CHAPTER 36………..
I kept insisting that it wasn’t like that—that I only touched him because his muscles were impressive, that it was unconscious.
But Hwanseong kept pushing me: “Really? I don’t think so…”
And before I realized it, I was touching his arm again. Even though I had just denied it so strongly, my hand betrayed me.
I hadn’t meant to, but… his arm muscles really were nice.
After that, since we were sitting close together in a couple seat, I couldn’t stop being hyper-aware of his arm brushing against mine, and it was impossible to focus on the game.
‘T-this is weird. Earlier, it didn’t bother me at all…’
Maybe thinking I was tired from all the dungeon stress, he suggested we stop playing and go eat.
I wasn’t even that hungry, but I wanted to escape the situation where our arms were touching, so I nodded furiously and said I was starving.
After a simple meal, we went our separate ways. Later, lying in bed, I stared blankly at the thing floating in front of me.
[Quest Log]
[What’s with this guy?]
It was the system window. Even without Hwanseong around, it was still there before my eyes.
“Maybe because it’s a quest window, not a status window…”
Back at the PC café, I’d ignored it, but on the way home, out of curiosity, I whispered “Accept” in my heart—and sure enough, a quest popped up, like it had been waiting for me.
Of course, the design was exactly like the in-game UI of Dereso.
I squinted, uneasy, and slowly reread the quest text.
**[What’s with this guy, really?
He treats me way too well for it to just be a “jealous husband” gimmick. But if it’s not just his natural personality either—like the guild members say—then what is it?
Are all of his actions really just part of some roleplay concept?
If not… could he be showing some other kind of feelings because of me?]**
When I first saw it, my reaction was simply: “What the heck is this…?”
And just like the status window, this one was also tied only to Hwanseong. Maybe because it was above his head, maybe because it came from him—it was all about him.
The contents were already ridiculous, but the quest objective made it even worse.
[Make Lee Hwanseong shed tears 0/1]
‘Why on earth would I make him cry…?’
From the wording, it seemed the “other emotion” the quest hinted at was probably sadness.
Thinking about it… yeah, except for today, his status window usually only ever showed positive feelings.
“But then again, that status window doesn’t even get things right most of the time…”
Sure, it nailed it when he looked troubled today—but usually, it just flashed things like “Excited” or “Fluttering Heart” when he was calm as ever.
Its credibility was already rock-bottom.
I sighed and kept reading down to the reward section.
[Reward: Direct line of communication with the GM]
“…Huh? The GM?”
As far as I knew, nothing about the devs of this game had ever been revealed, other than the company name and the fact they were new. Nobody knew which corporation owned them, who the staff were—everything was a mystery.
And yet Dereso ran perfectly. Events, updates, and balance across all classes were solid, and the offline events were high quality too. Players were curious, but the consensus was: “Don’t poke too hard. As long as the game runs, let it be.”
So the GM only ever posted dry update notices, never personal interaction.
But now, a one-on-one conversation with a GM…?
When it was just the status window, I brushed it off. But now that there was an actual quest window too, it wasn’t so easy to ignore.
At least the quest UI could be toggled off like the in-game interface, so it didn’t get in the way of daily life.
“Hmmm… what is this, really.”
It was strange enough to see game windows popping up in reality—but why only me?
If I told anyone, they’d just think I was crazy.
Frustrated, I grabbed my phone and posted anonymously on a forum:
[Anyone else see system windows floating over people’s heads…? Even giving quests and stuffㅎㅎ… If you’re like me, I’d love to talk ㅠㅠ!!]
The reply came quickly.
[What a load of crapㅋ]
“….”
I turned off my phone with a sigh. The harsh reply sounded a lot like Sooki’s tone—but he wasn’t wrong.
If someone told me they saw game UIs in real life, I’d recommend a gaming addiction rehab clinic, not believe them.
‘Guess the right answer is to just ignore it, same as I did with Hwanseong’s status window…’
But as if on cue, my dark phone lit back up with a message—from Sooki himself.
