was only temporary.

“Let’s hurry and grab it! If we just find the Cultist’s Ledger, the stage is cleared.”

We scattered and began searching for the ledger. Many items were carefully stored. While happily picking them up, we heard a monster’s roar from somewhere. We all turned our heads towards the source of the sound.

It was the sound coming from the summoning circle where all the flesh had been gathered earlier. It seemed like a monstrous creature would be born if they combined, and indeed, it was.

Its face was like a buffalo’s, and its body was attached with limbs from various animals. In the middle of its giant, fleshy belly, a human face was also attached. It spewed curses at us.

“That mouth attached to its belly… did it just ask if we were masturbating?”

“It also asked if we had no brains. It said the level of trash talk has been lowered.”

“Why is it cursing so specifically?”

“Wait… if I listen closely, aren’t those the words that come up when people curse the admins on forums?”

We listened silently, not even thinking of fighting it, with a “No way” feeling. When it finally started talking about the incompetent operation, we clapped, saying, “That’s right, that’s right.”

“How much must they have suffered to put that in its dialogue?”

“I know. Such lingering resentment.”

It was a bit pathetic.

However, we couldn’t just leave it as it was. Hanwoo told me to keep searching for the ledger and approached with the other party members. After giving them plenty of buffs, I went back to searching treasure chests.

But no matter how much I searched, the ledger didn’t appear. I heard a “Kuack!” death sound from behind me.

“Did you find it?”

Hanwoo asked, peeling off some flesh stuck to his body.

“No, it’s not coming out… Strange. Why isn’t it here?”

“I’m asking just in case.”

“Yeah?”

“The ledger, maybe we should look for it on the way we came?”

Hanwoo pointed towards the blocked entrance.

After collecting the spoils from the summoned monster, Church Oppa and Amazing Guy, who had approached, also looked in the direction Hanwoo pointed. And they all denied reality. They said it couldn’t be and started searching diligently for the ledger again.

“We need to clear this to get proper experience. If we leave like this, it’ll be recorded as a mid-run failure.”

In our desperation, we even shook out the cloths spread on the floor and checked under tables, thinking it might be attached there, crawling on the floor. No matter how hard we searched, not even junk items appeared. We even flipped over the pot Hanwoo had poisoned and checked inside, but it wasn’t there.

“Sigh… It really isn’t here.”

We decided this wouldn’t do. We decided to just break through the blocked entrance. Amazing Guy, who had equipped several bombs on her waist, grumbled that she couldn’t stand it anymore. Hanwoo and Church Oppa were encouraging each other, saying they could defeat evil.

At this moment, I really missed Shut Up. If it were Shut Up, they would have swept all of that away with Thunderclap Spear. While receiving power-leveling from high-level players made me feel like dust and diminished the fun, conversely, playing with players of the same level was this difficult.

“I’ll lay down poison gas on the floor first. It deals continuous damage. Then, take care of the ones paralyzed by poison darts. Duseon, give me some Relax.”

“Gather around for a moment.”

The three of them huddled together awkwardly, like posing for a group photo. I cast Relax and applied an attack buff. Now I had to unleash skills, but I didn’t know how much PG would increase, so I was preparing in advance.

Separately, we also held hands in turns and lowered their PG. We didn’t forget to encourage them, telling them we could do it.

“I’ll cast Relax intermittently, so please stay close as much as possible.”

With grim determination, the three of us stood before the entrance. The heretics who had rushed out earlier numbered at least fifty. If they all came in at once, it would clearly be chaos.

Amazing Guy planted mines everywhere in front of us, and Church Oppa gripped his dagger with both hands instead of one. Hanwoo handed us each a bottle of poison.

“If you get surrounded, spray this on yourselves. Anything attached will fall off.”

That meant, from now on, we were on our own to survive even if we were mobbed.

As I moved as far away as possible, Amazing Guy stood before the entrance, hidden by rocks. She attached a bomb to it and then stepped back.

“Alright, ready?”

As she cast her spell, the rocks shattered and flew in all directions. Heretics began pouring in through the gaps endlessly.

<>

It was an expected outcome.

This was a section that was supposed to be cleared by defeating monsters one by one from the entrance, but due to a shortcut or a bug, we had gone straight to the final objective, forcing us to fight all the monsters at once.

