CHAPTER 44……….
While Hae-ah sat stunned on her bed, another person was also lying blankly on his bed.
That person was none other than Hwansung.
Lately, Hwansung had been experiencing the extremes of heaven and hell. Aside from his school days, his life had been smooth—no hardships, no drama.
To put it harshly, his life had been boring.
But now, for the first time since school, he felt turbulence. In fact, even more severe turbulence than back then.
And of course, the cause of that turbulence was Hae-ah, the very girl he had always liked. Back in school, because Hae-ah had drawn a clear line, they had almost no real connection.
They were simply classmates in the same homeroom.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Or maybe even less than that.
Because Hae-ah didn’t even remember him.
The other kids had vaguely known that Hwansung liked her. Even Hae-ah, despite her lack of awareness, probably sensed it at least a little. But now, realizing she couldn’t remember him at all, Hwansung knew she hadn’t even considered him a classmate.
So he never brought it up—never said they went to the same school or were in the same class.
He was afraid that if he did, she would only distance herself more.
And so, they graduated as strangers—worse than strangers, really.
He had thought that once she was out of sight, she would also be out of mind. But instead of fading, his feelings only grew stronger as time passed. Longing piled up, leaving him with one recurring regret: “I should have at least said something back then.”
Perhaps some passing god had heard that desperate wish—because Hwansung met her again.
In a game.
Unlike their school days, this time he became close to her. Those were the happiest days of his life. Even if it was just in a game, they married. They met in real life, sat across from each other, shared meals…
But with great happiness often comes a fear that it might vanish like a dream.
Even in his joy, Hwansung carried that unease. It was the same kind of worry the other guild members sometimes voiced.
“If Hae-ah quits the game, will we just go back to being nothing again?”
But he believed it would be different this time. Unlike in school, Hae-ah no longer built walls. They had a connection now. Even if she quit the game, if they built a bond, surely they could keep meeting and contacting each other.
Yet, as if to mock those thoughts, Hae-ah disappeared—leaving behind the words, “Don’t contact me.”
After that, Hwansung’s everyday life collapsed completely.
Unlike before, he now had real memories of being with her, which made it even harder. Sometimes he lingered in the very spot where she had logged out, hoping she might appear. Sometimes he clutched his phone all day long, waiting.
But there was no login. No message.
“If Hae-ah lets go first… then it really means we’re nothing.”
The moment that truth hit him, he sank into deep despair.
A bond formed in a game was such a fragile one. No matter how close you were, once the other person quit, all you could do was wait. You couldn’t do anything else.
He even started doubting whether the nickname “Seonya,” glowing in the guild window, had ever really belonged to a real person.
And so, he just sat there, waiting endlessly for her to return, staring blankly at the screen. He knew the sight of that endless green meadow map so well that he could recall it even with his eyes closed.
Then, one day, a player passed by him.
[JeongRyuJangEongTteuJoAh]
(Bus Stop Warm Is Nice)
Hwansung couldn’t help but laugh—what kind of nickname was that?
“Waiting for the bus must have been freezing co—”
He suddenly froze mid-sentence, staring blankly at the player walking away.
Bus stop…
There was a way to see Hae-ah outside the game.
The bus stop where she had gotten off at their first guild meetup.
But he couldn’t bring himself to go. She had told him not to contact her—was it really okay to wait for her there?
And if she had already quit the game, then someone she’d met online showing up at a bus stop near her house…
Even he had to admit that was creepy. He’d be lucky if she didn’t think of him as a stalker.
And so, he ended up back where he started.
“…At least now I can wait. Back then, I couldn’t even do that.”
He didn’t know whether to be glad or sad about that fact. The longer it went on, the heavier the emptiness inside him grew.
Seeing his condition, his mother told him to stop cooping himself up and at least get some fresh air. He felt like if he stayed in the house, the emptiness would swallow him whole. So, even without a destination, he said he’d step out for a bit and left.
He walked aimlessly, wherever his feet carried him.
They say going outside lifts your mood. For him, it only got worse.
And before he realized it, he was standing at that very bus stop—the one where Hae-ah had once gotten off.
“….”
He thought he’d gone insane. His body had brought him here unconsciously.
His feet, which had been moving so naturally, now felt nailed to the ground. He thought about turning back, but couldn’t move.
Just ten minutes. I’ll wait ten minutes.
He couldn’t even explain why.
Just to see her face once? Just to say a single word?
He knew it was selfish, that it might burden her. But he wanted to at least know why she told him not to contact her.
Ten minutes turned to thirty, then to hours. Still, he stayed.
Daylight had long since faded into night.
The hot summer air seemed to avoid him, leaving his body cold despite the heat.
“What do I even want to do if I see Hae-ah?”
Why did he have to just watch her leave? Why couldn’t he be by her side?
Thoughts like these tore him apart. His head dropped, his eyes staring lifelessly at the ground.
And then—a shadow fell over him.
At first, he didn’t even notice. But as the shadow lingered, he slowly lifted his head.
Standing there, with a surprised expression, was the person he’d wanted to see so desperately.
Hae-ah.
After that… he did things he’d never normally dare to do. Hugging her suddenly, burying his face in her shoulder, rubbing his cheek against her hand…
“…Crazy. I was actually crazy.”
Recalling it made him press his hand against his forehead. Unlike before, now his skin burned hot.
He had even cried in front of her. She must have been completely dumbfounded—finding her guildmate suddenly appearing at her bus stop, hugging her, in tears.
At the time, though, he hadn’t even realized what he was doing. He’d just lost control.
She must have been shocked when I hugged her so suddenly.
And yet—she let him hold her, and even patted his back.
That thought alone made his face burn hotter.
How long had they stayed like that? Eventually the heat in his face cooled a little, leaving room for another realization.
She didn’t leave.
It had just been a misunderstanding. Hae-ah hadn’t quit, hadn’t left. Relief washed over him—but so did a new wave of unease.
This time it was only a misunderstanding. But what if, one day, she really did leave?
He had only imagined it before, but now he had felt it—how unbearable it would be if she truly disappeared. He couldn’t endure another loss like that. Not again.
And so he wondered—if he were a character in a game, what kind of ending would his path be leading to right now?
If it had been yesterday, the only route would have been a bad ending. A sad ending.
But now?
Maybe he was on the path to a happy ending. Or maybe another bad ending was still waiting.
One thing was certain: no matter how much he wished for it, he couldn’t reach a happy ending alone.
It all depends on how Hae-ah sees me.
So…
“Hae-ah, please… just see me.”
And so, for different reasons, both of them lay awake that night, unable to sleep.