[Kim Sooki: Our guild newbie update]
[Kim Sooki: (photo)]
The photo he posted in the guild group chat was me—with 8 stacks of the “Worsening Wound” debuff from earlier.
“…Yeah, even I admit, that’s pretty hopeless.”
[NyangMeong: Huh? 8 stacks…? I’ve only ever heard of it, never actually seen it!]
[Jangyeong: Even with all the mitigation and defense buffs rolled up, one tank-buster hit and… Aaaahh^^!!]
[Kim Sooki: STOP whining already, you’re disgusting ♡♡!!!111!!!!!!!111111]
[Jangyeong: ang?]
[Kim Sooki: ♡♡…….]
[Kim Sooki: Ha… anyway, today was hell ㅇㅇ]
[Kim Sooki: I’m NEVER going to Blue Canyon with you again]
Seeing Sooki’s messages… earlier I’d felt crushed with self-doubt, but now I just felt too embarrassed to reply at all.
If Hwanseong hadn’t comforted me after the dungeon, I probably would’ve dug myself into a hole after reading that chat.
Thinking about that, I realized again—he wasn’t just someone who took care of me. He was a genuinely good person.
And his arm muscles too…
Just remembering them made my face heat up. Hugging my pillow tightly, I hid my embarrassment, even though no one could see me.
Yeah… how could I ever make a guy like that cry?
If I did, I’d be the worst person alive.
That left the group chat still burning with Jangyeong’s whining, while I opened my calendar.
Seeing today marked “PC café with Hwanseong” pass by, my eyes landed on tomorrow’s word—two syllables that made my chest tighten.
Semester begins.
The phrase every college student dreads.
That’s right. School was about to start again.
Honestly, the reason I met up with Hwanseong today was because once classes resumed, I knew I’d have no time.
Naturally, that also meant less time to play.
“I wonder how everyone else will manage…”
Jangyeong had his full-time job on weekdays and baseball games on weekends—a structured life. With autumn approaching, his weekends would probably be entirely consumed, so not much would change for him.
Hoe was on a leave of absence, I think…
And as for the guild’s official Couple No.1…
[Kim Sooki: Where the hell is Jung Yoochan, all day long ♡♡]
[Issa: ㅇ ㅂㅇ? I was asleepㅠ_ㅠ Yesterday… well, you knowㅋ]
[Kim Sooki: Hurry and log in, I’ve been persecuted as melee DPS all day]
[Issa: =ㅂ=? By who? Surely not ranged DPS who just sit back and relax while melee do the dirty workㅋ]
[Kim Sooki: Jangyeong, Hoe, Cheonmadaeje]
[Issa: ㅇ ㅆㅇㅋㅋ Hey ranged DPS, everyone gather at the Colosseum!! Let’s fight!! …But tomorrow, I’m too tired -ㅅ-]
[Cheonmadaeje: Excellent! I’ll duel you for a whole month if you want. Hahaha! For mere melee grunts who only stare at the boss’s backside to dare challenge ranged DPS who oversee the entire battlefield… truly, the end times are upon us.]
[Kim Sooki: …Did you just say “backside”? You done talking?]
[Cheonmadaeje: If I keep going, the sun will rise before I’m finished!]
…Yeah. Those three—including Cheonmadaeje—weren’t going to change anytime soon.
So that left Hwanseong.
He had only ever followed me around. If my login frequency dropped, would his too?
No, that seemed too extreme.
But still—if I wasn’t around, what would he do in-game?
Usually, I’d log in to find him already waiting outside the guild house like an NPC, or online when I was. He was a raider, sure, but apart from tagging along with me, I couldn’t picture him doing much else.
Maybe when that new 6-man raid the chat mentioned opens, he’ll go… but still.
“Ah, whatever!”
If I wasn’t around, he’d probably just play like he did before we met.
With that light thought, I set my alarm for the morning and drifted off into deep sleep.