There were more shamans than expected, and Amazing Guy, though a ranged attacker, couldn’t handle them all alone with her area-of-effect skills. Church Oppa died first, then me. Hanwoo and Amazing Guy held out for quite a while.

But, as expected, their PG was full, so they had to stop fighting. Otherwise, they would have been stunned for three days. Now, we were sitting by the campfire, replenishing our energy.

“It seems it was too much for us to handle on our own.”

“Not ‘a bit.’ It was impossible. Poison gas? It felt like I was spraying pesticide. Plus, everyone’s terrible with directions…”

I had nothing to say to Church Oppa and Amazing Guy’s words.

Hanwoo tried to encourage us to try again but stopped. It was because Amazing Guy asked him if the name [To the Lord’s Side] meant sending the opponent to the Lord’s side, or if it meant he himself was going. Amazing Guy’s words made Church Oppa and me struggle to hold back our laughter.

Still, we managed to bring back quite a lot of loot from the treasure chest. We each dropped one piece of equipment when we died, but since it was things like gloves or shoes, we didn’t suffer a major loss.

Having lost my shoes, I just wiggled my toes and stared at the blazing campfire. After a little while, a group sat down next to us. They all seemed to have lost their pants, wearing only their underwear. Among them, the Guide was a woman, wearing a slip.

“Looking at that, they really favor women. Women get slips, but men just get plain white briefs.”

“We’re better off than them.”

I thought to myself that if they were going to give them briefs, they should at least put a pattern on them, not just plain white ones. Then, Amazing Guy, not joining our conversation, just touched the air as if checking something, and suddenly stood up.

“I have something to do, so I’ll be going. Good work.”

It was a shame, as she was the most active among us, but we said our goodbyes, looking forward to next time. The three of us just stared blankly at the campfire.

“I intensely want to do nothing at all.”

“Me too.”

“Me as well.”

Hanwoo later told us that the three of us might meet in the Sloth Hell, and gave us a useful tip: if we ever went to Sloth Hell, we should go to the inner part. Church Oppa and I nodded, agreeing it made sense.

As we listlessly discussed whether to go hunting elsewhere,

“Hyung.”

A voice called from behind. I turned around to see Shut Up approaching.

“Oh? Junie.”

He sat down in the spot Amazing Guy had vacated, as if it were natural. He then scanned us and let out a scoff. “Hmph.” Two barefoot, one empty-handed. It was obvious it was a failure. He timidly pointed at the group next to us, trying to boast that they were better off than them.

“Want me to break it?”

Shut Up’s single sentence immediately lifted our dejected spirits. Moreover, we were tired of getting lost and trying again.

“Junie, do you know the way here?”

“Yeah.”

Hanwoo immediately added Shut Up to the party, and Church Oppa, who was next to us, greeted him warmly, saying he was so glad to see his brother.

However, some users in the waiting room were glaring at Shut Up. It would have been fine to just ignore them, but Shut Up cursed at them, using vulgar language. I told him that such crude words were not appropriate and he shouldn’t use them.

We stepped on the portal, still barefoot and empty-handed. As soon as we entered, I cast Relax and Rapid on the three of them and followed them closely. Shut Up turned left as soon as he entered.

‘Ah, this is where it all went wrong.’

I glanced at Hanwoo, and he awkwardly avoided my gaze. Absurdly, he had only turned left. Then, a staircase leading down appeared, and the normal entrance came into view.

“Our Peter must have lacked faith.”

“Be quiet.”

I teased Hanwoo as we looked at the proper entrance.

Then, Shut Up enveloped himself in electricity and broke through the heretics alone. The three of us just watched.

Shut Up first blasted the shamans with lightning, then created a large Electric Sphere and swept through the center. He summoned electric chains to bind the scattering heretics together. In that state, he pierced them with a long spear and swung it sideways, severing their necks in one go. We busied ourselves picking up the items dropping to the ground beside him.

<>

“Huh?”

I stopped while picking something up. Among the numerous items was the Heretic’s Ledger. That meant we could clear it without reaching the final room.

<>

At the same time, an announcement appeared at the top of the screen.

“Whoa! We cleared it, we cleared it!”

We grabbed each other’s hands and cheered. Shut Up, who had been dusting off his sleeves while looking at the corpses scattered on the floor, approached us.

“What now? Go further?”

Shut Up asked, retracting his electric chains. We couldn’t miss such a good opportunity. The three of us shouted in unison:

“All the way to the end!”

We returned to Rakvere Castle and organized our items. Church Oppa had to leave urgently and logged off, and Hanwoo went to meet his Guide, who had logged in.

‘Hmm…’

Left alone with Shut Up, an awkward silence hung in the air. When I offered him some of the loot we’d acquired, he vehemently refused. As I put items into the warehouse, I looked at the Partner window. His PG was about 60 percent full.

While repairing our equipped gear, I thought. There was no need to Link today, and even if we did, just holding hands like before would be enough.

“Junie, I’ll Link with you.”

“Here?”

Shut Up looked around, glancing between the passersby and me. “Well, if people see us, it might be awkward, so should we go to a corner?” he said, pointing to the spot where we had held hands. He then suggested we go to the Guild Room for a moment.

We stepped through the guild portal and entered the mansion. Shut Up opened the guild warehouse door wide and turned to me.

“You’re barefoot. Pick out some shoes from there.”

Shut Up used his Guild Master privileges to upgrade my rank, allowing me to take anything I wanted. I was promoted to Vice Guild Master, able to take whatever I desired.

“If you do this, the warehouse will be emptied.”

“Take it all. It’s all yours, Hyung.”

Shut Up could say that so confidently because he had nowhere to store everything in the guild warehouse. His personal storage was much smaller.

I browsed around and picked out shoes with a wing option. Unfortunately, they could only be worn by players level 70 and above. With those, I could walk on air. This was why Psychic players at my level couldn’t fly around and fight like Jun or Moment.

It would be a long time until I reached level 70, and they were just taking up space, so I put them back. Instead, I chose magic boots that cooled the ground when I walked. As I stood there holding them, Shut Up came over and gave me some additional explanation.

“They’re good for escaping, but when you go back, Hyung will have to walk on ice. Plus, if party members follow behind, they’ll all slip and fall.”

“Ah…”

I put them back. Then I picked up the plate boots next to them. They definitely felt heavier than the ones I had just held.

“These greatly increase defense, but slow down your movement.”

Indeed, for a Guide who often had to escape, speed was directly linked to survival. I put down the plate boots and picked up the ones next to them. They were black dress shoes, so polished that my face was reflected in them when I held them up.

“Don’t those not match your outfit, Hyung?”

They certainly didn’t look like something to wear with a gray robe. They looked like shoes a magician would wear on stage.

“Junie. You honestly don’t want to give me shoes, do you?”

“No.”

Despite saying no, I could see him suppressing a laugh. Then, he pulled something out from underneath, where I hadn’t looked closely, and handed it to me.

“These are quite useful. I wore them the most before I got the Wind Shoes.”

They were red boots, versatile boots with resistance to most elements. And when I took damage, there was a certain chance a fiery pit would fall from my position. It would be great if it always fell, but that certain chance was unreliable. Still, well…

“They’re good! I’d cry if I dropped these.”

“I’ll get you more whenever you need them. Don’t hesitate to wear them.”

I put the shoes into my item window to wear them. The moment I tried to equip them, Shut Up grabbed my hand. When I asked him to let me see the equipped look, he pulled me along, telling me to wear them after Linking.

I saw a familiar door and was pulled inside. It was the Guild Master’s room, and only he could enter it. He then led me to the sofa. The next events unfolded in my imagination, and I grew increasingly anxious, thinking, ‘No way, no way.’

Shut Up sat me on the sofa and asked with a smile,

“Do you want to take them off, Hyung? Or should I take them off for you?”

His tone was affectionate, but his question was anything but.

“…We were just going to hold hands or kiss, weren’t we?”

“I told you I wanted to do it with you.”

As expected, what I had heard in the office wasn’t just a casual remark from a kid who wanted to play games together. And this was also the place where we had passionately done it while taking Chitosan.

My heart suddenly began to race. It wasn’t the first time I’d done this with him, but my resistance grew stronger as I became more conscious of Jun. It was because it felt even more real.

I quickly tried to stand up and grab the doorknob, but Jun wrapped one arm around my waist. He then laid me down on the sofa. In the game, he had overwhelming strength to subdue me. If this were real, I might have been able to hold onto the doorknob and resist to some extent.

Shut Up sat on my waist and raised his eyebrows. It was a silent demand to choose quickly. It meant: item destruction, or will you comply willingly?

“Tsk, Junie! Let’s just kiss. Just kiss!”

“We can do that in real life too.”

“Are you saying you want to do more than just kiss right now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Shut Up leaned down and buried his face in my neck as I lay there. He then nuzzled the side of my neck with his lips and added, “Of course I want to have sex. Though not right now.”

“Wait, calm down…”

As I spoke, my lips were consumed. Simultaneously, a friendly notification message appeared: ‘Upper body apparel has been destroyed.’

“Hey, I’ll take them off. Wait.”

I quickly unequipped all my items, leaving only my underwear. I removed that last piece too and turned my head away, feeling inexplicably shy. Then, a hand came down beside my face and cupped my cheek. My head was turned back to face him, and our eyes met.

“You have to look at me.”

As I met his gaze, his hand slipped behind my knees and lifted my legs. Shut Up positioned himself between my legs and used one hand to touch the menu and unequip my gear.

Becoming naked just like him, I felt embarrassed again, as if it were real, and squeezed my eyes shut. His lips descended onto my eyelids and he whispered,

“Hyung, I’ll give you foreplay when we do it for real. I’m too impatient right now.”

As soon as he said that, I felt a sensation of him pushing into me. My eyes snapped open, and my lips parted. A thick tongue slid in, slowly caressing the roof of my mouth.

This game was clearly designed to make Linking feel good, because as soon as his penis entered, a thrill ran through my entire body. Moans that usually only came during ejaculation erupted continuously.

“Ah, ahk… Jun, J-Junie… Huk.”

“…Hyung, do you like it? I wanted to do this. All along.”

The difference from when we did it before was that then, the clear objective was to lower my PG. But now, regardless of PG, he wasn’t just desperately pushing himself on me like someone who genuinely wanted to have sex.

“Eut, eung…”

Shut Up slowly pushed in and out, kissing my lips and moving his hips languidly. Honestly, I preferred it fast like before. This slow pace felt ticklish and embarrassing. It would have been better to have sex frantically, like a sprint.

Even now, he leaned his upper body down, embracing me, moving his hips slowly, then stopping, and kissing me for a long time while still connected. Then he would move his hips again, examining my face. As if he were truly doing it with me.

“…A little faster, please.”

Finally, as I requested with my lips pressed together, Shut Up increased his speed slightly from the beginning.

“I wanted to enjoy it slowly…”

His back moved flexibly, like a swimming fish. If we had just had sex without talking, this time might have felt short, but Shut Up kept talking to me.

He’d say things like ‘Your inside feels good, Hyung,’ ‘I wish I could fall asleep like this,’ ‘Do you like it too, Hyung?,’ ‘How about I put it here? Is it deep?’ constantly asking for my input. I think I vaguely answered ‘It’s okay,’ or ‘Good,’ but when Jun finally said he wanted to do it for real, my senses jolted.

“Wait, just a moment… Haaak! Ah!”

The ecstatic sensations turned ice-cold as a sense of crisis washed over me. Although it was in the game and didn’t cause significant damage, Jun’s penis entered my body. But in reality, it would be entirely different.

As that sense of crisis arose, the current moment began to feel uncomfortable. I hit his back as if surrendering. Shut Up, who had been kissing my lips and licking my earlobe, pulled his head back slightly and looked down, but his hip movements didn’t stop.

“I have something urgent to do. Just a moment. Ha… J-Junie, stop.”

“Don’t go.”

Mustering my last bit of strength, I managed to escape from beneath him. Then, as I placed my feet on the floor, my waist was grabbed from behind. I was pulled back, and the act continued with me on my stomach.

“Haak, euut…! Ah!”

Shut Up grabbed my pelvis and moved in and out faster than before. My body lurched forward as my upper body collapsed. Overwhelmed by the pleasure of him pushing into me, I gasped for breath and held onto the sofa armrest to endure.

Finally, when the GG was completely filled, he let me go. Just before I passed out, Shut Up kissed my forehead.

“Sleep well, Hyung.”

With his smile as the last thing I saw, the screen turned black, and it changed to the waiting room.

<>

I ended the game and took off the helmet. I placed it on the coffee table with my gloves and leaned my head back against the sofa. As expected, my pants were damp. Was Jun in the same state now?

‘…Or is it just me?’

My strength completely drained, I barely managed to stand up and stumbled towards the bathroom.

To be continued in Vol. 4